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pure-kirarin · 3 years

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The rose left unwatered (Law x f!reader)

Heyo guys ! this is my first multi part fanfiction and I hope that you will all like it =w=. No TW for now apart for coming smut in next chapters~ This was originally a request by @soul-stealer-reaper . Thanks for requesting :) originally you asked for a scenario with rough NSFW where Law has a crush on a girl that the government is afraid of and that has high bounty. As this will have some parts, everything you asked for will come in the next chapters so no worries :’) ! I won’t hide that wrote quite freely tho, I hope that it’s fine. Synopsis : You have felt unwanted for so long that you forgot the last time you felt like you belonged. Quite paradoxical, when you are one of the most wanted “criminals” in the new world. You cross paths with Law after joining the strawhats at Fishman Island to “kill some time” and you both feel a weird connection from the moment your eyes met, curiosity, hatred or desire, did it really matter as long as feelings were involved ? ---------------------------

A rose left unwatered will wither, A heart left unloved will rot, A sweet dream left untouched will go bitter, A love left unspoken will be forgot. Nemo - Murder in Venice

The first time that Law saw you, he found you extremely annoying. He remembered that he saw your wanted poster somewhere, with one of the highest bounties that he has ever seen. Seeing such a high bounty made him raise an eyebrow at first, what could you have done to have the whole world on your back ? The second thought that came to his mind was that of detachement, then he flinched at that thought.

The first time that Law saw you in person was after his Allience with the strawhats. You stayed at the ship the whole time, you didn't even bother to follow others to punk Hazard or to help them with their plans. He thought that you were an extremely selfish person and you reminded him of the person that he hated most. That way you had of doing what you wanted without caring about others, the smirk you had on your lips at all times, never submitting, always acting so sure of yourself, it irritated him.

How could someone get such a strong reaction out of him ? He didn't even know, he always eyed you from afar and it was enough to know that you prfoundly, passionately got on his nerves.

You joined the strawhats in the Fishmen Island, finding your way to them and just asking to join. Luffy's simplistic demeanor meant that he accepted right away, not caring about who you were and not flinching at your high bounty.

You made it clear that you were just staying to be entertained, in fact, you didn't want to fight, you didn't want to help anyone, your curiosity was just peaked by Luffy, by that man that defied the world government, by that man that defied everyone at Marineford. You weren't impressed, but you just felt sympathy towards him and wanted to find some company.

You found what you were looking for, in fact, life with the strawhats was enjoyable, you didn't get along with Usopp or Nami. The former thought that you were « too scary » and would kill them in their sleep, the latter hated how little you were willing to cooperate.

You had your own reason, but nobody on that ship was able to grasp your personnality, you just had your own way of thinking, your own internal logic that nobody seemed to get. Who were you ? Why were you there and why was the whole world on your back ? All these questions were provoking Law, teasing him endlessly. His curiosity was growing day after day and you were always there, on a lounge chair enjoying the burn of the sun on your skin, not caring about anything else, not caring about him, not that he cared...did he ? You got on his nerves just by being there, he felt obseverd yet, he wasn't the kind of people to get flustered but your gaze was so intense, feline.

It was a soft night on the sunny, a few days before getting to Dressrosa. On this night, the strawhats decided to gather around after dinner like always. They enjoyed socializing and spending time together, telling stories and playing silly games. It was quite late so Momo was already sleeping. Everyone was on the deck enjoying some drinks and you were on the crow's nest, peaceful.

« Y/N-chaaawn~ » Screamed Sanji, making you look down. « Come have some fun with us, don't stay there on your own ! »

« - Yeah Y/N ! We're all having fun here. » Said Luffy.

You jumped gracefully from the crow's nest just like a cat. You then looked around circularly before taking place between Law and Robin as she silently made some space for you. The atmosphere was light and everyone was enjoying themselves. Zoro was drinking bottle after bottle as Sanji was screaming at him. Usopp was telling you all for the tenth time about how he took down a sea king with his little finger and Luffy and Chopper were captivated by how cool that was.

You were just silently enjoying that sense of peace till Nami asked you out of nowhere

« Oh true Y/N, I actually never asked but I am curious, why is your bounty so high ? What have you done ? »

For a second your expression changed and everyone's eyes were on you. You just decided to tell them some kind of lie and you said that you killed a celestial dragon. Everyone looked at you in awe, killing a celestial dragon means that you had to escape from admirals. You excused yourself then saying you were tired, therefore going to sleep.

After hours of partying Strawhats went to sleep. You got out of the girl's quarter wearing only a night gown. Your thoughts were waltzing since earlier's events and you were looking melancolically at the ocean. The sound of the waves was so calming, you got close to the board of the sunny, placing your elbows on the wooden surface. You didn't notice it when Law came your way, he wasn't sleeping either, his sleeping schedule was always herractic. He was still intrigued by the lie you told earlier and by your overall attitude, something about you drew him towards you like a magnet.

-(Y/N)-ya...You didn't kill a celestial dragon, did you?

His voice was low and hoarse, stealing a murmur out of your lips. Your eyes met his, gray, icy. It was the first time he said your name outloud, actually, you briefly ever interacted since he got on this ship.

-Trafalgar ?..

You were wondering why did he bring this up, he never ever showed interest in you and you in him. In fact, now that you looked at him more in detail, you could say that he was an exceptionally handsome male with soft dark hair and a gloomy but all the more seductive cast of demeanor.

He could obtain any female he wanted at a snap of his fingers. You looked away and added :

-I thought that you disliked me. Why do you even ask ?

He raised an eyebrow, but got back to his stoic expression almost immediatly. He didn't know that it showed. However, you were wrong, he was starting to get intrigued by you, by your high bounty, by the detached way you acted. He was usually the one to observe and analyse people, but something about you...He couldn't put a finger on.

-I don't like lies.

-I have my own reasons...I'm sure there are a lot of things that you want to keep secret.

You hesitated then looked his side. He seemed calm still and just shrugged, ready to go back to his spot but then you added ;

-I lied because I didn't want to involve anyone in this...When I was just a child, I was a part of a dozen kids that were selected to take part into a « government experiment »...I don't want to go into details but...you clenched your fist, eyes fixed on an imaginary point in front of you I am the only survivor of that experiment...Therefore I'm being tracked... We were given power...To this day I don't know its extent...But I know that with just a blow of my fingers I could...you gasped How could a child be granted such a power ? Why did they have to choose for me ? I didn't want any of this....I never wanted to fight, I don't want to fight. I just wanted to be normal, to have a family, to feel wanted...haha...your laugh was bitter I mean, I know that I am the most wanted person you probably met, but I didn't mean it in that way. I hope that this satisfies your curiosity, Trafalgar Law.

Your eyes met, he looked in them, deep, searching for traces of honesty. You were telling the truth, there wasn't a doubt. He liked the way his name sounded out of your lips, it was the first time that he heard these three letters murmured by you. It's as if his first name sounded different, you had that way of saying it, almost like a whisper. You looked so vulnerable in your nightgown, so fragile despite your usual arrogant carapace. The fiery tigress looked like a sweet kitten and he was surprised by the way he just wanted to reassure you. He brushed that thought quickly and added, stoic ;

-I see, why did you tell me ?

-You just asked me to, no ? I just felt like we were a bit alike...Ah. Also, quit asking me questions....This is starting to feel like a doctor examination...Now it's my turn to ask. Why do you even care ? I didn't think that the surgeon of death was such a curious person.

He scratched his chin, hesitating for a second, but then he just said bluntly ;

-The first time I saw you, I thought that you were extremely annoying.

- Ah ? you looked at him with a straight face, but still a bit offended If we're playing first impressions then...

-But I get it now.

He wasn't annoyed, in fact, he was just fascinated. It wasn't animosity that he felt but desire to know more about you. It wasn't that he was making sure that you're not endangering anyone, he wanted to look at you, it was just excuses upon excuses, rationalization for a case of irrational fascination. Now that the diagnostic was there, he could understand his emotions more clearly.

-You are talking in riddles but well...Whatever...Why did you form an alliance with Luffy by the way ? I wonder how you're able to handle all of his energy if you can't even stand mine haha.

-Let me correct you ; I don't hate you. He stops for a moment then he adds. There is a man that I would like to kill.

You turn now, back against the wooden border of the ship. You had an amused look on your face, wondering who was that man that he wanted to take down ;

-Now that's interesting ! Let me guess, who is it ?

-You are quite curious yourself, (Y/N)-ya...

He thought it was only fair, you opened up to him, he opened up to you, but telling you the details wasn't for now.

-So you are using the strawhats ?

-I am not sure who is using who. And what is your reason for joing the strawhats ?

-Luffy, you said with dreamy eyes, it's the D in his name...I have been drawn to people with this letter in their names like a magnet...I don't know...I just believe it's fate...

He was startled by your answer, so you knew about the « D » letter ? He also had this letter in his name...He just added then, with a face that didn't betray his surprise ;

-Oh , a girl like you believes in such romantic stories ?

-And what is a girl like me like ? You added, amused. I mean, apart from annoying.

-...Quit it already.

His tone was stable as always. He didn't show it but he thought that it was cute of you, how you insisted and played along. You faced him, your eyes looking right into his and you weren't one to look down, oh no. Irisis into his irisis, looking for him and digging something into him. He didn't even know what you meant by such a look, once again, feline.

The salty smell of the ocean's water mixed with the odor of your fruity perfume made that moment a bit more enjoyable and he wasn't even the type of person to enjoy chatting.

Check mate, you made up for that horrible first impression. You added then ;

-You avoided my question by the way, why wouldn't I believe in « such romantic stories » ? What do you think you know about « a girl like me » ?

You got a bit closer, amused, and he thought that it was getting a bit dangerous. You had a fake woeful look in your eyes. His limbs were filled to the brim with that ocean perfume of yours mixed with that sweet taste, and for a second it was as if that odor operated some kind of spell over him, because a surprising thought occured to his mind ; what would your lips taste like ? Certainly salty like the ocean and a tad like peaches.

Unsettled and unfocused he said ;

-Shouldn't you be sleeping ?

In reality, he didn't want these thoughts to make a nest out of his head and decided to cut the conversation quite abruptly. Your rocked your body back, almost like a child and rose your eyebrows in a semi-sarcastic semi-dramatic way.

-I'm a bit too old for a bed time don't you think, Trafalgar ?

-Just Law.

-Yes yes ! L-a-w...See you tomorrow ! You're not as uptight as I thought.

-(Y/N)-ya.

He just said your name in a strict way, probably indicating that you needed to go. His tone was firm, stop teasing already.

You looked at him with a diminishing smile, pronouncing every single letter so slowly, stretching his name on your lips so that these three tiny letters seemed endless. You tossed your hair, and something about the whole situation, about your feminine charm, something about the breeze of the night made the both of you feel unbearable tension. The type of tension that happens between a man and a woman at three in the morning, that tension that makes every little detail, every look in the eyes, every brush of the fingers feel indecent.

The eyes of a woman can't lie, his ego was stroked as he thought he had a glimpse of your hidden desire.You turned to go back to the girl's quarters, his eyes still hanged on your silhouette. ----------- I hope that you liked this first part. Please tell me what you think. It is a great motivator to know that I’m writing and being read. <3 I wish you all a nice day !

#law x reader #law #trafalgar law #onepiece imagines #one piece imagine #one piece scenario #Trafalgar law x reader #one piece #one piece x reader #onepiece x reader

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constantlydiscombobulated · 4 years

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charlie weasley x reader fic - a weasley christmas:

The third Christmas after the Battle of Hogwarts was different, the first two were hard. The first was so soon after the events which occurred, the second held a bit of distance and the third, this Christmas, is when people had finally let themselves relax and get back to normal. Since the war you had returned to your training to be a healer, in fact you had completed it. You were getting a couple of years’ experiences before jetting off to do something spontaneous with your skills.

Your Christmas had always been the same, you were one of the many bodies at the Weasley abode; a background character and accomplice of Charlie who you shamelessly flirted with to make his face turn the beetroot shade that you were highly entertained by. He was a ginger so of course he easily blushed.

So, this year, when you appeared outside the warm, familiar home in which you would spend the next few days you could finally feel the tension behind your shoulders relax. You were eight years older than Ginny, seven years older than Hermione yet you knew it was tradition you would be in quarters with them.

You and Charlie kept things long distance, which in hindsight wasn’t the best choice but when the second month of next year finished you were transferring to the Dragon Sanctuary in Romania to work as head healer, coincidentally where Charlie worked, yet none of the Weasley clan knew of this yet.

You had sent a bag of things to the burrow the night before, so you assumed someone had stowed it away where you were sleeping for the next few days. It was Christmas eve and as per usual you were the last to arrive. It was just shy of 8pm when you left St. Mungo’s as each year you drew the short straw and did the second to worst shift.

Your feet crunched against the moist yet crisp grass below your feet. The winters always hit the burrow hard, a feature you loved the most. You stepped over a couple of sleeping gnomes, before glancing up at the stars – they always shone so brightly, something unusual for the location of the house. You opened the unlocked door and slipped right in.

As tradition plays, the Weasley’s would be drinking eggnog, sharing stories of the year and blasting obnoxiously loud Christmas music. So, when you entered, you weren’t even noticed, barely and not immediately by Charlie. He looked up after he frowned at his watch, you presumed it was because you were a little later then you had informed him. He slipped from the crowd of gingers and noise to meet you in the kitchen.

You still wore your scrubs and white jacket with your name embroidered on the pocket. You had charmed a small embroidered dragon onto it last week when there was a quiet spell at mungo’s. you smiled underneath the dim light in the kitchen, seeing a plate of food on the table.

‘y/n’ it read in molly’s cursive scrawl. You smiled at the gesture, it dawning upon you that you were indeed starving. Charlie kissed your forehead before sitting across from you. He had been in England for a few days, but you had pretty much worked back to back shifts in order to get this time off over Christmas.

“how was your day, love?” he asked, you had just taken a huge bite into a sandwich from the plate, chewing and swallowing with haste in order to reply.

“busy, the bags under my eyes are darker than your soul”

“didn’t think I had a soul” he retorts, you smirk at him. Charlie was always in favour of a well-timed ginger joke, “they’re torturing you because they know their best healer is ditching in a couple of months”

“yeah, ditching for a Weasley of all people” you joked, he mocked offence before sinking back into light conversation.

“you might be tired but you’re still the most beautiful girl this side of Europe” he comments, sipping from your glass of pumpkin juice.

“if the other beautiful girl is Sofia, I’m going to kick you in the shins”

“she’s a dragon love, you are the most gorgeous human” he adds, laughing a little on the end.

“I’ll forgive you if you stop drinking my pumpkin juice.” He chuckles, drinking the rest from the glass before placing it beside the plate you were eating from. “you’ve got more scars” you notice, gesturing to his hand.

“don’t tell mum but I’ve got a couple more inked dragons too” your face smiled in delight; he had told you in letters he had planned to, but you hadn’t had much time to write these past two weeks.

“as long as your bedroom door is unlocked tonight and I can slip in, I’ll promise you the world” he rolled his eyes but nodded.

“how is Sharon?” he asked, “the battle-axe”

“she’s off my case now the festive season has been bestowed upon us. She didn’t want to get me in secret Santa again after last year”

“what--?”

“I gave her some of the wizard wheezes, the custard creams I think.” You laughed, your connections to the Weasley’s almost gets you excluded from secret Santa every year. “I got you a present” you claim, changing the subject. His ears perked up at your comment, he hummed in response, “a date. March 25th. We’re gonna elope.” You stated, your voice quiet not wanting to be overheard. Charlie beamed at you, about to take your hand in his when a nonchalant voice filled the room.

“late as usual” George calls, tackling you in a hug as you chewed the remainder of the sandwich in your mouth. You hugged him back briefly, Charlie, jealous at the hug, watched the exchange. “why didn’t you shout?” he quizzed.

“was Hank Marvin, Weasley, Charlie just sat down to pester me” you teased, “anyway, I’m showering soon, I’m still in my scrubs” you complained, gesturing to your clothes.

“still a fine piece” Charlie joked, this obnoxious flirting had been apparent since you met Charlie, Bill had originally asked you home for Christmas seven years ago. You had spilt fire whiskey over him in the three broom sticks and you were instant friends.

“oh Charlie” you cooed, dramatically holding your head against your head, “you spoil me with your sweetness and love” you had put on a love-sick voice which only made the men in the room snort. “Char, sort the shower for me. I don’t wanna find a gnome or a Weasley in there when I’m starkers” you asked, he smiled politely and nodded. You followed him upstairs picking up some things from Ginny’s room to use in the shower or drop off in Charlie’s room.

He sorted the bathroom out for you, surveying it for ghosts or gnomes. You walked in changed from your work gear, dressed in a silk, high rising gown, barely tied around your body. His gaze glanced at you and quickly back to the shower, his hand beneath the running water to check it was at your preferred temperature.

“this is new” he stated, you nodded shyly shutting and locking the bathroom door behind you. You hung the gown on the hook on the back of the door, he sat on the closed toilet seat your pyjamas on his lap. He watched your every move as you stepped into the shower. His face was flushed, his body language restraint.

“you can come in you know” you called, to which he followed through on quicker than the speed of light. His body pressed against yours, he just hugged you from behind nuzzling his face into your shoulder. You continued your actions of showers, trying to disturb Charlie as little as possible.

“stop doing that” he whined, you were confused you were shaving your legs and putting some soothing shower gel on them to prevent a rash. You hadn’t realised you had been creating friction. You turned to face him, he looked like he did in his most pure form. His glasses had been discarded on the windowsill by the shower, his long hair stuck to his wet form. You kissed him, begging to just hold him.

Charlie had visited ‘home’ a month ago, but the first few nights he was back was always the worst; you both were clingy, sleepy and horny for each other. The con of long distance, I guess.

Things escalated quickly, he had you against his chest, legs wrapped around his waist and against the tiled wall. It was antics like this which would get the two of you caught but you couldn’t find it in yourselves to care.

Once the deed was all said and done, you rinsed yourself off and got out the shower. Charlie borrowed the towel you had brought in to dry his body with before putting his tartan pyjamas and Weasley jumper on; he only wore this arrangement as you loved it on his so much. You slipped on a pair of shorts and one of Bill’s old Weasley jumpers dating back to his time at Hogwarts. He had donated it to you the first year you spent here so you would feel like you belonged here.

The year you met Charlie.

You engulfed Charlie for one last hug before sneaking out the bathroom separately. You had disapparating into the girl’s bedroom to put some things away when you spotted the hickey on your neck. You audibly groaned, readying yourself to playfully punch Charlie on the arm when you next saw him – yet, it was nothing a glamour charm couldn’t hide. Over the years you had become quite skilful at this charm, the thing was you sort of liked the thrill that came with being with Charlie without his family knowing.

It meant three things: one, that it was private and yours – his family couldn’t meddle, two, the sex was fantastic when you had to slip it in wherever you could and three, he could come home for a few days and not have to see his family which meant your whole house smelt of him.

You slipped downstairs, intending on getting a mug of Molly’s famous hot chocolate with the bit of baileys in it served only at Christmas. It was the highlight of your day – what got you through the shift.

When you appeared downstairs, everyone cozied up by the fire there was an empty seat next to Bill and Fleur, a full and steaming mug of hot chocolate waiting for you. When you sat down, Bill dove in for a hug.

“how’s my favourite short arse?” he called, watching as you brunt your tongue on the hot chocolate.

“I’m great” you sighed contently. He smiled, “any news?” you asked him, he shook his head.

“nothing exciting. I spoke to you last week.” He joked, “I think I’ve got a new case in Chad in the new year. Gotta do a risk assessment and see if it’s worth relocating for three months or handing it over to another curse breaker.” He replied, “someone with less to lose” you nodded.

“I got my final date” you offered, he looked intrigued, “end of February. don’t know where I’m getting off to though” you added, smirking to yourself a little.

“anywhere you thinking?” Charlie asked, butting into the conversation.

“France?” Fleur joked, “you would ‘ate it there” she laughed.

“I was thinking Romania, Charlie needs someone to annoy him 24/7 and I would have complete access” you teased, Charlie scoffed. Bill and Fleur just smiled, looking at each other knowingly.

“oh, come on y/n, how long you keeping this gig up?” Bill laughed, but said it softly enough to avoid other listening ears, “you can’t act like there’s nothing going on here”

“why?” You asked, knowing full well why not.

“why?” Bill cackled, “because when I visited you randomly three months, I walked in on you shagging my brother on your couch” he whispered, “I saw way too much, the idle gossip would’ve been enough.”

You blushed a little, Bill had indeed walked in on you and Charlie. It was hours after Charlie had arrived in the country; he hadn’t told his family of his return, specifically wanting to spend the long weekend he had off with you.

You were originally just catching up with a couple mugs of tea but as things did, one thing lead to another and Charlie was balls deep in between your legs barely dressed when his brother walked in saying,

“wotcher y/n/n, was in the area thought I’d stop in!” Bill had seen what was happening and it only took him a fraction of a second to work out what was happening. Of course, the hair indicated it was one of his brother’s, but it was the huge scarring and dragon tattoo that told him it was the sibling that was supposed to be halfway across the world.

You both scrambled apart, not getting the satisfaction you so craved. Charlie pulled a pair of jogging bottoms on; you pulled a pair of knickers on and his t-shirt down. He sat beside you on the couch, his hand rested on your bare thigh.

“I honestly have no words” Bill laughed as he sat on the arm of the armchair in your flat. “how long has this been going on?” he asked, clearly amused by the whole ordeal. You shrugged, working it out in your head, but Charlie answered first:

“16 months” he called; it had warmed your heart that he knew.

“so, what is it? You dating or just hooking up?” Bill asked, amused at your mortified look.

“dating” you replied, your voice small. “fucking hell Bill. I’m kind of glad it was you and not anyone else in your family” you laughed, as if you didn’t laugh, you’d be in despair.

“who else would it be?” Charlie asked amused, unaware of the drop in visits his family often made.

“your mother.” You called; his face paled at the thought. He could imagine the lecture; he could imagine the hurt.

“don’t worry, I’m not gonna tell anyone. Fleur will find out though, she always does.” Bill mused, “but this, this is brilliant. Just don’t tell mum until you’re ready for the marriage conversation.” He joked, smiling.

“you staying long?” Charlie asked, taking a sip from his cold tea, “make you a cuppa if you want” he added.

“I was gonna stay for lunch, but you guys seemed busy” he laughed, “I can’t believe I’ve just seen it. Oh merlin, my eyes.” He whined, but still laughing. Bill stood up to leave your flat, this time with Charlie following behind to lock your door, although Bill would not be coming back.

“we’ll pop round later?” Charlie asked, Bill nodded, “we’ll send a Patronus we don’t want this to happen again” he joked, his brother hugged him briefly, before patting him on the back.

“it’ll be sweeter if you wrap your peter” he sang, “don’t want any grandkids do we” he teased before disappearing, Charlie scoffed before getting back to what was interrupted.

Once you had been greeted by everyone, most made their way up the wooden hill. Bill and Fleur had helped to convert the attic, so they had somewhere to sleep without Charlie being present. You hugged Molly and bid her a goodnight, promising to catch up properly tomorrow while helping her with the dinner. After last year, Hermione was not allowed in the kitchen. You watched as Charlie and Bill walked up the stairs, Charlie sending an obvious wink your way. George watched from his door across the hall and grinned. The dynamic you and Charlie held almost created as much chaos as Fred did just by breathing. It wasn’t truly Christmas until you and his strange older brother flirted senseless.

You disappear behind the door, the two significantly younger women lay in their beds, idly chatting about their boyfriends. It amused you had petty their chatter could be.

