#Noblesse Spoilers

[c-schroed]

Oh my. And they really doubled down on their Revolutionary Girl Utena vibes in the final episode of Noblesse.

Like, come on. That's just so

However, one thing that happens in Noblesse and not in RGU is that two versions of the same sword merge.

Like. Sword sex?! In hindsight, how did this not happen in RGU?! Clearly the Sword of Dios would fuck itself on any opportunity it finds!

Spouse and I were watching the Noblesse anime series when this little dialogue happened:

And then we found one another yelling in unison

ZETTAI UNMEI MOKUSHIROKU!

Because you can't mention End of the World and a sword in the same fucking sentence and then expect us to not see this in our mind:

Also, in the very same episode of Noblesse, there's this:

Clearly some Ohtori Academy vibes.

[lazzarella]

Felix asking ‘better?’ when Oliver throws up in the maze and telling him he thinks he should go to bed, literally moments after telling Oliver he makes his blood run cold. Like he’s still looking out for him, despite everything. He can’t help it! 😭

[hpowellsmith]

Spoilery ask about Pascha, their story, and their family from Noblesse Oblige below:

That's something I'm not sure about. They would like Pascha to return, at the very least to be able to keep an eye on them, but I'm not sure how much freedom they would give them or how happy Pascha would end up being. Around the time of Noblesse Oblige, the Jezhani royal family are wanting to sweep their black sheep under the rug as quickly and quietly as possible. But Pascha isn't in a great state of being able to be either chill or discreet. I've left it open-ended about whether they end up returning to their family in some way after running away (if they run away). Either way the Jezhani royal family really want to keep it all under wraps and they have some other offscreen things going on to worry about too so there's a lot going on!

I love the idea of Pascha's half-sibling Darian marrying Rosario, the Royal Affairs MC marrying Javi, and then the Noblesse Oblige MC and Pascha hanging out with them... or some other configuration like Pascha ending up with the Royal MC and hanging out with Rosario and the Creme MC... what strange dinner-table conversations those would be!

[aroacettorney]

so insane that the aup epilogue implies the problems that everyone has with ludger are magically gone as he has disappeared from their life for so long that they should just be happy with finally having him back

[kumomist]

like... uarghshjn noblesse is great but at some point it feels like a lot of pointless and unresolved racisim?? like 'arrogant human' might seem like typical villain talk in some other story but when its frankenstein whose backstory is fighting against nobles who were taking advantage of humans?? m21 tao and takio who were orphans forced into human experimentation?? and their kindof only response is to get more power, which just keeps getting mocked by even stronger bad guys?? plus the nobles and werewolves that are shown to be somewhat redeemable but keep going along with the conflict because of loyalty to their leader

and also the traitor family heads?? like theres some minor uncomfortableness when they see raizel again but then theyre just blaming rai for protecting humans instead of valuing their friendship????? when THEYRE the ones who befriended him, but ended up USING their friendship to?? plot his death??? like EXCUSE ME???

[fleurladari-a]

despite being quite close with the paldean academia, lysandre and by extension his labs are less connected with any unovan academy, most prominently blueberry.

given the technological advancements of blueberry academy's terarium, there are efforts from lysandre labs to reach out, though the focus on battling and strategy is less advantageous for LL than paldea, which focuses on more than just pokemon battling. that being said, those studying in blueberry for learning about and getting close to the behavior of pokemon have been reached out to by lysandre labs and even brought in for a little bit to further than intellectual desire. it's just rarer, given the battle focus of blueberry.

[justaway-dashedaway]

photos taken before disaster

credits

[chatonarya]

The Faithful Gambler: A Post-Rides Enciodes Silverash Retrospective

Spoiler warning for Keen-Edge, Silver Blade, The Rides to Lake Silberneherze, Gnosis's oprec, and Degenbrecher's module.

I’d like to take a minute to talk about the character development of our favorite CEO and industrialist in the wake of The Rides to Lake Silberneherze. Although not the focal point of the story nor given as much attention as he was in Break The Ice, Enciodes Silverash still received a hefty amount of development in RS and the accompanying material that further expanded his character in ways that I very much enjoyed. Let’s dig in, shall we?

Beginning with some background: one of the most glaring criticisms (and character flaws) often leveled at him is the fact that he does not treat people as people but rather as chess pieces. While this is not an inaccurate statement, neither is it fully accurate, and the release of RS and Gnosis’s oprec have given us some additional background to this. We see by Gnosis’s oprec that rather than stemming from some innate emotional lack, Enciodes has in fact been brought up to think this way. As Enciodes discovers Gnosis’s quiz results are different from his, his tutor assures him that it’s nothing to get worked up over as Gnosis’s smarts will benefit him in the future when he is the leader of the clan.

This demonstrates clearly how he’s effectively been groomed for politics from a young age, trained to look at people and see how they might be useful to him first and everything else second. Ever since he was a child, his role as the future clan leader has been pressed upon him—but Enciodes has embraced this role, as he possesses a natural leader personality. This is explicitly stated in Gnosis’s oprec, with Gnosis commenting that Enciodes acts as if he was born to lead. In “Browntail,” the vignette in To Be Continued, Ratatos enviously guesses when Enciodes goes to Victoria that he’s simply chosen to abandon his post, that he’s had enough of his burdens and responsibilities, but in fact, the opposite is true: he not only understands that this is what is expected of him, but he wishes to excel in his role and achieve more.

It's also clear that he internalizes his position as “a Silverash” as an extension of this. Enciodes has inherited the legacy not just of his father, but of his grandfather, who began the Silverashes’ exploration of the outside world; Enciodes is the third generation to bring new things to Kjerag. As he says in BI, “We must take that step forward while we still have control. That's the Silverash tradition.” The Silverashes do not sit idly by: they always explore, look forward, and seek new routes.

We see this as well in how he impresses upon Enya that it is practically her duty to take the opportunity and become the Saintess, tit-for-tat deal it may have been behind the scenes, and how she knew he would answer her doubts by reminding her of what she was: “a Silverash,” and thus also possessing that duty to answer the responsibility to lead. Presumably, Ensia is somewhat exempt from this on account of her Oripathy and being the youngest (traditionally sent out to seek their fortune), but it can be taken that even her adventurer’s nature indeed stems from her Silverash blood, as well as her new position as ambassador to Laterano.

