#astolfo is so dear to me

[fyodors-fancy-teacup]

No you don’t understand how much they mean to me

[tarhanka]

Okay, let's go

The first song is "Г.г.п.т.к.н" Vivienne Mort, the full title of the song is "Годі говорити про того кого нема". It's translated like "Stop talking about someone who isn't there" but it's more in "Enough, don't talk about someone who gone (die)" sense

This song is the first in the playlist for a reason, because for me, the whole plot of vnc is "Stop talking about someone who isn't there" because these are just written Noe's memories about Vanitas, who died.

But this song is also strongly associated with all the dead (or not so dead) characters that we are constantly reminded of. You know: Luna, Faustina, Louis [and Astolfo's family for Astolfo]

I love this artist's songs, some of them are simply full of madness and despair

I am sure that the translation is bad, but I tried to paraphrase clearly:

"Here they are coming down to me again, but you don't see them, and it's such a pity.

Here they are, playing with me and calling me to the forest, I will run away there. You exposed me"

It's hard to explain, but to me, it's more about how the main characters (and others) cling to the memories of the characters listed above. And about how they can be easily influenced.

Also, for me, it's about Naenia, who is walking the world.

These lines are the chorus.

"Well, try to understand my crazy brain. I screamed, "God, help me, help" (in "Save me" way)"

For me it is about Vanitas, about Astolfo, about Ruthven and the rest of the characters whose madness they tried to show us and which is so difficult to understand. It's about pleading for salvation and how hard it is to let go.

"Stop talking about someone who isn't there

Stop talking about someone who isn't there

Stop talking about someone who isn't there

the one who is not there

Not there anymore "

It's about everyone. But most of all about Misha who cannot let go of Luna. About the Teacher who wants to return the vampire of the blue moon and about Ruthven who...I still don't understand what Ruthven is trying to do.

"Goodbye, because I am going to them, they, like me, don't know cold, don't know measure.

Don't read sad books without me. My dear sorrow is called hunger, the need for faith"

It's just Vanitas and Luna, because it's them.

The text itself in the original is strange, and you have to FEEL it. I just couldn't translate it well...sorry

And last...

"Don't trust the pain

Don't trust tears

You say, I will give you freedom

Well, who told you that?"

This text vibes like Naenia, I hope you felt it.

But i's just Vanoe. About how difficult it is for Vanitas to accept emotions and feelings and how these two cannot make each other "free"

About how Noe did not understand Vanitas in the beginning

And yet how he would never leave this fool alone

💖💖💖THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS💖💖💖

Ukrainian version (here I wrote a little more):

[chansonderoland]

Roland Valentine’s scene & CE translation - Fate/Grand Order

[Let’s see… I’m going to give this chocolate to Roland, but]

Roland A chocolate for me?! Ohh, thank you!

I have no choice but to take it off!

Ye—ah! I got a chocolateeeeeee!

*shakes head* 

[He won’t go that far, right!] [... probably!]

*Roland and Astolfo training* 

Roland Haaaaaaaaaah!

Astolfo Yaaaaaaaaaah!

Ready, set—

Roland !

Astolfo Too late!

[Vulcano Caligorante (Capture Net of Good Fortune)]!

Roland It’s not… too late!

[(The sword got entangled in his arm—!?)]

Astolfo Huh? Huh, huh, huh?

Roland …. Mmmmmmmmh…!

Astolfo Wa, wa, wah. Wa, wait—

Roland Hahaha, there’s no way I’d wait!

*loud crash* 

Astolfo Uhnyah—!?

Roland It’s the difference between our strength and our tactics. The only thing in your advantage was your timing.

As long as I know how to handle that, the rest is easy.

Astolfo Uuhh….

Roland Even if you look at me like that, it’s still the truth—

Astolfo You’re right!  Then let’s go one more time!

Master’s here now, so I won’t lose this time! 

Roland Oh, Master. My bad, my bad. What is it?

If it’s training we can do it together… 

[Roland, here you go!]

Roland ?

???

Astolfo Roland has the same expression as a cat that has seen something strange…

It’s choco, y’know, chocolate!

Ah, Master. Please gimme one too!

[I’ve already given you one] [Sorry, I’ll give it to you next time]

-> [I’ve already given you one]

Right, right! 

… will you give me another one? You won’t? You won’t, huh—

-> [Sorry, I’ll give it to you next time] 

Yay, I’m looking forward to it!

Astolfo So, Roland, what’s wrong? 

Roland Um…. no. I just don’t know what I should do.

Don’t get me wrong!   I’m really grateful! There’s no doubt about that!

However… You need to give something in return for Valentine’s, right?

I just can’t think of anything to give you in return for this favour…

[(He’s more serious than I thought…)]

Astolfo Uhmm. Well, anything other than stripping is fine, right?

I’ll go train with someone else while you think about that! 

*Astolfo leaves* 

Roland Hey, wait, Astolfo! Let’s think about this together!

Geez. He really left, huh…

Uhm… Master. Is there anything you want?

If it’s something I can give you, I’m ready to give you anything!

Though it’s impossible if it’s something I don’t have…

[Anything is fine]

Hey, that’s cold.

It makes it harder for me if you say that.

Ah, but wait a second. Hmm…. it can’t be helped. I’ll bring out my best!

[Your best…?] [Your best…] 

-> [Your best…?]

Yeah, my best!

->[Your best…]

Roland Yeah, in other words— My best birthday suit!

Roland I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not it. 

*Roland kneels* 

Roland My Master. No, at this moment, my King!

I dedicate my fealty and my oath,  and my chivalry to thee.

[Huh!?]

Are you dissatisfied?

[No, not at all!]

*Roland gets up* 

Heey, I’m just kidding, just kidding!

I’ll give you something more concrete when we get back!

Like QP! Or golden fruits!

*slap* 

Eh, that won’t do either?

That’s hard… then, I have only one thing left…

— should I take it off?

[This is enough—!]

Okay, understood!

Ah, but even if it’s not a return gift for the chocolate, my fealty and oath are real!

You can trust me on that! See ya!  

*Roland leaves* 

[My knight, huh…]

—

As a knight

A return gift from Roland.

Well, for me as a servant, even if another master shows up— For you, I’ll be your one and only servant.

So even if my king is here, as a knight, there is no doubt to whom I should give my allegiance to. My dear, esteemed Master. On my life and on my pride, I swear in this moment that I shall protect you with all my heart and soul.

Hahaha. Did I manage to seem like a knight for once?

— more than enough.

— 

TL Notes: 

I am no expert in Japanese, and I would have never attempted to translate this scene if it wasn’t dubbed. Take it with a grain of salt and feel free to disregard as soon as something better comes up. I tried to make it as natural as possible, but I’m not a native English speaker either, so if you think it’s weird, it probably is. 

Anyways, thanks for reading and please remember to give your Roland a chocolate. 

[eralacrimae]

[OC] Sanctity

The Andromeda myth is very dear to me, and Gustave Moreau's painting of Andromeda, made between 1867 and 1869, has given me an idea of a love story I had to portray.

Ludovic's story as a Tarnished was already echoing motifs of the stories of Andromeda and Medusa, so I tied their images together for his character with the posture, the chains, and the symbolds of the shield with the head of the Gorgon and the wings of Pegasus.

The princess Andromeda was chained to the rocks as a sacrifice to Cetus, the sea monster, but not because of her own fault. Her mother, Queen of Aethiopia, Cassiopeia, angered Poseidon, ruling god of the seas, and to appease him, this was what the wise oracle told them to do.

Medusa was a beautiful maiden who, in Ovid's Metamorphoses, was assaulted by Neptune/Poseidon in Minerva/Athena's temple, and the goddess punished her for it by transforming her hair into snakes. When Perseus beheaded her, Pegasus was born from Medusa's spilled blood and the foam of the sea. Pegasus would aid Perseus to free Andromeda.

For Astolfo (courtesy of VenenumTea), Cetus, the awe-inspiring sea monster, and Perseus, a great hero who killed Medusa, and rescued Andromeda and later married her, were both inspirations. I tried my best to get the red, gold, and the patterns of the armour of Perseus from Moreau's painting.

For this piece/AU I imagined Ludovic as a priest/ess and healer, unjustly silenced and condemned to death after being assaulted by high-ranking men who framed him as the one offering himself to them. He was offered as a sacrifice to the sea monster they feared. He accepted whatever fate would befall him, but he didn't expect the creature to fall in love with him at first sight.

[pinkriderastolfo]

"Astolfo! I demand that you pick me up in a Full Nelson and fuck my pussy. Do not stop until I say so!"

"Y-yes, dear!"

