#strength in brawling and axes

[edges-of-night]

OMG YIPPIEEIE YOU'RE BACK🎉 you're one of my favorite Lotr blogs ever❤❤❤ hope you're having an absolutely wonderful day❤

You know when there's a short character that's comically strong? Could you do the characters of your choice reacting to a short reader just tossing them over their shoulder like it's nothing? I'd think it'd be a little funny

Thank you very much, nonnie! I hope you’re doing well, too. I picked six characters which I think would be the funniest for your prompt!

Also: I’ve decided to introduce a “humour” tag! And a divider, perhaps? What do you guys think? Anyways, have fun reading!

･ﾟ✧ Boromir.

When you pick him up, Boromir is so stumped he cannot speak. How could a small person like you be so strong? Did you practice dark magic? Have you been bonded to the enemy and only now shown your true colours? It causes him quite a dramatic headache. He would stay up late by the fire to stare into it and question your relationship. Once he realises nothing had changed – you’re still yourself after all, always have been! – he would grin and exhale in relief (but still probably ask you to not do that again).

.

･ﾟ✧ Éomer.

You probably won a bet against Éomer, that’s why he lets you throw him over your small shoulders in the first place. He expects to hate it but actually has a lot of fun being carried around like this. The two of you would often joke about how you could become his horse (or rather: pony) and use your strength to win many bets and free drinks among those who haven’t heard of your power. Additionally, Éomer would invent legendary stories to tell about you at drinking sprees. His fun would only be over when someone would ridicule your height – then it’s time for a brawl.

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･ﾟ✧ Éowyn.

When you first threw Éowyn over your shoulder, she protested like a dragon, so you let her down again quickly. But as time passes, she grows accustomed to the thought of being carried by someone she loves so deeply – just maybe not over your shoulder, but bridal style through the halls of Edoras. She would also carry you in return, needless to say, though she would often blush when asked about it. But she would always defend you against bigots! Sidenote: Éowyn loves your standing on your tip toes to kiss her ♡

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･ﾟ✧ Gimli.

You and Gimli vow to never speak of the day when you effortlessly carried him all the way back home over your shoulder. Though it fractures his Dwarven pride, Gimli is impressed with your strength. After all, he was wearing his heavy armour as well as his helmet and axe. Secretly, he would think back fondly to the instance. Still, the principle remains: “No one tosses a Dwarf over their shoulder!”

.

･ﾟ✧ Haldir.

You wouldn’t have carried Haldir all the way back to Lothlórien if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary. But he was unconscious, so you had no choice. Other Elves of your party had volunteered, but you were quicker than anyone else (and also untiring). Every single one of you swore to never speak of this again, though you now do share a great insight joke to rile dear Haldir up more than you already do. Needless to say, he would never suspect you tiny little thing were the main culprit!

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･ﾟ✧ Legolas.

Being the Elven prince that he is, Legolas likes being carried around by you (and the scandalised faces of other people) so much that he would pretend to be fainting or otherwise stricken so that you would pick him up again. He is very playful about the entire thing, throwing his long arms around your neck and kicking his legs like a damsel in distress. He would also retort to your massive strength to threaten people, should the need arise…

[sprite-writes-fanfic]

Hey so how do you think the 2003 boys would deal with having a s/o who is like “my sophisticated brain likes *good personality traits of their turtle boyfriend* but then my monkey brain goes nuts for a guy who can throw a heavy axe into a tree” basically complimenting their boyfriend for their personality, but then they feel hot under the collar whenever their boyfriend wields weapons and do martial arts. During fights, tournaments or the sparring, when not joining in, on the slide lines s/o starts fanning themselves sometimes with a fan that seems to have come from nowhere while being like “oooo you’re so good! Keep going sweetie!!”?

Oh hell yeah, can do! Sorry it took so long! 😅

Attracted By Their Fighting

🐢💙❤️2003 TMNT x Reader💜🧡🐢

Word Count: 643

CW: Gender-neutral reader, reader loving a good brawl, just general headcanons, written on separate days so it may seem a little more off-flow I suppose? I hope you enjoy either way!

🐢💙Leonardo💙🐢

💙 Leo was just doing some training by himself, trying to perfect some moves that he was learning this week, and you sat there watching him, mostly for the first time. It’d probably be a little later into the relationship when he felt comfortable enough for you to watch him. He felt your eyes basically burning holes through him, eyeing him quite intensely.

💙 He looked back and noticed your red cheeks and was rather confused, like… Huh? Asked if you’re okay, and you shake away from your thoughts going, “Just like watching you practice, keep going baby!” It’ll eventually click with him that you’re attracted to him fighting, and he feels rather flustered by it. Feels oddly motivated by your attraction to his training and honestly shows off more.

💙 Ends up perfecting the move with you cheering him on and looks back at you with a big smile. He ends up inviting you to more of his training and sparring sessions, he doesn’t particularly like you being near any real fights that he’s taking on, it's more of a no-go with him.

🐢❤️Raphael❤️🐢

❤️ When you saw Raph fighting, you felt something strange within you. A little flustered by the way he’s handling these Foot soldiers… A strange occurrence, but you couldn’t help but hyperfixate on those little grunts that left his lips, the sweat rolling off his skin, and the way his muscles flexed whenever he moved, you were absolutely hypnotized by it all.

❤️ You fan yourself when you felt your cheeks burn, and when he approached you, he asked about why you were so red. Does not take long for it to click with him that you were getting all flustered by him fighting and the way he was using his strength on those Foot soldiers.

❤️ Will tease the ever loving shit out of you for this, this man is MEAN. He will continue to tease you and hold this over your head about it. Would definitely use it against you too when he wants something, like say you’re denying him because you think it’s funny, not gonna last long when he brings up you know what.

🐢💜Donatello💜🐢

💜 Donnie doesn’t realize for a long time about your attraction to him fighting. He simply just thinks that you’re cheering him on, and that’s all he really wants to be honest. He loves having himself a little cheerleader who’s pushing him forward with words of encouragement.

💜 He will continue to think that it’s just you being super supportive. It’s really up to you if you tell him. He will remain blissfully unaware for a long while… Until you do tell him.

💜 Oh… Oh. That’s why you get so excited by his fighting?? You really find it hot?? Oh wow, he did not expect that. But he kinda likes it. Definitely shows off more and always glances back to see if you’re watching anytime he’s fighting, seeing if you’re watching, and you are. You’re watching rather intensely.

🐢🧡Michelangelo🧡🐢

🧡 Mikey’s honestly surprised, but he knows somethings up when you’re acting all shy and flustered after a good fight. He’s definitely nosy about it too, he will poke and prod until you tell him what’s up.

🧡 Until you finally get annoyed and tell him, and then he’s all shocked, like woah. Really? You find it hot while he’s fighting?! He’s gonna do it more. Oh he’s so gonna show off more, he even takes on fights his brothers are fighting, (which his brothers are confused as hell for why he’s taking their fights but okay).

🧡 After every fight, he flirts with you going like, ‘Was that hot or what, babe?’ While giving that cheeky ass grin, he’s a little stinker. Overall, a huge ego boost, but please don’t let him overdo it because he WILL definitely overdo it and will most definitely get hurt, man does not know when to stop.

