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aegor-bamfsteel · 2 years

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Top three horses in ASoIaF. Go!

Well, if you insist…

Horses are another under-explored motif in ASOIAF (though certainly more discussed than elephants), and there are few horses that are around enough to have an actual personality or be useful. While I knew what the top 2 would be fairly quickly, I actually had trouble finding a third that met these two criteria in addition to finding them likable.

So consider these honorable mentions:

Stranger is the best developed horse in the series, his ornery temper can be funny (if I had Sándor Clegane sit on my back for hours each day I’d probably also want to bite faces off) Sándor’s bond with his horse is one of his few likable qualities and could possibly provide information on warging (not that Sándor is a warg, but that it may be hard to warg an animal that’s already close to someone else without breaking their spirit), I imagine he’s Friesian/Belgian black which is a stunning breed (gentle despite their size), but he’s not very useful and I don’t really think he’s that likable.

The silver provides a lot of foreshadowing and symbolism for Dæny’s arc. She’s the foil to Drogon, the timid white Dothraki steed to his aggressive Targaryen black dragon, as Dæny compares them in her tenth ADWD Chapter. Dæny rides her amongst the Unsullied in Astapor and the freedmen in Meereen; and what could be more heroic than a liberator on a white horse? (Well…) Also, I imagine she’s an Akhal Teke, a very attractive breed due to their metallic coat. However, she has basically no personality and so isn’t likable.

However, I then realized that simple elements like foreshadowing and characterization aren’t as important as talking to you about your favorite character! So without further ado, my choices:

3) Half blind garron (ADWD)

Source photo here. I chose a Yakutian, due to their shagginess and adaptability to their Siberian home.

In a book filled with One-Eyed characters of villainous or dubious alignment, the shaggy gray garron with one blind white eye stands out. He is loaned out to Val on her mission to find Tormund Giantsbane and bring him Jon’s peace offer. Jon and Val doubt his capability/consider him a lesser horse because of his eye, but his hype-man Mully (Castle Black steward GRRM named after one of his cats), assesses him: "He's only half-blind, m'lord. Elsewise he's sound enough." He patted the garron on the neck.” (Jon 8). Clearly, Mully has faith and affection for him when nobody else does. Jon keeps fretting about how he surely led Val to die on this suicide mission, but then who turns up with Tormund Giantsbane and his men? Val, but more importantly: “She still rode the grey garron that Mully had given her the day she left the Wall, a shaggy, stunted thing blind in one eye” (Jon 11). So despite his blind eye, ridden into the bitter snow with little direction and no protection, in danger of wight attacks or becoming a wight, meeting a hostile chief to deliver a message, then being ridden back all that way, the Shaggy Little Garron that Could succeeded in his critical mission (I guess Val helped. Slightly). Mully needs to give him some preserved apples as a reward.

2) Dancer (AGOT & ACOK)

Source photo here. I chose a Quarter Horse, for their versatility, capability, and intelligence. Dancer is Bran’s horse in Winterfell, and he tells us immediately that she is special: “He touched her neck lightly, and the small chestnut filly started forward. Bran had named her Dancer. She was two years old, and Joseth said she was smarter than any horse had a right to be. They had trained her special, to respond to rein and voice and touch.” (AGOT Bran 5). An incredibly smart, smallish, responds well to commands despite Bran’s inability to use his legs, navigates difficult terrain well, named Dancer, and she’s a chestnut filly (aka juvenile female)? It’s like someone took attributes of Sansa and Arya and put them in a horse. Bran uses Dancer to get across Winterfell, not only outside beyond the castle gates (he takes her to the river where Osha’s party ambushes his group), but inside, including the Great Hall. While training horses to climb steps is difficult (ask any owner who has had to have one step up into a truck), ”the low stone steps balked Dancer only for a moment. When Bran urged her on, she took them easily.” (ACOK Bran 3) So not only is she intelligent and capable, she also trusts Bran despite initial misgivings. She even covers for Bran by staying behind in the stables, leading Theon to believe he and the others left on foot. Of course, since this is ASOIAF, intelligent, loyal characters serving our young protagonists are liable to be killed off, and this seems to be Dancer’s fate when Ramsay burns Winterfell: “Of the stables, made of wood and thatch, nothing remained but ashes, embers, and dead horses. Bran thought of his Dancer, and wanted to weep.” (ACOK Bran 5) (I feel you, Bran.) I suppose that unlike Stranger, she didn’t have Plot Horse Armor. Run free, Dancer. You were a true friend.

