#* character study: { innocence died screaming }

[dreamedfyre-a]

sometimes i think about how helaena would invariably be 🧐 at any bride aemond might have. like she doesn't need to have feelings for him or to be romantically involved with him at all (if they are it's on sight i'm afraid), helaena will scrutinize the poor girls and it won't be easy to pass the vibe check

[dreamedfyre-a]

@sunfyred @ironf0rged

the borgias (2011-2013) cr. neil jordan / bojack horseman (2014-2020) cr. raphael bob-waksberg ↬ insp.

[forsorrow]

tag drop part two.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   character study   ›   hiding all our sins from the daylight.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   pre main   ›   one for sorrow.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   main   ›   seven for a secret never to be told.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   edits   ›   innocence died screaming.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   desires   ›   be still my foolish heart.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   ask prompt   ›   your words can plant gardens.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   answered   ›   muddy these webs we weave.

╰   ✉   ⋮   ❛   queue   ›   standing in the ashes of who i used to be.

[joaniscruzing]

reuniting with jinx <3

everyone... that was quite the rollercoaster. but, i choose to believe that jinx is alive. i'm not ready to let go of arcane for a good while, and I'll do my best to upload fics more often, especially with the holiday breaks coming up too, so reel in whatever arcane requests you have! i write for vi, caitlyn, and jinx. i do take smut requests for these characters too if you guys would like to request some...

obviously though, jinx wouldn't leave without finding her amazing gf though... right??

summary: jinx surprises you while you're grieving, and you both escape and go elsewhere.

warnings: angst at the beginning, season 2 act 3 spoilers, kissing, emotional, lots and lots of fluff, I PROMISED A HAPPY ENDING AND DELIVERED

you couldn't believe it. your whole body crumbled to the ground as vi told you the devastating news.

"I'll tell you one thing," vi tried to quip, a small smile on her face, "she went out with a bang."

vi explained that she heard an explosion sound when jinx fell down the vent, and how she guessed she had set off one more bomb. you take vi close to you, hugging her tightly.

"she really did love you, you know." vi admitted, "i think she's just had a lot come her way. and i can't say I'm the most innocent in that realm myself."

you left vi to continue staring at the fireplace, about to leave and go to jinx's workshop, hoping to take a few things to remember her by. you see caitlyn looking at the vent diagram, studying it closely. how could she possibly studying the place where your beloved girlfriend died? you knew that caitlyn had grown to not hate jinx anymore, so you decided to just leave it at that.

after leaving the kiramann mansion, you traversed back to zaun, thoughts racing through your head. had you not done enough? loved her enough? given her a reason to live? you wanted to scream as loudly as you could, and let whatever you were feeling out.

you finally made it to where jinx had her things, and you took a deep breath before entering. this was it.

the once lit-up place was darker and worn-out in her eyes. the once neon, bright-colored place seemed to be dark and empty now. like you without jinx. a tear rolled down your face as you picked up small tools and things, even parts of a flower she was making for you out of scraps. you sat on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, trying to make sense in your head of what you should do next.

"did you really think i was gone, hun?" jinx questions, right behind you. your entire body leaps at the sound of her voice. it can't be.

"jinx?" you ask, shooting your head up and turning around.

"did you really think i was gonna die that easily? now stop moping. we have to get on the hot air balloon."

shocked, you hug jinx quickly before shoving one thing you collected in your pocket. you both start running. hand in hand, you make a beeline in order to get on the next hot air balloon.

"you know what i realized? things aren't so great here, so why don't i just go somewhere else to do my thing? but, i knew i couldn't leave without you." jinx explains while running.

"how did you even get out?" is the only thing you manage to say.

"my shimmer, silly! i got the hell out and escaped through the air vents."

"and how did you get back to zaun?"

"simple hacking and tweaking of the hexgates. nothing special."

you both finally make it onto the airship, jinx holding your hand as you get on so you don't fall. she closes the door behind you.

"so. this is it. any last wishes before we leave forever?"

"my biggest one has been granted," you answer before pulling in jinx for a sweet kiss. you had missed her, as you hadn't seen her for a week or two with everything going on. jinx pulls away, explaining that you two had to go.

"you know, i've always wanted to drive one of these," jinx admits, steering the ship, "i have since i was very young." you notice a new sense of peace in her eyes as she drives the ship. she doesn't seem so... tortured anymore. in fact, she seems free of any past issues.

her newly cut hair blows in the wind, as you go up behind her and hug her waist, your head resting on her shoulder. no matter what the future held, you knew you were going to be happy. as long as jinx was there, you would be at peace.

"i love you," jinx says softly, taking one hand off the wheel to rest on top of yours.

"i love you too."

[del-thetiredwriter]

Saintess of dragons part 2

Part 1 , part 3

Warnings: major character death,not really dark themes , my bad writing

English is my second language

Gif is not mine

"What are you doing?" Helaena asked . The two of you were sitting outside the training ground. It was one of the rare times you didn't spend your time in your study room. The boys had insisted that you watch them during their sword practice.

