raijintosworn

[raijintosworn]

“Well, unless you’re particularly strong, I can’t see them losing the stick.” At least, he hopes not. All that Ryoma knows of wolves is based on what he knows of dogs. He’s hoping they’re not that different - or at least not so different that it would cause issues. “Are you strong enough to throw the stick so far?” Ryoma would very much like to see that.

Kurthnaga - or Kurth, Ryoma supposes - seems far too trusting. He barely knows Ryoma, and sees him as a friend. It’s all the more reason not to let them down. Kurth seems very sweet.

“Ah, one of the Golden Deer,” Ryoma says. The only house that has a prey animal, instead of a predator, as its mascot. Ryoma finds that interesting, but he can’t put his finger on why. “Why did you come to Garreg Mach?” Ryoma looks at him. “I do hope you aren’t pursuing the path of a mercenary.” Kurthnaga wouldn’t last a day.

Bork Bork Bork. Look I'm a Dog

Anniversary | Riding +1

[raijintosworn]

Ryoma nods as she talks. Blue hair, tall (but then again, who isn’t tall when you’re so little?!), and… a mark? She pushes her hair back to reveal the red mark on her forehead. It means nothing to Ryoma, of course. “Oh, okay. Is it a tattoo?” Wait, no, is that rude? It’s probably a cultural thing; Ryoma doesn’t really leave Hoshido much at all, and outsiders never really visit Hoshido.

He takes her hand - it feels so little in his own. She trusts him. The weight of that responsibility is a great weight indeed, but he’s got her. Ena is safe with him.

“I’m not going to let go,” he says. “If we manage to lose each other, don’t run away, okay? I’ll come and find you again.” He hopes. He hopes he sounds cool and confident; he feels kind of stupid.

Ryoma looks around. No tall men with blue hair and a red tattoo-mark-thing. He hopes the man didn’t abandon her. Maybe if he did, Ryoma can bring her to Mother; he wouldn’t mind another little sister. It’s better than wandering this school without family, too. Whatever happens, he’ll keep her safe.

“What’s your grandfather’s name?” Ryoma asks. “Maybe we can ask some grown-ups if they’ve seen him.”

big brother mode activated

( TOA anniversary board - any skill +1 )

[raijintosworn]

Even as a small child, Ryoma enjoyed training. He suspected he enjoyed swinging the sword around as a child, but now, he enjoyed the physical aspect of it more than anything. Thankfully, his profession helped keep him in shape. He was glad he had taken up a position at Garreg Mach after everything that happened.

Another student came onto the training grounds. It was the end of the day, and there were occasionally students who came in after hours. Some came hoping to find some help with their weapon of choice, and some preferred practising alone. Ryoma couldn’t say he knew this girl, so he doubted she was here for sword practice.

Still, it didn’t hurt to ask.

“Good evening,” he said. “Are you here to train by yourself, or would you rather have a partner?”

He hoped she wasn’t here to learn archery; Ryoma wasn’t much for archery, himself.

@flowerinbattle

what's the weapon triangle again?

[raijintosworn]

what's the weapon triangle again?

[raijintosworn]

abatina :   is there anything in life your muse has changed their mind about over time   (   due to becoming more educated on the topic ,   certain experiences  ,   etc .   ) ,    or that they   would   change their mind about under certain circumstances ?  

botanical headcanons ; accepting

I’m trying really, really hard to avoid the obvious. Unfortunately, there’s only one answer for Conquest!Ryoma: the Nohrian royal family.

I don’t think Ryoma blames the people of Nohr as much as he blames those royals; even then, the blame is mostly on the older three (because what power does Elise truly have?). The issue is, Ryoma doesn’t have their experience. He doesn’t know the life they’ve lived. He truly thinks they all just back up Garon 100% without so much as a thought.

I’ve talked about this with Sam a little bit, and I know Ryoma can at least change his mind on him. I feel like, with enough time and communication, he could change his mind on the older two, too. I know he does in Revelations, but this ain’t that, sadly.

I know it’s a really short, really obvious answer, but it’s truly the only thing I can think of 😭

[raijintosworn]

“Ah, so you do know.” Even if it was the ‘wrong’ Shiro. It was still so strange to him that there were people from home that were not from home. In a sense, it was better: facing them would be much more difficult. “I’m unsure which timeline he comes from. He referred to Hoshido being ‘fine’, and that’s all the information I received.”

But then, if Shiro truly disliked Ryoma, then it would make sense why he was so sparse with information.

As for why Shiro might hate him? Well, it sounds rather juvenile and whiny when he said it out loud. “Perhaps hate is a strong word,” he said, “but I don’t get the sense that he and his father are particularly close.” We get along, Shiro had said. Ryoma couldn’t imagine saying that about any of his parents.

