#henry mage? perhaps.

[lackpenny]

can you tell this is just turning into a dnd-esque au yet

[maddies-writings]

So Far Away Chapter 7

SNEAK PEEK!!! For more, click the link!

“Why are we allowing this knife-ear to order us about?” Evelyn narrowed her eyes at her brother Henry, who sat next to their mother.

The youngest living Trevelyan son had lost a decent amount of muscle mass since being cut off from Lyrium and being deemed by their father “unfit to practice with a blade until he regains control of himself” which certainly didn’t help his temper. His blonde hair was kept short, his green eyes were constantly darting around and he had a few scars on the right side of his jaw. Evelyn had no idea what they were from; he only received them after he joined the Templars. Perhaps he gained them heroically, like many of the scars Evelyn had, but she was more willing to bet that he got in a bar fight or a disagreement with another Templar. She’d rather not think they were from a mage.

“He isn’t ordering me,” Evelyn said. “Solas and I negotiated everything. It’s important that both cultures are represented and satisfied. This is just basic respect.”

“‘Basic respect’ would’ve been not daring to make an offer, to begin with,” Henry said, raising a shaky glass of water to his lips, which made her smirk viciously.

“Are you not enjoying your breakfast, Henry? You’ve barely touched your food.” Evelyn cooed. Her hackles were raised and her smile more a bearing of teeth than a gesture of affection. “You look like you’re craving something.” A low blow perhaps, especially given Evelyn’s support through Cullen’s journey of recovery but what kind of woman would she be if she didn't defend her fiancé? 

Henry slammed his glass on the table. “Shut your mouth, Evelyn!” He snarled.

“Lower your voice, Henry.” Their father said in a cool tone. 

Henry threw his arms up in the air, unknowingly knocking their mother’s hand away from where she’d tried to touch his shoulder to try and soothe his ire. For all her disapproval of Evelyn and Solas’s union, she never did it around the rest of the family, only to their father and Evelyn herself. She hated a scene more than Evelyn’s impending nuptials.

“Oh sure, scold me but not her,” Henry said, pointing at his youngest sister. “Perfect Evelyn, even when she breaks the rules she gets rewarded. She can never do anything wrong.”

“Oh, bite me.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. It was an old argument, that she received preferential treatment because she was the youngest.

“I’ll save that for your knife-ear,” Henry growled. “Given his title, that’s probably how he likes it.”

[windalchemist001]

Wondertober 2024 - Day 08: terror movie

Ocs: mona ashengrotto, mauz bells, Rama howl, meri should, Henry Schoenheit, Brigitte zigvolt, chaim al-asim

a loud scream came from the screen, as the characters begun running from the creature running after her.

The group seemed be feeling diffrent ways about what was going on but all kept quiet. Some mumbles here and there as for some damn reason the bird of a headmage decided they as housewarden needed to get along (which from as far as they understood they did more so than past generations of housewardens anyway)

None the less they were all forced to watch a scary movie, well sort of. since it seemed mona and mauz were dealing with paperwork for the respective side hobbies.

While Rama was trying to read a book, he was getting spooked by the sounds from the TV, every once in a while.

Meri had long since put in headphones and was playing a game. But it was clear that every once I a while she heard the sounds from the TV and glanced up to see what was going on before going back to her game.

Brigitte was actually watching the movie not feeling to frighten, while she might jump here and there. she didn't find it to frighting, what with having to deal with her grandfather's scary face every Halloween, or wonder why the characters were letting themselves be defenseless.

And Henry seemed to be playing with meri's hair after asking if it would be alright to do so, and was carefully and lovingly runing his hands though itwhile making it into a braid.

All thw while Chaim was in a conor with his head buried in a trash can as he was doing his best to quietly throw up (a silencing charm does wonders), and not trying to freak out since he was trying to keep from showing others he had been sent onto a panic attack. His gloves having turn golden at some point, but luckily no one had notice quite yet.

All in all it was going quite well. At least till the most unsettling part of the movie when the main character was trying to get away and all was quiet the music was made in a way to put all on edge and just as it picked up the door to the that had been locked before was slammed open.

The bang caused everyone to jump. Mona had spit out ink doing her best to keep from ruining her paper work, while Mauz cursed after the bang caused him to draw a line across the page. As well as some ink spots from the ink that escaped from the other girl's mouth.

Rama had jump and had growled in defense. While meri who had her headphones in took them out, whole Henry had moved to make sure meri was protected.

Brigitte had her sword and pointed it at the figure who had entered the room. And chiam whose head was still buried in in trashcan looked up and broke the silence charm he had on himself and spoke.

His voice was groggy and raspy "Sir, can I recommend that... you not slam in like that? and perhaps to never... lock us in a room or else you might..." chaim paused in his speaking as he threw up again before groaning again before he continued to speak. "be losing some money from the al-asim family"

Brigitte and meri have just noticed their friend in the far conor sitting away from everyone moved over to check if he was ok since honestly he didn't look it.

Mona was trying to clean herself both Rama and Henry were glaring at the headmage. Mauz spoke this time.

"While I don't have as much influence, I know a few lawyers and I would like to state what you did can have you in deep trouble." Mauz adjusted his glasses. "In fact I have a few papers with what you did wrong and the possible outcomes." The Heartslabyul housewarden moved to hand over the papers to the headmage.

Said head mage seemed to freat over everything ans making excuses, which no one in the room actually bought and it made them all wonder how NRC was still standing with this man in charge. None the less this day was sort of a mess and they all hopes they can at least get a bit of revenge on the man at some later date.

[quibbs126]

So…nobody asked for a Pure Vanilla/Black Raisin fankid, but I’ve had this dude bopping around in my head for a good while, and now with this, I decided to actually make him. So this is Golden Raisin Cookie

Also I was working on the Pastry/Herb one but since I had already started at one point, left for a bit then came back with a new idea, it wasn’t really working out so I needed to start from scratch, so I just made him in the meantime

Alright, so there’s a bit of backstory for his name. So I’m at college, and since I live on campus, I need a dining pass, and I always use it for breakfast. So one morning, I’m out at one of the halls, getting some chocolate chips for my pancakes over in the oatmeal section (because the waffle toppings don’t have chocolate chips), and I notice they have raisins there, but instead of your typical black raisins, they were gold. And so I thought “you know, golden raisins would make a good pureraisin fankid” since they’re raisins like BR and they’re a yellow/gold color like PV. But the thought didn’t really go much from there at the time. Then I started doing these fankids, and it came back to me.

Golden raisins: (note these raisins are not that colorful, I’ve seen them in real life)

In my free time I’ve mused about him and one other fankid idea (mostly since I was under no obligation to make them and had no perceived time limit), and I just decided “why not?”