1) Old Piebald Rounsey (AFFC)

Source photo here. Yes, this is a pony filly whereas the piebald rounsey is old and male, but you try to find another decent swayback piebald horse photo on Google Images.

Brienne notices she is being stalked by “a broken-down old piebald rounsey with a skinny boy upon his back” (Brienne 2). Suspicious at first, she slaps the horse on the rump so he rears and tosses the boy, who turns out to be Tyrion’s Ex-squire, Podrick Payne. The horse has been worked hard to the point of disability, so Pod could buy him cheaply. But unlike the half-blind garron, it seems nobody is in this horse’s corner. Hyle Hunt says “that rounsey may be the most hideous horse I’ve ever seen” (Brienne 3) Brienne calls him a ”broken down old stot”, and Pod never even tries to defend him. Actions speak louder than words, however, and the supposedly weak, disabled, basically useless horse can keep pace with Brienne’s tall gray mare (gifted by Jaime Lannister, so she’s of top quality) and Hyle’s chestnut courser (type of horse bred for war/speed). The horse doesn’t go lame or break down, never demands more food than the other horses; like his rider Pod, while he doesn’t look much like a hero, has experienced hardship, and few people want him, he’s prepared to face the dangers ahead with little hope for reward. Is this realistic? Probably not, but GRRM breaks realism if he wants to make a thematic point. That point is probably the reason why GRRM made the horse an old rouncey in the first place: it is a reference to the famous steed of Don Quixote, Rocinante (the name roughly translates to “foremost among the rounceys”), an old, awkward work horse who accompanies Quixote on all his travels as his “noble steed”. While Cervantes meant Rocinante and Quixote to be a satire on knightly epics, GRRM seems more likely to resonate with their characterization in the 1965 play Man of La Mancha, particularly the idealism of its hit song, “The Impossible Dream”; essentially, to fight against evil and stay honorable in a world that can seem indifferent or even cruel, simply because you know it’s the right thing to do; and maybe it’s a fight you can’t win, that you might even die, but it doesn’t mean you should stop trying, because in that trying you could help others. That’s essentially the core of Pod’s quest with Brienne to find Tyrion, and of course, Brienne’s quest to find Sansa (“Seven, Brienne thought again, despairing. She had no chance against seven, she knew. No chance, and no choice.” — Brienne 7); neither of them have found who they’re looking for, but that doesn’t mean their quest was “for nothing”. The piebald rounsey doesn’t look like a noble steed any more than Pod or Brienne look like knights, but being a hero was never about appearances in ASOIAF; it involves enduring hardships to help others for little personal reward. For being a faithful, hardy steed that reflects Pod’s unlikely hero status, the old piebald rounsey gets my pick for top horse in ASOIAF.

#ask #horses #opinion #asoiaf #asoiaf meta #gif #animal significance

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nitewrighter · 4 months

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Okay so the distribution of the previous poll kind of bugged me and I feel it didn't really tell us a lot because the majority of the data was just spilt between individual years of the 90's so now I want to know...

#look i know *I* was 12 when I first started spending significant amounts of time online but the internet was a different animal back then #polls

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powerbottomblake · 4 months

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dungeon meshi is soooo fucking great especially when it hits its stride and all characters have come into play bc it's just like

laios: I want to eat all the fucking monsters i want the monsters carnally

marcille: EATING MOSNTERS???? UNHOLY. UNCOUTH. DISGUSTING. anyway here's all the dark magic and necromancy i've got on the backburner to bring back my dragon-digested gf and also i plan to find a way for everyone to live forever at the cost of my very soul if need be

kabru, normally, in a normal tone he's rehearsed 42000 times in front of a mirror: I'M NORMAL. I'M SOOOO FUCKING NORMAL. I'M THE MOST NORMAL GUY AROUND AND I'M NOT CONSTANTLY PLOTTING ASSASSINATIONS FOR THE GREATER GOOD

