#one of these guys is ending up as the lord of frenzied flame at least for a minute i havent decided if the other one finds miquella's needle

[funeralscythe]

you know what, fuck it. i'm making an effort to move on into the genloss fandom. i tried a while back but it didn't stick, but now i'm back on my crossover au bullshit tossing rgb trio into elden ring. gl!ranboo character study disguised as an elden ring au. he's melina now. specifically we're working with the theory that melina is the gloam-eyed queen, rebirthed and repurposed by marika as a final safeguard to ensure the perpetuation of the golden order that usurped her. if this gets refuted in the dlc i don't care.

the tone starts out as a funny roadtrip comedy with sneeg and charlie as two tarnished who are desperately trying to get ranboo to adventure with them instead of just kind of tailing them while incorporeal and it progressively devolves into darker territory, reaching its darkest point when ranboo remembers his purpose, and sneeg and charlie meet shabriri, who promises them he can help them save ranboo from his destined death. from there it is of course a shitshow.

[katyahina]

So, this is what I understood about Midra Mansion and Frenzied Flame business (in chronological order)

It is more like a reference so I don't forget, just piecing the story together since I am sure I found all helpful items yet! Add please if there is something else!

1) So, it started with how for one reason or another, Midra and people in this place attracted paranoia (?) of the hornsent and were done dirty by inquisitors! Not specified whether they actually done something bad or not!

The entrance in this location is guarded by Elder Inquisitor Jori, that also summons ungodly amount of fellow clerics what in the actual Deacons of the Deep was that fdhfdhs

^ This item is dropped by an NPC Maddening Hand, and this IS my reason to think that rather than everyone here being punished for potentially messing with Frenzied Flame, they were accused and hunted for something else and affiliation with FF came because of that resentment!

^ This dialogue perplexed me at first, as I initially thought it related to inquisitors coming in the Manse after the FF events, but by now I concluded it more likely related to the era where they were hunted as heretics for no particular reason! Because people of the Manse should have known what in another case:

2) The contact with Frienzied Flame happened and effected the people and the place in general. Like I said before, Frenzied Flame started to manifest upon yearning of Midra/his people for revenge. He might have even been directly contacted by the Three Fingers in a similar manner as how Marika was contacted by the Two Fingers for her situation, as suggested by an item found in this map:

Besides, the whole Manse was destroyed but especially the books, and we will get to it later but evidently it was done to hide the knowledge about Frenzied Flame accumulated:

3) A child of Midra and Nanaya likely was lost to a failed attempt of becoming Lord of Frenzied Flame! Nanaya is depicted holding her hand on her belly on the portrait, perhaps being pregnant, and the torch you pick from her corpse is said to be gently 'cradled' by her! I need to see Japanese script to confirm or deny how accurate the word 'cradling' is here since it does have connotation with caring for the baby, so put a pin on it! However, feeling of affection from her alone might make this nitpick less relevant.

These 'evidences' that it was their child do not look very strong, I admit this much, as well as calling it 'distant' land is odd. I think it still works; for example, distant from the standpoint of the world map in general since it is very well hidden!

^ We pick this item from the corpse of Nanaya herself. Her eyes are obscured on the portrait and yet that looks to be an artistic decision. Her corpse, on the other hand, has eyes covered with bandages! We can assume that she went blind from spending too much time holding onto this "torch", as well as that prolonged exposure to FF was what killed her in the end. Why cling onto this spinal column so much, if not because it belonged to someone dear for her?

I suppose it is up to interpretation whether Nanaya approved of the idea of the Lord of the Frenzied Flame as their kid and only lost courage when the plan failed and availed them nothing, or she didn't know Midra would let their son of all people to go through such a risk and father and son acted behind her back (maybe not they alone), or she straight up disapproved of Frenzied Flame moods and called inquisitors for """help""" herself to at the very least isolate the madness! So, speaking of:

4) Inquisitors learn about Frenzied Flame business here, those who were helping with the Frenzied Flame meddling were executed, Nanaya is spared for either reason.

I didn't understand it instantly, but yes, the implication of the neat row of beheaded guys right at the entrance with their wrists tied is that they were executed:

The glowing 'stick' in their necks does give me an impression of their barbs, however they do not stick out at the sides?

So, the Hornsent inquisitors did this to him, but as we learn from Midra no longer being able to take it and pulling the barb out of himself this is not a fact that they've done it specifically to seal the Frenzied Flame! Because why would they leave him like this despite the risk that he could choose to pull the barb out one day? They might not have known that Midra caught Frenzied Flame to this extent and just believed in giving specific form of punishment to the leader of the dangerous people! ...right?

^ Wrong! @val-of-the-north shared this icon for an item that exists in the game files but was not implemented in the end, on which Midra's had both has the same eye as Tarnished has after being grasped by the Three Fingers and has obvious trace of their grab not unlike Vyke's armour! This gives me a feeling that the Inquisitors had enough information to conclude something wasn't right. So, maybe they decied that they killed him and were not aware that FF would not let him die now?

OR MAYBE Nanaya is the key here! If she was fully affiliated with Midra and servants on FF plot, why she never got executed? She might have successfully lied to them about not having been aware to still seize some control, or she genuinely disapproved of all this and wanted it to stop. Thus, in case if the inquisitors knew of Midra's situation, maybe they also trusted her to control him from breaking free.