“so, y/n, anyone new on the scene”

“nothing new, still the same old thing” you comment, avoiding their question. “I’ve started meditating so if you don’t see me when you wake up, that’s where I’ll be” you bluffed, but they seemed to buy it. That was an advantage of being so much older; the younglings didn’t suspect a thing, all except George and that is only because last Christmas he had spotted the mud on Charlie’s knees and made one off hand joke that stuck with you. You tuck yourself into bed, waiting for the shallow breathing from the women before sneaking out. You tiptoed quietly, having learnt which planks not to stand on over years of experience, you crept upstairs – past Percy’s room, before opened the door to Charlie’s room which was left ajar.

“was starting to think you weren’t coming” he whined, you scoffed taking off your layers and climbing into bed with him – quickly settling under the covers.

“they kept gossiping about Harry and Ron” you started,

“please don’t tell me about my brother and sister sex life. They’re still babies to me” he whined, nuzzling his face into your hair. The single bed you lay in wasn’t ideal but with you being so small in comparison to Charlie ‘lanky fuck’ Weasley it worked well enough.

“I didn’t listen in long enough, pretended to sleep so they couldn’t interrogate me.” You sighed; you had watched the golden trio grow up.

The following morning Charlie woke you by accident, you knew he would. It was 6 am, he was on Romanian time, so he was wide awake. but him waking you by pressing soft kisses on your neck and collar bone wasn’t something to get you complaining.

“mornin’ love” he called when he felt you stir beneath him. You lay like that for another ten minutes; he rested his head on your chest listening to your slow heartbeat. “Merry Christmas” he added, whispering to make sure you weren’t heard.

You climbed out of his bed, putting a jumper back on. “we’ll continue this tonight” you told him leaving the room before anyone else awoke. You hopped downstairs knowing Molly would be down soon to begin the food preparations.

You were mixing the ingredients for home-made stuffing when a pair of familiar arms wrap themselves around your torso, a warm face against your neck. They squeezed you when you moved on to make a cup of tea. This was a usual routine in the mornings you spent with Charlie. He sprung away from you settling in a chair by the table when he heard the creaking of the stairs.

It was Molly, who was yet to come around and realise the two bodies in the kitchen, when she did, she sat with the cup of tea you had just poured for her. She was talking with Charlie as you filled the sink with warm water to peel the potatoes; you tried to grab the paper bag of potatoes off the ground, but you couldn’t seem to get a good grip and continued to drop it.

You hadn’t noticed Charlie come over to help you, until his hand grazed behind you to move you and do the heavy lifting for you.

“didn’t realise I was getting a gun show this morning char- “you comment, your usual flirting wasn’t acknowledged by Molly.

“I usually charge for private shows, but for you – they’re free” he said and winked.

“if you wanted me in your bed Charlie all you had to do was ask” you retort, his cheeks red after his bark of laughter.

“what you doing tonight, say, 2 am?” he snorts, knowing his mother is listening.

“I’ll be waiting for my secret lover in the garden” you tease, “he’s tall, ginger, athletic and dashing”

“sounds a lot like me” he flirts, grinning.

“shame I’m meeting Bill. He knows how to treat a woman” you joke back, biting your lip wondering what he’s gonna say.

“that why you’re wearing my jumper” he snorts, you look down to see that you had indeed picked up the wrong jumper when you dressed in the dark.

“I can take it off if you preferred?” you ask, pausing for a second or two, “might need a little help with that, any takers?” you asked. He was searching for something to say but instead came closer, peering at his mother who had tuned the two of you out and busied herself with meaningful tasks.

“you need to stop” he whined, his tone barely above a whisper. “between the flirting and you dressed like that— “he comments, blushing blood red.

“and miss you blush? Not a chance.” You push against his bare chest, “see you round boy wonder” he frowns, before disapparating upstairs.

The festivities fill the day, between gift giving when everyone made it downstairs and fire whiskey in the evening it was a success. As per usual, the Weasley clan congregated around the open fireplace, eating mince pies to sober up slightly.

You sat and watched the room, there was always something going on. right now, for instance, Hermione was in the process of hitting Ron. You didn’t know why.

“Ronald! If you do that again I will—”

“you’ll what ‘mione?” Called Ginny, loving to tease the couple.

“Ron I’d pack it in if you want her to jingle your bells” you comment before Hermione could reply. Her face went red not expecting that comment from you of all people. Ron and Hermione were new to sneaking about; somehow Harry and Ginny had the art down but the other two had not – and when they snuck off someone always walked in or asked them if they had a good time.

Hermione had a smart mouth – something she had learnt from spending too much time with Ginny, yet she didn’t have a smooth comeback, just a flustered look on her face. This made everyone roar with laughter.

“this is why I love it when you and Charlie come home” George laughs, “you know you can come alone you don’t just have to come with Charlie”

“if I don’t come with Charlie who am I going to flirt with? I tried Percy last year and he fainted” you chuckled. You turned to Charlie and asked, “I’m getting a candy cane from the kitchen, you want one?” he shook his head.

When you returned from the kitchen you ran into Charlie who had been changing the vinyl on the gramophone. The whole house cheered from their seats, initially you were puzzled. You laughed when you realised you had been caught under the mistletoe. You didn’t object but rolled your eyes. You had been caught a few times with a few of Molly’s boys: the first time was with Bill and he kissed your forehead, the second with George who kissed your cheek and now with Charlie.

“come ‘ere then” he muttered and pulled you close to him, giving you a chaste kiss. The fire whiskey flavour lingering on his lips. You pulled away and laughed, you and Charlie returned to your seats with no change in your behaviour. George looked at you from across the room holding an unsure look.

You demolished your candy cane when a few people decided to turn in; Charlie went first, a usual routine, then Percy, then George who was sick of being a singleton in the room, then the youngsters. Bill, Fleur, Molly, Arthur and you remained. You began to put away the dishes that had been left to air dry so no one would have to do them in the morning. You had sent everyone else up, promising to blow out the candles when you headed up yourself.

On the way up you successfully got to the third floor; Molly and Arthur’s room on one side of the hall and Charlie’s on the other. You walked into the hallway between the two when Molly caught you.

“y/n dear, are you alright?” she asked, on her way to the bathroom.

“yeah, just heading to the balcony for some air before bed” you replied, hoping she’d leave you to it.

“nonsense dear, you’ll catch a cold dressed like that.” She cooed, making it a mission of hers to escort you back to your shared room. You told her you didn’t need her to assist you, being 27 and all, but she dismissed you. Once she was sure you were settled in bed with an open window, she closed the door and turned off the light in the hallway.

You could hear her footsteps for another half an hour at least knowing that there was no chance of sneaking up tonight. You had fallen asleep in wake of waiting for her to sleep but that chance never came in your consciousness.

You had only realised the lack of sneaking around the following morning when you awoke at the crack of dawn. On your bed however was an old black hoodie, it was singed around the cuffed sleeves and when you brought it to your nose it smelt it you realised that it was Charlie’s. he must have snuck in when you didn’t come, leaving it behind when he saw you sleeping. His cologne was all over it, not too much that it smelt like a tart’s handbag, but enough for you to notice. It was the complete contrast to his usual honeysuckle and grass smell, the exact opposite to his natural aroma. You slipped it on in replacement of his Weasley jumper and pulled on a pair pyjama trousers with obnoxious reindeers on them with matching red fluffy socks.

It was an acceptable time to head downstairs for your last full day you were staying here. You had a shift in four days so wanted to be back in your usual routine before you went back to work. Charlie planned on staying with you for a few days before having to return to his duties in Romania.

You pop the kettle on and turn the radio on to a low volume, it is some wizard Christmas song you’re not familiar with being the muggle born that you are. You hum along when the familiar arms wrap around you – of course it was the usual suspect.

“what’s up hot-stuff” you chime, in case anyone else is also awake and about – keeping up appearances and that.

“I missed you last night” he hummed as he kissed your neck gently.

“you’re just horny” you retorted.

“well y/n, you know what my two favourite things are” he toys.

“dragons and sex, the ordering varies” you replies, having heard the remark previously. You finish making two teas and turn around to face the man clinging to your body. In one swift motion he picks you up and puts you on the kitchen counter.

“sexy trousers” he comments, smirking at the attire. “could help you take them off?”

“sexy bedhead. could help you learn what a hairbrush is?” you bicker, smirking back at him. He leans in and kisses you; it was needy and hot. He stands between your legs, his hands making their way underneath the hoodie where your naked flesh sat- his thumbs rubbed against the bra you had on. your hands were a cliché, knotting in his long-tangled locks. His body pressed against yours, no room for the holy spirit, yet somehow wrapping your legs around his waist brought you even closer.

“turns out I really fucking missed you” he comments as you take a breather. You roll your eyes as you pounce for him, he grabs you with ease lifting you up properly.

“why is your room so far away” you comment, not expecting a reply. But when he disapparating you both there in an instant any sign of doubt or fear of getting caught went from your mind.

“we should tell your family” you sigh as he works on getting your bra and hoodie off.

“you wanna talk about this now?” he asks, his hands playing with your breasts. You nod, apparently you did. “we tell them when we go downstairs” he huffs, taking off his own layers and pulling off your seasonal trousers.

Two knocks sounded at the door.

“Charlie?” it was Bill.

“go away” he called, continuing his actions and your body wasn’t complaining.

“are you guys---” He began but you couldn’t focus on that, Charlie pushes in, more voices erupt outside.

“yes” Charlie shouts back. The door handle wriggles in the same moment. You exhaled shakily, both from the internal feeling but also from relief that the door was locked.

“mum he’s busy leave him alone” Bill called, there was no stopping Molly on a warpath. Charlie had knocked a lamp from the table when moving his arm so he could cover your mouth.

“what’s he doing in there? Charlie!” his mother shouted, but Charlie didn’t stop. He couldn’t and you certainly didn’t want him to. Charlie ignored his mother’s persistent calls until the last time she raised her voice.

“Charles Weasley? What on earth are you doing in there?” then a little silence before Charlie spoke.

“my fiancée” he yelled, his hand firmly over your mouth as he kissed your torso everywhere, he could reach.

“your what!” Molly called, the door unlocking with Molly’s use of alohomora. She was yet to open the door.

“mum don’t come in!” he shouts, this time with a sense of urgency, “I’m having a wank” he tries. But you give the game away with your laughter. Charlie’s use of wandless magic locked the door again as you both came to the end of your tether. “what’s so funny about me having a wank?” he asks, lying on top of you to catch his breath. He pulls out when he settles over you. You don’t answer him just lean up and kiss him.

“Charlie!” she shouts through the door, “unlock this door, right now”

“can’t” he exclaimed, messing with his mother. You scramble out of bed together redressing. You disapparating downstairs almost crashing into George as you land.

“moooorning” he calls, his tone implying he knows something you don’t think he does.

“hi George!” you called cheerily, picking up your now tepid mug of tea.

“anything wrong with the stairs?” he asked amused by the sudden use of apparition.

“no, this was more efficient” you inform him.

“I think, you don’t want to be in the middle of the ruckus upstairs.” You cough at his inference, “I think that my dearest mother almost walked in on you and my brother at it like rabbits and you had to escape.”

“how—”

“you’re subtle, but I’m brilliant at spotting things in the background. It’s a talent” he jokes, smiling at the end. “thought something was up last Christmas, and I was right” he chuckles after. No teasing came, no snide comment.

“is that why you’re leaving mungo’s?” he asked, you nodded.

“we’re engaged” you inform George, he is the only one around and it’s a hushed conversation.

“that’s brilliant” he huffed, engulfing you instantly. “no ring?” you shake your head.

“didn’t need one” you state, drinking more cold tea. “we’ll get wedding rings. We’re eloping though” you continued. George nodded, understanding simply.

“does this mean I can’t flirt with you anymore?” he asked hesitantly. You snorted, barking with laughter. Bill walks in with confusion on his face.

“George, if you ever stop flirting with me Charlie will lose his touch” you joke, “and I like to keep him on his toes”. Bill puts two and two together. He hugs you, kissing your forehead.

“congratulations y/n. not the way I would’ve announced I was getting married, but you know Charlie---” he confesses, you chuckle in his grasp.

“well that wasn’t how I wanted to do it either, but we were—” you caught yourself, “I’m not gonna finish that sentence”

Charlie walks down the stairs behind a red-in-the-face Molly Weasley dragging him by his arm. She looks pissed off, and you feel the tension build in your shoulders. George being the closest to you nudges you and smiles, letting you know that it would be okay. You smiled weakly at him.

Charlie is dragged in the garden and you can hear the distorted shouting between himself or his mother. It brought up a feeling inside your body you didn’t understand but you felt like you wanted to cry. You didn’t like angry shouting; it always kind of scared you, you swore to never surround yourself with it, yet your actions had caused it.

What happened next confused you, it was Percy and Fleur coming in, seeing you look a little like a dear in headlights. Fleur took your hands while Percy just walked by your side as Fleur led you to a secret spot.

“Bill used to bring me ‘ere when it got too much” Fleur admitted, you took in your surroundings, it was a quiet and slightly maintained balcony just outside the newly converted attic bedroom. Fleur sat to one of your sides, Percy the other.

“I figured that you and Charlie, were well – you and Charlie” Percy stated softly, “and I understand the distaste to her shouting. I could never stand it either.” You took his hand squeezing it.

“and you know how it was when Bill first brought me home. they all thought he was gonna marry you” Fleur added, “but I knew, he was like your older brother. You love each other but not zee way Molly desired” you sniffed.

“we kept things quiet because we didn’t want to have a big deal made. Charlie never dated someone seriously ‘til me, and I never talked about dating people because I didn’t really have the time until I met Charlie.” You complained, “when me and Charlie got together, neither of us wanted to get married. Originally it was a very casual thing but then we realised we worked together so well. we realised that if we survived the war, we would need each other”

You brought your knees up to your chin, “Charlie knows – I think. I was always scared about telling his mum. Scared she would react this way. You are the closest thing I have to a family and I can’t lose you.”

“y/n. you would be stupid if you thought that Charlie would drop you like that because his mother asked him to.” Fleur offered; you took a little solace in it. “we became great friends because we like to get away when Molly goes red. It scared me a little at first”

“this is your spot?” you asked, you felt small. They both smiled and nodded.

“Fleur has been teaching me French for three years.” Percy admitted, “it’s what we do when one of us needs some space” you nodded, not relaxing at all. “the only thing that matters is that you and Charlie love each other.” He adds after a few minutes of silence. The shouting below is no longer audible, but you can’t face going down just yet – your kind of just want to go home. You want to sit on the couch with Charlie and your best friend, b/f/n, and laugh over a bottle of red. You don’t bother sharing that with Percy and Fleur; it’s not necessary. You haven’t liked shouting all your life.

The day sets into the midday sun, you hadn’t said much more yet listened to Fleur try and teach Percy some new French. Bill brings up some snacks and a book for you to read if you want it.

“you wanna see him?” Bill asked while the other two were in conversation, he beckoned you to stand and talk with him. You didn’t respond straight away.

“was it bad?” you asked, regretting it as soon as you asked. Bill only nodded; his expression was solemn. You put your head in your hands, your mind whirring and heart going ten to the dozen. Bill pulled you in for one of those big brother hugs.

“I know you don’t like shouting and I promise he’s not gonna shout. If he does, I’ll get Ginny to bogey bat hex him.” Bill ushered you indoors to talk properly. You smile a little at him, but the dread still in your eyes. “she’s hurt. But she doesn’t realise she can be overbearing sometimes, that’s why Charlie had to get away to Romania or she would’ve forced him into some office job.” You nodded, knowing this.

“is he mad at me?” you ask, your eyes not lifting from the floor, bill rumbled with laughter, it was quiet as he knew that shouting overwhelmed you and he didn’t want to overwhelm your senses. You took his laughter as your answer.

“he could never be mad at you. you make him kinder”

After a little while of Bill just sitting with you so you could work up the courage to deal with Charlie and by further extension Molly, you gingerly turned the bronze doorknob seeing Charlie sat on the ground outside the door. He looked exhausted, his cheeks red as if he had been crying. When he saw you, he rushed to his feet, almost losing his balance in the process.

“I’m sorry” he said at the same time as you. “why are you saying sorry?” he queried, you shrugged you just felt like you should say it. “y/n/n this is all my fault. I should have told her before you came. I should’ve been more careful and most importantly I shouldn’t have shouted. I know you don’t like it and I’m sorry.”

“Char- “you called, taking his hand in your own, “are we breaking up?” you ask, he looks flabbergasted. In fact, he’s so in shock that he laughs.

“hey, you got me to propose. I’m never letting you go.” He jokes cuddling you, stroking your hair – something he knew comforted you when you were anxious. He took your hand and brought you to his room. You sat on the bed, cross-legged and faced each other. “let’s talk, love” you nodded, mustering the courage to ask what you really wanted to know.

“what did she say?”

“she said lots of things, she’s angry and upset we didn’t tell her. Which I understand but I told her we’re engaged and that we’re eloping. That our relationship is nothing to do with her, that she can like it, or she will have to pretend she does.”

“oh” you smiled, “I didn’t know whether you’d still wanna get married”

“there’s not a moment I don’t wish I had asked you sooner, god I feel like I’ve loved you my entire life.” You grin at his confession. These tender moments are the only times you saw Charlie this gentle. He was soft and quiet, he pondered on his thoughts before he said them. It was a side only you got to see, and you felt honoured.

You must have fallen asleep as when you woke a few hours later, Charlie had transfigured Bill’s bed into an armchair and pouffe and was reading his over-worn dragon encyclopaedia. You felt mentally exhausted, ready to just go home and return to normality.

When you felt able you got dressed, still wearing Charlie’s singed hoodie of course, and walked downstairs to the kitchen hand in hand with Charlie. Today had been a rollercoaster and you had decided that if Molly chose to shout at you again that you would grab your things and disapperate to your flat. Your grip in this thought had tightened on Charlie’s hand who had decided to stroke small circles with his thumb to soothe you.

When you enter the room, you’re beamed at from every angle. Ginny and Harry pat, you on the shoulder; Hermione smiles graciously, the others smile as they did when you told them but when you got to Molly and Arthur their reactions were different to everyone else’s. Arthur hugged you both, no words were exchanged but the gesture translated into a thousand words.

You dreaded turning to Molly, she offered a tight-lipped smile.

“I was disappointed you didn’t marry my Bill, but then I decided that having you as another daughter was something, I shouldn’t take for granted. I can’t say I like the way you went about hiding the relationship for so long from us, and I can’t say I understand why. I don’t like that you’re eloping nor do I like that you have snuck into his bed every night and had sex under my roof—”

“mum. We are 27 and 28 years old, the worst thing that happens is an unplanned pregnancy but we’re old enough to cope with it. Leave it out” Charlie replied, his chest puffed out, “if you’re gonna lecture us we’re gonna leave.” He told her; his voice was stern.

“but most importantly, despite those things, I am happy you found each other.” She finished after being told off by her son. “anyone for a cup of tea?” she asked, deflecting the tension.

You and Charlie curled up together by the fire, his arm wrapped around you.

“I fucking love you” you confessed, reaching up to kiss him. He meets you in the middle, innocently kissing you for a few moments.

“if you shag right in front of me, I’m gonna have to throw a molly-Weasley-level fit” George retorts grinning.

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laurelsofhighever · 3 years

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Alistair x f!Cousland AU

SPOILERS FOR THE FALCON AND THE ROSE

Almost two years after civil war nearly tore Ferelden apart, Alistair has settled into his role as king despite the cost of the victory. Having come to Orlais to lead trade talks with Empress Celene and representatives from the Free Marches, he hopes to build a stronger future for his people. But grief and guilt still haunt him, the expectations placed on his shoulders cut deep, and to top it all off, there's a stranger in the Winter Palace with the power to shatter his world once again.

With a sigh, the King of Ferelden stared down at the mask in his hands, the red dye a match to the velvet of his cloak and the rich fabric in the rest of his clothes, the royal colours of the Theirin line, and the finely tooled likeness of a mabari snarling out of the leather in an elegant snub for the rules of the Game. A king’s mask ought to be made of gold, after all, as a way to reflect his station, but that scandal would be nothing to the one he planned to cause by not wearing it over his face. Already from below, strains of soft, unobtrusive music drifted above the murmur of voices gathered in the vaulted ballroom of Halamshiral’s Winter Palace, preluding the night’s extravagance. He couldn’t delay much longer in wading into that seething, perfumed mass, however much he wanted to.

Next to him, Fergus Cousland stood arrayed in similar finery. The golden Laurels embroidered into the deep blue velvet of his doublet marked his identity as the Teyrn of Highever, and the shadowed line between his dark brows revealed that his eagerness to attend the party just about matched that of Alistair himself. He caught the king looking, saw the fidget betrayed in his fingers, and drew in a weary breath.

“These talks might be just what it takes to secure lasting peace with Orlais,” he offered, an empty repetition of Alistair’s other advisors. “It’s more than Cailan ever hoped for.”

The king’s lip curled. “You and I both know that’s not the real reason I’m here. I could have left that stuff to Élodie.”

The Arlessa of South Reach had proven a capable ambassador in the time since the end of the civil war against Loghain, using her connections in the Orlesian court to divert the potential wave of old resentments that would have sought to take advantage of Ferelden’s instability as it recovered. It was thanks to her efforts that dignitaries from every Marcher port across the Waking Sea had gathered under the auspicious gaze of Empress Celene in the hopes of formalising a network of trade throughout southern Thedas, and no doubt she was already gliding through their ranks, smoothing the way for her liege lord to grace the crowd and start all the ladies fawning.

Too used to the hopes of noble daughters tilting for a throne, he doubted much of the flattery would be genuine. The only change to the usual pursuit was the fact that Celene now numbered among the hunting party, her desire to win him for herself and Orlais all but common knowledge. At their first meeting that afternoon she had been perfectly polite, but the weight of her gaze on the back of his head as he was shown out to his own apartments had sent a shiver like the lick of cold rain down his spine, and the thought of what she would do with any kind of sovereign power over Ferelden had thoroughly put him off his lunch. There had been a time when, in the entrance hall of Redcliffe Castle and with the warning of a witch ringing in his ears, he had told Rosslyn that the idea of being dangled like bait for political advantage disgusted him. And she had understood his distaste, had reached for his hand with softness in her eyes. He had kissed her hand that night, for the first time.

A sympathetic look from Fergus dragged him out of his contemplation, but thankfully he chose not to repeat the platitudes that had taken to following the king like footprints.

It’s been over a year, almost two, Teagan had scolded. We allowed you time to mourn but you must think of what is best for this country.

Only Fergus really understood. He was the only one in the same position, a lord with a domain left unsecured by the lack of an heir, with those roundabout all but scoffing at his lack of stomach to get one. Shared pain and politics had drawn them together after the army’s return from Ostagar, and now, aside from being a staunch ally in the Landsmeet, he was one of the few Alistair could class as a true friend.

“If I could spurn my duty in this, I would,” he said now.

“But you’re a Cousland.” Humour bled into Alistair’s voice, cold and tinged with grief. “I notice Karyna chose not to come.”

Fergus let his eyes fall closed. “She… ended things between us. She said she wanted to focus on her clinic, but I think part of it was wanting to get out of my shadow, and the expectations of…” a wave of his hand “all of this.”

“I’m sorry.”

He had once broached the subject of changing the law to allow mages to marry, but Fergus had refused, pointing out that what Ferelden needed after a year mired in civil war was stability, not an Exalted March called down because its new king wished to flout the Maker’s supposed Word. Too many would have accused him of playing favourites, too many more who would have raged against the idea of a mage being raised above them – even if Karyna Amell herself came from a line of Marcher nobles. She might be a talented healer dedicated to her people, kind, loyal, and level-headed, but none of that mattered to those who saw any unshackled mage as a prelude to the return of ancient Tevinter.

Fergus waved away his concern and set his own mask in place, pushed back from his forehead. “Let’s get this over with.”

When they appeared at the top of the stairs, the noise level in the whole room dimmed like a door closing on the roar of a great wind. All eyes turned to follow their progress into the melee as Guard-Commander Morrence, Alistair’s right-hand and bodyguard, peeled away from her post by the door and fell into line one pace behind her charge as a dour, watchful shadow. Curtseys and coquettish giggles fluttered up to them, but Alistair ignored them in favour of searching out the form of Élodie Bryland, smiling out from the crowd. Like the rest of the Fereldan entourage, she wore her mask as an accessory rather than a second face, the emerald green of South Reach’s colours rich against her blonde hair.

