#ingrid ; prose.

[exhalereleased]

"Dark River" by Ingrid Jonker

[devouredxmuses]

who: emery, piper, heath & ingrid ( @hellonexrth ) ! where: park in new orleans !

emery wasn't necessarily cool with ingrid mikaelson, but it was rather obvious that she was going to be in heath's life for a long time ( probably longer than he would given their immortality ), so he'd figure it out. he also had every intention to keep piper in his life, now that they'd reconnected. that is why he'd asked piper if she'd like to meeting a couple of his friends. once she agreed he'd texted heath and planned something. it was important for him to, essentially, merge his two lives. the nomadic emery he'd left behind and the new semi-settled city boy.

" they're cool, i promise. " he gives piper an assuring smile while he kept an eye out for a glimpse of heath. the psychic had half a mind to shoot the vampire a text and ask very nicely for him to be on his best behavior. then he realized that might have the opposite effect, heath might take that as an invitation to tease him all night. which wasn't exactly a bad thing, but he was already a little hyper aware of his actions around piper, especially after starting to realize his feelings might be deeper than he even knew. the pair walked along the path as he spotted that familiar tall figure and then the spot of red hair. " hey, " he calls out with a grin in attempts to get attention as he and piper neared.

this all felt oddly normal. going to hangout with her boyfriend's friends, or friend and friend's friend. maybe that's why she had been up for doing it in the first place. it wasn't that she really wanted to be around people, or emery in particular, but she craved something simple. the past year had been nothing of the sort. so there she found herself, in the park with heath, ready to make the most of this interaction. plus, she and emery could use a positive interaction. ultimately he hadn't done anything unforgivable and she had been just as guilty. frankly they'd all need allies at the rate the collective was working. here's to bonding, she thought.

the sound of emery's voice pulled ingrid's attention from heath to the approaching party. the second that ingrid's eyes landed on the woman's face she felt her heart stop beating. it was one she'd seen in the few times ingrid actually managed to dream ( or have nightmares ). this could not be happening. words escaped her as fear wrapped around her brain and took control. quickly and without thought, ingrid shuffles behind him. shielding herself with his body from the others as one hand reaches out to find heath's. she connected their fingers, needing some kind of contact. none of her movements were graceful and anyone with sight could tell something was wrong. while her brain begged her to take off running, the tribrid felt paralyzed. " she's, " but that singular word was all that left her before she pressed her forehead against heath's back trying to regain any sort of composure.

[rumblcs]

staus: closed ! who: ingrid & heath ! (@cxrsedmuse ) where: vaughn's lounge !

after making sure kaya was situated and calling theo over to take a shift of watching over their best friend, ingrid had somewhere to be. the day before kaya returned she had taken asher's advice and gotten in touch with heath. not in a normal way, of course. the redhead had broken into his office leaving a slightly singed note on his desk containing only a few words; vaughn's lounge, tomorrow, 10pm. the burnt edges of the paper were the only clues as to who it was left by. he was smart, he'd figure it out.

she needed a drink, badly. well actually she needed a joint, but a few tequila shots would do for now. sitting at the bar she seethed, violent thoughts of different ways to turn a demon inside out were the only comfort she could find at the moment. she'd waved off some drunken sleaze that tried to move in on her. biting out a threat before he finally slinked away. she'd give heath ten minutes to arrive before her irritation would get the best of her and she would have to leave. for the safety of all of the bar's patrons.

[toalloftheboysivelovedbefore]

R.A.R.,

I listened to this song a lot in the fall of 2017. When nothing made sense. When everything hurt. When one moment you had picked me up from class and drove me to my car because you wanted to see me. The next, we were sitting on a bench while you told me all of the reasons being with me wasn’t enough to risk what you had at home.

That shit sticks around.

It took me years to undo that mentality. That I am good for a fuck but not for a life. I am good when you need validation and comfort, but not good enough to build a life with. I am good when you need an escape from the life you built that in the end, you didn’t really want, but you feel pressured to build.

You kept driving around in circles, afraid to call this place our home.

This song gave me hope. That our silver lining would be delivered soon. That one day, we would be there. That one day, we would be laying in front of the fireplace in our home while I played with the dog, the big dog you always wanted to have but your wife never wanted.

Now, you have your dogs, but not me. I have my peace, but not you. Kind of a fucked up ending to that story if you ask me.