It is here that I must note that this is a very aristocratic attitude; noblesse oblige isn’t merely an idea, but seems to be the way of things in Kjerag by Enciodes’s own recitation of the ‘Kjeragandr’, Kjerag’s holy book, where he states, “the three clans formed a covenant with Kjeragandr to lead the people. The mantle of authority is merely an insignificant reward.” He takes this idea completely to heart, taking each of the responsibilities that come with his position as clan leader very seriously. He is prepared to shoulder the burden of all of Kjerag, and likely believes that it is in fact his duty to do so, both as the Silverash patriarch and the only person with such deep knowledge of the outside world.

This is perhaps Enciodes’s greatest flaw and the core of his arrogance: his belief that he and he alone must take on the entirety of Kjerag and lead it into the future, that he and he alone must protect Kjerag from the impending avalanche from outside, and he is the only one who can, forming a sort of savior complex. It is this that Enya rebukes him for in BI (telling him that nobody has the right to choose for all of Kjerag), this that forms the primary conflict between him and other clans. He states in BI-ST-4 that Kjerag is out of time, and if there is anyone who objects to the fact that they must move forward then he can only deprive them of their right to do so, and he’s not wrong, exactly—we know both from a meta perspective and now with additional knowledge that he’s completely correct and that the danger is on Kjerag’s doorstep. Even without his debt to Duke Caster, it’s obvious that had Kjerag remained as it was, sooner or later, it would have been either gobbled up or simply crushed by another more powerful nation. His actions, however forceful, were necessary at the time and understandable.

We also know that Enciodes did not do what he did without some reluctance and emotional distress. He makes it clear that he feels he is being forced into taking matters into his own hands, and in ideal circumstances, he would not do such a thing, much preferring to convince others of his point of view. We see by Gnosis’s oprec once again, as well as in Keen-Edge, Silver Blade, that Enciodes has a relatively normal emotional baseline: he complains about his father not smiling with his family and constantly engaged in battles of wit with the foreign merchants, and doesn't want to become like that in the future, or at least, if he does, then he wants to make sure he smiles and laughs to his heart’s content first. (This explains why he dresses up as a pirate to go to the beach, I suppose.) He's very tense and nervous throughout the entirety of the manga and dealing with Viscount Walden, despite the fact that he’s been prepared for such things since he was young. Even Enciodes feels (or felt) unease at the prospect of being sucked into the whirlpool of Victorian aristocratic conflict. This demonstrates as well how much Enciodes emotionally represses and restrains himself in order to pursue what he deems necessary; how much his great endeavor costs him on a mental level.

Yet despite the somewhat cold, lofty, and arrogant persona he had in Break The Ice that cloaked his passionate heart, we see a more human and emotional side to Enciodes in RS, expanding upon his characterization in BI—indeed, I would say in RS, he shows some remarkable character growth and his savior complex barely rears its head. And in conjunction, we also see what inspires such powerful and unwavering loyalty from his companions, not just his employees, most strongly demonstrated through his bonds with Degenbrecher and Gnosis, his closest friends. Through them, we also see a new and fascinating depth to Enciodes: that of personal faith.

Interestingly, despite his position, it’s heavily implied if not outright confirmed in both BI and RS that Enciodes is actually something of a non-believer in Kjerag. He pays lip service to Kjeragandr when it is necessary and demanded of him, but ironically, he places the most belief in himself and his own assets—that is, his people and his friends.

In stark contrast to his claims in his second oprec (something I will likely address separately later), Enciodes has an incredibly strong friendship with Degenbrecher. We’ve seen its roots in Keen-Edge, Silver Blade, where he wins her over with his daring but primarily with his trust. In the final few pages, Degenbrecher is startled, touched, and moved by the fact that Enciodes completely placed his life in her hands, refusing to dodge the blade Baron Stuart was swinging towards him because he fully believed that she would not allow him to come to harm, no matter what. He had utter faith in her protection, despite the fact that at that point Enciodes had only known Degenbrecher for three months. Upon leaving Kazimierz and being free of the Armorless Union, it would be completely within Degenbrecher’s power to simply dump him and go her merry way with no consequences to herself, rather than repaying her debt—but once again, from the very first, Enciodes placed his trust and faith in her that she would keep her word.

It’s one of the most remarkable things about their relationship, and indeed, Enciodes as a person: his ability to hold out his hand to someone and move and befriend them with his sincerity, and it’s even more remarkable that he’s actually done this twice. It also puts into perspective how his actions in BI were truly a last resort for him. Wherever possible, Enciodes actually prefers not to use force and would infinitely rather employ diplomacy.

With this solid foundation as their basis of their friendship, this friendship has continued for ten years as of RS, and we see further hints of it sprinkled throughout: from the casual way they speak to each other in oprec1 and BI, to the more open and intimate camaraderie we see between them in RS, especially RS-ST-2, where it’s clearly emphasized that they do not keep up pretenses with each other and show each other their true faces, something which is of particular note for Enciodes.

If I may digress for a moment: in BI, we only see him truly drop his guard and speak frankly during BI-6, when he is alone with Gnosis while the latter is imprisoned. In RS, by contrast, Enciodes is more open with others around him, as well: he listens closely to Weiss’s estimation of Viscount Harold and praises Weiss’s pessimistic streak as one of his virtues; he reassures Matterhorn’s doubts about a potential client he’s caring for; he bickers with Enya about their childhood escapades for the first time in ten years; he gets along much more smoothly with Ratatos in their collaboration; and on the whole, seems much less intent on “shouldering all of Kjerag” by his lonesome than before, though he remains the spearhead of Kjerag’s modernization efforts.

As I said in the introduction, for Enciodes to accomplish his goals, he must emotionally repress himself to a certain degree, and RS-ST-2 shows who Enciodes truly is when there is no gambit, no plot, no ongoing game—how he’s not incapable of honesty or joking around or teasing. We see the glimmer of the bold, outgoing boy he used to be and still is deep down, and how he can be quite caring (though I suppose it’s worth mentioning that the relationship he has with Gnosis is somewhat different from others). It is only before Gnosis and Degenbrecher that Enciodes lets down the facade he wears for the rest of the world; the two people he truly trusts and cares for the most.

Returning to the previous point, the moment which demonstrates Enciodes and Degenbrecher’s relationship most strongly is when Degenbrecher makes the decision to take on Harold’s army by her lonesome. This is one of my favorite moments in RS for what it shows of Enciodes’s character and his friendship with Degenbrecher both: as he watches Degenbrecher battle, he is increasingly agitated, and it is one of the exceedingly few times in the present day that we see him actually lose his cool and his stoic facade slip. Not even during the gambit in BI do we see him ill at ease for even a moment, yet it is here, during arguably the biggest and most personal gamble he has ever made, that we see the pain in his heart.