^ This suggests that Nanaya knew of what danger he held within prior the inquisitors did their thing! Since he was also willingly holding onto her demand for such a long time, maybe he himself realised the ramifications by then, especially if their son was lost like this. This gives me an impression that they both agreed it all went too far and decided to call for "help", whether Nanaya was a part of the plan all along too or simply was able to collect herself when Midra confessed her everything, dragging their son into it included, and understood they had bigger problem to worry about now!

^ This makes me feel like "weakness" it refers to was actually his reluctance and fear upon realising what he messed with, rather than actual failure! I don't know about you guys, but I found him a pretty functional Lord of Frenzied Flame during the battle 🤔 But if he contracted the 'Lord', how his head was still in place when inquisitors arrived for his ass? So likely he was able to keep it in before, to "endure" like Nanaya said earlier, when NOT "failing" would entail "understanding" and embracing the motivations and the meaning of FF. (Melina looks with a massive judgement)

However, pulling out that barb also entailed succumbing to the Frenzied Flame, which now made him no longer "fail" at it.

5) Inquisitors remain to patrol the perma-damaged land getting afflicted with FF themselves so no curious idiots wander here, Nanaya and other spared (?) people die from old age.

(sorry for phone picture, I forgot to copy this one to USB fhdhdsf) Even if Lord of Frenzied Flame was prevented, the impact of the contact with the Three Fingers (?) was permanent now. There was no way to destroy it (how do you destroy THE desctruction?), only keep it secluded.

^ I mentioned how Nanaya oddly was spared, but what about this person? Either not she alone and this guy might have died from old age or something, OR these are the words from the time before inquisitors arrived here. Because, again, we have evidence that Midra and Nanaya knew he contracted Frenzied Flame even before that, from the description of his remembrance!

^ This, all things considered, refers to the time the Hornsent arrived here to execute, punish and set up the patrol, as they discovered what happened!

__________________

So, yeah.. It is a really messed up story. I have enough pointers towards how the family, ironically, had to accept "help" from THE very folks who harassed them to the point of events that attracted the Frenzied Flame to begin with! Even if they are probably/likely descendants or a branch-off from the hornsent that originally were hunting them as heretics. Like realising that no amount of torture and mistreatment of their people must doom the whole world to burn, yet it would happen if Frenzied Flame broke loose from here.

[anodyne-sunflower]

Love me like you do (Part 25)-Balem series

A/N: Part 25. Man, what a journey. I hope you guys enjoy, I don’t really have anything to add I think…either way, feedback welcomed and highly appreciated. I trulllllly adore this chapter. Hoo boy. It’s a long one.

MOOD MUSIC: Kingdom fall by Claire Wyndham

***

“Are you really going through with it, Lord Titus?” Famulus’ ears perked up, ready to receive his words as if they were a command she wasn’t quite ready to follow. But Titus merely sighed, sinking back onto his lounge and watching the gates to Jupiter come closer. He had just left Balem’s alcazar, the giant palace still quite visible from his position on the clipper. He used to envy the well made structure, even found beauty in the high towers of the refinery under the mask of night. Now? Well, now he was simply happy to be far from that place.

“Of course, I am.” He traced the rim of his wine glass, eyeing the orange glow of lights from the tips of the refinery. The minute those gates opened to space, would be the end all for him. There was certainly no more time to turn back now, and his actions would serve to change the tides of this hierarchy. “Are they ready to deploy?”

Famulus reluctantly nodded, licking her lips and trying to contain the concerned sigh in her throat. “Yes, as soon as the gates open…they’ll have no more than ten seconds to enter Jupiter’s atmosphere.”

“Hm.” Titus smiled down at the cities surrounding Balem’s grand palace, knowing the people down there would be casualties in this blood feud. “Ten seconds is all they need.”

***

The walk down to his chambers was quick, his boots thumping violently into the floor as he watched Titus’ ship ascend into the sky. The numerous windows lining his palace halls always seemed a minute detail in the ornate design of his world. But, the true purpose was the ability to watch all around him come and go. He was not a trusting man, a trait that had kept him living all these centuries. And while he found pride in his security, he was well aware that it would never stop his siblings thirst for his blood or his throne. Even now while Titus left Jupiter, he felt this dangerous thought tugging at his mind. Something was greatly amiss.

“Have every entrance sealed off, place guards at every door and,” Balem stopped in his tracks, grabbing his advisor roughly by the collar of his shirt. He was seething, practically boiling with rage that the splice hadn’t seen in quite some time. “keep the gates closed once Titus leaves. If anything approaches this planet, destroy it! Am I clear?”

“Yes, my lord!”

The minute he was free of Balem’s hold, he ran rushing down the hall. His commands to the guards and servants alike was a necessary tool in winning this war. Balem couldn’t have anyone interfering with such delicate matters. “Hurry!” He barked out his order, causing the splice to nearly jump and run off faster. He didn’t have the time to oversee every person, and the only thing currently weighing on his mind besides some form of attack, was you. Balem did everything in his power to keep you isolated from his siblings. At the beginning of it all, whether you lived or died was none of his concern. He could have lost you months ago and not blinked an eye at the thought. But, he could no longer pretend that was the case. He may have slipped in the throne room with Titus, and whether his brother was remotely aware of that or not didn’t matter anymore. He just needed to get to you, and see to it himself that you stayed unharmed.