September the first has rolled around and passed once again. I didn’t feel the emptiness I have felt the last seven years, but I still have your daughter’s birthday on my calendar. You’re not here and yet you are. You probably always will be, to a degree. There is an imprint of you on my soul. Some days it hurts, but most days I just carry it. It’s like the massive wounds I care for on patients. Even if you do get the wound to heal, it will never go back to the way it was. The skin is puckered and twisted. Disfigured and discolored. There is an indent on the surface. It will never look the same. The scar is carried around, even though the wound is healed.

I wonder if you thought about me on September 1st. I wonder what you think of me when I cross your mind. I wonder if you look back on me fondly or if you hate me. I wonder what kind of scar I left on you.

Happy September,

H.L.F.

[devouredxmuses]

this moment felt like a dream, something that had felt so out of reach for so long, impossible even. her grin widens as his words echoed hers, ingrid didn't think she'd ever get tired of hearing that. in the new position he'd shifted them into her arms instinctively find their way around his neck. " as much as i'd love to, " she pauses as their lips connect. it takes everything in her to part once more, " we have an eternity for that. you haven't seen the sun in a year and we need to fix that. like now. " granted they had an eternity for that too.

the light flush on her cheeks deepens at the tease. " oh shut uppppp, " she groans with a mock exasperated expression before a grin flashes over her lips. her first and only boyfriend had been a kid from the mikaelson school when she was like eleven years old. that relationship lasted a total of three seconds and his name was hard to even remember at this point. she hadn't ever felt like this about anyone before, it was scary. labels made it real, but that's what she wanted. something real, with heath, and while she obviously didn't deserve it, she was beyond grateful. reluctantly she drops from his arms once he's standing and their lips part again. " and we're staying out all day. until the sun sets, " she says pointing a finger at him, voice stern, then she reaches up to press a soft kiss to his cheek, " we've got a lot of time to make up for, handsome. "

END !

He hummed against her skin. "I like you a whole lot too," he confessed, pulling away and sitting up dragging her onto his lap, back against the headboard of the bed in a flash, those vampire skills coming in handy for at least something. "Are you sure we have to see the sun, I don't mind doing this all day," he said, continuing to kiss any free patch of skin, making his way back to her lips, which he captured with a hand threaded through the hair at the back of her head.

"I think I am," he said, pulling away to look at her, tucking a piece of hair gently behind her ear. He raised his brows playfully at her, wiggling them. "Oh yeah, you want me to be your boyfriend?" he still felt silly saying the words. Labels had never been a big thing for him, and he wasn't certain he'd ever called someone his girlfriend before, let alone been called a boyfriend. It felt strange, but good. Finally, he jumped up from bed, keeping her legs wrapped around him as he did so, only setting her down gently after another gentle kiss. "Let's go see the sun, then. Shall we?" he asked with a gentlemanly smile as he placed a piece of toast between his teeth and opened the top drawer of his dresser to slip his arms through a button up shirt.

[devouredxmuses]

who: ingrid & hope ( @hntershunted ) ! where: outside the party !

ingrid felt an obvious shift in the air around her the second before she heard the noise. she couldn't explain it, but the tribrid knew the cause of it. immediately her gaze scans the crowd and was able to catch a fleeting glimpse of her sister rushing out. before the girl could even think about it, her feet were carrying her in the direction hope had dashed in. a pang of anxiety spiked, what had been enough to trigger such a reaction from her. as she moved, ingrid's eyes searched for kaya. had she told hope ? that didn't sound logical.

" if you didn't like the cake you could have just said so, " she calls once finally outside. hope's back facing her, unable to see the expression resting on her features. maybe she shouldn't be so flippant. taking steps closer, the girl refuses to move in front of hope. she doesn't want to look into her eyes yet. if hope was exploding cakes in the middle of her wedding reception something had to be deeply wrong. ingrid just prayed that she wasn't that something.

[rumblcs]

status: closed ! who: ingrid & hope ! ( @tribidscrsed ) where: laurie's place !

after talking with kaya and seeing just how much the incident with hope was affecting her, ingrid wanted to check in with her sister. if she could be of any assistance in them repairing what had transpired, she wanted to. once stopping by hope's place and realizing it was empty, the redhead had a sneaking suspicion as to where she'd find her. so there she was, at laurie's doorstep, rapping on the door once, rather loudly. " laurie, hope ! " she exclaims, speaking through the door.