He felt like a ram walking into a den of blightwolves in broad daylight. Even after so long, so many days he could no longer count them from memory, a shard of his heart stirred in the tattered remains of his chest at the unbidden thought of Rosslyn’s disdain for his current company, the tight, tiny smirk she would have worn hidden at the corner of her mouth for only him to see. Her face was beginning to blur in his mind, but the reminder only ever added more layers to the pain. The pieces flaked away one after the other like rust on a forgotten monument – the sound of her laugh, her scent, the exact shade of her eyes – and every time he noticed another detail by its absence he found himself dragged back to the ruins of Ostagar, staring across the precipice into the void all over again.

Dwelling on his loss amidst the glamour of the Orlesian court would not be wise, however, so he shook himself into courtesy as he followed along after Élodie, smiled at every breezed introduction, and let himself slip into the easy gentility that had so far served him well as king. The meandering currents of conversation carried both him and Fergus at a steady pace to the other side of the vaulted entrance hall, where his left-hand waited for them.

“Ah, there’s my favouritest sneaky person in the world,” he called out when he got close enough for his voice to carry. “I hope you’re enjoying yourself?”

Leliana’s red hair flashed like a beacon as she turned towards him. Unlike Ferelden’s ambassador, she carried her mask on a stick in her gloved hands, and she twirled it up to cover the purse of her smile as she answered. “Your Majesty – Your Lordship. This is a grand assembly tonight, no? Little compares to the full splendour of the Winter Palace.”

“At least not in the way of architecture,” he answered genially. To be polite, he let his gaze wander the rows of gilt pillars with their garlands of blush-roses, the delicate silk streamers hanging from the crystal chandelier. Even more than Élodie, who was Orlesian by birth, Leliana fit in with the glitter, the jewels and the compliments that cut sharper than daggers, and put together, the two of them made a formidable team.

Especially when they joined forces against him.

“Your Majesty, if you will permit me, may I present Lady Ellana Pontival, younger sister to Vicomte Tremane Pontival, and Lady Cassandra Pentaghast, seventy-eighth in line for the throne of Nevarra and the Right-Hand of the Most Holy Divine Beatrix.”

Turning his gaze to the two women, Alistair dipped his head in a customary greeting. If Leliana had set out to find the two most contrasted people in the room, then she had probably succeeded; where one lady seemed about to drown in her layers of ruffled lace and pastel silks, the other cut an austere, imposing figure in the formal uniform of a Seeker of Truth, and like the Fereldans, she went unmasked. The ever-watchful Eye of the Maker, cut through with the Sword of Mercy, peered out from a pin clasped to her shoulder, a sullen reminder that if things had been different, the King of Ferelden would have ended up a templar instead.

“With so many connections, you must be used to parties like this,” he tried. The Seeker held herself with the economy of a soldier at ease, but the pinpoint of her onyx gaze made him itch.

“Hardly,” she said, in low, rich tones. “I am here at the request of Most Holy, who appreciates the unprecedented nature of this gathering. I myself am used to less… lavish surroundings.”

“But how do you find it so far, Majesté?” interrupted Lady Ellana. “Do you find it pleasing?”

He decided not to remark on the breathy quality to her voice, nor the sidelong way she was looking at him, and shrugged. “That would depend on whether we’ll soon have any sign of those – what are they called – cannapays?”

Leliana chuckled. “I’m afraid Your Majesty’s appetite will have to be content for now.”

“I’ve never known a society where it was considered polite not to feed your guests.”

“If one is full of too much heavy food, one cannot properly enjoy the dancing,” Élodie chided, laying a hand on his arm and less amused than her counterpart at his deliberate butchery of her native language.

“Ah.” He suppressed a grimace. “Yes. That.”

The indomitable Lady Ellana pressed forward with a flutter of her eyelashes. “Are you presently engaged, Majesté? For the first dance, I mean.”

Mostly to avoid meeting Fergus’ eye, Alistair cast his gaze out over the crowd. “Oh I’m sure someone has spoken for me.”

“I myself love nothing so much as dancing – and the waltz especially.” An elegant hand rose to cover a laugh. “So charming, yet so daring, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I’ll take your word for it, my lady,” he replied with a forced smile. “It’s not one of my preferred pastimes.” The last time he had danced, it had been his wedding day. If he had known –

Lady Ellana gasped. “How tragic! That truly is a shame.”

The Seeker’s mouth twitched.

“I understand your ascension to society was fairly recent, perhaps you only have yet to acquire a taste for it. Perhaps the right partner –”

“I think it’s more to do with other demands on my time,” he interrupted. “Like keeping my people safe and fed. Besides, I prefer being outside.”

An uncertain silence met his words, discomfort at the bite in his tone that couldn’t be answered without causing a minor diplomatic incident.

Leliana recovered first. “The night is young and His Majesty is fond of modesty. I’m sure he will have time and attention for all those who wish it once his duties to his host are fulfilled.”

“Has Her Radiance arrived yet?” Fergus asked.

With a smile, Leliana nodded and motioned for them to follow her towards the doors of the grand ballroom. Neither she nor Élodie dared break their façades to scold him for being so taciturn, so Alistair pretended not to notice their silent disapproval. The cloying mixture of perfumes and sweat wafting through the hall, the crowd of heat from so many bodies in a confined space, all of it pressed on his already sour mood, and if he had to be rude to get out of an awkward conversation, what did he care? Whispers followed with the eyes on him, words just loud enough to catch his ear before darting back into the throng like birds flitting through a summer hedgerow. The speculative edge to them made him clench his teeth. There were insinuations, appraisals and judgements, musings on his preference for comme les chiens before the words dissolved every time into peals of muffled laughter.

“It’s almost enough to make a man jealous,” Fergus huffed at his side. “They didn’t even look at me. Not one pitying glance.” Time had healed most of the injuries he had taken in the months as Howe’s prisoner during the war, but some of the damage had been too much and too long neglected for even magic to fix; his cane tapped along the polished floor with every other step.

“How about next time I hide behind you?” Alistair asked. “You can do all the talking and I’ll stand and look aloof and interesting.”

“You just want an excuse to – what is it?”

He sensed a change in pressure in the eyes on him, an intensity of regard that set itself apart from that of the fawning mass seeking his attention. After almost two years on the throne, the concept of assassinations wasn’t entirely foreign, but as he watched Morrence scan the room he saw no sudden rise in tension to say she had spotted any maniacs with giant weapons about to pounce. A shadow did perhaps flash on the edge of his vision, but as he turned it was lost among the sea of faces waiting for acquaintances, for their turn to be announced, or for their own glimpse at dog-lord royalty.

He put the feeling from his mind. Empress Celene, resplendent in the purple and gold of House Valmont, stood at the far end of the ballroom above the sunken dancefloor and watched the obeisance of the people being announced, in the same way a fisher might wait with their spear poised to strike at a promising target. Already, dozens of couples mingled beneath the bright beeswax candles staving off the autumn dark outside, their fans held up to conceal the judgements passed on every newcomer.

When Alistair’s own turn to pace the length of the gauntlet came after a few moments of waiting, she smiled behind her mask and floated down the steps to meet him on an equal level, which only meant he got to see the avaricious gleam in her eye up close as she held out her hand. As he bent his head over it, he wondered if the look was meant to be alluring, but her fingers were cool and fine-boned under his, lacking callouses from swordwork, and the only thought that ran through his mind was that even when warmed by the fire a stone remained a stone.

“Majesté,” she crooned in delicately accented Common. “Be welcome. This meeting has been long anticipated.”

He had practiced his response for an hour in the mirror. “Thank you, Radiance. It is my hope that this moment can be the first step towards a better accord between our two nations.”

“It is ours as well. Please, join us in the gallery.” She turned. “And when the dancing starts, might we suggest the company of one of our ladies-in-waiting? They are all very accomplished dancers.”

“Uh…” He risked tripping over the considerable hem of Celene’s gown to a glance upward, to where three women of equal height watched the two of them from behind identical golden masks set with amethysts.

“Is this surprise?” the empress asked him, and laughed. “How very forward to expect a more prestigious partner so early in the evening. It seems the manners of Ferelden and Orlais have yet to fully understand one another.”

“Isn’t that why we’re both here?” he replied. “Though I have to confess, my mind wandered from the thought of dancing.”

“Oh? And where did it wander to?”

He nodded to the three attendants waiting at the top of the stairs. “It must get awkward on name-days if you can’t tell them apart.”

For the next half an hour, guests continued to trickle in as the mixed company watched from above, the steady ream of announcements and introductions keeping the threat of dancing at bay, and each name was accompanied by a whispered summary of all the associated scandals recounted by the waiting-women at Alistair’s side. He found their sameness disconcerting, as if at any moment they might steal away his mask and then ask which of them was hiding it under their skirts like a bait-and-switch scam in the marketplace.

When the castellan finally folded away his list of names and bowed an exit, the closest of Celene’s women reached up with a smile as thick and false as her makeup. “There is still some time until the dancing begins, Majesté – would you like to take a turn through the rest of the rooms while we wait?”

“Why not?” He forced a smile of his own. “Where do you think we should start?”

“Perhaps the long hall?” She began to steer him away from the rest of the party. “There are so many people you should meet!”

Before he could be disappeared entirely, he cleared his throat and called over his shoulder to Élodie. “We’ve been offered a tour of this fabulous palace,” he explained. “I don’t think we should miss it.”

“I am at Your Majesty’s disposal,” the ambassador replied, and stepped up to his other side

The tour turned out to be less a way to introduce him to Orlais’ finest and more a way to show him off as an accessory. With both Morrence and Élodie as chaperones to shield him from the worst of their dainty manners, he managed to stumble through pleasantries and inane topics of conversation, and even gave his opinion on Grand Duke Gaspard’s mission to quell giants in the Deauvin Flats without tying his tongue in any knots. He told bad jokes and people tittered behind their hands. In one room he was drawn into speculation about the merits of breeding nugs.

And throughout it all, the weight of the same mysterious scrutiny from before itched across his shoulders, making his clothes too tight, too coarse against his skin. Somebody watched him, or else he was in the first stages of some illness. In a move disguised as a readjustment of the faded leather bracers at his wrists, he checked the pair of daggers hidden in his sleeves, and then eyed the extra sword buckled at Morrence’s waist. Being his bodyguard permitted her to carry weapons where he could not, but he rarely went unarmed himself and the idea of being completely defenceless struck him as foolish – and so, the compromise, with the strict understanding that Maric’s runed blade would stay sheathed except in direst need.

The feeling followed him back to the dancefloor as the castellan announced the first cotillion and a charming smile appeared before him, attached to a name and a title that he forgot instantly. When the first notes cascaded down from the court musicians he took his partner’s hand and fell into the steps to distract from his unease, the beats f the dance like the repetitions of a battle drill that kept him turning, and facing, and weaving through the room. And then the music ended. Someone thrust another woman into his path, and then another, until he was breathless and overheated from the exercise, and relieved that he had yet to trip over his own feet.

In a pause between the sets, he tried to catch Leliana’s eye in the gallery above to ask to be rescued before he could be forced towards a refreshments table. To his dismay, she was too intent on the crowd to notice, watching for advantage or threat so that he could make a show of festive enjoyment – no easy feat considering how the entire room was staring at him.

No, not the entire room.

There. The flash of shadow that had followed him all night resolved itself into a woman who turned her face away from him as soon as their gazes met. Pearls were pinned in her dark hair, and the silk of her gown flashed with the violet-green iridescence of starling feathers, dazzling enough that Alistair wondered how he had missed it before. She retreated up the stairs, trying all too hard to disappear into the crowd in a manner that deliberately kept him out of her line of sight.

“Majesté?”

His current partner had noticed his distraction. He smiled down at her, but like the needle of a compass his gaze swung back to the strange woman, whose exit had been waylaid by a man with a shock of thin, greying hair poking out from under his yellow chevalier’s feather. He bowed over the Starling’s hand, boorish and insipid, and through her reluctance she cast her gaze around the room as if seeking an excuse. Her eyes lit on Alistair again, before skittering away up to the ceiling when she caught him looking.

Gotcha.

“Will you excuse me, my lady?” he begged of the young woman on his arm. “I have to talk to my advisor. You there, Ser! I’m afraid this beauty has been bereft of a partner, if you’ll oblige me? Thank you.”

He forgot the girl as soon as he handed her off. The music started. Leliana, noticing his approach up the stairs, nodded and plucked a glass of Antivan white from the tray of a passing server, handing it to him with a subtle gesture that let him sidle close enough to not be overhead.

“Have you seen her?” he asked.

“The woman in the dark colours?” She tilted her head in amusement. “Of course. She has been watching you, and does not care for the crowd flowing around her. She knows how to walk through a room of nobles but subterfuge is not her strength. And yet… there is something familiar about her. It worries me.”

For a moment, they watched from their vantage point in the gallery. The Starling moved through the room with grace enough to catch the eye, but with too much economy to fit in with the flounces of the rest of the dancers, the poise of a warrior more than a courtier. Still, the patience with which she dealt with her partner had to be admired. Alistair winced every time the old boor overstepped the bounds of propriety to tread on her toes; part of him wanted to step in between them and pull her from the line, if only to save her feet from bruising, but the strange urge didn’t stop him noticing how she cast her gaze to every corner of her room to avoid the man in front of her – every corner, except the place where he himself was standing.

“Find out who she is,” he grunted to Leliana, and pushed away from the rail.

Momentarily freed of his obligations in the dancing, he wound his way through the press of nobles, exchanging pleasantries, until he spotted Fergus resting his legs in one of the gilt-backed chairs that had been set at the edges of the room and made for him, worried about the guarded expression on his friend’s face. The reason for the scowl became apparent when the couple standing between them turned and stopped Alistair dead in his tracks.

“Ah – Your Majesty, it is good to see you. You’re looking well.” Eamon, the former Arl of Redcliffe, straightened from his bow as if the man he was addressing hadn’t been instrumental in his exile from Ferelden over two years before. He wore a mask like an Orlesian, with only the grey trim of his beard visible beneath its swirling, enamelled lines. On his arm, the once-Arlessa Isolde wore one almost identical, save for the extra decoration of feathers around the rim.

“What are you doing here?” Alistair blurted.

“We are guests of Her Radiance, of course,” Eamon replied with a blink. “I can see time has not been generous in your perspective towards me, but I would not quarrel with you here and mar Ferelden’s standing.” He swallowed. “Though it is late to say it, please accept my condolences for your loss.”

“Condolences?” Anger coiled in Alistair’s gut, kept at bay only by the interested stares of the people around him. Eamon had done his best to make sure he and Rosslyn were separated – had nearly succeeded – and now he dared to offer remorse?

“How are you enjoying Orlais, Your Majesty?” Isolde asked before he could storm away and blow all their diplomatic efforts.

“The weather’s nice. Please excuse me.”

Below them, the dance finished. Leliana slipped into the dispersing crowd with the ease of a master and cut the Starling from the crowd like a shepherd singling out a ram. Fergus joined him as he leaned over the rail to watch their conversation, Eamon and Isolde already forgotten, and caught the direction of his gaze.

“Has someone caught your eye?” he asked.

“No.” Alistair waved a hand. “No, it’s not like that.”

The Starling was turned away from Leliana, shrinking back as if to avoid a blow, but his left-hand could not be outmatched so easily and peered closer nonetheless. And then she drew back. Her mask flicked up with a twitch of her wrist to fully cover her face, and the Starling reached out for her elbow in an urgent gesture that conveyed as much familiarity as alarm. They knew each other. The words that passed between them were too far away to hear. Leliana paused, then nodded, and together the two of them retreated from the bright lights of the dancefloor into the shadows at the furthest corner of the room.

Fergus noticed. “Well that was strange.”

“I don’t like it. Will you be alright here?”

“For now.” He shrugged. “Holding court in the corner holds much more appeal than sweating about with people I don’t care for. A younger version of me might have tried to forget myself in one of these pretty smiles, but now…” The liquid in his glass caught the light as he tilted it for inspection.

“It’s not so easy,” Alistair agreed.

He left his friend still contemplating his drink and rounded the gallery with Morrence in tow, not straight for Leliana but angling for Élodie, who had taken up entertaining the delegates from Ostwick and made a nice middle ground. He barely registered the answers he gave to their polite enquiries as he approached. The Starling had disappeared and Leliana was wending her way towards one of the quieter hallways, where there were balconies with doors that could be minded by one’s guards to glare at any passing eavesdroppers. She flashed him a brief glance and a nod.

He thought quickly, turning to his ambassador.

“My lady, you’re looking a little warm, and I’ve neglected you.” He shot her what he hopes was a winning smile. “I hope you’ll forgive me, you’ve worked so hard, after all. Why don’t we get you some fresh air?”

Élodie frowned at him, but nodded. “Your Majesty is very kind. I am a little flustered, now that you mention it. If you will excuse me, sers.”

Threading her hand through his arm, he hustled her away with as much nonchalance as he could muster, while she, sensing his mood, kept quiet. They met Leliana a few moments later on a trellised balcony overlooking the gardens, or as much as could be seen of them beyond the torchlight.

“Well?” he asked, almost before the door closed behind him.

“Have you two been hatching plans?”

His left-hand let the mask fall from her face, though she kept it close, fidgeting with it. “The lady… presents no danger.”

“Lady?” repeated Élodie.

“There’s no need to look so hopeful.” Alistair rolled his shoulders. “We caught someone acting suspicious. Did you find anything out? You looked like you were surprised when you found out who she was.”

“I… knew her in another life.” Leliana hesitated. “She thanked the King of Ferelden for his regard, but said she would rather not become a spectacle.”

“A disagreement with family, perhaps,” Élodie supplied.

The corner of Leliana’s mouth lifted. “I did not ask.”

Without even waiting long enough for him to draw breath, she bowed and swept back into the hall. He caught sight of Morrence, watching her go with something very like suspicion written in her features, but the expression flickered back into a blank before he could be certain.

Behind him, Élodie cleared her throat.

“It is a shame this woman is not what you hoped,” she said. “I would see you happy.”

He snorted. “I didn’t hope anything – and I was happy.”

“You could be so again, if you allowed it. You cannot fight your duty forever.”

He bit back the retort squeezing past the sudden lump in his throat. Reminding her that her own husband had died in the siege at South Reach would be rather ungallant, especially considering the genial nature of the evening so far, and he had tried hard to curb the spiteful edge to his temper over the past two years. He wanted to be better. Rosslyn would have wanted him to be better.

As the thought spiralled and led his mind towards the dark precipice that would mean yet another sleepless night, the nature of the sound inside the ballroom changed. The music died away. The thump of the castellan’s staff reached his ears, followed a moment later by the announcement of Celene’s arcane advisor, the mysterious apostate who had managed to charm her way to the centre of the Orlesian court and who now, according to some, whispered spells in the empress’ ear.

“No doubt people will want us introduced,” he muttered.

Élodie nodded. “We should not keep Her Radiance waiting.”

Just inside the doors, however, he stopped. Even from across the room the Starling drew his gaze with the furtiveness of her movements, the deliberate indifference with which she moved against the flow of people, and his patience ebbed.

He touched Morrence’s elbow, leaning close. “Do you see her?”

“Aye. I want a chat with that one.”

“Get her out to the terrace garden and make sure she’s alone. Hopefully it’s cold enough outside that any interested bystanders will be discouraged.” He sighed. “I’ll get away as soon as I can.”

“I shouldn’t leave your side. The danger to you –”

“What if she’s a danger?” he pressed. “What if Leliana’s wrong? Something is going on here, and I won’t be kept beyond the chain – or don’t you think she was acting strangely before?”

At that, his right-hand let slip a curse. “I’d still be leaving you in a nest of snakes.”

“I’ll be alright.” The hilts of his concealed daggers sat snug against his wrists.

“Fine – but if you die, I get to kill you for it.”

Nobody commented on his lack of a bodyguard when he once more joined Celene and her waiting-women at the head of the room. Morrigan, her advisor, spoke Common like a Fereldan, but she had clearly spent enough time in Orlais to learn the dismissive nature of their manners. For a long moment, Alistair was distracted by a nagging familiarity he could not place, until the witch rose from her curtsey and turned a pair of piercing yellow eyes on him. The breath stopped in his lungs. His hands clenched into fists. Even the smirk was recognisable, catlike and secretive, and the instant it appeared he was shunted back to a campfire in a glade under a star-strewn sky, and mocking laughter in his ears.

“You’re Flemeth’s daughter,” he said.

The smile froze. “I did hear you encountered my mother – during the war, was it not? What did she tell you of me?”

“Only that you didn’t like living in the Korcari Wilds.”

“She resented my wanting to make something of myself outside of her influence.” She drew herself up for better display of her plum-red gown, the gold links around her throat. “And now here I am.”

“I can see the appeal,” he offered, to laughs from those gathered around them.

Celene clapped her hands. “Ah, this is delightful. You must have many things to talk about, given you share a homeland.” Her head dipped in what Alistair presumed was amusement. “Though we must ask that Your Majesty does not steal her away from us! No promises of Ferelden’s new leniency towards mages, if you please.”

He made sure to chuckle along, schooling himself not to look round to see whether Morrence had caught the Starling yet. All he could do was wait for a break in conversation and make excuses to be allowed away for some air.

When his chance finally came, a brief interlude during an influx of new people wanting introductions, he slipped through the crowd and met his right-hand at the door to the terrace. The fresh, cold scent of the night washed in, frost and damp earth, and beyond the lighted windows a dark figure stood at the balustrade that separated the garden from the sheer drop to the ground below.

“She’s waiting for you,” Morrence said.

“Any trouble?”

“Only until I threatened to draw attention to her,” came the reply. “And she wouldn’t look me in the eye. Good luck.”

He steadied himself with a breath as he stepped into the open air, a pause in which he studied the woman so invested in not being noticed. She faced away from him, hunched over as if still trying to make herself invisible, picked out by a rime of moonlight that glowed in her hair and reflected in the pearl beading on her skirts, rippled along the silk gloves that covered her arms to the elbow. Her head turned as he approached. Breath fogged silver in the night but the tension didn’t leave her shoulders and he felt it draw him along a knife’s edge as he realised too late how it might appear, a king ordering a woman to wait for him beyond earshot. A jab of self-disgust coiled in his stomach.

And yet, like Leliana said, there was something familiar about her.

He cleared his throat, set his hands behind his back. “You won’t come to any harm here, not from me.”

The Starling only flinched further away from him.

“Who are you?”

He waited, patient, until it became clear he wouldn’t simply give up and leave. The Starling’s fists bunched against the stone of the balustrade, and her shoulders heaved with a deep, almost panicky breath.

“Désolée, Majesté, le Marchandesse est –”

“In Orlesian, then,” he answered. “What’s your name?”

She paused. The line of her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “I’m afraid… the only name I can give you is Laurienne, Majesté. Laurienne de Savrenne.”

“Laurienne.” He risked a step closer, and she angled even further away from him, determined to hide her face even behind the mask. “You know, it’s strange – most people here tonight have been falling over themselves trying to catch my attention, but not you. You’ve tried very hard to remain unnoticed, not just by me, but by my guards and entourage as well. Why?”

“I might point out that of all those who wanted the king’s attention, I am the only one to have it bestowed.” She licked her lips. “Perhaps that was my plan.”

The sharp mockery ignited his temper. What was this but yet another sly courtier throwing jests at his expense? All night he had been nice, he had smiled, danced, dressed himself up in pretty words so the nobility would chase him for something he didn’t even want to give, and now he couldn’t even get one straight answer when he asked for it.

“A lot of people think I’m a fool,” he bit out. “It might come in handy sometimes but I assure you I’m smarter than I look, and I don’t appreciate being messed about, especially not after such a long day.”

