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#to lure more people to their “birthright”

ride-thedragon · 9 months

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I don't care why you think Daemon died. I do care that y'all are getting your hopes up about who he is and are going to blame the closest colored candidate (Nettles) and the showrunners for wanting Rhaenyra to be alone and making Daemon do something out of character to reach an end. That being said, a summary of all the times Daemon does something selfish that benefits a better thing or just him being selfish to explain that this isn't new.

Here:

When he runs into battle head first in the Stepstones because he refuses to take Viserys' aid.

When he takes his 19 year old sheltered niece to a brothel to take her virginity to ensure she can't marry anyone but him, ruining her and her reputation.

When, because he didn't get his way, he won't return for

A. His daughter to claim a dragon, instead imposing a made up hierarchy of dragon hatchery and dragon claimers

B. For his daughters to be named ladies at court.

C. For his wife and kids to be surrounded by their family

D. For their kids to be raised according to their birthright.

E. To aid his niece and good brother in their rouse.

F. To help his ailing brother against pest like Larys and Otto.

When he sleeps with and marries said niece after years of avoiding her, in front of their now grieving children.

When he plays house with said niece for 6 years instead of being at court with her, aiding her in the heavily expected usurping from her brother. Also not being at his ailing brother's side, then judging his wife for doing what she could to help him, actively judging her and what she does because he thinks he'd be better even though he's ignoring it.

When he strangles her just after she miscarried their kid because she wants to play for peace based on the words of her father and he has unresolved brother issues.

There's more and these can be explained more in depth but I refuse. He's shown time and again that he's willing to prioritize himself and how people view him before the best interest of the collective.

You know what would've stopped Rhaenyra from wanting Nettles dead.

Daemon.

Daemon going home to his wife

Daemon finding new stratagies.(that is not spending for months with no success to find a solution in a night.)

Daemon reflecting on what was going on at any point in time.

Idk I'm just spitballing

If he didn't want to die, he didn't have to. He and Nettles could've camped out waiting for Vhagar to attack instead of going to and back to Maidenpool every day. They were sent to find and kill Aemond and Vhagar, return to sender, and protect Maidenpool.

Daemon puts Maidenpool in danger to the point they commit light treason to Rhaenyra for him to solve his mess.

Daemon 'finds' Vhagar and Aemond, but because he isn't with his preventative measure, he dies.

I don't want to undermine the importance of killing Aemond, but I feel like we downplay the importance of Daemon being at Rhaenyra’s side.

Killing Aemond and Vhagar had been a priority for once, and the first time, he thought to lure the people constantly running away is when a death warrant is issued on his companion.

Again, blame Daemon for his crimes 2023.

Leave Nettles out of the conversation and remember that as much flack Rhaenyra deserves for what she said and did (she did racism), Daemon quite literally is the reason for the entire thing.

The category is what ifs:

Daemon hadn't groomed Rhaenyra?

Hadn't started a sexual relationship with Nettles?

Had focused on finding Vhagar?

Had stayed at Rhaenyra's side and not been a detractor?

Had regulated his emotions at anytime?

#house of the dragon #hotd #a song of ice and fire #daemon targaryen #daemon and rhaenyra #daemyra critical #daemon x nettles #rhaenyra x daemon #anti daemon stans #daemon targaryen critcal #i dont want to put anti but i will #anti daemon targaryen #this isnt against him #its a criticism of what he escapes in the narrative #especially for my baby girls #blame daemon targaryen for his crimes 2023

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wildwoodsgames · 10 months

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Design Diary: Heaven in the Dust (Revised) - Playbooks

So here's the thing—Heaven in the Dust was the first Belonging Outside Belonging game I ever wrote.

It was published way back in January 2019 for the Record Collection jam into a largely-unexplored design space. Sleepaway wouldn't crowdfund until the end of that year. The design jam that produced Our Haunt was three months away. You could count the BOB games in existence without running out of fingers.

As a result of that, the ideas are strong but the execution is somewhat naive. See for yourself with Hades:

Looking back on this today, what do I see?

The picklists are perfunctory—often only one unique prompt per archetype—and pedestrian. The prompts themselves are uninflected (Wanderhome hasn't reshaped the possibility space yet).

There's too much focus on aesthetic, and not enough on narrative prompts. There only unique prompt focuses on the factory rather than on Hades. This needn't be a bad thing, as characterising him mainly through the business he runs could be interesting, but right now the factory prompt is surface-level—anything broader it says is up to the player.

The birthrights need to be punchier and snappier, and you're currently making a choice without context (the rules for them are at the bottom of the next column over).

In general there's good ideas in a lot of these picklists, but not some too-obvious ideas as well.

So then, a revised edition. Meet Hades, new and improved:

To start, we have a new picklist in a new format. This solves a couple of problems.

It explicitly states what was implicit in the original version: archetypes bring certain things with them. Hades has a factory, Persephone has a garden, Hephaestus has a strike, etc.

It lets the player assert some truths: about that thing, about their archetype, about the broader setting, about what has come before, about a sliver of hope that this might not be a tragedy after all.

It gives me room to assert some crucial details about that thing—Hades is not running an artisanal workshop, or a worker-owned collective, or a functional business. They're running a Gothic caricature of an industrial factory that is certainly fucked up somehow.

Next, a familiar picklist but with a crucial recasting in the prompt: products and byproducts. The difference between a factory churning out propaganda and a munitions manufacturer that incidentally produces propaganda is vast, and the prompt now invites you to play with that difference.

Another new picklist! This one characterises Hades both indirectly (as a boss, through what they forbid) and directly (as a person, through their mode of self-denial), which is a nice change from the blank slate of the previous version.

Aesthetics have been combined and condensed, nearly thirty prompts distilled down to a razor-sharp set of eleven. Narrowing it down to just three distinctive features (though I'm not a cop, choose as many as you like in play) invites people to make bolder and more evocative choices, and lean into them harder.

Relationship questions are sharper, punchier, and there's more of them. There's also explicit permission to keep asking questions after the initial two (which I may yet keep the "ask one left and one right" wording for), something that I've certainly seen players do in playtests.

Finally the birthright picklist now tells you what it's about before you choose. More than that, each archetype locks in a core birthright, which is a snappy way to communicate what the game's take on that mythological figure is, and the possible birthrights have been edited to be more distinct and evocative.

And that's Hades, before and after!

The same thought process has been applied to all the other archetypes, in addition to the new one I'm adding for the revised edition, and there've been additional changes to lures, failings, moves, etc that I might talk about in a future post.

I'm hopeful the revised edition will be playtest-ready by the end of September, and released by the end of the year.

My inbox is open if you're curious about the game or have any questions about the approach outlined in this post. Cheers!

#heaven in the dust #wips #indie ttrpgs #indie rpgs #ttrpg design #ttrpgs #hadestown

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randomkposts · 1 month

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I know I've mentioned this before, but I keep thinking back to how funny it is that Setsuna and Azama were the retainers who stayed in Revelations. As much as she cares about them, Azama and Setsuna are the least retainer like Retainers in the game.

Setsuna and Azama were introduced to the player in chapter 8 of Birthright by Setsuna falling into a trap, and Azama laughing at her. Then, Azama points out that he has no weapons so it will be Hinoka protecting him, while Setsuna falls into yet another trap. Hinoka ends that particular conversation with these words.

"Gods. I knew I couldn't rely on the two of you, but this is worse than I imagined! Just try and hold it together long enough for us to see this through, all right? Maybe Ryoma and Takumi can help me babysit, once we finally catch up to them..."

Setsunas support topics

Trap supports full:- 3 Corrin, Jacob, Silas

Supports involving traps:- 7 ,Kaze, Kaden, Takumi, Ryoma (most of it is about Archery, but traps come back in the A support), Selena & Arther(also about shopping), Hinoka and Setsuna make it through most of their support chain about learning to cook something edible before Setsuna comes across mouse traps. So close

Supports involving hunting- 4. Takumi, Kaden, Kaze, Hayato.

Trap free supports and topics:- 8. Subaki, Saizo, Kagero and Hana - training, Azama -cooking, Hayato -Her ability to hum, Hinata-medicine, Niles- privilege.

Setsuna can grocery shop. Seems to be able to cook when not being experimental. Can lure animals by humming to kill them, would instantly destroy the message in a game of broken telephone, has trouble following directions (probably beacuse she gets so distracted), comes from a rich family, and is good at archery. It once took her a day to make it to the archery range beacuse she fell into every trap in the vicinity, and got upped in the S support where it took two days.

To contrast the diffrence between Setsuna and Saizo as retainers, we look at his support with her. Saizo ensures Ryoma is asleep first, gets up before him, gets his clothes and breakfast, and watches for Hazards. In contrast, Setsuna goes to bed, wakes up in the morning after Hinoka has put out her clothes and breakfast for her, and then goes to practice archery, where presumbly based on other supports, she gets caught in a trap. Hinoka Just straight up decided "shes hopless at everything in retainering but archery, so I might as well learn to enjoy the chores." Both Saizo and Kagaro are trying to teach her how to do her job better and are not seen succeeding.

One more stat. S support proposals that involve traps: Corrin, Jacob, Kaze, Silas, Takumi, Kaden, Ryoma, Arthur.

Now lets do Azama. And start with a Quote from his conversation with Arthur.

"Hahaha. Me? Support her? Listen, I barely do anything. SHE supports me. You're not likely to meet a tougher customer anywhere in the world"

Like Setsuna, someone takes Azama on for retainer training. Unfourtunatly for for the people who need to work with them, its Felicia, which means this does not happen before he and Setsuna are the only retainers left between the Hosidan older siblings.

Azama is a weird holy man. He has killed a bear durring meditation lessons, drove Sakura to anger strongly enough that she snapped a staff in half, doesn't want to bother to try healing people he feels are certian to die yet goes out of his way to heal Effie, has been Hinokas retainer for years, and is insanely presumptuous when proposing to a lot of people including both royal ladies. He also apparantly teases people he has feelings for, and genrally does not have the manor one would expect of the healer or monk. He's aggravating.

Hanas and Subaki's support is around training, in baffling ways.

Beruka, Mozu, Orochi, Hinoka, Hayato, Kagaro, Oboro, and Kaden all invole Azuma being a strange person, and usually insulting them. Arthur is the one who discovers his backstory.

"The rumor is that you were the second son to a family that ran a shrine for many years. You were a troublemaker who loved to mouth off about everything. But after trekking through the woods, you discovered the ascetic lifestyle. And eventually you settled down enough to be suitable for monkhood. Is that all true?"

And apparantly, it is true.

"I also heard that when you were training in the mountains, you met a pegasus rider. She had fallen and injured herself. That rider was Lady Hinoka. She was so impressed with your conduct that she searched high and low to find you. When she finally did, she requested that you become her retainer. In fact, I heard that you're the only person she named to the palace guard. "

(Of course this is all based in english translation. I wonder if the Japanese gives more details about them that I missed. )

Save that there were 2 people Hinoka named to the palace guard. Azuma and Setsuna. The two personal retainers who didn't defect to corrins army. (Yukimura is loyal to Hoshido first and foremost.) Saizo and Kagaro left in chapter 11. The Hoshidan older siblings don't join Corrin's army until chapter 16, five chapters later. They meet in chapter 13, in Cyrkensia, and can make their betrayal known. It appears durring that time, Ryomas been hanging with Scarlett, while Hinoka has been defending the home.

Which means, their inability to be typical retainers has been Yukimuras problem and the castle defence. And it seems to have made them more serious. Or at least, have a better introduction.

Azama: "I apologize for interrupting this happy family reunion, Lady Hinoka...but you have forgotten to introduce us, your loyal retainers."

Corrin: "Huh? You are...?"

Azama: "I am called Azama. If you make foolish mistakes and injure yourselves, I can put you right."

Setsuna: "Um... I'm Setsuna. I'm good with...a bow. ...Azama... You are standing on my foot."

Azama: "Ahaha! My apologies!"

Hinoka: "As Azama said, these two are my retainers! Don't judge them by appearances; they come through when it counts."

Still does not seem to change the fact that Hinoka is the one making breakfast. Yukimura is here pulling his hair out.

#setsuna fire emblem #setsuna fe #azuma fire emblem #azuma fe #hinoka fire emblem #ryoma fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fire emblem #random k #retainers #unlikliest retainers #yukimura fire emblem

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princessmacedon · 10 months

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{ OOC: TOA Anniversary Munday

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

tagging: anyone who needs a nudge ~

---

Name: Red or Reddo

Pronouns: they/she/he, with a preference toward they/them

Birthday (no year): December 28

Where are you from? What is your time zone? Kentucky; EST (toa o'clock)

Roleplay experience: mmm, tumblr wise, about 11 years? i think?

Got any pets? a very smiley dog named Tobin (named after he of Valentia fame) who hasn't got a thought in his head

Favorite time of year: whatever time of year it isn't right now (no strong feelings, but i miss the heat when it's winter and the cold when it's summer, and the lack of storms when it's tornado season DSHFHSDFHS)

Some interests and things you like: drawing, music................. uh.. g..gaming?? hum.. i really enjoy reading people's thoughts on characterization both in terms of (the muse's) self and relationship with others, though i tend to just read and enjoy unless i feel like. qualified to talk about the character hahaha

Some fun facts & trivia about you: uhh... hrmm... ?? i'm a chronic level grinder in fire emblem, usually to my own detriment, and i lurk in the server far more than i speak in it ^^;; i have way too many stuffed animals on my bed (including a minccino as tall as i am who cannot fits and so must sits on the floor)

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? FFXIV, Honkai: Star Rail, Pokemon, Genshin Impact, Dragon Age, Story of Seasons.. the more games release though the less i keep up with them HAHA

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: dark & dragon; lucario, appletun, zorua/zoroark, yamper, eevee+ (fun and incredibly unforeseen fact: i struggle with decisions)

How did you get into Fire Emblem? when i was still in high school some friends of mine kept gushing about some weird guy who had gloves, puffy pants, a singular full length sleeve, and his shoulder out. i didn't get the hype about him at all SDFHDSFHSDF but i liked the art and they liked the game, so i bought it to try it out

What Fire Emblem games have you played? awakening, fe7, fe11/12, fe4, fates (birthright & conquest), engage; i've started and need to restart shadows of valentia, fe6, fe8, and fe9, but i aim to play all of them one day!

First Fire Emblem game: Awakening

Favorite Fire Emblem game: in the end it's probably still Awakening! i have over a thousand hours in that game :softsmile:

Any Fire Emblem crushes? ough,, cordelia, chrom, lady rhea, uhhh. surely there's more but i've blanked HAHA

If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? - Awakening: Chrom (on purpose because he got my ass with the ground cutscene immediately, fool that i am) - Fates: Takumi - Three Houses: Dimitri - Engage: haven't finished yet but it's probably going to be Diamant

Favorite Fire Emblem class: mages, dark fliers, horsemen.. i enjoy a good hero as well :]

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? i would be the merlinus of my class probably SDFSDSDGSDG definitely a magic user, probably a dark flier or maligknight, maybe a valkyrie? magic and staves, lower end of attack but higher speed + skill, glass bones and paper skin

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue Lions, i think!

If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? hmm... i don't know anything about the dlc emblems, so i'd probably pick byleth for the dance/support, or maybe leif or lyn :thinking:

How did you find TOA? i heard about it from key for a good while, but i avoided joining at first since i was pretty burnt out in general. eventually zyra brought up the two of us writing macedonks again (we wrote together in an old group!) and i succumbed, hahaha. i was so terrified to join the server back then and she kept sending me screenshots trying to lure me in SDFFFSD

Current TOA muses: Maria & Katarina

Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Maria! she's the mainstay muse for me, even if she isn't so deeply thrilling hahaha

Have you had any other TOA muses? Cordelia! I still love her greatly ^^

Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? for muses, i tend to gravitate towards the soft-hearted type and the generally good-aligned, but i've been thinking about branching out more/again sometimes

What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? in terms of tenses, i used to favor past tense but i usually flip-flop now depending on what makes my starter post sound nicest HAHA i tend to write event posts in present tense however, and sometimes change to match my partner. for threads in general, i'm drawn to emotional scenes and discussions and character bonding, though in general i like all kinds of threads ^^ and just as a general extra, i really love writing maria specifically. the way she puts in her full effort to love other people and the world itself is honestly really soothing to write sometimes!

Favorite TOA-related memory: i love watching everyone lose their minds when something Wild and Zany happens in an event, to be honest DSFDSFSD i haven't got a great memory myself, so nothing specific from me, but it's lots of fun to see :]

How do you pronounce TOA?: noah with a t (toah)

Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share? 😉 i am genuinely so close at all times to picking up wolf, though a preference for capping at 2 muses and general nervousness keep me from it :pensive: other than that, i've come really close to apping sothis before, and i have partially formed blogs for ced, citrinne, boucheron, among others

#out of siblings #meme tag #really cute meme <3 i've been browsing everyone else's responses with great interest huhu

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omgkalyppso · 2 years

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I found my Shahid rant from 28/06/2022!

