#v. after the games.

[wisheswagered]

" Mr Kreiburg? what are you doing here?! " - @asea0fmxses from Elise

"Ms... Viraldi?"

Deep down, Frederick had always known that what had happened to him at the manor was not a dream. At first, the memories only returned to him in fragments, hazy and incomplete, so it was easy to convince himself that they were nothing more than delusions - just like the voices in his head.

But by now, the time for denial has long since passed. He should be joyful, to finally have his freedom! But while the respite is something he drinks in greedily, the fear that's grasped him and kept him in it's clutches for so long hasn't just gone away. It's only natural, that such tortures would stick with anyone even long after their end - but... it's more than just that.

Because Frederick can't remember how he came to "escape" from the manor at all. All that remains in him, in place of that memory, is the powerful, inescapable sensation - a bone-deep knowledge he can't explain... that he sacrificed something far too great to do so.

-What did it cost?

So seeing Elise here, in the real world, where he's been trying to escape his past - of course it fills him with dread. Of course it leaves him terrified, as if he might be snatched up to return to those days of endless pain at any moment. ...But he forces himself to remain composed, and the only indication of his anxiety is the way his lips press together tightly, and he clutches the cane in his hand.

"Am I not allowed to be here? In fact, I could ask you the same thing."

[final-act]

android au stuff i never finished

[nebulacloudz]

Happy @fyeahghosttrick Ghost Swap season everyone! \o/ Took a swing at a prompt from @levitanias about Cabs and Yom parallels, although I'll admit that I read "spotless and pure with his white coat" and my mind immediately dropped this image in my lap... cannot deny the beauty of the red and white symbolism...

[Image description: digital art of Cabanela and Yomiel from Ghost Trick. Their hands are covered in blood as they grapple, with Cabanela clutching Yomiel by the wrists to hold Yomiel back. Cabanela is gritting his teeth, looking horrified, but Yomiel has a devious grin. They're floating in a gray, void-like space, as streams of blood drip sideways off of Yomiel's red suit and onto Cabanela’s white coat, staining it. End ID.]

[deathberi]

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH (2024)

[cyberpunkaddict]

Venia @lilacmox's OC 💙

[duskerot]

i disappear inside myself / my friends don't know it can't be helped

[Pure You - Nothing But Thieves]

[valfeathers]

(stumbles into a room covered in blood and sweat) i painted

[ryllen]

[v-thinks-on]

Aw, Yusuke <3

[crualex-de-vil]

Checking under V's hood ❤️‍🔥

[umbracirrus]

Okay, so, I have recently been thinking about axes and their importance in Nord culture in Skyrim, in part because I have something planned in a fanfiction that involves giving an axe and have been doing a little bit of research into it, and I have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole so please bear with me on this mini essay in which I have pulled together my thoughts/observations about axes in Skyrim and my two favourite Jarls, Balgruuf and Ulfric.

So, as anyone who has done the Civil War quests in Skyrim would know, there is a pivotal point in which the balance of power in Skyrim shifts either towards the Empire or the Stormcloaks based purely upon the player's alignment - when Whiterun either aligns with the Imperials or is taken by force by the Stormcloaks. Of course, there is one particular event which happens immediately before the battle begins, and that is the delivery of an axe.

However, at this point I would just like to bring up something which will become relevant later no matter what your alignment - at the point of the axe being sent, you have been named a Thane of Whiterun. Balgruuf won't hear anything to do with the Civil War when a dragon is attacking the Western Watchtower, so becoming both Dragonborn and a Thane is a prerequisite to the Civil War.

If you align with the Empire, it is Balgruuf who decides to send an axe. If you ask why, he gives the explanation that "if he returns it to you it means we have business to settle. If he keeps it, then we are at peace.", and if you ask whether you should say anything, he says that Ulfric knows what it means (also important for later!). The other dialogue option which isn't just 'sure, okay, I'll do that' also says that it is tradition, and that Ulfric honours traditions.

Obviously, Ulfric doesn't accept it and you return to Balgruuf with the news that he will be attacking Whiterun and suddenly, the city is under siege. When you win, Balgruuf personally thanks you for what you have done after his victory speech.