“I’m…” Was that a fraction of a move towards him? Her head dipped towards her hands, and her eyes pressed shut. “I’m not here under my own power. In truth, Majesté, my debtor bid me come, but did not say you would be here as well.” A distinct note of bitterness entered her voice. “No doubt the thought of us meeting amused her.”

“Do you know me?” he asked.

She fell utterly still. “Do you know me?”

“Are you an assassin?”

“No.”

“But you are hiding something.”

At that, she scoffed, and again that frustrating tingle of familiarity, though it was gone too quickly for him to examine. “We are in Orlais, are we not? Everyone is hiding something. I am no different to any other noblewoman, we are all the same. Wouldn’t you agree?”

His heart stuttered. His mind conjured a sweep of raven hair, the scent of jasmine, warm lips soft against his. “There are exceptions.”

“Is it the exception you were trying to find tonight?” The Starling’s tone rang cold. “All evening you have danced with one after another and tossed them aside afterwards like a wine-taster who finishes his sip and spits the rest away. How delightful the passage of your days must be to never want for such company.”

“How dare you.” He stepped closer. “What do you know about what my days are like – or what it’s like being passed around by all those magpies in there who only care about the shiny crown I could get for them? It’s all, ‘remember it’s your duty, Alistair’ and ‘just pick one and get it over with’. If I could even have one night where I could complain about it, or – or say no – that would be something, but everyone seems to think I should be flattered by all those people pawing at me and never giving me a moment to myself!”

He paused for breath. The tirade had winded him, as much for the emotion it let loose as for the wild gestures flung out with the words. The Starling had remained still, taking the onslaught like a tree against a howling wind, though now only fatigue was left in him she shrank as if he’d struck her a physical blow.

“Forgive me,” he muttered, horrified. “I wasn’t angry at you, it’s just…” What words could he say? “I wouldn’t expect you to understand – but don’t worry. You can go. Do as you wish, my guard won’t detain you any further.”

Still she didn’t move. Cursing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and swallowed back the lump in his throat as he turned for the door. He needed sleep, he needed –

“I understand better than you would think.”

Her voice. Common, not Orlesian. The quiet servility deepened into a clarion note – it stirred his heart from its withered slumber, called it like a dog to heel. Her voice. With pulse thundering, with hope and disbelief and horror wadded into a tight ball in his throat, he looked back.

The Starling no longer shrank into herself but stood tall in defiance of the cold, her shoulders thrown back, chin lifted, in the attitude of a general. He drank in the arch of her throat, the pale skin that gleamed like marble under Satina’s light, the shine of raven-black hair gathered in an Orlesian knot at the back of her head, all details he had ignored before because it was impossible. When he didn’t move, her head tilted, and he recognised the sorrow in the gesture, the self-deprecation in the curve of her mouth.

“The man I love is at this ball tonight,” she told him. “He’s the centre of attention, but I’ve had to watch and do nothing while everyone covets what I cannot touch.”

Her voice.

“Why not?” His tongue fumbled the words through the fog in his brain, the steps he took back towards her shaky and numb, desperate, his chest constricted trying to hold his breath in case it broke the spell somehow cast around him. “Why hide?”

“I owe a debt. Until it’s paid, I can’t – my life is not my own and I have to pay it back. Besides,” she added, with a new wobble in her voice, “what would I say? He – everyone thinks I’m dead.”

They stood so close now he could have reached out to touch her hand, but he hesitated, worried that that, at last, would make her disappear and prove him mad. She was shaking; her fingers had raked lines in the frost on the stone as she clenched them into fists.

“But you’re not dead. You’re –”

Their breath mingled heavy under the moonlight as he leaned in, his hand braving night-chilled skin where her glove had fallen to her wrist, and finally she turned into him, drawn, like him, and while he closed his eyes seeking in vain for the familiar scent of jasmine and sweetgrass, the weight under his fingertips and the stulted breath that left her lips made her solid, and all that was left was to beg her to say something, to let him hear her voice again.

“I was afraid you’d forgotten me,” came the whisper, so full of doubt.

“Never –” He caught the side of her face, pressed a kiss to her temple though the rim of her mask cut into his lips. “Never.”

“I – I thought you’d hate me.”

The absurdity of it made him giggle even as he shook his head in denial. He stroked her hair. Kissed her again. And then, because it was too much to have such certainty without proof he pulled back, searching for the ribbons that secured her mask in place, her pulse flying under his fingers as he worked at the knots. When the mask finally came free, he pushed it up over her forehead – and found himself looking down into a pair of eyes that were the grey of cracked ice on a winter sea.

#dragon age #dragon age: origins #dragon age origins #da:o #alistair theirin #king alistair #alistair x warden #alistair x cousland #f!cousland #cousland #rosslyn cousland #queen cousland #the falcon and the rose #the mysterious falcon sequel #smoke and mirrors #guys it's happening

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unseelie-robynx · 3 years

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Assassin AU - Red Son’s News

Here’s another piece of this new AU idea i’ve been playing around with. It sort of serves as a basic introduction to some of the world building? I would love any feedback you guys have, as i think it feels a little rushed, as well as any questions or things you want clarified, as that will likely be the best motivation to get me to write more stuff.

________________________________________________

“Ahem.”

The gentle sound drew everyone’s attention to the doorway, where Red Son was standing rather awkwardly.

“Hi Red!” Mei chirped, “Is this a murder everyone run or a pick up noodles for me and my Mom run?”

Mei started laughing at the flushed stammer that Red Son immediately spouted, so MK did the same.

“I’m not! That’s not! It’s not!” Red Son was clearly not having an easy time understanding Mei’s form of teasing. Which, to be fair, MK had needed Mei to explain she was teasing to know to look for it and respond to it, so…

“ANYWays,” Red Son huffed, fixing his hair, “I’ve designed to come down to this peasant shop,” He paused to glare at MK and Mei who had been mimicking his patented ‘Peasant’ stance, “because it has come to my attention that, that there are things you are unaware of that I cannot in good conscious continue to allow you to be woefully oblivious to.”

He was met with blank stares and multiple blinks.

“Umm, come again?” Tang asked from his place at the counter.

“I.. That is there is…” Red Son was pacing back and forth, waving his hands, clearly frustrated, but unsure how to continue. “Look, you know what? I’ll just show you.” Red Son slammed to door shut, both locking it and flipping the OPEN sign, despite Pigsy’s protest in the background. He then pulled out a small square device that could almost be a phone.

MK’s blood ran cold.

Red Son flicked it on and the room darkened while simultaneously filling with a 3-Dimensional projection of multicolored webs and lines connecting clusters of colored cubes in various spaces.

Tang put down his bowl of noodles as everyone stared.

MK was staring with everyone else, but inside he was panicking. Why had Red Son brought this, why was he showing them the—

“This is what is commonly referred to as the BlackNet.” Red Son took a deep breath, as if steadying himself, “It’s got a lot of names, the DarkNet, the Demon Web, the UnderNet, the Assassins’ Web, the Hit List,” Each name had MK’s friends growing paler, “but regardless it serves as a… compilation of sorts. Anyone who’s anyone has an entry and profile here. And, more importantly at the moment.” Red Son took another steadying breath, “Is this.”

He walked forward, tapping on a small cluster of white cubes. They expanded revealing images of various people, all obviously dragons, or of dragon decent. And there in the midst of them—

“Wait! Is that me?” Mei was at Red Son’s side in an instant, staring up at the projected image of her, laughing next to her bike. “I don’t remember taking this!” She reached up to poke her image before Red Son could stop her, and the image shifted to the side as a whole profile spilled out.

Name. Age. Address. Heritage. Fighting Proficiency. Preferred Weapons. Known Special Moves. Awards. Skill Sets. Regular Routines. Relations. Categories of information spelling out Mei’s entire life sat there in green.

More importantly a large red CONTRACT, with a fifty thousand Yuan posted underneath it, glowed on the other side.

“I think,” Pigsy growled coming around the counter, “That you need to start talking faster.”

“I told you,” Red Son responded, “Everyone who’s anyone is listed here. It’s a fact of life for most high-profile people, especially demons. I’ve been listed basically since I was born. Now that you peas… now that you all have gotten involved in demon affairs, and are fairly high profile at that, you’ve popped up in the listings. I didn’t think much of it, just having a listing doesn’t mean much, there are thousands, and it usually doesn’t mean much. But when this…”

He gestured vaguely to the glaring red CONTRACT that was making MK’s insides twist in a way that had him clenching his jaw to keep from snarling. “Was listed I got a notification. BECause—” Red Son immediately raised his hands to ward off Pigsy who had immediately moved into his personal space, “I have you all book marked, in case something changed. Because you’re my adversaries. But that’s when I realized despite being form a proper family Mei— Dragon Girl didn’t have a set counteroffer.”

Red Son was obviously choosing to ignore the way Mei had fake gagged at his ‘proper family’ comment because he plowed ahead. “Which brought to my attention that, as self-proclaimed ‘heroes’ you might not even be aware of the BlackNet’s existence. So. I’m rectifying that.”

“Aww Red!” Mei Cooed, “You do care!” She then glomped him causing a minor scuffle as he worked to remove her.

MK knew that his response should be to join in, but he had needed to shift his hands behind his back to disguise the way his clenched fists were shifting into claws so he would have to settle with a smile and laughter at the antics.

“Right so, just to make sure I understand this correctly.” Tang said, adjusting his glasses. “There’s an entire dark internet for demons to take out… contracts, on each other. And we’re on it. And there’s a contract out for Mei.”

“Not just demons.” Red Son scoffed, “Anyone with enough power or money or connections to be important. And Mei’s on it. As is the Blue one and Noodle Boy. You however are fine.”

“Is it a big payout?” Mei questioned, from where she was still attached to Red Son’s side.

“It is not… insubstantial.” Red Son admitted. “It appears to have been placed by someone who wants you eliminated as completion from the racing circuit. The decent sum is do to your skill with the dragon blade, as well as the difficulty of the task and the time frame, as it appears to be required to look like an accident before the West City finals next month.”

“Wait back up a minute. You’re telling me, that someone wants to have Mei killed because they don’t want her winning a race!” It was obvious Pigsy was fighting to keep his volume down.

“What! No!” Red Son shook his head. “Not killed. Well. Ok, that would likely also be acceptable, but it wasn’t specified. That would at least double the price.”

When that didn’t calm Pigsy down at all Red Son sheepishly added, “Demons and rich humans tend to be petty?”

“But it’s fine, right?” MK cut in before Pigsy could compose himself enough to open his mouth again. “Now that Red’s told us about it, we can be prepared and nothing will happen. Right?”

“You mentioned something about counteroffers?” Tang added thoughtfully.

“Yes,” Red Son nodded, “It’s a standard practice to have a counter proposal set on oneself. My family for instance has a standard Triple Each offer. Say if someone were to by some miracle managed to fulfill a contract on myself, then what ever the payout was, my family would pay triple for the head of each individual who but out the contracts, as well as the agents who collected.”

Everyone blinked at that.

“That’s. A lot of money.” Mei said slowly finally letting go of Red Son.

Red Son just nodded. “Which usual means that it’s not worth it to fulfill contracts with counteroffers.”

Another pause.

“Wait,” Tang spoke up again. “That implies you know who put out the… contracts, as well as who fulfilled them.”

“Of course.” Red Son’s voice took on it’s haughty tone again, “Basically everything in the DarkNet is public knowledge. We aren’t barbarians after all. The only things locked for most people is their own profile, easily mitigated.” He gestured to Mei’s profile still up, “And a section exclusively for agents.”

“Agent’s meaning Assassins.” Pigsy grumbled.

Red Son shrugged, “Assassins, Professional Thieves, Hit Men, Bodyguards, Hackers, Saboteurs, Con Artists. There are a lot of different types of jobs, and a lot of different types of agents.”

“But you know who put out the contracts and who accepted them?” Mei questioned, that dangerous look in her eyes as she focuses in on the CONTRACT next to her image.

“Agent’s can… basically tag that they’re interested in a contract.” Red Son confirmed, “If someone’s high profile enough, then the others leave it to them. Otherwise, it’s a first come, first serve. You just have to list proof of completion and everything owed, money, favors, items of power or value, are transferred to the agent’s account.”

“What makes an agent high profile?” Tang asked, clearly having shifted into scholar mode.

Red Son scoffed, “Being dangerous. Being someone that attempting to mess with isn’t worth it. They’re also the ones who have ‘NO HIT’ Lists.”

“Which are?” Tang pressed, glasses glinting in the light.

“A list of people they won’t fulfill contracts on.” Red Son replied, obviously slightly unnerved by Tang. “It’s the only thing better than a counter contract. There are agents good enough to not have to worry about those, because going after them is basically a death sentence, no matter how much money someone’s willing to pay out. But if a high profile agent has ‘No Hit’ list, it’s basically having one of the most dangerous people on the planet promise to make you regret every moment of your existence if you mess with someone on their list. Unofficially, anyways.”

“And all of them have one of these?”

“Most of them?” Red Son shrugged, “There’s a lot and it’s not like I’ve ever tried to contact one before. I know that they usually also have general rules attached to their profile, either things they’ve put up or general information that’s been gathered about them. A lot of them have rules against messing with kids for instance and contacting them about a job like that would probably get you killed.”

“Nobble Assassins, right.” Pigsy scoffed, moving back behind the counter. Probably to stress cook “And have we forgotten that someone wants to get rid of Mei!”

“It’s fine!” Mei chirped. “Mama’s just gonna keep this—” she snatched the small device out of Red Son’s hand, causing it to turn off and him to squawk in indignation. “And keep an eye on things. Besides, me and MK got this, right MK?”

“Right!” MK affirmed before he’s even full realized Mei has spoken. “If anyone tries anything, we’ll just whoop their but! Monkey Kid style!” He pulled out the staff and did a few swipes and poses, just to cement the energy and sentiment he was aiming to put off. It appeared to have worked because Tang laughed, and Mei cheered and Pigsy groaned about ‘mystic monkey magic’ and the atmosphere seemed to have lightened.

Although that might have been the fact that the projector had been turned off.

Mk followed his cues, keeping everyone laughing, dragging Red Son into staying to eat the noodles Pigsy had whipped up to de-stress, cracking jokes with Mei and playing up being the hero and saving the day, but it all felt… distant. Detached. Performative.

In a way it hadn’t in a long, long time.

#lmk #monkie kid #lego monkie kid #assassin au

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genshin-impact-updates · 3 years

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Developer Insight #4: Character Stories (I) - "Vigilant Yaksha" Xiao (Part I)

Greetings, Travelers!

It's been almost five whole months since Genshin Impact went live, and the time seems to have flown by! We do hope you're all enjoying a smooth journey through Teyvat. Since the game's release, we have received a great deal of feedback and suggestions from Travelers and we've systematically recorded each one for the developers. We deeply appreciate all the time, energy, and passion everyone puts in to these suggestions.

In the midst of this, many of you have expressed an interest in learning more about how some of Genshin Impact's characters are created. As it happens, one character who has received an especially high amount of attention is Xiao, who has now entered the live game with the release of Version 1.3, "All That Glitters." So, for this issue, we've invited colleagues from the Creative Concept & Writing, Concept Art, and Animation departments to explain a bit about the thought process behind everyone's favorite Vigilant Yaksha.

1. The Vigilant Yaksha Is Born: A Character Woven From Cultural Symbolism

Hello everyone, my name is Zhongyuan from the Creative Concept & Writing department of miHoYo.

The first part of the process when designing characters for Genshin Impact is to pin down who the character is at their core. In this step, we need to establish the features that set this character apart from other characters. Besides ensuring that this character will make a strong impression on people, these features are used to evaluate what this character's position in the world of Genshin Impact will be. Characters are not just lumps of rock that we can place anywhere we want in the environment; they are autonomous individuals, each one with a complex set of past, present, and future interactions with the world of Teyvat. Their core features, then, represent their initial points of contact with the world. They are the guiding principles behind all the character's actions and how they live their life.

Xiao was one of the first Liyue characters we came up with. He began with our colleague CiCi's proposal for a young warrior character, which everyone involved in the character evaluation process approved of. The Art team envisaged him as a young man of great beauty, while colleagues in Creative Concept & Writing hoped to position him as a beautiful adeptus. Both sides were on the same page, and thus Xiao became our very first character planned with the identity of "mighty and illuminated adeptus."

Although this is somewhat tangential, I'd like to take a moment here to give a little more detail on the adepti in the Genshin Impact universe, given that so many players have expressed an interest in this topic. The adepti are based on the idea of demigod-like "immortals" (仙人 xianren) in Daoism, and are referred to by the honorific title "sanyan wuxian" (三眼五显), literally "three eyes and five manifestations" (but localized in English as "mighty and illuminated"). The adepti are classed as non-human, based on the notion that "All who have nine orifices can achieve immortality through self-discipline," a line uttered by the "Monkey King" Sun Wukong in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West. This means that animals are also capable of achieving adeptus status. However, humans have a higher purpose than adepti in the world of Teyvat, so for this reason, only those of non-human status can be referred to as "adepti" in Liyue. The "three eyes" part of the adepti's title refers to the "third eye" possessed by those with the ability to manipulate elemental energy, which for humans takes the form of a Vision. For adepti such as Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper, the human understanding is that they must have an "inner eye" that serves the same purpose as a Vision. Xiao, however, typically appears in a human form, so he dutifully wears a Vision to comply with the expected norm.

After the character's fundamentals are established, the next step is to design their Constellation and refine their cultural background.

Outside of Genshin Impact, the term "sanyan wuxian" can be traced back to ancient Chinese texts and also appears in supernatural fiction from the Late Imperial period (c. 1368–1911 CE). In both cases, it typically describes the Daoist deity Huaguang Tianwang (华光天王, "Heavenly King of Radiant Light"), also known as Ma Lingguan (马灵官, "Numinous Official Ma"). Huaguang Tianwang is a well-known guardian deity, who appears in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the South, in which he has an altercation with Sun Wukong. Research into folk culture also shows there is precedent to connect deities known as Wuxian (五显, "Five manifestations" or "Five Named Xian") with a group of malevolent deities known as Wutong (五通, "Five Powers" or "Five Named Tong"), which includes the one-legged, people-eating, mountain-dwelling demons known as Shanxiao (山魈, "mountain demon").

So, at the most hidden but fundamental level of this character's core, we decided on the name Xiao (魈) and the identity of a guardian-adeptus. The name Xiao is used to hide his past, but also embodies this character at the innermost part of his soul. It is the starting point for all further character development and cultural embellishments.

Another dimension of Xiao's design was that he wields an Anemo Vision and has a fleet-footed and agile combat style that includes the unique ability to propel himself through the air. To stay true to this, we decided to design his Constellation and skills around the idea of the yaksha in Buddhism. This meant we were conflating ideas from different sources; nevertheless, the yaksha had become a well-established figure in Chinese folk legends by at least the end of the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). The yaksha element ended up being a crucial part of Xiao's design that really helped us flesh him out in terms of his image.

The two archetypal stories of "guardian yaksha" and "numinous official's redemption" both involve a malevolent spirit on a path towards goodness, which was consistent with the general direction of Xiao's character core. Furthermore, his physical agility matched very well with another term for yaksha in Chinese, "Swift and nimble spirit" (捷疾鬼 jieji gui). Through further development of the yaksha concept, we arrived at the decision that the other fundamental aspect of Xiao's identity would be his role as a guardian yaksha in service of a monarch, or in this case, an archon.

One detail is particularly worth mentioning here. There is a well-known group of guardian yakshas in some Buddhist denominations known as the Twelve Heavenly Generals. All but one of them correspond to different animals in the Chinese zodiac, while Mekhila, who would otherwise correspond to the rooster, is instead associated with a bird deity, the golden-winged Garuda, a figure from various Indian religions. The story goes that this golden-winged bird deity was a fearsome predator who ate only evil dragons, until one day the dragon poison he had consumed became too much for him to bear, and he burned to death, leaving only a crystal heart behind. This story seemed to resonate with aspects of Xiao's character. Furthermore, the Chinese name Jinchi Peng Wang Niao (金翅鹏王鸟, "Golden Winged Great Peng") embodies a history of evolution — it represents a convergence between Garuda and the Peng, a Chinese mythological bird, showing that some adaptation occurred in the process of his adoption into Chinese religion. After much consideration, we decided to use the Golden Winged Great Peng as the basis for Xiao's Constellation. In English, Xiao's Constellation has been localized as "Alatus Nemeseos," in reference to the bird deity and Xiao's role as the nemesis of evil.

Finally, we conducted an overall review of Xiao's character profile. During this process, we noticed that Xiao's origins were very complex: Some aspects of his identity were based on folk legends while others drew on religious stories. From mountain demon, to Daoist deity, to guardian yaksha, to mythological bird, this was a uniquely rich character formed from the convergence and refashioning of many ideas in one place. More importantly, all these elements were consistent with each other at the narrative layer, creating a strong and cohesive impression of who this character is and adding clear, nuanced substance to his story. This degree of complexity gave Xiao just the depth and appeal that we were hoping for with this character: we hoped to create something entirely new through the convergence and fusion of various cultural elements, and we hope that the end result, Xiao, possesses the power, aesthetic value, and maturity to become a true cultural icon.

The next step was shaping the character's personality and behavior.

After close consultation with Concept Art colleagues, Creative Concept & Writing further fine-tuned the details of this character's content. To pick one example, we all felt that the distinctive image of a young warrior was an important one that we wanted to keep. This begged the question: if Xiao is a warrior, who or what is he waging war against? We quickly got to thinking about a war between the gods. (See section 2 of this article for how Concept Art developed the mask design based on this idea.) One of the basic rules of the Genshin Impact world is that gods cannot be completely destroyed — even if a god's physical form is destroyed, its will and power live on. The remnants and the wrath of the defeated god will remain in the world, waiting for opportunities to cause chaos. To keep Liyue safe from this threat, somebody has to go and keep them at bay.

The decision to release Xiao at Lantern Rite was to tie in with the Chinese custom of driving away evil spirits at the new year, since Xiao's role in Liyue is that of a protector in precisely this capacity.

During festivals, people offer up incense and pray to the adepti for their protection.

But they do not pray to Xiao.

For Xiao is no lucky star that promises fame and fortune — he is a demon-hunting yaksha.

After the lantern lights of Liyue have faded, the thankless battle to protect the city goes on unseen. It is an endless battle, and there can be no victor.

The Traveler's first impression of Xiao is most likely to be of a silent and brooding individual, a courageous and competent fighter, and someone who harbors great suffering. This suffering comes from within Xiao himself. One aspect is that the years of intense, never-ending battle against the remnants of defeated gods have led to him resigning himself to the fact that fighting is all he is good at. The other aspect is that the remnants have a negative effect on him, while the constant killing places a karmic burden on him, causing him mental and spiritual anguish.

This inner suffering is present in the design of his skills: when Xiao uses "Bane of All Evil," he dons his mask, which continually enhances his combat abilities but also continually drains his health. This demonstrates the great suffering he must endure as a consequence of using this power.

After the Traveler has spent some time with Xiao, perhaps they can sense that deep down, Xiao has a gentler side. Xiao is by no means a cruel and callous individual, he is simply reticent to show his emotions to others.

Xiao always keeps his distance from the hustle and bustle of human society. This is not because he doesn't care about humanity, but is due to his role as a protector. He must wage war against dark forces out of sight of humans, and endure a suffering that is incomprehensible to them. Despite this, he does not despise humanity. Humans are the foundation of his millennia-old contract with Rex Lapis, and the reason he silently fights to protect every living soul in Liyue.

The player's first offer to Xiao is to go to the Lantern Rite together to experience the atmosphere. Xiao instinctively refuses requests of this nature— not because he dislikes the idea, but out of avoidance. For Xiao, who has lived for millennia, the human world is a brilliant but fleeting flash of light; a wisp of cloud floating by; a firework on the horizon. And as the one tasked with defending this flurry of activity, he is like a caged beast circling the fire of a stove: fearful, but also full of curiosity. Having watched from a distance for so long, he would not know how to join in with the crowd even if he tried.

