#sauin | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lumentears · 2 years

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Garreg Mach students ranked by how popular their tumblr blog would be, from least to most

Popularity is measured not only by follower count, but also their general notoriaty in the tumblr dot hell ecosystem.

Ashen wolves sadly excluded because this list is long enough and I wish to see the sun again sometime today.

24. Leonie

I say this with a mind free of judgement and a heart full of love, but Leonie is a Facebook user. She doesn't really get tumblr, since for her social media is mainly to keep up with her people back in Sauin village, and you can not tell me that a community of mainly hunters uses anything other than Facebook to show off their latest game.

Most popular post: Her introduction post. Liked by Byleth and Byleth only.

23. Dimitri

He uses his tumblr as a personal vent blog whenever he is having a Mental Health Moment™ and deletes everything he posted the day later. He sits on an ask box full of concerned anons he can't bring himself to either acknowledge or delete.

Most popular post: His posts get liked in the """"traumacore"""" space but since he immediately deletes them it's hard to gaige exact metrics.

22. Hubert

You fool! He has 70 alternative accounts! And he uses all of them to send anon hate to his enemies and publish callout posts on those who seek to oppose Lady Edelgard.

Most popular post: "Lord Varley is a terrible person that deserves to be deplatformed and beheaded and here's why"

21. Ashe

His tumblr is for things he personally enjoys, he doesn't really post much original content. He reblogs from Bernadetta and Ferdinand and every single credible gofundme he can get his fingers on.

Most popular post: That time Felix baited him into a lengthy argument over the ethics of shoplifting.

20. Raphael

Reblogs warriormale like it's his god damn job. Occaisonally posts workout videos too, but for some reason Ignatz is REALLY bad at getting the camera to focus whenever Raphael is on screen.

Most popular post: Raphael was very enthusiastic about warriormale's drop that towel!!! post, much to the amusement of many immature people online.

19. Petra

Petra has a travel blog, mostly to document her experiences in Fódlan and get her into the habit of writing in her second language. It's mostly for her own sake, so she isn't fussed about getting followers.

Most popular post: A video titled "Me and my best girl friend at the beach". Every single one of the notes are a variation of "girl is that Dorothea Arnault 👀👀👀". She never confirms or denies this and her next update is about her catching the cold for the fifth time this year.

18. Linhardt

No queue, no tags, no system, Linhardt posts whatever holds his interest. An absolute nightmare for the novice to follow, but students with a little bit of patience can unearth many a pirated textbook.

Most popular post: A masterlist of crestology textbooks. Reblog to save a student's life!

17. Ingrid

Mostly vaguely feminist theory and book recs. Sometimes extremely personal ventposting. People who know her irl pretend not to know it is her as to not make her uncomfortable.

Most popular post: That one time she got kungpowpenised on one of her more...problematiqué opinion pieces.

16. Lysithea

Okay folks hear me out - she totally has a super secret fandom blog. She pretends that it is for the sole purpose of pointing and laughing at fandom drama as she herself is above that fandom-brained nonsense, but Goddess have mercy on your sinful soul if you provoke her into sharing her hot takes.

Most popular post: A 14k word essay on disability in the warrior cats book series.

15. Annette

Annette also has a fandom blog, but shame? Not on her good christian site. She takes great pains to keep her blog a space of positivity and unabashed joy in being cringe. In all honesty, it feels a bit like falling through a time portal into pre-dashcon tumblr, and I say this with equal parts nostalgia and condemnation.

Most popular post: In this universe, she is the person that birthed the "my homophobic dad became an ally by watching Sherlock" fake tumblr story. It was a bit of wish fulfillment when she was younger, and it haunts her to this day.

14. Ferdinand

Writes mediocre poetry and reblogs scenery panoramas and history posts. Regularly has to fight accusations of being a tradcath blogger, and he fights them to the death.

Most popular post: A picture of him on horseback went semi-viral once, akin to the ridicoulusly handsome marathon runner.

13. Lorenz

Writes mediocre poetry and reblogs scenery panoramas and history posts. Is actually a tradcath. Alas, people live for the drama and Lorenz gives them no shortage of it.

Most popular post: That time Lorenz went defcon as he was accused of sneaking into women's dms to ask for feet pics. He vehemently, desperately denied being into feet.

12. Felix

Felix has been banned from every other platform but tumblr, and he uses it for PVP only. He's become infamous sitewite for always starting shit and getting into arguments, almost in the same vein as human pet guy, just a bit less horribly morally bankrupt.

Most popular post: A legendary colour-of-the-sky length feud with Sylvain that ends in Felix posting a screed that has become the next "what the fuck did you just fucking say about me" copypasta.

11. Marianne

Has one of these "is the animal media cute" blogs. She tries to stay nonjudgemental and positive, but something in these blogs just seems to make people go sicko mode - she has to block at least a dozen people every single day. Secret star of the blog is Dorte the horse.

Most popular post: A video of her singing happy birthday to Dorte. It wold probably have gone unnoticed if Hilda hadn't reblogged it to her ravenous audience who can't get enough of pretty girls.

10. Dedue

Is most active on youtube, but he still has a woodworking, cooking and gardening blog that attracts the most wholesome audience of old people. You know, the „great work, Dedue, it’s nice to see the younger generation still picking up these kinds of hobbies“ kind.

Most popular post: I feel like he’d dabble in the kind of „cooking hack debunking“ videos Ann Reardon does in our universe, because he respects the craft and doesn’t want young people getting hurt trying dangerous viral hacks.

9: Ignatz

If you’ve ever been on the internet at all, you’ve probably seen one of his artworks. Sadly, those artworks are probably reposts of reposts of reposts, and Ignatz is still struggling to make comissions – he is still to shy to just become a furry artist but give it a few months and he might not have a choice anymore.

Most popular post: A post begging tumblr users to reblog his art.

8. Dorothea Arnault

She absolutely could be in the top 3 of this list if she wanted to. She just ABSOLUTELY doesn't want to. She's incognito on this blog and, once you've dug your way through reblogged gofundme's of folks in need, you'd find that her content is mainly her singing in places you wouldn't expect great audio in - stairwells and basements, mostly. Sometimes, people will ask her "has anyone ever told you you sound like Dorothea Arnault?" and she'll answer "I don't know who that is, sounds like a bitch though".

Most popular post: Her blog really took off during the sea shanty stage of quarantine - in fact, her sapphic shanties might have kickstarted the era.

7. Sylvain

Hornyposts all day every day and still finds a way to get all up in everyone's business. Was determined to outlast the titty ban and by now, the algorithm as pretty much thrown up its hands and given up on him. Totally the kind of guy who reblogs nsfw pics or videos from other blogs with unwarranted commentary.

Most popular post: His legendary tiff with Felix, in which he pulled off smooth shark levels of playing dumb to piss off his opponent. The resulting mythic copypasta is now his bio.

6. Mercedes

Mercedes posts daily on her affirmations and positivity blog. Reminders to relax x muscle, unclench y joint, and afford yourself the same grace you afford others. She also gives advice to troubled anons, and it's not neccessarily good advice but it's nice to see someone sincerely cares. People somewhat parasocially call her the "tumblr mom".

Most popular post: Her coming out post where she announced she is bisexual.

5. Caspar

Okay this might be a hot take but i feel like Caspar is a tiktoker – detractors call him a thirst trap but honestly he doesn’t show off his abs to make money off of horny viewers, he shows them off cause he's proud and wants everyone to know about them. He reblogs all his stuff to tumblr because he knows Linhardt is most active (most being a relative term) there and Linhardt liking his new post is a highlight of his day.

