#goldoa

[eroguron0nsense]

Soren and Rajaion

I think sometimes about how Soren's entire identity and all of his insecurities stem from being abandoned and unwanted, and while that's generally associated with his subaltern branded status and the violent oppression that comes along with it/need for secrecy and consequent self hatred, there's also a lot to be said about how he fixates on the constant cruelty and denial of his childhood; in his B support, he expresses some envy over Ike having had loving parents, and repeatedly mentions how the people who raised him either resented having him or kept him around solely because of the false impression he was a spirit charmer rather than any kind of actual affection. His entire life up until he meets Ike is one of rejection and lovelessness, and he preemptively pushes anyone else away and keeps himself distant from anyone else at LEAST until the end of RD. We see him healing through his and Ike's friendship/love, him trying to come to terms with himself and opening up to people to some extent, and quite possibly trying to confront the violent internalized racism and rejection his life has been defined by, but he's still in many ways figuring himself as someone fundamentally unacceptable in his society and who's only able to trust a tiny number or arguably one single person with that identity, which is–unfortunately–true. There are a great many people in PoR/RD who would find him fundamentally unloveable and unacceptable if they clocked him and his very existence opens him up to anything from severe marginalization/exclusion to straight-up "honour killings". Ike isn't just the first friend and (arguably) the only friend Soren's ever had, he's the first person who hasn't immediately considered Soren unloveable and who continues to love him while affirming that the identity he's most ashamed of isn't going to put him in danger of yet another violent rejection

This makes it all the more heartbreaking when we realize that Soren was loved–deeply, in fact–by a family member, who willingly sacrificed his life and personhood in an uncertain bargain with Ashnard to save his infant nephew. Soren's life, which up until this point is regarded as entirely loveless, was regarded as precious enough by Rajaion so that he was willing not only to die for, but to subject himself to unspeakable torture and degradation, and his continued existence was only possible at all due to love and sacrifice that Soren himself will never know about, or realize that people found him worthy of

[silvergarnet12]

Finally finished this, for anyone wondering about their splashtags, I'll copy the text I added on my wip about it under the cut.

Edit: forget to mention the bg is hastily edited concept art from the Tellius Recollection books. Spoilers for the Tellius games are in, just a warning.

For weapons, every weapon here has the Kraken Royale special in Splatoon 3, and someone agessss ago tagged my first inkling Kurthnaga suggesting he could turn inot the Kraken, and I thought that was fun.

Kurthnaga: He has a roller purely based on the fact my brain thinks he'd use one. Don't ask why it's just vibes I guess.

"Promising Ruler" is a reference to the end of Radiant Dawn, and the number 3108 is a reference to 31/08 or Halloween, because of his Heroes debut. He has the lvl 999 Tableturf badge because I think he'd enjoy playing it, the gold Kraken badge because weapon reasons, the bronze Grizzco badge because I imagine Almedha ropes him in to joining her on shifts sometimes.

Almedha: She has a splatling because I think it looks cool, and does a lot of damage from a far just like a certain dragon laser beam.

"Restless Sister" is because she left Goldoa before the Tellius games and inadvertently helped set events in motion. 2202 is 22/02/07 and is Radiant Dawn's Japanese Release date.

I also think she has some tendency towards violence since in canon she had a child with Ashnard of all people, and I doubt he was ever non violent. So she has Salmon Run badges, the flyfish is because I hate them and anyone with that badge is automatically cool to me.

Ena: She gets the Gal because usually it's pink and so is she, I also think she'd find tricky ways to use the Splash wall it comes with.

"Fortunate Tactician" in this au Rajaion doesn't die(if I make any tragedy it'll be reversible because this is funny squid game au and I like happy endings), and she's still good tactically. 2004 is 20/04/05 and is Path of Radiance's Japanese release date.

She has the Kraken badge like Kurth because of her weapon, X Rank badge because she takes battling as a tactical challenge, and the gold Tableturf badge because I think she'd also enjoy it, but play it less than Kurth.

Rajaion: He gets the charger because I was running out of weapons with the Kraken, so he gets an Elitre because I think they look cool, even if I hate fighting them. Also the spawn in pose is cool as hell.

