#cumore

[cavity-core]

Remember when I yassified Ragou?

No?

You didn’t want to?

Oh well, that’s too bad

Someone suggested this tea party to me so I had an excuse to draw him again 🤷🏼

Also, no, he hasn’t. Cumore is a nepotism baby. Tbh they probably both are.

[windor-truffle]

random doodle dump vaguely inspired by my current graces playthrough and a vesperia stream i've been listening to while cleaning the apartment

[goldentigerfestival]

So I decided to just put three clips in one due to their short length.

First one: I prefer this one in JP because it's not meant to sound threatening (like the dub is obsessed with Yuri being when he's not trying to be). He's just raising his voice to wake Cumore up.

Second one: THAT tone? THAT is threatening. That's like, an eerie threatening tone. Characters don't have to sound dark and edgy to sound threatening when they're trying to be.

Third one: That fucking scream. Hella props to the VA for pulling that off.

[ormspryde]

Echoes of the past

More echoes! Among other people, Pharoh and Cumore make appearances. :D

[luminantrondo]

I love how Yuri and Estelle's relationship starts off somewhat... strained. Estelle's polite and well-meaning as ever, but Yuri's always been blunt and will tell it like it is. While Yuri's not outright mean to her like he is nobles Ragou and Cumore (and Ioder in the dub), he's not 100% innocent either. His victory quotes at the beginning of Act 1 w/ Estelle kind of brush her off or are dismissive. Again, not outright rude, but not exactly polite either.

Then you have the scene where you go to find the Eggbear, and they talk about bodhi blastia. Estelle mentions that blastia is regulated by the empire, and says she thinks it's a good thing as it will prevent people from misusing its magic. Yuri immediately counters that they've let the power get to the head, where the distribution of the blastia has become "exclusive" to those with the power.

In this same scene, Karol asks how Estelle acquired her blastia. She goes to explain... then Yuri cuts her off saying "she's a noble, so it's only natural she has one."

Then there's post-rescuing Ioder, where Yuri gets irritated with the Empire (specifically Estelle and Ioder in this case) hiding things from the citizens. When Estelle won't open up, he bluntly tells her to "do what [she] wants" and goes to leave before Flynn calls him out.

But then you see their relationship evolve from act 1 to act 2, how Yuri's happy that she's finally making her own decision to continue traveling with them post-Phaeroh encounter. He starts looking out for her more, picks up that Judith was targeting Estelle and gives her a warning, which is refuted by the fact that Judith's target is the blastia itself, not Estelle.

The Mantaic scene caps off how far their relationship has come. Yuri asks Estelle if she's afraid of him, telling her that if she is, she can go back to the capital with Flynn. Since this moment is where Yuri's at his most vulnerable in front of another person that's not Flynn, Estelle's words are exactly what he needed to hear. You'll notice their later interactions are softer and Yuri's put aside the passive aggressiveness he had with her simply because she was a noble.

tl;dr: There's a beauty to Yuri and Estelle's relationship, whether you see it as platonic or romantic. Yuri starts off with his bias against the nobility showing in his interactions with Estelle, but he sheds that by the end of act 1/start of act 2. He comes to accept her as a friend.

[bravewolfvesperia]

@mistralxsoul | continued

A grimace formed on Yuri's face at Flynn's words. Unfortunately Yuri didn't know what he looked like or what the situation had been, so he couldn't exactly chase the guy down himself. It was also highly unlikely Flynn would even tell him that much exactly for that reason.

Yet somehow Flynn knew how to placate him from getting too begrudging about not knowing the man's identity by taking hold of his hand. With a sigh of defeat in that regard, Yuri gripped his hand back. Though he wouldn't rant to Flynn about his aggravation with Flynn in this position, he was still extremely unhappy with the fact that there were rebel knights at all. Must have been old members of Alexei's Royal Guard or Cumore's brigade...

With any luck the fool would come back and try again. Security was tighter now and Yuri wasn't sure he was going to want to separate from Flynn until the guy had been caught. Heck, for once he could go find the jerk in his jail cell and laugh at him from the other side. Maybe he'd even take Raven along, just for the irony between the two of them.

Though, Flynn's placating wasn't going to amount to too much as soon as Yuri noticed him sending a look toward Sodia. They were obviously both aware of something that Yuri was not in on, and he raised an eyebrow at it. "Something you're not telling me much?"