Most popular post: He’s gone viral a few times with a genre of tiktoks tumblr would describe as this is what boys will be boys should mean. In this universe, he ist he originator oft he vine of a guy pushing his friend, who’s fallen asleep on an air matress, out into a lake.

4. Bernadetta

Has a gajillion sideblogs she can’t bring herself to part with – she lives in constant fear someone will discover her abandoned onceler sideblog. Her most popular blog is for writing reader insert fanfiction. Whenever her blog gains enough followers to make her feel nervous about posting, she drops off the face of the earth for a few months until her follower count has shrunken to a managable size.

Most popular post: shamefully, an 18+ onceler rp from the olden days.

3. Edelgard

Your one-stop shop for protest tactics, world news, guilt-trippy posts about today's calamity and what you can and MUST do about it, and organisation to donate time and money to.

Most popular post: So she let her guard down once, ONCE, and reblog a slew of topless buff woman gifs to main on accident, and tumblr still clowns on her for it.

2. Hilda

She may be an insta gal, but she took to tumblr like a duck to water. Yes, tumblr as a whole hates the idea of being sold things, but sometmies they are willing to make an exception if the girl selling things is a delightfully lazy and aggravatingly cute #girlboss.

Most popular post: Technically, it's a selfie with her tiddies almost out. What draws people to the post is Marianne in the background, clearly hypnotised, pouring a herself a nice cup of tea...into her lap.

1.Claude

You think he's a tumblr funnyman? Wrong. He's ALL the tumblr funnymen. He is gaud, he is pukicho, he is all the other's who's names I can't be arsed to look up. It began as him sockpuppeting on another account to set up a punchline to a shitpost, it snowballed from there and now he is roleplaying several different tumblr blogs with an incredible amount of dedication. Right now he is planning for two of his personas to stream a game simultaneously.

Most popular post: If you ask him, his most popular post has not been made yet, but it sits in his draft, just waiting for the day they pull the plug on tumblr, so he can end the charade and dramatically unmask himself at the last possible moment.

Bonus: Byleth

Reblogs every single post her students make. Regardless of theme. Regardless of content. Always reacting with a couple of emojis. Nobody is sure whether her blog is a bot or a real person, and scrolling through it the closest one could come to browsing r/all on tumblr.

She is, of course, not a bot, this is just the way she makes her unconditional support of her students known. Even if that means reblogging hardcore porn, an essay on the canonical treatment of Brightheart in The Prophecies Begin, more hardcore porn and a deeply personal account of trauma within seconds of each other.

#fire emblem #fire emblem 3 houses #listen if i was mean to your fave on here there is a good chance i actually love them #i am just shitposting #black eagles #blue lions #golden deer #fuck im not tagging every student in this if this is a 2 note post then so be it #fe3h

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cherrypikkins · 1 month

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Your writing is so wonderful. How about Leonie and/or Ingrid? Responsible, blunt ladies.

FE3H OC Short Fics - Kitt Burgess (Part 3)

Part 1 | Part 2

(also excellent options, anon :333)

cw for violence, blood, injury, body horror - you know the drill

Leonie

Annwen Lake was a full day's ride from the monastery. Leonie had heard unnerving tales of this place - not only from the villagers back in Sauin, but also from Seteth's warnings to stay away.

She had shrugged it off. A practical woman, Leonie was not one to believe in ghosts. Besides, a remote place like this deep in the wilderness? Too tempting. What was a little danger, compared to the hunt that lay in wait?

The moment the lake was in sight, her mount refused to take a single step closer. Frowning, Leonie tethered the terrified creature and continued on foot. She unstrapped the bow from her back, and began to scout as unearthly cries echoed faintly in the distance.

The mist was already a bad sign. Not only did it hamper her vision, but it was unnatural enough to make her skin crawl. The moment Leonie crept upon the ruins of Annwen Village, she knew she had made a terrible mistake by coming here.

The place seethed with Demonic Beasts.

They prowled the skeletal ruins on lurching, lumbering footfalls. The second they inhaled her scent, their heads swiveled with a snap. In that moment, she was no longer a hunter, but a deer caught in the lamplight of their rabid glare.

Leonie was almost grateful for the hand that clamped over her mouth, hauling her into a nearby house and slamming the door. Close call. She had damn near screamed.

She struggled briefly but furiously until released. Leonie squinted at the figure, struggling to adjust her eyes in the dark.

"Kitt?" she hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Kitt snarled right back. "Didn't you hear what Seteth said about this place?"

Leonie pursed her lips, a reluctant expression of guilt. That still didn't explain why Kitt was here, of all places.

The youth wasn't interested in explanations. As the monsters outside smashed their way through, Kitt strong-armed Leonie to the back door and shoved her out. "Get back to the monastery, now! HURRY!"

Leonie barely had time to protest before the door shut in her face. Kitt turned back to the swarming beasts, eyes closed. They started to pray. First the scales appeared. Then came the fangs and claws. The moment the prayer passed their lips, the monster within answered, and Kitt was no longer human.

Leonie had scrambled halfway back to her mount when she whirled around, hearing the noises of an horrifying struggle behind her. It was like no sound she had ever heard before, yet it evoked the image of limbs being crushed, flesh being torn apart, bones splintering and snapping like branches. Rising above it all, chilling her to the bone, was an ear-splitting screech no creature of earthly origin could ever produce.

Her eyes widened as she recalled the obscure tale her father used to repeat. The Demon of Annwen…

Heedless of the danger, Leonie sprinted back to the village in search of Kitt, arrow nocked. Foolhardy or no, this was the one ghost story she was now tempted to believe in, and nothing could deter her from finding out the truth.

Ingrid

Adrenaline spiked her veins as she clutched her spear, eyes locked upward, breath heavy with exertion. Ingrid had quelled monsters before, but this was different.

Kitt was more than just some crazed beast on a violent rampage. They were a classmate - even a friend.

Their baleful eyes wept pitch black as they stared at her, full of hatred - full of anguish. A clawed hand swung down, threatening to slice her to ribbons, but Ingrid was ready. She could sense their confusion, their panic. They weren't thinking straight, lashing out viciously at anyone or anything that came too close. Dodging them was a near thing yet also a simple matter, given their frenzied state of mind.

She knew they didn't want to hurt anybody - not really.

It tore Ingrid to see them like this. Even so, she forced herself to trust what Kitt had told before. She remembered the promise she had made, to stop them at all costs. Evoking all the courage and righteousness of the knights of old, Ingrid cast hesitation to the wind, and ran Kitt through.

She heard them scream, and gritted her teeth, clenching her eyes shut. The lance wrenched and tore through the creature's body with what she prayed was a stroke of mercy.

The monstrous trappings crumbled away, rotting and desiccating like a corpse in rapid time. Exhaling faintly, Kitt stumbled to their knees, human once more.

Ingrid dropped her lance and fell to her knees with Kitt. She caught them by the shoulders, preventing them from collapsing face-down into a pool of their own ichor.

"Hey…" she breathed, taking care not to shake them too hard. "…You okay?"

A human hand grasped hers.

"…Goddess! That…really hurt," Kitt whined, hissing through their teeth. Their voice was plaintive, like a child. "Did you have to be that rough?"

Ingrid exhaled with a smile. "I'm taking that as a yes." She rubbed their back, easing them through the fading pain of their transformation, and breathing her own sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're still with us," she murmured. "I hope that helped."

"…Honestly, I was hoping you'd run," Kitt responded, quieted by shame and gratitude alike.

"That's not who I am," Ingrid insisted, steadying them with her grip. "I protect all of my friends - that includes you."

Kitt laughed bitterly. "A knight musn't say such things to a savage beast."

Ingrid wasn't about to lie. She knew how these tales usually ended - with the hero in shining armor slaying the loathsome monster, restoring peace and glory to the world.