[ihavetoomanyocsdealwithit]

Queen of hearts Pt II

She wanted to teach her manners, and tea parties and croquet first, how to balance fierceness and poise, control and fun. She wanted dresses and lace and softness to give to her. But what Queen Mary wants and what Yuu needs are to different things.  

The Overblots will keep coming, they are sure of it. Once is an accident, twice a pattern, but three already? Yuu must learn how to fight, and dodge and finish a brawl quickly. She must learn the rules of combat.  

That is how the two of them train together, throwing axes until her shoulders are sore, dodging spears and learning stradegy from the great Bloody Mary of Heartsland.  

It's not what she wanted, but its what Yuu needs.  

Yuu pants under an apple tree, resting her head on Mary’s thigh. Taka works more on her stretches during these weeks, building up her concentration and flexibility. They'll give her a day off soon though, time with friends and away from mirrors. Away from them so she can be silly and goofy with the little card soldiers and the other miscreants.  

“Queen Mary?” Yuu asks, looking up at her. “I still don’t quite understand how the fan hides like that. It’s like, as soon as I throw it, either here or out there, it becomes the battle axe. But when I pick it up or tuck it underneath my uniform it’s light as silk.”  

“Ah, that would be the illusion magic dear. Illusion magic is a specialty of Underground Natives, but you’ve been inheriting mine slowly. That’s why you’ve been needing extra rest and food.”  

“Do you think I could try and practice that some? My arms are about to fall off.”  

“Hohoho!” Queen Mary laughs, “We do have the basics covered for both, it may be good to take a break from this for a bit. How are you doing with your color theory?”  

Illusion magic was a hybrid of color blending, transportation, and nature-based magic. Being able to blend yourself and your magic into Wonderland, painting the place you wanted to go so vividly within your mind that you end up there, and the natural sway of Wonderland itself. Creatures of Wonderland, like the Cats, had more of a natural movement with transportation, but the Royal family was good at transmutation. Growing bigger or smaller, faster or longer, but the longer one held a mutation, the harder it was to control. Potions and substances certainly helped, but you could do it without.  

Mary certainly wasn’t starting her on any of the potions. She would monitor those heavily.  

She would not see this one go down the way her son did.  

Yuu was a bright girl though, didn’t overindulge in much, but rather that was lack of resources or not was difficult to say. She trusted Scar to keep an eye on her though, he was one of the few who had children as well and had that instinct to keep them safe.  

It was nearing sunrise when she finally brought the lessons to an end, letting her mind process everything with a light game of cards.  

Yuu scampered off to school, and Queen Mary updated Taka on what they had worked on.  

“Ok, progressing a bit quicker than planned.” He commented, leaning against the staff. “Do you feel like she’ll be able to release you soon?”  

“I think so. Little Braveheart is quick witted, strong too boot!” She smooths the lace on the cuff of her sleeve. “I worry for what’s to come. I worry if she’ll be ready.”  

“You and I both. But the more of us out, the more reinforcements we can put in. Besides with as much time as she’s spending in Heartslabyul, something tells me she’s getting extra practice. She reeks of your Blood roses.” He huffs his nose, as if he can smell it lingering.  

“Oh, she’s safer among the Roses and Cards than alone!” she puffs, “Besides, you are simply jealous that she feels safe amongst my subjects!”  

“She sought Leona’s help when she was homeless, let’s not forget that. She can have her fun with your hedgehogs, but she knows to go to the Lions for protection and strength.” he smirks, knowing that she can’t reach him through the mirror. He only laughs more as the roses in the mirror start dripping red, her hands clenching around nothing.  

When she gets released from here, they are sparing, she swears, and she can remind him exactly why that battle axe was her favored weapon.  

[mostrandomgallery]

He's larger than life, let's give a round of applause for Eckhart Horatio Goneril!

Hardly saying a word, Eckhart Horatio Goneril is nothing like Hilda before him. He’s so shy, he can’t even say one word to anyone; on the upside no one can ever accuse him of being “nosy”. Yet he and his nose are too big to ignore, and people always end up trying to strike up a conversation or two with him. Maybe Eckhart will one day muster up that courage. Aside from that, he is said to have a very kissable nose.

But enough talking, here's Eckhart's battle stats:

Crest: Goneril (major)

Heroes’ Relic/Sacred Weapon: Freikugel

Strengths: Axe, Brawl, Heavy Armor

Weaknesses: Reason, Faith

Hidden Talent: Lance

Personal Skill: “Bashful Blush”—After initiating combat with a battalion if under 50% HP, will gain 1+ Def and Res

Ideal Classes: Fighter, Armored Knight, Fortress Knight, Great Knight

Learnable Magic: Heal, Nosferatu, Fire, Thunder

Ideal Combat Arts: Smash, Helm Splitter, Monster Strike, Focused Strike, Rushing Blow, Fading Blow, Nimble Combo, One-Two Punch, Apocalyptic Flame (unique)

Selection Quotes (Academy): "Uhh…"(normal), "Eeee…!" (mid-health), "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" (critical health)

Eckhart is a low-mobility, heavy armor infantry unit. His best stats would be Str, Def, and Lck. If you want to increased his Mov range, be sure to supply him with items that'll boost that stat. While Riding is neither a strength nor a weakness for him, it's a good idea to train him in it so he can promote into a Great Knight. Making him a War Master may increased his mobility, but his true strength lies in being a Heavy Armor unit (Ignis is the one you would want for a War Master anyway). His Crest of Goneril allows him to wield Freikugel and use its unique Combat Art, Apocalyptic Flame.

Eckhart is another tough one to build support with (I wonder what his support conversations would be like anyway, since he's not really a talker), but he does love dining. His favorite meals are Fish and Bean Soup, Onion Gratin Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, and Cabbage and Herring Stew. He has unique dialogue with Tristesse. As for gifts, he would appreciate a Watering Can, Whetstone, Legends of Chivalry, The History of Fódlan, Book of Sheet Music, Armored Bear Stuffy, and an Anemone flower. He has supports with everyone in the Cotton Candy Elephants, but his inter-house supports are limited to: Hilda, Ashe, Alois, Ignatz, Sylvain, Dimitri, Caspar, Hanneman, and Balthus. As for S-Support, he is locked to Female Byleth.

Fun Fact: Eckhart is a German name meaning "brave", which, ironically, is entirely the opposite of who he is. Then again, he might be brave enough to talk someday...

DO NOT REPOST!!! Also on deviantART

[labyrinthofsphinx]

Theoretically, if Al and Vox we're to fight....

Who would win?

(I mean physically sorryT-T)

OOOFFF, now that is a good question! I guess that kind depends on the parameters of the fight, and just how seriously they were taking it, like just a brawl versus a death battle. Honestly, in any scenario something could easily tip the scales, so take every example and scenario with a grain of salt. I guess a small warning for violence and death talks?:

Like, if it was just a brawl or a wrestle with each other...probably Vox. He's a big guy, and he's been in more than his fair share of scrap ups. Also, just because he's big doesn't mean he isn't fast, because he is. He's stupid fast (sometimes almost unnaturally ;)) More than a few times, he's lifted people off the ground just to prove how fruitless it was to try to start that fight, or snapped kneecaps the wrong way to end an altercation before it starts. This happens mostly when Al and him go out drinking. Basically, you do not want to get into a bar fight with Vox. He kicks like a horse, and he punches like getting hit by a train. So, if it was a straight brawn for brawn fight, Vox would probably take it, most of the time.

