failnaughted

[failnaughted]

The trip to Brodia has proven itself quite interesting in multiple ways. Of course, learning about another culture and whatnot is always going to be fun, especially for someone as nosy - ahem. curious as Claude. To see architecture, culture and traditions that are completely normal in one land, whereas another had failed to come up with the concept, but instead offers something else entirely that this one lacks - it's always fascinating to him.

It gets him thinking about his goals and hopes, too - how amazing it could be if all people accepted the new and different with openness. A reminder of the world he wishes to one day create.

But that day is still ways away, and he has to accept that. For now, he satisfies himself with this trip and going "Whoooa" at about every second thing he sees.

When the Elyos' Divine Dragon, as they call him, voices a plan to visit another place called the "Somniel" and offers to take a few people along, Claude volunteers before he even thinks to ask what that is or where. Lo and behold, next thing he knows, Alear takes him and some others to an island in the sky. Alright, it's official, his flabber is gasted and his mind is blown. Sure, he rides wyverns, so being in the sky is nothing new for him, but being on an island in the sky? No one's gonna believe him when they get back. Fódlan's Goddess needs to step it up if she wants to remain the coolest deity around.

Claude follows Alear around the Somniel, marveling at the place and all its facilities. Well, isn't that a convenient little location for when you have to raise an army or run from your problems? Boy does he wish he had something like this, too.

"Quite a nice home you have for yourself, Divine One," he speaks out when he and Alear are left alone. With everyone in Brodia calling him that, the title has actually felt quite natural to pick up - even if there is significantly less reverence in Claude's voice when he says it, than there was among the people down there. He smiles. "Plenty of space to train, work and chill... and it lets you keep people together and separated at the same time, if necessary. Or was your personal charm enough to keep everyone civil? I've heard, at least, that some conflicts in Elyos were quite long."

The Intricate Art of Not Killing Each Other || Claude & Alear

Return to Brod— I mean the Somniel || @alyration

[failnaughted]

Most of the time, Claude would actually be left to his own devices in the library, and allowed to read up and search for information in peace. Whether something about his vibes caused people to not expect him among the books and fail to search for him there, or they didn't want to bother him in case he was learning about Important Future Sovereign Duke Things, or they decided to err on the side of caution and not get involved with him "just in case", he didn't know, but frankly, whatever it was that got them off his back, he was grateful for.

Of course, that was not to say that every time he came to the library, he searched for information in a shady way. Sure, he wanted to know a lot more about the Church than the Church wanted him to know about them, but it was not as though he didn't have other matters to think about as well. For all intents and purposes, he was still fairly new to Fódlan, at least in comparison to someone like Edelgard or Dimitri. He had nowhere near as much time as them to learn and grow as an heir, and yet, the pressure was on to become just as good. And while he joked and jested about many things, wanting the people to be safe and happy was not one of them.

So he learned all that he could. About Fódlan, the Alliance, the Church, and of course, about the Empire and the Kingdom as well. You never know when a small detail from your neighbor's history might become useful.

And that was also the plan for today, except when Claude approached the section where he knew some of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus archives were stored, he froze at the realization someone was there already. "Oh—" he let out, realizing a second too late that he just blew his chance to leave unnoticed. Well, that was dumb, and now he just had to roll with it.

"Good evening. Sorry for disturbing you, I didn't expect anyone so late in the library." At least with that, he could be truthful.

The man's hair color felt familiar, but he was currently lost on the name. Hm.

"Um... Whatcha Got There?" (Hides Faerghus Intel) "A Smoothie" || Claude & Matthias

Let's talk politics || @cielenruine

[failnaughted]

ooc; wanted plots - Return to Brodia

Wahoo, Claude's off on an adventure! Well, he's actually one of the Fódlanese who can actually claim to have been abroad, but shhh. Anyway, he's very curious about this land - I imagine that he will have heard bits and pieces about its history here and there, and he will be very interested to see how this war-torn country is letting go of its past - after all, it's an achievement he's hoping to one day replicate.