He also says this, which gorgeously lays out just the kind of person he is:

Enciodes: Even I might say [Degenbrecher has] changed some. Thus I've trusted her this once—I've gambled on her. Enciodes: Had I not, you might have watched that affable Viscount lose his life to a few 'panicked tourists'. Enciodes: We gamble for a best case scenario. Enya: ...... Enya: 'Gamble'. Enciodes: I have always considered the success or failure of anything to hinge on one's own grasp, and not entreaties to gods. Enciodes: Nothing goes unaccounted for. I put all the chips down. I see it through, win or lose. I've never complained about it.

These few lines beautifully encapsulate Enciodes down to the core. His appraising way of looking at the world not out of preference but out of necessity; his reliance not on luck or blessings but on skill and talent; his gambler’s heart steadfastly taking on the risk for the worthwhile reward, beginning to end, staking everything he has; and indeed, his arrogance, believing that so long as he has enough cards in his hand, enough chips to gamble with, enough assets and information at his disposal and every tiny detail taken into account, he can somehow arrange a victory solely through his own powers. (And in a way, this does have a basis, as it’s not a strategy that has failed him thus far.)

This gambler’s streak of Enciodes’s isn't something new, technically: Gnosis chews him out over his gambling in BI, as well, and his enjoyment of the thrill of the challenge and situation; and in RS-ST-2, we see Enya reprimanding him for his overly risky behavior and reminding him that unlike in his childhood, she won’t be able to bail him out if he loses everything. (I’m hard-pressed to imagine just what Enciodes was gambling on as a youngster to lose all his allowance and his younger sister have to bail him out, but nevertheless, the point stands.) We also see it in the manga via his plot with Viscount Walden, which Degenbrecher comments is fraught with risk and nearly costs Enciodes his life, as I said above—no matter the danger to himself, he goes through with this gamble, steady and resolute though his hands may tremble behind his back.

He does the same thing in this moment in RS, too: although he’s so nervous watching Degenbrecher that he bruises his own hands from clasping them so tightly (mirroring the way he did so in Keen-Edge, Silver Blade), and goes against his own status as a non-believer to ask Enya to pray for Degenbrecher, he still waits, still places all of his belief and faith in Degenbrecher, rejecting Gnosis’s suggestion of escalating the conflict (which Gnosis would have already long since done) in favor of truly gambling everything on her. He clenches his hands, refuses to avert his gaze from the scene before him, and sees it through, no matter how painful it is. And for Enciodes, to whom Degenbrecher is one of his closest and most trusted companions, it is painful. Should the worse come to worst, he has his contingency plans and more cards stuffed up his sleeves, but he puts all of his power behind the ideal scenario—and anything, really, always believing that there is a path to victory.

In RS-ST-3, following the battle, he has an extended conversation with Degenbrecher regarding the events of the past, not just of the story itself but of their entire relationship and bond. Enciodes speaks of his growing debt to her and tells her she can name her price, but Degenbrecher dismisses this statement, calling it an act and claiming that she stayed in Kjerag for reasons unrelated to him—in a roundabout way, absolving him of the very idea of his owing her a debt. Similarly to what I said above, nothing is stopping Degenbrecher from theoretically extorting Enciodes for whatever she wants, as she is his most potent asset and they both know it, or simply deciding she’s had enough of him and his nonsense and walking away. Yet instead, she makes this gesture of generosity in response to his.

After they are interrupted by the young campaign knights who are eager for Degenbrecher’s autograph, Enciodes rounds out the conversation by stating playfully that perhaps he’s no different from the Kazimierz she so loathed; perhaps he too uses her as a bargaining chip and a tool, and asks her if she finds this unacceptable. Degenbrecher’s stunning reply is to smile back and say that she’s gotten used to it. Degenbrecher loathes being controlled, with her third championship being solely to spite the KGCC even if it cost her life in the end, yet she doesn’t bat an eye at being moved about by Enciodes as his ‘queen’ on the chessboard. Why? Because Enciodes, contrary to his words, has never once used her nor treated her as a chess piece, which they both know, and that’s the reason behind Degenbrecher’s reply. She’s used to it—used to Enciodes asking her to do things for him, and if it’s Enciodes asking her to do something, she doesn’t mind. “Who do you think is the first person Enciodes always calls?” she comments to Gnosis before she goes to face Harold’s army. She’s so used to it that she makes a joke, chuckles, and smiles before she heads out; indeed, it’s Degenbrecher who first volunteers to hold Harold back, and then Enciodes asks her if she can do it.

And thus we come full circle: she doesn’t mind because Enciodes is her friend; he’s her friend because he trusts her and has faith in her; and because he believes in her she doesn’t mind. And because he’s her friend, there is no debt between them, and hasn’t been ever since they began their partnership ten years prior after Walden’s banquet. Fundamentally, it’s a completely different relationship from the one she had with the KGCC, and indeed, with anyone, and it’s through the mutual knowledge of the power of their bond that they can joke about it like this. “Maybe I’m just another unscrupulous businessman,” Enciodes jokes, completely aware of the fact that if he was, Degenbrecher would not be there in the first place.

And we know that Enciodes’s comments about treating Degenbrecher as a chip and a tool are patently false due to the rest of the story and some of the supplemental text. His terror at the prospect of her death; the way they converse casually after Harold’s banquet; Degenbrecher’s commentary about him in her voice lines; her feelings when she sees them coming to meet her after the battle; and the two anecdotes from her module story.

His overreaction to her forgetting his friendship medal ‘The Silverashes’ Sword & Shield’, and his second medal to her, ‘Ten Years,’ which demonstrates how Enciodes doesn’t take her for granted and, fully aware that only her own will binds her to him, he takes it upon himself to make sure she knows how important she is to him on this occasion and remind her that he hasn’t changed. He’s still the same person she chose to follow ten years prior, with the same dreams and ambitions and goals. And Degenbrecher grasps his implied meaning immediately, demonstrating the depth and mutual understanding of their relationship. At heart, he’s still the same person who placed his life willingly in her hands when they first met; and so as he hasn’t changed, he will continue placing his faith in her as well.

This faith also appears in his relationship with Gnosis. From the very beginning of their friendship, Enciodes has always believed the best of Gnosis. Even when Gnosis sells out Enciodes to kidnappers in a misbegotten attempt to escape Kjerag as a child, Enciodes immediately forgives him and omits Gnosis’s initial role in the whole plot from Olafur so as not to get him into trouble. Instead, he states that Gnosis is his friend—his first true friend, unlike any other, because they share similar thoughts and viewpoints, and because Enciodes sees Gnosis not as a future asset as his tutor told him, but as an equal. He also makes a truly staggering promise with Gnosis of and for the future, a mutual promise that he, again, trusts Gnosis will uphold.

