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corpsebasil · 8 months

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knight nikolai-> rapunzel part 2

cant stop won’t stop with this au

It had been two days on the road—the journey to the palace was four, even on horseback—and you hadn’t spoken a word to Nikolai.

Maybe it was because you were tired. Maybe it was because you hadn’t been out of that tower in a year and wanted to enjoy the scenery and the experience of once again being outdoors. Or maybe it was because barely a minute after you’d gotten out of the tower you had tackled Nikolai to the ground.

The both of you had tousled for a bit, him protesting and even having the audacity to laugh before pinning you against the ground, his knees caging your legs, his hands pinning your wrists on the grass beside your head. You’d writhed and seethed and he’d taken to calling you ‘angry cat’, a nickname you abhorred.

“Aren’t you feisty. I just saved you and all you’re doing is hissing and clawing at me.”

“Get off of me I’ll have your head for—”

“Tsk, tsk, I don’t think the King would feel inclined to execute his daughter’s savior, would he?”

“You are not my—”

“Knight in shining armor? Maybe not yet, sweetheart, but I will be.”

And so you rode in silence, fuming consistently every time he shot you an amused look. The found that he found this situation funny amazed you. You spent two days camping in the woods, eating game he hunted and ignoring his attempts at conversation.

But there was something distinctly knightly about him that took you those two days to notice.

One: he always helped you onto his horse, refusing to force you to hoist yourself up on your own. And you’d be lying if the feeling of his strong hands on your waist didn’t make your skin heat. You hadn’t been touched by man in years. Actually, never.

Two: he chose to sleep on the hard ground and give you his bedroll, refusing to, in his words, ‘let a woman of such beauty and polite disposition sleep on the floor’.

Three: You could tell he was cold. Fires at night were simply asking to be attacked while you slept so Nikolai gave you every blanket he had in his possession. You slept toasty and warm while he, you had noticed when you woke up once in the middle of the night, shivered a fraction under only his spare coat.

You had given him a blanket, feeling suddenly horribly selfish, but neither of you commented on that in the morning.

Four: This was something you knew why you noticed, but he didn’t seem…attracted to you. He’d flirted senselessly during the journey for the past two days but it seemed only as an excuse to get a reaction out of you. You noticed, too, that his stare never lingered. His hands only touched you when necessary and never too long.

When he looked at you—smirk be damned—his eyes didn’t hold any trace of lust or brazenness you’d experienced in the past. Only a hint of amusement and lightheartedness.

Why this bothered you, you didn’t know. Had you lost your touch? You were gorgeous. Stunning. Shouldn’t he have been fawning over you? Weren’t all knights eager for a princess’s favor? Besides, he wasn’t even an official knight yet. He wouldn’t be able to when he was knighted but he could make a pass out you now if he wanted.

But he didn’t. He was annoyingly respectful, even if he teased you mercilessly.

Like now, as you woke up on the third morning, you were surprised to notice food laid out on a cloth beside you. Your eyes widened at the sight of a cinnamon roll and you jerked your head in his direction. He sat calmly beside a weak fire, poking at the branches with a stick as he hummed something softly to himself.

You took a moment, tensing as you watched him. Why you chose this moment to truly drink him in, you weren’t sure. Blame it on tiredness and confusion at the abrupt shift in your life’s events. He was wearing a loose cotton shirt, dark boots, his blond hair tousled. His jaw was sharp and his eyes focused as he watched the fire and—

Oh no. Oh no. You were not going there.

But still you felt something stirring within you as you watched him. Admired him.

Saints he was handsome.

Sensing your glance he looked over and raised a brow.

“See something you like, princess?”

Immediately you rolled your eyes.

“I was just thinking about knocking you out, stealing your supplies, and abandoning you. I bet I’d look good in a suit of armor. Maybe I’ll be knighted for returning myself.”

His smile was slow and lazy and made something in your stomach twist hard. Fuck, that look.

“I bet you would.” He purred, his voice so sultry your cheeks turned pink. How he managed to work his way under your skin— “Did you see the roll?” He asked, pointing his stick at the cinnamon roll in question.

It took you a minute to get a breath.

“Where did you get it?”

“Town. There’s a village about half a mile that way,” he said, pointing again towards the distance. “I went this morning to get you something proper. We’ll go there and stay at an Inn today so we can find you an actual meal worthy of your stature. Cant have someone like you living off rabbits and berries for four days.”

You paused and asked, “Someone like me?”

He paused as well, something in his blue eyes flashing. His next word made you go hot and you could only stare.

“Beautiful.” Nikolai murmured, then looked down, his brow furrowing. He spoke again quickly, poking once more at the fire. “My apologies, Your Highness. I should not have—”

“Thank you.” You whispered, and he looked up again. You cleared your throat and repeated yourself. “Thank you. You’re—that was kind.”

A smile that was different from any he’d given you before crossed his face; boyish and sweet, and utterly stunning. Your breath did leave you this time and you smiled shyly, a sensation of giddiness filling you when you turned to grab the roll.

“At least you recognize my stature.” You said, feigning a regal tone that made him snort. Warmth filled your chest at his amusement and you continued. “It should be mandatory for knights to bring princesses cinnamon rolls, don’t you think?”

“You are vastly intelligent, Your Highness. Perhaps you should write it into law.”

“Perhaps I will.”

You both shared another quick grin before you allowed silence to settle.

I GOTTA DO ANOTHER PART. I GET CARRIED AWAY AND THIS IS TOOOOO GOOD. GIRL DINNWR GIRL DINNER GIIIIRL DINN—

#im losing my mind #gnawing at the bars of my enclosure #shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai x reader #shadow and bone imagine #fluff #knight nikolai #knight nikolai lantsov

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maryallenc · 1 year

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theres just something i absolutely adore about the way bells hells can be generally perceived in general by other people.

like how vox machina are these living legendary god-chosen heroes put into the history books and continue to be influential figures to this day. even during their time, they were protectors of the realm, slayers of dragons and gods. theyve taken the role of saviors and defending the side of good, despite how much of dumbass shitheads and callous in their ways and words they can be.

or how the mighty nein were these lesser-heard mysterious group of hypercompetent operatives entwined with criminal organizations, politics, governments, esoteric encounters, and divine or arcane secrets. they were shady motherfuckers whose agendas not a lot of people are privy to, altho we all know its mostly attending to each other's well-being and actually trying to do the right thing, and thats if theyre actually thinking some things through.

and now, the bells hells. the interesting thing is, theyre a group mostly comprised of ticking time bombs, and i feel like people can maybe already get some hints of that impression from them after a while? like. you see this colorful group of idiots. theyre actually pretty nice people. theyre appreciative and indulgent of most weird and even stupid shit. theyre not necessarily great at stealth, but theyve got the audacity to walk in any kind of establishment as if they belong even when they clearly dont, and weirdly enough it works. when faced with opponents, their first move is to fuck with them with some ridiculous shit. ghost haunts, booby traps, fake orgies, explosives as a warning. maybe even talk things out. wont even kill you, hell, they prefer not to usually.

but then you push a little too far. or youre in the way and they cant really afford to waste time. theyve got a goal, and theyre gonna reach it no matter what. and now youve got the most unhinged and feral group of people who doesnt give a shit about collateral damage or hurting themselves as long as they can put you down.

theyre also just so non-stop, and even if they were given time and opportunity to rest, theyre just so full of energy and grit.

during their first episodes, even eshteross was a little taken aback by how fast and immediate they move on to the next thing that needs their focus.

so. looking from the outside. theres this group of weirdos, most of them almost monstrous? just plain out weird and really questionable? in origins. theyre very nice people. very friendly. maybe even kind, sometimes at least. they fuck with enemies' heads, sometimes theyre small pranks, sometimes they just set you on fire. but stop short of killing, maybe even heal you!

but theyve also left so many places exploding and/or on fire. they will fucking ruthlessly win ANY COMPETITION OR RACE as undeniable victors.

the frontliners are beaten up and still standing and grinning with blood on their teeth, the casters have the least compunctions in killing, and the healer is fucking with a lot of the damages dealt within a fight.

theyre as quick to announce a big good like the voice of the tempest as their ally as they were with an amoral fey called the nightmare king whom they fully admitted to have been abducting children and innocent creatures for science.

no doubt, theyre all there to save the world. right some wrongs. make a better change.

but theyre just so. wild? and destructive. even to themselves.

im just curious on what the final image of them as a group will be for them.