[dervaaas]

Bites

Characters: Vanitas; Noe Archiviste; Dominic De Sade; Jeanne; Louis De Sade; August Ruthven; Roland Fortis; Astolfo Granatum; Jean-Jacques Chastel; Chloed Apchier.

f!reader

пн! описание крови, укусов(?) Reader has a tendency to bite people, and she has very sharp teeth.

Luca without gifs due to limitation..

Vanitas

For a human, you bite pretty hard and that's a fact. He had already decided that Noe had attacked him, but he was seriously hurt when he turned around and saw you. He thinks your inclination is strange for a person, so he assumed that you grew up in a circle of vampires, and watching them took their habits. He will complain to everyone. They say there will be no neck left and who will save the vampires? Clearly, he will set conditions for your attempt on his soul. It already depends on personal principles.

Noe Archiviste

Do you hear? Someone is shouting. In Paris, they will definitely hear all his screams. Noe didn't notice you, that was what caused his screams, and then your bite wasn't so loud, but come on, it was more like a moan or a scream. You've known him since childhood, even when he lived with people, you used this tin to tease him, but later it turned into a habit. Naturally, as a child, he did not like this gesture, he told you about it, for a while you stopped, but again returned to it. Over time, when the Faceless Noe took him away and begged him to take you away, you began to bite others when you got used to them. When Dominic drank his blood for the first time, I realized that compared to you, this is a mosquito. And even more surprising is the fact that compared to a vampire, you don't drink blood, but you bite much more painfully than berserkers.

Dominic De Sade

I was terrified of you. For a while I thought you were trying to hurt Noe, and later Louis. You didn't try to bite her, she shies away from you like a cat from a vacuum cleaner, and then he may not catch up right away that he won't do anything to him. But you are not a vacuum cleaner, but a person whom Domi is afraid of. Over time, of course, she got used to spending more time with you, all the time that you didn't communicate, she was running around with guys. In the castle, when you were playing with dolls, you had a desire to bite her not much, because the guys said, "Even a vampire would envy such a grip," it didn't work out, maybe the guys would say that it really wasn't much compared to ordinary bites. Dominic got scared, dropped the doll and screamed. It scared you yourself, everyone who was was approaching. But later everyone was sitting drinking tea and you were offended by the conditions of your "bites".

Jeanne

I've seen you bite Noe, Dominic and Vanitas more than once. I thought it was strange. Of course, he won't ask directly, but it's much better to listen to a conversation on this topic. Right? But I didn't have to eavesdrop, because Luka asked you, in a sense to her relief. She is surprised by the fact that it is quite painful for a person to bite, and also that it eventually turned into a habit of degeneration of attachment. Oh, she tried to kill you after that, not so much for herself as for Lukius. There are many ways, but why this one? People are strange.

Luca Oriflamme

Subjected to your attempts. The whole Altrus is not happy. First of all, he suffered a panic due to pain shock. Yes, the boy has a much increased pain defect. Seriously, he will shy away from any person. You're lucky that Jeanne wasn't there at that moment, she wouldn't have come out alive from there. When his attempts to escape became more subtle, he came up and asked:

- Y/N why did you bite me? .. well.. that day.

- Er.. pf.. habit. As a child, I used to bite Noe to tease him. It became a habit, and later when I met Dominic and her brother, it already became a "symbol" of affection. I can't get rid of the habit, and I just love biting, I have no desire to get rid of it.

- It means.. I'm dear to you!!?

- Calm down, I didn't say that.

Louis De Sade

If you were vampires, the principle of "blood for blood" would work for you, but you don't drink it. Perhaps the two of you were making fun of Noe. He saw you bite him more than once, thought that people had strange habits. But one day he got under the distribution. You crept up on him, of course he noticed it, but he gave you the feeling of a "hunter" to amuse yourself. He really thought that you were just trying to scare him, but unexpectedly for him you bit his neck, he was scared and very much, first of all he thought that people also have their "cursed" ones. After that, when everything was clarified, he said: "Are you really human? I would understand if you're a vampire and you bite really hard.. but is this normal for a person?"

August Ruthven

I've seen or even heard about your inclination. Oh, believe me, he was angry when he found out that you bit Luka and it hurt him. I was at a loss when Luka ran and said: "A man was privizal to me." I thought it so affects vapiriv bites of people, maybe people also have something similar to poison? He'll definitely kill you if you try to bite him.

Roland Fortis

Epf.. if you are not familiar, then how should he punish you if you are a vampire. He is not familiar with the feeling of being bitten by a vampire, but why does he say that it is much more painful than vampires? Hmm, perhaps from the stories of other people and reliable sources? If this is our situation in this case - you know each other when you met in the catacombs, yes.. you made them take them with you, they say I'll be needed. And she really made me buy time for Noe and Vanitas.. you just bit Rolond... Is it worth saying that he screamed? Oh, yes, you bit through the skin because of this, he decided to fight with you, mistaking you for a vampire. Except Noe threw you far away. Honestly, Noe and Vanitas strained your bite at Rolonda's neck- they were worried about their carcasses. Well, as soon as he finds out that you are a person, he will be surprised and obviously ask questions and a lot.

Astolfo Granatum

Scared? That's not saying enough. Although 13 vampires drank his blood, but with such strength as you have not yet been. He's surprised by the fact that you're not a vampire, but you bite hard. It annoys him that he has relaxed his vigilance. He is not the one who flatters (oh, even very much LIKE) the fact that you bite only him, how much pain it brings. According to him, it would be better if he fought a vampire half-dead than to experience your bites again. But, purely in secret, how the hell does he flatter it, does he admit it? Of course not, maybe in death he will still say, but this is not for sure.

Jean-Jacques Chastel

I noticed your strangeness when I met Chloe. It really hurt him, it couldn't even compare to how Chloe bites in a rage. Of course, he was also a man once, but perhaps this oddity appeared with a new generation? How long have you been trying to attack him? Oh, for a long time and even very long, longer than with Chloe herself, of course she is perceptive and she herself understood what all this is about, but Jean-Jacques is Jean-Jacques. He is somewhat shy, so he was just embarrassed to be in your presence, especially after Chloe's explanation of your actions. He has a feeling of affection only for Chloe and you are not in this row, no matter how you turn it. But maybe in the future you will win over the Zhivodansky beast?

Chloed Apchier

Chloe saw you when she was very young and was promised again that this child would return her "humanity". Later you were taken away from Zhevodan to your family's estate. Chloe was left alone with Jean again, waiting for the day when you will be brought back. And at the age of four, you are taken to her to introduce you closer. You've played a lot of games, you even had to invent your own. There are a lot of bruises and bruises behind your shoulders. By the age of 14, you are taken back to Zhevodan to fulfill the promise of your great-grandfather. She's really surprised how you've grown. She really wanted to repeat the times when you played together, but damn you're here for one thing..

- Chloe, I will not fulfill the promise I made to you in the past.

- why?

- Do you think I, as a person, have the opportunity to rewrite the world of formulas? Is it neither the element of humans nor weak vampires? There's nothing I can do to help.

I'm even very surprised how. If so, what could have gone wrong in this situation? So it's that you just walked up and didn't find her, and at some unexpected moment bit her neck. For the first time in a long time, she experienced severe physical pain. How many lives, and there was no such thing. After a "little" heart-to-heart conversation, it was enough for her to understand that your unexpected attack is just a habit that you just can't get rid of. Over time, she began to catch your views and she is already preparing for another attack.

[akurrami]

A fate ask blog that's active must be my lucky day!! Anywho May I request how Mori, Astolfo and Arash would comfort a female master after she has nightmares. I imagine seeing servants deaths and other horrible things from her servants memories in her dreams must rattle her.

Mori AND Astolfo in the same request? My dear you had my curiosity, now you have my attention. Oh yeah, and Arash too.

But I totally agree, being a Master must do a big number on your mental state, I wouldn't be surprised if Ritsuka in canon has nightmares, if not even PTSD from all the things they've seen.

Pairing: (seperate) Mori Nagayoshi x fem! Reader, Arash x Fem! Reader, Astolfo x fem! Reader

TWs: Mentions of death and/or blood.

Paladin Astolfo

Immediately jumps to comforting you.

Given his ability to get along with others, he knows what makes you click, so he tries to first calm down your breathing.

Hugs. So many hugs.

Lets you play with his hair if it's something that would help you.

You woke up covered in cold sweat and with teary eyes, alongside a shriek of terror you just barely managed to quiet down to not wake up everyone in Chaldea.

Though, Astolfo did wake up, and almost like by a switch, he sprang into action. He hugged you tightly, but with care and tenderness.

"Master? Did you have a nightmare?"

You gave him a nod, your lungs and mind refusing to calm down.

"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm all ears.."