A discussion centered around this would be among the plots I'm most interested to take up. This would probably be easiest with a native Elyosian, but I'm more than happy to tackle it with anyone else who has an idea, and I can take it up a few times in a few ways.

Other than that, some potential ideas from the prompt board I have:

Sunset watching - you ever look at trees and Think

Turning weapons into more useful tools - could work for the idea I mentioned above, but could also be its own thing, like a general discussion on how to reuse tools of war after the fact. Preventing someone from getting themselves Cooked would be important too

Brodian craftsmen - simple enough, Claude would love a souvenir. He's interested in both the jewelry and the blades - both make a good trinket as far as he's concerned.

Ping me in TOA Discord's #plotting channel or DM me if you're interested!

[failnaughted]

"Me? Untrustworthy?" Claude laughed, his tone of voice very clearly pretending to be offended. "You wound me, Your Royal Highness! I have invited you with full confidence in both your and my abilities. What kind of ally would I be otherwise?"

He shot Dimitri a wink. A for effort. One day you'll get there.

Further snark competition would have to wait until later, because it was time to learn about the equipment and strap up. Well, he did have to agree, the idea was pretty simple indeed, so that was cool. It's all good fun and games, and potential valuable experience, but Claude was actually serious about wanting neither himself nor Dimitri splattered on the ground.

And he knew he could trust the assistant not to want that either, considering who they were. Sometimes this whole high status thing has its uses.

Equipment ready and mastered, there was little else to do for Claude but smile at Dimitri and point towards the pegasi waiting to take them up. He gestured towards the one to the left, then towards the blond, and back. "Daffodil, Dimitri. Dimitri, Daffodil."

The snark element was gone from his voice altogether as he continued, replaced with a tone more appropriate for introducing someone to flying. Perhaps he didn't know everything about Dimitri (yet), but even then, he was confident the Prince knew less about flying than he did - even if his true proficiency lay with wyverns. "If I recall right, you don't fly by yourself very often, do you? Not to worry, these guys are trained to handle riders of any skill level. Just let your pegasus sniff your hand and give him a little pat - it's important to introduce yourself, after all."

As he said, so he did with his pegasus as well, before mounting. One tug at the reins - and up he went. Once he ascended a little, he stopped and turned, waiting for Dimitri to catch up.

Have a Safe Flight! || Claude & Dimitri

[failnaughted]

OoooOOOOoohh this one has a personality.

"Aaand nice to meet you too, good sir!" Claude responds with a bright smile and a salute, seemingly unbothered at all by the harsh remarks - though the expression is slightly less cheeky than it would normally be, a sign that he is, in fact, a little apologetic for splattering the guy with paint. Maybe. Juuust a little.

(You'll be fine, king. Walk it off.)

He watches as the other shoots his shot, splatting red paint all over the entrance to the Golden Deer classroom, and lets out a whistle of approval as he observes the result. When their eyes next meet, Claude returns the sniper's smug expression with a smile of his own; less pretentious, but also one that doesn't quite reach his eyes. His gaze is sharp, clearly evaluating the young man, with curiosity - and a degree of caution.

Claude knows his games.

"Ooh, a professional, huh? I'm a little surprised the Imperial Princess isn't running you ragged - she's always oh so quick to make use of the skilled ones. May it have something to do with that strong and confident personality of yours?" He asks as he readies another arrow. His tone is casual - far from overly formal, and yet devoid of any smirk or mockery. Claude knows when to snark and when not to, and, well - it's not exactly or necessarily that this guy is off the hook, but he knows true ability when he sees it, especially from a fellow bowman.

But, well. "Alas, as a House Leader striving to set a good example, I cannot flee a challenge when I receive one, now can I?"