"I'm checking my notes" You answered. You've been restless since you saw Laena at the celebrations. She was going to die soon—which she didn't even know about. You had to make a decision until Laena's funeral, a decision you hadn't been able to make for 11 years. You were either going to save everyone and change the future , or you were going to choose the original future, the future where everyone died.

“Why do you always take notes or check your notes?” Helaena asked innocently. You lifted your eyes from your notes and looked at Helaena. You swallowed. "Because I don't want to forget." You answered. You didn't want to forget: your past, your family, your friends, your life 11 years ago.

You looked into Helaena's lilac eyes, innocent but equally frightening eyes, those eyes that seemed to understanding what you were saying.

Helaena was about to ask another question but Aegon and the others came running up to you.

“I won Y/n. I won the fight." said Aegon excitedly. He was looking at you with eyes waiting for you to praise him. Jace sighed, unable to accept his loss. Aemond and Luke were waiting for you to take care of them. You smiled and congratulated Aegon.

“You're just going to congratulate me. As a winner, I deserve an award.” Aegon said .

“A reward? What do you want?” you said.

"to be my wife," said Aegon. Aemond and Helaena waited for your reaction as Jace and Luke objected to Aegon's offer.

“Unfortunately, I must say that this will not be possible, my prince. I don't want marriage or anything like that, neither now nor in the future.”

You thought, 'If I get married, I can't return '.

Aegon seemed to protest, but could not insist any longer. He didn't want to make you angry.

⁎

You're back in your study room. You knew that Aegon loved you, but you didn't think it was enough to propose. You thought, 'It must be because he is still young, it's not serious'.

You looked at the notes on the table. You thought, 'I have to make a decision’. It was like a dream to open your eyes in the series you love 11 years ago. Seeing and talking to your favorite characters live. It looked great at first, because you knew the future, you could change the future and give everyone a happy ending and stop the war.

You tried and you paid the price. The slightest change was causing you to gradually forget your past. You were afraid of forgetting your family, your life, what you knew, so you withdrew. As time passed, you realized that you were not getting old. This scared you even more.

The whole room was covered with charts, notes and paintings you had drawn. Everything was to remember and to return. If it weren't for these paintings and notes, you'd have forgotten your past. You looked at the picture in which you drew a happy moment with your family in your most recent work. You thought, 'Everything will be fine'.

⁎

There were screams. When you looked around, everything was on fire. Kingslanding was on fire. A silhouette was coming towards you through the fires, Laena. She was wearing a blue bloody dress.

“Laena. I- you- why? “You said hesitantly.

Laena just looked at you sadly and smiled.

She said "You could save me but you didn't"

“Laena I-” you swallowed.

"You were afraid. But you are the reason why everything is covered with fire and blood right now,” she said, pointing around.

“You didn't save me, you didn't save them, you couldn't save us. You left us to our fate,” Laena continued.

“Us?” You said

“Yes, us.” Said Laena

Then came the screams from below. Voices of familiar people. Rhaenyra, Helaena, Lucerys… others. They were all bleeding under your feet, begging you, pulling you towards them.

“Laena I-!”

“Make your decision before it's too late! Please,” Laena said. While you're being pulled down.

⁎

“Laena!” You Looked around. You were in your room. It was just a dream, a nightmare. The door knocked .

"Come"

A maid hurried in.

“Forgive me my lady, but I have news”

Your eyes widened with fear when you heard the news. Laena has died .

[tlonista]

A whole mess of Astarion hurt/comfort fanfic recs

OK fine I've read so much Astarion hurt/comfort-adjacent fic that I should really put together an incomplete rec list. Be warned that with Astarion's canon backstory there's a lot of abuse and assault references of varying explicitness, so check the AO3 tags. I'm also limiting myself to one fic per author because otherwise I'd end up with several pages of Asidian and FlowerCitti. In case you're wondering, my personal contribution to the field is Seducere.

Ongoing Fics:

innocence died screaming by FlowerCitti

Comprehensive pre- and in-canon Astarion character study. Contains possibly the most heartwrenching post-Astarion-locked-tomb-era turn I've ever read. Very good.

Another Path by Asidian

A sweet Wyllstarion monster hunter x monster no-tadpole AU in which Astarion gets captured/rescued by Wyll straight out of a year in a coffin and navigates basic human kindness for the first time in a couple centuries.

Seen by ayvaines

Modern Bloodweave AU where Cazador is Astarion's cruel, controlling boyfriend and Gale is the kind D&D GM who's hosting them both in a game. As makes sense for a modern AU, it's a more-understated-than-canon take on Astarion coming to terms with the fact that he's in an abusive relationship, working out his feelings about Cazador through tabletop roleplaying, including some clever scenes dealing with the bleed of intense RPG sessions.

Heartbeats by LadyRagnelle

Canon-divergent Durgestarion fic where Astarion was recaptured by his siblings, memory-wiped, and then rescued by a team of companions he no longer remembers. A lot of well-executed (and sometimes surprisingly funny) angst around Astarion, charlatan that he is, trying to pretend he hasn't forgotten absolutely everything including how to be a non-level-1 rogue and have friends.