" y'all got one more knock and five seconds to come open the door or to stop sucking face before i let myself in, " she sing-songs her warning before the second knock hits the wood. internally she was begging the door to open on its own, walking in on them would be a nightmare.

[rumblcs]

their noses touch for a moment and she lets out the softest breath she hadn't meant to be keeping in. " i might, " though the toothy grin that replaced her smirk was as much of a confession as he was ever going to get. his hand was in her hair, though his movements were slow, much too slow for ingrid's liking. taking the lead from someone else was never ingrid's style, but in this moment she continued to follow his. the woman was afraid that any action she took would snap him out of it, having heath cut the moment short again.

then his other hand was on her, and it was enough contact for ingrid's own to leave her pockets. she needed more, more of him. one hand slide up the arm around her waist, resting on his shoulder. she was about to speak when his lips covered hers. the witch's free hand flew upwards and her arm wraps around his neck, pulling herself even closer to him ( if that were even possible ). the kiss is returned with fervor. ever since they had parted before ingrid had been thinking of this moment. the one that she had tried to convince herself would never happen again.

she pulls back for a moment with a nod. " mhm, a lot, " ingrid had thought of him all the time. she had to say it, he had, it was only fair that an admission came from her as well. after the words she leaned back in to connect their lips, her other arm moving to circle around his neck, fingers entangling with the bit of hair on his nape. it felt as if she let him go he'd fade into the trees around them. reluctantly she pulls back again, essentially gasping for the air he'd stolen from her. " thought of this too, " she speaks softly as she rests her forehead against his.

Any scrap of control he had left vanished when her eyes flicked down to his lips. They both wanted this so bad, so why were they holding back? Heath had spent too many years unhappy. And now, the girl who brought him happiness stood within grasp. So many times had he held back from seizing what he wanted in life, so many times he had taken the backseat for friends, for his family. The detective always looked out for other, always made sure everyone else experienced happiness, never taking the moment to care even a fraction about his own life, his own happiness.

Leaning down, his nose grazed against hers. "Oh yeah, you like the sherlock holmes thing I got going on?" he teased, lips turning up in a small smile. His hand threaded through her hair, and it took everything in him to drag the moment out. He could have just grabbed her, could have just kissed her right there. Hell, he could have kissed her an hour ago on the log near the bonfire in front of anyone. But if he never got to do this again, he was going to savor it.

"Everything about you, Ingrid," he said, his other hand trailing gently down her arm from shoulder to hand before it snuck around her waist, settling on the small of her back. "You've been thinking about me too, hm?" he asked just before closing the distance between them, bringing her body close to his in a quick motion, arm tight around her waist and hand deep in her hair. His lips found her immediately and he kissed her just as he felt, like they were the only two people in the world.

[devouredxmuses]

who: ingrid & kaya ( @hellonexrth ) ! where: sort of secluded place in the park !

the second the stranger left her alone, ingrid's feet carried her without permission, her mind moving similarly. it felt like a weird out of body experience. like she was on the outside watching herself as if it was a stranger. phone in her hand, the girl texted her very best friend to meet her. her very best friend who's life was about to change for eternity. something that, as an isolated topic, wasn't one that hadn't been broached. but like this ? forced by a stranger who's intentions were what ? ingrid was a pawn.

spotting the brunette ahead of her, the tribrid stays behind. the easiest and most realistic way to feed kaya her blood would be in order to heal. she looks around to find something in the area that could inflict damage. her eyes finally land on a sign post spike from the abandoned landscaping materials around where her friend stood. a hand lifts from her side and with a flick of her wrist brought the spike into kaya's foot. there was a sense of urgency coursing through her. whether it was part of whatever trance she was in, or if it was ingrid wanting this moment to be over and the only way over it is through it, she wasn't sure.

" oh my god, kaya, " she calls out. the voice sounded foreign in her ears, like it didn't belong to her. this was wrong, so wrong, kept playing in the girl's head as she was completely unable to stop it. in an instant she was at the other's side " what the hell ? that looks, fucked. please, let me, " she was slightly frantic. wrist to her lips the tribird tears into the skin so her blood is ready to be ingested at kaya's

[rumblcs]

status: closed ! who: ingrid & theo ( @tribidscrsed ) ! where: outside the cemetery ( short cut to the library ) !

ingrid had found this short cut from her house to the library when she was in middle school. crowds weren't her favorite thing and the road less traveled was always more peaceful, right ? well this route had proven so, the tombstones now having a more consistent visitor, or passerby at least. " you know, they say you should hold your breath when going by a cemetery, " she offers the comment before pausing for a moment, dramatic effect and all.

