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thisfairytalegonebad · 1 year ago

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Cold Compress - Whumptober day 13

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Character: Gladiolus Amicitia Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None

Read below the cut or on AO3 here.

Gladio may think he’s being sneaky in hiding his injury, and maybe it would even work on someone less observant, but if Ignis prides himself in one thing, it’s his ability to notice even small things other people wouldn’t bother taking note of.

He didn’t actually see how Gladio got hurt, but he sees the way he’s favouring his right leg a little. He sees the faint sheen of sweat on Gladio’s forehead and the slightly paler-than-usual colour of his face.

The question is just, how badly is he injured?

Ignis doesn’t want to call him out in front of Prompto and Noct - he trusts Gladio, knows the man has got to have a good reason for not mentioning whatever is troubling him to them.

For now, he’d wait and keep a close eye on him while he waits for an opportunity to talk to him in private.

It’s a miserable day. They’ve been running around the Vesperpool for hours and it’s been raining since yesterday evening. They’re all soaked and caked in mud and Ignis would just about sell his soul for a hot cup of coffee right now.

The others aren’t faring much better. Noct hasn’t said a word in nearly an hour, marching around the mud with quiet determination. Under normal circumstances, Ignis feels nothing but pride whenever his charge offers his aid to someone in need, but in this particular instance, well. Sania could probably have lived without her frogs for a little while longer.

Prompto has long stopped singing, now simply trudging after them with his head down to keep the rain from getting in his eyes. He’s shivering quite noticeably, and Ignis is torn between feeling sympathy for him and fighting the urge to point out that he’d told him to perhaps consider putting on a jacket this morning instead of opting for his sleeveless shirt again.

And Gladio, ever the wilderness enthusiast, seemed to be quite content for a considerable while, but at one point between fighting sahagins, an entire family of overgrown poultry, a swarm of angry killer wasps and sahagins again, he was injured and his mood has dropped a good bit since then.

“Noct,” Ignis tries cautiously. “Perhaps we ought to postpone this search for another day. I’m sure the hunters would be willing to rent the caravan to us for another night, and then we can continue looking tomorrow. According to the forecast, the weather should be better tomorrow.”

“But I saw it earlier,” Noct insists. “I swear I saw it hopping around over here! Besides, Sania said they’re more likely to come out during rainy weather.”

With their luck, the damn frog has probably been eaten by a sahagin in the meantime, but Ignis doesn’t say that. Instead, he holds back a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose, both to keep himself from snapping at Noct and to try and stave off the headache that’s starting to set in. He’s taken off his glasses hours ago, unable to see properly with the rain droplets covering the lenses, and now he’s paying the price for that.

----

After nearly another hour, it’s slowly getting dark and even Noct is forced to admit that they’ll have to continue their frog search some other time.

Prompto is shivering nearly uncontrollably now despite the fact that he’s wearing Ignis' jacket - yes, Ignis may have told him to put on his own jacket this morning, but he still couldn’t stand watching the boy suffer any longer - and Gladio…

Ignis stops, realising he’s no longer hearing Gladio’s heavy footsteps behind him.

He quickly turns and spots Gladio leaning against a tree a few paces behind him, looking more than slightly pale.

“Gladio?” he asks, quietly so as to not alert the other two, but alarmed all the same. “Are you quite alright?”

“Fine,” Gladio grunts, even though Ignis can see that he really isn’t. “Sagahin got me in the leg earlier. Not that bad earlier, but I guess walking around on it didn’t do me any favours.”

“Did you take a potion?” Ignis asks, although he already knows the answer.

Just like he suspected, Gladio shakes his head. “Nah. Like I said, wasn’t that bad and we’re running low as it is. I’ll be fine, just gotta get out of this damn swamp.”

“That we can agree on,” Ignis sighs. “Alright, but you’ll take one if you feel it’s getting worse, no arguments. Are you alright to continue on for now?”

“Sure.” Gladio pushes himself off the tree and goes to catch up with the other two who are still marching on, and Ignis notes with concern that his limp has grown more pronounced.

----

They’ve barely been walking for another five minutes when Gladio suddenly staggers to the side and throws up, supporting himself against a tree so he doesn’t fall face-first into the mud.

Immediately, Ignis is at his side - he’s well aware that he’s been hovering, and now it looks like that wasn’t all that wrong of a thing to do.

“Gladio, you’re taking that potion now.”

He already has it in hand, crushing it against Gladio’s leg before he can protest.

“Thanks.” Gladio’s voice is raspy and his cheeks flushed.

“Change of plan,” Ignis says as soon as Prompto and Noct have joined them, staring wide-eyed at Gladio. “We get back to the car as soon as possible and try to make it back to Meldacio before it grows fully dark.

He’s not sure what’s wrong with Gladio. He doesn’t look all that much better after the potion, but the cut wasn’t bad enough for him to have lost a lot of blood or anything similar. Perhaps it’s just exhaustion catching up with him.

Either way, Gladio doesn’t look like he’s going to get far on his own, so Ignis slips his arm around his waist to support him. They can’t afford to lose any more daylight if they want to make it back to Meldacio for the night.

As they make their way back to the car, Gladio leans on Ignis more and more heavily until Ignis is almost bearing his full weight, and he has never been so glad to see the Regalia than at this moment.

They quickly load Gladio into the backseat, leaving him to lean his head against the window with his eyes closed, and then Ignis floors it towards Meldacio.

Luckily, no one has handed out speeding tickets in the countryside of Lucis for a long time, so they make it to the hunters’ headquarters with a fair share of traffic violations and barely any daylight to spare.

Prompto jumps out of the car to rent the caravan for the night, Noct goes to find a doctor or at least someone with some medical knowledge and the equipment to go with it, and Ignis is left to help Gladio out of the car.

“How are you holding up?” he asks as he lets Gladio lean on him for support again.

“Been better,” Gladio mutters and Ignis is inclined to believe him - even through the thick leather of Gladio’s jacket, he can feel heat radiating off him.

Noct joins them with a face like a storm cloud, announcing that apparently, the only medic at the outpost has recently left for the gas station near Greyshire Glacial Grotto to tend to an employee who has fallen ill. He did however manage to get them to sell some medical supplies to him.

At least Prompto comes bearing better news and the key to the caravan - they’re allowed to stay for as long as they need as long as they pay up before they leave.

----

By the time Gladio is out of his wet clothes and in bed, and Ignis actually gets to take a look him over, Gladio is trembling and burning up with fever.

Ignis checks the leg first, but the skin is smooth and uninjured, knitted back together perfectly by the potion.

There’s nothing else wrong with his legs, so Ignis works his way up to Gladio’s torso and back, and then he spots it - a rather small, shallow wound on the back of his neck. It’s puffy and swollen and while it should have healed with the potion, the fact that it didn’t means that there’s something else causing Gladio’s illness.

Poison.

“Gladio, did the mushussu hit you?” Ignis asks, running his hand over the cut. It’s warm to the touch and likely tender from the way Gladio flinches away from his fingers.

Gladio frowns, but then simply shrugs. “I dunno. If it did, I didn’t notice.”

Ignis eyes him warily for a moment but lets it go. Gladio sounds genuine enough, and he’s not one to hide injuries just for the fun of it. If he says he didn’t notice, Ignis believes him.

He has the boys run back to the shop to buy an antidote, but he knows the poison has already been in Gladio’s system for too long for an antidote to cure him. He’s going to have to ride out the fever on his own.

“I do wish we had noticed this sooner,” Ignis sighs as he gently places the cold compress on Gladio’s forehead.

Gladio blinks up at him and says with a crooked smile, “Yeah, me too.”

His eyes are glassy with fever, his face pale except for his flushed cheeks, and he’s shivering despite the blanket they covered him with. It’s unsettling to see him like that, their physically strongest fighter reduced to a trembling lump of misery by a small cut like that.

He’s clearly fighting to stay awake, and Ignis wants nothing more than to let him sleep, but he wants to at least get some water into him before he does so. But giving him water while he’s still poisoned would be futile, he’d likely throw it back up within minutes.

Soon, the caravan door opens and the other two hurry inside, handing Ignis the antidote. Ignis quickly gives it to Gladio who crushes it in his hand.

“Here, drink this,” Ignis instructs, helping Gladio sit up a bit more so he can sip from the offered bottle. “Slowly, or you’ll make yourself sick.”

“Yes, Mom,” Gladio says, but the teasing effect is somewhat lost due to how weak and pitiful it comes out, so Ignis lets it slide. Instead, he guides Gladio to lie back down, and pulls the blanket up to cover all of him.

“Get some rest,” he says gently, smoothing his hand over Gladio’s hair for a moment before he stands.

“’Kay,” Gladio says, drowsy and not all there, and then he’s out like a light.

----

Read all of my Whumptober prompt fills here.

#whumptober2023 #no.13 #cold compress #ffxv #final fantasy xv #fic #thisfairytalegonebad's writing #gladiolus amicitia

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smokeybrandreviews · 1 year ago

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My Reunion

I shill hard for Final Fantasy. That series is riddled with masterpiece titles. Final Fantasy VI, IX, XII, XIV, XV, and XVI are some of my all-time favorite games, not to mention the pure quality of their spin-offs. Say what you will about Kingdom Hearts but those games revolutionized the entire JRPG industry, for better or worse, with their battle system and Final Fantasy Tactics is just pure brilliance. For me, however, Final Fantasy VII stands alone. This game is arguably my all-time favorite and I've been on that Compilation train since it set sail some two decades ago. I've been yearning for a remake since the original dropped so, when FFVIIR finally released, i was all over that thing. Imagine my surprise when it wasn't a remake but a reimagining. This wasn't the game i remember. This wasn't the title i wanted. I was glad to have it but all i actually wanted was the original game, with the original battle system, updated to modern specs. That's all. Then Square dropped news of Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis. That game was everything i wanted Remake to be and more. I needed it in my life immediately. Well, it finally released earlier this month and I've been neck deep into ever since. Let me say, this thing turned out to be much, much, better than i expected.

Mobile origins aside, Ever Crisis is a through-and-through Final Fantasy title. It plays like a proper RPG. It has that familiar turn based system that i missed so much but with a more kinetic, more fluid, presentation. It doesn't feel as stiff as the original title but, at the same time, plays almost exactly like it. The updated graphics and detail go a long way to feeding my excitement but why wouldn't it? Squenix has had almost thirty years to figure out how to improve this specific title since it's initial release, and they've been taking notes. Models, lighting, camera work, sound; They all pop on my phone. No exaggeration, Ever Crisis is the most gorgeous thing I've ever played on my mobile device and that's saying a lot because, i mean, this thing is a goddamn phone! For these cats to produce something so polished for my goddamn telephone is a borderline miracle. More than that, this sh*t is fun to play. If you're an RPG guy like me, the grind to max out everything is definitely there. I've been on this thing for for weeks and my three primary characters, my Wrecking Crew, have all leveled to forty-five of a fifty cap. Tifa, Cloud, and Zack are monstrously overpowered but that doesn't mean i left the rest of my squad in the dust. Every character on your roster gets a percentage of your experience. Obviously, the ones who do the fighting directly get the most but those in reserve also benefit. I think the lowest level characters i have at the moment are Barrett and Aerith, both of whom are sitting at a comfortable forty. That's enough to beat most of the initial story missions with ease but you know me; I'm about domination. I want all the power. I want all the strength. So i grind like a madman, doing everything in my power, to increase my power, and that's where the uniqueness of the mobile nature pops in.

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is, for sure, a mobile title. You have a daily stamina count which restricts you from doing anything in excess outside of first run Story missions, but that's okay because the drops are both plentiful and generous. I have so many stamina boosts, it's absurd. When i run out, i just re-up to some absurd number and keep grinding out. You have designated Enhancement options ranging from pure experience, Weapon material, Synthesis material, and apparently Premium Quests which, when unlocked, go a LONG way to maxing out your characters through the Growth Trees. As long as you have Stamina, you can run at this stuff all day. Obviously, that's what the f*ck I've been doing. A lot of your more powerful Limit Breaks are located on this tree but it also boosts your stats. I cannot stress enough how much i enjoy the option of just being able to GO to a place and get what i need to power up my character. More games not bound to my phone or some ridiculous monetary system, should implement this sh*t. And that brings me to the borderline frustrating aspect of Ever Crisis; It's a goddamn mobile game.

I'm a vet of the Gacha game system. Been playing Fate/Brand Order and Azur Lane for years. I've dabbled in other titles and realize that some gachas are fair while others are horrifying. FGO is definitely the latter but EC is, for sure, the former. I don't know if it's because we're still within the launch window but i find the Banners in this game to be relatively reasonable. They don't cost an exorbitant amount of in-game currency (you actually get a ton of it as you make your way through the title) and i was able to cash out some strong, six star, weaponry early on. Like, i naturally rolled Cloud's strongest weapon three days in and have already leveled that bad boy up to fifty. The flip side is that it took forever to pop a five star anything for Lucia or Barrett. I'm talking this week, forever. Fortunately, it was Barrett's ultimate weapon, twice, and Luchia's penultimate so i'm good. Kind of. It sucks because there is a noticeable difference in the absence of that one star. Seriously, i do work with these gold weapons but the purple ones? It's rough, I'll just say that. Don't even bother with the blue stuff. It's all joke. All in all, the gacha, itself, is fair. I've never felt like i "needed" to pay for crystals but the option is there if you choose to do so. I have no idea how this is going to go after the game has been out for a while and the luster dims a bit but, as of right now, I'm good with the drop rate.

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is the remake of FFVII i wanted in the first place. It plays like a proper RPG and is easily my favorite mobile game to date. The gacha isn't an asshole and progress is plentiful as long as you actually play the game. I don't see myself getting frustrated by all the mobile game-isms like battle power caps and the incessant grind because, so far, it's all relatively pleasurable. Progress hasn't fallen off a cliff like it does in Genshin Impact and it's not taxing my pockets like FGO. Before anything, this is a game you actually play and it is more than enjoyable, especially if you're an older fan like myself. I never feel like it's a situation where i just set it and forget it, though, that's kind of the goal. I want to max out my guys so the grind can just be automatic in preparation for the later levels. I've always been hesitant when it comes to mobile titles because most of them feel like cash grabs or shovelware. Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis does not. This feels like a worthy entry into the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and i cannot wait to see where Square Enix takes us next.

#Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy VII #Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis

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itsgeecheebitch · 1 year ago

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TITLE: Until Darkness Descends

CHAPTER: 6

SERIES: The Fall Part 1 of 4

FANDOM: Final Fantasy XV

PAIRING: Ardyn Izunia x reader

RATING: Mature

AUTHOR'S NOTE: this chapter was originally almost 5,000 words, which is way longer than my usual chapters. So I'm just going to release this scene in bite sized chunks. It's much easier to edit and proofread 1,200-2,000 words versus 5,000. Hopefully me separating the scene this way wont cause any confusion. The scene starts in the present before going into the past. The next chapter will pick up in the past before returning to the present.

The world swished by him at a rapid speed, causing the naked arid landscape to careen past his car. The warm afternoon wind felt good as it combed through his auburn hair and kissed his cheeks. It was going to be a long drive to Insomnia but Ardyn didn’t mind. Usually his preferred mode of travel was teleportation, but there was a sort of mundane charm to driving. It gave Ardyn the time to think and he had much to think about.

Eight years have passed since your arrival to Insomnia and you are now 18 years old. He failed to visit you on birthday last week but it couldn’t be helped. There was only but so many times he could forsake his duties as chancellor before the bill came due. He had to spend the last six weeks catching up on paperwork, attending tedious court meetings, and voting on frivolous empire laws and legislation he had little care or interest in.

He hoped you didn’t miss him too much but Ardyn supposed you were used to his unannounced disappearances by now. Sometimes he would disappear for months before showing himself again. He still had plans to execute and events to set into motion after all. Whenever he would return he would always come bearing gifts.

At first, the gifts were a means to placate you, to keep you from asking too many questions or bemoan his long absence. After a while, Ardyn started to look forward to the way your face would light up whenever you were presented with a gift.

Ardyn looked over at the glossy pink box that was tied in a perfect bow in his passenger seat. This time he splurged a little and got you something better than a trinket. A necklace with a delicate silver chain and red ruby in its heart shaped center. The perimeter of the heart was bedazzled in tiny diamonds, as were the heart shaped earrings that came with it. A smile graced his face at the thought of seeing your eyes brighten in delight.

The moment the smile registered in his mind, he immediately pulled it down into a scowl. He was not enchanted by you by any means. Your smile did not cause his heart to stutter, or his cheeks to hum with a foreign warmth. It most certainly did not make his skin itch with the need to be near you.