If this was an on the spot death battle, probably Alastor. Al in kill mode does not pull his punches and will always go for the throat, especially when he's dealing with targets bigger then himself. The quicker he ends the fight, the better, because he knows he doesn't have the advantage of size. His is vicious when it comes right down to it, to be honest. Also, he's almost always armed. This kind of fight would go very, very quickly and the winner determined in the first handful of seconds. While Vox doesn't mind killing, he just doesn't have the natural instinct for it like Al does, and the surprise of it all gives Al a further edge.

If you give them any prep time, probably Vox. This man is a mastermind and, worse for Al in this scenario, he knows Alastor intimately. He's going to have a setup that makes Saw look nice, or have weapons on him that look like something out of their sci-fyi movies. He knows all of Al's quirks, what he's going to think of first and what he's going to aim for. And he'd have backup plan after backup plan ready in case. Al is more of a situational manipulator than a master planner, but, then again, he's more interested in personal strength than strength of mind like Vox. This wouldn't be a battle of punches, but a battle of who could outthink who.

I will say that in any case, no matter who actually won, the other is not getting out without serious injury...but very specifically any time they actually get physical hands on each other. Because, like I said, Al is vicious and Vox is a giant, especially next to Al. Like, I'm not sure specifically, but Vox probably has a hundred pounds on Al, if not more, and it's almost all muscle. Even if Al stabs him where he needs to, he's probably going to be losing an arm or getting his hand crushed. Because, here's the thing, Al is a close ranged fighter. He usually uses a knife. Vox, just based on size alone, has the wider range. Normally, he's a planner but when he does get physical, he usually uses something with more range than a knife, like an axe. So, more likely than not, before Al can attack, Vox is going to get a swipe at him first. Meanwhile, any fight with Al is going to end with a nearly deadly cut or the loss of something critical, like an eye. He always goes for the weak spots first.

Then there's, like, a hundred and one different conditions to the fight that would heavily sway the outcome in one way or another. If Al was unarmed, Vox would take it. If the fight happened in the dark, Al would take it. If they're in or around water, Vox would probably drown Al. If they're in or around the woods, Al would be on Vox before he even knew he was there. There's a lot of little things that could change the outcome.

That said, if they just...decided one day to get rid of the other? If Vox was going to off Al, it would've been a planned thing. It would've had a hundred different steps and by the time Al realized it was a trap, it would be far, far too late. If Al was going to off Vox, it would be a very spur of the moment type deal, as in Vox would be dead before he even got to comprehend what was going on. The aftermath would be insane. I don't think even Al could get away scott free with offing Vox, but I think Vox would have an easier time convincing people he didn't get rid of Al?

Now, for emotionally handling offing each other? Vox wouldn't do it. Ever. For any reason. He couldn't bring himself to do it, not to Al. Alastor...could do it...but he is mentally not okay afterwards. It would break him, and the regret would slowly eat him alive.

Anyways, a very good question! Leaves a lot to think about.

TLDR: The fight could go either way depending on the setting. Vox, mentally couldn't go through with seriously hurting Al. Al could, but would then slowly be ripped apart by guilt.

Hope this answered what you were hoping to hear? and thanks for the question!

[umbralstars]

FE OC Week day 1: Introductions! Today I would very much love to introduce Emyr, my first 3H oc who I made 2 years ago! He's the (illegitimate, kinda) grand prince of Itha; aka Rufus' heir. He's a few years older than Dima and, long story very short: he ran away during the aftermath of the Tragedy for a number of reasons and joined up with Jeralt's Mercs (with his little sister) under the alias "Robyn."

He gets found out in the aftermath of Conand Tower when he protected Dimitri with his mask literally coming off (a mask that I still haven't designed as of yet). He goes back home, almost gets executed by Cornelia as an "accomplice" to Rufus' murder, and becomes the Grand Duke to help hold what's left of Faerghus together.

He later becomes a Griffin Knight and thus has a griffin named Sirin who's been with him since childhood. Emyr has a great respect and fondness for his uncle Lambert, his childhood best friend Glenn, and complicated feelings towards Rufus. Much of his story revolves around how he interacts with the various influences in his life and who he wants to ultimately be as a lord and a person. His mother's family is from the Ruska region and have long connections to Sreng. @fe-oc-week

Extra stuff below :)

Chivalry (Personal Skill): Adjacent allies and unit deal 3 extra damage and take 2 less damage during combat.

Weapon Skills (at time of recruit)

Swords: D

Lance: D+ (strength)

Axe: E (weakness)

Bows: C (strength)

Brawling: E (weakness)

Reason: E+ (strength)

Faith: D+ (strength)

Authority: C (strength)

Heavy Armor: E

Riding: E+

Flying: D (budding talent)

A lot of his skills start elevated because 1) he's already been to Garreg Mach before and is a mercenary currently and 2) he's meant to be a unit who's immediately usable and on-par with the units you've already been teaching. All of his skill ranks come from friends or family who helped to teach him or previous experiences he's had.

Just a note on the brawling: he's not bad at it, he just avoids it cause he doesn't know if he can always keep his strength in-check. Same reason he avoids Axes, though he also finds those unwieldy.

Gifts

Likes:

Whetstone

Legends of Chivalry

Riding Boots

Board Game

Dislikes:

Gemstone Beads

Coffee Beans

Floral Adornment

Lost Items:

Carving Tools: A small satchel of uniquely sturdy carving tools. It likely belongs to someone who loves woodworking.

Sheathed Dagger: A wing-shaped dagger with a lion head on the pommel. Made of very sturdy material and the hilt is in-laid with the Crest of Fraldarius on one side and the Crest of Blaiddyd on the other.

God Statuette: A wooden icon representing a leonine deity of some kind. It probably belongs to a devout believer of a different faith.

[malsfefanfics]

OC Profile: Davi

Art by @cringeyvanillamilk, edited to icon size by me.

"We're not exactly sure where he came from, but he's become a fine member of the monastery. Davi has the heart of a knight, but he has a laid back side as well. I get the feeling he keeps us all at arms length, though. I wish to know him better. He seems particularly awkward around Felix, Dedue, and is actively avoiding Seteth and Flayn." -- Dimitri about Davi.