He said, his tone gentle and calm. So you do so, you tell him about the horrid nightmares of seeing all the dead bodies, be it servant or normal human, and amidst it all beings that defy human logic, straight up demons. And your shoes - soaked with blood other than yours.

Only Gods know how you didn't lose your marbles yet. And he can't express how much he respects and loves you for your bravery to keep pushing on for Humanity's sake.

And you powerlessly watching the mountain of corpses amd gore you are forced to take part in, to save the proper human history.

"I may not be the smartest out there, master, but I assure you, that's a word of a Paladin of Charlemagne, you'll never have to deal with that stress alone. I am always at your disposal, be it day or night."

After calming you down, he gives you a quick kiss on the cheek. He totally refuses to let you go now. He'll hold you close to his chest, and wait for you to fall back asleep to the rythmic sound of his heartbeat, this time without Nightmares to plague you, he hopes.

Mori Nagayoshi

The Oni Musashi can be a softie, especially for you, His Liege, his Master, His partner.

While he does like to fight himself, he understands that battle can take a heavy toll.

Prepares tea for you, without any asking for your opinion.

After a bit he brings you a fresh cup of green tea. To help you clear your mind.

If you ask him for it, absolutely will hug you, and given his stature and build, you're guaranteed to feel safe. This man is basically a walking fortress!

You are his Liege, and I said that as a Samurai it's his duty to serve you as well as he can.

Your turning and heavy breathing were what woke Nagayoshi up. At first his instinct thought it's an assassination attempt, and before he reached for his spear he saw no Assassin, just you turning because of a nightmare. He's pretty new to romance, the Sengoku period didn't give him much time for that in his life, but he does his best.

He tried to wrap his arms around you, but he assumed he squeezed a tad too tight, as the next thing he knows, you woke up screaming and catching your breath at the same time.

If you didn't tell him to stop, he might just have been apologizing the whole night.

He rubbed his hand accross his red hair, confused what to do next. You're awake, nightmare over, right?

"N-naga?"

"Yes, Master!"

You didn't even say anything.

"Can you.. Can you hug me?"

That's where he remembered - Tea! Green tea calms down the mind! He rushed off, and after few minutes gave you a cup of tea, in his favorite ornamental tea set. And embraced you, your back touching his chest.

"Anything else, Master? I heard tales, or.. stories, rather. From other soldiers. The battlefield left them with Nighrmares. Is that the case?"

You gave a weak nod. With his encouragement you described what you see. Who - You see. The Major cause someone like you has to shoulder the burden of saving Humanity as we know it.

Your story of Lev Lainur's betrayal makes his blood boil. He hates betrayal above all else, and hearing of this and the pain it caused you - He can't stand it.

"But... With you like this, Nagayoshi, It feels like it's all gonna be Ok. I can trust you, right?"

"Of course!!!"

"So.. Could I fall asleep like this? With you hugging me?"

He smiles faintly, but geniuenely.

"It'd be my Honor."

He rests his chin on your head, and as that - The Oni Musashi, the warrior who dyed his armor and pants red with blood, known for his unstoppable rage - Calmly asleep serving a Liege he loves above anyone else.

Arash Kamangir

Arash is pretty basic I think, as far as being a partner goes.

Not that he's a bad one - Not at all

It's just that he strikes me as the "Caring Boyfriend (TM)" type.

He'll hug you and whisper positive affirmations

But in his usual manner, no matter how close you might be, he does everything he can to avoid saying something upsetting or rude. So his affirmations can be pretty hit or miss.

To a point where they can be sometimes funny.

It was about 20 minutes by now since Arash started trying to help you calm down.

So, he got an idea, He heard among the Chaldea staff, that a meteor shower might be happening tonight. So he offered a small walk outside.

Little did he know, he chose the perfect opportunity. Right as you stepped out, you could see streaks of blue light shooting accross the night sky, to a destination in cosmos known only to fate itself.

He watched with a smile as the worries of your nightmare, and the death surrounding you on every step washes away, if even for but a moment.

"Master! Quickly, make a wish!"

He said, excitedly, a serious hero he might be, but he does know when to let go and just have fun.

After only a bit of silence did Arash actually notice you weren't alone, a red coated Archer, accompanied by a blonde Saber with blue robes also were watching the dashing lights. But they minded their own business, and so did He.

"Thank you Arash, that... That helped a lot."

You exclaimed, with a reliefed sigh.

"I'm always at your service, Master. Oh! What did you wish for? I can tell you mine to make it even-"

You covered your lips with your index finger to symbolise silence.

"I can't tell you, otherwise it won't come true... right?"

And as such, much like the ultimate destination of meteors - The wish of the Master of Chaldea, shall remain theirs to know, but perhaps a little less afraid of whatever battles might await.

-------

Sorry it took so long!

The part with Arash was lowkey inspired by my backyard window and living in an area with relatively low Light Pollution! So I can stargaze a bit before sleeping. It's a very calming experience for me.

Best wishes,

Rami.

[elstreem]

Compilation of the flower shop AU Bedi drawings I made.

The last one here is actually the first one I made and the rest is just stuff of me building up on his character.

All info I have on him so far below (super long, because I thought about this way too much):

What was left for the last loyal Knight who witnessed the destruction of his kingdom and the deaths of those he held dear?

To console Bedivere, Merlin told him that he foresaw there would be a peaceful time, far off into the future where all those he knew would be reborn, without memories of their past lives but free of their tragic fates. Merlin also offered a choice for Bedivere - to travel to that distant age and meet them all again as he still was, or to live out the rest of his life and find peace there.

Bedivere decided to take Merlin's offer and is sent off to a place called Chaldeas Castle Town. To further help Bedivere adjust, Merlin gave him a pair of glasses that acted as Crystallized Knowledge - giving him basic info on the place and age he was no living in. Merlin also gave him the flower shop, Garden of Avalon, to look after.

...some might say that he was taking free labor out of Bedivere in doing so, since Bedivere does everything for the shop and even adds to it, later on offering services in magic botany and selling pharmaceuticals.

Bedivere slowly adapts to his new life, burying his past as a knight and settling in as an ordinary shop keeper, all the while waiting to see his King, and so, to hope that she was smiling in this life. And...he holds a secret desire in his heart, buried deep, deep down, that he would see his brother Lucan again, and apologize for not being able to save his life at the end of Camlann.

In the meantime, he meets the many people of Chaldeas and slowly but surely opens up to them, and finds new friends in the process.

One of his first friends are Arash and Boudica, who run a joint diner and tavern. Bedivere thinks he's fairly good at keeping his emotions in check and he's right, but Arash's keen eyes and Boudica's instincts are sharper. Boudica is a mom to everyone she meets and sensing that Bedivere was in grief, often comes by to offer a warm meal. Arash makes sure Boudica doesn't overdo her mom act lol, but is also a good friend to Bedivere who often checks on him and coaxes him to get out of the flower shop more.

Astolfo and Sieg, who run the Hipogriff Delivery Service together, come to know Bedivere well too. Astolfo loves dropping by the shop and is often buying up posies himself.

And one fateful meeting is an errand boy for the staff of Chaldeas Magical Academy, a young man by the name of Fujimaru Ritsuka. Since Ritsuka also often stops by Garden of Avalon to pick up all sorts of pharmaceuticals for the Chaldeas staff, he and Bedivere get to know each other well. Whenever Ritsuka has free time, he stops by the flower shop, often bringing Mash with him (a Magic Knight in training which Romani asked Ritsuka to look after).

Bedivere does get to see his old friends throughout his time at Chaldeas: Mordred and Lancelot are Magic Knights in service of Chaldeas, Gawain and Gareth open up their own restaurant, Tristan is a traveling bard, and so on. It's always a bittersweet feeling for him to see them.

He is yet to see Altria and Lucan again, but by the time he does, he's also learned to smile himself.

Now for the fun stuff!

While the Crystallized Knowledge Merlin gave him helps a lot, Bedivere made sure to be diligent and studied up a lot before working at the flower shop, and he remains studying even during his works hours. He's become quite learned at flower arrangements and magic botany after a few years.

Due to the circumstances of his time travel, he is temporarily ageless and remains at the age he was at the end of Camlann. The effect wears off after ten or so years, and then he'll start to age normally again. In the meantime, everyone who gets to know him is surprised to know he's technically in his forties when they meet him.

He did return Excalibur to the lake in this AU, so his prosthetic arm is just that - a metal arm. Merlin tinkered with it so it can store a bit of magic energy, but it does not have any added combat capabilities. Bedivere can move the arm as well as if he had been born with it and can do delicate tasks with it, even handling flowers. He takes it off when sleeping.