The lanterns rise up into the night sky, as if to shine along with the stars. Xiao watches this beautiful sight alone from a mountaintop, and just like anyone else, he senses the sentiment behind them, and he understands that the reason people craft these beautiful things is to remember those who fought alongside him in the past. As one who lived through the events of the past and remembers it all, he is, of course, able to appreciate the well-wishes that the lanterns represent. He understands kindness and gratitude, but doesn't know how to interact with ordinary people, nor does he know what his place is among all the excitement and noise. This lonely state of existence is the source of his melancholy. It has caused time to stand still, leading to him still having a very young mentality even to this day.

During the main Liyue questline, Xiao came to the Traveler's rescue in their moment of peril. In Version 1.3 "All That Glitters," we invite Travelers once again to experience a story that provides a glimpse into Xiao's seldom-shown gentle nature, as well as the trust, hidden deep within his heart, that he places in you.

2. A Young Adeptus: Detail-Based Design

Hello everyone, this is D and SS from the Genshin Impact Art team. We worked on the concept art for Xiao.

After the initial brief, we produced a first draft of Xiao's design based on the young warrior concept. As you can see, Xiao's expression in this version is far from the stern one he wears today. He has a gentler temperament and he is smiling. In this sense, he captures a more traditional notion of what a Daoist immortal (or in Genshin Impact terms, an adeptus) might look like. After more discussion with Creative Concept & Writing colleagues and taking more of his back story into account, we decided on the green version.

Xiao is an adeptus who protects Liyue, and in the course of his long battle against the remnants of defeated gods all over Liyue, he has become poisoned by their nefarious energy. Based on this background, Xiao's upper body uses white and green, which represent the adepti and correlate to his Anemo Vision. For his lower body, we used darker colors to represent the dark, malevolent power that exists inside him.

Based on these same principles, we gave him dark hair with highlights, and also created some interplay between light and dark in his attack animations. The darkness represents the destructive power of fierce battle, while the fragments and orbs of light that he gives off come from the fact that he is an adeptus.

Xiao may have the appearance of a young man, but his true age is something over two thousand years.

Fortunately, people do not tend to underestimate him on the basis of his appearance — one only needs to spend a short time with Xiao to recognize that he is not someone to be trifled with.

Xiao is a man of few words. He is highly dangerous, and has the most piercing gaze you've ever seen.

Given Xiao's true age and his identity as an adeptus, we decided to give him some jade jewelry to bring a sense of longevity and mystery. Accordingly, his legs, wrists, and shoulders feature decorative jade as well as various other objects bearing simple motifs. Meanwhile, to match his young appearance with striking good looks, we tailored his clothing (especially on the upper body) using a more modern design, displaying his vibrancy and agility.

On the one hand, Xiao is an immortal adeptus, while on the other hand, he is a young warrior. This is a great variance in image, and it posed a significant challenge for us from an art perspective. Traditionally, an immortal is imagined as a scholarly figure dressed in long, flowing robes with wide sleeves, who is fairly reserved in the movements of their hands and feet. But Xiao, as a master of the dance-like art of polearm combat and a fleet-footed yaksha, required clothing that offers both protection and freedom of movement. Furthermore, we also knew that there were strict limits on any flowing parts of his outfit due to the risk of clipping they would create after 3D modeling.

So we made Xiao's garments close-fitting and short-sleeved, put some light gauntlets on his wrists, and added some religious paraphernalia such as a censer and a vajra. Meanwhile, his streamers and the breechcloths around his waist are decorated with a cloud motif to add a sense of antiquity. In this way, we achieved a union between practicality and ethereality.

"Bane of All Evil" — the four words that sum up what Xiao has experienced over the past millennia, according to Liyue's rulers who know the truth about him.

In the design of Xiao's mask, we referenced aspects of the masks traditionally used in exorcism rituals as part of Nuo (傩) folk religion.

The main colors used in these masks are black, blue, and gold, the eyes are bright but not flamboyant, and in general the masks look solemn but also mysterious. The sinister-looking bulging eyes, fangs, and horns instill fear in the viewer. The eye in the center of the forehead represents omniscience and the flame motifs make it all the more imposing, the intent being to cause all onlookers to cower in fear.

Xiao's release coincides with the ancient festival of Lantern Rite. We would like to use this historic occasion as a chance to send our best wishes to everyone — here's to deliverance from the ills that plague the real world as well as those that face us in the world of Teyvat. To fans of Xiao reading this, we hope you feel that learning a little about the design ethos gave you the chance to better understand and connect with this character.

(Continued in Part 2)

#genshin impact #official #genshin impact updates #genshin xiao #xiao #xiao simps rejoice!#part 2 is gonna take a while‚ i got class in 15 minutes #but anyway this was super interesting to see :o #developer insight

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azure-firecracker · 3 years

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For your prompt list, can you do #36- "I never wanted to hurt you' for Azutara.

I'm gonna set this one up a bit if that's ok. This prompt reminds me of a scene from the soulmate au I'm working on (hopefully will one day finish lol)

If you don't wanna use this then that's absolutely fine. With that being said, here's the relevant info.

-Soulmarks are rare to appear. Everyone has a soulmate, but the only thing that's guaranteed is that you'll be in the general vicinity of them at some point in your life. The mark won't appear until you directly speak to each other, in this case it was the throne room scene from the show. When you are both aware of the mark, you become spiritually connected. This connection is different for every person. In thier case, the mark worked two ways 1) during moments of high stress, the non-stressed one's spirit is pulled to the other (think astral projection but they can't be seen) to provide support/comfort. 2) they see various memories of the other through dreams. I plan on using this aspect to build a connection between them since they hardly directly interacted during the show. Katara's memories and some of the actions Azula witnesses from Katara both inspire her to want to be a better ruler and show her that Katara is her equal. Katara sees a lot of the more negative memories of Azula, like when her mother implied there was something wrong with her, harsh training from Ozai, her mother disappearing, Zuko's Agni Kai. Azula also has anxiety from her past traumas so, needless to say, Katara's been providing quite a bit of comfort (Azula has a mark mirroring Katara's necklace and Katara has one of a Blue Dragon going down her spine)

Next point - the Crossroads of Destiny never happened. Azula freed Katara after seeing the soulmark. She didn't tell her about it and instead offered a deal. Her freedom in exchange for information on Zuko's location. Azula had the Dai lee lower the walls before trying to capture Zuko, so he had already fled when she goes to capture him.

Azula gets called back to the fire nation by Ozai, leaving War Minister Qin in charge of the city. When she gives her report to Ozai, she left out the info about Katara, which Ozai knew about thanks to Qin's report sent via messenger hawk. He accuses her of trying to hide her failure and also brings up her inability to capture Zuko. He decides to overlook the slight in lieu of her victory but threatens her to never fail him again. Katara saw all of this and her spirit is pulled behind the princess as she returned to her room and proceeded to lose her public composure, falling into a panic attack. That was the first time Katara provided comfort but the relevant part is Ozai's threat.

Later, on the Day of Black Sun, Azula had decided she was going to leave the capital, planning to teach Aang firebending. Her plan was to safely slip into the night after the invasion (she didn't leave during it because she needed to make sure her people were protected). She set up a plan to stall Aang using far more Dai lee than she did in the show. She gave them orders not to capture him however. With the invasion thwarted, she went to give her report to Ozai. She didn't get a chance to speak as he started laying into her about allowing the Avatar to escape. (Katara astral projects in. At this point her body is on Appa as they prepare to flee) When she tried to speak Ozai back handed her yelling/asking when she became so weak. The sudden movement shifted her shirt enough for Ozai the see a hint of blue in her neck. He pulls down her collar revealing the soulmark. The last thing Katara sees is Ozai throw Azula back, causing her to stumble as he calls he a born traitor throwing lightning in the process.

This is a spoiler point. I have Ty lee rescuing Azula with airbending. As the lightning kept from Ozai's fingers, she slammed him with a gust of wind, sending him flying. The lightning, with it's trajectory changed, strikes Azula in the shoulder. When Ozai looks back, the room is empty.

Ty lee, following the spiritual connection through Azula's aura, brings her to the Western Air Temple.

I'm curious to see your take on what happens next and this prompt seemed to fit it quite well. Perhaps you'll have Katara speaking to an unconscious Azula. Or maybe you'll have a couple scenes, one when Azula arrives and another when combustion man attacks, having Azula wake up, stumble out and strike him with lightning leading to Katara freaking out about her condition. There are really a lot of different ways this could go. If you decide to do it, I admit I'm very interested to see what you come up with. 🙂

Sorry this took so long but I really wanted to make sure I got this right, especially after you left all of those wonderful comments on my fic! This AU is absolutely incredible, and I hope I did it justice.

***

Katara awoke with a gasp and found herself lying on a flat stone ledge. Around her were her friends, each looking dejected after their recent failure. But Katara had other things on her mind.

She hadn’t told her friends about the blue dragon that had appeared on her back in Ba Sing Se, or where she really found herself when she “fell asleep.” She wasn’t exactly sure why she hadn’t told them. It was partially because they had so much going on already, but partially because she was afraid they wouldn’t trust Azula.

Azula...the girl had turned out to be so much more than Katara had ever imagined. Far from pure evil, she was a broken teenager with fierce protectiveness deep inside her, and Katara had found that they weren’t as different as she’d once thought. She was her soulmate, as strange as that was. Katara never would have expected it, but she had come to care deeply about her.

She paced the Air Temple in worry, wishing she could do more than just move her spirit into Azula’s mind, that she could help in some way. The last thing she remembered was seeing the girl at the mercy of her father. Katara thought she would know if Azula had died, but her heart still ached with fear.

« Help! » came a cry from far above. Katara leaped to her feet and glanced up into the sky. There was a Fire Nation airship zigzagging towards them. Sokka raised his sword, but Katara held out her hand to stop him. This ship was clearly being flown by someone who didn’t know what they were doing. Something wasn’t right.

The ship suddenly tipped forward, pointing straight down and hurtling towards the bottom of the canyon. At the last moment, Katara saw a strange form leap from the front window towards them, falling just short of the edge of the cliff. Katara raced towards them, but Aang was faster, leaping off the edge with his glider, falling into a dive. A moment later, he was back, and he wasn’t alone. Ty Lee was hanging on to his feet with one hand, and somehow she was helping propel them through the air. Was she...was she airbending? In her other arm was the limp body of Azula. Katara felt her heart leap.

Katara raced towards them as they landed on the side of the ledge. Aang and Ty Lee began a conversation, but Katara barely registered it. She ran straight to Azula and dropped to her knees, instinctively scooping the girl up in her arms. Thank the spirits, she thought. Azula was alive, if weak.

Quickly, Katara drew her water out of her pouch, her hands moving over Azula’s shoulder, feeling the electricity coursing through her. Healing Azula was, in some ways, the easiest thing she’d ever done, because the pattern of her heart and her spirit was so similar to her own.

Azula stirred in Katara’s lap and slowly opened her eyes. As her vision cleared, she groaned, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

« I’m sorry, Katara. »

Katara blinked. « What for? »

Azula sighed, tears still spilling down her cheeks. « I’m sorry that you’ve got me for whatever this soulmate thing is. You’ve done everything for me. You showed me compassion when no one else would, you calmed me down, you were open with me when you never had to be. You made me a better person. And me? All I did was hurt you. I tried to kill your friends, and now my father won’t stop until he kills me too. I’m a failure and a monster. » She looked up, right into Katara’s eyes. « I never meant to hurt you. »

Katara suspected that the girl’s weak physical state was part of what was making her so vulnerable. She’d never seen Azula be so honest, even with herself. It made her heart swell, with sadness for the girl who’d been made to believe she was a monster, when Katara knew that that couldn’t be further from the truth.

She pulled Azula up into a tight hug. She’d never hugged her before, but it felt right. Like they’d been made to put their arms around each other just like that. « Azula, you’re my soulmate. I...I love you. I love you because you’re a person, because you’re passionate and strong and human. You could never be a monster. »

Azula didn’t speak, maybe because she was still too injured, maybe because she had nothing to say. She just wrapped her arms tighter around Katara, and held onto her like she was the most important thing in the world.

A voice came from behind them.

« Wait a second. She’s your WHAT?! »

***

This was a super fun prompt! You’re amazing so I hope it made you happy! This is an amazing idea and I can’t wait to see where you go with it!!!

#ask the theater nerd #mini fics #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla azula #azula atla #azula avatar #azula #katara atla #atla katara #katara avatar #katara #azutara #kazula

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lordsavemepleaseineedhelp · 3 years

Text

Technoblade hypixal fic

making a central thread for this that will have links to all the other threads where things happen

In this story, the entire staff team has gone rogue, and Hypixel has been forced into hiding. In an attempt to regain control of the server, Hypixel rallies the players of Blitz to his side and begins waging war. While Hypixel still has access to the Server Console, his powers are extremely limited, and time is running out. He must find a way to eliminate all of the other 10 admins before they find him, and take complete control of the server.

tl;dr code lyoko stylized war with familiar names (and perhaps even your own) on the network

Someone locked the roster thread, evidently I forgot to add a moderator to the roster list. I kid, but there's no reason to unlock it because I CAN'T POSSIBLY UPDATE THIS LIST NOT IN MY WILDEST DREAMS SO MANY PPL WTF

like if i updated it the war would be kevin with like 50 staff vs 500 level 10 kits that's not close at all

Roster - http://hypixel.net/threads/story-preparation-need-players-names.202208/

Chapter 1, Betrayal - http://hypixel.net/threads/betrayal-chapter-1-revolution-a-blitz-story.202277/

Chapter 2, Swapping Sides- http://hypixel.net/threads/swapping-sides-chapter-2-revolution-a-blitz-story.202327/

Chapter 3, Intervention - http://hypixel.net/threads/intervention-chapter-3-revolution-a-blitz-story.202697/

Chapter 4, Project November - http://hypixel.net/threads/project-november-chapter-4-revolution-a-blitz-story.204850/

Chapter 5, Thorin - http://hypixel.net/threads/thorin-chapter-5-revolution-a-blitz-story.208427/

Chapter 6, Rezzus - http://hypixel.net/threads/rezzus-chapter-6-revolution-a-blitz-story.256954/

Chapter 7, Saving Citadel (part 1) - http://hypixel.net/threads/saving-citadel-part-1-chapter-7-revolution.257701/

Chapter 8, Saving Citadel (part 2) - http://hypixel.net/threads/saving-citadel-part-2-chapter-8-revolution-a-blitz-story.259961/

This thread is party of what will be a large series of threads all relating to the same story. To find out more, or to have an easier time navigating these threads, go to the central thread (or the story hub as you might have it) located here:

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

so i was thinking of creating a decent sized story where essentially a ton of high level blitz players form a raid trying to take down the evil staff team (this is not subtle hate on staff, all is in good fun, this way I don't have to deal with OMG X killed Y in the story wtf no way Y is way better)

but finding hundreds of names is kind of hard, sooo

If you have any players who have level 9s and higher and aren't on list (you can ctrl+f to quickly check) please say their IGN and their level 9 or 10 kits.

If you have any staff that aren't on list, please say their name

Player List:

Technoblade (Armorer 10)

Minechaos2713 (Speleologist 10 - Astronaut 9)

AidenRK (Scout 9 - Horsetamer 9 - Astronaut 9)

Cameron7276 (Astro 9)

mc_alexx1337 (Wolf 9)

Ilikewiicod (Rogue 10 - Blaze 10 - Arachnologist 9 - SlimeySlime 9)

CvLreact (Tim 9)

Snoskater (Horse 10 - Snow 9 - Necro 9 - Toxic 9 - Sliemy 9 - Astro 9 - Archer 9 - Speleo 9 - Armorer 9)

TennisFTW (Armor 10 - Fish 10 - Arachno 10 - Speleo 9 - Scout 9 - Astro 9 - Slimey 9 - Toxic 9 - Red 9 - Necro 9 - Snowman 9)

Kastrealm(Tim 9 - Red Dragon 9 - Astronaut 9)

Troy_K (Armorer 10 - Knight 10 - Snowman 10)

gabbymanner (Snow 10 - Knight 9)

MetaMusic (Snow 10 - Scout 9)

Andy_Valentyne (Snow 10)

13ethan13 (Snow 10)

FrostyAura (Astro 10)

Gamebuster101 (Snow 10 - Armorer 10)

SebiWins (Snow 10)

Pr0lin3 (Horse 10 - Toxic 9)

Celect_Legend (Horse 10 - Astro 10)

DelaytheFear (Horse 10)

iFireHD (Horse 10)

xHascox (Horse 10)

VorteXx3 (Horse 10)

viestursi (Horse 10 - Red 10 - Fish 10)

Meyp (Horse 10)

Nate_daboss (Horse 10 - Scout 9)

MAJESTICxWALRUS (Red 10 - Astro 9 - Horse 9 - Toxic 9 - Tim 9)

alek1231234 (Red 10)

JK12347 (Red 10 - Blaze 9)

vivien_roland (Red 10)

TUR805L4Y3R (Red 10)

MasterDannySky (Red 10)

chris210839999 (Red 10)

Brayzac1 (Red 10)

naazli (Arach 10 - Baker 10)

Minix1043 (Slime 10)

lethalvixien (Wolf 10)

MineCrypt (Creeper 10)

FlyingTurtlesXI (Creeper 10)

bryan5512 (Creeper 10)

ZombieScarer (Astro 10)

Praveen48 (Astro 10)

blukid8 (Astro 10)

EPresley (Meat 9 - Baker 9)

Krave_ (Speleo 10)

Cr33p3rB0y112 (Speleo 10)

Party711up (Speleo 10)

foolahoop (Speleo 10 - Necro 9)

ComoUnJefe1215 (Fish 10)

Loiyd_Irving (Archer 10)

bballnick123 (Archer 10)

sandierthrone6 (Archer 10)

EnderFoxx (Knight 10)

CSealHD(Fish 9 - Scout 9 - Red 9)

V3n0mTr1CkZ (Speleo 9)

warriorfox123 (Scout 9 - Knight 9 - Archer 9)

purelycraft (Astro 9 - Knight 9 - Red 9)

MacManiacMC (Horse 9 - Slime 9 - Astro 9 - Red 9)

PhonyBalone (Speleo 9 - Red 9 - Snow 9)

DocteurKe (15 million level 8s or something idk)

crash763 (Red 9 - Creeper 9)

DoctorGokado (Knight 9 - Horse 8 - Armorer 9)

Peanutbutter911 (Scout 8 - Archer 8)

jblue26 (red 9)

Truroxy (Meat 9)

Jytheguy1 (Arachno X)

oXManiacXo (Snow 9)

Fluttermine (Red 9 - knight 8 - Wolf 8)

GlitchyShell (Snow 9 - Horse 8)

coalminer234(Tim 9)

Monkey36 (Astronaut 9)

Elite4W_ (Diamond shovel dude)

ksctdd (Astro 9)

katnissjul (Blaze 10 - Astro 9)

MouseGaming (Snow 9 - Red 9 - Astro 9)

Neanderthalis(Tim 9)

HeWhoHacks (Tim 10)

emualluig (Tim 10)

bonecrusher3(Tim 10)

SpiderTheBite (Snow 9)

deathkidd1 (Wolf 9)

AkronHammer7777 (Astro 9)

RumbleCrumble (Horse 9 - Astro 9)

JerryCannn(Horse 9 - Astro 9)

OrangeScraggy (Horse 8 who dies instantly)

the361noscope (Speleo 9 - Toxic 9)

august2308 (Fish 9)

Labron1975 (Snow 9)

wrightrj (Speleo 9)

Supertroll1999 (Tim 9)

supergriefer(Archer 9)

omwesolp (Red 9 - Horse 9 - Blaze 9)

puzzlemaster3 (Speleo 9)

KawaiiMooshroom (Rogue 9)

KobiWarrior(Knight 9)

TheNiipz (Creeper 9)

Shadowblade827(Wolf 9)

GreatFlashyGloop (Red 9)

Frizer13 (Horse 9 - Astro 9 - Creeper 9 - Red 9)

Glassen18 (Armorer 10 - Snow 9 - Astro 9)

Karagothius (Rogue 9)

Legend_Raptor(Armorer 9)

Fleskhajerta (Toxic 9)

PotterStinks (Necro 9 - Red 9)

Wicketlol (Wolf 9)

dedew84 (Astro 9)

Captain_PJW (Red 9)

lastikodezil (Astro 9 - Horse 9- Necro 9)

iwantyourpoison (Archer 9)

mrnamol4 (Astro 9)

I_AmCrazyTom (Red 9)

Maphia_Ace (Astro 9)

second_ace (Snow 9 - Fish 9)

LostNewbie (Tim 9)

BMC_ (Horse 9)

XXXTricksterXX (Arachno 9)

Buttertoxin (Speleo 9)

SwordSlash8 (Meatmaster 9)

DahSneakySniper(Snow X - Horse 9)

_link_2012_ (Necro 9)

connorbob2552 (Red 9)

VictorRCmaes (horse 9)

Staff List:

Hypixel

Kevinkool

Codename_B

AgentKid

MrCryptKeeper

Slikey

hcherdnon

Rezzus

Zumulus

NoxyD

Thorlon

RobityBobity

Freylise80

BennyDude

Potz_

Fontzzzzzz

Flummox_

Th3Three

AllyMcC

GuruGamers

Cygerus

LordEqrean

takenotezz

SpiderDiclonii

lxlFr0z3nlxl

Silent_Ninja_Fox

Magatron420

Nielsb_

Cecer1

Nitroholic

liamlio

cheetahpet

MobBoss_

KingBrutal

FatalDannyV

Logiciel

Blueslim3

collectics

Fatcake24

zaxman22

Petworker

SgtVault

wirelesspixel

SirElite

AceMC90

UnknownLogic

Jake_LittleBud00

skydeli

PJoke1

MusicalGamerGirl

Gibbojova

TheElasticTuba

brow30535

john_epic_

SylentbutDedly

lttf

owe123

KenzieRiann

envyrose

Golden

Mythyryn

prometheus1221

Nnja_

Ch3ssmast3r

rkanto_

FxEvolution

Fel_Orc11

Gerbor12

IncredibleIAN

xilzo

Melr0se

Alishk

This thread is party of what will be a large series of threads all relating to the same story. To find out more, or simply navigate through the various chapters and elements of this story, go to the central hub:

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

-------------------------

Hello, my name is Hypixel. And today is not my day.

Some people think they're having a bad day when they wake up late and arrive to work 15 minutes off schedule. Others think a bad day is when they have a minor disagreement with a friend. Some even consider a bad day when they only grind 60,000 coins in eight hours.

Today I'm standing here, surrounded on all sides by my most trusted friends, all of whom are armed and about to execute me.

So yeah, I guess could you say I was having a bad day.

I didn't bother to draw my sword. It would have been a futile attempt. I'd be thoroughly feathered in arrows by the time I completed the action, and even if I dodged, I'd still have to fight my way through the ten strongest staff members on the server; my fellow Admins. All of whom came prepared; level X's all around, already prepared to use their operator powers to finish me swiftly. So I decided to be diplomatic.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" I yelled at Kevinkool.

Perhaps not so diplomatic. Heh.

Kevinkool glanced at his comrades; all 9 of the other admins were there, ready to fight, although NoxyD appeared to be reluctant. He then responded:

"I think we're kicking you out. We're tired of you bossing us around. It's time for a new leader."

He signaled with his hand, and the small army of lower-ranked staff with archer 8, 9 and 10 drew their bows back.

"Goodbye, old friend." Kevin said.

But I had a backup plan.

As thirty or so arrows were released from their bows, I yanked a device out of my pocket and slammed down on the button. Everything turned purple, and I was teleported out of there.