The gifts, like everything else he did for you, was just another means to an end. Another method that would bear fruit in the end the moment it came time to usher in phase two of his plans for you. For some reason the reminder of his plans brought a foul taste to his mouth but he ignored it.

He continued to drive down the lonely meandering road with nothing but his thoughts to keep his boredom at bay. As fate would have it you remained in Insomnia and adjusted to your new life as the prince’s personal healer. Your shoulders seemed lighter every time he came to see you, and you smiled more freely.

You spent less and less time around your parents and more and more time at the citadel. But your busy schedule wasn’t enough to completely free you from their cruel clutches. Ardyn had to do that himself. It was four years ago. He came to see you a little after your 14th birthday and planned to take you to see the circus. It had been a few years since you last beseeched Ardyn to spirit you away, although your desire to see your circus family never wavered. In order to keep you happy, Ardyn started to take you to see them a couple of times a year.

At first, the idea went smoothly. Ardyn would take you to see them every couple of months and the same song and dance would commence at every visit. They would greet you, exchange heartfelt hugs, give Ardyn a questioning, wary look, and then ignore him for the rest of the night in favor of talking to you. For years nothing came of those visits, until it did.

He remembered teleporting into your bedroom. Being a member of the court had been kind to you, bestowing you with riches that washed away your old life. Your room was as pristine and luxurious as the last time he saw it.

A plush pink and white rug laid underneath his boot clad feet and was swallowed by the presence of an enormous queen sized bed. Translucent pink curtains tumbled around the bed from the canopy, giving the room a true princess feel. And no opulent bedroom is complete without a chandelier.

It dangled above the bed and shed soft white light upon the vanity table. Ardyn walked over to the table, his curiosity piqued at the array of makeup and perfume bottles that littered the table’s surface. That’s when he heard it, the sharp piercing sound of skin hitting skin, followed by a cry and the loud crash of someone hitting the ground.

Anticipation was hot on his heels as he stormed towards your bedroom door. He didn’t even need to press his ear against the wood in order to hear her venomous voice stab through the wood.

“How is it my fault?!” Came the shrill voice of your mother.

“How is it not your fault?!” What Ardyn assumed was your father, replied.

He heard your mother scoff. “You honestly think it's my fault that she’s out there chasing after older men? You’re more stupid than I already thought you were.” That made Ardyn pause. They weren’t talking about you, were they? You weren’t the type to entertain the lecherous whims of men. And besides, you were still just a child. What gave them the impression you were seducing older men?

Venom dripped from your father’s words when he replied, “you watch your fucking mouth.

“Please, just stop already-”. Came your mousey plea. Your voice sounded wobbly and stripped bare as though you were fighting a losing battle with your emotions.

“Did I tell you you could speak?”

“No, let her talk.” Your mother’s voice bled through the door. “Let her tell you all about why she has a taste for older men. Who knows? You just might learn a thing or two about yourself.”

There came another loud smack followed by your rushed desperate words. “Please just stop! I’m not doing any of those things, Ardyn is my friend”. Oh, so this was about him. Ardyn remembered feeling confused. How did your parents know about him? They never saw him. To his knowledge you never spoke a word about his existence to them so how?

Your father gave you a humorless chuckle, “I’m s’pposed to believe in that crap?”

“It's true!” You cried. “He is my friend and we never did any of those things. He’s not like that”.

“Why do you think a grown man would wanna hang around a little ass girl like you? So you could braid each other’s hair and go shopping? Is that what you believe? Huh? You’re as dimwitted as your mother.” Ardyn remembered hearing your father snarl. He learned a lot about your parentage over the years, some from your tales of woe, and others from his own research and observation. It turned out their marriage wasn’t one born out of romance and desire, but out of responsibility and duty.

Your mother was a prostitute whose services were highly favored by your father, a lonely circus performer. He used her services for a few months before she fell pregnant with his child, you. After that they eloped. The house of cards that was their situation collapsed the moment they said ‘I do’. Since then they were at constant war with each other, yelling, slapping, biting, and fighting one another. So much so that they relied upon their circus friends, your beloved ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ to raise you during the first few years of your childhood.

As repulsed as they were by one another, it didn’t stop them from constantly fucking like rabbits. Perhaps that was what kept them off the brink of divorce for all these years, that and the profit they leeched from your talents.

Your mother’s voice was the next one he heard. “I ain’t the one who gave her daddy issues, hun. This is all on you. As for you,” thwack! There was a familiar feminine cry, yours. She raised her hand at you. Blistering hot rage scorched the inside of his body. It snarled and seethed like a rabid beast out for blood. The grip he had on your doorknob was white knuckle tight. He remembered seeing black veins branch over the surface of his skin like webs, threatening to conquer his already fracturing mind.

Ardyn inhaled deeply and washed away the rage with his breath. The action only took some of the edge off but at least the black web was gone and he no longer felt the scourge wiggle and squirm inside of him. He didn't have time to question his reason for getting angry on your behalf since your mother began to speak again.

“Did you think we really wouldn’t find out?” Your mother continued.

“I wasn’t keeping him a secret!” You said, your voice heavy with tears.

“Oh so sneaking behind our backs to go visit the circus with him for all these years was just your way of introducing him to us? You’re fucking him?” So that’s how they found out about him. Your dear old auntie Maggie and uncle Renji spilled the beans. He had a feeling they would eventually notify your parents of his involvement in your life but he wasn’t sure. There had been radio silence between them and your parents for years, so Ardyn had no reason to suspect they would break the silence over this.

“For the last time, no!” You said.

“Honestly, I don’t really give a shit what you do but you better not fuck this up for us.” Your mother replied. Her apathetic words, coupled with the arctic chill in her voice, only excited Ardyn’s anger even more. “You really think King Regis would let you continue to play healer with his son while knowing you spread your legs for older men? Gods forbid you end up pregnant. So you’re going to stop seeing this man. You’re going to keep your legs close and not give king Regis any reason to toss you out of his court. Do you understand?”

“B-but I’m not-”

“Do you fucking understand?” Your mother shouted. Darkness branched across Ardyn’s vision. The acidic taste of anger soured his tongue and vibrated in his molars. The hand that wasn’t holding your doorknob twitched. It suddenly became harder to ignore that insufferable itch, the bloodlust that came with being a daemon. The urge existed just underneath his skin, kept under control by spreading the scourge. As he witnessed the healthy hue of his skin melt away from his limbs, he knew the itch would require way more than a simple spread of the disease to quench it. He needed blood and it was your parents' blood that filled his nostrils with the phantom scent of iron.

“Yes!” You cried.

That seemed to satisfy your mother, but your father’s disgruntled voice suggested otherwise for him. “That ain’t fucking good enough” He snarled.

An exhausted sigh seeped through the door and into Ardyn’s ears. “You brought this onto yourself.” Your mother said. Ardyn heard the soft jingle of metal, followed by the soft clap of leather.

“Come here.” Came your father’s voice.

“But daddy-”.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Ardyn remembered hearing your broken sob. Your soft footsteps whispered across the floor before they stopped and were replaced by the thwack of leather hitting skin. Your cries were nearly drowned out by the thunderous strikes. They were hitting you, beating you. He balled his hand into a tight fist. He could kill them. That was all Ardyn could think about at that moment, how sweet their blood would taste on his tongue, how beautifully they would decorate his palms.

If you weren’t in the house, Ardyn would’ve thrown the door open by now and slaughtered them. But he didn’t want you to witness their demise. Seeing Ardyn hurt someone could ruin the relationship he carefully cultivated between you. He needed it to remain strong. That meant he had to wait a while. Fortunately for Ardyn, he was a master at waiting.

He remembered waiting for about a month before an opportunity presented itself.

#fanfiction #fanfic #a03 fanfic #ardyn lucis caelum #ffxv ardyn #ffxv fanfic #ffxv #ffxv fic #ardyn x reader #ardyn izunia x reader #ardyn izunia #ff15 ardyn

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radiowrites · 2 years ago

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I posted 2,064 times in 2022

14 posts created (1%)

2,050 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@goneahead

@talesofsorrowandofruin

@distance-does-not-matter

@smittenbypoetry

@writerscreed

I tagged 2,057 of my posts in 2022

#writing - 1,290 posts

#lmao - 473 posts

#art - 211 posts

#fanfiction - 206 posts

#ghost hunt - 122 posts

#eye candy - 104 posts

#kpop - 85 posts

#fanart - 83 posts

#fma - 40 posts

#music - 35 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#yeah i’ve learned if i want english language fanfic for a korean drama i’m probably going to have to write it haha

My Top Posts in 2022:

Ten Random Lines

Rules: Pick any ten of your fics, scroll to the midpoint, pick a line (or three) and share it. Then tag ten people.

I was tagged by @radio-chatter! Thanks so much. This one looks fun!

Tagging: @writercorianarose @thedemoninthecorner @dreams-of-kalopsia @shesailsships @eyeliner-vampire @alonelyturtle @goneahead @csakuras and anyone else with fanfics they want to play this game with!

Ah, nothing like finding an error in a years old fic when doing a tag game...

Anyway, on to the lines. I jumped all around with the ages of the fics, and tried to do so with the fandoms, but if you are familiar with my works, you know that Ghost Hunt will dominate the list.

House of Memories / Fandom: Memorist (k-drama)

We’re not that close, she had told him, even if it had been slightly in jest. She had no right to watch over his restless slumber.

2. Day One / Fandom: Ghost Hunt (manga)

Only Mai could recognize the slight hitch of emotion in his voice.

3. Fix Me / Fandom: Ghost Hunt (manga)

“What do I need to do? Give over some blood, recite some spells?”

4. Unchained Melody / Fandom: Tale of the Nine Tailed (k-drama)

The moment broke when the music on her phone changed to something harsh and jarring.

5. The Last of the Real Ones / Fandom: Ghost Hunt (manga)

Luella told Eugene she believed him, of course. Mainly because she knew Oliver wouldn’t mess up his room for a prank. But no, she had not felt it.

6. Rebel Just For Kicks / Fandom: Final Fantasy XV (game)

Noctis pulled the truck to the side and went around the car. Ignis could see the fear-stricken faces of the passengers within.

7. A Noble Vow / Fandom: Pandora Hearts (manga)

She didn’t want to fall into another stupor and risk saying something stupid again.

8. Lost in the Echo / Fandom: Ghost Hunt (manga)

He dropped her off about a block from her home, and they never saw each other again.

See the full post

8 notes - Posted December 11, 2022

2021 Fic in Review

Tagged by @radio-chatter! Thank you! ^^

Hi, I’m RaisedonRadio & FortressofmyPast on AO3 and FF.net. This is a tradition going on for years! Check out my prior year end posts: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.

Total Number Of Completed Works: 2

Total Word Count: 4729

Fandoms I’ve Written In: Ghost Hunt (Japanese anime/manga), Memorist (Korean drama).

Looking Back, Did You Write More Fic Than You Thought You Would This Year, Less, Or About What You’d Expected?

Less. This past week I had hoped to finish another WIP, but instead I took the time to digitize a bunch of writing that had been trapped in notebooks. It was actually a lot of fun, there were so many stories I had forgotten about. But, do you know what this means? I ADDED SO MANY WIPs. -_-;; XD

What’s Your Own Favorite Story Of The Year?

I like them both for vastly different reasons.

Did You Take Any Writing Risks This Year?

I wrote for a fandom that only had two other fics in it - one in a language I don’t speak and one a crossover. It was fun because I had to know I was going into it with no anticipation of reader interaction. Truly had to write it because I wanted to.

Do You Have Any Fanfic Or Profic Goals For The New Year?

I’d definitely like to write more. Finish a few of these WIPs hanging around.

Most Popular Story Of The Year?

It’s not right to pit these two fics against each other, they are for very different fandoms, and I literally published the one on December 27th, so…

But I do like to compare the stats for AO3 and FF.net: Call You Mine had 6 reviews/29 favs on FF.net, and 6 comments/34 kudos/9 bookmarks on AO3. That’s a big deal, in the past years Ghost Hunt fics would get much more interaction on FF.net, now AO3 is breaking even.

Story Of Mine Most Under-Appreciated By The Universe, In My Opinion:

I appreciate every comment, kudo, and fav. I know I say this every year, but it’s true. I write for relatively small fandoms and whenever a reader takes the time to say hi, my heart glows.

Most Fun Story To Write:

Call You Mine. I went into it with the desire to make something incredibly fluffy as a birthday gift and I think I succeeded.

See the full post

10 notes - Posted December 31, 2021

First Lines Tag

Thanks for the tag, @talesofsorrowandofruin!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line, then tag some of your fellow authors!

I did a similar game to this a long time ago! It’ll be interesting to see if my opening style has changed any.

These are all fanfictions that can be found on my AO3. They were written from 2021 to 2017 are listed starting with the newest.

Some observations I found:

16 of the 20 are under 15 words long.

1 out of the 20 is in first person (but 3 of them could be, if just from the opening line.)

17 of the 20 introduce a character by name.

3 of the 20 open with dialogue.

My favorite? Probably from Rebel Just for Kicks.

Tagging!

@writercorianarose @thedemoninthecorner @dreams-of-kalopsia @radio-chatter @csakuras @scribblesandsorcery and anyone else that has first lines they want to share! Tag me!

At first, Seon Mi didn’t give the last words of Jin Jae Gyu any weight.

- House of Memories, Memorist

It was the weekend.

- Call You Mine, Ghost Hunt

Masako Hara paused at the street corner.

- Waste It On Me, Ghost Hunt

See the full post

12 notes - Posted January 21, 2022

I think I made like one post about Nanowrimo this month, but just wanted to say whoa! I hit 50k words! I had no idea what to expect going in when I had decided to start barely two weeks before November.

I definitely challenged my perfectionism when it comes to writing first drafts and just getting the words down, and that was my goal.

I’m ready to leave these characters alone for a bit and go dust off a few fanfictions starting in December, ha!

13 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Oh interesting, I've never done this before!

Since 31 of my 45 fics are from the manga/anime Ghost Hunt, that's going to dominate the list, but I'll stick in one different fandom just to prove I do write occasionally for others!

Hello everyone, I am RaisedonRadio & FortressofmyPast on AO3 and FF.net. Here is five of my favorite works by yours truly.

Lin's List

A list of 25 things for Lin to refrain from - and keep Oliver from doing - during their stay in Japan. As suggested by Madoka Mori.

A humorous little oneshot under 1000 words. An oldie that has aged well.

The Last of the Real Ones

Being determined to expose them all as frauds might mean losing a piece of himself along the way.

I will admit, I am a oneshot writer. So here is one of like, two chaptered works in my portfolio (not including oneshot collections).

A piece that focuses on a young Oliver when his paranormal skills start to take over his life.

Same Old Lang Syne

Should old acquaintances be forgotten, and never brought to mind?

A post-series look at if the gang drifted apart. Yes, it's based after the Dan Fogelberg song.

Lost in the Echo

Can you call it a reunion if you’ve never met before?

A look into one of Ghost Hunt's biggest mysteries - the death of Eugene Davis.

And the honorary mention fandom, for a kdrama titled Tale of the Nine Tailed:

Unchained Melody

He’s teaching her to drive, why can’t he teach her to dance, too?

I don't normally fall for non canon couples, but I fell hard for Rang and Yu Ri.

Thanks for reading!

14 notes - Posted May 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #radiowrites #raisedonradio

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smokeybrand · 1 year ago

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My Reunion

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ahdenyadahling · 2 years ago

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Final Fantasy XV- Fate & Destiny

note: mild language/violence

Chapter Seven, Part Two

“Oh!” Clumsily, he fumbled around the railing, walking backward toward his bunk, anxious that I had invaded his personal space. He forced a laugh, “I suppose you’re right. Although I don’t know how I can teach you how to dodge bullets with a whip.”

“Maybe Cor has a few ideas.”

“Yeah, he can—”

The door opened without warning, letting in a flood of bright orange light and Gladio. He hardly glanced at our faces as he spoke. “Yo, it’s time to head out.”

Prompto waved an arm toward the table, “But I didn’t get to eat!”

“Tough shit, what’ve you been doing in here this whole time?”

Prompto brushed by me and sat at the table, finishing his breakfast while Gladio inspected the camper for any personal belongings we may have left behind.

“So no training this morning?” I asked him.

He kept his back to me as he spoke. “No. Noct wants to get on the road. Maybe we can sometime in the afternoon if we stop before Lestallum.”

By his clipped sentences, I wasn’t sure if he was upset that we couldn’t train now, at Prompto’s apparent selfishness, or angry that Cor embarrassed him in front of us. Perhaps he was anxious about meeting this woman in Lestallum. Honestly, I was nervous too, although I know it’s foolish to be. Everyone else they’ve introduced me to has been friendly and professional. If anything, I’m the one causing them anxiety.