And so,

(Roll: 17)

The arrow whistles its song as it flies, this time avoiding showering the sniper with paint and instead plastering all its contents upon the Black Eagles' wall, successfully covering in their entirety the previously existing marks of both red and blue. The entire left side of their door is now painted in the vibrant color of the Golden Deer.

Smiling, Claude crosses his arms as he looks at the other, before raising one hand to show a peace sign.

"More to your satisfaction? By the way, when I chat with someone, I like to exchange names. Claude von Riegan, pleasure to meet you."

I Don't Think This Is About House Pride Anymore || Claude & Innes

[failnaughted]

Activity Check: November 2024

Status: passed

Skill points gained: - Activity (Authority: D → D+)

Total: 1; 6 → 7

[failnaughted]

When the news of someone shooting at flying patrols reached the monastery, it naturally became an instant serious matter. So far the pegasi have all returned with arrows just in their legs, but who's to say that the next shot won't be to the wing or a vital organ, killing both the animal and its rider? And that's without even mentioning the clear emotional trauma the poor guys were exposed to.

So yeah. Not even Claude is going to find fun in a situation like this, because it's a serious matter. And where there's a serious matter, there has to be a plan in action. With the crafty perpetrator refusing to reveal themselves to any other bait, the solution he draws is a natural one: bait him with what works.

(Did he overlook or disregard the part where this would result in him and his partners getting exposed to being shot at? Maybe. But come on, it'll be fiiine. Besides, nothing else was going to work anyway!)

Claude turns his head in response to Lysithea's voice, though only halfway - not letting his eyes off what's ahead of him.

"Oh, I don't know if he's unhappy about you, to be honest, haha. I'm much more of a wyvern flier, and I think this fella can sense that." Still, if she looks at him, she'll see an encouraging smile on his face. "Just try to stay confident and hang in there. Pegasi are highly attuned to their flier's emotions, so he's gotta know he can believe in us."

Still, her point about the visibility being poor stands.

"It's gonna be a bit hard to see anything, but we'll be even more open than we are now if we go lower. Try to focus on any movement or colors that stand out."

Broken Wings

[failnaughted]

Mitama sets out to complete the task he assigned her with all the enthusiasm of someone thrown out of their bed in the dead of night, and Claude hums to himself as he turns to the other end of the room to search of clues. At first, nothing stands out too much - from what he has heard, this is normal in places like this, so he doesn't allow it to deter him, looking more attentively, fully intending to be as nosy and meddlesome as some complain he is.

Well, the more someone has to hide, the more obtrusive he becomes. And there's little reason for him to stop when it pays off. As it does here - upon closer inspection, he finds a piece of wall that seems to have been covered with a piece of fabric of identical color; it blends in well, but not enough to escape from him. Peeling it off, he finds a set of icons, and squints, trying to discern their meaning. Down, left, uh... Ah. It would seem that every second symbol is missing.

He turns over to Mitama, laughing at the sound of her voice.

"Aw, come on now. Where's your curiosity? Your excitement to journey into the unknown? Your determination to solve the puzzle?" His tone is a little exaggerated, but it's also clear that he's trying to encourage her. "Leader man's gonna do his best, but even the best leader can't do everything alone, y'know? So then. Have you found anything of note?"

Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object vs Literal Wall || Claude & Mitama

[failnaughted]

@rafent ; Mission: Distress - Axe +1

Ah, yes. It has been 0 days since the Church's last nonsense.

Well, Claude doesn't comment on it while in a place where there's a chance he can be overheard by someone who would not be happy to hear something like this. Which, at the monastery, is the vast majority of places, really. So, for simplicity's sake, he just keeps it to himself.

Just smile through it! Smiles through the Knights' discussions of the chaos, smile through the news that the Academy needs to send reinforcements, smile through the reveal that he is the reinforcement apparently. Yeah, go to the Adrestian territory to sort out the Empire's mess for them in the name of cooperation and solidarity. Suuure.

