#there are no mentions of princes or a crown(wille is probably a normal guy which we love for him)

[itsmadreia]

Yet another sweet snippet from me for #willemonth2024(@youngroyals-events).

Day 16: Friends

"Wille," Simon started, his voice all soft and eyes heavy-lidded. "Do you ever–"

Wille blinked, watching him. "Do I ever what?"

"Do you ever, like... it's okay if you don't but I'm... I'm just curious. Honestly, I've been thinking about it a lot lately. So do you–" Simon shuttered, biting his lower lip as his eyes dropped to Wille's lips, feeling a sudden urge to kiss him. "Do you ever think what's like to kiss a boy? Kiss me? Kiss someone like me? Your friend and–"

Wille swallowed, "I do."

"Yeah?" Simon grinned, dragging his gaze back to the boy's eyes, asking, "Do you want me to?"

"Yes," Wille replied with no second thought, moving closer to the other boy, and touched his hand, playing with his fingers. "If you want to as well."

Simon smiled, gripping Wille's fingers in response to that, and leaned a bit closer. He took his sweet time, watching the boy's reaction to their closeness, the way his breathing halted and how he stared at his lips, waiting for the kiss. Simon lifted his other hand — they were still holding hands — and stroked Wille's cheek, leaning more in. He felt Wille's sharp breath on his lips before they connected like he couldn't believe this was happening. And they were kissing. Tender but desiring. Soft but yearning. Then Wille grabbed his waist so tightly that he moaned into the kiss and the next thing he knew was that he was almost sitting on his lap, their bodies flushed together and kissing each other with downright lust now.

At this point, Simon let go of Wille's hand to cup his face with both of his hands, not breaking the kiss. Wille squeezed his hips to fully guide him to his lap and Simon's next moan vibrated through his whole body as he did. They couldn't stop kissing, it just felt too good, so good that it became the mere thing they wanted to continue doing, breathing be dammed. Once the pressure turned slow again, they still stayed in it, breathing into each other's mouths. Simon didn't open his eyes, taking it in and slid his fingers into the boy's hair. Wille pecked him a few times, opened his eyes and when he tried to move, Simon protested, kissing him again.

"Simon..." Wille laughed against his lips, helplessly kissing him back. "I think that–"

Simon also smiled into the kiss, moving a total inch away from him, sitting on his lap, and started to play with his hair. "Sorry... that was, I mean, we are–"

Wille turned serious, lifting his own hand and caressing the other boy's curls, his lips kissed red and swollen, his hazel eyes shining like bright stars at night. Shining for Simon. Shining because of him. "I... I liked that. I-I like you, Simon."

"Well, I would be surprised if you don't, kissing me like that," Simon teased him, grinning so widely. "I like you, too."

"Oh, that's a relief," Wille replied, blushing.

"Mhm," Simon kissed his cheek, pressing his nose under Wille's chin and hugged him. For a good while — a minute or two, five or or ten — , not able to drag himself away from the boy, not wanting to even if they'd be on fire. And it was that very moment where he realized he was in love, truly and hopelessly in love with his long time friend. Good thing that Wille felt the same, otherwise he'd be doomed, that's for sure.

[atpaftmoom-bily]

Thoughts about Erik, why Wilhelm wasn't allowed to come out, and more.

Be warned, this is long, confusing, and I'm not even sure if I made any valid points. But I had thoughts on Young Royals, with no one to talk to, so here you go.

I've seen various different takes on Erik and what people thought his reaction would have been if Willie had come out to him, most of them being positive, and some as well saying how sad it was that Willie never got to come out to his brother. I have a different take, but bear with me it's gonna take a second to get there.

Something that I found interesting in the first place was that when August found out it was Simon and not a girl, he just seemed shocked, but not in a homophobic way that I had kind of been expecting.

Additionally, let's take a look at the comments on the video, I've split them up into three different groups. General comments (disbelief, surprise, pity, etc.), comments sexualizing them, and negative comments. (I've translated these as well as I could as they were not all captioned, but if I've made a mistake feel free to let me know!)

General Comments "OMG Have you seen this?? The Prince is gay!!!!" "Who's the other guy?" "I'm dead" "Finally some news to put Sweden on the map!" "Poor boys, I feel sorry for them" "So clumsy to get caught on film" "I know where he lives!" "I think the video is fake" "Love for the boys"

Sexualizing Comments "Royal porn" "Sexy" "Love" "Sexiest video ever"

Negative Comments "How will the monarchy survive this?" "The end of the royal family, time for Sweden to become a republic!" "Never been ashamed about being Swedish until now" "Class traitor! Your mother cries for your sins"

Now, there are quite a few things I want to point out about Sweden that I feel should be taken into account here. Of course, we don't know the exact dates that the show took place, but we do know it is modern-day, and though it is a work of fiction, I am going to assume that anything that is currently true in Sweden at the moment, give or take a few years, would also be true in the Young Royals universe.

The first point I would like to make is that Sweden is one of the most LGBT-friendly countries, even being named the most friendly country in 2019. Looking back in history, 1944 was when Sweden decriminalized sexual relationships between consenting adults of the same sex, though it was still thought to be an illness. However, in 1979 it was no longer considered an illness. Fun unrelated fact, but Sweden was the first country to legalize gender change in 1979. (If you'd like to read more on LGBT rights in Sweden here are some resources. One. Two.) If Sweden is that progressive and is that LGBT-friendly, then I wondered what the problem was with Willie coming out, so I dug some more.

I'm American, so my understanding of many parts of the world is unfortunately skewed or incomplete, but I'm working on changing that. However, because of this, one thing that surprised me in my research was that the monarchy in Sweden is more of a unifying symbol than anything else. They have no political affinity or formal powers, but rather "the King’s duties are mainly of a ceremonial and representative nature." Of course in the case of Young Royals, the Queen inherited the throne, and Wilhelm would after her.

Something else I found interesting about the monarchy in Sweden is that the current Queen, Queen Silvia, did not come from a line of nobility, so when Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf married in 1976, it was highly unusual. (See more on the Swedish monarchy here.)

There is one last thing I want to point out about the current King and Queen. "In summer 2000, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden made history when they ate under the rainbow flag at Djurgårdsterrassen, a Stockholm restaurant owned by gay owner Arto Winter. At that time, the decision was seen as controversial, and played a valuable role in moving conversations forward – while making the royals’ position abundantly clear." (Source)

Now, of course, I understand the difference between a fictional work and real-life situations, but at least in my opinion, these same ideals should carry through to the show that we see. If the King and Queen in real life have been openly supportive of the LGBT community since at least 2000, then although specifics might not be the same, some of those ideals should carry through to Young Royals, so what is the problem, right?

I'm not trying to erase the reality of homophobia altogether, because of course, that exists. We even see in the show through comments that there are some people who are worried about the state of the monarchy, are disgusted, or downright still think that not being straight is a sin, but we also see other comments as well. If Wilhelm were to come out, what would happen? Would there be some backlash? 100%. Would there be people who would support him? Also 100%. Would it make his life harder? Probably, but would he be happier? In my opinion, yes, but I guess that's a question that Wilhelm would have to gauge on his own.

Now I want to look deeper at the conversation that Wille has with his mother, the Queen, in the car on the way home so he can give a statement to the media. Below is an excerpt from their dialogue.

---

Wilhelm: Why can't I just have a relationship with him? And not say anything. Just live a normal life.

Queen: You're the crown prince. And that's a privilege, not a punishment.

Wilhelm: Yes, but I didn't ask for this!

Queen: Well, nobody has ever, ever asked for this! You are the only one who can take over the throne after Erik. Don't you understand that? You are so young. When you're young, love feels like the most important thing in the whole world. When I was your age, I too had an unfortunate romance. That was before I met your father. What I mean is, is it worth it? If you feel that the attention you've been getting so far is unacceptable, it's nothing compared to what you will endure for the rest of your life. We have a chance to cover this up, I urge you to take that chance. You may not get another."

---

Something I find interesting is how much Willie just wants to live a normal life, which I get. He is under so much pressure, from being a role model, his brother's death that he hasn't even had time to process, preparing to be king someday, and (kind of) being outed to the entire world, but at least his school. It's enough to make anyone want to live normally. I think the biggest thing we have to think about here is the Queen's question as well. Is it worth it? She is right of course, the attention he will get will always be there, but I do think that Willie would be able to find a way to be happy along with being King. It shouldn't have to be a case of either-or, and ultimately I don't think it is.

Now I'm going to move back to Erik, and really, this ties everything back to the start where I mentioned I had a different take on Erik's reaction to Willie being not straight. I think that Erik already knew. It would make sense for a variety of reasons. In the show, it is obvious that the two of them have a good relationship. We also hear Erik tell Willie, "you can trust him, he's like a brother," in episode one when speaking about August, showing that trust is something strong between them as brothers. I'm not exactly sure how old Wilhelm is meant to be in the show, but I estimate somewhere around sixteen. I would like to assume that sometime before attending Hillerska, he may have had a crush or felt some attraction to a guy. We also can see from their phone call in episode three, that they're not afraid to joke around with each other about such things, meaning that Erik would most likely be the first person that Willie would go to about such things.

Another thing that makes me believe Erik already knew has to do with people assuming that Simon is the first guy that Willie has liked. Now, I know things are not the same for everyone, but if we consider what happens when the video is posted, and Willie had to deny it is him, we can conclude that being anything other than straight in their family is not okay, simply because they are royals, and the media attention will be too much. Imagine you've known your whole life, you can't be something, the first instance you encounter that, you're probably not going to give in right away. I'm talking at least some minor internalized homophobia here or something.

So put that into the context of Simon and Willie's first kiss in episode two. Simon kisses Willie twice before Willie says "Well, I'm not... I'm not... Stop! Wait, wait, wait!" and immediately pulls Simon back towards him. Let's reflect back to episode one where Willie says "I’m not… I’m not allowed to speak about political issues." I'm not allowed. Of course, there are TONS of restrictions on what he can and can not do, kissing guys, probably being one of them. But if he was going to say I'm not gay or I'm not like that, why would he instantly pull him back in, contrasting what he was just going to say. In episode three, Willie does say, "I'm not like that," which makes sense. He's had time to think and isn't in the heat of the moment. What other explanation can he give? Sure, he could say he's not allowed to be like that but saying that would admit that he is. It's a circle, a very messy circle, but it is a... loop.

Going back to what I'm supposed to be talking about here, Erik. This isn't Willie's first rodeo, but Erik was there for the first. One last thing I want to talk about is the phone call that Erik and Willie have in episode three. Below is an excerpt from their dialogue.

---

Erik: You've met someone.

Wilhelm: I, uh... Yes, okay, but I... I don't think we're a couple or anything. I don't know what it is but can we just...

Erik: I get it. I get it. You don't have to tell me any... I don't wanna hear any details. Hey. Willie, enjoy yourself. Soon enough people will start having opinions and-

Wilhelm: They don't care about me. 'Cause you're the Crown Prince that they have opinions.

Erik: I don't get it. Why are you sitting in your room sulking when you have a crush to hang out with?

---

Firstly, Erik refers to Willie's crush as completely gender-neutral. "You've met someone" could very easily be "you've met a girl". The same goes for "you have a crush to hang out with". Very well could have been "you have a girl to hang out with". Sure, it could be completely coincidental, but we live in such a heteronormative society that it would just make sense for Erik to use female-gendered words. Unless, of course, he knew.

Secondly, "Hey. Willie, enjoy yourself. Soon enough people will start having opinions". This sounds very much to me like, enjoy your time while you can be yourself without backlash because soon you won't have that privacy. While I feel that, yes, the same may happen with anyone Willie was to date, him having a same-sex partner multiplies that, by a lot.

In conclusion, Erik knew Willie was not straight, Willie should come out, but when he is ready, and August is a really deep character that people don't give enough credit to. Gosh, I hope I covered everything, I probably forgot so much, but it's fine. Please let me know your thoughts if you've made it this far into the post.

One last thing. I hope you'll notice how in this post, I never referred specifically to Wilhelm's sexuality, and I did that for a reason. I often see gay used to label him, and though I am unsure if that's being used as an umbrella term or specifically as in he only likes men, I think it's really important to realize that they're specifically making him unlabeled. In this youtube video Edvin Ryding, the actor who plays Wilhelm, says "What we're trying to do... We're not labeling Wilhelm's sexuality. I think that's good because it's like, it portrays that it's okay that way too. You don't have to. You shouldn't have to come out. It should be allowed to be a bit fluid, a bit out there." I just think that it is important as it's another type of representation that is not seen often.

[fatesdeepdive]

Entry 7: The Hardest Choice

Chapter 6: The Path Is Yours

We rush into the battlefield from the future vision prologue and find Xander and Ryoma dueling. Xander, after making sure Corrin is okay, announces that Nohr is invading Hoshido to show off their strength. He points out that ending things quickly will prevent unnecessary bloodshed, which is a fair point. But, you know what else would prevent unnecessary bloodshed? Not invading Hoshido.

The two families argue over ownership of Corrin and she is forced to choose a side. Stand with her genetic family and fight to defend Hoshido from violent invaders, or stand with her adoptive family and invade a neighboring country, slaughtering countless civilians in the process. Or play the DLC route. Or go play Super Smash Bros.

And I mean, is this even a choice? Nohr is evil. Like, insanely evil. Ten minutes ago they blew up a marketplace and killed dozens of children. They’re invading Hoshido for shits and giggles and we’re supposed to side with them? Corrin’s supposed to be a good person, why the fuck would she ever join Nohr’s army?

And it’s not like Corrin has any love for Nohr as a country. She spent fifteen years in prison, she doesn’t know the people. Hell, she hates how Nohr looks and feels. Garon murdered her parents, kidnapped her, held her captive, and tried to murder her. Twice.

There is only one reason to join Nohr: love for Xander, Camila, Leo, and Elise. And that’s a relatable reason, standing by your family even if they’re evil. But, it feels cowardly to kill innocent people just because you don’t want to fight your family.

No, not cowardly. Evil. This is a choice between good and evil, with both sides holding up signs saying which they are. And that’s part of the problem with this game. Nohr is so ridiculously evil and Hoshido is so ridiculously good. At this point, we have seen no justification for any evil Nohr does. They’re evil for the point of evil. And even when Hoshido does shady things, like kidnapping Azura or having a mind control barrier, the game glosses over it to avoid having the good guys be morally grey. And let’s be honest, it’s kinda infuriating that Intelligent Systems, a Japanese company, made a game where the most explicitly Japanese kingdom in the franchise is pure good and the European kingdom is cartoonishly evil.

This game tries to paint this as a choice between two families, and that doesn’t work. Painting it as a choice between two families lessens the impact of siding with Nohr to protect your family. Plus, again, the Hoshidans are strangers. Hoshido is not Corrin’s home and the Hoshidan royals are not her family. The only one who was given enough screen time to feel like family was Mikoto, and she’s dead. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but I really don’t give a shit about Corrin’s blood. I’m not choosing Birthright because I want Corrin to claim her Birthright, I’m choosing it because Nohr is cartoonishly evil.

And here’s the kicker, the ultimate reason to choose Hoshido: Garon tried to murder Corrin. Twice. First with Hans at the bridge, then again with the bomb at the plaza. Choosing Nohr is suicidally stupid. I know Corrin’s naive, but this is just idiotic.

And Corrin doesn’t even bring this up. She doesn’t shout to Xander, “Hans attempted to murder me as we were fleeing the Bottomless Canyon, apparently working under orders from King Garon. I do not feel safe returning to Nohr.”

No, she doesn’t explain jack shit. She lets Xander think she’s betraying him, when in reality she’s just doing the right thing. Corrin is an imbecile and it makes this game painfully dumb.

Birthright Chapter 6: In The White Light

We chose Hoshido. Right away, the chapter title screen changes, going from the mix of white lilies and black roses from earlier chapters to just white lilies. The text boxes also get a new blueish tint. Corrin tells Xander to withdraw his troops and that she’s siding with Hoshido.