I finished the teleportation and promptly fell ten feet flat onto my face. Not the smoothest execution- I hadn't remembered that the lobby had been revamped since I originally made the device. But I was alive, so that was good. I was now in a hidden lair underneath the blitz lobby. It was fairly damp, and not the most ideal secret base, but it would serve. I quickly connected to the network. I still had access to the server console, which was good; they could never take that away from me. I tried the most obvious initial command;

Console: Deopping Kevinkool.

Console: Error.

Console: Not enough permissions for that command.

Hmm. It wouldn't be that easy. After trying several other commands, I realized just how limited my power was. I couldn't directly tamper with any of the admin's powers, nor could I eliminate any of them from the equation. Each of the 10 other admins had permanently linked themselves to the Server Console as I had.

I checked the Console to see if any major changes had occurred recently... and noticed something huge.

(11/1/14 21:35 PST) Console: Enabling Hardcore Mode.

Uh-oh. That wasn't good. They were already making their move. With Hardcore, the blitz players won't be able to respawn. They won't last long... but this does give me a chance to defeat them. I just have to kill all 10 of the other admins, and then I will have uncontested control over the Server Console.

But I'll need some help.

Console: Whispering to MAJESTICxWALRUS "Gather every blitz player you can find... and no matter what, stay alive."

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

------------------------

I stood there in front of nearly a hundred players.

"Wow. Good job!" I said, turning to MAJESTICxWALRUS.

"No problem." He responded. "These players are almost all level 10s and 9s."

"Seriously? How many of them are level 10?"

"Uh... maybe 40?"

"WHAT?"

"Yeah..."

"When we take back the network, I am seriously reevaluating how network boosters work."

I turned to the small army of players, and made my speech.

"Today, the staff team overthrew me. I'm currently in hiding, and they're taking over the network as we speak. They've already set it into Hardcore Mode, meaning that if any of you die... that's the end of it for you. I need you all to fight back, and retake control of the server. Quite simply, you need to eliminate the 10 other Admins for me to regain complete control of the server. You can't stay here, the admins will locate you quickly enough. I'm using my power to protect you from being wiped off directly by the Console, but we need to act quickly. I'll teleport you all out of here, and communicate what to do using the Console."

I snapped my fingers, just for the style points, and they all disappeared in a massive flash of purple.

I glanced at the Console to check on the recent activity of the other admins. No players had been banned outright; that would be an unnecessary use of the Console's energy, which did have its limits. It was much cheaper and convenient to simply let the players kill themselves; most would not realize their mortality until it was too late. They didn't even need to send out staff members; the player base would almost completely disappear soon enough, tearing itself apart as they were expected to do, as it was the hunger games.

I tried pinging the location of each admin. None of them worked... except NoxyD. I could pinpoint his location. He was in the Winter sector, perhaps fifty blocks from the Cornucopia. I couldn't use the Console to affect him... but I could certainly send in my own troops.

I went back to communications, and started broadcasting my message.

"I've spotted NoxyD, and he's in the Winter sector. I'm going to send in several of you after him. Don't make any hasty decisions, first scout out the situation and then report back to me."

I needed a decent sized force. I didn't have the ability to send that many people in at the same time (limitations of my Server Console power), but I didn't want to; no need to show my full power early on in the war.

I quickly selected 11 of the names (OrangeScraggy, supergriefer, puzzlemaster3, warriorfox123, Kastrealm, Gamebuster101, vivien_roland, Cr33p3rBoy112, DocteurKe, DoctorGokado, Peanutbutter911)

and sent them in.

They all materialized in the Winter sector.

"He's around 80 blocks, due north east. Go past the ice lake!"

I sat back and waited, thinking of the times gone by. Noxy had been one of my oldest friends on the team... but why did he betray me? Thinking back on it, he did seem reluctant when they all tried to kill me.

Suddenly I started getting feedback from the squad I had sent in. Suddenly I heard Kastrealm going:

"We've spotted Noxy... as well as a few others! Mods and helpers! He appears to be... a hostage?"

Strange. Why would they be escorting him as a hostage, in Winter of all places? Unless...

Of course!

For years, there'd been an anomaly on the Winter map; a random hole in an obscure part of the map, which fell all the way into the void. They were headed straight for it. And if NoxyD was their hostage... they couldn't have good intentions. I'm not sure what the effects the void has on the player; ordinarily, they'd simply be ejected from the game, but in hardcore mode?

"They're trying to dispose of Noxy... stop them, quickly!"

I quickly identified the four members around NoxyD; GuruGamers, Cecer1, SirElite and Mythyryn. Each of them appeared to have had their kits modified, and each was a whole lot stronger than they had any right to be. But I had a few level 10s of my own.

Peanutbutter911 and supergriefer initiated the fight, sending arrows towards SirElite's back. But they didn't catch him by surprise. He spun around, throwing a slime egg at the ground, and their arrows bounced off the slime with little effect. The staff turned and pulled out their weapons. GuruGamers was a full fledged Horse 10 with a few extra iron axes clipped to his belt; Cecer1 was a Blaze 10 with a flaming iron sword. Mythyryn was a snow 9. Although they appeared to be those kits... they appeared to have upgrades as well.

The fight didn't start out well. Cecer1 spawned 3 blazes, which quickly sent a volley of fireballs towards the group. OrangeScraggy was already charging forward with his Horse 8, and attempted to have his horse leap over the volley of fire, but took a fireball to the chest and went flying off. SirElite barreled into him, sending him flying with a swing of his knockback 2 sword. He crashed into a tree and exploded into a mist of pixels. Dematerialized. Gone. GuruGamers threw an iron axe at Kastrealm, who quickly threw a magma cube egg in front of him. The Magma Cube blocked the axe, but exploded at the impact.

Puzzlemaster3, Cr33p3rBoy112 and vivien_roland rushed forward. SirElite's slime quickly bounced, crushing Cr33p3rBoy112 beneath it (not fatal, but not comfortable either), but an arrow flew above it and took SirElite in the elbow, knocking him off balance for long enough for Puzzle's pickaxe to greet his face. Cecer1's magma cubes sent forward another volley, and one fireball took Peanutbutter911 in the chest.

Cecer1 stepped forward, but Sir Elite was already dead. As the fight continued, I checked the server console- and noticed something surprising. No one was regenerating any health lost.

"Guys! Health regeneration isn't working! Any damage you take now will last for as long as it takes this war to finish!"

A blaze was shot down by one of supergriefer's arrows. Guru threw another iron axe, which slammed into puzzlemaster3 and sent him to the ground with only 30% of his health left. Mythyryn spawned snowmen, and in response Gamebuster101 spawned all of his. The two remaining blazes quickly scattered Gamebuster101's snowmen, but another pair of arrows from their archers hit Cecer1 and gave Kastrealm the opportunity to run in.

GuruGamers ran off with NoxyD, and warriorfox123 ran after him, closely followed by DocteurKe and DoctorGokado.

The rest of the fight was brief. Mythyryn's iron axe finished off Cr33p3rBoy112, but Kastrealm jumped in and finished him off. Cecer1 didn't die so easily; his blazes fired another volley before both being taken down by Peanutbutter911 and supergriefer's arrows, and fireballs hit Gamebuster101 and vivien_roland, leaving them wounded. Puzzlemaster3 charged, but Cecer1 dodged his pickaxe and cut him down in a fireball of scattered pixels. He got taken down, thanks to the combined power of Vivien_roland and Gamebuster101's kits.

Meanwhile, GuruGamers was battling the three knights who had followed him. Warriorfox123 was ahead of the others, but ended up being disarmed, and taken out by GuruGamer's diamond axe. DoctorGokado and DocteurKe showed up right after. Meanwhile, the rest of the surviving squad approached behind. GuruGamers realized the hopelessness of the situation, and spawned his horse.

"You win this round." He said, speeding off into the distance.

His horse appears to be extremely fast; they must've enhanced his horse as well as his kit. They couldn't stop his escape, but at least they had rescued NoxyD. They had taken 4 casualties, and 3 more of them had been wounded, but they had taken down three staff members and freed NoxyD from whatever fate they intended.

"Good job. Gamebuster, Vivien and Peanutbutter are a little wounded, but you all did well. We took some casualties, but we've also rescued Noxy. I'm teleporting you all back to the others... and I'll send Noxy to my location."

I did as I said, and quickly shielded Noxy so that he could not be found by the other admins- no need to have my secret base discovered. I turned to face him as he materialized in the room.

"Thank you. They were going to throw me into the void." he said.

"No problem. What does being thrown into the void do?"

"It completely erases your memory on the server. Total wipe. They were going to get rid of me; I was uncomfortable removing you from power, and they knew it. They removed my operator powers, but they needed the void to erase me completely. But that's not important."

"Oh? What is important?"

"They're about to launch Project November."

This thread is party of what will be a large series of threads all relating to the same story. To learn more, or check out earlier/later chapters of the story, go here:

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

---------------------

That wasn't good. Project November was a project that Noxy and I had been working on for a while... but we hadn't finished it off yet. It was meant to be a simple way to make the staffs' lives easier, but something told me that wasn't exactly what they had in mind. That sort of thing was pretty powerful, and undoubtedly they were repurposing it to further their own ends.

They might have their suspicions, but they couldn't have known for sure that I was waging war on them. I still had the element of surprise... but not for long. Soon they'd figure out what I was doing, and try to track me down. If I died, they'd have complete control of the network... and nothing would be able to stand in their way.

But even if they didn't know what I was doing... Project November had to be stopped.

"Where are they launching it from?" I asked Noxy.

"Somewhere in the Rainforest sector. You managed to transport several players into Winter, can you pull off something similar there?"

"Yes. I can inject them into the server and they'll automatically be spawned normally, and they can move from there."

"We don't have much time."

"I'll send in horsetamers."

Undoubtedly there'd be a reasonably large force present at the project. A quick scan of Rainforest showed 7 players present, but surely there'd be some admins under the radar. This wouldn't be a clean fight.

I turned back to the computer, and connected to the Console. I broadcasted a message to the troops.

"Emergency situation in the Rainforest sector. I'm sending in a large amount of Horsetamers. AidenRK, Pr0lin3, xHascox, VorteXx3, Meyp, JerryCannn, lastikodezil, Frizer13, omwesolp, RumbleCrumble, MacManiacMC and GlitchyShell, prepare for the warp."

They materialized in the sector, and I sent them the coordinates of the located staff members. There appeared to be a mass of them along the east bridge. They all spawned their horses and sped off in that direction.

The first staff to spot them were Fatcake24 and Freylise80. Freylise drew an arrow to his archer 10 bow, and Fatcake24 spawned his necromancer mobs.

"If you can, get past them without hesitation. You don't have time to kill them all... you need to stop them from launching Project November."

It mostly worked. The majority of them managed to jump over and avoid the fight. But not all of them. An arrow from freylise80 knocked omwesolp flying off of his saddle, and he desperately ate his golden apple as he got up. RumbleCrumble threw his axe at Freylise80, and hit him squarely in the shoulder, knocking Frey off of his feet. But as Rumble jumped his horse to stample Frey, Fatcake shot an arrow into the side of his horse. Rumble's horse flew over the edge of the bridge, and he frantically jumped off, barely managing to catch hold of the edge. He hung there, dangling above a very large drop.

JerryCannn tried to evade the monsters, but a skeleton shot his horse and another zombie smacked him off of it. He quickly recovered, chopping off a zombie's head and knocking an arrow away with his axe. Omwesolp ran in and started trading axe bows with Fatcake24. JerryCannn turned in time to see Freylise80 standing above RumbleCrumble, drawing back the arrow to send him flying off the bridge. Without hesitation, he threw his axe, and it smashed into Freylise80's back, sending him off the edge. JerryCannn ran and helped RumbleCrumble up.

As this was happening, omwesolp was shot in the stomach by a skeleton, giving Fatcake24 the opportunity to slam him to the ground with his axe. He quickly turned, drew back an arrow, and fired it at JerryCannn's back. JerryCannn turned from helping Rumble just in time to get hit in the chest by the arrow and fly off the bridge, smashing into the ground far below and exploding into a spray of pixels.

Meanwhile, the rest of the horse riders were dodging the remaining staff with much more luck than before. They began approaching what appeared to be a portal, with two men in front of it.

The Console quickly identified them as AgentKid and Kevinkool. But Kevinkool had some strange readings on the Console...

"Uh-oh." said Noxy.

"What is it?"

"I think they transferred my operator power to Kevin."

"What does that mean?"

"He's a lot more powerful than any of us were before."

That couldn't be good. Not only that, but they had just completed a portal. A portal would usually be completely worthless, but now that the server had changed, it would serve as the perfect means of deploying a code... undoubtedly, Project November. But they hadn't coded it in yet.

AgentKid turned to KevinKool, but KevinKool had already turned around to face them. "Keep finishing the Project. I'll deal with them." He drew two iron swords and ran forward to meet the incoming rush of horsetamers.

What followed was, simply put, a massacre.

Frizer13 met him first, slashing forward with his axe, but Kevin jumped to the side and slashed him off of his horse with his iron sword. He threw his hands up, deflecting xHascox's axe, and slammed his sword right into AidenRK's horse as it rode by, throwing Aiden flying. But Kevin was already recovering, moving at incredible speeds, dispatching Meyp, then VorteXx3, then Glitchyshell. He was completely surrounded, and yet managed to block and parry every axe blow with his two swords. He jumped into the air, slamming his foot into lastikodezil's face, hurling him off the saddle and to the ground at alarming speed. He spun, and with his left hand threw his sword, which buried itself in MacManiacMC's arm with an explosion of pixels.

With most of his enemies unhorsed, Kevin made short work of the rest of the battle. He leapt forward, finishing off Frizer13, and grabbed his axe as he turned to face the rest. He blocked AidenRK's axe with his sword and swung his own axe into Aiden's side, which was met with another burst of particles as Aiden dematerialized. He spun, ducking under xHascox's diamond axe, and jumped forward, burying his sword into xHascox's stomach. He spun around, knocking lastikodezil's axe out of his hand with his own and cutting off his head with his sword.

Kevin turned to face his final opponent, who remained on horseback. Pr0lin3's horse reared. Kevin drew his hand back and threw his iron axe. Pr0lin3's horse leapt frantically to the left, but exploded into pixels as the hatchet buried itself into its flank. Pr0lin3 leapt off his horse as it exploded, and charged with his axe. Kevin dashed forward, and they exchanged a quick series of slashes, but then Kevin quickly slashed upward, and while Pr0lin3 blocked with his axe, it threw him off balance.

"Tell Hypixel we're coming for him next." Kevin said. And then he was a blur, slamming into Pr0lin3 at a hundred miles an hour, sending him twenty meters over the edge of the bridge.

I stared at the Console in shock, and Pr0lin3's point of view disappeared as he hit the ground.

"It would appear that they've figured out how to use their operator powers to enhance their own fighting ability." Noxy noted.

Suddenly, the Console went on full alert. A message blared across in all caps.

Console: LAUNCHING PROJECT NOVEMBER

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

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I went back to RumbleCrumble's point of view, getting the very last glimpse of the battle as he beheaded Fatcake24.

"Rumble and Omwesolp. Everyone else got killed. I need you guys to go in there and see what's going on."

They approached the portal. I knew the basic layouts of Project November, having designed it myself, but I didn't know how they would modify it to their own needs.

They got within range, and I got a clear visual. The portal was activated, and AgentKid was in front of it. He started pouring his console power into the portal, and suddenly players started pouring out of the portal by the dozen. By the time he was done, 72 players had emerged.

AgentKid then spawned gear; wood swords falling from the sky, gold chestplates, bows, arrows, and speed potions. The army picked them up, and equipped themselves.

"I don't think they're using the Jr. Helper program for its original purpose." Noxy noted.

"Me neither." I replied.

KevinKool turned, and spotted RumbleCrumble peaking from a distance.

Uh-oh.

Kevin turned, said something, and suddenly there was a massive swarm of Jr Helpers sprinting across the bridge, weapons drawn.

"Rumble! Omwesolp! Get out of there! I'll try to dematerialize you guys before they get you!"

They didn't need my suggestion; both had gotten out of there pretty quickly when the army started rushing towards them. I started the coding sequence needed to take them out of there.

The army surged forward, headed by the five that had drunk speed potions. I dematerialized Omwesolp, and then started the sequence for Rumble. Rumble tripped and fell to the ground. The sequence finished, with less than a second to spare as a Jr Helper's sword slashed through the pocket of air where Rumble had just been.

Suddenly, the Console put forward a notification.

Console: Removing Rainforest from the map queue.

"What?" Noxy asked.

"They've removed Rainforest from the map queue... it means that we don't have direct access to it anymore. We can't just teleport men in." I responded.

"Is there a way to undo that?"

"Yes... but hacking the system takes time, which we have precious little of. I was hoping they wouldn't start removing maps from the map pool."

"What happens when all the maps are removed?"

"We lose. Game over. We won't have any ground to wage our war on. But that's not the end of it... if they keep shutting down maps, they'll find out where our forces are. If they shut down that map... we've just lost every man."

The Console went on alert. Three maps were being invaded by the staff. Thorin, Mithril and Docks V1.

"How are they attacking multiple maps at the same time?" Noxy asked.

"There's 9 other admins. Every one of them can lead an attack. And when they're not leading an attack, they're designing more codes to enhance their own powers. Not all of them are gifted at coding, but most of them are. AgentKid will be preoccupied supplying Project November, but this means they have all the forces they need to attack multiple maps at the same time. And we can't fight that many attacks. It's 1 against 9..."

"Hey, that's 2 against 9." Noxy said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Regardless, we're going to have to up our game. We're getting slaughtered... it's time for us to launch our own projects."

I handed him a sketch of what I had in mind.

"Can it be done?" I asked.

"Definitely. Just give me a while, and I'll have the code ready." He said, and walked off.

I turned to the computer. I might not be able to fight off all the attacks, but I could certainly slow them down. I opened a direct link with the remaining player base.

"Troops? We are going to save Thorin."

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

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Cameron7276, Troy_K, SebiWins, foolahoop, Wicketlol, Supertroll1999, Shadowblade827, Monkey36, Neanderthalis, ksctdd, MouseGaming, katnissjul, DocteurKe and Jytheguy1 materialized at the spawnpoint of Thorin.

I sent a brief message over the console. "They're approaching from the lava lake, prepare for the battle."

They didn't wait long. Soon the horde was upon them. Roughly 20 players, most of them jr helpers in modest amounts of gear. Behind them was cheetahpet, SpiderDiclonii, SgtVault, MusicalGamerGirl, and Thorlon, diamond sword in hand.

The Jr Helpers all drank speed potions, and charged in. Two charged towards katnissjul, who's blazes opened fire. One got caught in the chest, bursting into flames and falling to the ground. The other lunged forward, but got parried, and Katniss's fire aspect sword broke in the process of finishing him off. The other was dispatched quickly.

Others weren't so fortunate. An arrow from MusicalGamerGirl's Archer 9 bow knocked foolahoop off balance, leaving him only time to say "ur trash" before a Jr Helpers sword took him out. Monkey36 and Ksctdd both drank astronaut potions and charged forward, taking out Jr Helpers left and right, but soon both had been overwhelmed and killed.

SebiWins spawned all his snowmen, drew out his axe, and met the onslaught of Jr Helpers. A snowball knocked the first off balance, and SebiWins quickly ended his life. His diamond axe quickly cleared through several more, easily defeating them with the assistance of his snowmen. Suddenly, SgtVault's horse was jumping over him, SgtVault's axe already drawn back to finish him off.

Troy_K's axe smashed into the side of SgtVault, sending him flying off the saddle and to the ground, dead. Troy_K ran to retrieve his diamond axe as Sebi finished off the last of the Jr Helpers. Cheetahpet was fighting Neanderthalis and Supertroll1999. An arrow from MusicalGamerGirl took Super in the shoulder, and Cheetah's horse 10 diamond axe quickly followed, taking him out. Neanderthalis took advantage of the distraction to stab her, his Tim stone sword cutting through the leather horsetamer armor.

SpiderDiclonii didn't die quite as easily. He gulped down an Astronaut X potion and charged forward, cutting Wicketlol's axe off by the handle. Wicket's wolves pounced on Spider, who dispatched them each without missing a step. MouseGaming appeared, spawning snowmen, and charged forward. His iron axe slammed into Spider's chain chestplate, getting stuck in the chains. He tried to pull his axe out, failed, and Spider's stone sword slashed forward, ending his life. Shadowblade827 and Jytheguy1 appeared, spawning wolves and spiders, all of which heaped onto SpiderDiclonii. His sword slashed left and right, dispatching several spiders as well as Shadowblade827, but eventually Wicket's stone axe crashed into his chest, and Jytheguy1's iron sword finished him off.

DocteurKe and Cameron7276 killed MusicalGamerGirl and rushed towards Thorlon, who simply gave them a warm smile.

I quickly relayed what information I could.

"Thorlon was never one to spend time mastering the coding of the server... he was always more fascinated in using it. He's definitely a fighter, and he's very, well, showy about."

Suddenly, Thorlon's hand shot forward, a lightning bolt crashing into DocteurKe. The electricity, easily conducted by DocteurKe's knight 8 armor, pulsed through him and left him lying on the ground. Suddenly Thorlon was charging forward himself, and Cameron7276's stone axe was cut clean through by his diamond sword, which soon entered Cameron's chestplate as well, slicing through the chainmail folds.

Lightning bolts. Typical. Extremely powerful, but just as wasteful a use of his operator power; lightning bolts were extremely inefficient at taking down foes. But I wasn't complaining.

Katnissjul ran forward, and another lightning bolt shot out of Thorlon's hands. Katniss threw her sword up, blocking the bolt, and DocteurKe ran forward, weak but still alive. DocteurKe's stone sword slashed forward, but Thorlon ducked, and punched Docteur into the wall at around 30 miles per hour, killing him. Katniss was there in a flash, but Thorlon's diamond sword was already swinging to parry, and he quickly killed her as well.

The rest of the survivors grouped together and stood facing him. Only 5 remained; Troy_K, SebiWins, Wicketlol, Neanderthalis and Jytheguy1, but that still left 3 level 10s. Thorlon looked up, and appeared to have second thoughts. Sure, Kevinkool might have easily won that fight, but Kevin had twice the amount of operator power as Thorlon, and Thorlon had already spent a great deal of his.

Suddenly, Thorlon dematerialized. He had escaped. But that was to be expected; there was no use fighting a losing battle. Because of his Console power he could send himself anywhere on the network at will to recover; my guess was they were all holed up in Rainforest, plotting and creating even more programs to defeat me. We'd saved Thorin, but at a great cost. 9 of our own had died, taking only 4 staff as well as many Jr Helpers down with them. The Console confirmed what I had expected:

Console: Removing Mithril from the map queue.

Console: Removing Docks V1 from the map queue.

Two maps down... but that was better than 3. Noxy would be back soon with the new-

My thoughts were abruptly cut off by the sound of something hitting the floor behind me. I turned my chair, and suddenly the tip of an iron sword was inches away from my nose.

"Hello, Hypixel." Rezzus said, sword drawn and ready to kill.

so i heard you guys like action

Spoiler: Map Pool

Spoiler: Current Roster

http://hypixel.net/threads/revolution-a-blitz-story-central-thread.202256/

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This new code would change the tide of the war. It involved a bit of a loophole in the system database. The server was kicking everyone who died, but I had discovered a workaround- by cataloging every player with multiple kits under a different UUID, they would have a different life for each high level kit they possessed. This would nearly double the amount of lives we had to spend, especially for the more experienced players.

But would it be enough?

No time to think about that. I had to save Citadel. The rogue admins had begun eliminating maps from the map pool, and if all the maps were eliminated, I would be unable to contact the players. I'd lose contact with my entire army. They hadn't guessed the map where I had hidden them, but it was only a matter of time.

I opened a chat with MAJESTICxWALRUS.

"Dude. Citadel's under attack-" I began, quickly getting cut off by his interjection-

"Where have you been?! It's been nearly a day!"

"We had some... trouble on the other side. Things are secure now. Citadel is under attack. I'm pulling 18 people into the fight, mainly Astronauts."

