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nerevar-quote-and-star · 11 months ago

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Look, we thought pairing my LDB up with freaking Yrsarald Thrice-Pierced instead of Ulfric would be funny.

It wasn't. It was just sad.

ao3 | masterlist

As I told my dear sweet @elder-dragon-reposes, it's one thing for one of Ulfric's followers clear across Skyrim to get heart eyes for Ulfric's girlfriendsword arm, but it's another matter entirely if it's one of his generals. In his own city.

Yrsarald remembers the Dragonborn from when she came to call Ulfric to the Greybeards' council. He remembers that she was soft-spoken and adamant about the World-Eater. She's hopeful and compassionate, and that stands out to him, even if she is an elf.

Ulfric doesn't seem to mind her ancestry, so Yrsarald elects to ignore it untilunless it becomes a problem.

News comes that Alduin has been banished, and the Dragonborn is about Skyrim, helping people. It's . . . nice that the foreign half-elf seems to care so much for the well-being of Skyrim and her people. Yrsarald keeps tabs on her through the informants and spy networks. It's a matter of security if the Dragonborn turns traitor to Skyrim and helps the blasted Thalmor. Galmar isn't keeping up with it, so for Ulfric and the Stormcloaks' sake, Yrsarald is.

But all he hears are good things. She wins admiration everywhere she goes, but she doesn't belong anywhere. Balgruuf the Greater is trying to tie the Dragonborn to Whiterun, but she's as flighty as Kyne's winds. Somewhere in there, Yrsarald learns her name is Leara Ormand and she's from HIgh Rock. She grew up on magic and chivalry. She probably sees life as a fairy tale. He may disdain her for it.

But then she comes to Windhelm. They've had troubles of their own, being stretched between the care of the city and fighting a war. And she solves problems. He hears she's investigating the serial killer in town . . .

. . .then finds the Butcher, and she's hurt? Ulfric is concerned, but Yrsarald finds himself livid. He cannot see his Jarl's worry for his own shame that their hero came to help them, and all she got in return was a bleeding wound and permafrost on her skin.

Imagine being so in love with an otherwise mythic figure, a celebrity, that you can't see that your friend, your brother, is also in love with her. How can you see it when you aren't ready to admit your own feelings?

Leara is renting a room at Candlehearth when Yrsarald decides he needs to pay his respects to her. She is surprised when he meets her near dinner. He has never seen a woman so precisely featured before. She's not in armor (he's only seen her in silver plate); her hair is down (curling in blood rose vines) and she's bundled in a cornflower blue dress (it's loose to accommodate her bandages). He wants to sit down and talk to her, but he doesn't. He thanks her, though, and she smiles. He stops by the counter later to make sure Elda sends her a dessert .

"But don't bother her with who it's from." "Well if that's how you choose to show your appreciation."

Yrsarald buys Leara sweets after that. She doesn't know it's him. She knows it's someone who appreciates her service and feels bad about her getting hurt, but Elda won't crack. Drat the woman.

Leara wonders if Ulfric is gifting her the sweets. She wants to hope it's Ulfric. She wants their past to be past and for her to appreciate everything she continues to do not for him, but to his benefit; she wasn't drawn in by his smile or anything. Who else would it be if not him? Ralof? He's not in town. General Stone-Fist didn't seem too bothered about her.

Leara's still healing. She's not bedridden or anything, but she's not fit to go beyond the city gates where there are bandits and dragons and necromancers (oh my!), so she decides that visiting the court wizard might be a fruitful investment of her time. She shuffles off to the Palace of the Kings. She runs into Jorleif right off and, on telling him she'd like to visit the court wizard, he's ready to take her to Wuunferth because she's been to see him before, and after all, she is the Dragonborn.

And this is that delightful moment when fate can swing either way because if Ulfric shows up and offers to walk Leara, that's all she wrote. Yrsarald's lost his chance because now that soft smile from Candlehearth is directed at the Jarl, not him, and Yrsarald will never get it back.

But maybe, just maybe, if Yrsarald gets to Leara before Ulfric does, if he captures her attention in conversation, maybe she'll look at him.

For a general commanding troops, it's terribly hard to be brave before a woman.