I've spent all night and morning thinking of Shahid fire emblem and a more effective Leicester campaign from Almyra. Lots of oc nonsense and vague GW spoilers and some character deaths:

Claude taking his mother's surname is the same vibe as Obi-wan Kenobi going into hiding as Ben Kenobi. Literally people who knew him will not be fooled.

Edmund and Enbarr are established in the lore books in few3h as having trading ports with Dagda and other countries, and Edmund is described as being harassed by Almyran pirates. There is a 0% chance that news of a new von Riegan heir of the missing daughter of Oswald von Riegan doesn't make its way back to Almyra.

So Shahid, having previously thought the bullying and assassination attempts had finally chased his little brother into hiding, now fears that Claude is using his namesake to offer the long coveted Leicester mountain range and fertile lands beyond as offering in his petition for the Almyran crown. Claude always came across as shrewd and silver tongued, he should have expected it, and surely their father would take great pride in this achievement of his (perceived?) favorite son.

And by now Shahid has sacrificed too much to see any other way forward than with blind ambition. He ruined his relationship to his sister Sara, having scarred her face when she dared to suggest that he only hated Claude so much because they were so similar. He had the knife at the ready because he'd intended to use it upon Claude, and they both knew she'd interrupted that too. Sara held that knife to Shahid's throat afterwards, warning that she'd never been so well-trained nor so strongly strategic as he to guarantee that she would not slit his throat. She ended the interaction by forcing him to heal her face with his pathetic magic, knowing that it would scar and force this reminder between them, even as she retreated to the territory she'd inherited with the suddenly-suspect, premature death of her first husband. Sajad, whom Shahid had been so close in age as children, and who had followed his every taunt and instigation to beat and bully Claude in their youth, had also listened to Shahid's lies about how Sajad could have one day been king if only things had been just so - if only, together, close as they were, they overcame their siblings and demonstrated their resilience. Sajad killed Asmaa at Shahid's indirect assertions of ambition, and then a letter from Shahid to their eldest brother, Sarim, alerted him to Sajad's crimes and plots, had ensured Sarim sent an effective band of assassins to silence the truth in Sajad forever.

Rumaisa was never going to rule, she was a warrior and would likely never even be a general, ill-adept at strategy as she was. This left Claude and Sarim as Shahid's rivals to the crown.

He would deliver Leicester to his father, by war if not by birthright.

Almyra didn't need to invade to overtake Edmund, Derdriu and Ordelia, because Leicester has no navy, and so while Faerghus and Adrestia dealt with their own internal politics, Shahid needed only to be either an annoyance or a crippling presence by cutting them off. An occasional circle of wyverns sent across the roads and farmlands from these boats, to surround their major cities should pester even the local lords with no investment in trade by sea into distress. Even if Leicester had their own aerial forces, Almyra had strong archers, and thirty (or whatever) per ship should secure their barricades. Which leaves Fodlan's Locket, and the riches contained within the Throat, and beyond. If he could force either of his sisters to the front line, he suspects he could lure Claude's forces beyond the security of the Locket to face them directly; but perhaps not, and this would be risky and time consuming and could destroy the morale of his army, to see an Almyran princess so distressed; nor, likely, would such a victory seem honorable to their father.

He would need a decisive battle, as there would be no starving out Goneril territory, even with the stress on Leicester to distribute their own bounty to the territories affected by the Almyran blockades.

With Nader the Undefeated as his council, Claude as his enemy, and the crown on the line, Shahid would simply have to review what had been effective in previous breaches of the Throat, by bandits and kings all the same, and pray that the Gods favored him as they had always seemed to, even as the people had found their own reasons to prefer little Khalid.

In all this, Sarim would be focused on unifying southern Almyra or otherwise would be fighting a conflict with whatever I want to put on their southern border.

#long post #fire emblem #three hopes #shahid few3h #claude von riegan #khalid von riegan #oc tag: sarim #oc tag: sara #oc tag: asmaa #oc tag: sajad #oc tag: rumaisa #but i prefer different au's #looking at few3h: there's a lot to unpack here but let's just throw out the whole suitcase #character death cw

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loonysama · 1 year

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Fierce & Feisty Friday

Every Friday can be fierce and feisty! Just post a snippet or excerpt with a character who's being extra fierce or feisty so we can all get in the mood for the weekend. Tagging: @keeshya6, @firawren, @true--north, @justfrozenthings, @annaofthenorthernlights, and anyone else that has something fierce or feisty to say!

This week, my fierce and feisty comes from The Magenta Cravat, a bittersweet love story about Hans and Elsa Addams (Frozen in an Addams Family AU).

🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤

They first met at his Mamushka ceremony, and Hans couldn’t take his eyes off of her graceful yet commanding presence. In fact, he was so stunned by her that he would have fumbled the whole thing if his brother Olaf hadn't been there to coach him. He ended up giving her the performance of his life, though it wasn’t enough to impress her. His “disingenuous” and “over-the-top” charm and the boxy frame he hadn’t quite grown into weren’t enough to make up for his “barely adequate” dancing. He even told her about his plans to take over the nearby town, but she said it was a “lowly goal” and scoffed at the idea that he could make her his first lady. She even left him pinned against a wall with hundreds of sharp ice crystals when he wouldn’t leave her alone.

Utterly besotted from her brutal rejection, Hans vowed to himself and every Addams in the family cemetery (dead and alive) that he would become worthy of Elsa’s love. So over the next four years, he worked hard to become something she’d admire, and more importantly desire. He practiced the Mamushka every day, strengthened his body into a well-cut machine, and honed his now signature charm with every man, woman, and monster he came into contact with. And, most importantly, he abandoned his feeble plans to take over the town in favor of world domination. Elsa was born to be queen by birthright, and Hans couldn't believe he presented her with "First Lady" as his offering.

He wrote her love letter after unanswered love letter begging her to be the queen by his side, until she finally asked him to visit her so she could reevaluate him. She lived at the top of a beautiful castle made of translucent lines and sharp angles, and Hans and Olaf were struck by its sublime loneliness. She was an outcast in her town for her taste of the macabre and proclivities to the "dark" arts. She would have been content living at the top of her ice palace, all alone as the last surviving member of the once great Arendellian royal family forever, but his promise tempted her. The promise of a life lived freely, among like-minded people who would appreciate her unique talents. In the end, it was his dedication to her, his growth as an earnest, ardent admirer, that lured her down from her hilltop.

He came ready to fight the townspeople for her honor, knowing they wouldn’t let her into the town so easily. Her very presence, even if for a few moments, drove them to homicide. Hans thrived on such conflict, and he was eager to prove himself to his beloved Elsa. He drew his practiced, though battle-shy, sword, as did his brother Olaf and his right-hand hand, Weasel. Sven, his reindeer butler-turned-body guard (when needed), and his menacing antlers, stood ready for a quick escape and a brutal bucking if need be.

It was exactly the kind of party Hans and Olaf were expecting. “Olaf, old boy, this is the best bachelor party I could ever imagine!”

Then his beloved started down the long stairway to the center of town, and all fighting stopped for a moment to watch this most beautiful creature descend to the mortal realm. The peace didn’t last long, though, and the horde of pedants rushed to the stairs with their torches and pitchforks to keep Elsa from what Hans believed to be true happiness in his loving arms.

“Well, how far are you willing to go for her?” asked Olaf.

Without hesitation, but with a fierce and protective look in his eyes never leaving her body, Hans said resolutely, “I would die for her.”

Olaf giggled, and said, “Well, today just might be your lucky day!” And the two brothers forged on.

Before they could reach the mob, though, Elsa had cleared a bubble around herself to reveal her extraordinary magical powers Hans had heard legends about as a young child even. First, it was a sphere of fire, which burnt the whiskers of those closest to her. Then, she put out the fire with a wave of water from the nearby well, soaking even more townspeople.

“Say, that’s some bride you got there, Hans,” Olaf whispered with a nudge of his elbow.

Hans smiled maniacally, “Is she not the most magnificent creature you’ve ever laid eyes on?”

Olaf chuckled, and said with a slap on the back that caused Hans to cough, “Well, she’s not my type, but good for you!”

But Elsa wasn’t finished. Next, she dried the townsfolk off with a harsh breeze that knocked most of them down. Then, she turned the stone stairs into a giant rock monster which followed behind her, ready for her orders.

The townsfolk fled, and Olaf and Weasel bemoaned not being able to take any action, though Hans didn’t regret it for a second.

He changed his vows after witnessing Elsa’s display from “I want you to be my queen when I am king,” to “you are my queen and I want to be your king."

Read more @ AO3.

#fierce and feisty friday!#fierce and feisty #frozen #helsa #elsa #addams family #the magenta cravat

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dragonagedatingsim · 8 months

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I answered a post on Reddit with an info dump about my "canonish" inquisitor, Mevhaniel Lavellan, so I thought I'd post it here, too, for safekeeping:

My (canon stretched to breaking) Inquisitor is Mevhaniel Lavellan, twin of Rosaleth Tabris, separated from each other at a very young age.

Rosaleth and Mevhaniel are actually the children of powerful ancient elvhen nobility: Melushan, a lord of a powerful trade city on the ocean, and Peryniel, the son of a disgraced branch of a royal family in another elven domain, who'd turned down an opportunity to take a seat among the Evanuris. Mevhaniel's parents took part in Fen'harel's rebellion against the Evanuris. By birth, Mevhaniel would have been a prince, though any birthright he had was long gone by the time he awoke from his slumber, still an infant.

He woke in the cold Frostback Mountains, so far from civilization that he should have died. By some misfortune, it was not the wandering friendly spirit who found him, but a member of the Cult of Andraste. Finding him frostbitten and starved, they figured it was a sign from Andraste that he was meant to survive, that he'd found his way to their doorstep. They took Mevhaniel in, gave him a shed outside a house, and patted themselves on the back for their good deed done.

Mevhaniel, at age seven, earned a place in a home by luring in a traveler for the cult.

When the Cult was burned to the ground by Warden Surana, held back from a full-blown slaughter by his other companions, Mevhaniel had no idea he would come eyes to eyes with his own sister: Rosaleth, fully grown, in a shouting match with the elf that had almost killed him in the rampage. Feeling responsible for the massacre of the village that had been, for better or worse, been the only home Mevhaniel knew, the Warden Company carried him as far as Denerim. In Dererim, they gave him a pouch full of coin and told him to take a ship to the Free Marches.

Mevhaniel was swindled out of his money exactly 2 seconds after the Warden Company left, but (for once) found some luck in the form of Clan Sabrae migrating from Ferelden to the Free Marches.

Being somewhat of a late bloomer, Mevhaniel didn't present with magic until his fourteenth year. He chose to leave Clan Sabrae, rather than put his clan in awkward position of sending one of their own left, when there were already so few left, and was taken in by Clan Lavellan. Clan Lavellan, by that point, had three official mages, and two people were very talented at sleight-of-hand tricks. And one more person who had a knack for whipping up healing potions. (All you did was drink the healing-potion-that-totally-wasn't-regular-water and they patted you on the head and boom! fixed! :) No magic here, serrah.)

His magic wasn't too strong, but he did have a pair of striking red eyes that made him stand out somewhat. The red eyes didn't mean anything though, just a genetic trait that died out over the thousands of years since Elvhenan. The eyes gave him the reputation as being "Fade-touched," and one or two run-ins with injured people on the road further spread the rumor that he could heal any ailment. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

He once tried to wear a blindfold. The kids told him he looked really cool, but after tripping for the one dozenth time, Keeper Deshanna told him to take the damn thing off before he fell on his own sword.

One Lavellan child's formative memory was Mevhaniel and herself running into a few human hunters in the wild. The hunters had immediately started after them. Mevhaniel had, to the child's horror, tried to use magic. After a few useless sparks flew, Mevhaniel drew his blade, seemingly about to put some of his practice to use. The child's relief turned to disbelief when Mevhaniel, instead of charging to fight, chucked the blade at the hunters, grabbed the child under arm, and bolted.

They got away, but Mevhaniel was never again cool or awesome in the eyes of one Lavellan kid.

He volunteered to go the Conclave, something that filled absolutely no one with a lot of confidence, but he came at them with a convincing argument: "I'm good at talking!" He was good at talking, to be fair.

And so, he arrived as a representative of the Free Marches Dalish elves. The representative part was something he invented when the guards inevitably caught him, because "I'm a mage, not a spy, dammit." (Read in Dr. Bones McCoy voice). Thankfully, Mevhaniel's got that kind of bumbling, well-meaning air about him that the guard (singular, gay, new to the job) found charming and he was allowed in. The guard (already heart eyes) showed him around the place. The guard was trying out his best pick up lines (Mevhaniel hadn't fallen at any point so he didn't know what the guard was getting at), when Mevhaniel heard the Divine calling for help.

That was where his memory fractured, and he woke up at the hands of the Nightingale and the Right Hand of the Divine.

(Send help).

That's his lore, before Inquisition starts!

(In Mevhaniel's grand stand against Corypheus in Haven, he throws his sword at him, too.)

#oc: mavhenial lavellan #world slate: the flowers will keep you #world slate: children of fire #i'm sort of thinking of combining them #it might fill some holes #might open some #butttt i've found some of my favorite stories are chimeras of multiple stories #dragon age OC lore #oc: melushan #oc: peryniel

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jeweled-blue-eyes · 3 years

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I was going through the manhwa and it hit me that unlike Athy and Jennette's dresses, we never see anyone dissecting the meaning behind Claude or Anastacius's costume, even though they have much underlying symbolism to offer with all their varying colours and motifs. And these are the two most rich characters in terms of backstory and human relationships. Ur detailed dissection on Jennette's costumes are so good that I'm scarily tempted to tempt u to do this one. Will u do this one analysis🥺???

I don't know anything about the medals or the flowers on Claude's clothings since I'm don’t know flower language... But I can give my thoughts on some of his clothings.

Claude wears three types of clothings throughout the manhwa: 1. royal military uniforms 2. togas 3. victorian children clothings of the upper/middle class (play suits + sailor suits).

What is striking is that all three types of clothings he wore can be associated with freedom and oppression equally (1. military 2. ancient romans 3. royal navy).

Let's start with the first outfit he wore as a child: The sailor suit.

In 1846, the four-year-old Albert Edward, Prince of Wales was given a scaled-down version of an enlisted man’s sailor suit. It was almost certainly a carefully chosen decision calculated to make the public associate the monarchy which had declined in popularity with the most popular institution in Britain -The Royal Navy.

What do we know about the royal navy? Besides it’s role in British colonialism and the suppression of many Asian and African peoples, it helped to defeat a series of opponents for the most part countries goverened by authoritarian or dictatorial rulers (Philip II, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm II), in other words: tyrants.

Sailor suits which are associated with childishness and innocence stand in juxtaposition to it’s militaristic origin . It’s a reminder how young Claude was still pure and innocent, yet without being fully aware of it he was thrown into a battle for succession at such a young age, and expected to survive or die trying.

We could also dvelve into color theory a little bit: Brown is mostly associated with humility, plainness and poverty. It could be a reminder of his commoner origin. Perhaps it tells us that his mother didn’t have much money back then and Claude had to get dressed in clothes that didn’t gave away easily how often they got mended or got dirty, because his mother could only afford a few sets of clothing. This is only a speculation: perhaps the money meant for Claude was mostly used for the treatment of his mother’s sickness. (I can’t see the Emperor paying the treatment of a chronically ill lover. Unless he actually loved her).

We could also assume that Claude intentionally picked out plain brown clothing that would allow him to blend well with the environment. The flashback in chapter 73 shows us little Claude hiding behind the bushes from the palace guards. Considering his state of increased alertness, he seemed to be used to sense danger approaching and find ways to hide quickly and efficiently.

Ah before I forget too much brown can also create feelings of sadness, isolation and loneliness...alright, you get what I mean, I stop here.

Now to Anastacius. While Claude’s attire is more lowkey about it’s violent origin: Anastacius’ is more upfront. He’s already aware of the situation he is in. He knows his little brother is more talented than him and feels threatened enough to consider the words of Caracks who tried to lure him away. Anastacius wears something resembling a mix of military uniform and a victorian play suit in blue and red.

Blue was also considered the most prestigious colour, and was granted to “royal” regiments.

I think Anastacius and Claude’s outfits were meant to show that they were at a crossroad in life. When Ana was still friendly with Claude he started out wearing play outfits and then as his relationship with Anastacius deteriorated, gradually started to wear normal suits and uniforms until he was wearing his ceremonial military uniform at the day he killed Ana.