So as for his design, I’ll be honest, I’m a bit underwhelmed by the final result. I dunno, something about it looks too plain. I mean yeah, I based it off of the Raisin villagers mostly, since they’re probably the people he’s growing up with, and he strikes me as the type of person to just wear plain and simple clothes, but still, in my head he looked a lot better. Guess that’s what you get when you try to build a design up in your head long before you actually draw it

Also his hair was going to be in a ponytail, but then I thought it looked better just down. Also he was just going to have yellow eyes initially, but then I toyed with the idea of him having black eyes, and eventually I came to the compromise of just having both, just in both eyes instead of heterochromia like PV. His pin for his cape is supposed to be based on young Pure Vanilla’s outfit (which is where a lot of inspiration for his outfit comes from), but it’s rotated slightly from the sort of cross shape to more of an X because of his kind of magic. Also his stick is crooked so that crows can sit on there

JuSo moving on to Golden Raisin himself, so I imagine him to be a pretty friendly and nice guy, helping out whoever needs it, similar to Pure Vanilla. But he definitely has a bit more a penchant for violence. Speaking of which, while he is a magic user like his father, instead of healing magic, he uses offensive magic and is a bit of a powerhouse, though he does still know a few healing spells. Also, he’s close with the crows and can probably summon them at will. I imagine he has one particular crow that’s albino/golden, sort of like him, and they’ve been friends for a long time. That one’s probably the one that often sits on his staff’s perch

He reminds me of this character from Fire Emblem Awakening, I didn’t see much of him but he was a dark mage who also had a thing for crows (and a bit of a violent streak, which Golden Raisin doesn’t have (at least not much), but he does have some darkness). The Wiki says his name is Henry. Also, his eyes are often closed just like Pure Vanilla, but I decided not to keep that for GR since that’d make him look too much like his old man

Also another thing about Golden Raisin (and the darkness I mentioned), he’s become rather interested in the dark/forbidden magics, but as you might imagine, he’s been unable to get his hands on them. However, perhaps opportunity could present itself…

But yeah, that’s Golden Raisin. I like him

I also imagine he’s friends with the other fankid I’m working on in my head, I just haven’t figured her out yet. Mostly her name though. If you’re curious, that one’s a darklico fankid

I realize the particulars of who their parents are might make their age similarities and friendship a little strange, but given the presumed timeline, I suppose it works out

[fallen--leafs]

Aaaand we're full!

The candidates for round 2 are:

Ciarán - sophistprick

Melchior - szemiesza

Jhon - jhondoescars

Q - kindred-shitpost-generator

Mia - notthatmonroe

Fina - midnightblueblood

Antonia - the-road-from-calvary

Hazel - hazelenergy

Grandpa - grandpa-dragon

Sorcha - sorchamidnite

Bernadette - perkinsinvestigations

Nico - studious-hunk

Ruby - half-todeath

Jessamy - recursivegnostic

Danny - unhindercd

Honey - jujulebee

BJ - duskbornbitchqueen

Constellation - consternationconstellation

Joe - takenfound

Winnie - jellycat404

Henry - misericorsalvator

Alessio - inquisitorial-il-posto

Chez - djchezzychez

Taran - thunderous-beauty

Feel free to message me and get on the list for round 3!!

Also message me about Team Requests. I have the thinbloods noted down, Mia and Antonia, and Constellation with? Mage? Perhaps Ciarán? Pending. But yes here you go!!!

[the-priestess-of-dawn]

My little world building head finds it cool because

a. The buildings actually seem to be more reminiscent of apartment buildings than the standard medieval home (multiple floors, blocky, multiple windows) which could imply more communal living compared to Ylisstol

b. It seems to straight up be an accurate castle. Obviously, its not the most realistic, but castles are actually more of a large closed-in city/village/fort compared to the modern idea that they are just fancy palaces. In this, the buildings/town seem to be inside the courtyard of Plegia's castle (and Grima's bones). This is closer to IRl castles.

c. This implies Plegia's courtyard/castle has a history of being used in war. Combined with the way Plegia's army seems to be majorly wyvern riders, mages, and archers (classes that can move easier on sand) we can kinda imagine that Plegia's managed to stay so strong because they employ a more "lure in the enemy to us, we have the home advantage" type of strategy. In fact, this happens to Chrom and the Shepherds in act 1.

I find it interesting how Plegia seems to be a more closed-off and military kingdom than Ylisse. We also know they have an amazing navy (800 ships!!! And that's not even all of it!) as well as good wealth. Makes me imagine that perhaps Emmeryn and the Shepherds weren't the only ones to fall for Plegias tactics... Who knows, perhaps Grima employed the same strategies and they just stuck! What ideas/headcanons/theories do you have on plegia's society/history?

Neat stuff! There's not a ton of explicit worldbuilding in Awakening, so it's really fun to draw inferences from little details like this!

I don't have a LOT of headcanons on Plegian society and history I usually try to be somewhat vague in my fics (although, well, The Museum of Plegian History kind of necessarily required me to touch on the matter. True Believers, too, although not quite as much since Chrom isn't actually raised within Plegian society itself). Anyway, my major headcanons are

1) The Grimleal migrated to Plegia from Khadein (though they weren't all necessarily *born* in Khadein; there was a school there, after all, so some people were probably already from abroad), and thus there's a significant blending of cultures within Plegia. (On a somewhat related note, I am fascinated by the fact that the land that was once Altea is now within Plegia's borders and has in fact become the "border wastes" on the Feroxi border... Combined with Ferox's Longfort stretching across their entire southern border, I can't help but wonder how much blood was shed over and on that specific territory... I also wonder how many blue-haired Plegians with Altean features might be around, and if perhaps that could relate to why it's so easy for the Feroxi guards to suspect Chrom of being a Plegian brigand as well as for Cynthia to get tricked by someone masquerading as Chrom...)

2) Because even the word "Grimleal" professes loyalty to Grima, I think loyalty is a keystone principle in Plegian society. You can see it in the way Mustafa's men continue to fight for him even though they no longer support the war itself. I'd say you can also see it in Chapter 7 when you fight Vasto. See, Vasto has some pretty nasty words for the Hierarch, who was supposed to be taken into custody and protected after betraying Emmeryn to Plegia... Instead, though, Vasto just has him killed. And if you're just looking at the text in a cursory manner, it's easy to write it off as a show of brutality (like, yep, these are for sure the bad guys!) BUT Vasto is actually one of the characters that Henry talks about in his supports with Ricken. He's the kind of guy who likes to brag about his mother's knitting, and turns out he was really excited that day because it was his first major command... So in that light, it seems less like he's particularly cruel, and more like he's legitimately disgusted that the Hierarch would betray his ruler like that. There's also a line from Aversa late in the game—"How Robin lives with the shame, attacking his/her own blood..."—which again seems to imply that in Plegia you are supposed to stick with your own even if it kills you (as Aversa also just said that she'd gladly die at Validar's command)

[meetthesoldier]

Classpects. Give em here!!!

EEP ok i have a whole list w everyy character i cld remember except the health inspector fuck the health inspector thats a joke. but hed probably just be a seer of life for the pun. my source on most of the ones for characters w less content is i made it the fuck up. ok here we go infodump time

jack: heir of heart (one of the most obvious picks in the world. look at him. there is no way hes anything other than a heart player.... all protagonists of stories about choice know is be heir of heart/breath/hope)

dave: knight of doom (IM VERY!!!!!!!! ENTHUSIASTIC!!!!!!!!!! ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he is definitely a knight. he is definitely doom. it just feels right!!!!! knights have a natural inclination towards serving others and he literally serves henry (and in evil routes, jack) through doom, death, etc. you cld argue with what we knew about henry and the way he treated dave that he also served him through self sacrifice- allowing himself to be treated like utter garbage for the sake of keeping henry in his life. knights ALSO have a habit of masking personal insecurities, which i feel is reflected in his need to make himself seem "useful" to others, because perhaps he feels he is worthless if he cant be helpful.)