He would ask her how she's healing from the attack, and Leara would sigh, tired with herself but patient in her speech, because she's healing but she feels like she's letting the people down. And the tips of her ears might turn pink (Yrsarald didn't know elf ears did that) because Leara didn't mean to be that candid and trouble him – but Yrsarald is tripping over himself to tell her that she's done more for Skyrim than anyone (why is his neck red?) and it's reasonable for her to convalesce after an injury.

"Rest and eat apple tarts." ". . . how did you know I was eating apple tarts?"

Yrsarald coughs (he did not mean to tell her that). Leara is staring at him. They're at Wuunferth's quarters. She blinks at him before thanking him for guiding her through the palace. Then she's gone, and Yrsarald is kicking himself for being an idiot.

He's smitten.

Soon (too soon) Leara has healed from her injury and she's at the palace again, but this time she's offering to help Ulfric negotiate a permanent peace between both sides. Ulfric's seen Leara at the table, he knows what she can do. Galmar is more skeptical, but when Ulfric looks to Yrsarald for his opinion (and Leara's too-blue winter deep eyes follow) he says to let her have at it.

Leara needs to be brought up on the Stormcloaks holdings and Ulfric says he'll help her, but then Galmar needs him for something else and Yrsarald (does NOTdoes) jumps at the chance to help the Dragonborn. She's attentive and quiet, and asks the right questions about supplies and movements. And Yrsarald realizes as he's talking to her that Leara has been in a war before.

"Were you in the Great War?"

The stiffening of her shoulders is almost imperceptible. He'd have missed it if he weren't watching her so intently.

"Yes."

Her reply is measured. She does not lie.

"Legion?"

Because everyone was in the Legion then. Back when it fought for Skyrim. He wouldn't fault her if she was . . . why is her face sour? Her mouth is pinched.

"It doesn't matter–" "It does."

Why does it matter? He wonders, why is he pressing?

Her eyes are wide. So wide and too-blue.

Leara looks ill.

And then he knows.

He knew from the beginning she couldn't be trusted. She was an elf. All elves scurried back to the Thalmor in the end. She was here for that blasted Thalmor "ambassador" – she would betray Ulfric and the sons of Skyrim to their deaths!

There's a breathless scream.

Yrsarald doesn't realize until then that he has her on the ground. She's so small and too precisely featured. Her eyes are too blue. She's a traitor, a liar, a fraud–

The Dragonborn does not care for Skyrim.

"Yrsarald, please–"

Yrsarald growls.

Why is she crying? Doesn't she realize what she's doing to Skyrim? – Done to him? All this time and Yrsarald realizes he let Leara lure him into a fairy tale, only for her to shatter it with frigid reality when he thinks, when he thinks . . .

He might love her.

But elves can't love.

"You will rue the day you stepped foot in Skyrim, elf!"

She's sobbing. If she were really a true Dragonborn, she'd try and Shout him off, but Yrsarald wonders if she lied about that, too. High Elf illusions.

"Yrsa–" "What's going–?!"

Then Yrsarald is yanked back forcibly. Galmar is there. And Ralof. And Ulfric.

Ulfric is on the floor with her. Kneeling beside her as she gasps and tears turn her white gold face into wet porcelain. Kneeling beside her as if the elf wasn't going to sell Ulfric and everything they'd worked for to the Thalmor!

Yrsarald strains against Galmar and Ralof. He grits his teeth.

"She's Thalmor!"

Galmar stills. Ralof pales. Ulfric's head is bowed. She isn't making any noise but she struggles to breathe and it's tearing Yrsarald apart and enraging him all at once.

"I know."

And with those words, Yrsarald questions everything he ever knew about Ulfric Stormcloak. Ulfric knew she was a Thalmor spy? Was he coming to stop her – but . . .

Then Ulfric is lifting Leara from the ground, helping her to her feet, and it's too gentle for a King about to arrest an enemy.

Her hands are grasping Ulfric's arm, her eyes wide. Ulfric's face is drawn.

"We will discuss this later."

And he walks out with her. And the elf is free. And Yrsarald doesn't understand.

And then Galmar speaks:

"What in Oblivion did you do?!"

Yrsarald . . . doesn't know anymore.

What he learns later is more than he could stomach. Leara was a member of the Thalmor and she was a member of the Blades before that, and during the war, she smuggled information from the Dominion to the Blades intelligence networks and then defected while smuggling Ulfric Stormcloak from captivity.

He's nauseous when Ralof tells him this. Respectful Ralof – save this time there's steel in his eyes and disdain in his voice.