The Obelia brother’s wearing a military uniform signifies that they are at war with someone. They are ready to spill blood. You can see it in The Lovely Princess, where when Athy meets Claude for the first time, instead of a toga he is wearing a military uniform and continues to do so almost until his death. We know that Diana was the one who introduced him to Siodonna’s fashion. With the memories of her gone, so was the peaceful presence in his life and he became a misanthrope. The memory spell had taken full affect and he was incapable to love or care for Athy in any way. Athy became his biggest torment, his enemy. Similarly our! Claude is only wearing a military uniform at official occations like Athy’s debutante ball, where he had to face the nobles which he resented so much. And even now, in the latest chapters he bothered to change his clothes with magic from a toga into a uniform when he reunited with his elder brother.

Whenever Anastacius and Claude are wearing a military uniform they are meeting someone hated (LP verse Claude met Athy, birthday baquet! Claude met the nobles (Roger), and now in chapter 109 he met his brother who had tried to kill him), they either want to demonstrate strenght (the uniform at Athy’s birthday baquet was more show) or they are ready to attack (the uniform in the recent chapters was more practical to move in).

However they are also stress on the fact that they belong to the royal family and are ought to be respected.

Ana wore almost constantly military uniforms, because he felt the need to show that he was the heir. Not only by birthright, but also in appearance. Only when he went undercover he switched his wardrobe to suits (still, in purple in the color of royality) and puffy shirts. You can see it when Anastacius entered the palace with Jennette. When Ana is fighting against Claude he is either wearing a royal blue (past) or a combination of red and black (present).

“ Black and red. In western culture, these are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood or anger, and black is that of darkness or death. Being a very visually striking combination, they can also convey a sense of power. Together, they additionally give the impression of burning coal or wood, i.e. "fire and destruction".”

(TV Tropes: Red and Black and Evil All Over)

In his previous life he bought fire and destruction upon Obelia...like in Athy’s nightmare remember? So it’s is kind of a bad omen as well.

Anastacius uniform in black and red forms a strong contrast to Claude’s uniform, which is dyed in colors of purple and pure white. “The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.”

My point is that Ana’s appearance reflect his state of mind. Being all the time at war with his brother. The paranoia to get overthrown. The fear not to be enought. He insisted on wearing the ceremonial royal uniform, the crown and the coat, in royal colors, because he felt inferior towards Claude and it made him feel safer. If he thought his own skills as heir were lacking he sought to compensate with the way he presented himself in public (his inferiority complex might have contributed to his lavish livestyle and tendency to waste money).

The only exception where Ana is not wearing a uniform is a scene during the time of Ana and Claude’s falling out. But he still emphasizes that he belongs to the Imperial family in another way: The brooch on his vest, has the same blue shade as the color of his eyes, which are a trademark sign that only the Imperial family possesses. In chapter 109, Claude and Athy chose to wear a similary colored brooch to show that they are the “true” heirs.

#does this make sense #I'm tired #anon #answered asks #wmmap outfits #wmmap #who made me a princess #sbapod #suddenly became a princess one day

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arofili · 3 years

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three houses of the edain ✾ house of bëor ✾ headcanon disclaimer

Elwing was the youngest child and only daughter of Dior Eluchíl and Nimloth Galathiliel, born to them in the dusk of Lanthir Lamath and named for the reflection of the stars within the waterfall’s spray beside her father’s house. When she was yet an infant, her father took up the crown of Doriath and the Silmaril of Lúthien, won by his own father Beren in their renowned quest. As a child of only three years old, Elwing’s family was ripped apart amid the Second Kinslaying, when the Sons of Fëanor assaulted Doriath and sacked it in search of the Silmaril they claimed as their birthright. Nimloth and Dior were slain, and their twin sons Eluréd and Elurín abandoned in the wintry forest to die, but Elwing herself survived and bore the Silmaril with her to relative safety at the mouths of the River Sirion. Protected by the her nursemaid Evranîn and the warrior Gereth, Elwing grew into the Lady of the Havens, the princess of fallen Doriath beloved by her people and respected by the other elven refugees from Nargothrond and Gondolin who dwelt by the seashore. She befriended Eärendil, son of Tuor and Idril, who was likewise a peredhel and soon won her heart. At an age counted young for the Eldar, though not for the Edain to whom they were also kin, Elwing and Eärendil were wed amid a grand celebration where, for the first time, she wore the Silmaril openly upon her breast. Within a matter of years, Elwing bore twin sons, whom she and Eärendil named Elrond and Elros. But the happiness of this young family would be short-lived. Eärendil was a mariner, lured ever to the sea: with three companions he sailed often in the Belegaer, yearning for Valinor and the parents who had left him for the promise of those blessed shores. In many ways he took more after his father’s Mannish kin, but in this the sea-longing of the elves dominated his spirit. Yet Elwing did not share his love of the great waters and missed him dearly whenever he departed. To remember him by, Eärendil gave his wife an enchanted stone known as the Elessar that he had inherited from his mother. Yet Elwing already wore a necklace with a stone of greater power, so she passed this gift along to her sons so they might have a token of their father while he was away. Though for many years Elwing had succeeded in hiding from the Sons of Fëanor, at last the news that she bore a Silmaril reached her foes and they began to stir amid the torment of their Oath. She denied their demands to the jewel, trusting that it would protect her family and her people from any assault and refusing to surrender the jewel her parents and brothers had died for. Within a year, the Fëanorions descended upon the Havens of Sirion with a furious desperation, and the last peaceful haven in Beleriand was destroyed. As the battle raged, Elwing entrusted her children to the care of Evranîn, who managed to hide them in a wardrobe before she was slain. Elwing herself fled to the highest point in all the city, a clifftop tower overlooking the unforgiving sea below, and there made her final stand. The eldest sons of Fëanor, Maedhros and Maglor, cornered her upon her ledge and entreated her for the Silmaril once more, promising to call off the attack if only she returned it to them. But Elwing was proud, and distrustful, and seeing her city burn below her she was filled with despair. These Kinslayers had slaughtered her parents and left her brothers to die, and they would do the same to her and her sons; they could in no way be trusted and in no way be allowed to gain the for which she had lost so much. Thus Elwing turned and leapt into the sea, plummeting toward the unforgiving rocks below. Yet miracle of miracles, her unspoken prayer was answered, and in one swift moment she was transformed by Ulmo into a white bird, soaring to freedom with the Silmaril yet hanging from her breast. She flew across the ocean to Eärendil aboard his ship, where she turned back to her original form and told him all that had happened. Together, believing their sons dead at the hands of the Fëanorions, Elwing and Eärendil set their courses for Aman and sailed forth, carrying the last hope of the Free-peoples with them in one final attempt to beg aid from the Valar. Had they known that their sons yet lived, cared for by Maedhros and Maglor rather than killed by them, perhaps they would have sailed back to the ruins of Beleriand. But they did not, and though they left their children behind, Elwing and Eärendil would prove invaluable in the final assault against Morgoth, for none other than scions of both the Kindreds of the Children of Eru could have swayed the hearts and minds of the Valar to finally march against the Enemy whose influence wreaked such havoc upon Beleriand.

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jeremy-ken-anderson · 2 years

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The Fantasy

I’ve seen these longstanding arguments about superhero fantasy - some of the argument taking place online, in the form of blog posts and essays, and some of it taking place on film, in the form of the kinds of movies various directors decide to make - dealing with what the fundamental desire is.

For some the fantasy is one of selfishness and aggrandizement. Some instances of Batman are little more than the fantasy of getting to exert power on whatever you personally consider injustice without concern for law or due process. They’re the fantasy of always knowing who the bad guys are by feelings in your gut, and always turning out to be right about that.

Others hold a nobler view. They say superhero fantasies are about obtaining power - perhaps by birthright or by accident or even by training - and then using that power in the service of others. They maintain that kindness, and service, are the fantasy. Merely getting to know for sure that where great need is had, you will be capable of providing great value.

I really like the nobler view, but tbh I came here to talk about an anime relative of the darker one.

I came to talk about the Just-Like-My-RPG Isekai subgenre.

Three isekai that run with this subgenre are - in order of how ethically they look at things - Log Horizon, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, and Overlord.

In Overlord and HNtSaDL (henceforth pronounced “Hunt-a-Saddle” in my head), there’s a fantasy very similar to that of Edgelord Batman. In this case it’s due specifically to the subgenre. It’s “Because this is just like the video game I was always playing, I don’t need to treat these as real people.”

Both Ainz and Diablo deal very poorly with the women around them; In Diablo’s case he’s a NEET and that’s the joke and we’re constantly shown that he’s trying, though if he weren’t so OP as to be useful on a massive scale I’m not sure he’d be worth putting up with. Ainz, oddly, has a bit of an out on this front because the women he deals with are actual monsters and we see that he’s legit scared that they might turn on him. So his hamming up the role may be in self-defense to some degree.

But the bigger thing for both is their treatment of life. They just...have no respect for lives. Diablo attempts to take people alive, sometimes, especially when it could be inconvenient (such as getting them kicked out of town). But we also see that he’s willing to gleefully murder an army, for the game-style flex. Ainz is an absolute psychopath and gets worse the longer things go, starting from “overboard vengeance against the human garbage, for the human party-mates I had vague acquaintance with” and “happily setting myself up in pretend self-defense so I can wreck people who’ve underestimated me and still look like the good guy” to “luring people into a death trap and then murdering and/or torturing them” and then to “slaughtering towns and armies simply to try out my new mass-kill spell and see how cool it looks.”

What’s weird, and makes both shows creepy, is that we’re shown in a variety of ways that while the places they’re interacting with are modeled after the game they played very directly (to the level where their game knowledge lets them predict events in a way that would be unreasonable for a world native) the world natives are in fact definitely actual people.

The reason Log Horizon tops my list of these three as far as “how ethical is it” in spite of the very...iffy view it takes on underage girls and their attraction to older men and how it seems to think those men ought to react... is that it looks at this issue of the NPCs being real people head-on. It is a big deal, and the main character realizes that a) It’s a gigantic ethical can of worms and b) it’s going to be incredibly hard to convince his fellow PCs to yield any kind of power to the much weaker NPCs of the world - even if it’s power the PCs don’t need to live that the NPCs do need to live. In essence, the main character recognizes that his fellow PCs are likely to look at this in the unethical way presented by the other two series, if the behavior is not actively checked. I think this is brilliant and it’s one of the things that makes Log Horizon really shine as a subversion of genre/expectation. It doesn’t just note the problem, it lingers and it ponders the problem.

#overlord #how not to summon a demon lord #log horizon #anime #review

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alyssadeliv · 3 years

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The Forgotten One

First Previous

Chapter 3

Damian Al Ghul is the most beautiful baby Marianne has ever seen. Not that she’s seen a lot of newborns, but something inside of her knew no one would be as cute as her little brother. He was very tiny and that only encouraged her more than ever to protect him. Her mother thought it adorable, that if not training she was always at his side. Her grandfather thought it useful, like a bodyguard to protect his so expected heir. As a baby, he couldn’t do much yet, but she liked his company. It was rewarding to see him staring at her with those beautiful green eyes when she talked to him about her day.

They grew up together, so it was only natural that they would train together. Marianne loved it when they would train or fight together, it was another excuse to be around her baby brother. Since birth, he has always been very bright, and very skillful. He’s only seven when he is allowed a solo mission, and she remembers how she begged her mother to allow her to accompany him, just to make sure he’ll be alright. The punishment she received from her grandfather was enough for her to never ask again. But as Damian had proved more than capable to handle every kind of situation thrown his way, she wasn’t so anxious anymore when he would leave for missions. But that didn’t mean she didn’t worry.

Her mother and the guardians became more strict with her training after Damian was born, focusing more on fighting techniques rather than the knowledge of the Kwamis, that part she was already very knowledgeable about. And because of that increase in her abilities, she was allowed to train with her brother, when he was about six. In the beginning, their fight was never fair, with more years of experience, Marianne had an advantage. But as the years passed by, and Damian learned, it became more equal. When they fought together they were formidable, the synchrony and the precision of their movements was something fascinating to behold. You would think that because of their strong bond it would be difficult to actually hurt each other in a fight, but together they were ruthless, always pushing the other. They brought out the better in each other. Marianne could proudly say she taught Damian a lot, especially in the art of diversion and dagger fighting.

Living in the League meant that you could never be too careful, and trust was something it had to be earned. Relations were discouraged because they tended to make you weak. But for the siblings, having each other was their strength.

Even if both had their own room, it was common to find Damian sneaking to bunk with his sister or Marianne simply crashing at her brother’s bed after a taxing day of lessons. To everyone in the League, they didn’t have contact outside of training, and her grandfather made sure of that. He liked to call her his secret weapon, one that only his most trusted followers knew about. Being a very paranoid person, that trust revolved around 3 people, her mother, Sabine, and Master Fu. And she was sure that her master only knew about her because it was what created their alliance in the first place.

Like her, Damian wasn’t much better in the social department. He didn’t interact with kids his age, and all of his time was dedicated to perfect his skills. She was his one and only friends, but just like her, he wasn’t very good with words, yet she knew he adored her just as much as she did him. She was the heir to the Order of the Guardian and he the heir to the League of Assassins. They had duties to fulfill, expectations to reach, and people to please. It was hard, but at least they had each other.

Until they hadn’t.

She was sixteen and had just come from a long mission, all she wanted was to take a shower and curl into bed. This mission had been more taxing than normal, she was successful but it still took a lot from her. Ignoring her primal needs she made her way to the training grounds of the League, looking for her Master, to give him the mission report.

“Master” She greeted. Wang Fu had taught her so much, but she could see very clearly that her teacher was flawed. Even after years in this life, he had a very kind heart. He tended to be a very recluse, only interacting with people from the Order or the League if he had to. She was the only exception to this, from the years of training with him, she knew he had a soft spot for her. Most of the time he acted very naively, and that still bothers her thus this day. But where he was kind he was also very strict with her training. That’s why she always pushed herself, to prove to him that she was worthy of her birthright, to be the true wielder of a Miraculous.

It was already dark, and the League was quiet. Only the ones on duty would be awake, but it was common to find her Master meditating at all hours of the day at the Temple of the Miraculous. The temple was built by the order of her grandfather as a sign of good faith after the alliance between the two organizations was created, she spent most of her childhood there, reading the sacred tomes and connecting with her inner self.

“How was it?”

“Successful as always. I infiltrated the party without any problem and locating my target was easy. The tricky part was luring him out of the crowd. But I managed. Using the Chinese hairpin I infused the poison in his bloodstream, he was dead in a matter of minutes. The poison won’t leave any possible leads, and I obtained the information requested. I shall pass it to Grandfather at our morning meeting, he requested that you be present as well”

“Any witness?”

“No.”

“Very well… Go ahead and get some sleep. Tomorrow after our meeting you will be having another section of training with Lady Shiva, she was very pleased with your recent development.”

She bowed respectfully and started to make her way to the chambers. She could feel the sleep piercing through her, but she pushed it aside, she needed a bath before even thinking of going to bed.

She made it to the west wing of the League, where Damian opened the door after only two knocks, still in his sleeping clothes. At that time, she was the only one that would seek him out. He let her in without a word, and she immediately made her way into his bathroom. Being the Heir to the League comes with its perks. His room was bigger than hers and he had a bathroom all to himself. Compared to his room hers was rather simple, with a bed in the middle, a dresser, and a table with a chair. The Arabic aesthetic gave a stylish decoration to the plain room. His was more majestic, with a big bed with the most comfortable comforter she ever laid in and very well decorated. Only the best to the grandfather’s grandson.

She stripped and laid her weapons carefully on the counter. With empty thoughts, she enjoyed the warmth of the water on her skin, and only after washing her hair twice, she turned it off. Sometime during her shower, her brother had delivered some of her clothes. Because they alternated between their rooms, it was practical to just leave a couple of clothes in each other’s chambers, that way no matter when, they would always have something to wear. She left the bathroom only carrying two of her daggers, even in the comfort of her brother’s bedroom, she could never let her guards down. He was laying on the mattress, half-asleep, just waiting for her. As she neared the bed he lifted the covers to let her in. And as she laid there at his side, feeling the heat of his body near her, with one dagger on the side table and the other under her pillow, she felt at peace.

The peace was short-lived, however. She couldn’t tell for sure how long she had been asleep, but enough for her brain to be foggy. She bolted awake feeling another presence in the room. In one fluid movement, she grabbed her trusty dagger and went into action. She hit her target in one fluid movement.

“What’s going on?” Damian was also awake, with a sword in hand, staring wide-eyed at the body laid on the floor.

“Get ready.” And with that they both started to prepare themself, gathering their weapons and changing into more appropriate clothes. In a matter of minutes, they were ready. Before they exit the bedroom, she turns to her brother.