The stars began to burn by peregrinefeathers

Gale is trapped in fantasy nullspace and gets Astarion free of Cazador's clutches, after which they navigate an odd-couple relationship while trying to kill Cazador and pull Gale back into the physical world. Another classic "Astarion learns what human decency is" no-tadpole AU.

Memoir by IzzyIzGay

An Interview with the Vampire-style fic in which Astarion tells Gale about his time under Cazador, playing with that series' trademark unreliable narration and an unusually literal version of Cazador's creepy family dynamic.

Starved by neo7v

A modern non-magical Bloodweave AU featuring Astarion and the lonely degradation of a precarious service industry job! Only a few chapters so far, but seriously, it takes the "vampiric starvation" theme in a direction that's very mundane and miserable and compelling and it's one of my favorite recently started fics.

Unexpected Guests by Erandir

Another "get loved and cared for, sucker" no-tadpole AU featuring a non-Tav druid OC taking care of a lost Astarion who's escaped Baldur's Gate. Astarion and druids, the perfect foil.

Through The Night Dark And Drear by JJJSchmidt

Astarion is accidentally bargained off to an archfey by Cazador and taken to the palace of infuriatingly confusing fair folk magic! There's still a lot of story left to be uncovered, but I love the worldbuilding and fairy-tale premise.

snare by parsnipit

A Halstarion fic where Astarion never got tadpoled and the gang ends up rescuing him from Cazador, post-game, with his compulsions very much intact. Which leads naturally to hissing wet cat Astarion reluctantly learning to trust Halsin while they plot to take down Cazador.

One-Shots:

Quick Step by starkraving

starkraving's another person who could have made up a big chunk of this list, and this character study plays really well on the classic "how the hell does Astarion know how to be a rogue anyway" fandom conversation. My favorite entry in a good and growing series of Astarion-centered fics.

Gifts by Feena_c

Astarion gets caught by Cazador before the confrontation at the palace. Impeccable "Cazador doesn't realize Astarion didn't just come back to Baldur's Gate, he came back loved" vibe, as Cazador tries to break Astarion by taking away the gifts the tadpole gang gave him along the way.

What is Affection but the Absence of Cruelty by Aztec24

One of my favorite tropes is "Astarion tortures himself by obsessively imagining how awful these perfectly nice people will be to him," and this very much delivers. Featuring a rare two-Tavs-plus-Astarion throuple!

The Mimic by ForsakenFlyingCircus

This is really hurt-no-comfort, but I'm including it because it's a good super sad take on dehumanization with an awful Tav confirming all the worst things Astarion thinks about himself and the world, touching on the whole problem of sentient monsters in D&D.

Peel the scars from off my back by WitchyBee

A Spawn Family fic in the aftermath of Astarion getting Cazador's contract on his back - lots of antagonistic but grudgingly caring sibling interaction and Astarion being satisfyingly ambivalent about it all.

Complete Multi-Chapter Fic:

Just A Taste by NightmareGiraffe

The tadpole gang gets imprisoned at Moonrise Towers and Astarion accepts an offer from Araj Oblodra in exchange for their freedom. A very dark yet totally in-character elaboration on the canon blood merchant encounter, plus a cool dragonborn Tav.

The Accountant’s Guide to Taking Down an Evil Vampire Lord (and maybe bagging Astarion while you are at it) by Cinnamontails

A charming f!OC-who-isn't-Tav/Astarion longfic that combines hurt/comfort with het romance novel conventions, which I feel like is rarely pulled off.

And I know there's a ton I missed here -- god this fandom is big.

[little-murmaider]

(A little WIP Wednesday (On A Thursday) because moments after completing AOTD for the first time I launched into an intense in-depth Skwisgaar character study, Obviously.)

“I know what’cher doin’.”

“De works of t’ree men? Ja, what else ams new, cans we fockus?” He pushes Nathan’s reading glasses up the slope of his nose and into his hair. “Dere’s somet’ings abouts dis chords progression dat’s not gelling for mes…”

Skwisgaar glances up. Pickles has pivoted to face away from his kit, hunched over, forearms resting on his thighs. His Rock Talk pose. Goddamnit.

“Whats.”

“Yer checkin’ in on everybahdy.” He flicks his wrist in the space between them. “Dis is a check-in.”

“De songs gots to gets done, does it nots?” He dodges. Pickles doesn’t buy it. He rises, idly scratching the side of his neck with the end of his drumstick.

“Sure,” he drawls, ambling over to where Skwisgaar is cross-legged on the ground. “Butcha saught me out t’work on th’sahng right after Nathan screamed at me t’go fuck myself.”

“Did dat happens?” Skwisgaar shoots for airy innocence and misses by a mile.

Pickles plops down in front of him. “I’m just sayin’ yer timin’s nyeeeehhhhhhhh a l’il suspect.”

“Mine timings am imppecables,” he snaps. “Ams always where I needs to bes.”

Pickles’s mouth stretches in that stupid, sideways, Cheshire Cat-like grin, polishing his front teeth his tongue—FUCK Skwisgaar walked right into that one.