With Merlin's help Bedivere was able to store his knight's gear into his pendant and can re-materialize his armor by wearing it. He doesn't really have any reason to do so, and often keeps the pendant on his bedside table. Occasionally, he wears it again and practices swordplay just to keep his skills sharp, but very few people know this.

One time, someone's pet frog got lost in the flower shop and Bedivere took care of it for a few days. After the experience, he was interested in it himself and soon got to take care of some frogs himself. Merlin isn't particularly fond of this, but he is happy to see that Bedivere got a hobby that makes him happy. Ritsuka and Mash adore the frogs too and often come by to see them. Bedivere made sure to put a protective spell around the frogs' enclosures after having Oryou as a customer, though.

As for other animals, Bedivere is actually really good at getting along with bees and butterflies. He's never, ever been stung once and can get the insects to land on his hand when he's near. It amazes Mash every time.

And that's the info pertaining to Bedivere specifically in this AU! I also have profiles for the other characters but really I made this whole thing to revolve around Bedi so he got the most lore lol. I've written a few bits and pieces for it, but this is more of a comfort project for me that I come back to because I like it.

[hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong]

Century War of the Wyverns Part 7a: Search for the Dragon Slayer

Previous | Contents | Next

"Hopefully this is the start of us writing regularly," haha ha ha. Great joke, past me. I'm putting this first half of the chapter out now just so we have something to show we're still writing (and also to torture people with a cliffhanger.) I swear 7b won't take six months to come out. Unless we get that job offer.

now, for the story! we follow martha's tip about a dragon slaying servant hidden deep in the ruins of lyon, but when we arrive we find jalter's forces were expecting us...

Astolfo skipped merrily through the woods back to their encampment, jauntily humming a song as they went.

Astolfo: Hey everyone! I’m ba~ack! There were so many cool sights in Bourg-en-bresse, I wish you guys weren’t stuck holding down the fort. Or tents, I guess! But now that’s all in the past. Past tents!

April (Cat): So? How’d it go?

Astolfo: It’s just like Martha said. Some knight was protecting Lyon for a while, but then a bunch of creepy people showed up and he disappeared! After that the city got overrun.

Jeanne Lily: Mhm, then we have our next destination. We should head to Lyon for clues about this protector. If he’s still alive, we’ll find something there.

Mash: Let’s get ready to head out, senpai!

April (Cat): Aye aye!

we picked up our gear and headed off to lyon. stolfo sent his griffon on ahead to scout while we all walked on foot. after a while, sieg fell behind to talk to mash.

Sieg: How are you holding up?

Mash: I got plenty of sleep last night, so... well enough, I suppose.

Sieg: That's not what I meant. I can tell you're nervous.

Mash: Is it that obvious? *sigh* To be honest, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I wanted to see the outside world, and I still do, but I worry I won't be enough.

Sieg: I see. I know how you feel- I still don't feel like I did anything worth becoming a servant over.

Sieg glances over at Jeanne Lily, riding on Astolfo's shoulders.

Sieg: But y'know, there's some people worth risking it for.

Mash beams.

Mash: Right! We've gotten this far, so let's give it our all!

--------

Kris: <so, do you think we can trust Martha's advice?>

Jeanne: <I do not see why we wouldn't. She had no reason to lie to us, and it's been corroborated by locals.>

Kris: <she had every reason to lie to us.>

Jeanne: <still, it is our only lead to go on.>

Kris: <I know, I just hate following a tip from someone we were fighting. it feels like we're walking into a trap.>

Jeanne: <It will be okay, dear. We'll be carefu- ow!>

We neared the crest of a hill, and suddenly Mash stopped in front of me. Hitting her shoulder was like walking into a concrete barrier, she didn’t even flinch.

Mash: Oh, sorry Senpai!

April (Jeanne): No, no It’s okay. I wasn’t looking where I was going. What happened?

Mash: We have reached Lyon. It’s… as bad as the other cities were. But there’s something else. An encampment is set up near the city.

Sieg: Those don’t look like refugees, they look like-

Jeanne Lily: The French Army. They must be launching an offensive!

April (Jeanne): Should we go down there and help them?

Jeanne Lily: I don’t… think… so? I’m trying to remember what the army was like, but I just …can’t. But still, something is telling me talking to them would be a mistake.

Dr. Roman: I agree with Jeanne. We should try to avoid changing the timeline as much as possible while we’re here; that means avoiding contact with large groups of people. Try to stay out of the French Ar--s way w--- you ---rch for --------.

As we got closer to the town of Lyon, our connection with Doctor Romani faded, and soon we had nothing but static.

April (Jeanne): If we can’t rely on readings from the doctor, we’ll have to split up. Astolfo, Sieg, you two scout ahead for any signs of life from the air. We’ll stay with Jeanne and Mash and look for them on foot.

Astolfo: On it!

Sieg: Hey, wait I- WOAH!

Astolfo had already pulled Sieg into the saddle of his griffon before he could get another word out. While they were busy searching the skies, we entered the town proper, or what was left of it. The closer we got to the town, the thicker a miasma of horrific energy swirled around us, quickly blocking my ability to “see” entirely. With our connection to Chaldea cut off and my ability to detect magic almost completely gone, we were stuck sifting through rubble by hand.

???: Sing once again with me/ a strange duet…

April (Jeanne): Did you hear something, just now?

Mash: I didn’t hear anything, Senpai. Which direction did- oh! There, I see it, there’s movement in the debris! Jeanne, come help me with this!

They pulled a stone aside, and a strangled gurgling noise arose. Then, from behind us, another. And another to the left. Three more to the right.

Mash: Necromancy!

Jeanne Lily: Sickening! How dare they use the dead like this!

Moans and screams filled the air, but above it all… A song.

???: My power over you/ grows stronger yet…

Such a sweet song, sung right in my ears. Everything else felt… distant. Fuzzy. Like Mash and Jeanne were performing a play, while I sat in the back row.

And then, the curtain dropped.

---------------

Meanwhile, Mash and Jeanne Lily struggled against the hordes of undead. A single living corpse would be no match for any kind of servant, but there was only so much they could do against so many.

Mash: There’s too many, we can’t even break through to escape! Jeanne, can you try your noble phantasm again?

Jeanne Lily: I’ll try! O Holy Night, a momentary and unstoppable lovely miracle! La Grace Fille Noel!

Nothing happened. Jeanne Lily’s heart sank as her noble phantasm failed to materialize. Just then, a single flurry floated past her face. Then another, and another. A light snowfall began to stick to the ruins around them, and just like before, the Christmas snow burned away the undead, and impure. Soon the horde was nothing more than ash, mixing with the snowflakes on the breeze.

As the zombies disappeared, so too did the static on Mash’s communicator. On the other end, Dr. Romani looked even more frazzled than usual.

Romani: Mash, thank goodness. Do you know where April is?

Mash: What do you mean, Doctor? She’s right-

Suddenly aware of her master's disappearance, Mash frantically searched for her throughout the square. The only response was a faint song echoing through the streets.

[drachenheld]

So, fun fact about this image! 

LB 6.5 TRAUM SPOILERS AHEAD

Just for a bit of context, Kriemhild was one of the three regents in this “Singularity” alongside Constantine XI and Charlie, hers was the Kingdom of Vengeance. We manage to get Siegfried in our side who supposedly was sealed up in one of the farthest places of the kingdom. He has no recollection of meeting us in Orleans despite being a Panhuman Heroic Spirit.

After a long battle between Charlemagne’s forces and Kriemhild’s, where Astolfo sacrificed himself to stop one of three arrows from Minamoto no Tanemoto by the way. We have our bittersweet reunion between lovers, Kriemhild explicitly said she hated Siegfried for what he had done and realizing her 20 years of revenge were all for nothing since he had offered himself to be killed to avoid the conflict between the Burgund Families, they fight, with Kriemhild having the upper hand, even managing to cause several wounds to Siegfried, thanks by her own Balmung’s and the vast magical power from her two Holy Grails where she vents her frustrations towards the Dragonslayer. Thanks to Kadoc’s support Siegfried wins the fight after being cornered with a one-in-million attack.

(I do apologize this was machine translated, I tried to put some sense to some of the sentences but I am not fully capable of reading works like these, I just wanted to know more of these two and I couldn’t wait until Neobenedict’s team reached that part of the story translation.)

Kriemhild: Haah. So it didn't work out after all. My army of over 10,000 Servants, my two Holy Grails, my magical sword, and above all, my hatred for vengeance.

Siegfried: ... That's not true. You were strong. And.  I should have had more faith in your strength and weakness.

Kriemhild: That’s…

Siegfried: I…. believed that you are a person who can get back on your feet, no matter how many setbacks you have had. I believed that if you had that strength, you would have a better life. I should have believed in you, in your nobility of love.

