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glon-morski · 4 years

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On Noctis’ Injury And Its Effects On His Magic

A̷ ̷f̷i̷l̷l̷ ̷f̷o̷r̷ ̷t̷h̷i̷s̷ ̷k̷i̷n̷k̷m̷e̷m̷e̷,̷ ̷I̷ ̷g̷u̷e̷s̷s̷.̷.̷.̷?̷

Anyone who has played FFXV knows that as a child, Noctis suffered from an injury that rendered him unable to walk for a while – the reason for his visit to Tenebrae as a kid, and thus his first meeting with Luna shortly before Tenebrae fell. The Brotherhood anime and Kingsglaive movie expand on it a little bit, giving more information on the extent of the injury, as well as what caused it: a daemon called the Marilith. As a reminder, I mean this thing:

The injury was severe enough that Noctis remained in a coma for an unspecified amount of time (though most likely at least a couple weeks, if not a couple months) and even once he woke and recovered a bit, he was unable to walk, his legs being paralyzed (or he was literally paraplegic, meaning paralyzed from the waist down; that’s a valid possibility as well, and an even more likely one all things considered). Furthermore, it is a widely assumed headcanon (and rather heavily implied, though never actually stated in the game) that he was infected by the Starscourge through this injury. For these reasons, he was taken to Tenebrae so the Oracle may heal him, though this led to Niflheim attacking and conquering Tenebrae as a result.

Well, fine, he was healed. That’s that then. Except it’s not, according to Noctis’ character sheet in the game’s archives.

“An injury incurred as a young boy deprived him access to the full potential of his innate power”, huh?

Unless there was another ‘childhood injury’ that we don’t know about, which is unlikely, this references the Marilith. And that injury, though healed by the Oracle, apparently left marks deep enough that it affected Noctis’ ability to use his magic. But that begs the question: how exactly was he affected? No part of the game or the anime or ANYTHING gives us any real indication on that. So all we can do is speculate. That said, here are some thoughts I had on the matter.

1 – Warping

Noctis can warp. That’s obvious to anyone who played the first five seconds of the game’s gameplay or watched the first minute of the brotherhood anime. It’s one of the basic abilities he should have as a royal, of course he learned how to warp.

Here’s the thing, though: just because he can doesn’t mean it was (or still is) easy. In fact, Noctis had experienced uncommon difficulty in mastering this skill, as stated in the book/script ‘Prologue: Parting Ways’. Ignis outright says there that Noctis actually only mastered warping recently and goes as far as to speculate that his difficulty in learning might be connected to his childhood injury, which is as much of an indication that it’s the case as we can get since the characters visibly aren’t supposed to know for sure. Furthermore, if we consider Gameplay-Story-Integration – something FFXV does in spades, far more than I think I’ve ever seen any other game do – at the very beginning of the game, warping (and warp strikes in particular) is very costly in MP. In fact, unless you’re on a New Game+ (which doesn’t count), overusing warp strikes is the best way to end up in Stasis in only a few attacks, along with aerial combat which, surprise surprise, also makes Noctis warp and phase a lot to not fall down prematurely.

The effect lessens as Noct gains levels and thus more MP, but even late game you can sometimes end up in Stasis against stronger, aerial opponents if you’re not careful. That said, while the gameplay mechanic of gaining more MP as you level up is nothing new, here it could be explained in-story as well: as Noctis grows stronger because he’s fighting nearly every day and is thus forced to practice both his combat skills and his warping, he perfects the skill he had so he doesn’t need to use as much magic for it. He may have ‘mastered’ it before leaving Insomnia in the sense that he never fails to warp when he wants to, but for most of his journey he’s perfecting it so he can do it with more ease and using less of his reserves of Magic, and thus not fall into Stasis so easily.

Speaking of which…

2 – Stasis

Stasis is something akin to a ‘status ailment’, yet different. It’s what the state of having 0 MP is called. When in Stasis, Noctis can’t attack because he can’t summon his weapons and can’t avoid attacks well because he can’t phase, much less warp. He can’t use the magic flasks, either. The only thing he can do is run around but that, interestingly, only makes the Stasis last longer. In order to recover MP and thus get OUT of Stasis, he needs to stop moving entirely (and preferably hunker down behind a rock or something of that nature). Stasis only ends when he recovers all of his MP.

There’s a few things interesting about Stasis. The first, as I already mentioned above, is how to get out of it. You need to stop and cease moving entirely – which, if you’re in the middle of combat, is of course nothing short of idiotic. But then, since you can’t do anything anyway, Stasis is something you usually need to get out of ASAP if you’ve already failed to not fall into it in the first place. Finding a hiding spot and hunkering down helps as Noctis’ magic recovers faster that way. While there’s no indication how Stasis may feel to Noctis, however, there’s a widely-accepted headcanon that it is not pleasant. The fact that you have to stop and that crouching makes Noct recover faster lead to believing he might feel dizzy and maybe even nauseous or otherwise sick, that he as a character feels the need to sit or lie down when he ends up in Stasis. Which would make sense considering that, as far as we know, his Magic is and always has been a part of him, so having it deplete to zero is likely to not feel nice. It might be similar to when you’re anemic for the exact same reason: you need a certain amount blood and hemoglobin for your body to function properly. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume that it’s the same for Noctis and his magic power.

Noctis, however, is not the only character who may have to deal with Stasis if he’s not careful about his magic use. The others are the members of the Kingsglaive, as shown in the Comrades DLC. However, even at the very beginning of DLC, you have to try really hard to get the Kingsglaive character into Stasis. Like, fighting an aerial enemy and constantly warp striking it even though you have shuriken you can throw from a distance kind of try. In fact, in all the time I played Comrades, I only managed to get into Stasis ONCE and my reaction to it was ‘wait what? Stasis? HOW?!’ that’s how surprised I was that it actually happened, even though I theoretically knew it could. Furthermore, at no point in the Kingsglaive movie was Stasis ever so much as mentioned as far as I recall. So in this case, it is safe to assume that it’s either a case of Gameplay-Story-Segregation, or in case it’s not, that most Glaives only know vaguely that Stasis can happen, but rarely-to-never actually experience it. By comparison, early-game Noctis falls into Stasis nearly all the time (or he did the first time I played the game and before I learned to watch my MP and periodically point-warp, a tactic I largely dropped late-game and barely use in Comrades).

There’s one thing, though: magic is not a native ability of the Glaives. They get the ability to use magic by borrowing said magic from the king. Their bodies are not as adapted to it as Regis’ and Noctis’ would be by virtue of magic being an energy they don’t usually have access to. This is further reinforced by the fact that they have varying affinity for magic. So since the energy wasn’t theirs and their bodies were not meant to be able to use it, but do so anyway due to their connection to the king, it would make sense if there was a limit of how much magic they could borrow before something blocked them – either because the ‘sharing’ works by them having a certain stock which runs dry or because their bodies refuse to accept more magic from the king past a certain threshold, thus inducing Stasis. The same cannot be said for Noctis. He’s of royal blood. He was born with his ability to use magic. It’s part of him. It’s his magic, not someone else’s that he’s borrowing.

Furthermore, there is King Regis, who we know is weakening due to sustaining the Wall. He’s been weakened to the point that already at the time of Brotherhood, he lost access to his Arminger – not the entire arsenal, he can still summon regular weapons, but the Royal Arms no longer appear to him because he’s too weak. Yet even this weakened monarch withered by years of using the Ring of the Lucii is never so much as implied to experience Stasis, or to ever have experienced it. Even now, when he can hardly use magic in general, there’s nothing that may imply he’s close to or dealing with Stasis. His magic is there, he just cannot use it. But if Noctis’ father never experienced Stasis in all his life, then it would mean it’s weird that Noctis does, especially as easily as he does in early-game.

Unless, of course, his childhood injury and the Starscourge play a role in it. Hence why I believe they do.

3 – Elemental Magic

Another direct ability connected to his magic that Noctis has is his Elemancy and general spell-casting. And here’s where things get really interesting in my opinion. I’ll be breaking this into two separate parts, one about the obvious Elemancy from the game (i.e. making the magic flasks) and one less obvious aspect. Let’s start with the less obvious one.

3.1 – Elemental Deposits

In order to use elemental magic in the form of flasks, Noctis has to first store the energy from elemental deposits. These are strewn about all over Eos, most notably with one of each element (fire, ice, lightning) around every haven blessed by an Oracle. However, they’re also found in different locations to varying amounts. Mt. Ravatogh is littered with fire deposits and maybe a lighting here and there, but you won’t find any ice, which makes sense considering it’s a volcano. The cave behind the waterfall, aptly named Glacial Grotto, is littered with ice deposits and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything else (though there is exactly one fire and one lightning deposit). This implies that elemental magic is part of the very earth itself, which is important when you consider another thing:

Noctis is the only character who requires these depositis. Everyone else can cast spells ‘just like that’ as far as we know. The Kingsglaive? Both in the movie and in the Comrades expansion, they just do it. There’s not even so much as a mention of the deposits. Ignis, who’s implied to be the most magically adept of Noctis’ companions? His entire fighting style when you play him relies on elemental magic, and when you don’t play as him, he has elemental techniques to use via the tech bar like Sage Fire. He can do both whether or not Noct has stored any elemental energy himself, so it’s not connected to that.

Where, then, do these characters draw the magic from?

At first, one may think that they draw from the royal family. It’s how the Kingslaive’s abilities are explained in-game, after all. They can use magic because of their connection to the king, because the king gives them access to his own magic. The same goes for the Crownsguard, though to a lesser degree, as they don’t seem able to do much more than just conjure and dismiss weapons from the arsenal. Cor doesn’t warp once the few times he’s a guest member in your party and, unless I’m misremembering, none of the Crowsguard were able to warp in the Kingsglaive movie, either. Same for the Crownsguard enemies in Episode Ardyn. Outside the royal family, only the Glaives could do that.

So they draw their magic from their sovereign – King Regis in most cases, Noctis in the case of Ignis, Gladio and Prompto. Except we just talked about how Ignis’ fighting style, particularly when he’s the player character, relies heavily on elemental magic and he can use it whether or not Noctis has any elemental magic from deposits stored. This leads me to believe that using elemental spells is actually a two-fold job. Because the magic of the royal family is bound to the Crystal. But the elemental deposits can be found literally anywhere (even in cities in odd containers) and the kinds of deposits you find in certain terrain depends on that terrain, meaning the elemental energy is something that can be found in the earth… and by extension likely the sea and the air, too, it would only make sense.

So the royal family doesn’t actually have direct use of elemental magic, but their Crystal magic gives them a way to manipulate these elemental energies to form spells. This is further reinforced by the fact that when Noctis absorbs elemental energy, it is portrayed as colorful, smoke-like wisps or something. There’s no small flame or ice particles or sparks of electricity in the energy he absorbs (though they are there on the deposit before he starts siphoning it). That only comes when actual spells are cast. Which would mean it’s possible that whoever gets access to the Crystal’s magic via connection to the royal family gains an ability to manipulate those energies as well, and is thus capable of using elemental magic. Which would also explain why some people have more of an affinity for it than others because let’s be honest, that sounds like complicated, hard work.

As I said before, though: Noctis is the only character to actually use the energy deposits. So where do other characters grasp the elemental energy to manipulate it with the Crystal’s magic to create spells? The answer is simple: everything around them. The earth. The water. The very air. They can draw that energy from those places and manipulate it to form spells. And Noctis should be able to do the same. Yet he seems to require the deposits instead.

Could it be due to the fact that, for some reason, he lacks some aspect of his Crystal magic, be it fine-tuned control or something as simple as the instinct for it, that would allow him to weave these energies from the very air around him? Could it be that in order to grasp those energies and manipulate them, he requires a higher concentration of that energy? It seems to be the case. And by that logic, unless we assume he simply doesn’t have the affinity for magic, the only other possible explanation is his childhood injury.

But wait. One thing doesn’t add up. Noctis can use elemental spells in his parries, after all. Against certain enemies, when you block at the right moment and then press the attack button when prompted, an animation will start where Noctis counters, usually with magic. For instance, he can jump onto the flat side of a Red Giant’s sword, run up to it, up its chest, jump away and throw a fire spell at it. A similar counter is possible with one of the Niflheim machine enemies of the X generation (X-Angel or something along those lines, I think). And those counters, much like Ignis’ fighting style, can be executed whether or not Noctis happens to have elemental energies for Elemancy stored.

And that’s true. But there’s a few details to consider here. First, these counters are available against specific, late-game enemies. Besides which, no matter what the enemy’s weakness or resistances might be, Noctis will only ever use a fire spell in those parries, and not an overly powerful one, either. So going by Gameplay-Story-Integration again, this can be explained thus: by virtue of fighting and using magic far more often than he ever had to in Insomnia, Noctis eventually learned to draw the elemental energy from the air as well, but still not in what can be considered an effective manner. Especially since I’d consider fire to be the easiest spell to cast of the three (even if blizzard, by virtue of being connected to water, may be the one for which the energy is easiest to draw from the air in particular). Because lightning would be difficult to conjure from the air in general and blizzard, while probably having an amplitude of water energy that can be used, needs far more manipulation because you need to freeze it and stuff. By contrast, with fire, you just have to manipulate it enough that there’s a first spark and the rest is a chain reaction because the flames use the air (or rather the oxygen in the air) as fuel to burn. Furthermore, compared to blizzard and lightning spells, fire spells have far less of an area of effect. They’re more concentrated and thus safer to use for a counter without endangering one’s comrades, but that’s another matter entirely.

There’s another aspect of the deposits, too, namely that they’re the one thing in the game that Noctis’ companions never point out. If you pass a shop, they’ll talk about shopping or getting curatives. If you pass a haven, Gladio will often ask if you want to make camp. If you’re near a fishing spot, either Noctis or one of the others may comment on the opportunity to fish. But elemental deposits are never commented on by anyone. Almost as if they’re not seen. (Much like mineral deposits and places where you can pick up food, but admittedly, those really can be overseen. The same can’t really be said for elemental deposits, considering their glow and stuff.)

Which… actually would make sense if you think about it. Episode Gladio and Prompto were both in locations that should have been rich in deposits – Gladio’s by virtue of being a generally magical location and Prompto’s because it’s still relatively near to Shiva’s resting place, which should make him stumble upon ice deposits all over, especially considering that there were several of them in abandoned containers on the railway where the train Noctis, Gladio and Ignis were using was forced to stop (you know, that spot right to Shiva’s corpse’s head?). Yet in neither location is even one deposit to be found. Not even in a ‘yeah, there is one here, but obviously you can’t make use of it’ kind of way. Similarly, there were a couple deposits in containers in Altissia, but when you play Episode Ignis, there is not a single one. Finally, there were even deposit containers in the ruined Insomnia. I find it hard to believe those would have been brought there by Niflheim, so they had to have been there before Insomia’s fall and might even have been lying around for years. And yet you also don’t see a single one when you play Episode Ardyn. Ardyn who, being a Lucis Caelum, has access to the Crystal’s magic as well as far as we know. Admittedly, he never uses the elemental aspect, though. Actually, all he does use is warping and the Royal Arms during his final fight with Noct. Nothing else. Almost as if… as if he’s lost access to it. Maybe because of all the Starscourge he’s absorbed.

Much like Noctis, who had been infected with it to a lesser degree as a child and who thus has issues with using it as well.

But back to the deposits. One more interesting thing to note in the case of Insomnia is that these deposits lie literally in random spots among the rubble. With the addition of the Glaive Encampment and stuff in the Royal Edition, you would think there wouldn’t be deposits at least around the encampment, right? The Glaives might not need them, but still, why would they just leave them lying around in random spots like this? Especially if it was known Noctis makes use of them. Then it would have been even more logical to gather them in a safe place for him, if only to make sure they’re preserved for him to use whenever he comes back. So why wouldn’t they do that? Why just leave them? Why won’t Noctis’ comrades ever comment on them, even when you have nothing stored and they would usually remind you to maybe stock up like they do with everything else?

