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corinthbayrpg · 4 years

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NAME. Ariston Diakos AGE & BIRTH DATE. 27 & September 26th, 1993 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Male & He/Him SPECIES. Shapeshifter ( White Wyvern ) ; Former Human OCCUPATION. Employee at Mount Olympus FACE CLAIM. Maxence Danet-Fauvel

BIOGRAPHY

( tw: drug use, overdose, anxiety ) Ariston Diakos was the third child and baby of his family. With a lawyer for a father and a professor for a mother, he was born to parents with high expectations for their children. It wasn’t so bad at first, when there were two other children in the household. Though always under pressure, Ari had the luxury of being the youngest, and also the favorite. While his elder siblings were held to a more intense standard, for the most of his childhood, he actually had the chance to act like a kid. Sure, if his grades ever slipped below an A there would come ‘the talk’, but for a gifted child, it wasn’t that hard of a goal to maintain. Ari was happy for the most part, oblivious to the way his future would turn out.

Things started to take a turn once his older brother Andreas skipped town; Ari had been eleven years old at the time. It happened like a shift, how suddenly things began to get more intense. The Diakos couple began to focus their attention more and more on their youngest child rather than their eldest, and started applying more pressure to the young boy. Suddenly good grades were no longer good enough, he had to be the top of the class. Just excelling at regular school wasn’t enough, he had to be taking advanced classes, and extra courses on the side. Everything, they said, was to prepare him for his bright future. But while they saw themselves as only being helpful, steering their son towards carrying on their legacy, Ari began to see prison bars forming around him. He was disallowed from having a social life, any free time not spent pursuing some form of learning was considered wasteful and looked down upon. But his parents only saw his success, not the amount of burden they were putting upon their son’s shoulders.

The chance of a reprieve came in the form of university. As one of the highest performing students of his class, Ari had the opportunity and privilege of deciding between multiple different universities of where he’d like to attend. At first, he intended to run off into the sunset to the furthest flung place he could find, a desperate desire to be free for once in his life. But like so many other times, his parents had different ideas for what direction his life would take. It was decided between the pair that he would attend his mother’s university inside the city, where she could keep an eye on him and insure Ari stayed true to his studies. Unable to stand up for himself in the face of their expectations, he reluctantly agreed, and it felt as if iron bars were closing in. Really, to anyone watching the poor young man, it would’ve been no surprise at all that it took less than a year for everything to come crashing down.

Ari had started abusing drugs during his years in Lyceum, Greek senior high school. It started out small, just to keep his focus and study better, but grew into a greater problem as his parents’ demands only got higher. It got to the point where he could hardly even function without medication, keeping him awake for hours on end as his anxiety spiked. Ultimately, it led to an overdose, after a particularly long stint on prescription pills he’d bought from another student. It’s a small miracle that he’s even still alive today, and perhaps he wouldn’t be, had his roommate not found him face down in his own vomit on the floor of their dorm room. Fortunately, Ariston was rushed to the hospital where his life was saved, but his secret was found out. Berated in a hospital room for ruining his future and embarrassing his mother at her work, he was sent off to a rehabilitation facility to treat his addiction.

They expected him to go back to university after he came out of rehab cleaned up, but it was at that point that, for the first time in his life, Ari found a bit of a backbone. He promptly refused, dropping out of his studies entirely, and there was nothing that could be done to change his mind. Though numerous threats were made, ranging from taking away his car to cutting him off entirely, Ari would not bend. When push came to shove, he felt as if he would die for sure if he went back, and put his foot down. By no means happy with the decision, but unable to force him into what they wanted, his father reluctantly found a position for his youngest son at his office instead. Secretarial work, something they deemed well beneath his talents and potential, but at least something more decent than an average employment. And so that was how Ari’s life went for years. Stuck in a rut, still under his parents’ thumb, subjected to daily lectures of how he was wasting his life. He learned to tune them out, mostly.

It happened on his twenty-seventh birthday, when the final straw broke the camel’s back. Ari had grown to dislike birthdays, as it usually only offered the chance for people to note that yet another year had gone by that he had wasted. There was no candles, no cake and no presents; the only thing that waited for him was a stern lecture. His father pulled him aside, telling Ariston that it was time for him to be a man and take control of his life again, and get his things together. Ariston agreed entirely. His ideas were just different from what he’s sure his father was intending to come out of such a speech. Deciding that his older brother had the right of it after all, he packed everything he could carry into a backpack and snuck out his window in the middle of the night; even as a man of twenty-seven, he was still afraid that his parents would put a stop to his plans if they knew. He didn’t take anything they could accuse him of stealing, barely enough clothes and money to last him a week, with a hastily thrown together plan of seeking out his older brother, who now went by the name Ikaros.