dee: maid of time (this one took a while to nail down ! but i think it works. it is rather an ironic title, considering she had very little time in her life, but afterwards she has all the time in the world to do as she pleases, and what she pleases is creating from the death of others- giving them the ability to move on into the afterlife, and in the process granting them all the time in the world. additionally, her death sparks the entire rest of the games timelines to occur. kinda flimsy but i think its a cool idea)

peter: sylph of blood (i think most characters who had to practically act as their siblings parents since their actual parents werent around for whatever reason are gonna feel blood-ish to me. when he confronts jack in his office in 2 during a bad ending, the main point he brings up is how youve ruined several families, the bonds between parents and their children, so that also made me think of him as a blood player. i chose the sylph class for him also partially because of him being an oldest sibling... big "be the bigger person", mediator energies from him, which is something i think a sylph of blood would almost HAVE to be fluent in.)

steven: mage of void ("sweep it under the rug, its probably fine!" immediately makes him read as a void player. the mage part is just his energies..... hes a knower ! and his life sucks because of it, no matter how hard he tries to use his meager amounts of power to benefit himself)

henry: thief of hope (look at him. being in his presence saps all good energies... and he does it on purpose!!!!!! literally his entire boss fight is him trying (and usually succeeding) at stealing all hope from your allies for himself. considered making him a prince but something about it didnt really resonate...)

matt: bard of space (codpiece funny)

jimbo: witch of space (teleportation go brrrrrr)

ronaldo: thief of life (probably human meat pizza go brrrr)

oscar: seer of breath (breath is all about freedom, and oscar wants nothing more than to have the freedom to express himself, even if its... under strange circumstances... and i like to imagine hed be very keen on sharing the joy of that experience with others, which is why i have him as a seer, though heir of breath would also work without the headcanon work.)

harry: maid of doom (EXTREMELY iffy on this one... spent a long time considering heart titles considering the overarching theme of forgetting oneself but erm. i couldnt pick one so i just said fuck it and picked one for another aspect i cn see.)

jake: prince of blood (deadbeat dad classpect)

roger: page of rage (evil_end_confrontation.mp4)

rebecca: seer of heart (this is more grounded in her literal role in the story, mainly shedding light on and allowing further exploration of the self and identity of harry ... also shes just heart player energies through the roof)

joe: knight of rage (source: trust me bro. just has big knight energies... also makes it ironic he has a prince (see bottom) so nearby, since in typical media a knight would serve a prince, but here he acts as his executioner... hehe! my source for him being rage is also just energies. although obviously the buildup of ACTUAL rage at abels actions, and decision to destroy a bitch accounts for part of that.)

terrence/tango: sylph of hope (omg... silly time! so the hope connections are hopefully obvious... hella optimistic and positivity focused pre-phonification, and through a bit of headcanon work id believe that he was an exception morale booster, thus healing the hope in his associates..)

everett: maid of space (ok, this one is literally all headcanon work, so i guess this is another source: trust me moment... its in his vibes, man! his extreme formality and "stiffness" (harrys words not mine) give off space-y energies to me. well, ok, they also give off timey and doomy energies... but thats besides the point. my point is hed look really cute in the outfit guys please)

abel: prince of mind (could also see an argument for prince of heart, considering he played part in destroying the identities of his coworkers, but i also see those actions as a destruction of justice- rather than allowing them to pass, as they deserve, he preserves and prolongs their suffering, all while destroying the karma and consequence he is bound to face for his actions, until he cant anymore)

[byneddiedingo]

Cindy Hinds in The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979)

Cast: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman, Nuala Fitzgerald, Cindy Hinds, Susan Hogan, Gary McKeehan, Michael Magee, Robert A. Silverman, Joseph Shaw, Larry Solway, Reiner Schwarz. Screenplay: David Cronenberg. Cinematography: Mark Irwin. Art direction: Carol Spier. Film editing: Alan Collins. Music: Howard Shore. 

Creepy children have become a staple of horror movies ever since Patty McCormack terrorized everyone as Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed (Mervyn LeRoy, 1956). The key here is the depiction of evil lurking behind a façade of innocence. Actually, the creepy child in The Brood is not Candice Carveth (Cindy Hinds), an otherwise ordinary 5-year-old, except as a vehicle for bringing out the creepy childlike creatures that are the movie's menace. It's a good, bloody, somewhat queasy film that plays on all sorts of phobias, including our suspicions about psychiatrists, and our tolerance for bodily functions. It proved too much for some of its early critics, including Roger Ebert, who dismissed it as an exploitation film, "reprehensible trash," and a bore. It may be the first, and perhaps the second -- given that one person's trash is another person's genre classic -- but it's certainly not the last. David Cronenberg is an insidious filmmaker, who constantly plays on our nerves without resorting to cheap jump scares. He makes you back off at times: In the scene that made most people feel at least faintly nauseated, I found myself saying, "It's only corn syrup and food coloring." We may also debate whether the film is fair to the psychiatric profession and even if there's a touch of antifeminism, but that means he's left you with something to think about. To dismiss The Brood as exploitative is to overlook the satire with which it's laced. 

[timidsteps]

It gets to her more than it should.

She supposed it's only reasonable to feel in such a way, but she wondered if maybe she's carrying all the concerns for the two (perhaps three?)  unnecessarily so. Henry seemed excited enough to wrap his mind over it, to easily love and support unconditionally- in some ways, Olivia believed that the Plegian dark mage was far more mature than she was. " Oh.. I wouldn't know if it would be appropriate to baby him like that at school." The dancer sheepishly chuckles , imagining tugging Inigo's cheek teasingly scolding him, as he sports a warm smile much like his father's - with a devil may care attitude to shake it off with laughter.

A quiet admission to the stillness of the serene and to her lover beside her. "Although.. that does sound a bit lovely."

Henry would be blind (no pun intended) to his own talent in theatrics, how he easily flows upon the world's stage with his natural born instinct of improvisation. Olivia always admired the way he could speak his thoughts so shamelessly with mirth and not give a damn if someone heard him shouting out into the dark indigo twilight until someone scolds him otherwise. Then he probably would pause and say 'oops.'

Olivia finds herself naturally smiling at their husband's exclamation and lighthearted promises.  She wanted to say that if their son wasn't in Garreg Mach no longer, the two should speak around and look for clues of where he was headed to next.

Did he mean that conjoined joke about Us this entire time?!

The woman's cheeks were already rosy from the cold, but her heart skipped as their bodies were brought closer than before. Her instincts were to close her eyes, but instead of that she focused on keeping her feet upright. Finally sneaking another glance at his face in admiration.

She wondered if Henry was aware of how charmingly handsome he was.  Or if he was aware of the things he says sometimes.  Her hand subtly wraps around his back for support beneath his cape. Had she been a bit bolder, a bit braver- Olivia would consider bumping the side of their hips with her own in order to make the point across that it was the two of them conjoined by the hip and that Inigo hailed from the umbilical cord instead.

Perhaps not of her own in this world, but definitely in soul.

The two continued to traverse and trek towards the fabled Monastery - how majestic it appeared from its distance. It was majestic and massive- and perhaps it made all the more sense as to why Henry remained there a bit longer than he should. She didn't wish to be in the way of his dreams and what brought him joy, but felt a touch of embarrassment over her weakness of wanting to tag along by his side. Henry had told her the instant he received that letter of hers, he stopped all whatever he was doing and marched all the way back to Ferox and hasn't went anywhere without her since.

He even returned with news of  a pleasant surprise of their time traveling son from another dimension attending classes at this place he worked at.

