#and surely not to the point of having them on their MONARCH'S crown?

[whosthere54]

Ok ok ok Royal au Royal au ararararah

now to yap about my Royal au cause I’m normal. (Longer post- I just infodump about my AU basically-)

So what I have in drafts is all mainly brothers or prison duo centric, as if you know my fics I usually write from Icarus’s perspective on things. The main ships I would be focusing on are ghaae, nightingstar, Wolftross, and then prison duo- but I have cameos of all of the cannon ships of course. I’m gonna kind of just go through and explain roles of my main guys tho- so hope you like this as a sort of starting summary? I guess?

Icarus is the crown prince of the gilded kingdom. Basically the other full representative of the overworld who’s not Fable. Basically, they are heir to the throne, have to maintain a public image, help Fable out with royal duties and pretty much prepare to be the next monarch to ensure a smooth transition if “mortal king Fable” passes away. (He can’t die- I’ll get to that maybe- but yknow. God.)

I’ll talk about Isla and things later in this post, so I won’t mention it now- but yeah. Icarus is the only heir to the gilded kingdom.

Centross is Icarus’s bodyguard (yes I’m going down that road for the prison duo content. I’m so unpredictable /silly/sarc/lh) Royal guard? Close enough probably. Which- idk if I have to get into what he does. I think you can assume. Protection stuff. He was a former assassin, having used to work with Enderian. I’m doing a cliche maybe- but- yknow- he was sent to kill Icarus, ended up unable to do so… so now he’s a bodyguard for them instead of going back to Enderian. (There’s probably a promise of mutual protection somewhere- I’m sure Icarus would not have let Fable give them a bodyguard before then, and when he did they’d make it everyone’s problem- instead wanting to prove they could protect themself. There’s something there. Yeah.)

Wolftross is yes a thing, I think they were probably together for a while- maybe not long after he first became a royal guard. At Icarus’s request, he can visit Fenris whenever he wants probably. Easton replaces him when he’s gone (even after he became blind- at Icarus’s request he will continue that role. They trust him- and he’s capable.)

In the one thing I wrote, I gave him end features as well. I’m moreso debating on that- but I think it’d be a cool thing as a byproduct of being one of Enderian’s closest advisors and trusted assasin. Or- I give them to him later when he gets to be god. He gets them at some point- for me.

Rae is the crown prince of the end kingdom- full representative of the end that is not Enderian. I’d think she gives him more freedom than Icarus gets from fable, her being the end mother she is. She did have the same I guess cruel past that she does in cannon- I’m trying to figure out how I’m translating s1 into this AU still, and maybe you’ll get a oneshot of that eventually. Atleast the prison arc- of course. He left the gilded kingdom (either with Isla, or later on his own I have drafts for. But- probably with Isla) and lived with Isla for a bit- she runs for help from soul and things like in cannon and she helps hide them for a bit. Though- Isla ends up having Rae stay with Enderian. She probably stays as long as she can without compermising Rae’s safety, but maybe gets caught by Fable eventually.

Fenris is Rae’s bodyguard. He is a former general for the Nether’s army, just like in cannon. (I have to rewatch some of his lore before confidently talking about how he gets to become Rae’s bodyguard, so I’m sorry I won’t have too much info at the moment <3)

He becomes Rae’s bodyguard later- Enderian probably heard of his reputation as “the wolf” and hired him. (May try to include the wolf arc- but am again, trying to figure out how to integrate it.)

Now- basic plot summary? Something of the sort? Yeah. Some random details too cause I have no one train of thought ever and am just writing whatever I think of down. /lh

So for some backstory- Islas story is basically the same as in lore. But it changes for that bit after Rae was born just to adhere to the different circumstances Royal AU brings to the table. So, Rae grows a bit before Isla takes him and runs in this AU- he’s older, couldn’t tell you how old (age is a lie/silly/j) but just. A child. She notices how he’s being treated by Fable, takes him and leaves. She doesn’t take Icarus. There’s a lot of consideration for that fact- of course there is. Their her child. But- they’re not close, Fable makes sure of that. They spend most of their time with him, and their his heir after all. Their disappearance would be the worst to explain. So she doesn’t take them with her.

She takes Rae, and over the course of a few years- stays in a sort of safe house like in cannon, learns the things she does there, goes to soul for help, all that stuff. But she ends up taking Rae to Enderian, he becomes crown prince. She stays with them until it compromises Rae’s safety. Fable finds her, she doesn’t give away that she’d stayed with Enderian and that stays secret for a long time. Fable finds her, messes with her memories and things (he’s messed with Icarus’s too at this point- probably erasing Rae entirely) end she goes into a coma. He locks her away, Icarus doesn’t even know she’s here- and ends up having no memories of her anyways. Only fable knows where she’s locked away. Some tower in the castle sleeping beauty style probably.

Rae grows up in the end kingdom, Icarus grows up in the overworld.

Rae meets Caspian in the end prison- advocating for his freedom and things. He gets him a place in the end kingdom, and they get together at a peaceful festival in the overworld. That is an annual festival- Rae meets aax and takes her there too. He and Cas talk- and probably end up asking Aax out there too- making a whole day out of it probably. It’s a tradition for them, after all.

Aax lives with Cas, and Rae stays with them on weekends? Mayhaps? Something like that. He’s allowed to visit them whenever.

I like to think maybe Cas helps Athena and Bruin run the bakery on occasion. Bed and breakfast. Idk. Rae is definelty still the taste tester on Aax safe foods. And also a waiter on opening day for multiple reasons- one, it’s funny- two, yknow. Royal press. Media(?) purposes. Yknow what I mean hopefully.

Also- end kingdom I think had parts in the overworld and end? Like- overworld has the stronghold portal as the center and then made a kingdom around that, and then there’s an end part of the kingdom. This was probably a result of a peace treaty Isla had led years before between the realms after the war. Because badass mother deserves it. But to explain that- yeah. I think the Nether doesn’t- but has a trading hub spreading through portals and things. Yknow. Just not kingdom- I think the overworld is still more cold to people from the nether so. No kingdom. But portals can be made anywhere instead of having just one like the end, so that makes sense.

Gilded kingdom is just the biggest kingdom in the overworld areas we know- as Fable is the god of creation. I just have cool ideas for kingdom designs. May build them in Minecraft actually who knows- (if I do I will in fact post the pictures)

The Aether kingdom was a thing for souls and stuff as it was in cannon, but fell the same way. Alerion and Will live peacefully in one of the overworld kingdoms living normal lives away from everything, as they deserve.

A lot of the fable characters probably lives in the overworld, and just travel between realms.

Athena’s house probably has an area like his lab, where half is in the overworld and half is in the nether. If not, maybe their bed and breakfast- or atleast she has some nether bakery locations maybe with nether specific treats! Cause I think they deserve it and I just think it’d be cool.

Will has a cartographers shop in his village- like a cartographer villager type thing.

Rae has his archives he runs in his kingdom, there are two- one in the overworld part and one in the nether.

Starbarks definelty exists, does Fenris cannonly in this AU run all of the businesses he runs in actual cannon? Probably not. Do they exist? Probably.

Ven works as a close advisor for Fable, and Ari is hired as a knight or general of a sort for fable. Maybe more like a spy. Cat scratch records exist probably.

The world sisters do exist, most likely- (logistically if this was like a alternate “fable raises Icarus AU” they probably wouldn’t but I can do what I want and I say they’re here cause I love them- /silly)

Addie- Addie idk- maybe they work on like a night shift for the archives? Or like as an intern.

Ulysses- idk where to put Ulysses. Oh you silly fish man you. I will incorporate all the telchin stuff, definetly, I think just think of the cannon lore for that one.

Also- Quixis is there somewhere. Probably not in the same way for plot- but gotta include them in every au somehow /silly

Yeah. Royal AU. I’m eepy so I shut up- but hope you like my rambling ig idk-

I didn’t realize y’all enjoyed this au that much- I appreciate all the excitement about it /gen tehe <3

[bwaldorf]

question: when they were showing the zoom-in of viserys's crown in daemon's vision, why was the martell sigil there??? they're not even a part of westeros yet 😭 so like why tf would the king of WESTEROS have a dornish house on his crown

[kaiserin-erzsebet]

I would LOVE to hear more gripes about accuracy of portrayal of historical monarchies!!!

I have been wanting to do this for a while, because there is a lot that irks me. And this ranges across board from big budget period dramas to how people write royalty AUs, which means this isn't one specific thing I'm pointing at. And if it is helpful on a writing tips level, I'll be happy with that.

Long post under the cut:

Disclaimers:

I research 19th century European history, which has a lot of questions about what a monarchy is and why they continue to exist. That's the perspective I am bringing to this.

I probably shouldn't have to say this, but: this is not about modern monarchism. This is about history. I don't want to debate whether you think certain countries should continue to have their monarchs be public figures who are only nominally head of state.

The short version:

Monarchies are institutions. They are part of how the government functions and that should have implications for how someone writes them. A monarch is a person with a built in job that they were born into.

Monarchies are not all absolute. They can exist in a multiple forms with very different structures, and often discontent within a monarchy wants to reform the system not replace it.

My biggest advice would be this: figure out how your fictional or historical monarchy is structured. You don't have to exposit about it, but you do need to know it.

The long version:

The King has a job and there is a right and wrong way to do it.

Fantasy monarchies that draw upon history seem to have Versailles in mind in terms of an aesthetic space and royalty with a lot of power over the people around them. This also includes a lot of lounging around and looking pretty and doing lavish things. However, the issue is that this is a mental image of the dysfunction in the French monarchy close to the revolutions. You can't "Après moi, le déluge" through several centuries of government.

A King (or Queen) has a job, a really important one. They are the head of state, the highest authority in the country, and the highest judge on legal matters. At least in the platonic ideal of absolute monarchy, those jobs being concentrated into one person means their responsibility and good judgement will give the state stability and consistently.

Enlightened absolutism was exactly that: monarchs staunchly holding onto the ideals of the Enlightenment and making reforms from the top down. People who read texts about ideal government and natural rights and put it into practice.

A lot of fiction takes that and goes: Oh, so they have unlimited power and can do whatever they want. Being king means you can do what you want without oversight? That's why someone would want to be king?

And yeah, sure, in theory. But the problem with having a job is that you can do it poorly and people will object to you doing it poorly. If someone is not fulfilling obligations, it is noticeable because the state functions poorly. The premise of Robin Hood is that the king is doing his job poorly. He's overtaxing, the officials are corrupt, there's disorder. The solution? Bring back the true king who is good and fair, and thus functional.

Ludwig II of Bavaria gets ousted from his throne for being more interested in opera and extravagant building projects than ruling. Again, it is a problem and people notice.

Historically, if you want to protect from someone being bad at the job you can support the idea that there should be more oversight and safeguards: Other bodies that control parts of the government alongside the king's ability to approve or disapprove. This tactic takes away the ability to be arbitrary since laws and such are not just coming from the crowned head of state. That would be a constitutional monarchy.

Not everyone needs to be Franz Joseph, waking up at the crack of dawn and working on governmental papers and meetings until bedtime. However, if a monarch is shown in fiction lounging around or talking to courtiers all day but never doing any actual governing, I'm going to assume they are very bad at their job.

2. You're probably understanding Courts and Ministers wrong.

I run into the issue quite a bit that courts are flattened to random servants, ladies-in-waiting, and people trying to be the king's sole advisor (for malicious power grabbing reasons).

The first problem: Being at court isn't an easily accessible thing. You're probably nobility or a scion of an important family. Your presence is built on family prestige and your own skill. Yes, even people in service to the monarch. There are no random people here, because proximity heightens the likelihood of greater promotion.

For example, I'm currently doing my research on a prince from an important dynasty in the 19th century. His secretary is a Baron.

It's not impossible for someone not of noble birth to get to be at court. They could have risen up the ranks of the army or be an exceptionally skilled civil servant promoted to the rank of minister. Though depending on the time period, expect these "new men" to get pushback from nobility by blood.

Ministers also matter.

Unless your fictional monarch is one of the few people who decides (to mixed results) to do all of the thinking about government on their own, there is a cabinet and ministers.

These are skilled people whose job is to think about aspects of government and be knowledgeable about them. A monarch might have many of them that argue and balance each other.

Or, you can write a particularly skilled statesman in a leading role that makes them just as prominent as the monarch if not more so. There are many historical examples of ministers who define their period:

If your monarch character isn't a strong person politically, but is intelligent, having them find a minister to take over most of the governing is a good idea. This person is promoted based on merit, even if the monarchy is hereditary.

I have rarely if ever seen fiction do a good job with a prominent minister as a character (except A Royal Affair, which everyone should watch).

Think of monarchies as whole institutions of government. They have people within them who do all the jobs of governing. But the structure of the government and the personality of the monarch can determine whether it is one person (Joseph II, Peter the Great, etc.), a prominent minister (like a Metternich or Bismarck) or a counsel or congress.