“We met because he couldn’t go fishing unchaperoned. I volunteered. Of course, I didn’t know who Shiro was at the time.” But Shiro did, naturally. “The first time he saw me, his reaction was to yell ‘no’ - quite forcefully.” Poor Ryoma hadn’t understood why at the time. Now he felt ridiculous for not noticing it sooner.

“But that’s enough about me, surely you have news as well?”

mommy's precious little flower

( anniversary board - axe +1 )

[raijintosworn]

Oh - she’s shy! His baby sister’s shy too, but she’s a baby. This girl - Ena? - is a little older, at least. Not that he can’t deal with Sakura, because he can, but Ena can talk properly, even if she’s talking about herself weirdly.

“Your grandfather?” Ryoma tries to think. He hasn’t seen any old men or anything around the school, but that doesn’t mean he’s looked everywhere. “I can help you find him.”

He doesn’t like the idea of leaving this little girl all by herself. Sure, his parents are going to worry when he comes back late, but this is far more important. What is he missing, anyway? History lessons? Boring. Dull. Awful. He doesn’t want to do any of that. But even if it was something more fun, Ryoma would still help her.

“Do you want to hold hands?” he offers his hand to her. “Then we won’t lose each other.” He’d feel awful if he promised to help her, only to immediately lose her at the first corner. Plus, he thinks some kids like holding hands. He remembers being little and his parents holding his little hand, after all.

“And what does your grandfather look like?” He imagines his old man, back broken with a cane, and a beard practically down to the floor. He doesn’t have grandparents, so he can’t even imagine. Plus, his dad is already so old - surely any man older than him would be dust!

big brother mode activated

( TOA anniversary board - any skill +1 )

[raijintosworn]

Ryoma looks down at his hands. Perhaps he is trembling a little bit. Still, he’s perfectly fine. He tucks his hands into his armpits.

“Nonsense,” he says. “All I need is to warm up my hands. You may be surprised by how much warmer you’ll feel if you wrap up your extremities.” It doesn’t help as much as he’d like. He won’t freeze to death though, he knows he’s completely fine how he is. As long as he doesn’t move and allow the cold to seep in, anyway.

“And I’m hardly so fragile that I can’t handle a little cold.” Though, it’s starting to get a little colder. “I don’t believe you are either, but it’s a common courtesy to give you the blanket rather than take it myself.”

Maybe he’s still a self-sacrificing noble at heart. He can’t help himself.

“Or if you are too stubborn to take it for yourself, we could share it. They say sharing body heat is important.” They also say it’s safer to do so naked. Ryoma isn’t suggesting that. He’s hardly ashamed of his own body, but this isn’t so life-and-death that they must get naked for each other. He hopes.

would milord care for a warm cosy blankie

( TOA anniversary board - heavy armour +1)

[raijintosworn]

carnation : what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ? how do they express or not express this relationship ?

botanical headcanons ; accepting

Aw man what a good question! It’s a shame Ryoma’s answer is relatively boring.

Ryoma’s always been secure in his gender. He’s never had questions about himself as a child in that regard. As an adult, he’s happy being a man, and what that means to him. He’s never really wondered what it would be like to be anything else, gender-wise.

I think he does have uh… traditional views on gender, unfortunately. Not quite ‘man strong women soft flower GRRRR’ but I do think he’d have some unlearning to do. But, that’s pretty normal for cis men, sadly. Besides, he’s never really had the time or inclination to think about gender. For himself, he feels like he needs to be strong. He needs to be a protector and a provider.

How much of that is his own views on gender, and how much of that is due to his status, I don’t exactly know. I don’t think he’d know either. He shoulders - or rather, shouldered - a lot of responsibility. Garreg Mach might be the place to make him reconsider gender, but not his own. He’s happy as a man.

Though, if any loved one did transition, he’d be supportive. Clueless at first, but supportive. Just… give him a little minute, okay? He’s millennial aged but boomer spirited.

[raijintosworn]

Ryoma is a little lost.

The monastery is huge - sort of like Castle Shirasagi, he guesses. Well, it doesn’t matter if he’s lost: he doesn’t have school to go to. He can run free, as far as his little legs will take him. There’s only one problem: he hasn’t found anyone to hang around with. Well, that’s fine. He’ll make some new friends somewhere around here, he’s sure of it.

Just as he thinks that, he sees a girl. Her pink hair reminds him of Hinoka, a little, if her hair was a little lighter. She seems just as lost as he is. Perfect chance to make a new friend! He runs over to her.