senshi: I have all this trauma abt being the sole survivor of the fantasy equivalent of the franklin expedition but that's not important what really matters here is eat yer goddamn veggies or so help me

and the best part is that none of them are straight

#dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #I guess?? for anime only watchers??#I love kabru so much. ND masking at its finest #also there's such idk. casual queerness to the whole story that really makes it very dnd-esque #'but it isn't confirmed!' i need y'all to exorcise the part of your brains that needs a kiss for a storyline to be actually queer #this story slaps of casual queercoding AND textual homosexuality like. namari isn't getting hit on on the reg by the one twin textually for #y'all to act up #the way marcille's most significant relationship is farlyn and whaetever kabru and mithrun have going on #liberate yourself from the shackles of Canon Kiss and start approaching the text based on the storytelling of it i beg you

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colfy-wolfy · 2 months

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Local Group Meeting

#my art #rain world #fanart #animation #meme #iterator #nsh #no significant harassment #five pebbles #fp #5 pebbles #5p

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rottenrascalart · 2 months

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I should be working on map parts, but I found a lot of Weathley quotes that have lots of shitpost potential

#rain world #rain world shitpost #rain world meme #rain world fanart #rain world animatic #rain world animation #rain world hunter #hunter #NSH #no significant harassment #rain world nsh #art #digital art #myart #fanart

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rose-colored-tarot · 3 months

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I think people have become so far removed from the natural world that "witnessing nature do it's thing" is often misinterpreted as having mystical significance.

This is not meant to be a judgement of anyone, no one here is the reason we live in a society away from the wilds. But I think that the little to no exposure people have with non-human spaces turns perfectly ordinary occurrences into something of a spectacle.

"I keep seeing large groups of crows around, who is trying to reach out?" Probably no one, crows are diurnal flock animals that actively seek out people because they are smart and know we have lots of stuff they can scavenge.

"This tree in my yard put out SO many flowers but seems to be dying now, did someone curse me?" Nope! Trees, particularly fruit trees, can stress bloom, where they put out tons of flowers in response to any number of stressors. Might wanna see if you can fix the stressors to save the tree.

"I was walking around during a storm and lightning hit a tree I was near, what does that mean?" It means you should thank your lucky stars you didn't get hit yourself. Lightning wants to touch the ground so badly and will zap the tallest thing around because that is the fastest way there.

"A cat gave birth under my house, do I have a familiar now?" Maybe. But under the house is dry, warm and relatively safe. She picked that spot because its a good place to keep her babies.

All of these things and more happen ALL THE TIME, we just aren't as aware of them as we used to be. Seeing nature in action is incredible and special in it's own right, just maybe not in the way you want it to be.

#witchcraft #magic #been mulling this over for awhile #animal doing normal animal behavior #just isn't mystical to me #and I think if more people knew about animals #they would agree #the significance of seeing a fox #means you got to see a fox #what a joy for you #it doesn't need meaning beyond that

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toxictoxicities · 4 months

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Laydown MAP Part 3

I can't wait for you all to see this all together~

youtube

#toxart #rw #rain world #seven red suns #no significant harassment #the divorce #animation #rain world animation #laydown map #pt 3 #process #rain world iterator #srs #nsh #Youtube

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ded-lime · 1 year

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Rain World 6 Year Anniversary!

#rain world #rw art month #rain world downpour spoilers #five pebbles #looks to the moon #monk #gourmand #no significant harassment #hunter #seven red suns #spearmaster #rivulet #artificer #sliver of straw #saint #survivor #my art #animation #gif

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sophiamarieispinkbunny-chan · 5 months

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More in depth analysis about the Spy x Family Manga Cover Chairs and Bonus Artworks (Or me just overthinking Endo’s decisions in everything and as always long post, please bear with me)

So I wanted to talk about something that I noticed about the various designer chairs that is featured on all manga covers.

Endo did say that he thought about how each chair matches the personality of the character, regarding it’s style, design or the color.

But I like to talk about something different about the chairs-it’s size or the seating capacity and how it reflects the characters relationship with others or their views about relationships. Also, I’m going to share something significant about the comedic bonus arts that also feature the chairs.

This focus mainly about Loid, Yor and Anya‘s Chair (including Fiona’s Chair) and the bonus illustrations that came with it.