Yrsarald realizes he deserves that.

Later, when she finds him at Candlehearth, drinking his weight in ale, he realizes he does not deserve the understanding and forgiveness and the self-loathing in her face.

"I know why you did what you did. I can't fault you for it, not when I could've sold your Jarl and cause out to the Dominion. But I–"

Leara's eyes trail off.

"I'm sorry."

He chokes out the words. Her eyes slip back. She was far away.

"I think it's for the best if we're not alone together anymore."

Then she's gone.

Yrsarald buys another round.

The next day, Galmar says Ulfric wants him in the Pale. Far away from the Dragonborn goes unspoken between them.

Yrsarald goes. Ulfric's face is hard when he bids Yrsarald goodbye. The Jarl is not as easily forgiving as the Dragonborn.

Yrsarald is in the Pale when, a month later, news comes that the Dragonborn is handling an armistice in Whiterun. Skyrim divided. What was she thinking? She's thinking for Skyrim, Yrsarald realizes. That's all she's thought about this entire time.

It's a year before he returns to the Eastern capital of Windhelm, and only then, it's because the High King is getting married.

Yrsarald sees her. He doesn't stay long after that.

After all, Ulfric would protect her. Had protected her. Even from Yrsarald.

He could live with that.

#thrice pierced/roseblade hurts actually like i am LEGIT hurt #i mean i actually made my fren CRY 😭#YRSARALD! SHE WAS ALMOST THERE AND THEN YOU THREW HER ON THE GROUND AND SCREAMED IN HER FACE #if he hadn't been an idiot they would've held hands #Or rather #his hand would've been on the table and she'd have put hers on his and done this cute quirky thing with her mouth and he'd have stared at i #skyrim #me at Yrsarald: Marny could've been YOUR SON! Kyneiren could've been YOUR DAUGHTER! You could've had ICE CREAM with Leara all the time!#BUT YOU HAD TO GO AND CHOKE HER ON THE FLOOR AND MAKE HER CRY #You could've bought her MORE apple tarts and she would've actually thanked YOU instead of thinking they came from some other guy!#but ulfric really said check mate and got the firl #yrsarald you dumb LOSER #anyway #rosecloak #FOREVER #oc: leara roseblade #ulfric stormcloak #yrsarald thrice pierced #windhelm #tes #the elder scrolls #ralof #galmar stone fist #last dragonborn #mod post #the ship name is very telling #pierced rose

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wanderlust-in-my-soul · 2 years ago

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My weekly roundup CW 20

I try to write down my thoughts after watching stuff to create a little weekly ranking in relation to the previous week on my, most of the times, quiet sundays (and because I love lists!). These are just my personal opinions and preferences.

And yes, this will contain spoilers!

The Promise is on hiatus this week. I guess it is because they wanted to end the series on WeTV and their Youtube channel on the same day.

→ 1. Love Mate (Ep 5+6)

Most adorable scene this week:

Ahhh, yes, I am obsessed with the series. I love them and don't want to miss them! Sunshine guy and Grumpy Guy are so precious. And grumpy guy is slowly becoming sunshine guy No 2. I love how happy he looks when he is with sunshine guy. I still didn't quite get the pool date and we were robbed of an underwater kiss! It was the perfect opportunity!!!! And they don't need to fool us. They are not date mates. They are a couple. I think it's cute how sunshine guy plays along, even though he actually knows full well that grumpy guy and him are a couple, but so as not to scare him away, he just plays along. The second thing I didn't understand, why don't they sleep together in the same bed? The solution to the problem was of course very adorable and I almost exploded because of the concentrated cuteness of the scene. I would have liked it even more if grumpy guy had climbed down to sunshine guy of his own accord and hugged him from behind. But I don't want to complain. The scene is burned into my memory forever now. And yes, the end of episode 6 fucked me up. Sunshine Guy! Go to him. Take him in your arms! Don't run away! But maybe he just knows grumpy guy well enough to know that he might have closed himself off in that moment. That fucked up ex-boyfriend. It was obvious that he would still play a role. You better not fuck this up in the finale!