“Musickallys,” he adds, pathetically.

“Dood, y’wanna talk about naht new? Dis is naht new. You actin’ all—”

He extends his arms out to full length and tips back, dropping his voice and crossing his eyes.

“YYYYYUUUUUUEEEEEGHHHHHHHH Gets Away From Mes I Hates You Peoples while sneakin’ around makin’ sure all’a us are okey? Y’think I don’ notice dat?”

“I t’inks de lack of access to drugs ams giving you brain damage.”

“Y’might be able t’fool dese other dooshbeegs, but y’ceen’t fool me. I’ve had ya klocked—and I’m sayin’ clock wit’ a k, t’be clear—since ya braught det Norwegian riff-raff into our lives.”

“When dids you becomes de type of guys what say riff-raff?”

“I see ya, Skwis. I’ve always seen ya.”

“Ooooooh does yous?” There was a time where the one-two punch of his withering tone and devastating eye roll would reduce a man to ash. But it’s been a rough few years. He’s gotten soft. His roller shoulders and rapid-fire arpeggios betray him. “And whats eggs-acktly ams you seeing wif dem beady littles badger eyes?”

The toe of Pickles sneaker brushes Skwisgaar’s ankle and he fights off a flinch.

“Dat despite yer best efforts.” His voice is too familiar, too fond. He scooches closer. “Yer a good guy, Skwigelf.”

Skwisgaar scoffs. The metal strings sting against his callouses, blood pooling hot in the ends of his fingers, and something must be wrong with his hookup because there’s a high pitch whine in his ears and a buzz in his chest and they need to finish the song the song’s not done they need to get it done—

“Skwisgaar.”

The pinch of Pickles’s thumb and forefinger on Skwisgaar’s jaw shocks a gasp out of him, the guitar clattering to the ground with a CLANG. Skwisgaar’s jolts, involuntary, but Pickles’s hold is firm.

“Look at me.” His voice is level, his gaze bright and a little watery, pinning him to the spot. “You are good, Skwisgaar.”

And, well.

He doesn’t know why this, out of everything, is what gets him. He’s been more than a little unnerved by the Pickles is Band Mom thing, mostly because he already has a mom and he actually likes Pickles, but here is his friend, at the end of the world, saying the words he has always, always wanted to hear, and the gossamer bubble of emotion that’s been swelling against his ribs these last few months, at last, bursts.

Distantly he hears his breath hitch, feels tears stream down his cheeks. He’s an embarrassingly ugly crier so when so when he’s crushed into Pickles’s chest, when he inhales that familiar scent of hair wax and old weed and something uniquely Pickles (how does he smell wet he always smells wet) he curls his arms around his waist and sobs.

[ethereousdelirious]

Sicktember 2023 Day 7

Prompt: "You're a jerk when you're sick

Fandom: Bl.ack B.utler

Characters: W.illiam, R.onald

Wordcount: 1,190

Notes: CW for child death (not terribly graphic, but happens on-screen [so to speak])

Heartless.

It was one of those words that girls flung at Ronald from time to time. Heartless, callous, cruel, faithless. It wasn't the sort of thing he identified with, not really. He just liked to have a good time, that was all. It wasn't his fault that girls misunderstood from time to time.

Shivering on the bank of the Thames, blinking in the thick snowfall, he saw heartless.

Heartless stood tall and slender, fine figure clothed in black. Hardened phosphorescent eyes scowled behind water-spotted glasses, full lips pulled down into an unimpressed frown. He stood unmoved by the shrieks of the children who scrambled on the thin ice, desperate to get away from the sudden blizzard upon them, terrified by the cracking beneath their feet.

Heartless had a name, and it was William T Spears.

Even Ronald, who was incurably given to levity of spirit, could not help the miserable wave of nausea that crashed over him as he watched the little figures skitter across the ice. He shivered and shoved his hands further into his pockets, tucking his elbows against his sides.

William, ordinarily so unflappable in his black suits, drew back into his long coat and shuddered. He was ill, Ronald knew, suffering from a cold in his head that has rendered him particularly reclusive over the prior days. But was it the cold weather or the ice inside his heart that had rendered him so?

A sneeze bent him double, then another. He really shouldn't have been outdoors, but the sudden cold snap had rendered the To-Die List longer than ever and his assistance had become absolutely necessary.

"Alright?" Ronald asked, alarmed.

"Fine." William's tone left no room for argument.

Ronald shifted. "This doesn't feel right," he said, half-hating himself for it. How could he be expected to watch these little children fighting for their lives and not feel anything for them? There was a certain poetic beauty when a young woman died, a sort of macabre quality that rendered the tragedy somewhat more bearable. But children? Innocent children?

"Your assignment wasn't to feel," William snapped at once. The snow that had melted in his hair had loosened his pomade and sneezing had sent a few strands forward to rest upon his brow. His voice and breathing were both heavy, labored with illness. "Please keep your thoughts to yourself unless you have something constructive to say."

Ronald eased back into lightheartedness, raising both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. But if I might, boss, you're…"

William's stare turned icier than the weather, one eyebrow cocking. A vein pulsed at his temple, lips pulled into an unamused line.