The man's shoulders slumped and I was stunned. I watch his disappointment.

Kriemhild: It doesn't matter, or so I thought. What is it now, you idiot?

Siegfried: ......Yes, I think to myself that I'm an idiot. And it's painful.

Kriemhild: Painful?

Siegfried: Nothing is more painful than to reflect on one's own stupidity, is it not? I was wrong. And now I'm wrong again. Master… No. [name]. 

The magic sword of Kriemhild will no longer be wielded. The Holy Grail had supplied her with a huge amount of magic power, but it was all blown away in the battle. I tried to kill her, and almost killed her. And now, here I am. The situation is as agreed. Forgive me.

GO: All right. Thanks for everything.

Siegfried: I am the one that should be thankful. For granting my foolish wish. For making my stupid wish come true. Now, then.

Kriemhild: Huh? Huh? Huh? That ... What are you, what are you doing, dear?

Siegfried: Your ambition to establish a singularity.  A dream? Well, whatever you call it. It was crushed, that's for sure. The Grail has been recovered by the other side. Now, at last, I can fight for your sake, fair and square.

Kriemhild: Y, yes…?

Kadoc: ?

Siegfried: Sorry to surprise you. But it's something I've decided to do for a while If Kriemhild's ambitions had been crushed. And yet, if she were still alive. I would wield this sword for her. Even if I have to fight against you. And even if I die for it.

Kriemhild: Why do you have to go so far…! No, no, no, I can't accept that! Siegfried: Kriemhild. I was wrong about you. But. You're wrong about me, too. Kriemhild: Eh? Siegfried: Fighting for the ones you love. It's not that rare, is it? To my exclamation, Siegfried smiles and holds out his hand.

Siegfried: Let's stand up. And win. For your pride, for your love.

Kriemhild: …… …… …… …..

I understood what was going on. I kind of went crazy and laughed. I grabbed the hand offered to me. But it was just like grabbing a foothold on a wall. Before I was pulled away, I stood up on my own, gaining momentum on my own.

Kriemhild: Don't go out of your way to figure it out, Siegfried. Of course I can still fight. But with you in our ranks, we are stronger. I am more powerful when I have you by my side.

Siegfried: Yeah, that's right. I knew you were a person who would not give up.

Kriemhild: My charm, is it just that I don't give up?

Siegfried: There are several others.

[rosetinted-selfshipping]

So I was gonna try to make a really ✨Aesthetic✨ F/O list by fandom but DEAR GOD IT WAS TAKING FOREVER then I saw someone followed and I read their DNI (before I followed back) and because they didn’t like sharing F/Os I had the dumbest epiphany, i could just- type them out like a list I mean, cause I was so lost on how I wanted to format so here you go after probably too long, my F/O list (that will probably update every so often)

Also I don’t mind sharing F/Os!

Also I kinda have an AU thing going on, and I haven’t finished all the series I have F/Os from (yes, I am dumb) so what im saying is, I have ✨Ascended✨ From Canon it no longer controls me

Romantic/Explicitly Dating (❤️)

Jaden Yuki (Yugioh GX)

Yuya Sakaki (Yugioh Arc V)

Yuto Sakaki (Yugioh Arc V)

Yugo Sakaki (Yugioh Arc V)

Yuri Sakaki (Yugioh Arc V)

Romantic/ Crush (💖)

Yusaku Fujiki (Yugioh Vrains)

Ramuda Amemura (hypnosis mic)

Dice Arisugawa (hypnosis mic)

Gentaro Yumeno (hypnosis mic)

Verine (Afterl!ve the sacred kaleidoscope)

Louis (Code Vain)

{For the explicit reason of laziness for my F/Os from idol game properties I’ll just name the group and you can just assume I have a crush on the whole group}

Knights (ensemble stars)

Switch (ensemble stars)

Eden (ensemble stars)

2wink (ensemble stars)

Valkyrie (ensemble stars)

St☆rish (Uta no prince sama)

Quartet Night (Uta no prince sama)

{and that ends that section of the list}

Carla Tsukinami (Diabolik lovers)

Shin Tsukinami (Diabolik Lovers)

Kino (Diabolik Lovers)

Laito Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers)

Kanato Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers)

Subaru Sakamaki (Diabolik lovers)

The Mukamis (Diabolik Lovers)

Aether (Genshin Impact)

Venti (Genshin Impact)

Diluc Ragnavindr (Genshin Impact)

Kaeya Alberich (Genshin Impact)

Albedo Kreideprinz (Genshin Impact)

Childe/ Ajax (Genshin Impact)

Zhongli (Genshin Impact)

Xingqiu (Genshin Impact)

Xiao (Genshin Impact)

Beidou (Genshin Impact)

Thoma (Genshin Impact)

Kazuha Kaedehara (Genshin Impact)

Arataki Itto (Genshin Impact)

Gorou (Genshin Impact)

Scaramouche/ Wanderer (Genshin Impact)

Malleus Draconia (Twisted wonderland)

Silver (Twisted Wonderland)

Riddle Rosehearts (Twisted wonderland)

Epel Felimer (Twisted wonderland)

Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)

Vantias (Kingdom Hearts)

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

Riku (Kingdom Hearts)

Obanai Iguro (Demon slayer)

Rengoku Kyojuro (Demon slayer)

Giyuu Tomioka (Demon Slayer)

Enmu (Demon slayer)

Douma (Demon slayer)

Aoi (Ayakashi Romance reborn)

Yura (Ayakashi Romance reborn)

Shouto Todoroki (MHA)

Bakugo Katsuki (MHA)

Tamaki Amajiki (MHA)

Arthur Pendragon prototype (FGO)

Sigurd (FGO)

Siegfried (FGO)

Jekyll & Hyde (FGO)

Prince of Lanling (FGO)

Cú Chulainn prototype (FGO)

Astolfo (FGO)

Emiya (FGO)

Edmond Dantes (FGO)

Robin Hood (FGO)

Platonic but might Date some (🍀)

Jesse Anderson (Yugioh GX)

Zane Trusdale (Yugioh GX)

Atticus Rhodes (Yugioh GX)

Chazz Princeton (Yugioh GX)

Yuzu Boyle (Yugioh Arc V)

Lulu Obsidian (Yugioh Arc V)

Rin (Yugioh Arc V)

Selina (Yugioh Arc V)

Aoi Zaizen (Yugioh Vrains)

Volks (Blush Blush)

The Sakamakis (Diabolik Lovers)

Yui Komori (Diabolik Lovers)

Lumine (Genshin Impact)

Lisa (Genshin Impact)

Jean (Genshin Impact)

Barbara (Genshin Impact)

Noelle (Genshin Impact)

Sucrose (Genshin Impact)

Razor (Genshin Impact)

Bennett (Genshin Impact)

Xiangling (Genshin Impact)

Ganyu (Genshin Impact)

Chongyun (Genshin Impact)

Ayaka Kamisato (Genshin Impact)

Sangonomiya Kokomi (Genshin Impact)

Kuki Shinobu (Genshin Impact)

Yoimiya (Genshin Impact)

Collei (Genshin Impact)

Layla (Genshin Impact)

Deuce Spade (Twisted wonderland)

Lillia (Twisted wonderland)

Cater Diamond (Twisted wonderland)

Ruggie Bucchi (Twisted wonderland)

Leona Kingscholar (Twisted wonderland)

Neige LeBlanche (Twisted wonderland)

Rook Hunt (Twisted wonderland)

Floyd Leech (Twisted wonderland)

Jade Leech (Twisted wonderland)

Azul Ashengrotto (Twisted wonderland)

Kalim Al Asim (Twisted Wonderland)

Jack Howl (Twisted wonderland)

Sebek Zigvolt (Twisted wonderland)

Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)

Xion (Kingdom Hearts)

Naminé (Kingdom Hearts)

Mitsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer)

Tanjiro (Demon Slayer)

Inosuke (Demon slayer)

All the Class 1-A Girls (MHA)

Dr. Roman (FGO)

Sessyoin Kirara (FGO)

Himiko (FGO)

Strictly platonic/ Familial (🌼)

Yusei Fudo (Yugioh 5Ds) {Dad}

Akiza Izinski (Yugioh 5Ds) {Mom}

The rest of team 5Ds (Yugioh 5Ds) {Aunts and Uncles}

Blair Flannigan (Yugioh GX) {like a little sister to me}

Sora Shuinn (Yugioh arc V) {my little Rat}

Zarc (Yugioh Arc V) {my S/I’s sister’s boyfriend}

Fischl (Genshin Impact) {I just couldn’t see myself dating her ever despite the fact she’s like my favorite girl lol}

Ortho Shroud (Twisted Wonderland) {Baby blueberry}

Illyasviel von Einzbern (FGO) {Aka the character that broke me and finally made me admit I just really like adopting daughters in media, don’t watch her spin off show it’s bad}

May or may not be in the middle of an enemies to lovers arc (I don’t even like that trope) (☠️)

Aster Phoenix (Yugioh GX)

Ayato Kamisato (Genshin Impact)

Vil Schoenhit (Twisted wonderland)

Idia Shroud (Twisted Wonderland)

The end… is just the beginning

Haha that’s an ever after high reference for you COOL people!! Cause you read this whole thing you’re COOL now, I said!