Full name: Davi Valerio Nicknames: Dava (by children), Vi, Brat (by Graham, affectionate) Birthday: 19th of the Pegasus Moon, 1164 Age: 21 (Pre-Timeskip), 26 (Post-Timeskip) Crest: [REDACTED] Family: Unnamed mother (deceased), unnamed father (deceased), Rui (twin brother, deceased), unnamed grandfather (deceased), Graham Govain (Adoptive Guardian), Chliodna Govain (Adoptive Guardian) Nationality: Duscur Titles: Crepuscular Commander, Warrior of the Mind Voice Claim: Jonah Scott (Legoshi from Beastars)

Interests: Weapons training, the Opera, Religious Studies Likes: Horses, Choir Practice, Training, Dancing Dislikes: Most of Faerghus, Crests, Heroes Relics

Favorite Meals: Onion Gratin Soup, Grilled Herring, Fruit and Herring Tart Liked Meals: Saghert and Cream, Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Disliked Meals: Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Gautier Cheese Gratin

Tea Preferences: Chamomile, Cinnamon Blend, Almyran Pine Needles

Liked Gifts: Fishing Float, Exotic Spices, Floral Adornment, Book of Sheet Music Disliked Gifts: The History of Fodlan, Legends of Chivalry, Book of Crest Designs,

Lost Items:

Strange Book of Music: A notebook filled with unfinished sheet music. The lyrics are in a language you don't recognize.

Traditional Kilt: A garment fit for a warrior. An elaborately weaved design colors it like the twilight.

Suppression Charm: A charm meant to suppress magic power. You remember seeing something similar in a Crestology book.

Starting Class: Commoner Preferred Class Path: Soldier/Monk --> Cavalier/Mage/Dark Mage/Priest --> Paladin/Wyvern Rider/Bishop/Dark Bishop/Warlock --> Wyvern Lord/Dark Knight/Holy Knight Strength: Lance Weakness: Heavy Armor Budding Talent: Faith Personal Skill: Merciful Pantheon - Increases nearby allies critical hit rates by 5% when their health is less than half.

Weapons Starting Levels:

Sword: C Lance: B Axe: E Bow: D Brawling: E Reason: D Faith: D+ Authority: C Heavy Armor: E Riding: D Flying: D

Base Stats:

HP: 30 Str: 12 Mag: 6 Dex: 7 Spd: 7 Lck: 6 Def: 8 Res: 8 Cha: 10

Learned Faith Spells: Heal (D) Nosferatu (D+) Recover (C), Seraphim (B), Aura (A) Learned Reason Spells: Thunder (D), Thoron (C), Bolganone (B), Excalibur (A), Agnea’s Arrow (A)

Recruit Requirements for Canon-Compliance AUs: 

Blue Lions: must complete the Paralogues "War for the Weak" and "An Ocean View", and have B or higher in Lances, Reason, and Riding

Golden Deer: must complete the Paralogues "Dividing the World" and "An Ocean View", and have C or higher in Faith and Flying

Black Eagles: must complete "True Chivalry" and "An Ocean View", have a B in Axes and Heavy Armor.

Black Eagles (Silver Snow): Must also have completed Ashen Wolves Paralogues and have a B in Swords and Authority

Potential Supports:

Byleth

Dimitri

Dedue

Felix

Sylvain

Ingrid (up to B)

Annette

Mercedes

Edelgard

Caspar

Dorothea

Bernadetta

Petra

Claude

Lorenz (Up to B)

Hilda (Up to B)

Leonie

Raphael (Up to B)

Ignatz (Up to B)

Seteth

Flayn

Manuela

Hanneman (Up to B)

Yuri

Constance

Hapi

Balthus

Crit Quotes:

By the grace of the gods!

Ashes to ashes, as they say.

This is my vengeance!

You are not much of a challenge.

My mentor calls.

You're in my way!

You shall regret crossing blades with me!

God of War, guide me!

You are a disgrace!

Defeat Quotes:

Apologies, friends. I must fall back.

This is too much. We must retreat.

I....I won't die here....not now....

Ah...so this is what Rui felt that day...

I'm sorry, Graham. I failed....

Don't weep....I....made my choice....

Skill Level Increase Quotes:

This will aide my people well.

This blessing will serve me well.

Blessings by the God of Wisdom.

Now this is curious.

Insightful. Thank you.

Level Up Quotes:

To grow is part of life.

Blessed by the God of War.

I know I can do better.

The Gods are testing me.

Gift Quotes:

Liked Gifts: You found something truly magnificent. I am grateful.

Neutral Gifts: This is delightful.

Disliked Gifts: Perhaps you should take your curses elsewhere.

[erstwhilesparrow]

been wanting to do one of these mcyt flash fic writing challenges for ages, so! full hotbar fic about mcsos and the end of the world :]

Nine glimpses of the end of the world. A stack of premonitions to light the way.

N.

“I want it to be good for them,” fWhip murmurs, palm out as if to create a barrier block on the strength of belief alone. “I want��”

He clears his throat, embarrassed. A universe hums to life like a chorus of bees at dawn. He slips out beyond himself a moment, asking a question that echoes into numbers. He starts to build something beautiful.

i.

There is nothing in the doorway to El’s greenhouse until there is.

“Share a slice of cake with me,” Lizzie says, hand on the door, the light beaming behind her.

“What, right now?” El asks, hands full of flowers.

She sees the moment Lizzie spots the flowers; her expression softens. “Bring those too,” Lizzie says. “We’ll plant them, and then we’ll have a picnic.”

ii.

“I was at Lizzie’s,” Joel explains to Joey’s axe. “Come walk with me. I’ll buy you something at spawn.”

“Why are you being friendly now?” Joey asks. “Aren’t you evil?”

“You’re not supposed to know that, but you’re not voting in this event anyway, so who cares? Come on.”

Joey drops his axe. “You’re paying for everything.”

“Sure,” Joel says. “Won’t matter soon anyway.”

iii.

Amid the graves, Sausage walks. His hands are empty. Jimmy, here to update the signs one last time, finishes scratching out his letters and stands.

Jimmy comes over and hits him in the shoulder. “Hey,” he says, in a low tone that means farewell.

Sausage hits him back. Echoes him like a slow bell. They are full of holes; they are full of light.

iv.

Mog stretches her legs out, leaning back on the bar top. She faces the empty seats, rows on rows. One beautiful show, and then…

Pix, beside her, sips his drink. “It’s not over yet.”

“It better not be,” Mog answers, laughing. She takes his drink when he offers it. “I’m glad it was— You know. Lived in.”

“All the best memorials are,” Pix agrees.

v.

“This is a potion,” Owen says dubiously, taking the glass bottle Scott passes him.

“Not just any potion.”

Owen snorts, tossing the bottle in the air and catching it neatly. ”I’m wise to your tricks, Scott. You’re not taking me out before you that easily.”

The Winchester burbles with conversation.

“I wouldn’t want to,” Scott replies. He drinks down the salt taste of tears.

vi.

fWhip, restless, fidgets with a coin.

“I thought we ran out of these.” Katherine holds out her hand and gets the small satisfaction of fWhip handing the coin over.

“People probably still have some, it’s just…” fWhip watches her a moment, then snatches it back. “Just one is useless now.”

Katherine catches it when he flips it over to her. “Can I keep it?”

vii.

“I hope it’s not a brawl at the end,” Oli says, chin on his hand while their friends chat around them. “I’m not much of a fighter.”

“More of a lover?” Shelby asks, amused. “Me too. This isn’t bad though.”

Oli accepts the cookie she slides across the table to him. No point saving anyone’s stock now.

Orange light. Outside, the rolling of thunder.

viii.

Time can stretch as long as they need, following their own ideas of rest and motion. They carve themselves into the paths, into the doors always open to each other. It was a world meant to approximate life, but they couldn’t help themselves.