A breathy, sheepish laugh raced over Ronald's lips. "Oh, never mind."

William sneezed again, sharp and vocal. A little expulsion of air followed, something Ronald probably wasn't meant to hear— a quivering note of discomfort catching on the wind.

Down the river, the ice cracked. The children screamed.

Ronald twitched and promptly met the frozen metal of William's Death Scythe. It struck him across the chest, hard enough to sting. "Don't interfere," William snapped.

"You're mean when you're sick," Ronald muttered.

"Call it what you like," William retorted, but he lowered his Death Scythe.

Ronald studied him to avoid watching the children in the water. William's severe features were highlighted in pink: it rimmed his eyes and nose, made splotches on his cheeks, traced the outlines of his parted lips and spilled inward to color them. The rest of him was pale with cold and illness and the dark half-circles under his eyes made him appear hollow, ephemeral, winter personified.

William sniffled. "You're staring at me."

"Sorry, sir." Ronald rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating. "It's just… you don't look very well."

"I think you'll find that doesn't matter," William said.

A deadly silence rang out between the two of them. The sounds of struggling had stopped.

Ronald shuddered, and not with the cold though the breeze still carried fat snowflakes upon its broad back.

William's footsteps crunched in the snow; he set a brisk pace with his Death Scythe braced against his shoulder like a soldier.

"I can…" Ronald began weakly. He cleared his throat. "If you need to rest, I can handle this."

"It will go faster if we both work."

"Right you are."

Five little bodies bobbed amongst the ice floes. William pulled them over one by one, expertly maneuvering his Scythe. At the last, the smallest, he made a brief, pained noise and bent double and for the briefest of moments, Ronald stood in awe at this display of emotion. But of course, it wasn't that, not at all. William sneezed into his wrist, so many times that he snatched his glasses off and buried his face entirely in his sleeve. And when the fit ended, he staggered as though dizzy, his chest heaving.

"Alright, boss?"

William restored his glasses, his expression betraying nothing but irritation. "You needn't ask me that every time."

"Yes, sir." Ronald planted his own Death Scythe on the nearest corpse and shoved his emotions to the back of his mind.

The pages of the To-Die List whipped in the wind. Ronald watched, hands in his pockets, as William hunched over and tried to flip to the right section. His shaking hands further impeded the enterprise and even Ronald's font of patience had run dry by this point. "Let's go somewhere warm!" he yelled over the wind.

Surprisingly, William acquiesced.

Neither one of them talked on the miserable trudge back to town. Ronald didn't even bother to glance at William for approval before falling through the door of the first public house they came across.

The relief was immediate; the warmth washed over him like an embrace. The place was not overly-crowded despite the weather so Ronald made a beeline for a table close to the fire. His good cheer returned almost at once as the feeling slowly began to creep back into his fingers and toes. He wiped the fog off his glasses, smiling. "This is better, isn't it?"

"Must I remind you that we're here to work?" William asked, a dangerous edge in his voice.

Ronald glanced at him and raised his eyebrows in alarm. Though his demeanor hadn't changed one iota, William certainly looked worse for wear. The pink chill on his cheeks was fading rapidly, leaving only pallor in its wake. Where Ronald's shivers were subsiding, William's only seemed to be growing stronger.

"Here, sit down."

"I mean it; we shan't linger here longer than is absolutely necessary."

"I understand that, but…" Ronald bit his lip.

William sat and took out the To-Die List and a steel pen. He nearly dropped the pen, tremors running down his arms rendering him visibly unsteady. He only sighed as though it were a minor inconvenience.

"I don't want to overstep," Ronald said hesitantly, watching William continue to struggle, "but I think you'd better go home." 'If you can make it there,' he carefully did not add. "I can take the list back to the office."

"Yes," William said softly, his eyes fixed on the page, "I think that would be wise."

[siderealcity]

Narrative Sense

Okay, this is eventually going to become a post about Dragonsong, and maybe Stormblood, but to start with, it's going to be a discussion of the peculiar form of non-logical sense that stories have. You could call this "emotional sense," or "vibes," maybe, but I'm going to call this "narrative sense," because it's not 100% emotion-driven, and it's not logical, but it's the way things make sense because they're in a story.

In its simplest form, narrative sense is the way things work in a fairy tale. Cinderella must leave the party by midnight because the enchantment will end then. Does that make logical sense? No. Do we need to get a full explanation of the rules of fairy magic to accept that limitation? No. We accept that magic will have abrupt, maybe harsh limitations, just like we accept that if you look the monster in the eyes it will get you, or if you hold your breath passing a graveyard, you'll be safe from ghosts. We believe, on some fundamental, instinctive level, that we are bargaining with the universe on terms that we don't fully grasp, and we're prepared to accept that you can pay for a miracle with seven years of silence (with occasional screaming into a hole in the ground not counted against you.)