"Revived King" He gets to live in this au, and not die. With Dheginsea being retired from whatever his role ends up as, Rajaion is technically in charge now. 1004 is 10/04/07 and is Radiant Dawn's Australian release date.

He also gets a matching bg style with Ena.

All his badges reference his luck in not being dead in this AU. The gachapon badge is basically gambling, so luck based, Cuttlefish got revived in Splatoon 3's story, and the wavebreaker is used as a revival device a lot in Salmon Run!

[squibs-artt]

dragon laguz with horns hmmm,,,

[vellatra]

Revenge on @larachelledrawsfe for the FE ArtScuffle - Worm Wednesday! This didn't turn out nearly as nice as I was hoping, but on the other hand... my dragons usually look worse, haha!

[serenlyss]

A Man Amongst Dragons

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn Rating: General (goldoan prince soren au, rajaion lives au) Relationships: Ike/Soren, Soren&Rajaion&Kurthnaga Word Count: 6026 Read it on AO3: A Man Amongst Dragons

For day 7 I decided to tackle the Prince Soren AU, which is an AU that I'm very fond of, though I decided to go with a Goldoan Prince Soren instead of the Daein variety I see more often. I just wanted to write dragon family banter bc I think Soren's relationships with Kurth and Raj could be very interesting! And Almedha too, though I didn't get the chance to include her in this one beyond references. Hope you like it!

[vellatra]

Thank you so much, Leigh, for letting me illustrate this cute story! I had so much fun reading it - and drawing it too! :) (TBF, any day is a good day for Rajaion x Ena.)

flower

Ena

:3

Ena, like most Goldoans, didn’t care much for flowers. She didn’t hate them or anything, but their existence was as unremarkable as the innumerable other plants of the world. Castle Goldoa had been built high in the mountains, where the air was thinner, and vegetation was sparse. The few flowers that grew there were small and pale, hidden within the cracks of the mountainside, easily overlooked.

When Prince Rajaion suggested they install a garden within one of the royal courtyards, Ena assumed — like many others — that it was one of his jokes. Rajaion’s sense of humor had always been odd, but harmless. Charming, even.

But Rajaion had been serious.

King Dheginsea was flummoxed, as were they all. Flowers were such delicate, finicky things, in full bloom one day and then gone the next. No one thought them worth the effort.

Ena was inclined to agree.

But then came the day she found Rajaion in the courtyard, with fragrant soil caked up to his wrists, a serene smile on his face as he dug holes with his bare hands. Surely such a task was beneath the crown prince. There was even a smear of dirt across his cheek. Yet Ena could not help but think he had never looked so handsome.

That was the day that Ena fell in love with flowers.

[fiery-emblems]

Lunchtime Soren thoughts:

It's one of those obvious things that doesn't feel any less bad because it's obvious but man, EVERYTHING about Soren is a tragedy.

Just thinking about how when you get his ending with Ike it can at least be counted as a happy one because he has confidence in his choice to be with Ike till the end, but it still leaves him in a place of thinking nobody loves him 😔

Like, obviously Ike loves him, but Soren still has a tendency to ask for Ike's permission to stick around as if he still doubts it. And it's so sad because Soren does have people who love/loved him!! The dragon fam loved him!

Almedha: loves him

Rajaion: loved him, died for him

Dheginsea:

SECRETLY LOVES HIM

And Kurthnaga is a sweet baby who loves everyone so I have no doubt he counts too.

That's why I like to think he goes to see them someday, after his duty to Ike is done.

[randomnameless]

Typing about the best wildlife scholar made me realise something -

We know Dheginsea's extremist isolationist and non-interventionist policies were motivated by his wish to stop the propagation of wars, or at least, not to create a situation where the entire continent would be engulfed in War, else Ashera would wake up and erase the population.

Which is what he ultimately believes happened - that's why we fight against him in FE10, because the plot is stupid and cannot have Yune tell him "hi! We were woken by Galdr, Ashera mistakingly believes the inverse!" before his ultimate defeat.

But thinking more about it -

The Three Heroes (tfw Lehran's not part of the gang) made a pact with the Goddesses : they had to ensure 1k years of peace else they would stone Humanity. If they wake up in 1k years and the world is in chaos, they would stone it. If not, then kumbaya.