Simple: no one but Noctis can actually see/sense them.

As I said before, one of the possibilities of how elemental magic is weaved into spells from the Crystal’s magic and natural elemental energy is that it’s done instinctively. It’s not that the characters can SENSE the elemental energies and decide to use them. They just go ‘I need this spell’ and instinctively reach for the energies they need for it. As the energies they need are literally everywhere around them, there’s no NEED for them to be able to sense them.

But Noctis is different in that the energies flowing all around him are not enough for him to actually grasp and weave into spells. He needs spots where those energies are concentrated. Spots which he needs to FIND. And so he may have developed a sort of sixth sense, a way to sense elemental energies when they’re concentrated enough (and possibly the Crystal magic, too, because the two likely aren’t that different; the Crystal magic could even be a sort of fourth element). A way that no one else has, because no one else NEEDS to find these places. Hence why they’re only actually there in the main game, which is from Noctis’ PoV. No other character could make use of them and because they don’t even need them, no other character can even sense/see them.

3.2 – Magic Flasks

As extensively discussed above, Noctis cannot easily cast spells, not the way the Glaives or Ignis do (and his father as well before he’s been weakened by the Ring of the Lucii, at least according to ‘A King’s Tale’). He can’t draw the energy from just anywhere, it needs to be concentrated enough. Furthermore, considering you can’t draw from elemental deposits even when you happen to be right next to one in a fight (and you can do a lot of things in the middle of combat via even the main menu in FFXV) and that it’s an ability that you can ‘level up’ via Ascension, it would be safe to assume even that is not easy for him. It takes time and he needs to concentrate. Because of this, it’s very possible that the difficulty of just drawing the energy makes the simultaneous manipulation of it into a spell nearly impossible for him (the exception being the aforementioned, tiny fire spell in counters). As a result, instead of drawing energy, manipulating it and then releasing the crafted spell simultaneously like the Glaives (as well as his father) do, Noctis needs to separate the steps.

Step one has been discussed extensively above. He draws the energy from places particularly rich in elemental energy – the deposits.

Step two, an intermediate step necessary due to the apparent difficulty in drawing elemental energies, is storage. As Noctis cannot manipulate the energy at the same time as he draws it, he needs to do something with it so he can do so later. The only logical thing to do is to store it, which he does likely in his own body (as he can do it since the beginning of the game and there’s no item or anything that’s in any way required for it).

Step three: he forges the spells. Now this one is interesting, because it doesn’t seem like Noctis has much issue with this particular step. Once he has the elemental energy necessary, spell-crafting seems to be simple, at least if one looks at it once again through Gameplay-Story-Integration glasses. As stated earlier, you can’t draw elemental energy from deposits while in combat. You can, however, craft spells mid-combat via the use of the main menu. So, going by the same rules as we did for the drawing of energy, this means that crafting spells is quick, easy and doesn’t require much concentration on Noctis’ part.

Why then does he always store them in flasks? If crafting the spells is so easy, why not cast them directly from his own energy storage?

Well, another widely accepted headcanon (to my knowledge) is that Noctis can’t control the spells that well. Not in terms of crafting them, but in terms of their power and where they land. Thus, he uses the flasks to both have better control in terms of aim, as well as actual power. This idea is supported by two things.

The first is how crafting spells works. You can decide how much of each elemental energy you want to infuse into a flask and you see what the end result will be before you actually craft the spell. This is, of course, an obvious game mechanic to avoid frustration for the players so they don’t craft blindly. But it would also make sense if this was another bit of Gameplay-Story-Integration, because Noctis himself likely doesn’t craft the spells blindly hoping he’ll get the right one, either. He can either ‘sense’ what spell will come out, or he’s practices crafting spells long enough to just know from experience.

The second thing is the difference in spells between Noctis and the Glaives. Whether you look at the Comrades DLC or the Kingsglaive movie, the magic of the Glaives is far more controlled than Noctis’. It’s more focused while being just as destructive and there doesn’t seem to be nearly as much risk of getting your comrades caught up in the cross-fire, and considering I only ever played Comrades offline (meaning with AI), trust me that the difference wasn’t between actual people knowing to get out of the way. Especially since it’s not like Comrades actually has a chatting system or anything, so it’s not like you can warn anyone ‘magic incoming!’ or anything. And yet unlike the main game, your party members are never actually caught in the crossfire.

Of course, there’s one big difference between throwing a flask (which is basically a magic bomb) and casting a spell yourself, and that’s the amount of control you have over the spell at any given moment. You need to control it to cast it, control where it lands by aiming and likely control it at the very moment of casting, so when the magic is released and possibly what it considers a target, as well. Flasks remove one-and-a-half of those. Noctis still needs to control the spells when he crafts them so they don’t blow up in his face or something before he stuffs them into flasks. But he doesn’t need to keep controlling it when he aims and he literally can’t control it at the moment of casting, because that happens on its own when the flask breaks. So while the Glaives can be assumed to control even the release of the spell (exactly when it goes off, how far it reaches etc.) this is out of Noctis’ hands. Once a flask breaks, that’s it, the energy inside literally explodes outward in a big, destructive mess. And that’s exactly how Noctis’ flasks work: a big explosion of magic that decimates everything in its path.

But then we return to the question: why bother? Why not just cast from his ‘internal storage’ where he keeps the elemental energy before he puts them in flasks?

I believe that is due to the fact that casting normally would be too difficult and demand too much concentration, much like drawing the energy from elemental deposits in the first place. As I said before, putting the magic into flasks removes two steps of casting where tight control of the magic is needed: to aim and to release (and potentially to designate the targets versus the people who are not to be harmed). And that is the EASY step, as Noctis can even do it mid-combat. It’s the aiming and release that likely pose issues, which would make sense. When it’s merely in ‘wisp-form’, the energy may be more or less difficult to manipulate, but is likely easy to contain. Once it’s crafted into the spell and becomes magic, however, the actual power/strength of it likely amplifies, since you’re combining various energies together. It’s like a chemical reaction. As soon as you start mixing stuff, a kind of reaction happens and energy is released. This is likely the same. And containing that energy, that pure power that’s created when a spell is crafted, may be beyond Noctis’ grasp on his magic. Which would mean that he does not have that tight or fine-tuned a control over it. He can manipulate it to craft spells, but anything other than that is either difficult and demands a lot of concentration, or is outright beyond his capabilities.

(Again, there’s this one little spell he does in counter-attacks, but that might be about all he can safely manage.)

4 – Healing Magic

There’s one more aspect of Noctis’ magic in terms of spell-casting: healing, otherwise known as the Cure-line of spells (Cure, Cura and Curaga, as well as potentially Raise and Arise, though the latter two don’t seem to be a thing in FFXV in general). It’s the one type of magic that’s nearly entirely unavailable to Noctis.

He can’t cast healing spells. The Glaives can and do.

On the other hand, Glaives don’t use potions. I don’t think a potion, or any other kind of curative, has even been mentionned in the Kingsglaive movie (though it’s been a while since I’ve seen it so I may be wrong), and they definitely aren’t in Comrades. Curatives are something only Noctis and his companions have access to, and the description of each points out that they only work ‘by way of Noctis’ power’. So he’s the one that makes them.

The idea here is similar and yet different to magic flasks. For magic flasks, Noctis needs to gather elemental energy first. He doesn’t seem to have any need for it to create curatives. On the other hand, he can’t just stuff healing magic into a flask. He requires a medium of sorts, apparently preferably in liquid form considering he always uses various types of energy drinks. Interestingly, the potency of the curative doesn’t seem to be how much magic Noctis’ stuffs into it, otherwise they could probably buy Hi-Elixirs for the price of a mere potion, but rather what kind of medium (so energy drink) he uses. Almost like the magic he infuses it with directly interacts with the chemical contents of the medium to determine the curative’s potency. Which is, at the very least, plausible.

Here we have another wonderful bit of Gameplay-Story-Integration in that you can buy curatives of any sort nearly anywhere, up to and including Gralea. Which makes sense if Noctis himself is the one who creates them. Surely even the empire would have energy drinks for their human citizens, right? And furthermore, with the exception of one (1) cutscene in Episode Prompto where Aranea uses a curative (which, considering she’s met Noctis and the others in Tenebrae before, she might have gotten from them; even if they didn’t have enough stock themselves, Noctis could have turned all energy drinks she had into curatives to further enable her relief efforts; and let’s be honest, it’s totally something Noctis would do) no one else but Noctis and his crew ever uses curatives, or even seems to know they exist. I mean, all those hunters you rescue in random side-quests? You’d think they’d have their own potions and antidotes and stuff on them if it was something that could be bought anywhere. Except all they can buy is an energy drink. Only Noctis can actually make it into a curative.

As for actually casting a healing spell in any form, Noctis cannot do that at all. The only thing he can do is mix a curative or some food into his elemental spells to create healcast spells. (Which, by the way, is another example of magic actually interacting with matter on a chemical level or something of that nature – though it’s likely more abstract than that - to determine an additional effect. If you use other items, you get stopcast, venomcast, failcast etc.)

5 – Sharing Magic With Others

The final point in which Noctis’ injury may have affected how well he can use his magic is actually sharing it with others, the same way Regis does with the Crownsguard and the Kingsglaive. However, at first glance, in this one point, it doesn’t seem like Noctis has any difficulty compared to his father. He shares his magic with Ignis, Gladio and Prompto easily enough and they can do everything a Crownsguard is supposed to.

As stated before, the Crownsguard doesn’t seem to have that much access to elemental magic, at least going by what little we see of them in the movie and the fact that in-game, Cor isn’t very magically inclined in terms of elemancy, either. However, they can materialize weapons from the arsenal. But they can’t warp. Cor never does and neither do the Crownguard operatives in Episode Ardyn.

The Glaives (and the Royal Guard they’re derived from) can use elemental magic and they can warp (though some are better than it than others). They can also manifest their weapons, as prove in both Episode Ardyn and Comrades.

I don’t remember if it was said in the Kingsglaive movie itself or if I read about it elsewhere, but I’m pretty certain it was stated somewhere that these differences were due to how powerful the ‘sharing link’ between King and subject is. The Crownsguard, being a ‘defense and reaction only’ kind of force and derived of what used to be the Lucian army to boot, only have the most basics of links to allow them access to the arminger arsenal. The Kingsglaive, on the other hand, was meant to basically be the new Lucian army (and yet, ironically, they’re based on the former Royal Guard). They were meant not to be a defense force, but an attack force. And since most of the magic the king can make available is more attack-oriented anyway, he bestowed those powers to them.

There’s also the fact that this more powerful link is more draining, too, which was likely another reason the Crownsguard only got the bare minimum of magic access.

Thing is, Ignis, Gladio and Prompto are all part of the Crownsguard, so they should also only have this ‘basics only’ connection. And yet Ignis can use elemental magic like no other Crownsguard member. Which leads me to believe that Noctis, being young and not yet burdened by the Ring, gave the strongest connection he could to his friends, allowing them access to every aspect of his magic.

But wait. If that’s the case, why don’t the other three warp? Ever?

Well, in Prompto’s case, that’s simple. He’s only been trained for a couple of months and while he was accepted into the Crownsguard, it’s downright said at the beginning of the game that his training was more meant for self-defense than to actually protect Noctis. Ignis and Gladio, however, don’t have that excuse. Gladio in particular has been trained in combat all his life. You’d expect him of all people to know how to warp, right?

Here’s the thing though: if you look at the Brotherhood anime, then outside of the few scenes actually set after the beginning of the game, neither Ignis nor Gladio are shown to be able to use magic. Even in the scene in episode 3 (I think?) where Gladio and Noctis trained with wooden weapons, they didn’t call for them or dismiss them with magic. In Noctis’ case, he might not have wanted to or he might still have been struggling to, since he was still a teenager then. In Gladio’s case, it’s safe to assume he hasn’t had access to it at that point. Especially since neither Ignis nor Gladio wear a Crownsguard uniform in the anime.

So that would mean their link to Noctis, and thus his magic, is relatively recent. Two, three years at most. And warping isn’t something that’s easily learned. Noctis might have additional trouble with it because of his injury, but even among the Glaives there are those who warp better (Nyx) than others (Libertus, who complains it makes him nauseous and that he needs to practice more). And these are highly skilled combatants with lots of experience and decent-to-exceptional magical affinity who have likely been training for years before being sent into the field (a lot can be said about Regis, but definitely not that he would send poorly-trained soldiers into a war). So learning to warp, whether you have aptitude for magic or not, takes time. Thus it is very likely that Ignis and Gladio could learn to warp if given the time and opportunity to do so. It’s just that once they leave Insomnia, they never do.

There’s one more thing, too: Ignis has a tendency to throw his daggers in combat and Gladio often throws his sword at Noctis during training. Both ultimately end up summoning the blades back to them in the end, but there’s always a second or so of delay before they do, as if they were originally trying to do something else. Like warping after the weapon. It’s thus very possible that shortly before leaving Insomnia, they have both begun warp training, it’s just that they haven’t had the time to finish it and actually learn to warp. And then once they leave Insomnia and then Insomnia falls, they don’t get much opportunity to train. Even during the ten years Noctis is in the Crystal, or rather especially during that time. Because daemons are springing up all over, the nights are getting longer and it’s basically the apocalypse. You don’t really get the chance to learn a new skill when something like that happens, you focus on the skills you already have to better them in a way that can make it possible for you to survive. So in the end, they never really learned. And after the Dawn, they didn’t really have the opportunity to anymore.

However, looking at everything else, it’s safe to assume Noctis allows them free, full access to his magic. His ability to do so is not hindered by his childhood injury.

In conclusion:

Noctis’ injury, sustained by the Marilith and likely made worse by a Starscourge infection, affected his magic on nearly every level. It made warping (and possibly conjuring weapons and other items) more difficult for him to learn. It immensely impacted his ability to cast spells, both of the elemental and the healing variety. It made him susceptible to falling into Stasis. Almost every aspect of his magic that we know of has been affected in some way. The only part of it that still seems perfectly fine (or at least there’s no reason to believe it’s been affected in any way) is his ability to create a ‘sharing link’ to give someone else access to magical abilities.

#FFXV #Glon's meta wordvomit #meta analysis #Magic #Noctis' backstory #Marilith #injury effects on usage of magic #FFXV kikmeme fill of sorts

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longing-and-heartache-and-lust · 4 years

Text

Prompt: Going to a Fair Relationships (romantic/platonic/etc): Geralt/Jaskier Rating: Teen Audiences And Up Content Warnings: None Summary: A beautiful thing about Toussaint is the fairs and masquerades the dutchess holds every now and then. And the big canopy beds. Oh, those are the best part.

[This one turned out to a little all over the place but I still really enjoyed writing it. Hope you’ll enjoy it too, my darlings.]

@sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo

Crossposted on ao3 here

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"Geralt, my love, you look wonderful, stop being so hard on yourself," Jaskier says, wrapping his arms around the witcher's waist and hugging him from the back, locking eyes with him through the mirror.

Geralt doesn't really share the bard's enthusiasm. He's used to his armour, to thick black leather with only a few elements of silver, and that is what feels natural, what feels right.

A dark-crimson - almost wine-red, really - doublet with intricate embroidery in gold thread does not.

He knows that he'd agreed to this himself, knows that Jaskier had told him that if he doesn't want to go, he won't get upset with him and just go with Barnabas-Basil or one of his friends. But Geralt always went out of his way to make his husband happy.

So, naturally, when Jaskier told him that there's going to be a masquerade and a fair in Beauclair, he couldn't say no.

"The dutchess herself is said to be there," Jaskier murmurs against his neck, smiling encouragingly. "I'm sure she will be delighted to see you. After all, we were personally invited, weren't we?"