In spite of that, she smiled. "How fortunate then, that I am not yet a fully-fledged knight."

#fe3h #fe3h oc #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem three houses oc #ingrid brandl galatea #leonie pinelli #fe3h ingrid #fe3h leonie #cw injury #cw blood #cw body horror

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sourcreammachine · 6 months

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🎃🪦🦇🪦🎃

it’s the day after hallows’ eve!

IT’S HALLOWMAS!

IT’S HALLOWS’ DAY!

CHRISTIANS DNI

or samhain/sauin, calan gaeaf, día de los muertos, dziady, and various names and forms in various cultures

today is a day that is older AND more important than christianity

no church has to approve and check every single person who it’s okay to celebrate today! it’s not about “all saints”🤢 or whatever. it’s not about your religion!

anyone who’s dead and was also cool, it doesn’t matter if they’re ancient, recently departed, or a close member of your family who you miss very much, celebrate them! and then eat treacle pie, share candy and set things on fire

also the fae are still around so seriously, DO NOT give them your name, it’s always a hazard

#196 #hallowmas #samhain #wicca

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knightkneeler · 9 months

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It’s called the Inexhaustible. Stupid name, in your opinion. All things considered it’s in good shape—it sat at the bottom of a lake for the better part of a thousand years. But still. You have learned the hard way that there is nothing that cannot be exhausted.

It’s a metal recurve, and a nice one. Like an art piece. Fucking gorgeous bow. It’s the perfect size for horseback shooting. Took you a month to figure out how tight a string it takes, because it snaps them so easily, like it’s mad at you for picking the wrong draw strength. You could never take it hunting, even if it weren’t a millennium-old holy artifact forged on the anvil of a saint. You told the Professor you didn’t feel worthy of it. They looked at you without an expression and said, It’s just a bow.

Every other weapon you’ve owned up to this point has been multipurpose, and you like that. A shortbow can kill a fox just as good as a pegasus; any iron-tipped spear can take down a boar just as good as a warhorse. It’s the same thing, the same job. Your father raised you to be a hunter and when you were fourteen you realized there was only one way out of Sauin: hunt bigger game. So you do. It’s an instinct you can’t shake.

You can’t take the Inexhaustible hunting. It’s no good, unlike every other weapon you’ve owned, because the metal it’s made of is too glinty. It’d scare deer. They’d see it and they’d run. It refuses to tarnish, never mind rust. That’s why they say it’s Inexhaustible, you guess. Imperial warhorses don’t give a shit about glint, they don’t spook. Maybe if they knew better they would.

Tarnish and rust aren’t the same as exhaustion. You take good care of everything you own. Your lances have heads sharp enough to shave with. You’ve kept your belongings in the same pack since you were twelve. It’s unrecognizable under the patches of scrap fabric you’ve added to it over the years, plugging holes, reinforcing thin stretches. It’s all sorts of textures now. Come to think of it, you don’t remember what it looked like before, not really.

You take good care of your things. Doesn’t matter. Exhaustion catches up in the end. You were fourteen, just before your life changed, and you heard something in the kitchen and you wriggled out of bed without waking either of your sisters, all three of you to one bed like hens, and you crept out of the room you all shared and saw your father sitting at the dinner table with his forehead pressed to the splintery wood. He’d been saying all week that it would be okay, you weren’t going to go hungry on his watch. But: No deer anywhere. His shoulders heaved very quietly.

When you went home on leave six months ago, you couldn’t believe how old he looked at only forty-six. Small, wrinkled at the temples. It’s no secret he’s a drinker. It doesn’t bother you. People get tired. It’ll happen to you too. Can only run so long before you’re out of breath, glint be damned. After the war, you’ll give the Inexhaustible to the Church, probably, if you win.

You say your evening prayers, you lay in bed, you run your hand down the wooden charm around your neck. It’s smooth and warm. You’re wearing it down every day. You know this. Hilda said she’d preserve it for you if you wanted, but you didn’t and don’t. You’ll go to the grave tomorrow. You’ve been meaning to, you just haven’t had a chance. You’re wearing it down, and eventually it will be smooth, just a piece of wood that doesn’t look like anything. You take good care of your things.

#twt crossposting for fun and profit #kk writing tag #here have a little leonie character study vignette thing #leonie pinelli #cw alcohol mention

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ashes-of-ailell · 6 months

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Unit Info - Maxwell J. Fletcher

Originally from Sauin Village, a hunting accident lead to him being found by Tyler and her father, Xander. Had been trying to fend for himself after his parents' unfortunate passing until Xander took him in. He's a hardworking and enthusiastic boy, with boundless courage (occasionally bordering on recklessness) and an incredibly friendly, upbeat attitude.

Preferred Class: Sniper

Birthday: 19th Lone Moon (15/16 - 21/22)

Strengths: Bow / Sword / Brawl

Weaknesses: Reason / Lance / Riding

Budding Talent: Faith

Unique Ability: Ladybug's Faith (Allied units receive Str/Dex +7 at the beginning of battle, steadily ticking down throughout each following turn)

Status - Orphan from Sauin Village

Personal Profile:

Interests: Hunting / Cooking

Likes: Bugs / Baking / Forests / Climbing Trees / People / Fairytales

Dislikes: Loneliness / Conflict / Cold Weather

Personal History:

1166 - Born to unknown parents in Sauin Village.

1167 - Taken in by Michael and Jeremiah Fletcher and raised as their son.

1177 - Meets Tyler when she finds him in the forest after a hunting accident.

1180 - Enrolls in the Officers Academy at Seteth's suggestion.

Supports:

Tyler / Lucien / Lunaris

Petra / Caspar / Ferdinand / Bernadetta

Ashe / Annette / Dedue

Raphael / Leonie / Lysithea / Claude

Balthus

Byleth / Catherine / Cyril

Learnable Skills:

Sword: Wrath Strike - D / Grounder - C / Finesse Blade - C+ / Windsweep - A

Lance: Tempest Lance - D / Knightkneeler - C / Hit and Run - C+ / Swift Strikes - A

Axe: Smash - D / Helm Splitter - C / Focused Strikes - C+

Bow: Curved Shot - D / Deadeye - C+ / Point-blank Volley - B / Monster Blast - A

Brawl: Fading Blow - D / Rushing Blow - C / Bombard - C+ / Healing Focus - B / Mighty Blow - A

Reason: Fire / Bolganone

Faith: Heal / Nosferatu / Rescue / Fortify / (Learns Aura with Budding Talent)

Authority: Rally Strength / Battalion Desperation

Usual Class Path:

Commoner -> Fighter -> Archer -> Sniper

Favourite Gifts:

Floral Adornment

Owl Feather

Rose

Legends of Chivalry

Tasty Baked Treat

Smoked Meat

Hunting Dagger

Armoured Bear Stuffy

Stylish Hairclip

Disliked Gifts:

Blue Cheese

Coffee Beans

Riding Boots

Fishing Float

Lost Items:

Butterfly Encyclopedia - A book about various butterfly species across Fodlan. The bookmarked page is of a butterfly with red and black wings.

Messy Recipe Notes - Messily scribbled recipe notes for a dessert of some kind.

Near-empty Bandage Roll - A bandage roll that seems to have been used a lot. Whenever owns it must get minor injuries quite often.

Favourite Tea Blends:

Honeyed Fruit Blend

Southern Fruit Tea

Cinnamon Blend

Favourite Meals:

Beast Meat Teppenyaki

Saghert and Cream

Sautéed Jerkey

Sweet Bun Trio

Peach Sorbet

Vegetable Stir-fry

"For my friends!" -Max, critical hit quote (Pre-timeskip)

#my ocs :3 #maxwell j fletcher (oc)#fe3h oc #fe oc week

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randomnameless · 6 months

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Hey, I have to say I am really, really impressed with how much you've managed to dig up and connect about Fodlan. Dang, all those details in obscure supports...