Balem stopped just at his doors, looking around the hall for any sign of danger this time. It angered him that the plan Titus seemed to be spinning wasn’t obvious to him yet. He was used to the scheming, the betrayal and all the dirty little tricks they used on him time and time again. Only now Titus appeared calm for the most part, like he expected Balem to know he was close to eliminating him. His smug nature was alarming, because this time he wasn’t sure what to expect from his foolish little brother.

“Y/N…” Balem entered into the room, throwing his cape over an arm as he glanced around. His worry settled once he found you at the windows, eyes fixated on the large clipper just at the gates. You were dressed in a simple, as far as his tastes went, white lace gown. He remembered gifting it to you quite well. You had grown weary of all the decorated outfits he bestowed on you. To him, this dress was a compromise. If he had known it suited you so well he would’ve requested you wear it more often. At least now, he could drink in the beauty of your figure before him. The material clinging perfectly to your body that he adored so much. If he wasn’t so pressed on time, he’d take you in his arms and spend the day making love to you in every way possible.

“Titus?”

Your question tore him from the comfort of his daydream. His green eyes now following yours and watching the electricity of the gates shut off to allow his brother his leave. “Yes.”

“What did he want?” You placed your palm on the cool glass, concern filling you when Balem stayed quiet. You knew him well enough to gauge his mood, and the silence was always the worse. If he felt confident in his actions he’d say so, as any prideful man would. But, any delay in answer always meant he was currently mulling over his options. “Balem…”

“Do not worry, my little dove.” He cooed your endearment out, though you knew he was simply trying to placate you. “He seeks what he always seeks.” Balem came sauntering over to you, laying a gentle hand on your cheek and turning you to look at him. He was stoic, but his eyes were ever expressive in their angered gleam. “My throne, and my life.”

“And yet, you tell me not to worry.” If you weren’t so distressed, you’d allow him a smile of humor. But, Titus had nearly succeeded the last time in killing him. Who’s to say it wouldn’t work this time? “Balem, what’s going on?”

The Primary glared down at you, assessing the limit of your concern. He may love you, but his business would remain separated at all times when it came to you. He preferred it that way, because you offered him solace away from that part of his life. He was not keen on mixing it. “I told you not to worry. Leave it at that, there is nothing further to discuss.”

“Balem!”

“Shh.” He pressed a finger to your lips, wanting nothing more than to silence you with a kiss instead. But, touching you in anyway often led him to more primal desires, and he couldn’t afford to spend his time that way. No matter how bad he wished to. “Enough. Do as I say.” He wanted desperately to ease that foolish look of hurt in your eyes, but you had to understand the nature of his work. It often meant allowing him his solitude in what he did.

Only you weren’t afraid of him like most, and pushing his buttons until he caved to your own whims was a talent of yours. You knew he’d never hurt you, and as selfish as it was now, he loved you. Knowing this only made it easier to try and understand every part of him. “Balem.” You grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking away from you. He was annoyed, stressed, all because his brother came and spoke to him. It was obvious something was not right, and the usual dismissal he treated Titus with was not there today. “What happened?”

“You weren’t privy to any of this before, do not let it bother you now-“

“I also wasn’t in love with you before…” He could pull all the stops, but you weren’t going to act like some meek serving girl who catered to him anymore. Truths were spilled last night, and you felt closer to him than you had with anyone in your life. You were happily his, and he had so willingly given himself to you. So why should he have the gall to dismiss you so casually again? “Tell me…please…”

Balem had to admire your blunt attitude, as he always did. But, he began to wonder at what point he ever thought to allow you the pleasure of having him wrapped around your little finger. He so blindly fell under your spell, something he was still getting used to. He didn’t regret his confession to you, but he could already tell you were getting braver in talking to him. He was rather proud of you for it, and it was attitude fitting of a queen…

“You are stubborn.” Balem cupped your cheek, caressing your skin and smiling down at you. You were without a doubt going to be the end of him. And he had yet discovered how he felt about that detail.

“So tell me…” With a sweet smile you undid his cold demeanor, trying not to laugh at how irritated he looked by it. And just when you believed he’d cave and explain everything, the doors to his chambers slid open, the rush of footsteps coming in and interrupting you both.

“Beg pardon, my lord-“ Mr. Night was gasping for air, attempting to get his speech out only to be cut off by Balem.

“Mr. Night-“ He held that same bitterness to his tone he always did in the presence of others. A stark contrast from how he was just treating you.

“I know, my lord but it is an emergency! The grav hull has ruptured.”

Balem’s face instantly fell, his attention no longer on you. He immediately turned to look out the windows, face contorting with distressed rage when he saw the top of his refinery burst into a cloud of smoke and fire.