#bells hells #mighty nein #vox machina #critical role #critical role campaign 3 #bell's hells #the mighty nein #party comparison #is this meta?#cr spoilers #critical role spoilers

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skeleton-mischief · 1 month

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-totally non evil chuckle-

I’ve been thinking a lot about pirates lately. Maybe…. pirate underfell sans?

An evil, menacing captain of the seas comes to your kingdom, with intentions of showing your king whose really in charge. You work as a doctor in the castle, and are bandaging up a butler when all of a sudden horns blow, signaling a pirate attack. As you help everyone out, you end up locking eyes with their fearsome captain. And well, when pirates see pretty things, they just cant help themselves from taking them for their own. 😋😋

argh fr😍🤞🏽

Hey, it's meeeee. I'm gonna jump into it:

Please enjoy‼️‼️

Wow...wow. There's little that could capture the description he'd use. So, it's a bit damning when he gets to see you at what he'd consider your worst. He'll make it up to you, he swears on his soul. You didn't need to be in the middle of the crossfire, and he feels rather bad to know that the Devil himself had used you to escape.

_______________________________________________

"Shi-!" "Language." Your hands didn't stop from plucking the shard of glass and dabbling the alcohol into the butler's wound as you cut him off. This butler, which you couldn't remember the name of, had messed up his hand by dropping a glass vase and then attempting to clean up with just his hands. Or,,,,paws? Yeah, that's a better word. He wasn't very tall, in fact he was only a bit taller than you were. He was a Cat Monster, one with desaturated brown fur and drooping eyes. He was rough around the edges, especially his...vocabulary.

Nonetheless, he was always attempting to be polite with you. He would be caught sometimes by guards for drinking booze in the royal kitchen past hours, in which he'd complain and weakly attempt to excuse himself before getting water thrown on him. He was pathetic really, but you didn't mind. You suspected that he hasn't properly learned about the ways of the Palace since he's new, so you were more tolerant. So you preferred him like this, where he held still and was kind enough to listen to you. "....sorry,"

Speaking of which, your eyes darted to look at his face, which was bandaged at the moment. His ears were flattened, and you almost wanted to tell the pathetic thing how stupid it was for him to look so sad, but your naturally stern expression simply softened. "It's fine, I know that it hurts. Just hold still, okay?" He nodded, his uneven smile growing as his whiskers twitched. "Thank you doc," You huffed lightly in acknowledgement before turning your head to focus on grabbing the linen.

Being a doctor was rough, especially the royal doctor. You had a few others working with you, like assistants, but you were naturally more comfortable working on your own. You weren't like the nurses who had to help the soldiers, especially since you only focused on the servants or the royal family. Which, now that your mind drifted, you cringed at the thought.

The Dreemers.

Or, more specifically, King Asgore.

He's...in simple terms, strict. Or more precisely, he's a cruel King who isn't afraid to use violence and fear to get his point across. Some rugged barbarian dress in reds and gold, for certain. When the sun catches on the tar black glimmering from his horns, he's towering and imposing. His nose slightly crooked just like his sneer, he didn't bellow but rather spoke with a rasp. Foolish Human, foolish to work for the King whose horns are sharp enough to gore.

He has higher standards than any bull, which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that he was willing to slaughter anything or anyone that got in his way. Your mistake, you learned, was to even work for him. You're lucky to even be alive under his critical eye, but you suspect it's because you can identify the ache within the Goat Monster's soul. Patches of purple and swelling are much easier to spot than guilt and other turmoil, but your eyes could see beneath the curves of bone and fur. In your experience, silence and blissful ignorance were a powerful duo, and King Asgore knew that you understood this.

He at least respected your work, even if that meant he didn't really see you as well....you. His nostrils would flare at the sight of you, practiced courtesy forcing him to not spit an insult your way. You were indebted to the King, and he was indebted to you. You just finished wrapping the hand in linen when you looked up to not see a bull but rather a wet puddle of a Monster. He twisted his hand from front to back, analyzing your handy work.

"Thank you, doc," The young cat straightened up as his tail flicked, a very soft purr escaping him. You placed your hands on your hips as you scanned over the fur for any other indication of injury, humming when you saw none. "You should be more careful, butler." "Burgerpants." "Hm?" His eyes, which seemed to carry two bags of purple bruising, stared directly at your own. His toothy grin turned to a more sincere one as he offered his paw to you. "That's my name. I don't expect you to remember that, but you can call me B.P. instead."

You reluctantly shook his hand, your lips quirking up. "Well, B.P., you have quite the name. I'll try to remember," You declared with a confidence he understood and had hoped for, purring involuntarily at this, pleased with your answer. "Thank you, it's a nickname, but I think it's grown on me overtime."

You were about to speak when you were interrupted by a loud sound. A blaring, blurring sound that pierced your ears. Now what was once so quiet has changed, horns echoing around the walls of the emergency room and throughout the hallways of the palace. There's a clamoring in the palace below your window, shouts of fear that stirred both confusion and trepidation within your belly.

Before you could speak, B.P had stood up sharply, coaxing himself to take a peek. His ears were flat as his tail lashed aggressively, his fur prickling as he let out a low growl. "What in the-..." "Pirates." The Monster answered your question as his expression morphed. He seemed to be thinking about something as his brow furrowed, his lips curling back as he gritted his teeth and glared at the running figures holding sword and gun.

"I swear...they-...." He was muttering to himself as he must've had thoughts cracking into his dome just as you. You frowned, the distant sounds of running being heard. Pirates, huh? You felt a huff escape you as you rolled your sleeves up, buttoning them together as you heard the slurred sounds blending together.

You've encountered a few stories of them from around the palace. Apparently, before your presence became part of King Asgore's reign, you had heard of the Monsters of Porcelain. Two of them were leaders of a giant ship, one so large and the other so terrible. They had caused a mess, leaving a pain that was stinging and vile, leaving King Asgore to immediately demand higher security at the Palace. He had to provide hope, display strength to make it easier to strike when the day comes of their return.

It was apparent that the day had finally arrived. Everything that was painted honey and gold over the chalked stone of the palace was now fluttering with spurts of red and dust. Burgerpants wasted no time, turning heel and running as he slid among the tile and turned sharply down the hallway. You couldn't chase after the fool as he had done it before you could think, only sighing now as your frown deepened.

Today was going to be rough. You grabbed your medical bag, hand gripping around the handle as you took a deep breath and huffed. Great. Just great. Any plans you had today were now slammed to a halt, leaving you here to deal with the mess of foolish Men and Monsters. You don't get paid enough for this.

"....fucking great."

_______________________________________________

"DAMN IT!" The tall skeleton shouted, ramming his body against two guards with full force as they slammed against the wall. Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it! A large monster grabbed at the guards, wrestling them to the ground before smashing their skulls a rattling mess together. She turned to the tall skeleton, his brow scrunched up as she panted. "Captain?" "GO. WE'RE NOT SURRENDERING JUST YET."

The monster looked reluctant before speaking, gesturing to the wound that was on the skeleton's ribcage. "But Captain..." "DON'T." He sharply ordered, cutting her off. She bit back a response, only nodding her head before turning down the hall with a pause to her step. Pitch watched, his ribcage shuddering as he felt his phalanges grab at the edge of a small table.

He winced as he leaned against it, his jaws curled down into a frown. Where was his damn brother? Eugh, he just HAD to run off towards the center of the palace. So idiotic. He swore to the Stars above that he was going to smash that blasted numbskull's head so hard against the ships outer rim that he would be seeing double for a whole fortnight!

The sudden sounds of running footsteps snatched his attention, his head snapping to the side before he straightened up. His shoulders rolled back, tension bleeding through him. It coursed through him like a steady river under clothes and curves around bone. He felt his bones rattle slightly as his glare turned to steel, his expression intense as he was ready to fight once more despite his injury. He wasn't a coward, and enemies be damned if he wouldn't fight until dusting.