" that if you don't, you'll breathe in spirits. " spirit possession was a little more difficult than that, something ingrid knew. " but i don't suppose you believe that, do you ? " rhetorical of course, though she still asked. " guess if that was the case there would be way more than possessions then reported. "

[lsdoiphin]

Art from artfight 2024... I had other stuff going on this year so I dropped the ball a bit and only made like 6 pieces. Two of them were very large though and I'll be posting those separately.

In order we have:

blankstorefront's Crimson Prose & Hazy Sight cheetahtrout's Andraste some strangely familiar cats for @broncoburro macaronitrash's Ingrid Rapshaw

[emblemxeno]

Love how the message of the 3H Forging Bonds this time is "it doesn't matter what happens in the future, because we shape the future with our own hands!"

Meanwhile they don't actually have control of their own future because one of their classmates-along with underground terrorists-says so

Masterful storytelling, doesn't completely sell out the rest of your cast at all /s

Like, I can see how it's supposed to be Tragic Dramatic Irony™️, but it's such half assed schlock, and was already covered by the 3H forging bonds last year with Ingrid. At some point, it moves past tragic prose and right into Political Misery Porn, lighten the fuck up

And if you're not willing to let that aspect go, then who gives a fuck about timeskip 3H characters saying what happens to pre-timeskip ones in FEH, quit being so full of yourselves, it makes it so fucking boring

[devouredxmuses]

who: ingrid & piper ( @hellonexrth ) ! where: outside the haylijah house !

after avoiding returning to the cold house that used to be so warm since she'd arrived, ingrid wasn't able to do so any longer. that was easier, going back home rather than stepping foot into the cemetery where her parents would reside for eternity. when she'd entered the place it had been mid morning though amidst her complete and utter breakdown, time must have escaped her. exiting into the darkness with only street lights illuminating, ingrid shut the door behind her and dropped down onto the steps.

it felt impossible to move from where she sat on the stairs, as if putting distance between herself and the building would have it crumbling down. caroline had told her that she'd kept the place untouched since ingrid and hope had left, wanting them to have something to come back to if they wished. wrapping her arms around her knees ingrid's head rested down upon them as more tears slipped from her bloodshot eyes before she could stop them. " can you both just come home, please, " the words were beyond implausible and she knew that, still they left her muffled.

[burr-ell]

the latest chapter of emperor and the goddess was fucking W I L D - edel got not just a wife, but a whole ass DAUGHTER and then she still... cheats on byleth with ingrid. also yippee yahoo the narration refers to ingrid as a woman STILL. the entire fic really just reminds me that popularity /=/ good writing

Here's the thing. If the issue with this fic was just that the prose is mediocre or the characterizations are bad—and they are—nobody would talk about it the way that they do. There's a similar fic that's been brought up as a sort of counterpoint to EatG that I have not made too much public comment on, and it's not because I don't have opinions on it; it's because I'm not terribly interested in it and the opinions I do have are mixed-to-negative, but it's almost entirely due to writing style and characterization. (There ARE a couple of iffy cultural elements in there worth critiquing; I chalk them up to inexperience and naivete, but it's not invalid to point them out if you're going to.)

There are a couple of things that set EatG apart. It's not just that it's an incredibly popular fic whose author is perfectly happy to let people claim it's either the true canon or better, and it doesn't help that he's basically been Christopher Columbus-ing fanfiction by acting like he's writing some brilliant meta piece that's totally not the same as those icky girly fanfics. It's that the fic is choked with absolutely rancid implications and themes about biracial people, nonwhite people in general, women, gay men, mentally ill people, trans people, religion, imperialism, and genocide. When people whose heads aren't shoved up Edelgard's ass comment on this, every criticism is dismissed by either pretending the person said something they very clearly didn't say or pulling "I'm not misogynistic, I have a lesbian beta reader!".