She wondered what would happen once they arrived, how life would become in the days moving forward. Plenty of thoughts to fill the mind , anxieties, fears- at the very least she knew by the end of it all she wouldn't have to do it alone.

angels in the snow {

[villainanders]

i have a lot of trc dragon age au thoughts but i havent made my comprehensive post yet bc im still trying to figure out everyone’s classes bc im worried about PARTY BALANCE. in my au tumblr post

[kazewhara]

sweet mystery of the sea.

# — pairings: kazuha, xiao x gn!siren!reader

# — characters: gender neutral siren reader, kazuha, xiao

# — summary: "no siren did ever so charm the ear of the listener as the listening ear has charmed the soul of the siren." - henry taylor.

# — warnings: mentions of partial nudity (shirtless kazuha)

# — tags: hc/drabble format, fluff, curious siren reader, first meetings, implied soulmate activity, usage of xiao's real name, canon divergent

# — notes: so, i'm honestly not sure where this idea came from, but it's... pretty alluring, actually. anyways, as always, reblogs and reactions are always appreciated, and i hope you enjoy!

✧ — 𝐤𝐚𝐳𝐮𝐡𝐚 — ✧

you run into each other deep in mondstadt during the warmer months

kazuha had parted with the crux fleet for a while as he made up his mind to explore some more of the continent

a vicious storm blew through a few days prior, so there was mud everywhere

and while kazuha may have exceptional senses, sometimes his balance may fail him

so he falls into a pretty deep mud pit in the forest and locates a waterfall to clean himself and his clothes

he manages to clean his pants and shirt, but while those dry in the sun, he submerges himself in the water and sits beneath the waterfall

as frustrated as he might have been after having fallen and soiled his stuff, he finds that this is exactly what he needed to not only clean off, but to soothe his nerves

he's idly scrubbing the muck out of his hair when he hears a splash a little ways away.

he's not alone.

kazuha knows very well that the forests of mondstadt were inhabited by hilichurls, slimes, and abyss mages alike, but when he did recon before settling here, he didn't see anything. he was so sure that he was alone, so how did something manage to sneak up on him?

kazuha doesn't move from where he stands in beneath the waterfall. the water is deep here and reaches just below his navel, stifling his movement. kazuha closes his eyes as he thinks to defend himself in this situation. he couldn't be at anymore of a disadvantage right now; if a fight ensued, then he definitely wasn't going to make it out unscathed.

there's another splash. it's closer this time. kazuha doesn't open his eyes. if it's a monster, perhaps they wouldn't notice him since he's directly in the waterfall. if it was a person though, he would have an entirely new problem on his hands.

another splash. kazuha feels the hair on the back of his neck rise. whatever it is, it's right behind him. he slowly lowers his hands from his hair and turns to face his new adversary, but startles when he sees the head of a person peeking out of the water before him.

this person... could he really call you a person? your pupils are slits and your irises a strange iridescent purple color. your ears look more like fins than actual ears -- it only seems appropriate to call them ears since that's where they would be located if you were normal. were you a monster?

"mons...ter..?" you say the word slowly, like a foreigner being taught a new word. kazuha curses under his breath when he realizes that he'd asked that aloud. "what is that?" you tilt your head to the side curiously.

"what?" kazuha asks intelligently. he's so caught up in trying to understand what -- no, who -- he's looking at that he's taken aback by the question. he tries to reason with himself as quickly as possible. since you don't look remotely like a normal human, he supposes that it makes perfect sense that you wouldn't know what a monster was, but that only raised more questions.

your eyes catch in the sunlight and kazuha's breath hitches when he sees the violet change to an odd metallic shade of blue-green. the purple is back in an instant, but kazuha is floored by the colors nonetheless. he had no idea colors like that even existed.

"you... monster." you repeat the word and inch closer to kazuha, who backs away. "are you... monster?"

"no," kazuha answers. his voice is much firmer than he thought it'd be. "are you?"

you reel back, seemingly insulted by his question. a bizarre set of clicking and crooning noises comes from your throat, and kazuha winces at how loud it is. were you making that noise? "no!" you deny the accusation. "n-never!"

kazuha pushes his hair out of his face. "then can i ask what you are and where you came from--?"

the rest of his question is muffled by your lips.

you were kissing him.

how did you even get to him so quickly? you'd moved so fast that it's not until you move your lips against his that he realizes that you've pulled him down to your level. kazuha doesn't even have time to be conflicted about whether he should reciprocate or push you away before you break it with a sharp inhale.

kazuha gingerly touches his lips with burning cheeks. so much has happened in the past five minutes that he's not sure whether he should be furious, horrified, or flattered. "what are you..." he stares at you, his eyes wide. "what did you do that for? don't you have any shame?"

you sink yourself deeper into the water as you press your lips together. you have pensive look on your face, like you're trying to think of the right words to say. for a second, kazuha thinks you may actually feel the shame he'd asked about, but as soon as you open your mouth again, he knows he's wrong.

"i'm afraid i don't know what shame is." your voice seems to echo at the back of kazuha's mind. your lips are moving, but the sound comes from every which direction, engulfing him in your smooth timbre. "at least, i don't know if it's the same for humans as it is for me. but why are you here, pretty human?" you swim closer to kazuha, who backs away, his hand still over his mouth.

kazuha can't make heads or tails of what's going on at all anymore. you're referring to him as a human; does that mean you're not one? and why are you asking why he's here? he was here first -- why are you here? more importantly--

"why did you kiss me?" kazuha asks. he can feel his ears burning as he replays the event in his head. "you... referred to me as a human, so i take it that you're not one yourself, but... kissing isn't something you do with strangers. especially not with people you just met."

you actually look shocked by his words. where on teyvat did you come from? "is that so? that's the first i've ever heard of something like that." again, you swim closer, and kazuha retreats. by this point he's walked behind the waterfall, his back now touching the rocks on the cliff underneath it. "where i'm from, that's our primary means of communicating. there's many dialects, so that's how we better understand each other."

kazuha blinks, dumbfounded. "i don't believe you." he blurts. he's too confused to be kind. "that doesn't make any sense."

you laugh, and kazuha feels like he's listening to the most beautiful sound in the world. your laugh isn't much unlike your voice in the way it overtakes his senses and quiets his racing thoughts. it's almost melodic, in a way.

"you say it makes no sense," you croon softly, reaching out to touch his skin. kazuha is so entranced by your voice that he almost misses the webbing between your fingers. his mouth goes dry. "but we can understand each other perfectly, can we not?"

for the first time in his life, kazuha is completely speechless. something was off about you. clearly, you weren't human -- the webbed hands that were curiously splayed across his chest was all the indication he needed. but he couldn't get a sense of if you were a threat or not. you search him thoroughly with your eyes, the swirl of colors muted by the slight lack of light. you float to his side, your head tilted.

"you're so quiet." you say. "do i frighten you?"

kazuha can't get a single word out when he sees the pitiful smile that crosses your face.

"most humans think that my people are killers. scary as we may appear, i assure you, we mean you no harm. truthfully, i find you quite fascinating. humans are so... soft, now that i'm finally seeing one up close." you blink a few times before whipping your head around, looking beyond the waterfall. did you hear something he didn't? you're silent for a while, and kazuha thinks he's okay enough to speak.

"what are you? how did you end up here?" kazuha wishes he could have asked something better -- something that give him more answers, but he can't think straight. you look back at him, your eyes narrowed and hazy. kazuha holds his breath.