I guess I was lost in thought, for when I glanced up, Gladio was looming over me, and I flinched when he spoke:

“You, too. Get your bags. We’re leaving as soon as Prompto’s done dragging his ass.”

By now, Prompto had finished his meal and cleaned our plates, and apparently was tired of being singled out. “What the hell, man? Why do you blame me for everything?”

“You deserve it.” Gladio glanced from him to me before walking out, slamming the door behind him.

Prompto’s bottom lip protruded, accepting Gladio’s words as an uncomfortable truth, but his forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Why’s he taking it out on you, too?”

I shrugged, but I knew why. It was simple. Prompto saved me and Gladio didn’t. Prompto is my main concern until the day I die, and Gladio is… well, I don’t know how to describe what Gladio is to me. He’s awakening something in me that I’d never felt before. I think he feels the same, yet Ignis reminds him of his duty to Noctis persistently, and just seeing Prompto’s face reminds him of his connection to me.

I just needed some time to sort out my feelings while I got to know these guys better. It had been just over a week since we’d met. It was much too early to consider anything romantic, but because of the Scroll, it was in the forefront of my mind.

Abruptly, I turned and headed outside, shielding my eyes from the morning sun, already feeling the uncomfortable warmth. I tossed my duffel bag into the trunk of the Regalia and sat down in my assigned seat. The only one in the car before me was Ignis, and he said nothing to me until the other three began to approach.

He questioned, “When are you going to tell them?”

“Why don’t you figure that out?” I snapped and crossed my arms in front of my chest. If he wanted to be in charge of everything so badly, let him decide. It would certainly take some pressure off of me.

Ignis didn’t reply or change his expression as he started the ignition. The others took their places, eyes downcast.

Noctis, seemingly oblivious to the tension, smiled over at me as the car pulled onto the highway. “How’d you like your uniform? I’m glad we’re matching, ya know?”

I smirked and ran my hand over my pant-leg. “It’ll take some getting used to. I’m not used to wearing anything so tight.”

Gladio shifted uncomfortably and took out a book to read. Prompto put in his earbuds to listen to some music and he bounced his shoulders to the rhythm as Noct and I watched the scenery. In less than an hour, we left behind the golden sands and rocky dunes for green scrub grass, and soon after, tall, thin trees began to thrive along the roadside. The landscape soon became familiar to me, as we were headed back through Duscae on our way to the Cleigne region. I felt a twinge of homesickness as we passed the intersection hailing the Chocobo Race Track sign. If we turned left there, I could visit home. I wondered how my mother was faring without me.

I hadn’t realized I had turned in my seat, staring back at the road home until Noctis blocked my view by sitting atop the seat, letting the wind ruffle his dark hair. “We’ll go back,” he promised, “We’ve still got a couple of contracts to fulfill out there.”

“Like the Behemoth, Deadeye?”

“Yeah, for starters.”

I looked down into my lap. I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to that mission or not. It would be nice to avenge my father, but I was still inexperienced in actual battle.

Resting my head back, I gazed up at the bright blue sky, grateful for the return of white, billowing clouds and shade from the tall trees and mountains to our north. I relaxed to the point where I was simply in the presence of friends and not royalty, watching bird formations overhead instead of worrying about what the others thought of me. A couple times, I was aware of Gladio, shifting his leg away from mine in the small confines of the backseat, and Prompto turning in his seat to speak with Noct.

We began to pass into a large shadow, and I gasped slightly, awed by the sight. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I sat forward, staring up toward the formation above us. From my peripheral vision, I barely took notice of Noctis tapping Ignis on the shoulder, the driver acknowledging, “Certainly,” as the Regalia pulled onto the shoulder.

“Hey, Noct,” Prompto leaned over me to tap his friend’s knee, “This looks like a great spot for a little photo op, whattdya say?”

“I say,” the prince began, “We must be reading the same book—”

Ignis parked the car and exited, finishing the sentence, “Because we’re on the same page.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ignis and Gladio cross the street, hopping over metal guardrails as Prompto readied his camera. Noctis clapped me on the back, urging me forward.

“It’s different, seeing it up close,” he told me.

I let him guide me, as my gaze was still transfixed on the double redstone archways above us. “I could see these from my house, they seemed like, this big,” I set my thumb and forefinger two inches apart. “Now, they have to be miles long!” I finally faced him and I couldn’t hide my excitement, “Has anyone ever climbed up and crossed it? Do you think we can? Camping up there would be amazing! That view, that close to the stars—”

Noctis laughed, “Prompto would probably roll off the ledge.”

“Ha ha,” the blond muttered, setting the tripod into position, “Get ready!”

Something brushed my fingers, and I looked down to see it was Gladio’s hand, catching my attention. “We will,” he whispered, his eyes locked on mine as he squeezed my hand, “Someday, we will. I promise.”

A blush began to form on my cheeks, and there was no mistaking his intentions. That camping trip would be for the two of us, alone.

Gladio draped his arms over my and Noct’s shoulders as Ignis stood close to me, holding up two fingers in a peace sign. Prompto dove to his knees in front of me, facing the camera, arms outstretched jovially. I barely had the mind to smile before the camera clicked and our first group photo was taken. Prompto leapt to his feet, agile as ever, quickly gathering his camera and tripod while Ignis led us back to the Regalia. All the while, Prompto talked about what a great location that spot was and how he’s sure that photo will be Noct’s favorite of the day. He rambled about lighting and shadows as Ignis drove us toward Lestallum, but the ride was once again interrupted.

“Dude,” Prompto almost sounded as if he were in pain, “Ya gotta pull over. I gotta piss like super bad.”

Gladio chided, “Shoulda gone while we were stopped last time.”

“Now that he mentioned it,” Noctis shifted in his seat, “Iggy, would you mind?”

“If that’s the way of it,” Ignis muttered with an annoyed sigh, looking for a spot to pull the car over. After a few restless minutes of Prompto squirming in his seat like it was full of ants and Noctis sighing as if he were terribly inconvenienced, Ignis found a parking area beside an abandoned timber outfit. The two boys jumped out, hopping over a guardrail and heading for the thickest brush. Ignis stood by the car, watching like a mother hen while Gladio got out to stretch his long legs.

“Real nice here,” he approved, breathing in the forest. “Come on,” he urged me with a nod of his head, “We’ve got a couple minutes to train til they get back.”

I nodded and followed him across the street. The air seemed a bit warmer as we stepped onto the patch of scrub grass, scattered shrubbery and little boulders that were four or five feet tall, spread haphazardly like giant dice.

Our training area overlooked a deep canyon, and we would be crossing a narrow, winding bridge by car momentarily. I stepped past Gladio, trying to gather my courage to get as close to the edge as possible, to see exactly how deep this canyon was, but even at twenty yards away, my knees were shaking. I stopped, trying to gauge the distance by the rocky cliff of sedimentary rock on the other side. Gladio jogged past me, stopping at the edge. One wrong move and he would be lost. Yet he set his hands on his hips, casually commenting on how there was no fence or guardrail here.

“Get away from there!” I called to him, my voice shaking as much as my knees were.

He laughed at my concern as he lumbered toward me, drawing only his shield. “Alright, let’s see if you can get a hit on me before Specs calls us back.”

I summoned my bo and took a few practice swings, then came at him. Gladio’s expression changed, and he went into warrior mode instead of teacher mode. It was like he didn’t see me, only my weapon, and he blocked each one of my attacks with ease. I tried to throw him off by suddenly switching to my whip. I crouched down into a diving roll like he had suggested yesterday, and I attempted to get behind him. With a quick flick of my wrist, the whip lashed out, finding its mark on his left wrist, the one holding the shield. I yanked hard, trying to topple him, but just as Cor had done, he used that force against me, turning into hit, backhanding the shield directly into my left temple and cheekbone. It was all slow motion from there. I watched his eyes widen in horrific realization of what he had done as I fell to the earth, hitting the back of my head on one of those small boulders. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing- stars? Triplicate? Black or white?

Gladio straddled over me, his face pale. He touched my forehead and his fingers came away bloodied. He tapped my cheek, telling me something, probably to stay awake, to stay with him, but I could only read his lips. I heard nothing. He lifted his face and yelled over his shoulder. I saw the muscles strain in his throat, and then I saw darkness.

#final fantasy xv #finalfantasyxvau #final fantasy #noctis #gladio #ignis #prompto #action #chocobros #crownsguard #training is brutal #fate and destiny

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guerilla935 · 5 years ago

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My Favorite Fishing in Video Games Where Fishing is Not Core Game Play

A really awesome surprise for me is always to boot up a game that is full of action and suspense to be introduced to a fishing side activity. I have toiled away at fishing in games for hundreds of hours at least. It has gotten so bad in some instances that my friends have asked me why I haven’t just taken the plunge into real fishing. It’s definitely because that is a lot of work and in real life I don’t catch a fish every 30 seconds. They have also wondered why I don’t just play a fishing simulator like Planet Fishing (Shout out to Planet Fishing that’s a great game). And that’s where I have to think for a while. Fishing while you have better things to do like save the world is very special. You aren’t fishing because it’s the objective of the game or because that’s why you are there, you are fishing because it’s fun and maybe you need a break to swing a fishing rod instead of a sword. And then you can stop, and get back to fighting or whatever the rest of the game entails. Below are games that have fishing in them for mostly no reason at all. I have shamelessly spent way to long with my bait in these waters and absolutely loved every second of it and I hope that you (the reader) can find a lot of relaxation in these waters as well.

Pokemon Series

Since the very first Pokemon game there has been fishing. You get the old rod from some guy and then you are free to fish up as many goldfishes that you want hoping that one of them will grow up to be a 21 foot tall dragon. Pokemon has combined their fishing with their main game play and makes you at least start a battle with the fish you drag onto shore. Now fishing in Pokemon is pretty subpar mainly because a single Pokemon game hasn’t really been known to have more than a handful of Pokemon that you can fish for. Also if you are looking for a strong water type Pokemon you could do a lot better than fishing for it. Typically a Pokemon player will fish about 5-10 times total. And although fishing for Pokemon isn’t all that great it has been in every game for over 20 years and that is pretty impressive. It’s a small detail that makes the world of Pokemon feel like a real world of wild creatures.

Sonic Adventure DX

In Sonic Adventure DX you are given the choice to play as a lot of different characters, one of which is named Big the Cat. Most of the characters are combat characters that rely on speed and attacks to get through levels, some even wielding rocket launchers and extremely oversized hammers. However when you start the story of Big the Cat you are thrown in a completely opposite direction. Big the Cat is a giant purple cat who lives in the jungle with his best friend Froggy. Froggy accidentally swallows one of the most powerful objects in the Sonic universe and Big the Cat must chase him all over the world trying to fish him out of where he is hiding so that he can eject the Chaos Emerald out of him and they can return to their life in the jungle. The fishing mechanics in this game actually are really good and this is probably because Sega had just put out a series of mildly successful Bass fishing games before releasing this game. Either way its absolutely hilarious that Big the Cat gets to defeat Chaos 6 right before Super Sonic has his showdown with Chaos Perfect.

Final Fantasy XV

In Final Fantasy XV you play as Noctis and his favorite hobby is fishing. When I first played this game I sped through it and never fished once and reached the end of the game never indulging Noctis in his hobby. When I replayed Final Fantasy XV I fished for 50 hours and then ejected the disc from my console. The fishing in Final Fantasy XV is surprisingly deep with a lot of the vendors supporting what you could call a fishing road trip. In the game it is extremely dangerous to be out at night so I would plan day trips to lakes to maximize the amount of fishing I would get to do. I would prepare days in advance to make sure I could afford the trip and that I had enough supplies to both protect myself at the lake and have enough supplies to last the whole day. Final Fantasy XV really is a game about getting really distracted and fishing is probably its best distraction. My days on the lake were the perfect balance of peaceful and rewarding, this game offers an awesome reward of well planned trips and a good haul of fish.

Final Fantasy XIV Online

Final Fantasy XIV is the only game I have ever played where the fishing played exactly like its combat. When you are fighting enemies in a dungeon in FFXIV you are constantly adding buffs, landing hits, using consumables, and managing resource bars. When you are fishing in FFXIV you are constantly adding buffs, landing hits, using consumables, and managing resource bars. Note you are doing so at a much more leisurely and less life threatening pace but you are still doing it. I never maxed out the fisher class but I got it into the expansion content which was a really long and relaxing experience. Yet another Final Fantasy title where the real meat of the game is in getting distracted. When you fish you also sell on a player market that fluctuates based on market price just like real fish. You get the relaxing fishing side of the game and also an aggressive economic number crunching side as well. I spent way too long with a real pen and paper deciding how much I should sell for on any particular day and bossing around my two cat girl employees.The MMO aspect of the game adds so much to what you would expect to be a very solitary experience.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Have you ever gone fishing for hours to receive an empty bottle? That is exactly what kick started my addiction to fishing in Twilight Princess. An empty bottle in Twilight Princess means another way to heal yourself, another way to add oil to a lantern, another way to carry useless water around. The only way to get the 4th bottle in the game is to go to a dedicated fishing spot and fish until you pulled it out of the pond. The actual fishing is pretty weird, it involves motion controls which I still am not entirely sure what they do or how to properly use them but it is really fun to hold the pole in gyroscope and set the lure in the water waiting for fish to come get a nibble. Although the physics with the water make it difficult to see if you have actually gotten a bite or not it still is enjoyable the other 85% of the time it works.

Stardew Valley

So this one is at the top of every other “fishing in games” list and there is a big reason for that. It’s really good. I think in my first Stardew Valley farm I gave up farming entirely and fished all day every day and stopped to buy food to replenish my energy and go back at it. I really didn’t care about getting rich or making enough money to expand the farm or get to know everyone I actually spent about 50 hours just fishing. The fishing takes some skill and a pretty keen eye but the random jerks of the fish and the rhythm of the game play are so fun to try to master. It’s a part of Stardew Valley that I felt like I was continuously improving on as time went on and it was really fun. I mean I don’t recommend it because you’ll end up moderately poor but it was really fun.

Fantasy Life

Fantasy Life offers you 12 potential jobs, you could be a brilliant blacksmith or a devious potions maker, a lumberjack or a knight, a hunter or a seamstress. However your inner dad is calling and you decide you want to play through a fantasy RPG as a fisherman, hell yeah. the story is relatively short so you can quickly unlock a lot of locales to fish at and there is a manageable economy system that lets you deal in fish in advantageous ways. You can even pick up cooking on the side and make fancy dinners and sell the fish for higher you can do that as well. Fantasy Life is like a clever mix between Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy XIV and it kind of succeeds and falls short of it. The fishing also takes a good amount of skill and rhythmic approach to master so it doesn’t get boring almost at all until you have cleared the game.

Maple Story 2

Maple Story 2 is one of the most expressive and cutest games that I have ever played. And the fishing is no different, its all about style. The fishing in Maple Story 2 is monotonous and can get old but you do it for the chibi clout. Because much like the rest of the game you can look however you want and do whatever you want and sometimes you just feel like kicking back and throwing lure in the water at the beach. I never got super into the fishing in this game but it won me over with its adorable design and stylish atmosphere.

Animal Crossing Series

Of course I had to include the most popular game right now. Animal Crossing has become something of a connection between people when we can’t leave the house. A thing we all have in common on social media and with our friends. My first experience with Animal Crossing really starts with New Horizons and I was completely blown away. The fishing isn’t super complex or difficult but the range of what you can pull out of the water and what you can do with it is absolutely breathtaking. For a game about cartoon people living with humanoid cartoon animals the fish looking photo realistic. And the museum where they can be kept is stunning. The museum looks like it was designed to capture the feel of being in a museum and matches the design of all the great real life aquariums and observatories. Although it is a bit frustrating when your rod breaks it is easy enough to make one (or worst case buy one) to get your bait back in the water.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Tell me I’m wrong, you can’t. Isabelle getting added to Smash brought a very powerful fishing move that isn’t practical all the time but is really funny. Wouldn’t recommend this game if you are looking to relax and fish but I do recommend hooking your friend with a fish hook and send them flying off screen if you had to.