Xander says that Corrin must be brainwashed. He reveals that he’s known all along that Garon kidnapped Corrin as a child. Something that he kept from Corrin, because he’s a great older brother. He tells Corrin that they are family, regardless of blood, and that Garon will forgive her. The first one of those is true, but the other is laughable. Has he ever met Garon?

Corrin tells Xander about Garon blowing up the plaza, killing dozens of innocent people, and endangering her life. Corrin calls Garon evil and Xander, apparently ignoring the whole mass murder thing, gets pissed. Corrin asks him to join her and Xander attacks her. Prick.

Side note, the music in this scene is fantastic. It reminds me of the Midmire theme from Awakening and really feels hopeless. Xander beats the shit out of Corrin and Ryoma runs in to save her. The two princes duel, and the battle begins. Also, Jakob shows up.

Ryoma, Hinoka, and Tamuki join Corrin as the two families battle. Interestingly, those three are listed as being part of a different army on the bottom screen, implying that they won’t be around after this battle.

Ryoma

The crown prince of Hoshido. A swordmaster with impeccable strength, skill, and speed. His personal skill, Bushido, makes him fight better when supported by low level units, fitting his honorable Samurai aesthetic. His armor looks cool, but he has crazy, Raditz length hair and this weird horned crown that I dislike. He carries this cool lightning katana called Ranjito. Personality wise, he seems a bit dull. He’s a loyal, protective prince, but at first glance there isn’t much more there.

Hinoka

Corrin’s older sister and a Sky Knight. Her personal skill buffs damage of nearby allies. I kinda like her tomboy haircut and lack of a ridiculously big bust, she looks more like a normal person than most Fates characters. She seems really protective of Corrin and her homeland. Also, I kinda hate her voice.

Takumi

Corrin’s brother, an archer. Who is a prick. A massive prick. He has a massive attack stat for an archer and wields a custom bow that shoots arrows made of light. His design isn’t too interesting, aside from the ponytail that looks weird because it’s cut off by the edge of the screen in his portrait. Personality wise, Takumi is a prick. He’s the best written character in the game, from what I remember. But he’s still a prick.

Also, I suppose I should discuss the Nohrian royals now, because by the time I play Fates my perception will be clouded by the events of Birthright.

Xander

The honorable prince of Nohr. Our protector turned enemy. A Paladin reminiscent of Camus, Selena, and Mustafa from past games, willing to stand by his country even if it is evil. Stat wise, Xander is an absolute tank. His personal skill is called Chivalry, a parallel to Ryoma’s Bushido. It boosts him when fighting enemies with full health. I love Xander’s design, the black and purple with an ascot that makes him look both intimidating and regal, the small black cwon, and that face. He looks like a man tormented by his own actions. I love Xander’s personality, this honorable man who, when forced to choose between his family and his morals, chose the former. He’s actually a good parallel to Corrin, now that I think about it. That said, he is a bit dumb, and trying to kill Corrin was a dick move.

Camila

Ugh. Camila. She’s a new class called Malig Knight, basically a Wyvern Rider with magic abilities. Her personal skill boosts the damage done by allies. Her design...sigh...her design is very, very, very fanservicey, with massive titties and exposed cleavage. Camila is a fanservice character, which is a trend in Fire Emblem that I’m not fond of. Personality wise she’s...creepily obsessed with Corrin, to the point of being kinda incestuous. Ugh. Camila was this game’s breakout character and that’s really disappointing, because she’s probably the worst of the royals in my opinion.

Leo

Leo’s a Dark Knight with a personal skill called Pragmatic that boosts damage against already injured foes. I like how his armor looks; the collar is a bit much, but it’s kinda charming. Also, he looks like he’s Xander’s brother, which is something that they forgot to do with the rest of the royals. Personality wise, he seems to be the only character in this family that isn’t a gigantic moron, which is refreshing. The trick with faking Kaze and Rinkah’s deaths was nefarious, but kind, which is a trait I like in a character.

Elise

The other moe healer little sister, now on horseback. Her personal skill reduces damage done to nearby allies. Design wise, she looks adorable. So adorable that she should not be a soldier and should not have children. I do like the pigtails, although it is weird that they’re both purple and blonde. She’s a bit more forceful in her personality than Sakura, which is good. She’s cute but not boring.

The battle, if you can even call it that, was basically just a quick fight between Ryoma and Xander. After the Nohrians retreat without saying anything, Corrin swears to stand with Hoshido, even though it's the hardest choice she’s ever made. Even though, as we’ve discussed, it isn’t a hard choice at all.

Also, the intro plays again. Nothing is different this time, but it does play again. After that pointless interruption, Lilith shows up again. Remember Lilith? She was important a few chapters ago. And then wasn’t mentioned again until this moment. Lilith takes us into the Astral Plane, introducing us to a new mechanic: My Castle. Which we will get into, next time.

[hellfireinfrozenlands]

Hi!! I'm here for that NIF breakdown of why the massacre of the Chiyan army and Prince Qi's death was inevitable? I know i miss a lot of the subtext that doesn't explicitly happen on screen, so i'd love to hear your thoughts on the villains ^^

Hello! I didn't think you'd actually take up the offer :) Spoiler ahead!

Xia Jiang:

I'll start with Xia Jiang first because he is the easiest. As shown in ep38, Prince Qi suggested to get rip of the Xuan Jing Bureau. The Emperor dismissed that suggestion completely but Xia Jiang overheard that and felt threatened by Prince Qi. The thing is, even if he never overhear that conversation, he would still find a way to get rip of Prince Qi. If Prince Qi become Emperor, being the righteous and benevolent person that people said he was, Prince Qi would never approve of the way the bureau works, the torture, the killing, etc.. And since the bureau is working directly for the Emperor and the main reason why everyone is scared of them is because the bureau is trusted by the Emperor. So even if Prince Qi never suggest to get rip of Xuan Jing Bureau or if he still keep them around during his reign somehow, isn't disuse and mistrust amount to the same thing as disposal? Xia Jiang is a smart guy, he probably saw this coming. The conversation he overheard is only a reminder of his eventually demise.

Xie Yu:

By the time of the massacre, Xie Yu would have been the brother-in-law of the Emperor for about 11-12 years. He is an ambitious guy, always aiming for the highest power. He picked the current Crown Prince because it's easy for him to manipulate and control the court (funny enough, I think the Emperor pick him as Crown Prince for the same reason). Somehow, he was always losing to Lin Xie by a small margin. His wife is the Emperor's half-sister, whereas Jin Yang and the Emperor were full siblings. Xie Yu is a general (he was in the Chiyan army at one point too!) but comparing to Lin Xie, he was not as well-known and didn't achieve as much. It was probably frustrating for him seeing the other brother-in-law of the Emperor having all the influence and respect at the court. For him to gain more power, he would need to get rip of his competitors and become Da Liang's main defender. The Chiyan massacre killed two birds with one stone. Xie Yu is a simple guy; he just want power and honour for his family, both of which were very important back then.

It never stated explicitly how the alliance between Xie Yu and Xia Jiang came to be but I would bet it was Xia Jiang who approached Xie Yu first.

The Emperor:

Okay, to talk about the Emperor we need to talk about Prince Qi first. Here are what we know of Prince Qi:

- He was the Emperor's oldest son. Given that the Empress, the official wife, doesn't have any surviving son, the Crown Prince position would normally goes to the firstborn son, unless the mother of that prince's background is unsuitable. We don't know if Prince Qi ever become an official Crown Prince or not, but since it's inevitable, I would say the ministers and generals in the court would treat him like a Crown Prince regardless. That means if the Emperor is ill or absent, all the officials would turn to Prince Qi for leadership.

- Prince Qi's mother was the sister of the general who not only had the biggest and mightiest army in the country with long list of achievements to boost, he was also the Emperor's close friend and brother-in-law through his sister and wife (that's one messed up family O.o). I assume Lin Xie's words and actions would influence the court greatly. And Prince Qi no doubt had his uncle's support.

- Prince Qi himself was also a kind, smart and well-loved prince. In ep46, Prince Yu said that no one can become a second Prince Qi and no matter how hard Prince Jing try, he cannot compete with Prince Qi. Hell, even the Emperor himself said so (ep46). Prince Qi was the brightest, outshone all other princes and the Emperor too. Let's say if the Emperor and Prince Qi has different approach on an issue one day in court, whose idea do you think the ministers most likely lean towards to?

To sum, Prince Qi was this magnificent prince who is a better suited Emperor than the Emperor himself. Since so many people were willing to die to defend for Prince Qi's innocent, I would say he had the support of most ministers and generals in the court. He was loved by the people. He had the support, or at least approval, of the Emperor's own uncle and Li Chong, a scholar held in high esteem by many (this implied by Grand Princess Liyang in ep 51) (Li Chong is the person whose books Prince Yu want to gift to MCS in ep 2). His material uncle was this general who had held sway in the court. Etc etc... Not to mention he was good looking (said by Marquis Yan Que in ep34) and young. Prince Jing was 19 when the massacre happened so I'd say Prince Qi was in his mid 20s and the Emperor maybe in his mid 40s, perfect time to have a midlife crisis!

Putting aside the Emperor's suspicious nature, if you're in the Emperor's shoes, won't you feel inferior standing next to such prince? Many of your subjects rather listening to your son than you (ep 53), whether that son is the Crown Prince or not didn't matter. Your close friends (Yan Que and Lin Xie) sang praises of this son. It seemed as though everyone is just waiting for you to die and pass the throne to your son who will undoubtedly be a better Emperor than you will ever dream of. All of this insecurities of the Emperor you can see in the last conversation he had with MCS in ep 53. He said the perfect world that Lin Xie wish for no one can achieve that for him, not even Prince Qi. Lin Xie and Yan Que helped the Emperor with the rebellion against his father(?) and brothers to ascend the throne. They put all their hopes and dreams on the Emperor's shoulder but he couldn't give them that utopia (I disagree, but that should be for another time). They were disappointed, or so the Emperor assumed, but then they gained new hope in the form of Prince Qi. Once again, they put all their hopes and dreams on this young prince (Yan Que praised Prince Qi on several occasions and that's when he already dead, imagine what's it like when he was still alive) and unintentionally abandoned their friend, the Emperor. At that point, the Emperor was like a phone being pushed aside by a better model. He felt insecure but he couldn't show it because the Emperor isn't supposed to show weakness. Nonetheless, Xie Yu and Xia Jiang saw through him and they manipulated his insecurity and doubt to their advantage. The Emperor rebelled to get his throne, so he had no reason to assume Prince Qi wouldn't do the same. And the massacre happened.

The saddest part is that all of this could be prevented if only Prince Qi and the Emperor understand each other. If Prince Qi could understand his father, he could see the insecurity and how his presence affect his father's self-esteem. He could dial back a bit, maybe not challenging his father's decisions all the time and maybe not do it publicly. If the Emperor could understand his son, he would know that Prince Qi only did these things because he cared for the people and not because he didn't respect his father (or maybe he did, I don't know). Prince Qi had no reason to rebel with all the supports he had. There was no better candidate than him; all he needed to do is to be patience and prepare for his ascension. And to his father who had to fight tooth and nail to get to where he is now, Prince Qi's inevitable ascension is a something to be envy of. That's why to me, Prince Qi's last words, 'Father doesn't understand son, son doesn't understand father' is very poignant.

I need to shut up now, otherwise I will go on forever. I highly recommend you to watch the conversation between MCS and the Emperor in ep 53 again but try to look from the Emperor's perspective. It's an eye opener.

One of reasons Nirvana in Fire is great is its villains. They are very human and even though they are people living in a stringent and traditional period, I'm sure you know someone who have some of their traits. Eg. if you're a CEO and your company is about to be disbanded, wouldn't you try to save it no matter what? The reason why the consequences of their actions are so great is because of the power and position they hold which amplify the outcomes ten-fold.

P.S NIF is a show with a lot of subtleties. This is how I interpret the implications, feel free to drop your interpretation! And please correct me if I make any mistake. English is not my first language so I hope this makes sense!

P.P.S I want to add pictures to this post to make my point but I don't know how orz

[we-are-fam-ily]

Witness Protection

A random idea I had at work the other day!

Characters: Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Patton Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Procrasti(Nate)ion, Remy(Sleep), Emile Picani, Deceit Sanders, Thomas Sanders

Ships: Familial Logince, Familial Moxiety, Remile, Procrasticeit? (Is there a ship name for Nate and Deceit?)

Summary: Patton’s new co-worker has a mysterious past, but seems fairly normal for an actor. Soon a new family moves into town and Roman starts acting strange

Wordcount: 1,661

Trigger warning: Death mention, Sympathetic Deceit, Mentions of Child Abuse, Mentions of Drugs, Mentions of Human Trafficking

“I’m just saying, you oughtta stay away from that guy.”

“Nate, kiddo, he’s my co-worker.”

“Pat. I love you, man, but here on the force, we get told stuff.” Nate Harper paused and stared at something out the window of the small café. “I can’t really say much, but watch out for him.”

Patton Heart sighed and gave his cocoa a mutinous look. Nate was probably right, but that didn’t mean that he was going to listen.

“Breaking News!” Both men turned to the TV in the corner. “Robert Pride, CEO of Pride Industries, has been officially charged with human trafficking, drug possession, money laundering, electoral fraud, and child abuse. His second wife, Amelia Pride nee Greed, has been brought in for questioning on the same charges.”

Nate grimaced.

“Don’t listen to that crap, Patty.” The news blared on.

“An anonymous witness came forward early last month, and has now been relocated using a witness protection program. The heir to the Pride family, Robert’s oldest son, is assumed dead. His youngest son has been taken in by a longtime friend who has no ties to the Pride syndicate.”

“I feel sorry for those boys.”

Nate sighed. “You’ve gotta big heart, Patty.”

Patton gave him a short hug before they parted.

~~

“Friends, Countrymen! I have arrived!” Roman Prince lit up the room with his exuberant personality and wide gestures.

“Come to bury Caesar, and not praise him?” Patton’s brother Thomas looked up from his literature homework.

Roman laughed and ruffled the younger teen’s hair. “Indeed. Where is my squire, fair prince Thomas?”

Patton watched as his youngest brother poked his head from behind Thomas. “Heya, Princey.”

“Why is Thomas a prince while Virgil is only a squire, kiddo?” Patton wasn’t entirely sure why he spoke up from his place behind the counter.

Roman shrugged and looked at Virgil.

“Would you rather be our Dark and Stormy Knight?”

The eight-year-old shook his head. “I don’t like the spotlight.”

Roman gave Patton a look that said ‘that’s what he said’, and Patton shook his head.

“Alas, friends, I must make my way to the back, and begin my work for the day!”

Roman swept into the back of the bakery, grabbing a hairnet from the box behind Patton as he went. There was soon a clatter of dishes and the muted notes of a Disney song filtering through the door.

 ~~

It was a few weeks later when Remy Dormir blustered through the bakery door, white-knuckling his refillable Starbucks mug.

“Patton, babe, I’m in love.”

“Aw, kiddo, that’s great!”

“He’s a therapist. With a son. And his brother was looking at Nate like I’m about to lose my best friend.”

Patton grinned and Roman burst into the lobby from the back of the bakery.

“I hear someone is dealing with matters of the heart? Do tell, fair friend!”

Remy winced at Roman’s proclamation.

“It’s too early for your volume, girl.”

The baker looked affronted, wiping his floury hands on his crown-patterned apron and making offended noises.

“It’s never too early for projecting if one is an actor, Pumpkin Spice Bore.”

“Okay, kiddos, let’s be nice. What did you say your new friend’s name was, Rem?”

The coffee addict took on a starry-eyed look normally reserved for venti lattes.

“Emile. Emile Picani.”

There was a loud thwack as Roman ran face first into a wall.

“You O.K., kiddo?”

“Never better, Padre. I’m practically perfect in every way.”