If Flynn tried to hide anything from him, Yuri could understand where he was coming from, but like Yuri, Flynn would want to know. More like, he would probably demand to know if Yuri came back in this condition. Worse, Yuri would probably pull the same nonsense as Flynn was right now and just... tell him not worry. They were seriously both hopeless with this stuff...

He didn't doubt that Flynn would recover fine, but he did still want to know details. If he needed to look out for someone who was threatening Flynn, what harm would it do to tell him? It would at least help Yuri keep an eye out. He did want to find the attempted assassin himself, but without really specific details, Yuri wasn't going to risk going after an innocent person. Not that Yuri didn't understand where Flynn would be coming from there either, if Flynn expected him to just go on some manhunt, but he also wasn't about to just up and walk away from Flynn right now if someone was targeting his life.

Yuri sighed though, half accepting and half not yet relenting. "I know you'll be fine, Flynn. It's still concerning to hear that you were attacked by one of your own men though, even if they were faking it to get to you. How am I supposed to relax when you go back to your duties and are surrounded by knights, all of which neither you nor I have any idea if any of them are in with that guy?" Neither he nor Flynn, as in, he was pointedly leaving Sodia out of the inevitable situation. Very petty. He did not care, either.

[hungrydolphin91]

@magicmetslogic well since you asked so nicely ^^ I have to warn you though, it's mostly just a messy outline:

Tales of Vesperia and Evasive Language:

A while back I was feeling nostalgic and started watching an old stream archive of Vesperia Definitive Edition from back when that came out out, and I noticed how the three guys playing it for the first time didn’t always understand what was happening in a scene until halfway through it because the characters were speaking evasively. The more I noticed it, the more I realized just how often Vesperia in particular uses this type of language to add drama and depth to the story and characters, and even support the game’s themes of justice in regards to compliance versus disobedience. Specifically, that evasive language is used in this game to get around laws, for better or for worse, and even by characters that are otherwise lawful (looking at you, Flynn).

I’m not talking about lying or deceptive language, but more of a roundabout, masked language. The characters in this game tell half-truths or speak about a subject without ever saying directly what they mean, but leave enough context for the others to figure it out. Sometimes the "others" refers to other characters, but it can also mean only the audience, creating drama and foreshadowing. For example, lines like Yuri’s ominous “He will get what he deserves” in Capua Torim after Cumore escapes or Judith promise “I will uphold the guild’s laws. But in my own way,” are not lies, but they’re certainly dodging the character’s true intentions– imagine if they had just said “I’m going to murder that guy” or “My reasons for destroying blastia are actually good, but society isn’t ready for that conversation yet.” These examples, though, are more like writing tools meant to be understood by only the audience to keep them curious rather than covertly communicating with another character. Most of the evasive language is used in a less meta context.

The characters most notable for using this language are Yuri and Judith as mentioned before, but also Flynn, Rita, and Raven. Conversations between these characters often require a lot of reading between the lines, like Yuri and Flynn’s early arguments and Yuri and Judith’s one-on-one nighttime chats. The game even seems to encourage the player to look closely at their lines by calling out their evasive personalities, like Estelle saying several times that “Yuri isn’t very good at expressing his feelings” or Judith claiming she’s “not very good at lying” when they actually are, just in a more coded way.

Sometimes they speak this way to protect a secret, like Judith’s reasons for destroying blastia

Judith doesn’t REALLY lie, she just dodges targeted subjects. In a way she’s even more suspicious than Raven, but I think maybe her charisma helps keep the party (minus Yuri, who knows her background) from suspecting her to be up to something

Other times they talk like this to conceal their own feelings, like Yuri, Rita, and sometimes Flynn. Eg. Yuri’s “Catch up to him? Easy for him to say” or Rita’s tsundere-isms to hide that she just wants to travel more/be with Estelle

And of course there’s Raven, hiding his assigned agenda with evasive language but usually doing such a poor job of it that every party member finds him suspicious as hell. Once he’s actually in the party he straight up lies convincingly rather than beating around the bush

(Though part of his successful deception may rely on him being SO suspicious that he couldn't ACTUALLY be as sus as he seems 😅)

But the most prominent example of evasive language being used to advance the themes of the story is the frequent fluctuation between following the letter of the law vs the spirit of the law, used as both constraints and loopholes, by parties under both the Empire and the Guilds. (Eg. Flynn's 'If I don't return you'll have to take my place' vs. Karol's 'everyone in the guild should be punished because technically we're all kinda responsible' etc.)