Genshin UID: 641595784

Master Duel Player ID: 298509664

Fate/GO ID: 093,774,034

Disney Twisted Wonderland ID: Tf1ZSxnM

Ensemble Stars EN ID: 5029895371

Here! Have these Codes cause you’re COOL!

Anyways hope you had fun reading about my fictional harem for some reason! (Thanks if you did it to just be polite anyway)

Edited: January 2nd 2023

[bluemoonvanitas-talk]

CH 52

Spoilers and thoughts below 

Flashback’s from 1st chapter, redrawn

Vanitas looks scary in a sense that he heavily resembles Misha now

And we know how Misha is

Noe is still fighting, even though he is hurt

Vanitas is quite hurt as well

"sens unique” means one-sided ;_; Quite fitting the chapter

Vanitas, stop, you’re gonna drug yourself to death, don’t do Astolfo

That makes me wonder how is Astolfo doing now and if there are any long-term side-effects to this

Noe is pissed on Vanitas for being a know-it-all-ass and not telling anything

Gun trap and a book, Vanitas does not hold back

And Noe is also pissed on Vanitas for making light of his dear people and acting like nothing that happened until now matters

And he says all this to Vanitas, but no reaction from him

“Say something!“ 

But Vanitas stays quiet

Though, it does not seem like Vanitas is fully in his right mind or fully present. Also has no plans on communicating with Noe.

Misha says it is useless because Vanitas used a “suggestion” on himself for these kind of situations when someone will try to get his memories. 

By suggestion what meant is this (from wiki) :  Suggestion is the psychological process by which one person guides the thoughts, feelings, or behaviour of another. Nineteenth century writers on psychology such as William James used the words "suggest" and "suggestion" in senses close to those they have in common speech—one idea was said to suggest another when it brought that other idea to mind.

One of ways of do it is hypnosis. If that is a type he used no wonder Vanitas is so not present. So...Vanitas won’t remember any of this once he is out of this state??? When Noe finally spoke up?? ;_;

Misha wants to play a good supportive brother and stay with Vanitas forever, so he says Vanitas not to worry, even if Noe is gone Vanitas has Misha. Quite messed up logic here.

To Misha’s surprise Domi decides to jump off herself instead. Because of all the self-guilt. Wish Domi would give herself a break. And of course she does not want to lose Noe at any cost, so she wants to stop the fight

And chapter ends here

I hope Domi to be ok. Either Jeanne is going to save her, or something else.

What is definitely not going be ok is relationship between Noe and Vanitas

I do wonder now how Vanitas’s “suggestion” will wear out and what he is going to remember. If anything at all. And that worsens situation a lot, cause Vanitas won’t know what exactly happened and did not hear Noe. And it will be easy Misha to use this for his own gain and manipulate the situation.

That reminds me. Remember when Vanitas asked if Misha remembered anything from that day? Did Vanitas use this “suggestion” thing on Misha? Or someone else? VOTBM? Cause Misha does have a memory gap.

Also, there is another thing I was thinking recently about. If you are familiar with 3 act story structure latest chapters seem to me to be a midpoint. This is where the story is taking a dramatic shift in the middle of the story. Of course it does not have to be followed precisely, but that may mean VNC will be around the same length as PH, if we reached the middle. It is just a guess/feeling.

Another thing is that seems like there is a theory that this is arc where “not grabbing hand” situation happens. I kind of see both points. It does feel like that kind of situation. Noe won’t take Vanitas’s hand and that decision will take the story where it will and Noe will regret that decision later. But it seemed like Vanitas was falling off somewhere, which does not really apply to current situation. At least not yet.

[versegm]

It starts, as many things do, with a letter.

White paper, messy handwriting. Folded in half in a small envelope and slipped under her door.

Of course, the letter itself doesn’t matter so much as the words written on it.

“A love note?” Nitocris raises both eyebrows in surprise. “Who is it from?”

“It wasn’t signed.” Ereshkigal answers. “But it was, uh. Quite generous in compliments.”

“As it should be. You’re a queen, after all.” Nitocris nods to herself. Ereskigal wishes she had the same confidence as her-

“Hey, girls!” A preppy voice rises from the door. “How y’all doing?”

“Great! Just great!” Ereshkigal hurriedly answers. She turns around with a wild smile, eager to change the subject. She can’t let them know she can’t let them know “How about you, Astolfo?”

*

Ereshkigal doesn’t know who the writer of these letters are. She does know, however, who she’d like them to be.

Because the thing about Astolfo, is-

“You’re staring again. Do I have something on my face?”

they’re handsome. 

Pretty. Beautiful. Asu-shu-namir shaped Ereskigal’s taste in people for her whole life, sue her. She can’t help feeling weak before this smooth skin, this perfect hair, this high-pitched voice. She can’t help feeling weak before these strong arms, this broad chest, this sharp jaw. 

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“The Underworld? Yeah, I’ve been there once! Not Kur, obviously. The one I went to was neat, though. It was fun.”

they’re soothing. 

There’s something about them, the unmistakable mark of the Underworld, just below their skin. Not like the undead. It’s much closer to her or Nitocris. Someone with ties to down there, even back when they were alive.

Ereshkigal loves the Overworld, and loves living beings. But she can’t deny that they’re a little… overwhelming. A bit of familiarity is, welcome.

(“Aw, thanks! You feel the same, actually! A fellow Moon-dweller.”

“I… never went there, though?”

“It might just be that you don’t remember. The Moon is where everything lost lies. People can end there too, when they’re lost or forgotten. It’s hard work getting them back down.”)

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“Oh, do you need help with that? Here, let me!”

they’re kind. 

Overwhelmingly so. They get into trouble more often than not, and many think it’s because they love chaos, (which, to be fair, they do,) but Ereshkigal knows better. Astolfo cannot see someone and not help them. They’re very similar to the Master, in that way. A complete disregard for their own safety in the face of a troubled face.

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“Ah, almost forgot myself here. Sorry!”

they’re so considerate. 

Ereshkigal isn’t… good, with touch. She’s working on it! But the sheer warmth- the pressure- the knowledge that someone is touching her, the queen of Kur, mistress of the dead, willingly touching her-

it’s. A Lot.

Astolfo is nothing but touch. Always hugging others, always patting a shoulder, holding a hand, elbowing rips. That’s their default way of showing affection. 

And you’d think it’d be a problem, you’d think there’d be friction, but-

Astolfo… doesn’t touch Ereshkigal.

Oh, they want to, that much is obvious. Often, they reach out for her. Often, they raise their hands, to pat or hold or pet.

But they always stop themself, inches away from her skin.

She knows it has to be really counterintuitive to them. And she knows it must be hard for them to remember not to touch her everytime. (It’s hard for Astolfo to remember a lot of things.) Yet they try. Yet they do. For her. For her comfort. And when they forget, they apologize, always, always.

It’s been a couple months, and Ereshkigal has now worked her way to simple touches. Yet Astolfo rarely ever initiates. They wait for her to touch them, and even then, she can see how much they scrutinize her when they reciprocate, ready to back down at the first hint of discomfort.

For her. All of this, they do it for her.

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“Huh. I don’t really get it, but you’re welcome!”

they’re not scared.

Of anything, in general. But most importantly, of her. Ereshkigal, goddess of death. Ereshkigal, chaotic evil. Ereshkigal, ruler of mesopotamian Hell.

They’ve never even flinched. From the first day they’ve seen her.

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“You… remembered what I said? You actually listen when I talk?”

they’re so, so deeply lonely.

Well. No. Lonely isn’t the right word. Astolfo has quite a lot of friends. They’re a social butterfly, always jumping from newcomer to veteran servant, chatting up even the Chaldea staff.

But there’s… something, like a gap, between Astolfo and others. It’s in the way they laugh Astolfo off as a naive idiot. It’s in the way they get frustrated when Astolfo forgets things.

And it makes Ereshkigal angry, so angry, that righteous fury that make gods tremble. 