Volume 1-Loid’s Chair: Le Corbusier LC2

There are two versions of this chair in the manga/anime, the love seat and the one seater. Loid is seated in the one seater chair in this cover, it means no one can sit there with him that reflects how reluctant he was in letting other people in his life. He wasn’t open for relationships (You can notice that those who are like him, intelligence assets; Franky, Fiona, Handler all sit in one seating capacity chair).

The bonus artwork was Anya sitting on the chair copying his pose. She’s the most fitting person to be in this seat because she can see through Loid’s mind, she basically knows who he really is and she likes him for that. Anya was fond of spies and she was excited about being part of his mission.

Volume 2-Anya’s Chair: Marshmallow Sofa

Anya’s chair has a large seating capacity and she was sitting at the middle, waiting for the empty spots on her both sides to be occupied. This depicts Anya’s anticipation for forming relationship with other people, about her wanting parents, a family, to be there for her.

The bonus artwork was drunk Yor lying face flat on Anya’s chair. This artwork, for me, reflects Yor’s unwavering affection for Anya and Anya’s appreciation of Yor. Even drunk, she’s determined to protect her, as if she was her real daughter as seen during the castle chapter. She is fond of Anya.

Volume 3-Yor’s Chair: La Chaise (Featuring Fiona’s Heart Cone Chair)

This is the chair I wanted to talk about and I have to use Fiona’s Chair for this analysis for Endo said that Fiona is designed to be Yor’s contrast and we can clearly see it in their chairs.

The seating capacity of Yor and Fiona’s chair greatly differ. Yor’s chair was big, Endo pointed how it didn’t even fit the cover, and even though Fiona’s chair is big too, she’s the only person who could sit in it. Other people can fit Yor’s chair but not with Fiona. I analyze this as Yor being open to genuine relationships and selfless while Fiona being closed off and selfish.

We know Yor’s motivation for being an assassin was for Yuri, for the sake of other people, and what is Fiona’s motivation? Clearly it was mainly for Twilight to marry her, love her and it was evidently show with all that stuff hiding behind her chair. I’m sure she experienced a lot of traumatic stuff that led to her being a spy but I don’t see other praise worthy and selfless motivations from her that was aside Twilight’s affection. Don’t get me wrong, she’s an interesting character and she isn't a bad person but I’m not really a fan of her personality just like I don’t like Yuri’s obsession with her sister.

In Yor however, she has nothing under or behind her chair. Just that blood that wasn’t even behind or below her chair. She wasn’t faking anything about her personality. It’s true that she accepted her marriage to preserve her assassin job but she genuinely wanted to marry Loid because he was the one who acknowledged her selflessness and that was enough for her to completely entrust her life to him. She welcomed Loid and Anya to her life because her longing for a companion to share her life with is as big as the size of her chair.

The bonus art in Volume 3 was Loid sitting on her chair. Despite the comedic set up of these illustrations, I think the people who tend to sit on the chair on the bonus arts were the ones who gets the person on the cover the most.

That is why Anya is in Loid’s (Because she can read his mind) Why Yor is in Anya's (Because Yor lost her parents at a young age too and she knows how to care for Anya because she did that to Yuri) and why Loid is in Yor’s chair (Because Loid understood her self sacrifice because he too, is the same as her) Also why Anya and Bond are in the bonus of Volume 4 because the two of them get each other, being both experimented on.

I also have some analysis about Volume 5-12 and the bonus artworks as well, but I might post them in another time since I haven't seen the translated bonus artworks in Becky and Emile and Ewen's Volumes.

But let me know if this analysis makes sense to you.

#spy x family #spy x family manga #anya forger #loid forger #yor forger #twilight #twiyor #spy x family anime #sxf anime #sxf manga #sxf thoughts #sxf analysis #The chairs are really playing significant roles in their character #Endo must've spent a lot of time thinking about it #Everything about the chairs just fits them #I'm excited to see who's going to be on Volume 13's cover #But my hunch would be either Henderson or we will repeat a character

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plope · 6 months

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seven red suns and no significant harassment using the ouija board to talk to sliver of straw

(super low effort video just so i could figure out clip studio's animator)

#rain world #seven red suns #no significant harassment #rw trafficlights #rw animatic #i think it would be funny if they used a ouija board to talk to SOS #sorry ill make higher effort animations later i'm ill right now

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aegor-bamfsteel · 2 years

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Oh im so sorry you had to write all that, i meant if crows and ravens have a simbolic connotation in or between them, but i like that post! Izzy seems to have a great personality ❤ and is very informative about the intelligence of those birds! Where i live we don't have ravens or crows but very distrusful argentine parrots and other boring birds (no offence on them) 😂

You don’t have to worry about the length of my Izzy write up; my posts on animals usually get the most notes on this blog.