The streamers and I both were relishing that scene in Capua Nor where Yuri’s party agrees to break the law and sneak into Ragou’s manor in order to give Flynn’s unit the authority to enter under emergency protocol because all of this is established in evasive language-- no one is admitting to the plan verbally but it's established anyway via loopholes and coincidences. It’s definitely illegal by Imperial law, the Knights shouldn’t be collaborating with a known criminal in order to achieve their ends, but since their enemy (also under the Empire) has twisted the laws to suit him perfectly, they all have to bend the rules a little to enforce justice. This ties in marvelously with the themes of the game, that sometimes in order to stop corruption you have to resort to some underhanded methods yourself, yet also exemplifies how this corruption happens in the first place, with Ragou only being able to run his wicked schemes because he has the authority to go above the law.

The guilds actually operate under the same principles as the Empire, maybe even more so. A guild’s laws are its pride, as karol says, and this is shown to be true with how the Don was executed because “eye for an eye” is ingrained in guild law. But shortly after Brave Vesperia is formed, they’re already looking for loopholes to do things like take on more than one job. The scene at the Atherum employs more of that evasive language, this time with Rita deciding to deliver the clear ciel crystal for Estelle’s sake since the guild can’t take another job. 

It’s just interesting to me how quickly they’ve all started finding loopholes to their own rules even though creating their own guild outside of the Empire's laws was so important to them. What they’re doing isn’t wrong or underhanded, but it is illegal, and thus they resort to hypothetical suggestions and coincidences.

[fontasticcrablettes]

Judith proposes a game of "fuck, marry, kill" about the Knight captains they've encountered so far.

Everyone is in agreement that Captain Cumore is the 'kill' but Yuri and Judith are in heated debate between Flynn and Schwann for the other two.

For some reason, Raven is not enthusiastic about the conversation regarding the relative merits of fucking Captain Schwann.

[mekatrio]

i wanted to talk abt this in a long fucking post abt karol and yuri but thats gonna Take a While so ill just leave karol out in this but anyways i actually think yuri has a more black and white morality than flynn does despite it initially seeming like the other way around. cuz even tho yuri is going around Killing People while flynn is being a bitch boy cop knight who yaps on and on abt justice, flynn has from the very start allowed yuri to just get away with shit despite being wanted by the law, and not just that but he also played a part in getting yuri to be pardoned. and even after witnessing + learning that yuri has killed multiple people, and even when hes being manipulated by alexei into doing stupid shit.. he still lets yuri go!! like seriously i hated him at the start cuz he really seemed annoyingly morally white but no his actions throughout the game prove him to be otherwise.. like the fact that he didnt immediately arrest yuri after seeing him murder cumore speaks for itself.

meanwhile Yuri... you would think that yuri believes that he is just in killing those who are harming others, except.. he doesnt, rly. i mean he does but also at the same time like.. well his famous fucked up lines at the end of game sums it up well

(this post got long so under a read more it goes)

these lines essentially show that he still defines himself by the law's definitions, and that he unerringly categorizes himself as a criminal. rather than defining his means of justice outside of the law, which is something that flynn eventually comes around to doing, yuri instead keeps himself there. to him, his vigilante justice is still criminal behavior, and will still need to be punished. and this is likely why hes so visibly torn up and affected whenever hes killed or is abt to kill someone, and why he doesnt tell anyone abt sodia's attempt on his life; its bc he expects to be punished, bc he expects retribution for his actions. he also still defines flynn as a "perfect knight", despite flynn letting yuri get away numerous times, and despite flynn instigating several conflicts while he was being manipulated by alexei. to yuri, yuri is a criminal who will be punished, while flynn is a perfect knight; its very black and white.

and another thing that strongly shows yuri's black and white morality is this

which imo can be best seen when he seriously considers killing judith and estelle. it would be morally grey if he thought to let them live instead, and considered the various nuances of their situations and actions. but instead its characters like flynn and karol and rita who try to find ways for their lives to be morally justifiable. karol redoing the guild laws so judith hadnt really violated them, rita never giving up on estelle and finding a way to 'heal' her powers, flynn turning a blind eye to yuri's action.. these are 'morally grey' actions. meanwhile yuri had decided that their life are forfeit if theyre a "part thats infected", if the benefits of killing them outweighs the cons. to yuri, his vigilantism is less a means to right wrongs, but rather..