Do you have any insight on what is the deal with Lorenz's dad? I think Ignatz-Raphael paralogue suggested that he was directing a dude who could control wild beasts (sus dark magic?) to attack merchants going to Derdriu in the present day and to kill Claude's uncle in the past, and he's kinda vaguely supporting the Empire but only because he's looking to side with the victor...? But also wasn't there something something about him in Hopes?

Basically, I am fishing for juicy details.

4 years of discourse and 2 years of lockdown spent browsing the datamine lol

Lorenz's dad supposedly hates the Riegan family and wanted to get rid of them, Claude's uncle died along with Raphael's parents? - and to get rid of the Riegans, he was willing to stage and mount attacks, and most likely as you pointed out, hiring shady people to do so, like an agarthan or two who could control wild beasts...

But also, Lorenz's dad is someone who wants to protect his people, and sides with the Empire in the non VW routes elsewise, by virtue of having lands near imperial territory, he'd be crushed first. Erwin is also the one who hired Jeralt to protect the Sauin village (where Leonie comes from!) from poachers the first time they met.

In Nopes, like a good chunk of what could be interesting* in FE16, he is whitewashed because everything wrong must have be done by Agarthans, so, somehow, Agarthans were the ones who killed Claude's uncle and Raph's parents, and i don't remember if Erwin learnt about it afterwards or not.

*"the agarthans did it" is the cheapest way they found to make sure everything has an explanation and a clear target, humans cannot be asses because humans being asses is a staple in the FE series, nooo. Agarthans must have "pushed them" or manipulated them to be asses.

I really really really didn't like this, and still don't.

#kyogre-blue #replies #I'll check the paralogue out later in Nopes if you want!#i hate how the game tries to put the blame about everything on Agarthans or Nabateans #next what Edel's dad had 12 concubines because the Agarthans forced him to fuck?#FE16 #3 Nopes

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nexttrickanvils · 8 months

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*sees your Leonie positivity post* MY TIME HAS COME!

Ahem. If I might request, good cultured sir, might I request a ficlet of Leonie and Byleth looking all over Garreg Mach for their first child after they went missing?

(They're hiding in Abyss with Uncle Yuri because they think its funny.)

In Sauin Village, if you wish to become a hunter, the first thing you are taught is how to control yourself so you don’t panic.

Panicking at best would scare away game and at worst get you killed by an angry large animal.

It was a lesson Leonie kept to heart during her time in the Academy and fighting through the war.

She had been face to face with possible death more times than she could count and never broke… but now Leonie could finally feel all the panic she’s held back ready to burst.

All because of four words from her husband, “I can’t find Conrad.”

She knew her and Byleth’s son was a restless boy and loved to explore but he never wandered far from Garreg Mach. He usually was found and brought back to them by Flayn or Seteth or even the Gatekeeper.

But none of them had seen him since this morning thus she, Byleth, and everyone in Garreg Mach searched for him.

Byleth looked in the mess hall, hoping the boy was trying to sneak some snacks but no luck.

She looked in the stables, even searched the horses’ pens to see if he was hiding inside. But she also found nothing.

The more they looked, the more they worried.

Even all these years after the war, she and Byleth still dealt with obstacles. Corrupt nobles angry over the old ways changing, former loyalists of Edelgard attempting to finish what she started, and the remnants of Those Who Slither in The Dark. If any of those groups laid a hand on Conrad, Leonie would make them regret it.

It was sunset by the time she and Byleth finished their search, empty-handed.

Leonie did her best not to panic, if only for Byleth’s sake. She’d seen his current expression before… that awful day when the Captain…

She took his hand and rested her forehead on his.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re going to find him. We’re not going to abandon him and-”

“YOUR MAJESTIES! SOMETHING TO REPORT!”

The sound of the Gatekeeper’s enthusiastic voice brought a glimpse of hope to the two of them. They quickly pulled away from each other and looked towards the young man…

Seeing him crying tears of joy as he stood next to Yuri, holding a cheerful and unharmed Conrad.

Leonie and Byleth rushed over, Byleth reaching Conrad first and pulling their son into a tight hug.

However just as quickly, Byleth gave the boy a very stern expression that very much reminded Leonie of her mentor

“Where. Were you, kid?” He asked

“Um…”

“We were looking everywhere for you! We were so scared that something bad happened!” Leonie joined in

Conrad looked remorseful as he answered, “I wanted to play hide & seek and Uncle Yuri always says Abyss is the best place to hide.”

Immediately Leonie and Byleth turned their glares towards their (soon-to-be former) friend who just laughed and shrugged.

“To be fair, I didn’t realize Conrad didn’t tell you. It wasn’t until word about the two of you tearing apart the Monastery looking for the little guy came down our way that I found out he was keeping secrets.”

Conrad just hid his face into Byleth’s chest. He was a smart boy, he knew he was in a world of trouble.

…But first…

Leonie took a deep breath and ruffled her boy’s hair just as her own father did.

“Well the important thing is, you’re okay. You’re still in trouble buster but we’ll talk about that tomorrow.”

Byleth nodded and looked back at Yuri.

“Thank you for at least keeping an eye on him.”

“Eh, no problem. Not sure why the kid likes me so much but hey. On the bright side, I’d say he’d be quite adept at trickster training. You know when he’s old enough, obviously.”

Leonie and Byleth exchanged a… nervous look before both let out a nervous laugh.

“We’ll… keep that in mind.” Byleth responded with a sigh

#Fire Emblem Three Houses #Leonie Pinelli #Byleth Eisner #Leoleth #Anvil Writes #I know some folks think they'd name their son after Jeralt #And if that's your headcanon good for you I hope you're enjoying your fandom experience #I just wanted to do something different

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mask131 · 1 year

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Deadly fall: Samhain

SAMHAIN

Category: Celtic religion

Samhain (also written Sauin, because its pronunciation is NOT like how it is written) is well-known today as the “ancestor” of Halloween – but people tend to forget that it was an ancient celebration of its own right, not just an “old name for Halloween”.

Samhain was a Celtic festival celebrated by the Gaels, the people who inhabited Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man (though the celebration was also known to have reached other parts of the British Isles, such as Wales or Cornwall) – and while it clearly had its root and “glory age” during the pre-Christian times and early-Christian times, the “pagan” celebration still survived up to the 17th and 18th century, before being replaced by Halloween. The date of Samhain is the 1st of November, however the holiday proper begins on the night of October 31st: for the Celts, a day began at sunset, not as sunrise we are accustomed to today. Samhain was the “Gaelic New Year”, and also doubled as the holiday marking the transition between summer and winter. The Celts only saw the year divided into two seasons: a bright, hot season of life (summer), and a dark, cold season of death (winter). Samhain was the passage from the “clear” season to the “dark” season, and the very opposite of Beltaine/Beltane, on the 1st of May. With Samhain, all the “summer” activities would stop: peace was declared among the tribes, for war was an activity of the “bright” side of the year, and all the herds would leave the summer pastures to be kept indoors or in stables. It was the time when cattle was slaughtered to form food stocks for the winter, and when Irish royalty and nobility gathered to declare new laws or renew political decrees. Samhain was a time when people gathered together for great feasts: they ate a lot, drank a lot, and organized all sorts of athletic competitions. The merriments could sometimes spill over Samhain day proper – records talk of a full week of festivities, starting three days before Samhain and ending three days after.