Though, what he didn't expect was to see a Human in white. He could see the way your chest heaved as you caught yourself by pressing your weight against the door frame by your hand catching yourself. You looked around the room and saw the two fallen guards, a mess that resulted in torn curtains, broken decor, and a skeleton. You locked eyes with him, and he faltered if not only a little.

A doctor, huh?

He stared, still as stone as he watched you look at him critically. His hand tightened on the handle of his sword, but he did not dare raise it at you. He wasn't sure what you intended to do, but he wasn't foolish enough to notice how your sights pinned down on his chest. You expression scrunched up and looked back at the guards before looking at him once more. "Are they alive?" You asked, gesturing towards the guards in metal.

He felt his eyelight shrink, staring intently as he gruffed out what sounded to be a yes. You seemed to be debating something, your eyes dragging themselves away from the guards. "....You're injured." You said a little dumbly. Yes, clearly. He huffed in response with indignation, not answering. Your eyes narrowed as you seemed to bite your tongue, debating if you should snap back a smart retort.

It didn't take you more than a second of logic however to retract that idea from your mind before you spoke once more with a more cool tone. "If you let me, I can patch that up for you." There are hisses of confusion and anger all feathered and sprinkled in the air from the distance, but they sounded faint compared to the screams and the ringing. The ringing felt suddenly louder, echoing around the skeleton's skull as he felt his soul thrumming in sync.

.....What?

His steely gaze flickered to one of disbelief, before it turned to suspicion. "ELABORATE." He gruffed, authority clear in his tone. You raised a brow, how audacious. He liked that. "I'm a doctor, not a soldier. It's my job to help, sir." You firmly stated, as if it was quite obvious. He liked that too, especially as you looked at him without flinching. He said nothing, momentarily debating if he should let you. Clearly he was a pirate, you shouldn't trust him. He couldn't trust you either, not blindly anyways.

And yet, the intent in your voice was crystalline clear. Still suspicious, he stared at you with a glare that lacked much emotion as he critically judged you. He then promptly nodded his head only once, one of his leather gloves tilting his black cavalier hat in respect. "I'LL ALLOW IT." You nodded your head in return, walking towards him cautiously. Smart. Your eyes narrowed upon seeing his sheathed sword, but you didn't comment on it as you pointed at the ground.

He let out a HMPH, but didn't argue as he let his body sit on the tile floor. He winced as he clutched his wound, his legs buckling slightly as he did so. He had been slashed by a guard in the middle of a fight, staining his once white button up a blooming red as dust was chipped near the edges. You worked without saying much, setting your kit down as you went to grab a disinfectant and linen. He watched you like a leopard seal whose eyes caught prey, unmoving and almost unnaturally focused.

You were careful to help remove his black, lavish coat, unclipping the thin necklace of gold that kept it on his shoulders before letting it fall down his back. You unbuttoned his white and silken dress shirt just enough to inspect his wound, a cloth pressing straight into it. He hissed back a silent curse, trying ever so hard to hold still without showing how badly it stung. He's been through worse, has felt worse, but stars above if it didn't burn.

He took the time to keep your features imprinted into his memory, letting his head rest against the wall as he closed his eyes momentarily. This wasn't the events he had in mind, but it felt nice to have someone tend to his wounds while they were till fresh. Oftentimes he had to threaten a doctor among the townsfolk with his crew after raids such as these.

And as a bonus, he kept in mind that your bravery and honor to your job just made you twice as attractive as he found you beforehand. At the realization of his attraction, though, he instinctively clenched his fist and felt like slapping himself. What in the blasted devil??? Attraction? He must've suffered from a head injury. He didn't slap his skull backwards, however, and instead flickered his only useful eyelight away from you.

Your hands were a stark contrast to what he was used to, especially when you wrapped the linen around his chest and sliced through the material with skilled precision from your scissors. He hisses when you fasten it tight, shooting you a harsher glare that both made a stampede rush to your heart and made you murmur gently to soothe his heated glare. "I know, I know..." You went to straighten yourself out as you assess him, your voice still stern but less guarded. "Better?"

It hardly registers that he had moved, something you didn't pick up on, not until a massive hand curls tightly around your wrist. The touch is not at all gentle, it's probing, the tip of each digit leaving small curved indentations in your flesh, intent on keeping you thoroughly in place. "WHY AREN'T YOU AFRAID?" His voice comes out as an odd grumbling, strained from excessive usage.

It isn't deep, either, which comes to be one of the more jarring things in this situation. At least that's what he gathered, based on the way your hand twitched when he spoke a bit more quietly. "Should I be? You bleed crimson just the same, do you not?" You ask, your tone probably the most gentle he's heard so far. Hmph, you should be more cautious when dealing with Pirates, let alone with ordinary men or monsters like him who were not yet known, but it was too late.

He dared not respond, but the way his magic had his cheekbones flush indicated that he liked what you said. He released his iron grip on you and grunted after some reluctance. "Stupid Human," His voice canters off to silence when you stare at him, making him feel uncomfortably vulnerable under your gaze. Before he could find something to say, anything really to cut the silence, you stood up abruptly.

"Now, I'm off to go help the other injured souls you ended up making a mess of, okay, skeleton?" There was a sting to your words, an irritation that he could understand despite never being a doctor. It takes an overworked soul to know another. When you had skill, it was irritating sometimes since that left you with much more garbage to take care of.

Did you not even know who he was? Of course you knew he was a skeleton, but he almost felt offended that you were so bold and assertive in the face of a monster who could gut you. He didn't, however, because it was clear that you've earned it after patching him up. And even if you did know who he was, your bravery was more commendable.

He turns to you with a forced stoicism, and he speaks with a sort of keening voice, one reserved for wolves or other sorts of predators. He doesn't know why, but he felt the impulsive desire to share his name. "It's Pitch. Pitch Serrif."

You repeat it, once, twice. You repeat your own when he doesn't ask for your name, repeat it just the same to him to remember. It rolls off his tongue when he follows after you, smooth and sweet. He wanted to pry further, he figured, have every secret expelled upon your tongue like the juiciest of pomegranate. Instead, he stirs, rumbles someplace in the expanse of chest, and lets you go.

What a strange doctor you are. What a strange Human you are. He likes that.

_______________________________________________

"Your brother is going to have your head, Captain Red!" "Hah! As if!" The swing of his hand, a flick of the thumb, and the trigger is finally done being teased as he aims and shoots. One, two, both fallen as their bodies are nothing but useless, armored shells now. Beside him, the familiar face of B.P. scowls. "You shouldn't have come, not today."

Red scowls at this, rolling his eyes the same time he rolls his shoulders back. "'s that so?" He lets the words hang heavy in the air for a stretch of time, before scoffing out a barked laugh. It mimicked his usual, boisterousness, but the sharp tinge of aggression was apparent. "Now why's that, B.P.? You tellin your Captain what to do now?" He asked the fool dangerously, but he's surprised to see the scaredy cat glare challengingly with a lash of his tail and the low growl that escaped his chest.

Now now now, what is this?

"If that's how you see it, then yes," He spat, flinging a chair into a servant's stomach. It felt good, especially since that bastard had made him work double a few times since he'd slink away. Good riddance. Plus, it wasn't life threatening, just hard enough to disarm and ahed enough to get his anger out. "I didn't want the doctor to be here for this,"

Red's eyes gleamed like ruby as he grinned, a bonebrow raised as the two rushed down the hallways of white stone and intricate architecture. His gaze drags up from his throat to his eyes, his soul humming with an electric excitement. He had a temper past his eccentric personality, and Burgerpants was testing the waters.

"Doctor?" "Yes, that's right. They're a-" B.P.'s voice catches within his throat, like a hook had caught and dug into sensitive flesh as he chokes. He seems to be hesitant to speak, as if he needed to claw the hook out of his flesh and remove the barbed metal

"A good soul, one who I consider a friend."

Red can't seem to find any indication of exasperated detail, and so instead he pauses his ruthlessly draining running as he leans against a marble wall with a heaving ribcage. His golden tooth gleams against the honeyed glow of the setting sun, dull due to the towering pillars and building of the castle. He missed the smell of the sea, of being able to see the sun in all her glory.