"Isn't the whole point of a masquerade is for the participants not to recognise each other?" Geralt tries, weakly.

"Oh, don't be like that," Jaskier huffs, waving a hand dissmissingly. "It's going to be fun, I promise. Besides, isn't Regis going to be there?"

That's true, Geralt supposes. Regis is going to be there, which makes the event slightly more bearable. It's always nice to talk to an old friend.

"He is," he hums, adjusting the collar od his shirt. "Going to keep me company when you run off to flirt with the next pretty little thing you see."

Jaskier just laughs at that, circling Geralt to stand in front of him and take his face into his hands, getting a stray strand of silver out of his eyes.

"You know that never leads to anything," he smiles, leaning in to touch the witcher's dry lips with his own. "I can innocently flirt with everyone I see but it's only you I love, my darling. And only you I want."

Geralt does know that. He's not even jealous, never doubting Jaskier's faithfulness but missing an opportunity to tease would've been a waste.

"I know," he finally says, stealing another kiss. "And yet, if the dutchess herself is going to be there... She's got an eye for you, you know. Would be terribly rude of you to turn down such an important woman."

Jaskier snickers and shakes his head, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Then it's a good thing that she's not going to recognise me."

When they arrive, the event is already in full swing.

Jaskier's eyes light up at the music that flows through the garden and the way he squeezes Geralt's hand suddenly makes the entire thing worth it in the witcher's mind.

Jaskier looks breathtaking in his dark-blue silk suit, the silver mask hiding just enough of his face for it to be almost impossible to recognise him yet leaving enough open for Geralt to still have the option of pulling his close and kissing him. in the witcher's mind, it couldn't be more perfect.

"May I hear the password?" asks one of the guards at the gates, his own face hidden behind a mask with a long beak.

"Waterlilies," Jaskier says, repeating what's been written in their invitations.

The guard nods and gestures to the doors.

"If you'll be so kind as to follow me," he says. "Our most generous dutchess Anna Henrietta has arranged a room for you so that you don't have to make a long journey back home at night."

There is nothing about Jaskier's expression - half-hidden by the mask - that gives away his delight but Geralt knows him well enough to be able to smell it on him. Jaskier is, after all, of a noble family, a court man, and Geralt knows just how much he loves it when he's treated like one, even though most of the time he happily trades it for the life on the Path.

Corvo Bianco, it seemed, was the perfect middle ground.

They follow the guard through the garden and into a big, richly decorated estate with stained-glass windows and luscious flowers hanging in big round pots. The guard takes them to the upper floor, opens the door with a key and gestures for Geralt and Jaskier to step inside and make themselves comfortable.

"If there shall be anything you need, the servants are on the ground floor, you need only call," he says, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves and handing Jaskier the key. "Enjoy your night, gentleman."

With that, he bows and leaves, leaving Jaskier and Geralt alone in the room.

"Oh, this reminds me of home," Jaskier sighs, a smile on his lips as he falls onto a truly enormous canopy bed covered with red velvet.

"Of home?" Geralt echoes, almost feeling out of place in such a rich interior.

"Well, you know, my childhood home," Jaskier says, propping himself up on both elbows. "I have to be honest with you, Geralt, I miss all of this from time to time."

The witcher comes closer, sits on the edge of the bed, runs his hand over the velvet and sighs, content. It does feel nice.

"Do you think we could get a bed like this for the vineyard?" Jaskier asks, pushing him down onto his back and lying down next to him, finding Geralt's hand and bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to the knuckles. "It's not only amazing to sleep in but also-" his eyes light up behind his mask, and Geralt knows a little too well what that means. "Look at those poles, my love. I could let you tie my wrists to them if you were to wish for it."

Oh, that sounds tempting.

"Hmm," Geralt hums, non-commital. "Sounds intriguing. Though I might need to try first and then decide. After all, finding this kind of bed is not easy."

It takes Jaskier a second to understand what exactly it is that Geralt is saying but then he gasps in mock offence and shoves him in the shoulder with no real force.

"Preposterous!" he gasps, a hand over his heart. "This is the dutchess' cousin's summer residence, and this is, I'm more than sure, the best guest bedroom. Anarietta herself might be sleeping in this bed while visiting."

"Yes," Geralt says simply, knowing that all of that only adds to Jaskier's interest. "And tonight this bed is ours."

Before that conversation can take them anywhere, Jaskier demands they go back to the garden.

Geralt doesn't object, just follows the bard down the stairs and helps him adjust his doublet before they step out the door. He feels just a little strange with his hair done up in a complicated bun but then again, Jaskier told him that it will help the witcher be even less recognisable, and there was never anything that Geralt could deny him.

The disguise was, it seemed, working effectively for they've almost bumped into Anarietta - Geralt recognised her by smell - when passing the gates again but she didn't notice them. Or, at least, she didn't come up to them, to Geralt's immeasurable relief. He'd only ever said it to Jaskier but the dutchess was getting on his nerves and if he could avoid her, he gladly did just that.

"There's a Gwent tournament somewhere in the north side of the garden, as far as I'm aware," Jaskier says, making a non-descriptive gesture in the general direction, as they walk past a table with all sorts of baked sweets. "If you're interested."

Even with Jaskier, Geralt feels somewhat out of place at an event like this. And a few rounds of Gwent sound like a perfect way to forget about it.

"Sounds tempting," he says, reaching to brush his fingers over Jaskier's and take his hand into his own. He's still getting used to it. "Though you know I prefer to play with you."

Jaskier rolls his eyes in fond exasperation.

"That's because every time we play, you insist that we play strip Gwent, knowing perfectly that you're a better player than me," he chuckles. "Honestly, Geralt, all you need to do for me to undress is ask."

"I know," the witcher grins, pulling Jaskier closer to shamelessly press a kiss to his cheek. "But where's the fun in that?"

He plays a few rounds without Jaskier, winning effortlessly every time while the bard is making new acquaintances by the wine vault where there are multiple tables with all the best blends of reds and whites.

Geralt can't see him but he can hear him, Jaskier's voice soft and beautiful as he tells a group of young women stories about Skellige. They all gasp almost in unison when the bard tells them about that one time when they've been travelling between the islands on a boat and nearly drowned when a pack of sirens toppled it over.

Geralt chuckles to himself, knowing perfect that they were never in any real danger for it was near the coast of And Skellig and if anything happened, fishermen or sailors would've picked them up almost immediately.

Jaskier refers to him as "my husband", not giving away any names, including his own, and every time the witcher hears that, a little piece of his heart seems to melt. It's been more than five years since they've gotten married but in a way, Geralt is still not used to it.

When the time is moving towards late evening, Jaskier joins him at the table, nodding a greeting to Geralt's opponent and leaning down to brush his lips over the witcher's cheek.

"Winning, my love?" he asks, blushing just a little when Geralt pulls him into his lap.

"As usual," he grins, to great displeasure to the man across the table.

Jaskier murmurs something content, throwing his arms around Geralt's neck and sneaking a look at his cards. Geralt tries to hide them from him but the bard scratches his shoulder through the doublet and that's all it really takes for the witcher to give up and let him see.

Geralt's a long-time player and his deck is pretty much as good as it gets, nearly every gold card there is being in his possession but it's the final round and Geralt's opponent's got four cards in hand while as the wither only ahs three. By now it mostly depends on luck. But Jaskier might just know a way to get it onto their side.

"Win this round for me," he murmurs into Geralt's ear, quiet enough only for him to hear. "And I'll think about what you said back in the bedroom."

Geralt's golden eyes light up with a flame that Jaskier knows well enough to know that his words have been effective.

It all goes very fast from there. Though Geralt's only got one gold card in hand, it's a Cirilla card which has the power of fifteen and that is what ends up getting him the win, when the man across the table, with his overall score of sixteen, throws a water card onto the table, making both of Geralt's archers drop from four to one.

He wins by just one point, but he wins.

Jaskier can feel his heart flutter with anticipation as Geralt grins at his opponent, reaching over the table to get the coin they've put up. It's a rather impressive amount. The other player must be a count or something like that.

He's clearly not too happy about losing his gold but he takes it as a good player, standing up and shaking Geralt's hand with a congratulation. Then, he wishes them both a pleasant evening and leaves, waving to someone by the fountain.

"I won," Geralt states, still grinning and oh so pleased with himself. "What was it that you said, bard? If I win, what is it that you're going to think about?"

Jaskier laughs and pulls him into an affectionate kiss, one hand coming up to cup the sharp of the witcher's jaw.

"You just wait until we're back in the bedroom, my dearest."

It's closer to midnight when they finally find Regis.

Or, rather, when Regis finds them.

"Fascinating how people always seem to want to disguise themselves," he says instead of a greeting, appearing out of nowhere, just like he always does. "And how they seem more attracted to each other when they don't know who is hiding behind the mask."

He's got a full-black velvet suit on, adorned with raven feathers, and a matching mask that hides most of his face. If it wasn't for his voice, Jaskier would've never recognised him.

"Mystery is always thrilling," the bard smiles, taking a sip of his Est-Est. "There's something irresistibly captivating about a man in a mask. A woman, too, of course, but women are mysterious creatures in general."

Regis nods knowingly and also raises his wineglass.

"Yes, women are... A mystery no man will ever solve."

They all fall silent for a couple of moments, and even though Jaskier knows that Geralt is thinking about Yennefer, there is no more pain. There hasn't been, for years now.

It took them a long time to figure it all out, to talk everything over, and though it would come with tears what seemed like every time, eventually, it was all over. And it brought them so close that if Jaskier had to go through all of that again twice, he would.

"Well, my dearest friends," Regis finally says, breaking the silence. "I've heard that there are prize-winning games starting at midnight, would you care to join me in testing my luck?"

Regis turns out to be a rather talented fisherman.

That is, given that what he's fishing for is a gold ring with a bright-red ruby in the centre - one of the three main possible prizes in the game.

The other players look at him with both jealousy and fascination, loud applause echoing through the garden.

Regis looks very pleased with himself - as much as Jaskier can tell, keeping the mask in mind - but it's only when they leave the deck of the pond that he asks for Jaskier's hand and places the ring into his palm.

"Beautiful work," he says, closing Jaskier's hand around the ring before he has the chance to refuse. "But it just so happens that gold suits you better, my friend."

"Regis-" Jaskier breathes out. "I cannot accept this. You've won it, it's yours."

Regis smiles - one of those tight-lipped smiles of his that doesn't show his teeth.

"I'm afraid I must insist," he says. "If it puts your mind at ease, I don't wear jewellery at all. It gets in the way of making my medications."

"Of making your moonshine, you meant to say," Geralt chuckles teasingly.

"The most effective out of all of my elixirs, my friend."

Jaskier knows said elixir a little too well and shakes his head with a fond smile, opening his hand to examine the ring closer.

"Thank you, Regis," he smiles. "I shall treasure this gift forever."

Geralt refrains from any other games, saying that he's very happy with his winnings from Gwent and doesn't want to push his luck any further.

Jaskier, however, overhears that there is a bardic competition about to start and he nearly runs, having grabbed Geralt by the hand. They get there just in time for him to take one on the last remaining places.

All of the participants are given their preferred instruments and are told to improvise for three and a half minutes. Whoever comes up with the best song and gets the loudest applause, shall win five long ribbons of the finest Toussaint silk that the winner can then take to a seamstress and get their clothes adorned. Jaskier's eyes shine like the stars above when he sees the royal-blue ribbon.

Geralt and Regis take their places in the audience, the witcher secretly worried, and try their absolute best at hyping Jaskier up by rolling their eyes at the other participant's songs to indicate just how non-impressive all of those attempts are.

Jaskier smiles at them from behind his mask and giggles when Regis implies that he's so bored by one of the songs that he's about to turn into smoke and disappear.

When it comes to Jaskier's turn, the bard adjusts the collar of his doublet and the cuffs of his sleeves, stands up because he hates to perform sitting down, runs his fingers over the lute strings and takes his first note, practised and beautiful, as always.

He sings about two people meeting at a masquerade and falling on love with each other immediately. Sings about them kissing in the dark alleyways of the garden and promising each other the stars. And sings about them not recognising each other when they cross paths the next morning while also searching for one another. They part, having nearly touched hands at the gates, to always look for each other, aching with love, but never meet again.

By the time Jaskier touches the strings one last time, half the audience is wiping at their eyes, including Regis.

It's an immediate win and Jaskier shines with it when the judge hands him his silk ribbons and compliments both his singing and his lyrics.

"Such a beautiful story," Regis says when Jaskier joins them. "Tragic romance is never going to get old."

Geralt can almost smell Jaskier's blush.

"Thank you, my dearest," he smiles, only a little coy. "I'm going to make sure to write more pieces like this."

When they part, it's nearly dawn.

Most of the games and shows are over, the tables with food and wine nearly empty, and all the guests start slowly making their way home.

Jaskier isn't necessarily tired but he's grateful to all the gods he knows that there is no need to ride back to Corvo Bianco.

When they're saying their goodbyes, Geralt invites Regis to come visit them for a day or two - or even a week, he says - and Regis, in turn, suggest they come visit him at his crypt. Jaskier realises that they've knows each other for so long now that it doesn't even sound strange to him.

Nearly all the guests are already gone when they get back to their room.

"Remind me to send a note to the dutchess to express our gratitude for being so considerate," Jaskier says, shrugging off his doublet and rolling his sore shoulders.

Geralt just hums, non-commital.

"That song you've played," he says, letting his hair down which is a gorgeous sight to see. "Had it really been an improvised one?"

Jaskier blushes under the gaze of his golden eyes, untying the laces of his mask. Geralt's always read him like an open book.

"No," he admits, averting his eyes when the witcher comes closer. "I've composed it a few weeks ago, when we've just gotten the invitations."

"Hmm," Geralt hums again, his half-grin making Jaskier's heart stutter for what seems like the millionth time. "Thought of me?"

The bard blushes even further, grateful the dim light of the fireplace is making it less apparent.

"Always think of you," he says, leaning into the touch when Geralt hugs him from the back and noses at his neck.

Geralt breathes a pleased noise against his neck, low and rumbling, knowing a little too well just how much of a weakness it is for the bard.

"Of course you do," he murmurs, undoing the buttons of Jaskier's shirt one by one without looking and leaving long hot kisses on his neck.

Jaskier lets out a shaky breath, throwing his head onto Geralt's shoulder and just forgetting about everything else for a few long moments before the witcher slips the shirt from his own shoulders to take it off, and he has to put the silk ribbons he's still holding down. They're all incredibly beautiful, they really are but as he sets them down onto a small round table, it's a pale-lilac one that catches his eye.

"What are you going to do with them?" Geralt enquires, letting the fabric of Jaskier's shirt fall to their feet and trailing his kisses down, onto his shoulders. "Order a new doublet from the court seamstress? Or change up one of those that you already have?"

Jaskier picks the lilac ribbon up, unties the bow that's keeping it folded, wraps it around his wrist once, twice, and pulls to see how it feels. The silk is pleasantly cool against his skin.

He bites his lips and turns around in Geralt's arms to lock eyes with him and run his hand through his hair.

"I might have a better idea."

#the witcher #geraskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #geralt and jaskier #my writing #calton writes

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vampire--dad · 4 years

Text

Can’t Win A Battle For A Lost Cause - Part 1

Part 2

I don’t think I’ve ever written something so quickly, wow

I just love writing Lambert. I love exploring his character and breaking it down. And of course, as with any of my favourite characters, I love hurting him :DD

——————

Fucking vampires.