 ~~

They came in on Roman’s day off. Two tall, relatively good looking men and a boy, around Virgil’s age. Virgil perked up from his seat in the corner.

“That’s my friend, Logan,’ he whispered to Patton. ‘He’s new.” Patton ruffled his brother’s hair.

“Well, go say hi, kiddo!”

Virgil shuffled past the counter so he would be visible to the other boy and waved shyly. The boy, who was wearing a necktie of all things, looked up to one of the men for approval before slowly making his way across the story.

“Salutations, Virgil.”

“Hi, L.” He glanced back at Patton. “Pat, c’n I get a cookie for Logan?”

Patton smiled and fished two cookies from the complementary cookie jar.

“Here you go, kiddos.” He handed one to his brother and the other to the new boy. “I’m Patton, my dad owns the bakery.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mister Patton. Are you Virgil’s brother?”

“Yup!”

The shorter of the two men approached the counter. “Hi! Remy said this was the best bakery in the area. I’m Emile, and this is my brother Dee.” He gestured to the other man, who was looking around and stroking the massive birthmark on his cheek self-consciously. “This is my adopted son, Logan.”

“It’s nice to meet you all! Thanks for dropping by! I’m Patton, this is my youngest brother Virgil.” Patton shook the proffered hand.

“This baked good is indistinguishable in taste from those my older sibling has made for me in the past.”

Virgil made a sound of distress, and Patton looked over to see tears building in Logan’s eyes.

“Oh no! Kiddo, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry, is the cookie that bad?”

The boy shook his head and crammed the rest of the cookie in his mouth. Emile knelt down next to him.

“Want to talk about it, Logan?”

Logan swallowed the cookie and wiped his face with his polo sleeve.

“I momentarily found myself noticing Ro’s absence. My apologies for my outburst.”

“Want another cookie, kiddo?”

Logan looked up to Patton.

“Yes please.”

 ~~

“I think you used your cookies to bake that boy’s heart, RoRo!”

Roman’s laughter from the back was halfhearted.

“Hey, Pattycake, can we talk about something else?”

Patton glanced through the door to see his coworker looking forlorn. “Sure, kiddo. Are you doing ok?”

“Just bitterly jittery and not very glittery today, Padre. I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure, kiddo.”

He was so focused on Roman that he almost didn’t hear the bell chiming. He turned to find Virgil dragging Logan in with a determined look on his face.

“Stay here, L. I’ll be right back.”

Logan looked a bit confused as Virgil dashed behind Patton, grabbed a hairnet, and ran into the back. Patton shook his head fondly.

“He just went to beg fresh cookies out of Princey, kiddo. How was school today?”

“Acceptable. Virgil requested assistance with his math homework, bringing me here to work on it. I hope we are not an imposition?”

“No worries, kiddo. Virgil comes here to do homework all the time.” Patton smiled at Logan. “Our other brother Thomas comes in sometimes as well. He’s in high school.”

Logan nodded. “Virgil told me everything he could think to tell me about his family, so I am aware.” He then looked sheepish. “My apologies if that came off as less than polite. I am still unused to interacting with anyone but my brother.”

“No problem, kiddo! That’s a-ok with me!”

“Thank you.”

Virgil came skipping back out with two warm cookies wrapped carefully in a napkin.

“Contraband!” He handed one to Logan and stuffed the other in his mouth. “Mf! Ht!”

Logan cracked a grin. “Of course it is hot, Virgil.” He took a small bite of his, still smiling at Virgil.

“So, kiddo,’ Patton began conversationally. ‘What brings you and your dad to our little town?”

Logan’s face turned sour. “Emile is not my father. My father murdered my half-brother and was accosted for it. I hate to sound emotional, but I hope they let father rot in prison for his misdeeds.”

Virgil started glaring at Patton halfway through Logan’s speech, and tentatively wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder when he finished.

“Uh. Wow. Ok, kiddo. Thanks for being willing to share!”

 ~~

It all went down several days later. Thomas called Patton to pick him up from drama rehearsal, so Patton left Roman and Virgil to watch the bakery. Well, Roman to watch the bakery and Virgil to mope about Logan having to go somewhere after school.

Patton and Thomas pulled up to the bakery shortly after the Picani’s car rolled up, so they watched in shock as Logan got out of the car, noticed something inside the bakery, dropped his bag and dashed into the bakery. Patton was out the car in a flash, right behind Emile.

They were greeted with the sight of Roman tightly holding a sobbing Logan to his chest, tears running down his face.

“Roman?” Patton turned to see Emile and Dee standing in the doorway, looking at Roman like they’d seen a ghost.

“Hey, Doc. Hi, Jekyll and Lied.”

Patton closed the bakery and made hot cocoa.

~~

“You were the anonymous witness.”

“Yeah. Had to wait until I turned 18, so that I might be able to take Lo with me. Didn’t work out, obviously.”

“You didn’t think to call us?”

“Emmy, you know me. I don’t remember phone numbers.”

“He has a website.”

“Get away from me with your facts, Lies and Dolls.”

Logan hadn’t let go of his death grip on Roman’s apron, not even for a mug of cocoa. Virgil huddled close to Thomas, worried by the emotions running rampant in the small shop.

“I think we’re missing information, kiddo. What happened?”

Sheepishly, Roman looked at Patton.

“So, I wasn’t completely honest when I started working here. My name is Roman Pride, heir to Pride Industries. Uh. My father was bad business, so I went to the police and reported him, so they put me in witness protection. Logan is my half-brother.” He paused to look down at Logan, smiling a little at the boy. 

“I heard from Remy that Emile was in town, but I tried to stay away, so I had no idea that Virgil’s Logan was my little brother. I thought he would just get placed in Foster Care. I was going to look for him in a few months, when the fervor died down.”

“No wonder Nate said you were suspicious.”

[neverwatchedonepiece]

551-552: "The Battle Is On! At Conchchorde Plaza!" and "A Surprising Confession! The Truth Behind the Assassination of Otohime!"

I KNEW IT!!

I knew that scumbag Hordy was behind Otohime’s assassination! Oh, I only wish I’d been a fan while these chapters were being released so I could have made a bet with someone. Then again... everyone reading at that time probably knew too. I mean the flags were vast and red.

As soon as I saw the title for 552 flash up, I thought, “Yes. This is it. Hordy is gonna confess.”

Was not disappointed.

And that wasn’t all. The reveals kept coming. The circumstances of the assassination? Check. Madame Sharley’s family? Check. 30,000 hidden human slaves? Double check. Plus, I finally know what Noah is (yes, it is a “what” and not a “who”). And it is currently being controlled by Decken who has finally gone off the deep end.

Why Does Hordy Look Like He’s About to Judge Someone on a Talent Show?

Have to say, I forgot to mention something in the last post. Neptune brought up an inconvenient truth about the Fish Roids. Those rad pills that grant you super strength? They come packed with horrendous side-effects. Namely: they take years off your life.

Maybe that’s why Hordy has snow white hair now as well as a water shoot attack that can fell buildings and destroy royal army squadrons.

Episode 551 served pretty much to build Hordy’s threat potential as a villain. And boy it was done in quick time. By the end of 551, he had strung up Neptune, decimated the royal army, the royal ministers and had defeated all three princes.

I kind of hate Hordy’s guts right now, so it was nice to see the islanders so concerned for their beloved king, shielding children’s eyes as the execution convoy flew past. Neptune’s guard tried to take a stand, but Neptune told them to run, not to die a meaningless death. See, that’s the difference between a good king and Hordy (I refuse to call him a king. He ain’t crowned yet). Neptune cares for his people and they respect and care from him in turn.

At the plaza, Hordy’s Head Goons assembled. Brave islanders climbed the walls because they wanted to rescue Neptune. They had prime seats for the upcoming show.

By the time they had scaled the fence, Hordy had cleared out the royal guard and installed himself on a giant pink beanbag throne. Neptune was trussed up to a St Andrew’s style cross. No idea if there’s any symbolism there, but Andrew was called a “fisher of men”. Maybe it’s just the whole martyrdom thing. Being willing to die for the peaceful ideals of Otohime. Or maybe Oda just thought, “Yeah.... saltire crosses. That’ll do.”

One poor soldier tried to pull off a suicide attack. If he could just take out one of the Head Goons before the princes arrived, it would aid the rescue effort. But the merciless hype machine ground its gears and the solider became fodder for Hordy’s power up. 

It was an impressive power up. Just the normal water shoot bullet but ramped up to eleven. BOOM! It blasted through walls, buildings, rock formations and only lost momentum miles away at Mermaid Cove. I thought, “This guy really is a scumbag. He’s just wreaking havoc and destroying things because, lel, this is fun and I have the power now.”

Then the princes arrived. I finally remember all of their names! Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi and Manboshi. Better late than never. The spectators on the wall cheered. The princes were here! King Neptune would be saved! Hurrah! The princes declared, “WE WILL SAVE YOU, FATHER!”

I felt like Madame Sharly. I could see what was coming a mile off.

Fukaboshi, because he’s going to become king someday and be fucking excellent, gave another good speech. “Why don’t you understand, Hordy Jones? You people are the weakest on this island [Hordy was triggered by this]. The other islanders were trying to ignore the history of discrimination by humans and to forgive the murder of their hero and their queen who died at the hands of a human [oh, Fukaboshi...]. They endured their pain to change their future and sign their names. Why can’t you appreciate the boldness and kindness of their decision?”

Because he’s Fishler, that’s why. You can’t reason with Fishler types. You could say, “Well, remember that chap Whitebeard? He was an alright human, wasn’t he?” and a Fishler would shriek, “NO, HE WAS JUST PRETENDING! WHITEBEARD WAS FAKE NEWS!” Or, “Have you ever been to the surface, Fishler?” and they would reply, “NO, BUT I DON’T NEED TO.” (I think Hordy has because he’s a pirate, but the attitude’s the same).

I don’t know why they talk in caps. But 

Now, the annoying thing about Hordy’s goons beating down the princes was that those boys are actually no slouches. Were it not for the Roids, they could easily have kicked ass.

But Hordy claimed they would never lose, as the had been, and I quote, “given great power from above.” From above? As in the surface? Now that’s suspicious. Who has been supplying these Fishmen with Roids? I half expect Vegapunk to be involved somehow.

At any rate, the Head Goons showed their stuff. Roided up, they were faster, stronger and crushed the princes. And they were strung up alongside their dad.

And It Gets Worse

No, not just because of the crowd of Hordy’s followers baying for blood.

Back at the Sea Forest... the fight between Jimbei and Luffy had been off-panelled.

This, I think, is weird. We did not get to see Luffy in a mangled, defeated state. We never got to see Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Robin or Franky. All we heard was Jimbei saying, “Phew, he gave me a hard time,” before he escorted Shirahoshi back towards the palace.

Except that didn’t work out because they thought a balloon version of Neptune was the real thing and were netted and dragged off to the plaza. (I am suspicious of the lack of Luffy, so I kind of hope this is a roundabout scheme from Jimbei. Schemes wouldn’t work with Luffy but maybe Jimbei’s clever enough to steer him in the right direction and count on Luffy being Luffy to sort things out in the end).

Hordy was pleased at the special delivery of Jimbei, Shirahoshi and Megalo. Before that, he didn’t want to kill his hostages until Shirahoshi was lured to the plaza. It’s her power to call Sea Kings that he feared most and other than Neptune, she is the one he wants dead most. It was also the only reason he teamed up with Decken. (Now it makes sense! I thought Hordy only wanted a way into the palace.)

The poor audience of islanders on the walls, though... they were distraught. It was like a quadruple whammy of gut punches. First Neptune, then the princes, and now Jimbei and their beloved princess Shirahoshi. I mean, I’d wager Jimbei is almost as much of a legendary figure as Fisher Tiger nowadays. To see him brought so low must be truly shocking (still hoping it’s a ploy).

Now Hordy’s only concern is what the Strawhats will do. He guessed they’d return to the palace, free Zoro, Usopp and Brook. But he had some surprise guests waiting for them...

Yes, that’s right! 30,000 human slaves Hordy caught! Plus another 70,000 armed thugs (fodder for Strawhats). “One hundred thousand outlaws together!” he crowed. I guess this proves Hordy can perform basic addition.

I mean, there were a few female and child slaves along with the male ones, but they would be taken care of later. And I don’t think he means given a hot meal and a roof over their heads. :|

Madame Sharly Steps Up

This is when the episode got Extra Juicy.

Madame Sharly stepped up, spoke up and got Hordy so wound up he snapped and went completely off the rails in public.

“You fools are a dishonour. Horsing around in public. You kids have no class at all. Don’t push your luck. I just wanted to say one thing to you since you’re at the height of your glory: a man will destroy Fishman Island.”

“Wasn’t it me you saw?” Hordy said, modestly.

Bad news, Hordy. “No. The man who will destroy it is Strawhat Luffy. I can’t tell what he’ll do specifically. But it is not you. The one who will determine the fate of Fishman Island is not you, Hordy Jones.”

Well...

Let’s just say this news was not received positively.

As Madame Sharly is another legendary figure in Fishman Island, her not backing Hordy’s rise to power was disastrous PR. Even the goons were freaking out. “Omg, that means Hordy will never gain control of Fishman Island. Her predictions are accurate!”

The Hordy stepped up and slapped the crap out of Madame Sharly.

Forget what I said last post about not wanting Luffy to come and sort shit out.

Get down here now because this guy needs taken down a peg.

I was so enraged by Hordy’s obvious threatened response to Madame Sharly that when he revealed she was ARLONG’S SISTER (WTF??) I barely heard it and had to rewind and watch it again. He also bare face admitted to her he was only using the Arlong Pirates name to unite people under his banner. 

Properly triggered by Sharly’s lack of support, he went on a mad, Roid-Rant, yelling that HE was the ONLY ONE who could take over Fishman Island. His scheme is ten years in the making! He had the power to do it. ONLY HIM. OH, AND BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW THAT QUEEN YOU ALL LOVED SO MUCH?

I think this is Hordy’s biggest mistake. Some of you guys in the comments for the last post talked about Luffy sorting out Fishman issues not being a problem because would Hordy really have many supporters to resent Luffy?

After this, I am convinced he won’t have any. Because those islanders on the wall? They were enraged.

While Hordy had his villainous, “YES, IT WAS ME!” moment, a flashback revealed he did pay a human to be involved in the assassination. At first, I thought Hordy just paid the human pirate to shoot her. Was shocked but no surprised to learn that he hated Otohime so much that he wanted to pull the trigger himself. The human accessory only set fire to the petitions.

Hordy has gone so far off the deep end with the lack of Sharly support that he forgot that triggering Shirahoshi has geological scale consequences.

“Don’t you think she was annoying?” he said straight to Shirahoshi’s face. “She begged everyone not to seek revenge against humans but to be friends with them instead. She was bugging me because she’d almost accomplished her goal. I wasn’t satisfied with just killing her. [No of course you weren’t...] To me, your mother was someone who deserved death. I came up with the idea to make the best of her death, that would allow me to stoke the fire of hatred towards humans, that Fishmen citizens once had, and destroy the islanders’ stupid dream once and for all! I’d frame a human for killing her. You were all fooled exactly as I hoped. She was worth killing, right, Shirahoshi? She wasn’t killed by a human. She was killed by me. I, a kinsman, did it.”

I thought the earthquakes would start and the Sea Kings would begin, slowly, to stretch it out over several episodes, to swim towards Fishman Island. 

But no.

The twist was even better!

Shirahoshi turned to Hordy and said, “I already knew.”

WHAT THE---?

Honestly, I was as shocked as Jimbei. Even Hordy was dumbfounded. 

I cannot wait to find out how Shirahoshi knew. I mean, if she knew and didn’t tell anyone, that’s a pretty big ball to drop, you know?

Oh, and I forgot to mention this guy...

Decken: King of the Incels

This is some next-level creepy madness, let me tell you. Especially when the news only a couple days ago reported that some incel just shot up a yoga studio because “women”.