Samhain was notably a time for lighting up bonfires on top of the hills, a tradition which mirrored and paralleled the one of Beltaine’s fires: these great pyres were representations of the Sun, manifestations of heat and light in front of the upcoming darkness of winter, and the flames were used to “cleanse” and “purify” the people and the land, by “burning up” all the evil and harmful things that could be left from the previous summer. In some regions, the youth had to get as close to the fire as they could without burning themselves and bask in the flames’ smoke; in others, two bonfires were built and the cattle had to walk between the pyres so that they might be immunized to diseases and disasters. It was a common habit to scatter the ashes of the great bonfires over the fields to protect them, and people also had the tradition of extinguishing the hearth of their homes to then light it up with burning branches taken out of the communal fire, manifesting the renewal of the year.

This seasonal and yearly change was one of the reasons Samhain was considered to be a “liminal” holiday – the other was the belief according to which, during Samhain, the “walls” between our world and the Otherworld “thinned down”. It was said that on Samhain, the doors of the Otherworld opened up, and the mounds of the land too opened-up: burial mounds and fairy hills that became portals and doorways to the Otherworld. Not only did it meant that the inhabitants of the Otherworld could walk freely among us, but it also meant that a careless wanderer could step into the Otherworld. Note that the Celtic Otherworld is special in that it is not just “a” supernatural realm, it is ALL the supernatural realms in one. It was the realm of the gods, where the Tuatha dé Danann went living after leaving our world ; it was “fairyland”, inhabited by nature spirits, mysterious witches and other monsters ; and it was the afterlife, from which ghosts and revenants could return. As a result Samhain was a time when both the fairies and the dead could visit. As a result, people used to do everything in their power to flatter, appease and put in a good mood the supernatural forces – at least, to get their help to survive the next winter. Druids appeased the gods through sacrifices thrown into the fire ; people left food and drinks outside their house for any member of the fair folk who would pass nearby, and families left an empty chair near the fireplace or during their meals in case the spirit of an ancestor wanted to say hello.

But Samhain wasn’t all about getting good things. It was also about avoiding the bad ones. Samhain was already a spooky day: while the honored dead returned with benevolent thoughts and great blessings, vengeful spirits came back with wicked intentions and a desire to punish… The fairy-folk itself was known for its mischievous and prankful nature, which often made them cruel or dangerous towards humans. As a result, people avoided leaving their home on Samhain, or travelling alone at night – if they had to, they did so wearing their clothes inside-out, or carrying salt and iron on their person, to protect themselves from the spells of the otherworld. In southern Ireland, there was even a tradition known as “parshell/parshall”: a parshell was a small cross made of sticks and straws hanged over a doorway to ward off witchcraft, sickness and bad luck. The parshall hanged on the house all year long, but had to be renewed every Samhain.

Samhain wasn’t just a thinning out of dimensions, but also of time: it was believed that on this day you could see into the future: it was THE big holiday of divination and fortune-telling. The traditional Halloween game of “bob the apple” even began as a Samhain divination game! Traditional rituals were many and varied. One had a group of people placing a circle of stones around a bonfire at night (one stone by person), before running around them with a torch in hand – if in the morning, a stone was mislaid, its “owner” would not be alive by next Samhain. Another rite had people peel an apple in one long strip before tossing it over one’s shoulder: the fallen peel would form the first letter of your future spouse’s name. A third game had a person pick two hazelnuts, one for themselves and one for the person they loved, before roasting them together: if they jumped away from the fire, it meant this relationship will never work, but if the two nuts roasted peacefully it meant the two people were meant to be together. In general, most Samhain divination rites were about either marriage or death, and used apples and hazelnuts: in Celtic symbols, apples were for immortality and hazelnuts for divine wisdom, plus apples were also recognized as the “fruits of the Otherworld”. Exception to this is a divination rite using the white of eggs being thrown into water: it was supposed to form the number of children you’ll have in the future. There was even a tradition of baking a cake with little items in it, then serving portions to your guests: the item in the slice you had would determine your future (if you got a ring, it mean you will marry in the next year, if you got a coin it means you’ll be rich, etc…)

And one of the reasons Samhain is seen as a “proto-Halloween” is due to its “modern” habit of “guising and mumming”. I use “modern” because this tradition was first recorded in 16th century Scotland, so it is the “modern” time of the ancient Celtic festival: people, putting on costumes and disguises, would go door-to-door asking for food. It is believed that this was a modernization of an older tradition in which people disguised themselves as the denizens of the Otherworld to receive the food and drink offerings on their behalf. In Scotland this proto-trick-or-treat was done by young men, who put masks or veils on their faces, when they didn’t blacken it (probably with the ash of the bonfires) before knocking on doors and threatening to do mischief if they were not welcome (clearly here playing the role of the “people of the mounds”) ; in the Ireland of the 18th century, it was rather peasants who did this ritual, using sticks to knock on doors before asking for food – a notably phrase used in these times was “Lay aside the fatted calf, and bring forth the black sheep!”. In southern Ireland, in the 19th century, there was even a tradition called the “White Mare”, Lair Bhan. A man dressed as the “white mare” by covering himself in a white sheet and holding a horse skull: he lead a group of youths who announced their arrival by blowing into cow horns – they went from farm to farm, and each farmer gave them food – because giving them food meant bringing good fortune, while refusing them was bringing misfortune on one’s farm.

- - - - - - - -

Samhain was notably VERY important when it came to Irish mythology: as one of the two biggest celebrations of the Celtic year (or one of the four if you count Imbolc and Lughnasad), a lot of stories depicted the strange and bizarre events that, according to legends, happened on this “night of mischief”.

# A story of Fionn mac Cumhaill tells of how the hero defeated Aillen, “the burner”, a mysterious entity coming from the Celtic underworld every Samhain: every year, he would all the inhabitants of a palace he kept targeting to sleep thanks to beautiful songs played on his harp, before burning the palace with his fiery breath. Fionn later defeated another being of the Otherworld, Culdubh, who came out every Samhain of a burial mound in Slievenamon to steal a roasted pig – Fionn killed him with a spear as the creature returned into the burial mound to the other world, but as he threw the spear through the closing door of the mound, Fionn’s thumb got caught in the door – when he got it out, Fionn put the thumb to his mouth to ease the pain, but since his thumb had been into the Otherworld through the door it was imbued with magic, and when Fionn sucked it, he gained a great wisdom.

# A story told of how every Samhain a trio of female werewolves came out of the cave of Cruachan to kill a community’s livestock: they were defeated when the hero Cas Corach used his musical talents to lure them into becoming human again, leaving the warriors of the tribe to kill them in their defenseless forms.

# Several tales recall of how a king received warnings of his impending doom by messengers of death (usually undead horsemen) for breaking a solemn oath or committing a crime ; only for the king to ignore this and then die on Samhain of a “threefold death”, in three steps: by being wounded, by being burned and by being drowned.

# A poem told of how in the fairy mound of Bri Eile lived a beautiful maiden that the men of Ireland tried to woo each Samhain – only for these attempts to always end in death.

# The story of the “Adventures of Nera” tell of how a king organized a test of bravery on Samhain night: his warriors had to, one by one, go to the gallows nearby and tie a wicker band around the ankle of the hanged corpse dangling there. All failed, as they were terrified by monstrous apparitions on their way to the gallows ; when it was Nera’s turn, he succeeded tying the band, but the corpse suddenly came to life and asked for a drink. Nera, being a friendly fellow, carried the talking corpse with him: they approached a house, only for a wall of fire to appear. They went to a second house, only for water to surround it. They could only reach the third, in which the corpse was given a drink – but after drinking three cups, the corpse spat back his drink at the house-owner’s face, killing him. Nera decided than to put back the corpse on the gallows and return to the castle. But what his surprise upon seeing the castle in flame, with all its inhabitants decapitated: seeing an army leaving the ruins, he follows them inside a hill in which they enter. There, a beautiful lady reveals to him that they are a fairy-army, and that what he saw was just a vision of the future – of what would happen next Samhain, unless the human warriors agreed to fight the army of the hill and managed to defeat the fairy people. Nera left the hill and returned to the palace, only to see it normal again, with everyone inside: apparently no time had passed since he had left to reach the gallows. The war then happened, and the human destroyed the hill, saving their life in the process.