Monsters are so much easier to deal with when they’re stupid, like nekkers. Nekkers are idiots that would probably walk into a sword on their own if you gave them the chance. Vampires are smart, which is half the reason Lambert hates taking contracts on them. They know how to hide, or even worse, they know when they don’t need to. The whole damn duchy knows the duke’s new wife is a vampire, but none can get close enough to kill her. So what do they do? They hire a witcher, someone who can add more fuel to this political bonfire and walk away unscathed, right? Yeah, sure, that’s what we’ll go with.

From this spot in the lower gardens of the duke’s mansion, Lambert can see the vampire on the balcony. The guards are well aware that he’s there, they’re the ones that hired him, but they couldn’t let him inside in case a servant alerted the duke of an unwanted visitor. So here he sits, hidden among the bushes, watching. She’s ballsy, this vampire, sinking her teeth into his neck under the moonlight. The power she has over the duchy must have gone to her head, or the blood, but he knows he can’t underestimate her. Blood is almost like alcohol for a higher vampire, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be weak, if anything, this is going to be even more of a pain in the ass.

The duke stumbles back into their bedroom and the creature turns her face to the moon, her skin a ghostly white and nearly shimmering under the pale light. It seems to pass right through her, as she casts no shadow. Lambert shifts his weight under him and stays low as he creeps along the wall. The ivy that clings to the bricks is strong enough for him to haul himself up to the balcony. As quiet as he can try to be, he’d be an idiot to think she didn’t notice him.

“Tell me, witcher,” she says, opening her icy blue eyes but not turning away from the sky. “How much did they offer you for my head? I’d like to know how much they thought I’d be worth.”

“Looking to buy your way out of this?” Lambert replies. “I’ll warn you, it won’t be cheap.”

“Please, witcher. Killing you will be easier… and more fun.”

Lambert barely has time to roll his eyes before the vampire launches herself at him and they tumble over the edge of the balcony. He was really hoping she wouldn’t say that. He hits the ground with a grunt, barely holding the snarling duchess back. He mumbles something under his breath and suddenly she is launched across the garden, hitting the far wall and slumping against it for a moment. Lambert draws his sword and rolls his neck, considering what he might do with his reward for killing her. Well, not that he can really kill her. Hopefully her body being burned will teach her a lesson while she spends a few decades regenerating.

Her head lolls for a moment, but then she becomes very still. Her neatly manicured nails grow into long, razor sharp claws. The delicate features of her face are drawn back into a hideous, animalistic form. She lifts her head with a disgusting grin. Lambert centres himself and raises his sword as she launches herself at him once again. The duke’s blood has her all riled up. She’s crazed, swiping her claws at him and screeching, only to be met with his blade, at the very least redirecting her attacks away from his body. The witcher can’t risk taking his eyes off her for a second, lest he lose an arm to her talons. She’s lightning fast, but she is at a disadvantage. If she slips up, his sword will tear through her like paper.

His blade catches against her arm. She roars, more out of indignation than pain, but her pause gives him an opening. He surges forwards and his blade plunges through her lithe figure, lodged just beneath her ribcage. A crimson stain blooms across her abdomen and her breath leaves her lungs suddenly. Her claws recede, followed by the rough features of her face. She assumes the gentle beauty she used to get herself into this mess in the first place. Lambert smirks cruelly and cocks his head.

“Fucking vampires. You’re all the same,” he says. “You all think you’re the biggest and baddest thing out there. It’s pathetic, really, how cocky you all are. I’ve faced far worse things than you, sweetheart. You really think your kind is the worst on the Continent?”

His words light a cold fire in her dying eyes. She grins, baring her fangs.

“See for yourself.”

She grips the hilt of his sword and pulls herself into it, the blade sliding through her body with an obscene sound. With the last of her strength she throws her weight forward, opens her mouth and latches onto Lambert’s neck. He groans out a curse, expecting to feel a drag against his skin. He’s been bitten before, but those before her quickly learned that witcher blood tastes vile. But he feels no such drag from his veins, rather he feels a burning sensation spreading across his skin. Suddenly he feels dizzy and short of breath. He feels her smile wickedly against his throat. His knees buckle beneath him. The last thing he hears is a cruel laugh, a sputtering cough, and the sound of his own body hitting the ground.

Lambert wakes with a yelp in an unfamiliar room. He grips the sheets and feels something sharp pressing into his palm through the linen. As he recoils, he notices the pointed nails on his fingers and frowns. Then his memory comes flooding back.

The vampire. His hand finds a bandage wrapped loosely around his neck. She bit him, but didn’t feed. No, he felt something going in instead. It burned like hellfire through his veins. He vaguely remembers being picked up by the guards… then everything ached… he vomited a few times, he thinks. It wasn’t unlike the trials that made him a witcher. With wide eyes he stumbles out of the bed and, in the soft light from the window, looks for a shadow. Nothing. He looks up at the window now, expecting to see his reflection, but yet again, there is nothing.

Shit.

He runs his tongue over his teeth and tastes blood. His canines have grown long and sharp.

Fuck.

She turned him. He’s a vampire.

He runs a hand through his hair. What the fuck is he meant to do now? He was made to hunt monsters, it’s all he knows, and now… he is one. Destiny really can’t give him a fucking break, huh? He sighs and sits back down on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. What are his brothers going to think? They wouldn’t try to hurt him… would they? He’s their brother…

He stops that train of thought the moment tears threaten to well up in his eyes. Now isn’t the time. He needs to figure out what to do. Perhaps there’s someone who can help him… His mind wanders back to his brother’s, but instead of getting emotional, he latches onto a vague memory. Geralt’s friend, what was his name…? Regis. That was it. A higher vampire that Geralt had befriended on his search for Ciri all those years ago. He mentioned he had taken up residence in Nilfgaard. Lambert can think of no better person to go to than another vampire.

Well, he can. He wants to go to his brothers. He wants to find them and just hear them say that they still love him. That’s all he wants and all he fears he won’t get. How could anyone love him like this?

Lambert shakes his head and stands, finding his things in the corner of the room. His medallion rests atop his jacket. He puts it on and clutches it to his chest, ignoring the feeling that he shouldn’t wear it at all. He dresses quickly, collects his things, and emerges from the room into a shop he recognises. The healer’s. He bought a few herbs from the woman who now stands at her workbench across the room. She looks up at him with a friendly smile.

“You’re up,” she states. “Good. How do you feel?”

“I’m fine,” he lies quickly. “I should be on my way.”

“A moment, witcher. I assure you I won’t breathe a word of it, but… can witchers be turned if they’re bitten by a vampire?”

“No,” he lies once again. “Our bodies reject their… venom, I guess you could call it. We can’t be turned.”

He notices her glance at the floor behind him as he makes for the door.

“Very well,” she says carefully. “I wish you the best in your travels.”

Nilfgaard, to Regis’ surprise, is quite peaceful. Winneburg is a big enough place for him to fade into the background, but small enough that he doesn’t run the risk of getting involved in any silly political games again. His home is humble, but thankfully filled with books and things to keep the endless days passing by quicker.

It came as a relief to him to live a normal life again, or at least the mirage of one. He is generally regarded as one of the more reliable surgeons in town, as he had studied enough to know that blood-letting and leeches never work and opts for the use of medicinal herbs and salves for wounds. After all, he’d had almost 400 years to perfect his trade.

He knows he has a visitor well before the knock at the door sounds through the small house. He hears footsteps, hurried and nervous. Regis closes his book and sets it aside, expecting someone in need of his care. Instead, on the other side of the door stands a witcher. He has dark brown hair, a scar across his right eye, and he wears the same medallion that he saw around the neck of an old friend.

There’s a look in the man’s yellow eyes he’s never seen in a witcher before. Fear. Geralt was good at hiding his emotions, brilliant at it. Over the years he saw many things in his friends’ eyes; joy, despair, anger, content, but never fear. That was the one thing he never showed. But this one seems unable to hide it.

“Regis?” he asks.

“Yes, witcher?”

Given a moment to analyse the man before him, Regis quickly realises why he is here. Small details give him away. The bluish tint to his skin that makes him look far paler than he should be. The small cuts around his lips. The pointed nails that he digs into his palms as he looks around nervously.

“I need your help,” he pleads.

“I know. Come in, we have much to discuss.”

He stands aside and lets the man in, noticing the tension in his shoulders and the bags under his eyes. It’s not uncommon to see such things when someone is turned, but he’s never seen a witcher turned. He can’t imagine what this must be like for him.

“What is your name, witcher?” he asks as he closes the door.

“Lambert,” he says. “I’m one of Geralt’s brothers.”

Regis can’t help a small smile as he says, “Yes, I do remember him mentioning you. He spoke of his little brother quite fondly.”

Lambert seems to grow even more nervous at the mention of his brother. Regis drops the subject and gets to the point.

“How long ago were you bitten?”

“A week or so.”

“Where? Show me, it’s not uncommon for bites to get infected.”

Lambert sheds his leather jacket and rubs his neck before tilting his head to bare the scar. He had spent what little coin he could spare on a new jacket with a higher collar. Regis notes his lack of eye contact. Anxiety isn’t a good look on a witcher.

“That healed quite nicely, actually. Of course. Now, where was this?”

“A duchy in Maecht. The duke’s new wife was a higher vampire. She was slowly draining him of—”

Lambert pauses and curses under his breath. His fingers come away from his lips bloody.

“Pull your fangs back a little,” Regis says. “It should feel like tensing the roof of your mouth, and it might hurt a bit, but try it.”

Lambert finally looks up at him with a look of surprise, like he didn’t expect to be met with compassion. He makes an odd face as he tries, then clamps a hand over his mouth and squeezes his eyes shut. Regis chuckles slightly.

“I told you it would hurt.”

“Yeah, a bit…” Lambert grumbles

“You’ll get used to it. Now, a higher vampire in Maecht? What has become of her?” Regis asks.

“I assume the duke’s guards burned her body like I told them to. It’ll at least put her out of action for a few decades.”

“Good. I assume you know there is nothing I can do for you in terms of curing you—”

“Yes, I know,” Lambert snaps. “I just… I needed someone to… I needed…”

Now that he thinks of it, he can’t explain exactly why he came here. He just thought seeking out someone who knew better than he did what was happening to him would be a good idea.

“Guidance,” Regis finishes for him, his tone comforting and soft. “That is what you’re looking for. Guidance and reassurance. Would I be right in thinking so?”

Lambert nods meekly. Regis offers him a comforting smile.

“Fret not, dear witcher,” he says. “You can stay with me while you find your footing. I may not have been turned myself, but I can understand what this must be like for you.”

Lambert resembles a puppy more closely than a wolf. He looks far more vulnerable than Regis had ever pictured him. Geralt had described a man with biting humour, a tendency for sharp remarks, and more often than not, a cruel smirk. But the man Regis sees before him is, for lack of a better word, broken.

“Thank you, Regis,” he mumbles, rubbing his neck again.

“Come, Lambert. Let’s get you settled in. I have a spare room, you can stay as long as you like.”

——————

Tags: @elliestormfound @jaskierswolf @lovelyeskel @feral-jaskier @patchwork-doublet

Please let me know if you’d like to be added to my taglist!!

#the witcher #lambert #emiel regis #vampires #i love them so much #fanfiction

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queenxxxsupreme · 4 years

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hey! been feeling a bit down lately (started a new medication and with the quarantine too im hyperconscious abt my weight), would you be able to do a fic with either dettlaff or regis reassuring the reader of their appearance?:) tysm!! -🔮

A/N: Oh babe, I can relate to this so much. I chose Dettlaff for this!

You frowned as you looked down at the red gown pooled at your feet. It wasn’t going past your hips.

You checked to make sure the gown was unlaced completely before trying again. You silently prayed to the gods that the dress would slide up over your hips. You needed this dress to fit! There was a celebration coming up- a party for Geralt’s child surprise -and you needed to be able to wear this gown. It was your favorite, as well as Dettlaff’s. The dark red silk was his favorite, and then the black lace around the bottoms of the sleeves and the bust worked perfectly with Dettlaff’s attire.

You sighed in frustration as the dress refused to go over your hips. You let it fall to the floor and stepped out of it.

You looked at yourself in the mirror a little closer, paying attention to your hips. Admittedly, you had gotten bigger. Your clothes fit tighter than usual as of late, but you didn’t think you gained that much.

Your stomach twisted up at the thought. What if Dettlaff noticed? What if he was disgusted by the way you looked? Surely he was too much of a gentleman to mention it to you.

As dark thoughts began to invade your mind, you changed into more comfortable clothes, a pair of sleeping trousers and one of Dettlaff’s shirts.

You moved out of the bedroom, wrapping your arms tightly around yourself.

Dettlaff sat in his favorite chair in the living room, reading a book. He looked up when he saw you.

“Did you….” He trailed off when you didn’t look in his direction. It was like you had one goal in mind and that was to get to the kitchen. He took note of the frown on your lips and the way a crinkle formed between your brows. “What’s wrong, darling?”

You shook your head, not trusting your voice enough to speak.

He closed his book to focus on you. You went to retrieve the kettle and put water into it. Then you hung it on the hook over the fire.

“Darling, come sit, please.” He patted his thigh, concerned that you weren’t looking at him.

But still, you shook your head. You retrieved your favorite mug from the cabinet and placed it on the counter. As you waited for the kettle to whistle, you looked down on the empty mug. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at your dear husband.

“Y/N.” He murmured. “Tell me what’s wrong, please. Why won’t you come sit on my lap while you wait for the water to heat up?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” You mumbled, but he could hear every word perfectly.

“I’m sorry, my dear. I’m afraid I don’t understand. How would you hurt me?”

You let out a heavy sigh, bringing your eyes up to look at the fire in the hearth. Your heart hammered in your chest. You were sure he could hear it.

“Because I’m too big. I’ll hurt you sitting on your lap.” You turned to put your back to him, unable to chance seeing his beautiful blue eyes.

But Dettlaff was behind you before you had a chance to get very far. His hand, though large and rough in texture, gently grabbed your arm and turned you around to face him.

“Why would you ever think such a silly thing?” His deep baritone was soft and gentle, carrying a tone that made you nearly melt right then and there.

You shook your head and tried to look away, to look anywhere but at him. He won’t let you though.

Tears welled in your eyes and poured down your cheeks before you had a chance to stutter out some excuse.

Dettlaff said nothing. His arms wrapped around you and he pulled you into his chest, wrapping his arms securely around you. As your shoulders jolted and shook with your pitiful sobs, he held you. His hand found the back of your head, cradling you to his chest.

“Hush, my love.” He kissed the side of your head. “You’re going to make yourself sick getting so worked up.”

Your fingers clutched at his tunic. You were fearful. Fearful that if you let him go, he’d disappear. Fearful that when you pulled away, he’d agree with what you said. Fearful that he’d finally see just how unfit you were for him. Fearful that he’d see all of your flaws.

Dettlaff was patient with you, brushing his fingers over your hair and sometimes kissing just above your ear.

He waited until your sobs had died down, waited for those little hiccups to still. Then he pulled away from you and looked down at you. You tilted your head down, eyes focusing on the moth brooch Regis had given him. You always admired the pin. It was so beautiful, and it perfectly fit Dettlaff.

But the higher vampire wanted to be able to see your eyes. His hands wrapped around your hips and he lifted you up onto the counter. Then he settled between your thighs.

He was silent at first, carefully brushing stray tears from your cheeks and swiping your hair out of your eyes.

“What makes you think you are too big?” He softly asked. You closed your eyes for a moment, taking a shaky deep breath in.

“I-I can’t fit my red dress anymore. The one that you like so much. I can’t even get it over my hips, Dettlaff.” You cried quietly, shaking your head. “That’s your favorite dress, and-and I used to think it looked so good on me and fit me so well, but now-now I can’t even get it on!”

“Oh, my dear.” He cupped your face with one large hand, brushing his thumb along the apple of your cheek. “It’s just a dress. We can have it tailored to fit you now. There is plenty of time before the celebration to have it fixed. All is not lost.”