I mean, Decken has a neckbeard and is even wearing a Fedora. It’s like Oda had a vision of the future and turned it into a pirate because the reality was just too weird.

Anyway, Decken has also gone off the deep end, and has adopted a: “If I Cannot Have Her, Everyone Will Die” mindset. To achieve this, he has brought to life an ship called Noah built by Fishmen “a while ago” (hmm.... seems older than that, but I’ll run with it.

I’m half thinking Noah could it be one of those Pluton-like weapons because the ship is half the size of Fishman Island, apparently. Great for ramming into a protective bubble and killing everyone in it, eh? Woo hoo! What a great guy!

*whistles innocently*

[thedarklordmegatron]

The Least I Can Do

Fandom: FFXV

Relationship: Implied Promptis

Brotherhood Era

Prompto’s terrified. No, scratch that, he’s about two seconds away from climbing the Citadel and throwing himself from the roof. He’s also 100% positive that whoever deemed it necessary to have their graduation televised is pure evil. Like, who honestly expects a bunch of 17 and 18 year olds to be happy with being on TV, just because the Crown Prince just so happens to be in their year, stupid nobles that’s who.

He groans softly and throws himself onto the bed, kicking his slacks and shirt aside in the process. There’s no way he’s going to be able to get through the whole ceremony. He’s going to embarrass himself by doing something stupid, trip up the stairs maybe, oh maybe knock someone off the stage! Now that would be interesting and something for the history books. He can see the headlines now ‘Niff attacks teacher at Prince’s Graduation’. Oh Six. Nope. That’s it. He’s just going to accept that he’ll never be graduating, while Noct’s at the ceremony he’s going to pack his bags, run away from Insomnia and start his life beyond the Wall as a professional Chocobo photographer.

“Whyyyyy” He laments, grabbing the nearest pillow and burying himself beneath it. His life’s going to end tomorrow morning.

Noct and Iggy are going to show up on his doorstep at 8am sharp, expecting him to be dressed and looking half-decent, as if that’s even possible when his best clothes are already three years old and too small; and they’ll run away in shame because how could he ever hope to stand beside his best friend when he looks as poor as his bank account says he is. Or maybe they just won’t let him graduate, that’s a possibility. Maybe the Principle will deem him too poor to stand among the nobles and the Prince, considering how amazing everyone else is going to look he won’t be surprised. They’ll just kick the poor Niff kid to the side like they always do. Hide him from view to make sure he can’t tarnish their perfect image. Not that he blames them, he’d do the same in their position.

He’s two seconds away from just giving up for the day, closing his curtains and pretending the world doesn’t exist when his doorbell rings. Moaning in frustration he slithers off of his bed and onto the floor, reluctant to face whoever decided to interrupt his internal lamentations. Did they not know it’s rude to interrupt a man while he’s contemplating his life choices? He makes an attempt to flatten his hair down as he stumbles down the staircase, taking it two steps at a time. He’d learnt months ago that getting to the door in record time is important especially considering the only people who ever come to his door are either debt collectors or someone coming to check the gas meter. Both of whom are super impatient and rarely willing to hang around just because the teenager living there was having a little breakdown.

The doorbell rings again, this time followed by three harsh knocks.

“Coming!” He shouts as he jumps the final three steps. Normally he’d spare a second to check who was on the other side before opening the door, but whoever it is sounds impatient enough already and he really doesn’t fancy getting into a fight. So he opens the door without a second thought, eager to get the conversation over and done with so he can get back to his bed sooner, and promptly freezes. There standing in his doorway with what is obviously a suit bag thrown over his shoulder, is Noctis.

“You going to let me in?” Noctis asks casually, shifting from one foot to the other. “Prom?”

“Oh, uh, yeah!” Nice save Prompto. Such intelligence, much wow. He steps aside allowing his best friend into his humble abode, which he’s only just realised looks like a tornado’s blown through it. Ramuh strike him down. He doesn’t even bother to try and explain away the mess, it’s not like Noct’s apartment is any better. Noctis doesn’t even hang around, he glides straight through the living room and up the staircase as though he owns the place, which he might as well considering how much of the furniture he’s insisted on buying over the past year.

“You coming?” Noctis calls, peeking over the edge of the staircase to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Oh right. Noctis. Suit bag.

“Yep!” He replies with a grin that was only half-forced before shutting the front door and bolting after his best friend. “So what’s up? Thought you had that thing with your dad this afternoon?”

“I do but it’s not til five.” Prompto digs his phone out of his back pocket to glance at the time, 2.38, plenty of time he supposes; although he does stil set an alarm for 3.50 to make sure they don’t lose track of time.

“Still doesn’t explain why you’re here.” He jokes, sliding past Noct to take his rightful place on top of his Chocobo bedding. Noctis just looks between him and the crumpled clothing on the edge of his bed. “Don’t judge me.” He huffs but he does scramble to his feet and put the clothes away. Noctis just laughs and flattens out the bedding so he can lay the suit bag down.

“Iggy dropped this off this morning, thought you’d want it today rather than panicking tomorrow morning.” He explains, unzipping the bag and presenting Prompto with what had to be the most expensive suit he’d ever seen. Prompto’s not sure how long he stands there just staring at it, his mouth agape but it’s long enough that Noctis snorts and elbows him in the side. “Come on dork, try it on.”

Wait. What?

“What?” Noctis rolls his eyes but smiles all the same.

“This,” He says slowly motioning to the suit “Belongs to you” He points at Prompto. Okay, what? He’s no fashionista, but Prompto’s quite sure that the fabric isn’t just a cheap cotton or something similar that he could have picked up from a store.

“Noct,” Prompto says breathlessly. He can’t accept it, not when Noctis has quite literally kitted out his entire home in the last year. Not when he’s made sure that there’s permanently food in his cupboards, that his heating is always on and his roof will always be over his head. It’s too much. Six damn it, it’s too much. He’s not quite sure how it happens but one moment he’s standing in front of his wardrobe, biting his lip, and the next he’s on the floor crying with Noctis’ arms wrapped around him.

“Hey Prom, it’s okay.” Noctis soothes, rubbing his back and gently nuzzling the top of his head.

“It’s too much Noct,” Prompto sobs as he buries his face in the soft fabric of Noctis’ t-shirt “I don’t deserve any of this! I don’t deserve the suit, the food, you.” He knows Noctis knows it’s true, he has to. Surely someone in the Citadel noticed how much the Crown Prince has been spending on the stupid Niff pleb, if no one else Ignis had to have picked up on it by now. There’s no way Noctis could order so many things for him and have it go unnoticed.

Apparently he’d been speaking aloud because Noctis moves quicker than he’s ever done before and takes his face in his hands. “It’s never enough.” He says firmly, a steely determination in his eyes. “I’d give you the world if I could Prom. Bahamut knows you deserve more than that.”

“But I’m a Niff!” Prompto protests, though the intended impact is somewhat lessened by his less than attractive crying.

“No you aren’t. You’re a Lucian citizen but more importantly you’re you. You’re my best friend who puts up with me when I’m the worst person on this planet. You got yourself kidnapped trying to protect me and didn’t tell them anything when they hurt you.” Noctis pauses “I don’t...nothing I do is ever going to be enough to repay you for everything you’ve done for me Prom. Let me do this for you. Please Prom.” And Gods he’s weak. Logically he knows he should tell Noctis to stop buying things for him, to turn away the suit and just wear his original outfit, even if it meant being the worst-dressed at their graduation. Hell he should have just never approached Noct in the first place, kept himself to himself and ignored Lady Lunafreya’s request. “If you think it’s too much we can always get something else, or I can lend you one of mine if you don’t want something brand new.” Noctis rambles on.

Prompto takes a moment to look over the suit, barely visible from where they’re sprawled on the floor. It’s a gorgeous suit if he’s completely honest with himself, and something that he’d never have dreamt of wearing to his graduation. Not to mention it was something Noctis, and apparently Ignis, had thought about and arranged for the sole purpose of making his day that little bit better.

“I don’t know when I’d wear it again.” He finally admits with a sniffle and it’s not a lie. It’s not like he has hundreds of galas and formal events to attend like Noctis and Ignis do, hell the most formal event he’d ever been to was Noctis’ private birthday party in the arcade.

“Ignis says it’s always handy to have a decent suit on hand,” Noctis mutters “Never know when you might need one.”

“Like tomorrow” Prompto jokes weakly

“Like tomorrow.” Noctis agrees with a small smile. “I can take it back if you really don’t want it.”

“I do but…” Prompto pauses, though he’s not quite sure why he does.

“But?” Noctis prompts.

“Is it really okay for me to have it? Like, won’t I look out of place in something that I clearly haven’t bought myself. People will start to think that I’m using you for your money.” Noctis just shrugs and pulls him into a hug.

“I don’t care what they think, neither do dad, Iggy or anyone else who matters. It’s your call though Prom, I’m not going to make you accept something you don’t want.”

“Like my couch?”

“Dude, that thing was a death trap. Gladio said so himself.”

“Yeah well the Big Guy was the one who broke it!”

“A mouse could have broken that couch Prom.” Noctis huffs and honestly he’s not wrong. It was a horrible old couch that had been in the house for as long as he could remember. Knowing his parents, it was probably already there when they bought the place and they just didn’t see the point in replacing it when they weren’t going to be round to use it. “So, suit?”

Prompto smiles, finally allows himself to relax in Noctis’ arms “I’ll wear it so long as you work some Princely magic to make sure I’m not going to be the first one up on stage tomorrow.” The joys of having a surname beginning with the letter ‘A’.

Noctis just laughs and holds him a little tighter “I think we can arrange something. Principle McKellan was trying to convince me to go first anyway, something about appeasing the press.”

“My hero.” Prompto laughs.

He’ll never understand what he did to deserve a friend as wonderful and caring as Noctis. However, Prompto does know one thing for certain, he'll spend the rest of his life making sure Noctis knows just how much he’s appreciated, and if that means finally filling out those Crownsguard application forms he’s had in his desks for months now, well, it’s the least he can do.

[silyabeeodess]

Disney Princess Appreciation Post: Part Three

Been a long while since I did one of these, but moving on down the line is probably the princess that gets the least attention or approval given that she barely does anything in her own film: Sleeping Beauty, otherwise known as Aurora.

You might be wondering what there even is to talk about here: She doesn’t do much besides get her musical number with the prince and, well, sleep through the bulk of the film.  However, I feel that people severely underrate her because she doesn’t get much screentime.  

First and foremost though, I want people to keep in mind that Sleeping Beauty hasn’t exactly been a “fairytale” as we know them today.  In the original tale, Sleeping Beauty was raped by the prince and only woke up as she was giving birth to a child.  But, Disney being Disney, our childhoods were spared from such plot-points.  Disney’s Sleeping Beauty gives her a much more fitting happily-ever-after, but better yet is that the film actually critiques what a lot of people try to bash it for: The idea of simply accepting one’s place in society, specifically in the case of arranged marriages.  

Let’s review where Aurora’s been during her short life prior to the main events in the story: She was taken from her life as a princess shortly after birth to be raised in the woods by Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather in order to protect her from the Maleficent and the curse she put upon her.  She thought they were her aunts, that her real name was Briar Rose, and that she was just a normal peasant girl.  (I could also bring up the point that she might’ve had little to no interaction with the outside world or other human beings, but we don’t know the full situation regarding how isolated she may have been kept in order to keep her safe, so... that’s in the air.)

The main thing about this though is that Aurora thought she had the freedom to choose who she’d fall in love with and the time to let her do just that.  However, once she finally meets someone she’s interested in having a relationship with and tries to do the responsible thing by having her “aunts” meet him, she finds out that, no, she can’t have those choices, her entire life is a lie, and everything changes for her because they’re taking her back to the castle that very night. You can see the scene below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxsGabU45Cs

Great birthday surprise Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather...

But, yeah, the girl had a lot more to comes to terms with than “you can’t be with that boy you just met.”  She was being told that she was going to be forced to marry someone she didn’t know at all. As far as Aurora was concerned, her life was over.  

Gonna give a quick kudos to the Prince Philip here by the way, because he was going through the same thing with his dad and was willing to break society’s rules in order to fall in love with Aurora despite knowing full well his situation.

Below is another scene from the film shortly after the one posted above where Aurora is snuck into the castle.  I want people to take a good, long look at her expressions.  She’s still not thrilled at all about what’s happening.  She doesn’t want to be a princess: She doesn’t want to be forced into an arranged marriage.  If she’s not crying, then her expression is one of blank, bleak acceptance.  She looks like someone heading to their execution rather than to be crowned a princess.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR5J4aBCTYU

Then comes the part where she really breaks down: At Flora’s mention of the crown being her “right and royal duty.”  To Aurora, the crown is not a jewel to be gladly accepted, but it acts as her shackles.  She is bound by this “royal duty” to a life she doesn’t want.  

Fortunately for Aurora, her groom-to-be ended up being the guy she liked.  Thanks to Disney magic, she got lucky. But had that not been the case, it would’ve showcased a lot more of how tragic a character she really is.  

For her personally, she shouldn’t have had any reason to accept her duty, but there was also a lot for her to consider.  She’s the missing princess and the king and queen’s only child: The kingdom was counting on her as the next figure in the royal bloodline.  Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather supported her all through her life as her guardians: She loves and respects them and they want her to go through with this, so she might’ve felt that she owed it to them to do so.  Then there’s the matter of her real parents: There’s too much left unresolved with them for her to deal with now that she knew who they were, and how could she abandon them if they really did love her and want her in their lives?  

So what makes her so special and worthy of notice for young girls?  It’s because Aurora is a strong character, almost to the point of martyrdom.  She’s not at all happy about it, but she accepts this duty that is forced onto her.  Nothing was stopping her from making a beeline out of the cottage before the fairies could notice, but she didn’t.  She has a strong sense of responsibility and acts out of selflessness, even to the point of it becoming a cost to her own happiness.  And while everyone should try to find a balance of sorts for that in their lives, there isn’t anything quite as admirable a trait to have as that.  

We’re happy you got your happily-ever-after, Aurora: You deserved it.

[bgn846]

Satum Novum Chapter 6: To Catch A Fly FFXV Gladnis

<Previous Chapter 5

"Gladio's been gone for a while do you think something happened?" Noct questioned from a cushioned seat on the bridge.  

"Maybe they kissed." Prompto hoped as he stared out the window.

"Wait what?! Why do you think they kissed? What did I miss?"

"Ohh emm gee they've been dancing around each other for two days, and it’s been driving me nuts."

"Ignis doesn't do that sort of thing.  I need to know everything!" Noct exclaimed seriously.

"It started from the moment Gladdy spotted him floating in the water.  I've never rescued anyone before, it was really weird." Prompto added with a frown.

"They told me he fell overboard and was lost at sea."

Prompto could tell Noct was bothered by that thought.  It was clear they were really close. "Yeah well eagle eye Gladio spotted him and we changed course to pick him up.  Ignis was shivering and looked super tired, but we got him dried off and in bed right away."

"How was he when he woke up?"  Noct asked.

"Worried, he told Gladio what happened after he realized who he was.  He was still insistent that he needed to get to shore to try and figure out how to rescue you.  Your friend was a man possessed." Prompto enthused with wide eyes.  

"That sounds like Iggy, he won't quit if he's on a mission.  I was so scared he was really gone.  I almost thought I was seeing things when you all found me and Ignis was there."

"Yeah you seemed really upset, I mean that was super freaky getting strung up like that and left alone.  I'm happy we got to you in time; I know Ignis was really concerned.  He tried to go to some safe house in Altissia but a dirty soldier almost killed him in the street!"

"Who? Do you know the guy’s name? We need to tell Cor." Noct breathed out in a rush.

"Um -- the guy isn't a threat anymore he got squished by a ladder."  Prompto replied with a shudder.

“What exactly do you mean squished?”

“It’s kinda graphic, are you sure you want to hear about it?”

“Maybe not now.” Noct admitted. “Are you sure he won’t talk when he wakes up?”  