# We also have Christian texts talking about human sacrifices during Samhain. We know today that either those tales were completely invented to denounce the “pagan practices”, either they were twisted and distorted records of actual events, but according to the Christian monks of Ireland, on Samhain was held the worship of a god called “Crom Cruach” whose statue could be found on Magh Slecht, a “wizened god hidden by mists” who was sacrificed a first-born child in order to ensure a good year for milk and grain : his cult was supposedly ended by the arrival and actions of Saint Patrick who Christianized Ireland.

#deadly fall #samhain #irish mythology #celtic mythology #celtic religion #halloween #celtic holiday

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three-duck-houses · 6 months

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@fe-oc-week day 6 - Supports

So I skipped days 4 and 5, Tragedy and Joy, because I really can't work out what to do for them? The only thing she would consider a tragedy is her mum dying the day she turned 11, and she makes an effort to find as much joy as possible in the little every day things, like sun rises and sun sets and clean air and tasty food and being near people she likes. Just too many things to list

For Supports, I don’t tend to think of Nico in terms of fitting her into the game mechanics (with branching paths and joining different classes), it’s more of a linear story that has conversations at various points that I guess could count as Support convos? Though saying that, I know that one and one conversations with most everyone do all happen at one point or another (if Shez and Byleth get to talk to everyone, so does Nico!) however where most of her story is still living in my head as a giant jumble to half cooked ideas and snippets of dialogue... I'll just share what I've already got for a few people

So here's some of my favourite bits of dialogue and short scenes? =3 (and a few scene outlines because my brain Will Not Work properly)

Conversations with Leonie, Hilda, Lorenz, Felix, Shez, Claude, Sylvain

Leonie:

When Nico first gets to the academy -

“Leonie! Hello darling, it’s great to see you!” she said, reaching out and pulling her friend into a quick hug before stepping back and holding her by her elbows as she gave her an exaggerated once over. “And oooh, look at you! Dressed up all fancy. It really suits you. Give us a twirl? Niiice. Now give me another one so I can check out something other than your ass? And your legs, phew, didn’t think I’d ever see so much of them out in public like this.”

Leonie burst out laughing as she cuts the start of her second spin short and shoves at Nico’s shoulder with a fond eye roll and faint blush. But she’s quickly reminded that they aren’t at Sauin village where everyone knows what they’re like, and are in fact surrounded by strangers when she hears a few other people also laugh while still more splutter from drinking at the wrong moment or make scandalised sounding gasps. And through it all, a laugh she vaguely recognises. She looked round, and found Lady Hilda sitting at the nearby table next to Yellow cape–no, he was Claude, and she was still kinda mad at him–, and she’d half turned towards her to say hi when Leonie’s words made her freeze

“Yeah, I didn’t either, but my uniform choices were this or a dress. It’s surprisingly comfortable, when you get used to it. What have you picked for yours?”

Her eyes snapped back to Leonie, hoping her friend was joking, but no, no it didn’t look like she was.

“Run that by me again? Did you say the options are a skirt or a dress?”

“Huh? Well, yeah. I was pretty miffed about it too, but they seemed kinda strict about it, long held tradition or something.”

She turned to Shez and Byleth, who were watching the conversation with vague interest, and silently asked them what the fuck with a head tilt and brow lift.

“You don't remember us going to see the tailors last night after we talked to Professor Hanneman? Well, we did, and we've picked out what we want, but you were too out of it to pick yourself, so we said we'd go back later today. Oh. They needed your measurements to get started on your shirts, so me and By got them, so they wouldn’t be touching you.”

Well. That was one thing to be thankful for, she supposed, giving Shez a grateful smile, then glancing down at Byleth when she felt a light touch on the back of her hand to find her cousin looking up at her, the faintest of frown lines between her brows, and shifted her smile over into reassuring.

“I’m fine, honest. Just gonna have to talk to them is all.”

“Aww, what’s the matter Nico?” Leonie asked with a laugh in her voice. “You can’t tell me you’re afraid to show a little leg yourself, I’ve seen what you dance in.”

Shaking her head fondly she turned back, noting that Hilda had left her seat and was walking towards them so she needed to wrap this up quickly.

“You know damn well how much of me I’m happy to show, but when you’ve got some free time how about I take you up on Kilani and you can find out how much of a pain in the ass it is to ride a wyvern in a skirt?”

Hilda:

When Nico gets to the monastery, and she’s meeting everyone along with Byleth and Shez, she’s just introduced herself the the Great Lord’s heirs and offered to do anything she can to help them, since she’s employed by Lady Daphnel and trying to build a good rapport with these noble kids -

"Except you. If you want me to buy you more beads you need to start learning Almyran properly and come with me. I'm not having you yell at me for buying you what you ask me for again."

Hilda laughed, rolling her eyes, then started her familiar argument

"I asked for lapis lazuli seed beads Nico–"

"No, you asked for blue–"

"And you bought me turquoise cut gems–"

"Turquoise is blue! I bought you blue stones with holes in them! I tried, ok? This is why you need to come with me!"

End of Harpstring, after the class’ first main mission in which Nico took an arrow to the back of the shoulder for Claude, and then an axe hit to her arm while pushing Hilda out of the way of an attack. Hilda and Leonie have gone with Nico back to the eyrie to help her unsaddle Kilani, since her arm’s in a sling. Probably their C support? -

“Nico, why’d you take that hit for me? You know I’m not actually a delicate flower, don’t you?”

“I know, I know. But I still didn’t want to see you get hurt. Even if you could have taken it, it would still have caused you pain, and I just… don’t want to see you hurt. I honestly do like you Hilda, and I’d like to be friends someday.”

“Wait, you think we aren’t friends already?”

“Huh? I mean, um…”

“Nico!”

“I didn’t want to presume! You are a noble after all, and you’ve paid me to run errands and do stuff for you before! I thought you might still see me as a messenger, or like, a merc who works with Holst sometimes.”

Leonie, who was on the other side of the wyvern stall, started sniggering

“Don’t mind her Hilda, Nico’s pretty bad at knowing when she’s made a friend, she asked me if she could call me one after we’d known each other six months.”

“Leonie!!!”

“Haha, I see! In that case yes Nico, we are friends. And I think Marianne and Lysithea would probably say you are too, so how about we all go and get tea together at some point, yeah?”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

Lorenz:

Lorenz pissed Nico off when they first met because he didn’t like the way she’d talked to Leonie, and reminded her several times that he was a noble who had standards. So when she went back to Daphnel for her first weekend running messages and she offered to take stuff for the rest of the class, she made a point of charging him, since he was a noble, not one of her classmates or friends. This happens shortly after that

“Hey, um, Lorenz? Do you have a second?”

“Yes? What can I do for you?”

“I. I wanted to apologise for the way I spoke to you on Friday,” she said, dropping into a bow and focusing on his shoes, which were of course perfectly polished. “And for all of my conduct towards you so far, in fact. I know I’ve been a real brat towards you, because what you said when we met kinda annoyed me, but that’s no excuse for my frankly terrible behaviour and attitude. You of course aren’t obligated to, but I was wondering if perhaps we could try to start over?”

His feet shuffled in place while he made a vaguely surprised noise, and she could hear their classmates still tidying books and lingering at desks. She hated having to do this in front of them, but, well, she had made the point of charging him for delivering his message and then warping him away to his dad’s office in front of them too, so it was only fair.