“That’s- Dettlaff, that’s not the point.” You breathed out. “I’ve gotten fat and I’m ugly.”

The look that crossed his face made your stomach churn. He was heartbroken. How could you believe you were ugly? To him, you were the most beautiful being he’d ever set eyes on. A masterpiece crafted by the gods. It hurt him to know that you thought so poorly of yourself.

“My darling, your beauty isn’t measured by your weight.”

“How can you think I’m not some fucking cow, Dettlaff?” You didn’t mean to raise your voice at him. You were just frustrated. Was he lying to you? He had to be.

“I happen to think you are perfect.” He whispered, unable to speak much louder. “Yes, you’ve gained weight but you are healthy. You are well. You aren’t any less beautiful because of it.”

His hands found your thighs, fingers curling gently in as if to grip you tight.

“You are absolutely stunning, Y/N. You are an angelic being built perfectly for me.” He leaned his head down to kiss your forehead. “Your thighs, my gods.” He paused for a moment, inhaling deeply. He rested his forehead against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you leaned into him.

“There is no feeling I enjoy more in this world than when your thighs are wrapped tightly around me.”

You smiled just a little, feeling a heat rise to your cheeks.

“And your hips, they fit perfectly in my hands.”

“It’s cause you’ve got big hands.” You muttered, but a smile tugged at the corners of your lips. You opened your eyes as he pulled away from you. You met his warm gaze. He wore a little smile of his own.

“Perhaps I have big hands so that I could properly hold you.” He thought out loud. “Perhaps, when the gods were creating me, they had you in mind as my mate. Have you ever thought of that?”

Your lips parted with the thought. What if that was true? It made you warm and tingly to think that he was made specifically for you.

“There is no part of you that I will ever not love with all I have, my dear.” Dettlaff assured you, leaning down to gently kiss your lips. “And it just breaks my heart to know you think so lowly of yourself. You are beautiful and nearly every time I lay eyes on you, you steal my breath away.”

“Dettlaff.” You whispered, bringing your hand up to cover your mouth. “Stop it.”

“Not until you believe me.” He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to the edge of the counter. “Now, while you wait for your tea to heat up, let me read to you.”

Before you could object, Dettlaff picked you up and took you over to his chair.

Taglist: @pressedinthepages @mishafaye @whitewolfandthefox @wolfyland07 @belalugosisdead @persephonehemingway @keira-hulmaster @dinonuggs69 @greatestauthorofmygeneration @shadow-hunters-lover @dancingwith-thesunflowers @tedi-fach-las @thecomfortofoldstorries @raspberrydreamclouds @natkowaa @disasteren @weathervanes-my-oneandlonely @onlyhenrys @wackylurker @criminaly-supernatural @magpie343 @permanently-exhausted-witcher @hina-chans-stuff @the-space-between-heartbeats @havenoffandoms @carriebee1 @ger-bearofrivia @naominami @writingawaymylife @reaganjenelle @theawkwardpedestrian @scarlettwitcher @badassspaceprincess @just-a-sad-donut @summersong69 @an–actual–human–disaster @rubyqueen819 @omgkatinka @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @vonxcon @mazakeen @bravelittlesunflower @thereagles @awkward-turtles-world @menalliha @cotton_mo @maan24 @thefirelordm @monkeymo @krenee1drful @nympha-door-a @awkward-turtles-world @fl0ating

#kacey answers #🔮anon #Dettlaff x reader fic #Dettlaff x reader #dettlaff van der eretein fic #Dettlaff fluff

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a-world-in-grey · 4 years

Text

Galahdian Gemstones

@secret-engima because headcanons (and I’d like your input on gemstone selections). Two sections - headcanons on Clan Stones, and some history stuff.

-Clan Stones.

-Like Clan Colors, each Clan has a gemstone or pair of gemstones that identify them. These stones are worn in their Clan Braid, usually the first bead in the braid (though some Clans wear theirs at the end, like the Ostium joiners or the Furia), followed by personal beads.

-Certain Clans do share one of their Stones, but each Clan has at least one of their stones unique to them and them alone that serves as their main Clan Stone. So, from the top to the bottom (not including pictures because this post is long enough):

-Altius: Chalcedony/Sunstone. There aren’t very many grey gemstones, but grey Chalcedony is very pretty, especially when banded (striped). For an orange stone, I headcanon sunstone because of my hcs of them being blood of Ifrit’s Blessed, and because it’s a very pretty gem. I headcanon sunstone being their main Stone, because they are one of two Clans that have Orange as a Clan Color. (Second choice for the Altius grey stone would be grey moonstone, without the blue sheen, to contrast the sunstone.)

-Arra: Alexandrite. The Arra are one of the Clans to have a single stone that represents both of their Clan Colors, as alexandrite (though in-verse it’s probably called something different) changes color from green to purple depending on the type of lighting. A suitably subtle gem for a subtle Clan.

-Bellum: Carnelian/Dumortierite. Dumortierite is a pretty blue stone that I chose because of the name - dumortier is a French surname meaning death, though the in-verse name is likely different. Carnelian is their main stone since they are the only Clan with Red as a Clan Color (primary or secondary), and every Bellum is willing to Throw Hands at the drop of a hat.

-Bestia: Chrysoberyl. Again, probably a different name in-verse, but this pretty stone comes in both yellow and green. The yellow is likely their main Stone.

-Canere: Sapphire. Specifically color changing sapphire, which like alexandrite, changes color in different light. Color changing sapphire changes between blue and purple.

-Carduus: Moonstone. Blue moonstone is a silvery-grey stone with a blue sheen, representing both the Blue and Grey colors of the Carduus, as well as harkening back to their original Secondary Color of Silver. (My second choice for them would be Labradorite, which is a dark-grey stone with flashes of blue and green, though blue is the most common and what the Carduus would reserve for their beads.)

-Furia: Pearl. Pearls come in a variety of natural colors, though as a rule they tend to be fairly pale. I headcanon that the Furia are the only Clan to wear pearls as hair beads, and few outside the Furia wear pearls as jewelry, most of them being Lazarus, Arra, Praesidium, and the occasional Canere. Furia wear orange and blue pearls as their Clan Stones, and make quite the profit selling the white and pink pearls to the Mainland.

-Khara: Purple/Yellow Jade. Purple jade (known as Turkiyenite) is only 40-60% jadeite and so not technically classified as such. However, this is fiction so we can do whatever, and it’s very pretty. The purple jade is their main Stone.

-Lazarus: Citrine/Quartz. Quartz comes in a variety of colors, including grey. Citrine would be their main Stone. (Alternate grey stone would be chalcedony, which they could feasibly share with the Altius, since chalcedony is really common.)

-Ornata: Lapis Lazuli. While mostly blue, lapis lazuli is known for its gold flecks. (While I really like this stone, I know it’s not necessarily a perfect fit, so another option could be topaz - which comes in both yellow and blue varieties.)

-Ostium: Tanzanite/Onyx. The Ostium are one of the only clans that place their Clan Stone at the end of their braid - the black onyx joiners are the hallmark of the Ostium Clan. Onyx also comes in green, which is what Ostium Braincells wear to designate that they’ve got an Ulric to cluck after.

-Praesidium: Azurite/Malachite. These two stones often form near each other and mixed together, resulting in a pretty and vibrant blue and green stone. Praesidium are the only Clan to have two Clan Stones they are known by, with azurite and malachite being worn in equal amounts alongside the azurite/malachite mixes.

-Tibiae: Quartz/Emerald. Contrary to what one might think, emerald is actually this Clan’s main Stone. Because that Clan needs a warning label, and it’s the only one they are going to give you. (Other options for green stones could be chrysoprase or peridot. Could also use chalcedony or grey moonstone for grey stones.)

-Ulric: Onyx/Charoite. Ulrics share onyx with the Ostium, the latter wearing it after picking up the Black Clan Color from the Ulrics. However, the Ulric main Stone is charoite. (An alternate purple stone is amethyst, but I think charoite is prettier and generally prefer semi-precious stones to precious stones.)

-(Astrum: Obsidian/Heliodore. Differing from the other Clans in that their Stones come from the Lucian mainland. Their main Stone is their obsidian joiner, similar to the Ostium.)

-History headcanons!

-Galahd is rich in gemstones and metals. Much like real-life Myanmar, Galahd has just about every kind of gemstone imaginable, with the exception of diamonds (which Galahdians don’t really wear anyway).

-As such, before the Burning it is very common for every Galahdian to wear precious and semi-precious stones for their braids and jewelry.

-Now, I headcanon that before Lucis folded Galahd into the Empire, mining was not a huge business in Galahd. Oh, it was definitely a viable profession, but the Clans didn’t use a lot of gemstones, and generally weren’t picky about what they did mine up. The best quality went to making beads, and the rest went to jewelry.

-After being ‘conquered’ by Lucis, well. Wealthy Lucians were highly interested in the ‘untapped resources’. Now, depending on how dark you want to take things, this could go a couple different ways. We’ll start with the least nasty, because why not.

-First possibility is that Galahd is able to dictate the trade of Galahdian gemstones. They present a selection for sale, and the Lucian traders buy what they want. Trying to pressure the Galahdians into offering more/higher quality Does Not Happen, because the first attempts are shut down hard by the Galahdians and the Crown slaps down any armed hostilities from breaking out because We Do Not Fight The Jungle Children FOR THE LOVE OF THE SIX. This likely results in some resentment from the Lucians and wariness from the Galahdians, but nothing too drastic.

-Second possibility, still fairly light, but a bit darker, is that the Lucians’ offers for high quality gems drives local prices up, making it harder for Galahdians to sell/buy their own gems. As such, local gems become much more scarce, until they are almost exclusively reserved for Clan Beads. This scenario is going to breed a fair amount of resentment from the Galahdians towards the Lucian mainland, specifically the nobility/wealthy.

-Third possibility, which is very dark, is that Lucian corporate interests manage to get a foothold in Galahd, and begin large mining operations - either with their own Lucian workers or with locals. Lucian workers would be paid more, lured by a promise of making money, but clashes between the workers and locals would be higher. Galahdian workers would likely be paid far less, and oh boy would that breed it’s own resentment, but there would be less possible conflict between Galahdians and Lucians, other than overseers management. This is going to breed a lot of resentment, to the point of possible outright rebellion from the Galahdians.

-Then we have Niflheim occupying Galahd. And things get a whole lot worse. Because Niflheim is only going to see the potential profit from Galahd’s gemstone resources and won’t care how they get it.

-In the darkest scenario, take that third possibility, and crank it up to eleven. Large scale environmental destruction, forced work in the mines, and pittance pay. Exploitation at its worst. Galahdians likely had to hide their Stones or have them confiscated by Niflheim overseers and sold overseas, and you can bet the Nifs would dig up the Galahdian dead just to get at those beads too. The Galahdians wouldn’t be allowed to keep any of the stones they mined either. Not even the inferior quality stone unsuited for jewelry - Niflheim would have dumped it in the sea just to spite them.

-(Look, there’s a reason Galahd hates Mors for pulling the Wall and leaving them to Niflheim’s ‘mercy’. There’s a reason the Galahdian refugees can’t go home, even after almost twenty years post-Burning. There’s a reason so many refugees left, even before the Burning. Why so many chose to fight for a mainlander king. Why so many Betrayed Regis when he surrendered to Niflheim. Why Luche and the others took Niflheim’s deal.)

-During the Occupation, there was probably resistance and rebellion everywhere Niflheim turned, until they decided to cut their losses and Burn it all. (Perhaps they were losing too many workers. Or perhaps they’d exhausted the mines and didn’t care to look for new ones.)

-In Lucis, any refugees likely had to sell their Stones just to survive. Those that didn’t wouldn’t be allowed to wear them if they lived in Insomnia, because of the Sumptuary Laws or for fear of being arrested on charges of theft. (And even if the charges were dropped, many of the stones confiscated as ‘evidence’ were coincidentally ‘lost’.) For those that lost their Stones, replacing them is near impossible - either they are too expensive, impossible to find, or in most cases both.

-Which is when carved and painted wooden beads become the norm.

#Shadow of Heaven's Light #ffxv #worldbuilding #galahd #galahd culture #braids #lucis #history #I have spent way too much time looking up gemstones #in other words I now have the exact stones everyone wears in their braids

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gayregis · 4 years

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Hi! I've followed your blog for a while and love your individual takes. Can you do a succinct character study of Milva? I'm thinking of writing with her soon. (Bonus points if you could hypothesise how she'd intereact with other witchers of Kaer Morhen).

i have awakened

to me, milva represents the dichotomy and conflict between vulnerability and strength. she’s an inversion / subversion of the “action girl” trope - the girl in a group of guys who is just as badass as any of them... (more information on the trope here and here). the trope of the action girl is also intended to be sexy and conform to the expectations of the viewer, still feminine in appearance or having a “glow up” moment where she discovers femininity and is happy with it.

milva stops all of this bullshit in its tracks in manyw ays. primarily, she is not perfect and infalliably strong. instead of being capable in everything with no real depth or difficulty, she actually struggles immensely and has many self-percieved flaws and insecurities. just because she’s a badass in combat doesn’t mean she doesn’t have emotions. she berates herself, particularly in baptism of fire, multiple times for being illiterate / uneducated / “simple”, as well as a woman. throughout baptism of fire (the only book of the series where she actually got any development, let’s be honest) she is faced with her insecurities extensively.

milva was raised in a very traditional sodden peasantry upbringing, from which she was taught lessons about how men and women are expected to and “should” act. she rebelled from this, seeking ways in which she could not conform to the expectations of womanhood - she prides herself on her strength, which is her skill at archery. when she is reduced to her gender, she becomes indignant and volatile as she should: we can see this possibly best demonstrated when she punched cloggy for his misogynistic demands to her, and gave him a concussion with one punch. she reacted in this way not only because his views were bigotedm but because she has spent her entire life saying, “i’m not what people expect of a woman, i’m not!”

thus goes that when she had to reveal her pregnancy to the group, she was ashamed of herself and very insecure. she had spent much effort rebelling from “traditional feminine roles”, but now was restricted to exactly that - pregancy, which is a role of a “traditional woman” in her cultural gender norms. as she says to geralt, she compares herself now to a chicken, instead of a red kite (a “milva” in elder speech, and “milvus milvus” in real life scientific terminology). she took the name red kite because it’s a bird of prey, it’s ferocious! it kills without looking back... and she felt then that she “got herself stuck” in a situation where she was expected to care and nurture - the complete opposite of what she has based her identity around. this is the dichotomy of maria, her birth name, and milva, her chosen name. when she reveals her pregnancy to geralt, she refers to herself resentfully as “a millstone, a typical bloody woman!” because she resents herself for being now tied to the social expectations of womanhood through her pregnancy.

additionally, her pregnancy showed that she can be swayed by social pressures, or was at once swayed - instead of laughing in the face of traditional femininity, she felt pressured to act as the she-elf in the scoia’tel squad did, she was socially pressured into having sex with a man. her pregnancy is a result of her exposing herself to a traditional feminine role (which she didn’t enjoy, but now still has the consequences of).

she likely felt too guilty to abort the pregnancy because childbearing and rearing is an expectation traditionally placed upon women.

she continued to travel with geralt after she found out that his quest was to save his daughter, because her logic was that if she would lose her own child because she did not want to carry the pregnancy to term, she could at least endavour to save geralt’s child - it would be “a life for a life,” rather than just having an abortion on her own and “losing a child” without ‘making it up somehow’ (again, conservative ideas, because that’s how she was raised and precisely what she is trying to outgrow in her character development).