Enciodes and Gnosis have been friends for twenty years, and throughout this time, we see more of the same: Enciodes refuses to believe Gnosis or his family have anything to do with the deaths of his parents; Enciodes forgives Gnosis for his standoffishness and curtness when they reunite in Victoria; Enciodes is perfectly fine with Gnosis’s radical nature during their plot with Viscount Walden, only bidding Gnosis to stay safe; Enciodes ignores majority opinion in making Gnosis his CTO. In fact, an argument can be made that Enciodes has more faith in Gnosis than Gnosis has in himself: even as Gnosis sees himself as a villain, the son of a sinner, an outcast with no home, Enciodes continues to believe the best of him. It’s Gnosis who pushes for the plan of playing the scapegoat while Enciodes wants to discard it, not because Enciodes doesn’t think they can’t pull it off but because he simply doesn’t want Gnosis to worsen his own standing. But even so, unhappy though he may be, Enciodes puts up little resistance, allowing Gnosis to execute this plan, whilst maintaining the faith that Gnosis would never actually become a traitor to him in full.

Enciodes states this most explicitly to Doctor in BI-ST-4:

Enciodes: But I understand him. As long as we share the same purpose, he will not betray me, nor do I need to exchange any information with him while executing a plan. Enciodes: I could sit back and let him employ all his resources in whatever way he deemed efficacious to stymieing the power of the Browntail clan. Destroying the railroad tracks was just a clever trick. Gnosis gained Ratatos's trust, and also blocked access to spies and Messengers from other countries.

Gnosis operates best when he is given free rein to arrange things as he pleases, and it is likely the heart of his comment in BI-2 that he needs “a partner [he] can work with” rather than pawns. It’s here that I must remind gently that in truth, per his RIIC talent, Gnosis was the “hidden mastermind” behind the majority of the events of BI. It was Gnosis who instigated the chain of events leading up to the Snowcap Incident, and Gnosis who took charge of their resources to pull off their coup, heedless of Enciodes’s explicit approval. Enciodes did, in fact, step back and permit Gnosis to take control, reacting to Gnosis’s moves and reading the meaning behind them with their usual silent rapport. Gnosis comments to Enciodes that he is neither Enciodes’s pawn nor underling, but rather, his partner-in-crime, and indeed, Enciodes does not treat him as anything else but a partner, emphasizing repeatedly that it is “[their] undertaking together.”

Gnosis’s module also makes clear that Gnosis (in his mind) is most loyal to his own choices and not Enciodes specifically. If, at any moment, their differing perspectives diverge too much (in other words, if Enciodes loses sight of their mutual dream and goal) and they fail to reach an agreement, then Gnosis will likely cut ties with him. However, they never reach this point emotionally because Enciodes is always figuratively (and literally) holding out his hand towards Gnosis, reminding Gnosis of his own sincerity and their friendship, of their shared dream, of their promise, always with complete calmness and faith that Gnosis will stay beside him—and with faith in Gnosis as well. Faith in Gnosis’s abilities and judgment, but also faith that Gnosis will always choose him, because he is, in turn, choosing Gnosis. Beneath this trust, their friendship remains unbreakable.

And so we see that both Gnosis and Degenbrecher, two strong-willed characters who refuse to allow others to control them, willingly choose to remain by Enciodes’s side and do as he asks. Because he has faith in them. Not only does he treat them both as his genuine and dear friends, which they are, but rather than leashing his two most potent assets and holding their debt over their heads, he allows them freedom to do as they please with the complete assurance that they will never leave him.

Certainly, this is in part because they all share the same goal—Kjerag—and this is what unites them, but I must state that it is actually Enciodes who infected Gnosis and Degenbrecher with his dream of the ideal Kjerag. He shared his thoughts about what Kjerag could be to Gnosis and promised he’d make Kjerag a true home for Gnosis; Gnosis replied that in that case, Kjerag had to be big enough for Enciodes, too, and they would do it together. Enciodes opened Kjerag’s borders to the world and helped the Kjerag people become more tolerant of outsiders; Degenbrecher found herself charmed by the Kjerag people and culture after she sampled it, and was thus loved and accepted by them and found Kjerag to be a place that makes sense to her.

Were it not for Enciodes and his actions, neither Gnosis nor Degenbrecher would make Kjerag their home. Gnosis has yearned for the outside world ever since he was a child and finds Kjerag backwards and stifling, yet he is there to build it up; Degenbrecher continually complains that Kjerag is boring and there are no opponents or challenges there for her, yet she is there happily doing farmwork and copying scripture.

Enciodes’s faith in the ideal Kjerag is so strong that not only does he make it reality by staking everything he has upon it, but he spreads this dream to others as well, either directly through speaking of it as he did with Gnosis or by simply making it manifest as he did with Degenbrecher (and, one may argue, with Harold and Trilby Asher, too). This is even explicitly stated in the description for his newest skin, Never-Melting Ice: “He believed that Kjerag would eventually amaze all the world that would view it,” as well as in RS-ST-3: “There will come a day when people from the outside will know more than just Karlan Trade, see more than just the snow, mountains and valleys. They'll remember the name 'Kjerag'.”

Degenbrecher tells him in RS-ST-3 that now, not only Victoria but also Kazimierz and Columbia have their sights on Kjerag, and that means there will only be more trouble for them in the future, and more people will hate him for bringing chaos to the country. But Enciodes quite happily and contentedly replies, “I don’t care. Let them,” because the ideal Kjerag he's built up can handle anything, the same way the Kjerag he built up achieved its independence. And even if he has to stake everything he has on it in a life-or-death gamble all over again, he'll see that gamble through to the end—not just because he's never lost, but because he wouldn’t do it if he didn’t believe in it down to his very core.

[quasiquack666]

Chapter 322 spoilers

(Screen readers pause now)

1: "For tens of years". Yeah dang these Top Ten fuckers are certainly old. Maybe it's not even the best translation, but... yeah. Wouldn't be surprised if Kayden is actually half Gestella's age, not even just a decade or so difference. This author likes Younger Man x Older Woman tropes even from Noblesse.

2: Seongik got confirmed again as Top 50? But he was already lower Top 50s in previous chapters. Jiyoung makes sense but... again, plot degradation. We didn't even get to see the battle that reevaluated her as Top 50. Fucking sucks.

3: Wait there's actually a Chairman of Baekho? I never recall meeting him before. Nice. AND ONE FOR HALLA TOO?! FINALLY.