"a storm blew me inland." you say, your voice low. "i've been here for a few days, but i need to return. my siblings have found a path for me to return." you inch backwards a little bit, giving kazuha some more breathing room. he doesn't question how you know your siblings told you anything. that might be what you heard a second ago, but he doesn't think he'll get any answers if he asks how you heard voices.

"i believe our paths will cross again someday." you say, a lilt in your tone. "you smell of the sea; of home. so, dearest human," you move to the other side of the waterfall, "may we meet again."

kazuha watches with bated breath as your silhouette dives into the water.

the shadow of your tail is the last he sees of you.

✧ — 𝐱𝐢𝐚𝐨 — ✧

first encounters you on his rare visit to liyue harbor

xiao's not social, so he visits at night to ensure that the harbor is safe from any nightly dangers

everything seems fine as far as he can tell.. fishermen have packed up for the day, the adventurers are doing their rounds, merchants have started their nightly routines...

everything seems to be in perfect shape

as he's leaving, however, he spots something very abnormal on the rocks down by the water on the outskirts of the harbor

the yaksha has no idea what he's looking at.

having been alive for centuries, xiao thinks he's seen it all when it comes to the supernatural. but when he sees you -- a half-human, half-fish (??) hybrid -- he starts to second guess his experiences.

in order to ensure that you're not a threat, xiao gets closer. he appears on a rock not too far away from you with his mask on and his jade spear in his hand. you don't react to his sudden presence; you must not have heard him. at this distance though, xiao can see some of your features better.

your fin-like ears, the opaline shine of your tail that shimmers in the moonlight, the way the large fin at the end of your tail sways as the tip brushes the water below. if xiao were mortal, he'd think you were beautiful.

the very thought makes him tighten his grip on his spear. he's seen many a mortal rise and fall because of things like beauty. he himself had never been particularly interested in such things -- he was never allowed the luxury, and over time, stopped caring about it. all xiao knew was that he would never allow his guard to be lowered by something as trivial as beauty.

but as soon as you open your mouth, for the second time that night, xiao begins to second guess himself.

your melody surrounds him from every direction, as though you yourself had encircled him. it's as if you were inside his head, singing directly to his soul. there's no lyrics; you're just crooning to the open sea before you. it brings the yaksha to one knee -- your voice evokes emotions that he hasn't felt in many a century. it terrifies him, and yet...

it reminds him of the day he heard that flute for the first time.

it takes every ounce of energy to snap himself out of his trance. xiao has never heard of a monster that can weaken someone as formidable as himself, but the fact that you exist was a problem in and of itself. he's still not sure if you've used your apparent ability for good or evil, but he can't take that chance. xiao gets even closer, about two rocks away, and points his spear at your scale-covered torso.

"tell me what you are," he growls, "and i might let you live."

your warbling stops abruptly and you jump back, nearly slipping off of your rock. now that xiao can see your face, he notices that your eyes are... very unlike those of the average person. half of you may be human, but your eyes were those of something different. it looked as if your eyeballs were made of the rarest stone on teyvat -- opals, xiao recalls the name dimly.

"wait!" you hold your hands up in surrender, your fingers spread to reveal the webbing between them. "i-i promise you i mean no harm, i-- huh?" you lean forward a bit, seemingly uncaring of the tip of the spear that's starting to dig into your skin. "you are... not human either?"

xiao clicks his tongue and lowers his weapon to avoid hurting you. he doesn't know why he does it -- the point was to kill you regardless, but if you were sentient, then maybe... you weren't as dangerous as he thought. belatedly, xiao realizes how quickly his walls have been lowered. he frowns behind his mask.

"no," he answers gruffly. "i am not." you reach towards him and he raises his spear again in warning. "do not even think of touching me. i told you to speak, did i not?"

you frown as you examine his mask from afar. you don't seem scared by him at all. if xiao were to move his spear by a fraction, he would kill you. and yet here you were, looking at him as though he were the most interesting being you'd ever come across. "a mask, perhaps?" you hum to yourself.

"what?"

"beneath the mask," you point at xiao's face, "are you a human? you have the limbs of one..."

"what does it matter?" xiao's patience is starting to wear thin as the fog starts to clear from his mind. "why are you here? what are you?"

the haze returns with a vengeance when you smile serenely at the yaksha. you're glowing beneath the moon. xiao may not care for the beauty of certain things, but that's all he can think when he looks at you.

"you protect the humans of this harbor, don't you?" you practically purr at him. your voice sweeps through xiao's head like the tide. "my people have heard of you and your deeds, alatus. we owe you our thanks."

at the sound of his name, xiao jolts. he hasn't heard that name in... "how do you know that name?" he asks gruffly. "you're not answering any of my questions."

"will you kill me if i don't answer them?" you ask in return. you don't seem to be mocking him, nor do you seem to be amused by him. if anything, you seem... enamored by his presence. you're looking at xiao as if he were someone you've admired for quite some time. it makes him bristle uncomfortably. "i wouldn't mind dying by your hand, alatus."

xiao lowers his spear immediately. he was supposed to protect the harbor, but not if it cost the life of an innocent. he still wasn't sure if you were innocent or not, but he's not incapable of using his judgement. for now, he decides, he will keep an eye on you.

"i only kill those who threaten the safety of liyue. if you have no intention of harming anybody, then i have no reason to engage with you." as soon as the words leave his mouth, he realizes that he's breaking his word, in a way. because if he really had no need to engage with you, why was he still here? he didn't even look as though he was going to leave any time soon.

"but you are engaging with me now, are you not?" you voice xiao's thoughts, giggling when you hear his scoff. "it is an honor to have your attention. did you, perhaps, hear my song earlier?"

xiao hesitates. why do you suddenly look sheepish at the thought of him hearing it? was he not supposed to? you were singing so loudly; he probably wasn't the only one to hear it, anyways. "anybody would have heard that sound." he says. "i came here because of it."

you fluster right away, all of your previous grace gone. you cover your face with your hands and make a series of shrill clicking sounds. "that's not good..." you mutter between sounds. "that's... oh, stars.."

xiao scowls at you, but remembers that you can't see his face. "was that wrong of me?" he asks. "a song is just a song."

"that wasn't," you sigh after a while, "just any song."

"explain."

if you were blushing, xiao couldn't tell. your expression was all he needed to know about how embarrassed you were. "my people, we... there's many songs we can sing, but there's-- there's one that is... how do humans say this?" you look out towards the sea, probably to avoid the feeling of being watched. xiao doesn't look away. "i believe the word humans use is 'unique'. i was singing a song that was unique to me, and only me."

xiao's not an idiot. he has a feeling he knows where this is going, but a lack of experience is keeping him from understanding. "that still doesn't answer my question."

"i was singing at a, uh... stars, these human terms are so hard to remember." you make a soft crooning noise to yourself. was that your native language? "ah! 'frequency'! that's the word! i was singing at a frequency that only one other being besides myself can hear."

suddenly, xiao recalls a story he'd been told during his younger years. it was such a long time ago -- he doesn't know why the memory is appearing now, but as soon as it comes to him, he feels his skin start to prickle. the word that comes to mind is one he doesn't understand; one he gave up hope on.