(this excerpt is from another ask i answered about milva’s pregnancy)

what her development is, is accepting that she can simply exist as herself outside of the confines of social pressures. she has to ask herself what SHE wants, not what other people want or expect from her. instead of trying to rebel from what her traditional society wants from a woman, or trying to follow the needs of a man (geralt), she has to do what she wants for herself. for example, in tower of the swallow, she cuts her virgin’s plait because “she’s not a virgin, nor a widow.” this can be seen as her growing away from the expectations of a virgin, being open about the fact that she is no longer a virgin, but still conforming to the societal standards which surround them.

milva’s other subversions of the action girl trope come from being independently masculine (instead of “i learned it from my brother”) ... she learned archery from her father, but he died when she was young, so she didn’t receive mentorship far into her childhood. another way she subverts her trope is that the action girl usually is fanservice-y and is thus pretty much a “sexy lamp”: i.e., a sexual object (”if you can take out a female character and replace her with a sexy lamp “). she comes off as a real person with deep emotions, so that rules out being a lamp. additionally, she is sexy as in she is attractive, but she is not meant to be a romantic interest for geralt or any of the other male characters. she does not wear feminine clothing ever (refused to get into a dress in lady of the lake), she wears men’s clothing which is remarked upon several times.

milva also is independent out of survival. when her father died and her mother remarried, her stepfather abused her, and her mother did not stand up for her. in self-defense, she beat her stepfather to death and ran away from home. she’s been mostly along since then, hunting alone, though she collaborates heavily with the dryads of brokilon and scoia’tel commandos. she has a difficult time trusting others to have her best at heart, because no one has ever looked out for her besides herself.

other (obvious, but important to state) character traits include:

directness. why say three dozen words, when three will do? she doesn’t beat around the bush and will say the truth without mincing words or making pleasantries.

short temper, and impulsiveness. her exhausted gaze became that of a wolf. don’t fuck with her. sometimes she says or does things she regrets immediately after.

maturity. she is not above apology and admitting her faults and weaknesses. unlike geralt in baptism of fire, she is willing to accept the company of comrades once they have gained her trust.

moments of clarity? sometimes, she can just say exactly what is going on, in a very sort of meta way. such as in baptism of fire when she says that to her it seems that everyone who comes into contact with ciri dies.

action, not words! as opposed to characters like regis, she doesn’t spend her time philosophizing or thinking too much about things. if something needs to be done, she gets it done immediately without overthinking the options. she’s good on her feet this way, but finds discussions about ‘what could be and why things are’ confusing.

in regards to how she would interact with the other wolf witchers:

i think she would try to fit in with them as much as possible, maybe feeling a need to get validation and respect from them as they’re capable fighters and men, she would want to be seen as their equal and afraid that they wouldn’t see her as such. but they are cool guys, so i think they would like and respect her. if geralt was around, i think she would be in even better spirits, and she’d have good humor probably (razzing geralt about being a handful, how’d you grow up with this guy, has he always been like this hahaha...). it also depends on who else is in the scene but that’s how i think she’d interact with them. she’s similar to geralt in many ways (strong but very insecure) so i think they’d appreciate her. she would probably see them like the brothers she never had.

#milva #ask #anon

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fangirlincorporated-blog · 3 years

Audio

The Lucky Australian

~~ 9 Enigma ~~

We could be lovers, even just tonight We could be anything you want We could be jokers, brought to the dayligh We could break all of our stigma I-I'll be your enigma

The afternoon marched on into night, the Mediterranean sun sinking casting a hazy glow over Venice.

Henry and Aurora had spent hours together on the suite balcony, drinking, eating, and talking, just enjoying each other’s company. Soon enough the sky darkened to pink, a timely reminder that it was time to get ready for their date. As Aurora went to shower and change, Henry made reservations at the St Regis, a beautiful fine dining terraced restaurant overlooking the grand canal. He never remembered being this nervous before a date, the many he had been on. Something about Aurora though threw him off, he couldn’t understand why he felt such a need to have her, to be with her. All the things he wanted to do, he began to grow impatient over a future he was starting to see. All the things he didn’t know, all the things he wanted to know, and how terrified and elated he was at the same time to be uncovering everything about her. He already found out her family would be here in a few days, and already he wanted to meet them. His heart racing far ahead of his mind. He had to remember to slow down, they’d only known each other a week, he couldn’t push for anything before she was ready.

Aurora stepped out of the bathroom; a towel wrapped around her small frame. She smiled at Henry, his turn to use the bathroom, he grabbed what he needed and made his way into the steamy room. Aurora towelled herself down and changed into comfy clothes while she applied her makeup. Cross legged on the floor, she listened to the gentle hum of the shower, her mind racing as to how the night would unfold. Still, she had doubts, Aurora had desperately hoped that this wouldn’t be just a holiday fling, she had a huge crush on Henry even before he knew her name. Hell, he was loved by men and women worldwide and here he was, sharing the same hotel room as her in Venice. Soon, they would be going out on an official date, only a week after knowing each other.

When she went home, what happened after? Would the distance get in the way? Would he just forget her? Would she just be another woman whose relationship with Henry would just fade into obscurity? Would he even think about her once she went home? Would he bother calling? Or keeping in touch? He would move mountains if he really wanted this and if he really wanted her. Still, she noticed most of his relationships had lasted around a year. Aurora wasn’t sure what she was hoping for with this. Maybe just an easy heartbreak if it came to it. There was no way she could manage that again. She had been through the absolute worst and wanted nothing more than to avoid that again. Surely, if he liked her like he said he did, he would try. He had the means to be able to.

Aurora got up to find her dress. She knew the one. A long, white, strapless dress embellished with silver sequins in a baroque pattern. Raphi had convinced her to pull it out of her closest, insisting that they were going to dress up and hit some town with it. You never need an excuse to dress up, all you need is being a fabulous bitch! His voice sang in her head. She smiled. This dress though, had never seen the light of day. It was always intended to be saved for Venice, but for a different person and a different occasion.

If I ever leave you, I promise I will send Henry Cavill to you! I think that’s the only way you’d ever forgive me. a sad smile stalked Auroras features as she remembered him, his laugh frozen in time and in a space she could never reach. Warring emotions raged in her mind. Here she was in Venice, Henry fucking Cavill showering in the bathroom and her mind was haunting her. Hell, if this was only destined to last a few weeks with Henry, then fuck it, she wanted to leave a lasting impression and this dress, and this night would do just that. She could only focus on the now. How Henry made her feel now, the things he stirred in her. She wasn’t blind, the man was an Adonis, the attraction between them pulled with such force, the sexual tension palpable anytime they were within each other’s reach, the evening promised to satisfy every carnal demand they had. If nothing came of this at least she had a great story about the time she shagged a Hollywood heartthrob. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she resumed her place on the floor, she finished putting the last of her makeup on. Hearing the shower stop, she looked up to see Henry exiting the bathroom, his towel threatening to fall to the floor at the slightest movement. Aurora studied him, a smile forming on her face. Henry noticed her.

“What are you smiling at?”

“Nothing” she said, getting up from her spot on the floor. “Just amazed at the physics of that towel being able to stay on your body”.

Henry looked at her, pushing all the inappropriate thoughts from his mind, as hard as that was. He watched her walk towards him. She seemed to be dressed comfortably.

“Oh, all ready to go are you?”

Aurora stopped before him

“Absolutely, couture is all about looking like a hot mess!”

Henry chuckled at her. She was incredibly close to him right now and he was practically naked under the towel. He wondered how hell he was going to get through dinner. Aurora looked down Henrys body. I could just take his towel, she mused. Instead she cleared her throat and stepped away from him.

“I’m hungry, I’m going to change”

She moved past him into the bathroom and closed the door. Henry let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He had wanted her to touch him so fucking badly! Running a hand over his face, he pulled out his clothes from his suitcase. The open balcony door letting the Venetian air slowly slap at the curtains of the room, the heat settling into the night. Henry pulled on navy chinos and a light blue button up shirt, sliding on brown leather shoes, he waited, leaning against the balcony door watching the city below him. Barely 5 minutes later Aurora stepped out of the bathroom holding up the bottom of her dress. Henry's breath caught in his throat. He watched her as she sat on the bed to do up her silver stilettos.

She was fucking spectacular.

Her dress sat beautifully on her small frame, letting Henry wander his eyes all over her body. Simple and understated, but a knockout at the same time. Her dress was white, long and covered in silver sequins with the most beautiful pattern Henry had ever seen. Looking at her face, she had perfected her makeup with such precision, the ruby red of her lipstick doing nothing to quell the desire sitting in Henry's stomach. She stood up to look at him and smiled. He walked over to her and extended his arm. Linking her arm through his, she grabbed her phone as they headed out of the hotel room.

The night holding so much promise.

#henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill imagine #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill fanfic #aussie aussie aussie #straya #henry cavill

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ff15trashgoldenslumbers · 4 years

Note

i live for your ot4 + 1 stories omg... Could I have like,a super fluffy one?With lots and lots of smooches and cuddles?Thanks xx

Thank you Darling! I adore the OT4+1! I do hope that you love this one too!

It had been a month! One entire month since you had all gotten together and actually be together like you were intended. Your relationship was something that you took great pride in and while you didn’t mind one on one time with one of your boyfriends or even if only some of you got together, there was always that missing feeling, that missing piece of being able to have all five of you together as was your normal.

So this morning when you had woken up with only a stuffed Chocobo in bed you had to admit you were getting a little lonely! When you’re used to sleeping with four other people sharing the Behemoth King sized bed, it got really lonely really fast to wake up as the only person in the bed.

Whoever the jerk that coined the phrase: ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’, never went a month without a proper dose of affection!

This month was a busy one for the Royals, it was meeting upon meeting, traveling, and balls. Strengthening allies and forging bonds! It was a tradition as old as the beautiful city you called home.

You knew that falling in love with these men meant falling in love with a job that would take them away from you. You yourself could only attend so much of their lives, the more glitz and glamor parts. You appeared at every ball, every media event that required you to be there to be the “Prince’s Girlfriend”. All the political stuff was far beyond your realm of understanding or caring for that matter, so your presence didn’t apply when it came to the day to day meetings.

Still, it didn’t mean that your heart didn’t ache for them when they were suddenly gone so long that their scent no longer lingered on their pillows or clothes in the apartment.

Prompto got a lot more time off than your other three boyfriends. Granted he didn’t have a 9-5 type of job, some of his shifts would run him days at a time, and even then he still had to go to training with Cor. For the past month, he had been out of the house with Gladiolus at 5am almost every day. Only to return home at 11pm, getting something in the stomach. a shower, and you were then putting him to bed.

Gladiolus, on the other hand, was use these long stints. He had been training for it for all his life, he knew how to train that wonderful body to withstand pretty much anything that could be thrown at him. But you could count on one hand the amount of times that you got to actually cuddle with him. He had to spend quite a bit of time at the castle second only to Ignis.

Ignis was a very dutiful man, you often worried simply because you feared he would crash. He was so stoic and always held such a strong powerful demeanor that if one didn’t know the Advisor they wouldn’t notice the slights in his posture and gaze that showed even he was at a limit. He would only return to the apartment on nights that Noctis could sneak away, but even those moments were so short and in between.

Noctis was the one that often would apologize to you when something would take him away, but you couldn’t blame him. You never blamed him! It wasn’t his fault that he was such an important person. You felt the lingering hold he gave you when Ignis would awaken him to take him away for the day.

You were often offered a room within the Citadel, which you only took up when a party ran late, or there was no one to escort you home for the evening. You didn’t wish to have them worried about you and your needs when they had so many more important things to worry about. Besides having to sneak into their rooms to get your cuddles and kisses was only fun for the first couple of times.

You knew it was hard, not just for you, but for them as well. So you were determined to always get up, walk them to the door, no matter what ungodly time in the morning it was that they would have to leave to start their days. Providing a kiss and a hug and a sweet “Have a nice day! I love you.” before they were gone for who knows how long this time, and you’d return to a large empty bed.

At least that was your normal until this week when suddenly the bed and apartment were empty all week, due to them taking lodging at the Castle as it was easier to stay there. No amount of video games, shopping, reading, or sleeping seemed to make the time go faster. You’d get a quick voice message waking you up, or telling you good night, or a text when on a break but that wasn’t filling this void.

So today when you were ushered into the car by one of the Crowns Guard you couldn’t help but stop smiling. Your carriage was whisking you away to the Citadel, where the Farewell party was to take place within the next few hours. You’d finally get the missing pieces of your heart back!

Even just being in the same building as them, made you feel so much better. You had caught a glimpse of Noctis and Ignis on their way to another meeting. Noctis stopped looking ready to take off towards you, only to be halted by Ignis, who you knew if he wasn’t trying to keep them both on schedule would have run to sweep you up in his arms.

So for the moment, you settled for a smile, wave of the hand, and slight bow of the head. You watched them disappear first on their way, before continuing to your perfect evening. You sat through the primping, the styling, squeezing into the slimming dress, all of it with a smile because tonight would be the night you got to be just the tiniest selfish. But you so earned it!

As it was normal for you now, you stood before the large doors to the ballroom. Wearing one of the latest dresses that you were certain cost way too much for the fabric, but you knew that it was part of the package. One more quick over by those lovely ladies that helped you get ready, and you were left alone.

“Announcing…”

You took a deep inhale, it was easier to do this with one of the others, but you had figured that they all actually had to be within the room, so you were forced to go in alone. The doors cracked open, as you counted to three like Ignis had told you to, before taking a step forward.

The entrance faced the throne, where you were greeted to King Regis and Clarus but your Prince was missing, and knowing that at least Ignis and Gladiolus would be by his side it kind of confused you. Only for your eyes to move to the dance floor, finding Noctis standing there, along with Prompto and Gladiolus all three of their eyes trained to you as if you were the only person within the room, but where was Ignis?

If you weren’t so worried that you would have tripped over yourself you would have rushed down to the dance floor immediately to launch yourself at them but luckily you remained calm and level headed. Only to make your way down the stairs, immediately finding a gloved hand assisting you down the final three. A huge smile on your face as you felt Ignis lift your hand to his lips before escorting you to King Regis for your customary greeting.

A curtsey to the King and you found another hand before you, this time finding Gladiolus, another quick press of his lips to the knuckles where only a moment ago Ignis’s lips had been, before he moved you over to Noctis, his large steps shorten. You couldn’t tell if it was so that he got a little more time with you, or because he didn’t want you to trip in your dress, but either way it was nice to have him there.

Your hand pasted to Noctis, as you bowed again, only customary, as Noctis hated it but the royal protocol and all that jazz required you to bow to your Prince. You felt Noctis move you to the dance floor, having to stifle a giggle, as you heard the flourish of the band started.

“What’s so funny?” Noctis asked, as he began the dance.

You smiled nailing the first spin easily, “You.”

“What about me?” He inquired, parting from you before spinning you back towards himself.

“You would save the first dance for me?” You jokingly asked, making certain to stay far enough away, the last thing you needed was a repeat of practice when you accidentally hit his injured leg and took the both of you down. Granted that got you babying him all evening, which Noctis absolutely adored.

“Well yeah.” Noctis chuckled. “Had to fight Prompto for the spot.”

“Where is that ray of sunshine?”

“He’s with the Marshal on duty, but he said to save him a dance,” Noctis replied, as you giggled. Those blue eyes lowered for a moment, before focusing back on you, “Y/N, I’m…”

You hushed him as you pulled further into him, “No apologies, I love all of you. This is just a part that I love too, granted slightly less but still, I love it all the same.”

Noctis chuckled, “Thank you.”

By the time you were all in the car heading home together, you had to admit that you suddenly felt that all those teasing moments of affection made you, even more, touch starved for the others. Common courtesy and Royal Rules made PDA very difficult to come by. You could only get so many hand kisses, and dances before you felt that it wasn’t doing enough. You wanted actual kisses, cuddles, and affection not these four-minute dances and second long kisses.

It was your affection and cuddles and you wanted them…

NOW!

“You all right?”