(Well, okay, okay. He knows that the students from both the Empire and the Kingdom would also be sent if the Alliance were to get into some hot water. So, well, he'll stop with his snarky remarks and of course he'll assist. Make love, not war.)

Anyway, one thing leads to another, and Claude soon finds himself just south of the Empire's end of the Great Bridge of Myrrdin, where one of those newly rising and incessantly stubborn groups of bandits has been reported. His mission: rendezvous with a Black Eagles Professor who had already arrived in the area earlier and figure out what's going on.

White-ish hair, clothes in the mixture of white, gold, pink and black, usually wields an axe. A detailed description indeed, not possible to mistake for anyone else. And well well well, if it isn't his lucky day, that should be the person in question right there. Fighting, oh boy, twelve or so bandits on his own?! With several already dead at his feet?! Claude is immediately impressed, but his mind jumps into full focus mode as he notices one of those brigands sneaking behind the Professor's back and giving himself a bit too good a chance at it for his comfort.

Fun is over. His reaction is immediate - he spurs his horse forward and his right hand reaches to the quiver on his back for an arrow. As soon as he's close enough, he halts his mount.

"Hey!" He calls just in case he doesn't make it in time, while at the same time letting the arrow fly. It finds target, striking the bandit right between his shoulder blades and felling him on the spot.

"Are you okay? I'll assist," he says, pulling out another arrow.

You Have My Axe 🙄 I Guess 🙄 || Claude & Rafal

[failnaughted]

Activity Check: October 2024

Status: passed

Skill points gained: - Activity (Bow: D+ → C)

Total: 1; 5 → 6

Obtained: - Failnaught, Close Counter (Bow C)

Apothecary class unlocked! Archer class unlocked!

[failnaughted]

@freliasarrow ; Bow +1

This is uh. Certainly one way to let students practice their artistic freedom, Claude supposes. Coming to classes and seeing red, blue and yellow paint all over the walls around classroom entrances filled him with a series of emotions he never expected the Academy to bestow upon him.

Isn't the monastery an old, important and dearly cherished monument that cannot afford to suffer such reckless damage? Granted, it ain't like he calls the shots around here, but even he, looking at this mess, kinda cannot help but hope that this is at least some type of paint that easily washes off. If not, well... at least the House classroom entrances will be very easy to find going forward.

Well.

Anyway,

if they're going to let him just splatter Deer pride all over the place AND do target practice at the same time, they're not going to expect him to not take them up on the offer, right?

So it is that upon exiting his classroom, Claude looks at his training bow, looks at the prepared paint and soft arrows, looks at the Black Eagles door already smeared in all three colors, grins, and loads up. Splat! the paint collides with the wall, covering a layer of red placed there earlier in self-defense with the mark of the Golden Deer.

Just in the exact moment a student walked out of the Eagles room. Also equipped with a bow. Ah.

Claude pauses for a moment, before smiling - less smirky and more friendly, though not without a mischievous hint in his eyes still - before he raises his hand in greeting.

"Good afternoon!" He calls, innocently, as though nothing at all happened and there isn't yellow paint slowly sliding down the wall right next to the guy.

I Don't Think This Is About House Pride Anymore || Claude & Innes

[failnaughted]

@solmtinel ; Riding +1

You're telling him that Fódlan actually opened itself up for diplomatic relationships with other countries and continents? And made itself some friends across the seas? And those friends can come to the Academy and study here and not be treated with sneering and suspicion every step they take?

To Claude, this feels like the wildest dream he has ever had. But also he won't lie, if this is a dream, then he wouldn't mind never waking up.

Of course, this process of opening the doors and borders has taken some time now, as he knows, and will take some time still, but that's cool by him. He expected that. He expected it to take longer than however long he has to walk this earth, really. The progress made so far is already more than he ever thought he would get to see.