4: "Awakeners displaying their power and wanting to rule over non-Awakeners". Yeah Eleceed is quite literally a rip-off of Noblesse. I already knew that but... wow.

5: Lmao Kayden is such a boogeyman. It's actually hilarious.

6: So... yeah, no actual difference between this Kayden basement scene and previous. Except Pluton and Kartein bickering next to him. Not really surprised, just continuously disappointed. *Tallies another disappointment mark on my wall*

7: Why the actual fuck is Gestella just lurking around the house, good fucking lord. It's creepy as shit, she would be a villain for doing that exact same thing if she wasn't already the weird one-sided catfished forced love interest.

8: Gosh I love Mei and Blues, they are such a fun duo. Sibling energy to the max.

9: DUDE DID THEY ACTUALLY DRAW KAYDEN'S CAT FORM BUTTHOLE IN ONE OF THESE PANELS? KAYDEN'S ASS CONFIRMED? I HATE THIS? HAHAHA WE GET KAYDEN ANUS CONFIRMATION BEFORE KAYDEN TIT CONFIRMATION. Dude I will forever be salty that we haven't seen Kayden's nips yet but we've seen some of the fucking minors shirtless.

[ladyduellist]

Epistles of Saints & Sinners

Chapter Summary:

The morning after Tav and Astarion have sex brings up old memories and complicated concerns.

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Story Summary:

When Astarion meets the humble bard, Tav, he soon finds out he's the only one between them that knows they are bound as soulmates through their marks. Deciding it's more trouble than its worth, he refuses to tell her along the course of their journey across Faerûn.

But, unbeknownst to him and their companions, Tav is harboring a gruesome secret that she only thought was nothing more than a traumatized period in her life.

As they both come to face to face with their pasts and presents, will they choose to move forward or let it consume them?

Healing isn’t linear—after all.

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Chapter 10: After

Ao3

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

Main Page & Chapter List

Word Count: 2.9k

Pairing: Astarion x female bard Tav

CW: Torture, Abuse, Mention of Torture Devices, Sexual References, Act 1 Spoilers

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The spawn will need rules—lessons—to follow by. Just as Vellioth handed to me, so shall I hand to my creations. My future, beautiful thrall. The time grows near to choose who will do my bidding, to usher in the rite. Ones that value their lives beyond mortality’s chains. Even to exchange it for an eternally damned life. It will take time. Centuries worth. But, they will do my bidding. My dark children. My slaves. My sacrifices.

Let my first lesson guide them:

First, thou shalt not drink of the blood of thinking creatures.

— Cazador Szarr ‘The Avid’, journal entry 1280

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Astarion Ancunín.

From the moment he was turned into a vampire, he was reminded by his sire that he had been chosen. Chosen for his rare picturesque appearance. Chosen for the allure of his social noblesse towards mankind. Chosen to masquerade as a courtesan.

Over and over again was it repeated, until the pale elf believed it to be a treasured gift from his master.

It had taken the better part of six years, forcing Astarion to learn how to control his hunger for thinking creatures. Cazador kept his spawn held captive within rooms—he affectionately referred to as ‘the kennels’—of cages and torture devices. A claustrophobic scent of blood and decayed animal fluids long having permeated into the floors like a sedative sitting beneath a tongue.

But, his creations had a role to play! Obedient mutts to play fetch for his fertile ghastly mechanisms. He trained them with bugs and rats to curb their appetites, whilst feasting on mortals in front of them. When the spawn would flinch or show their hunger towards a human, Cazador wasted no time in having his servant of bones ready a pair of red-hot pliers.

Twist, pull, burn. Twist, pull, burn.

Fingers. Nipples. Eyelids. Tongues. Cauterized and ripped open in the room that would be their confessional.

“I am your creator. Your father. The priest to hear your penitence. CONFESS! Hast thou lusted after the blood of thinking creatures?” Cazador would scrutinize.

Eventually, the vampire spawn learned. Oh, they always learned. Who they belonged to. Who held the leash that tightened around their mendicant necks. Always sniveling until they learned to smile and appreciate their master for the welfare he bequeathed upon them.

Astarion's fear and resilience drove him, unlike the other spawn. He would not relent to slip entirely into the madness of the night. And because of his choices to defy his master—when he was not around to compel him right away—the consequences for disobeying the coven’s lessons would result in a barbarity far worse than he could ever imagine.

Lacey and Wymonde were their names.

Two victims within the first decade of Astarion becoming a vampire spawn.

Two victims he became enamored with.

Two victims that would create two of the worst memories in his immortal life.

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Lacey. Good-humored, sunny, feisty, Lacey. An unmarried half-elf woman at the age of 42. A baker who inherited a pastry shop in Baldur’s Gate from her human mother.

During year eight of Astarion’s new unlife as a vampire, he noticed her for the first time on his way back to the Crimson Palace after a failed hunt for Cazador. Hauling poorly sealed bags of powdered sugar into her business from the alleyway, it looked like snow was falling in the middle of summer. She was covered in it—angelically so.

He stared at her from the shadows for far longer than anticipated, wondering if the wings of aasimars resembled such purity as the woman’s ringlets garnished in the soft confection. And then, she greeted him roughly, voice lively as a worker bee.

”Saer—are you going to just stand there drooling like a lout or are you going to volunteer to help?”

Astarion shouldn’t have helped her that night. Her bold humor in acknowledging his presence and asking for such a brainless task made him feel more human than nearly every evening he spent in his immortal life thus far. She never once addressed his handsome face, instead taking a genuine interest in him as a man.

Lacey rendered him speechless with her intellect. She belonged in a college as a professor, teaching the youths of their age! Yet, this life was the one that she chose. Perhaps for her it wasn’t ideal, but he admired how she made the most of her situation. There was a degree of strength Astarion tore from it, like a bandit running off with fortunes in his pockets, until he realized he had become genuinely attracted to her. She retained care behind her shining eyes he wanted to own, to sequester beneath the soils of his spirit.

Five nights in a row he visited her. Conversations often leading into topics the vampire slowly started to forget about from his previous life, but she managed to temporarily unearth them for him to relish. Everything she spoke about was wrapped in her warm positivity. She had unintentionally given him hope.

It was the beginning of a relationship. A forbidden intimacy only they knew about. One to possess as his alone; one to nourish.

On the fifth night, he brought her a bouquet of fresh flowers: an invitation for romance. After she closed up for the day, he slept with her in the back room of her shop. Propped up on the edge of a table, corset haphazardly unlaced, Astarion thrust into her slowly. They kissed each other in a display that seesawed into a fit of inferred emotions until dawn.