Minecraft

I have a very special role in Minecraft when I join a friends server. A role that I assign to myself. While everyone is off getting awesome swords, spelunking for diamonds, and exploring the infinite landscape, I build a small wooden shack and I set up a farm with an irrigation canal and start fishing. A steady supply of food is necessary and while I’m hanging out with my friends in a server I’m happy to be the one to provide it. The fishing in this game is probably the slowest of all the ones on this list but is the most useful. just throwing the fish in the oven creates food that can help keep you and your companions alive for a long time. I think I definitely have my limits with Minecraft fishing and I couldn’t do it for hours on end it is rewarding to set up shop and find a nice place to settle down for a few hours to fish.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

This is the only Tactical RPG in this post. Fire Emblem: Three Houses has sections between combat where you can go and talk to your students and do other activities. We aren’t here to discuss other activities though we are here for the fishing. The fishing allows you to catch fish for some reason that I’m sure is good but never intrigued me enough to learn. All I know about the fishing in Fire Emblem: Three Houses is that it’s fun. I started to bust through combat just so that I could get back to fishing. The funniest part about this one is that the fish has a health bar. Pressing the A button at the exact moment finds a way to become easier and still find ways to mess you up. Either way, I’m not that interested in tactical RPGs but I heard there was fishing in this game so I had to play it and it was worth it.

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

In Jak & Daxter, Daxter gets turned into a small animal by dark eco while exploring a dangerous island off the shore of his home with his best friend Jak. To get back to the island to investigate, the pair have to borrow a boat owned by a fisherman who is troubled by an invasive species of poisonous eel that is ruining his haul. He asks Jak to catch fish for him without catching any eels. This fishing mini game can only be done once but it is going to either be something you think is very unique or a huge waste of time. All I’ll say is that the sound that the fish makes when it goes into the net is absolutely a reward in itself it is so satisfying. But anyways, more intense than some other options here but get it done so you can get back to absorbing eco powers and jumping on stuff.

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight is a 2D action platformer but you can also fish. And you fish for the best kind of fish, money. You can get some other stuff too like health pickups and magic replenishers but we know what you want. You see that little glint and you pop out the fishing rod and pull out those money bags. If you are devoted enough you can even get a surprise from the Troupple King (long live his highness) if you fish out the right stuff. I don’t even know if I fished all that much when I played Shovel Knight but it’s hilarious that you can.

NieR: Automata

I did not play a lot of NieR and that’s because I was fishing. I don’t know why all I did was fish but you throw your little robot in the pond and you lean on a magical stool so honestly it was good enough for me.

Club Penguin

If you know then you know. In hind sight there really wasn’t a whole lot to do in Club Penguin but this mini game really messed me up. You basically get to move up and down, catching fish and avoiding trash and other hazards. Basically trying to do this and catch as much fish as possible to avoid having to ask your parents for real money to pay for snacks to feed a virtual ball of fluff with eyeballs. I don’t really remember how challenging it really was but I remember getting decently high scores to about like 100 fish per round so I guess it was pretty easy if I could do that at age 10.

Rune Factory 4

I’m gonna be very honest about this one and say that the fishing in Rune Factory 4 is basically just Animal Crossing fishing but more anime. The fish react to the pole the same, the fish almost look the same, and the buttons to respond are the same. What makes this one special is where you can take it. You can fish in the little moat in town, in the lake, in a dungeon full of monsters, in a lake that is eternally the season fall, anywhere. You are constricted by the boundaries of Stardew Valley and that is how much energy you have and how much time you have in the day. It’s still fun to fish but I wish that they had used their fun fantasy setting to give the ability to fish up some cool made up fish instead of strictly things that exist in real life.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Ok, diving, fishing, same thing. Diving in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is just fishing with your whole body. It works a lot in the same way as Pokemon where you fish up monsters to fight and get the rewards from them. It is a completely optional activity however if you decide to undertake the grind of scavenging in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 then you will never hurt for money ever again. It makes my wonder why Rex stopped being a salvager to do odd jobs because this was PROFITABLE. The main incentive is that there are spots that spawn a certain enemy that drop cores. Cores are like gacha or loot boxes that contain new anime girl partners that deal huge damage in fights. They even have their own side quests and story lines. I spent maybe 30 hours grinding before giving up on this game and while it does become tiresome I really enjoyed the random rewards of possibly getting a new companion or a really cool weapon.

It’s been tossed around that every great RPG has fishing in it. I won’t argue that point but a lot of great RPGs certainly do have fishing in them. Everyone needs a break sometimes and fishing is the perfect activity to remind us to stop and take that break. Even games can get long and without these distractions it might be so much harder to complete these harrowing tasks. Don’t forget to take breaks and just enjoy the sound of the water every once in a while because there’s no rush playing video games.

Honorable Mentions:

Kingdom Hearts: Sora fishing with his bare hands on Destiny Island

Persona 4: Weird aqueduct fishing

Persona 5: Marina fishing life

Sea of Thieves: A pirates life for me

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thegreatklaid · 9 months ago

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Fourteen hours and like 3 days of playing later I am done. I'm not all that sure why I rushed it in all honesty. Was it because I was enjoying myself? Maybe. Was I ready to be done with it? Certainly.

So for being the only one I've only beaten once, I really didn't remember much of this game. I was even kind of surprised how many bits and parts I had to do that I had no memory of being in the game. Mostly the middle. There was a bit in the game where I just had zero clue what to do, which was weird as I played a lot of this and the first game almost on muscle memory.

Well most of the two games were on muscle memory...

So, on that note, I really liked the Keyword system this game adds. In that earlier screenshot, you see a word highlighted from the rest. And some conversations you need to present these words to proceed, or even to learn what to do. In practice it was kind of superficial, but I think it did avoid a lot of the game feeling super flaggy. Even if admittedly, the game was still pretty flaggy. Keywords that characters gave you, just prompt blank looks when you ask them later.

I don't know if I actually really hated anything. Although this game does have some real balls encounter designs. Way, way too many enemies just take no damage except from a certain magic spell. And without a scan spell, that's just mean.

Also, the remaster did make trap rooms far less bullshit, they still put you in the middle of the room. But they didn't crank up the encounter rate to 100%. However as you can see in this screenshot. It gave you four doors. Guess which door goes through to that little indent on the other side, because if you think it's the one directly across, congrats, you're wrong. The other three doors just lead to nothing. Besides random encounters and wasting your time.

Ultimately, that's the problem with the game. It feels like it's just wasting your time. Somehow even more than a video game really does. While the levelling system is slightly more fun than I remembered it being, it also didn't really add much. You're doing the same stuff at the start you are at the end. It's not like III or V where you get to add more fun stuff to your toolbox. Or hell even the whole series really. Even IV rotating its characters means you see new abilities every so often. And all II does is just make the numbers bigger. And it can't even give you cool new enemies. This game feels like its somehow heavier on palette swaps than even it's big brother.

So in the end II isn't the worst JRPG I've ever played. Not by a mile. It might still be the worst Final Fantasy, but I'm actually keeping myself optimistic that XIII or XV wind up being worse.

So, as some of you may be aware, I am on @hardcore-gaming-101's podcast. And so I've gotten used to very pointless rankings. So for funsies, we are gonna rank these as I go. XIV is already on the list, and it will move eventually, when we beat XIII I'll talk about it but as of right now, it's my middle game.

And it probably comes as no surprise that II is my bottom of the list. But what I'm curious about it, is where III will wind up. So I think it's time we start the journey of some orphans falling down a hole. And what the hell *is* an Onion Knight?

Shadows of Provoking My Ire

If you get that reference hoooo boy, that's a doozy lemme tell you.

Well so now we begin with my biggest obstacle whether I wanted to commit to this stupid idea in the first place. Good ol' Final Fantasy II.

If you know, you know. If you don't, good news I'm gonna tell you. FFII adds a ton to what made the series. Chocobos and Cid finally appear here. Yeah, there isn't actually a Cid in I. That's revisionist bullshit in later versions. This is the first game with Cid. I forget if this one has rows. I don't think that's until III though.

No, what this game does is it gets rid of XP in favor of, well people now know it as the SaGa system. The more you attack you get more strength. Get hit more, you get more HP. That kinda thing. This game is the infamous Kawazu's debut. This is where that system comes from, albeit taken from TTRPGs, sooooort of.

So, as it might seem, my memories of this game is pretty poor. I don't like this game. And it's not solely on the levelling system. This game has some brutal bosses and dungeons. Especially the trap rooms. Which, the first two games only ever had treasures in sectioned off rooms. FFI had plenty of empty rooms that you had to walk a few steps in to see if they had treasure on the back walls. FFII has those except the door warps you to the back of the room and you have to walk out and every step is an encounter. Because I just kind of hate Kawazu. As you'll learn in 10 more games.

So that's what I remember. What do I hope to accomplish this run? Nothing. I'm gonna beat this stupid game. Get it out of the way. In fact I'm excited that I get to play this game knowing how to use the Blood Sword. Because the first time I played this I kept the stupid thing in my off hand, because it said it had a really low attack stat. So I just kept it for the drain. Turns out, it uses a whole different formula and it just gibs bosses. However, I promise a lot of my runs from here on are going to be way less cheese than I normally play these with. But this game we are cranking up the cheese. No apologies.

As it is now very obvious, I don't expect to really like this game anymore than the others in the series, but I am curious if I'll like it more in the grand scheme of things. Almost 20 years later, I have played way more games than I did when I was 12. ugh. So maybe FFII will become a blemish on the series instead of that weird time Square almost pissed away the best thing they ever had.

See you guys in a few days when I get through this thing! Or maybe I'll come by every now and then to give you guys some updates. We'll see. It took me about 5 days of playing FFI to beat that one. I might rush this one...

#final fantasy 2 #final fantasy #rpgs #jrpgs #roleplaying games

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a-blue-secret · 4 years ago

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CHAPTER XIV

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter XIII | Chapter XIV | Chapter XV

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: swearing

WORD COUNT: 4.7k+

AN: So CoL has a taglist now! There's an 'Interact to be Added' post going around somewhere, so interact there if you'd like to be added :)

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

Throughout that whole time, Taehyun didn’t say a word once. Beomgyu, confused by the vizier’s silence, looked up, and all the colour drained out of his face. “Oh my god, Taehyun!”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

In the mere minutes Beomgyu had been talking, Taehyun’s face had become a pale, sickly colour. There was a hint of blue around his lips and around his eyes, and said eyes had a distinct glassiness to them. All of this shocked and scared Beomgyu, but what terrified him the most was when Taehyun swayed suddenly, and keeled over. He would have fallen onto the floor if it weren’t for Beomgyu suddenly leaping out of his chair to catch him.

“Taehyun? Oh my god, wake up!” Beomgyu shook Taehyun frantically, but the vizier’s eyes closed and his head fell limply against Beomgyu’s shoulder. Beomgyu cursed. “What am I supposed to do?” He lifted Taehyun up and carried him out of the room, where he met Chan.

“What do I do? He fainted! Do I take him to the nurse? The doctor? Back to his room? Chan help me!”

The guard looked a little lost as to what to do himself. This sort of thing rarely ever happened. “Uh, give him to me, we’ll take him to the physician.”

Beomgyu anxiously followed behind as Chan carried Taehyun down the corridors. Taehyun’s skin was distinctly sickly pale, and his fingertips had even begun to turn blue. “What the fuck…” Beomgyu whispered to himself.

While on their way, they ran into Yeonjun. The Aruyeonan’s eyes widened as he saw Taehyun unconscious. “Is– is Taehyun okay?”

“Can’t talk, Yeonjun!” Beomgyu said hurriedly. “Taehyun fainted. I don’t know what happened.”

“Wait, stop! Can I see him?” Yeonjun asked. Chan stopped and brought Taehyun back. Yeonjun quickly scanned the vizier’s limp frame, and let out a small gasp. “Give him to me. Now.”

“Sir, it would be best to take him to the Royal Physician-” Chan started.

“No. Give me Taehyun. They can’t help him.”

Beomgyu frowned. “Come on, Yeonjun, how can they not help him? They’re literally professional exp-”

“Listen, I know they can’t help him! Just, give! I need to take him to my room!” Yeonjun said, frustrated. “He’s getting worse by the second.” He held out his arms towards Chan. “Please believe me.”

Chan looked to Beomgyu helplessly. Beomgyu didn’t say anything, conflicted. “Fine,” he conceded. “Chan.”

The unconscious Taehyun was transferred into Yeonjun’s arms. Staggering at the sudden weight, Yeonjun adjusted Taehyun and began to hurry down the hall. Beomgyu attempted to follow after, but Yeonjun stopped him. “No, don’t come. It… it won’t be a pretty sight.”

Beomgyu hesitated. “I’m trusting you with a life, Yeonjun,” he said finally. “Don’t do anything… wrong to Taehyun.”

“I won’t,” Yeonjun promised, and practically sprinted back to his room. He received many scandalised and suspicious glances from the people he passed, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Taehyun into his room… to Hueningkai.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Hueningkai, help me!” was the first thing Yeonjun said when he burst into his chambers. Hueningkai stood up in alarm, and gasped when he saw Taehyun lying limp in Yeonjun’s arms.

“Yeonjun! Did you kill him?”

“What? No! Look at his fingers! This is a type of poisoning, right?” Yeonjun lifted Taehyun’s fingers to show Hueningkai the purple-blue stains around his fingertips. Hueningkai paled.

“Get him to the bed, quick. We’ve caught him in time. His fingers haven’t turned black yet, which is good.” Hueningkai immediately rushed to his giant marble ball, pulling out a mortar and pestle, a vial and a vial stand, and a bottle full of clear liquid. “I’m so glad there are so many minerals within this castle.”

“Huh?” Yeonjun looked at Hueningkai, confused, as the younger began to retreat into the hole behind the tapestry. “What?”

“The minerals, in the walls. I can extract them to help make the healing ailment. I’ll be right back!” With those words, Hueningkai disappeared, leaving Yeonjun with Taehyun. Yeonjun looked down at the pale vizier.

“Wait, where are you going? Don’t leave me here alone! I don’t know what I’m doing!”

Hueningkai popped his head up again. “I need to extract the minerals from inside the alcove I made in the palace. I’ll be back in a bit!” Then, Hueningkai disappeared again, leaving Yeonjun stuttering helplessly. The elder sighed, looking down at the unconscious vizier. Reaching for his hand, he hissed when he felt how cold Taehyun’s hands were.

“What…?” he whispered to himself. “Why is he freezing?”

“I’m back, I’m back!” Hueningkai announced. “How is he?”

“I- I don’t know. He’s really cold.”

Hueningkai walked over. “What do you mean?” He placed a hand over Taehyun’s forehead before retracting it quickly, hissing. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know. Suddenly, he started becoming really cold.”

“This is not normal…” Hueningkai whispered. “What is this?” He strode over to the desk beside the bed and began taking out more things from his glass ball. “Okay, change of plans. I thought this was a poison, but it looks like it’s something else.”

“What is it?” Yeonjun asked worriedly.

Hueningkai looked at him with panicked eyes. “I have no idea. Which is the most terrifying part.”

Yeonjun cursed.

“I’m going to have to improvise,” Hueningkai said, spreading his things out on the table. “Just keep Taehyun as warm as possible while I work.”

While Yeonjun busied himself piling blanket upon blanket over Taehyun, Hueningkai worked quickly, extracting oils from herbs and grinding and melting different minerals. Occasionally, he would walk over to Taehyun to look at his fingers or feel his temperature and once, even extract some of his blood.

“Is everything okay?” Yeonjun asked, rubbing Taehyun’s hand between his own.

Hueningkai only hummed in response, quickly mixing two liquids together. “Please, until I say, don’t utter a word. Since this is something I’ve never seen before, I’m improvising an ailment. If even the slightest thing goes wrong, I can potentially end up poisoning him further.�� Hueningkai looked up, staring Yeonjun in the eye. “So please, no talking.”

Yeonjun noted the complete seriousness in Hueningkai’s tone, and nodded mutely. Hueningkai gave a nod in acknowledgement, and turned back to his work. The minutes ticked by, and Yeonjun held Taehyun’s freezing hand in his own, not uttering a single word.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Okay, I think- I think this should work.”

After a tense half an hour, Hueningkai finally spoke, holding up a steaming vial of clear liquid. “It’s a rejuvenator. That’s all I could think of right now.” He stirred it with a glass rod, watching it carefully. “I put in more herbs than normal, so it’s like a super strong rejuvenator. With any luck, if this works, he’ll heal to be even stronger than he was before.”

Hueningkai came and sat down carefully on the bed beside Taehyun’s head. But just as he was going to give it to Taehyun, he hesitated, looking up at Yeonjun. The elder smiled encouragingly.

“Trust in yourself, Kai. I’m sure it works."

Hueningkai smiled back, taking a deep breath. “Yeonjun, lift his head up. Make sure he swallows.” Carefully, Hueningkai poured the potion down Taehyun’s throat, making sure he drank all of the liquid. Setting the empty vial onto the drawers next to the bed, Hueningkai gnawed at his fingernails worriedly. The change was almost instant. The yellowness faded from Taehyun’s complexion, quickly being replaced with a healthy rosy colour. Hueningkai gave a sigh of relief. “Oh good, the colour’s returning to his face.” He lifted his fingers. “Hm… the blue might take a while to fade, but it probably will with time.”