“The gas is reacting to the stock works…”

Mr. Night, ever the loyal advisor, was awaiting his lord’s demand. But, it was clear to you how shocked Balem seemed, his eyes were wide, one hand coming up to press into the glass as if he still couldn’t believe his entire business was now in flames. “Titus…” He whispered that name in the deepest pits of his mind’s hell, his contempt for his brother so very palpable in the air now. “Titus!!” He slammed his hands into the window, turning back to his advisor in a frenzied rush. “Shut off the reactor! Now!”

“But, Lord Balem it’s-“

“NOW!” His roar echoed in the room, the soldiers in tow with Mr. Night scrambling to leave the chambers. Something told you no matter what they did there wasn’t any saving his refinery. Not for now. And at this point he didn’t need to explain what was going on, the destruction to his planet was more than enough to make you aware of that fact. Titus had finally made good on his threats you guessed, and judging by the fury in Balem’s eyes he was succeeding.

“Balem…” You wanted to calm him, to ease his suffering, but there was very little in the way of comfort you could offer in this moment. You only hoped he wouldn’t do anything entirely reckless.

Balem slowly glanced to you, the shock still clear on his features. You often soothed him into a state of rest, but this time there was no stopping his rage. If Titus were here now, he’d crush his brother’s neck without so much as a second thought.

“Balem, listen to me.” You walked closer to him, trying not to panic along with him as the smoke outside grew into a dark cloud that fell upon the city below. It must’ve been horrifying for the citizens down there, and your heart ached for them. But, for now he was the more pressing matter in your heart. “Ba-“ You never got to finish, the resounding crash from outside was so catastrophic it had you both reeling in the aftermath. You glanced towards the towers, eyes growing wide when you saw another ship enter into the planet, lasers running wild towards the city and the outlying edges of the palace. Even within these fortified walls you could hear the screams of the workers outside, their pain radiating in you. You had never been this scared before, and the horrified look Balem had didn’t help matters.

“Get down!” You felt his hold on you then, pulling your body firmly into his as a large fighter ship crashed haphazardly into the side of his alcazar. The windows cracked, glass shattering around you and slicing into your dress and legs. They weren’t deep by any means, and truthfully Balem had taken the brunt of the hit for you.

“Ah!” Your cry of pain was swallowed by the explosion that rocked the alcazar, and you were certain nothing in life would ever come close to the fear that cradled itself in your heart. You could feel the marbled ground caving beneath your bloody bodies, the technology they had to reverse images and see through the floor was glitching and sparking. The view of the harvest pods below ground faded in and out, making you scramble away in horror of what was to come. The fact that family, even as terrible as yours was, could do this to one another was mind numbing.

“Stop them!!!” Balem screamed towards the few guards who were at his chambers, the door now stopped halfway as the power shut down. The two soldiers were fighting through their own pain from the explosion, but they managed to get up and run off towards the docking stations where others were gathering to fight back. The Primary groaned in discomfort, holding his side as he shielded you from any more damage. The heat of the fire outside began to drift in through the broken windows, his once glorious chambers reduced to a mess of damaged furniture and ruin.

You lay silently beneath him, trying to catch your breath as the loud sounds of battle reverberated through the planet. Your white dress began to soak with yours and Balem’s blood, making you look worse off than you actually were.

“Look at me, little bird…” He was gasping for air, biting back his pain as he looked you over. “Look at me.” Balem grabbed your face, gently cradling your chin in his hand. His blood smeared over your cheeks, only adding to the wild fear on your pretty features. “We’re going to the throne room, do not hesitate…only run.”

You nodded back at him, taking in his words as best you could in all this chaos. Unfortunately, luck was not on either of your sides. As soon as he made to stand, another explosion came that rocked the floor under you. The marble crumbled easily, caving in on itself and taking you both down below into the harvest room. Within seconds of falling you heard Balem scream for you, but your hand tore from his, body flying further until your forehead connected with the broken remnants of a pillar. A wave of dizziness took you, your vision fading in and out until the very last thing you saw was Balem crawling towards you.

***

“She’s so…ordinary.”

“All of us look ordinary covered in all that dirt and blood, Famulus.” Titus mused, smirking as he kneeled down to your unconscious body. You were splayed out on the floor of his clipper, hair a mess and body covered in scrapes and bruises. The fact that you still lived was a miracle in itself, not that he asked for your head on a silver platter. His sole purpose was to keep you alive and well, but after that first attack he suspected no one in that alcazar could make it out. “All this fuss over an earthling…my brother always did have a soft spot for Earth.” He brushed his fingertips along your cheek, pushing some fallen strands of hair away. Beneath all that grime you were certainly attractive, but he had seen far more beauty in the women of his world. How Balem came to care so much for so little was mind boggling. “Clean her up. Make her comfortable, give her whatever she desires until I can speak with her.”

“As you wish, Lord Titus.” His assistant bowed, motioning for some servants to come take you away to Titus’ bedroom. He watched happily as you were carried off, knowing by now Balem likely found his alcazar completely empty of your presence. He wondered how angry his brother would get, having lost not only his prized refinery but also the one other thing he likely felt some semblance of emotion for. “Oh, Balem…you brought this upon yourself, my brother.” There was little remorse in his voice, but he smirked before going down the hall to assess the next half of his plan.