Look. They are holding hands. Listen. They will laugh when they leave at last. They’ll squabble. That will be warm too.

ix.

The border disintegrates. The world goes crystalline, thickened and stitched with the resin touch of memory. No one lives here. Someone lived here for a long time. Many people lived here, once, for many months. We’ll pour liquid recollection into their amber wake.

Do you hear the invitation? Not goodbye. Laughter exits the world like a breath from lungs, asking to be filled again.

[we-cross-universe-king-relate]

DC fire emblem unit

(inspired by @otty-kun) the sixth member of The lads to be made into a unit is a personal favorite of mine this little adorable embodiment of sunshine:

name: Jon Kent

Personal skill: heart of a super

Effect: if units HP is beneath 70% unit gains +3 attack, defense and speed

Jon is the front line attacker of the little lads he has the highest attack growth out of them he also has good defense, speed, charm and luck. His high attack stats means he can dish out considerable amount of damage regardless of the weapon pairing. His good defense, which is the second highest (the first is tai), means he can take plenty of attacks as well and his speed, which is also the second highest (the first is Bart) means he can keep up and outspeed fast characters. His charm is the highest out of all of the lads as such his gambits are nearly always successful and above average luck protects him from criticals. Jon is also the most bulky out of them as he has the highest HP stat of all the lads. How ever he has absolutely horrible magic and resistance stats mean enemy magic units are more then likely prone to severely injuring him even with he's high HP stat. He also has below average dexterity meaning he's more prone to missing his hits than the other lads. Jon has subject strengths in Lances, brawling, authority and riding meaning one can set him on either the soldier or brawler path. Making Jon a soldier may help patch up his low dexterity and because he has no subject strength or weakness in it putting Jon in the archer class and gaining +20 hit will help solve his low hit rate problem. If one wants to put him on the brawler path his high attack strength will help him deal considerable damage with gauntlets even though It has the lowest damage rate out of all other weapons. His speed can help him get more the two his off the enemy and his defense can help him take less damage. Jon has a subject weakness in axe reason and faith. Neither reason or faith is a total loss for him as given his horrible magic and resistance growths it's best do not put him on the path of a magic user. In the cases of axe's the naturally high damage of axe's combined with Jon's already impressive attack growth means he could potentially one hit KO enemy units if one is willing to grind for it putting Jon on the path of a brigade and gaining death blow could further enhance his already spectacular attack stat. His strength in riding neutral status in armor but weakness in axes means it will take more work than usual but Jon could be, if one is willing to grind, a great knight giving Jon both mobility and defense. Jon has a budding talent in swords which can put them on the path other mercenary helping him gain vantage his high speed and stellar attack means Jon could KO enemies before they land a hit. Jon's personal skill heart of a super grants Jon +3 attack, defense and speed when his HP is beneath 70%. This will help is already fantastic attack, enhance his tanking capabilities and make him even faster them most speedy enemies.

Overall:

Overall Jon is able to fill one of the three archetypes for the lads depending on how you want to use him: heavy hitter, tank or fast and hard.

Heavy hitter: focusing on his attack prowess Jon can severely cripple enemy units or outright KO them in one attack.

Tank: focusing on his defense Jon can take little to no damage from enemy's physical attacks.

Fast and hard: focusing on his speed Jon if made in such a certain way can completely outspeed even the speediest of enemies and land plenty of hard hits.

[latenitewaffles]

Meet Cernunnos, The son of Saint Macuil, as well as Mortala and Begalta! Or as he goes by around humans, Fionn. He's a combat instructor at the Officer's Academy and a Knight of Seiros who typically acts as Rhea's bodyguard. An extroverted and sweet man, Fionn's known for giving people pep talks after being reprimanded by Catherine and taking on more squires than anyone else ever has. He's got the Crest of Cernunnos, and is the only person to have ever had it; in fact, it's barely recorded in history.

Age: ~1700 (Academy/War); Is constantly mistaken as being 18-20 and doesn't correct anyone. Born on the 16th of the Verdant Rain Moon.

Height: 6'3" - 190cm

War Monk

Crest of Cernunnos

Strengths: Faith, Brawling, Axe

Weaknesses: Riding

Close Allies: Seteth, Flayn, Alois

Likes: The Four Saints, helping people, storms

Dislikes: Horses, people sacrificing themselves for him, screaming

More Info Below and Design Notes below! (TW; Mentions of parent death)

Like most Nabateans, Cernunnos lived in Zanado with his parents; Macuil and Begalta, his fathers, and Mortala, his mother. One day, the village was raided by those who would soon be known as the Ten Elites, and many Nabateans were slaughtered. Begalta and Mortala were no exception, killed by Riegan and Fraldarius respectively. Cernunnos was chased down by some bandits and almost killed as well, until he was rescued by Cichol. He was roughly 500 at the time, the Nabatean equivalent of 8 for a human.

Though Seiros had intended on making him a Saint, Macuil loudly objected. After all, the man had just lost his husband and wife; making his son a Saint would just put a larger target on his head, and Macuil didn't want to lose him too. Regardless, Cernunnos still fought in the War of Heroes and quickly became known as a force of nature on the battlefield despite his small stature and (relatively) young age. Humans for the most part had a hard time dealing with the fact that they were being shown up by a child; Macuil took mild pride in it whenever he wasn't worried sick.

Then, after a battle, Cernunnos was getting healed by Cethleann after receiving a particularly nasty injury, they were ambused by the Elite Riegan; Cethleann jumped in front of her younger cousin, taking the hit from Riegan's arrow. Cernunnos went into a rage, transforming into The Stormbringer (his dragon form), and proceeding to rip Riegan to shreds. Despite managing to stabilize Cethleann and constantly being told by his other family that it wasn't his fault, Cernunnos constantly blames himself for what happened and took on a healer role to "make it up to Cethleann".

After the War of Heroes, Cernunnos followed his father to Sreng and stayed there for the coming centuries, developing an incredibly jovial mask to hide the pain he still felt from the War and Zanado. This clashed heavily with Macuil becoming more and more bitter, until it eventually resulted in a falling out where Cernunnos ran away to live at the Monastery in Imperial Year 937, taking on the name Fionn and joining the Knights of Seiros.

Fun Facts and Design Notes!

His Sacred Weapon is called the Fists of Nemea. They have a built-in 3 pointed twisting blade.

He's met many nobles across the 3 countries and has dirt on several people's ancestors

One of the houses he doesn't have dirt on is House Bergliez; One of Caspar's ancestors, Emmeline von Bergliez, was a squire of his.

Avid reader of legends and a big fan of a particular story called "The Shadows of Valentia".

Balthus and Rodrigue both recognize him from their Academy days and are both floored that he looks nearly identical. Catherine does too, but knows his secret.

He considered Sitri his cousin. When she died, he took a long break from the Knights of Seiros.

While both depicted designs are based on the War Monk, the Academy/War design mixes it with Seteth's outfit and the War of Heroes design mixes it with the Sothis Regalia.

His hair is meant to resemble a mix of Chrom and Cloud Strife's hairstyles.

His War of Heroes design puts him at around 600, roughly the equivalent of a human 13 year old. Why did I choose to make Nabatean aging weird? Idk.