Instead, he cocks his head to the side as B.P. joins him, placing his paws on his knees as he's bent forward and lurched down to catch his breath. "Are they cute?" He asks, teasingly and without bite, only to earn a slight hiss from his companion. "Don't even think about it." Red has found that B.P. has grown a spine, or at least one that solidified enough when it came to you.

You really must've meant something to him, and so Red respected that. Anyone can be considered valuable, after all. He rubbed his lower jaw with his phalanges, mockingly debating something. “We do need a doctor, B.P. If they're a friend…well…. 'm sure they wouldn't mind helpin a couple of misfits, yeah?” He chuckled, seeing B.P. biting back his tongue. Heh. Adjusting his cloak, the fur around the rim grazing against his neck, he cracked his knuckles.

“Ah, ‘m just messin with ya. Come on, we got a King to slaughter!” He roughly patted the scrawny idiot on the back, knocking the wind out of him temporarily. He didn't wait to try and see if he listened, knowing that he would anyways, and he instantly ran down the hallway with heavy steps, his boots clinking along the way.

The idea sounded appealing, but he didn't think you were worth the time of day if he couldn't even know who you were. And besides, even if you were a pretty thing, he wouldn't take you without reason.

From the bottom of his crooked soul, he didn't think he was actually going to meet you. Wow...wow. There's little that could capture the description he'd use. So, it's a bit damning when he gets to see you at what he'd consider your worst. He'll make it up to you, he swears on his soul. You didn't need to be in the middle of the crossfire, and he feels rather bad to know that the Devil himself had used you to escape.

_______________________________________________

To lock eyes with a predator indicated the urgency to escape, or at least you thought so. So may Asgore be damned and sent straight to wherever he belonged. Right now, the predator you locked eyes with seemed actually more concerned with your life than his own.

When the smoke thins out from the burning hot muzzle, the red mist that seemed to develop skulls and screaming faces, only now could you see the obscure figure in better detail. You see a glimmer of gold and aren't so shocked to see the absence of a normal face. A skull head is what meets your eyes with teeth set in a strained, Cheshire grin. You see rings adorning his bony fingers gleaming under the light, and how gold practically danced around his chest and body.

His stature was shorter than the previous skeleton, and only now did it click that the two could be related. Both had one working eyelight, both had an anger within their souls, and they both clearly held the same cocky air to them that was unmistakable. Something sticky is running down your face, nails digging into your head as the tall, imposing King is holding your body in place. It should be expected. You are not as hard as bone or as tough as the skin of a fruit when you're finally clawed into.

You are stripped of all your defenses right now, laid bare as if the clothes on your back did not matter. Your fate now rested in the palm of a Pirate with a deadly glint to his eye and a King whose heart, if he even had one, was as black as charcoal. You're starting to feel beads of sweat prick at your skin, down your nape as the two coerced but spoke in what felt like a tongue you couldn't decipher. This does not prompt a response from you, knowing better than to thrash about despite the urge to twist and kick and scream and tear.

An anger within the skeleton resembled your own, united in unsaid words and not quelled as the King of Monsters offered a horrid, demanding choice. The ugly, ivory prongs atop his head was like a crown of authority, but you felt that the cavalier hat atop the porcelain skull held the same degree of power. Something smelt to be burning mixed in with gunpowder, something wooden and electric.

Your eyes crawled to glare at the King, seeing his misplaced wrath as his other hand gripped the golden and handcrafted spear that stood tall like a pillar. He had grabbed you to avoid getting shot, but he was clearly interested in making sure that it was only him he was concerned about . He seemed to hold the same morals as street rats, willing to throw anything away in the name of survival. A coward disguised as a beast, a Monster of deceiving embers.

King Asgore seemed exasperated by this entire ordeal rather than eager, even if he could leave you gored out instead of fulfilling his oath to you. Your side of the oath, however, was that you'd dedicate your life to him. You didn't particularly have to be alive to have him do his duties, and it was clear that he was debating whether or not to toss you away.

You released the breath that was caged inside your lungs unbeknownst to yourself, but a heavy hand clasped over your mouth to shut you up. "Quiet, Human." He spat. Oh you did not like that. You didn't even seem to think about the repercussions, head cloudy with disgust at his audacity.

So, you sank your dulled teeth straight into the side of his fat fingers, digging into flesh as you bit down hard. There's a blinding white as though the sun has seared its way into your skull as you hear a loud, rumbling shout, rays of warmth sprouting from your skull as a blow strikes down and you're flung forward towards the marble floors at the feet of the undead. It's a shock that you didn't just crack your head, if not for the way your head was angled and instead collided within the arms of a Monster who seemed less cruel.

He stumbled back, clearly having intentions to catch you when he lurched forward. The sudden shift in gravity made his knees buckle, but he head steady. Ah, is this what the smell was beyond gunpowder? Your eyes locked with his, only for your vision to grow blurry from exhaustion and blood loss that was blooming from your head. Foolish Human. You felt heavier suddenly, before you completely blacked out.

_______________________________________________

"this the Human you spoke of?"

"Yes, Captain. Stars above, they look terrible..."

"WE'RE TAKING THEM."

"What??"

"what choice is there? I told ya already-"

"DON'T DISOBEY YOUR CAPTAINS, GOT THAT? YOU'RE BACK HOME, DON'T FORGET THAT."

Burgerpants was silent at this, his ears flat. Thankfully, you were sloppily patched up, so you weren't on the verge of death anymore. He grimaced, but a part of him was silently grateful. Both Red and Pitch seemed to have met you before this, even if Pitch had tried to act like he was indifferent to seeing you bleeding and passed out. Burgerpants was less levelheaded, practically a walking porcupine as he assessed you and fretted.

He had wanted to leave you there, at the palace, especially since the Pirate life was rough. You were too, though, and brave. Foolish more like it, but brave at least a little since you had dared enough to bite King Asgore hard enough to tear his flesh based on what Captain Red said. You wouldn't be alive right now though if they didn't take you, left to bleed out or be speared down by Asgore as punishment.

He stroked the back of his hand against your cheek, frowning down before he turned to the two Skeleton Brothers. They were quite decisive, more so than he expected them to be, but hey. You are safe now, and surely he can explain everything when you wake? He's so sorry that you were caught within this mess.

The two Captains nodded his way, and so begrudgingly he walked towards the door of your temporary room. Stars, he really needed a beer.

_______________________________________________

Closing Notes: heourgh. I wanted to put a bit more effort into this writing because I love pirates and wanted some good world building set up. I'm sorry it took so long, especially to you @vamppiko

Forgive me, testing was beating my ass

#undertale au #alternate universe #x reader #skeleton x reader #red serrif #pitch serrif #pirate au #red x reader #pitch x reader #burgerpants mention #bp #king asgore sucks #piratefell

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the-s1lly-corner · 6 months

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Hı! İ was laying on my bed then i suddenly think about your TADC headcanons.

İ was wondering how would they react to a smug, sarcastic but ask if they ok or not, doesn't leave them behind when they in danger (probably because grove some empathy for them..) and usually miding his/her own buisness and does not afraid to pick a fight.

Reader said "go f*** yourself b*** face" to Jax one time when Jax was messing with reader

Reader even tried to fix Gangle's mask and tell her that "stop feeling sorry for yourself ! you need to stand up for yourself sometimes " how would gangle react if reader said that to her

(not good at english sorry)

Gangle, Ragatha, Pomni w/ rude!reader who gives advice

already did a request yesterday thats very similar so im just going to link it here and do the other characters in this post i think im going to answer this request and one more and go eat something :3 i always tend to forget to eat something after waking up until a few hours later </3

POMNI:

intimidated by you, but generally stays out of your way. mix of your attitude and because shes trying to find an exit... listens to your advice, though, especially if it has something to do with the circus and how it works and how to hold out for longer.. kind of grits her teeth anytime you say something a little mean though, because she doesnt want to risk possibly losing you as a helpful source of info.. which.. unfortunately leads to her likely turning a blind eye if you're going off on someone else (usually jax) which... well if its jax its probably deserved, but the air does get tense and uncomfortable and thats not really doing anyone any favors, you know?