The structure can support a person not doing a lot as monarch, but you as a writer need to think what structures are around them allowing that.

3. Revolutions are scary.

There is a common trend in fiction to make your good guys pro-republic. They're revolutionaries who want to get rid of the king, so they must be good.

But here's the thing: Revolutions are a step into the unknown and have historically happened rather rarely and with very mixed results. That's because the system has to be really broken for something totally new to sound better than what you already have.

A monarchy can create a sense of stability: A fixed head of state who will be there until they die. Historically, people aren't seeking to change that. More often, the call is for a change within the existing structure. The Magna Carta or a written Constitution. Firing of Bad Ministers or the abdication of a bad king in favor of their heir. Creating elected bodies under the sovereign. These are all shifting the monarchical paradigm but keeping the monarchy intact.

And historically even the most liberal of people wanted to place restrictions of some sort on voting, especially property and gender restrictions.

There is a myriad of ways to change the system, the person at the top, or both while maintaining a monarchy. You can have a monarchy be elected as the best person among the nobility (though it didn't go that well for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth).

Completely throwing the whole thing out means risking all stability vanishing. That could be anarchy. That could mean a charismatic strongman who is also bad at governing in power. You could end up with a guillotine and rivers of blood in the streets. You could end up with a restoration eventually because Cromwell or Robespierre doesn't actually produce something people want to live under and they want the old certainty back.

People have a sense of inertia about changing government. What you have is better than what you don't know, especially if there can be internal reform. Making your character a Republican (in the Jacobin sense, not the US politics sense) means that they are a radical in most times and places and will likely be in the minority.

If there is one thing I would say is the point here is that monarchies are government systems, and thinking through how someone exists in that system in fiction is important. Being king isn't actually much of a fun job unless you're very good at delegating or very irresponsible. Unless you want to be celebrity, president, congress, and moral center of the state all in one, being king isn't a great deal.

[tag-if]

THE ADVISOR'S GAME ;

[DEMO]

You are an assassin, a professional, a contract killer. The pay is good, and your clientele are more than happy to keep your identity well under wraps. You take whatever work comes your way, and you don't ask questions.

Until.

An anonymous job offer. An envelope with cash, an image of your target with surprisingly crisp quality, and a non-descript note, left on the doorstep of your home.

'Kill the eldest royal for the other half of your pay.'

That's how you ended up here. Undercover in the royal palace. As the newly appointed royal advisor.

---

Are you a bloodthirsty killer, or do you kill out of pure necessity? Do you want to fish around for your mysterious employer, or do you want to live in blissful ignorance?

Make or break alliances, and maybe (reluctantly) fall for someone, as you navigate the intricacies of royal life, all while trying to figure out exactly why you were sent on such a risky job (and by who).

Do try not to get fired, and good luck. ★

"The Advisor's Game" is an 18+ (for mentions of death/violence, non-descript gore, etc.) mystery-romance, with 5 (subject to change) gender-selectable romance options, as well as cast of characters to befriend or antagonise.

[note; one RO will be gender-locked non-binary, however all ROs will be romanceable by any gender of MC]

NSFW TAG (to block, if wanted); a palace scandal

[more under the cut]

ROMANCE OPTIONS;

[AGES]

A. Bellefleur ; Aleron - Alize / the crown royal (your target) / m/f

The (supposedly) well-loved eldest child to the reigning monarchs, they appear in public regularly and often participate in council meetings— clearly someone takes issue with this...probably.

A. has lightly freckled ivory skin and grey-blue eyes, in similar fashion to their siblings. Their hair is a dark-ish auburn and messily cut to the top of their ears (fem A. has it similarly messy, however it falls to their chin in choppy waves)

[neutral to friends (to lovers) ; neutral to disliked ; neutral to respected] ★

K. Valiev ; Kostya - Katja / the head guard / m/f

An odd figure, unassuming, almost strangely approachable. They are quiet, and kind, and always smiling...so why do the older guards seem terrified of them?

K. is an olive skinned individual with a small scar running up over the right side of the jaw, and their eyes are dark brown. Their hair is a chestnut brown and is kept in tight curls, though they occasionally braid them (when they have time).

[friends to lovers ; neutral to friends (to lovers) ; friends/neutral to disliked] ★

A. Caras ; Altair - Arali / the royal physician / m/f

Their bedside manner leaves much to be desired, they are no nonsense to the point of being borderline rude, yet the whole palace sings their praise as though they are an angel (you don't see it, personally, but maybe you will eventually).

A. is an individual with vitiligo, leaving patches of their naturally sienna skin instead a pale ivory, as well as whitening some strands of their fringe. Their eyes are a bright green, and their honey blond curls are kept short (fem A. has longer curls, around chest length, that she keeps up in a ponytail for work).

[neutral to respected ; neutral to disliked ; neutral to friends (to lovers)] ★

T. Bellefleur ; Talbot - Tallis / the middle royal / m/f

The younger, but not youngest, sibling to the crown royal. They don't like you much (then again they don't like many people much), but you're not sure about that knowing glint in their eye when you interact— what do they see in you?

T. has heavily freckled beige skin and almost eerily pale blue eyes. Their hair is a fiery auburn and cut into a messy undercut (fem T. has shoulder length hair, covering an undercut at the back).

[enemies? to friends (to lovers) ; enemies? to respected] ★

M. Serrel ; Marin / your fellow assassin / nb

You had to do a double-take when you saw them, and so did they, it seemed someone wanted you two in the palace at the same time...but why?

Marin is a sienna skinned individual, with hazel eyes (on the greener side) and almost black-brown hair. Their hair just brushes their shoulders in length and falls in soft waves, though they quite often have it pulled into a half up bun/ponytail.

[rivals to friends (to lovers) ; friends (to lovers) ; friends to rivals ; friends to friends with benefits (to lovers)] ★

NOTE; for all romances MC must befriend the RO of their choice first, otherwise they won't consider anything beyond some light flirting. Additionally, in the case of A. Caras and T. Bellefleur, the romances will be slower burn (especially Caras).

[gabessquishytum]

Anyone who saw King Dream’s warprize Hob would think he was born to be the world’s most submissive little pet. Content to cling to his master’s side, able to read the king’s invisible signals to service his cock, and constantly craving his attention and touch before the whole court.

The guards that stand watch outside the king’s bedchamber at night would tell you that it actually takes some work, if you go by the sounds they hear from behind those doors. They’re thick enough that they can’t hear anything detailed, but they can all recognized the muffled sound of wailing and crying and begging that inevitably starts once the king and Hob retire for the night.

And it goes on for absolute ages as well! The guard are rather split in opinion on whether Hob has a secret stubborn bratty side that warrants such long hours of correction in order to bring about the submissive and eager pet that everyone sees in the daytime, or if there is something about his sweet pet that brings out the king’s sadistic side and unable to resist giving him more focused attention than he has to any other warprize.

(The court and the guards would be rather shocked to discover how wrong they all are: both out in the daylight and behind closed doors, Hob is the one in complete control. When Dream allows himself to be taken care of, he’s incredibly vocal and responsive, even when they’re doing something completely vanilla. In court, there is no imperceptible signal for his pet to attend to him, it’s Hob who decides in the moment whether his king is in need of his attention. When they have a private moment afterwards, Hob will pet and praise him for being such a good boy, keeping himself composed and quiet in front of others, while still letting Hob take care of him. After all, the experience of seeing King Dream fully in the throes of passion is a priceless treasure that rightfully belongs solely to Hob, now that he’s taken it upon himself to properly care for him as he needs)

I love secret brat King Dream SO much.

Hob’s favourite thing to do is spend an entire day teasing his beloved monarch in every possible way. He might start off with an erotic dance or strip tease, all the while acting like Dream has ordered him to perform for the court. Dream keeps a stoic expression the whole time but it sure isn't easy, watching his beloved Hob getting naked and not being allowed to touch! And then Hob will decide to plant himself in Dream’s lap and grind on his cock, or he'll wrap his pretty mouth around Dream’s balls and stay there all afternoon. He's edging Dream cruelly, and Dream knows that he's not allowed to cum! If he does, the punishment will be even worse!

Maybe at some point Hob will whisper a hint of praise to his dear King. But on the whole he makes Dream wait until they're alone. After that he showers Dream in praise and teases him mercilessly for being such an obedient little sovereign. He loves to threaten to tell everyone exactly what a slutty submissive king they're all bowing down to - it makes Dream whine and cry so pathetically when Hob talks about exposing their little secret. Of course he would never do such a thing, but the fantasy of all the courtiers knowing that Dream spreads his legs for his warprize makes them both incredibly turned on.

Sometimes, Hob wears Dream’s royal vestments and crown and makes his pretty sub kneel at his feet, where he truly belongs. It really is the most beautiful sight in the realm, but no one but Hob will ever see it. Dream is his precious jewel and Hob's keeping him safe, loved and cherished. Always.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

My central thesis has always been that the Harkles wanted everything the Wales have and more. I know I remember reading that she cried after hearing William was made Prince of Wales. Right from the get go, her PR was all "Meghan is way better suited to be royal". Then there were all the Commonwealth flowers on her bridal veil and their insistence that they move into Windsor Castle. Now I don't believe everthing Neil Sean says, but his latest video mentions that Megxit was an ultimatum to get Windsor. As that is the traditional home of the Monarch, I feel as though they were attempting a coup.

Then there is the thought that Harry believes that the Dutchy of Cornwall should be split and he should eventually be made co-King or King of the Commonwealth. Let the Wales have that tiny island while they are jetted and feted around the world.

Here's my question for you. Did Meghan and Sparry REALLY believe they could leapfrog over the Wales??? I know her jealousy and envy of Catherine is bunny boiler level and he absolutely eviscerated his brother in Waagh. Has this been their plan all along?? Death by a thousand cuts for the Wales to force them to resign their place in the LOS or that they could somehow convince Charles to make Harry the heir??

I'd like to know where you think the delusions stem from. It wouldn't be the first time in history that younger brother has attempted to remove old brother from the throne.

Sincerely appreciate your blog and all the work you put into it. I'm always learning something new.

I'm pretty sure that was exactly their plan: they wanted to use their popularity to force The Queen to name them as her successors. I don't remember where I read this or when, but allegedly Harry sent "documentation" to someone - to whom specifically I can't recall, but options are The Queen, Charles, William, and/or grey suits - providing evidence for claims that he and Meghan were more popular than any of the others and deserved more than what they were getting.

And if they couldn't get the actual crown, they were going to do their damnedest to try and get a co-kingship with William. That's where Meghan's obsession with the Commonwealth came from; she had been told (again, I don't know by whom - all signs point to Harry exaggerating to keep her interested or maybe Charles spitballing ideas during his 'Magnificent Six' planning circa 2012) that William would rule Britannia and Harry would rule the Commonwealth.

I think that's why Meghan went all in on 'racist Kate.' Not only did she want to knock Kate out of the spotlight, she wanted to do enough damage that Commonwealth/realm nations would threaten to quit and The Queen would capitulate by offering to install Harry and Meghan as new leaders. This actually had a chance of working; it's been said quite often during her last years and since her passing that The Queen saw the Commonwealth as her greatest legacy and there was speculation that she would have done anything she could have to keep it in tact. And had Meghan played her cards right, she and Harry probably could have ended up becoming the main ambassadors of and for the Commonwealth, like a Commonwealth version of the UN Secretary-General.

But where the plan failed, obviously, was that it required blaming Kate for problems and issues that don't exist. Because remember, in 2021 when Meghan was making these claims, we'd just gone through the huge global reckoning that was Black Lives Matter and the agreement during/after BLM was "call racist people out on their BS. Put them on blast. Don't let them get away with it anymore." So not only would Meghan have been perfectly justified to name names, cite events, bring receipits, air the real dirty laundry and everyone would've been so much more supportive of it. But she didn't. Instead she played coy and said something like "I'm protecting them even though they don't deserve it."

Girl, please. That was Meghan's one chance to go justifiably scorched earth and air out all the dirty laundry and she fumbled hard.

Anyway. Let's get this train back on track. Where do the delusions come from? Traumatic childhoods courtesy of Mommies Dearest.

We all know Harry's story with Diana. She was a young, fun, free spirited loving mom larger than life with a neediness that she depended on her children to fill, rather than her own husband or other adults her age, so Harry grew to find satisfaction in supporting and providing her what she needed. He probably saw, and understood, the way Diana received what she wanted by exaggerating what she needed and following it up with excluding or isolating herself until whoever came chasing after her to give her what she wanted. And ultimately this led her (and Harry) down a path that ended up killing her; she exaggerated the relationship with Dodi to get attention from Hasnat or the BRF, then isolated herself in France to force whoever (Hasnat? Charles Wales? Charles Spencer?) to come chase after her. We know how that ends.