Now, on the other side of things, if you side with the Stormcloaks, it is Ulfric who gives you the axe to take to Balgruuf, but his explanation is much more... succinct. "If he keeps it, I will bide my time. If he returns it to you, it means war."

And as with the other side, because the game would be pretty boring is Balgruuf was to go "sure, I accept Ulfric's axe", he rejects the axe and that in turn means that you return to Ulfric with his axe, and he expresses his disappointment that Balgruuf had done so.

The two Jarls wanted the other on their side, but their views were fundamentally different they couldn't accept. 😭Sending their axes was just a formality, a way of saying 'this is it, we have to fight now'.

So what I am basically getting at, the civil war quest establishes that giving an axe is a way of determining allies and enemies, depending on whether it is accepted or rejected.

Coming back to what I mentioned earlier, in order to do the civil war quest and to talk to Balgruuf in order to either give him Ulfric's axe or to give his axe to Ulfric, you have to have become the Dragonborn and are a Thane of Whiterun. When you become a Thane in Skyrim, you end up receiving a weapon as a reward, typically named 'Blade of *insert hold name here*'. Except in two places.

Whiterun, and Eastmarch. In those places, you get either the Axe of Whiterun or the Axe of Eastmarch.

If I remember correctly, the blade weapons are randomly generated so have the potential to be axes, but these two are specifically named to be and are axes.

What else is in common with Whiterun and Eastmarch?

Their Jarls (Balgruuf and Ulfric) are the only two people in Skyrim who actively partake in and have knowledge of the tradition of the sending of axes.

When you become a Thane of these two holds, you are not just becoming a Thane, you are becoming a trusted ally of the Jarl, somebody who they can rely upon. Even more so with Ulfric, because you can only become a Thane of Eastmarch with Ulfric as Jarl if you are Stormcloak aligned.

Speaking of being Stormcloak aligned, how about a diversion back to the Civil War, specifically when the battle for Whiterun has reached its penultimate stages, Balgruuf has been defeated and has surrendered control of Whiterun. After an argument with Vignar (and I'll get into him later because he makes my blood boil), Balgruuf turns to you and says a line which absolutely breaks my heart - "And you. A Stormcloak? I'd thought better of you." 😭

Balgruuf thought you his ally, he had given you his axe, and you have just gone and stabbed him in the back (figuratively, and quite possibly literally depending on character build). As I said, it breaks my heart when he says that line.

Basically, what I am getting at, is that the depth of such a simple tradition in Skyrim is immense and I wish that there were more things like it (beyond the duel to the death for the throne thing, looking at you Ulfric) or saw it used more in the game. And that Balgruuf and Ulfric are by far the best Jarls in terms of character development and just how much their homeland and traditions mean to them. And I wish that there was a way to keep Balgruuf as Jarl even if you are Stormcloak aligned because fuck Vignar, and you know what? Fuck Maven Black-Briar too, she sucks. Laila is pretty incompetent as Jarl but at least she isn't Maven and that's a rant for another time. But not having Maven as Jarl is main reason I join the Stormcloaks more often than not. Balgruuf is usually the main reason that I join the Imperials on playthroughs.

Now... Vignar Gray-Mane. When you make him Jarl of Whiterun and he names you Thane, he gives you the Blade of Whiterun, not the Axe of Whiterun (yeah, I know I said that I think the blade weapons can be randomly generated as axes, and no doubt it was given to stop you from having multiple axes of Whiterun, but I just don't like Vignar soooo....). That's mean. Especially after we protected the city and helped him become Jarl too. There's another layer of insult there if you've rescued Thorald, his nephew, from the Thalmor. At least Brunwulf Free-Winter gives you the Axe of Eastmarch when he is Jarl if you defeat Ulfric for the Imperials and complete that shitshow of a quest 'Blood on the Ice'. Brunwulf is a bro, not Vignar. Hmph.

[northssketchbook]

-Shimmering Shadow-

(Pose ref: @adorkastock <3)

[heywoodvirgin]

Them

[ashipiko]

<3 post sleepover mornings

[doodlesdreaming]

Revenge of the True Demon

⚠️ Spoilers/Late Game Mention, Blood, and Slight Body Horror⚠️

[cyberpunkaddict]

2071. Aftermath...