RAGATHA:

doesnt like your general attitude when speaking to others.. but since this is ragatha, shes still going to be polite to you and wont talk about you behind her back. though, while she still tries to include you in activities and IHAs, i dont think shes going to go out of her way to hang out with you one on one after the first few times.. she doesnt hate you, just doesnt enjoy how you speak to others sometimes.. does give you a pass if what you're saying is deserved, though.. as much as she doesnt like your general attitude around the others she cant deny that you can give some solid advice; albeit blunt and within the same manner you normally speak.. tries to push you to be gentler with things because then people would be more likely to take in the advice you're giving which probably blows up in her face about how you cant be soft with everyone

GANGLE:

i think if the reader said what was said in the ask to gangle i think she would be kind of taken aback. i mean personally i dont think she feels sorry for herself, shes struggling because shes being constantly harassed and knocked down by those around her + i like to think that the mask is like a metaphor for her trying to cope because its either that or abstract. i think it would make her feel worse, honestly, since shes trying the best she can given the circumstances. like do i think she needs to be "coddled" in order to grow a spine? no, but do i think the readers approach is the best? also no, gotta find a balance you know? gangle is too soft to snap back, though, unfortunately.. .so unless you're saying these things to her constantly shes not going to stand up for herself.. but is wearing her down worth it in the long run?

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #pomni x reader #pomni x you #ragatha x reader #ragatha x you #gangle x reader #gangle x you

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gabessquishytum · 1 year

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that person with the ABO true mates thing has the right idea tbh. on a similar note, imagine instead dream is the 3rd child of some important medieval noble family. he's resigned to live a life of boring diplomacy and living in his father's shadow and probably being married off for some political alliance (he is the 2nd son but he's also the 3rd child and imo death is generally a lot more well prepared for anything he might have thrown his way as the "spare" but we already knew that)

but one day dream and some of his family are in the town square, perhaps returning from a long journey. they maybe were off trying to negotiate a deal for dream's hand in marriage, but dream was so miserable about it that the talks were useless and everyones coming home upset. theres a lot of people around and its generally very busy, so it isn't very surprising that dream brushes shoulders with some stranger, but before he gets the chance to tell him off for it since he is still a bratty little prince, he gets thrown into a full blown heat. like, falls to the ground, clawing to get his clothes off because theyre too much, panting because he cant catch his breath type. (i personally am a huge sucker for bottom dream regardless of whether he doms or not, but after seeing an ask about househusband/alpha!hob i really cant get the idea of dom bottom omega dream and service top submissive alpha hob out of my head)

anyway, he gets back home just fine to wait out his heat, and as soon as he's done he's hell bent on finding whoever it was that sent him into that. night would probably want him to go find whoever it was (thinking of night in overture making a whole pocket dimension for dream and a lover), but maybe time would want to still get a political alliance out of this. he ends up doing some cinderella type thing to find hob back and he's so in love he conveniently ignores that hob is a mercenary/thief/sword for hire/bounty hunter/whatever and has probably most definitely also stolen from dreams family before. besides, who cares about a little bit of money when you can order your new alpha mate to fuck you halfway to hell and back? all im gonna say is they have NOTHING to worry about when it comes to heirs

-🖋

I see submissive alpha hob? I go feral. Literally this whole thing is GOLD.

I’m imagining after his heat, Dream uses his status (maybe with Night’s help if she’s in a good mood) to summon all the unmated alphas in town to his family’s home, and has them all walk past him while he smells every single one. Hob literally only showed up for the opportunity to steal some stuff from the place, so imagine his shock when little lordling Dream pounces on him and declares that they are true mates!! Hob obviously isn’t mad about it because Dream is the prettiest little darling he’s ever seen… he’s also an absolute terror, spends half his time snarling and the other half sulking. Hob loves it, loves him within about an hour (especially when Dream drags him off and takes his knot in a store cupboard - they’re not even married! the scandal is delicious!).

Dream is insatiable, but Hob is more than able to keep up. Hob doesn’t give a shit about manners or being respectable, and he’ll gladly join Dream in skipping out on diplomatic dinners and other dull things. The “honeymoon phase” doesn’t show any sign of stopping after a year of being mated - Dream rarely shows his face outside of their bedroom before noon, because he’s busy. It’s a good thing that Hob has access to high quality food now, because otherwise he’d be dropping a lot of weight with all the strenuous activity Dream expects from him.

Dream’s family aren’t best pleased with the match, but even they can’t stand in the way of true mates, and Dream is only the third child so it isn’t the end of the world. At least Hob keeps Dream out of trouble and full of pups.

#🖋 anon #the sandman #dreamling #nsft #cw omegaverse

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crypticemerald · 10 months

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I cant stop thinking of this one idea that when SRS was built (my hc is that theyre gen2) they promoted their city by "partnering" with LTTM, effectively launching a ship campaign within the ancient community. It was mostly for ads and to increase moving to newer iterators/keeping good relations within population.

Where am i going?

I think it would be cute and funny if that made them legally married to eachother, even if i dont see them romantically involved in eachother just as a gig it would be cute.

Both would be neutral if not a bit akward around eachother because of it, bringing them closer to eachother politics/population wise but it doesnt really affect their own personality and not. If anything it serves better as its thanks to that that SRS befriends NSH and FP :)

This would happen a few years after the activation of SRS i guess!

For the drama of it it would be interesting if SOS was a bit... pissed that the ancients didnt dissolve the marriage as i imagine her being older would mean that it was initially planned for SOS and LTTM to be married.

Oh yeah! Most iterators in their group dont really know about it as while its not a gatekept secret its not really talked about. So people would find out around gen 4, after FP gets activated and his specs are talked about +hes sync-ed up to LTTMs storage. (damn boy youve got some nice specs) IF NOT. after the ancients ascend, leaving to many iterators now communicating a lot more which leads to many fun reactions to the local group.

#Headcanon #rain world #looks to the moon #seven red suns #rw seven red suns #rw looks to the moon #iteraors #theory ig but its more of a headcanon #iterator shipping #even if not necessary #srs x lttm #lttm x srs #rw eclipse #eclipse

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siover · 1 year

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to pick up the train of thought this post sent rattling off in my head CANNOT stop thinking about shiv saying everybodys downstairs when tom tentatively asks if they should call it off. if she wants to call it off. and then immediately saying the one thing that shes sure will break him. shiv voice @ nate i tried playing with you but you broke. and how much likelier it was that him "breaking" was really him instigating a breakup she couldnt help but cause not in the sense that shiv cant keep love but in the sense that everything she does especially romantic partnership within her job has always been reactionary wrt logan's expectations logan's politics and his mode of upbringing. which is an excellent tactic for the first couple years but crashes and burns with shiv in the cockpit as soon as shes reminded she has to land the plane at some point. and then she has to pull out a contingency (a reason, to be the driving force of the breakup without being at fault!--bc that would mean she fucked up!--but rather induce the split as occurring due 2 her partners deficiencies rather than create the naturally following future shes never wanted) like on the night of the wedding shes literally grasping at straws like let it be me. ive fucked you over its going to be me if that means i dont have to do this. like !!!!! the fact that she breaks tradition and makes this her unmitigated fault is proof of how shes hanging on by a fucking thread and resorting to desperate measures to stave off--or at least alter the fundamental nature of--the inevitable. this is another example--perhaps the crowning one--of shiv needing to define herself as The Bad Guy in her relationship with tom bc thats the only illusion that gives her control. ending it all

#which may seem counterintuitive tothe point here but. control wrt HERSELF n perception. which is obviously a huuuge aspect of her character #typed this out in a 3 minute frenzy if you see any typos no you dont x #shiv roy #tomshiv