The next evening, she disappeared.

And he knew.

The following night, Cazador shackled Astarion to the prayer cross torture device. His limbs were not allowed to straighten; he was sleep deprived for several more evenings. Punishment for allowing himself to belong to another aside from his master.

Until she finally appeared.

His angel of hope: Lacey.

Brought secretly to the palace by his siblings. A reparation for his sins.

Cazador drained Lacey wholly of her blood, compelling the spawn to watch as his lover died before his eyes. Then, he flung her body to the creatures in the foul sewers of the undercity to consume.

Through Astarion’s exhaustion, his screams became hoarse recollections. Those that were attached forever to the brief season of possible love, now belonging to the destitute plane he started to feel within his oppressed consciousness.

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Wymonde. Loyal, persevering, darling, Wymonde. With paladin oaths scarred upon his hands and a wondrous sense of courage. A young human man with a naivety typically carried over into the early stage of adulthood.

Ah, was he ever beautiful. Skin smooth, unblemished, with the faint trickling of rosiness upon his cheeks. Tall and muscular. His virginity—not yet taken. The perfect victim for the master the spawn were enslaved to serve.

It was at the end of Astarion’s first decade as an undead, that he bumped into the man—quite literally. Wymonde had been sitting on steps leading down to the docks, gawking at the stars above, when the vampire tripped over him in the dark. Instead of offering a wayward apology to him, the human conceded with his knowledge of astrology—a strange bid given Wymonde’s nature as a country yokel from some distant farmland.

With the stars as their guide, the man extrapolated upon his preferred constellations and what they meant to the denizens of Faerûn. Astarion mostly sat in silence, listening to legends of the pictorials in the back-lit canopy beyond their reach. The paladin expressed the weight of his loneliness he carried with him since he entered into duty with the blade. They squeezed one another’s hands, knowing of their shared sentiment resulting from their hardships.

In the moment, they were just allowed to be.

This would be the last time Astarion felt a sense of connection to the living.

Impulsively, he kissed Wymonde tenderly. He had not attempted to jeopardize himself with the fanciful whims of indulging in an affair since Lacey’s death. The act scared him in such a way, that he ran in lieu of delivering the unsuspecting man to his demise.

But, he belonged to Cazador. There would be no escape.

And as the djinn of malevolence danced on his master’s back—aiding him with instructions of scourge—it was decided Astarion would be sealed, unfed and alone, inside of an ancient tomb for a year.

Buried alive. The vessel of his body, raw out of desperation to scratch his way out. Silence. Wishing for death. Months of nightmares. Starvation.

There would be no heroes to rescue him. No mercy granted. No gods that would answer his prayers. Sadistically imprisoned for the contrition of his conscience.

Astarion would never disobey again.

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The sun’s fountain on his skin had become a verb for Astarion.

It would not mend his centuries of torture, but it was the harbinger of a freedom he thought no longer existed. His hope disintegrated in that impenetrable tomb all those years ago; he didn’t understand the meaning of the word anymore. Not fully. Astarion’s story was no longer about hope: it was about self-preservation.

So, he stood beneath the kindling sphere of flame to soak up the authority and knowledge that predated mankind, that the sun was the only natural force in the universe he would allow himself to trust. No longer was it gods he made his supplications, but it was this daystar he could worship above all else. Should he decide to fly towards its rays of luminescence with wings made of wax, he would gladly allow them to melt for one final grace of its burst of gold upon his flesh.

With dusted flakes of gold printed into his hands, Beneath the watchful gaze of the fiery star, He finds respite in its rusted hues. The realms aglow, kissed by its streams. A catharsis found, until the shadows do rage.

“Good morning,” Tav yawned from behind him.

With his arms outstretched, eyes closed, he continued to bask in the lustrous beams. “And here I was thinking you’d sleep longer after last night’s activities.”

“I mean, I did pass out as soon as I—we were done,” she laughed.

Astarion could hear her heart speeding up. She was most likely blushing, perhaps remembering their passionate evening together.

“Yes, well, when you’ve had a lover such as me, it’s only natural you’d overexert yourself,” he boasted.

The bard shuffled on the ground, leaves crunching from her movements. Her breathing seemed changed, as if she were deciding on her next move in a game of lanceboard.

“Astarion? Maybe I was mistaken, but you didn’t seem fully there during the act. The first night we fooled around in your tent, I thought I saw the same distance in your eyes,” she hesitated with her voice considerately. “And gods—I’m embarrassed to even bring this up—but you also didn’t…you know…finish. Which is fine and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever, it’s just—”

Bedding a bard was a rarity for him. They were able to spellbind with their lyrical flattery, even better than he at times, acutely aware of his trickery with his soothing tongue. A troublesome group better left in the dust.

Except, for her.

She was far too intuitive for her own sake, lacking the ignorant tact to have less perception about the world around her. The explorer with a fine-tooth comb, running it through the varied remnants of him.

He craned his neck to acknowledge her, eyes indifferent. “You wish to talk? As in, having a conversation about sex? Adorable. Darling, there is nothing to say, except that, yes, I held back intentionally to focus on your pleasure before I lost control. Need I remind you that during your orgasmic relief, it was my name you cried from your lips. So, apparently, it must not have been too much of a concern.”

“It is a concern to me though. Your thoughts and emotions mean something. To put it more plainly: If I’m not what you want or if this isn’t what you’re interested in after all, we can end it right now,” she replied firmly.

Astarion sighed heavily, moving further into the sunlight. “See, this is exactly why your little meddlesome ploys seats us in the predicaments they do. There is no need to ruin our little ventures into each other's portfolios. We’ve already stated what this is meant to be—let us leave it at that.”

“But, ‘Starion—” the songstress started before he interrupted.

“Tsk. Now, none of that. Shall we get on soon? I’d like to depart before those dreadful tieflings come back to my tent again to thank me for saving their tails.”

Suddenly, he felt her looming near him. He knew by that stuttering heart drum of hers, that she was not done with her interrogations. That she had seen in full view the raised scars etched on his back, like a crest he carried for the Szarr family. Damn her all to hell!

Tav studied him, lightly stepping nearer. “This—this is what I felt last night?”

“A poem from my old master. He fancied himself as quite the artist and carved it with a lot of revisions over the span of a night,” he told her hollowly, trying to restrain the anguish in his tone.

“Have you ever seen it? The script looks familiar…Inferno maybe?”

The vampire sharply turned to face her. She looked disheveled—a sloven mess. Hair wild. Dried blood smeared on her cheeks and neck. The fluids of their lust, still preserved on her inner thighs. It was unlike him to leave a tryst in such a state. Providing thorough aftercare had been an essential rule to follow when it came to seducing his conquests.