Yeonjun felt Taehyun’s forehead. “He’s no longer freezing, either.” He smiled at the younger. “Good job, Hueningkai.”

Hueningkai gave a small smile. He placed a hand over his heart. “You have no idea how hard my heart was racing. I was so terrified that I’d accidentally made it worse.”

Yeonjun patted Hueningkai’s shoulder. “But you didn’t, which is all that matters. That was really quick thinking.”

“Thanks,” Hueningkai said. He felt Taehyun’s wrist for his pulse, watching with a relieved face as the colour steadily came back to the vizier’s cheeks. “But what could that have been? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What was the poison you mistook it for?”

“Aconitum,” Hueningkai responded. “But Aconitum makes your temperature go up, not down. No poison makes your temperature go down.”

Yeonjun rubbed his chin worriedly. “But at least we’ve found something that cures it, right? As long as we have a cure, it doesn’t matter.”

“I suppose…”

“How long will it take him to recover?”

“Hm, maybe about four or five days. A week, tops.”

Yeonjun nodded. “Okay. I’ll go tell Beomgyu that.”

“Beomgyu?”

“He’s the one who witnessed Taehyun fainting. He’s really worried about Taehyun’s condition.”

“Ah, right. Okay, you go do that. I’ll take care of Taehyun.”

With a nod of his head, Yeonjun opened the door, and slipped down the hallway.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“A few days?!” Beomgyu repeated. “What??”

“It’s lucky we– I mean, it’s lucky he was able to heal at all,” Yeonjun replied. “If I’d seen him just a few minutes later, he might have died.”

Beomgyu ran a hand through his hair. “What- what was it? Do you know?”

Yeonjun hesitated. “I’ve… I’ve seen something similar to it before,” he said slowly. “He’s definitely healing. But it’ll take a while for him to be able to move properly again.”

“Alright. Is… is there any chance that I can see him?”

“No,” Yeonjun said hurriedly. “I mean, he’s sleeping right now, but I’ll let you know when he’s awake.”

Beomgyu nodded. “Okay, thank you. I better get going and do some… Kingly stuff.” Beomgyu began to walk away, muttering to himself. “What the hell do I do? I don’t know how to run a Kingdom. Fuck, Taehyun please get better quick; I don’t want Gojongja to die in my hands.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

Pain. An all-body, mind-numbing pain. That was all Taehyun could feel in that moment. But then, as his consciousness slowly returned to him, he forced open his heavy eyes, trying to take in his surroundings.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a voice said. “You certainly woke fast.”

At the unfamiliar voice, Taehyun suddenly shot upright, causing his head to spin.

“No no, lie down, lie down,” the voice said hurriedly, gently pushing Taehyun back down. Taehyun registered the softness of the surface he was lying on, and determined that he was in a bed. As his vision cleared, he blinked blearily up at the face that he saw.

“Who- who are you?”

“It’s me, Hueningkai,” the person explained patiently. “I am Yeonjun’s adoptive brother.”

Taehyun widened his eyes. “You- you’re the spies!” He tried to get up again, but was firmly held down by Hueningkai. He squirmed under the Aruyeonan’s grip. “Hey! Get off me!”

“Taehyun, please stay still. Lie down. Your body is still recovering from the massive shock it has received. You need to rest.”

“What shock?” Taehyun demanded. “What did you do to me?”

“I healed you.”

Taehyun was about to say that he was completely fine and didn’t need healing, when he registered the ache that was still settled within his bones, and the unexplainable tiredness he felt throughout his body. At that moment, he remembered what happened, and his eyes widened. “You… One minute I was with Beomgyu, the next I was knocked unconscious and woke here. You said– you said you healed me?”

“You missed out quite a few details, but yeah. That’s basically it.” Hueningkai leaned forward, feeling Taehyun’s forehead. He frowned. “You’re not cold anymore, but your temperature is now rising. Don’t go anywhere, wait here.” As Hueningkai rushed away from the bed to retrieve something, Taehyun couldn’t refrain from rolling his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to go anywhere, considering the vast amount of blankets cocooning him. The young Aruyeonan came back with a damp cloth, and placed it on Taehyun’s forehead.

“What’s your ability again?” he asked Hueningkai.

“I… my true one is alchemy. I healed you with a potion drink thing.”

Taehyun nodded. “Ah, that’s right. You’re a Westerner, right?”

Hueningkai flinched slightly, but nodded his head. Taehyun picked up on the tiny action, and mentally scolded himself. He’d forgotten that Yeonjun had said Hueningkai had been picked on for being Western.

“I– I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s fine,” Hueningkai assured him, giving a small smile. “Really. Ever since we became spies, I haven’t had any nasty encounters. I don’t know why I still flinch. But I’m okay now, truly.”

Taehyun looked up at him, and noticed how youthful Hueningkai was. Really noticed. He was still young- maybe Taehyun’s age, maybe even younger. And yet, while his face was youthful, his eyes told a different story. His eyes told tales on how he’d had to grow up so fast, to be able to survive in a court where there were few people to look out for him. His eyes spoke volumes about how he’d had to do things that were scary, and unheard of for someone his age. His eyes painted pictures of the innocent, naive boy who had morphed into the mature adult in front of him. But with a single blink, the stories had gone, and instead were replaced with a sparkling brightness which rivalled even that of Beomgyu’s.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Twenty four, just like you,” Hueningkai said with smiling eyes.

“Wow. You look… so much younger.”

Hueningkai smiled. “That’s what Yeonjun always says. He says I still look like a baby.” He tilted his head in a child-like way. “I don’t know if it’s a compliment or an insult…”

Taehyun laughed, but a sharpness pierced his head and he had to stop. Hueningkai looked down at him worriedly.

“You seem to have suffered a lot. Tell me, is there any unusual pain? Are you suffering from memory loss? Any blank spots in your memory?”

Taehyun furrowed his brows. “Uh… My whole body hurts, if that counts? And… I don’t think I’m suffering from memory loss?”

“What happened just before you fainted?”

“I was talking with Beomgyu. Well, he was talking. He was talking, but then suddenly everything just faded away.”

Hueningkai frowned. “Hm… that’s odd. Beomgyu is a wind manipulator, isn’t he? He has no connections to potions…?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Taehyun replied, watching Hueningkai. “Why?”

“It’s just… even though I managed to heal you, I have no idea what it was.”

“What what was?”

“What was the thing that made you into this state.”

“Oh.”

Hueningkai suddenly widened his eyes, and got up to bow on the floor. Taehyun, startled by the sudden action, leaned over to see what the Aruyeonan was doing, almost falling out of the bed.

“Wh– what are you doing?”

“Please forgive us for initially being spies against you,” Hueningkai said, still on the floor. “We don’t want to oppose you anymore. We just want to be on the same side as you. Will you believe in us, and trust us enough to do that?”

Taehyun blinked. He’d completely forgotten about that. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure. At first, he’d been shocked. And betrayed. His first instinct had been to imprison them. But now… Hueningkai had just saved his life. And before that, by accompanying him in the gymnasium late at night, Yeonjun had also saved his sanity.

Now he thought about it, he had a lot to thank the Aruyeonans for. They may be spies, but they were good-hearted. He knew that now. He could trust them, just like how they had trusted him.

Plus, both Yeonjun and Hueningkai had such clear, pure eyes. Who could have such sparkling eyes and be a murderous backstabber at the same time, anyway? It just wasn’t possible.

Taehyun took a deep breath. “I– yeah, I guess. Yeah, I trust you.”

He ruffled Hueningkai’s hair, and lifted the Aruyeonan’s head to look at him in the eyes, giving the younger a smile. “I trust you.”

The uncertainty on Hueningkai’s face was replaced with a large grin as he processed Taehyun’s words. “Wow. That’s really great. Um… wow. If you weren’t in such a weak state, I’d totally hug you right now. I mean– that’s really…” Hueningkai stopped his rambling, grinning widely. “Thank you for trusting us.”

Taehyun smiled, and held his arms up. “Come on, I may be bedridden right now but I still want that hug.” The vizier let out a small ‘oof’ at the weight of the twenty four year old who, in his eagerness, had just thrown himself onto Taehyun. He chuckled, patting the Aruyeonan’s back.

“I’m so glad! I really want to be friends with you–”

The door was thrown open, and Hueningkai suddenly ducked under the bed.

“I talked to Beomgyu. He’ll want to see Taehyun at some point, so you’ll probably have to disappear for a few hours at some point, Hueningkai. Wait– Hueningkai? Where are you?”

Hueningkai popped his head up from under the bed, glaring at Yeonjun. “Seriously? You had to go slamming open the door?”

“Ah, whoops,” Yeonjun said sheepishly, closing the door with his foot. “Anyway Taehyun! How are you doing?”

“Not very well. My head hurts.”

“Hueningkai! Have you been rambling to him?” Yeonjun tsked disapprovingly. “Talking his ear off won’t help him recover, you know.”

Hueningkai rolled his eyes. “I only ramble when I’m alone. It gets lonely being the behind-the-scenes spy.”

At the mention of the word ‘spy’, Yeonjun jumped, and looked cautiously over at Taehyun. “Speaking of spies… are you– are you okay with us being, you know… spies?”

“He said he is!” Hueningkai beamed. “He said he trusts us!”

Yeonjun’s eyes widened, and he looked at Taehyun. “Really?”

Taehyun gave a small smile. “Yeah.”

Yeonjun stood there for a moment, when an overjoyed grin lit up his face. He bounded across the room, and bent down to give Taehyun a tight hug. “Thank you for believing in us.”

“Thank you for waiting for me to believe you,” Taehyun said. He spotted Hueningkai standing to the side, and beckoned for the younger Aruyeonan to come over. Hueningkai’s face lit up and he immediately joined the hug.

“Let’s all be friends, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Taehyun said, smiling. “Friends.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

And so, Taehyun became friends with two spies. Sure, it was a little weird to say aloud, but their friendship was anything but awkward.

“Stop, Yeonjun,” Taehyun huffed. “I feel fine. No– no more! I’m not a sick child!”

“You still need to regain your strength,” Yeonjun berated. He held up a spoon. “Come on. Open up.”

“I can feed myself! I’m a grown– mmmffph!” Taehyun glared at Yeonjun, cheeks full of rice. Yeonjun laughed, picking some rice grains off the corners of the vizier’s mouth. Taehyun slapped his hand away, swiping away the rice himself. “You didn’t have to shove the whole thing in my mouth,” he said through a mouthful of rice. He held up his hands in a strangling motion. “I’m gonna kill you!”

“Try,” Yeonjun said, putting down the empty bowl. “You can’t even get out of bed. I’d like to see you try.”

Taehyun grumbled, sinking back into the cushions. He knew Yeonjun was right.

It had been two days since the whole incident. Taehyun’s strength was returning, little by little.

“When you get fully better, you’ll be even healthier than what you were before!” Hueningkai had chirped. “The ailment I gave you is like a super duper strong rejuvenator!”

What bothered Taehyun, though, was that it would apparently take a while for him to recover. And he didn’t have a lot of time. Who knows what had happened to Gojongja while he’d been ill? For all he knew, the people could be running rampant and the Lords could have already taken over. He needed to get back to his work as soon as possible.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Don’t you even try,” Yeonjun said. “If you fall to the floor like you did last time, I’m not gonna pick you up. You’re going to be left there.”

Taehyun gaped. He thought Yeonjun was sleeping! Yeonjun removed the cowboy hat from his face, looking at Taehyun.

“I’m a spy, Taehyun. Do you really think I’d fall asleep while I’m meant to be chaperoning you?”

“I don’t need chaperoning,” Taehyun huffed, blankets half-removed.

“In that state, you do,” Yeonjun responded. He rose from the chair he’d been sitting in, and crossed the room to tuck Taehyun more firmly into the bed. “Stay.”

Taehyun scowled in annoyance, but stayed where he was.

“Good afternoon Taehyun, Yeonjun,” a voice said brightly, and Hueningkai emerged from behind the tapestry.

“Afternoon, Hueningkai. Everything going okay?” Yeonjun asked.

“Yup! I was running out of glass marbles, but I’ve restocked them all now!”

“That’s good. What are you gonna put in them?”

“Hm, I don’t know yet.” Hueningkai walked over to the desk in the corner of the room, which was full of vials of liquid and little dishes of chemicals. “Maybe more of the flash grenades, I don’t have a lot of them.”

“M’kay.” Yeonjun sat back down in the armchair, putting the hat over his face again. Hueningkai sat down at the desk and began to quietly make the explosives.

Taehyun stared at the ceiling, bored. He had an annoying itch on the sole of his foot, but unfortunately, since he was swathed in blankets, he wasn’t able to reach it. He turned his head and watched as Hueningkai went about his work while Yeonjun napped rested. It was almost… peaceful. Calm. The two spies were so familiar with each other, so used to their routine, that they almost unconsciously settled into this tranquil atmosphere. It was rather soothing to watch. Eventually, feeling the itch go away, Taehyun settled more comfortably into the bed, for now content with watching the peaceful scene before him.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“Yeonjun? Hueningkai?”

Yeonjun raised his head, and Hueningkai turned around from the desk.

“You okay, Taehyun?” Hueningkai asked.

“The two of you have been really honest with me, by telling me you’re spies, so I thought I’d be honest with you.”

Hueningkai tilted his head. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. It’s fine.”

Taehyun shook his head. “No, no. I want to. To tell the truth, I’m still a bit reluctant about saying this, but… you’ve done so much to prove I can trust you, so there’s really no excuse for me to hide these sorts of things.” Taehyun took a deep breath, and looked at Yeonjun. “Yeonjun… ages ago, the first time you had dinner with me and Beomgyu – well, just me since Beomgyu wasn’t there – the thing you said about the Crown Handing? About it looking planned? The reason it looked like that was because… it was. It was all planned.”

Hueningkai set the wooden spoon down on the table, turning in his chair to look at Taehyun fully. Yeonjun pushed his hat further up from his face to see Taehyun better.

“The truth is, I knew Father would give the crown to Junghoon. Jiwon was too reckless, my sisters too ‘weak’... there’s no way he’d choose them. Junghoon would be too young, too naive to rule, but he'd be the only one he could choose. I knew that. The downside of this decision was that Lords and generals would immediately scheme to become his regent, and rule in his place. I couldn’t let that happen. And so, I turned to Beomgyu.”

“Woah woah woah, hold up,” Yeonjun interrupted. “Why not you?”

Taehyun bit his lip. “I’m not a Kang. I was adopted from the Jeo clan. I can’t rule.”

Hueningkai and Yeonjun exchanged sympathetic glances, and looked at Taehyun consolingly. “Oh, that must suck for you,” Hueningkai said.

“No, no. I’m actually pretty cool about it,” Taehyun said. He shrugged casually. “These past few months, I’ve seen what ruling is like, and I’m not sure I would have wanted to do it alone. If I’d been a Kang, I’m pretty sure I would have been the next King, and that would have been too stressful. Kang or not, it doesn’t really matter to me anymore.”

Yeonjun tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Wow. I’d have never guessed that. You behave like a true Jinju Kang. What’s your true ability then?”

“Foreign exchange,” Taehyun said. “I have no idea what the hell it means, but yeah.”

“Have you figured out how to use it yet?”

“I have no idea what it means, let alone how to use it,” Taehyun pointed out.

Yeonjun nodded. “Touché. Kinda sucks that it means you can’t rule, though.”

Hueningkai scoffed, crossing his arms. “The one good thing about Aruyeo is we don’t have a crown determining whose blood is ‘royal’ enough to rule. If the previous monarch deems them fit, then the predecessor can rule, regardless of status or royal blood.”

Taehyun gave a small smile. “I suppose…”

“But anyway, on with your story.”

“Right. So, Beomgyu. I decided he’d be my best bet if I wanted to protect the throne for Junghoon. He has faintly royal blood; he’d be able to handle the crown. The only thing is, he didn’t know he was becoming King. I… I tricked him. Because he hated me, and hated the court, there was no way he’d do it willingly, so I tricked him.”

“He hates you?” Yeonjun repeated.

Taehyun nodded miserably. “Yeah, he does. It’s understandable, too. I’ve hurt him a lot…” He lifted his head. “But anyway... I guess that’s it. He thought all he had to do was crown Junghoon. If he crowned Junghoon, then no Lord or general could technically become his regent, since with Junghoon officially crowned they couldn’t become King in his place. Though, they could become regent by force, but yeah. He thought that was what he’d do, and even signed a magical contract which bound him to me for a year and a day. Only, he became King instead.”