Because they don’t get it. Because they don’t try to get it. Because sometimes Astolfo talks about one thing or another, and pauses, and then apologizes, as if their thoughts were a bother, as if they were a bother. Because whenever she mentions something Astolfo talked about in the past, they get surprised- always, always, without fail.

Because Astolfo is so good, so kind, a ray of sunshine barely dressed in flesh. Because Astolfo deserves so many things, because Astolfo is so important, and they’re convinced that they’re nothing but a side character.

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“Hey, check out that new card game Nobu gave me! Wanna play?”

(Fingers trembling over the door frame. Stiff shoulders. Forced smile. It’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s subtle, but something’s wrong.)

they trust her.

She hadn’t known what to do, that night. Something had clearly been… off, about Astolfo. But she’s never been the social one; they were. The best she could do- the best she did- was humor them. Play, and talk, and fill in the silences. (Sometimes, she hears people joke about wishing Astolfo would speak a little less. She wonders if they know. How downright disturbing it is to witness Astolfo being quiet.)

Her bed is small, and touch is difficult, but she’d tried really, really hard, and their back had been burning hot and impossibly broad against her own, but for them she’d endured it. She’d wished she could have hugged them, back then.

Astolfo hadn’t complained. As she’d drifted off to sleep, she swears she’s heard the softest “thank you.”

The next day, they’d been back to normal.

(She’d checked the calendar, afterwards. That night had been a new moon.)

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“Hey, look! I made you a plushie of Hippo-kun!”

“This nail polish looks SO good on you. Give me your other hand!”

“Hey! I found these flowers earlier, and I thought of you!”

they’re her friend. They’re her dear, important friend.

And Ereshkigal is in love with them.

(In her opinion, they’re an easy person to fall in love with.)

*

Because the thing about Astolfo is-

“Oh, hey! Great timing!”

that they’re standing right in front of her door.

“Here, take this!” They hand her something. “And I’m off. Have a nice day!”

A small envelope. It contains, Ereshkigal is sure, a white paper folded in half, filled with messy handwriting.

She can feel her face heating up.

“W-wait! You don’t get to just leave!”

“Huh? Why? Do you need me for something?” They tilt their head. Genuinely confused.

“This is a love letter!”

“Indeed it is!” They nod, pleased with themself. “I worked hard on these, I hope it shows.”

“... But why?”

And now they’re back to confused. “... Because I’m trying to court you? I thought it was pretty obvious.”

“...” Ereshkigal stands here. Dumbstruck. Because they just said it. Because Ereshkigal never, in a million years, thought this’d be a possibility. That anyone- yet alone the person she herself fancies- might actually reciprocate. Because they make it sound so simple. Because they make it sound so obvious. 

“I… the letters weren’t signed.” She says stupidly.

“...” Astolfo blinks. “Oh. It genuinely didn’t occur to me to.” They chuckle sheepishly. “My bad.”

My bad.

And it’s such an Astolfo thing to say, Ereshkigal can’t help but laugh, too.

“I should have known it was you.” (Couldn’t believe it could be them)”... Do you mean them? The things you wrote?”

There are a few seconds of silence. Astolfo looks at her, as if wondering how to best answer, and she can feel dread starting to gather in her throat and-

Astolfo suddenly gets on one knee, like a knight.

“Ereshkigal.” They sound solemn all the sudden, with that tone they use when they’re trying really hard to focus. They raise a hand, and, gently, seize just the tip of her fingers, and they’re so warm, warm, warm, “You’re one of the gentlest souls I’ve ever known. You’re pretty, and strong, and kind, and.” 

A pause.

Then, really quietly.

“You listen. People don’t usually listen.”

(That loneliness with no name, this gap with no words.)

Slowly, so that she can pull away at any time, Astolfo raises her hand, and softly kisses the back of her fingers. For a few seconds, Ereshkigal forgets to even breathe.

“So, yes. I meant everything I wrote. And if you’ll allow me, I have plenty more praises I’d like to write about you in the future.”

They tilt her hands on the side, and their lips are on her wrist, and their eyes are on her, and there’s a look on their face, something like adoration, something like worship. A knight bowing before their queen.

Love.

“So, will you?”

“What?” Her face feels so hot there must be steam coming out of her ears.

“Allow me to write more to you?” They run a thumb over her knuckles. “I will stop, if you want me to.”

(Always. Always. If you’re comfortable. If you want me to. An inch over her skin, begging to touch her, yet stopping for her sake.)

“You could be writing to me about rocks you found on the side of the road and I’d love it.” She blurts out. And it’s true.

Astolfo laughs, with that beautiful voice of theirs that gets her head spinning everytime. (Happiness is such a good look on them.)

(They still haven’t let go of her hand.)

“See? This, right there. This is why I love you.”

[blackrder]

@artificile​ asked: ❛  how  are  you  holding  up ?  ❜ /ALSO SCREAMS BC HIIII HANEEENNN I MISSED U..!!!!!! 🥺🥺

                                    𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐧-𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭, their translunar longings a shrine they have built for themselves at the center of an eternally effulgent gold-frosted soul. perhaps, the paladin’s delicate heart should have been worn and torn, frayed and fraught with unbridled shame, crawling with the shadows of melancholy tinged with disappointment’s bruising ache. they are so entirely familiar with the taste of failures and defeat, with the pulsing distracting pain of scraped knees and cut palms and flesh wounds. they have fallen off their horse so many times that it is impossible to recall and count and they have lost one jousting match after another after another that they have blurred into kaleidoscopic dream fragments, a magic-touched illusory world templed through a wild arc of stars. weakest of all the peers: thus branded, but not mocked so, because astolfo has never grown morose or hopeless though the sun went down like a thousand wilted roses. as astolfo loves to be fanciful, whimsical, to walk as if they are soaring, carried by the burnished sweetness of sensations, they so love to open doors, to embody their inquisitive soft nature, to be ever vigilant to the dawn of possibilities as it rises anytime a face turns to greet it! the world cracks open like a treasure chest, its abundance of beauty and promise startling in its breathtaking vividness. 

                                    there are no borders to desire, only wind in their braided hair. born and raised in the institution of dreaming, their hand is on their heart, their heart is on their sleeve, vulnerable and exposed and whole. and here is hakuno, a darling and dear companion, as patient as oak trees and young forests and wizened mountains, dismissive of their plentiful shortcomings. hakuno, astolfo is coming to know, does not pull any punches. her battle-experience is as clear as the most pellucid of riverbeds, shines and glitters in the dazzling sun like the iridescence of obsidian stone, and mightn’t it have been a little frustrating to have astolfo train alongside her? still, she is so dazzlingly kind that astolfo’s breath hitches, an aborted specter of a gasp, a little fragile, a little wondrous, but oh, they are ever so glad, their relief a breeze so sweet it is a slice of divine heaven. 

                                    so, with an undying burst of joy, the paladin pushes themselves off the ground to stand once more, their eyes twinkling like ever burning luminary bodies, their plush glossy lips curled around a toothy grin, their grip on their lance sure and unwavering. 

                                    ❝   don’t worry about silly old me! i still haven’t had the chance to show off what i can really do! you know, neither the fight nor the resilience can be kicked out of me. like, ever! hm, might be because i’m also having lots of fun alongside you! before we dive back into it, i wanted to tell you something!   ❞   the paladin looks down, dark lashes fluttering, a hint of an apple-red blush suffusing their cheeks.   ❝   thank you for picking me! i appreciate it more than words or emotions can express! which, if you think about it, defeats the purpose of both, but let’s not think about it because that’d be such a bore! and, perhaps, if you judge that i did well, could i…   ❞   they pause, unbidden shyness catching up with them, but they push against it and soldier on bravely.   ❝   ask for some praise? i’ll accept anything and i’m not a greedy type of paladin! this, i solemnly promise!   ❞

[pinkriderastolfo]

🎀💜🎀

Don’t say she can’t make anything, otherwise she’ll take it as a challenge.

The saints are welcome to put in requests as well, but only the first one is free for each of them.

"A wedding dress...? Oh my god, it's so beautiful...!" The Rider muttered as he gazed upon the dress, practically enamored with its beauty. "I'm definitely wearing this on my wedding day!" Astolfo cheered as he hugged Nui, thankful for the thoughtful gift.

"Dear me... That is quite an extravagant dress..." Jeanne said as she too admired the Couturier's handiwork.

"Gotta admit, this girl is skilled in her craft. I'll take that offer into consideration~"

[tf2-hellhole]

Lonely (Medic X Civilian!Reader)

FINALLY finished the 250 Follower fic. This is absolute shit but idk how to write well so here we is

Decided to call him Erich Ludwig for this one yeehaw

Shoutout to @astolfo-png for helping make sure my German wasn’t unintelligible. Someone let me know if I still butchered it despite their help

1,880 Words

     “Schieße!”