That's where Harry's delusions, IMO, come from. He saw how it well it worked (mostly) for Diana - exaggerate her needs/wants, then run and hide until she gets it - so he does it too. He probably started doing it right after she died, when no one knew what to do or how to handle him so they kept indulging in everything he wanted, so those wants kept manifesting bigger and bigger. And I think the way we see the BRF treating Harry is what would have happened to Diana had she lived; eventually the public would sour on her (this was already happening, by the way), which would then enable the BRF to grey rock her, devenomizing her in effect, and move on without Diana having too much of an influence on their day-to-day.

It's sort of similar for Meghan. We don't know specifically what happened (the way we do with Harry and Diana), but we know that Doria was a young, fun, free-spirited mother herself married to an older husband who had other priorities (eg kids from his first marriage). Unlike Diana, Doria probably didn't want the responsibilities of motherhood (which is the vibe Meghan and Thomas have given about Doria during Meghan's childhood) and left. And like the BRF, Thomas may have also overcompensated Doria's absence in Meghan's life by giving her everything she asked for, which made her asks get bigger and bigger and when Thomas couldn't deliver, she threatened to leave him...like Doria did and Thomas, erstwhile girldad he was, just kept throwing more and more at Meghan to keep her happy. Her delusions come from preying on other individuals' trauma to ensure she gets what she wants. The bigger her wants (ie the more grandiose her delusions), the harder she manipulates other people's trauma to make sure she gets what she wants. Which is kinda the opposite of Harry and Diana; they create the trauma to get people to do what they want, whereas Meghan exploits it to get people to do what she wants. Both are skills they learned after being abandoned (metaphorically and literally) by their mothers.

And all of Meghan's PR about "young mother," I think it's more insidious than that. Yes, it's a very overt evocation of Diana's narrative. Yes, it's a judgement against Kate. But it is also digs at Doria. "See? Motherhood is hard but I'm prioritizing my kid. How dare you to have left me" kind of spiteful digs meant to shame her for whatever happened that caused her to disappear. Meghan is the kind of person who must always have the last word, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's been targeting or belitting Doria about not knowing certain things about Archie/Lili because she wasn't around when Meghan was that age.

So...yeah.

I've realized now that this is the third or fourth Wednesday in a row that I write these super long analytical/in this essay I will posts. I guess Wednesdays are my thinking days...

[queenoffishingandcookies]

Noct and Gladio’s Relationship

This is just a strange mix of headcanon and chewing on dynamic between younger Noct and Gladio.

The Early Years: (Mostly Headcanon)

- The first time Gladiolus and Noctis ‘meet’ is when the Crown Prince of Lucis was first born, and he was presented to the public. It wasn’t even really a meeting, exactly.

- Several weeks after Noctis was born, the royal family appeared in the very front of the Citadel with him. The Amicitia family, sworn shields to the crown - and young Gladio included - also were there.

- Following Gladio’s canon age, I believe he would have been three or four at that time. He probably would have introduced to Baby Noctis by his parents, maybe been given the chance to hold him, before being brought back home following the festivities.

- following tradition, a portrait of the royal family was commissioned - with the Shield of the reigning monarchs standing tall, and their children - now the prospective shields for any royal heirs - alongside them. That would be a next meeting, I think.

- Around four/five, he would have been (in in public schooling) in pre-k, I think? In regards to the Amicitia family and their higher class, this probably translated to early tutoring. Likely, Gladio spent most of his time at home with Nannie’s of his own watching over him

- it goes without saying that, since Noctis was a literal baby at this time, that they didn’t have much of a relationship.

- For Gladio’s childhood, and Noctis’, this doesn’t really change in my headcanon. They’d probably see each other at functions (where young children actually could be), but the age of both of them - plus the difference between them - wouldn’t make for many opportunities to meet.

- If they were closer in age, I could see Gladio occasionally being watched over by Noctis’s nannies- maybe in a bid to have the future shield closer to his king. I can even see baby Gladio being pretty protective of Noctis (though it’s less out of duty, and more - oh, this is a tiny person. I protect).

- I can’t see this happening often, though. The Amicitia family surely has its own army of nannies, and in case of emergencies at the citadel, it would have been safer for Lord Amicitia’s only child at that point, to be home.

- Even when both Noctis and Gladio are older, this doesn’t change. Both would be tutored in their respective homes. If they were the same age, then maybe Gladio could have been tutored at the citadel - but as it is, they weren’t, and different ages made for different learning material, and so forth.

- and also, this lack of contact, lack of bond, lack of meeting, does come into play later in their lives (I’ll mention this in the Brotherhood section). By this, I mean Gladio’s opinion and perspective in regards to Noctis.

- They do physically run into each other on occasion. I can see Gladio, around ten or eleven, starting to take beginner classes in self-defense and combat at the Citadel, and he and Noctis both seeing each other during official functions - like luncheons and other things - but, and this doesn’t change until Brotherhood basically, they don’t really meet or interact past “Hi”, and “hello”.

Post-Marilith/Brotherhood: (Mostly Analysis)

Gladiolus is 23, only three years older than Noctis, in canon.

In the Brotherhood anime, he looks to be in his early-mid teenagers years, and Noctis is young in Gladio’s episode. I’d have to say around twelve, maybe thirteen. Which would make Gladiolus around sixteen or seventeen?

Unless Noctis is older at the time than I think he is, Gladio’s not old enough to be a member of the crownsguard (18) and likely not a Shield in the official capacity, even if it’s his title.

At this point in time, it’s evident that Gladio and Noctis do not get along well. The first interaction we see between mini-Noctis and Gladio is when the two are sparring.

Gladiolus sends Noctis flat on the ground with a single blow each time the younger comes at him. He’s several years older than Noctis, larger, and has more experience, so it makes sense.

This scene is where he’s trying to teach the Prince how to handle weaponry (like swords). Which I find interesting, because we don’t really get to see Gladio teaching. He doesn’t taunt Noctis, doesn’t bully him - but Gladio, in this scene, is very cool and collected. Stoic.

When he speaks, it’s only to tell Noctis to get up, that he can do better. The fact that he stands as straight as a rod, not positioned as though ready to brace, speaks leagues to the fact that Gladio is the one with power in the room - and he doesn’t tell Noctis how to improve his stance, how to swing -

(Then again, it’s late. They may have already gone over the basics earlier).

He tells Noctis ‘again’ and that he can do better, to which Noctis gets up the second time, says no and begins to leave the training room, essentially blowing of Gladiolus (to the elder’s eyes), because it is time for dinner with his father.

At the dinner, which Gladiolus is standing guard at nearby, Regis mentions that Noctis didn’t eat his carrots - and Noct says he hates carrots.

All in all, Gladio’s interactions with Noctis - and the superficial view of the actions the young Prince takes - leaves the future shield with a not-exactly glowing opinion of his future charge.

Gladiolus thinks Noctis is stuck-up and selfish. He’s recalcitrant when it comes to training, is picky when it comes to eating, and will do as he wants when he sees fit - because he is the one and only Prince of Lucis.

Gladio sees Noctis in impressions of short moments spent together or seen through the day.

He goes so far as to call Noctis spineless (Which. Is a poor choice of words, all things considered, and there’s also the fact that he’s a literal child).

Gladio says he’d be willing to be Regis’ shield, but never Noctis’, due to his bad impression of the Prince’s character. That Noctis would never be king (the implication being that Gladio thinks his character would make for a poor king).

Presumably, that is the extent of their relationship, come Noctis’ pre-teen years. Gladiolus standing guard in the proximity of the royal family (if not simply patrolling the citadel itself), and teaching Noctis combat.

Based off his behavior (Noctis having been a very bright and cheerful child prior to the attack, and becoming more stoic and quiet afterwards) and Gladio’s own age and perception of Noct (that he’s lazy, spoiled), this is really the only thing I can think of for this type of distance between them.

Like I mentioned earlier, they probably did see each other around. Noctis had to sit in on meeting with Regis and the council, at least in later teen years, and Gladiolus surely would have spent a lot of time at the Citadel training with the crownsguard- and also, probably sitting in on the meetings where Noct was present.

But they weren’t often in the same areas? Noctis had the crownsguard and kingsglaive guarding him while at the citadel, and both he and Gladio had school to attend. Most likely, I see Noctis - prior to high school and Prompto - spending most of his time doing charity, other royal duties, or in his room, while Gladio would be training.

They…wouldn’t exactly interact with each other, most likely.

Gladiolus only becomes more ‘open’ towards Noctis following the incident where Iris had gotten lost in the citadel, looking for a stray cat, and Noct had lied to keep Iris from getting in trouble - getting grounded in the process.

Which displays the fact that there is a selfless side to the ‘selfish’ Prince, and leads to Gladiolus essentially getting over his preconceived notions about Noctis, if only a little bit.

So, Gladio and Noct’s friendship begins around there.

[mrfandomwars]

Random Lists of TTS headcanons (mostly about Quirin and the Dark Kingdom) that I have:

Quirin became a Brotherhood member when he had a 'Home Alone' moment with Edmund and his wife because he thought they thieves (they broke in because it was raining HORRIBLY)

Quirin was in charge of the Brotherhood, in the sense that although Edmund as the King was in charge, Quirin was the one dealing with the group as a whole

There were more Brotherhood members, but they either retired, died or are simply lost in the world after the fall of the Dark Kingdom

The Brotherhood members had noble titles and pieces of land, Quirin had a BIG farming land (as the head in charge) and he used to help around before the Kingdom Fell. He used a few techniques he learned later on when he became a full time farmer (not all because different crops and different types of land)

You can find small communities from the Dark Kingdom moving around still, looking for some place to settle (and they eagerly go back to the Kingdom when Edmund starts rebuilding it)

The DK and Corona used to have a little bit of Beef because sun vs moon, that's why Quirin settling (probably with other people, lbh) there with the piece of the scroll was a good move

Corona was funded or helped fund by Demanitus

Demanitus is originally from the Dark Kingdom

Quirin was in the process of retiring when the Dark Kingdom fell

The Brotherhood all have specific face tattoos, but by the time Eugene was born they were only mandatory to use during events and things like that, hence why Quirin didn't have one, though if you wanted a permanent tattoo you could have it (hence Adira and Hector)

OR all the tattoos are temporary, Adira and Hector just have been reapplying theirs

The Great Tree used to be the border for the Dark Kingdom, hence why Hector set up shop in it

the Queen Ghost we saw was the one who helped fight against Zhan Tiri the first time around

Edmund (or at least, the Monarch that came before him) was the one who gave the Mind Trap to the Keeper, since he didn't have Any itent to use it

The place where the Mind Trap was was very Hush Hush, Cassandra only found out thanks to Zhan Tiri finding it out herself, BUT the existence of the Mind Trap was at least well known in the DK and was one of the 'cons' to joining the Brotherhood

The Mind Trap was originally meant to make sure that the Brotherhood wouldn't turn against the crown, the moonstone And to make sure that if a fight every happened, they would act in harmony. It's a 'made with good itentions, Very Bad Execution type of thing'

Eugene didn't reject his royal title from the DK, but he won't be it's King Outside of possibly becoming a temporary one until one of his and Rapunzel's kids are old enough to take over

To try and fix the plothole in season 3: people Forgot that Quirin was a Brotherhood member AND they had contacted (or at least TRIED TO) Adira and Hector at some point and they thought they weren't under Cassandra's control

Eugene grew a couple of inches between the movie and the series and that was because the two times he was healed by Rapunzel, he was healed

People either think that Cassandra was dead OR Cassandra was actually banned from Corona (and the Dark Kingdom) - she isn't getting away without consequences people

Varian had a therapist while in prison that he was forced to see, wether or not they worked or if they were a Saporian spy I haven't decided yet

The ACTUAL reason why the resistence against the Saporian was so small wasn't because of 'loyalty to the crown', it was because they had tried and it Blew on their faces and thus King Frederik and Queen Arianna aren't the only victims of memory wipe. Rapunzel doesn't know this because, well, would you admit to the rebellion to the crown?

Eugene and Lance, later on, are volunteers on Orphanages in Corona and Eugene got a LOT of funds given to them and goes to personally check to see if they are being used properly and that the kids are being taken care of well

the DK fondly call Eugene the 'fail prince' not because of anything he did but because his fighting skills are far below what the royal standard was.

I said this before but: The Queen of the Dark Kingdom trid to destroy the Moonstone, possibly because she was plagued by nightmares of what would happen in the future/of the stone hurting the Kingdom and her family

[koco-coko]

A World of Color | Ikevil Fic

Tags; Fluff, Found Family, Painting Nails, Slice of Life

Characters: William Rex + Lacie Monet (OC) (NOT SHIP), all of Crown briefly

Word Count; 2279 (6 pages)

a/n; i love found family dynamics and crown is the most dysfunctional found family in existence

i think they might like this: @natimiles @olivermorningstar @leia-skywalker-organa

thanks @natimiles for the headers/dividers

The garden was always peaceful. A sanctuary of flowers and nature that even the cruelest of men deemed quiet enough to wander around without trampling rosebuds and honeysuckles. Perhaps it was an escape from evil, or perhaps the beauty was its neutrality. Hero and villain alike could admire the lily pads and tadpoles in the point.