Taehyun cringed as he remembered Beomgyu’s furious eyes. “He was so mad. So, so mad. And so, in retaliation, he made me his vizier. The short and long of it was that I’d actually be the one to rule and take care of the goings-on while he acted as the image of a King. It was kind of his revenge. Though, I understand that too. I broke his trust in me.”

Yeonjun stared at him, open mouthed. “I… wow. I never would have guessed that. I assumed there was a little tension between you two, but never hate. When he talks about you… sure, he’s a little closed off about it, but he always starts with a bright smile on his face.”

Taehyun winced, filled with guilt. “He and I used to be best friends. Until something happened and… and we became enemies.”

Yeonjun didn’t say anything, too shocked by the sudden revealing from Taehyun. Hueningkai smiled at the vizier. “Thank you for telling us, Taehyun,” he said. “It means a lot to know you trust us enough to say this. Thank you.” He walked over, and patted Taehyun’s hand. “You know? I could help you figure out how to tap into your true ability, if you’d like?”

“I would. Thank you, Hueningkai.”

“Of course.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

A knock came on the door, and the three of them all looked at each other, confused. Suddenly, Yeonjun jumped out of his seat.

“Shit! Beomgyu said he was coming today to see Taehyun! Come on, Hueningkai, we need to go!”

Hueningkai stared at Yeonjun with wide eyes, then with a sudden sweep of his arms he swept everything off the desk into his big marble ball. Taehyun winced, expecting the big shattering of glass, but none sounded.

“Stay there!” Hueningkai said to Taehyun. “If Beomgyu asks, we’re not here. We’ll be going into my room for a few hours. Knock on the wall three times and we’ll come back, okay?”

With a confused nod of his head, Taehyun watched Hueningkai hustle Yeonjun through a hole in the wall.

“Bye!” Yeonjun’s head disappeared, leaving the tapestry to flutter down and cover the wall.

The knock came again.

“Come in!” Taehyun called.

#court of lies #taegyu #txt taegyu #txt #txt beomgyu #beomgyu #txt taehyun #taehyun #txt fanfic #txt fluff #txt angst #txt imagine #txt imagines #tomorrow by together #tomorrow x together

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thesilencebeforeastorm · 5 years ago

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Our Baby - Levi x Reader

A/n: Get ready for feelssssss

The scouts had heard a report about a recent titan attack in a nearby village and were instructed to find any survivors by Commander Erwin. Although everyone believed that there would be way anyone in a simple village could survive a titan attack, they still followed orders and went to investigate. Y/n was a part of Captain Levi’s squad and so they went to check a few houses on the right of the village while the 104th cadet corps went to check the rest. The village smelled of death as blood and some body parts were scattered everywhere. After some time searching, they believed they were empty handed.

“There’s no survivors here Captain”, Petra said to Levi.

“Keep looking. There has to be someone here”.

“Do you really believe that?”, she said to him.

“No but I’d like to hope so. Check that house again over there”, Levi pointed out.

“Yes sir!”

Y/n was checking out a house on her own, her nose becoming sensitive to the unpleasant smell of old blood and rotting flesh. The titans sure did a number on the villagers here and she was just as convinced that everyone was dead. A wave of sadness hit her as the realization came to her. Everyday people were dying, a never ending nightmare that she had to endure while being a member of the scouts. Just as she was going to leave, she heard a faint cry from somewhere in the house.

“Huh?” she asked herself. She was sure she checked every part of the house so there was no way someone was here. Hearing the cry again, she headed for the bedroom. There was no sight of anyone there but the sound was coming from… under the bed. As she crouched down, she was stunned by what she saw. It was a baby.

Slowly, she got the baby out from under the bed and examined it for any wounds and to see what gender the baby was. Turns out it was a baby boy, not much older than 3 months and he was unharmed. He had a lot of black hair and pale skin and was wrapped in a blanket to keep him warm. She had to admit that the baby features resembled a lot like Levi’s. She wondered how he even survived.

A few months ago Y/n was supposed to have a child of her own with Levi but lost it due to unfortunate circumstances. It sent her into a deep depression but after a while, she convinced herself that it was for the best since the baby wasn’t planned and they were soldiers. A baby wouldn’t be fit to be born into a chaotic world like this and so they disregarded the thought of having one until all this was over.

Her motherly instincts kicked in and seemed to help the baby calm down for now. She knew the baby was hungry and had to find him food. She found a bottle nearby that wasn’t so cold but wasn’t warm and spoiled either. She fed him all that was left and it got him to stop crying. She knew he would need more food but with the house in horrible shape and dead bodies lying around, she’d have to find food elsewhere. Looking at the baby again, a new problem arose in her head. Losing a child of her own only made her want to keep this one. If she took the baby to the Captain, he would be taken away to a refugee camp to find a new family. His family was gone, devoured by the titans. Who else better to take care of the baby than her. She had to hide him. Wrapping the baby up carefully, she hid him in her cape while holding him with her right arm. She didn’t know how she was going to make it back without being spotted but she had to give it a try.

“It’s okay”, she cooed to the baby. “I’ll be your mom now… I’ll keep you safe”.

Y/n walked out of the house cautiously, careful not to be seen or spotted by anyone. The plan seemed to be going well in her head until she heard a voice that slightly scared her.

“What are you doing?” Levi asked her.

Y/n jumped and turned around half way, trying not to show him what she was holding.

“Nothing, just heading back to regroup with the others”. Levi knew that to be half truth, she was walking suspiciously. He questioned further.

“Did you find anything in the house?”

“No I didn’t” she replied quickly, too quickly that she was sure it was a dead give away. She tried to walk away. She just had to make it to the horses.

Levi took notice of how weird she was acting but took more notice that she didn’t want to turn around and face him. Tilting his head to the side, he noticed how her right arm wasn’t resting at her side, meaning she was holding something.

“What are you holding in your hand?” he asked her.

Y/n froze. Shit, he noticed, she thought to herself. She then felt the baby wiggling in her arm. Please don’t cry, please don’t cry.

“Nothing!” Y/n replied quickly again and tried to walk away again before she was stopped by Levi’s hold on her left arm. Y/n looked at Levi, tears filling up her eyes before the baby started crying.

She froze as Levi looked down at her arm with a confused look. Slowly letting go of her arm, he pushed her cape to the side, revealing the baby she was holding. He took a deep breath, knowing exactly what she was doing and where this was gonna go. Y/n still didn’t move.

“You can’t keep that baby Y/n”, he finally said.

The pain that shot through her heart after hearing those words hurt like hell. She failed at keeping him hidden. To be fair, the plan didn’t have a 100% success rate but she knew the baby would be taken away.

“He has no family…the titans...” she replied, her voice shaky as she struggled to keep her tears from turning into sobs. She didn’t even want to look at Levi while she spoke.

Levi looked down at the baby, remembering his own pain that he felt when Y/n lost their child. He had to admit that while he never wanted kids, he was a bit excited about having one with her. Had they not been Scouts, he probably would have let her keep it but there were too many factors involved that wouldn’t let it be possible. He had to be realistic.

“There’s a family out there that can take care of him. We can’t -”

“Yes we can!” Y/n yelled out, her sobs coming out in full force. “We were going to have a child before, remember!? What difference does it make now!?”

Levi’s face remained nonchalant though he felt her pain. She was right except he didn’t know if this was healthy for her to do. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Petra from the corner of his eye.

“Captain, we-”, she was cut off by Levi holding his finger up, telling her to wait. Seeing that the baby was still crying, he knew he had to eat.

“The baby is hungry. We should get him something to eat for the meantime.”

Y/n looked down at the fussy baby. Levi was right.

“Petra”, Levi said as he motioned her to come over. “Take the baby to the wagon and find him some food”.

Y/n clutched the baby tighter. She felt like this was some kind of trick. Petra walked over slowly, being aware of the delicate state Y/n was in and slowly grabbed the baby.

“Please Levi, don’t do this… please don’t take him away…” she begged softly as she looked at him. She could’ve fought to keep the baby in her hold but her emotions drained her from every fight she had. Petra finally had a hold of the baby and took him away, leaving Y/n to drop to the ground and sob. Levi was there to console her, not with words but holding her. He fought to not shed a tear himself.

Some time had passed since they went to look for survivors at the village and Y/n had been quiet ever since then. Not wanting to eat or talk with anyone, she stood in her room wallowing in her pain. Levi had tried to console her the best he could but she was upset at him for taking the baby away. He knew it. He needed to do something, and after some thinking he made his move.

Levi had gone down to the refugee camp to look for the baby Y/n had saved. After asking around, he found the baby boy she wanted so bad. No family had come to claim him and so his caretaker had let Levi see him. With the two of them alone, Levi picked up the baby and admired his features. He took note of how much black hair he had and his pale skin just like his own. No wonder Y/n wanted him so bad.

“Ever thought of having kids of your own, Mr. Ackerman?” an old woman at the camp said to him. He looked at her and then back at the baby.

“No but my partner does. She was the one who found him the other day.”

“Then what is he doing here?” she replied. “Take him to her. It would sure make her day”.

After some thought about the old woman’s words finally gave in. If Y/n wanted to be a mom, then he would make her dream come true. If they wanted to have a kid of their own in the future, then the possibility was still on the table.

Y/n laid in bed, thinking about her baby boy. Well he wasn’t hers but she swore he was. She swore that she would never forgive Levi for taking him away from her, leaving her to deal with heartbreak twice. Lost in thought, she suddenly heard the door open. Knowing it was Levi, she didn’t bother to look.

“Y/n”, Levi said softly.

“Hmm” she replied.

“I have something to show you”

“I don’t care for it”, she said. She honestly didn’t.

“Oh, well I think you should”, he replied. Looking up finally, her eyes widened as she saw him holding the baby she found at the village. She jolted up from the bed to rush at his side, tears falling from her eyes once more as she admired her precious boy.

“Oh my god” she cried out, as she grabbed him from Levi’s hold. Levi gave her a soft smile.

“How did you..?” she questioned Levi, leaving kisses on the baby’s head.

“Nobody claimed him and I gave good thought about what you said. After speaking to the commander, you will now be an off duty soldier. We can keep him”.

Y/n’s eyes shined so bright from happiness. Her biggest dream was finally coming true.

“Thank you so much, Levi… my baby is here”, she said.

Levi smiled once more. “You mean our baby.”

Tagging: @humanitys-hottestsoldier @paopufruittt @final-fantasy-xv-nut

Masterlist

#levi x reader #levi ackerman #Levi aot #levi snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #snk x reader #aot x reader #levi fanfiction #attack on titan fanfiction #like #comment #reblog #jay writes #angst #sfw

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countingpaperstars · 4 years ago

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Chapter: 26/38? Rating: Mature Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia, One-Sided Prompto Argentum/Ardyn Izunia, Past Prompto Argentum/Original Character Additional Tags: Fix-It, I literally rewrote the entire fucking game everyone, Prince!Prompto, MT!Prompto, based on pigeon princess’ au!, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Slow Burn, like really fucking slow burn, Guaranteed happy ending, OT4, Established OT3, Polyamory, polyship roadtrip, Canon-Typical Violence, so some blood and injuries but nothing graphic, Spoilers, Minor Character Death, Alternate Canon, in this house we love and appreciate strong and capable prompto, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Near Death Experiences, Anxiety, Self Confidence Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, lore and worldbuilding are tweaked, everyone’s 2/3 years older than canon, prom’s a damsel-he’s in distress-he can handle it

Chapter Summary:

It’s strange being back here; acknowledging all the time that’s passed, all the years and events. He’s not the same person he was, young and injured and in need of tender care. Now, he stands tall in the mirror and faces his reflection head on.

They arrive in Tenebrae, reconnect with old friends, and take space to rest.

Notes:

Heyo, long time no see! Happy belated Halloween! I hope you all have been doing well. In exciting news, Divenire turned three this past July! I can't believe how long it's been :') This story has grown so much and we're scooting right along! Can't wait to show y'all what's in store. Thank you, as always, to @pigeon-princess, Tera, and Juli for everything. Literally everything.

Chapter's title comes from Dandelions by Ruth B. which you can check out on the playlist.

Enjoy~

(Please support by reblogging <3)

#prince prompto #final fantasy xv #polyship roadtrip #promptis #promnis #promptio #ignoct #gladnoct #gladnis #ffxv #divenire #my writing

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averyscarlet-blog · 3 years ago

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Project Clypse

Hello there stranger! If you don’t know who I am, or you’re too lazy to read my name, I’m AveryScarlet! You can simply call me Avery or Av. And if you know me on fanfiction.net, mostly through my works Mercury Alchemist or Final Fantasy Versus XV, welcome! Now, for a while now, I’ve been wanting to write up my own original story. Issue with me, thanks to college in the past, I haven’t properly developed the mindset to write a full-blown novel. I’ve gotten so used to typing up a chapter or two in a month before publishing them that I can’t properly focus as an actual writer should.

As much as I want to focus on writing some of my fanfiction, I can’t because I’m focusing on studying for NCLEX. So if you’re waiting for the next chapter for FF Versus XV... It’s almost done! It’s just gonna take a while. But as you can see below, I’ve been working on something else. I’m sure you’re confused as to who these characters are in the chat and why I’m pushing so many out. Well. I’ll tell you. This is my way of practicing for a story I’ve been... REALLY wanting to write for a long time. It doesn’t have a definite name, so I’m calling it Project Clypse. Which partially comes from the group my main characters are in.

Now, I thought of writing up their character bio’s but..... I’m not really that good at it as I used to be. I used to for when I was active in RP’s but I’m so rusty that I doubt I can keep up with whomever I’m chatting with. So, I’m just summarizing certain details you need to know about them! Not all of it because that'd be spoiling the story of every character. Now, with all that’s said and done, let me start explaining key points of Project Clypse.

Premise/Background

The story is centered on a world called Avarus, which you can say is sort of like Earth, except it was made with someone else's version of life. Or, it used to be. Avarus is one of the few remaining worlds that has an active patron God, who has chosen to go under the alias Belial. The world was originally created and governed by another, Belial’s younger sister, Soleil. After Avarus’ creation, and the birth of man, she was killed by an unknown assailant. But before she died, she was cursed to experience an endless cycle of death and rebirth into various random worlds. She will live a short mortal life, then die from either natural or unnatural causes.

According to Belial, this curse is bestowed only to Celetials who have performed a dire sin. While there is no definite way to lift the curse, Belial hopes that by locating and retrieving her while she's still alive, or at the very least obtain her soul, then he could find the proper means to spare his sister of her cursed fate and return Avarus's true patron Goddess. Because of her demise, life on the planet started to decay. To prevent its destruction, Belial forced the planet to stop rotating, hoping to delay it long enough for him to find Soleil.

However, there were dire consequences to this act. His actions indirectly causing the world to cease rotating; time became non-existent as a result. This, inevitably, killed off most of the remaining life in the world due to the imbalance of the ecosystem as one half of the planet became stuck in perpetual darkness, and the other being dried up caused prolonged exposure to the sun's light.

The only life that Belial was able to salvage was her sisters creation; humanity. Those that survived after the planet ceased its rotation found themselves unable to age. They can still die, but their bodies will no longer decay. During the first Century since Soleil’s death, the God went through various countermeasures to keep the world and the life still inhabits it safe until he can find his sister.

However, a strange plague began to manifest. Soon, it began to devour most of the remaining populace, creating a dark entity in the process; the Astrals (will explain in a different section).

While Belial was successful in wiping out the infected, the God realized that he cannot keep the last remnants of humanity safe. Not while there are still Astrals lurking about. So he put them to sleep, sealed them in a place that only he knows. However, because of the sudden absence of time and life, the world began to deconstruct itself each time he departed in search for her in other worlds. Realizing he cannot manage Avarus and search for his sister at the same time, he found an alternative. Since his conception, he had noticed a peculiar type of living being popping up now and then in a variety of sentient species. So he sought them out.

Eventually, gathered enough to temporarily replace humanity and trick the world itself into thinking life still exists. At first, he gathered adults since he knew nothing can grow in Avarus once they’ve lived in the world for a certain period of time, but because of their attachments to the worlds they originated from, it was difficult to convince them to remain. Then he thought up of another solution, one which he knew his sister would frown upon. Children. With their young minds, they’ll easily forget their place of origin and can be easily trained in the necessary skill in traversing through different worlds. And, after learning that the Astrals have branched out to those said worlds, learn how to handle their sudden enemy.

Their goal is simple; to locate and, if possible, retrieve Soleil and eradicate the Astrals.