     You jolted awake at the shout coming from another part of the house. More curses echoed as you sat up, half-awake, and rubbed your eyes. It was soon followed by a loud slam and the clattering of tools, which made you jump. You quickly pushed yourself out of bed and ran to Medic’s lab, which was in the back of the house, as fast as your legs could carry you. “Everything ok, babe?” you asked as you whipped around the corner. Medic looked up from his medigun, which he had taken apart, to glare at you.

     “I’m fine, (Y/N). Please go back to sleep,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes and turning back to pick up the things he had slammed onto the table.

     You walked up behind him and reached a hand up to rub up and down his arm. “Erich, please come to bed. I know the medigun breaking is stressing you out a lot, but you can’t work on it properly when you haven’t slept these last few days. Besides, you haven’t come to bed with me in weeks.” You reached up to cup his face in your free hand and turn his head to look at you. He looked up at you with the most tired expression; His eyes, which had dark circles around them, closed as he leaned into your touch. His face was slightly sweaty, and even his hair, which he usually kept perfectly clean and combed, was messy.

     “Oh, alright,” he sighed, reaching up to keep your hand on his cheek, “But only for a few hours.”

     You grinned excitedly and took his hand to lead him back up to your shared bedroom. “Give me a moment, liebling,” he muttered as he entered behind you. He turned to the closet and began unbuttoning his shirt. You had to stifle a giggle as you watched him struggle to free the top button from it’s hole.

     “See, Erich, if you’re so exhausted that you can’t even unbutton a shirt right now, you surely can’t fix the medigun.” You padded over to him and helped him undo the buttons on his shirt.

     “Now, are you going to need help getting your pants off, you big baby?”

     Medic chuckled. “Of course not. Now, get into bed.” You finally climbed onto the bed and started pushing the sheets to the side so you could climb in, but by the time you had sat down, he had already started to climb in with you in only his boxers.

     “Wow, no fancy PJs?” you joked; He would usually go to bed in high-quality pajamas. He only groaned in response. You were surprised when he reached over to wrap his arms around you and pull you down onto the pillows with him. He hugged your hips tightly, pressing your back to his chest and burying his face in your neck. 

     “Comfortable, liebling?” Giggles escaped from your throat as his lips brushed against the back of your neck and his warm breath ghosted over your skin.

     “Not yet.” You wiggled around, trying to settle into a comfortable position, and sighed happily.

     “This is nice,” you mumbled. “You know, it gets so lonely here sometimes. It’s nice to have you close like this.”

     “At least you have me. I’m always here for you, meine liebling, you know that?” he said, low enough to almost be a whisper.

     You didn’t respond for a moment. Was he really? you thought to yourself. He was always cooped up in that lab; He’d spend the whole day there, usually only coming out for food or a few hours of rest. On top of that, he’d often leave for days, even weeks, for mercenary work. You had understood that this is how it would be, since he had such an important job, but you couldn’t help but feel like his job was more important to him than you were.

     You remembered what it was like when you first started dating. He was a confident and cocky man, but with you, he was different. He was still as eccentric as ever, he always seemed to light up when you entered the room and was always so warm and kind with you. You were the only thing he seemed to value more than his work. He was the sweetest and most loving partner, much to your surprise. 

     But once you were married, things started to change. As he would spend more and more time away from you, you started to wonder if it was always a lie. You didn’t want to think he just wanted a caregiver, but that’s how it seemed.

     You turned your head a little, about to share how you had been feeling. But then you looked up at him- His eyes were wide and his shoulders were tense with worry as to why you hadn’t answered him. He reached up to grab your hand, obviously about to ask what was wrong. 

     “Of course,” you lied. 

     His shoulders visibly untensed as he chuckled again. “Good, good.” He pressed a soft kiss to your cheek. “Gute nacht, mein schatz.” He nuzzled into your neck and soon fell asleep, leaving you alone with your worried thoughts.

——

     You were again woken by the sound of Medic cursing. It took several seconds for you to take in the sight going on around you; Lots of Medic’s things were thrown about the room while many items were packed inside a suitcase, and he was currently going through the closet at a worried pace. “Where is that stupid vest?” He growled under his breath.

     “Erich? What are you doing?” you asked frantically, pushing yourself to sit up.

     “Ah, please stay in bed, liebe,” he called. He stepped out of the closet, and you immediately noticed that he was wearing his work clothes, minus his vest and coat. “Miss Pauling called while you were still asleep. We have an emergency match coming up, and I’m going to be gone for three weeks or so.”

     “What?! Erich, she can’t do that! You’ve only been back for two days!” You exclaimed, finally pushing yourself out of bed and onto your feet.

     Medic turned back to you, his eyes wide. “Please, (Y/N), go back to bed. It’s only four in the morning.” He walked over and gently grabbed your shoulders. “I’m sorry, liebe, but I have to go. I wish I could bring you with me.”

     You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment and sighed, trying to keep your composure. “Just…” you started, but stopped yourself. “I think your vest is in the laundry room, I washed it yesterday.”

     He smiled. “Thank you, (Y/N),” he said before pecking your cheek and hurrying out of the bedroom.

     But after standing there for a moment, shocked into silence at his obliviousness, you followed him out, tears starting to prick your eyes.

     “Erich,” you called. He turned, an expression of surprise on his features again. “You can’t keep abandoning me like this. I… I never get to see you anymore. I know your work is more important to you, but you never make time for me anymore.”

     He almost gasped as he rushed over to you. “Liebe, my work could never be more important than you! How could you say that?”

     Your eyes narrowed, your anger finally bubbling to the surface at his response. “Because you’re always away, or cooped up in that stupid lab! Just eating with you or getting phone calls isn’t enough, Erich. I just… I sit here, waiting for you to come back when you’re gone. And when you’re here, it still feels like you’re hundreds of miles away. You spend all your time working, and when you have free time, you’re too exhausted to do anything with me. I… I can’t keep living like this. I can’t take this anymore.” You sniffled softly. 

     “I remember when we were dating. All the fun things we did together, all of the dates, they were amazing. I loved spending time with you. I miss that so much. I’m not asking for any fancy dates, I just want that feeling of having you with me. It makes me feel so alone.”

     “Oh, my dear (Y/N). Du armes Ding…” Medic sighed. He pulled you into a hug and kissed your temple. “Have I really made you feel this unloved?” he said as he pulled back and tilted your face up to look at him. You only sniffled again in response, unable to make eye contact. “I never realized, liebe. I’m so sorry.” He paused for a moment to collect the thoughts going through his mind, swiping the tears away from your face with his thumbs. “You know I can’t help getting so wrapped up in my work, (Y/N). But that’s not an excuse. I promise this’ll change when I get back. I swear to you that you won’t feel this way anymore, I just need you to hold out one last time.” He pressed a kiss to their forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

     He started to turn away to finish packing, but you grabbed his hand. He turned his head to look back at you. “Three weeks?” you whimpered, your eyes still wet.

     He stared back for several seconds of silence, deep in thought. “You know what? No. No, my liebe. I’m not leaving you.” He wrapped you in a deep hug and pressed his cheek to yours so he could talk softly in your ear. “In the morning, I’ll call Ms. Pauling and tell her I’m not coming, since the medigun is still broken. It’s better that I fix it here, where all my tools are, anyway. But first, I’ll spend some time with you.”

     You hiccuped and asked, “You mean it? You’re staying, Erich?”

     “Yes, my dear (Y/N)! I’m staying.” He pulled back and his eyes met yours. As he wiped the last of your tears from your face, he smiled and leaned in to press a passionate kiss to your lips. You yelped in surprise, but soon melted against it and wrapped your arms around his neck, returning the hug. When he pulled away, he flashed a big grin. “How about we keep discussing this in the morning? I’m still exhausted.” You smiled back at him and nodded. 

     At this, he gently pushed you in the direction of the bedroom, and you took his hand to lead him back in. Just like earlier in the night, you helped him out of his clothes and he jumped into bed with you without his pajamas. Instead of snuggling into your back, he turned you toward him and nuzzled into your neck. You unsuccessfully tried to hold in your giggles as he pressed soft, sweet kisses all over your neck and shoulder. “Once we finish talking this out in the morning, lets go somewhere,” he muttered against your skin.

     “You have anywhere in mind?” you said as you draped your arm over his neck and cuddled him against your chest.

     “No, you can pick. I couldn’t care less, as long as you feel better.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I love you, (Y/N). Es tut mir wirklich leid. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

     You smiled and closed your eyes as well. “Love you too, Erich.”

-----

Schieße - Shit

Du armes Ding - You poor thing

Es tut mir wirklich leid - I am very sorry