***

Calm. That is what you felt, a sense of peace that seemed impossible to have. But your body had felt so light, waves of comfort radiating up and down from your head to your toes. It felt pleasurable in some way, like the feeling you got when Balem would run his fingertips along your naked body. Giving you that sense of joy and relaxation you craved from him. You could’ve fallen into another deep slumber just from the feeling alone, but the humming sounds of a machine and soft music playing brought you back to reality. The touch wasn’t from Balem, it wasn’t even from a living being. Your body was hanging lifeless in midair, the contraption around you glowing blue as it kept you afloat above a bed. It startled you awake now, your arms flailing about and mind running rampant on you. The last thing you could recall was Balem screaming your name, and his hand outstretched towards you before everything went black.

“Balem!” You called out, body turning over completely as the bed grew closer. The machine lowered you gently onto the purple sheets, which was the first thing that caught your attention once you gained your footing. This entire color scheme was off, and the typical black and gold that greeted you every morning was no longer here. This couldn’t possibly be Balem’s room. “Hello…?” You softly whispered it, afraid you may alert unwanted visitors now. But, you had no recollection of this place and your concern for the First Primary was growing. The explosions around you were numerous before, and not having Balem near only made you think he may have been fatally wounded back there.

“Ah, you’re finally awake. Welcome back to the world of the living.”

A sharp voice made you spin around, nearly toppling over on the bed again. You found yourself barefoot, nothing but a sheer lavender gown adorning your figure. You felt completely vulnerable to the man staring at you, and it only heightened when you discovered it was Titus. His very presence repulsed you already, knowing he was behind the awful attack back on Jupiter. You could only assume the place you learned to call home was far away by now. Titus was by no means a fool, ambitious yes, but not a fool. He wouldn’t be so careless to stick around after his bold attack on Balem. “Where is he?!”

“Now settle-“

“Where is he?!” You didn’t let him speak, your concern was only for Balem, and the thought of losing him weighed heavily on your heart.

Titus sighed defeatedly, holding his hands up as if to prove he was no threat to you. “He’s alive. I received word not long ago. Injured, badly at that, but alive. He’s really proving hard to kill…” He spoke with little care, conveying how deep his hatred for Balem went. It was almost like the thought amused him. “Now please, this will be much easier if we learn to be civil with each other.”

Knowing he was at least alive comforted you, but you had no intentions on staying here. But, getting back wasn’t going to be easy for you. To begin, you had no clue where you were, or what he intended to do with you. “Civil? You nearly killed me, and you want me to be civil?”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Titus walked towards the dining table, taking a piece of fruit in his hand and eating it. He seemed so relaxed, even offering you a grape which you so angrily declined. “If I wanted you dead, would I have healed your wounds? Had you bathed and clothed? Why, your dress itself is fitting of a queen.” He chuckled, admiring the bare skin beneath the light fabric he gestured to. “That color does suit you.”

“I know what you’re doing…what you’re playing at.” You couldn’t stand to be a pawn in his game against his brother. He could be part of the most manipulative family in the universe, but you would not fall victim to him.

“Of course, you do. I’m making it painfully obvious.” Titus laughed, laying his glass of wine down. “You see, my dear…I recently learned something rather interesting. Found it hidden amongst a bunch of formal words that my mother laid out in her will. She always had a flair for the dramatic.”

“What does any of that have to do with me?”

Titus smiled brightly, sitting on the edge of the dining table as he laid his hands in his lap smugly. “Everything.” He recounted, grabbing the sheave at his side and detailing the stipulations Kalique had found. “You see, there’s a small part, hidden rather well. Balem did inherit it all, I can’t argue that. But, it would appear my mother loved something far more than her eldest son. Her name. My father’s name.”

“What do you mean?” You watched him carefully, eyes falling down towards the item in his hand. He seemed so sure of himself, a sign that didn’t mean anything fortunate for you.

“For the house of Abrasax to thrive. To live on even after our inevitable deaths. She wanted an heir beyond the three children she left behind. Someone to continue her legacy. She knew we’d be at each other’s throats, and eventually one of us would prove successful. So to ensure our family name lives on she decided the one condition that would alleviate Balem of his rights, was marriage.”

“Marriage?” He had to be joking, because if you assumed he was right in saying you were part of this then he could only mean…

“I see the realization dawning on your face. Rather charming.” He chuckled, taking a sip of his wine while you mulled over all of this. “Balem likely doesn’t know of this, he’s far too enamored with his titles and riches to care for the details. When people think they’re powerful, they forget to pay attention to such things.”

“If this means so much to you, why not just marry someone else?”

“Finding a suitor is harder than you think. Political connections are made everyday in our world, and unfortunately Kalique and I lack the necessary resources to secure a match. Balem is constantly sought after for his wealth and power, but he’s the last person who’d want to marry. But, until he’s gone, neither I or Kalique are worthy to claim anything or anyone. Why would a man wish to marry my sister when she has close to nothing? Why would any woman wish to marry me when I’m third in line to claim a dynasty? You see, it’s much easier to find hope in you.”

“I will never marry you.” You spat back at him, glaring angrily at this man for his nerve. How he could kidnap you, and propose all in one day was simply disgusting.

“I knew you’d say that. But, I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m not interested in anything you have to say. Take me back to Balem, now…or kill me.”