Well, anyway. With new visitors come new customs, and supposedly, one of them has introduced a most peculiar tradition: wolf riding. The mere idea sounds strange to Claude when he first hears it. He's seen wolves in his life, they are gorgeous and majestic creatures, and by no means small - but he doesn't recall seeing a wolf big enough to ride. How does that even work? Do they actually mean that literally?

This curiosity, and the resulting eagerness to open his own eyes to the new and unknown the same way he had hoped Fódlan itself to do, brings him to the monastery's kennel (big and beautiful, fairly recently built by the looks of it) to check it out.

It is as he enters and his eyes land upon the wolves resting in the kennel that he understands the answer. Yeah, he's seen wolves alright. Never as big as those though, what the heck? He's fairly sure he has seen horses smaller than these.

In front of the next kennel, he spots a person - another student, and from his very House at that, as he now recalls. He smiles bright and waves in greeting as he's noticed.

"Hello there. Here to check out the wolves, too? Is it true they've had some pups recently?" He laughs, a hint nervously. Those are some wolves alright. "Are the pups... also as big?"

The Weirdest Doggy Daycare in Fódlan || Claude & Timerra

[failnaughted]

Artist: Rika Suzuki

Source: Twitter

[failnaughted]

@verseandrhyme ; Authority +1

Being who he is, Claude has developed a tendency that can be both useful and troublesome - namely, the tendency to see puzzles in almost everything he’s involved in and every place he visits. Scheming, paranoia, duplicity - what name is used for this behavior depends on who one asks and how much the person in question knows about Claude.

But that’s how he was built by the world around him, and such he has remained. Wherever he goes, he has eyes and ears around his head. In every conversation, he thinks more than he says. Behind every action and every word, he looks for additional context.

It’s probably not exactly healthy, he knows that. It ain’t like everyone is out to get him, and he knows that too. Old habits die hard, is all.

Aaanyway, it’s something of an entertaining conclusion he draws with regards to his own person that he makes a realization on as he makes the decision to partake in an exercise where he consciously steps into a situation that is meant to be a puzzle. It’s here that it dawns on him he’s never done much stuff like this before, because there hasn’t been a need - because he looks for puzzles in everything.

Well. This should be interesting. Let’s see how epically he succeeds or fails at a real one.

Of course, he didn’t step into this challenge alone. After having a first brief glance around the place where they have now been locked up, he turns to face his partner in crime, and the cheeky grin turns into an expression of (still somewhat entertained) confusion. He could have sworn he was told she also signed up for this, but now, she does not really seem quite as enthusiastic.

Oh. Well? Let’s. Go?

“Alright, Mitama,” he initiates anyway. Someone’s gotta. “In places like this, they always set up little hints and whatnot that you gotta find to make progress to get out, right? Why don’t you take that side of the room, while I look around here?”

Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object vs Literal Wall || Claude & Mitama

[failnaughted]

@blaiddllodi ; Flying +1

Though for the time being his good pal Nadia is resting at the wyvern stables and adjusting to the Academy, and as such he has resolved her not to bother her with missions and tiring exercises, Claude is, in reality, as much as a man of the wing as he is of the bow. And while he certainly has more affinity with the drakes than the pegasi, he can fly a winged horse when the situation calls for it. When necessity calls, skill and experience are there.

All that is to say that, when the Academy announced a new flying experiment, he was in.

He doesn’t have the slightest idea yet what a “parachute” is, but he’s about to find out, right? And what he’s heard of the endeavor sounds both exciting - he’s always wanted to know what being a bird, or what being Nadia, feels like - and useful for the future. The argument of learning how to handle getting knocked off his mount in battle without breaking his neck is, without a doubt, a compelling one. He doesn’t really need to be convinced about it any more than that.

Now, all that remained was finding a partner for the adventure - after all, fun is best had in company. At first, of course, he had thought to invite a fellow Deer, but then, another idea crossed his mind:

What could foster positive Kingdom-Alliance relations better than him and the heir to the throne of Faerghus jumping together or pushing each other off of flying pegasi?