We expect stories to obey the rules of this negotiation far more strictly than we do reality. Which is not to say that characters can't lose or fail, but rather, that we expect that if they are going to lose or fail it's because they broke the terms of the agreement. This is pretty much the entire way the horror genre is structured. Characters are tested on subjects they didn't know they ever needed to study, and when they get things wrong, they die. Is that fair? No. But it feels understandable. As opposed to reality, where terrible things happen to people for no reason.

Likewise, if they're going to win, they have to earn it. They must have paid the price for happiness before it could be delivered. Or someone must have paid it, at least.

And now we get to Dragonsong. Spoilers ahead.

Okay, so I mentioned before when talking about Ysayle, that Estinien is the most Obviously Doomed Character in the history of characters. And he might as well be wearing a Tragic Hero t-shirt over his drachen mail. For all of Heavensward, he is the voice of Ishgard's side in the Dragonsong War. He's the dragon-killer who wants revenge on Nidhogg, he's the embodiment of a thousand years of people who've suffered from Nidhogg's wrath. The people who don't know anything about Ratatoskr and never did. The other innocent victims of the war.

As a character, he is the outrage of a people who have been wronged. It aligns him perfectly with Nidhogg, and that's why they make such a nice, neat pair. The mortal expression of grief and rage, and the immortal one. Of course they're destined to destroy one another. In most stories, that's how they find redemption. Outrage doesn't get to be put away when it's finished. In Narrative Sense, the revenge-seeker gets what they want and dies because that's how they pay for their victory. And who would they be afterward, if they survived anyway? Vengeance was their character. And that character's purpose ended. They have nowhere to go and no one to be once their role in the story is done.

If you did the Dragoon job quests before starting Heavensward, then you know that the eye is eventually going to overwhelm him. He starts out the cutscene asking you to fight Vishap with, "Don't worry, I'm not here to fight you again." You knew it was coming sooner or later.

So it's entirely unsurprising that he's transformed at Azys Lla. Again, it makes perfect narrative sense. You've already destroyed Nidhogg, the draconian side of the anger fueling the war. You've destroyed Thordan, and through him the Ishgardian Orthodox Church, the force that pitted Nidhogg against the people in the first place, and profited off the suffering of both sides. Of course you still have to fight the anger of the common folk. Because it doesn't matter that Nidhogg's outrage was initially justified, so was theirs. Their desire for revenge has to find an end, too.

The expectation set up from the moment of the transformation, and reinforced constantly is that Estinien will die with Nidhogg. That's just how it makes sense. And it ties into the larger theme of the game's story: Where do we get salvation from? What are we prepared to sacrifice for it? For whom do you fight? And what do you believe in? Estinien is meant to be the sacrifice that ends the thousand-year-long war. He is the collective anger of the innocent people of Ishgard, and he's now fused with the immortal, undying anger of the dragons over Ratatoskr's murder. There is no other way to end the song than his death.

Isn't there?

It's the revelation that the Scions still want to save Estinien that convinces Hraesvelgr to finally act. Because he knows how these stories end. How they always end. Midgardsormr traded his life for his childrens' future. Shiva gave her life so their souls could be together. Ysayle gave her life to save her friends. Victory always comes with a cost. So why even pursue it? What makes the victory worth the price you have to pay for it? It's a taste of the nihilism we'll get with Fandaniel and Hermes later. If suffering is the inevitable outcome of everything you do, why try for anything better?

But in the narrative sense, the price for victory has already been paid.

Not by Estinien, but by The Warrior of Light. Our losses along the way have paid the narrative cost for his rescue. Haurchefant, and Ysayle, and Minfilia have all been taken from us, not through any fault of our own, not by choice, even though we have followed the rules of the narrative to the letter, and now the narrative owes us something. And if we didn't get that feeling already, the ghosts of Haurchefant and Ysayle, the characters representing love and redemption, appear and literally give us the strength to pry the eyes from Estinien's armor in the end, freeing him both literally and figuratively from being the avatar of vengeance.

This is why he finally takes his helmet off only after everything is done. When he's no longer the Azure Dragoon, or the representation of righteous anger. When his part in the story is over. He couldn't do it before, but now that his character, the character of vengeance has died, he can be reborn as just Estinien.

[hellvar]

HOW DOES HE CARRY EMOTIONS?

ANGER : jaw clenching,  hands balling into fists,  teeth grinding,  yelling,  going nonverbal,  stuttering speech,  rushed speech,  slow concise speech,  rambling,  quiet,  arms crossing,  shaking head,  tearing up,  animated,  expressionless,  projects,  internalizes,  vents,  withdraws,  passive aggressive,  direct,  physical outbursts,  verbal outbursts

JOY : easy smiles,  fighting back grins,  suppressed laughter,  loud laughter,  giggles,  chuckling,  smirks,  whole body laughs,  covers mouth when laughing/giggling,  throws head back when laughing,  slaps leg,  touches people around them when laughing,  looks down when laughing,  looks for eye contact when laughing,  sparkling eyes,  bubbly happiness,  quiet subtle happiness, obnoxious happiness,  wants to spread joy,  quietly savors joy