"the only other being who can hear that besides me is my--" you stop mid-sentence and turn your attention to the horizon. there's nothing out there but the ocean, and yet you're so captured by it, as though something was calling you. xiao tries to get you to finish your sentence, but you launch yourself into the water below.

xiao jumps to the rock where you were once sitting. "wait," he calls. he's shocked when you actually resurface at his voice. he didn't think you'd hear him. "what were you going to say?"

you give xiao an apologetic smile. "i'm afraid that will have to wait for another night, alatus." you float away despite xiao's efforts. "i will be back; i give you my word!" is all you say before you dive into the moonlit waters once more, never to rise again.

xiao stands on the rocks alone and removes his mask, following the reflection of your scales beneath the water until he can't see you anymore. you've left him with far more questions than he can count, but you've also left him with one word.

it's one he'd heard in a book a few centuries back. he dismissed the idea as ridiculous initially, but whenever he had the time to think on it, he recalls a time when he longed for something like that. for someone who was meant for him, even if he was... well, him.

"a soulmate, huh..." he whispers to himself. "how foolish."

✧ i know i mentioned siren!reader with kazuha, but i bet you weren't expecting xiao, right? i have a lot of xiao works lined up, but i just can't seem to get them out for some reason.. i put so much thought into xiao that i tend to scare myself out of it.. i just want his stuff to be perfect, okay :( anyways, i hope you like it! i also hope it makes sense, oh boy--

[fe-fictions]

Fam, I am b e g g i n g. Is there anything for Henry? Anything at all??

(Um how about I rip your heart out with some serious "Henry thinks you died" angst)

The Valmese had become far too strong. It was overwhelming, and it was becoming harder to push your way through their ranks.

But the more you tried to break through, the more resistance you were met with. And they had specific targets they were looking for.

Primarily, it seemed, they were after you.

That’s why you were locked in a heated battle with another mage. Why he was starting to overwhelm your abilities, coming closer and closer until you were nearly face to face. That’s when his hand was thrust against your chest, and a spell tag seared into your skin.

You fell to the ground in an instant. The battle was over.

The tag was a body binding hex, designed to make you little more than a limp ragdoll. There was no way to remove it unless someone else did.

But when you were basically no better than a corpse...what were you supposed to do?

Your mind went to Henry- he’d taught you about these spell tags before. The adrenaline coursed through you when you remembered his words.

There was no getting out of this without someone else’s help. Henry had promised you if this ever happened, he’d be there to take it off.

But where was he, now?

Ah, you recalled with a panicked bitterness, the mage heaving you over his shoulder. You sent him to assist Tharja on the front lines.

You knew they’d be okay together, and you thought you’d be able to manage.

How very wrong you were.

You couldn’t fight against the man hauling your body back from the battlefield, you couldn’t even squirm.

You were trapped inside your own body, and you looked completely lifeless to any onlookers.

That’s precisely what they wanted.

In the next several minutes, you found yourself laid at the feet of the Valmese general, who looked all too pleased to have you there, before him.

“She’s dead?”

“No. Only a spell. We can use this to decimate the Ylisseans, though- seeing their fearless leader dead on the ground...it will cripple them.”

“Then we can transport her to those Plegian fellows...or perhaps we should bring her to Lord Walhart, before that...I’m sure he would be pleased with such a trophy.”

You were lifted again, but by a much rougher, less forgiving hand. You saw the world blur and get further from your face, and then you were being carried back into the battlefield.

It was Sumia who screamed, first. Chrom’s eyes snapped up to the general that carried you, in time to see him throw your body to the ground.

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

“Your tactician...is dead!!” The man bellowed, his voice echoing across the battlefield. All the Shepherds seemed to stop moving.

Several gasped, more cried out. Lissa sobbed.

“Surrender now, or face a death just as your fearless leader did!!” He grinned, maliciously taunting them with a swift kick to your side.

Your body rolled over, the pain searing and blunt. But you could hardly nurse the wound.

“You lie...you’re lying!!” Chrom roared, charging forward. He was quickly countered by the man, who was far superior in skill.

You needed to plan a strategy of attack against him, but you hadn’t had the time. You were captured before you could convene with him.

And now...he looked as defeated as he did back then...when he lost Emmeryn.

Your dear friend was crumbling all over again.

Several Shepherds stood there, in shock, trembling at the dark realization that their Chief Tactician was truly gone.

Then there was a quiet laughter behind the Exalt.

The general looked past Chrom long enough to see a head of white hair, a single chuckle, and then-

A heavy explosion erupted in the distance, sending bodies flying and those who survived it into a shrieking panic.

Black magic raged across the entire battlefield, engulfing any Valmese who was in the way.

Henry’s hands crackled as he summoned the mightiest Nosferatu that they had ever seen. It was all they could do to brace against it.

“Get away from her.” He spoke softly, but his magic suggested he was feeling something far more intense. “Get away from my Robin.”

Chrom followed Henry’s rage. He charged into the enemy lines, the Shepherds unleashing all their force against the Valmese.

It was unbelievable how quickly they broke through, but Henry’s ravaging magic had made more than enough space for them to truly clear the path. There was nowhere for any of them to hide.

Henry’s front line assault ended as the battle neared its completion, the Ylisseans claiming a bitter, bitter victory.

Your husband’s footsteps came closer, until you heard him just beside you. His breath hitched as he fell to his knees, lifting you to his chest. He held you against him, brushing away the hair that was in loose strands around your face.

Then you felt the tears falling silently onto your skin.

'Oh, Henry.'

“I’m sorry, Robin,” He whispered hoarsely, “I’m so sorry, I...don’t like it. This isn’t fun. You weren’t supposed to...y-you were going to live long and happy with me, b-but I...if I had acted sooner...just a little bit sooner…”

His forehead touched yours, and he hugged you closer, his hand falling to your chest, searching for a heartbeat.

What he felt instead was the crinkling of paper.

Thin paper. Thin parchment that magicians used.

Henry’s hands froze.

He pulled back, staring at you intently. The tears stopped falling for all of four seconds.

Henry lifted your tunic, and found the spell tag.

In those four seconds, he spoke the removal spell, nearly tearing it off your body and incinerating it into the wind.

Suddenly you gasped for air.

He gasped for his next bout of tears.

“H-Henry--”

You couldn’t say anything else.

Henry engulfed you in his embrace, sobbing bloody murder into your hair and clutching onto you for all he was worth.

He rocked you back and forth, hugging you tightly as the grief of losing you and the relief of finding you alive and well overwhelmed his very soul.

When the Shepherds returned to Henry’s side, they thought he was wailing over the loss of his wife.

When they saw you stroking his hair, trying to comfort your dear husband, they realized you were far from gone.

No, you were very much alive and well.

You were with them.

Libra deduced it was a spell tag, seeing as Henry couldn't explain anything.

He knew they needed to tend your wounds and make sure to relieve the residual magic, coaxing Henry to let you go for a few moments so they could bring you back.

To say Henry was beside himself was an understatement. If he had to set you down or spend time without you in his hold, his hand was gripping yours tightly, doing his best to stay as close to you as possible.

He wasn’t leaving your side.

He already did it once, Henry remarked bitterly. He thought he’d lost the one person he loved more than anything else in the world.

He wasn’t risking that again.

Though in the midst of your recovery and the subsequent victory of the battle, you did have to convince your husband to refrain from casting protection charms all over you.

Henry eventually agreed, though he found his ways to make sure you were safe and protected from such terrible magic.

The best method he thought of was to simply stay by your side no matter what.

