#all bc this hell country prioritizes profit over people

[docmerlin]

public perception on illness has shifted so far that people think i'm insane for not wanting to hug them when they're visibly sick but if they see a medical mask in any context they freak the fuck out

[valentianking]

// Some of my own self-indulgent questions: Where does Alm live post-game, and if it's in Zofia Castle, what does he do with Rigel Castle? How badly does Alm flub his leadership (or not) upon taking the throne for the first time? What are his biggest anxieties post-game? What issues does he prioritize first?

how dare u say fuck off cousin and then do this!!

Where does Alm live post-game, and if it’s in Zofia Castle, what does he do with Rigel Castle? 

Out of comfort’s sake, he goes straight to Zofia Castle immediate postgame — well, as immediate as… it gets with Alm realizing he won’t go back home to Ram.  It takes him some adjusting to living in an overlarge (to him) structure and new lifestyle. The architecture style is also what’s more familiar to him, as well as the city square makes him feel more belonged in the cultural sense.  Gonna have to ask for @priestessofmila  ‘s input, but perhaps they stay at the Zofia Castle for approximately three to five years, then build a true Capital City for One Kingdom closer to the border river and they relocate the castle there to reside in, it’s not set in stone yet, though.

With Rigel Castle, it’s… trickier.  The place makes Alm depressed if he stays there too long, the heavy and gloomy air weigh down his heart and he doesn’t like it too much.  Though, those are his initial reactions to being there the first few times, until he gets more familiar with the atmosphere.  From instincts and missions alone, Alm visits infrequently anyway [I’ll continue on this segment in a below question].

As for what they do with Rigel Castle… um, that’s a good question (I was hoping you’d present the idea because Berkut omg). Alm heeds Masenna / Zeke / Mycen / Berkut’s advice more so than his own ideas on what to do with it. Turn it into a secondary home for the monarchs in the summer season or into a concentrated military base and training grounds would be Alm’s first thoughts, as he sure the hell isn’t going to let anyone take over it when it belonged to his father’s royal family.  If Bekut wanted the castle for himself as his preferred shelter, Alm can’t really stop him.

How badly does Alm flub his leadership (or not) upon taking the throne for the first time?

Not too badly, actually.  His kingly leadership comes out as trying, maybe above average when he starts.  He’s certainly taken a lot of his people’s inputs for policies, serving capital punishment on what is just, lifting or passing laws at the beginning while he learns the ropes to do so on his own.  It’s not to say they need to hold his hand—he takes the options upon himself (or together with Queen Celica) and pick what’s best.  Oftentimes, it’s difficult since not only does he have to make the ex-Zofians happy, he has to consider ex-Rigelians’ satisfaction, too.

What are his biggest anxieties post-game?

The RIGELIANS.  The pressure to act as their guidance unquestioned and be utmost compassionate to the very same populace he subjugated in his invasions?  It’s such a polarizing idea he’d never consider or want to take if he had the choice.  The Rigelians look at him expecting the second-coming of Rudolf I from a child who only found out he’s crown prince of Rigel the same day as them.  Alm can take to his true heritage easier if he could just take it and make peace with it as a part of his past — but they don’t allow him to, he is all they have left for a named ruler by Rudolf’s word.

So yeah, that’s why I can imagine Alm infrequently visiting Rigel Castle, he assimilates himself to understanding their culture to feel more Rigelian to his heritage, and have a better grasp of their outlook on a personal level as he does Zofia’s.  So he looks for Berkut everywhere for this… until he learns he’s fucking g-o-n-e.

He’s going to get mad and envy Berkut once he finds out he left bc sure yeah Berkut has the freedom and right to do so…  Alm wants his vacation pilgrimage too you pudding cup ass!!

What issues does he prioritize first?

Assimilating the two countries into one would be his main project, that’ll turn into a side project once he learns the hard way it’ll have a slow effect.  Getting Zofians and Rigelians to warm up to each other won’t be easy, the malignancy will just have to wither away over time.

His next top priorities would go, in no solid order:

Giving commonborns a chance to go wherever they want, even in nobles-only ranks (as SoV’s ending contests to happening??) 

Helping repair for the damages either the Deliverance or the old armies caused, repair Mila’s Temple (as Celica likely would want).

Help Celica advocate for Jesse’s mercenary kingdom for the social butterfly effect, they both profit.

Alm’s… “hunting expeditions” to Rigel (see the question above haha), more so a quest than a self-serving personal one.