To talk about all the symbolism of crows and ravens in ASOIAF would require a novella. They even form part of a title in the series, with A Feast for Crows. But unlike dragons, direwolves, horses, or bears, they aren’t treated as individuals (except Mormont’s raven). Similar to ants, who often represent the common people (as per cappymightwrite’s meta), ravens and crows are usually treated collectively, because what they represent I guess is an erasure of individuality. They feast on dead people, pecking out their eyes first (the hallmark of a living person), and it doesn’t matter to them if the corpse was a king or a peasant, because dead meat is all alike. It makes sense then, why they are tied to Bloodraven, who is trying to get Bran to forget his humanity as BR did.

If I were an Argentinian Parrot I would be distrustful of strange humans as well due to the pet trade (though that’s hardly limited to Argentina). I’m sure there are other birds where you live that aren’t boring! Even in the city, there are pigeons, owls, seagulls, even migrating hummingbirds. While there may be no crows or ravens, you might see jays, which is a member of the same family (Corvidae).

#birds #ask #asoiaf #animal significance

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spotsupstuff · 1 year

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for the best dad the world was kind enough to give me.

#rain world #rw #// angst //#// implied animal death //#rw hunter #no significant harassment #my art #i dont know how to TAG this properly shoot me an ask if u want this tag in a way #this is what happens when i put funeral bell on repeat

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andr0nap · 10 months

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cowboy au worldbuilding with the thoma

as you can see im taking some creative liberties with the giant emu by making them more diverse bc canon isnt enough for me and i have the brainworms

extra notes below the cut

standard thoma:

the original thoma and most common type available

perfect for travel, can pull wagons or carry light cargo

fast with good stamina, fastest over short distances

friendly, intelligent, energetic and quick to learn

the most diverse in terms of colors, patterns and extra traits

well rounded in all departments (theyre like the AQ horses of trigun)

draft thoma:

uncommon outside of major cities (kept by specialized breeders)

used for construction work and long haul heavy cargo transport

gentle, patient and eager to work

not built for speed but can walk for days at a steady pace without rest

dense feather coat protects them from the heat and sand

expensive to maintain and keep due to their size

theyre a relatively new type that came from selective breeding

"wild" thoma:

actually feral (aka. previously domesticated), not wild

originating from lost/runaways that have not been in contact with humans for generations

rare and elusive with a small population, sometimes spotted living near shipwrecks

people will pay top $$ for their capture

begin to exhibit adaptive mutations that help them survive the wastelands

smaller and less fluffy than their standard counterparts

dont come in many colors, mostly bays, chestnuts and blacks

hardy with incredible endurance

very stubborn, temperamental and intelligent, cant be forced to do something they dont want (like donkeys)

rarely ridden, mostly kept for crossbreeding

cattle-type thoma:

related to the standard thoma but NOT the same species

common pack animal in caravans, sometimes ridden as a cheaper alternative to the standard thoma

mainly bred for meat, hide and eggs

kept in huge open range herds that travel along worm swarms for feeding

sometimes kept as a form for anti-worm pest control

keratin crests are lightweight and used for protection and display

ranchers will paint patterns on their crests as a form of identification

not the sharpest tools in the shed, tend to bite and trample people

#trigun #trigun stampede #cowboy au #worldbuilding #andr0art #i like speculative biology idk what to tell you #its the brainworms #sorry for the horrible handwriting btw #also ik that significant adaptive mutations take longer to appear than a 100 years #but lets say they adapt fast due to genetic modification #the implications of what seeds did after the fall to adapt to the wastelands fascinates me #since thoma arent native to no mans land iirc #did they just have them on board?#what ab other animals?#what kind of non-native wildlife is there #i know there are birds and like... a cat #<- still hasnt read trimax #everything i know has been obtained via tristamp and osmosis #also yes im bringing in the og thoma #diversity win!#i needed a substitute for cows so vash and wolfwood have something to herd for cash #living the cowboy dream baby!