↑ 2. La Pluie (Ep 4)

Most surprising kiss this week:

I'm squealing! I was really afraid that there would be a huge problem when Patts found out that Saengtai knew they were soulmates. But with that I am not mad. The kiss on the other hand…Yes, Saengtai initiated it, but Patts was willing to go quite a few steps further. Boy, Saengtai was drunk off his ass! No thought of getting into his pants there. But well, who hasn't made out with someone while drunk? I'll let it slide. Oh man, my critical eyes are really going blind when I like a scene. Not saying it was a good choice of writing the first kiss! Second point…Patts. Talk to your ex, please. Silence has never helped anyone. Especially not in front of love contaminated people. So tell her, hey, I found my soulmate and now I will start a new happy life with him. Other than that, Saengtai and Patts are both like sugar to me. I find their interactions so cute and want to permanently pinch their cheeks. The series definitely manages to pick up from week to week. I'm a little scared when it comes to the drama. I'm not going to like it, but honestly, we're on episode 4 of 12. There's a whole bunch more drama to come…And I'm not ready for it!

→ 3. Happy Merry Ending (Ep 7+8 Final)

The most smitten guy of the week:

Episode 7 I will simply banish from my memory again. But that was exactly what I feared last week. Namely that JaeHyun reminds SeungJun way too much of his ex with his manner. He couldn't offer him any protection at that moment. And I understand SeungJun so much that he sends JaeHyun away, that he wants to be alone, that he wants to protect himself. It's all been so new for him, he was too overwhelmed with the new relationship, because he himself wasn't ready yet from the head. Yes, JaeHyun gave him peace when they were together, but when he was alone, he was vulnerable again. He himself needs to learn to stop being vulnerable and attackable to his ex in order to be a good partner in the future and address and overcome his trauma because: Love cannot heal everything. But even though JeungJun sent JaeHyun away, it was his love that made JeungJun finally take control of his life. He had to make that decision himself to become stronger. And when he is ready, he just hopes that JaeHyun will forgive him…If we were to dive into reality at this point, we would realize that this is wishful thinking. How often does it happen that one person waits so long for another and that other person actually gives a sign at some point, like "Hey, I still like you"? The story would have actually ended at the point when JeungJun asks JaeHyun to leave and compares him to his disgusting ex. That would have been my breaking point, anyway. But, we are not in reality, but in the beautiful world of BL. And here, with the last episode, we get our happy ending, as we hoped for. And may I say at this point that I now wish we had heard more songs from JaeHyun? What a beautiful voice! Makes him even more handsome. I liked the story. I liked that JeungJun managed to turn his life around on his own. I liked the look on JaeHyun's face when he looks at JeungJun. I liked their absolutely cozy looking togetherness. I liked their romance.

↑ 4. Our Skyy 2 (Ep 9+10)

Okay, I was so afraid Our Skyy would ruin my favorites, but shit, was it fun! Would I have liked to see Tinn and Gun navigate their lives with each other after school with new challenges? Absolutely. Do I think the role reversal idea is bad? Not really. It's very amusing to see Gemini and Fourth play each other's roles and give them their own character traits. And they came up with some really good jokes. I was on the floor laughing. The dance scene was so over the top. The whole scene after the exam when they were in each other's arms…I couldn't take it anymore! And to add TiwsonPor as an already existing couple - chef's kiss. They know exactly what they are doing. This is fanservice at its finest. I love it when a show is aware of its fans and what they want, and when they don't just throw it out there, but incorporate in well into the plot. This is so fanfiction!!! It's like the writers and everyone involved really paid attention and saw where the mistakes or inconsistencies were with the original series and now they're making fun of them in an excellent way. Best scene: the guys are all in a room together and Gun and Tinn are flirting with each other and the guys are nagging them not to be so loud. That's realistic for a change. All in all, I liked the episodes of Our Skyy so much more than the previous ones.

↓ 5. My Story (Ep 6)

I don't care about this week! Please don't let Zeke be late for that stupid school event next week and what's with Drake and him? The drama belongs with Sky and Win. Not in our little sanctuary Zeke x Fifth heaven. I resent that! This week was soooo cute again! Fifth is just still very unsure if he can be enough and satisfy Zeke, and Zeke may give him something to doubt there when he agrees to Kim's event even though he promised to be at the school event. And I can already somewhat imagine next week that drama can arise through that. Although I can also understand Zeke wanting to fuel his career as a photographer a bit with the assignment from Kim. These two are going to break my heart before they painstakingly patch it back together. And just between us, I probably wouldn't mind to see their reconciliation in the end.