Under the shade of the gazebo were two such antagonists. Lord William Rex, an arrogant, self-righteous villain wearing a cape as red as blood, and… A little girl. A short thing wearing a cotton, purple dress and a blindfold over unseeing eyes, with pale blonde hair that cascaded down her back into long, twin braids. The girl’s shoes had long been discarded to a shadowy corner of the gazebo. 

Despite their differences, the pair sat at a tea table as complete equals. In fact, the self-righteous monarch held the little girl’s hand, gently applying a coat of paint to her fingernails. 

Lacie squirmed. “It’s cold,” she whispered. “Are you done yet? What color is it?”

William smiled. “This is only the first layer, dear,” he explained, “It’s called the base coat.”

“And then we add the color?” Lacie said excitedly, her free hand eagerly searching for a platter of cookies. She moved around carefully and slowly so as to not knock over the chilled tea in cups that were nearby. William let her hunt the table. He had learned a long while ago that helping the girl would only cause her to huff and pout about her own competency. “What color is it going to be?”

“I’m not sure,” he grinned amicably, “Is there a color you wish for?”

“Will,” Lacie responded, wryly. “I’m blind.”

“I know,” he stayed with a tranquil smile as he reached for her other hand. “I was simply curious about what you would say. You’ve yet to tell me why you want your nails painted so badly, even though you won’t be able to see them.”

Lacie rolled her eyes. William couldn’t see that due to her blindfold, of course, but the little girl had to add a dramatic flair to every action. With an embarrassed little huff, she murmured: “Because I felt your nails and thought we could match…” William knew not to comment, since Lacie would only go on a tirade about how no, she did not think he was mysterious and cool at all! It was just curiosity! Just that alone! And she certainly didn’t want to spend time with him whatsoever! “What color are your nails?”

“I usually paint mine red,” William hummed. Lacie perked up slightly. Finished with the clear and shiny coat of polish, William put the brush away and inspected his work with keen eyes. Any error would have to be viewed and corrected by him, after all. “Occasionally black. I’ve been told it compliments my eyes.”

“What color are your eyes?” Lacie continued questioning. The brief question of children and their neverending curiosity flashed in Lord Rex’s mind. 

“Red,” he stated simply.

Lacie didn’t appear too thrilled by his response. A small pout came to her cheeks. She wanted to say something, but she figured she’d only get a response along the lines: “you’re the one who asked, aren’t you?” She simply hummed with dissatisfaction.

“Perhaps we should approach the problem differently,” William started once he was satisfied with the precise painting of Lacie’s nails. “I’ve always wondered how you perceive colors. Some say that certain colors can make us feel different emotions, and I’m curious if you experience something similar to that.”

Lacie was quiet for a long moment, her brows knit in deep thought. William said nothing, sipping from his teacup while he awaited her words. While in silence, a hummingbird breezed by the gazebo. Breaking her thought-train, Lacie quickly told the bird she couldn’t play, she had to concentrate! It understood her immediately, bowing its head in apologies and zooming off to a different flower patch. A perk of her curse, she supposed. 

“Color is…” Lacie mumbled before she spoke fully. “Honestly? I’ve never really cared about color much, so I haven’t really thought about what they mean to me.”

William tilted his head. “A few moments ago you were begging to know what color I’d paint your nails.” He already knew the answer, but he knew Lacie loved the sound of her own voice. 

“I’m interested in it now, obviously. And I don’t want you to pull a prank on me and make it something ugly! I know Jude would.”

“Of course, my mistake,” he laughed, “I give you my word that you’ll have the prettiest nails in London.”

Lacie huffed, bringing her chin up. “Second prettiest. I don’t want Elbie trying to rip my fingers out.”

William nodded, taking a bite of one of the strawberries in a bowl nearby. “What a clever girl you are.”

“I know,” Lacie giggled. “What were we– Oh! Color! Yes, hm… I think color is more so an experience than it is a feeling. It also depends on how the word sounds, too. Does that make sense?”

William glanced over the vials of paint and compared each to Lacie’s figure, only to push them aside a moment later and give the girl his full attention. “If you explain it to me, I’m sure it will.”

Oh, Lacie did love talking, didn’t she? Especially when it was about something she knew and the other didn’t. It wasn’t often at Crown she got to be the one who knew things and would be listened to. Unbeknownst to her, a large smile curved onto her face. William’s eyes thinned with pleasure in return. “Give me some colors, then!”

William didn’t waste a moment. “Black and red.”

“Oh, black is very simple,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve heard people call it scary, but whenever I hear it, I think of something warm and comfortable. Like a fireplace, or a big bed with lots of blankets and clean sheets! Very enveloping, as well.”

William tapped his chin. “I suppose that does make sense. You and Victor are quite close.”

“Does Victor wear a lot of black?” Lacie asked. Unable to keep still, she kicked her feet back and forth while she leaned on the table. One again, she reached for another dessert and devoured it in seconds. 

“Quite,” William said, before continuing to amuse the girl. “Is the evening black as well?”

“No, not at all! Nighttime is very green, actually. But black is very cozy and dark, like the night, so I see the confusion,” she stated. “Oh! You asked about red, right? Well, I think red is very unique. It’s bright, but sort of diluted. Blood is red, right?”

“Correct.”

“Right. So, taking that into account, I believe red is very lively and exciting! Every living thing has blood, I think, so it’s a sign of life. I’d say Liam and Alfons are very, very red.” Lacie’s grin only spread wider as she kept talking.

And Lord Rex, clad in black and red, was more than pleased to know she had such a vibrant view of his wardrobe. “And what about purple? You’re wearing a purple dress right now.”

“Oh, purple is very mysterious, but also cold. Like deep in the ocean,” the child explained with joy, “Fish are purple.”

“All fish?”

“All of them. Except dolphins– those are orange. Also, purple is very smoky. I don’t think smoke itself is purple, but the smell is purple. I don’t like smoke, but I don’t think it smells too bad after the fact.”

“Jude wears a purple coat,” William said. “And he smokes quite often. Does that–”

“Ew!” Lacie shrieked, “I take back everything I just said.”

William let out a hearty laugh. “Alright, I’ve already forgotten.”

“Good. Now, I think…” Lacie hummed a short tune. “You said your nails are red, right?” 

“Indeed I did,” he said, “Your memory is incredibly sharp.”

Lacie blushed, “Thanks.” She coughed to make her red face go down. “I want red nails then!”

“It will be done,” William said. “Do you have any recommendations for how I should paint my nails?”

With that, Lacie gasped. “Oh! Can I paint your nails?” she said, her feet swinging back and forth wildly. William stilled, looking over the bottles of nail polish, then at the girl’s blindfold. “I’ll paint them pink and blue! Remember how I said Liam and Alfons are very red? I think you’re pink. You and Harrison are pink. And Ellis! Very polite and whimsical, but also very weird. Flowers and trees are pink, as well,” she explained, before catching her breath once more. “Or blue! ‘Cuz blue’s a scary color, like brown. I think Roger is very blue. Dark blue; very mature and serious and scary. Roger and also books are blue. Oh! What about both? And black! Black suits you, too, I think.”

“Let me finish your nails first,” William responded, “And then I will trust my hands to you.” William couldn’t help but feel brightened as Lacie ranted on and on about how she perceived the world without her sight. The blind little girl did not live in a dark void; no! Quite the opposite! In fact, she existed in a loud cacophony of sounds, feelings, sensations, that all were painted with bright ideas! Paper was yellow, grass was magenta, the sound of birds chirping was a bright mauve, the creaking of wood was a homely orange, a kiss on the cheek was teal. People weren’t only one color either, he came to learn, by a stained glass painting of thousands of different tastes and sounds that changed whenever sunlight hit them.

Once Lacie’s nails had been dyed that same blood red William favored so, he gave his hand to Lacie and guided her through the same steps. Lacie wore an enormous grin throughout. Sure, she was blind, but she could still feel the soft skin of his hands. She ran her thumb along each of his fingers to find out where his nails were, then brushed over the keratin slowly. She bit her lip as she concentrated, and William didn’t feel the need to correct her.

“Here, this color–” she whispered, dipping it into one of the paint vials. Letting go of William’s hand for a brief moment, she felt around. The textures of each object used to mark colors were specific, so as to let Lacie recognize the corresponding colors. Cookie, teacup, strawberry, a petal. Hm, decisions, decisions…She reached behind the teacup and gently took one of the vials. “This is pink, right?” 

“Indeed,” William said.

Then, Lacie dipped the brush into the paint and took his hand. She ran her thumb over each finger, stopping at his middle. “I painted your thumb and index already…” she mumbled to herself, then quickly felt the fingers beside it. “Four, five– Yes!” While she didn’t pat herself on the back, she did bite her lip to try and hide her ever-growing smile.

The day breezed by easily, and soon enough night had fallen over London. Crown gathered in the dining hall– a sinister meeting of villains, planning dastardly schemes and… 

“What the fuck is on your hands?” Jude spat, stabbing the food on his plate with no remorse. Poor rabbit… “Did a rainbow vomit on ya?”

William hummed, sweet and innocently, looking down at his free hand, then the one that Lacie held onto. “What? I’ve had my nails painted since we met.”

Victor raised his eyes from his food, his eyes twinkling as he saw the state of the self-righteous tyrant. “William! My, what a… unique and colorful form of self-expression!” The rest of the table turned their attention to the pair, all with different levels of surprise. A few eager, some confused, others terrified.

William’s entire hand and wrist had been stroked with thousands of different colors, all overlapping each other, never in a straight line, with only a few spots actual skin managed to break free. Some places had already crusted and flaked off due to the bending and twisting of his fingers and wrist. On his cheek, in baby pink, was a sloppy heart (or maybe a lumpy circle? a peach?). While his hands looked like a used artist’s palette, his nails were, indeed, bright pink. “Lacie and I did each other’s nails over tea this afternoon,” he explained plainly. Lacie beamed at the rest of Crown as she showed off her expertly done red nails, despite her thumb’s polish already being visibly picked at. The little girl wore a similar painted heart on her cheek in dark purple, although her's was leagues more neat than William's.

Liam’s face lit up like a firework. “Wow! Lacie, we should do each other’s nails sometime, too! That’d be fun.”

“Perhaps I’ll join you,” Alfons chimed in, adjusting his gloves briefly. “We can make it a Crown-bonding activity! 

Roger chuckled and shook his head. Elbert shrunk back into his seat. Jude scoffed loudly, “Leave me outta it. I ain’t letting that brat near me with any kind of paint.”

Ellis ignored his boss’s remarks, smiling gently as he sipped from his cup. “You two look happy.”

Lacie shrugged in response to Ellis as she took her seat besides Victor. “You’re all just jealous that I’m such a good nail-painter! William said it himself!” Harrison thinned his eyes but refrained from comment. “Victor, can I do your nails next?”

Victor ruffled Lacie’s hair with enthusiasm. “Of course! I’d be delighted to have our littlest villain do my nails! What color should I wear?”

Lacie hummed and swung her feet back and forth, wearing a knowing smile as she felt William’s gaze on her. “I’ve been told you wear a lot of black, but I think you’d look great in blue.”

[password-door-lock]

Mystictober Day 29-- Fairy Tale

You and Saeran get married (1.2k words).  Set after Glow-in-the-Dark.

“This has never happened before,” Jaehee reports, “In the two-thousand year history of this kingdom, no monarch has ever performed a wedding ceremony.”

“Hey, I offered to do it myself,” you point out, adjusting your formal armor. “Where’s Zen? I feel like he did this wrong.”

Zen looks up from polishing the knee plate on his own formal armor. “I don’t think you’re allowed to perform your own ceremony,” he muses, “But I could’ve done it.” Traditionally, wedding ceremonies are performed by knights, though Royal Wizards have been known to fulfill the role in a pinch. 

“Yoosung wanted to make history,” you shrug, “Again.” Ever since Yoosung expanded the protections of marriage to all couples in the kingdom, regardless of gender or class, you and Saeran began considering the possibility of getting married. This, of course, will put you in the line of fire from Saeran’s father, but in your opinion, it’ll be worth it if you can be assured you’ll get to spend forever with the man you love. “Are you sure the breastplate is on right?” 

“It’s on right,” Zen assures you, offering his arm, “But we should probably get going.” 

“Yeah,” you sigh, accepting Zen’s gesture and holding out your other arm for Jaehee. 

“Good luck, MC,” says Jaehee as she takes your arm. You suppose that the situation doesn’t call for very many more words than that, but Jaehee offers them anyway. “You and Saeran… will be very happy together. And I’m sure the ceremony will be beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you nod, “Do you think my armor’s on right?” 

“Definitely,” Jaehee assures you. You shrug, trusting her judgment.