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lovesickeros · 4 months

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☆ decadence divine [ act I ]

{☆} characters arlecchino, neuvillette, furina {☆} notes yandere, drabble, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings yandere content, stalking (implied), kidnapping (implied) {☆} word count 2.3k

ARLECCHINO

Arlecchino was wont to leave social gatherings to her subordinates– the private meetings were where she thrived. It was so much easier to lure your prey into a trap when you didn't have prying eyes and ears waiting for the barest hint of blackmail.

She clicked her tongue in distaste, her eyes narrowing beneath the mask of the fox as she set down her cup sharply. It was difficult as it was to draw them from the safety of their bubble– at the slightest hint of danger, her quarry would run. A chase would be fun, but she couldn't risk getting caught here. The political nightmare it would cause..it already gave her a headache. She had to be discreet.

They weren't making it easy, however.

Which is why she never liked crowds. But this chance didn't come by every day. She wasn't going to simply let it pass by because of a little danger. She'd have them eventually, it was just a matter of how. There were already numerous of her own lingering in the crowds, hidden beneath the masks that every patron bore. It was difficult to stand out amongst the flurry of masked patrons constantly shifting around the room, moving from one conversation to another, gliding from one dance partner to another.

Her heeled boots clicked sharply against the tile as she stalked through the crowds, keeping a wide berth yet always lingering nearby– she was sure they could feel the vague sense of being watched, but with the huge crowds..her lips quirked into a grin with the barest flash of teeth. There were a great many ways to break them in– she'd spent a great amount of time and mora to get anything she could for blackmail, if she so wished. She had the backing of the Fatui as well if she played her cards right– it wouldn't be difficult to convince them that they were a valuable target, and none of them would dare to question just what she did with them afterwards.

Perhaps a bit of play, first. Test the waters. She was familiar with playing the polite gentleman, despite her status as a Fatui Harbinger. Stage something for her to intervene, perhaps, to look the hero. The look of shock when she revealed the wolf beneath the wool..she could see it already. That wide, doe-eyed look as they realized the monster they've followed blindly like a lost lamb..she was beginning to see the appeal.

All it took was a few hushed words and subtle signals before the tiles started to fall in place, her hand gliding along their lower back as she leaned over their shoulder with a thin, predatory smile. She'd have to organize for the agent to be released later, her eyes following as the Gardes dragged him out of the room in a flurry of curses, but for now..she tilted her head to peer down at them, polite and almost apologetic.

"You aren't too startled, are you? Now now, there's no need to look so..scared, poor thing. I won't let another lay a hand on you," She cooed in a sickly sweet tone, the husky rasp of her voice whispered in their ear like dripping honey. "You have my word. Now, why don't we get you some fresh air? Come. Allow me to escort you."

Her lips pulled into a jagged grin at the relief in their eyes– the blind lamb following the shepherd as it led them into it's maw. Just a little longer, and she could finally have her own caged bird– a pretty thing to admire, to protect, to possess.

Something no one else would ever touch again. Something hers.

NEUVILLETTE

Neuvillette was not one for parties. The intricacies and delicate handling of public relations he oft left in the capable hands of Furina, rather then himself. It was only at her behest he even attended at all, but he still felt rather..out of place amongst the bodies constantly shifting through the ballroom like a constant rush of water from one end to the other, no rhyme nor reason to the flow. The only thing that kept him afloat among the tides was the mask of the deer obscuring his face– even if it was exceedingly difficult to truly hide himself among the crowds, most passed over him without second thought.

Though he had to be honest with himself, even if he couldn't bring himself to admit it to Furina despite her insistence that his attendance was mandatory. He had his own reasons for coming– selfishness that left a sour taste in his mouth. It was purely by chance he'd seen the briefest glimpse of them prior, and he..was intrigued, that was all.

He refused to let his thoughts linger on the sleepless nights he spent prying every piece of information he could from loose tongues and obscure documents, every moment he managed to squeeze in between trials spent lingering in their most favored locations– cafes, stores, restaurants, the like.