Main Characters

Note: Just in case you did not know... I. Cannot. Draw. As much as it pains me to do this, but I need you guys to have some sort of idea on how they look like. I cannot find the original artists of the artworks; mostly because google imaging is shit and Pinterest tends to... Send you elsewhere. So of you know the artist, please PM me so I can give them credit. If you know they don't want their works republished, I'll remove it and try to figure something out. I take no credit whatsoever on the art! I merely scoured the internet for any references I could use. If you're wondering why I'm not.using actual people... You know how awkward that is?

Anyway, much of these are concepts so expect changes in the future. I tried to discuss as little as possible about each character. And let me tell ya.... That was a lot I had to cut off, so if the explanation is a bit messy, that was from me trying to select what to remove to avoid revealing too much.

. . .

Sound

‘I have to be better. I have to be a better leader. I have to be a better lover. I have to be a better sibling. If I don’t... then I’ll lose everything again. If I must, I’ll sacrifice my identity for a third time if it means protecting them.’

Credits to: T0Q00(?) - Okay, on Pinterest it has the person’s name AND link to their twitter account. The thing is... it’s empty. Their entire page is empty. At least I found the artist’s name?

Also known as the Glutton King, Sound is one of the leaders of his faction, Tunera Clypse and a member of Mythral. He is a first generation Nors. While not as lazy as Noise, he’s not really a fan of getting involved in fights with people. When it comes to killing Astrals; that’s an entirely different story.

Outwardly, he displays laid back, playful, and very concerning outlandish behavior. And by outlandish, I mean his... eating habits. Sound likes to experiment with his stomach. He’ll do absolutely ANYTHING to eat whatever he deems as edible. He also - absolutely - lacks any sense of shame (ex. walking out of the shower and to his room without a towel, slapping Noise’s butt). Although limited to communicate via writing, he makes sure that every single thing he writes is worth reading. Many are even surprised at just how fast he writes his messages. Then again, after years of practice, it’s expected he’d adapt.

Sound is self-aware of the fact that he’s a fictional character and will randomly break the fourth wall, causing much confusion to his friends several times. While not as dark as his previous self, Fell, he maintains some of his views towards life and tends to be as vocal - via writing - of his previous self's beliefs.

As a Cursed Blood, his curse forces him to conceal his face behind a customized Fox Mask. Depending on the amount of facial skin that was exposed, a person can live up to several minutes to several hours before inflicted with sudden death. If a person were to see the entirety of his face, they will die on the spot from unknown causes. He has a Physical Curse as well, which causes him to inflict a certain degree bad-luck to whoever hears his voice. While it’s rarely anything life-threatening, Sound is forced to become selectively mute. Although he tries his best to remain silent, he tends to accidentally let it a few words or sounds slip. Which usually occurs when he sneezes, and when he does, it is immediately advised by his friends to duck and cover.

After undergoing the Ascension Ceremony, he joined the faction Tunera Clypse and then gave up his original name, becoming the next Sound. Unbeknownst to him, his actions later in life has caused him to unknowingly become the Vessel of Gluttony. It is unknown if his eating habits is the reason he became the vessel or it’s the other way around. Either way, he has shown to be fully capable of controlling the abilities that comes with being a Vessel. Sound merely chooses not to use them.

. . .

Ayane Koronashi

“If my brother had left the orphanage that day without me, I would simply smile. If Ulric presented me his latest girlfriend, I’d smile. Smiling is all I can ever do without being a nuisance. I could never show them my pain. I want to cry but my curse renders me incapable of doing so. But now it’s better. I’m better.”

Also known as the Black Fox. Ayane is the younger twin sister of Sound. Like her twin, she is also a member of Tunera Clypse and Mythral; as well as a first generation Nors. Despite being an active member, unless accompanied by her brother, Ayane is rarely allowed to participate in any scouting or combat-related missions. The main reason for this is her curse. While also a Cursed Blood like her brother and some of their friends, the unnatural causes that led to sudden conversion to a cursed blood caused her condition to be unstable. At the beginning, she was unable to retain her original form and would take the shape of a fox.

After some time and practice, she has learned to maintain most of her former human appearance, leaving only a pair of fox ears to replace her human ears and a tail (not by choice) as an extra ligament. Not only that, some of her internal organs remain similar to that of a fox. Because of this, she is unable to eat certain foods that are potentially poisonous to her (or generally unhealthy). She was told that eventually, if nothing is done, she will permanently take the complete form of a fox. She cannot surgically remove the fox parts as they will simply grow back.

Side-note: No, they did not try or plan to remove her fox ears. The curse replaced her human ears so they cannot remove them without indirectly making her deaf.

Her personality is the somewhat similar to Sound’s, but is far more excitable and outgoing than her brother. Just like a fox, she is clever and witty, which she demonstrates many times during combat. She has a tendencyto steal things without her knowledge. While this isn’t necessarily kleptomania, as objects appear in her hands at random, she still tries get over her childhood habit. She does have a tendency to be reckless, though this is stems from her need to be useful as her curse leaves her unable to perform all of the necessary abilities that is required of a Nors.

Another thing to know is her intense hatred towards cats. Which will be explored at a later time.

As a Cursed Blood, she can take the form of a fox. While the size varies, depending on her emotional state, she is commonly seen to change into the size similar to an elephant. If she performs multiple transformations, she will regress to a regular sized fox and sleep for an extensive period of time. She has been recommended to avoid constantly rely on her full fox form as it will hasten the progression of her curse.

After undergoing the Ascension Ceremony, she followed her brother and joined the same faction as him, but unlike him, did not join as a core member so she did not have to give up her original name. Because of the current state of her body caused by her Cursed Blood, her emotions has unknowingly lead her to become thenext Vessel of Envy.

. . .

Reihana Toelle Ur Kamaria

“Why was I born like this... what did I deserve to be cursed like this!? All I want is to hold someone without fearing I’ll crush them. I can’t be the receiver forever!”

Or Rei for short. Is a member of Mythral and is a second generation Nors. As a floater, Rei rotates between the three factions, but she usually works with Tunera Clypse. Known for her terrifying brute strength, Rei is feared by many and is challenged on a near daily basis. Because of her strength and seemingly indestructible nature, she is (much to her annoyance) sometimes used as a human shield. While she is able to take on an army by herself, Rei tries not to go all out in fear of accidentally killing her allies in the crossfire. In terms of mental maturity, aside from Xavier, she is slightly more competent and is level-headed enough to not participate in childish activities. Most of the time.

Rei prefers to ‘punch first, talk later’ when confronted, though the talking never happens as her opponents is either obliterated or immediately knocked out after one hit. While she can be aggressive at times, she merely acts out on this person's due to the rumors that were spread when word of her curse began to circulate. Those closest to her have witnessed her carefree and adventurous nature. She is also cautious and careful of her surroundings, becoming more thoughtful in the usage of her strength as a result.

As much as she loves the thrill and adrenaline that comes from combat, she prefers not to fight too often. Mostly because it usually leads to unnecessary mass destruction. She craves for proper physical contact, but due to her curse, she forces herself to avoid it as much as possible.

Being the physically oldest, next to Percy, she tends to act like the big sister of the group, which Rei has admitted she finds embarrassing. Still, she works hard in trying to act as moral support for her friends. That doesn’t stop her from losing her temper when a certain line is crossed.

As a Cursed Blood, she is cursed with immeasurable strength. Her strength doubles based on who or whatever is the strongest in a world that she sets foot in. That, of course, excludes Celestial’s as the strength of the divinity is almost non-existent. By default, back in Avarus, her usual strength is enough to crumble an entire building. In other worlds, it depends. To help control and regulate her strength during combat, she uses a large amount of Astral Dust to create form-fitting gauntlets around her lower arm. She was meant to become the Vessel of Wrath but was instead changed to be the candidate for the Vessel of Pride.

. . .

Perseus Vlahos

"I used to believe that being a hero will allow you to cement your place in history. But over time, I learned that the farther in time your name is shared in time, you become nothing more than a mere legend. Or worse, a myth. Stories can be altered, changed. If that’s the case, I’d rather not be remembered at all. I didn’t work this hard just to be written off as a bedtime story.”

Christened under the name ‘Percy the Naive’ by his best friend, later life-long rival, Wilhelm, he is the current wielder of the legendary sword; Excalibur, and member of Infernum Poncitator. Grandson of Rayner, Percy is one of the few third generation Nors in Avarus. He is a kind young man and is respected amongst his peers (well, most of them) and superiors, so much so that he has been offered the position of leader of the faction. Percy refuses as not only deems himself unworthy, but out of respect for those that have lived in Avarus longer.

He displays many the ideal traits of a knight, eventually becoming viewed as an ideal knight by others. However, deep down, Percy perceives himself as the opposite. He feels he is a dishonorable fraud and is not proud of his status as Excalibur's chosen wielder. If he was given a chance to do it over again, Percy would immediately abandon his decision never search and locate the sword.

After joining Avarus, in a short span of time, Percy was able to easily establish himself as a sort of leader figure within his faction. While serious most of the time, especially during missions, due to his time with other Nors, has displayed a degree of patience and tolerance towards whoever he is assigned. Still, he never forgets their main objective and takes charge if he deems the assigned leader incompetent. Which happens more times than he refuses to count. He tries to maintain a cool head, but will severely reprimand others if the situation calls for it.

Proficient in the ways of the sword, he garnered the attention of (the then Mongrel) Mitchell. He was very reluctant in taking in a squire. But eventually, Percy relented after the younger boy attempted to fight against an Astral and nearly lost his life. He plans to one day pass down Excalibur to Mitchell once he gains the strength to surpass Percy.

At the moment, Percy is the current Vessel of Wrath.

. . .

Noise (***** Rallus)

“I tried all of my life to give my dad a reason why he shouldn't be treating his body the way he did. I tried all of my life to keep my friend in line so I'd never have to be the one to discipline him. And yet... If only I didn't try so hard, they'd still be alive.”

Author’s Note: Yeah I... legit do not know who this belongs to. There’s the artist’s signature so that’s the good thing. Problem is....

After escaping from the confines of his original world, Eingesperrt City, and, with the help Sound, joined Avarus and assumed the title of Noise. Unlike others that were gathered in the past, Noise is a regular human being. Something only Sound knows. Regardless of the danger, he became one of the leaders for Tunera Clypse, later joining Mythral after adapting to his new lifestyle.

He wears one of the Artifacts in order to copy and use only one ability of his choosing. As long as a piece of original user is within the Artifact, Noise can use it for as long as he wants. However, if its been removed and replaced with something else, the previous copied ability cannot be used ever again.

Since his recruitment, Noise adopted an extremely lazy personality. He’s so lazy that somehow even snoring consumes too much energy. To make sure he’s awake most of the time, Sound forced Noise to set up a sleep schedule, so that when he’s ready, he has enough energy to do SOMETHING. However, no matter where he is, he’ll take every opportunity to take a nap. He doesn’t care. As long as he gets to close his eyes, Noise is fine to sleep wherever, even if it involves napping righ at the edge of a volcano.

He’ll get annoyed if anyone that dares try to wake him up and he’ll be in a fowl mood for the rest of the day. The only exception is the fox girl and his lover. Despite this, he displays a certain degree of kindness. It’s just really hard to tell if what he’s doing is truly an act of kindness or he’s just too lazy to do things such as delivering a ‘motivational speech’. He can be blunt when he has to be, and he tends to come off as a jackass rude because of his personality. However, this is his way of showing he cares. Noise will flat out tell you if he dislikes you.

Another thing to know about him is his crude sense of humor. Combined with his blunt and rude nature towards people, mostly acquaintances and strangers, it always leads to various... Misunderstandings. Worst case scenario? A fight. He'd improve if he could, but he won't.

Look, if you haven't figure out that he's lazy after reading all this, gooood luck.

For reasons unknown, despite becoming the next Vessel of Sloth, it remains dormant within him. They thought of extracting it to learn the causes that led up to its current dormant state, but Sound intervened in time as he knew that extracting it by force will kill the the vessel.

. . .

Michael/Raphael/Gabriel/Uriel/Saraqael/Raguel/Remiel/etc

‘Dragons are raised under the false pretense that they are the supreme species above all others. But that merely obscures the truth; the truth that we’re just as vulnerable as anyone else. There are various ways to kill aside from piercing our hearts with a spear.”

Author’s Note: Just so you know, HE’S BLONDE and has green eyes! This was the only option I have that closely resembles how I envisioned him! There was another because he gives off the same atmosphere when you look at him but... he’s from an otome game. And I only learned that recently so, if the same goes for this one? WELP. Oh and he has patches of dark brown scales on part of his skin.

Neither a Quietus Nors nor a resident of Avarus, Michael is a dragon. His version of his race if capable of transformation, but can only change into the form of the last creature they devoured. Whole. Rather than his true form, in order to remain working in Avarus, chose to work in the form of the former Prince of Edrakon, a world where dragons were enslaved and cruelly treated as mere objects. Despite his appearance not being his own, he maintains an intimidating and powerful aura, which is easily distinguishable even within a large crowd.

Due to the high esteem he holds towards his race and his pride as a Dragon, he can come off as domineering, even becoming critical towards other versions of his race if he finds something illogical or nonsensical in their appearance and their abilities. While he does act this way, he finds it absolutely disgusting to find dragons place themselves in a position of power and abuses their power in controlling another species. Another aspect of him is that he looks down on dragons with physical defects, which is mostly directly aimed as himself due to his extremely poor eyesight. Thus, forcing him to rely on his human form to watch glasses. He also has a very confusing naming system; where he changes his name based on the date, time and temperature.

Micheal held the potential required to become a Nors, but because of his age, he was unable to undergo the necessary steps to fully integrate into Avarus. While others are reluctant to have him join their ranks, several others, for different reasons, allowed him to remain. This eventually allowed others to accept his addition to the organization.

As the one in charge of organizing and handling most of Avarus’ internal affairs, a job the Nors, even the Ex-Anima/Animus, are reluctant in taking up such an important position; he takes his job very seriously. Although he does express some contempt towards humans, this does not extend to the people he works with. He cares about them to a certain degree, which is shown by he constantly reprimands whoever acts risky during a mission.

He is the current Vessel of Pride, something he only learns of later on. Despite the fact Micheal is a vessel, Belial believes this is only temporary. He isn’t particularly close with Belial, but he respects the God enough to follow his orders.

. . .

Ulric Soknawo

'In my tribe, I was considered an outcast. You can thank the unnatural union that birthed me. Now? It hasn’t changed much, but at least I’m no longer considered the runt of the pack.’

Whose other name is Kuckunniwi, is a former member of the Aniwaya Tribe. In their world, his people are Natives who worshipped a guardian Wolf Spirit. According to them, in return for their unyielding loyalty and devoted nature, it granted the people with the power to take the form of the spirit they have worshipped for many generations. So long as they use that power to protect the forest, it shall provide them protection. Ulric is the third, second youngest, illegitamate son of the Tribal chief Tamaska and grandson of Wolfram.

As per tradition, all tribesmen are given two names, one for their human form while the other is for their inner wolf. Despite being allowed to use either name like others of his tribe, he refuses to be use his wolf name due to the meaning behind it. After being discovered by Ayane, she brought and recruited him to Avarus. Ulric is considered to be a Third Generation Nors due the fact his father was (oddly) not born a Nors, or had to potential to be converted into one.

Ulric tends to act like the stereotypical lone-wolf, choosing to remain in solitude and observe from a distance. He likes to spend his quiet time alone, though he does allow others to sit next to him when asked. Many have pointed out that he never smiles, but, as much as he hates to quote Noise, states that if there is no reason to smile, there is no reason to put so much effort in abusing his facial muscles.

As much as he loves being a wolf, he finds certain aspects of his second nature to be... aggravating. Depending on the season and the weather, it deals a the effects his wolf instincts on his human nature. Because of the two separate natures continually clashing, he tends to act irritable and his temper worsens, especially during the night. Ulric holds a strong belief that one’s nature, regardless of your race, should never control a one's personal feelings.

He holds an unyielding loyalty to his loved ones, almost to the point of willing to kill for them if the situation calls for it, but his actions are subtle and tends to be the exact opposite of how he truly feels. Only two people in his life have been able to decipher his behavior, and he cherishes them for it. Ulric has a bit of a temper as well but is able to keep it in check. His temper, however, is what led him to becoming a Cursed Blood. His curse forces him to foresee the deaths of whomever he romantically falls in love (or at least feel an interest) with.

Any attempts at interfering will only hasten their death.

. . .

Xavier Wozwald Hawthorne

'Murderers are dumbasses, always killing because of their unchecked emotions and pented up desires. Hence why most of them clumsily try to hide their crime. Serial killers are more... sofisticated with their craft, but their ego always gets in the way. If they weren’t complete dumbasses, they would have lived a long comfortable life. I should know.’