I began warping the players in. Troy_K, Technoblade, Minechaos2713, Maphia_Ace, mrnamol4, lastikodezil, dedew84, MacManiacMC, purelycraft, blukid8, Loiyd_Irving, bballnick123, SpiderTheBite, Labron1975, supergriefer, Kastrealm, TennisFTW and _link_2012_ began materializing at the base of one of the towers.

I didn't wait. I quickly launched another code, which would shield my location in the real world from any unauthorized attempts to teleport into it. Hopefully, this would prevent another person from attempting what Rezzus had.

The players had finished materializing, and they had already spotted their opponents.

Thorlon. I wasn't surprised- He was the second best fighter, right after Kevinkool, that the admin team had at their disposal. The other admins were exceedingly cunning and much better with the code, but Thorlon's ability in battle made him a primary candidate to send in to neutralize maps. He was flanked by Cygerus, Fontzzzzzz, Skydeli, SylentbutDedly and envyrose.

They had spotted my guys as well. Thorlon threw his hand out, opening a portal. Jr. Helpers by the dozen started spewing out of it, all half-clad in gold armor with a various assortment of swords and axes. They all charged headlong towards the players.

With the sudden appearance of the Jr. Helpers, we were greatly outnumbered. But numbers aren't everything.

"Guys! Run up the citadel tower! You can use it as a choke-point to slow down their advance!"

Due to the cramped nature of the Citadel tower, their superior numbers would be a lot less effective. And because of the amount of Astronauts on our side, an emergency exit was always available... although not for the rest of them. It wasn't ideal. I hoped it wouldn't come to that.

They fled up the tower, closely followed by what was quickly becoming a hundred Jr. Helpers. They wouldn't gain much time if they didn't find a way to slow them down...

"Link!" I said, messaging the Necromancer of the squad.

"Yes?" he responded, slightly winded from the rapid stair climb.

"You need to slow them down."

He stopped, realizing what I had just told him. I had essentially just asked him to commit suicide for the team. But if the Jr. Helpers weren't slowed... the rest of the team wasn't going to fare much better.

He sighed, turned, and threw down every mob spawn egg he had.

The Jr. Helper wave hit the first zombie and chaos ensued. Link's punch bow quickly sent arrows slamming into the heads of Jr. Helpers, throwing them off their feet and crashing into the Jr. Helpers below. The few who avoided being knocked down by their peers were quickly shot by a skeleton or taken down by a zombie. This defense was successful for nearly thirty seconds, until suddenly envyrose appeared.

She cut through Jr. Helper after Jr. Helper, not allowing their fallen bodies to get in her way. Her Pigman 9 sword met the first zombie and it nearly evaporated under its enchantments. She quickly cut through the other zombies and, blocking a shot from a skeleton, disposed of the other two skeletons with two quick swipes. She turned to Link, just in time to catch an arrow into the chest.

She stumbled backwards, but bounced off the wall and was back on balance before Link could draw back another arrow. She quickly flung two splash potions into his face, causing him to get knocked backwards, and she quickly followed through with her sword, stabbing him through the chest. Link dematerialized, and the horde flowed forth. But he had bought them some time.

The others were busy setting up a defense. They'd have to have defenders on both sides of the bridge to prevent themselves from being surrounded. The right bridge was the more loosely defended, featuring only three astronaut 9s, an Archer 10 and a few snowmen. The left side was a tight group of Astronauts, side by side, backed up by a solitary Loiyd_Irving, arrow already drawn.

The Jr. Helper horde reached the surface. Thorlon had disabled the portal on the surface, but as he reached the top, he activated another one. No need to waste his troop's energy storming up stairs. Jr. Helpers swarmed across the bridge, and the barricade of players rose up to stop them.

At first the battle seemed to be going fine. On the left bridge, the shield wall of Astronauts calmly and efficiently took out dozen after dozen of Jr. Helpers, while on the right side the Jr. Helpers were pushed back by the 10 snowmen from Troy_K, Labron1975 and SpiderTheBite as bballnick123 shot them down. It appeared like we could actually sustain ourselves in battle... but that was relying on the fact that they would eventually run out of Jr. Helpers. Right?

AgentKid surely couldn't power that many of them... but there was always the possibility that Kevinkool was lending some of his power. Because Kevin had stolen Noxy's share of the operator power, he was twice as powerful as the other admins. He could easily support the energy needed to create endless Jr. Helpers while commanding the rest of their operations at base. I couldn't rely on the Jr. Helper wave stopping any time soon.

Of course, that wasn't hard enough. A surprise arrow from Cygerus flew across the bridge and slammed into mrnamol4, an Astronaut on the left bridge, and knocked him backwards, breaking the shield wall. Suddenly, Skydeli spawned three blazes, who began launching fireballs at the snowmen on the right bridge. Bballnick frantically fired at the blazes, but by the time he had killed all 3 of them, only one snowmen remained. Even that snowmen was quickly shot by Fontzzzzz's Necromancer bow. The Jr. Helpers surged forward, desperately being repelled by the weaker defense on the right bridge.

Our defense was breaking.

Time for a new strategy.

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We weren't going to win at this rate. We were holding them off, but we couldn't do that forever, and slaughtering Jr. Helpers gained us nothing. Furthermore, the volley of arrows by the helpers and moderators was going to prove a problem. It was time for a new plan.

I opened a chat connection to them.

"Guys. We need to turn this around, and we're not going to be able to do that by just standing there. The astronauts will be able to get down most quickly, so I'm sending five of you guys down. Blukid8, Technoblade, Minechaos2713, Kastrealm and Purelycraft, you guys need to back out and jump off the tower out of sight. Head for the cornucopia. I have a plan."

The five selected astronauts backed off and did as told. But that was five astronauts being taken out of the shield wall. While the bridge wasn't wide enough for that to have an immediate impact on their defense of the bridge, it would hurt in the long run due to them being unable to replace fallen defenders.

"Guys! There are 12 of you left defending the bridge. You need to hold off their attack for as long as it takes the other 5 to return with backup."

Arrows flashed across the bridge, sent by the moderators and helpers alongside Thorlon, but none hit their mark. Supergriefer, Loiyd_Irving and bballnick123 fired shots right back at them, and one arrow knocked skydeli to the ground, hurting him but not enough to kill.

I began typing a quick program. It wasn't the most... complicated thing I'd ever written. Ok, maybe it was just a gigantic laser beam. Don't judge. I finished the code- it wasn't that long- and turned back to the defense. The code would help us win the battle... if we managed to figure out how to use it. Just having the code wasn't enough- we'd need a way to deploy the code, and a power source.

The defense was holding, but it wouldn't last for long. The left bridge had taken casualties, as both Labron1975 and SpiderTheBite fell to the swarm of Jr. Helpers. On the right side, an arrow from Cygerus smashed into dedew84's chestplate, throwing him backwards into his teammates. Two Jr. Helpers jumped through, but lastikodezil cut them off. His sword flew out, taking out one of the Jr. Helpers, but the other Jr. Helper stabbed him before he could back out. Before the Jr. Helper could finish the kill, an arrow from Loiyd_Irving entered his skull, and he dematerialized.

The five that I had sent to the surface had reached the cornucopia. Suddenly, an alert flashed across the map:

Console: The blitz star has been hidden in a chest! Find it to activate your Blitz!

Perfect. The five instantly dived into the cornucopia chests, not even needing to be told what to do.

Console: Minechaos2713 found the Blitz Star!

"Quick! You five need to get to the base of the tower."

I checked back on the defense. It wasn't going as well as I had hoped. Mrnamol4 had fallen, leaving the right side of the bridge with only 3 people left. The astronauts on the left side weren't doing much better. MacmaniacMC chugged down a resistance potion and leapt into the horde of Jr. Helpers, his sword slashing left and right, eventually succumbing to the horde after downing several of them. TennisFTW and Maphia_Ace both chugged potions and ran forward, Troy_K close behind them, swiftly chopping with his diamond axe whenever the opportunity showed itself.

The right side of the bridge was in bad shape. They were starting to lose ground, being pressed back by the onslaught of Jr. Helpers. They were almost pushed back to the last third of the bridge when Thorlon's hand shot out, firing a lightning bolt across the bridge. Instead of hitting the defenders as expected, it flew over their heads, crashing into the doorway at the other side of the bridge. The doorway crumbled, and the exit was overflown with debris. They were trapped on the bridge, and they didn't have much more room to give. Envyrose and Fontzzzz both began running across the bridge.

The five got to the base of the tower. We had to act quickly.

"Minechaos! I'm transferring Rezzus's operator power to you. I've inserted a special code into the blitz star. Use it on the top of the tower."

He took out the Blitz star, pointed his hand at the top of the tower, and activated the code.

A massive beam of energy, around 3 meters in diameter, shot out of his hand. It hit the top of the tower, caving the walls in as the tower shook under the blast. The entire map shook as if there was an earthquake.

I didn't pity the staff team inside of it. Thorlon's head snapped to the left at the sound of the noise, just in time to see the wall cave in and get thrown violently against the wall by the force of the laser beam. He crumpled to the ground in a heap, barely conscious, and got to see the entire upper part of the tower collapsing. The portal that had been spawning Jr. Helpers suddenly disappeared as a large piece of stone brick flew threw it. Skydeli and SylentbutDedly were already dead. Thorlon saw Cygerus run for the exit, hoping to get onto the bridge, and saw the floor collapse beneath him as he fell to his death.

The bridge shook, and suddenly one side of the bridge snapped. The bridge began to crumble. Thorlon got back up, and threw his arms in front of him, creating a bubble shield around him, just in time to save himself from a giant piece of debris slamming into him. He was shielded, but that didn't stop the rock from smashing his shield- with him inside it- right through the wall of the citadel. He smashed into the ground, his shield cushioning the fall.

"Guys! Thorlon's going to escape. His power is only a fraction of what it was before, he's spent most of it keeping himself alive. You guys need to get him. Minechaos, you still have around 70% of Rezzus's operator power- use it."

The five astronauts ceased their slack-jawed staring at the crumbling tower and ran around it- giving it a wide berth to avoid the massive pieces of rock hitting the ground around it. I turned to the bridge situation.

Half the bridge had already fallen. Lastikodezil and Dedew84 were both dead, leaving Loiyd_Irving the only one remaining on his side of the bridge. He still had around 6 Jr. Helpers and Envyrose charging towards him. The left side wasn't faring much better- Maphia_Ace and Tennis had both died, leaving Troy_K and the two archers supergriefer and bballnick alone to defeat the remaining 10 Jr. Helpers- and Fontzzzz. The bridges were still collapsing, and only around half of the bridge was still intact.

Loiyd_Irving didn't have anywhere to run. The doorway had collapsed. The first Jr. Helper, who had been well ahead of the others. swung his stone sword. Loiyd_Irving ducked under it, rolled, and stood up behind him, sending an arrow through his back. He jumped forward, catching the stone sword as it fell out of his hands and quickly stored it for later. He turned, firing two more arrows, taking down two more Jr. Helpers. He then saw envyrose, only fifteen feet away, charging.

He fired an arrow, but envyrose threw her pigman egg, which spawned in the air and took the arrow through the chest. The pigman flew backwards as she dived to the ground, crashing into two Jr. Helpers. The bridge dissolved beneath them and all three fell. Envyrose was already recovering, rolling from the ground and throwing herself at Loiyd. Loiyd quickly drew his sword, and they begun slashing at eachother.

The left side of the bridge had similar problems. Troy_K dispatched two Jr. Helpers with his axe, and another arrow flew over his shoulder, eliminating a third. But he was backing up. Fontzzzz was charging. He swept his axe in an overhand swing, taking out another Jr. Helper, and quickly grabbed his sword, throwing it behind him.

"Supergriefer! Take this."

"But I'm an archer!"

"We might need it."

They retreated back, stopping at the inside of the tower to make their final stand. Two Jr. Helpers ran through the doorway, both quickly eating arrows as they flew backwards from the force of their bows. But the rest were right behind them, Fontzzzz leading the charge. bballnick123 and supergriefer both fired arrows, but both arrows simply bounced off of Fontzzzz's Necromancer chainmail armor. Troy_K stepped forward and they began swinging at eachother.

The five astronauts on the ground had found Thorlon. They all charged. Thorlon glanced at them, rage in his eyes. Kastrealm was the first to meet him. Thorlon's sword swung at unbelievable speeds, smashing into Kastrealm's chain chestplate and sending him flying into the Citadel tower, instantly killing him. He then turned, throwing out his arm, and Purelycraft was vaporized in lightning.

"I thought you said he was at a fraction of his original power!" Technoblade yelled over the relay.

"He is!" I yelled back.

Thorlon turned to the 3 survivors. His hand shot out, and a lightning bolt flew towards Minechaos. Minechaos threw a hand in front of him, and a shield formed in the air in front of him, deflecting the bolt. Thorlon was visibly surprised.

"Operator powers?" He said.

Minechaos didn't respond, instead throwing himself at Thorlon. Their swords met, and Thorlon was thrown backwards. He threw his arm out, sending another lightning bolt, but Minechaos stepped to the side. Minechaos's arm blurred forward and suddenly Thorlon was engulfed in lightning. The lightning bolt threw him off of his feet and he smashed into a wall.

He started to get up, but Minechaos was already there. He was a blur, closing the distance at inhuman speeds, and Thorlon gasped as Minechaos's stone sword went through his chest. He fell to the ground and dematerialized.

Meanwhile, Loiyd Irving was in the fight of his life. He stepped backwards, avoiding a slash from envyrose, and suddenly was backed up against the side of the bridge. A Jr. Helper lunged, but he spun to the side, and turning in a full circle slammed his foot into the back of the Jr. Helpers head, throwing him off the bridge. He quickly sliced through the last Jr. Helper and turned to face envyrose. She slashed at him, and he blocked. There was a quick series of slashes and parries before Loiyd_Irving had backed envyrose against the bridge.

The bridge was still collapsing. A segment of it under envyrose's foot fell, and for half a second she was off balance. Loiyd_Irving threw himself forward, slamming his foot into her and sending her off the bridge. He began backing up as the bridge continued to fall apart. He only had a few meters left.

He backed up against the pile of debris blocking the doorway. The bridge continued to collapse. The drop got closer... four meters... three meters.... two... and then stopped. The bridge had stabilized. Loiyd let out a sigh of relief, only having been seconds away from certain death moments ago.

The other side of the bridge- no longer on the bridge, having retreated inside the room- wasn't doing well. Supergriefer stabbed one Jr. Helper, but three more ran towards him. An arrow from bballnick123 took out one, and Fontzzzz turned to him. Troy_K tried to stop him, but Fontzzzz threw out his Necromancer mob eggs, and suddenly Troy_K was facing a shield wall of zombies and skeletons.

Troy_K ran towards supergriefer, but he was too late. One Jr. Helper slashed at him, and as he drew his sword up to block it the other lunged forward, his sword running through Supergriefer's leather chestplate. He dematerialized, but Troy_K quickly avenged him, dispatching both the remaining Jr. Helpers. He turned to the undead horde and began taking out zombies.

BBallnick123 tried to back away, but Fontzzzz was too fast. He fired an arrow at him, but it simply bounced off of Fontzzzz's necromancer armor. He turned to run, but his life was quickly ended as Fontzzzz cut him down.

Troy_K had just finished killing the zombies. He took out two skeletons, but before he could kill the third Fontzzzz was there. Fontzzzz's sword flew forward, and Troy_K blocked it with his axe, leaving his side open. The remaining skeleton fired, hitting Troy_K in the chest. He stumbled, and despite blocking Fontzzzz's next attack, was knocked to the ground.

Fontzzzz approached him slowly, ready to finish him off. Suddenly, Troy_K sat up, throwing his diamond axe as hard as he could. It slammed through Fontzzzz's chestplate, and he flew backwards, knocking over the skeleton as well. Troy_K jumped up, grabbing the fallen stone sword of a Jr. Helper, and ran forward. He deflected an arrow from the skeleton and killed it. Fontzzzz stumbled up, yanking the diamond axe out of his chestplate, but before he could pull his sword up to block Troy_K had ran him through the chest with his sword. He dematerialized.

Citadel was saved.

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prurientpuddlejumper · 4 years

Text

A Lipless Face That I Want to Marry, Ch. 7

<- Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 ->

Summary: I gave myself a stomach ache writing this one 🙃

2,961 words

Thirty-two days. Nine surgeries. Twenty blood transfusions.

Sometimes it seemed like just yesterday when everything was going right—you and Frederick were so happy together, his books were selling, your career was flourishing, and he had just asked you to marry him. Sometimes, it felt like a lifetime ago. A state of being so foreign, you wondered if it had even been real, or if you were remembering someone else’s life.

Seasons turned. Cherry blossoms were starting to bloom in the parks around Maryland, and each gust of cool wind carried with it their sweet pink fragrance. The spring air vibrated and sang with life renewed. But where you were headed, the air was stagnant, beige, and sterile.

As the automatic sliding glass doors drew you into the hospital, away from the sun, a piece of your heart withered like a flower. It sank deeper when you considered how the unhappy hours you whiled away in those sterile halls were nothing compared to what Frederick had to endure. He didn’t have the luxury of being able to leave.

Physically, he was beginning to show signs of real improvement. The pneumonia had completely cleared up, and he was starting to receive permanent transplants from the cutting-edge, lab-grown skin created from his own cells. Most of his body was still wrapped up in gauze, but a few places had only received second-degree burns, and those patches were almost back to normal. For the first time since the attack, his odds of not dying were higher than his odds of dying.

Mentally was a different story. His moods grew progressively more sour. With none of his true nemeses at hand to take out his bitterness on, that burden fell upon his nurses, doctors, and upon you—and it was beginning to weigh heavily. At first you didn’t want to see the rift that was forming, even as he cut your visiting hours short in an angry huff, and had fewer and fewer kind words for you. You shoved every fear and frustration into a box at the back of your mind so you could keep smiling. He was just in pain, you kept telling yourself. He just needed time.

You held onto the hope that as he got better, your relationship would return to what it had been before. But he was getting better, and the rift grew wider.

“We’ll still want to wait at least six months to do the procedure, until your infection risk has dropped to baseline levels for a healthy adult, but we’re putting you on the transplant waiting list now,” the doctor explained. She was one of his regular surgeons who had been with him since day one. She wore a white lab coat over blue scrubs, and hid behind a clipboard as she spoke. You liked the that she needed to use the file as a shield—it made her relatable. Always friendly, and clearly a skilled surgeon, but uncomfortable with the heavy emotional talking to patients, especially to Dr. Frederick Chilton, who was always in a bad mood, and always ready with a scathing remark.

But today he had nothing to say. No critique on the hospital’s competence. No casual observations with hidden barbs. Just a silent nod of acknowledgment before turning his head to gaze out the window at the fresh spring flowers, framed by the sea of fake ones you had bought.

Francis Dolarhyde, the Red Dragon, had bitten Frederick’s mouth with such extreme ferocity there was not enough connective muscle left to reconstruct new lips from Frederick’s own tissue. The only option for him to look normal again would be a face transplant—donated facial muscle, skin, and hair from a cadaver—although the doctor explained that the procedure was risky. After taking the transplant, Frederick would be put on immunosurpressant drugs for the rest of his life to prevent rejection, which meant every flu season, or even a coworker with a cold, could turn deadly without careful precaution. But to Frederick, it was worth the risk. He couldn’t bear spending his life being stared at. He couldn’t even stand you looking at the black hole that was his face.

Yet what the doctor explained about the procedure added weight after weight to Frederick’s chest until he felt crushed by despair.

The donated tissue had to be a very close match, or his antibodies would reject the new lips. Unlike receiving a heart or a kidney, his new skin had to be an aesthetic match as well. It could not be from too old a donor, or the skin would lack the proper elasticity. And, unfortunately, most organ donors were not comfortable donating external organs—it ruins the open-casket wake.

So, he could be waiting on a match for a very long time.

You thanked the clipboard-wielding doctor when Frederick remained sulking, not bothering to look up as she left. He adjusted himself slightly to follow a flash of movement—a bird—out the window, and winced as it tugged his unyielding scar tissue. Something tore under his armpit, but he didn’t yelp in pain—he was used to this level of it by now—but his eyes watered.

“At least you can sit up a little bit now. That’s great, isn’t it?” you said in an attempt to cheer him up.

He scoffed, and made no immediate reply.

Years, was all he kept thinking. It could take up to three years to find a match, possibly longer, the doctor said.

“Up to three years or longer,” he growled sarcastically. “She does realize that means nothing? It means any time, or never.”

“I know...”

“But thank god at least I can sit,” he spat bitterly. “A little.”

You were taken aback by his sharp rebuke and fell silent, a cavernous gulf between you though you sat right beside his bed. As you recovered from the sting, however, his words made you smile. He had always been churlish, but recently all of the spirit had been eroded away from his petty attitudes, leaving him defeated and mean. It was nice to hear his churlishness take on a spark of sarcastic sass.

“Don’t lose hope, darling,” you said in an overly-sweet patronizing cadence. “One day you’ll have enough movement back to flip her off.”

He paused, eyes flicking over to you curiously. You had been downtrodden for weeks, too, and he hadn’t expected a joke. He chuckled appreciatively. You wished the good moments lasted longer these days.

It wasn’t as though his life had ended, even if his full cosmetic recovery would take a little longer than he hoped, and even if he was bedridden for several more months. It was that sharp mind and wit that made you fall in love with him, and he still had that. He could keep you entertained for hours discussing some arcane piece of trivia or sharing lurid gossip. Since he was cut off from his normal sources of scuttlebutt, you kept him updated on all the latest rumors you’d learned over dinner with Jack Crawford—about the shitstorm he’d brought down on himself at the FBI when Will Graham went rogue, how Alana and her wife fled the country (but you heard they might be in Cuba), Freddie Lounds being sued again. He always enjoyed hearing about other people’s misfortunes, but today it just made him jealous that you’d been spending time with Jack.

“You have both recently lost a spouse. What comfort you must take in each other,” he insinuated.

“I haven’t lost you, Frederick.”

You went into that sentence thinking you were convincing him that you loved him, but as it closed, you realized you were desperate to convince yourself he wasn’t gone. The more you tried to hold him close, the more you felt him pulling away, and felt a creeping dread that even if he got better, you would lose him. Everything you tried to say to reassure him only made him feel worse, and you wondered if it was your fault. Someone more capable, more empathetic, would know the right things to say. You were a failure. He deserved more.

His professional life, too, hadn’t ended. His injury would barely be a bump in the road to his writing career if he wasn’t so stubborn and prideful. The publisher offered to send a ghostwriter to finish The Dragon Slayer, for which they greedily anticipated a significant boost in sales, considering the author’s headline-making personal involvement in the Red Dragon’s end. Frederick, however, refused to be interviewed by “some insipid amateur.” He claimed they would not understand the nuances of psychology required, and stood firm on the grounds of “artistic integrity,” but the truth was, he did not want anybody else to see him.

His face had not made it into the papers, despite several attempts by Freddie Lounds to sneak into the hospital with a hidden camera, and he did not want any more of the world than absolutely necessary to know the extent of what the Dragon had done to him. He did not want to see the shock in the writer’s eyes at seeing his disgusting lipless teeth. He did not want a stranger to see him inevitably start drooling the longer he spoke—and he hated repeating himself to people who could not understand his impaired diction.

No. Publishing The Dragon Slayer would have to wait, though the possibility of another author beating him to the punch bothered him nearly as much as his missing lips. After an entire month recuperating, he thought he would at least be able to type again, but he could barely move his gauze-mittened fingers.

The world had not forgotten him, evidenced by the occasional fan-mail the publisher forwarded to him. You would bring them in and read them—a lot of get-well-soons, and entreaties to hear his side of the Francis Dolarhyde story. A lot of them were from professionals and students in the psychiatric field, pointing out errors or suggesting contradictory theories. Those were the most fun to read, because Frederick would come alive with indignation, debating with the letter as if its sender could hear him, sometimes making you send a response, seething with superiority as he dictated.