With that, the two of them escort you into the throne room, where Yoosung is waiting for you at the foot of his own throne. It’s still strange to see him in a crown, though he’s been King for a year now. After depositing you in front of Yoosung, your other friends fall back, taking their ceremonial places behind the throne. 

“I’m so fucking nervous,” you whisper to your childhood best friend. You missed Yoosung in the dressing room, but you know it wouldn’t have been proper for him to go in there prior to the event. As King, he has to hold himself to certain standards of politeness lest his authority be questioned. This is especially true considering the particular wedding ceremony that he’ll be performing today. 

“Don’t be,” he squeezes your hand, the same way he used to when you were a child afraid of the dark. “Everything will go over well— I promise.”

There isn’t much more time for words after that, because Saeran steps into the hall, flanked by Saeyoung and Jumin. Saeyoung, who told you his real name in confidence the day after your knighting ceremony, is still dressed in purple to match his stunning aura. His white hair is colored red artificially in accordance with the expectations of the kingdom. Your friends have agreed to avoid sharing too many details about the twins’ powers with anybody outside of your circle, which necessitates keeping the events of last spring as discreet as possible.

Jumin is also dressed to the nines in his customary formal attire. Walking between the pair of them, Saeran somehow manages to stand out, despite the simplicity of his formal blue magic users’ robes. Saeyoung has cast some sort of spell so that the maroon carpet leading up to the throne turns to a bed of flowers as Saeran walks on it. It looks beautiful now, though you’re certain it’ll be a mess to clean up later; you make a mental note to return after the ceremony to assist the servants with whatever they require of you as they restore the grand room to its original state. 

“Are you ready to present the rings?” Yoosung asks once Saeran has established himself across from you. 

“Yes,” you nod, holding back tears as you locate the ring you prepared to give to Saeran. The two of you decided against sappy public vows in favor of a simple ring ceremony. After all, there are no secrets between the pair of you anymore. Both of your feelings have been out in the open for a very long time. “I… learned to use the forge so I could make you this ring out of the armor I was wearing the first time I defended you as a knight.” You slide the band onto Saeran’s slender finger. 

Now it’s his turn to present you with something shockingly jewel-encrusted. It reminds you a bit of the sorts of things he used to conjure for you, although such feats have become nearly impossible since he lost his powers. “I stole this from my father’s house,” he informs you as he eases the ring onto your finger. The concept is romantic, of course, but it leaves you with more questions than you’d have expected to harbor on your wedding day. 

“What?” You can’t help but ask. “Saeran, when—” Without his powers, Saeran would’ve needed to physically enter his father’s palace to retrieve the ring for you. You have no idea where he could have possibly found time for that.

Sensing a conversation that probably should not be held in public, Yoosung cuts in. “Sir MC, Mage Saeran, you are now married in the eyes of the crown. All… illegal use of the royal forge and…” He swallows, “Theft from the royal vaults of other kingdoms is hereby pardoned.” Yoosung does not necessarily have the authority to pardon anyone for crimes committed outside of his jurisdiction, but it’s a very nice thought. 

You take advantage of the resulting cheer from the crowd to turn to your new husband. “When did you manage to… get this, my love?” You turn your hand to and fro, admiring every angle of the ring. It’s clearly worth a great deal of money, but it’s understated enough that you could easily wear it under your armor or during combat training. 

Saeran shrugs. “It’s pardoned now,” he informs you with a sly smile. You wonder how much of this he planned, and how much is just a happy coincidence.

“I’m gonna need more details,” you decide. 

“I’ll give them to you,” Saeran cups your face in his hands, bringing you close. “It’s our wedding night, so we’ll get lots of time alone together. But you have to be patient, or else you’re gonna get transformed.” It’s not a new threat, but it’s much funnier now that Saeran has no feasible way of following through. 

You giggle at the outlandish idea before the implication of his words resonates, at which point you break out into a raging blush. As he spends more and more time in society, Saeran seems to get more and more smooth. “I’d like to see you try,” you taunt him playfully, allowing him to draw you into his arms. It’s a good thing indeed that the pair of you will shortly be getting lots of time alone together.

[a-legacy-not-to-be-forgotten]

Undertale Yellow AU idea: SequenceShift

Since my boyfriend @cent-the-proto and I still have severe Undertale Yellow brainrot, we decided to make an AU together. The main concept is UTY characters taking the places of OG Undertale ones, and mashing plot beats from both stories together with some new locations (which are a hybrid of Japanese and Western inspiration).

While this is a 'shift' AU, I'm keeping the personalities of the characters intact rather than swapping both character placements AND personalities. It's what I found frustrating about most Shift AUs: changing the personalities just defeats the point of the AU in the first place imo. I'll be honest, I haven't looked into many other AUs, so if our concept is too similar to someone else's, please let me know. Also, we only figured out the characters and setting, so any suggestions are welcome! (comments or ask box) . Also, should go without warning, this has spoilers for both Undertale and Undertale Yellow, so read at your own risk. Again, not an artist, so I don't have any drawings yet.

Also, quick shoutout to @s0ckh3adstudios and their Undertale Gold AU for inspiring me to make my own.

With that out of the way, let's get into the core characters of SequenceShift! (title is a placeholder, unless I can't think of anything else)

Clover, The Fallen Human

Gunhat Clover is largely unchanged from their cannon standpoint. Cowboy-themed human, fall down to the Underground intentionally to search for the six fallen humans (yes, six, they're taking Frisk's place), embodiment of justice and all that. Not much else to say, so let's move onto the big changes.

Kanako Ketsukane, The Crown Princess

Kanako takes the place of Asriel/Flowey. Daughter of Empress Ceroba and Prince-Consort Chujin, before having passed away years ago in what has only been publicly stated as 'natural causes'. She's also reincarnated as Flowey (who might or might not get a name change), but she takes the form of a Japanese Water Iris this time around. She also acts as the SAVE function like Flowey in OG UTY, keeps up the friendly facade all the way through, and insists on calling Clover Gunhat despite knowing their actual name.

Ceroba Ketsukane, Empress of the Underground

Ceroba is the Asgore of the AU (originally it was going to be Toriel, but I thought it'd be more interesting). She is the Empress of the Underground, generally seen as a level-headed, yet passionate monarch. However, following her daughter's demise, she has grown a bit of a more bitter streak, and like Asgore is focusing on collecting the souls of fallen humans. Unlike Asgore, she doesn't hold malice for mankind as a whole nor is she interested on waging war on the surface. Instead, she merely collects the souls of humans in the hopes of resurrecting Kanako. Also, both she and Chujin are boss monsters in this AU.

Chujin Ketsukane, the Prince-in-Exile

Chujin takes the place of both Toriel (with a bit of Gaster) in SequenceShift. Originally, he was the Royal Scientist, who's kind nature and ingenuity caught the attention of then-Princess Ceroba, who he eventually married. They lived happily at first, but things took a turn for the worst after Kanako's death. Ceroba's obsessiveness with collecting human souls displeased him and he refused to take part in the experiments. He's since gone into self-exile within the Remnants (aka the Ruins but with a more Japanese architectural influence) and has settled within Ceroba's childhood home. Here, he keeps a watchful eye for any humans who fall to the Underground, hoping to keep them away from the Empress's grasp.

Dalv, the Introvert

Dalv takes the place of Nabstablook. As much of a socially awkward looser (affectionate) as ever, and corn obsessed. Like the OG, he was friends with Kanako before her death, tho I'm not sure if I'm keeping him being a victim of Integrity's bs. Unlike the OG, he's not restricted entirely to the Remnants and actually has a place within the Dunes. He also has a bit of a secret crush on the leader of the Royal Ranger Starlo, just to satisfy you Corn Yaoi lovers.

Moray and Mooch, Ranger Sentries

Moray and Mooch take the place of Sans and Papyrus, respectively. They act as sentries of the Royal Rangers (the Feisty Five taking the place of the Royal Guard), who are responsible for apprehending humans and bringing them to Ceroba. Mooch is as mischievous as ever, still trying to get her hands on every shiny object she sees, much to her partner's dismay. Nevertheless, they remain vigilant at watching over any humans that emerge from the Remnants. In this AU, they're responsible for surveying the region of Lakeside, which is modeled off of the rural Japanese countryside, and takes Snowdin's place.

North Star/Starlo, Sheriff of the Royal Rangers

Starlo is obviously the Undyne of the AU, being the leader of the Royal Rangers. A lot of his backstory is the same, him crushing on Ceroba and sadly not getting her, but still remaining good friends, even after she was made Empress. He and the Feisty Five started in the Sand Dunes (aka just the Dunes from UTY with a bit of Waterfall inspiration) similar to how they were in the original, before Ceroba elevated them to being her personal enforcers. He's still pretty self-centered and idealizes Western culture (hence why he still refers to himself as Sheriff), but he does have a more serious and dedicated side to him. He knows what he's doing is wrong and while he hides it, he's fairly reluctant to bring more humans to Ceroba. Nevertheless, he still carries out his orders in the hopes of making his childhood friend happy. One fun fact, we had the idea for his pacifist encounter taking you to Frostpeak (a MT. Fuji inspired area taking the place of Hotland), where the chase there leads to him freezing, kinda like how Undyne overheats. Bro is not built for the cold.

Martlet, the Royal Scientist

Martlet, surprisingly enough, takes the place of Alphys. Like in UTY, she started as the protégé of Chujin, helping him out with the Steamworks and in building Axis. However, after Chujin fled, Ceroba made her the next Royal Scientist. She works at the Steamworks, which take the place of the Core and instead located in Frostpeak, where it harvests Geothermal energy to power the Underground. While Martlet actually is pretty competent at her job, she's as scatterbrained as ever, leading to a few hiccups in her work and leading some to wonder why she's the head scientist. This is actually due to the fact that she has been tasked by Ceroba to continue Chujin's work on humans. She's complied so far, for now, but she might reach a breaking point soon enough...

And that's the main cast so far! Axis and Dalv still being worked around with and I gotta think up ideas for the side characters along with whatever the OG cast of Undertale is up to, but we got a good thing going on. Again, my comments and ask box are always open, so if you're wanna know more or have a suggestion to bring forth, we'd love to hear. And if my AU is too similar to a concept that's already been done, you're more than welcome to yell at me.

[sleepingdeath-light]

yandere!abyss monarch smut hcs ; 18+

requested by ; tentacle anon (17/07/23)

fandom(s) ; cookie run

fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | specific

character(s) ; abyss monarch cookie

outline ; “ok ok ok hear me out... yan!Abyss Monarch but with that obsessive possessive cannibalism whatchamacallit so like biting and marking to the point of drawing blood or tearing off bits of flesh etc etc... maybe some smutty undertones idk anon has sent me on a rampage/pos - tentacle (now with both hands!)”

warning(s) ; sexually explicit content, yandere!abyss monarch, possessive behaviour, obsessive behaviour, biting kink, blood kink, marking kink, descriptions of a desire to eat the reader (it’s not technically cannibalism but it toes the line lol)

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

abyss monarch cookie is obsessed with you — overcome with the desire to cover you, own you, possess you, to stow you away and hide you from the world and make you theirs and theirs alone

you’re their mate, their spouse, their property and they have no qualms with making sure that anyone that might find you is blatantly aware of this — even if you’re hidden so well that the chances of anyone ever seeing you is so close to zero that it’s hardly worth considering

they cover you in marks when you’re intimate — they bite, suck, kiss, cover you in sucker marks — and by the time you’re finished you’ll be smothered with cuts and bruises and bites from crown to toe, but sometimes that isn’t enough

sometimes they feel the need to go that bit further, to make you so obviously and indisputably theirs that nobody can ever take you away from them

they fight it for so long, trying to hang on to the fraying strings of normalcy that remain from their time as ‘octopus cookie’ but as time goes on they get more and more anxious, more paranoid, more untrusting of your surroundings

they become attracted to the smell of your skin, the taste of your blood and the feel of your supple skin giving way under their teeth — they become overwhelmed by the desire to devour you

to swallow your tongue and tear off your lips so that you’ll never speak the name of another person again

to chew on your heart so it never aches for the touch of another and puncture your lungs so they never breathe the same air as someone other than them

to bite off fingers to leave only blooded stumps that can never card through a lover’s hair or caress their face

to taste ears and eyes so you never hear or see anything but them for the rest of your days

to gnash their teeth and tear apart skin and flesh and muscle and viscera until they reach bone, gnawing on even those cold remains until nothing is left

until you only exist as a part of them: their secret, their property, their lover, theirs and theirs alone

but they don’t want to kill you, so for now they refrain — sating themselves with small things that still mark you as theirs, devouring you drop by drop until one day you only exist as a part of them

biting down on the junction of your shoulder until they draw blood, sharp nails scratching at your hips until you bleed, and hips pounding against yours until you’re bruised and aching and full and spent

filling and covering you with cum, refusing to stop until you’re completely fucked-out and bordering on unconsciousness — only having their fill when sweat mixes with drool mixes with blood mixes with cum and it’s clear that you belong to them

carving their name onto your stomach and your chest and your thighs: first with their tongue and then a fingertip and then then a sharp nail and delighting as each one scars

moaning at the taste of your blood and unable to stop themselves from biting you whenever you’re intimate

fighting the urge to devour you but not completely — overwhelmed with that desire to keep and covet and kidnap

[1nconcievable]

The Jolly Good Show Caper (A British Retrospective) [Obviously Spoilers for that Episode]

As someone who is half British, has been to London, lived in England for a while, has studied History as part of my GCSEs (or high school if you're in America) and considering its November the 5th as of writing, I felt it was my obligation for me to look back on The Season 3 Episode 5 "The Jolly Good Show" and give my thoughts on it. (Don't worry its just me waffling about an episode and what I think. It's just for the fun of it. ALSO sorry if I got some things wrong)

(DISCLAIMER: I have not been to the Tower of London in person, I just did my own research. I am also not a professional when it comes to all history. So make sure you fact check and let me know in the comments)

So anyway, I tried to do it in order. Here we go:

Zack saying that they're driving on the wrong side of the road is probably not that surprising considering that roughly 30% of the world's countries and 35% of the world's population drive on the left which includes England.