If they wake up before those 1k years due to war, the world is stone. If they are awoken by Galdr, they should, uh, talk to each other to decide what to do.

To Dheginsea, the only person who could sing the Galdr of Release, Lehran, lost the power to do so when he lost his abilities as a Laguz : ergo, without any possibility to wake the Goddesses up with Galdr, the only way to avoid Ashera's judgment was to avoid wars for 1000 years, even if it means... well, ignoring people suffering and letting them die at your doorstep.

So, Dheginsea, if he revealed the truth about Lehran, would have started a war against Beorcs (there's no way Laguz who know the truth will accept the status quo that if they live too closely with Beorcs they die), and without Galdr : Ashera wakes up "with war" and stones everyone.

If he intervened like Lehran wanted, and had Goldoa stomp Begnion/Beorcs who enslaves Laguz? Ashera wakes up "with war" and stones everyone, since she can't be waken up with Galdr anymore.

Hell, if Dheginsea terminated Ashnard and Daein as he planned too after losing Rajaion and Almedha (what FE10 tells us... but can we seriously believe this when in FE9 he dgaf about the situation?), again we have the same situation : Ashera wakes up due to war and stones everyone.

The only reason why the cast "won" and Tellius isn't stoned anymore is because unbestknown to Lehran, Dheginsea and well, everyone in Tellius, Lehran's branded descendants (who conveniently weren't all wiped out!) can actually sing the Galdr of Release and release Yune, who can circumvent the "Ashera wakes up with war and stone everyone".

-> When Lehran lost his powers and couldn't act as an alarm anymore, the only way to "wake the goddesses before 1k years happen" is with war and their judgment would be to kill everyone.

So Dheginsea had to grit his teeth and accept every fucked up thing that happened in Tellius because Lehran - due to this world's crappy mechanics - cannot "wake up the Goddesses" earlier and ask them to withold their judgment : if there is a war they will kill everyone - they must endure for 1k years, else Tellius is doomed.

Tl;Dr : TFW "make love not war" backfired in Lehran's case, and completely fucked up the covenant they had with the goddesses and if Miccy chocked on a pretzel, Lehran's love for Altina (aka him losing his powers) would have led to Tellius being wiped out even without his own participation.

[yukyunotabibito]

-- wiping away your lover’s tears as you kiss them .

He's not gentle. Not usually, at least. Here with Nasir he becomes something different, something kinder than he has the right to be. His hand is on his cheek, and he uses his thumbs to wipe away his tears.

"I know," he whispers, and kisses beneath his eyes. "I'm here for you."

Kiss Prompts 2 | Accepting (3/?)

AU: Alternate Timeline

Nasir does not cry often. In fact, he actively tries to avoid it when he can. Especially in front of others. He dare not show his weaknesses, to expose his soft underbelly in the presence of those who could use such things against him. Even in the private of his own home, when Lynet had still been alive, he could count the times that he had cried in front of her on one hand.

As such, it is significant that he would crumble in front of Naesala of all people. No... that wasn't quite right. Naesala wasn't just anyone, was he?

The raven is gentler now than Nasir has ever known to be, usual bite stripped away and replaced by something softer that Nasir surely doesn't deserve.

"Stay," He begs of the other man once every tear that streamed down his cheeks has been kissed away, a crooked smile managing to come to his face. He pulls Naesala closer to him, interlocking their lips together, "If you say you are here for me, then prove it."

[goldoanheart]

End of Month Report (April): A Future Goldoa Could Have One Day

Drabble Series Between Nasir and Kurthnaga, Getting Together Once a Month to Share Information (Last Month)

"Nasir!" The young king excitedly opens the door to his dorm room to the older, ushering him inside with a smile. Kurthnaga blushes slightly as Nasir steps around the mess on the floor to make his way over to the desk chair, the white dragon raising a questioning eyebrow.

"I should hope it's not always like this. I would expect a little bit more out of you in regards to..." Nasir picks a book off of the tallest stack, "cleanliness."

"I... didn't have time to clean up?" Kurthnaga offers with a nervous smile and a shrug, knowing full well that Nasir would be able to tell when he was lying. He falls quiet a second later, sitting gently on his bed. His quarters are certainly cramped compared to the office they had shared some weeks ago, but almost cozy in a way.