Well, one thing leads to another, and on the arranged day, Claude is waiting at the field with two pegasi, two sets of prepared equipment, and an assistant waiting to teach them about it.

At the sight of the approaching blond, Claude grins and offers a friendly salute. “Good afternoon to you, Prince Dimitri! Glad to see you didn’t chicken o— Ahem. Change your mind. Are you ready?”

Have a Safe Flight! || Claude & Dimitri

[failnaughted]

@aubins ; Axe +1

He suspects most people wouldn’t really see it as a big deal. Trees and flowers are just that - trees and flowers, right? And, well, yeah. To be completely honest, it’s not really like Claude has super strong feelings about the whole ordeal on the literal level. He can’t exactly claim to be an environmental pro or anything of the sort, so in this regard, he supposes he’ll just believe those who learned about the stuff and know what they are saying. He knows little of animals other than horses, wyverns and kinda pegasi, but he does know that invasive animal species can put the entire natural balance of an area in jeopardy by threatening the native ones. He can sort of imagine plants may be able to do something similar.

So, well… He gets it. On the basic level, he gets it. The trees and flowers that don’t belong have to go. So they’re gonna go. A group of professionals hired by the Church is to soon arrive at the scene, and he, too, was advised to bring with him a light axe in case they need him to assist, so sure, he will.

He supposes there’s just a metaphorical level, a symbolic level if you will, on which this kind of situation doesn’t sit entirely right with him. And it bothers him.

It bothers hm because it symbolizes his dreams and hopes being squashed, perhaps in part by his own hands. It bothers him because he sometimes wonders if he really is the only person on the face of Fódlan who thinks about these things. It bothers him because he has to be so careful, so selective, of the people to whom he whispers even a word of his thoughts.

Oh well. He’s lived like this for years, and who knows how much longer he will continue. If his resolve wavers, that’s on him.

The train of thought dissipates for the time being when he approaches the hill. Once he gets to the top, he’ll be able to see the scene said to be just as beautiful as it is troublesome.

But first, another scene entirely meets him at the foot of the hill. Claude blinks in surprise, before smiling as he speaks out at the sight of a lilac head. A hand is raised in greeting as he approaches.

“Oh? Well I’ll be, if it isn’t a certain Mr. Yuri. Had no idea you decided to tag along for this little expedition. How have you been?”

You Ever Look at Flowers and Think || Claude & Yuri

[failnaughted]

ooc; Claude (re)introduction

This is going to be very funny especially for the people who saw me say mere days ago that I hesitate to try a 3H muse again. Although I suppose all of you saw me say this during the anniversary munday, so everyone is welcome to point and laugh.

Well, I've done some test writing with him since then, updated his blog, refreshed myself on his stuff, and felt a strong urge to give him another shot. Truth be told, while I did once get overwhelmed by him, he never REALLY died - even though I thought and said he did, but pulling out surprises to save his skin is just in character for him, isn't it - and I've always regretted a little just how short he lasted. So, let's see how it goes this time.

Aaanyway, just so we know where he currently stands:

Regarding the couple threads he had, I've decided to essentially hit a reset button on all of Claude's budding relationships. Half of his thread partners have dropped, and the other half never got very far. I'm sorry for the interrupted interactions, and I look forward to a new start.

I still have a couple of those "send me a (o・・o)/ to get my muse's opinion on yours" ask memes in Claude's askbox that I never got to, and I do actually intend to answer them for the muses that are still in TOA, those being Seliph, Kris, Raven, Maria, Katarina, Veyle, Edward, Chad and Denning. If you specifically do not want me to answer this anymore for your muse, please let me know. I remember this meme being both very fun and having a lot of people's interest for Claude (which I really appreciate!) so I might reopen it at some point in the future.

I think that about covers it for now! I'll be following this up with a plotting call shortly.

Looking forward to writing Claude with you all!