The Stormbringer is meant to simultaneously look Wolfish, Birdlike, and Draconic.

The Crest of Cernunnos is associated with the Adjustment Arcana (Alternative Justice Arcana. If you know me you know why) and is known as the "Cloud Dragon Sign".

The Crest of Cernunnos has a slight chance of healing adjacent units the same amount as the target unit.

[enddaysengine]

Sanguine Oaks (Vampire)

Humans make excellent fertilizers. Blood and bone, gristle and sinew, all break down so well in the soil, and the trees are ever so hungry for nutrients. Besides, humans are horrible. They bring axes and fire, chopping and burning until the forests are all gone. They treat plants as objects, wooden growths that aren’t properly alive because their version of life differs from the bags of flesh and blood that overpopulate the planet.

Sometimes the trees get hungry. Other times they get angry. The consequence is the same - the tree feeds on the blood of animals in an ancient ritual known only to plants, then uproots itself to go on the hunt. Kindred recognize these plants as some form of vampiric cousin, although most assume they are some form of mandragora. Underestimating the oaks is dangerous, as they are much more intelligent and cunning than their ghoul counterparts and can grow far more powerful.

Despite their name, any tree can become sanguine oak. When still, they appear to be nothing more than an ordinary tree under everything but the most dangerously close inspection. Although the variety of species oaks arise from, they all have something in common, a hollow in their trunk, large enough for a person to fit inside. This hollow is the tree’s maw, capable of extracting blood and pulping flesh into fertilizer. More than one anthophile has met a sticky end by climbing inside a sanguine oak to investigate the hollow, only to find the entrance sealed and vines clamped over their mouth.

Sanguine Oak

Mask: Conformist Dirge: Monstrer Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2, Strength 6, Dexterity 2, Stamina 7, Presence 1, Manipulation 2, Composure 3 Skills: Brawl 4, Stealth 4 (In Plain Sight), Survival 2 Blood Potency: 1 Vitae/per turn: 10/1 Disciplines: Nightmare 2, Obfuscate 1, Resilience 3 Willpower: 5 Initiative: +5 Defense: 2 Speed: 13 Size: 10 Health: 17 Weapons/Attacks: Branch (10 dice, +2 B, Grapple) Armour: 2/2 Entombed Alive: When a Sanguine Oak successfully restrains an opponent in a grapple (Vampire: the Requiem 2e p. 177), it shoves the helpless victim into a hollow in its trunk. Roots, vines, and other cutaneous protrusions press into the victim’s flesh as the oak drains blood from the unfortunate soul. This uses the same rules as the violent Kiss, but it happens automatically, and the oak can take other actions on its turn. Other characters may rescue the victim with two consecutive successful Grapple moves or a single Exceptional Success. Regular oaks may only have one victim in their hollow at a time. ​ Note: If y'all made it down here... I'm struggling right now. I don't really want to open up why because it is very raw and personal. Making these monsters helps, interacting with the RPG community helps, and I can't say how much I appreciate everyone in the CofD community. If you've got in you to follow me on Patreon, even if its the free follow, that would mean a lot to me right now. 

[lovehollyberry]

Holly Berry

(Fire Emblem Three Houses Ver.)

An odd, but charming student at Garrech Mach’s Officers Academy. Claims to be from Fodlan, yet knows little of its culture. For seeming so naive she is quite skilled at magic. She can often be found scouring the monastery searching for her soulmate. A member of the Blue Lions House.

Though she believes she is rather smooth in fooling everyone, it’s quite obvious that she’s not who she claims to be. In truth, Holly is the Princess of Morfis. Against her parents wishes, she traveled to Fodlan in order to learn more about the world. She assumes an alias in order to keep her true identity a secret

(More Detailed Information Below)

✦Personality✦

Excited to be in Fodlan, she’s constantly asking questions that would seem obvious to someone born there. Her naivety coupled with her cheerfulness makes her come across as childish to others. Despite that, Holly is exceptionally intelligent. As Princess of Morfis, Holly was trained in magic from a young age. Advancing quickly, she’s able to cast the most difficult of spells in spite of her young age. She excels in reasoning and logic, making formidable battle strategies. With her charisma she leads others with ease, but one should be wary as she’s just as cunning as she is cute.

✦General Information✦

✧ Name: Lǐ Méi Huā (李梅花)

✧ Aliases: Holly Berry

✧ Birthday: 4th of The Red Wolf Moon

✧ Age: 16-17 (Pre-Timeskip), 22-23 (Post-Timeskip)

✧ Height: 153 cm

✧ Crest: The Mark of Resilience

(Unit recovers up to 10% of max HP at the start of each turn. The lower the units HP, the higher the bonus added to Atk/Spd.)

(Acts similar to a Crest, but is not a Crest)

✧ Affiliation: Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

✧ Status: Is Secretly The Princess of Morfis

✦Class✦

✧ Class: Commoner (Pre-Timeskip), Dancer (Post-Timeskip)

✧ Strengths: Sword, Bow, Reason, Faith, Authority

✧ Weaknesses: Axe, Brawling, Heavy Armor

✧ Budding Talent: Flying

✧ Personal Ability: Disarming Voice

(Foes within 2 spaces suffer Def/Res -7 during combat)

✦Likes and Dislikes✦

✧ Interests: Singing and Dancing, Daydreaming

✧ Likes: Ribbons, Cute Things, Sweets, Fairytales

✧ Dislikes: Bugs, Extreme Heat, Puzzles

[stalwaria]

✿ — etie skill analysis

Sword

Lance

Axe ➝ Budding Talent

Bow ⇈

Brawling

Reason ⇊

Faith ⇊

Authority

Heavy Armor

Riding

Flying

Although she's an archer, Etie's main talent is basically Hitting Things Really Hard. She has one of the highest strength growths in the game, a rate that far outpaces her others—all of which are either average, or lackluster.

And it fits. As a major focus of her character is strength training and bodybuilding, a goal that she is often shown to pursue with extreme tunnel vision. So other skills—especially ones that require a bit more patience and delicacy—tend to be cast to the wayside.

In terms of battle style, she is definitely a character that leans more physical.

BOONS

Bow: It's her innate weapon proficiency, and clearly the art she's most practiced in. Archers are often known for their speed and dexterity, but these are both things Etie is somewhat middling in. However, what she lacks in speed, she certainly makes up for in strength. Etie may not be the type to fire shots in rapid succession, but the shots she does take are powerful.

Due to her muscle training, Etie has high physical strength, which allows her to use heavier bows. The weight of these bows definitely tends to slow her down in battle, especially with her low Build stat (that growth is abysmal—but sensible, with her oft stated struggles to build muscle mass), but ensures that her shots are hard hitting.

BANES

Reason: Base magic stat of 0? Magic growth at 0%? Yeah, this girl isn't opening a tome anytime soon. I don't think there's a deep reason behind it, but lies more in Etie as a person. She doesn't like sitting still, doesn't like precise work, and doesn't like anything that can't be done with brute force. The focus that comes with magical study simply isn't for her, or the sort of person she is.

And with magic being related to math in Fodlan? I have even more reason to believe the art just isn't her style. This girl would NOT have the patience for math.