Yet, he was prepared to leave her alone in the forest, naked and dirtied. Why?

The answer was transparent. So much so, it consumed him, making his blood run colder than chilled bones. People didn’t see him—not really. But, Tav, she wanted to see him. See beyond the fog of his existence that lurked in passing witching hours. And it bothered him. Enough to leave her there to turn tail and put as many miles between them as he could muster.

“Inferno? Gods. The bastard was demented, so who knows. Oh, but I’m sure grabbing a mirror to look at it will solve all my problems!”

The bard bit at her lips—as she was wont to do—acclimating to a serious matter. “Maybe if I took another look at it, I could help you somehow.”

“I think not. You’ve seen enough already,” he snapped.

But, she was the Bathsheba tempting him with her bathes to wipe parts of him onto her and behold his burdens. It nearly forced a piece of him to crack.

“No one is going to harm you here,” she softly reassured him.

Rich scarlet flooded his vision as it orbited around her. She waited patiently in front of him with that same pitiful kindness behind her eyes that she extended to nearly everyone. He turned his head away, uninterested in bearing the weight of her concern for him.

Then, their worms were twisting together, forcing a psionic connection without their permission.

“No! Do not try to dredge up the past, Tav,” Astarion absconded as he severed the link.

Disoriented, she shook her head. “The tadpoles must have done so of their own volition. I wouldn’t have ever tried to pry into your past without your consent, Astarion. I swear it.”

“You seem to have misplaced your accountability, my sweet, or have you already chosen to shoo away our other recent incident when you tried to connect during our pleasant encounter with Raphael?” he snarled defensively, throwing up his hands.

“That was different. I was trying to protect you,” Tav urged, inching closer.

Astarion backed away from her. He didn’t know how to communicate to her what was coursing rabidly through his mind. But, there was the trickling of his body feeling an unknown he could not recall ever harboring. A reclamation of his autonomy he was straining to identify.

“Well, nothing to sate your entertainment like the tragic backstory of the beautiful vampire. How blatantly cliché,” he deflected sarcastically. “Perhaps you can write about it in an upcoming song! Please do remember to give me some credit.”

Her face was covered in splotches of reddish pink. A mist wettening over her sight. Remorse filled the fine lines around her mouth, but she also seemed… frustrated.

Did he really mean to widen this chasm between them while trying to maintain his security with her?

“I’m sorry about the incident with Raphael; it will never happen again,” she admitted coolly, avoiding his gaze.

Tav dressed herself quietly, doing what she could for her appearance. Astarion watched her intently. She was a fool to linger around him. He was a fool to allow her to probe to the extent she had.

“We should head back to camp.”

She nodded, smoothing down the last parts of her skirts. But, before she turned to leave, she stood before him in her observing stillness. Her empathetic valor crashing against him with the tremoring cadence of her cardiac organ. An unparalleled flicker in their time together.

Astarion blinked several times, processing what he had just witnessed. Yes, he could be a crude and brusque man—he was aware of his derisive tendencies. Yet, while she stared at him, he saw his sorrow eclipsing her eyes like the ashes from palm leaves. And for a second, he could have sworn his hunger for blood was replaced with a longing for affection he had locked away in that burial chamber, along with his memories of Lacey and Wymonde.

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

Starting my little question rounds again, but this time I'm asking about people's Rooks! And since I don't really know much about anyone's anything (been avoiding spoilers like the plague), I'll just start with the basics:

Who is your Rook? What class did you pick for them and why? How did they end up with the background you choose? Please do add a picture!

Bonus question: Got any little "fun facts" about them? :3c

WHEE thank you again for starting this up! I'm so excited to see all of the answers. :>

This loser is Moritani "Mori" Ingellvar, one of only a scant handful of dwarves to ever wander their way into the embrace of the Mourn Watch. She was found by the resident dead of the Ingellvar family crypt as a baby, and given over to be raised by the still-living members up until her very early teens. They did this more out of a sense of noblesse oblige than out of any particular love for the little foundling girl, but they were never cruel or callous, and their respectful distance only served to give Mori a deep sense of curiosity for her own beginnings.

This curiosity led to repeated escapes from the family estate to go explore the Necropolis, both the public AND the restricted areas, until it became clear that she was simply not going to be stopped from spending her free time there. So eventually everyone just sort of shrugged at each other, and some of the scholars of the Mourn Watch began to give her impromptu lessons whenever she appeared --- which, naturally, meant that her appearances became more frequent.

Thus empowered, Mori spent most of her early years running absolutely rampant through the Necropolis. Respectful as a penitent saint towards the interred dead but absolutely ravenous for information about them, she would explore any room that was open to her, listen to any story that was offered, and overall displayed a sort of fearless love that made the Watchers who encountered her regularly particularly fond of her. By the time she was entering her teens properly, it was clear that she would be joining their ranks in some capacity.

"In some capacity" was a big question, though. Her lack of magical talent meant that conventional positions in the Watch were not really open to her, and despite her deep love for the lived history of the Necropolis's interred dead, it was clear that she didn't have the temperament of a scholar. Someone up top must have seen the benefit of a Watcher who was immune to possession and had the vigor of a proper warrior though, because eventually they lined up a curriculum of history and ritual-learning and daily exercise, and they put a sword in her hand.

If asked, Mori will admit that she still spent no small amount of her time doing menial physical labor alongside the working dead as they helped to clear the Necropolis's shifting halls, and she will admit that she has most of the rituals and rites memorized simply because that was one of the few things that she was regularly able to help with in peaceful times, but you will never catch her complaining about it. She loves her home, and served it happily and with unshakable pride.

At least, until they kicked her out LMAO.

[hpowellsmith]

Spoilery ask and answer about Pascha and their family from Noblesse Oblige:

Really complicated and regretful. They would realise that they handled everything really badly. Queen Mirela would rather not admit that, openly at least. Consort Youcef is devastated. I could actually see them breaking up in the aftermath.

It has been a really difficult time (especially if Rosario didn't marry the Creme MC because Pascha's half-sibling Darian was getting married to them and if what happened with Pascha came out, Queen Mirela and her consorts are well aware that the wedding would be off). Rosario or no, sending Pascha to Teteriuk and trying to sweep everything under the rug was them acting in an absolute panic rather than acting to support Pascha, who whatever you think about their culpability has gone through A Lot, compensate Frantisek's family in any way (though obviously nothing would bring him back), or help bring closure to anyone involved.