SADNESS :  crying,  bottling it up,  seeks distractions,  wallows,  meditates and processes,  avoidance,  seeks out comfort,  withdraws,  talks it out,  internalizes it,  sad smiles,  depression naps,  uses alcohol,  uses drugs,  seeks out sources of joy,  fidgets with sentimental item,  sits in silence,  broods,  gets moody,  wants someone to share the misery,  tries to hide negative emotions,  nurtures others to make themselves feel better

EMBARRASSMENT/SHAME :  blushing,  looking away,  rubbing at back of head, covering face,  laughing nervously,  laughs it off,  overthinks,  lets it go, self deprecating humor,  deflects,  gets irritated,  smiles,  withdraws,  crossing arms over stomach, crossing arms over chest,  hands in pockets,  shoulders sinking,  shrugs,  falling into silence until comfortable again,  talking a lot to compensate

GUILT : avoiding eye contact,  shoulders sinking low,  head hanging down,  crying,  chest aches,  lashes out,  internalizes,  apologizes,  deflects,  communicates, withdraws,  grand gestures for forgiveness,  accepts fault easily,  punishes themselves, martyrdom,  victim complex,  guilt complex,  healthy conscience,  internalizes even after forgiveness,  SEEKING REDEMPTION, moves on easily,  denial,  lack of guilt/conscience,  sorry they got caught more than caused harm,  can’t handle knowing they hurt others

FEAR/ANXIETY : trembling,  crying,  sarcasm/sass to cope,  rambles,  goes silent,  gets angry,  fidgeting,  clenching jaw,  picking at nails,  chewing at lip,  pulling at clothes,  adjusting jewelry/clothing,  swallowing thickly,  eyes widening,  over-reacts,  under-reacts,  calm,  logical,  panic,  irrational,  overthinks,  carefully analyzes,  talks to themselves,  breathing exercises,  flight,  fight,  withdraw

tagged by:  stole it from @shufire​ <3 tagging: you if you’re so inclined!

[fiercemade-blog]

tag drop: 1/?

[dreamedfyre-a]

when she was a very little i think helaena definitely tried to reach out to viserys (show her father cool bugs she found. attempt to start games and playing to some extent. ask for stories from old valyria even which is where she mght have been a little bit successful on occasion) i don't think he'd really entertain her and that from a young age she would hear from people around that he is busy, he is the king, he has important things to do (even if he was just playing with his lego set). and although little helaena might've believed he was just very busy, she's quite clever and it wouldn't take long for her to notice his disregard was rather plain. at some point any effort simply stopped, and any contact with viserys became pure formality.

i also think in his worse years he would sometimes call her rhaenyra as he did with her mother and queen aemma, and funnily* enough, it would be when mistaking his younger daughter for his eldest that he'd be the most affectionate he ever was to her. which isn't really to her considering he believes she's her sister. certainly not hurtful or damaging at all!

by the time he dies, she quite frankly doesn't care. she doesn't even care enough to pretend she cares, as i think is evident by the fact she's peacefully having breakfast with her children when people are looking for aegon because their father is dead. there's no sorrow at all, and she doesn't even feel bad about not caring he's dead. helaena would dread more and be more sad about what this means for all of them and what they need to do than for the man. or the king, because she doesn't think he did a particularly good job there either

[beatrcis-blog]

tag drop !!

i ━━ ❛ : ( she waits. seething. blooming; threads. ) ii ━━  ❛ : ( innocence died screaming ━ i should know; musings. ) iii ━━  ❛ : ( lick your wounds; mirror. ) iv ━━  ❛ : ( the feeling of being fully alive; parallels. ) v ━━  ❛ : ( you'd look good in a grave; ask memes. ) vi ━━  ❛ : ( character study; tasks. )

[at-hauntrcss]

tag drop!

[islecarded]

♡ ‣ ❝ IN CHARACTER ›   INNOCENCE DIED SCREAMING ♡ ‣ ❝ STUDY ›   ANGER WAS BETTER THAN TEARS ♡ ‣ ❝ VISUALS ›   BARE THOSE TEETH AND SNARL  

[authorluvgxbby]

Heyy :)), I saw your requests open and I was wondering if you can write up some tokyo rev headcanons for this scenario:

Chracter visits reader's house for 'studying' but when the enter the house they are immediately greeted by a huge ass doberman dog who's looking at them like they murdered their mom. And reader's just like : whuehue they don't bite :))

(I just went into my bestie's house and they didn't inform me their cousin and their dog was visiting and I felt like I almost died like three times when the dog tried to tackle me, like their paws are literally up my shoulder and their slobber was all over my face. The owner's just like 'oh he's an angel he just wanted to be friends with u' sir you don't know how to speak dog how do you know if it's actually telling me to prepare my prayers? Shdhgdhdgd sorry for oversharing but I just wanted to tell u where this came from and I also want to see others suffer the same thing. Thankss ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️)

A/N: Of course, thank you so much for the request❤️ I laughed so hard while writing this 😂 It was so much fun to do. Here you go luv, I hope you like it!