Faith: This one's a bit more interesting to me. While I don't think she has much aptitude for faith, as it IS a school of magic, Etie herself is a genuinely pious person, and a devotee of the Elyosian Divine Dragon faith. It's this fact, and her deep awareness for health, that makes me think there may be more potential here than with Reason magic, but not by much. Certainly not enough to be a strong, budding talent.

BUDDING TALENT

Axe: Partly me being self-indulgent, but also because I think it's a good fit—of the three primary weapons, the slower, more powerful heft of axes best fits Etie's personal style. Speed and precise form doesn't much matter when she can just smack the enemy, right?

She has the strength to lift axes (as shown in Leonardo's Forging Bonds episode in FEH), and Warrior (an axe/bow wielding class) is a very popular choice of reclass for her in Engage, as it makes great use of her strength stat while making up for her other failings.

[sunsickle]

WAHOOO I BEAT FE3H ON MADDENING WITH 0 DEATHS (somehow) I AM A GOD AMONG MEN

Quick tierlist of how everyone performed in my run

Hilda, Petra and Cyril were wyvern gods (brave axes really helped + a killer axe for Cyril - going through the archer class was also helpful for getting Petra and Cyril +10 hit) - brawling war master Felix is absolutely cracked thank you somebody on reddit bc it was fun as hell

Claude became very useful but it took some time, same for Seteth (due to his late join, but he's very low investment so it was fine + he was useful with impregnable wall) - whereas Lysithea was a powerhouse for most of the run but was less useful toward the end although she was still very useful for finishing off Nemesis - Linhardt turned out to be a very useful healer and they were both important for warp skipping Edelgard

Mercedes was a very useful healer for most of the run but ended up being outshined by Linhardt, but was still useful, especially with restore - Marianne was my dancer and her riding strength got her a useful +1 mov (and she was a useful healer before I got Linhardt and Mercedes) - Leonie as a bow knight was excellent for most of the run but for some reason fell off towards the end (but still helpful in a pinch and against flying enemies + giving her a brave bow/the inexhaustible helped out + extra range and canto is always a good thing - tbh she could've been a tier up)

Byleth wasn't doing that well (she made a good dodge tank against some mid-late game enemies, and windsweep ended up being really useful for chipping stronger enemies, by the end she kind of became an extra healer though) - I decided to try using Sylvain as primarily a magic unit and while using him as a high defense mage -> dark knight was fun and useful in some spots, ultimately he just ended up being not the best as a magic or physical unit

Dorothea was being used but in the end I just had other units I was focused on and ended up dropping her - same for Shamir but she was very useful for a lot of the midgame (mainly due to low investment, getting her earlier and hunter's volley)

I was using Raphael, Ignatz and Lorenz at first since I didn't have anyone else but I ended up dropping them (by some miracle I managed to prevent Lorenz and Ignatz from being killed despite forgetting about the map where they're force deployed) - everyone else I just didn't use for some reason or other (I was focused on recruiting a lot of people for my own enjoyment though - I don't like having to kill Caspar/Bernadetta etc.)

I'm sorry Ferdinand I tried so hard I was so close to recruiting Ferdinand I'm so sorry Ferdinand (sorry Ingrid also)

Overall: W wyvern lord + W canto + W war master Felix

[mostrandomgallery]

And now, for the third member of the Cotton Candy Elephants, Franz von Varley!

Has anyone wondered if Bernadetta von Varley has a brother? The answer is Franz von Varley. He's basically a male version of her: purple, scared of everything, possesses the Crest of Indech, and an excellent sniper, and spends a lot of his time hiding from potential dangers. While Franz may be a worrywart, he cares about the safety of his classmates so much; he is glad to be fighting alongside Allegra von Hresvelg and the others. On the battlefield, he scouts out the area for immediate dangers and hazards. Despite this skill, he is no battle strategist; that honor would go to his classmate Anneliese Fulmina Charon, whom he seems to be getting along with lately.

Okay, time for Franz's stats:

Crest: Indech (major)

Heroes’ Relic/Sacred Weapon: The Inexhaustible

Strengths: Bow, Sword, Lance

Weaknesses: Axe, Authority

Hidden Talent: Brawl

Personal Skill: “Safety First”—If in range +1 of a protective terrain (such as a forest), will pull back any adjacent friendly units into said terrain and grant 2+ to Def, Res, and Spd

Ideal Classes: Fighter, Archer, Sniper, Bow Knight, Thief, Assassin

Learnable Magic: Thunder, Thoron, Sagittae, Wind, Heal, Nosferatu, Warp

Ideal Combat Arts: Curved Shot, Deadeye, Monster Blast, Schism Shot, Wraith Strike, Windsweep, Knightkneeler, Swift Strikes, Hunter’s Volley

Selection Quotes (Academy): "What? You want me to fight?" (normal) "Okay, let’s be cautious…" (mid-health) "This is a really dangerous situation!" (critical health)

Franz is the primary archer unit for the Cotton Candy Elephants. His best stats are Def, Res, and Spd. Although he can be promoted to Bow Knight as his Master Class, he is best left at being a Sniper. His skill in archery makes him excellent to use with a ballista, where he can remain safe from dangers.

For activities/support, Franz is not the best at choir practice, and Cha is not his best stat, so tea parties will need a little extra effort. For dining, his favorite dishes are Daphnel Stew, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Fish Sandwich, and Vegetable Stir Fry. He has unique dialogue when dining with Ignis von Albrecht and Anneliese Fulmina Charon. For gifts, Franz prefers the following: Dapper Handkerchief, Pitcher Plant, Coffee Beans, Armored Bear Stuffy, and a Ceremonial Sword. While he has supports with everyone in the Cotton Candy Elephants, supports outside his native house are limited to: Bernadetta, Ashe, Ignatz, Claude, Hubert, Dedue, Yuri, Hapi, and Hanneman. As for S-Support, he is locked to Female Byleth.

Fun Fact: Franz is a German name meaning "free". While that may not describe his personality, he does like keeping things "danger free". Also, the Cotton Candy Elephants may as well have two Bernadetta expies. Franz is Bernadetta but Male, and then there's Anneliese, who is Bernadetta but Orange (and possesses the Crest of Charon).

DO NOT REPOST!!! Also on deviantART

[rafent]

— 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: 𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐋

SWORD

LANCE

AXE -> boon

BOW

BRAWLING

REASON -> bane

FAITH -> budding talent

AUTHORITY -> boon

HEAVY ARMOR

RIDING -> bane

FLYING -> bane

◆ 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒

Axe: Once Nil drops the defenseless act in chapter 5 of the Fell Xenologue, his unit description changes into a Fell Child who 'fights viciously with an axe' and that to me says it all. If you use JPN Rafal to score a finishing blow, if you land a special engaged attack, or if he wins his match in arena, he'll laugh like a maniac with unadulterated joy. Even in his ally profile Rafal has an image where he's swinging Revanche with a smile. He likes being in the thick of the action and that axe in his hand makes him feel alive.

"Inheritor of the blood of the Fell Dragon. Ill-suited for fighting, but reluctantly wields an axe." -> "Inheritor of the blood of the Fell Dragon. His true nature revealed, he fights viciously with an axe."