Like, there are mediocre-to-bad fanfics in every fandom, right? There's certainly plenty of them in the 3H fandom, for any ship (I've turbosmashed the back button on plenty of Claude/leth fics). Edel/eth is one of the most popular ships in the fandom; you go through those archives, you're gonna find some clunkers. That in itself is not the problem. The problem is the hype around it, fed into by the author, and the truly obscene bullshit that gets repeatedly handwaved (as we know, a story about queer women is at its most above reproach when written by a cis man) and whatabout'ed (a biracial character hating herself for her "nonhuman" side and being told she's right is totally fine because sometimes people who dislike Edelgard aren't very nice).

Any time a fanfic author acts like this, run.

[purezastreet]

✉ nagmamahal, pureza.

𓇢𓆸 i am of age. i go by any pronouns — feminine terms are preferred. pansexual. i am a youth activist / artista ng bayan. i am highly interactive. i write in both filipino and english mediums. lowercase is intended. my account contains blasphemy, dna if uncomfortable!

‎

‎laman ng mga sulat.

𓇢𓆸 my writing draws inspiration from my life experiences, which is why my prose often explores themes of love, social issues, blasphemy, and girlhood. i also mention manila in my pieces often, as it holds a special place in my heart.

parating nasa puso ko.

𓇢𓆸 teresa. aouie. yuan. yein. diogenes. zethro. ignacio. wonie. zala. south. cicero. lily. mimi. jinji. eo. qieora. eithne. saero. srilanka. karma. bratziana. rui. banayad. nicolette. avi. magoa. starseed. saint-denis. masaki. evren. dusk. suri. peregrine. february. kinse. mind fiddler. kvazlei. rika. tequila. alexa. ceridwen. sin-eater. joni. navier. silay. kikurin. sullivan. amelia. rinrin. javed. gehlee. hanarah. dom. jarileon. ae. shui. asha. dakota. szanti. haelle. deau. irwyne. fedarico. verise. bravia. nissin. lauresaint. yeoj. ingrid. phoebe. adreius. jyri. qi. alfhirae. zafran. mercy. elliot. yalev. rune. ciandra. rien. citriara. furphy. mahalina. seve. albireo. zeve. dee. melani. golhram. ae. isla. miacreul. atcu. verhaise. florimei. miko. ueila. tacenda. miguel. potlong. desmond. zenjiro. all of my readers and timeline friends ᡣ𐭩 your names are already engraved in my heart even if they're not listed here.

[emblemxeno]

Maybe I'm wrong, but did anyone in 3H tell Dorothea that her husband hunting was self-destructive?

I only remember people saying she'll find someone who loves her for her without pointing out that pursuing someone based on her famous songstress persona was going to end poorly

Charlotte is similar to Dorothea, but I do remember people commenting that her gold digging was self-destructive in addition to encouraging her to love herself

I think subconsciously Dorothea herself recognizes it as destructive, since she doesn't like herself and probably secretly thinks she comes off desperate.

But for all that implicit introspection, iirc no one really tells her about the negatives of her behavior? And that'd be fine in most other contexts, after all show don't tell. However, 1) 3H is ALL about expositing its dialogue through its prose, 2) most of the other characters get knocked for their behavior, and 3) for western audiences, Dorothea is never performed as desperate ever until Part 2 where she turns up the dour meter, which is 90% because of the war and not because of her own insecurity.

In fact, most of the cast enforce or encourage her behavior, if they're not already a victim of her ire. The closest it gets to Dorothea being called on her antics are Hubert (evil anti-social snake), Felix (resident asshole), and Linhardt (lazy guy who tells her to let it go instead of doing anything to better herself). Edelgard, Caspar, Bernadetta and Petra praise or comfort her, her supports with Ingrid and Hanneman are a whole lot of nothing, her Manuela support is about their past in the opera and trouble with love, she goes on a self-pity party with Ferdie, Lorenz, and Yuri, and her support with Sylvain is atrocious for both of them (in that neither of what actually makes them bad people is properly addressed). And her Byleth support is a Byleth support, i.e. talking to a wall and thinking that's therapy.

As you said, there is no proper equivalent to Charlotte's supports which is a mix of people being assholes to her when they uncover her schtick (Jakob, Saizo, Niles), kind guys who get wrapped in her trick and get blindsided (Corrin, Kaze, Silas), all her supports with women where she showcases she's very wordly, and genuinely well written supports that touch on all three aspects like with Xander or Leo. But the common link is that all of them touch on her negative behavior and how it gets problematic. Sure that can make supports repetitive, but I'd rather have a repeated aesop that's well done than a whole bunch of muddied unclear visions with what a character even wants to be.