“I accept your apology. And as to starting over, ahem. I am Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

She slowly rose up from her bow, looking up and finding him giving her a small, tight looking smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.

“The pleasure is mine Lord Gloucester. I am Nicolita Eisner, but please, call me Nico. Do you think you might be free at all in the next few days to join me for some hot leaf juice, do you think?”

She bit her lip as she watched his eyes fly wide and he started to splutter, colour rushing to his cheeks and looking like he was trying to be a kettle fit to boil over, before he paused, and narrowed his eyes at her. She shrunk down a little, and felt her shoulders hunch despite herself. Yeah, she’d been trying to wind him up by calling it leaf juice, but she did actually want to have tea with him

“Humph. Very well. But I must insist that you refrain from referring to it as such. While I acknowledge that not all of the blends that are generally called tea deserve the title, those blends do have their own proper names, such as tinctures and tisanes. Come along, and I can begin teaching you the differences now.”

Felix:

End of Harpstring, her dead mother’s birthday. Nico has been trying to keep her head down and not interact with people, and Felix has been trying to goad her into sparring despite her and Byleth telling him to stop - this would be C- I think? -

"Tch, what's the matter? Scared to fight me now I know the sort of dirty tricks you like to play? You truly are pathetic"

That makes her snap, spinning to face him and magic sparking out of her, like in one of those static ball things, and leaving faint scorch marks on the floor near her

"For fucks sake Felix! I'd heard Sylvain was the insatiable one who didn't understand the concept of 'no', but were all those rumours really about you instead? Are you really the type of guy to keep pushing and pushing after a girl's turned you down, and ignore all her attempts to politely make you back off? I’m thinking maybe they were, since Sylvain has been nothing but a gentleman since I met him"

Felix is horrified, because of what she's implying. And Sylvain's a little surprised, because er, does she not remember their date?

“I said no. I said I don’t want to. I am now saying to fuck the hell off and leave me alone and just don’t talk to me about anything, ever, you spoiled little noble brat! It’s more than time you grew the fuck up, learned some manners and learned to fucking listen to people other than yourself!”

Later the same day, Nico returns to the monastery from where she’d stormed off, and goes to find Felix in the dining hall -

"What do you want?" he bites out, and it's an effort to swallow from how dry her mouth suddenly is as she tries to remember what she wanted to say

She bows to him, a full proper one with all the respect he deserves, and says "I'm sorry. I was in a bad mood but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You did nothing to deserve what I said to you, and my words towards you were completely unwarranted and unjustified, and the insinuation I made was unnecessarily cruel. I truly regret my actions, and any harm I've caused you, and will do whatever you want to make things right, if I can."

She waits, holding the bow, for his reaction, and has to bite her lip to try and hide her flinch when he scoffs

"If you think that drivel you spouted will make everything better–" he starts with a barely suppressed snarl in his voice, and she knows it's rude and will probably make everything worse, but she cuts across him

"No, I don't think it'll make things better. I understand if there is nothing I can ever say or do to make up for the pain I caused you or any damage to your reputation. But in case there is, please know I will say or do whatever you deem necessary to make things right"

Silence. And she internally cringes because it's the sort of silence that means everyone in the hall has stopped and is watching, and if anyone hadn't known what happened before then they'd find out now and this was a terrible idea what was she thinking she was such a fucking moron

"Idiot," Felix spits, followed by a tch of him clicking his tongue. "Go away. I don't want to deal with you right now. You disgust me"

(this one isn’t even dialogue, just how the scene would go, but shhhh, pretend it is?) This would be… either C+ or B I guess? -

After everyone’s settled down, she goes to Kilani’s saddle bags and pulls out her set of poi, and moves to a bit of the clearing away from Felix, because they still aren’t exactly on the best of terms from the whole insulting him thing, and starts practising. Hits herself a few times, but mostly does ok

She keeps track of the time, and when their shift is over she looks over at Felix, trying to build herself up to face the cold hostility she’s sure she’s about to get from him, but finds him staring at her, looking considering and calculating, and what? Tentatively calls his name, and he blinks a few times, then tch’s, looking away from her. Says her footwork was interesting was all, he was studying it to see if any of it could be applied to his swordsmanship.

She stares at him, because huh. Didn’t expect him to admit that. But her silence seems to bother him, and he shifts, crossing his arms, then huffs loudly.

Asks if she’d be willing to teach him how to do all that, and she’s a little surprised. Because she hadn’t been entirely sure they were back on good terms… They hadn’t interacted much since the whole blow up at him thing?

He tch’s again, and says she had a point, he was wrong, he’s been trying to be better about it. And… he wants to learn how to do what she did. Not just with these balls on strings. But with the moving around in fights. The dodging out of the way, and all the footwork. And he saw her dancing in town, and the moves she used looked... He thinks it’d be useful for his fighting. Please.

It’s the please that gets her. Because wow. Progress!!!

Shez:

So Nico and Shez are pretty close before the game even starts, so it’s difficult to work out what would even count as supports for them. But I really do love this scene so I’mma share it =3

Context is Byleth and Shez started the Ashen Wolves DLC while Nico was away running messages for Judith, only Judith told her to take a few hours off while she wrote supplies so Nico made a giant pool at the Troupes camp and was teaching the kids to swim when she felt Byleth turn back time (long story). So she warped to Byleth while still in her under things, and joined in the fight in that outdoor map below the cathedral bridge, but because of the excess amount of Sothis magic down there her magical senses are dulled, and she kinda hasn’t noticed anyone else who takes part in the DLC are kinda hanging back to stay out of the way of her attacks… -

A sharp slice across her collarbone as she didn’t step back either quick or far enough, and she hissed in pain, then growled as she felt her top which just got cut through slide down to leave one side of her chest exposed, and then hung loose and distracting off her other shoulder as the knot got stuck in the rings at the back

“Nico? What’s wro–” Shez’s question dissolved into splutters, and then a grunt of pain, and she glanced over to where she was pretty sure he was to see him sprawled on the floor, cheeks a bright red, and a construct standing over him with an axe.

Sighing, she reached out and waved a hand, shooting ice up from either side of Shez to impale the enemy.

“Oh I’m sorry Shez, don’t tell me you got distracted by my non-existent tits?” she asked sweetly sharp, keeping half an eye on him as he scrambled to his feet

“For the love of–gnnngh! I said it one time, and that was months ago! How are you still not over that yet?”

“You’re right, you did only say I’m flatter than a wash board with grapes nailed to it one time, yeah. But there was another time when you said the only shape I have is because of an excessive amount of ruffles! And maybe I’ll start getting over it when you apologise??”

“What? I already did!”

“Bollocks did you!”

“I did! You were yelling at me in the healers tent and started to cry and stopped as soon as I said I was sorry!”

“When I was in…” She stopped after kicking one of the things in the stomach then spinning round to get the momentum to behead it cleanly. She uses this quick lull in the fight to yank at her top, pulling the knot through the rings so it was free and she could drop it to the floor, where it wouldn't distract her by flapping and shifting and tickling her back

“Shez. Darling. Love. Sweetheart–”

“Uh oh”

“–Light of my life. Did you perhaps apologise to me during the three days I lost because I had a mother fucking concussion from being thrown head first into a tree saving your sorry ass from the giant wolves you pissed off?!”

“. . . well when you put it that way–”

“As soon as we’re done murdering these bitches I’m smacking you upside the head you flaming sack of putrid festering duck shit!”