He glances up at Nasir, checking the older man's expression. It remains as sly, though stoic, as ever, that constant thin smirk painting his lips.

"We best not delay, Your Majesty. I don't intend to keep a student like yourself up late into the night," Nasir folds one leg over the other, gently placing his slender hands in his lap, "So... I expect you have a report on your month?"

Kurthnaga laughs gently, "I feel like it's been rather quiet lately. Not that I mind! But I like it when the monastery is busy and bustling as well."

He pauses in thought for a moment. Perhaps it just a matter of everyone catching their breath after the excitement of last month's mock battle?

"I did go out to this place called the Valley of Torment though!" He sounds oddly happy to report about it for a place with such a grim name, "I know it sounds terrible, but it was oddly nostalgic in a way!"

"Mn, I do remember that you got in quite a bit of trouble once for sneaking all the way out to the lava tubes. You were lucky Gareth caught you before you got any further," The elder laughs, hiding his smirk behind one of his hands, "Why! Imagine what could have happened if you had gotten out so young! They wouldn't have known what to do with you!"

Kurthnaga feels his cheeks burn brightly as he ducks his head away. He had only been a curious child, but one young enough that he still needed to cling to his guardians at every turn. Nasir was probably right, he would not have lasted very long at that age before he would have run crying home, "Yes well... how about you?"

"There was this marketplace, you would have rather enjoyed it, I think," Nasir fiddles with a chess piece that had been lying on Kurthnaga's desk, "But that is not why I bring it up. It is something that I wish to see in Goldoa someday, the outside world and our kingdom mingling together. I hope that you will be able to make that possible."

The older man stands, heading back to the door as Kurthnaga stares at his lap, the burden of expectation placed upon him. Could he live up to such ideals? Could he even live up to the legacy left for him?

"Goodnight, Kurthnaga," Nasir says softly as he leaves, not even offering Kurthnaga a chance to reply as he shuts the door behind him.

"I... I hope to be able to... make that wish come true Nasir... I promise I'll do my best..." He says, even though the white dragon could not hear him anymore. But... was he really capable of such ideals? Only time could tell.

[danceintheskies]

Ijave an exam tomorrow but I've been cursed to think about Soren again so I guess that's what I'm doing for the rest of the evening

[imissthefire]

if stefan turns out to be, like, some level of not good, I'm gonna drop kick him into the fucking sun.

[silvergarnet12]

Dragons in suits.

[battry-acid]

the fe3h house leaders as laguz :3

picturing dimitri as prince of gallia, claude as an illegitimate prince of goldoa, and edelgard a "royal" of phoenicis (descendant of a heron and a hawk. kinda princess and kinda not princess? unsure of the politics on that one)

[vellatra]

Path of Radiance - Alternate Outcome Fic

I was plumbing the depths of my old, often unfinished, Tellius fanfics (may or may not have to do with the Tellius Big Bang event!), and found this one... enjoy! Or don't. :P ;)

– Almedha –

Crickets were chirping in the distance as I stood in the courtyard, counting the constellations. I thought of my son. Did anyone teach him the constellations? I might never know....

Clink.

I started and looked round. “Who's that?!”

Clinkety-clink-clank. The hedges at the edge of the courtyard rustled and gave way as a dark shape appeared within them. Something jingled as the figure shuffled out onto the flagstones, clutching his stomach with one hand. The breeze picked up. Suddenly I knew a lot about my visitor. He was a man of my country, he hadn't washed in several days, and his whole aura was rank with fear. And I knew exactly who he was.

“How did you get here?” I gasped, coming to meet him. “Are you ill? What's the matter? Say something!”

My brother shivered, and hugged me. I could feel a broken chain hanging off his wrists. He brought his lips to my ear and hissed – a low, trembling whisper.

“I came to... f-find you. You need to escape. It's v-very... bad. You're in d-danger. Unngh!” He convulsed in pain, and gripped his stomach again.

“I can't leave my son here,” I said. “What's wrong with you? Why are you chained?”

“H-have... to go,” he groaned, leaning against me. “Ashnard's... hurting us. K-killing us. He's got me. Y-you have to run... while you can....”

“What are you talking about? ...Rajaion!!” for he had crumpled to the ground and lay there, moaning.