“Take it.” She hands him one of her daggers. It’s from a set, her favorite. It was a birthday present from Damian. Two handmade daggers, one was white and the other was black, it had the Yin and Yang symbols carved in the handle. Representing the balance between creation and destruction. It was perfect for close attacks and throwing. He takes the black one without a fight, by now he understands the seriousness of the situation. With caution, they left the chambers. Now they could hear fighting happening in the background. She knew what she had to do, go to the temple, access information and from then try to create a strategic plan. Damian would come with her, without knowing what was going on, it was safer to continue together.

They reach the temple without any problem, but there’s when things got problematic. A group of three people advances on them, two men and one woman all wearing black and covering their faces. She immediately goes into attack mode. Diving from the oncoming sword, puncturing the man tight as he attacked her, she analyzes the situation, his wound which does little to stop him is heavily bleeding. Because of her size, she could tell he was underestimating her, so she used that in her advance. She let him come closer, giving him a false sense of security, allowing him to believe her to be inexperienced. His sword makes contact with her left arm, and a red flow of blood makes itself known. Following her plan, when he comes close enough she grabs onto his torso and using his body weight throws him onto the floor over her shoulder. Once he’s down she reaches the dagger strapped onto her thigh and stabs onto his chest. Immediately turning her attention to the other two attackers that went after Damian she throws the dagger at the back of the woman, momentarily distracting her brother’s opponent. Grave mistake. Damian disposes of him quickly after that. After getting back her weapon, they keep their pace.

Now they could see various members of the Order and the League fighting different opponents. The floor is coated in red, and in the distance, it is possible to see the beginning of some fires. Seeing her home being destroyed broke her heart but there was no time to grieve. On high alert, they arrived at the temple. They meet another group of black figures, not even thinking she immediately engages one of them.

She can’t tell how long that has been going on, she lost sight of Damian and their enemies just kept coming, there is no sign of Master Fu or the Miraculous Box, so she can only assume that he escaped without any problems. The other guardians are by her side, trying to overpower the attackers. In the distance, some explosions begin, shaking the foundation of the temple. Some stones start to fall, and immediately their opponents start to evacuate mid-fight. Based on that it is not difficult to reach a conclusion. Their target was the Order, they obviously planned to explode it to the ground.

“It’s a trap! We have to leave the Temple, it’s going to crash!” With no hesitation she starts looking for Damian, she needs to find him and get him somewhere safe. It’s pandemonium, people running and screaming orders. Some bleeding and some already dead. It’s practically impossible to see with the smoke that found its way in.

When she finally finds her brother, it’s almost too late, by now a lot of the foundation it’s destroyed, and they would be lucky if they get out in time. They start running, Damian ahead of her. They were almost at the entrance but something in her, maybe her instincts told her that they would not make it. Using the rest of her energy, she focuses on her inner strength, gathering a bit of magic in the palm of her hand. With one fluid movement, she pushes all she has into her brother.

The impact of her magic sends him flying out of the building, into safety, just in time to miss the pieces of the temple falling down.

“MARIANNE!”

It's the last thing she hears before she feels the weights falling onto her body. For some minutes she feels everything, the burning pain in every inch of her body and the shallow movements of her chest.

But for the moment that didn’t matter, she was tired, and she knew she could rest knowing her brother was safe.

“Ahbk ya akhi”

Hope you liked this new chapter, it was a bit longer than usual. I’m not very good at writting about fights, but I hope it wasn’t terrible. Let me know if you want to be added to the Tag List!

Taglist: @macncheesemonster @jumpingjoy82 @silversaphire12 @jinx-jade @swiftie-miraculer13 @greatcatblaze @megaafangirl @ramos123 @theamityislife @maskedpainter @toodaloo-kangaroo @nyx-in-line @ketchupqueenboiiii @iamabrownfox @lozzybowe @user00000003 @kashlyn @msshadows97 @ira-sairain @stackofrandomstuff @myazael @frieddonutsweets @asrainterstellar @our-preciousss @laurcad123 @nyaabinch @rverfades

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aimandfire21 · 2 years

Text

Twisting Traitorous Vines Through Time-AimAndFire

Wordcount-13,345

Characters-Karl Jacobs, Sir Billiam, Ranbutler, Quackity, Sapnap

Main Tags-Memory loss, Forced Marriage, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Domestic Abuse, Time-Travel, Fix-it

Sir Billiam has everything a Gentleman could ask for. A manor to make anyone envious, wealth that it would take generations to spend, a loyal servant, and a cannibalistic egg that does his every bidding. There is little more he needs.

However on the night of the eggs annual 'feeding,' where peasants and commoners are invited for a party and subsequently murdered, there is an unexpected guest. One Karl Jacobs. He had a pretty face, good humor, and odd clothing that just dripped with wealth. Billiam wants him.

Yet he refuses Billiam's advances, claiming he is already engaged.

Billiam refuses to take no for an answer, so he has the egg take maters into his own hands, forcing Karl to forget everything he ever knew so he could have Karl to himself.

Unfortunately Karl's fiances are more than willing to jump through time to save their other third, and are willing to take every risk to save Karl, even if he might not remember them any more.

Billiam will be the first to admit that he was easily bored.

He doesn’t care for the company of others, but it’s hardly his fault. They’re so simple minded and dull, interacting with them is more of a pain than it’s worth.

Sometimes there was some entertainment that came around. A traveling play that Billiam could laugh at, or maybe a jester he could invite around. Sometimes a particularly pretty lad or lass came to town, and they could be coerced with his wealth to spend a night with him, but besides that things were pretty slow.

His butler, the only servant he still had, sometimes tried to provide something to do but quickly learned it was more of an annoyance than anything. So Billiam was often kept to himself, reading old books, or whatever else suited his fancy at the moment. It was quite dull, even if there was no earthly pleasure he couldn’t possibly buy.

This all changed every January. Right after all the winter holidays Billiam had his servant search for very specific people. Not by name, but by type. Middle class on the way up, either through promotion or marriage to someone too good for them. The ambitious type, trying to rise up in the world, higher than they were ever meant to go. They were the easiest to lure by far.

Then on the third of every February he threw a party. A different theme every time. Last year it was a costume party. The year before a tea party, and before that a theater viewing.

Then, one by one, they would end up dead, fed to his egg. It was always fun to see them panic, blame each other, and get more and more violent.

It all started twenty years ago. When Billiam the third was a newly orphaned heir after his worthless father finally did everyone a favour and kicked the bucket, he was left to finally claim his birthright.

Only then did he find the gorgeous ruby egg under his manor. It was so beautiful, whispering only truth in Billiam’s ears. But it was starving. His father was not only content in languishing exactly where they were in both status and wealth, but he was also willing to stave such a glorious creature.

Billiam swore himself that while the manor was under his command that his dearest egg would never starve again. Of course ten years ago he was far weaker than he was now, and hesitated when he heard the cost. Still he accepted, and the egg reassured him that it would do all the work. He could just sit back and watch the show.

And what a show it was. The manor housed around 40 servants at the time, not that Billiam cared to know who most of them were. The egg started subtly, and at first the deaths were accidental. A waiter tripping and falling out of an open window. A maid being crushed by a rocky wardrobe. A cook being cut by a knife left in a soapy sink, with no one around to help.

Then the deaths got less plausible. Servants just turned up dead, with no explanation or cause. Paranoia bloomed slowly, yet spread quickly. Billiam got to watch and listen as rumours spread, each more outlandish than the last, but nowhere near as outlandish as the truth.

Then on the 3rd of February everything came to a head. There was a huge storm, the rain pounded and flooded the streets. There was nowhere anyone could go, even if he wanted to.

That day the egg feasted.

No point in trying to hide anymore, the halls ran red with blood. Screams and cries for mercy echoed as sweet music to Billiam’s ears. He didn’t raise a finger, just stood back and watched the show as his entire workforce was depleted to bones.

A few people tried to flee, but none could swim, and their bodies were retrieved and fed to the egg the next day after it dried.

The egg was thankful, knowing it was as reliant on Billiam as he was the egg. He gave Billiam a personal butler who could tend to everything that needed to be done. There was no need to hire servants ever again.

Naturally the egg was quite sated after his feast of fourty, but of course it didn’t last forever. Soon enough the egg was grumbling again, so on the next February 3rd Billiam opened a job fair. The worthless and impoverished came crawling to them, barely even worth feeding to the egg, but he did it anyway. After that he decided to get a bit more fun, and get a few more worthy meals.

Which led to twenty years later, where the 3rd of February became quite the holiday for Billiam and the egg.

Still, that didn’t mean he particularly liked those he invited. If he did he wouldn’t be killing them and feeding them to an egg. So when he got news from his butler that one of the guest’s arrived early he was naturally annoyed.

“Would you like me to attend to him, Lord Billiam?” Billiam wasn’t a lord of course, despite how honorable and respectable his lineage was, and how much he deserved a proper lordship. Both the egg and butler had learned to call him by the title he deserved long ago.

“No, I will give him the tour myself.” Billiam grunted, knowing full well that leaving his butler with a guest unattended could give the game away, or at least be a tip off.

The butler certainly tried, and there was no complaint about his work or ambition, but he didn’t always fully pass as human. Words were a struggle as his tongue wasn’t exactly human, he’s got decent control of his limbs but they were still janky, but worst of all was his speech. He only really got it sounding natural-ish recently, but his inflections were weird, and he really couldn’t hold a conversation without immediately seeming suspicious. Luckily he seldom had a need to do that.

Billiam was expecting a young man in an ill-fitted store bought suit trying to extend an air of false confidence and entitlement like many men of low stature who think they deserve better. They were little more than vermin in his eyes and he detested them as so.

However someone like that isn’t who came to greet him at the door. Instead there was a young man that looked rather small and nervous. He was short, and his slouching posture made him look even smaller. He seemed soft, with fluffy curls, a cute smile, and adorably chubby cheeks.

Though his pleasant appearance wasn’t what caught his attention. Instead it was his outfit. Ill fitting and overly comfortable, it wasn’t any sort of clothing Billiam had seen before. He wore a jacket with neat stitching, utterly alien fabric, and vividly gorgeous colors, complemented with a modest purple mask.

Needless to say he was immediately intrigued. Perhaps not intrigued enough to keep him alive, but intrigued nonetheless.

“Welcome to my manor. I’m Lord Billiam the Third. Who are you?” He asked, not with the faked politeness he often used, but instead genuine interest.

He smiled kindly. He seemed excited, and made no poor effort to conceal it. This was often unusual. “Hi! I’m Karl Jacobs!”

That name didn’t ring a bell. While admittedly he seldom bothered to learn the names of who he invites, as they’re often dead in a few hours, he’s at least familiar with them. Karl Jacobs didn’t seem to be on the guest list.

He shot a look at his butler, who merely shook his head. He didn’t recognize the man either.

Oh well. The egg won’t suffer from an extra meal, so there was no reason to send him away.

He took great pleasure in showing Sir Jacobs around, though he hardly understood most of what the man was saying. He wasn’t familiar with his career, nor the country he claimed he was from. It all sounded utterly foreign.

Perhaps he was from a different country? That would explain his odd dress.

Unlike most people, the company of Karl was rather enjoyable, and his voice was rather pleasant to the ear, matching the rest of his attractive features.

However he didn’t get to spend long alone with his honored guest, when far more annoying ones started to arrive.

First was an old man wearing a fox mask that covered his entire face hiding his decrepit features, but unfortunately not his aged voice that was shrill and almost painful to the ear. The only virtue of his arrival was that it became clear that Sir Jacobs, despite his good nature, was equally annoyed. They had good fun sharing judgmental glances while the old man wasn’t looking, though the other man seemed far less ill-willed than Billiam in his detest.

Then arrived Lord Sebastian. While technically a lord and of the gentry class, he was poor and pathetic, his family equally so. Billiam actually knew him from before. He thought that making an acquaintance with a lord would help him get his own lordship, but unfortunately he was mistaken. Still despite how unworthy he was he portrayed an air of faux-elitism that was annoying at best.

Of course when he called Karl Jacobs the help, Billiam became more enraged than annoyed, and even Karl seemed a bit defensive.

Then came James. Billiam used to be fond of James, he was handsome and not too miserable to talk to either. He has some noble blood but not quite a title, and found himself wed into a prestigious family. Billiam was content to let him be at first.

Then he started to take to the bottle, and soon things fell apart. While his looks didn’t fade, his charm and charisma certainly did.

Frankly Billiam had just gotten bored of him.

He was awkward when he arrived, though still quite handsome, with a silver crescent moon mask extenuating his vivid blue eyes. However any enamorment Billiam had with his looks fell short as soon as he opened his mouth.

“My old friend! How’s the business?”

“Bankrupt.”

“How's the wife?”

“Divorced.”

“How's the family?”

“Gone.”

“... It’s hard to talk to you.”

This earned a chuckle from Karl, and Billiam was glad he shared his good humour, but when he turned he saw that his humour didn’t seem to be where Karl’s attention was drawn.

A modest blush crossed over his pale, adorable face. His light brown eyes were cast down, as to not stare. He was clearly enamoured.

It made Billaim furious. When he had a chance he was sure to tell his butler to make James’ death extra painful.

Then arrived Lyaria, the one woman he invited. Usually his cast was a bit more diverse, but this was a small gathering, and there was a very specific reason Lyaria was there.

She was an assassin.

Of course Billiam isn’t too fond of women in the best of circumstances. They’re pretty useless for most things. He has no wish for children, and there is no woman of his status that is quiet and non-intrusive enough to consider wedding, so there is little point in associating with such creatures.

Worse is a woman who tries to rise up in the world. Men trying to climb is wicked enough, but women? An utter travesty.

However Lyaria almost impresses him. A hitwoman for hire, never caught or even suspected. He only knew about her because his connections happened to be her clientele.

But he heard rumours that someone purchased her services to take care of him. True or not, he couldn’t risk it.

Besides, she was far too eager to accept the invitation. So he had to get rid of her.

Then another unexpected guest came in, and Billiam was quite certain his arrival was some sort of practical joke. His name was Drew, as he wore a bright red square mask, a neon green speedo, and literally nothing else.

Oh well, a meal is a meal. The egg never seemed all that picky with what flesh it indulges.

Despite the awkward beginning the party started off rather smoothly. The butler passed out some of the good liquor, and his guests were willing to overindulge, which made them willing to dance.

Billiam danced with Lyaria first, the only one whose lips were still dry of his liquor. There was something scheming behind her narrow icy blue eyes, and he was slightly convinced that if she had to she would stab him right there and then.

Needless to say he was quite glad when the song ended.

Next he danced with Oliver. The older man was so feeble he could barely keep up with even the simplest moves. It was more like musical swaying, and Billiam got annoyed quickly.

Then next, Lord Sebastian. Sebastian was actually a talented dancer that could match Billiam’s own talent, and he might have enjoyed the dance under normal circumstances.

But only if it wasn’t the dance where James and Karl were partners. He couldn’t ignore the giggling, how close their faces were, the red dotting Karl’s cheeks, or how James’ hands seemed to dip lower and lower.

He was utterly furious, so when partners changed and he ended up with James he was far rougher than he usually was, though the masked man was far too drunk to even seem aware.

Then finally, Karl. The one he had been waiting to dance with since he laid eyes on him. He was even smaller in his arms, and practically flew across the floor. There was something noble about him, proud but not vain in everything, even his laugh.

He was one of the few people who Billiam was actually glad to see. Who he was happy to dance with.

He almost didn’t want him to be sacrificed.

But nothing could quell his excitement as the lights slammed off and panic spread through the room. This was the best part, the first blood.

Though he was saddened when Karl pulled away, his warmth leaving his arms to flee in the darkness.

Though when the lights flashed on he was quite glad to see Karl was still alive, and even gladder to see Drew and Lyaria were missing. It meant one of them had to be the first victim.

When Lyaria returned they searched for Drew, whom Billiam already knew was dead, but he had to play along.

However he was slightly surprised to see not a corpse, but merely his decapitated head. Most of the other guests immediately panicked, as it was highly likely they had never seen a dead body before. The only ones who weren’t panicking were himself, Lyaria, and surprisingly enough Karl. It was almost like he was expecting a murder.

Still it was hardly his main concern. Influenced by the egg Lyaria’s blood lust was becoming more and more evident. He couldn’t have her turning on him, and besides, it would be boring if one person killed everyone else.

While his guests were in a panic he turned to his butler and spoke quietly, so quietly, barely even a whisper. “Kill her next.” The butler had no reaction, but Billiam was confident he heard.

When the lights flashed on then off again he was satisfied to find Lyaria’s corpse shoved in a wine barrel, but didn’t have much time to stew in his delight when a call for help brought him to an even more gratifying scene.

James, not yet dead, sputtering and drowning in his exotic fish tank. The colorful denizens of the tank paid him no mind as he clawed at the glass in a desperate bid to shatter it.

Of course he was slightly angered when Karl attempted to rescue him, but the attempts were for nothing, and James drowned painfully nonetheless.