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br1ghtestlight · 1 year

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headcanons about bob's dad and linda's family meeting:

within MINUTES gloria says something super offensive to big bob (maybe about lily) and he starts a fight with her that bob and linda have to break them up bcuz otherwise big bob would literally kill gloria, louise thinks its hilarious and encourages this. she loves elderly violence

gayle thinks big bob is attractive and says she "always wanted to be in a relationship with a big fancy chef just like linda!!!" and spends the entire evening flirting with him which he is totally oblivious to bcuz he hasn't thought about romance in maybe 40 years. everybody else knows and it drives bob crazy but linda thinks its sweet. they have a discussion about what would happen if gayle and big bob get married (bob insists his dad does not want to be in a relationship, linda is like "ooh does that mean gayle would be your stepmother AND your sister-in-law?? does that mean i would be your wife and your aunt??? would the kids be your COUSINS" and bob is like "linda no. stop")

gloria is still lowkey angry that linda took big bob's family name since its so ugly and "its not a polite word to say" which inevitably starts ANOTHER argument between all of them, the kids actually like their last name and defend its cultural history

despite everything that happens with gloria al and big bob actually kinda get along and talk about "manly stuff" whatever that means, they try to include bob and eventually gene and have like a boys club but bob is like uhh no im cooking dinner and gene does NOT want to be part of any male bonding. louise however is ECSTATIC to take gene's place and learn about monster trucks and construction. she is disappointed to learn they just talk about aging and how much their backs hurt

they play board games bcuz linda is convinced there's absolutely no way that could go wrong. she was mistaken

gayle insists on inventing her own rules which annoys everybody else but gloria defends her ruthlessly and says that her version is better. gloria doesn't understand what game they're actually playing and keeps cheating. al is completely oblivious so the kids decide to make all his moves for him and end up purposefully helping their own characters win and sabotaging everything. big bob and bob disagree about their interpretations of the rules and big bob gets angry bcuz nobody is playing correctly And of course linda tries and fails to keep the peace. they end up giving up after 20 minutes and declare the kids got a three way tie and they all get extra dessert as a prize

due to a misunderstanding tina spends the entire evening trying to set up big bob and gloria bcuz they're "her grandpa and grandma!!!" and she gets upset whenever they fight and keeps trying to put them in romantic situations, they obviously fucking hate each other and also gloria is married to al 😭😭

at the end of the night big bob talks to bob and he's like i love you bobby and i love your family linda is great but her family is fucking crazy i cant stand these people. bob is like i know me neither do you want to just help me with the dishes so we can hide in the kitchen until they leave. and he's like yes

(bob and big bob don't always get along but when they're dealing with another annoying person or group of people they develop CRAZY solidarity they are ride or die, they both get annoyed by the same things)

overall the kids have a GREAT time and everybody else is miserable and keeps fighting with each other 10/10 get together

#txt #bob's burgers #headcanons

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gendrie · 1 year

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do u think the faceless men are going to let arya leave willingly or is she gonna rebel? these days i lean towards the former bc tkm stops her from eating the worm and i believe they have some plan for her. i also just dont see how arya gets away from them with no repercussions. theyre an ancient order with some stake in the endgame… idk thoughts?

i got lots of thoughts and no answer. the very nature of the faceless men and their identities - or lack therefore of - makes them difficult to predict. unlike your typical asoiaf character they don’t have individual human desires. they’re a religious collective serving the many faced god - death.

theres a few key points that i see as main factors with how arya leaving the faceless men, though.

SLAVERY:

the entire setting for this portion of arya’s arc is founded on a strong anti slavery sentiment. the words are carved in stone: “no man, woman, or child in Braavos should ever be a slave, a thrall, or a bondsman.” arya hasn’t actually made an official commitment yet either and if they will try and keep her against her will that would be slavery.

"Arya." She whispered the word the first time. The second time she threw it at him. "I am Arya, of House Stark." "You are," he said, "but the House of Black and White is no place for Arya, of House Stark." (Arya, AFFC)

"Before you drink from the cold cup, you must offer up all you are to Him of Many Faces. Your body. Your soul. Yourself. If you cannot bring yourself to do that, you must leave this place." "The iron coin—" "—has paid your passage here. From this point you must pay your own way, and the cost is dear." (Arya, AFFC)

"You lie," he said, "but you may keep your secrets if you wish, Arya of House Stark." He only called her that when she displeased him. "You know that you may leave this place. You are not one of us, not yet. You may go home anytime you wish." (Arya, AFFC)

I have a hole where my heart should be, she thought, and nowhere else to go. "I'm strong. As strong as you. I'm hard." "You believe this is the only place for you." It was as if he'd heard her thoughts. "You are wrong in that.“ (Arya, AFFC)

"Do they frighten you, child?" asked the kindly man. "It is not too late for you to leave us. Is this truly what you want?" Arya bit her lip. She did not know what she wanted. If I leave, where will I go? (Arya, ADWD)

it’s difficult for me to accept his words at face value but the man has been nothing if not consistent from the get-go. i always got the vibe that the kindly man was manipulating arya into staying by telling her she’s soft/weak so she will want to prove herself hard/strong? and that might be the case but he puts a specific condition on the entire thing with the cold cup. if she cant do that then she must leave. he makes it sound simple. too simple, perhaps.

AGENDA:

for me this less about the faceless men’s overall political agenda bc i think we can see, at least, the outline for that. their interests align with the iron bank's so they’re, currently, working against the iron throne. plus, they have an operative in the citadel so they’re likely taking preemptive measures against the dragons. thats where we get into the more mysterious/magical element. i do believe they caused the doom. was it because the valyrian empire of slavery and fire had become too strong? now it looks like the balance is tipping in favor of this great ice power which is enslaving people. the FM's black and white symbol implies balance. do they have a stake in that fight? some magical conflict on the other side of the narrow sea?

it seems like they might. as soon as arya walked up to the doors of the house and black and white she thought “heart tree” and the place even smells like winterfell to her with a dark pool in the center. from the very beginning grrm started drawing connections between the two. the imagery with thousands of dead faces is reminiscent of the weirwoods and the consciousness that remains within them just like the masks! its all skinchanging too. the similarities here between arya and bran’s training arcs make me feel crazed bc i just cant shake the suspicion that theyre connected somehow.

but wtf do the faceless men want with arya? what does the god of death (the great other???) want with her? big picture? to stay? to leave? honestly, idk. at this point im not sure we can know. its a guessing game.

PAYMENT:

arya will find her way out. she's outmaneuvered the faceless men before. she tricked jaqen. she got the upper hand on the KM. she will have to exploit their owns rules to make her escape.

what it comes down to is the cost. its the same price arya had to pay when she escaped the red keep (stableboy), harrenhal (bolton guard), and even westeros (the tickler and squire). arya will have to kill someone to reclaim her identity and leave that place. no doubt in my mind on that point tbh. i think she will be permitted to go with no repercussions (ie: she won’t be hunted like she has in the past), but that will be a cost and only death may pay for life.

#ask #asoiaf nonsense #all i got is vibes lol

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narwhalandchill · 10 days

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Hello! I saw you mention Childe in labyrinth warriors (hope that’s the right name) when talking about the 4.6 appearance, can I ask you about your thoughts on him there? I didn’t get to play that event- so what I know about it is spotty at best. Just that it’s in Inazuma, had Xinyan I think? And that Childe was there. And the little paper dude. I’m genuinely curious about what insights you gained from the event into his character- and I’d love to hear you talk about Childe more.

(can you believe. when i say. now that im finishing this up. that it got out of hand anon??? uhhhhhhhhhhhh. i mean. at this point this should be expected)

hi!!!! sorry this took a bit, ive been somewhat sick all week and also just now absorbed by the nuzlocke im doing but Anyway. am here now thank you sm for the ask and enabling childe thoughts!!!!!