You almost didn’t hear the question, so focused on trying not to jump across the car to one of them and just explode in affection. “I’m good.” You lied, noticing the apartment come into view, you could hold it in! You did so for a month, what was just ten more, long, grueling agonizing more minutes?

You put all your attention into holding onto the hem of your dress, lifting it so that you didn’t get it caught in the car door, or the elevator door. You entered the apartment after Gladiolus and Prompto as always, the two guards making certain that the room was safe to enter, trailed by Noctis and Ignis who made certain that you didn’t get caught in the door.

You told yourself that you’d wait until you were out of the dress until you could remove your makeup and your hundreds of bobby pins. But then you saw the suit jackets being removed, the removed necktie, the slightly messed up hair, and the relaxed nature.

“Y/N, would you…”

You weren’t certain of who you had grabbed first, only to drag them towards you as you finally got a kiss that you wanted for so long. Only after a moment did you realize that it was Ignis you had closest to you, more than likely asking if you wanted help getting out of your dress before you grabbed him.

“How long have you been holding that in?” Gladiolus chuckled, only to grunt as you unexpectedly reached up, grabbing the first thing you could get ahold of, which was, unfortunately, his hair, yanking him towards you as you pressed a kiss to his lips.

“She’s worse than you Prom,” Noctis chuckled, as you turned wrapping your arms around Prompto’s neck, pulling him forward as you pressed a kiss to the blonde.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Gladiolus laughed, managing to hold a daze but happy Prompto up, as you cupped the Prince’s cheeks, pulling him into your final barrage of kiss attacks.

“My love,” Ignis called, as you released Noctis, turning toward the man with a flushed face, judging by the others, he couldn’t tell if there was more lipstick on your lips or the others. “Shall we get you out of the dress and we can properly provide you with the affection you so rightfully deserve?”

You managed to get yourself under control for just a moment, before nodding, “You have five minutes, I’m getting my cuddles, dress or no dress.”

“I vote no dress.” Gladiolus chuckled, moving over to scoop you up in his arm moving you back to the bedroom.

“I second!” Prompto cheered from behind the big guy.

“Third!” Noctis echoed, working on removing his collared shirt.

Ignis chuckled fondly, “It’s unanimous. Shall we then?”

You would be more than happy to fulfill that request, no questions asked.

#Far and inbetween I post #This was cute to write #as always #I love OT4 plus 1 #ot4 plus 1 #poly relationships #Polyship Roadtrip #noctis x reader #prompto x reader #gladiolus x reader #ignis x reader #chocobros #chocobros x reader #final fantasy xv fanfiction #ffxv fanfiction #ff15 fanfiction #final fantasy drabbles #ffxv drabbles #ff15 drabbles

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bgn846 · 4 years

Text

Marshal’s Creed FFXV Fanfic

Summary:

Cor dresses up for the annual Halloween gala in hopes to win a bet. Can he beat out everyone else at the party with the best costume?

Notes:

I had a fun prompt from my friend @ragewerthers for Cor Leonis getting invited to a Halloween party.... but what in the HELL is he supposed to go as?! Do Regis and Clarus help him? Do the boys help him? Does he decide to go scary? Funny? Mythical?

I hope you all enjoy, I had fun writing this! :)

Work Text:

“What is he wearing?” Regis asked under his breath from where they were standing near the steps to the throne.

“Not so sure, but it seems pretty popular with the ladies,” Clarus admitted as he craned his neck to see better.

“Dear six, he looks half-naked!” spluttered Regis after a moment.

“Sorta, he’s got pants and maybe something someone would consider a shirt on.” Though Clarus was still clueless as to what Cor had dressed up as. The annual Halloween gala was always a fun event. However, the marshal never dressed up.

Ever.

It was only the quick thinking of Regis with the tempting draw of a bet that enticed their friend into wearing anything special this year. A hefty amount of 500gil sat waiting for Cor if he dressed up and won one of the sundry costume awards to be gifted that night. The prizes given out were little awards trinkets, and the bragging rights until the next party. Of course, Cor could care less about any of that, the only reason he’d even agreed, was to prove Regis wrong and maybe relieve him of some decent spending cash.

The king had figured Cor wasn’t creative enough to even stand a chance. Regis had merely snorted and waved him off when the marshal assured them he’d win something. Now, as Clarus watched their friend navigate through the crowd he was beginning to think Regis might have to pay up at the end of the night.

The squeals of impressed party goers only got louder as Cor approached, as did the flash of lights from photos being snapped. The crowds dispersed once he’d reached the king. Cor yawned once seemingly bored with the whole affair already. “You might as well give me the money now, Regis.”

“Never!” the king hissed, “You aren’t going to win, look at you! What is that, it looks like a pile of rags!”

Before Cor could answer a young staffer passing by interrupted them with a shout, “Awesome costume!” They left just as quickly as Clarus began to examine the outfit in more detail.

“I’m afraid I’m lost as to what you are, care to enlighten us?”

“Eh, this? I have no idea, Noct helped me pick it out. Said it was the best costume to wear and had Ignis go online and order me one before I could say no.”

“You asked my son to help you?”

“Nope, he found out I was going to dress up and he nearly flipped. How could I say no, he begged me to let him help.”

“Still what the hell are you?” Regis asked in exasperation.

“An assassin I think?” Cor supplied with a furrowed brow. “Honestly, the kid was talking too fast for me to catch the exact name, but he said it was from a game.”

“Why in the heck would an assassin wear that? Your entire right side is exposed, seems like a defensive nightmare.”

“I’ll admit it’s not exactly realistic but it’s comfy at least.” Cor offered with a shrug.

“I don’t know why you let my son talk you into this, you look ridiculous.” Regis was about to add more when another party-goer/staffer wandered by and started staring. They were of course after a picture of Cor. The staffer was young and blushing like mad but still managed to ask for a selfie.

“I’m sorry what were you saying majesty? I got pulled away to have my picture taken because I’m going to win.”

Regis sneered and turned around to walk away. Clarus couldn’t help but snicker at the sight. Regis was a sore loser so a part of him hoped Cor wouldn’t win, but he probably would. The marshal, though not a youthful twenty-year-old anymore, could hold his own in the looks department. He was only in his forties now but still trained just as hard. His well-defined six-pack was evidence of that. Clarus suspected that most of the girls wandering over were trying to get a better look at what he’d been hiding under his guard uniform.

Cor for once didn’t mind the attention and even smiled for a few shots. It was nice to see his friend out of his element for once. “Have you seen his highness?” Clarus asked, figuring Noct would have at least had to help Cor get ready. Otherwise, the man wouldn’t have known how to wear the costume.

“Yeah, he’s coming soon, he was getting picky about his nails.”

“What?”

“You’ll see, he’ll match grumpy pants over there,” Cor announced with a chuckle. “Regis thinks sporting little tiny fake fangs makes him a good vampire. He’s so wrong.”

“Oh dear,” Clarus could only guess what Noct had conjured up. Ignis would have been key in gathering his needed elements, but the idea was most likely the princes. “What are the others dressing up as?”

Cor barked out a laugh, “I only saw Ignis and Prompto but it appeared they were wearing matching black suits.”

“That’s it?”

“Almost, if you don’t count the wolf tail they both had clipped to their belts and the wolf ear headbands.”

“I’m so confused,” he sighed. However, right as he was about to ask for more details a sudden hush overtook the room. Looking up he noticed what had caused the reaction. Ignis, Prompto, and his son were stalking over towards them. They all matched and looked quite formidable. However, Noct seemed to be missing. The black suits had matching black shirts and ties to go with. One might take them all for security guards aside from the addition of the animal ears atop their heads. One thing Cor hadn’t mentioned was their eye color. Each had donned a pair of contacts that made their eyes look golden and cat-like.

As they neared, Clarus realized there was a fourth pair of legs hiding behind Ignis. This must be the prince. Waiting patiently as the group finally came to a rest in front of them, Clarus was treated to the reveal. A pale hand with amusingly long pointy black nails slowly crept out from behind Ignis arm. It reached out and pointed straight at him. Then in a move that had Clarus snorting with laughter, Noct curled his fingers and beckoned him closer.

“You’re nuts if you think I’m letting you near me with those daggers,” he laughed.

Noct merely shook his finger and carefully leaned to the side to show his face. The prince’s hair was slicked back and someone had drawn in an exaggerated widow’s peak.

“I see you’re taking your role far more seriously than your father.”

“I shall win,” was all Noct uttered before he hissed and retreated behind his bodyguards again.

With a quick bow, Ignis led the way back out into the party. The advisor was playing his part very well and looked like he’d snap a person in two if they even tried to talk to the prince. Prompto was fighting to hide a smile as they turned to leave. Gladio offered Clarus and eyebrow waggle and a wink before he left. They were having fun it seemed.

“So forgive me for being a little behind on my fantasy lore, why are they all wearing animal ears and tails?” Clarus asked kindly.

“He’s a vampire and he needs his werewolf pack to protect him.”

“Ah, I see. Noct basically thought up the perfect costume, ensuring he doesn’t have to talk with anyone.”

“Pretty much, he’s clever in that way, unlike his old man!” Cor teased as Regis joined them again.

Ignoring Cor’s comment, Regis stared at Noct’s retreating party and tilted his head, “Was that my son?”

“Yep you missed the reveal; he’s a vampire with a coven of werewolves.”

Regis simply smiled and straightened his shoulders slightly, “He takes after me in so many ways.”

Cor groaned loudly and rolled his eyes, “You wish, look it I’m gonna go mingle and get some more votes in my favor. I’m winning this contest tonight, be ready to pay up.”

Regis tried to whack Cor in the shin with his cane, but the marshal was quicker and leaped out of the way. He laughed and casually wandered away, complete with a smug look of satisfaction.

“He’s such a brat sometimes,” Regis huffed.

“He’s only five years younger than you.”

“Shut it; let’s go see if we can convince the judges to ban him or something.”

Cor did not get banned.

Clarus had the joy of watching his friend claim a very special award, the citadels’ sexiest costume. Apparently, the panel of judges was also distracted by Cor’s exposed right side and six-pack. The few other contestants in that category didn’t stand a chance. No manner of makeup could fake muscles or a square jawline.

Regis didn’t have to pout for long though when his son won the night's overall best costume design. The king was proud of his son and his friends. They’d banded together to create a memorable look. Noct stayed in character when he accepted his award and tried to bite one of the presenters. Gladio sprang into action and held him back. The room erupted in laughter and cheers.

Suddenly thankful they could all enjoy moments like this together; Clarus smiled and looked over to his friend and King. Regis must have had a similar reaction as he returned a warm smile of his own and a small nod.

The rest of the night was a blur; Cor had come playfully demanding his money. Regis denied him, but Clarus knew he’d pay up in the morning. His liege kept trying to accuse Cor of cheating since he was only wearing half a costume. The marshal would then wiggle his award in front of Regis’ face as a rebuttal.

The music soon turned up loud enough that they couldn’t talk anymore. Opting to retreat to the far corner of the room the three friends sat and relaxed. They spend the remainder of the evening commenting on the costumes and the terrible music.

The End.

AO3 link is posted in the comments.

#ffxv #fanfic #cor leonis #the immortal #the marshal

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rallamajoop · 4 years

Text

So, I've spent the last couple of months getting myself hooked on the Witcher franchise.

Believe me, no-one is more surprised than I am – especially when I made it through The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt mostly on the strength of the gameplay, but largely underwhelmed by the plot.

So you can imagine my surprise when I gave the Blood and Wine expansion a chance, and it hooked me, grabbed me right in the id and delivered on almost everything the base game lacked. I fell for Regis, I agonised over the endings, I have a million theories about the villains, I just... yes.

And then I tried the novels, and my god, I think I may love them even more than Blood and Wine.... but let’s start back at the beginning.

Up until earlier this year, I knew The Witcher mostly as that game that infamously gave you collectible cards for getting all the female NPCs to sleep with you – not a great first impression. I tried the Netflix series, but bounced off it quickly. And then youtube randomly recommended me Joseph Anderson's ridiculously long videos analysing the first two games... and found myself intrigued. The complex morality, twisted fairy tale mythology, the promise of decisions with real consequences and sidequests that only deepened the world and themes... that could actually be worth a play. Nothing may have come of this, but then The Witcher 3 was on sale on Steam, and I thought, what the hell?

Over 100 hours of gameplay later, I came away disappointed. Witcher 3 may have something to recommend everywhere except its overarching plot, which... honestly, just calling it a “plot” may be giving it too much credit, when so much of the main quest feel like meaningless fetch quests for NPCs who may be able to help you find some other NPC who can tell you about the real plot, which is mostly happening to other people. Very little can really change or build organically (tension included) since the open-world structure means the player may be doing it in any order. Then, at the end, you fight a generic dark-elf final boss, who’s had less presence or dialogue than many NPCs you can meet in in utterly optional side quests, then you avert the apocalypse somehow – which I knew might be imminent mostly because it kept coming up on the loading screens (you know, between other such sage advice as "sorceresses are infertile" and "Geralt can use his crossbow underwater"). How do you fill a game up with so much unnecessary padding and still leave the core conflict feeling so underdeveloped?

Don’t get me wrong: there is some amazing material scattered through various subplots along the way, but the setup and payoff in this thing is a disaster.

Still, the Steam sale had included the game’s two expansion packs, and the core gameplay was addictive enough that I gave them a chance – starting with Blood and Wine – and fell head over heels in love.

Everything about the expansion benefits from its smaller scope, delivering something shorter and tighter, with some great twists and surprises, no clear villain, and some truly agonising decisions towards the end once you realise you're not going to be able to save everyone. While the main game left me going eh, whatever, maybe I’ll youtube the other endings at some point, hardly I finished Blood and Wine once before I was reloading a save from the last obvious decision point and replaying the final chapter again (twice, in the same evening) because I so desperately wanted to see what else could have happened. Plus, Blood and Wine included Regis (Geralt's ridiculously mild-mannered uber-powerful-vampire BFF), whom I adored, and whose presence works wonders to tie the story and the mythology together.

(No, he doesn’t look like much, but his voice actor is perfect and his attitude to life and his friendship with Geralt only got me more the longer I spent with him.)

The base game’s inability to pull its plot together was all the greater shame considering how many genuinely brilliant characters you meet along the way (YENNEFER! Dijkstra, Thaler, Phillipa, the Bloody Baron, the Crones – the list goes on), but there were none I fell for the way I fell for Regis (and yes, I ship him with Geralt something awful, so help me).

(If you're curious, I found the a lot of the same strengths in the other expansion pack, Hearts of Stone, but felt it ended weakly, and was frustrated by how hard it pushed Geralt to romance Shani, who did nothing for me. Look, game, my Geralt already has Yennefer and his vampire boyfriend, there is no room for Shani in his busy schedule!)

Curious about the backstory (though certainly also tempted by the promise of more Regis), I gave the novels a try... and fell in love all over again. The first book (by far the weakest) is a bit of an introductory hurdle, but the second quickly sucked me in with its wit and humour, then ended with a series of magnificent gut-punches that ensured I was well and truly hooked – and hooked I remained, through the five more novels that followed.

This is not a series I can say much more about without also telling you how the ending broke my heart – suffice to say that it's not for nothing that so few of Geralt's companions from the last three books ever appear in the games, or that the world thinks Geralt and Yennefer are dead before Witcher 1 (they aren't, even ignoring the games, but whether they ever see Ciri or any of their surviving friends again is left hanging). But the games, for all their flaws, certainly do their bit to offer happier endings, and having got this far, I found myself almost immediately buying that one last prequel novel I'd skipped (Season of Storms), because I just wanted to spent more time in this world, with these characters (even knowing so many faves from the later novels wouldn't be present). And I think that's the sincerest rec I can give the series: I earnestly cannot remember the last time any fantasy novel series sucked me in nearly so hard. I’m left comparing its characters and world-building to Discworld, and that’s about as high as my literary compliments go.