“I’m positive; the guy won’t say a thing Noct.  He’s dead.” Prompto watched Noct open his mouth to reply and then he paused.  He finally seemed to find his words after a minute or two.

“Which one of you did the deed?”

Now it was Prompto’s turn to stall.  “Uh—well none of us actually. The guy attacked Ignis first, and he couldn’t defend himself because your magic was sealed.”

“What!?  NO!” Noct exclaimed.  He was very distraught by this information.  “That’s not fair!  That asshole would’ve known Iggy couldn’t fight back.  They are a bunch of fucking jerks.  Sorry – what happened next?”

“Well Gladio and I were trailing Ignis because he said he couldn’t involve us so --.”

“You offered to help and he turned you down?” Noct asked perplexed.

“Sorta – he really was focused on finding you and felt better about going alone.  It’s okay though we didn’t believe him and followed him.” Prompto declared proudly.  “I mean technically Gladio followed him first, and then I tried to follow Gladio and yeah – um.” He trailed off not wanting to mention his shitty skills at chasing people.

“So did you see that stupid glaive attacking Iggy?”

“We found them when the fight had already started.  Gladio had me chuck an empty beer bottle at the dude to distract him, and then Gladio tackled him!  It was awesome, the soldier kept using magic to move around but Gladio never let go.  Gladio had him in a choke hold and he passed out finally.”

“But that means he’s still alive!” Noct whined.

“Oh shit, no sorry, that’s when the escape ladder he was passed out under broke and fell on his head.  It was gross.  Trust me he’s not going to say anything ever again.”

“So how did Iggy lose blood?  Gladio kept mentioning blood loss.”

“The soldier got him with a dagger in his side.” Prompto demonstrated on his own ribs.  “Gladio surprised the guy after that and helped Ignis back to the boat once the fight was over.  He had some potions around and used them on Ignis, and then we listened to the radio for a few hours.”

“Ignis is alright though, right? I mean his wound got healed and he’s not hiding anything?” The prince pushed to make sure.

“Ignis is good, I saw Gladio heal the wound and clean it afterwards.”

Noct looked relieved and took a deep breath.  “What did you say about the radio?”

“We figured out the people who kidnapped you might be using the radio for communication.  They sent a coded message after they left you on the island.  Ignis cracked the code and we went to rescue you.”

“I don’t ever want to go through that again, that was scary.” Noct admitted with wide blue eyes.

“Hey don’t you need some more sleep?  I know Ignis has been pushing his limits, so I can only imagine how you feel.”

“I’m alright, but what else happened that makes you think they might kiss?” Noct asked again.

“So far Gladio has saved Ignis’ life twice, and that shit’s like straight out of a romance novel.  Plus the big guy carries him around.”

“No! Ignis wouldn’t let anyone help him like that. ” Scoffed Noct.

“That’s what you think.  Gladio carried him downstairs when we first found him, and then again when he passed out a second time.”

Noct’s eyes widened.  “A second time!”

“Yeah he wouldn’t stop until he found you.”

“So the kissing theory?” Noct tried with a desperate look.

“Right, so before we got to the island, Ignis was resting on the bridge with us on that bench seat.” Prompto indicated with a tilt of his head.   “Gladio was there too, reading a book, and cradling your advisors head in his lap.”

“Nah! Shut up he wouldn’t have gone for that.”

“You also missed it when Ignis called out for him after we’d found you.”

“I was awake for that!  He was about to pass out for a third fucking time apparently!” Noct shouted.

“No it happened again.” Prompto announced triumphantly, like he was winning an argument with a toddler.  “When your friends, Nyx and Cor arrived, the angry looking one checked Ignis’ pulse, and that’s when he called out for Gladio.”

“He probably just trusts Gladio is all, that’s still no reason for them to kiss!”

“I bet you money they are down there cuddling or something.”

“Well if you’re so sure, why don’t you go check?”

“I can’t, I’m navigating, but you can.” Prompto urged.

“I’ll take a picture if I find anything incriminating.” Noct agreed with a wicked smile.  “Ahh shit, I just remembered my phone is dead.”

“Oh! Take mine.”

“The door has a lock right?” Noct asked.  “I mean if something um more intense is happening they would have locked the door right?”

“Gladio’s not like that, don’t worry.”

“Hmm kay, wish me luck.” Noct announced as he slipped off the chair slowly and took Prompto’s phone.

Prompto was excited for the covert mission Noct was on and couldn’t wait to get a report back on what he’d found.  It only took about five minutes and the prince came back with a stunned look on his face.  He didn’t say anything but handed the phone over to Prompto.

Turning it on he saw his friend and Ignis passed out and hugging each other in a bunk.   They looked relaxed and comfy. “Told ya.”

“I still can’t believe it; Ignis doesn’t let anyone in like that.  He must really like him.”  

“They look happy.” Prompto smiled.

“I didn’t get to see any of it happen!  What the hell!” Noct yelled, though he still looked happy for his friend.

“We can pick on them when they wake up later.  There will be plenty of time.” Prompto mused with a toothy grin.

--

Slowly waking up brought with it memories, ones of Ignis being clingy and desperate.  Astrals what had he done?  Things only went from bad to worse when he fully open his eyes, and realized why his pillow was so warm.  He was draped across Gladio’s chest like a ragdoll.   Ignis could feel his face getting flush; he had to figure out how to get up without waking Gladio.

Lifting his head and attempting to move highlighted another problem.  Gladio had not one, but both of his tattooed arms around Ignis’ body, pinning him in place.   His right arm was around Ignis’ shoulders and his left was resting on his waist.

Damn.

Still he kept trying to wiggle away, as if it would do any good.  Anytime Ignis moved Gladio would tighten his grip.   At one point the thought had come to him, to shove Gladio off the bunk and pretend he fell.   Aside from it being a bad idea and terribly rude, Ignis didn’t think he had enough strength anyway.    This was so embarrassing; he never needed help from anyone.

Furrowing his brow he all but collapsed back on Gladio’s chest a second time.  He was doomed to suffer through this episode.  Suddenly the arm around his shoulders moved slightly and started slowly rubbing his back.  His mind was at war with itself.   Gladio’s hand felt divine, but he was still worried what the man would think of him when he fully woke up.

A small whimpering noise left his mouth as Ignis buried his face in Gladio’s shoulder.  He was trapped and couldn’t escape the judgment that was sure to come.

“Mmm hey how’r feeling?” Gladio groggily asked a moment later.

Ignis couldn’t answer he was so overwhelmed.  Gladio was somehow able to sneak past Ignis’ defenses and it was impossible to think straight.  The feeling of a soft kiss to his crown made Ignis almost cry.  This man apparently hadn’t noticed his breakdown yet.  It was only a matter of time before Gladio ministrations would cease, and his attention would drift elsewhere.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Gladio tried again as he rolled slightly to get a better view of Ignis.

Strong but gentle hands were tilting his head up so they could see each other.  Now he had no choice but to come clean. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting so needy, I’m sure that isn’t what you signed up for when you kissed me last night.” Ignis admitted sadly. “This isn’t how I act normally.”

“Uh – Ignis within a thirty six hour period you’ve nearly died twice, your best friend was kidnapped, and you’re battling exhaustion.   I honestly wouldn’t describe your behavior as out of the ordinary.”

This caused Ignis to pause, Gladio was correct he’d had a rough few days.  Willing his body to relax he took a deep breath to try and calm down.  Gladio continued rubbing his back and peppering Ignis’ forehead with feather light kisses.

“How are you able to make me feel better with one bloody sentence?” Ignis whined.

“Dunno, but you gotta relax otherwise you’ll make yourself sick.  We’ve still have to catch the bad guys.”

“How right you are.” Ignis said softly.  However, instead of being self-conscious by his clingy behavior he was now embarrassed by his desire to run away earlier.  Would his overwrought brain ever let him rest?

“Quit thinking too hard over there handsome.” Gladio cut in a moment later. “I can tell you’re struggling.”

“Sorry, I feel slightly foolish for being so emotional.  I’d actually debated about shoving you out of the bunk so I could run away.”  Ignis admitted sheepishly.

Gladio laughed softly.  “Did you consider that I might have grabbed you as I fell?  You would have gone down with me.”

Ignis groaned.  “No, I didn’t think that far ahead during my mini panic attack.”

“Relax, your behavior doesn’t bother me Ignis.  Honestly I like being able to help, it makes me feel useful.” He finished with a smile.

“You don’t think any less of me for begging you to stay earlier?” Ignis double checked.

“Ignis, I didn’t want to leave you alone either, remember?  I had kissed you senseless and was trying not to smother you with more kisses.”

Closing his eyes Ignis smiled at the memory.  “I’ve never been kissed like that before.” He admitted.

“Well I’m happy to do it again.”  

“I figured you would be.”

Gladio laughed.  “Do you feel well enough to get up and eat something?”

“I think I could manage.  Could I possibly squeeze in a shower beforehand?”

“You bet, use the one in my cabin, it’s bigger and the water gets nice and hot.” Gladio offered as he continued to rub Ignis’ back.

“If you keep doing that I’ll turn to mush.”

“Good.”

Ignis pushed himself up to stare at Gladio.  “You are enjoying this far too much.”

The man in question blushed and smiled shyly.  “Is it that obvious?”

Nodding Ignis smiled. “You must release me from the confines of this bunk so I can freshen up.  Now that you’ve mentioned food I can feel my stomach grumbling already.”

“Fair enough.”

Ignis watched as Gladio careful stood and stretched, cracking an appalling amount of bones in the process.  Carefully following suit Ignis was happy to discover his dizziness had gone, and he felt alert enough to walk around unaided.

Gladio escorted him down the hall to his cabin and showed him the bathroom.   He was instructed to follow his nose once he was done.  Ignis was looking forward to getting a nice hot shower and some good food.

In an odd display of affection Noct tackled him in a bear hug when he eventually wandered onto the bridge an hour later.

“Thank you.” He mumbled from where his head was buried in Ignis’ chest.  “I don’t want you to get hurt again because of me.”

“It’s my duty to look out for you Noct, I will always be there for you.” Ignis answered as he squeezed back.

“Just be careful, I can’t lose you.”  Noct whispered.  “I mean that, I was kinda wrecked when I thought you were dead.”

Smiling Ignis took a calming breath. “I will try my best highness.”   The pressure to find Noct had been lifted and Ignis felt confident they would catch Drautos.

--

“Where the hell is Tredd?” Drautos yelled.  “I told him to meet us here and he’s late as usual.”

“His bag is here so he’s around somewhere.” Lazarus offered as he paced the safe house.

“This is the last thing I need.” The captain grumbled.

“I thought everything was going well, you said they took the ransom request without any issues.”

Drautos scowled. “I think things might be going too well, Clarus didn’t question much.  They will be here soon and I need to get things ready.”

“Clarus and the king are coming here?” Lazarus asked surprised.

“Of course not, they sent their lackeys, the marshal and Ulric.”

“Do they have the money?  None of this will work if they don’t give us the money.”

Drautos didn’t even grace the man with an answer.  He merely raised an eyebrow and glared at him.  Lazarus didn’t even pick up on the look.  He was too busy wandering around the safe house rummaging through drawers and closets.

“How long do you want to wait for Tredd?”

“I don’t care about him right now.” Drautos sneered.   He was still worried about his plan, as their window of opportunity was dwindling.  He’d fabricated a fake ransom request and sent it off hours ago, after they’d docked in Altissia.  The prince wouldn’t have much time left before he would pass out from exhaustion or dehydration.

So far Lazarus, the glaive piloting the boat, and himself were the only ones that knew his location.  He planned to keep it that way until the money was safely in his possession.   Then once the location had been sent after everyone thought the money had been dropped off, Drautos would make his escape.

Cor and Ulric needed to hurry up, he was losing patience. The sooner he left the better.

--

“Do you think they are all alright on the other boat?” Nyx asked while he watched Cor navigate.

“Probably safer than with us at the moment.” Cor offered.

“True, I’m glad they’re okay.”

Sighing with a smile Cor nodded in agreement.  “I couldn’t accept the news about Ignis, it didn’t seem right.  The astrals were looking out for him, and it appeared they have a soft spot for Noctis as well.”

“So what’s the plan regarding Drautos?  We can’t exactly tell Clarus and the King that we found Noct, it would blow our cover.”  Nyx lamented.

“I’ve been thinking about that.  Sending coded messages works up to a point and then it gets risky.  I don’t want Drautos to figure out we rescued Noct and skip town.”

“So we still have to play along.  What do you think would happen if we refused to hand over the money to him?”

“He’d most likely try and pull rank, with you at least.  If we push too hard he’ll only fight.”

Nyx furrowed his brow. “So where is the money exactly?” He asked.

“The bank, I’m not stupid enough to travel with that amount. It should be ready for pickup when we arrive unless we tell them otherwise.”

“Any chance we can mark the money so it’s traceable?  We might be able to substitute some of the larger bills for smaller ones and maybe Drautos wouldn’t notice.”

Cor smiled at Nyx.  “Now you’re thinking the right way.”

“You already arranged that didn’t you?”

“Clarus and I suspected foul play when Drautos first made contact, and he fed us that shitty story about pirates.   The man is a great warrior and knows how to move soldiers around to win a battle, but he sucks mightily at using his imagination.”

“He’s gotta be suspicious though, we are going along to easily.”

“Maybe, but we won’t know for sure until we meet with him in a few hours.”

--

The level of Noct’s voice was rattling the dishes in the sink.  He was livid and for entirely the wrong reason.  Cor was stone faced through-out the shouting match, but it was clear he was losing patience.

“Highness, I understand you wish to see justice done, but I cannot allow you to endanger yourself further by going with us.” Cor announced gruffly.

“You didn’t see what he did to me!” Noct yelled.

“I saw where you were imprisoned highness and I can assure you it made my blood boil.’

“I’m going!”

“NO! No you are not!” Cor shouted as he raised his voice for the first time.   I will leave Nyx behind if necessary to ensure you don’t go anywhere.”

“Don’t do that!” The prince wailed. “You’ll need all the help you can get!  Drautos has this fancy armor that is really powerful.”

“Noctis, I don’t have much time and you are not making my job easy right now.  I must go meet with Drautos.  Will you please stay on this boat?”

Noct sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his dark hair.  “What if I stay a certain distance away to be safe.”

“Absolutely not.”  Cor hissed. “I can’t believe you are making me do this highness.  I’ll go get Nyx.”

“Don’t do that!” Noct screamed.  “Fine, I’ll stay, but call us immediately if you need backup.  My magic is good and Ignis and I know how to fight.”

“I can help too.” Gladio chimed in.

Cor grumbled something and took a deep breath.  “If I see you at all this evening highness I will call this whole meeting off, is that understood?”

“Yes marshal.” Noct huffed.

Ignis could only watch as Cor turned to leave and Noct stomped over to sit down.   “Highness this is for your own safety. You do realize that, correct?”

“Of course I know that Ignis!  It doesn’t change the fact that I want to get Drautos back for what he did to me.”

Choosing not to reply Ignis stood quietly and hoped nothing truly terrible would happen when Cor and Nyx went to meet with Drautos.  The silence was deafening at a certain point and Ignis could feel the signs of a headache forming.   Prompto had left the room as soon as the shouting started and hadn’t returned.  Gladio had his arms folded across his chest and seemed lost in thought.   The only one of them still seething was Noct, his prince was staring into the floor with a horrible scowl.

Footsteps pounding down the corridor a moment later shattered the mood. “Somebody’s out there spying on us!” Prompto frantically whispered.

“What?!” Gladio asked as he stood up alert.  “Show me!”

They all piled out of the break room and towards the outside door.  Gladio pulled Prompto back and crouched down to take a look.  The boat railing blocked his view somewhat but he continued to edge forward to see.

Ignis couldn’t see anything yet but he was ready to call on his daggers if need be.  A muttered curse from Gladio confirmed there was a problem.

“I see the guy, but it’s too dark to see his face.  What’s the plan?” He asked.