Soon the night passed in a stew of blood and screams, all with Karl by his side. Suspicion turned from him to his butler, which was amusing, and not strictly false. Usually as the night went on suspicion went to either him or Billiam, but seldom both of them. This gave the other leeway to continue the killing game.

Soon enough however the party was over. The final guest choked out by his most loyal servant, dead yet still warm. It was only him and Karl left.

Now the moment of truth.

“Come with me. I have something to show you.” Karl was hesitant, clearly. He had figured out what had happened, or at least that Billiam was to blame, but he followed nonetheless.

His pretty eyes widened in fear at the sight of the crimson red egg. Somehow he recognized it instantly. Billiam’s not certain how that could be possible. He made jokes to try and ease Karl’s fear about the unworthy guests that had come over, even confessing that they were merely middle class.

It didn’t work.

As soon as Billiam cast his eyes away from his dearest guest to admire the great honor of the egg Karl fled. He was as light on his feet in running as he was dancing. Billiam would have no hope of catching him if he was alone.

Luckily this was not the case.

His butler waited dutifully by the door, catching and attacking Karl. “Don’t kill him!” Billiam commanded, though he’s quite certain that Karl only heard the last part as he started to panic even more. Still, he was no match for Billiam’s most loyal butler. The servant wrapped one arm around his neck, another around his arms and chest. His mouth stayed quiet of words, only despite gasps and coughs, but his eyes pleaded for mercy until he fell into a violent yet very alive sleep.

“What do you want me to do my lord?” The butler asked, picking up Karl with ease. If his servant was truly human Billiam might have actually gotten jealous.

“Let him live but do not let him wake. I wish to keep him.” For what Billiam wasn’t entirely certain. Perhaps he wanted to make him a servant, or perhaps make him a follower of the egg. Maybe he would merely keep him unconscious forever, just to admire his beauty in sleep.

As the night passed and the butler had Karl settled into one of the most grand spare bedrooms Billiam finally made a decision. His mind clearly had secrets nuzzled away, from his odd clothing and his knowledge of the egg, he was clearly hiding something.

He called his never sleeping servant to his side and issued a command. “Allow him to awake, but do not leave his side.” He wished to see what would happen, how his dearest Karl Jacobs would awake.

He’s not sure when he changed from ‘Karl Jacobs’ to ‘His Dearest’ but Billiam was not bothered. Karl was his now, until he finally bored the piglin, he would be staying and that was final.

Though when he finally awoke three days later Billiam expected resistance or panic. Instead he was met with daze and confusion. “What happened? What happened at the party?”

While he was surprised Billaim wasn’t stupid, and immediately started to spin a lie.

“Karl! I am so glad you’re awake! You were attacked by one of the guests in the frenzy.”

The butler then jumped in. “Are you hurt sir? Did you hit your head?”

Karl raised a hand to his brow, then shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I just have memory issues sometimes.” This caught Billiam’s attention rather quickly, but he decided to leave it for now.

Karl quickly sat up, the soft blankets cascading off his slender form. “I must be leaving. Thank you for your kindness, but I must be leaving soon.”

Billaim smiled sharply. “Nonsense. I would be quite a poor host if I sent you off after being injured. Surely you must stay.” Admittedly Billiam was a rather poor host under normal circumstances, it was the only critique he would ever accept.

“No, really, I have to go.” Karl insisted. Billiam placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, to stop him from moving further.

“You’re still injured, you really must stay.”

“I insist-” Karl’s words were cut off by the butler pinning him to the bed with its inhuman strength. Karl went pale, and his tongue went still.

“And I further insist, you’re staying.” All politeness drained from Billaim’s voice. When Karl protested no further, he nodded, satisfied. “Butler, tend to our guest. He may have to run of the house, but no further.”

Karl had become significantly less carefree and happy under the dutiful and ever present guard of the butler, but his handsomeness faded not, so Billiam had no qualms. In fact he actually didn’t care much for Karl’s thoughts or opinions. If anything his newfound quietness was an improvement.

Though Billiam did manage to glean a few bits of information from him, each more fascinating than the last. He spoke well of lands Billiam never heard of, spoke of buildings casted in the most gorgeous blocks, and of histories that were so outlandish they almost seemed fictitious.

One thing became very clear to Billiam very quickly. Not only was Karl Jacobs clearly very wealthy, but he was evidently powerful. Surely he must have been a lord at the very least. So certainly wedding him would give Billiam a courtesy title.

Perhaps it would even help him earn a title of his own a few years down the line.

After a month of guesting Karl he invited the lord to a private beach that Billiam owned. Clearly he was hesitant, but eventually accepted, most likely sick of staying cooped up in the spacious mansion.

Billiam dressed in his finest silks, yet the color still seemed faded compared to Karl’s vivid jacket. Though he did not wear it out that day, as Billiam had his butler collect it for the wash. Instead he purchased a brand new wardrobe for his guest, a fine wardrobe, yet not as fine as Billiam’s own. He could not have his companion dressed better than himself of course.

Some color seemed to return to Karl in the carriage ride over, and some joy in his smile at the sight of the soft white sand. Even after he asked to frolic in the water and Billiam laughed in his face, he wasn’t too perturbed, and was satisfied in merely walking side by side with Billiam.

Finally as the coral sunset over the waves Billiam went in front of Karl and got down on one knee. Despite it all he was only a few inches shorter than Karl as Billiam took the lord’s petite hand in his own.

“My dearest lord Jacobs.” Billiam started. A nervous look crossed over his face, but he didn’t interrupt quite yet. “You are the only man I have ever met of a family with more virtues and assets than my own.” Karl shifted his feet and looked down at the piglins hand. “You have a face of simple beauty, while it is a feature shared by every one in twenty commoners on a street, none can pair it with your status and wealth.”

Instinctively Karl attempted to pull his hand away, but Billiam merely tightened his grip so Karl could not free himself until he finished. “You are the only man whom is even partially worthy of me, so I have decided to honor your status by taking you as my lawfully wedded husband.”

Only then did he stand, his proper height almost three feet taller than his now spouse. Karl stood frozen in shock while Billiam waited for his reaction.

“I’m engaged!” He blurted out suddenly.

“What?” Billiam growled, anger rising up.

Karl laughed awkwardly “Well you see I’m engaged, so I can’t marry you. I’m so sorry.”

Billiam grunted again, his eyes narrowing on the brown haired man. Karl shrunk in on himself and let out a gasp as Billiam wrapped a rough hand around his surarm. He dragged Karl towards their carriage, the younger man stumbling the entire way. “We're going home.” Billiam announced angrily, and Karl made no move to protest.

When they did finally arrive in the manor, Billiam still seething, he shoved Karl into the butler's arms and fled to the library, trying to get his anger in check.

He was furious at Karl, how dare he deny him? How dare he deny Billiam the third! How dare he refuse his advances? He should be honored, groveling at his feet. Their should have been no hesitation, no denial, no refusal.

And his fiance. Billiam didn’t even know the man or woman’s name, nor their status, but it shouldn’t matter. Karl was Billiam’s. He was his property. How dare someone attempt to take his property!

Hours later when the sky had gone dark and the library was a mess from Billiam casting all his novels at the wall in a rage his butler finally came to see him. The man had a silver dish covered with Billiam’s favorite foods. Caviar, fresh melons, thin cut venison, imported beef, and chocolate truffles. He was in no way shocked or surprised by the mess of the library.

“You have not had dinner, my lord.” He said matter of factly, placing the plate on one of the few intact tables. He glanced around the room, and Billiam was sure that it would be clean and all fixed up by the next morning.

“He denied me.” Billiam huffed, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

The butler wasn’t bothered, instead kneeling gently in front of Billiam. “My lord.” He spoke softly, his tone conveying something much deeper than his words ever could. “When you pledged loyalty to me I promised you, no earthly pleasure would ever be denied.”

He remembered the day foundly, though in a bit of a haze. By then the egg had only whispered to him, a nebulous voice filling his head with sugar-coated promise after promise, if only Billiam would provide a meal.

The day was bloody and violent, servants tearing themselves apart as the egg regained enough strength to control them once again.

The last servant was coughing and sputtering out his own blood. A boy of maybe 16. Billiam didn’t remember his name. It was something regal, Edward or Victor. Or maybe Peter? No matter, he never bothered to care.

He grabbed the black haired boy by his scuffed and torn collar, then dragged him to the nest of the egg. Billiam cast the almost corpse right into its vicious maw.

The egg let out something that could be called a laugh, and commanded Billiam to rest, to sleep. So tired from the night's events he complied, his room as messy and bloody as the rest of the manor.

Though when he awoke there was not so much as a tear in the curtains, nor a drop of wine on the floor. The manor, his grand ancestral home, was cleaner than it had ever been before.

The only proof of the event was the servant at the door, standing dutiful by his bed. He looked the same, only with empty ash eyes and limbs that didn’t work right.

Perhaps he should have been frightened, but he wasn’t. He merely stood up in his already made bed and glanced at him with a critical eye. “Who are you?”

The butler’s face did not move, but noise still came out anyway. “I am the butler. A servant of you, through the egg.”

“And why are you here?”

Billaim could tell the butler was trying to smile, though it looked horrifying and gastly. Still, Billiam was not scared. “You have fulfilled your promise to the egg, so it will serve you in return. No earthly pleasure, possible or impossible, will ever be denied.”

In all of his twenty years of serving the egg, he had never fallen through. If Billiam wanted something, he would have it.

There was no reason to think it would fall through now.

“I want you to erase his memory.” Billiam commanded. “He already has memory issues. It shouldn’t be too hard to make him forget his fiance.”

The butler smiled. “It will be done. Now rest my lord, such a day has been tiring for you.”

The butler was not wrong, Billiam was quite exhausted. His bed was made freshly and he spared it no thought as he climbed under the perfectly soft blankets, content that he would wake up tomorrow morning with the sun, to the face of a contented groom with equal status of his own.

However this was not the case. Merely hours later, far from enough time for a fully sound sleep, Sir Billiam was shaken awake.

Now, as rare as it was, the egg had woken Billiam up early before. Though it was a rare occurrence, and only when Billiam specifically requested it. And it had never happened so early that the sound had not even caressed the sky.

Billiam did not even have the time to wake up fully before the butler had started speaking. “My Lord, I have news.” It sounded almost nervous. Neither the butler, nor egg, had ever been anxious before.

“What is it?” Billiam asked, not even upset or angered about his interrupted sleep.

“Lord Karl is… A time traveler.”

Billaim balked, not even certain he understood fully what his servant was saying. “What?”

“A time traveler my lord, from 300 hundred years in the future.” He had a distant look in his eye. “He’s been to both the future and past. I… Have never seen such power before.”

Any reservations or hesitations Billiam may have had were washed away by the mention of power.

“Power? Tell me, where is he from? How much power does he have?”

The egg shook his head. “It is impossible to tell. He cannot control it yet, and it is what damages his memory. He is from somewhere called Kinoko kingdom, and is the leader alongside one of his fiance’s.”

Billiam was shocked then overjoyed. “A prince? No, a king! With time travel? My obedient servant, I have never met a more suited match!”

“Then what shall you have me do, my lord?” The butler had gone back to his stoic and professional nature.

“Do not erase his memory, but block it if you can. Alter it. Make him believe he is my husband. Is this possible?”

The egg nodded. “Of course my lord. I will take care of all the papers as well. By Sunday you shall be wed, and Lord Karl will never know that it was not the case.”

With this Billiam smiled. Not a polite or amused smile that often crossed his face, but a true smile of pure delight.

Everything he had ever wanted, pure power, a lordship, a husband with power equal to his own and untapped potential was all in his grasp, and he would never let it go.

Quackity was having a shit time. This wasn’t unusual, as he was often having a shitty time, but this time it was different. This time he had run into Sapnap, and was not happy.

Honestly he wasn’t sure exactly how their relationship was at the moment, but it was somewhere between ‘bad’ and ‘really fucking complicated.’

But hey that’s what happens when you ditch one of your fiance’s just to make a whole ass country without letting him know. Admittedly Quackity was up to some bullshit that Sapnap would probably kill him for, but he didn’t know that! So what the fuck gives?

Though in all honesty Quackity wouldn’t have been so upset if he hadn’t missed Sapnap so fucking much. Every Time he saw either him or Karl it physically hurt. It pained him. What he used to have was so far away, with both him and Karl leaving him without so much as an explanation as to why.

So needless to say when Sapnap came over and started snooping around he was pretty fucking pissed.

“Hey Sapnap! Who the fuck invited you here?” He snarled and stormed up to the taller man without hesitation. He was angry, fucking furious. His heart was aching with hurt and he wasn’t ready to forgive.

Sapnap looked at him in confusion, and he seemed rather spacy. If Quackity wasn’t so furious he might have even asked what was wrong. Still Sapnap didn’t seem to even notice.

“Have you seen Karl?” He asked desperately, almost in a begging tone. Quackity had to bite back his immediate concern, letting it be replaced by anger.

“Ex-fucking-scuse me? The first time you see me after forming a goddamn country without me, you ask about someone else?” He snapped.

Sapnap’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t the time. Have you seen him?”

Now Quackity was furious. “No I haven't.” Sapnap sighed. “Maybe he abandoned you like you two abandon me!” Quackity could immediately tell the words stung. Good. He wanted them to hurt.

Sapnap flinched back. “This isn’t about you!” He yelled “Not everything is about you!”

Both men’s blood was boiling at this point, cruel words coming easily to their tongues.

“Both of you just left without a Goddamn word!”

“I had to take care of Karl!”

“You made a fucking country without me!”

“You did the exact same thing so shut your mouth!”

“There was a place for you! There was always a place for both of you! Where the fuck was I supposed to go in your country!”

“By our fucking side!”

“No, George was by your side. You replaced me with George! Fucking George!”

“George was helping with Karl! And where the fuck were you? Were the fuck were you when Karl started forgetting things? Where were you when his memory got worse? Nowhere! You abandoned us first!”

“No one told me Karl’s memory had gone to shit, because no one had told me anything!” With that final sentence Quackity stormed off, utterly shaking with rage.

Though by the next day he had calmed down enough to let the concern set in. Karl having both severe enough memory issues to need extra help, suddenly vanishing? That could end poorly, very very poorly.

He gave in another day before sending a message out to Sapnap. He only waited so long as to make sure he had a level head.

Quackity to Sapnap: I want to help you in your search for Karl. We should meet up to discuss what we know.

Quackity was not expecting a response at all, and if he did get one he was expecting something neutral and reserved. Instead he got a message back almost immediately.

Sapnap to Quackity: Really? Thank you so much, I’ve been so scared. Sorry about the fight two days ago, I do owe you an explanation. I promise I’ll give it to you as soon as Karl is back. I’ll send you the coordinates to Kinoko kingdom right away. I already have a room set up for you, you won’t need to pack anything.

There was no skepticism held by Sapnap. It actually hurt to think of how trusting they all used to be, but most things hurt nowadays, so he ignored it.

He had never actually seen Kinoko Kingdom before. It was beautiful, small, but held none of the protectiness that Las Nevadas held. There were no grand ambitions, no walls, no protections. They didn’t need them. Unlike Quackity they had no enemies, and if they did, they had each other to watch their backs.

It was something Quackity had once, not only with his fiances, but with L’Manburg and the person Wilbur used to be.

He didn’t have that anymore.

Sapnap seemed tired, utterly exhausted. His skin looked like ash, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Thank you for coming.” He sounded genuine, and while he wasn’t exactly warm towards Quackity he wasn’t cold either. “I’ll give you a quick tour before we start talking about Karl.”

Despite how pretty the kingdom was, it was clear his heart was not in the tour. This let Quackity take things in with a more critical eye. There were notes taped on the walls, simple things, like schedule and dates. The places Karl had clearly gone to were oddly messy, like Karl had forgotten to clean it up. That was very unusual for him. At least it used to be. Quackity supposed he didn’t know him very well anymore.

Finally they got down to business.

“How long has Karl been missing?” Quackity finally asked.

Sapnap looked defeated. “Five days.” So he was missing for only three when Sapnap first came to Quackity. “And I have no idea where he could have gone. He just vanished. No one else has seen him either.”

“I’ll find him.” Quackity promised.

Now Quackity was very good at finding things. He managed to find the compass that led to Technoblade, then Technoblade himself later, though that ended poorly. When working under Schlatt he could find where he stored all of his alcohol and get rid of his stash. When working under Tubbo he managed to track down everything Tommy had ever left in the white house and locked it away to preserve the young president's sanity. If something or someone needed to be found he could do it.

Of course this wasn’t because of mere luck. He could find things because he could get into their heads, he could comprehend how they think, and what they're likely to do. It’s why he’s such a good manipulator, and it’s a skill he’s honed well.