Characters: Ran, Takemichi, Shinichiro, Baji, Chifuyu

Ran

The poor bastard never expected to be face-to-face with your personal bloodhound and it was all Rindou’s fault. The younger haitani was used to coming over your house and he knew you had a dog, so when Ran told him he’d be “borrowing” you for the night to study, best believe he made sure not to mention a word about the canine that guarded you and your house.

Was screaming like a little girl when the dog started barking as it towered over him, looking like it was ready to make the lanky male its next chew toy.

He thought that if he was going to die, he’d make sure he didn't get his face messed up too bad.

“ANYTHING BUT THE FACE!”

While Ran was screaming bloody murder and begging for his life to a hundred pound dog, you were innocently watching the whole commotion through the home camera that was installed.

“Y/n why the fuck do you have that demonic mutt in your house?!” “ ‘Demonic’? He’s a sweetheart, he wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

Ran believed that it was utter bullshit, especially after he almost had his gorgeous face mauled.

No matter how much you reassured him, he didn’t dare come near the dog.

Complained that he could’ve died because you nor Rindou told him that you had a dog.

He spends the whole night fighting with the dog for your attention and when it would get too close to him, he would use you as a shield.

He definitely considered the idea of poisoning it at some point.

When it was time to leave he made a mental note to murder Rindou when he saw him after putting him in a near-death experience.

Takemichi

The poor soul passed out right then and there when he was face to face with your “human friendly” pet.

Chifuyu suggested that he should get some ‘tutoring’ from you since he was struggling so much in class.

His friend was an idiot, so of course he forgot to mention that the pet you had was a Doberman.

His screams were definitely mistaken for a little girl’s scream. The whole neighborhood could hear him.

When you come to see what is happening, you see Takemichi knocked out cold while your dog covers him in drool as he licks his face.

“A-am I dead?” “No, you idiot! My baby would never hurt someone!”

Genuinely thought you were crazy to think something as big as your Doberman wouldn’t jump at the chance to chew his limbs off.

He makes up an excuse that he was just stopping by and didn’t need any tutoring.

Cries to Chifuyu that he almost died because of him.

“If I die, I’ll make sure I drag you to hell with me!” Quoted a teary-eyed Takemitchy.

Shinichiro

The older Sano just wanted to spend some time with you after a stressful day, but was thrown into despair after seeing a Doberman greet him in your living room.

The poor soul gets chased around your house for a whole hour before you come home to see him hitting your dog with a pillow.

“Y/n! Thank god! PLEASE HELP ME!” 

When you explain to him that you recently had gotten a dog for extra protection, it made him offended. Why get a dog when you have someone that would protect you with their life? Let alone someone who has a whole gang backing him up.

He would complain that you could’ve gotten a medium sized dog instead of asking hell for one of its' bloodhounds to be your canine companion. 

When he tries to smoke, the dog would growl at him as a warning not to smoke around you.

When he tells Wakasa and Benkei about what had happened, they admit that they also had similar encounters with your dog. They secretly made a pack that if they were to encounter your dog without you around again, they’d fight it off together. 

“If one of us goes down, then we all go down” - Shinichiro.

One day, he brought his siblings over to your house with him and your dog instantly fell in love with the two. (Complained later on that the dog was trying to replace him)

Manjiro and Emma teased him for being a wimp and he had threatened to feed them to the dog, but ended up almost having his hand bitten off afterwards.

Baji

He was used to dealing with animals at the pet shop, especially angry cats, but dealing with a huge ass Doberman was a different story.

The moment he walks in your house, he is greeted with your angry-looking Doberman with small bits of meat decorating its teeth.

He genuinely thought you had been eaten by it.

In an attempt to get away, he throws his backpack at it while running out the door.

He ends up bumping into you and is relieved yet confused at the same time.

It takes you two whole hours just to get him to calm down.

“He doesn’t bite Baji!” “You weren’t the one that thought it ate their friend.”

When he sees Chifuyu at the pet shop, he makes sure that they don’t end up taking in any big dogs like the one he had encountered with you.

Has nightmares about his cats getting murdered by your dog for the next two weeks.

Chifuyu

Similar to Baji, Chifuyu is an expert at handling animals, but not huge dogs.

You and him were studying for an upcoming exam and you had forgotten that you needed to feed your dog.

Now, in Chifuyu’s mind he thinks you have one of those small-sized puppies girl’s usually like. But, he’s proven wrong when you come back with a huge Doberman following behind you, already eyeing Chifuyu as his dinner.

At the moment, it looked like you were going to feed him to the dog.

He starts to beg for forgiveness for whatever he’s done wrong to make you want to use him as a human sacrifice. 

Goes on and on about stuff he did wrong while clinging on to your leg. 

Poor Chifuyu was in a state of panic, until you shook him hard enough for him to get his act together.

“Chifuyu he’s trained, he won’t eat you.” “Last time I checked you don’t speak dog language! What if he plans to eat me behind your back!”

He thinks it’s jealous of him because you guys are close.

Forces you to come over his house if you want to see Peke J. because he firmly believes your dog will try to murder his cat out of spite.

Wanted Baji to suffer the same thing he went through, but ended up getting the shit beat out of him afterwards.