and yuri choosing to kill people "for the greater good" is practically identical to phaeroh's decision to kill estelle to maintain balance of the aer, and duke's decision to eradicate humanity to defeat the adephagos, and alexeis decision to destroy zaphias to 'protect' humanity. had yuri not have his friends who evaluated things in more nuanced ways, he wouldve easily turned out like the various antagonists of this game, bc his ideology is not rly morally grey, but rather black and white. its very interesting rly, how despite being a criminal, while flynn is a knight, yuri kinda acts like more of a cop at times, while flynn is kinda an insanely corrupt/hypocritical cop knight. and i sure wish this got explored and resolved more but well! this is Tales of Vesperia

[darkenforcer]

not gonna post a starter call for part 2 (yet), but i wanted to jot down a few tidbits regarding yuri's nightmares anyway! keeping them under a cut for tw: angst...

(for real tho, actual trigger warnings for: vague mentions of death, murder, medieval execution-type stuff, implied asphyxiation).

the most recurring landscape in his nightmares resembles the lower quarter after the aer had run rampant in zaphias. overgrown, rampaging flora and fauna demolishing everything in its path, except -- this time -- its residents weren't lucky enough to make it out.

there's a highlight reel of pleas and final moments playing from a distance, inescapable. ragou, cumore, don whitehorse, zagi-- the souls of those he'd single-handedly killed, back to haunt him. to make matters worse, they're occasionally joined by the potential outcomes of those he feared he had to cut down; estelle, flynn, judith, raven... quite the line-up!

in regards to yuri himself, a vaguely-shaped, yet prominent scar has branded itself around his neck. regardless of the cause, it's clearly a depiction of the sorts of lawful punishments he's deemed his actions fit.

y'know that falling feeling you get in your sleep? yeah, that's gonna happen, unfortunately. a lot. just assume if he blanks and suddenly jerks back to attention, his body's experiencing some unwanted reminders of his fall from zaude </3

while we're at it, let's add a disappointed, scathing hanks, jiri, and/or captain niren to the mix! maybe even his own guild turning on him! it's unrealistic (and yuri knows that), but that doesn't mean he can't dream about it, or think it's justified!

[mistralxsoul]

♡ — @cataclysmus

@cataclysmus

Before || After

Attraction: 3/5 || 3/5

Affection: 4/5 || 2/5

Interest: 5/5 || 4/5

Loyalty: 5/5 || 2/5

Trust: 5/5 || 1/5

[I put Alexei's ranking before the betrayal and then his ranking for Alexei in his "Survived Zaude" verse ✌️]

--

Attraction: Flynn has heard a few people fawn over Alexei’s looks after he joined the knights. Looking at Alexei… he gets it. He gets it more than getting people who fawn over people like Cumore. He can admit that Alexei is nice to look at. He’s not entirely blown away but he looks nice. This doesn’t change Post-Zaude. But Flynn can definitely see that Alexei seems like… a million times more tired.

Affection: Flynn would probably deny it to his grave but the young knight having a small little celebrity crush on Alexei at one point is definitely a possibility. It wasn’t strong enough for Flynn to ever act on it but he absolutely admired the man and everything he stood for. Those feelings have soured Post-Zaude with admiration turning into a silent bitterness that Flynn will keep to himself.

Interest: Flynn held a lot of interest in Alexei. He wasn’t like the other Knights, at least in Flynn’s eyes. It genuinely seemed like he had the people’s best interests at heart. He wanted to know what made Alexei different from the other nobles, wanted to know his true goal, his true intentions. Post Zaude, the interest takes a hit but it remains with new questions on his brain. Hundreds of questions that all trail back to just one: “Why?”

Loyalty: Flynn remained loyal to Alexei, following his every order without a second thought. Even his more questionable orders had Flynn believing that it was ultimately for a greater purpose. Flynn is a very loyal person in general but considering his respect for the Commandant, his loyalty could not be shaken except by one individual. Had Yuri not talked some sense into Flynn, Alexei’s orders likely would have caused his downfall. Post-Zaude, Not that Alexei is giving orders anymore but Flynn can’t bring himself to feel as loyal to the man as he once had been.