Note: Yes, this is obviously Vflower. Did I know that before? No. Do I plan to change the art reference? Yes, but only when I find one that’s not a god dang real-life person’s online avatar. XD Seriously, each time I thought I found one... it’s an utaite or vtuber.

Is a member of Mythral and a First Generation Nors. Like Rei, he is a Floater, which allows him to particiate in mission for all three factions. However, he prefers to work with those in Tunera Clypse as, since they mostly handle scouting and recruiting missions. As long as he doesn’t remain in Avarus for too long, he's fine with accepting any mission related to Tunera. Xavier will still accept missions from other factions, but that's merely to fill up his quota.

Despite appearing around the age 12-14; which was not by choice, Xavier is in fact mentally older than most of his fellow Nors. Known for his sharp tongue, Xavier is one of the few known Nors to have been granted permission to travel outworld immediately after undergoing the Ascenscion Ceremony.

Due to the experiences his past life went through, Xavier has a very grim outlook of the world and displays little to no respect towards authority figures. And that includes his current patron God; Belial, which only worsens after being told by the God that he is unable to help Xavier grow into the appropriate intended size. Unlike most Nors, he displays a high degree of critical thinking and intelligent. He is, if not more, level-headed than one of his friends; Percy. Though that doesn’t stop the teasing. While confident in his abilities in terms of combat, Xavier knows the limits of his current smaller body.

In order to compensate, he creates an excessively large scythe as compensation, but he's too proud to admit this.

Because of his level of maturity, he has been labeled as a 'Midget Grandpa'. Which he fails at trying to prove otherwise by collecting certain tthings that are considered out of date by their standards. Eventually, it became a soft of hobby for him to collect such things.

Xavier tends to display a sadistic nature while in combat, choosing to taunt his opponent by constantly pointing our their obvious flaws deficits and toy with them until the last minute. Most times, he will use his child-like appearance to his advantage to further torment his opponent/victim. Comically enough, if his opponent is a cold-blooded criminal, Xavier will compliment and , depending on their actions, congratulate them; much to the annoyance of those involved.

Like Sound, he has both a Physical and Blood-based Curse, but unlike the latter, Xavier was born with both. His Physical Curse has caused severe permanent scarring on his right arm, making it appear similar to third degree burns. If freed from any type of coverage, such as bandages, his arm will painfully be set a blazed, forcing him to conceal his arm at all times. As a Cursed Blood, Xavier has a similar effect of a Siren, except his hypnotic singing forces someone to commit suicide. Every time he uses this curse, he temporarily falls into a coma.

. . .

Succu(bus) Kilmer

Like her name suggests, Succu is a succubus, but belongs to a different version of her species. Due to being a demon, she is forbidden to reveal her true name. Succu is neither a Nors nor a Cursed Blood. She’s more of an illegal immigrant after sneaking her way into a group of Nors when they were scouting for potential recruits. There have been many attempts in trying to relocate her back to her original world, but she is able to seduce her attackers and slip away. Eventually, Belial declared that she will be allowed to remain as a resident, so long as she contributes in their mission to locate Soleil.

While they do seduce those of the opposite sex, her source of food is not as grotesque as several others. She does seduce her victim, but moves her body in a way that her victims find alluring. Succu will then massage certain parts of their body as a means to relax them. To assure that they will not attempt to escape, she will release pheremones that nulls the victims senses. What she devours isn’t the flesh of her victim nor does she devour their soul, she merely devours the emotions she was able to invoke until her hunger is quenched.

Succu is flirtaceous and very... very.... VERY- Well, you get the point. While she doesn’t flaunt her beauty, she does know how to use it to her advantage. However, despite many approaching her, Succu has only eyes for one, and is willing to wait as long as possible for that person to reciprocate her feelings. Succu, although assertive and open with her feelings, is not the type to force them onto someone.

She does like to express herself by getting physical - very physical. Not the way that you’re thinking, you perverts. She finds it more convenient to allow her actions to talk rather than saying things verbally. Since she’s an outsider, she notices several things that not even Pery or Ulric have noticed, and both are outsiders as well considering the fact they grew up outworld before being recruited. Regardless, she remains silent for the sake of remaining by her beloved’s side.

Succu is often mistaken as the Vessel of Lust due to her nature, and, on her part, finds it’s tiresome to prove that she is not.

Side Characters

Tank Mortem

A former member of Tunera Clypse and Mythral, Tank has been assigned to act as one of the engineers in maintaining the Infernian Generator due to his body’s condition and the issues of his mental state. He seldom participates in missions but, despite being given strict orders not to, joins in anyway. Due to the limits of his mental capacity, Tank has difficulty interacting with others. Quite literally.

Beatrix Staccato

Is a researcher and inventor in charge of the tools and weaponry utilized by most Nors and Ex-Animus. Having taken over most of the unfinished projects since the passing of his master, Beatrix has dedicated all of his time in improving the welfare of the world and its inhabitants. However, most of his experiments tend to be a bit... over the top. If he’s not thinking of new potential products that may benefits the Nors, he’ll make whatever comes at the top of his head, and most of the time it’ll lead him to make the most outrageous and unnecessary items. Beatrix prefers to remain in his lab/home at all times, rendering his social interactions with the three factions to be limited via holographic meetings.

‘Nyx’ Pierrot

Leader of Vanidicus Persona, she is one of the oldest Nors - next to Constantine - making her the default leader of her faction. Much about her is a mystery. Even her behavior can be viewed as... questionable. Not outlandish, that’s Sound’s department. Her behavior is so odd that it’s enough to baffle even Belial. She takes her leadership over her faction very seriously, however, as part of her nature, the requirements in joining and maintaining your membership vastly deviates from the original. However, looks can be deceiving. Aside from her seniority, there is a reason why she was given the position of leader.

Mitchell Pierrot

He prefers to be called as ‘Mitch’ after being told, and proven, by his sister how much of a tongue twister his name is if repeated constantly in a single conversation. While he is the younger brother of Nyx, Mitch opted to become a submember of Tunera Clypse upon undergoing the Ascension Ceremony to be in the same faction as his mentor, Perseus Vlahos. Compared to the Nors in his batch, he is viewed as weak by many as he is unable to perform the abilities that is expected of him to develop after becoming a Nors.

Constantine L. Refrain

Nothing is truly known about him except that he’s a chronic smoker. Nobody truly knows who he is, no one even knows which faction he belongs to. It’s nearly impossible to question these things as he is constantly surrounded by a shroud of - barely tolerable - smoke. All that is known is that he’s been around longer than most of the Ex-Animus. Constantine usually frequints the Silent Siren Bar, staying there for hours until he’s either drunk or needs to receive another pack of cigarretes from Beatrix. He says they’re for medicinal purposes buuuuut...

I’m pretty sure black smoke isn’t normal.

Stefan Mal Sorcier

Is Percy’s second pupil. Although, it was more like Percy was forced into taking in another after his continual refusal to become leader of Infernum Poncitator. Outwardly, he is aloof and always appears smiling, which unsettles Mitchell even when they’re alone. His politeness is found unusual by many and causes others to feel wary around him. Even the dragon finds himself is unable to remain in the same vicinity as the young man. Despite being full of many secrets, Percy accepts him as is and tries his best to teach him all he can, which Stefan appreciates.

Kyline Necro

Considered as the mascot ambassador of Avarus, like the soul that was fused with her upon birth, she mostly lounges around and has little participation in any missions in and out of Avarus. This has caused her to be disliked by many, most especially Ayane. The only person Kyline has gotten close to is Noise; mostly because they share the same favored sleeping spot. On a side, she acts a physician, or surgeon if you like to get technical. She has a strange fondness of picking apart and replacing specific limbs with doll parts.

Yu-Yan Chi Ryou

Was once one of the strongest Nors from Xavier’s batch until he was inflicted by an unknown disease during one of his missions. While there is no name for the disease, it has caused much of his bones to undergo crystallization; rendering him immobile due to the pain that comes from even the smallest of movements. Since he is incapable in participating in any activities, Yu-Yan has since been forced to be confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

Anita Eine Kleine

Is the fighting instructor of the Mongrels and a member of Infernum Poncitator. Anita is a highly-skilled caster, able to conjure and manipulate various elements. She absolutely hates the term ‘witch’, even going as far as to cast a minor curse in making a person temporarily mute if they refer to her as one. Which Sound found rather offensive when he found out about the curse, something she deeply apologized for. She participates in some Scouting Missions but only if personally requested by someone from Tunera Clypse.

Victor Stein

Is Beatrix’s (only living) research assistant. He is the sole survivor of the Night of the Black Moon. Although having physically recovered, the damage to his mental state has left a deep scar on his psyche. He fears yet obsesses over the sensation of pain. There is not one instance where he isn’t found sowing over his own intact skin. While Victor knows his addiction found uncomfortable by others, he finds it extremely difficult to control his urges.

Wolfram

Grandfather of Ulric and most of his siblings, he is an Ex-Anima (or retired Nors) and a former member of the original Mythral. As the more experienced and one of the longest surviving resident of Avarus, he acts as a mentor to those who seek his guidance. However, in terms of combat, his skills are very limited as he has become permanently stuck in his wolf form. The only grandchildren he's ever personally met are Ulric and Seeing, who have both ironically became his favorite. While acting as a mentor, he is rather strict, constantly parting lessons in order to make sure none make the same mistakes he committed when he was younger, many of which he refuses to share.

Diantha Anemone

Despite being still a Liberi, Dia still participates in many activities meant to be done only by Nors. She originally wanted to become a part of Tunera Clypse due to the many adventures imparted by Sound. But after having a first hand experience in one, it traumatized her to the point where she wants to merely work as a Librarian, a position many people avoid.

Echo & Yell

Fellow teammates of Sound and Noise. As part of the four heads leaders that overwatch many of Tunera Clypse's activities, both in and out of Avarus. They mostly take charge of delegating the members while the other two take an active role in leading many scouting missions off-world. Contradicting her name, like Sound and Noise, her personality is the completely opposite. Due to her sociophobia, she is extremely shy and is unable to speak when talked to, only whispering her sentences as she talks. Yell, however, is the only one whose personality fits the mantle she inherited. Due to her curse, she has to raise her voice after every two hours. If not, she will fall into a coma, and she can only be awaken by *************.

Important Figures

Belial

Credits to: @airtrees0507 (Again, another artist who... disappeared from the internet. How do I keep finding refrences where the artist is just gone?)

Is a Celestial and the younger brother of Soleil. However, despite his godly status, he does not have any of the expected gifts. Neither a god of creation, life, or death, he has been given the title God of Void by his peers. Because of this, he is incapable of maintaining Avarus by himself, forcing him to use alternative (and questionable) means in preserving the world his sister created. Like his title, Belial is unable to express emotions, giving blank demeanor. He does, however, hold some semblence of emotions within him. Yet despite this, he has little to no understanding of life, death and emotions. Even after centuries since he over his sister’s role as Patron God, he still has no understanding to all living things, almost to the point of coming off as insensitive and heartless.

Belial has a deep devotion to his sister, having gone through great lengths to make sure to maintain her world and willingly sacrifice the lives of many. Despite knowing her distaste towards such acts, he holds onto the hope of one day finding her.

Soleil

Credits: Um... Lucare Eu??? Sorry, I’m just basing it off the signature. Once again, can’t find the artist themself so...

The true patron goddess of Avarus and the older sister of Belial. Aside from her status as the original creator and caretaker of her world and the life that once flourished within it, not much is known about her. While her exact cause of death is unknown, she was cursed to live an endless cycle of death and rebirth in various worlds. In order to restore the world she created and loved dearly, Belial dedicated his life in searching for her soul and freeing her of her curse. As a Celestial, she was said to have chosen to take the form of her first ever creation and first mortal friend.

It is said that, despite having blessed with the gift of creation, she was known to be a lonely goddess. Those that new her describe as someone that’s physically there but is spiritually detached.

The Oracle

Is a title given to those with the ability to commune and guide the spirits to the Empyrean Plain, more specifically Avarus’ residences due to the absence of Soleil. The Oracle acts as the divine anchor on the world to aid Belial in prolonging the world’s existence. They are also the main source of Belial’s divine power; both of which are maintained through her prayers. The gender and species of the Oracle is non-specific, but it if preferred by Belial if they are humanoid and have the ability of speech for the sake of communication.

The current Oracle is Aniela Fischl, who, unlike her predecessors, is able to foresee various futures. She does so by carefully peeking through the leylines and selects various possibilities that solely benefit Avarus. No one is allowed to meet her except Belial and her assigned Seekers.

The Seekers

The guardians, caretaker, and acting medians between the Oracle and the residents of Avarus. Their duty is to ensure that the chosen Oracle remains within the Spiral Tower and that he/she fulfills their duty, even going as far as to grant their wish regardless of the consequenses. Each Seeker has only one desire, and that’s to protect the Oracle at all times.

Races

Liberi

Age Range: Birth or 5 to 10 years

Although that is the official term, ‘Mongrel’ is what they are commonly referred as. It is the used for the for the children taken to or born in Avarus. Mongrels spend most of their young lives training within the safe walls of the Aldebaran Academy. They are forbidden from leaving as, according to Belial, they are the extremely fragile during this point of their lives. Regardless of their age, depending on how well they’ve performed in training, they will be given the right of undergoing the Ascension Ceremony. Those who fail are xxxxxxxx xx.

Due to their young age, their behavior is more sporadic than that of a normal child. Their reflexes are enhanced, almost to the point where it becomes difficult to contain them. Mongrels lack common sense so they tend to act out without fully understanding the impact their actions have. While childish and friendly by nature, Travellers are advised to approach with caution. Those who act beyond the expected norm are called Prodigies.

Quietus Nors

Age Range: (Physically) 14-19, (Mentally) 10 or above

Or simply called, Nors. After their graduation, every Nors is immediately sent to work. Depending on the final results of their training prior to undergoing the ceremony/procedure, each is individually assigned into one of the three factions ; Infernum Poncitator, Vanidicus Persona, and lastly, Tunera Clypse (formerly called Tunera). Those that are assigned to neither of the factions are assigned to more menial jobs alongside the Ex-Animus,

Despite their young minds, they have quickly adapted into their new forms. Due to time becoming almost non-existant in Avarus, Nors age at a rapidly slow rate. Though known to be childish by nature due to the gap of their young minds to their bodies, they dangerously lack empathy and display little to no compassion and remorse towards others. In worst cases, some act selfishly on their own accord. On a positive note, they lack any emotions that may hinder their mission in locating Soleil; such as fear.

Only two of the three current generations of Nors differ greatly from the first:

First Generation Nors - Are those converted or directly born within Avarus with the blood of two Nors. Those born in the first generation share two specific physical characteristics; raven black hair and golden eyes. They all share the same abilities upon conversion/birth, but it depends on the individual which ones they should master. Unless they happen to be a Cursed Blood, they are unable to obtain different abilities to call their own. They are required to undergo the Ascension Ceremony.

Second Generation Nors - In terms of personality, they are considered half as bad as those in the first gen. Unlike the previous, second generation Nors are considered slightly weaker, however, they have a better chance of obtaining other abilities outside of Avarus. Their hair is slightly lighter shade of black but their eyes remain the same. They too are required to undergo the Ascension Ceremony.

Third Generation Nors - While rare, they do tend to appear once in a while. It’s not exact how one falls into this category. The closest is being the grandchild or who has an anscestor that was a Nors. Because of their circumstances, these Nors are far weaker as they cannot use any of the standard abilities. Third Generation Nors are far difficult to locate as their potential doesn’t surface until they are of a much later age, rendering them incapable of taking necessary training to hone their abilities and undergoing the Ascension Ceremony. They do not share the common personality or physical traits of a Nors. One thing every Nors in this generation share are sky blue eyes, which emit a faint glow when in the dark.

Ex-Animus (or Anima for singular)

Age Range: (Physically) 30 to 40, rarely appears in their early 20′s

Are individuals who are retired from their duties as a Nors. Although Nors generally age at an excessively slow rate (due to the effects of Avarus), after a number of cycles (which refers to the number of batches that underwent the Ascension Ceremony), they will be given the order to retire. Regardless whether they are willing to or not, there is nothing they can do once the order has been issued. Once one becomes an Ex-Anima, they are completely cut off from their original faction and are unable to leave Avarus for the rest of their life.

Not only that, they are unable to defend themselves like they used to as they can no longer control Astral Dust and use the abilities from their time as a Nors,Basically. Basically, Ex-Animus’ are left to fend for themselves.

Factions

Every Nors is allowed to join any of the three factions; Infernum Poncitator, Vanidicus Persona , and Tunera Clypse. There is an option to not join any of the factions; they are called ‘Floaters’.

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