“G-g-go,” he whimpered, writhing a little. “Hurry... May....” The shifting began.

“Rajaion?!” I said again. He growled and reverted.

“Leave me,” he hissed. “I'm l-losing my mind. I might... hurt you....” He groaned and shifted again, clawing at the flagstones in anguish.

“What have they done to you?!”

My brother fixed me with a hard, fierce stare. A low rumble started deep in his chest, then burst out in a roar as he snapped at me. I sprang back, trembling. He reverted and sank to his knees, clutching his head.

“S-sorry,” he whimpered. “You... you have to go. Find Soren. R-run away. Before... they get you....” He writhed and shifted.

“I heard him!” someone shouted, not very far away. “He's in that courtyard!”

“Be careful,” I heard a nasally voice say. “He should be changing by now.”

Rajaion reverted again, panting and shaking.

“I won't leave you,” I said. “We'll get away together.”

“C-can't,” Rajaion whined. He looked up at me, eyes filled with tears. “T-too late... for me. Agghh!” And he shifted again.

“There he is,” called a soldier, entering the far side of the courtyard.

A short, gaunt, greasy man appeared at his elbow. “He's going,” he said. “Catch him! Tie him down before he hurts somebody.” Dozens of soldiers ran toward us. I expected them to overwhelm us immediately, but Rajaion suddenly lashed out. Before I knew what was happening, people were thrown to the ground, winded, wounded, dying, or scrambling away in terror. I knew my brother was strong, but this... this was unnatural.

“Stop him! Stop him!” the greasy man was screaming.

“Hang on, Rajaion,” I said, vaulting up onto his back. “I'll get you out.” He bucked and writhed, but I held on. He reached up to brush me off, but I shimmied into the niche between his wings – he never could reach back there. “I don't care if you want to be left behind,” I said. “We're going together.” Rajaion spread his wings and took off as the next wave of soldiers came at us. “Okay,” I said, “I know where to go. Just let me guide you....” I leaned forward and he flew into the night.

– Kurthnaga –

“I'm surprised at how well the garden's been doing this summer,” I said, picking a basil leaf and nibbling it. “Gareth has truly outdone himself.”

“He's full of surprises,” said Ena, giving the garden a surveying look. “Did you know he grew special herbs just for the queen, when...” she trailed off, looking at the horizon. I followed her gaze.

There, soaring over the mountains, was the unmistakable form of a dragon.

“You don't suppose it's-”

“Rajaion!” Ena gasped. She immediately ran her hands through her hair. “Do I look alright?” she said, turning to me.

“To him, you always do,” I said, grinning. “Come on, let's go to meet him.” We hurried out to the front lawn, and down the path toward the woods beyond, where Rajaion seemed to be landing.

“Why's he coming down there?” said Ena. “It's so much harder to land in the trees.”

“You know him,” I said as we hit the tree line. “Sometimes he likes a dramatic entrance.” Ena laughed.

“St-stay back!” said a shrill voice from deeper in. We both froze.

“That's...” said Ena.

“...Almedha?” I called.

“Is that Kurth?”

“Yeah,” I said. Ena and I rounded a thicket and came into a clearing. My brother, in dragon form, was crouched on the forest floor, breathing hard.

“Rajaion!”

“You're safe!” I said, hurrying toward him.

“Don't come any closer!”

We skidded to a halt. Looking up, we saw Almedha perched between his wings. Her hair was coming undone and her eyes were shadowy. There was a bundled cloak clutched tightly to her chest.

“Stay clear,” she said as my brother gave a throaty growl. “He's not safe.”

“What do you mean?” said Ena, nervously looking first at Rajaion, then at Almedha, then back again.

Almedha slowly swung her legs over to one side, then slid to the ground, still holding the bundle. She leaned wearily against Rajaion. “He's... mad,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“What! Mad?” Ena yelped. She stepped closer to her mate, who snarled menacingly.

“Steady,” said Almedha, putting her hand on Rajaion's snout. He kept growling. “Be careful, Ena,” she murmured. “I can't keep him... from hurting you.”

“Hurting me?”

“He's already... killed people,” Almedha whispered.

“What!?” I said, but she couldn't go on. She slid down and collapsed underneath Rajaion. He hunkered over her and eyed us warily, a deep rumble still going in his chest.