“We gotta catch him.” Noct breathed out in a rush.  “What if he’s with Drautos and goes to warn him.”

“Is there another way to get onto the dock without him seeing us?” Ignis asked.

“This is so stupid I can warp out there and catch him in a flash.  I’m going.” Noct announced.

The prince for once moved to fast for Ignis to grab him.  Then in a flash of blue light he was gone and over the railing to the dock below.   Cursing his charge’s impetuous nature, Ignis could tell that this was going to end badly.

Gladio had charged out the door and down the walkway to try and help.  Ignis followed with Prompto, but the man had seen Noct coming and was running away.  Now they were all running through the alleyways of Altissa chasing after the crown prince of Lucis and a traitor.  How had things turned so drastically?

--

Drautos stared at his phone with worry.  Did he dare believe what his boat captain had just told him?  The prince was alive and well.   This confirmed his gut feeling that things were not in his favor.  “Lazarus!” He shouted.  “They know!  We have to get things set up for plan B.”

>Next Chapter 7

[theolddarkmachine]

Kingdom- Chapter Four

Gajeel has had the dream about dying for the blue haired girl for as long as he can remember. Which is weird, since he’s never met anyone with blue hair in his life.

Levy has always loved myths and legends. So much so, in fact, that she was currently getting her master’s in mythological studies.

What neither of them realized was that they were living a legend all their own.

AKA the one with a knight, a princess, and a curse that keeps bringing them together just to pull them apart.

GOOD MORNING Y’ALL! YAY CHAPTER FOUR! Almost right on schedule? The big ol’ italicized portion is Levy reading the story from the book. Yeah. Anyway, not much too say about this one lol The whole beginning is probably one of my favorite things I’ve written, so needless to say, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! THANK YOU GUYS AS ALWAYS FOR READING!

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The cup of coffee tucked comfortably in her hands warmed her palms as she stared down into the swirling foam that formed a minuscule milky way in the brown liquid. Sitting against her arm was the aged book of myths, the feel of the solid tome against her skin giving her some comfort. Levy wasn’t normally one to need something to ground her but sitting across from her wild haired, crimson eyed savior, she felt light enough to float away. As soon as he’d agreed to going to the coffee shop with her as a thanks for saving her life, a bubble of elation had drifted upwards into her chest. The buoyant feeling had fizzled through her body, invading her limbs and her senses until her nerves crackled and popped with it. Gajeel being there was as sudden and jarring as the accident he had prevented. Just ten minutes prior she hadn’t even known who he was, and now it felt as if everything around her was touched by his very existence. His presence alone was enough to leave jagged lines of familiar fascination etched across her skin much like the inevitable scars she would have received if she’d been hit by that delivery truck. A phantom memory danced just outside her grasp, taunting her as it filled her with deep yearning as if her body knew the man sitting confidently across from her. She couldn’t even manage to look up at his garnet colored gaze without feeling as if she was being burnt from the inside by heated desire.

It was, for lack of a better term, annoying.

Levy didn’t like not knowing things, and in that moment she really didn’t know why she felt the desperate need to reach across the two and a half feet of coffee shop table and stroke the handsome man’s face. The pleasant hum of his voice as he answered what he did for a living caressed her sense of sound as she continued to stare into the coffee as if it would bring her the answers she needed. No matter how hard she willed for them to come, they never did. Figures. She lifted the cup to her lips to take a sip, effectively disbanding the foamy galaxy that had decorated her coffee.

“So do you come here often?” Gajeel asked, breaking her concentration. He stifled a laugh as she spluttered into her cup, pink coloring her cheeks and making the golden hazel of her eyes stand out. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

“It depends, if I say yes will you think I have a caffeine dependency?” Levy fixed him with her molten gold stare. If he didn’t know better, Gajeel would have sworn she stared straight through to his heart that was beating wildly against his ribcage.

“Not at all, just curious.” An underlying tone colored his voice, almost as if it were an inside joke that she wasn’t a part of. She watched as he dragged his finger along the Kiwi Tree Cafe logo on his cup with a small smile touching the corners of his lips. A small part of Gajeel wondered where Lily was on this day. A larger part didn’t care.

“Well then I’d have to tell you you’re a bad judge of character, because I do have a bit of a caffeine problem,” she laughed as she took another drag from her own cup. It sounded more like a nervous laugh to her, but if her companion noticed, he didn’t seem to pay it any mind. “You need one to apply to graduate school.” The joke elicited a barking laugh from the man on the opposite end of the table, which caused her pop rock nerves to crackle all over again. With his head thrown back in raucous laughter, she couldn’t help but noticed the way the tan of his skin popped against the grey of the henley he’d revealed when he’d taken his leather jacket off. Her eyes traced the line of his Adam’s apple thoughtfully, drinking him in before his crimson stare landed on her again and burnt down to her bones. The feeling of annoyance continued to combat the feeling of desire that was making a home low in her gut.

They’re conversation continued, bouncing back and forth between them much like a verbal tennis match. When one didn’t think the other was looking, they’d steal glances of them like thieves, only lingering long enough to take what they wanted.

“So ya mentioned graduate school, what’re you studying?” Levy was taken aback by the question. She’d just been in the middle of asking him about his family when he’d shot out the question instead of giving her an answer. A beat passed by as she considered how to answer his question. Most people didn’t care to hear about her major, and when they did ask what it was, they normally didn’t care enough to continue listening about it. Not that it was a boring topic by any means, it’s just that most people had lost their love for the words that Levy held so dear.

“Mythological studies,” she fired back, sitting taller in her seat as she switched into her academic mindset. Gajeel quirked an eyebrow, inviting her to continue her explanation. “I have a theory that myths and legends are all true, they’ve just been twisted in the way their original storytellers were able to explain the things they’d seen.” Levy couldn’t help the excitement that started to creep into her voice. If there was anything that got her blood pumping, it was talking about her studies.

“I’m not sure I follow.” His eyebrows were knit together as he tried to keep up with her enthusiastic chatter.

“Like disease and how it could be explained away as magic,” she said matter-of-factly. “Or,” she paused as she looked down at the book next to her, a spark dancing in her eyes. “Can I show you the subject of my next paper?” All he needed to do was nod for her to grab the book and start leafing through it in search of the tale.

Gajeel marveled at the excitement that was written across Levy’s face as her delicate hands flipped through the pages of the leather bound book she had with her. Pictures flashed by as the pages fell one-by-one as she searched for the myth she wished to show him, some of landscapes, others of animals, one of a particularly familiar black suit of armor. He shook his head to push the image of the armor from this morning out of his mind. Finally, she stopped once she’d found what she’d been looking for, eyes practically glowing as she stared down at the words scrawled across the yellowing paper. A smile parted her lips as she started to speak, reading the words aloud for him to hear. Levy’s voice carried the words like a song he could listen to on repeat.

There once was a fearsome dragon made of iron that was said to wreak havoc on towns bordering the kingdom and killing all that opposed him. It was said his scales were made of black, twisted metal and his eyes were fiery rubies that could paralyze a man with a single glare. There was also once a lonely prince who wanted nothing more than to find a friend that wasn’t blinded but what he could offer as the future king.

The lonely prince was known for disappearing from his kingdom to explore the land, wanting nothing more than to escape the world of responsibility he’d been born into. He told his father it was his duty as the future ruler to know more about the lands that would once be his, but really he had hoped he would meet someone who would befriend him for who he was, and not who he would eventually be.

One rainy day, as luck would have it, he met the iron dragon.

It came as a shock for the prince to find that the cruel iron dragon was nothing but kind as he offered him shelter in his cave away from the storm. The hulking creature wasn’t covered in sickeningly twisted iron like the stories had said, but black steel scales that glittered like the night sky. As the prince entered the cave, the dragon created a small fire for him so that he may dry off and stay warm. Though the dragon kept to himself, the prince felt a kindred spirit within the creature. Once the rain had let up, the prince left with a small thank you and a promise to visit again.

He returned the next day to find the dragon still there, a small fire already burning for him. They sat together in silence again, the prince enjoying the company that the dragon had to offer. As time past, they continued the ritual. Everyday the prince would come to visit, and each day the dragon would wait faithfully with a fire already burning. He would listen as the prince told him of his fears of becoming his father, a man who ruled with fear and anger. Though he never said anything after that first day when he’d invited the prince in from the rain, the iron dragon never gave the prince any cause to fear him or feel as if he passed any judgement on him.

Then one day as the prince was visiting, a band of thieves came upon the cave in search of a treasure that they’d heard the dragon had been hiding. Upon recognizing the prince, they attacked him.

“Imagine how much we could get for the crown prince,” one of the thieves mused as he had rushed towards the young man. Blinded by his lust for riches, the thief didn’t see as the iron dragon launched an attack of his, not noticing until he’d already been enclosed within the dragon’s mouth. As he protected the prince, the young man looked on in awe. It was the only time he’d truly seen the iron dragon live up to the stories, and yet he was not scared. Even with blood staining his shimmering scales, he still saw nothing but his friend. While his friend continued his attack, neither noticed as one of the thieves slipped away and ran to the nearest town.

Once at the town, the thief wove the grandest lie of them all and told the inhabitants that the iron dragon had taken the crown prince. It wasn’t long before the townspeople gathered up weapons and took towards the forest, heading for the dragon’s cave. There they were met with the gore from the thieves attack, and the sight of the prince with blood on his hands as he tried to wipe the muck from the dragon’s scales. The townspeople descended on them, the prince’s cries to stop falling on deaf ears as they overcame the dragon and his friend. Their spears pierced the dragon’s scales, cut deep beneath the protective armor, causing his cries of pain to echo through the cave.

It wasn’t until the dragon lay motionless on the ground that they finally stopped their attack. The prince lashed out, pushing the townspeople away as he ran to his friend. His hand brushed against the dragon’s head, his eyes shut to the world as he laid in his own blood. A fury rose within him unlike any emotion he’d ever felt. The prince flew into a rage, his cry more animal than human as he grabbed a spear that had fallen to the ground before turning his anger towards the villagers. Fear filled cries erupted from the group as he he came down upon them, the light of his madness glowing in his eyes. To them, he looked like a demon; the true personification of death itself.

“My dear friend,” the deep rumbling voice of the dragon echoed through the cave, halting the prince’s assault on the townspeople. It was the first time the dragon had spoken to him since that fateful day.

“Do not punish these people for fearing the unknown.” His breathing came in rasps as he struggled to get air into his lungs. Tears welled up within the prince’s eyes as he approached the dying dragon and placed a trembling hand against his head. “Do not let their prejudices and your anger defeat you. You will be a great king, my dear friend.”

It was the last the iron dragon spoke. With a deep, shuddering breath, his friend died. The villagers watched as the prince cried over the dragon, unsure of how to react to his grief. It wasn’t until the king showed up that the prince stopped, allowing himself to be silently taken back home.

Time passed, and the throne was passed to the prince after his father’s death. Though no one mentioned the iron dragon to the now king again, he carried his friend’s memory with him. The prince became known as a just king and was loved by all in his kingdom, yet he never did find another friend like the iron dragon.

Many years later, the king decided to visit the cave he had spent so much time in with his friend. It looked very much the same, if a bit overgrown with earth and moss. As he stood outside the cave, a glint from inside caught his eye. Very carefully, his picked his way through the vines and moss that had stretched across the opening.

There, within the cave, the king found a sleeping, iron dragon.

Gajeel had let himself become lost in the tale of the iron dragon and the prince. Something in the way Levy’s voice had wrapped around the words had drawn him in. As she had spoken, he could see the very forest the prince had been in when he’d met the dragon in the cave. He could smell the bark on the trees, and could feel the warmth of the burning fire that the prince had felt. Gajeel could even feel the pain of the dragon he had been attacked for protecting his friend. As the story had come to a close, the vivid imagery was replaced by the vision of his other self and the black armor he’d worn. Something about the dragon etched into the armor seemed so befitting of the tale.

Levy shut the book with a light pat to the cover, the sound causing him to jump slightly in his seat. A triumphant smile pulled the corner of her mouth up as she took in the look of awe that was etched across his face.

“You’re very good at story telling.” The compliment won him another smile, this one brighter as she kept the book within her hands.

“I get it from my mother,” she replied simply, her voice soft as she stared lovingly down at the leather cover of the tome. A beat passed between them as he waited for her to speak again.

“So, my theory,” her voice brightened as she changed the subject. “Is that the iron dragon wasn’t a dragon at all, but a person.” She continued as she pushed the book to the side, returning it to its home nestled against her arm.

“It would be so easy for his alias of ‘Iron Dragon’ to be miscommunicated as an iron dragon. Do you know how much could be learned about forgotten history if we could just prove that myths and legends were true stories that had been told incorrectly?”

Without anything in her hands to occupy them, Levy started gesticulating excitedly. Gajeel propped his elbow onto the table and balanced his chin on the palm of his hand as he listened to her wax poetic about mythology and the topic for her paper. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anyone so passionate about anything before, except maybe Lily over kiwis and coffee. To be honest, he wasn’t sure it was really the same. The air around her practically vibrated with her excitement, and she glowed with the very exuberance that ran through her veins. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch that light. A dull ache settled deep within his bones as he continued to listen to the excited hum of her words.

It wasn’t until the sun sat low in the sky, casting shadows across their long forgotten coffee cups through the large window of the shop, that either of them realized how long they’d been sitting in the cafe. Time had slipped away from them as they had been wrapped up within the easiness of the conversation and the strange familiarity that tugged at both of them. Silence settled over them as the words dried up and they were left appraising each other. A spark of electricity popped between them as their eyes met in a duel of honey and ruby.

“Well, I should probably get going.” Levy broke the eye contact as she tucked her blue hair behind her ear. “Thank you. For saving me.” Her breath hitched as he unleashed his dangerous smile on her.

“It was my pleasure,” he rumbled as he watched her pull her jacket on and wind her scarf around her neck. His heart sank as she stood and picked the book. A small voice in the back of his head screamed at him to keep her there, if only for a moment longer. He pushed the voice down as she smiled at him in response before walking away.

As Levy left, book in hand and scarf pooled around her neck to batter the chill in the outside air, she didn’t notice the way Gajeel’s eyes followed her until she disappeared past the window’s view. As he sat at the table, fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of his cup, he didn’t notice the purple eyes that watched him from the back of the coffee shop.

[captain-zajjy]

Solstice, Chapter 11 - A Final Fantasy XV Story

Pairing: Ignis x Female Original Character

AO3 | Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

A/N: Sorry this one's a bit on the short (relatively speaking) side! I have part of the next chapter ready to go, but it didn't make any sense to end on that scene, so it'll just have to wait until next week.

Altissia. Ignis. In spite of what had happened to her, it was all Valeria could think about once she’d heard the disastrous news. Please don’t leave me, Iggy. Not you.

It had taken her half a day after Caligo first put his hands on her to compose herself, to devise a means of concealing herself from the monster, at least for a time.

Valeria had traded one of her mother’s diamond earrings for a flashlight, canteen, and a handful of spare batteries - an absolutely terrible deal under better circumstances, but as things were, such items would serve her far better than any jewelry. She’d then gathered her paltry belongings and left the Imperial encampment, shutting herself away in one of the power substations she’d earlier helped to restore. She knew if Caligo really wanted to track her down, it would be a place he’d eventually send his men to search, but with no one willing to take her in - not while she wore the mark of Imperial ire so plainly on her face - Valeria could think of nowhere else to go. At least there she had privacy.

Her beating hadn’t caused her to receive any sympathy from her fellow Lucians; something she was no longer expecting, but secretly yearned for all the same: a kind word, a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, anything to quell the horrible, pervasive sense of loneliness that was consuming her. But people didn’t want to get involved, especially when half of them thought she was some kind of traitor in the first place.

She hadn’t dared call Ignis at first; not because she thought the Niffs were capable of spying on her even when she was alone, but for the simple fear that she’d immediately burst into tears, and he didn’t need that, not while he was trying to navigate the Prince through the complicated mire of Accordan politics.