. readmore bc this Actually got just. unbearably long otherwise JIWDJDWJKDJKWWJDK 😭😭😭😭

so the outline is basically as u said, but like. to summarize it w some particular details mentioned since they Do matter (sorry it got giga fucking long bc i think the full context is helpful for discussing childes parts too lmao). but here goes:

so a mysterious domain has appeared out of thin air on narukami island with monsters spewing out from within into the countryside. now this is an Issue (TM) bc timeline-wise this is still v much the immediate aftermath of the inazuma AQ and the civil war - the nation & esp the tenryo commission rly isnt in ideal shape resource and manpower wise to deal w another crisis like this and it has sara rightfully tense after the initial waves of the monsters were finally forced back. she kinda cant afford to send her men to scout inside the domain (it also kinda. opens and closes and reopens at random which is another issue for potential scouts) but if nothing is done to stop the monsters she must commit to a full on assault to destroy the domain to remove the threat & shes more or less on a timer with that. making it quite the precarious situation for her politically too and not just security wise. (keep this in mind)

how we end up being asked to investigate the place has to do w the. im ngl p convoluted xinyan b plot basically she was invited to a music festival as a performer but it was cancelled so now she lacks the travel permits she needs and getting new ones is Not fast without some inside help. we agree to look for sara so she could argue xinyans case, run into her dilemma w the domain and she agrees to expedit the process if we investigate the place in her forces' stead. (xinyan the civilian tags along for some reason too)

first time u go in, u find the paper dude (kind of an enchanted paper familiar of sorts) aka shiki taishou outside who has lost his memory yet is undoubtedly connected to the domain which is obviously a bit suspicious given the whole. monster spewing into the neighborhood deal. but idk she passes xinyans music vibe check so she argues we should help him recover his memories and in turn discover the truth of the domain along the way.

once we get inside the domain we obviously run into mr. worldwide himself including but not limited to a closeup of his crotch during his introduction for some reason. yeah its been nearly 3 years these things you cant unsee. that and the sending us sausage in his bday mail. like bruh

now childes (as he eventually divulges) in inazuma to look for traces of scara who ran off w the gnosis and happened to stumble into this strange domain with weird vibes. he thought it might be something relevant and waltzed in, proceeded to get locked inside (as the domain shifted) and beat the shit out of all the monsters there all the while having the time of his life bc hes simply built different. bc turns out the place is basically just a full-on sparring simulator for warriors that seems to be running by itself w no one overseeing it ever since the domain resurfaced cue the "pratice targets" aka monsters running wild

dont wanna recap the entire thing in detail but basically. firstly childe kinda improvs another new identity as an adventurer noticing xinyans liyuen attire bc Osial Incident and picking up the awkward energy we have at the realization of. this might be messy if we tell her. and xinyan buys it and nicknames him "red" w/e. so thats why the harbinger thing doesnt become a bigger conflict

he then informs us that all the monsters within the domain turn into torn paper charms when destroyed and that there are "replicas" of shiki taishou strewn about the domain that should restore his power and hopefully memories over time.

so we end up going thru the place helping shiki taishou gather his power and uncover the nature of the place. he kind of has an identity crisis happening bc all the monsters the place is generating seem to imply he was created for some nefarious purpose as a weapon of some sorts (childe says some Very Interesting Things in response as an attempt at pep talk. will get to it).

but TLDR what we do discover is actually that the shikigami/paper magic and the domains functions were basically a system invented after the domains creator harunosuke studied similar adeptal techniques in liyue in order to create the shikigami as these battle partners for samurai fighting against monsters from the cataclysm. these paper dolls could then record and replicate the monsters it and its partner fought in order to train others inside the domain so that inazumas protectors would always be ready to face such a threat if it ever came to be. shiki taishou was created as the "overseer" of this domain and its functions as a training facicility. by regaining his memories and finding clarity in his purpose shiki taishou gains control over the place again and is able to shut down its rogue functions so that it no longer poses a threat. he then promises to improve upon its workings by taking it to dormancy again. sara is relieved that the crisis could be averted without costing her manpower or further resources she doesnt have. yippee

So. yeah that took way too long mb jdwhjwdjdwadwaj but. Childe.

so there are a particular standouts in here in my opinion.

for one that is less like. a characterization aspect but more of a "gotcha" confirmation thats very nice to have is that he explicitly confirms that wherever in the abyss he spent those 3 months at 14, it DID involve places tied to the irminsul and its roots.

fissures between great tree roots u say?????? Inch resting ajax. tell me more abt the trees king.

also this monologue is literally so fucking sexy in general i love his single-minded pursuit of something as like. quintessentially simple as just. Improvement. but bc he has literally 0 fucking chill in his boundless hunger for that one singular ambition it alone is enough to disrupt the gravity of the world around him....... (but we will get to that)

Anyway. another Very good fucking moment from him character-wise is during the 2nd act. where weve spoken w sara about the tense situation after the 1st day of investigation ended w all of us minus childe (who got "trapped" inside the same way a child gets "trapped" inside a free-for-all candy store with all amenities included. he had a blast) getting thrown out and the domain rearranging itself again. and like we go back in once the entrance opens and are even more eager and restless to start figuring things out bc again. sara is on a timer.

and then .

guys im pretty sure theres a twitch emote for this???? something starting with C and ending with AUGHT?

LMAOOOOOO

he reads the shit out of us trying to all "subtly" push for the investigation to proceed so the crisis we are actually tasked to investigate can be solved. like this is literally just Actual 5d chess situational awareness and picking up cues from people around him and honing onto exactly whats stirring up in the undercurrent from childe. basically. he just lays onto us like. ah right. this is probably a big problem for that tenryo commission right? such a problem that theyd even ask an outsider to cover their duties... when thatd never happen during regular times right? a conundrum that could get even more problematic if theres a harbinger publicly around... right? oh my bad my bad haha just thinking out loud bestie lets get back to investigating shall we? hahaha

he is such a smart fucking Bastard oh my godddddd bro is out there smelling the traces of societal unrest and any and all weaknesses in a given governing structure like hes a shark tasting like 0,00000001% blood in the water . professional & supernaturally efficient problem causer everyone. this is what he was hired for . i love him

like. hes SMART guys. and hoyo Knows how to work his intelligence into the writing too its soooo scrumptious man .

and like bro hes being such a fucking menace in here too bc. he couldve kept this observation to himself too. but nooooo he just had to shove it in ur face that we are Not being as slick w keeping him in the dark as we would like to think💀💀 smug ass.

it makes me think abt how many things he actually Notices among the harbingers and all their power plays and schemes among one another but that childe simply keeps to himself bc he has nothing to gain from disproving the assumption of himself as this. gullible and simple-minded loyal warrior harbinger and the person-shaped time bomb we toss at wherever the flames of discord need some help sparking alight. after all, we saw this in arles quest too - how not only did he use our pathetic distraction attempts as an opportunity to fish relevant information on both arlecchino and pulcinella for himself (which i already commented on) but also. the fact that he Very clearly noticed our attempt at distracting her and intentionally helped us out without even knowing anything abt the matter at hand. to the point where even arle makes that Highly pointed comment about it and all but spells out that childe was assisting us on purpose the entire time.

like he is just. incredibly perceptive and so fucking intelligent like especially back in 2.2 where even Bigger of a portion of the fandom (if thats even possible) than today just thought of him as this. stupid fucking baby infant meow meow idiot brainwashed by the tsaritsa and completely owned by zhongli and signora XDDDDDD . seeing this unfold made me so fucking happy abt the way like. yeah HOYO knows what his character is all abt. the fandom can ruin him all the want but the games story isnt going to bend to their will.

Speaking of Which.

The weapon thing.

so as ive already alluded to prior . the entirety of labyrinth warriors despite it highlighting childes intelligence, attitude, priorities and ambitions in a way thats like. genuinely so fucking good and comes off as natural with no forced sounding exposition or backstory dump . mostly got a fan reception more in the way of . waa waa my baby boy is depressed with sigma PTSD 3.0 with DLC because calling yourself a weapon is self dehumanization and it signals he is suicidal and has no self worth 🥺🥺🥺🥺 he got TRAPPED in the EVIL DOMAIN consisting EXCLUSIVELY of all his favorite activities nonstop he must be feeling so scared i need to hug him my babygirl!!!!!!!!!11!1!1

when its like. ah yes. i have never heard of a motif ever before.

bc like as much as i do genuinely consider it something that more or less can be taken at face value as an Aspect of who childe is (not necessarily the whole of it, just another mask true to a part of his self) . it should still be acknowledge that part of the reason why his dialogue (and the event in general) fixates on the notion of being a "weapon" has to do with shiki taishous character arc.

because thats what he is. and is trying to discover what kind of purpose a discarded (bc harunosuke left the domain abandoned at the end) weapon and tool like himself can even have anymore. and childes lines taking that repeated emphasis of. whats so bad about being a WeaponTM (& expanding on what that means for Him) specifically . are as much about himself as they are just an attempt to communicate his worldview to shiki taishou as a way of pushing him towards solving this identity crisis he has . that paper boy literally Needs to solve in order for the domain to stop malfunctioning.

and like. okay even if we just look at it w/o paper boy. so say childe considers himself a weapon . but what does that mean to him?