Player describing the Tower of London as a fortress, prison etc is pretty spot on. I highly recommend going there yourself

Carmen saying that St Edwards Crown was used to crown all of the Kings and Queens since 1911 is half wrong. According to Wikipedia (I'M SORRY):

Versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th century

The original crown was a holy relic kept at Westminster Abbey, Edward the Confessor's burial place, until it was either sold or melted down when Parliament abolished the monarchy in 1649, during the English Civil War.

The crown used today was made for Charles II in 1661 to crown him. It's similar in weight and size to the original but its arches are Baroque.

The reason why Carmen may have said what she said was because the tradition of using St Edwards Crown to crown Kings and Queens was revived by George V in 1911

Player is right to say that there were attempts to steal the crown jewels. The most well known is Colonel Blood's attempt. Funnily enough, the guy got out scot free and still got his pension. https://youtu.be/iRmBE6B8F7I

Player also describing Bondfire night is pretty spot on. The Gunpowder Plot happened in Nov 5 1605 as a result of a group of Catholic men, led by Robert Catesby (not Guy Fawkes), trying to rebel against the Protestant King James 1 because Catholics back then weren't on the best of terms. Unfortunately the plot resulted in stricter laws against Catholics, don't worry the laws don't exist now.

Player "So, he was considered a hero or a villain, depending on who you ask"

Well, I've talked with some people and although we understand that the Gunpowder Plot was done because of the prejudice and oppression of Catholics in 1605 England, we agreed that maybe they should have dealt their anger differently. Maybe a way that doesn't lead them to getting hung, drawn and quartered. Either way, it's a complicated question that's up for you to decide.

Speaking of Catholics, I did go to a Catholic school and they don't celebrate bondfire night. My history teacher did ask if they could do it but bc Guy Fawkes was a Catholic and as Player said... they burn him... Can you see the problem?

And Shadowsan calling Bondfire Night chaos?..... how - dare - you.

The whole "if the ravens leave the tower, the kingdom will fall" is an actual myth that the writers were spot on about. Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left. That's why the raven's wings are carefully maintained and there's even a Raven Master.

Carmen saying "That's not the loo" is kinda on point. Normally they would also say "loo" or toilet. Also, Ik this is a cartoon, but I can assure you that the guards would be a little more suspicious if she got into a place she wasn't supposed to.

The entire Zack and Ivy fish and chips thing is on point. Although some places still use newspapers, we normally just use hard paper like newspaper to wrap it. Ivy also saying chips and crisps is also correct, glad she was paying attention.

Zack feeding fish to the ravens is not allowed. sniff sniff... He really is a criminal through and through. I'm so proud. (JK! It's a joke. Don't feed the ravens!)

The Troll says "London Bridge is falling down my fair lady". This was to communicate the death of the Queen to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and key personnel, setting Operation London Bridge in motion. So theoretically, does The Troll and VILE want Carmen (the Queen) dead? Jeez, why did I go that dark?

Fun fact: 1968 and 1971 the bridge's facing stone was dismantled and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S. state of Arizona.

When The Troll says that Red Rat is ready for takeaway - there is a takeaway box (like take out in America) next to him... and it's even Chinese. Not gonna lie, I'd go for the Indian takeaway instead.

When Carmen gets "arrested", the police uniforms that some of them wear are based on The Bermuda Police Service and to be honest in November, the Metropolitan Police would be wearing yellow jackets. Seriously, how are these people not freezing!?! If this was real life, at least the police would search Carmen's coat and let her wear it if it's that cold!

When Roundabout steals the Crown Jewels (wow... never thought I'd say that), he doesn't wear gloves. This isn't a British thing but generally, why would he do this without gloves? Like, if you're being a professional criminal, you would know not to leave fingerprints anywhere. Honestly it feels like Carmen is the only one who follows this logic!

Funny that Roundabout (an Englishman) gives the jewels to Le Chevre (Frenchman). Sorry, there is a joke that England and France have been rivals for centuries and it still exists in rugby and football (or soccer). SORRY AGAIN!

Throughout the episode they refer the iconic bell tower as "Big Ben". In actuality the name of the tower is Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben is used as a name for the largest bell in the tower. Ironically, the Big Ben bell might be where Shadowsan picks up his weapon.

When Zari drives Devineaux, the seating inside the car is correct for British Standards of driving.

When Roundabout is about to stab Shadowsan, he says "Mind The Gap". I've used the Underground and the saying is commonly used as a visual and audio warning that you hear all the time.

When Roundabout says "you git", it's pretty mild to what most actually use. If it's casual we would use the b or c word (I'll give you a hint. The b rhymes with mastered and the c one rhymes with Brunt.) but I can't say it because I don't want any younger ones using it yet. ;)

Carmen :"Sorry mate"

Look, it's a cartoon... but that... that hurt my soul. THAT IS FAR FROM A CONVINCING ACCENT! British can tell from a mile away!

You could've said "Sorry, love" or "Sorry, you alright?"

AHAHSHegJHSGFFB.... Apologies.

Towards the end of the episode, Team Red are standing at Westminster Bridge.

The "God Save the Queen" in the credits is obviously outdated but it was fun to listen to.

My opinion:

Most British terms are used correctly.

Most of the facts are accurate according to what I looked up

Everyone involved needs to get thick jackets for November weather, especially in the evening.

Police uniforms for some are incorrect but some are right.

WORK ON YOUR ACCENT TEAM RED!

Back to accents, I feel like most of the British cast had the Queens accent like what most media portays. It would have been nice to see other accents like cockney, scouse etc.

I thought it was a good episode and the scene of Carmen getting arrested gave me chills.

Anyway, that's what I thought. Thanks for reading.

REMEMBER REMEMBER THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER!

[crownedwille]

ngl im kinda confused on why people support crown wille so much. i’m open to the idea, but i’ve always read him the same way since ep1. he was miserable from the beginning of the show (before he even met simon) up until the end. everything about the monarchy affected him in a negative way. wille and simon could not have existed as a couple if wille didn’t step down (and i feel this is something i feel they’ve expressed since s1.) ntm that there is no such thing as a good monarch and wille has never wanted to be in that role. wille is not a PUBLIC person. and nether is simon.

i’m not sure why some ppl think the fall of their relationship came out of nowhere; different problems can always arise, especially with teenagers. maybe some more explaining would help me understand, but at this point i think crown wille was such a stretch to root for.

i’d also like to add that s1 and s2 more likely had open endings to leave as cliffhangers, while s3 is the conclusion of the story. obviously, it’s not to say that everything is figured out, but that everything will be okay.

oh boy, you really want me to get into this again, here we go

he was miserable from the beginning - yeah, imagine me wanting him to have actual development and have a different mindset in the end. you don't start off your protagonist with the same mindset and that never changes, that is not proper satisfying storytelling imo. and it seems like i do have to remind people every time but if wille steps down he will still be a prince, just the second in line and no longer the heir - which is exactly who he was in the beginning. so yeah actually nothing has changed. and there was already attention and pressure on him and he still had duties and i honestly do wonder what was so different about being crown prince bc they never actually showed us.

so he will never really 'escape' the monarchy, he still is part of the royal family, his mother is the queen and he ABSOLUTELY will be a public person his entire life. and simon by association too. a fucking sex tape came out with them and wille came out to the world as queer, there is no way that people won't care anymore about it just bc wille wouldn't be crown prince anymore in a year. and as if him renouncing wouldn't make any headlines and be a huge deal and simon and wilhelm wouldn't have to deal with the aftermath and consequences of that (if they're still together at that point which i have my doubts)

there will always be attention on wille and that is something that should be obvious and i don't understand why the fandom is choosing to be so naive and blissfully ignorant about this. no, i do know, bc the show is framing it like that and wanting people to think that and stay naive and blissfully ignorant to all these facts

and i love hearing how my interpretation was wrong from the start and of course you were right all along. how dare i had hope and thought the point of killing off erik and making wille the crown prince is bc he would do things differently and bring changes and "start a revolution" bc that is totally not what the show has been about before abandoning it and taking the easy way out and not wanting to deal with what that would really entail. how dare i saw wille question traditions at hillerska and him making a public speech addressing that as him stepping into his role as crown prince and show signs of a great, competent "leader" before they also abandoned that and made sure none of that mattered and erased his growth in s3. how dare i thought wille and simon both wanted changes to the monarchy instead of letting it stay exactly how it is and giving it over to a person who has done fucked up things to them and likes the system as it is

if that and the stuff you're saying was the message the entire time i find it really sad tbh and i call bullshit on it. i definitely don't see how everything will be okay now with none of simon's or wille's mental health issues addressed and implied they're actually working on it but yeah of course they escaped the ~evil~ monarchy now and it was all its fault they didn't work out and now they're completely fine and all their problems have vanished, how could i forget

[thewatercolours]

King's Quest Fic: "Paths" (Part 3)

Previous instalments here

Perhaps a single sleep-in morning couldn’t fix everything.

In the three days after coronation, Graham racked up an impressive record as king. First, he managed to shatter an oil lantern in the oldest, yellowest, crispiest part of the castle archive, bursting with looseleaf waiting to be bound. They’d saved most of the stacks. 

He’d written greeting letters to his fellow monarchs, including  the queen of gigantic Serenia, the cloutiest player on the political stage. By some oblivious genius,  he accidentally filled the whole thing with scathing double meanings about their countries’ future relationship, with a postscript that amounted to a casual declaration of war. The uncomfortable scribe had said nothing to Graham, but rushed off to check the letter with Royal Guard Number One. You could have knocked the new king over with a feather when the guard scornfully read the worst passages back to him. 

Twice he groggily (and purely automatically) showed up for his old night shifts, embarrassing everyone. He was late for half the meetings on his agenda. One evening he signed nearly two hundred documents he was supposed to void, before someone stopped him.

But nothing compared with what came to be known in Mannerly Stove in years following as “The King Graham incident.” 

Graham’s century old carriage rolled up the switchbacks. He drummed his listless fingers on the window. He knew at least two shortcuts he could have taken, if only they had let him ride his surefooted Triumph. But his old buddy was not a suitable steed for a king, or so they said. 

He tugged at this collar. The carriage might have been spacious, if his honour guard hadn’t stuffed in with him. Did they think they had to form a defensive perimeter even inside the coach? The air outside was damply hot enough, more like the stillness before the summer storms than a September day. And inside with the five guards? Every inch of armour fogged up like a mirror after a bath. 

“I’m not quite sure what the point of this is - ouch!” His temple struck the window as the carriage lurched wildly onto its two right wheels. The brow of his crown dug bluntly into the same place it dug every time. 

“A little more caution on those sharp turns, Number Two?” the captain called, banging a fist on the ceiling.

“Righty-oh,” came their driver’s muffled voice.

The king groaned. He shoved aside his seatmate, who had toppled right over him. His sharp armour bits were all caught on Graham’s formal black and red outfit. “I mean,” he grunted, righting his crown, “I have been to Mannerly Stove. Every time I’ve been sent on a quest outside the kingdom, in fact. I get my lunch at the Olde Yarblesnoof. I know half the people by sight. Is this visit really necessary?”

Number One fanned himself with his notecards. His voice was flat and already tired. “Sir Graham visited. Sir Graham is not here today. You are Daventry.”

 “Yeah, but, to an ordinary villager -”

The guard’s tone grew sharper. “Ever have the landlord knock on your door up in Llewdor?”

Graham swallowed. It had been a long time. Yet he was astonished how clearly he remembered his mother panicking, plastering on a smile for him and his sisters, rushing them out the backdoor, and telling them to play by the brook or in the woods. Just not near the house. She’d pat her hair and set  her jaw, walking determinedly to the front door. He could not remember what the landlord looked like, except that he was really big. He had to stoop to get in the door. Graham frowned. “Yeah, occasionally.”