“Hi!” He knows he should be more polite. He knows he should be more like the Crown Prince of Hoshido, be a perfect little noble, but he’s got all the time in the world to do all that stuff. His dad will die when he’s like, fifty (how old is he, anyway?), and by then, Ryoma will be an adult. Then he can be boring and polite.

“I’m Ryoma. What’s your name?” he asks. “Are you okay? You look a little lost. I’m lost, too.” Hey, maybe they can be lost together! This is a fantastic idea.

@spinnerofhope

big brother mode activated

( TOA anniversary board - any skill +1 )

[raijintosworn]

There is peace in silence if one looks for it. The rhythmic chopping breaking the silence is like a heartbeat. It’s soothing. It’s a respite from the constant hustle and bustle of the rest of life at Garreg Mach. Not that he minds it, but he’s enjoying this moment. He’s sure his partner-in-slicing is feeling it too, as he’s been silent beside him.

Or at least, that’s what Ryoma thought until he opened his mouth. He furrowed his brow.

“I disagree,” Ryoma says. “It may be faster, but it’s far more dangerous. Did you know it takes the same force to cut a carrot as it does to cut a finger?” He looks down at the vegetables. He supposes it could be rather tedious to cut all these by hand. It could be kind of fun to grab a sword and try to cut the vegetables that way. But it wouldn’t be responsible. Responsibility may be boring, but Ryoma is boring.

Yes, he sees Shiro’s point about him being a boring nag. He also isn’t about to change that.

“And don’t you think this is rather relaxing?” Chop. “You should try to get into the rhythm of it.” Chop. “It isn’t so terrible.”

im number two on the fruit ninja leaderboard. get on my level.

[raijintosworn]

magnolia :   describe your muse’s relationship with nature   &   the natural world .

botanical headcanons ; accepting

So Ryoma isn’t a big flower guy. Not in the sense that flowers are yucky, boring and whatever else, but he doesn’t get them? I think it’s in the same vein as his understanding of art: it’s nice to look at, but he doesn’t necessarily understand it.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate nature a lot, though.

He likes cherry blossoms - after all, it’s what his baby sister is named after! So he feels a sense of peace among them. I think he’d enjoy sitting in the gardens of the castle back home a lot in general; it’s just calming. Do hot springs count as nature? He likes those, too. Anything grassy and open, preferably with some kind of running water nearby, and he’s happy.

He doesn’t care much about the greenhouse at the Academy, but he enjoys the grounds well enough. He’d prefer to go on an excursion though, if possible, rather than sit on school grounds.

The short answer, I suppose, is that he loves nature. He respects nature. He doesn’t get flower fortunes and flower symbolism and that kinda thing, though.

I love rambling.

[raijintosworn]

“Ah, there’s always a student full of hope that they will be the next greatest hero of swordplay,” Ryoma says fondly. “Of course, those delusions last until the end of my first class when they realise they can hardly hold a sword.” Still, it’s that spirit he can’t help but admire in the young, that sense of foolhardy determination. He can’t believe he rather likes his job, but he supposes he shouldn’t be too surprised by it.

The pup chews harder on his hair. Ryoma sighs, and pulls his hair free. The wolf wriggles and tries to bite more hair. “Enough of that, you,” he says, holding the puppy away from his hair. Its tail wags. He can’t stay mad.

“Too extra, hm?” Ryoma says. “I would argue too dangerous - but I can’t decide if it’s more dangerous for us or for the wolves.” The puppy snaps its little jaw. Vicious little thing, yet he’d still hold it close to him like it won’t kill him at the first chance. “Do people truly ride on wolves, or are they only planning on riding them?” This academy is indeed a strange place.

At Merric’s question, Ryoma realises his answer is horribly naive and juvenile. “I quite like dogs,” he says, finally bringing the puppy close to him again. It squirms, but it’s stopped biting Ryoma - for now. “I realise wolves and dogs aren’t the same, but I thought looking after animals would be a nice change of pace from looking after children.” He looks down accusingly at the puppy. “However, I have never had a student chew me.”

Dog Therapy || Merric & Ryoma

[raijintosworn]

“Shiro?” he asks. “Ah, of course, he must be one of your classmates.” Ryoma feels he should probably know more about Shiro and his friends, but he doesn’t want to come off as weird. He knows that, were he in Shiro’s father’s shoes (what an odd thought!), he would certainly have sent someone to watch over him. Would he see Saizo or Kagero here some time? Oh, he wouldn’t put it past himself.

A strange thought, thinking about another him. One who married, had a son, and is living the life he thought he thought he would have. Shiro seems like a nice young man. He mustn't forget that isn’t his son, though, no matter how familiar the poor boy seems.