“I’m not an animal. I would never harm you. Not directly anyway. So just listen to what I have to say, and if you refuse…well, we’ll see where that leads us. Although, I have a feeling you’ll agree.” Titus shrugged his shoulders, still so confident in his proposal as he walked towards you. You backed away from him, finding yourself against the bed frame once more. “By now you must be aware of what our family does for a living. We harvest planets for its resource: humans. Living creatures, whatever you want to call them. We take their lives because we deem them lesser than our own and use them. All to gain more time, our most precious resource.”

You were more than knowledgeable on the doings of the royal families in the universe. Only Balem had enhanced the formula and sold far more than any other before him. He was the leading businessman when it came to regenex. A detail you longed to forget. And the truth was, for some time now you simply pushed that to the back of your mind. If only to allow yourself your happiness with him.

“Oh…you forgot? Or perhaps chose to ignore that little detail. So caught up in your fairytale you forget the rest of the world around you. Don’t be ashamed, it’s understandable. We all do it.”

“I’m not you.”

Titus was pleased by that, and was even more amused when he saw the pain in your eyes. “Don’t be so modest. You’re just like the rest of us. You’ve turned a blind eye to what my brother is, and would rather watch the entire world burn than lose him. Why is that? Do you really love him that much, or is there little to return to back on earth? Or, perhaps both?”

You could feel the tears well in your eyes, your heart filling with months of regret and hope. Titus wasn’t wrong, that’s what hurt the most. He read you so easily it made you feel weak, like every part of you was on display for him to critique and belittle. Earth was becoming a distant memory as the days went by, and you truly had very little to go back to. Balem was a figure of power you had never bared witness to before in life. A man you hated at the very beginning, only to fall for him and pretend every bitter aspect of his personality was nothing more than an inconvenience at best. “I get it. You adore my brother, he’s given you a taste of a life you couldn’t possibly have on earth. He’s quite good at that. But, for whatever part of you still clings to your humanity…I offer salvation.” Titus brushed your cheek with his knuckles, wiping at the few tears you let go of in your self loathing. “Truth is, I don’t want to harvest the universe. I’ve seen far too much pain that comes along with it. Besides,” He reached over to his dresser, picking up a long glowing tube of what you assumed was regenex. “I have enough to last more than my fair share of lifetimes. More so if I rid the world of Kalique and Balem. But, even in the darkest depths of your mind you would never agree to that.”

“I don’t want the world to suffer…”

“And neither do I. The Earth is a beautiful place, filled with so many people…I couldn’t possibly take their lives from them.”

“But, I love him…” You felt your soul break, finally grieving for the righteous human being you once were. It was so easy to forget the people back home. Not for the riches, or the comforts of Jupiter. But, because all you wished was to be loved so desperately by Balem. You wanted him, and having him meant sacrificing the parts of you, you once found moral.

“And love makes us do crazy things. Only…what good is that love if it isn’t returned?”

You looked up at Titus, narrowing your eyes in suspicion of his words. What was he getting at? Balem had so vulnerably given himself to you, whispering his defeat amidst your passionate coupling. How could Titus even come close to understanding a brother he knew very little of. “Balem loves me. I know it, and no matter what you say I will not marry you.”

“So naive. Balem is incapable of such deeper emotions. I can prove it to you, I only wish for you to be happy. For the people of earth to be happy…”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I truly did not want it to come to this. But, if it breaks you from this spell…I would be more than willing to show you.” He lifted a hand towards his ear, playing with a contraption behind it. Balem had something similar on him, you had seen him use it a few times before. It allowed him to appear elsewhere, or even insert himself into the memories of others. You never understood what the purpose was, but as Titus pulled it apart and placed it delicately behind your ear your heart nearly stopped. The room changed before you, the blues and purples turning to gold and black as the Jupiter throne room came into view. Balem was sat at his throne, cape slid over the arm as Titus stood before him. You would’ve rushed over to Balem if not for Titus holding you back. “It’s just a memory, you can’t speak to him. This was earlier today, our little meeting about my destroyed ships…”

You looked up at Titus, considering his advice and then instantly glancing back to Balem. You longed to be by his side again, wanting nothing more than to secure yourself in his hold and forget the pain currently within you. It was clear their meeting involved threats, each one biting back at the other. Balem didn’t appear alarmed by any of it, and even when Titus mentioned you he remained ever stoic.

I would’ve never guessed she’d be your type. I mean, she is quite stunning, but seems rather emotional. Most earthlings are, it’s not your fault.

Titus’ words made you angry, but with every one that left his mouth in the memory, he simply apologized for now. “Forgive my brash behavior, Balem has a way of making us all frustrated.” He laid his hand at your shoulder, squeezing softly when Balem finally spoke up.

She means nothing to me.

Something deep inside you expected to be disappointed, like you were simply waiting for Balem to prove Titus right. Only, you hadn’t realized whatever it was would hurt so much. You had faith he was wrong, that Titus couldn’t understand the feelings between you and Balem. How could he, after all? This entire family was built on the foundations of suffering and hatred. You just hoped Balem had changed, that he was different. That he was capable of finding in you the very love you felt for him. To be left with the simple knowledge of being nothing…there was no greater torture to one’s heart than that. “It’s not real…” Because, it couldn’t possibly be. How could he so deeply open up to you, only to speak so casually of your existence?