[incoming top 5 dialogue lines that genuinely fucking challenge my sexuality this is so fucking hot. no one talk to me]

"Only those that wish for an end will find one."????????

"My limits vanish behind the horizon with every step I take"??????

FUCK OFF OH MY GODDDD

like people think of childe as this fatalistic if not actively suicidal then at least like passively reckless and uncaring towards his own wellbeing blood knight w low self esteem barreling towards his death and here he is. using his own fucking words. saying that the mere CONCEPT of an END. is not in his fucking VOCABULARY. because it does not serve his ambition to let such confusions ever obstruct his sights.

people think his purpose and ambition is soooo tied to his family tied to the tsaritsa that if those are ever taken away he will just freefall into the depths of directionless confusion and depression and whatever. when.

Here he is. giving a fucking pep talk to a DISCARDED WEAPON THAT HAS LOST HIS PURPOSE. EXCEPT HE KINDA JUST SAYS ITS A SKILL ISSUE TO EVEN NEED TO CONSIDER AN END TO YOUR PATH (hes silly like that). AS AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE OF NATURE. A WEAPON THAT CUTS ANYTHING.

oh hey thats funny now where have i heard that before. bonjour my baguettes any fontainian cults or god kings out there interested in the world and fate altering power of unstoppable weapons that can cut into anything even ego and destiny itself and whatever that may mean?????? O____o

i swear to fucking god if the entire time this entire weapon allegory from labyrinth warriors was all about all cleverly n loosely associating him with themes relating to descenders and wills that rival the world all the way back in 2.2. and yet on release all people wanted was to weep for how sad it was he thought himself a weapon. man why is it always like this . i weep for THAT.

like. idk i dont have anything poetic to say abt it other than childes drive as an individual is just fucking breathtaking to me??? its literally Scary how utterly consumed he is by that ambition yet at the same theres this . crystalline clarity he has towards viewing it and himself ?? this weird ass self awareness that coexists with the all-consuming pursuit and ambition of it all??? this isnt sad this is both ridiculously attractive AND batshit insane like dudeeee . and like . the way he talks about it too like this is just a matter of fact everyday thing to him 💀💀 bc thats his abyss shrimp color vision this is how he rolls . its nothing grandiose its just how he is . this is normal to him its unbearable i hate him

like somewhat unrelated here (sorry) but sometimes i see ppl go against the possibility of childe having sth to do w the 3rd descender (which like yes is a crack theory for now and its not sth i can fully align myself with either as of rn Due To Those Thematic Clashes it just lives rent free Because of how conflictingly insane it is while also having some Strangely compelling evidence in its favor) or even just. Any higher predestined significance assigned to him in the grand scheme of things with the sole argument of like . but then everything about Him is worthless bc it wasnt His ambition and His drive to overthrow the world he wasnt Just A Guy (and. sigh. as the op. of that ancient thing. stop taking that old ass hastily typed post too far and too literally thx. its abt the vibe the attitude the subversion. having a destined purpose if the story handles it well does not conflict w being the quintessential just a guy thanks xx). he was just special all along so it all means Nothing and its like. dude. he told a recently-amnesiac paper boy having an identity crisis that its a fucking skill issue to ever falter in the face of some greater purpose haunting in your past or defining your origins. that a True weapon cuts himself free of even that without even a sliver of hesitation . ppl think that if indeed some soul of the 3rd descender is resurrected in story and idk tries taking over his body with past lives and memories or whatever. you think he isnt ripping the essence and existence of that poor fucking dude apart and devouring him alive into the crushing depths of the black hole of an unquechable ambition that beats a steady pulse at His core just to reclaim HIS place as the ultimate weapon to cut through everything???????

aww thats so cute. you guys think even the hypothetical of theories akin to these being legit on some level is automatically going to ruin his arc and character bc hes gonna be taking it lying down!!!!! you think hes going to look at a Grand destiny Assigned to him by someone Outside and Above and not spit in its face!!!

just like his narwhal looked at the destined cosmic end of All life to fall to ruin and immediately devoted its entire existence to denying the universe that very outcome isnt that curious why are they the sam---------------SORRY SORRY where was i at

like. i see how it is for yall. well. myself on the other hand. i have some fucking faith in him lmao

partially . indeed Because. i read the goddamn text of labyrinth warriors. where they let him Talk about what these things mean to him. and how he Truly isnt about to stop. Ever. hes not looking for an end and if presented with one he sure isnt about to respect it. hes just. built different its absolutely amazing

and yeah my bad i got. sidetracked very badly there. you asked me abt labyrinth warriors but bc its childe this is just what tends to happen like my brain fucking spirals. but like . no im not saying that the weapon theme being such a prevalent aspect in the story is like 100% a descender and sword of narzissenkreuz thematic parallel and intentional reference i just think its Quite interesting in hindsight . that This is the angle they drilled in on .

anyway hopefully this at least had Something to illustrate abt why i love labyrinth warriors for how it serves to establish how much of a madman childe ajax tartaglia my beloved truly is . and how to hoyo his outlook towards the world has very much been one of endless limitless hunger and never-sated ambition . and not whatever fanon wants to cook up. childes greatest enemy has always been stagnation and he has always looked towards the Future. of surpassing each and every limit and boundary on his path . like thats what makes him who he is.

also. last lil thing aka. Most Ignored Canon Line Spoken By This Man

which is a shame bc. its so fucking interesting??? i mean. i get that ppl dont know what to make of it bc everyones so fixated on picturing childe as this loyal puppy tsaritsa fanboy who couldnt even deign to imagine discarding allegiances to anyone yet here he is. saying exactly that.

like ive seen ppl be like oh hes trying to Convince himself of this!!!! hes putting up an act!!!!! and its like? no? i dont think this contradicts anything about his character. people just find it uncomfortable because it implies that the things he listed there are not something of any Inherent value to him. which adds up perfectly fine to me but what do i know.

like the way i have always seen this is that it really isnt. oh childe says he isnt actually a loyal person When it matters to him personally and isnt actually invested in fulfilling his duty (as of Right Now, mind you) which would yes seemingly contradict a lot of other things. but really its just that those concepts alone are void to him. you cant stop him from pursuing his ambition by saying its evil. if the tsaritsa ever truly loses his respect and leaves him completely disillusioned in the archon that once was a fellow honorable warrior in his eyes, the concept of "allegiance" will not be able to dissuade him from turning that burning ambition of toppling the heavens towards her throne too. personal respect maybe. a sense of honor. maybe even disdain so extreme that even investing that time into her now is a waste? sure. but like. you get what im trying at? he is way more ambivalent about these things than most people really Want him to be. bc they dont fulfill the hunger that burns at his core.

and it adds up. bc like. his ambition his drive towards battle and bettering himself and becoming a weapon completely unstoppable and irreplaceable that can conquer the world . is his north star. its the singularity that all else about him orbits around. of course silly little concepts like right and wrong will be secondary to that. we just really havent seen a moment where his ambition is in true conflict with the bonds and oaths he has sworn in his current life. but i have a feeling that if and when we do. this line will make a lot more sense lmao

anyway uhhhhhhh

yeah i liked labyrinth warriors!!! very underacknowledged and misrepresented event that had a ton of fun stuff abt childe. i am super normal about these hip and enjoyable aspects of his character as they are explored within this event as the length and contents of this post imply!!!!

omg anon i. really fucking hope u got at least Something u were looking for out of all this KWJKJKDWWJKDWJKDJKWDK i swearrr i just cannot. stop myself from completely fucking losing it on the asks of every innocent anon (and like non anon too why not) approaching my ask box 😭😭

but thank you again for sending this in!!!!!! have a nice day!!!! im very normal thanks for asking!!!!!

#Deep sigh. Yeah name a more iconic duo than me answering an ask and shit getting completely out of hand. ill wait #well maybe years down the line therell be enough of this bullshit from me that i can make a bingo card #'Jen Goes Insane About Childe Ajax Tartaglia And/Or Narwhal: Anon Was Innocent Edition'#it could be a wholesome group activity!#jdajklwdjwdjwdjkdjkwjkdjkdjkwjkdwjk #well this is . a something . im going to run away now #genshin #asks #childeposting

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