[ask-alexander-feoc]

"We need to think about wat happened first" the said The fredrick scene happens again. they had gone to fight

(An allied unit appears, veiled by a flock of circling crows) Chrom: Wh-what's that? A storm of… crows?! Gods, it's upon us! ???: CAW! CAW! Are you folks lost? Or perhaps a lost CAWs? Heh ha! Chrom: Who's there?! Show yourself! Gods' breath, I can't see anything through all these damned birds! Shoo! Scat! Away with you! (The crows all disperse, revealing Henry) Henry: What's wrong? CAW-strophobic? Nya ha ha! Oh, I slay me! Chrom: Not if these Risen do it first! This is no time for japes! Hide yourself, boy! Henry: You know, I thought you were all right… Turns out you're all FRIGHT! Nya ha ha! I'd wish you good luck killing these monsters, buuuuuut… They're ALREADY DEAD! Chrom: We are well aware! Henry: The ravens wanted me to give you a message. "Caaw… C-caw-caw." Roughly translated, it means… Hmm, now what was the human word for that again? …Traipse? …Tripe? Oh, TRAPPED! Right! …They say you're trapped. Chrom: We know, damn it! Gods… Where did they all come from? Henry: Well, see, when a mommy zombie and a daddy zombie love each other very much… Nya ha ha! Chrom: Perhaps I should save the Risen the trouble and silence you myself. Henry: Hey, wait! I want to join your CAWs—I mean, I can help you! I know magic! What do you say… Birds of a feather and all that? Chrom: Those robes… A Plegian dark mage? …Why would you help us? Henry: Oh, don't let all the joking around fool ya—I've got kind of a thing for killing. Most funny people do, you know. The two things must be linked somehow. Ever talk to a jester when he's off duty? Those guys are some sick dastards!

Liam decided to check up on the twins.

The twins were on march to Regna Ferox. Mia was ahead watching ahead for any danger

[genrerolereversal]

Interactive Fiction Featuring Gender Role Reversal and/or a Female-dominated Setting

(Last updated: 21 December 2022)

These are mostly text-based ChoiceScript stories (Choice of Games, Hosted Games, Heart’s Choice) at the moment. If you know more (Twine, itch.io, etc.), please let me know, I'd be happy to check them out!

In many of the listed stories, you can play as a tough, "masculine" female character or a "feminine" male character and/or pursue relationships with characters who are like this. That said, this option is not available in all IF.

Note that this isn't an exhaustive list of stories with gender role reversal elements. There are many more like Champion of the Gods and The Lost Heir series. This list is more for games where it plays a significant part in the story instead of being an optional feature.

Complete

Affairs of the Court: Choice of Romance (CoG)

An IF take on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in a Spanish-inspired setting of mage aristocrats. The game is mostly about political intrigue and securing a future for yourself and your royal children. Features role reversal if you play as a straight male character. You can romance the powerful and fickle Queen Agustina or start an affair with a passionate noblewoman, Gabriela de Mendosa. While choosing your character's sexuality will change the genders of your love interests, the setting itself seems to be gender egalitarian

Arcadie: Second-Born (Twine; Steam, demo)

In a fantasy analogue to France, your life is turned upside-down when your royal parents are assassinated. Ariana d’Arcadie, the crown princess and a powerful magic user, swears vengeance and rallies her troops for the ensuing war. You are her younger sister/brother who exists away from the spotlight afforded to your sister. Ariana is domineering and charismatic, perhaps a little too eager for bloodshed. You can play as her equally headstrong, warlike sibling... or be a book-smart pacifist who needs others to keep them safe. It’s not very common to see more passive roleplaying options in this genre of IF, which makes this GRR in my book. There are only two romances (male or female), but there is plenty of content for both: the charming Cyril and the brooding but loyal Wilfred/Willeen.

Belle-de-Nuit (HC)

Your character is a female duelist in the employ of a 17th-century Parisian brothel, with all the luxuries and responsibilities that implies. You can choose to be masculine/gender-nonconforming and be respected for it, but note that there is at least one scene where you are forced to dress feminine. It's an entertaining (if a little short) read, with some mildly spicy romances. There are three romances to pursue: Amaryllis, the witty and delightful courtesan who can be sweet when she wants to be; the rival duelist Sebastian, courting him and clashing with him in equal measure; or Lou (who can be male or female), the shy and innocent bartender with a penchant for puzzles and secrets. There is a sequel (Belle-de-Nuit: Point-du-Jour) that continues the story where it left off.

Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday (CoG)

A (generally) lighthearted take on the classic damsel-in-distress trope in a typical fantasy setting. You play as an imperiled royal (of any gender) who becomes embroiled in a plot to thwart you and your parents. You can romance a knight (Broderick), a Duchess’ son (Cedric), an Amazonian warrior (Khorosa), a mage (Rose), or a peasant (Quinn/Adriana, variable gender). You may also marry a goblin ambassador named Orgmel for diplomatic purposes, though this is likely a joke route.

A Midsummer Night's Choice (CoG)

Interactive Shakespearean comedy. Run away from an arranged marriage with Lord/Lady Penderghast and encounter magic, mischief, and twists along the way. Find love with a witty jester (Prenzie), a fellow noble (Morgan), a fairy (Piccolita), or Penderghast. Penderghast will be the opposite gender to your player character, which I thought was interesting. It's not often you find stories where a young man is betrothed to a much older woman. And spoilers, but what makes it even more interesting is that Penderghast is actually a knight who seeks to earn the love of your character through chivalric deeds. But if you don't like him/her, the other three romances are a great alternative.

NOLA is Burning (CoG)

You are a fearsome mobster who works for the Bull, sporting a sawtooth and a suit. Life is good... until your position is in jeopardy for your love affair with the Bull’s spouse. You’re sent to rescue said spouse on a gore-splattering journey that brims with treachery, eccentricity, and video gamey shenanigans.  It’s unfortunately a bit light on the romance--it’s more an excuse for the plot, and it could have done more with showing instead of telling. Still, it’s short and... er, probably not sweet, but it certainly is an interesting mishmash of genres on top of the already over-the-top action. Hats off (ha) to this game for having the female MC wear a double-breasted suit, all mafia style.

An Odyssey: Echoes of War (CoG)

+1000 points for the option to genderbend Odysseus and Penelope (including nonbinary!). Basically a CYOA retelling of The Odyssey, full of fickle gods, dangerous monsters, and conflicted heroes. Although you start off as married to your spouse, you can instead pursue a romance with Polyxena, Ajax, or Calypso, the latter of whom is also gender-variable like Penelope.

The Parenting Simulator (HG)

Exactly what it says on the tin. Brave the challenges of being a single father (or mother) in a modern American setting. Tends to be sweet and humorous in tone. While there is no romance, the premise itself is well-executed, and watching your child grow up is a genuinely touching experience. There are options for the reason you are a single parent: you separated from your child's mother/father, said mother/father died, or you opted for adoption.

Rent-a-Vice (CoG)

A dark cyberpunk noir story about virtual experience, an invention that lets you live through the dangerous experiences of other people at the cost of their health and safety. As a PI, solve a case while trying to pay child support to your ex-spouse and child. Gender egalitarian setting; includes role reversal if you play as a female investigator and/or set your ex-spouse as male. You can customise the names and genders of your ex and child as well as the gender of your client, who is a potential love interest. Important: it can be very triggering for people who have issues with self-harm and/or addiction. Trigger warnings can be toggled for each chapter.