It took him almost an insultingly short time to find the hidden room in the library with the mere act of digging down. After making a mess of his bedroom and earring a few long, confused looks from Sapnap he was almost happy to find something.

Though even he had to pause for a moment to take everything in.

The walls were made of oak wood, and looked mostly normal, but that was the only thing that did. There were tables lining the walls with a single leather bound book on top of each of them, eight books total with odd titles and no authors name. Each had an elaborate painting hung right above them. It almost seemed like a museum, or even a holy place.

Of course all that held no candle to the glowing, multicolored portal that was fluctuating in the middle of the room.

“Sapnap!” He yelled, quickly getting the attention of his ex-fiance who came rushing over. As soon as he landed his eyes on the portal they went wide.

“Huh. That’s new.” He mumbled as they both stared. It wasn’t like a nether portal, or even an ender portal. There was no border, and it seemed like a tear in the world instead of a ture portal. “Do we go in?”

Quackity shook his head. “We should at least read the books first. Maybe get an idea of what’s going on.”

Needless to say they were in no way prepared for the stories in his books. Abandon cities in the future, madness spreading through town like the plague, a gladiator arena overseen by a cruel king.

But worse was Karl’s awareness of his memory declining. All his fear leaked out through his pen, how he knew he was losing it, how he was forgetting everyone, but that he was too scared to tell.

It only took three books for Sapnap to break down crying. By book five Quackity was crying too, but he held it together a little better than the other man.

“I never knew… I was always there, but I never knew how he was suffering.” Sapnap cried. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? Did he not trust me?”

Quackity stood around awkwardly. He used to be good with things like this, comforting those he loved. While he was never open, he wasn’t always this guarded.

Placing a hand on Sapnaps shoulder and squeezing gently seemed both oddly foreign, yet familiar nonetheless. “Karl is the most trusting person either of us know. He probably just didn’t want to hurt us.”

Sapnap squeezed his eyes shut as tears trickled out. “You’re right.” He choked out. “You’re right. But he’s in pain, and I should help. I’m his fiance, that’s what I’m here for.”

Quackity sighed. “That’s what we’re both here for, and honestly I fucked up a lot more than you.” This earned a weak chuckle from his fiance, which was a good sign.

Finally they got the last book, only titled ‘The Masquerade.’ Unlike all the others it was completely empty.

“I think this is where he is.” Quackity finally mumbled, glaring at the lily white pages like they stole Karl away himself.

“We need to prepare, then we need to get Karl back.” There was no ‘I’. There was no hesitation that both of them were going, that they were a pair like before everything had gone to shit.

Quackity had no hesitation either.

The next night after a dubious sleep and stocking up on nethirite armour, tools, and a bit of holy water for good luck they were ready.

Going through the portal was odd. It was like a dream, except they had never fallen asleep. So many colors flashed behind their eyes it was impossible to comprehend, and they were hit with dizzying nausea.

Quackity could barely comprehend his knees hitting the ground as he collapsed, but became slightly more aware when he reached his hands out to catch himself. He was blinded, but slowly became more aware of himself as his hands dug into a packed dirt road.

Black flashed spots flashed through his vision, but it was slowly fading back to him. “Sapnap? Sapnap are you alright?”

“Yeah.” He said in a weak voice. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Quackity felt the same, but didn’t complain and bit back his vomit, making a note to never time travel on a full stomach.

Though when he and Sapnap finally got their footing back they noticed they weren’t alone.

There was someone that Quackity was tempted to call a man in front of them, but there was clearly something off about him. He didn’t seem to be breathing, and wasn’t blinking. His black eyes were dead, his black hair seemed to move like it had nerves, and his limbs were pointed in angles that were just off enough to be noticed.

He reminded Quackity of Charlie, except with much more malicious intent.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” His voice sounded flat, and didn’t quite match the movement of his mouth.

Quackity knew how to smooze, so he immediately turned on the charm. “Of course, of course. I didn’t mean to intrude, and I’m sure you have a lot to do with your time so me and my partner will quickly be on our way.” He sounded genine, but the thing clearly wasn’t fooled. That was fine. As long as he wasn’t openly trying to kill them, Quackity could work with it. “We’re just looking for a friend of ours, his name is Karl, Karl Jacobs. Have you seen him? He’s short, curly brown hair, colorful hoodie, and very handsome. Have you seen anyone like that around?” Quackity asked sweetly.

The things' eyes narrowed, and he pulled out a sword from somewhere, Quackity couldn’t see where. He heard Sapnap do the same from behind him.

“Lord Jacobs is not allowed to have guests.” Ok that didn’t sound good. “You need to leave.”

“Fuck this.” Sapnap muttered, before charging forward and sliding through the man with unprecedented ease.

Both Sapnap and Quackity were shocked by this. His body split in half completely, the top half falling onto the dirt road.

Though there was no bleeding, nor blood. One look at his body, which was quickly stitching itself together, showed it was made entirely out of vines.

Quackity went slightly pale, but quickly steeled his resolve. “The holy water!” He yelled, yanking the sword out of Sapnaps hands as his fiance pulled out the bottle. The thing slashed at him with his own sword, but Quackity pulled away before shoving his own sword into it, getting a solid stab wound in.

Still, the man made of vines clearly had the upper hand. However Sapnap threw the holy water quickly, the glass digging into its chest.

The thing seemed panicked as it went down, shaking and screeching like a soaked enderman, dissolving into a red liquid that didn’t quite seem like blood, but looked close enough.

Quackity jumped back with disgust, knowing how easily it could take control, and not wanting any part of it.

“Who the fuck did he think he is? Karl isn’t allowed guests? That’s some fucking bullshit.” Quackity growled. “I’m going to find him.”

“We should start in that big, ugly mansion.” Sapnap pointed straight in front of them, and Quackity was inclined to agree.

The doors were made of wood, and were naturally unlocked. However both men decided they would enjoy kicking the doors in and destroying them much more than just unlocking them.

And after killing one of the presumed denizens of the house, they were probably going to hate them anyway. So fuck ‘em.

The manor was even more grand on the inside than the outside, with grand staircases made of marvel and gorgeous tapestries hanging from the wall.

Sapnap immediately felt the urge to destroy them, burn them to a crisp. He was already angry, but knew he couldn’t start destroying things until they found Karl. He needed to find Karl.

They must have made a bit of noise as someone else quickly came to see them. It was a piglin lord dressed in silk, with his tusks worn down. He stood above both men on the floor above them, glaring.

“Butler!” He called “Get rid of these men for me.” He called. Sapnap got tense, but no one came. Billiam furrowed his brows. “Butler?” He called again.

“I think we might have killed him.” Sapnap called up. The man cursed under his breath, before making his way down. The piglin was tall and broad, but he didn’t appear to have much muscle or fighting experience. He could probably put Quackity on his ass, but so could a particularly aggressive chicken.

Needless to say he was no Technoblade.

He seemed more annoyed than anything. “Well great. Now I’m going to need a replacement. Do you know how much of a pain that is gonna be?”

Sapnap hated how nonchalant and uncaring he was. He didn’t even know his name, but he hated everything about this piglin lord.

“Where is Karl?” He demanded.

This actually did get a reaction from him. He narrowed his eyes and glared. “Oh. You. I know who you are.” He sighed, sounding almost bored. “Well I’ll have you know that Lord Jacobs has moved on. It’s our one year anniversary soon, and I’m taking him out somewhere nice. So it would be best if you get on your way.” He smiled cruelly as he made a shooing motion with his hands.

This infuriated Sapnap even further. He was about to explode, but Quackity placed a calming hand on his shoulder, and gave him a look that said ‘I got this.’

“Well we might as well wish him congratulations, no? You seem like… Quite the catch.” His smile reminded Sapnap of a shark. “Why don’t you call him anyway.”

“He doesn’t want to see you. He simply doesn’t care for you anymore.” Sapnap knew the words were probably false, but they still hurt to hear. What if Karl didn’t even remember them? What if it was all true?

“Well then he can tell us that himself, can’t he?” Quackity’s face was unreadable to most, but he could tell his partner was utterly simmering in rage.

Billaim huffed. “KARL!” He called, his voice rough and demanding, it made Sapnap flinch. He would never use such a tone with anyone, especially not someone he loved as dearly as his husbands.

There was a tapping sound against the marble floor that could be heard from halls away, as Karl came rushing over, his face in a panic.

He stood next to the piglin, looking nervous, his eyes cast on the ground. “Y-yes my lord?”

Karl was dressed in an expensive looking red dress. It looked good one him, but Karl never wore dresses. His curly hair had grown, and his stature was nervous and guarded. When he stole a glance up Sapnap saw a bruise over his right eye.

Now he was fucking furious.

Quackity and Sapnap shared a glance, before turning back to the married pair.

The piglin turned to Karl, with a nasty look in his eyes. “Tell me, Karl, do you recognize these men?”

Karl looked up, utterly terrified. Sapnap wanted to reach out and hug him, to hold him close and take him home, but his feet remained firmly on the ground.

“N-no I don’t.” He stuttered. Sapnap felt his heart break. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

In an instant the piglin grabbed Karl’s hair and yanked, hard. Karl let out a cry but did not protest. Sapnap instintivally took a step forward, but Quackity gently held him back. He turned quickly to face his finance, who wore an unreadable expression.

Quackity then took a step forward and turned on the charm. “Don’t hold it against him, his memory has been failing for a while.”

“Yes, he’s rather stupid isn’t he.” Billiam grunted, before shoving him to the floor. His knees hit hard and Sapnap immediately rushed over to help him up. His eyes still held no recognition, but it held no fear either. Sapnap wrapped his arms around him in comfort, and when they were both standing, he didn’t pull away. If anything he only buried himself deeper into Sapnap’s chest. The piglin didn’t look pleased.

“Alright, now give him back.” He demanded. Sapnap felt Karl freeze in fear.

“Well if he’s as stupid as you say, why do you even want him?” Quackity somehow managed to make the question sound genuine.

“Yes, but he’s still mine.” The lord grunted. “He’s my husband, he’s my property, and I’m not letting him go.”

“Oh of course.” Quackity said smoothly. “You’re a businessman, a smart one as well. I know exactly who you are.” There was a mischievous look in his eyes. “There was a reason Karl came here after all. Did you think it was a coincidence he just came across someone so powerful and illustrious? Did you think it was just chance?”

All of this was false, of course. From reading his books it was clear Karl couldn’t control where he ended up in time, and neither him nor Quackity recognized the piglin in front of them.

However between all the flattery he was either too stupid or too cocky to notice that they had never used his name.

“He never mentioned this before.” He tried to be skeptical, but clearly his ego was bolstered anyway.

“Oh Karl’s such a dear, but you surely must know how bad his memory is at this point. He most likely forgot that he wasn’t even from this time.” Quackity’s words seemed almost friendly to someone who didn’t know better. Sapnap certainly did.

The piglin raised an eyebrow. “You’re also from the future?”

Quackity gave him an award winning smile. “How do you think we got here?” Then his face changed to something devious, his voice going low. “Let's just say I’m a businessman like yourself, and I know how to make a good deal.” He chuckled. “How about you give us Karl, and I tell you everything you could possibly need to know.”

The piglin hummed and hawed. “I don’t know. I did put a lot of work into marrying him, and despite how stupid he is, he’s quite a good looker.” Sapnap held Karl even tighter, hating the possessive look in the lord's eyes.

Quackity tilted his head. “No? Are you certain? Have you even met Price Coral yet? You might want to be single when he comes around, or he won’t show any interest.”

This got his attention. “Prince Coral? Who is Prince Coral?” He demanded.

Quackity seemed surprised. “Oh! You don’t know who he is yet? Of course you wouldn’t, my bad. He’s the third prince of the Raintes Kingdom. He comes around here in a year or two, and within a month you're engaged. After only a few more years, six or seven I can’t quite remember, both his older brothers end up dying in a fire.” All of it was a lie, but Quackity sold it well. “I don’t think a prince would be interested in someone who’s already married, but if you love Karl I’m sure it’s worth it to scorn Coral’s affections when he comes around.”

Obviously it wasn't. “No!” He yelled, making Karl jump. “You can keep him.” He spat out in disgust. Then he looked at Quackity. “What more can you tell me?”

His next smile was a genuine smile. “Of course my friend!” Then he turned to Sapnap. “Why don’t you take Karl outside? We’re only going to discuss business, which will surely bore both of you to death.” Sapnap took his cue, lifted Karl up with ease, and practically sprinted out of the manor.

The brunet was uncharacteristically quiet and pale. He didn’t used to be this demure, but he wrapped his arms tightly about Sapnap. He only let go when they were outside, gingerly stepping onto the ground and away from him. He wanted to grab Karl, to pull him back into his arms, but resisted the urge. He didn’t want to scare him.

“Thank you.” He mumbled softly, his eyes still cast down. “I think.”

“Hey, it’s no problem.” Sapnap wasn’t the best at comforting people, Karl was always far better than him, but now Karl needed comfort, so he needed to step up.

Gently he reached a hand to his face, careful not to touch his bruise. He utterly melted into Sapnap’s hand. “You’re ok, he won’t touch you ever again.”

“Thank you.” He whispered airly. “But how do you know me? I can’t remember, I can’t remember anything.”

Sapnap hesitated. “Well we’re your… We were your fiance’s.”

Karl seemed genuinely distressed by this answer. “O-oh, I don’t, I don’t really know. I’m sorry, you seem nice, b-but I can’t remember you at all.”

Sapnap smiled gently. “It’s ok Karl, I promise. Even if we’re not dating I still care about you. We just came through the portal you left behind.”

“Portal? Oh, I guess Billiam was right about that.” He chuckled weakly. “Now if only I knew how to use them. I can’t get us back to our time. I don’t know how.”

“I knew that was a risk coming here, but it was worth it to make sure you’re safe.” This earned a smile, as Karl got closer, his red dress swaying delicately, wrapping Sapnap into another hug that the pyromancer was far too eager to return.

The moment was ruined almost immediately by Quackity crashing through the already destroyed doors, absolutely covered in blood.

Karl jumped back and out of the hug. “What happened?” He asked, perplexed.

“I found that stupid fucking egg!” He yelled, before turning to Karl and lowering his voice. “Also your husband is dead. I hope you don’t mind.”

Karl just stared, a perplexed look on his face. “I don’t know. He’s my husband, I should be upset, right?”

Quackity shrugged. “Well, are you upset?”

“Oh goodness no!” Karl said without any hesitation.

Quackity smiled “If it makes you feel better my first engagement ended a lot fucking worse.” Karl tilted his head curiously, prompting him to continue. “I ate the asshole's heart at his funeral.”

Sapnap glared, pissed that Quackity might have scared Karl off. But instead of getting scared he bursted out laughing. Not a weak chuck, but a real, genuine laugh.

“Don’t try that with Billiam, unless you’re making a stew. He’s so fatty I can’t imagine you’d find anything that would possibly taste good.” This prompted Quackity’s own laugh, and a smile from Sapnap.

Then he turned serious again. “We need soulsand, and something to start a fire. The egg is in there and we need to destroy it.”

Karl frowned. “Well I know there is a town north of here, though I’ve never been there myself.” He admitted. “I know it was a day’s trip there, and a day’s trip back while on horseback. When Billiam went shopping he used to spend about four days away from the manor.”

Quackity sighed “Well we better start traveling.”

Sapnap asked if Karl would like to stay at the manor while they traveled, but he adamantly refused, insisting to travel with them despite having absolutely no clothing or even shoes that would be suitable for such a long trip. Still it was clear he didn’t want to be separated from them, and they weren’t too eager for that to happen either.

It was clear after two hours he was in pain, and even took his shoes off, which helped, but only for a little bit. When it was clear the pain had returned Sapnap said nothing, just hoisted Karl up again, and put him up on his shoulder.

“Is he always this touchy?” Karl asked, though not unkindly.

Quackity shrugged. “Do you mind?”

The time traveler hummed. “No I don’t think I do.”

Luckily they didn’t have to travel for a full day to find a town. In only a few more hours they came across a small, shanty town. All three men were greeted warmly by another piglin, except he was far more down to earth with dull tusks and eyes a bit too far apart.

“Heya, we don’t get many guests around here! I’m Sherief Noah Thompson.” He spoke in a very distinct southern accent. “Who might you fine fellas be?” He was young, with thick brown hair and black eyes that landed on Karl. “Say, you look kinda familiar…” He thought for a second, before an ‘ah ha’ look crossed over his eyes. “Oh! You’re Karl Jacobs! My da’ had a portrait commissioned of you! It’s hanging up in the town bar. Wanna see?” This guy seemed a little young to be a sherief, but it wasn’t really Sapnap’s place to judge.

Gingerly Karl got back on the ground. “Well that’s quite good to hear.” He said hesitantly “But I can’t quite remember when I was here. Do you mind jogging my memory?”