(The secret villains of Noblesse Oblige are bad mental healthcare and a bad justice system.)

I can see them trying to track Pascha and the MC down. Maybe they would find them, maybe they would be able to disappear and build a life for themselves. If they did find them, I'm not sure what would happen: I think a lot would depend on how Pascha and the MC were feeling and how they would handle it.

[teodorawitchblade]

Noblesse Ending Explained

I've seen on Reddit new people coming into the fandom and they're confused about what happened at the end. I've explained this before a few times, but I will do it again for the new people. (Make sure to read everything)

Spoilers ahead.

In the spin-off series ("Rai's Adventure"), at the end, it's revealed that the "Tears of God" have the power of revival. And at the end of the main series, after the Nobles are hit by the missiles, you can see these "Tears of God" everywhere. So they all got revived supposedly by the Gods.

(Here it shows how the Tears of God have revived everyone in the spin-off:)

(And here is the exact moment after the Nobles have been hit by the missiles:)

Frankenstein doesn't know this because he didn't participate in the spin-off, reason why his last line was talking about finding out how they are all alive. Only Raizel knows what happened.

On Wikia it says that the Tears of God is the Blood Stone and Raizel is the keeper. So the second option would've been that Raizel used the power of the Blood Stone two times to revive everyone including himself. Maybe that's what the author meant by saying Raizel has "Phoenix-like" powers. Because he's the only one that can revive using the Blood Stone.

[entamesubs]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! Episodes 105 Sub Release

Torrent

Support us on ko-fi

Please make sure to read the FAQ if you have any questions.

There are translation notes below, so spoilers ahead.

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信呼吸 Noblesse

Yes, it is also a pun on "no breath", considering "breath" was Tiger's thing from SEVENS.

Noblesse is from noblesse oblige, the idea that those who are privileged should be generous, noble, and responsible to those who are less privileged. That nobility is not merely gained through blood, but social status and good acts.

Taken apart, the kanji mean individual things that are part of what a "Noblesse" is in canon.

信 can mean trust, sincerity, honesty, and (religious) devotion. 呼 can mean to call out or cry out. 吸 can mean to inhale, or (magnetic) attraction.

呼吸 together means breath. It can also mean harmony and peace, relating to how the voice of a Noblesse can settle disputes.

Anyway, the kanji is not how any of those kanji are individually read no matter how you slice it. This is what's known as a "forced reading" - they slap kanji together that look cool, but force a completely different reading in the furigana to name it something else.

Now I'm going to take the time to recommend a fun song for you. Be sure to turn on captions.

[catusbeanius]

Decided to branch out and take notes on my Riddle vignettes! So, here are some Riddle tidbits (I have all his cards aside from his birthday jacket and tsumsitter, sadly :(. Also, why doesn't masquerade riddle have a vignette smh. Gave me a heart attack thinking I never got him)

Tidbit 16:

Riddles calls himself the "King of Heartslabyul" (Suitor Suit vignette pt 2), yet he still appreciates the powerful femininity of the Queen. He says he enjoys the way heels make him stand taller and how the clacks catch everyone's attention (Halloween vignette pt 3)

Tidbit 17:

He shows his insecurities on his sleeve.

In his Suitor Suit vignette pt 1, he mentions to Malleus how the princess won't like him because he's short (he also mentions this in the regular event). He doesn't want Kalim sharing anything about his low P.E score (P.E uniform vignette) and he assumes Vil is making fun of his athletic ability when he was just trying to compliment Riddle in heels (Halloween vignette pt 1-2)

Tidbit 18:

He initially assumes everyone understands things the same way he does, but he can grasp other methods fairly easily.

In his Dorm Uniform vignette (spoiler for the whole plot, if you care), he's trying to help Cater pass his exam and initially gives him a 300 page study guide to memorize in a week. He gets very upset when Cater can't even pass the table of contents, but Trey tells him to think about it from a different perspective. He asks Riddle what method he'd use to eat his least favorite foods, and Riddle responds that he'd dilute it or eat it alongside something he does enjoy. He quickly comes up with a way to help Cater study (through Magicam tags).

Imo, this means he's learned to be open-minded and to listen to people before collaring them immediately (however his gut reaction is still anger)

Tidbit 19:

Kind of in conjunction with the last tidbit, but Riddle is not very confident in things he hasn't mastered. Namely, cooking. He follows directions unquestioningly (can also be seen as his strict rule-following).

Riddle trusts Lilia with only mild-skepticism when he tells him how to make soup (Labwear vignette). I don't know for sure what he put in it, but Lilia tells him to make a strawberry tart soup. Lilia tells him to min-max the nutrients and Riddle is like, "Really? Okay... I guess that makes sense."

Tidbit 19.25

I gotta yap about Diasomnia ONCE, okay?? /j

Anyway, I noticed Lilia was very good at making things understandable for Riddle while cooking. When something was up to Riddle's preference, he basically explained it as, "what do YOU like in food," and, "how much would Trey realistically eat?"

Analyzing TWST vignettes has proven that they are VERY careful and purposeful with who they have interact. Knowing Lilia in his general days, it's very obvious that HE struggled with similar things. Very different circumstances, but they're both loosely following rules/orders to survive. They both grew up in tense environments without the tools for self expression and self understanding.

Does that make any sense??? I think it does.

Tidbit 19.5

I gotta yap about Mally, too.

He talks with Riddle in his Suitor Suit vignette and we learn about his ideals in a king!!

He says Riddle's character is befitting of a king (quickly acting to save his dorm mates) and laments how he can't do the same (since he can't marry a princess willy-nilly). Flash forward to his overblot... Yeah, makes sense. He wants to be a good king/son/student/brother/boyfie, idk (talking about the MC not Diasomnia ftr) and he assumes trapping them from harm is the best way.

Tidbit 19.75

Also, why does Riddle say "noblesse oblige" is a philosophy of the "Realm of Roses??" (in the Suitor Suit vignette again)

As far as I know, the Queendom is never referred to as the Realm of Roses & the translation on the Japanese wiki is the Queendom as well. Idk what's going on.

That's it for my Riddle tidbits! Idk who I'll do tomorrow, but I'm planning on spotlighting a different character every day. I might just do Riddle's voicelines (or I'll do those tonight, who knows). Maybe leave a comment/ask for a suggestion? I can't guarantee a quality tidbit post since this is only based on my vignettes. I also wanna try rereading the entirety of TWST and taking notes (idr if I mentioned that before) but especially Leona's, Azul's, and Jamil's overblots bc I know an embarrassing little amount about them. I only discovered critical thinking the past few years /j

Anyway!! Until next time BD