“It means a lot to an ordinary villager, wouldn’t you say?”

Graham didn’t answer.

Number One went on, a little less sharp, a little more didactic. “You are about a hundred times all that the landlord is, and more. So today you are going to calm their worries. You’ll smile and mingle, and let them show you whatever they’re proudest of - probably the Tickle Rock. You’ll declare three months’ tax forgiveness, and call for a cask of ale to be opened for the people. And all this will be code for, ‘You’re just as much a part of Daventry as the people down in the valley, Mannerly Stove. I’ll show you I’ll be good to you. You show me you’ll keep my mountain pass open, my only real road in and out clear of snow, catch my brigands, warn me of invaders, ensure food and tools and supplies flow into into my country without trouble, and keep me connected to the outside world.’ So yes, unless you fancy dining only on lavender for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of your reign, we could call it necessary. ”

“But does that also mean - agh!” 

The carriage slammed to an abrupt halt.  Graham and all the guards on his side were thrown into the laps of the guards across the way.  The coach became a writhing tangle of arms, legs, and everyone’s favourite curses. Graham’s boot toe somehow caught on the overhead luggage rack, while his nose wedged in the crook of Number One’s elbow. He thought he heard the captain mutter under his breath, “Really?”Then at the top of his lungs, “Open the door, for pity’s sake!”

Someone found the latch. Half the guards tumbled out in a dust cloud.. Graham could not look anyone in the face as Numbers Three and Five extricated him, and lifted him out of the carriage like a child - into the midst of a throng of chuckling onlookers.

Get it together. Think of lavender for every meal!

Graham stepped away from the guards.  He reached desperately for his dignity, or even just his coaching. Something came to hand. He lifted his chin, clenched his teeth into the most carefree smile in his repertoire, and waved a great big wave at the crowd of a hundred or so. “What’s shakin’, Mannerly Stove?” he shouted cheerily. 

Number One slumped, but the crowd whooped and applauded. Some were still laughing, but that wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Imagine if everyone had fallen silent.

A man of great girth, with a pentagonal hat and chain of office round his neck, strode forward importantly. As he stepped closer, Graham recognized him as Hector. He was more or less mayor, but spent most of his time selling artisanal cheeses over the border. Graham had stayed overnight at his house and beat him at hangman, back when King Edward had sent him to defeat a banshee.

Hector’s grin was enormous, but his eyes were humbly downcast as he swept off his hat with a flourish, and sank to one knee. “Majesty,” he boomed. “Here is a day that will not soon be forgotten in our lowly township.”

Graham sighed, wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his cuff, and pulled out formality. “The pleasure’s all mine, Lord Mayor. And thank you all,” he said, raising his voice, “for the warm welcome. It’s my honour to continue the strong relationship between the throne and this good village.”

More cheers. Well, that wasn’t too bad. Graham  tried to resist, but he could not help sneaking a peek to see if Number One approved. But by this time, the captain was standing to inscrutable attention in a row with the other guards. 

So they began. Speechlets, bouquets, a whirlwind tour of the town which Graham honestly could have led himself. A headache began as he boiled alive in his expensive outfit, but he soldiered on, oohing and ahhing dutifully.

At last they took him over the crest of the road and down into the mountain pass itself. In the distance, Graham could make out a colourful blur (zards, was his eyesight worse compared to his last visit? No, no, surely not,) which  he knew to be the Serenian flag hanging over a small border fortification on the other side. Halfway between them, close to the mountainside waterfall, stood the first thing Graham did not recognize from before. Something glinting here and there with metal, and painted in red and blue.

“Er, what’s that?” he asked, as Hector led the way, walking backward.

“That,” said Hector with relish, raising his voice to be heard above the crash of the waterfall, “is the  reason we insisted your people schedule your visit for today. We only finished putting it together last night. The pride of Mannerly Stove. This way, sire. Only, keep to the middle of the road. Safer.”

“Safer?” asked Graham, but the crowd was already bustling him down the slope toward the object. As it came into focus, he could make out sandbags, gears, a series of weigh scale bowls suspended from chains, and a long winding slide, about the right size for a marble. But none of the bells and whistles disguised the thing completely.

 “A… tollbooth?”

Number One somehow shot him a pointed look, despite his eyes being disguised beneath his helmet. “A very fine tollbooth, I’m sure.”

“A groundbreaking tollbooth,” said Hector. “Like no one has ever seen before, my king. Let us demonstrate.” 

To Graham’s annoyance, the excited mayor yanked him toward the window by the wrist, where a giggling assistant demanded five shiny gold coins. A scowl escaped him at the price, but Number Three leant over his shoulder and murmured something about how after all, he was really just dropping the money back into his own pocket. She asked whether he were smuggling anything, checked something off a list, and  turned a crank. 

The striped barrier began to rise. There was a  shifting and creaking that didn’t seem to come from the mechanism, but out of the earth itself. Graham could have sworn he saw the pebbles on the road rolling slightly. For a moment, an unnaturally straight crack formed in a portion of the road, swallowing dust. Almost as suddenly it disappeared, and all went still. The barrier stopped, at full height.

“Have a nice trip!” the assistant rattled off. “Just have a word with the Serenians at the checkstop on your way through.”

Graham took a few wary steps over the invisible border, but it all seemed solid enough.  He threw an uncertain glance back at the beaming group. “But I don’t actually, right?”

Hector chuckled. “Better not. We’d give the Serenians a good gossip if we sent the king himself through. On foot. All by himself and unprotected.”

Indignation flared in Graham's chest unexpectedly. He was seized by an impulse to power-walk over the frontier and give the people of Daventry something to gossip about.  All by himself and unprotected, indeed. But he slapped that thought away, and ducked to slip under the re-lowered barrier.

The entire crowd gasped as one. The assistant’s mouth went round as an O, and the mayor waved his hands wildly. “No, no, no!” he cried. “Back up! Back up!”

Graham scooted backward, his black satin cloak billowing round. He instinctively checked the ground, but nothing seemed to be moving.

Hector placed a hand over his heart and  heaved a sigh of relief. “Never,” he said, articulating every syllable, “ever try to pass while the gate is still shut. Or go around it. Or climb over it. There are weight sensitive plates everywhere, and if you did -"

“Raise that gate again,” commanded Number One with a firm nod at the assistant. She hurried to obey. The road began groaning again.

“- if you did,” Hector went on, “the entire border defense system would be triggered. Walls, saws, spikes, you name it. And if something of sufficient weight passes over one of those plates, like a cart, it can even set off two small landslides to block the pass on either side.” 

“Retrieve the king,” said Number One hurriedly.

As the barrier locked into its highest position, Graham’s six guards charged forward. They seized him by the shoulders, and  precisely maneuvered him to the very center of the road. They all but shoved him back to the Daventry side, even as they tiptoed, lightly as possible, on their curly boots. “Excuse me,” Graham growled so the crowd wouldn’t hear. “I am perfectly able to walk.” He dug in his heels before he could collide with Hector.

“Landslides?” Graham said aloud, righting himself and shaking off the guards. “That seems like a lot.”

Hector shook his head and waggled a sensible finger. “Nature’s trap for intruders. You see,  a few months back, we had some trouble with bootleggers sneaking past this stretch of road. The late King Edward gave us a grant to tighten security. This Domino Effect Tollbooth was our most brilliant minds’ answer.”

Graham rubbed his chin stubble. “But I mean, smugglers aren’t limited to this route. You could actually sneak into the valley from any direction, right?”

“But NOT through Mannerly Stove,” proclaimed Hector, thrusting out his chest pompously, as though that settled the question. “But you haven’t seen the really droll part of it yet, sire. You might be thinking that an offender might get through the defenses anyhow. That’s why we installed these.” Hector indicated a row of thin, brass pipes protruding from the underside of the toll booth. “These swing out, and blast the scoundrel with sixteen bright colours of paint! Good luck blending in after that!”

“Wow.” Graham scratched his temple under his crown. “You figure it needs sixteen?”

“Naturally! Two or three colours could just mean housepainting, or an artist having a clumsy day. But the odds of sixteen? I think not. In fact, our designer’s original plan was for two-hundred-and-fifty-six colours, but there wasn’t room in the budget. But,” (his smile broadened again - how was that physically possible?) “if I may make so bold, things have been looking up since you got those treasures back. And we, we have full confidence you’ll make the very best use of them. You see, sire, the taxes your officials have us down for are shockingly heavy for such a small town. It's something I’d hoped we could chat about before you leave - possibly expanding the grant.”

“I see.” Graham couldn’t quite stop a smirk from creeping over his face. “So you can have the two-hundred-and-fifty-six colours.”

Hector bobbed the slightest of bows. “That would be a start.”

The smirk spread as he mirrored the mayor’s bow. “Of course. It’s so… great to know the kingdom’s money would be put to such excellent -”

A  gauntleted hand clapped over the king’s mouth. “Bless you,” said Number One brusquely from behind him. “Just as you say, sire. Great to know security is being taken so seriously.”

Really? In what world did Number One imagine that was subtle? 

Graham spluttered as the guard released him, but before he stepped away Number One poked him sharply between the shoulder blades. Muscle memory kicked in. Graham found himself straightening up and putting his shoulders back, as he always did on the training ground when Number One corrected his posture. Then he turned and glared, meeting the guard’s gaze. He deliberately slumped his shoulders and let himself fall into the easy bow-legged stance Number One was always giving him grief for. Zards; what was even the point of dragging him out here if they were just going to be embarrassed of his existence? Maybe they should just put the crown on Number One’s head and send him round to smile and wave at smug villagers. Stars knew he wouldn’t mind taking it off for a while. The headache was morphing from a gnaw to an ache.

Number One held his gaze. And Graham noticed suddenly that everyone had gone quiet.

Hector laughed nervously. “Perhaps your majesty is tired. The heat of the day, naturally. Maybe…” He glanced at the brook rushing by the wayside, and upward at the roiling foam of the falls. “I know just the thing to cool us all down. There’s a staircase carved into the rock that starts just over there. It leads up to a little cliff about halfway up the waterfall. The view is really spectacular.”

“Great idea!” Graham cut in. Anything to shift focus.

The slate-blue steps cut from the side of the mountain were puddle slick most of the way up, pooling mist into water.. More than once Graham nearly lost his footing and had to grab at the fiery-orange foliage of the bushes that lined the way. The second time, Number Two had to give him a shove to get his center of gravity back. 

“You all right?” he whispered in Graham’s ear.

“I’m managing,” he said, trying to put some pep into it.

But Number Two didn’t pull back just yet. “Don’t think about who’s watching,” he murmured. “Not us, not them. Just think about one day when you’ll be old and stuck in bed all day, and can't climb mountains no more -and have fun with it now. That’s how it’s done.”  He patted Graham lightly on the shoulder. “Sire.”

At length they reached the narrow shelf - Graham, the guards, and Hector, who immediately pointed out that you could see his house from there. In fact, Graham could see all of Mannerly Stove from there, and a good stretch of the kingdom below, decked out in autumn glory. He was fairly sure the shimmering bit of white light was the castle pinnacle. But it was the falls that really stole the show, rushing down in magnificent sheets, and casting up snowy white froth. Graham gratefully stepped into the spray and let it play over his face and hands. He rubbed the cool water into the corners of his eyes. Who cared that his good clothes got a trifle wet? Anyone with an ounce of compassion would give him this. He wondered what temperature the guards had reached in their armour, and whether they were envious.

Hector swept another needless bow. “I thought your majesty might find it refreshing. Now, while we’re up here, it would be a crime not to show you the Tickle Rock. How do you like that?” He pointed a brawny finger toward the cliff’s edge.

Perched near the brink sat the most top-heavy rock Graham had ever seen. As tall as he was, and rather wider than his arm span at the top, it dwindled to a narrow point at its base. He could have wrapped his fingers round the bottom. This, at last,  was something to see.

“Perfectly balanced, as you see,” said Hector, taking a moment to hold his handkerchief under the waterfall and dab at his forehead. “It was the pride of our village long before the tollbooth. So, you see, it can never fall down. It’s been here as long as anyone knows. When the winds blow, it rocks a little, but it goes on standing.”

“And it can never fall down?” Graham asked, genuinely enchanted for the first time since his coronation.

“Never.”

“That’s incredible!”

“Miraculous,” the mayor agreed. He considered a moment, then seized off his hat and held it under the water  to fill it up. “Stars bless us, but it is a hot day,” he muttered. “Yes, miraculous. It can never fall down, because if it did, we’d lose half our fame. Although if you come to think of it, the really miraculous thing, even more so than the Tickle Rock’s perfect balance, is that no idiot has ever climbed up here and given it a good…” He looked up from his hat, and froze. “Sir Graham! No!”

A shining-eyed Graham had closed the gap between himself and the rock. To Hector’s horror, even as the words formed on his lips, Graham raised his hand. Pointed a finger. And poked the stone. 

It wobbled.