Instead, she swallowed her pride and attempted to contact her father, who, predictably, did not answer when she desperately needed him the most. He was probably out with his ‘girlfriend,’ or some other, new woman who’d fallen hook, line, and sinker for the sob story he’d undoubtedly concocted regarding his dead ex-wife and missing daughter.

Valeria had remained hidden away in the substation for several days, cursing her father’s wanderlust and the excruciating pain in her face, until hunger and thirst finally forced her outside. Her plan to quickly grab some rations, refill her canteen and disappear were immediately derailed by the news of Altissia practically being sunk by the Hydraean’s waves.

Oh, Gods. Ignis... Caligo, Loqi and the rest be damned - she’d sent Ignis a flurry of messages, desperate to confirm that he hadn’t drowned along with half of the city. If he dies... No. She couldn’t bring herself to finish that thought.

When she finally did hear back from him, the news hadn’t been good. He was alive - and thank the Gods for that - but he was hurt. Badly. And knowing Ignis, it was probably even worse than he’d let on.

But for now, all she could do was wait, pray, and hide.

Several days later, on her next foray for provisions, she had the misfortune of rounding a corner and running directly into Loqi Tummelt.

“Damn,” he said, eyes scaling her up and down. “You look like shit.”

Valeria immediately scanned the vicinity for an escape, backing toward it. “Get away from me,” she hissed.

“Come on,” Loqi said, shaking his head. “Is that any way to talk to the man who saved your life?”

With his leg fully healed, he quickly moved to block her exit, easily arresting her attempts to push him aside.

“I said get away from me,” she repeated, with the futile hope that all the bruised, battered one hundred and ten pounds of her somehow managed to appear threatening to this armored soldier.

Loqi crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, I liked you better when you were trying to kiss my ass.” He regarded her for a moment, Valeria unable to quell her trembling, her instinctual fear that they were going to hurt her again.

“Just chill out,” Loqi said, sounding more annoyed than empathetic. “I’m not going to hit you. Unlike that idiot Ulldor, I know that you can’t tell me shit with a broken jaw.”

Valeria met his gaze with her eye that wasn’t partially swollen shut. “What do you need me for? Prince Noctis is on the news, fighting the Hydraean in Altissia.”

“Was in Altissia,” Loqi said. “I’m sure your boyfriend’s whisked him off to some other hidey-hole already.”

The reference to Ignis caused Valeria to glower at him, as best as her bruised face would allow. My friend can barely get out of bed, thanks to you people.

“Ulldor’s headed down there to search for him anyway,” Loqi went on, a grimace forming around his colleague’s name. “Like I said, he’s a moron. Me? I’d prefer to make a deal.” His grin was so smug, so self-satisfied, it made Valeria nauseated.

When she didn’t respond, he went on. “My terms are simple: give me the Crown Prince’s location, and I’ll make sure the Empire spares your boyfriend’s life.”

“So this is why you ‘saved’ me.” She couldn’t help but sneer. “You want to hand in the Prince yourself.”

Loqi’s expression darkened to one of indignation. “Of course I do. Ulldor got his ass captured and beat up, and they toss him a damn promotion? You know what I got when the Blockade fell? I got yelled at for four hours and sent to this shithole. At least I fought!”

“Yes, life sounds like it’s been so unfair to you,” Valeria muttered sardonically.

“Don’t be a bitch,” Loqi replied. “This is a good deal. You’ve gotta know there’s no way the Crown Prince and his - what? - four buddies are going to win this war.”

The thought had crossed Valeria’s mind far more times than she was willing to admit, but it always circled back to Ignis and his assurances that it was possible. Somehow.

“They’re going to get themselves caught sooner or later,” Loqi went on. “And believe me when I say that your boyfriend will be very, very lucky to face the firing squad.”

Valeria inhaled sharply. “You’re talking about torture.”

“Eh.” Loqi shrugged. “More or less, I guess. Let’s just say, Imperial R&D doesn’t like to waste good human test subjects.”

Human test subjects? In spite of herself, Valeria shuddered.

“I’m not sure what they’re doing over in One-Five, but trust me - you don’t want your boyfriend to end up there.” Loqi jabbed his thumb into his chest. “I can make sure of that.”

Sector 1-5...the Manufacturing District. The Manufacturing District that was off limits, even after they’d restored the power.

Valeria’s eye went wide. “They’re...they’re doing human experiments in the Manufacturing District?”

Loqi shrugged, seemingly unaware or uncaring of what he’d inadvertently let slip. “Dunno. They don’t even let me in there. But I know whenever the Research guys set up shop, it’s not to hand out candy. Look,” Loqi shifted his weight. “You don’t have to tell me anything right this second. Just think about it, okay? We both know how this is going to end.”

After gathering more food, water, and trading for a few more batteries, Valeria threw on her coat against the evening chill and exited the relief camp, frequently looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed. Even now knowing that Caligo had left the city, her mind was hardly at ease. She was certain the vile man had left people to watch her, to catch her doing exactly what she was about to do, but she was almost positive she was alone now.

She walked to the end of an empty, narrow alley and sat down on the curb facing the street so that she’d see anyone who came along, and pulled out her phone. Calling Ignis was a huge risk, she knew, but after hearing about what had happened in Altissia, she couldn’t help herself. And worrying about his injuries distracted her from her pain, Loqi, and everything else.

“Hello?” The slow, quiet way Ignis answered the phone sounded so unlike his usual brusque, confident self. And the uncertainty in his voice made her conclude that he still couldn’t see who was calling.

“It’s me.” Valeria hoped she sounded upbeat. It was hard to do when your mother was dead, when your city was grey rubble, when half your face was black and blue, when your dearest friend was hurt and suffering half a world away. But she tried, for his sake.

“Val.” Was that relief in his voice? A modicum of cheer? Ignis sounded so weary, so used up, it was hard to tell.

“Feeling any better?” she asked.

“A bit,” he replied. “The headaches have begun to abate. As have the dizzy spells.”

“That’s good.” No mention of his vision, which meant her hunch was correct: he still couldn’t see. She desperately wanted to believe what he’d told her, that it was only a matter of time before his right eye, at least, was back to normal, but she knew Ignis. He loathed being fussed over, loathed being out of control. Valeria didn’t think he’d outright lie to her, but it was very much like him to minimize the severity and prognosis of his injuries. If only she’d asked that Prompto when she’d had him on Ignis’s phone.

“How are you?” he asked, trying - and not quite succeeding - at a conversational tone.

“I’m okay.” As long as I don’t look in a mirror. Like Ignis, she had intended to give him a somewhat whitewashed report about what Caligo had done to her, but had decided not to trouble him with it at all after finding out about Altissia. The monster was gone, so she was, theoretically, safe from his wrath for the moment. And Loqi’s ‘offer’ didn’t even bear mentioning, as far as she was concerned.

“Noctis woke yesterday,” Ignis said.

“Oh?” There was some good news. “How is he?”

“Despondent.” Ignis sighed. “In spite of his attitude toward the wedding, he cared deeply for Lady Lunafreya.”

“The Empire’s blaming it on the Hydraean.” It was all anyone was talking about, that the Oracle was swallowed by the wrathful Leviathan’s waves.

“It was the Chancellor.”

Valeria frowned, which in turn caused her to wince. “The Imperial Chancellor killed Lady Lunafreya?”

“Indeed. Noct saw the whole thing. I wonder-” Ignis stopped, made a sound like a stifled groan, before going on. “I wonder if he acted alone -  without Imperial sanction that is. There’s something very...wrong about that man.”

“Well, he’s a Niff...”

“It goes beyond that.” Ignis paused, likely lost in his thoughts. “Anyway, I admit I’m glad to finally be rid of that place.”

“Altissia? You left?”

“This morning. We’ve a long road to Cartanica.”

“Cartanica? You’re going all the way to Cartanica?” Were they crazy? That was getting dangerously close to Niflheim proper - a perilous journey under any circumstances, but with Ignis injured and Noctis a hunted man...

“The site of the final Royal Tomb,” Ignis explained. In Cartanica? Valeria didn’t understand why a Lucian King would make his tomb so far from home - Ignis probably did know, but she wasn’t in the mood for a history lesson.

“You’re still hurt,” she said.

“It will take more than a week to reach our destination.”

Valeria sighed. As if he’d be back to full health within a week. They both knew that was utter nonsense, so she didn’t bother to state the obvious.

“Are the others looking after you?”

“I’m fine, Val.” Ignis sounded exhausted - likely tired of trying to convince himself.

“You are not fine,” she insisted, “and that’s okay, Iggy. It’s okay to be down once in awhile. Even for you.”

“I have to see this through. I must.” His voice had grown quiet, thick with emotion. If they had been somewhere alone together, somewhere no one else could see, she would have forced him to let it all out. But she knew he couldn’t do that, not in front of the Prince and the others.

Valeria huddled against a sudden chill, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I know you do. Just...come back, Iggy. Please.” You’re all I have left.

[elem-entals]

undercover irid, crown prince  seb, elems academy marco, librarian knowledge nads au

Brent and I had some really good ideas in this whole rp Pt. 1

Undercover irid but seb is also there undercover

Maybe irid is from some far off kingdom secretly

And helps/recruited the elems

And surprise she’s actually an agent from the Eastern Kingdom

And the lovable seemingly dumbass refugee who’s been putting his blacksmithing skills to use since the academy changed hands to dm

He looks at irid; and tells her to cut the act, the mission has been accomplished

Irid:

Irid; >:| dammit, sire

Irid: there’s still more to acc- Seb holds up a hand: it’s high time we stop the charade and make things clear

Seb: we all know how cozy you’ve gotten here, Fire elemental Iridona c; Irid: >:| 😳 your Majesty

Marco: what

Irid: Seb: Crown Prince Sebastian Warbourne at your service c;

Irid as one of the palace guards and a close friend of the prince

Irid muttering: >:| we had more to get done

Marco, later: sam what the fuck

Marco: she’s some sort of highly trained palace guard warrior chick

Marco: no wonder she picked up on training so fast, common girl with secret powers my butt

Seb, walking around a corner: that was her original origin

Seb: she really was a commoner who learned to fight rather quickly

Seb: and I’d watch how you talk about her, especially in front of me c;

Sam: 😗🍷

Sam: just your type marco

Seb: 👀

Seb: she hasnt dated much, but you are quite her type as well, Marco.

Sam: great, I love watching marco get his ass kicked

Seb: I do, as well 🍹

Marco: >:|

Sam: we ain't friends, guy

Marco: you get all fluttery whenever she’s near and you practically glow whenever she’s paying attention to you

Marco: me thinks she’s more than a bodyguard to you

Seb: Seb; 🍹

Seb: my interests are her happiness

Seb, picking lint off of his shirt: she is more than capable of being a mere palace guard

Sam: like a wife

Seb: if I can help her be more, find more of what could make her happy, live up to her potential, I will do nothing to stand in the way

Seb knocks back his drink

All of it

At once

Sam: impressive

Seb: no

Seb: its really not

Sam: I did like 3 at once one time during breeding season a few years back 😗

Seb:

Marco:

Marco: what

Sam: it was hard to position all three

Sam: without spilling it

Marco: OH drinks

Sam: I was already hammered so I dont think I would have noticed anyway

Sam: oh

Sam: yeah drinks

Marco: ...

Sam: and then maybe some very impressed ewes 😗🍷

Marco: what

Sam: anyway your kinglyness finish your ominous speech

Seb: 👀🍹no that was it

Sam: oh okay cool

Marco: will your guard terrier approve of another drink or does she need to test it

Sam: [takes a sip]

Seb: Seb punches Marco’s arm

Sam as a former party boy for this au I guess

Seb: maybe if its poisoned you should try it first 😒

Sam: oh damn I'll do it, I'd love to die

Seb:

Marco: 😕

Seb: yikes

Sam: jokes

Sam at some point to marco: y'know there's probably a few Samir jr.'s out there somewhere 🤔

Marco: wow

Sam: I know, weird to think about

Sam: I dont know if you wolves feel the same way but sometimes during breeding season some people just let loose

Sam: a lot of hatchlings are raised communally

Sam: dont know who their parents are, 's not really a big deal to us

Sam: sorry, there was just a hatchling that ran past a few hours ago and I got to thinking about it

Starling lore for this au

And maybe in general idk

This is a single dad Sam au now I guess

Marco: what if

Marco: what if you met a kid that was yours?

Is this assuming he doesnt have nadir with him yet?

Sam: I Sam: I don't know

Sam, elbowing him: maybe this upcoming season eh?

Whichever you think is more fun for this point im the au

Sam having a tryst with a starling from the eastern kingdom and he keeps the egg for himself

Lol she drops it on his desk

she's a badass warrior (maybe another palace guard?) And doesnt have the time/safe place to raise it

a starling version of iris

And is like "this is yours to do as you please"

"Wuh"

“Have fun byeee”

Warrior starling with a dry personality and a love of violence

Yes exactly

"This is soft cushy work, perfect for you"

"Uh"

Marco:

Marco: so you have a kid now?

Marco: mazel

Sam: one that I know about, yeah

Sam, with the egg: I could Sam: bring it to a hatchery

Marco: ...

Sam: this is the first time I've been face to shell with a product of a tryst

Sam: oh dont look at me like that, it's a normal starling cultural thing

Sam: it's not like your orphanages

Marco: yeah i know but

Marco: 👀 you were saying you could use a bit of something stable

Marco: company

Sam: 🌕🖊️ Sam: look [shows him the egg]

The egg has a face scrawled on it

Marco: you have a support system here too

Sam, egg voice: hi marco, it's me, Samir Jr.

Concept: Iris as a visiting consultant as a favor to Dm as he’s trying to set up the new Academy

Sam: 🤔 I am getting a bit long in the tooth

Iris: Samir, for the last time, I need those reports on-

Iris: 👀|

Iris: that’s an egg

Sam: it is

~

Someone asks Iris if she’s dating dm

Sam: very astute observation, I can see why you get paid the big bucks

“Not my type”

Dm: she likes twinks but like straight

Iris: >👀|

Sam: so like all starlings

Dm: mhm

Iris: >👀C

Sam: I know a buddy who's single

Sam: not afraid to mingle with those of the flesh

~

Iris: you’re about to see my foot up your ass

Marco: this is why I liked having you around

Sam: [cups his hands around his eyes]

Marco: Sam, seriously, it could be nice

Marco: having a little one around

Sam: hmm Sam: I'll give it a week to decide

Iris: ugh you and your father are so domestic

Sam: he's getting old iris

Sam: he wants to settle down

Sam: maybe with someone from out of town 👀

Sam: isnt that right eggbert Sam, egg voice: sure is

Iris: your dad met your mother and like a month later “oh she’s so wonderful, I could see us settling down in some house in the Valley or something”

Iris: [fake gags]

Sam: [sighs] I want that

Sam: marco is your dad into single dads

Sam: this could be your step sibling

Marco: dont even joke

Iris, in a bad dm impression; Samir, you’re claws are looking very pointy today

Iris: may I escort you to the Fall Ball in August?

*your

Sam: why thank you Marco, you're so kind~

Sam, bats his lashes: what a gentleman

Iris, pretending to be faint: Oh, Iris, he’s so lovely, we’ll have a June wedding

Iris: I’m assuming you’re the same way in love, Marc-y

Sam: I need a nice, strong man to help me raise my hatchling

Marco: >:| I hate having you around

Marco: No you dont

Marco: you are strong

Sam: not as strong as this little dude's ma

Sam: she could have bench pressed me

Iris: ooh👀

Sam: I think I pulled something when we were together

Iris: oooooh👀c

Iris: gimme the hot goss

^monotone lucretia voice

Sam, scooting closer: so she drops this on my desk, right?