I could ramble on for ages about everything that does and doesn't work about the games, and their convoluted relationship with their source material (so much of the story is woefully under-explained without the books as context, so much expands on leftover plot points that the books never properly resolved – while so much more contradicts the books in wildly irreconcilable ways). I have as much to say about all the great and fascinating things in the books that didn't make it into the games. And I probably will at some point, given what an absolute sucker I am for all that kind of analysis, but that's fodder for other posts (and competing for priority with half a dozen different Geralt/Regis fic I seem to have already started. Or possibly Geralt/Yennefer, or Geralt/Yennefer/Regis, or even Geralt/Dandelion – look, dude is shippable, I don’t know what to tell you).

In the meantime... I may have already started rereading the novels from the beginning again. And Blood and Wine ain’t gonna replay itself.

#The Witcher #Blood and Wine #The Wild Hunt #Witcher Novels #Emiel Regis #Geralt of Rivia #do they have a ship name?#geregis #regeralt #?#look #even if it's just for tumblr tags #they could really use a ship name

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heyhazza · 4 years

Text

The Ceremony ~ Brazza

Who: Harry and Brendon

What: The Wedding

When: December 20, 2020

Where: St Regis Resort, Aspen, Colorado

Harry:

The music played softly, romantic melodies standard in weddings as the guests were seated. Harry paced behind his team, but he was ready. The separation was awful and he hadn't slept, but he wasn't tired. This was the day he had waited for and dreamed of for so long, even during the worst months of his life and thought it wouldn't happen, there was that sliver of light. They were five minutes away. Five.

“Harry, slow down, stop,” his mum was right there with tissues in her cream Gucci wedding dress. She dabbed at her son’s eyes. “They are just on the other side of the room.”

“I know. Andy and KJ are keeping tabs. They did all night.” That had helped, even if the night was still long.

“They are good lads. I’m so proud of you, you know. You are strong, stronger than most. You made it this far. 100 more feet and you get your happily ever after.”

He looked back at the door, trying to will it open with his mind. He caught his own reflection. Dressed in black and gold, he was a sight, no longer a boy, but a man. One that was ready for not only the world of music, but everything that was thrown his way, and still he only wanted one thing. He wanted to be happy and loved, tied up in a happy ending for the two of them. He and Brendon had fought, found each other, lost each other, and made it back. They made it here. In five minutes they would arrive at forever. His mum gave him a last kiss and went to take her place. The doors opened. The ushers indicated that they were ready. The flower girls and the ring bearer were on the aisle, throwing petals and carrying a pillow. The wedding party came next, led by Andy on one side and KJ on the other, they ascended the steps to wait for the grooms. As was the tradition, once the parties were on the platform, the doors closed again.

One minute.

The doors opened again after what Harry though were seconds going in reverse. He stepped out, watching with baited breath at the door directly across from his own. He watched it open and exhaled. They had rehearsed the scene. They would meet in the middle at the base of the steps and walk together, arm in arm. Except he stopped in the middle and reached for Brendon, pulling them close. It had been a night away, he needed a minute. They might only have one, but this was them, the thing that fused them right back.

‘When we see each other, no talking for the first five minutes. Just feel.’ That was the best advice he had ever been given, and the crowd of spectators would have to wait a couple minutes more.

Brendon:

Brendon got his wish. Just before everyone was seated, he was able to snag the first three minutes in a song. With the help of Panic! and KJ, the guests were first greeted with his version of The Greatest Show as they arrived and just moments before they seated, just a brief preview of what was to come throughout the night and something that Brendon and KJ spent weeks working on. He was thrilled that he got the chance to do it without screwing up seeing how that whole morning he'd been nothing but a bundle of nerves. Once the song came to a close, he was quick to disappear behind the scenes where he was instantly greeted by his mother who wrapped her arms around him in her warm embrace, and his father that handed him a shot which he was quick to down. It was just a little something to help calm his nerves.

"You did so good, now let's get you changed and into the proper suit." His mothers soft voice rang in his ears as she was already starting to pull the jacket from his shoulders. He took a deep breath trying to keep himself together. He performed in front of millions of people and yet he was more nervous now than he could ever remember being.

Once he was changed, his mom adjusted his tie and took his hand which he was quick to grab onto them tightly. "My hands won't stop shaking.." His tone was soft as he looked at her, tears already in his eyes. "Don't you start crying right now, you need to keep yourself together, son." She spoke and hugged him again.

He watched as everyone took their proper place where they needed to be. His dads hand resting on the handle to the door that would reveal his entire future in just a matter of moments. The door came open, and Brendon all but hit his knees the second his fiance came into his view. He took a few steps out, reaching his hands out for Harry's. He laced their fingers together as he stood there in silence just looking at him.

It was so hard to believe that they finally made it here. After everything the two of them went through, this was the moment they fought so hard to have. He was just moments away from making Harry his husband, moments away from having his happy ending, something he thought he was never going to have. His hand tightened it's hold on Harry's. His gaze never pulling away. There was no way they wouldn't use their first five minutes together.

Brendon let a smile pull at the corner of his lips, and pulling Harry closer to him, he let his hand rest on the small of his back and he just stared at him and it took everything in that moment not to kiss him right then and there. He lifted his hand, the knuckle of his pointer finger lightly brushing against Harry's nose. His way of telling him that he loved with him without speaking any words. He slowly pulled back, holding his arm out for Harry.

Harry:

He was shaking, standing there with Brendon, letting all that stress and worry dissolve into happiness. The tears were there, but there was also a smile that could light a room. It wrinkled his nose, and lit his eyes. Brendon tapped his nose, and his forehead brushed against the other’s, dark hair blended. His heart pounded in his chest, alive and happy. The butterflies that lay so quiet in the dark months were awake and displaying their colors as they circled in his chest, swooping and looping.

With great effort, he pulled away, but the smile stayed. He looked up at the altar, and back at Brendon. “Let’s do this.” He had absolutely no doubts. No turning back, not that he ever had any intention of doing so. This man standing next to him, hand in hand, he was the only one, and Harry liked his choice.

Up the steps, minutes still - his heart was full of love and hope, and everything one could feel as the minister started in. “Dearly beloved ~ .” He cast a look at Brendon, so handsome in his tux. He was entirely too perfect for words, but today he was luminescent. From his hair to his honey colored eyes, to his lips ~ he couldn’t stop staring. He thought about their first meeting. They’d just said Hi, nice to meet you, or something like that, shook hands, and those eyes had stuck in his memory. Harry still had a long way to go, and really they both did. Their journeys weren’t on the same path, but he remembered.

“We are gathered here today to join these two men, Harry Edward Styles, and Brendon Boyd Urie in holy matrimony.” Fresh tears welled up and slid down his cheeks. There was nothing he had ever wanted more than this.

Brendon:

Brendon followed Harry up the stairs and to the alter. The closer they got, the faster he could feel his heart racing in his chest. This was what he'd always wanted. The moment that he'd worked so hard to get to, and it was finally happening. The thought along brought tears to his eyes. He was really just minutes away from marrying his best friend and he couldn't be happier.

He took a deep breath, it was needed to keep himself from passing out. His heart was racing faster than ever before and for just a brief moment he felt lightheaded which caused him to squeeze Harry's hand even tighter. They were really doing this. Their vision was becoming a whole reality and he could feel it in every single bone.

When the minister started in, Brendon smiled as he looked at Harry, completely please at those words. He let a small smirk pull across his lips as his gaze met Harry's. Those eyes had captivated him the moment he saw them and he knew they would captivate him for the rest of his life and that was all he wanted. His gaze looked to the minister and then back to Harry as he took one more step closer to him, closing the distance between the two of them.

Harry:

Harry couldn't be sure of what he was hearing. It was all blending together, like it did in a dream. His heart pounded, every nerve was alive and so ready for the final proclamation, and his eyes brimmed with tears of the purest joy. They made it. He had wanted his life back, and wished for only that on every occasion. It was in his hands. He held his head up high and smiled and mouthed a simple 'I love you'.

“When you are young, you follow your parents, but you grow and as you grow you drift into the men you will become. Sometimes you take detours, but eventually you find yourself coming into your own. Love blossoms, and sometimes fades with the season, and sometimes you are lucky enough to find the one that will last, and bloom over and over again, and that person is the one. If they agree to share a journey, you become even bigger than you were on your own, and as you grow, you grow together. Think of the trees that start as seedings, but as they grow, their trunks twist and turn, not like the other perfect trees. Once they find each other, wrap each other up, and find themselves in the place they were always meant, they realize that they are stronger together, and even stronger than all those perfect trees. That is what I hope for you, to realize your own strength, but to your greater strength together. The bond you share is yours to care for. You both live in a unique world of opportunity and temptation, but if you care for your bond, it will care for you in return. You will become better and stronger over your lifetime. Let your faith and love carry you through, and as you reach the obstacles, tackle them together and you will always come through. Believe in yourselves as your friends and family believe in you and love fearlessly.”

The minister bowed his head and said a short prayer with the congregation, then his attention returned to the pair. “I understand you have written your own vows.”

Harry’s eyes widened a little and his throat went dry. He nodded, having committed them to memory over the last few days. He’d done a million revisions, but now they were here. He listed a hand to Brendon’s cheek and his bottom lip quivered. “We’re here.” The tears were already peeking out, and stopping them would be useless so he looked across so the soft brown eyes in front of him and smiled. “Last year, I was barely hanging on. There was a voice in my head that kept me going. Some day, some way, it could change.” The tears fell, like they were promised. “I stayed for you and for us, because if there was a chance, i wasn’t going to miss it. We’re here, and you are the one that I’m supposed to be with, and I’ve known it even before the first kiss. There was always something, even when we fought, it was there, right on the edge, and in our own way we both held on. I believe in forever, I believe in soulmates, and I promise that I will love you, and support you, and honor you with everything I am. It doesn’t matter where we are or where we go, you are my home, and I am the luckiest man in the world, because I get to take this journey with you. In our world we have money, careers, awards, screaming fans by the millions, and none of that could ever replace you. You are my forever, my husband, my one. The promises we make today are the easiest ones I’ve ever made. I will love you forever.”

Brendon:

Brendon smiled softly, lifting his hand to touch Harry's the moment he touched his cheek. For a moment he closed his eyes and it was like he was being touched for the very first time. He opened his eyes when Harry started to speak and he could see the tears swelling in his eyes. When they dripped down his cheek, he moved his hand for his thumb to lightly wipe the tears, all while trying to fight back his own. He felt like he'd waited his whole life for this moment. And soon, it was his turn.

"I didn't write anything.. and I didn't write it, because I wanted it all to be in the moment. What I'm thinking, what I'm feeling right now in this moment. I remember when we first met, god, we couldn't stand to be in the same room together. Now, I can't stand to be in a room that you're not in. The first time I kissed you, I knew all that fighting, all the anger I held, it was because I love you and I have always loved you. When I fall down, you lift me up. You help me become a better man and there is no one in this world that I would rather share my life with. You're my heart, my soul, my everything. I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life keeping you happy, I promise to protect you, to cherish you, to always love you like no other. I promise that it will be you and me always from now until the end of time. We will make each other stronger, and because of you, I am the best version of myself that I could be. I love you and I will always love you. This is it for me. You're my future."

Harry:

The eternal spring of tears did not disappoint. If they weren't bad enough, they managed to boost to a new level, not quite ugly, but threatening. He'd mark those words, listen to them in his head over and over. "My sun, my moon, and all of my stars," he whispered, because Brendon was that. He was the only one that Harry would ever want and he knew it. From this world to the next, this was his choice. Forever started right now.

All he could do was stare. His husband was so many things, everything that he loved. He'd taken it all, every single piece of the man. He couldn't pick out a bad point. He was simply captivated. "Harry?" the minister asked, looking down from his top step. Harry inhaled, trying to get some control of the voice that had cracked the entire way through. "I, Harry Edward Styles, take you Brendon Boyd Urie, to be my husband for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others. I am completely yours as long as we both shall live. I most definitely do."

Brendon:

This was probably the most Brendon had cried in his entire life. He couldn't seem to stop the tears from falling but he let them. Harry was his everything, and he was going to spend his entire life with him and he never felt happier than he did in this moment right here. His hands squeezed Harry's again, hoping that he wasn't holding onto him too tightly. "My world, my muse, my soul." He whispered in return, his gaze stay locked on the others.

Hearing Harry say those words only caused his tears to fall more. "God damn it." he laughed as he lifted his hand to wipe his own eyes. "Brendon?" It was now his turn and his gaze only went to the minister for less than a second before they were back on Harry. "I, Brendon Boyd Urie, take you Harry Edward Styles, to be my husband for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others. I am completely yours as long as we both shall live. I most certainly do."

He reached over, grabbed the ring that at some point had been handed to KJ. Smiling softly, he took Harry's hand and slowly slid it onto his finger. Finally, his hand looked complete and he knew that in just a few moments he would get the chance to kiss him and that was what he wanted more than anything at this moment.

Harry:

It was Harry's turn to wipe tears from those beautiful eyes. His own leaked, but he didn't care anymore. He thought of those months, and he'd say that the words, all of them were real. He didn't just blow their relationship into something bigger than it was. It WAS real, just as they were here now. It wasn't in his head, but right in front of him. He was a dreamer, and this was his greatest dream. The words he was dying to hear were seconds away and the minute the pastor started, he smiled. This was it. He took Brendon’s ring, careful not to drop it. He slipped it on his left hand and just stared at it. They had engagement rings, but these rings - he’d never take his off.

"These two gentlemen can before me, spoke with me, confirmed that their future truly lies together as a whole, and that love will always win. It is my absolute pleasure to pronounce you husbands. By the state of Colorado, and under the eyes of God and these witnesses, what God had brought together, let no man put asunder. You may kiss your groom."

That was all it took and Harry flung himself at his husband, kissing him for the first time since their separation which felt like a year. His fingers slid through hair like they had a thousand times, but this one was special. The families dabbed wet eyes as the audience looked on. "I love you, forever," he whispered between kisses. "You're mine. We made it."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present Mr. and Mr. Urie."

Brendon:

That was it, that was all he needed to hear. The permission to kiss his now husband. His arms wrapped around him instantly, pulling him even closer to his chest as he kissed him roughly, his free hand moving to lightly grab the back of his neck as he kissed him like it was the first time he'd ever kissed him before. They were finally married, after everything they'd been through, they had finally made it. This was the moment they fought so hard to have and they were married. "I love you, always." He whispered against his lips as he kissed him over and over again. "We did it Haz, we actually fucking did it." He whispered again and it took everything in him to stop kissing him. Now that he got the chance to do it, he didn't want to stop. This was now his husband and every single dream was coming true.

Harry:

He hadn't slept at all, but it didn't show. Everything was alive today. It was the peak of happiness. He had went from an all time low to a high that might never be beat in the span of a year. "I'm never letting you go. I can't. This is ours, and nobody can take it away." His forehead dropped against Brendon's, back in that familiar position, absorbing the whole moment. It was a dream. His only dream. Last Christmas he'd been asked what he wanted, and he'd give a random answer that wasn't important, because this was the one thing that he had truly wanted. It was worth all of it, and he'd walk through hell all over again if he needed to, as long as they came out on the other side. Whatever the years would bring, they would face them. "I'm Harry Urie, and this is real, and I've never been happier in my life."

They turned slowly. Harry had a grip on his husband's hand that was strong and sure. They were the first out, followed by Andy and KJ, Ashley and Kristen, Dom and Sarah, Sam and Aaron, and Zayn and Nicole. He caught the waves, offered huge smiles, and the minute they were out in the lobby, he wrapped around his husband again.

#BrazzaWedding2020 #HESbf #HESBrazza #**~Brazza #Brazza #**~My Sun and Stars (Sinatra)

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