Now a masquerade.

He tried not to let the guilt gnaw at his conscious, but it lingered like an age old scar that still ached.

So he relegated himself to simply residing in the further corner, nursing a goblet of water like a fine wine, trying not to let his eyes stray to the brief glimpses of them through the ever moving bodies filling the center of the room, dancing like puppets in music boxes.

Still, his hand twitched in an instinctual desire– a need to clasp his hand in their own, to touch his lips upon their knuckles, to indulge in a moment of reprieve and unshackle himself from the mantle that bears heavy upon his shoulders. He seeks reverence, worship, but not of himself– but towards the one who had drawn the eye of the dragon amongst the waves of humans he'd seen come and go for a great many years.

No one could compare, he is certain. None have left him as breathless, as hopelessly infatuated, as the one who made him wish only to kneel at their feet in senseless reverence until he could no longer speak. A hopeless man, indeed, if he has never even truly met them.

Instead he's spent his time prying into their life from the shadows. Caution, or simple cowardice?

He dares not ponder.

Yet in his ceaseless pondering he'd blocked out the world without, failing to notice the figure stepping up beside him until their hand brushed against his elbow– just the briefest touch, but it had his pupils narrowing and his entire body tensing like a coiled spring. That touch..bliss. It left him breathless and lightheaded as he tilted his head to regard them, his lips parting in a shaky sigh. They are as beautiful as he remembers– even with their face obscured beneath the mask, he would never forget them.

"Greetings, Monsieur– I hope I didn't frighten you too much." Their laugh made him feel rather faint, just the sound of their voice making his hand tighten around his cane. "..Not at all. I was simply lost in thought." He admitted apologetically, trying to reign in the urge to cup their face between his palms. A dangerous thought. He didn't want to scare them off when they'd provided him a priceless opportunity.

"My apologies, you must have needed something. It was rude of me to have been so absorbed in my thoughts to have ignored you." He continued, gently turning to set his goblet down– offer them his full attention, be a gentleman. The words rang in his skull like a ceaseless alarm, blaring and rattling his thoughts as he gently took their hand in his own. It was a split second decision– an indulgence, but he could simply not help himself. Even with his gloves between them, he felt like he was going to lose his composure just from such a brief touch..

He truly was a hopeless man before an altar, praying for a salvation he intends to bury deep beneath the waves– to keep it hidden in the darkness of the depths that only he can reach. A selfish man, he must be, to even think of it, but it is an itch that he cannot scratch. A need that must be satisfied. He cannot allow any hands but his own to tend to them, to know what it feels to touch them, to hear their voice and see their eyes as he prays– prays like a man starved, devotion born of desperation.

"I hope I did not make you wait too long." He smiles, soft and affectionate, like the bloom of spring beneath the winters chill– yet just as deadly, only masked by the sweet fragrance of flowers.

He had waited too long.

No longer.

FURINA

Furina was right at home amongst the crowds– where the masks obscured the identities of most, it was impossible to not recognize the charming banter of the Hydro Archon beneath the mask of the lamb as she graced the masquerade with her presence, speaking with a silver tongue to any who would listen. A truly enthralled audience fitting for the grandest of performers in Fontaine.

But her eyes lingered not on the people who's praise dripped from their lips like honey– yet so very bitter upon her tongue. Even the mask obscuring her expression did little to hide the longing that had her visibly deflating like a popped balloon. She hated all the eyes on her, really– it was suffocating. She was only putting on a show in the foolish hope that they'd finally pay attention to her. Just her luck, she supposes, that instead she's had to throw herself straight into the role of Archon without a pay off..

They hadn't even spared her a glance! It would be infuriating if not for the fact she couldn't even keep her composure just seeing them across the room. They didn't even have to look at her and she could feel the heat rush to her ears as she forced another smile at the crowd gathered around her. It was unfair how easily they could fluster her without even knowing it– her heart was thumping so hard against her ribcage she felt like it might burst.

Her only solace was the fact none of the patrons seemed to realize she'd clocked out of the conversation, her thoughts and eyes lingering on the distant figure– what a lovestruck fool she makes..it was a chance encounter she'd seen them during one of her outings. That was all it took to enthrall her, evidentially, try as she might to have ignore it for months.

