#[ alcryst wishes not to be perceived ]

[alcrystallize]

“ hey, alcryst! tell me what’s wrong . ” (hands on her hips. it doesn't look like she's taking no for an answer).

⌜ & .˚      found  family  prompts. ⌟

⌜ ✥。.:*: – "ah! princess hortensia!" alcryst practically jumped out of his skin as he was retrieved back to this grim reality by the everlastingly domineering yet strong-willed elusian princess. be as it may her sixth sense or astute observation of his face - to which her perception of his existence proved even more unnerving - but she always seemed to be the one who recognized that the prince was not feeling his typical self. for someone who was three years his youth, she exuded an innate sense of confidence that appeared effortless and impenetrable to any exterior forces that attempted to pierce their way through. perhaps envy was not the appropriate emotion, but nevertheless, the prince never ceased to be amazed by how she walked in this world with a self-assuredness that he could never begin to scratch at the surface of for himself. as that haunting realization befell upon him, his façade of normalcy dissipated as he exhaled a pitiful sigh.

"princess hortensia… please forgive me for speaking to you like this - or at all, for that matter - but even you must understand that your value far exceeds expending your time or energy on someone as insignificant as me." from his struggling performance in his classes handling weaponry to damaging monastery property that was priceless and a blatant sin in and of itself to the goddess, it was putting into question his arrival to the academy in the first place - was he making a mistake? or did the monks make a mistake by allowing garbage like him step foot in their halls? either way, the last thing he wanted was to share this burden with hortensia - and spare her his thoughts and feelings that did not deserve to be breathed into existence.

"i would much rather hear how you are, princess hortensia. how are you spending your time here at the academy? it is quite different from elusia, isn't it?"

[mirensiart]

Amber and Alcryst friendship?

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!

Not to self promote, but i wrote an amber & alcryst fic were alcryst plays matchmaker between amber/diamant some time ago hehe

I wish they got a support chain cause alcryst's terror over being perceived and amber's talent to cause chaos is such a funny convo/dynamic lmao

here's a link to the fic hehe

[cuddly-asexual]

Let's chat about the Fell Xenologue (again). I wanna talk about what I think is one of the main themes, if not THE main theme. Wanna take a guess what it is?

It's Love baby!

What kind of love, you ask? All kinds!

There's the romantic love between Nel and her divine dragon. Definitely the least touched on of the kinds I'm going to talk about, but still very sweet and still adds to the story as we see Nel work through her grief through her relationship with Alear. There's also the one-sided affection Madeline has for Mauvier, but I appreciate that he sees her more as a daughter or younger sister.

Next we have the familial love between Nel, Nil, Rafal and the Four Winds. The Four Winds on their own have a nice little found family going on, of course this is supposed to mirror the Four Hounds (they find each other in every universe I guess). Then we have the deep love Nel, Nil and Rafal have for each other. We see how much Nel cares for Nil through the flashbacks of her protecting him, entrusting him with her dragonstone, even killing some of the siblings who threatened him (albeit not 100% intentionally). The last chapter shows us how Nel cares just as deeply for Rafal as well, as she knew he wasn't Nil, but still treated the same and grew to love him all the same. Even off screen we learn that Nil and Rafal were very close, with Nil trusting Rafal to take care of his sister in his stead. Nel chooses to end her own life because she couldn't bear to lose another sibling and sees herself as the source of Rafal's pain. And of course we can't forget how Rafal stayed by an unconscious Nel's side for a thousand years, ALONE, to bring her back to life.

The last observation I have is the distinct LACK of familial love between all the royal siblings in this world. Of course all their personalities have been flipped, which also means that the dynamics between the siblings has to change to fit these new personalities. The Firene siblings in this world do still care about each other, but it feels off. Celine uses the fact that Alfred cares about her to get him to start a war, which is kinda fucked up. Both Diamant and Alcryst assume the other is out to kill them and Alcryst actively loathes Diamant. Ivy has none of the care she holds for Hortensia in Alear's world. As for Fogado, I wish we could learn more about what he was like before he decided to go freak mode, but as is he does admit he always wanted to be the one to kill her.

The main conflict is Rafal seeking validation since he perceives himself to be weak. Even after Sombron dies, Rafal is still seeking something even if it means killing the last remaining people in the world. What he didn't realize is that all those remaining people (Nel, the Four Winds) love him dearly, but he was too caught up in his end goals. During that last battle with Rafal every conversation he has with everyone is them trying to get it into his thick skull that they love him. Even Alear, an outsider in this situation, is like GOD DUDE WHEN WILL YOU REALIZE???

I just aaaaa, having the main theme for a world filled with so much death and despair can be love and hope.

Anyway, they said it themself everyone. It's love :)

(Also just a fun detail since I was playing in Japanese. Rafal says 好き (suki) and 大好き (daisuki) more than you'd expect. Off the top of my head he says it twice when talking about Alear and another time when talking about Nel.)

[nelithic]

the admission of ignorance makes distance of her gaze, perceiving momentarily between long blades of grass the faraway, yellow stones of a citadel in the sky, cracked and burning with corruption. she supposed that must be true in some form for all siblings then, even close ones.

her mind is lifted from the thought as diamant continues; he has high praise for alcryst, and it is easy to hear the buoyance of pride that rises as he speaks, nearly drawing a gleam of fondness, or amusement, or approval perhaps, to her eye the passes again into neutrality just as quickly.

"indeed, it was not. or, perhaps . . . the diamant in my world certainly still wished for the safety of his family. but though i do not know the details of your relationship with him here, the fear, disquiet, and hostility — these appear to be absent."

and yet, as with all siblings, it had seemed to her there was more than simply that. but perhaps this was only a reflection of her own experience, reading the fleeting moments of ruined hope through an observer's eyes onto individuals to whom it had not belonged. it is difficult to say, now; the memory grows, painfully, further and further away each day.

"that he aimed above all to claim your throne for himself remained brodia's ill-kept secret in the brief time of your reign. though to my knowledge his plans never reached fruition, it seemed he was willing to resort to any means necessary."

　𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬.

　　　　　　 　 　　❪　apollyon ouranos　/　pre departure　❫