Trust: As I’ve mentioned before, Trust is the most important thing to Flynn. If he trusts you, you practically have that trust for life. He saw Alexei’s ideals, trusted in the man more than anything in the empire. If something was wrong, he trusted that Alexei knew the best way to handle it. He trusted that Alexei could bring the empire to greatness, and because of that, Flynn gave his all. Post Zaude, Flynn’s trust will be the hardest thing for Alexei to win back. He understands that Alexei did everything he did to try and create a better world. He respects the man’s love for the world and respects his dreams. He hates the path that Alexei chose to take in order to achieve it.

[kellbellsparkles]

Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh :)

Yuri’s taking “swift justice” too literally.

If he had only waited, Estelle and Flynn could’ve done something about Ragou and Cumore the right way.

But it’s also true they were bad people who deserved to be punished.

But is the fact of living having killed an unarmed person worth it? :)

[b0tsbby]

Tales of Vesperia’s lost: Zagi as a misunderstood antagonist

Spoilers for the Definitive Edition of Tales of Vesperia!

Disclaimer: This is my opinion on evidence and lore found in the game. This is not a comprehensive guide on how to view the game or it’s characters. I just live here.

Up in the abandoned halls of Tarqaron, my first thought when seeing a barely standing, Blastia poisoned Zagi was “I’m going to miss him”. It was almost a joke at first. After so many fights with him, I got used to having Zagi show up in the most obscure places. He was weird, sure, but he became such a constant of the team’s journey. I could always count on him to show up, eventually.

It was only after my last fight with Zagi that those words started to mean a little more to me. For the first time, it clicked. He wasn’t ever coming back. For the first time Zagi was truly gone.

And I have issues with how the following scene played out. It felt so dismissive to hear Yuri and the others reduce Zagi to simply being ‘crazy’. It felt like something was missing, like an entire plot point or development was shoved under the rug, kinda like Raven’s pretty rushed reunion upon Heracles.

That’s when the skits that followed with Raven, Rita and Judith really solidified it for me. Zagi, beyond what was initially just another inconvenience for Yuri, is a tragic character. A character that meant a lot more to the themes of the game then it let itself realise.

Okay so, there’s not much we learn about Zagi’s background, and his path in game is somewhat sporadic. First we can deduce at some point he was in leagues with Leviathan’s Claw, working as an assassin to take a hit on Flynn where he meets Yuri instead. We see him again on Ragou’s ship, where for some reason, his ties to Leviathan’s claw are broken and he now works under Ragou and Barbos. We meet him again on his own in the Coliseum, aboard Heracles and finally Tarqaron. The most logical deduction is after Zagi’s meeting with Yuri, the assassin deflects from his former guild and mission entirely to pursue Yuri. Every choice he makes from then on, even the alteration of his body with Blastia, is for Yuri.

I’m gonna backtrack a little to talk about the other character that I feel Zagi behaved as a character foil to, that character being none other than Yuri himself. Morality, justice and the weight of one’s choices are some of the big themes that drive Tales of Vesperia’s narrative, and murder as a resort is not one too steep for both the story and Yuri, though Yuri is still at a stage where he feels the burden of death upon him. Murder is a last resort and he doesn’t actively enjoy having to take Cumore and Ragou’s lives. It’s this blood on Yuri’s hands that drives him to isolate and think less of himself. It’s these choices he’s made that way so heavily on him, making him believe he’s better off facing the world alone and not accepting the trust and support of Brave Vesperia and co.

And it’s in Yuri that we can understand Zagi better. There’s no mention of how or why Zagi became an assassin or how he came to realise he’s so good at carrying out the role. In the end though, he is one. There’s a lot of blood on Zagi’s hands and Yuri only serves as a small window to what effect that may have on him.

Furthermore, Zagi’s alone as far as we know. There’s not a single mention of another character he could be fighting for, or someone who maybe drove him to this path.

To put it all together, I believe in two possible instances regarding Zagi’s past:

One, he’s a character unfortunate enough to have had to make similar choices as Yuri, but alone. The guilt and possible trauma of it all could have been too much for him to handle, turning fighting and the act of killing, the very things that broke him, into some twisted, unhealthy coping mechanism. Realising he’d never be accepted again for the choices he’s made, Zagi resorted to putting meaning into this singular act, becoming exceptional, and making it his sole reason for being.