On the other hand, interactive stories with a matriarchal setting are still pretty rare. I've listed them below. Northanger Abbey has a similar mechanism, but is a visual novel rather than text-based.

Choice of Broadsides and Choice of Broadsides: HMS Foraker (CoG)

You're a ship captain fighting for the nation of Albion. Your gender choice determines the gender of the cast and whether society is male- or female-dominated. The focus is more on action and story rather than romance (and there is plenty of action). There is an option to woo a stay-at-home gentleman or flirt with your rival, Villeneuve (who will be the same gender as your character). Choice of Broadsides: HMS Foraker is not a sequel, but a different story that uses the same setting.

Pendragon Rising (CoG)

Celtic, kind-of-historical Arthurian fantasy. Takes many liberties with the source. Has the same gender choice in Broadsides, either having a patriarchy or a matriarchy. In the latter, women are the ones fighting and taking the lead, and men perform domestic and spiritual tasks. Romance options include a tall warrior princess (Yvaine), a wandering scholar (Eleri), and a Druid priest (Morgan). Spoilers: be warned that if you pursue a sexual relationship with Morgan, the game will reveal towards the end that the two of you are half-siblings. On a related note, some people may want to avoid the romance with Eleri as well, as she is your character’s cousin.

[bonitacita]

I’m talking about Eskel again…

Just before we get to that new season of The Witcher I just want to say something I took note of…and yes it’s about Eskel again at this point I should just be an Eskel account. I feel so strongly about Eskel because I feel like he could get his own game tbh or comic etc he’s just a lot more than..a throw away.

During this whole process of Netflix! Witcher…Did they just replace the role of Eskel in Geralt’s life with Coen? Listen the whole only one Witcher school is already sorta strange but I don’t mind it as much, but.

I think I’m starting to see what the hell is going on here. Henry might call this being blindly loyal to the original media…and that’s fine Henry but, did you guys really switch the spots of Eskel and Coen? I say this because I see the actor of Coen and Lambert in interviews together all the time, that clip of the two of them training Ciri, etc. These are just events…etc I’d expect to see Eskel and Lambert do. Meanwhile there has been a little to no information on Netflix! Eskel..as if he’s not a secondary character anymore. Love the idea of taking the new witchers and maybe adding some things to their character because we didn’t get that much background on Coen last time I checked but…just in terms of that family bond it almost feels like they have replaced Eskel..just based on how this marketing is going and how theyre really pushing this Lambert and Coen thing which is fine it’s not wrong but I expected..something else. Its also like Coen is going to be given that softer Witcher personality Eskel has too..perhaps. It’s like if..we had the Witcher romances and we took..Triss and replaced her with Keira as a romance to Netflix! Geralt.. sure you could do it..sure they’re both Mages who at some point can/have been close to geralt but..it’s just…a little random

Now I could be completely wrong about this. I could go watch the new season and be proven wrong and Basil (the actor for eskel) could have done an amazing job! Etc etc…. I could be reaching here absolutely but the lack of Eskel interviews etc etc the lack of Eskel everything and anything in terms of this season 2 is a concern knowing how important he is to Geralt, in the source material Netflix Witcher claims they’ve been using… Eskel is such a sweetie and if I turn on Netflix and I see him being…harsh etc cursing at Ciri anything along these lines I’m going to HAVE to stop the show and play the games to cleanse my pallet. Eskel isn’t some sort of saint no..but there’s a reason why he acts the way he does etc.

I know it’s only season 2 I shouldn’t be expecting them to dig all deep into Eskel..his child of surprise etc but hey..I hope they kept all this information in mine and perhaps they went “hey Eskel is such a cool character we could really make a lot of content with him” …..or did they go “Eskel? Nah..throw him away people don’t like him enough.”

Just my personal..worries and thoughts. I could be wrong!! But I like to assume we all did notice during this whole promotion the lack of..Eskel was strange. They never spoke about him like ever and barley even showed his face like he was some sort of secret.

I know everyone’s been yelling about Jaskier but I’ve been yelling about Eskel lmao..

[riitah]

[onsra] - childe x fem!reader, i.

(A/N): I’ll be making a short series for this, courtesy of my friend “henry rumpelstiltskin III of the nuclear sock kingdom.” Hopefully I’ll have the diligence to do it. If not, this will become yet another abandoned project...

CREDIT FOR ART IN TABLE OF CONTENTS (A/N): expect angst later on in the series

1. encounter word count: 632

(Y/N) gritted her teeth, clutching her left arm in pain. In front of her, some distance away, Childe was panting, cuts and bruises littering his body, but none of his injuries as serious as the ones that were covering (Y/N) from head to toe. He wiped his mouth with one hand, smirking.

“Are you sure you don’t want to end it here, (Y/N)?”

(Y/N) suddenly charged at him, sword high above her head, trying to ignore the burning feeling throughout her body, from her chest to her legs, her movements sluggish, uncoordinated. Childe easily dodged her attempts at assaulting him, laughing all the way.

“C’mon now,” he said, “you don’t want to push yourself to the brink of death, just for a slim chance of beating me.”

His words fell on deaf ears as she tried to punch his nose, but only to fall forward when he got down on his knee.

Childe caught her right before her face could hit the soil, lifting her up and throwing her over his shoulder. He stood up, and (Y/N) winced at the sudden movement, grabbing onto his shirt for support.

“You can fight any other Harbinger for their place, you know. Why don’t you try Signora? Although at your current level you won’t be able to kill her, you could get some kicks and scratches in and to help me get back at her. What do you say?”

“Put. Me. Down,” (Y/N) said hoarsely, twisting around to glare at him.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He loosened his grip just enough for her to slide down a little, letting out a good-hearted laugh when she gasped. “See? It’s best if you just stay still.”

“...let me go.”

Childe stared at her for a few moments, debating whether or not he should listen. Finally, with a sigh, he reluctantly let her onto the ground. Without missing a beat, (Y/N) immediately tried to kick his face, which he blocked with an arm and followed up with a kick to her stomach.

The wind was knocked out of her lungs, and she heard a sickening crack as her back met a tree. Her head hurt like hell; it felt as if her skull was going to split open at any moment. Through her tears, she could make out a blurry tall figure making his way toward her and crouch in front of her. She quickly closed her eyes, bracing herself for another kick, but none came. She slowly opened her eyes and realized just how close the harbinger’s face was to hers.

He grinned at her. “Let’s fight again next time, yeah?”

(Y/N) tried to get up, wincing as she felt her broken bones threatening to break off completely.  Everything was heavy, and no matter how hard she tried to readjust her position, nothing moved. “I promise you,” she whispered, “the next time we meet, I’ll beat you.”

Childe chuckled at her little declaration. “Yeah, I’m sure you will,” he said, standing up. “So you better rest up and give me a challenge.”

He left her sitting under the tree, covered in blood and sweat, signaling one of the mages to assist her. He wasn’t disappointed in the new recruit; she had the boldness and guts, and strength as well. A great fit for one of the Harbingers, he had to admit. Someone who would definitely catch the eye of the Tsaritsa, with enough training. I wonder which Delusion she would receive, he mused to himself. Perhaps a Pyro one? It suits her fiery personality and determination. A small smile graced his lips. Perhaps he was getting too ahead of himself. After all, her injuries would take a while to heal.

I’ll see you around, (Y/N).

Hello, and thank you for reading till the end! If you enjoyed and wish to keep reading, here’s the link to ch.2.