He prefers axes because they have the capacity to deal excruciating damage and as much of it as possible; they can hack, they can crush, spill guts, decapitate, and break bones. Combining personal (40%) and Fell Child (20%) growth rates tallies him at a hefty 60% over all growth rate in strength. Rafal has the highest strength growth not only among his half-siblings, but among the entire lineup of royals after likewise combining their rates. Some combatants rely on tactics or precision to score kills but Rafal is reliant on brutality, on a weapon that taps into his raw strength, and it gets the job done.

Looking at Rafal's in-game battle model as a Fell Child, his idle posture is confident, loose, and even casually leaned back as opposed to upright, vacant hand reached out in readiness similar to his twin; there's a lot of mixed signals going on here; it speaks to someone who is powerful and knows it, but likely not as concerned with textbook technique even if still disciplined in his own way. Revanche itself is functionally a signature Killer Axe with lighter weight balancing power and wieldiness. If you view him then as a Killer Axe user, someone who seeks out critical hits and inflicts dominating blows that leave his opponents in pieces, 'fights viciously with an axe' is precisely correct.

Authority: Authority has no skill equivalent in Engage so this boon comes from a purely character-based understanding. Rafal's contentious personality didn't affect his ability to successfully organize hundreds upon thousands of Corrupted. It helps that said Corrupted were obligated to serve him, their creator, but other than that they retained their original personalities no matter how troublesome and in some cases even needed to be fielded for it (looking at you Ivy and Fogado). If we're talking upper management, he has both the experience and the patience to commit without losing his cool.

Relevantly, his interaction with the Corrupted archer in the Gregory B-support tells me a bit more about him. Though Rafal is a Fell Child it's made clear that Corrupted soldiers don't obey the will of just everyone who shares in Sombron's blood. They can sense that Rafal is an Other, an anomaly from a different Elyos or an enemy aligned with the Divine One, and so conflate him with humans. Rafal's authority despite his own understanding doesn't reach here; he's disturbed by the absence of it and disgusted by a lowly foot soldier 'daring' to attack him. It's a sense of indignation come from being higher in position. This is someone who is used to being in charge, who has a precedence with giving out orders and having those orders obeyed.

Other derivatives of his relationship with authority exist, too. When speaking to him post-battle at Brodia Castle, he makes a remark that 'wanton destruction is not leadership' and that 'a good ruler should be admired'. This is a likely reflection of his own tastes, but there's an earlier light shed on this perspective when he compliments the reign of his native Divine Dragon during the DLC as Nil. Rafal who makes a show of prioritizing his own comforts and not caring what others think is noticeably interested in public opinion; the parameters of success in rulers and kingdoms.

Another instance of his interest occurs at the post-battle Mountain Settlement where he says, "alas, weak governance breeds banditry, and weak citizens are prone to death by bandits". Over all, he takes note of others with exceptional periods of rule, vocalizes his thoughts on systemic chinks, and knows inherently how promising leaders should behave - even if his way of communicating that is a bit morbid. It's not a stretch to believe that given his understanding, authoritative mannerisms, and natural self-confidence, he can be honed into something resembling a leader, given the opportunity. A diamond in the rough so to speak.

◆ 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐒

Reason: Rafal is the Fell Child with the lowest magic growth rate. Black magic of the wholesale offensive variety isn't writ in his cards. He won't be casting grand spells like Obscurité and Bolganone or taking up the mantle of Gradlon's most powerful sorcerer any time soon. With that said, it's notable to me that Rafal is the Fell Child we see the most out-of-combat and status based magic application from.

From casting tracking and warping spells, to immobilizing prisoners with conditional barriers that eviscerate any limb out of bounds, Rafal's use of petty magic is a separate distinction that falls under the Reason category, but can't be categorized perfectly alongside proper offensive spells. Rafal took Sombron's advice to heart because his magic at a glance is rooted in underhanded schemes as opposed to straightforward devastation. Though I have no doubt he purposed these death traps to useful ends when weeding out his sibling rivals. Practice makes perfect and Rafal had a lot of practice.

When used alone his tools can be duds seen coming from a mile away. However, because he pairs them with coercion or ambush or a carefully manufactured weakling image, there isn't much that his prey can do. Even as a failure, he's a piece of work; a Fell Dragon who played the game through and through, and you can tell. A spider that patiently prepares a web, waiting for the right time and the right place, can be just as dangerous as the wasp that stings you outright. The fact is that you don't expect a failure to catch you off guard or to have such nasty tricks up his sleeve and he takes advantage of that. It's a bit oxymoronic, but utility spells like Warp, Silence, Fracture, etc (the majority of which are in Faith) are what I'm gunning for in order to better flesh out that unique aspect of Rafal.

Riding & Flying: Self-explanatory banes on the basis of being a Fell Dragon with an especially potent aura. Even more explanatory, JPN Rafal's formal character talent is scaring away animals ( 動物を追い払うこと ) which is abridged in the localization as being intimidating. I doubt this is an opt-in feature and it's more about his innate way of being. Everything about his presence screams scary and that glare doesn't play. When predators go into hunt mode and the entire din of the forest dies down from birds to crickets, that's the kind of effect we're talking when he walks by, and Rafal himself is well-aware of it.

Rafal, at Shadowy Moor: "Fear not. Even if more foes are lurking about, they will not dare reveal themselves to me."

He's terrifying enough to his human allies and enemies, so unless they lack a sense of life preservation, there is no animal in the world that is going to let Rafal ride them. Travel by buggy and horseback are virtual impossibilities for him. It's a good thing he can fly faster than any of them can move. Did I mention Rafal starts fresh out of the DLC with a Fell Stone that has cavalry effectiveness and another that can be refined to have flying effectiveness? Animals avoid this dude like the plague. There's a reason why you will never find him loitering at the farm in the Somniel.

◆ 𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

Faith: Hi, Nil. Why do you have a restore staff sitting in your inventory that you can't even use, Nil. I choose to believe that Rafal at one point possessed an interest in faith magic, an avenue separate from his axe that could not only help Nel by lessening her burdens, but also by empowering himself with new purpose. This was undoubtedly a failed venture because the restore staff collected cobwebs in his inventory. His low magic proficiency wasn't about to take him anywhere. A catch, though; after you pour your life force into someone for a thousand years, something about you is probably going to change on a fundamental level. A long span of muscle memory embedded in you, from healing a sister, little by little, each and every day.

His 10% magic growth rate is a pitiful and near obsolete number, unable to be relied on for any concentrated magic build. 10% is just about fumes and more-or-less represents the inalienable Fell Dragon blood in him, but it's better than nothing. Even assuming that "Nil" had no promise in this field, succeeding the DLC he had a millennia of constant patterns and prayers that put its footprint on his body. Lumera when speaking of her identical actions in reviving Alear refers to the process as healing. Rafal has no knack for destructive Fell magic, but what about the strange equivalent to faith magic he has a thousand years worth of history dabbling in? Much to think about.

This last bit is just about pure indulgence on my end, but Rafal is a clearly defined destroyer. Someone who snuffed the life from his own world and took countless innocents over the course of his ambitions. Healing and giving as opposed to taking is diametrically opposed to his dark past, another way of atonement, and a quaint opposite.