Noah looked confused. “What? You shot a guy and saved the town in a duel. You don’t remember that.”

Karl shook his head, and the sherief looked almost suspicious, before Quackity jumped in. “Karl hit his head about a year back and he’s had horrible memory issues ever since.”

The piglin’s expression changed from one of suspicion to sympathy. “Well that’s a damn shame. Why don’t I give you lads a bit of a tour? It might jog his memory. And besides, my Da will love an excuse to tell the story, but you’ll be here all night if y’all get him started.”

The visit was actually rather nice, if confusing. There was a happy bartender named John John who was absolutely delighted to see him. “Hey Karl! Look, my wound healed!” Karl seemed rather happy at this, though he admitted after they left the bar that he had no idea who John John was. However he did hand him over an old hoodie, promising that it was all patched up now. It stood as proof that he had definitely been there before, and provided a nice cover over his now torn dress.

Then guided by Sherief Tompson they came to a small, two story brick house. It looked rather charming, and despite it being slightly cramped, it was rather homely.

There was an old looking piglin, which were apparently common in the area, with white hair and one white eye who was hobbling around on a stick. He seemed a bit intimidating, but immediately warmed up when he saw Karl.

“Well I didn’t think it was actually you.” He smiled.

“It’s me.” Karl chuckled weakly, trying to be polite.

The piglin beckoned at all three of them to sit. “Oh come on, my son already said that you don’t remember much. Sit, sit, I’ll have Noah bring us tea. How much do you know?”

“Not much I’m afraid.” He admitted. “Though I’m very flattered by the painting you had made.” In all fairness it was a very nice painting. Perhaps it wasn’t the most skilled painting, but it was dynamic and colorful, full of life, and Karl seemed very heroic.

It was a shame he remembered none of it.

Sherman waved his hand. “Oh that was Crop’s doing. He used to be a cannibal, though you probably don’t remember that.” Sapnap wasn’t sure if Karl did remember, but he managed to keep his face impressive still.

“I think I might need a reminder.”

Utter delight filled his eye. “Well I was one week away from retirement when you came into town….”

It was quite the story, Sapnap isn’t going to lie. Bandit’s, a cannibal, and three midnight duels where Karl fired the last shot and put the final bandit into the ground.

Though like Noah warned it took a very long time, and by the time Sherman was done the sun had long set.

It seemed like he would keep going, but his son came in to thankfully rescue them all. “Come on Da,” He said playfully. “They musta come from far away, don’t keep them up all night too.”

Sherman balked playfully “Well I suppose…” He sighed, though he didn’t seem truly annoyed. “We only got one guest room, but I’ll have Noah bring y’all some extra blankets. Get some sleep you three.”

Noah did bring several blankets into the room, which was decent sized, though the bed was quite small.

Both Sapnap and Quackity agreed that Karl should take the bed while they took the floor. At first he tried to protest, saying Sapnap should take the bed because he carried him most of the way, but Sapnap refused.

Karl was the least stubborn of all three of them, so he didn’t protest too much further and quickly snuggled under the covers.

Sapnap and Quackity made a decent nest of blankets and pillows on the floor, but as they both got in there was noticeably space between them that neither felt too comfortable filling. It was where Karl usually slept, a thought that made Sapnap saddened as he slipped into sleep.

However when Sapnap woke up mid-morning the space between them was noticeably gone. It was hard to tell why there was a warm body there at first, but there was a bit of curly light brown hair poking out from under the thick covers that certainly didn’t belong to Quackity.

It felt natural, all three of them snuggled together and waking up for a lazy morning. Sapnap missed this. He reached out and wrapped his arms round Quackity, pulling him closer, and squeezing Karl against him.

When the other two men awoke no one mentioned that Karl had joined them in the middle of the night, though an expression of utter delight crossed over Quackity’s face when he realized what had happened.

Quickly they folded up all the blankets and made the bed, before returning to their hosts. Only then did they explain what they needed, soul sand and flint and steel.

Despite Quackity having the forethought to grab some fine jewelry off of Billiam’s corspe, they insisted on giving everything to them for free, including a pair of boots as Sherman was horrified when he realized Karl didn’t have shoes.

“You’ll catch your death like that young man. I know you’re smarter than that.” He scolded, though not actually angry.

“They broke on the way over.” He admitted sheepishly.

Sherman happily gave over an old pair of boots that Karl was delighted to have, and they actually fit quite well.

With everyone being able to walk properly the trip back to the manor was slightly shorter, and it was filled with the making of plans for how they’ll live and survive in the past.

“We shouldn’t go in before lighting everything on fire.” Quackity warned “We don’t have any protection over the egg. But all his gold and diamond blocks won’t melt, so we should scavenge them after the fire.”

“Shouldn’t we at least get some food first?” Sapnap asked. Quackity thought for a second, before shaking his head.

“Contamination is the main issue I’m worried about.”

Karl seemed confused. “Wait, aren’t you from the future? Won’t you be going back to your own time?”

Sapnap and Quackity shared a look, then Sapnap shook his head. “We don’t actually know how.” Karl looked almost devastated. Sapnap quickly rushed to reassure him. “It’s fine though! We knew that would happen when we followed. It's just how things are.”

Still Karl looked guilty. “I’m sorry I can’t control it.” He apologized “Billiam used to get so mad when I couldn’t control time like expected.”

“How did you two meet?” Sapnap asked, genuinely curious.

Karl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Honestly I’m not sure.” He admitted “I just woke up one day with no memory, in a fancy bed, and he said he was my husband. He also said I could control time.” He sighed. “It wasn’t bad at first. Not good, but not bad. He didn’t let me leave but didn’t hurt me, and seemed to genuinely like me for a bit. Then he got bored and…” Karl said nothing more, but subconsciously raised his hand to the bruise on his face.

“Well that fucker is dead, so you don’t have to worry about him ‘getting bored’ any more.” Quackity spat out, some pride in his words.

The manor looked no different from before, and even the corpse of the butler was still there, the flesh rotting and the vines dried out and dead.

“Bar up all the windows, just to be safe.” Sapnap commanded, as Quackity threw soul sand into the manor. Karl quickly grabbed some wood and did what he said, very quickly. He seemed rather eager to see the manor burn to the ground and Sapnap couldn’t blame him.

The fire started slowly, a golden red color, until the sand caught. Then the fire switched to an icy blue, and spread quickly. The group was sure to keep their distance as the smoke started to rise, smelling oddly sweet.

Then Karl started to cough. Quiet at first, then they got more violent. Sapnap was the first to notice, and reach down to grab him. “Karl? Karl!” He yells, and the shorter man starts wheezing. Quackity notices, and rushes over, grabbing him as well.

“Hey! Karl!” He yells, as the coughing only gets worse. “Come on, let's get him away from the smoke.” He said, desperately hoping it would help. However before they could drag him away, Karl fell onto his knees. Quackity and Sapnap let out a shout as his eyes rolled up and he collapsed onto the dirt, as both mens vision went black.

The very distinct feeling of dizziness, nausea, and the almost seizure inducing lights returned. Sapnap wasn’t sure if they were going back home or someone else, but he grabbed onto Karl and held on tight.

His knees hit a wooden floor and as his vision returned he saw he was in the secret room. Looking behind him he saw the portal was gone, with no sign that it was there in the first place.

“Are we… Back?” Sapnap asked hesitantly, his vision still clearing.

“Yeah, yeah we are.” Quackity confirmed, before looking down. “Karl’s not awake.”

Quackity was right, Karl layed next to them, with no sign of stirring. Quackity shook him gently but his body remained limp. “The fuck do we do?”

Sapnap shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not a doctor.”

Quackity thought for a second, before nodding. “Right. Ok, take Karl out of here and send a message saying we need help on the public channel. I’ll board up this room.”

Sapnap really had no reason to argue, so he picked up Karl and draped him over his back, before leaving the room and pulling out his communicator.

Sapnap: Karl, Quackity, and I are in the Kinoko Kingdom library. Karl is unconscious, and we can’t get him to wake up.

Karl was breathing, but cold. Sapnap held him tightly, wishing that he had some sort of blanket or something to keep him warm. Was he going into shock? Was he ill? Sapnap couldn’t tell and it was terrifying.

Soon Quackity came out, the wall blocking off the secret room patched up. “Is he awake?” He asked nervously. Sapnap shook his head. “Well fuck. I was hoping he would wake up by now.”

Quackity draped his suit jacket over him and ran his fingers through his hair, the scene oddly domestic.

It didn’t take long for them to be interrupted, with Bad and Foolish rushing in to help.

“You’re red?” Sapnap asked before he could stop himself.

Bad merely raised an eyebrow, slightly flustered. “Yes? Why wouldn't I be?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Nevermind.” He mumbled. Of course Bad wouldn’t be white, the egg was gone.

It was still a little odd though.

Then Karl started to stir. He didn’t wake up right away, his eyes scrunching and limbs twitching awkwardly. Sapnap cradled him gently against him. “Hey, wake up. You’re ok, just wake up.” He pleaded. He’s not sure if Karl heard him or not, but a few seconds later his doe brown eyes were flung wide opened.

He seemed confused for a second, before gasping “Sapnap,” And pulling him into a very passionate kiss.

It was surprising and rather shocking to everyone who witnessed the scene, least of all Sapnap.

“Huh.”

“Oh dear.”

Karl kissed him like he needed Sapnap to breathe, his lips pressed against his with a desperate fervor that Sapnap was far too eager to return. He felt lightheaded, from his emotions or the lack of oxygen, Sapnap couldn’t tell.

“Well I think his memory issues are fixed.” Quackity joked, which finally got Karl to pull away from Sapnap, only to pull Quackity into an equally passionate kiss.

It was almost funny to see Quackity so shocked. His hands were held awkwardly to the side, like he wasn’t sure what to do with them, as Karl’s own hand cradled his face.

“Well he’s awake now!” Foolish said cheerfully, though admittedly a bit awkwardly. “Would you three like some privacy?”

At that very moment Karl promptly fainted again. Luckily Quackity caught him before he hit the floor, his cheeks bright red.

“Oh dear. Is he ill?” Bad asked, before pausing. “Where have you three been? It’s been a week, and all of you just vanished. We were starting to get worried.”

Sapnap furrowed his brows in confusion. “Wait what? We were gone for three days, not even that really.”

“Were you in the Nether?” Foolish asked. “It’s easy to lose track of time.”

He wasn’t wrong, and he was giving him an easy out. Quackity opened his mouth to confirm that yes, they got lost in the Nether, when the library door opened and two new people came rushing in.

First there was Tommy, but he looked a little different. He looked healthier, more carefree. His blonde hair was thick and shiny, without any strands of white. He looked like he gained some weight, with a slight chub in his cheeks that he never got back after the second exile, and he was wearing his L’Manburg coat over his white and red shirt.

Quackity was merely confused by this, but he was utterly enraged by the person that came right after him.

Dream, dressed in his usual mask, hoodie, and out of the prison.

Quackity didn’t even think before charging, to the surprise of anyone else in the room. Still, he didn’t care. He needed one good hit, one good hit and Dream could hurt no one ever again.

A hand grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back, away from the very shocked masked man who jumped back in surprise. Foolish wrapped his golden arms around him and held fast, ignoring how Quackity flailed and thrashed in his grip.

“What the Hell Big Q?” Tommy yelled, about as surprised as everyone else in the room.

“Tommy get away from him!” Quackity screeched, still trying to get free. He was going to hurt Tommy, he was going to kill him. Quackity had to stop him.

Predictably Tommy didn’t move. Dream spoke up, sounding a little unsure. “Should I leave?” He asked.

“No, stay. We need to get this all figured out.” Bad commanded, then turned to Quackity, his eyes softening. “Quackity, I’m not sure what’s wrong but please calm down. No one is going to try anything while we’re still here.” He said, his voice calm.

Quackity wasn’t exactly happy about having Dream free, alive, and right in front of him, but there was little he could do. He let out a sigh, and stopped resisting. “Fine, I conceded.”

The mood was tense, and clearly Tommy was getting nervous. So naturally he just had to speak up. “Well at least I can rub it in Wilbur’s face that he lost our bet.” He teased.

Quackity went very still and very pale. “Wait… Has he been revived yet?” He asked in a panic.

Tommy furrowed his brows. “What? He never died?”

“Are you sure?” Quackity asked in a panic. “Are you certain?”

“Well not anymore!” Tommy yelled back, pulling out a communicator. He typed something quickly, and visibly calmed when a notification dinged. “Yeah, Wilbur is fine. He’s in L’Manburg right now.”

“L’Manburg’s still around!” He yelled before he could stop himself. It was quickly becoming clear to the others that something was very, very wrong.

“Quackity” Foolish said hesitantly. “You’re the president of L’Manburg.”

He felt himself become unsteady, and Foolish reached out a hand to stop him from falling over.

“What about Doomsday? Tommy’s exile? Pandora’s Vault?” Quackity demanded in a panic.

Dream spoke up, keeping his voice low and calm. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about with doomsday, Pogtopia is still abandoned and Tommy’s not banned from anywhere.” He reassured. “I don’t know what Pandora’s vault is either, what exactly are you talking about?”

Quackity ignored the question. “What about Techno and Philza? Where is Schlatt!”

Bad answered quickly. “Well they’re still all off world, and Schlatt’s still banned. You don’t have to worry.”

Quackity got even paler. “He’s alive?” Bad nodded. “I ate his heart. I ate his fucking heart.” His voice went very quiet, as everyone started to get even more concerned.

This is where Sapnap finally spoke up, his voice strained and shaky. “Time travel.” He mumbled. “Time travel.”

No one was sure what was going on but Bad immediately rushed over “Hey it’s ok.” He said softly, taking his cloak off and draping it over Sapnap, who was clearly going into shock. Dream tried to comfort him as well, but Quackity got ready to fight him, and Dream thought better of it. “What time are you from?”

“I’m not sure” Quackity admitted, dragging the attention away from Sapnap. He pulled out his communicator to see that it was only a week from when they left. “I think we just messed up the timeline. Or fixed it.”

“The egg is gone, the egg is gone, the egg is gone.” Sapnap kept mumbling, over and over again, while he also started to shake.

Bad was starting to get concerned. “Quackity what is he talking about? What’s wrong with my son?” He asked frantically.

“Alright, so there was this egg that was possessing people and taking over the server, and killing the rest. You were kinda the ringleader.”

Bad gasped in horror as he immediately started assuring and apologizing to Sapnap, who didn’t seem to really comprehend the words.

Dream seemed to be thinking. “Was I a part of this?” He asked, his voice calm.

Quackity shook his head. “No, you were in prison for destroying L’Manburg, trying to kill Tubbo, and torturing Tommy.” This seemed to get a reaction.

“Wait what the fuck? None of that shit ever happened.” Tommy spoke up, slightly pale. “Dream and I are pals here.”

“Not after Tommy’s second exile.” Quackity chimed in, starting to feel dizzy himself.

Foolish clapped his hands, startling everyone. “Ok! Well I think this is a conversation we can have when everyones calmed down quite a bit.” He glanced at Karl, then Quackity. “Why don’t we get everyone to lie down in a proper bed, and these three can get a proper night's rest?” He picked up Karl with ease, and tried to grab Quackity, who merely scratched at him. Instead of relenting he picked the other man up by the back of his neck, like a kitten.

Suddenly losing his footing, combined with the stressful days events, made him feel rather faint. He put up a little token resistance, which didn’t do much.

Dream finally thought it was safe to approach Sapnap with Quackity restrained. Quackity half expected him to strike out against Sapnap right there and then, but instead he merely took off his own jacket and draped it over Sapnap.

Foolish figured now was the best time to leave, and readjusted his grip to be more comfortable. Quackity did not protest being taken out of the library and to one of the many Kinoko Kingdom cabins.

“I know this might surprise you, but I’ve been around a very long time, and I’ve seen far weirder.” He said comfortingly. “Though it seems like you’ve been through a lot.”

“You died.” He whispered, the whole thing feeling a little unreal.

Foolish didn’t seem too off put by this. “Well I haven’t died yet in this timeline, so you really don’t have to worry about me.”

“I don’t know what's going on.” His eyes landed on Karl, still unconscious, sleeping like an angel.

“Don’t worry about all that yet.” Foolish reassured, finding a double bed and placing him down gently, before starting to leave. Quackity immediately started to panic.

“No! Don’t take him!” He yelled, reaching out to reach for them.

Foolish merely smiled kindly. “Of course,” He placed Karl gently, tucking him under the sunflower colored blankets. They almost seemed to make him glow. “You two get some rest, I’ll bring Sapnap here as soon as I can.”

He turned the lights off, but the window had no curtains, letting in the lazy afternoon sun. The entire place was warm, with simple paintings and enough clutter to feel lived in.