↓ 6. Our Dining Table (Ep 7)

A kiss? Really now? Not that I think there was really a kiss with the camera shot like that, but still! Brave Minoru! Aside from the kiss, it was another nice, stable episode. Yutaka is opening up to Minoru and Tane is such an empathetic boy, it's heartbreaking. And the dad is my absolute favorite! I think among all of us, he's the biggest shipper of the two!

↑ 7. Step by Step (Ep 5)

Jeng and Pat are so side tracked in my mind right now. Yes, there is progress, they slept in a bed together and you can tell they both already know they like the other. And at the end there was this totally romantic scene with fireworks in the background that screamed for a kiss and then the cut came…okay…but, what really stuck in my mind? My ambivalent feelings about Jaab and Jane. But I did some soul-searching. One of my favorite series is Love Mechanics…so who am I to judge? Yes, Jane fucked up, but shit happens in this world. That doesn't excuse anything, but I'm selfish and I want these two to get together. They both like each other. And of course Jaab doesn't hide it, but he never makes the first move. So it's absolutely clear that Jane is equally attracted to Jaab. So much that he crosses lines he shouldn't. The affair, or even a fling, has a certain tingle, the whiff of something forbidden. It's morally reprehensible and yet the subject matter is always found in the media and people are drawn to it. Why? Because it shows emotions very raw and pure. Because desire for a person is depicted, which otherwise can hardly be transported through the medium. Because it means that the desire for this person, be it purely sexual or even romantic, is so great that one accepts the moral contempt. Because in some moments you have no control over your thoughts and your body. Because it is a temptation that people would like to give in to, at least in their thoughts. It means giving up control to your heart and even if you have never had the thought of cheating, you can still understand what can happen in your body and head. So yeah, I'm not mad about it at the end of this week. I'm excited to see what happens next and I'm eager to see when they get to their happy ending and what other obstacles are put in their way.

↑ 8. A Boss and a Babe (Ep 12 Final)

Most ridiculous dialogue of the week:

The finale surprised once again. How pissed I was at first when it turned out to be just a dream…I hate that. That is one of the shittiest placeholder…fucking dream sequences. And then also at the end of the last episode, so it can't be resolved until the next episode either. That hit home. After that, it was a sugar fest. So much sweetness and romance. Was a little too much for my stunted heart. But it was the conclusion I think we all thought and hoped for. The friends group is and remains my favorite of the series and especially the fact that they have accepted Gun into their group like that and he visibly feels at home there. The roof terrace at the end was a bit much for me. If my partner did that, I'd probably be throwing up rainbows and cotton candy. But anyway. I'm excited to see what happens next week with Our Skyy 2…The preview looked…exhausting, to put it nicely.

↓ 9. Naked Dining (Ep 6)

Oh, Futa… What are you doing? You're dreaming about Mahiro kissing you. Do you want me to interpret it for you? Your subconscious has already figured out that you like him. Your subconscious is trying to tell you what you want, you just have to listen and let it happen. Instead, you're talking about getting married and starting a family. And the look on Mahori's face spoke volumes. He's so hurt and disappointed. He really thought you guys were making progress after Futa's talk of fate, that you found each other again. Oh man. This is so frustrating. All the better that Mahiro told him the truth in the end and leaves Futa alone with his thoughts now. I'm excited to see what happens next.

→ 10. House of Stars (Ep 3)

I found the episode so boring and uninteresting and I don't understand the dynamic going on. I don't get what the relationship is supposed to be between Gun and Pitch. Pitch is obsessed with Gun and Gun doesn't like him, but tolerates him and sometimes looks at him like he's in love with him and is nice to him. And on the other hand, we have So, who is clearly into Pitch and Pitch kind of likes him, but by the portrayal of his character, I really can't see any feelings from Pitch. And yeah, the choice of how he conveys the character is really not working for me. I don't like it. And Pitch is such an unlikable character. He knows he's going to screw up, again and again and again and doesn't learn from it and again and again others have to bail him out while is standing there grinning...Yes, I'm dropping it at this point.

#weekly wrap up #sunday charts #weekly update #josi watching bl #just my opinion #love mate #la pluie the series #happy merry ending #our skyy 2 #my story the series #our dining table #step by step the series #naked dining #a boss and a babe #house of stars #bl series #bl drama

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