Iris: ‼️

Sam: "here, you live a cushy, domestic life. Take this"

Sam: what am I supposed to do with this? I ask Sam: she snorts, patronizingly I might add Sam: "use your fancy academy education and figure it out"

Sam: >:T she must think I'm some kind of coddled highborn

Iris: she sounds cool

Marco: you would think that

Sam: she was that big tall starling his fancy pants-ness brought with him

Sam: look at me forging alliances

Sam: you're all welcome

Sam: you're next marco

Iris: oh, you mean

Eh?

Iris: Shabina?

Sam: is that her name? Huh 🤔

Iris: you didnt even know her name? 👀c

Sam: she doesnt know mine so I think we're square

Sam: she called me desk jockey at one point

Iris: oooh, she mentioned you

Sam: oh?

Iris: “the desk jockey had these soft hands, and knew how to use them”

Marco: uGH

Sam, leaning back: ha, totally me

Marco: what do you mean I’m next?

I like this iris dynamic with sam and marco tbh

Sam: maybe I can teach you sometime Marco, y'know, to get a leg up in his royal ominous-ness

Yeah same

Marco: what the fuck is that sentence

Iris: language, pup

Sam: I mean we're going to help you seduce iridona

Sam: get you a palace guard

Marco: what

Iris: now that you’ve got an egg you’re wanting to play matchmaker?

Sam: yes

Sam: I'm feeling domestic

Marco: oh please after you got Celi in your clutches you wouldnt leave me and Dad and Marse alone about “finding someone”

Sam: you're welcome btw, told you I'd find you a twink

Iris: my private life is not up for speculation

Iris: how did you find him for me?

Sam: oh you think you found him on accident?

Iris: I like to find my own beaus thank you very much

Sam: [snickers] okay

Iris: [narrows her eyes]

Marco: nice

Marco: maybe Sam can get you ankid too

Iris slaps his arm

Sam: yeah, maybe Sam: my cup runneth over with them, apparently

Sam: I'll keep doing a whirlwind tour of the willing starling ewes that could break me in half in the eastern kingdom and make everyone an egg

Sam: [sighs] Sam: I'm gonna go to the library to get some books on parenting I guess

Sam: who wants to come with?

Iris, winding her arm thru sam’s: there’s a section on combat training that could be useful for a growing young starling

Sam: just because my hatchling's mom was a meathead doesn't mean they have to be

Iris: oh no no

Iris: not a meathead per say. but a cool and collected young ewe or ram with the ability to defend themselves from enemies

Marco: should you decide to keep the hatchling, you’ll have so many people to help with the kid, they wont even need it

Iris: but they should know

Iris: maybe young master DeSantos can learn some seduction techniques

Marco: >:|

Sam: yeah I've got plenty of that

Marco; Irid has enough on her plate

Sam: what, some kid playing king?

Sam: if the other palace guard has enough time to waste with me I'm sure irid can stomach a date or two with you

Sam: c'mon, let's go to the library

Marco: maybe he was just looking to make friends

Sam: mostly because I don't remember how to get there :<

He was but also sam’s right

Iris: pfft

Iris tugs on his arm

Iris moved over to the capital after losing her first husband. She lost him awhile back when she was just friends with dm

Later when she struggles marco and dm and sam help comfort her

Iris and sam and marco at the fantasy baby store

Trying to figure out what to get a soon to be hatchling

this is a knowledge nads au also

Ooooooo

to prepare you for this variant

is Nads a librarian

nads is a librarian

Bookmage

Book battle mage

We gotta figure out how to incorporate some of this into one of our long standing au’s

Nads: Hi, welcome to Talondrop Library :DDD

Iris: 👀|c hello, young miss

Sam, muttering: it's way too early in the morning for this kind of pep

Iris quietly: I like her, hush

Marco nods

Iris: might we be directed to the section on baby care?

Nads: how can I help you all? c: Nads: unless you're part of that group that's been stealing books in which case I won't hesitate to use force >:c [pulls out an envelope opener]

Iris: 👀|c like a real life Bilbo

Nads who is probably as tall or taller than Iris

Nads: oh, sure! :DDD [she still doesn't put away the opener]

Nads: right this way

Nads: what kind of baby is it? I've organized the whole section by species

Iris: impressive

Iris: a hatchling, eventually

Nads: ✨✨✨

Nads: I see! Nads: that explains why you walked in with an egg 🤔

Nads: I didn't want to assume

Nads: what in particular are you looking for? feeding? education? c: Sam: uh...everything? Nads: first time parent? I got you c;

Nads grabs one of those book carts

Nads: I'll be back in just a second with a selection!

Sam: This vibe is weird

Sam: this is making it all so...realy

Sm@l iris befriending sam after she and celi visit to have their case looked at

Iris and sam gossiping

Iris: true, but we’re at the intel gathering stage

Iris: if you’re gonna decide, you should do it well as informed as possible

Sam: intel gath- Sam: iris I'm getting baby books, I'm not on a mission

Sam: marco, you've been awfully quiet

Marco: ... just taking it in

Marco: dont want to add more noise

Sam: more than our new "friend"? I'm sure you're fine

Sam: it is awfully quiet in here though

Sam: like more than a library usually is

Nads, with a pyramid of books: I'm back, hi c:

Sam: jeez, this is uh Nads: just a small selection, I know

Sam: wasn't what I was thinking tbh

Nads: I've got a small sampling of everything you'd ever want to know

Nads: feeding, bathing, teaching; the works

Sam, looking over a book: uuuuh

Nads: and, most important of all, hatching

Sam: Sam: oh shit I forgot that part

Marco leafs thru a book

Iris: thank you, Miss...?

Nads: Nadia~ c:

Nads: Talondrop Library's head librarian

Iris: Nadia c: I’m Iris

Iris: this is Marco and thats Sam

Nads: ...!!! :OOO Nads: you're from that academy aren't you?

Marco nods

Nads: I hear you guys are hosting the King of the Eastern Kingdom

Marco: pft

Marco: yeah now we are

Iris: always interesting, having visiting foreign entities

Nads: that's so neat, it must be exciting to swap stories c: Sam, muttering: and fluids c:', c: ', c:',

Sam: right marco

Marco: oh gross

Sam: marco

Sam: right

Nads: is there anything else I can help you all with today? c: Sam: yeah, you got any books on seduction so we can help my man over here? c:',

Marco: >:| stop this

Nads: 🤭 we have some romance books if he would be interested

Marco: I am not

Nads: of course! If you'll follow me to the counter

Nads: okay, so you have two weeks before you either have to return or renew them

Nads: I'll just need your signature right here Sam: alright

Nads: and right here Sam: 'kay Nads: and a drop of your blood Sam: ok- what

Nads: for the blood pact c: Nads: if you don't return the books on time there'll be a fee, and if you don't return it in a month's time I'll hunt you down

Sam:

Marco:

Iris: 👀

Sam, taking the pin: fine, I don't want to have to walk to the bookstore

sam pricks himself and a drop of blood falls onto the small magic circle on the counter

it evaporates into a cloud of pink smoke

Nads: the contract is sealed Nads, pushing the books towards him: have a lovely day :DDD

Sam@marco and iris: what, don't look at me like that

Sam: I need these books, I'm completely lost without them

Sam studying the books in his office while marco chills

maybe talking about how irid kicked his ass during training that day?

yes i love this

marco puts his feet up on sam's desk

what does sam do in this?

what if its the same gag

he does everything and nothing

and has an office

I like it

nobody knows what he does

but dm says he's invaluable

marco: so I look up she has the dumbest smirk on her face

marco: and decks me and I fall off the log and loose the whole ass challenge

Sam: HA, classic

marco, throwing the candy wrapper from the candy he nabbed from sam's candy dish on his desk in the wastebasket: stupid

Sam: was your love rival there

Marco: my what?

Marco: I have no such thing

Marco: Iridona is a colleague

Marco: who lied technically

Sam: we've all lied once or twice

So ya know how in older movies, a couple dancing in a big fancy number was like

Lowkey highkey hinting toward their chemistry in bed

That but its how irid and marco fight or fight together

Marco: Samir

Sam: like when you asked what happened to your piece of cake that day in third grade

Marco: excuse you

Sam: and I said your sister must have taken it

Sam: and Marco, you don't have to lie about that absolutely sizzling sexual chemistry you have with her

Sam: and don't let what's his face psyche you out

Marco:

Marco: 😳 n- no-

Marco: aw fuck it

Marco: It doesnt feel right to just up and

Sam: 👀

Marco: “hey so how about this thing I think is between us”

Sam: well sure if you wanna be all Sam: werewolf Sam: about it

Sam: take a starling approach

Sam: romance her

Sam: flirt

Sam: flash her that roguish smile

Sam: instead of ballroom dancing to express your feelings you two spar Sam: it's like its own dance, in a way

Marco: ugh dont remind me. If i was gonna go all werewolf, I’d tackle her during training and growl into her ear about all the stuff i’d love to do to her and see if she’s down

Sam: rhythmic, passionate

Marco: not cool

Marco:

Sam: hey now that's not werewolf Sam: werewolf is "hello milady, I would like to mount you, do I have thine permission?""

Marco: “would thou consent to be bred-eth?”

*wouldst

Sam: "I think you'll find I'm a suitable caretaker, watch me bench this deer carcass"

Marco: heheh

Marco: seriously, I dont even know if shes interested

Sam: well

Sam: test the waters

Sam: you don't have to be blunt about it

Sam: even though I know it's in your desantos dna

Sam: maybe we should have gotten you one of those seduction books

Sam: I've finished all these books and have to return them, I could pick one up c;

Marco: hatred

Marco: utter hatred

Sam: love you too

Marco: wait you read all of those books?

Sam: yes

Sam: Also I haven't slept

Sam: I'm sure it's fine

Marco: soo

Marco: have you come any closer to a decision?

Sam: mmm

Sam: I don't know

Sam: it's only been one day

Sam: Maybe once I get more books

Marco: I-

Marco: hold on

Sam: and return these before I get stabbed in my sleep or something 😒

Sam: what is it boy

marco: are you gonna chat up the cute head librarian

Sam: is celio stuck in a well

marco: utter loathing

Sam: what? I mean I guess I have to

marco: u t t e r  l o a t h i n g

Sam: I'm pretty sure she's the only librarian

Sam: cute eh? should I alert irid that she's lost her chance? 👀

Sam: anyway I need more books because honestly I'm starting to freak out

Marco: aw sami

Sam finding nads one day super depressed looking in the dark by herself

And when he gets her attention she's like "!!!" And tries to put on her customer service persona

He asks what's wrong and she tells him that the library's going to be shut down soon and it's all she has

Sam asking dm if there's any openings for the academy library

Dm: well

Dm: theres a lot of openings since part of every intellectual department was infested with Asrani loyalist so

Dm: yes

Sam: nice Sam: um Sam: can I ask for a favor

Dm: and poor Avalene is stretched thin between sorting out the archives and trying to sort out the library

Sam: nothing big this time, I promise

Dm:

Sam: look

Sam: the library in town is slated to be shut down

Sam: and the librarian there has really been helping out with the whole Sam: surprise fatherhood thing

Dm: ah yes

Dm: that aside, I hope you know you can count on me and Marco for support with that.

Sam: I mean granted loaning out books is a librarian's job

Sam: right, thank you sir

Sam: I'll...keep that in mind

Dm: >:| you mean isolate yourself eventually

Dm: anyway 😤

Dm: I’ll see what I can do

Sam: [bats his lashes]

Dm: the young woman in Talondrop? The enthusiastic one?

Sam: that's her

Dm: hm

Dm: I’ll get back to you

Sam: thanks

Dm dials the extension for the library where avilene has set up shop

The academy one

Dm: would you like to take on an experienced young librarian with enthusiasm for the jo- Avilene, loud enough for sam to hear thru the phone: yES

dm nods at sam

Sam: great, I'll let her know

Sam: see, I told you I'd be an asset

Sam: strengthening ties between our neighbors, finding new employees

Dm waves him away: yes yes

"So like I heard you knocked up one of my guards?"

Dm: tell my son to stop dancing around his very obvious crush on Ser Velezquez

Sam: I've tried

Dm: 😒

Sam: I promise I've tried

[theclockworkbibliophile-blog]

Roar ARC Book Review

Summary:

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.

She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

My Review:

I received an advanced copy from Tor Teen in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been very excited for this book ever since I got approved to be on the list to receive a finished copy before its release. I’ve never really read anything by Cora Carmack, but this synopsis and the GORGEOUS cover blew me away. 

Aurora’s mother has decided to set her up with a dark Stormling prince that isn’t the typical prince type you read in fairytales. He has a dark personality and, when Aurora learns about his plans to take the throne, she runs off to a market where she discovers a team of women and men that hunt storms and control them with Stormhearts. She meets Locke and he is set to train her to become a part of their time, all the while hiding the fact that she is a princess with the ruse of Roar. 

There is so much that I want to talk about with this book without giving away too much! 

I want to talk about Aurora aka Rora aka Roar. Yeah, she has a lot of names. However, under her alias Roar, she is someone that a young girl can definitely look up to. She has such a strong heart that she is willing to face anything, no matter the harm that comes with it. These storms are connected to her as she struggles to find her true calling in her family, whether or not she is a Stormling. Her journey with this hunting team is amazing to read about, too. She isn’t the kind of girl that winces at dirt on her hands. Hell, there is a scene where she gets covered in mud to complete an obstacle course and she is LAUGHING WITH DELIGHT! This is the kind of girl, the kind of PRINCESS, that we can look up to and admire. You will want to be Roar after reading this book.

So, Locke. You’ll be kind of wary about this guy only because of his name. His name is actually the same last name as that dark prince mentioned above. But, I’m going to tell you now that it is just a nickname because he came from Locke. It’s also a place. Anyway, Locke is almost described and imagined as that one guy with long hair that is undeniably sexy. You’ll agree with me when I say he is a total book boyfriend; a total babe. He is the stubborn male, of course. He definitely has some secrets that are actually heartbreaking, but he is much wiser than he appears to be. He is also protective of the band of hunters that he normally leads. 

So, we are going to talk about his relationship with Roar. This is what I am leading into. 

The moment they meet, the tension is there. You know, the good kind. I wouldn’t call it insta-love. It’s that kind of thing where there is an obvious connection as it builds through the chapters. These two are comfortable with each there whether they can admit it or not. Locke actually challenges Roar to reach a strong potential, like when he trains her. He likes to make her run and race her. Also, he is the kind of guy that has a foot in his mouth. So, their conversations sometimes end in arguments. But, they can’t stay away from each other. Correction: LOCKE is the one that can’t stay away from her. Roar is trying hard to stay independent due to the fact the dark prince, Cassius, really broke her trust in people. However, their connection is really something that can’t be ignored. It’s as if their relationship is meant to be the kind of thing where they make an excellent team against these storms. It was really amazing to read. It’s definitely a relationship that you’ll want to see survive.

Now...the ending. So, normally in novels that feature a character hiding their true identity, their real identity is normally announced or accidentally revealed to their love interest, a friend, more than one person, etc. We are used to seeing that in the first book of a series, you know?

I don’t consider this part too much of a spoiler. But, I just want you guys to be aware how epic the second book will probably be because of this: Aurora’s real identity (you know, she is a princess) is NOT revealed to the band of hunters, especially Locke, in this book. When you reach the end of this book, it is still kept a secret. And that actually scares me. There’s a girl named Sly in the book that really believes Aurora has a secret. But, what really scares me is how Locke will feel when he finds out about this. It’s kind of like a TV season cliffhanger at the very last episode of said season. It ends in a weird place, yet the secret or major thing won’t be revealed until the next season, early in the first few episodes. So, I believe the secret will finally be revealed in the second book, of course, and it will probably be early on. You know how there is normally tension between love interests throughout most of the second book in series for some awful reason? Yeah, the secret will cause this tension and a questioning of trust. I honestly believe, in my opinion, this is what will happen. And it will drive us crazy. Am I right, Cora? 

I need the second book. Like magically written already and in my mailbox. I’ll sell my soul for it.

This book is available June 13, 2017!

My Rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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