Then there’s two, perhaps Zagi was just ‘crazy with power’ , like the game suggests, from the start. Maybe the thrill of fighting is just something he’s always enjoyed (sounds like a character I’ve already mentioned). Maybe it had all been Zagi’s prime interest from the start, so much so that he became exceptional at fighting. Too exceptional.

So in a world where Zagi was viewed more as a threat for his talent or interest, with no else to turn to, he turned to a life where his existence would be valued, accepted. The life of an assassin.

But that’s all speculation, of course.

Let’s take a look at those respective skits again, starting with Rita and Judiths’s in “Zagi - Part 2”.

Where the brunt of Zagi’s misunderstood character lies ,I think, is in this loneliness. He has nothing left to put meaning into besides fighting. It’s brought up after his last encounter, and not just in the skits. I found it interesting how even Rita here, draws a parallel between her obsession with Blastia and Zagi’s obsession with , well, his work. They’re both characters with incredible talent, and they’re both characters who seemingly know how alienating it is to be talented, to be too good at something. The joy of being the best at what you do can only last for so long, before one craves a challenge again, or more so in this case an ‘equal’ .

We get more talk about this whole idea of equals in ‘Zagi’s End’.

I’m glad Raven brings up the other antagonists in this skit, specifically making a point of how Zagi is different. Zagi’s the unfortunate case out of the three that found his equal (In Yuri) but his equal ‘turned out to be his enemy.’ The skit goes on to explain his cryptic statement.

So Raven’s specifically talking about friends or allies. Friends strong enough to ‘keep their power from distorting them’. People who’ll support and simultaneously keep you in check. (This distantly referencing the very close relationship Yuri and Flynn have).

It’s safe to say then that Zagi’s simply never had that, or hasn’t had that in a while. Companionship, love and friendship are things he’s clearly never experienced for a long time, and things he’s clearly forgotten how to pursue. So Zagi cherishes the distorted affection he has for Yuri, his ‘equal’, because it’s the closest thing he’s felt to companionship in years.

Zagi to me, represents a sort of ‘what-if’ Yuri that simply had to face the world alone, a Yuri corrupted by the weight of his choices. A character so far gone that longed for something he’d tragically never have or experience.

Gonna end off with my favourite quote from ‘Zagi’s End’:

I think everyone in the team has dealt with their fair share of loneliness, heck, it’s the only link between all their pasts! So I especially got emotional when Raven said this.

The world can be cruel, and each one of them will have to make difficult decisions, have to face inner demons, if they haven’t already. But they’ll be alright. They have love. They have each other.

[goldentigerfestival]

Knowing how much Yuri tics with "ma" and "oi" just fills me with life and joy.

[itfitsitshipsart]

In celebration of your new book boyfriend, I have arrived with ask game questions hehe 😉

🌍Adventurecore🌎 , 🖕Bastardcore🖕 , 😱Expressionism😱 , 💾Internet Academia💾 , and 🚎Joyride🚎 for Grimoire Weiss please!!

( @pixelselfships )

^^ wonderful!~ let's get to it then!

🌍Adventurecore🌎 ~ If you could take your F/O anywhere in real life, where would you take them?

Am I allowed to say the bath? Cause I live dangerously and like to read books in the tub. XD that aside though, really there's nowhere in particular I'd want to take him, instead just wanting to take him everywhere my family vacations at. He can talk to me so I dont get carsick trying to read, and he's very smart so any rocks I find hiking or interesting flora and fauna he could probably identify.

🖕Bastardcore🖕 ~ Are there any “flaws” of your F/O that you find endearing?

oh, this book is flawed, please don't bonk me on the head with your spine, Weiss, and don't deny it, and I love it. So first off is just how arrogant and haughty he is, it's amazing just how much more superior he thinks he is to all humans. He also cannot shut up to save his life. He's always got something to say or a comment to make. It all adds to his charm though.

😱Expressionism😱 ~ Describe to us exactly how your F/O makes you feel! Or, for a twist, describe how you make your F/O feel! Or do both!

Confused? Warm and fuzzy? Complex feelings, that's for sure XD He makes me wanna hug and hold him, and feel his pages and smell that old book smell, but he also makes me feel confused just cause... he's a book. Not soft and fleshy, but a rectangle.