They never left her mind for longer then a day, in the end, and she had to face the fact they had managed to enrapture her so deeply she felt like a newborn lamb learning to walk whenever she so much as thought of them. What an embarrassment! She..she was the Archon, she had a reputation to maintain, she couldn't be seen fawning over a human.

But oh, she still longed for it, beneath the veneer of a God. She'd watched them more times then she'd admit even to herself, wishing to find herself in place of those who'd hands were cradled so casually in their own– to hear their voice, their laughter, as often as she pleased..like a fine delicacy she so badly wished to taste, yet so far from her reach.

Would they think her pathetic for her infatuation? She pursed her lips at the thought, trying to bury the sour mood beneath her faux image of the Archon. Yet it lingered, and with only the quietest of excuses, she slipped into the crowd like a ghost– she needed to leave before she did something..stupid. Neuvillette would surely have a few choice words with her if she did, and she was inclined to avoid such a fate.

She..she just needed a moment to collect herself was all. That was it. She could go back to playing Archon for a little longer, she just needed a moment to herself. At the very least, the balcony had been regarded as off limits so late into the party– which gave her an opportunity to slip out of the public view for the briefest of moments. A welcome reprieve– she was starting to feel suffocated amongst the crowds.

Perhaps on instinct, she reached for the mask, lifting ever so slightly away..only to let out a startled yelp at the touch of a hand on her shoulder, the mask slipping back into place far too easily. It made her lightheaded, even now, but she dared not to dwell on it.

But when she turned sharply on her heel to chew out the person who'd followed her and had the gall to scare her..oh, she was done for, her ears flush with heat. The brief glimpse of their eyes beneath the mask, the curl of their lips as they smiled– her heart stuttered in her chest, and she was certain it had stopped all together when they clasped her hand.

"Y–you.." She wanted to be angry, to brush them off and leave with her rationality in tact, but the warmth of their hands on her skin rendered her speechless. She was no better then a fish on land, struggling to fill her lungs with air as she drew in a shaky breath. "Ahem, you caught me off guard. That's all. Surely you do not make it a habit to sneak up on people?" She huffed in indignation, trying to mask the fluster that threatened to break through her carefully crafted facade.

Ah, what a cruel twist of fate..she'd slipped away to escape their allure, but here they were, dragging her back into their orbit without even knowing how deep her infatuation ran. They were alone, too..it was a chance she wasn't sure she'd ever get again.

Maybe, just this once, she could do something for herself rather then everyone else.

She buried her guilt, the fear– buried it beneath the need to be seen.

"But if you want to make it up to me.."

#genshin impact #genshin impact yandere #genshin yandere #neuvillette x reader #yandere neuvillette #yandere neuvillette x reader #arlecchino x reader #yandere arlecchino #yandere arlecchino x reader #furina x reader #yandere furina #yandere furina x reader #fic tag #pats neuvillette this noodle dragon can be so pathetic #aiming for pathetic desperate and slightly guilty. it gnaws at him knowing he's keeping you like a bird in a cage #esp if you react extremely negatively hes like a kicked puppy #not outwardly but internally hes a MESS. sobbing crying wailing #furina and neuvi sopping wet kittens u found in a cardboard box in an alley #vs arle thinking abt all the crimes shes going 2 commit in the process w/o an ounce of guilt. blackmail? check. kidnapping? check.#a little murder for flavor. as u can see im coping horribly w being practically snowed in rn i need 2 be put down #its like 4 degrees out rn (fahrenheit) and getting colder ueueueue i am dying..........#only thing keeping me going is my furinameow plushie coming. eventually. staying strong just for her.................#also needs 2 be mentioned all the stories r separate ksjfkhdsf #no not everyone in fontaine is yan and trying 2 kidnap sorry for getting ur hopes up..#yet #anyway u cant convince me arle isn't bribing (or just straight up forcing) her agents into doing stupid shit so she can “save” you #and make you owe her #two silly goofy little creatures vs the personification of gaslight gatekeep girlboss (heavy on the gaslight)#also split this up in 3 parts bc. lol. lmao. im not writing 9 characters at once goodbye #also all the masks do actually have significance i have an entire essay on why i gave each animal to specific characters okay

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