“I’m afraid it all is.” Titus removed the device from you, frowning deeply as he squeezed your shoulder once again in a form of comfort. He leaned down towards your ear, trying to make you understand the basis of his plan. “There is no happiness with him…but I can give the people of earth their own. I know deep down, you still want to do good. Allow me the pleasure of leading us into this new era.”

***

A/N: The end…nah, I’m kidding lol Titus is a cunt. We can all agree right? Hope you liked! ❤️ Guess we’ll have to wait and see what Balem’s reaction is…I’m evil, I know.

[flameclaw22]

Book Review: The Crown’s Game

Spoilers ahead!

Rating: 1 star out of 5

I'd been contemplating reading Circle of Shadows, the newest Evelyn Skye novel, but I wanted to test the waters by reading another of her books first. I found The Crown's Game on sale in the NOOK store for $1.99, so I snapped it up. In a way, I'm glad I did, because reading The Crown's Game ultimately prevented me from wasting considerably more money on Circle of Shadows.

I could use the phrase “dumpster fire” to describe this book, but that's really not fitting: Dumpster fires at least entail vaguely interesting events. The Crown’s Game is easily one of the dullest books I’ve ever read - even duller than any novel in the Twilight series. It’s no compliment to say that Stephanie Meyer did a better job world-building. Evelyn Skye exerted such negligible effort on world-building that her tale barely squeaks into the historical fantasy genre, giving more of the feel of historical fanfiction with magic tossed in for shits and giggles. The magic originates from some spring or fountain or some bullshit that apparently pays attention to arbitrary geopolitical boundaries and nationality. And excluding faith healers and a couple of magical creatures, the latter of whom are only mentioned in passing, there are only four known characters in Russia with the magic, and two of them monopolize most of it. Since both competitors possess gargantuan supplies of the magic, the result is a pair of stupidly overly-powerful heroes.

Skye is just as bad at inventing plots as she is at world-building. Expect no real action or intrigue from Crown’s Game. The game itself is nothing more than an unstructured magical pissing contest, and Skye fails to leave enough to the imagination to keep readers hooked. There’s no nefarious plot running beneath the surface, there’s no tension or suspense; it’s just a fight for who gets to be the tsar’s chief suck-up and who gets to die, and the two competitors falling in love.

The characters are breathtakingly boring. If you played the Wii Fit obstacle course game, you probably remember what a pain in the ass it was to avoid those logs, lest your Mii be comically flattened. Clearly The Crown’s Game’s characters played this game and lost spectacularly, because damn, are they dimensionally challenged. Though it’s not Vika’s fault that Pasha worshipfully describes her in a manner that is utterly vomit-inducing, it is Vika’s fault for failing to demonstrate that she is anything more than an insipid, gorgeous magical girl anime reject. She has pretty red hair with a black streak in it and can generate an entire island with her mind. She misses her dad. She’s pretty. She’s powerful. Did I mention she’s pretty? The way Vika blathers on about how attractive Nikolai is implies that she’s never seen a boy before (even though that’s probably not true). Spare me the agony.

Scarcely surpassing the sentience of a doorknob, Nikolai might as well have been a giant Russian Ken doll. His thoughts mostly consist of dreamily imagining banging Vika, hawing over not wanting to kill her, and attempting to concoct a contest-winning plan. When a woman in a semi-zombified state shows up out of the blue - alleging to be his mother, no less - Nikolai is relatively unperturbed. His strongest reaction is his revulsion over how dreadful Aizhana smells. Come on. Even if you live in a world steeped in magic, if a shambling, malodorous corpse lady appears and claims to be your dead mommy, you should shit yourself, at least a little bit. If all you can do is complain about is the foul stench, you desperately need help. When he walks into the Enchanted Hollow, a goddam cave, his thought is, “So this is why it’s called the Enchanted Hollow.” You’re a little slow on the uptake, pal. Reading this particular line evokes thoughts of that iCarly scene where Kurt, the cute but dumb (fired) intern, rides the elevator and then breathes in awe, “This is an elevator.” And really, that captures Nikolai’s essence - the hot but moronic guy who should be fired before he ruins the world. I half-expected him to pop into a scene with a plastic bag of lemonade.

Pasha isn’t much better. Like Nikolai, he too obsesses over Vika to a degree that seriously annoyed me, as a reader stuck in his head. (What I can say is that Pasha, as nauseatingly pesky as his crush-related thoughts are, isn’t a complete creep. For instance, he refrains from kissing Vika while she is asleep because he does not want to disrespect/violate her.) Unlike Nikolai, however, he exhibits some intellectual curiosity and later undergoes a considerable personality change; unfortunately, this shift is such an about-face that its effect comes off less as character development and more as a rancorous temper tantrum.