In those brief moments, it was like having the old Frederick back. Then a nurse would come in and need to run a test, or feed him, or something else that embarrassed him back into his shell of anger. Or he would grow too animated and rip one of his grafts, and his zeal for argument would end precipitously with a scream, and a surgeon.

As you shuffled a handful of addressed envelopes and started reading through the latest batch of strangers wishing him a healthy recovery, you were struck by a thought.

“Why haven’t I met your family?”

The wind caught in his throat. His scabbed-over nostrils flared before he answered, “I doubt that is what the letter reads.”

“They never visit, even when… even when you could have died. My parents even flew in that first week, when they heard. They helped me with the flowers. Why do your fans send more condolences than your family?”

Gritting ones teeth does not come easily when ones teeth are constantly bared by default, but Frederick grit his teeth. “My mother is old. She can hardly be expected to travel.”

A plausible answer, but not the full story. His discomfort with the subject only spurred your curiosity. All the time you’d been together, you had simply accepted Frederick as an individual, with no need for a childhood backstory or a group of others sharing his features and last name to complete him. You’d gathered, in snippets, that their relationship was not the best, and were satisfied to leave it alone. But he nearly died. The nurse who asked you about his next of kin looked so confused when you had no one you could contact, and it made you feel foolish for never having asked.

“It’s just, we’re going to be married.”

“So?” he said, a hard, mocking edge to his voice.

“So, if I’m going to be part of your family, isn’t it weird that I’ve never met them?”

Instead of answering directly, he snarled, “Look somewhere else.”

“I wasn’t staring!”

“Look. Somewhere. Else.”

You huffed, and sat back in your uncomfortable plastic chair whose unpadded seat bruised your butt after countless hours, crossing your arms. The box full of anger was overstuffed. You shoved its contents down like clothing in a suitcase to squeeze one more sting of hurt inside, but it began to overflow. “I swear I don’t stare at your face any more than I used to,” you muttered aloud what was supposed to remain a thought, “but now every interaction needs to be a carefully calculated balance between not looking at you enough to feel gawked at, and not not-looking enough to make you feel like I’m averting my eyes from your horrible face.” At the word “horrible,” you wiggled your fingers and wavered your voice the way the vampire running a children’s haunted house would say the word “spooky.”

“I am sorry my suffering is so inconvenient for you,” he said in clipped, cold syllables, and you knew you’d pushed him too far.

“I’m just saying, you know I don’t care about your face. You’re acting the same way as when you got shot, and you got over that. You know I still think you’re beautiful. Can’t you give me some credit and just stop freaking out?”

Being stuck in a hospital bed with limited range of motion, he had few resources with which to express anger, but his chest rose and fell and his breath hissed like steam through his nose. “You...” he seethed. “You never care about the pain I suffer, do you? You, in your fantasy world where you accept my injuries and make it all better—you have no idea what it is like to be violated. To have your body ripped apart! It is not a thing one ‘gets over.’ Beautiful? That is rich coming from one who would not know how to tuck in a shirt without my guidance. It must be lovely in whatever quaint children’s storybook your mind inhabits, but in the real world, appearance matters. It matters to me. Your fetish does not stop every sane individual from seeing ugliness. You believe I should be delighted to have a partner who calls ugliness beauty and trivializes my grief? I should have had you analyzed years ago—my judgment was compromised by my relationship with you. I could not see. Your attachment increases with my physical deterioration. You prefer me broken.”

“That… that isn’t true! How dare—”

“You could barely tolerate me before Abel Gideon took my kidney. I was shot in the face and suddenly you professed your love. What shall it be this time? Ah, yes—marriage. You must be elated.” He rolled the words over his tongue in that distinctively upper-class way that was almost musical, yet bone-cuttingly brutal.

“Stop. This had nothing to do with it—you proposed to me!”

His eyes had been flashing with energy behind the bandages as you argued, but all the anger in them vanished like a message written in steam on a bathroom mirror. They took on a dull, blank glaze.

“Then I take it back,” he said. You wished you believed he meant the accusation. His head shifted toward you, but his dull stare seemed to look right through you to the door. “The engagement is over.”

Your throat dried up. “You don’t mean that,” you said, voice barely above a whisper.

“I will not be with one who gains pleasure from my mutilation. Get out of my room. There are some amputees over in the rehabilitation ward; go explore your fetishes elsewhere.”

He couldn’t be serious, and yet there was no hint of sarcasm or hyperbole in his flat tone. He meant it. You were surprised to find that you weren’t sad. Your hands began trembling uncontrollably, the tiny convulsions working their way from your extremities to your shoulders, tightly clenching in your gut, but it wasn’t sadness. The overfilled box tore open at the seams, exploding its pressurized contents, and weeks of frustration shattered against the walls and cascaded out over the floor.

“Fine!” you stood up from the hated plastic chair so sharply it scraped across the laminate floor and tipped over backward. “I can’t put up with a second more of this, anyway! I can’t keep walking on eggshells waiting for you to snap—if this is the way it’s going to be from now on, then marrying you would be a nightmare.”

If you had seen him flinch as if your words had physically wounded him, then you might have stopped shouting. A surge of pity might have overwhelmed you, and you might have broken down sobbing. He might not have been able to go through with it, then. Seeing you blubbering with heavy, hot tears rolling down your face, he might have said he was sorry, like he wished he could have said if only he were not so much like his father.

But you were too angry to look at him, and you didn’t see him flinch.

So a moment later when your back was in the doorway, instead of I’m sorry, he said, “Keep the ring. Sell it, and get a new apartment. Do not come back.”

“Fuck you!”

#Frederick Chilton x reader #frederick chilton #Raúl Esparza #hannibal #angst #my writing #and now as a reward I finally get to read beccabarba's Chilton fic :D

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queer-as-used-by-tolkien · 3 years

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Storyline Study: Bangar and Almorra

This is a rewritten form of the juicy parts of this post that I foolishly left under a readmore. (This isn't all of it; there are some buried insights that didn't fit so well into the structure of this version.)

Inspired by @allergy-sufferer-emo-wandererr's Bangar-centric PMV of the song Rains of Castamere.

"And who are you," the proud lord said, "that I must bow so low?"

"Only a cat of a different coat. That's all the truth I know. In a coat of gold, or a coat of red, a lion still has claws. And mine are long and sharp, my lord, as long and sharp as yours."

And so he spoke... and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere. But now the rains weep o'er his halls, with no one there to hear. Yes, now the rains weep o'er his halls. And not a soul to hear.

This song is about a lord and an underling; it draws lines between ranks and classes. A very Bangar song, but there's a hint of Almorra in it, too - the gladium-turned-hero, estranged from her people first by custom, then by choice.

One of my favorite aspects of this story is how strikingly little we, the Commander, have to do with it. This story started before many of our Commanders were even born, such as how Almorra and Bangar met, what their relationship was like, whether Almorra's unnamed daughter is also Bangar's, and when they broke up; several parts of it occurred right in front of us without our realizing - your first Vigil mission addresses Ajax, and even a few key parts of it during Bound by Blood were only accidentally overheard by the Commander. And, of course, there is the fact that we would never even know anything if it weren't for our eavesdropping through Ryland's memories. We are simply not relevant. It's not our story.

I think this is appropriate. There are stories in Tyria we will never know in their entirety; this makes the world feel more real, that we have these untold stories reaching into the murky past, connecting us with history.

Back to the song; a lot of my insights are drawn from wondering if the song would fit them, and a few stumbles I made along the way. It drew out the similarities and differences in a very striking way.

First, I wondered if the song could be mostly about Almorra and less about Bangar, since the pmv felt... not exactly connected right. (No offense.)

In this incarnation, it would be about Almorra, a new gladium, being rejected by her culture (presumably, specifically Bangar) and going off to found the Vigil. Except that the song ends in loneliness; and despite Almorra's death and even Jhavi's line that no warrior should have to die alone, it just didn't feel like it fit properly.

Contrasted to the song, this made me realize that the stories of Almorra and Bangar are similar, but in a way that they contrasted each other as a sort of emphasis.

Almorra's story began with loneliness when she lost her warband, but then she grew - she founded the Vigil, she was an open-minded leader who was, ultimately, willing to join the Pact, and later be part of the extended Pact that killed Kralkatorrik. That's where her story was supposed to end; at the pinnacle of her victory - not just that she'd defeated Kralkatorrik, but also that she'd found new allies after the loss of her warband. And she proved that she wasn't just in it for revenge, she wasn't just a bitter fighter who was simply desperate to avenge her companions - she was a true warrior. She kept fighting. She was praised as a hero upon her return to Ascalon, but she brushed off the fakes who dumped her when she was alone (a brilliant lesson in itself about true friendship), and went to continue her life's work - and at the time? At that specific moment, she was going to bring life and hope to her soldiers - her people - telling them of Kralkatorrik's defeat. Almorra Soulkeeper is an awe-inspiring influence and role model, and it's a disgusting shame that Bangar did what he did. But that, I think, was a masterfully contrived symbol that Anet used to contrast their stories.

Bangar was an Imperator. He was a powerful fighter, a masterful influencer (first time I laid eyes on him I pegged him as a politician, and he did not disappoint), and the mentor of the best rising star of the Blood Legion. But his story is one of losing - he lost Rytlock who knows when, he lost Almorra at some point, he lost Ajax in the PS, and then we have the start of IBS when he took all who would, and went into the Shiverpeaks to hunt a dragon. There, he murdered Almorra, supposedly his fire and blood, which may have been what started Ryland's fall. And then, despite his claims of doing everything for the charr, he started a civil war that nearly wiped out the charr, turned a good chunk of them into Icebrood, and all for nothing - Jormag passed over him. To add insult to injury, he lost his last ally - Ryland. Bangar's story ends in a cage, locked in silence, with half of his interactions with other people being solely so that Aurene or the Commander (and even Crecia) could request an audience with Jormag, who has even taken his voice from him.

These stories are polar opposites. To illustrate Bangar's fall, he murders Almorra, the opposing story of success. Almorra achieved what she wanted with Kralkatorrik; Bangar failed utterly with Jormag. Almorra and Bangar's stories spiral together (I'm kind of picturing the spiral helix at the end of HoT), but they are separate and vastly different and both go in different directions. Despite their endings being similar - ending in loneliness - Bangar's story derives in part from his inability to keep Almorra with him after she becomes independent of him. IBS is the climax, the disaster, the desperation and failed hope, the resounding end to Bangar's story. But for Almorra, it was just an annoying epilogue. She'd already lived her story - without him - and emerged victorious.

These two stories are startling in the way they contrast and orbit each other. The Icebrood Saga starts when both are at the height of their power - Almorra has the Vigil and even all of the Pact behind her, she has the Commander, she even has the support of the charr for having killed Kralkatorrik. Bangar, a highly-respected Imperator, is a great uniter - he has brought the four Legions together and managed to have them cooperate peacefully in a celebration. Their positions are nearly equal. The tension arises when Almorra and Bangar still don't see eye-to-eye. There is a disconnect between their core values.

The song is about a lord and a subordinate (I imagine a lowly peasant). This is Bangar, highly respected and powerful, and Almorra, the exiled gladium. The song illustrates the lord's pride versus the peasant's declaration that "my claws are as long and sharp as yours" - or Bangar's pride versus Almorra's individuality, Bangar's army versus Almorra's influence. The song is remarkably simple and short; but the two actors in this story have weaved a dance of opposition and contrast - yin-yang, and light-and-dark.

It is a masterfully plotted echo, a pre-type, a sort of thematic foreshadowing of the opposing but twinned forces of Jormag and Primordus.

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only-lonely-stars · 3 years

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The Future is Bright, Chapter 6

[Chapter 1 (Beginning)] // [Chapter 5] // [Chapter 6 - you are here!] // [Chapter 7] // [Chapter 10 (End)] (FFN)

Cole now knows what he’s seen, but he still doesn’t know what it means. There’s still so much to know, and the mystery is centered in Shintaro. Good thing he has an ally who can help him find answers!

Summary: What would happen if Cole had indeed had a reflection in the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master? How would that have changed his life later? What would it have been? This story follows what might have happened if he had seen something, and what it was; who he would have become. What if his future was already decided?... (Rated T for safety. Alternate title: the Cosmic Spoilers AU.)

Chapter 6: Drawing Conclusions

With the drawing from the First Master's tomb in tow, Cole hadn't wasted much time in going back to Shintaro, and had left a couple of days later. If he had any luck– assuming luck was real, like destiny apparently was– it would be enough to help him find whoever he was meant to find. Then it was just a matter of dealing with whatever that was.

When he at last arrived back in Shintaro, Vania greeted Cole with an enthusiastic hug, almost knocking him over. "Cole! It's good to see you!"

Cole laughed and hugged back, grinning. "Good to see you too, Queenie! I missed you!"

She beamed at him just as widely, almost vibrating in her excitement. "What's going on? I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon!"

He nodded, brushing his hair back. "I had something I needed to talk to you about, and I figured in-person was better than a letter."

Immediately, her brow creased with worry. "Something to talk about? Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all!" He put up his hands defensively. "It's okay– everything's completely okay. I just wanted to talk to you about something that happened, and maybe get your opinions on it? If it's not a problem, that is."

"Oh! No, it's not a problem! I love talking to you." She turned her head questioning. "Did you want to talk somewhere private, or just anywhere?"

"Somewhere private, I think." He smiled awkwardly. "It's kind of... personal."

"I can do that!" She clapped her hands. "Follow me!"

Cole did as she asked, and she led him into the palace. They followed a few hallways, going deep into the palace, until they at last stopped in a private room with a fireplace. She shut the doors behind them, and together they sat on a couch before the fireplace.

When they were at last comfortable, she smiled at him. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

He sighed. "Okay, so I have to explain a little bit before I can get to it, but I'm kind of wondering if you can help me figure something out. It has to do with Shintaro."

"Okay." She nodded. "What do you need to know?"

"Well…" He shrugged. "I guess I kind of need to know about Shintaro customs, and stuff. There's a bit of a backstory to why I need to know."

"Go ahead and tell it," she urged him enthusiastically. "I have plenty of time, don't skimp on the details."

"Okay." He sighed, relaxing a little and managing a smile. He was just talking to Vania. There was nothing scary about that: she wouldn't judge him. "So, you probably heard about what happened a few years ago in Stiix, right?"

"Of course. All those ghosts!" She laughed. "That's one of the stories we heard about the soonest, I think."

"Probably, it was a big deal." He found himself talking with his hands as well as his voice, waving them around a bit. "Anyway, right before that, we were dealing with Morro. He wanted to get the Realm Crystal to summon the Preeminent. Still sound familiar?"

"Yeah, completely!" She leaned forward, invested. "What about it? Did you stop him?"

"We had to find it before he did– not that we succeeded, but it was okay." He thought back to the events. "It was hidden in the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb, and he made it only accessible to Spinjitzu Masters like him. Morro had possessed Lloyd so he could get in."

"That's terrible!" She frowned. "Is he okay after that?"

"He's okay." Cole smiled at her concern. "This was years ago, remember?"

"If you say so. I just wanted to make sure." She smiled back.

Cole chuckled. "Well, that's sweet of you."

She smiled a little more. "I try."

He grinned back. "Okay. When we got there, we found a bunch of traps that only Spinjitzu Masters could survive. One was this huge maze of ice– and when I say huge, I mean huge. Gigantic."

"A maze of ice? Wouldn't that melt?" She frowned in confusion. "Unless it was enchanted…"

"Maybe, I don't know. Whatever it was, it wasn't just normal ice." He paused, attempting to describe it. "When you look at your reflection in the ice wall, it shows you a reflection of your future self, and when we made our way through, I saw mine."

She gasped, staring at him in rapt attention. "You're kidding. It shows the future?"

"Yup."

That's– that's incredible! It must have been fascinating!" She grinned brightly. "Future vision sounds incredible!"

"It's really cool- no pun intended. It kind of showed me that I was going to be human again, which was really nice. Made it easier to deal with being a ghost."

"I can imagine." She leaned in a little closer. "Speaking of which, what was it like being a ghost?"

He chuckled. "Numb, really. You don't feel anything, just kind of cold. Not on my list of top ten recommended experiences."

"Probably not." She sat back, trying to control her excitement, but still clearly enamored with the story. "So… did you just see yourself as human? How does that connect to Shintaro?"

"I'm getting there." He pulled out his sketchbook as he spoke. "When we saw our reflections, Kai, Zane, and Jay saw themselves dressed like senseis. Jay even saw Nya with him, which was just proof that they've always been meant to be. Thing is, I didn't see the same thing." He flipped to the right page and handed it over. "Jay, Nya and I went back last week to take another look, and I drew what mine looked like."

She took the sketchbook gently and examined the drawing, tracing the lines with a light touch. A soft smile bloomed on her face. "You're an incredible artist," she commented.

"Thanks. I'm okay." He smiled, watching her look at it with that sweet look on her face. "So… what do you think?"

She hummed. "Well, it looks like Shintaran robes, obviously."

"Yeah, it does." He shrugged. "I don't know what the heck I saw, but I've kind of been on edge about it since we first visited. Do you know anything about what it means?"

"Hm…" She looked at him, and then back at the drawing, and held it up to compare. "Well… I can kind of tell some things." She examined it a little more closely. "In this, you're wearing white and blue. That's something not many Shintarans wear, because it's the royal colors, but it's not unheard of for non-royals if they want to emulate the royals. Plus, you're wearing your own crest, not the royal one."

"Wait, there's a royal crest?" He looked at her quizzically. "I've never seen it."

"Oh, absolutely!" She smiled at him, brushing her bangs out of the way. "It's a spear and some clouds. You might've seen it around the palace somewhere if you looked close enough."

"I don't know." He laughed. "Last time I was here, I spent most of my time underground."

"That's fair." She laughed too and looked back down, pointing at the sketch to direct him. "See your belt? That's where you might wear your crest in Shintaran formal wear."

"Huh! It's still my dragon..."

"Yep. Either that's the crest you stuck with for just yourself if you came here, or that's the crest your family would take on. Either way, it's not unheard of either." Her brow furrowed. "That said, the style of robes is pretty impractical for everyday wear. This is formal clothing, like I said, so I think it's probably likely that it's royal clothing. That explains the colors better."

His heart caught in his chest. "Royal clothing? Are you saying I become part of the royal family?"

"If you got married and your yin was a Shintaran royal, yes." She smiled up at him again. "Sounds like you'll be moving up in the world."

"Huh." He smiled faintly, head spinning with the possible meanings and making him feel a little dizzy. He had thoughts about how little he knew of Shintaro, yet it was clear how much this meant here… was there extended royalty in the Shintaran royal family?

Eventually, he found his voice. "That's… that's a thought."

"I bet it is." Her smile formed into yet another infectious grin. "That said, it would be awesome!"

That threw him for a loop. "Huh? How come?"

"Because then you'd live here! Then we could see each other all the time!" she chirped. "I mean, it's obviously not great to leave Ninjago, because that's your home and you love it and you've always protected it, but it would be amazing to have you around! You'd love to live here in Shintaro, I guarantee it."

He shrugged. "Oh, I wouldn't know... I haven't put much thought into that part of it."

"Maybe you should."

"Maybe…" He reached over and pointed at a gold smudge on the paper next to the sketch of himself. "Okay, see that?"

"Yeah. Is that supposed to be there?"

"Yep. The ice walls sometimes show other people, too, but all I saw was a blur. It's my one clue to whoever my yin is supposed to be. She's got really bright blonde hair– just like yours, actually." He shrugged. "I don't know how common that color of hair is here, but either way it narrows it down."

"It's not that common," she noted. "I haven't met many other people with the same color. Most people here are brunette."

"Then it's even easier."

The conversation fell quiet, and a familiar anxiety crept back into his mind. His mind spun tales of the possibilities, some of which he dared not even think... but he was snapped from his thoughts when he felt Vania's hand on his arm. "Cole? Are you okay?"

He laughed humorlessly and nodded, shaking himself. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. I'm just– it's a lot to think about."

"I can imagine." She smiled compassionately. "I know you haven't really liked the idea of a relationship– just about everyone knows that. It must be pretty hard, knowing in the future you've got that, despite how much you don't want it yet."

He nodded. "Yeah, uh, you hit the nail on the head." He brushed his hair back anxiously. "I don't do relationships; never have, actually. Now the creator of entire realms has given me cosmic spoilers and told me I'm marrying someone from another country. It's hard to process."

"I'd bet it is." She nodded along with his story. "Having your future set for you before you get to it isn't fun."

"You must know about that, right?"

She let her hand rest on his arm comfortingly. "I do. I didn't really ever get told I could be anything but the queen in the future. It made some things easier, but others harder." She laughed quietly. "I can't imagine what it must be like to be told that, but about whoever you're going to end up marrying."

"Yeah, that's it. I don't know what to do, if I'm honest."

"Well, you could do a couple things." She shrugged, letting go of his arm.

"What do you mean?" He leaned in, listening intently.

Vania giggled at his blatant interest, and then began counting on her fingers. "One: you ignore it. Not the best idea, in my opinion, but it would work for a little bit. The future comes to pass whether we want it to or not."

"Yeah, definitely can't just expect it not to happen. Already tried that." He smiled.

"Yeah, exactly." She smiled back. "Two: you wait. You can let it happen in its own due time and do other things now, instead. Instead of pushing it and trying to find her, you can let her find you."

"But that'd leave it hanging over my head," he dismissed. "That's happened for long enough already, too."

"I figured you'd say that." She laughed quietly. "Three: you start looking for her now with what you know. She's got to be a noble or royal, and since she's blonde, you've got plenty of clues." She shrugged absently. "Of course, you could be wrong about part of it, and get mixed up, but you could try at least."

He nodded, thinking it over. Would it be worth it to look for her? Of course, there was always the possibility that he, Jay and Nya had been wrong. What if he was wrong? Or… what if she was right under his nose? What if they were right?

He sighed. "I guess I should figure out who it is, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm right about what I actually saw."

"Well…" She paused. "You drew it while looking at it, didn't you?"

"I did." He shook his head. "I just– my mind's playing tricks on me. I kind of wish I could see it again, but a third visit, and going alone at that, doesn't sound like much fun."

She hummed. "You have a point… I must admit, I'm extremely curious. It sounds fascinating to see the future!"

"It really is." Would it be worth it to go alone?...

She closed the sketchbook and handed it back. "Well… what if I come with you? We can look at it together and figure out what we're doing to find your yin."

"Really?" He took the book back. "You'd want to see it? I thought you wouldn't want to."

"Sure! It sounds fascinating, and I'd love to know a little more about my future, even though it's already mostly laid out for me. It would be another adventure!" She grinned. "That is, if you don't mind me coming along?"

"No, I'd be happy to bring you!" He grinned back. "That place is a little creepy when you're alone, seeing as it's a tomb."

"Well then, let's make it not creepy!" She got to her feet gracefully, seemingly energetic. "Let me just change and talk to Hailmar, and then I'm ready to go. We can make a day of it."

"Okay. It's a bit of a trip, dress warmly." He pocketed the sketchbook.

"Will do!" she chirped. "Make yourself at home! I'll come find you when I'm ready."

"Okay." Instinctively he wanted to come with her, but he kept himself back. There wasn't a reason to follow her, just that... well, she was the one he came to visit, but it would only be a little wait. There wasn't a need to miss her already.

Having gotten his thoughts in order, Cole stayed in the room and took the book out. As he looked at the sketch, his thoughts swirled in confusion. Who was this blonde royal he was supposed to be marrying? His suspicions fit too perfectly… but was it what he suspected?

#ninjago #ninjago fanfic #ninjago au #ninjago cole #ninjago vania #cole brookstone #princess vania #vania #cole x vania #vania x cole #colania #vanillacake #vanillacakeshipping #OLST fanfic #the future is bright #fun fact: I had a heck of a time formatting this #and it took me a LONG time to find Chapter 5 on my own blog #but the links must be respected!

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