Hesitantly, like he was scared the other man would break if he moved too quickly, he reached out to cradle him. The ripped silk dress felt odd, but his hoodie was familiar. His curls were soft against Quackity’s, the soft sound of breathing was comforting.

He’s not sure how he managed to live without them for so long. In some ways he didn’t, he was angry, and apathetic, and could barely function. It’s a miracle that he hadn’t taken to the bottle like Schlatt.

But no, he had Karl back, he had Sapnap back, and he wasn’t going to give them up. No matter who tried to get between them, no matter what happened in the future, and no matter what supernatural tried to interfere, he would fight back.

Karl was his, Sapnap was his. He wasn’t going to give them up ever again, and no one would hurt them ever again.

It was a promise made when they got engaged, and it was a promise he would make once again when the wedding day finally came.

-Buy me a kofi

#tales from the smp #tftsmp #sir billiam #karl jacobs #quackity #sapnap #dsmp fanfic #dream smp fanfiction

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rainbow18 · 2 years

Text

Ever After High and Descendants comparison

Part 1. The Characters

1. Dexter Charming and Ben.

Dexter: Royalty. Royal. His main color is Blue and his crown is gold. Was In a love triangle with a girl whose main color is Pink and a girl whose main color is purple and ended up with the latter. Member of the BookBall team.

Ben: Royalty. AK. His main color is Blue even though his biggest fear is to be like how his father was and his crown is gold. Was in a love triangle with a girl whose main color is Pink and a girl whose main color is purple and ended up with the latter. Had been a member of the Swords and Shields team and the Tourney team.

2. Briar Beauty and Audrey.

Briar: Royalty. Royal. Has Hot pink streaks in her hair and eventually had a design where her hair was nearly completely pink. Main Color is pink. Her mother and Grandmother slept for 100 years because that’s what the fairytale states.

Audrey: Resembles Briar more than her own parents. (Their original animated selves AND their Descendants selves) Royalty. AK. Had a transformation that made her hair nearly completely pink. Main color is pink. Claimed her Grandmother had slept for 100 years even though her grandmother (and everyone else at the castle) slept for 2 days at most in Disney’s adaptation of Sleeping Beauty.

3. Daring Charming and Chad Charming.

Daring: Royalty. Royal. Blond. Liked flirting with girls and getting attention. Had been Sexist. Big ego. Member of the BookBall team.

Chad: Royalty. AK. Blond. Liked flirting with girls and getting attention. Sexist. Big ego. Member of the Swords and Shields team and the Tourney team.

4. Raven Queen and Mal.

Raven: One of the main protagonists. Has a evil mother. Temporarily became evil when she signed her page in the Storybook of Legends. Which is traditionally signed on Legacy Day. Got together with a prince with brown hair whose main color is blue. Smiled and Spoke about a lot of smiling practice in princessology class. Main color is purple. Has a pet dragon. Rebel.

Mal: The main protagonist. Has a evil mother. Temporarily became evil when she received her birthright jewel. Which is traditionally given during The Jewel-bilee. Got together with a prince with brown hair whose main color is Blue. Smiled and Spoke about how there’s a 2 hour exam on smiling in remedial goodness class. Main color is purple. Can become a full dragon despite being only half maleficent. (Ben can’t transform into a Beast and Jane only has powers in Wicked World and even then, she didn’t discover them until that point) VK.

5. Apple White and Audrey.

Apple: For a long time, she had been lead to believe that she’d end up with Daring who ended up with someone else. In the show, Her mother pressures her. Raven had become more popular than her to the point where when she offered to help the people who were asking Raven for help, she was told that they wanted Raven causing her to be upset. The evil queen noticed Apple’s feelings, lured her to the Mirror room and promised to give Apple her happily ever after if she helps her.

Audrey: For a long time, she had been lead to believe that she’d end up with Ben who ended up with someone else. Her grandmother pressures her. Mal became more popular to the point where Audrey believed that everyone would rather have Mal be queen than her and Audrey said that she was lonely and friendless. Maleficent’s scepter noticed Audrey’s feelings, lured her to where it was and promised to give her the ability to get revenge. “Something is pulling me, it’s so magnetic. My body is moving, unsure where I’m headed.” “This darkness around me is promising vengeance”.

6. Hunter Huntsman and Carlos De Vil.

Hunter: Son of a Hunter. Got together with the daughter of Cinderella. Rebel. Member of the BookBall team.

Carlos: Son of Cruella who wanted to murder many Dogs. Got together with the daughter of Cinderella’s fairy godmother. VK. Member of the Swords and Shields team and the Tourney team.

7. Sparrow Hood and Jay.

Sparrow: Rebel. Son of Robin Hood who was a thief. His name comes from a bird. Member of the BookBall team.

Jay: VK. Son of Jafar who in Descendants, is pretty much just a selfish thief. His name is a bird species. Member of the Swords and Shields team and the tourney team.

Not sure how many others there are.

Part 2. The dates they were announced.

Mattel announced Ever after high in July 2013.

Disney announced Descendants in December 2013.

Part 3. The Movies/Specials/Books and Shows

Ever after high The Storybook of Legends came out October 2013. In it, Raven was singing a song until she decided that the song’s lyrics no longer applied to her and changed them into the theme song.

Descendants The Isle of the lost came out May 2015. In it, Audrey was singing Once Upon a Dream while with Ben and He decided that the song doesn’t apply to him and Audrey.

Ever after high has Royals and Rebels. The Royals mostly consists of students whose parents were heroes or royalty. The Rebels mostly consisted of students whose parents were evil or not royalty.

Descendants has AKs and VKs. The AKs are students whose parents were heroes or at least good people. The VKs are students whose parents were evil or at least not good.

Ever after high has really short episodes that began to be released May 2013.

Descendants Wicked World has really short episodes that began to air September 2015.

During Ever After High, Maddie’s hat-tastic Party, Maddie was speaking riddlish and Raven’s response was to say “Translation x”.

During Wicked World, Audrey explained how Jewels were collected from the villains. Mal’s response was to say “Translation x”.

Ever After High Once Upon a Time a storybook collection came out October 21 2014. Each short story in it shows what some of the characters were doing shortly before the start of the series as well as what they thought about their destinies.

Descendants School of Secrets came out July 2015 and each short episode shows what some the AKs were up to shortly before the VKs arrived as well as what they thought about Ben’s announcement to allow VKs in Auradon.

Ever after high Thronecoming came out on November 2 2014. During Thronecoming, Cerise wanted to help the Bookball team but was told she couldn’t because the team (except Dexter) were sexist. Daring later saw how fast Cerise can run and decided to change his mind and let her help them.

Descendants 2 came out on July 21 2017. During Descendants 2, Lonnie wanted to join the Swords and Shields team but was denied because of sexism. Later in the movie, Jay saw how capable Lonnie is and decided to use a loophole to let her join.

Ever after high Next Top Villain came out on January 6th 2015. During Next Top Villain, Sparrow had said “Haven’t you heard of Chillin like a villain?”

Descendants 2 Has a song called Chillin like a villain.

Ever after high Dragon Games came out on January 29 2016. Apple was put under a sleeping curse. Daring was hesitant to try to wake her at first. After the reveal that he isn’t her Prince Charming, Darling gave Apple CPR/true loves kiss to wake her and it worked.

Descendants 3 came out on August 2 2019. During Descendants 3, Doug (and others) was put under a sleeping curse. Evie saved him using true loves kiss though she was hesitant to try at first.

Ever after high Epic Winter came out on August 5 2016. During Epic Winter, Daring got cursed to be a beast and while a Beast, he got an injury that Rosabella helped him with. Also The ice king was put under a spell that made him evil. While evil, he spied on Crystal, Ashlynn, Rosabella, Daring, Blondie and Faybelle and was cursing people like crazy.

In Descendants 3, Ben got cursed to be a Beast and while a Beast, he got an injury that Carlos helped him with. Also Maleficents scepter influenced Audrey to be evil and while evil, she spied on the core 4 and spelled a lot of people.

This is not to hate on Descendants. It’s just usually when someone calls Descendants an Ever After High ripoff or says that Disney based Descendants on Ever After High, someone will respond with something along the lines of “Just because Descendants has the children of fairytale characters doesn’t mean it’s based on Ever After High”. That’s not the reason why Descendants gets accused of copying Ever After High so much.

Disney chooses everything that’s in their movies, shows and whatnot. Mal could’ve been paired with someone else and she didn’t have to be the main VK. Yellow could’ve been Ben’s main color instead of his secondary color. Audrey could’ve looked more like her parents. Chad could have had black hair and/or have a nicer personality. The Audrey, Ben and Mal love triangle was completely unnecessary. The Characters that don’t get accused of being based on a character from ever after high (or at least as often) aren’t given as much focus and attention as the ones that are. So it’s hard to deny that Descendants was based on Ever After High. Although Mattel is not innocent since there is evidence supporting Ever After High copying Disney.

#ever after high #Eah

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writerkatsblog · 2 years

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Do you think that Xiaolin Monks could just be regular people without superpowers/powers that weren’t generalized to a certain element?

Ex. Jermaine was a Wudai Warrior and he had powers such as being able to walk on water, but no other supernatural powers. Then Guan, Chase, and David had general superhuman powers, but no specific abilities?

Like, are monks chosen on their abilities and personality or maybe they’re chosen by some supernatural force at birth? What do you think? Could someone be a Xiaolin Dragon w/o being one of the MCs?

Gonna go a little out of order here and start with the third question.

I think that Xiaolin Dragon is a title specifically for someone who was associated with a certain element. You can only become a Xiaolin Dragon if you're associated specifically with an element like Wind, Water, Fire, or Earth. Which is more of a destiny/birthright thing.

Anyone can become a monk if they're aware of the existence of the Xiaolin Order. As we see plenty of monks in both the primary Xiaolin Temple and in the offshoot one that Guan leads. I think becoming a Monk in the Xiaolin Order is more of a spiritual path/desire to oversee the world's balance rather than learning to master elements. You probably could learn martial arts and a certain amount of magic in this path, but you wouldn't gain mastery over an element like a Xiaolin Dragon has. But I think in general the order of Xiaolin Monks are mostly there for spiritual enlightenment, maintaining the Xiaolin Temples where the Masters and the Dragons reside, and doing their part to maintain peace.

You can be a Monk if you're a Dragon, but just being a Monk doesn't necessarily qualify you to be a Dragon no matter how far you work your way up.

Jermaine is a bit off an offshoot, especially because we know that Chase was most likely using making him a trainee to lure in Omi. But for the sake of argument, we'll say that the tiers that equate to martial arts training are separate from actually being a Dragon. The different levels in the context of the Xiaolin Dragons are mostly used as ways to meter their training and progress in mastering their element, but a "normal" monk would mostly associate this with gaining more mastery over martial arts and maybe some chi stuff if they have a knack for that.

In Jermaine's specific case, Chase may have taken the ranking system from his days as a Xiaolin Dragon to measure Jermaine's progress. And part of the reason that Jermaine leveled up to Wudai Warrior so much quicker than the others was that he didn't have the added difficulty of mastering a specific element alongside learning the Chi and martial arts stuff, or having the added difficulty modifier of doing it in a team setting where he had to match three other people while focusing on his own trauning. He's very good at what he's learned, but he's also still at the general level of Omi and the others despite being supposedly one rank higher. So even though he has skill and training to back it up, Chase in that case may have also fudged his level-ups as part of his plan.

For Guan, Chase, and Master Monk, ahem, "David", my assumption has always been that they were indeed elemental dragons. But they've gotten to a point in their training where they're all not heavily reliant on their elements. But took the skills with their elements that they learned during training to improve their martial arts (especially since this was back in the day before Shen Gong Wu and their mastery were prevalent in the Xiaolin Order's training). They may have mastery over elements, too, just the specific battle we saw them fight in didn't make open usage of them.

#xiaolin showdown #headcanons #asks #jermaine

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squidproquoclarice · 3 years

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hey squid! if you're feeling like it, could i ask your thoughts on boromir? i just found out that you like lotr, and he's my fave and you're my fave!

Sure! There was a great meta I saw on FB about Boromir (actually from @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels, small world, eh?) that essentially went with the thesis that Aragorn is the shining heroic paragon we dream of being, but Boromir is the flawed person we are, particularly as we grow older and inevitably encounter some of life’s disappointments and our own failures. And I think that’s apt. In a story populated with larger than life personalities, there are the more down-to-earth protagonists: namely, the hobbits and Boromir. The hobbits are wonderful in their sensibility and humility and the illustration of “the most unlikely people are capable of being heroes”, but there’s also something in how Tolkien wrote them as somewhat childish and innocent. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but in that there’s something naive and pure about the hobbits. Which is part of the reason Frodo is so badly damaged by the whole quest and finds he can’t live in the world anymore, can’t go back to the Shire and live that life. Obvious and huge parallel there to Tolkien relating the experience of combat veterans of WWI returning home and finding a dissonance with that former life, especially in the movies where the Scouring of the Shire didn’t happen to bring the reality of war to the home front, and therefore the Shire is still pristine and untouched. But again, that’s the story rising from the experiences of young Edwardian men being thrown into an incomprehensible, scary, and violent world after a fairly idyllic life to that point. It’s very well written, and it’s certainly relatable to more people than British men ~17-25 in 1914-1918. But it’s only going to be deeply personal and relatable to a certain type of person about their experiencing a very sudden loss of innocence. Then you have Boromir, whom I agree is the relatable character in LotR for many of us. Boromir has grown up in a country fallen from its former glory. Boromir’s grown up in a country constantly under threat. Boromir’s grown up with the weight of impossible expectations. Boromir is afraid, and Boromir is tired, but Boromir will fight all the same. Boromir loves his people, loves his brother. Boromir's a warrior, not the “wizard’s pupil” like Faramir, but his motives in fighting are still fairly pure. Boromir knows he’s not given power as a lordly birthright, but he’s instead been entrusted with it as a caretaker, and he takes that charge seriously as the heir to the Stewardship of Gondor rather than bearing it with arrogant entitlement.

Boromir’s kind, showing the hobbits how to fight, demanding that they be given a little time to rest and absorb the loss of Gandalf. Boromir’s eager to defend those in need, by fighting for the hobbits, by showing them how to fight, by caring about Gondor and its people, by constantly telling Fucking Asshole Denethor that Faramir has worth and talent and wants desperately only to please his dad. Boromir falls to the Ring briefly--and who among us hasn’t made a poor choice we immediately regret? But he makes that choice not for the lure of power for himself, but out of the idea that this will help him save those he loves. Even his failure is generally well-intended. And he realizes it and is horrified, and dies trying to make it right. He even defends Merry and Pippin to the end. Boromir falters. Boromir doubts. And alone of the Fellowship, Boromir dies. And that could be taken as a sign of his weakness. But I believe it’s a sign of his relatable human nature. Most of us didn’t grow up in an idyllic bubble like the hobbits. Most of us aren’t paragons and heirs to great power like Aragorn. Most of us aren’t amazingly powerful like Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas. Most of us are people who grew up in some kind of uncertainty, and who have found the world is more complicated, exhausting, and disappointing than the tales would have us believe. That even our best intents and best efforts sometimes won’t be enough. That sometimes darkness wins a battle. That we’re flawed and human, despite our best intents, and all we can do is own our mistakes as best we can. He’s dying, afraid that he’s failed entirely, and his final exchange is with Aragorn, distant aloof near-elvish Aragorn who hasn’t really cared about the people of Gondor who are actually his responsibility. Boromir has tried repeatedly to make Aragorn care, to make him love Gondor and its people as Boromir does. And Aragorn does. He swears that he won’t let Minas Tirith and Gondor fall into darkness. Aragorn takes Boromir’s vambraces and wears them for the rest of the journey, openly bearing the sigil of Gondor and bearing the memory of a dear friend and Gondor’s fiercest defender. And that’s the legacy of Boromir--his absence deeply marks the Fellowship, and we see it moving pieces later with things like Aragorn’s love of Gondor, or Pippin’s offering service to Denethor and then helping Faramir. Boromir died, he faltered when confronted with the Ring, but his life was no failure, his death no forlorn disgrace. His memory lives on and helps his friends save the day in the end. And Tolkien could easily have written Boromir as a boorish, selfish disgrace in this tale that’s often about larger-than-life fantasy archetypes, but he didn’t.

He’s a deeply relatable man with fears and flaws, who loved fiercely and fought fiercely. Who knew he was no grand hero fated to save the world, but only a man caught up in events far bigger than him, with a charge to do what he could to the best of his ability. Who acted with as much honor as he could, and who felt his mistakes deeply. Boromir’s an ordinary person who’s a major character in a high fantasy tale.

We admire Aragorn’s perfection, or the beyond-human abilities of Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf. We adore the hobbits in their earnest naivete. But at the end of the day, especially as we get older, we relate to Boromir.

#boromir #lord of the rings #lotr #thank you for coming to my ring talk #Anonymous

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