Claude:

Shahid attacked the Locket while the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth was going on (because he’d heard someone tried to murder some of the Alliances heirs last month, so the Alliance must be weak right now), so the Deer have to ditch protecting the Sword in order to beat up Shahid. Nico provides some psychological horror to the Almyran’s before warping them all back to the capital, and then has a quick conversation with Nader before sending him back to explain that they’re all going home in one piece this time because of her debt to queen Tia—--

Nico blue screens as she puts together that Tiana is the same name as Oswald’s daughter/Claude mum and the Fodlani born Almyran queen and huh

The next day, when Nico wakes up from her magical overexertion nap and Claude catches her in the eyrie -

“So, about what happened with Nader yesterday. I guess that means you kno–”

She spun around and practically lept towards him, slapping her hand over his mouth as she grabbed his shoulder and pushed him backwards until he hit the wall out of sight of the doorway. She squeezed tighter when his hands seem to instinctively go to her wrist and try to pull her off him, and she had to look away from his eyes and focus on a spot just past his ear when she saw how alarmed, confused, and wary betrayed he was, because it made something in her chest ache something fierce to see how he still didn’t trust her, despite everything. But she pushed that aside for the moment, because he needed to hear this!

“Look. There is a very fine line between me strongly suspecting something because of facts I’ve pieced together, and me knowing something because someone else has confirmed it. Right now, I can honestly say if anyone asks that I don’t know who or where your parents are. So I need you to be very careful about what you say to me from now on so you don’t tip me suspecting over into me knowing. Understand?”

A light seemed to flicker on behind his eyes, which were darting all over her face as she slowly lifted her hand off his mouth and let go of him, and then he slowly nodded, something like a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips

“Yeah, I understand. I… yeah.”

She nodded at him, then turned to go back to making sure she’d packed all of Kilani’s things properly, but he grabbed her shirt sleeve, gently tugging, and she looked back at him in surprise, because huh?

“Thanks, Nico. For not saying anything yesterday.”

She gave him a look, brows raised and lips quirked, and shook her head with a sigh

“Don’t be dumb, Claude. You don’t need to thank me for something like that. You should know by now I’ll have your back when I can, alright? No matter if that’s from swords, axes, arrows, or info”

And then a few days/a week later, when Judith comes and gets Claude and takes him back to Deidriu to sit in on the Roundtable, Judith brings Nico along too so she can then fly Claude back (so Judith doesn’t have to make the trip there and back again)

And Nico realises that every time she’s spoken Almyran in front of Claude, he’s understood it. And she starts trying to remember all the things she’s said in front of him, and remembers the whole “We could always bribe these three with the literal Prince’s ransom I’ve been offered to track down the youngest prince if you want me to go take that job?” conversation from after Remire

So she goes to find him, and they have a little conversation where she asks him if that was why he didn’t like her at the start of the year, and he’s annoying and reminds her he’s not meant to do or say anything to confirm either way anything she suspects, and she’s very grrrrr at him because he has a point but also she can tell he’s being a wind up, till he laughs and says yeah, he understood what she said, and while he knew she worked for Judith and she’d said she worked for Gramps, he didn’t know how far her loyalty would last when she was worried about keeping Byleth and her chest rock away from the monastery

And oooooooh, fuck. She’d forgotten she’d talked about that. Yeah, no, not acknowledging that he just said that, moving on

There’s then what would probably be a B support that happens at the White Heron Ball, but I need to rewrite that because I wrote it ages ago and I don’t know if it’ll fit in with various changed I’ve made to the rest now, but tl:dr is Claude asks Nico what she plans to do after they graduate, Nico says not sure, depends what Byleth and Shez do, but probably go back to working for Lady Daphnel at least part of the time, and Claude asks if she’d want to come work for him maybe?

And She kinda does… but she’s got this whole thing about not flirting with people who pay her, and she was really looking forward to trying to flirt with him a little after she wasn’t being paid to kinda look after/keep an eye on him or do whatever he asks her to?

Que conversation where they talk around how they both feel about that, with a few hypotheticals thrown around by both of them ;3

Sylvain:

So what would be their C support (where Sylvain takes her on a date and she doesn’t realise it’s a date because he reminds her so much of one of her troupe cousins and has unconsciously fallen into the sort of banter she has with that cousin) is a giant mess of half formed ideas and half written conversations which I can’t share

But their B- support happens after the Gronder fight, because Nico did something stupid to save some people from the troupe as the students made their way back towards the monastery and completely drained herself of magic and gets stuck in bed (she shares a room with Byleth because reasons) and is bored -

Nico is stuck in bed for 3 days after they get back. She is bored stupid, but light and sounds are still hurting, and she can only just get herself up and to the toilet without help, so classes are out of the question. But she's finding Manuela was right, and stuffing her face with as many cakes and sweets and sugar as possible is helping immensely, and she's getting plenty of them whenever people visit her

She's laying in bed trying to focus on a book Ashe and Ingrid recommended to her when someone knocks on the door, then opens it without waiting for a reply. It's Sylvain carrying a tray loaded with a tea set and covered plates. He puts it down on the side table Byleth found for exactly that, since she can't even handle going to the dining hall to eat, while Nico slowly gets herself sat up

"You could have waited for me to say come in," she scolds playfully, trying not to laugh at his pout and puppy eyes. "What if I was getting changed or something?"

His pout turns into a crooked grin, and his eyebrows dance a few times.

"Then I would have enjoyed the free show," he smarms, and laughs as he dodges the small cushion she throws at him. "Careful. You'll knock over the tea"

"Uh huh. So. Not that I'm complaining, but who are you using me as an excuse to hide from?"

"What?" he draws out, playing at being offended, the doofus. "Can't I visit my dear bed bound friend without having some sort of ulterior motive?"

"I don't know. Can you?"

He manages to hold his fake offended expression for a few seconds against her flatly amused one, before he laughs, shaking his head as he settles on the edge of the bed

"Ingrid was trying to get me to train with her, but I really was planning on coming to see you anyway. Wondered if you wanted to practice chess, but you don't look entirely with it"

- Sylvain ends up sitting/laying next to her in the bed and letting her lean against him as he reads to her since she's having trouble focusing but the book has occasional pictures she likes to look at, and somehow he's way more comfy than Byleth to lay on??? She thinks it's the boobs, she tells Sylvain solemnly, and it sets him off laughing so hard he has to lay back with his arm over his face for a minute or two. He keeps having to nudge her to remind her to eat because she's sort of dozing off, and refilling her tea and making her drink

- Byleth comes in the room, looking like she’s been in the training hall, and her brow goes up when she sees them, making them both laugh. Byleth starts moving around the room putting her things away, and Nico scoots over towards the wall, tugging Sylvain, and tells By to join them, Sylvain's doing storytime. Sylvain tries to protest, because this seems kinda weird, but Nico pouts at him and asks "Why, don't you want to share a bed with two beautiful ladies?"

"Yeah Sylvain," Byleth agrees in an even more deadpan than usual voice while her eyes sparkle with mischief, walking back to the bed and leaning down next to them, one hand resting on the headboard. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to get us both in bed?"

"Do I need to come back later?" Shez's flat voice drifts in from the doorway, surprising all of them, and Nico is the first to burst out laughing only to immediately wince and stop and clutch her head, burying her face again Sylvain with a groan

Byleth keeps laughing lightly as she grabs Shez before he can leave, dragging him and the fresh tray of tea and cakes into the room. Nico groans again when she sees it, turning her face back into Sylvain's shoulder

"I hate to admit it, but I'm getting kinda tired of cakes. I think I maybe even want a vegetable"

Shez gasps, and she opens an eye to glare at the overly shocked face he's making

"Who are you and where's the real Nico?"

- Shez ends up joining them and sitting at the foot of the bed and all three of them bully Sylvain into continuing story time

#ducky rambles #my oc nico #fe oc week

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