There’s little to say for the remaining characters. Renata merely serves to upgrade the love triangle to a love web. Ludmila is Vika’s plump, middle-aged sidekick, who effectively fills the role of a lame-ass Molly Weasley: a source of tasty baked goodies and motherly love, minus the tough fierceness that makes Molly so endearing. Pasha’s sister, Yuliana, functions as the impetus behind the Crown’s Game, urging her father to commence the contest, but Tsar Alexander is such an unpleasant dickbag that no other scapegoat for starting the game is truly required, rendering Yuliana obsolete. At virtually every given opportunity, he goes out of his way to be rude, condescending, or snappish. During his spiel about the rules of the game, Vika interrupts him as respectfully as possible to inquire about why one Enchanter must die at the end of the game, and Alexander acts as if she’s expressed the desire to hit him in the testicles repeatedly with a large stick. He can’t even muster the patience or sympathy to answer a valid question posed by a competitor - a teenager, mind you - in a fatal contest to be the tsar’s magical toady. When Vika arrives at the ball in her fabulous dress, the tsar snidely remarks that she should “take care not to become too enamored of the tsarevich” because “it will require more than a showy gown to be worthy.” Damn it, dude, she just told you that she fashioned her clothes herself. Would it kill you to just toss out some platitude or another? Honestly, I pity Tsarina Elizabeth - she deserves so much better than Alexander. Sergei’s role is just being Vika’s mentor/father figure and an eventual sacrifice; Sergei’s bitchy sister, Galina, is a fucking psychopath who forces Nikolai to kill animals that she put in his bedroom and doesn’t miss a chance to remind him of his “low birth”. And if you’re holding out for a decent villain, don’t bother: Despite being one of the more interesting characters, Aizhana is just a vengeful zombie who boasts a typhus-riddled black tongue (I kid you not), long fingernails, and a festering grudge. That’s pretty much it.

And just what the fuck is this sentence structure?! The writing is clunky, awkward, and the cause of many an eye-roll. For example: “Nikolai shook his head at the beauty of Bolshebnoie Duplo.” This is an actual sentence in a published book not written for fourth-graders. This is an actual sentence in a published book that is presumably not written by a fourth-grader. I have read and enjoyed books with similar writing flaws, but the other elements of the book compensated for them. Obviously, nothing in The Crown's Game does.

This clumsy delivery pervades the romance of the book too. In yet another nightmare sentence, Pasha gushes about this gorgeous girl (Vika), whom he spotted from a distance the other day:

“She has red hair, like the most hypnotizing part of a flickering flame, and her voice is both melodic and unflinching.”

Ew, gross, no, stop. You’re embarrassing yourself, Pasha. You heard her speak but three sentences from a distance and now you can describe her voice like that? Not only does this further paint Vika as a Mary Sue, but it also just makes Pasha look like a pompous ass. This sort of florid diction is typically reserved for Lord Byron’s poetry. And then, when Pasha hops back on the boat back to St. Petersburg, Skye writes, “He murmured, ‘Vika,’ to himself, more than once.” Oh. My. God. By this point, I can safely say that Pasha acts like Ron Weasley under the influence of Romilda Vane’s love potion. J.K. Rowling at least had the courtesy to cure Ron of his sorry state by within the chapter; Skye’s characters, on the other hand, continue this behavior throughout Crown’s Game. I can’t pick on just Pasha, not when Vika serves up internal monologues like this one:

“It was as if the attempts to kill her faded into the background, and now she saw the truth at the core of it all: Nikolai’s magic was gorgeous and powerful and... and... Her lungs faltered. Even the mere memory of his magic was so strong. And touching Nikolai, even through her gloves and his sleeve, was like being pummeled by a stampede of wild horses. No, wild unicorns. Beautiful, wild unicorns.”

He’s the other enchanter, and she’s just now figured out that he’s powerful? Also, does she want to fuck him or his magic? If you think Nikolai contributes nothing to this travesty of romance, you’re quite wrong:

“He had thought, during the mazurka, that they’d had something. Their touch had both frenzied and frozen the ballroom. Their breathing had synchronized, heatedly.”

I could find more examples but I really don’t want to, since I prefer not vomiting.

Skye spends so much time on saccharine pseudo-poetry that she skimps on meaningful interactions between characters, particularly those involved in the two pairings we the readers are supposed to choose between. One carriage ride and a ballroom dance with Vika, whom he’s only known for a couple of weeks, and he thinks he’s so in love with her that when he discovers Nikolai's identity as the second enchanter and that Nikolai is "in love" with Vika too, he feels betrayed enough to pit the two of them - his best friend and the girl he supposedly loves - against each other in a battle to the death. Nikolai and Vika's encounters consist of either one attempting to murder the other, often with a crowd of bystanders within view, or gazing longingly into each other's eyes. Although Vika does have a sweet mother-daughter scene with Ludmila, and Sergei and Galina seem to reach some kind of reconciliation before the former dies, character-to-character interactions are generally superficial and unanimated.

In the end, whether you subject yourself to the agony of reading this book is up to you. Personally, I think it might be less time-consuming to purchase a bottle of high fructose corn syrup from the grocery store, go home, and drink the entire fucker in one sitting. You'd get the same bland, over-sweet experience from whichever one you choose. As for me, I won't be reading another book of Evelyn Skye's. I've had enough literary corn syrup to last me a lifetime.

You can also read this review on my website: <https://thebookishhawk.home.blog/2019/02/25/the-crowns-game-book-review/>.