“Though you ought to tell him to stop telling everyone I’m his father.” Clearly, how else would she know? Shiro doesn’t seem the type to keep secrets. Besides, he’d rather keep his royal status - what little of it remains - as much of a secret as possible. He’s shocked the Nohrians haven’t advertised it like spiteful little ants. He’s glad for it, though he won’t thank them for it.

He looks out to the water. Of course; he should have thought about fishing. Perhaps the sun is getting to him. And now she’s practically shooing him to the water. He can’t say he minds it. “I trust you’ll be fine in my absence.” She seems like a smart girl. “Very well then, I’ll catch some fish.”And with that, he goes to the water, and leaps in. Surely these waters won’t be barren of fish; there has to be something.

ah yes me, my student, and our 200ft barge

( mission board - affluence )

[raijintosworn]

Ryoma knows he’s upset Shiro. He can’t say he’s handling any of this with grace; he had broken down the moment he found out there were other ways. There were other paths they could have taken. There was a world where Mikoto was still alive, after all. But that isn’t fair. Whatever he’s feeling, he shouldn’t let it show; he isn’t being fair to Shiro.

“I apologise,” he says. “This must be quite a lot for you to digest, as well.” This is what Ryoma should do; his own feelings do not matter as much as Shiro’s. He may not be his son, but there is still an urge to protect him. He must be about Sakura’s age, if Ryoma had to guess.

But how? It wasn’t that Ryoma didn’t believe him - after experiencing what he had both back home and here, scepticism did fall to the wayside - but the question of his age remains. He also fought in the war, somehow. Ryoma doesn’t think he’s being hasty by believing him, but there’s something off here.

“Deeprealms?” He doesn’t think he’s ever heard of that word. Shiro’s explanations mean nothing to Ryoma. It goes right over his head. “I do have to ask though; how old are you? Are you from a timeline much further along than my own?” Maybe the answer is in the nonsense Shiro spouted, but Ryoma can’t decipher it.

Ryoma feels a need to defend… himself? He supposes it’s still him, in a sense. He shakes his head, but not entirely in disapproval. “I’m sure he…” Gods, he doesn’t know how to refer to Shiro’s father, his actual Ryoma. “I’m sure your father doesn’t mean to nag.” Though, yes, he can already hear what he would say, and yes, Shiro’s assessment is indeed correct. Prince, legacy, and Raijinto. He almost wants to laugh. Even living a different life, Ryoma doesn’t change.

But Shiro isn’t his son. Ryoma isn’t his father. There’s a question that he can ask that Shiro’s father could never ask.“Do you want to rule?” Ryoma asks. Because I’d understand if you didn’t. He can’t bring himself to say that. It’s a buzzing, nagging thought that lives at the base of his skull.

LOST AT SEA

[raijintosworn]

The wolves flee, thrilled by the chase. They’re fast; they’ll make fine mounts, Ryoma thinks. What an odd thought, riding a wolf. Vaguely, he wonders what that would be like. It can’t be comfortable, surely. He watches them hunt for the stick, and another petty squabble breaks out between the wolves as they fight for the stick.

They have much bigger fights in their future. They will fight for their lives. He hopes they’ll be prepared.

“It was far,” he says, “but you could always throw it further. Wolves are hunters; their instincts can find much quicker and much smaller than a stick.” At least, he thinks so. He speaks with so much conviction that even Ryoma believes he could be right. That’s what being a leader - and now a professor - is all about, he thinks. It’s all confidence, and hoping that you’re right.

Though, these days, he wonders how right he really is. He shakes off the thought.

“Ah, I’ve just realised I’ve never given you my name.” He felt so comfortable with them that he’d forgotten completely about introductions. “My name is Ryoma. I’m the sword instructor.” Should he shake hands with the student? He doesn’t know, really, and a handshake feels weirdly formal. He smiles at them instead.

Bork Bork Bork. Look I'm a Dog

Anniversary | Riding +1

[raijintosworn]

“As far as I’m aware, no,” Ryoma said, “though I haven’t been in Fódlan long enough to know for certain.” Was this his failing? He should have asked before they set off, but it hadn’t snowed yet in all his time in Fódlan. In the back of his mind, he assumed it didn’t snow here.

Well, they were in it now. They may as well make the most of it.

“Nonsense,” he said. “I’ve endured far worse cold than this.” Like the cold lifelessness of death. He shuddered at the unwelcome thought. The idea of his own mortality came to him less and less frequently these days, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t still think of it.

“Really, I don’t think I feel the cold anymore.” He did, he just refused to admit it. Besides, while he had stripped himself of his title, the old royal blood in him demanded he make sacrifices for the people and soldiers around him. “Please, take it.”

would milord care for a warm cosy blankie

( TOA anniversary board - heavy armour +1)