But Ena had had enough. “Rajaion! Don't you know me?” she cried, edging closer still.

Rajaion reverted, still snarling. Almedha was right, he was mad – I could see it in his eyes. But Ena was heedless. She sank to her knees beside her husband and embraced him. He stiffened... and stopped growling.

************************************************************************

Father closed his eyes, letting it all sink in. “So... the king is dead, then.”

Almedha sighed. “Yes. I just wanted to run, but when he tried to stop me...” she shuddered.

“It seems he was meddling with powers too strong for him,” he said quietly. “You think Rajaion wasn't the only one?”

“Well, when he tried to warn me, he said something about Ashnard hurting and killing us. I don't know if he was already... being strange at that point?”

“I doubt it, from what you've told me,” he said, pressing his forehead with his fingers. He did this a lot when he was thinking. “It's likely that other laguz were captured.”

“Well then, shouldn't we send a warning to the other tribes?” I said. “I'm sure they'd be interested in reclaiming their people, too.”

“Perhaps, but it would be dangerous for them,” said my father, finally opening his eyes again. “Even with Ashnard defeated, Daein is still full of his underlings. That, and without a cure, anyone rescued is a disaster waiting to happen.”

“...Was I wrong?” said Almedha. “To bring him back?”

“No,” he said. “Between you and Ena, he seems to be relatively docile. Only we must be careful. If he's riled up, there could be trouble. From what you've said, even I might not be able to hold him down.” He paused as a strange noise came out of Almedha's bundle, which she was still holding. “What is that?”

Almedha blushed and looked down at it. “This... is my son, Soren,” she said, pulling the cloak down a little. A thin little face framed in black hair looked out at us.

Father sat in stunned silence. “...Your son.” He held out his arms. “May I?” Almedha gently surrendered the boy. Father looked him over, and noticed one rounded ear. “...You were with a beorc,” he said softly. He looked up at Almedha, who was avoiding his gaze. “Then you cannot shift anymore?”

“How did you know?” she said, glancing up in surprise.

It was Father's turn to look away. “That was Lehran's curse, also.”

There was a moment's silence.

“How hard would it be to go back for his father?” I finally asked.

“His father is dead,” said Almedha. “But... I already told you that.”

We both tensed. “No,” I whispered. “Not... him?”

Almedha hung her head. “Yes.”

Father rose up... and embraced her.

[spinnerofhope]

"... I know you are..." Ena makes a vague gesture, unsure of how to say it. She had grown up among laguz, those who would treat people like Soren with scourn and disdain. But she had spent so long in Daein... where beorc hated them for entirely different reasons. Ena does not even know if he cares to acknowledge his heritage, and for his comfort, she will not bring it up more than she has to.

But...

As she looks at him here, standing in the streets of Goldoa, she cannot help but to think what it would have been like in a better world. Had her beloved succeeded in bringing his sister back home. He... would have been her nephew, had things gone the way they were meant to.

But they hadn't. And even then, she cannot ignore what Rajaion sacrificed for Almedha and her son. What Ena had lost when she had left Goldoa herself, desperate to be by her beloved's side no matter the cost.

"... if anyone questions you... we are... family travelling together... I will... protect you if I have to..." She steps in front of him, taking the lead as he had suggested. She is not sure of the circumstances of this Goldoa, but even if they are different, she still knows these streets. What little of her childhood had been carefree had been spent playing in them with Kurthnaga, Gareth and Nasir trailing closely behind them to make sure that they did not get themselves into trouble.

Even if it was different, this was still her home. A home that she knew like the back of her hand. One that she would have gladly toured Soren around in better circumstances.

"... I am sorry that you both never got to see more than the outskirts, nowhere near the city..." She says with a somewhat tired smile, "... Lord Kurthnaga would have welcomed you and Ike with open arms... would have made sure to show you the best of Goldoa..."

Her heart pangs with hurt that Soren would likely never dare to go near their Goldoa, be it this odd older version of him or the one that she had known. That he may never known of the land his heritage came from.

"... I do not know the circumstances here... if this is a truly alternate world... but I would... like to show you around either way..."

You Who Granted My Wishes For Me, Are Already Gone

Distress | Outrealm Gate