As for how I make him feel, sometimes exasperated XD thanks to my antics and bad humor and clinginess. But he also feels needed and wanted, and listened to, and sometimes respected. He would consider that he feels loved. Overall, not feelings he hates, and when I'm not around, feelings he kinda longs for again.

💾Internet Academia💾 ~ How did you discover your F/O or their source?

Alright, so a few years back my brother and I played Nier Automata and loved it, so we were excited with Relpicant coming out. But... we're also cheapskates with WAY too many games in our backlog to play, so the game came out and we waited until recently to buy it, and began playing just last weekend.

When we first met Weiss and heard his voice, my brother and I almost screamed. Mainly cause the VA is a voice we very easily recognize, and immediately we thought of Cumore (yes, Cumore from Vesperia. Mr. Pink Nut cup -_-' ). With that voice and him claiming we NEEDED him, I (cause I was playing at that time) refused to have him help. I was like "no way, that book cannot be trusted!" until we saw the game would not continue until we accepted his help.

Thank goodness our hand was forced! Cause we quickly realized he was a delightful and funny old book, and apparently attractive to me.

🚎Joyride🚎 ~ How would a road trip with your F/O, friends/associates, and you go?

If it's with my IRL friends (in which my first thought is friends from college) Imma have to keep one friend in particular from throwing hands with Weiss. Other than that it would all be good.

If it's me with Weiss's friends... maybe awkward. Kaine wouldn't let us live it down, they'd start arguing, I don't think I'd even get to spend much time with Weiss. Guess that's bonding time with Emil then!

[bravewolfvesperia]

planned starter | @cataclysmus @altosk

When it happened, Yuri didn't have any time to think. His instinct just knew Raven had brought him and Alexei here together for a reason. That the man was trying to mend things between them. Truth was, Yuri had never hated Alexei before everything that happened on that journey. He had been hoping Alexei would turn out to be reasonable when he'd met him personally at Heliord. He had been angry when he was proven wrong, but... also disappointed.

And he knew Raven still respected what Alexei had once been. He had made that clear at Heracles. He had made it clear when he'd saved Alexei from being crushed under the debris of that core. Part of him had been confused and maybe a little angry that Raven had done that that day, but... he knew for a fact if Flynn hadn't recovered and had lost himself for a while that Yuri would never have let him be crushed either. Plus, at the time... Yuri didn't have time to think about it before he fell from Zaude's edge.

That was probably why he had moved so fast when he recognized the intent the soldier had. The way the soldier pulled out a knife and went straight for Alexei. Probably a bout of revenge. It could have any kind of revenge, really. General revenge for what Alexei had done, anger at being betrayed, possibly having lost a loved one because of Alexei... and Yuri didn't not understand that, but stabbing the man now after he'd made it a point that he felt like shit about it and wanted to atone made it pointless.

If it was Ragou he would have understood. If it was Cumore he would have understood. They had no remorse. Yuri could tell in their final moments that they immediately caved and reverted right back to being the selfish scum they always were. If Alexei was truly pained by his actions all amounting to nothing and was truly trying to better himself, he wasn't someone they could just stab now and say it had to be done. It wasn't that simple at this point.

And if Alexei died now, Raven wouldn't take it well. Raven had been through enough. Lost enough. Almost lost his own life. Yuri wasn't interested in seeing Raven have to grieve more than the story his eyes already told Yuri. More than the way his eyes looked that day at the bridge in Dahngrest in the middle of the night.

For a second or two, the knight that had stabbed Yuri by mistake hadn't realized that mistake. Hadn't yet processed that Yuri had shielded Alexei and had taken the knife in his place. It was enough time for one of the two of them to act where Yuri couldn't. Even if the man's face clearly registered a mistake afterward, he had still attempted to kill an atoning man that even the emperor himself had agreed would be given time to atone.

"One of you grab him!"

Not that he didn't understand if they were both too shocked to move, but if they needed to be snapped out of it, he was the only one there who could do anything about that. Unfortunately it made the soldier pull the knife right out of Yuri in an attempt to get it free to run off, and it left the wound open with nothing left to stop blood from seeping out. Yuri didn't have the freedom to grab something to cover it with either, with his body reacting to the wound faster than he could grab the sash he wore to cover it.