“What?” said Graham, glancing back over his shoulder in honest bewilderment. “Didn’t you say it can never fall?”

The rock lurched toward the precipice’s edge.

Hector screamed. The crowd below screamed. Nearly every guard screamed.

Graham’s blood froze, and his stomach turned a cat’s cradle. “No, no, no no no no no!” Without a thought in his head, except that the Tickle Rock must not fall, he clambered to get a hold of it, catching frantically at the air. His arms closed round its sides. He heaved backward, realizing just a moment later that if the stone came with him, it would land on top of him. But it didn’t. It wedged itself on the end of his boot, just a fraction away from his toes.  It tottered - tottered further - and righted itself in his arms.

Oh, gods. Oh, merciful gods. That had been unthinkably close. He heaved a sigh of relief, and could have sworn that sigh echoed through the whole mountain pass.

Then something shifted, and Graham and the rock hurtled over the edge.

He cried out. For a moment someone seemed to be tugging at his cloak, but they must have let go. He pulled his arms free of the rock, and found himself spinning somersaults and cartwheels in freefall. The crown flew off his head.  He reached, reached for something to grab hold of, but nothing met his grip.

Then he thudded into the earth.

The wind was knocked out of him, but his arm raised itself on reflex. With perfect timing, he snatched the crown out of the air. Well, at least he had that.

Five spinning skies resolved into one as he gasped breath back into his lungs. Dizzily, he raised himself on one elbow. He was laid out on his back, mere inches from the shattered chunks of the Tickle Rock. And on the other side of him, the tollbooth.

The ground began to creak and rumble under him.

Graham closed his eyes. “No…”

He launched himself into a roll just as the ground beneath where had been lying fell away. From the breach burst a circular saw, spinning so fast it  screeched. He broke his roll just in time, for an identical saw split the ground and rose from the other side. Earsplitting bells and horns rang out. He staggered to his feet, only for something - a spinning jousting target? - to swing at his head. Throwing himself into the arms of instinct, he ducked and weaved as more and more threats appeared, some from the ground, some on metal fixtures that came out of the tollbooth, some from who could say where. He swerved to avoid a procession of five tremendous wooden mallets, any of which could have sent his head flying like a croquet ball. Finally, a great wall of black iron, lined at the top with vicious spikes, leapt out of the ground, cutting off his escape toward the Serenian side. Graham dashed wildly toward Daventry, even though the spikes of the second wall had already climbed a good three feet. Throwing all his momentum into it, he leapt wildly to clear the wall. But the spinning jousting target snagged his cloak, and threw him back into the middle of the fray. 

He flattened himself against the ground, covering his head with his arms, and waited for something to squish or slice or stretch him. Somewhere, the rumbling grew even louder, until it roared.

Everything stopped.

He waited, then waited longer. But nothing more came. Slow as molasses in winter, he got to his feet and looked around. The saws were still, the mallets had fallen to the ground, inert, and the walls, while very much standing, seemed to have reached their full height.

He tilted his head back to look up at the cliff. Only Hector remained by the waterfall. His eyes goggled out of his  head, but he said nothing. The guards were nowhere in sight, though he thought maybe he could just make out Number One’s voice raised above the crash of the water. “Pockets!” 

“I’m -” His voice sounded weak and hoarse, and not nearly loud enough to carry. He tried again, a bit louder.  “I’m here, Number One! I -  think it’s all over.”

A blast of neon yellow splashed violently into his face.

He shut his eyes just in time. The paints soaked him with such force it was hard to keep his balance. He gritted his teeth, folded his arms, and leaned against the metal wall for support. Just stand and take it, and think what on earth you’re going to say to them all.

When at last the paint melee stopped, he cracked an eyelid and looked down at himself. If he hadn’t needed glasses before, he certainly would after an eyeful like that. Lime green, sherbet pink, tropical orange. This outfit was single handedly going to set the royal laundry on strike.

A helmeted head popped over  the wall. “Sire!” cried Number One anxiously, already grabbing onto a spike to vault over. “Are you hurt?” 

The ground had already spat so many things out; if only it could swallow him. He forced a limp, rainbow-coloured thumbs up. 

Number One was there in a moment, seizing him by the elbows. “Are you hurt at all?” He sounded beside himself.

Graham shook his head, grateful that his sopping blue and white hair hung down over his face, so that his eyes were hidden too.

“Can you speak?”

“Uh huh.”

Number One’s grip relaxed, and if it was a wave of relief that washed over the guard, Graham could feel it roll over him too. Just for a moment. Because the next moment the grip turned severe. If Number One had been any stronger he would have crushed Graham's elbows as he leaned in and whispered furiously, “What in bloody hell do you think you’re playing at?” Then he stepped back, and shouted clearly, “His majesty is not seriously harmed. Numbers Two and Three, prepare the carriage to take him home at once. My lord mayor, on behalf of the royal guard, we are deeply, deeply sorry for this unfortunate accident. Numbers Four, Five, and Six, we’ll be here overnight to… deal with all this.” 

Up on the clifftop, Hector shook himself from his stupor. “Uh - uh - uh, well,” he stammered, “well, I don’t think anyone’s heading home tonight. The, uh, the rock was, um, heavy. The landslides, they worked perfectly, on both sides. So you’re probably stuck here until, um, we can get the rubble crew in.”

Number One twitched, almost imperceptibly. “How long will that take?”

Hector began twisting his hat into a helix. “I don’t think the team has been, um, precisely organized yet. We - we only finished the tollbooth last night. Um, there’s a signup sheet on the town board. Can someone run and check on that?”

The last time Graham had stayed overnight at the mayor’s house, he’d slept on the sofa. This evening the two housemaids rushed about in a frenzy to get the master bedroom ready. They changed out the bedding, set up a side table with a pitcher of water, mints, and a bell, and covered the floor and armchair with towels and tarps, so the splattered king could drip as much as he liked.

Exhausted, he eased into the chair sorely. If his muscles were feeling that fall now, what would they be tomorrow? As for the headache, it had apparently decided to split expenses and housemate with a few other headaches. But a splitting head and aching muscles were things he could get over. He wasn’t sure about the rest.

The wash stand was just within reach. A linen towel hung over the edge. Improper it might be, but his handkerchief was a sodden mess of paint. Graham grabbed the towel and blew his nose hard. Even the mucus seemed to have all sixteen colours in it.

Number One marched into the room with the most precisely by-the-book march Graham had ever seen from him, but he only stopped the door from slamming at the last second. He stepped carefully around the colourful footprints, placed his helmet on the dresser, and stared at Graham. He didn’t exactly look angry. Graham didn’t quite know what that look was, except that it was intense. “What are you?” asked the guard slowly.

Graham shrugged.  “An artistic masterpiece,” he said dryly.

“No. What are you?”

“I know. I know. I’m an idiot.” He dragged a weary hand across his face, and it came away purple and brown.

Number One took a step forward. “No!” He emphasized every word. “You are Daventry. Daventry! You cannot be Sir Graham any longer. You cannot be an island, or a maverick, or whatever you think you are. And you cannot be a rebellious schoolboy.” 

Couldn’t he give it five minutes? “It’s just when he said it couldn’t fall, I took it in the sense that -”

“Daventry tumbled and scraped its way down a mountainside today. Daventry fell on its face in the dust.”

“I was actually on my back…”

“Daventry walked away wet, unsteady, and foolish, gagging up paint in front of the whole town, who will spread it round on our side of the border and over it. And the fault is completely mine.”

That got Graham’s attention. He looked up. “What?”

“You are as far from ready as you could be. And you nearly got yourself killed today.” Number One looked as though he might go on, but he abruptly stopped himself. He seized his helmet up, replaced it, and muttered, “I should be publicly flogged."

This time, he let the door slam.

[katyspersonal]

sorry if the "use later" meant you weren't taking them now, but if you are : 6, 10, 25, 44, and maybe 50 ? (i don't remember you talking about a hunter of your own, so if not, general hcs about the protag ?)

Ahhh don't worry about this! I AM taking the asks, I am just stacking them for later because my ask answering habits are chaotic x)

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

6) League or Vilebloods?

This question gave me flashback on having made a reasonable point about why if Valtr and Bloody Crow have met, they'd experience the strongest wish to kill the other in their lives fhsdhfs I have a lot to say about the philosophy and goal of both covenants! To condense it as much as possible, I say Vilebloods, because they at least have the reasonable goal! They are a split from Pthumerians that felt entitled to crown a female monarch and carry the Child of Blood (who is a Great One on "their" terms)! Yes, they seek, consume and maybe even cultivate Human Dregs, but they have the vision of the new era... even if drenched in blood and sin.

League guys are battling the thing that can't be ultimately defeated - the evil within men, so their end goal would be destruction of life itself! I do feel bad for what the poor idiots took upon themselves, this is a twisted trap of existence, and they are sadly smarter. Burdened with something you are not SUPPOSED to get a glimpse of! But, Vilebloods have THE plan, I respect this more. (I also respect the ask meme's creator for pitting these covenants against each other, this is a very deep observation!)

10) Sexiest boss?

I am not so sure ;-; When it comes to sexual attraction, most of my preferences fall on NPCs and not bosses! I think Amygdala is the closest one to the definition! Maria, Micolash and Ebrietas are definitely up here, but in this case "sexyness" comes from the sense of "knowing" the character! With Amygdala I think it is more genuine in terms of appreciating the boss through this lence. It is not 'omg I am fighting THIS person 😳' but it is 'omg all these arms and tendrills 😳'!

25) Upper Cathedral Ward Y/N

I never, ever, ever, EVER want to see that STUPID fucking bitchass fucker Brainsucker in the long narrow hallway that keeps STUNLOCKING ME WITH its STUPID fucking spell EVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN.

YEAH YEAH WHATEVER fshfhdsfs I always do this area anyways and I love its atmosphere and the sound, but it HURTS. I am also probably the only person alive who is struggling with Celestial fucking Emissary!!!! It is a love-hate relationship with this area, but I say yes because I physically can't bring myself to skip it!

^ Love the way it looks through sequence breaking, too!

44) Have you read any of the comics?

No, and I don't think I ever will be able to :') My country has some.... """issues""" with overseas merch to say the least fsdhfghfsd Granted, from what I've seen the comics IS awesome! It is exactly the way I want licensed products to be: instead of giving you lore on unexplored canon characters they add original characters, instead of shoving the lore answers onto you they respect the vagueness of the original and continue it... I always dreaded stuff for my previous fandoms such as official comics, infodrops through official Twitters, spin-offs etc that gave too much information because I don't like to cOnSuMe MoRe CoNtEnT uwu, I like enough space for speculation and imagination left! With Bloodborne comics, I could tell this is the case!

( x ) ^ This alone I respect very much! I love it when the writer has their own idea but doesn't hammer it down and leaves it up to the audience to figure it OR not. This IS how Miyazaki writes his own stories - he knows what the story IS, but won't straight up tell us XD This is what I loved about original Matrix trilogy - creators have had a certain idea in mind but the story was crafted in such a way that it was up to the audience to find it out, or even find their own interpretations! And this is why I refused to watch Owl House - I heard that the creator got super controlling and defensive about how audience """should""" read and feel towards the villain. I've sidetracked but I can tell from a mile that if I ever lay my hands on these comics it must be worth my time all things considered!

50) Tell me about your hunters!

Oh boy... I am a total 'Paleblood Hunter is not loreless' truther x) There IS a "canon" Paleblood Hunter character, unlike in the case of other Soulsborne games, and it doesn't let me get creative XD There is a guy with white hair and grey eyes that is probably a reincarnation of Laurence ( x ) , having ties with Cainhurst but also coming from the 'foreign country' that was a home of Brador ( x ) and like 80% of the Healing Church's staff!

This is tormenting me. This is eating me. I have such deeply-rooted insecurity about "bringing in something from myself" that @val-of-the-north has had to FIGHT me to keep my """irrelevant""" OCs for the fandom. xD And stuff like this perfectly nurtures that side of me, as I jealously watch every normal fan have fun with THEIR version of protag like:

Nonetheless, I actually DO have a Hunter that I love to use and recreate at any lost safe or restarted game! This is Rin!

Or Rena, or Rina.... something along these lines fhfhds I've first shared about her here ( x ), and since then not much about her changed! I still like the worst fucking backstory where her overly cautiousness at first made her kill one of like three sane people in the setting, the developing sense of justice and killing a person full of shit on the spot, the worst bloodtinge and absence of guns use etc!

The thing that changed is weaponry style! Now I got fixation on having every variant of Ludwig's Holy Blade (normal/arcane, bolt, fire, poisoned). So picture her having collection of the same sword but with different "element" XD I'll take more screenshots of her! Currently she has clouded eyes effect (fell victim of my experiments with Save Editing), I probably should fix it fdfdsfds But, yeah... I like playing as her! I tried to create 'default Paleblood Hunter' for male playable character and it didn't feel as satisfying as I thought it would!