And that’s how he ended up in Corinth Bay. The two had kept in touch on and off through the years, and Ari had his address written down in his phone. One text later, sent so late that it would barely count as a heads up, and he stood upon his brother’s doorstep asking for a place to stay. While it was never intended to be a permanent solution, it would be a lie to say that Ariston does not like the way things have turned out so far. Finally free from the burden of their parents’ expectations that he’d been carrying for sixteen years of his life, and with a job at his brother’s somewhat suspiciously acquired vineyard, for the first time in his life Ari really feels like he has the chance to be who he wants, unapologetically. Or so he’s trying to, anyways. Some things are harder to unlearn than others.

PERSONALITY

+ clever, meticulous, perceptive - anxious, unambitious, self-critical

PLAYED BY ABBY. CDT. She/Her.

#maxence danet fauvel #ariston diakos #male #shifter

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leximpwrites · 4 years

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CCS Master Post Pt. 2

Continuation of the lore master post for the CCS

Ships of the Confederate Navy

The Confederate Navy is a powerful force with a bewildering variety of ships that fulfill many different tasks, from the tiny guide tugs used to lead fighters back into their hangars to the mighty Iron Star, the largest ship ever built.

Diverse Construction

Each race builds their ships differently. This is an unavoidable reality to a composite society such as ours. It is important to know these distinctions when commanding a mixed force in the field, as utilizing the ships under your command in a way that plays to their strengths can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Felterran vessels are specialists, each class designed to fulfill a specific role. While this makes them outstandingly effective in their respective fields, assigning them duties outside their areas of expertise can have decidedly mixed results.

V/S Combine (VSC) ships are all-rounders, built to cover a wide range of missions, meaning that they can fill numerous roles on the battlefield, a trait that is both their strength and weakness.

Bal’rook warships are fast and deadly, but only lightly armored and shielded. This makes them glass cannons, and they must be used carefully. They excel in hitting hard and then darting away before the enemy can respond, or in perfectly timed shock assaults, rapidly charging forward to strike furiously at a weak point.

Krotean vessels are astonishingly robust, able to take fearful amounts of punishment and still live to fight another day, their crew battered but none the worse for wear. They trade speed and firepower for armor and shielding, meaning that while they are often slow and undergunned, they are extremely difficult to destroy. They are best used as literal shields for more fragile or vulnerable ships such as carriers or artillery cruisers.

Additionally, there are a number variations within each class of warship, which usually boil down to differences in armament and armor, though some have secondary systems that allow them to take on additional roles.

Recon ships are scouts, and replace some of their weaponry with extra engine systems and sensor equipment. Intended to be fast and quick, they typically have little to no armor or shields. They are not frontline combat units, and can be easily destroyed by other vessels.

Assault type craft trade some of their armor and shielding for additional speed and weaponry, allowing them to fill a fast attack role. While powerful, Assault ships are not overly sturdy.

Heavy warships are the opposite of Assault vessels, swapping speed and maneuverability for more guns and stronger defenses. While slower, they are powerful ships, with a focus on the slow and steady advance.

Strike vessels are a unique type of ship, equipped with a small hangar deck that enables them to carry several wings of fighters and bombers without sacrificing too much in the way of protection and firepower the way a true carrier does.

Support and Command ships, or S&C for short, are specialized warships designed to coordinate and support allied vessels through a variety of means, from electronic warfare suites to powerful sensor and communication units that all the ships to know what is going on around them and stay connected. These ships are often only lightly armed and shielded, and so should be protected at the center of a fleet.

Artillery ships are dedicated to pure firepower. Armed with numerous extreme range weapons such as missiles and heavy rail cannons, they are lethal at a distance and easy prey up close, and so should be kept to the rear of formations where they can best support their allies.

While it is impossible to list every single class of vessel here, the following is a list of the ships you are most likely to regularly encounter over the course of your duties as an officer of the fleet. Included is a brief description of what role the ship type plays in combat, and each class is broken down into groups according the the race that designed the ship.

Corvettes

Corvettes are small, agile craft, typically used to scout ahead of the main body of the fleet. They are lightly armed and armored, and in combat will normally be used to screen larger vessels from fighter and bomber attacks. Corvettes have 300-450 crew.

-Felterran

Harpy-class Interceptor

Banshee-class Heavy Corvette

-Bal’rook

Sha’borst-class Corvette

-VSC

Raptor-class Corvette

Kestrel-class Heavy Corvette

Frigates

Frigates are medium warships that are mainly focused on ship to ship combat, and so are decently armed and armored. While not as tactically flexible as cruisers, they are the most numerous type of vessel, and therefore make up the majority of most fleets. Frigates have 1,000-2,000 crew.

-Felterran

Wyvern-class Strike Frigate

Drake-class Frigate

Gryphon-class Heavy Frigate

-Bal’rook

Nanval-class Recon Frigate

Gre’lano-class Assault Frigate

Suvashti-class Artillery Frigate

-VSC

Owl-class Frigate

Shrike-class Assault Frigate

-Krotean

Bastion-class Heavy Frigate

Bulwark-class Strike Frigate

Destroyers

Fast, lightly armored, and heavily armed, Destroyers are superb ambush craft, designed to outrun anything they can’t defeat. They operate best in groups, either hitting a target all at once, or swiftly one after another. Destroyers have 1,000-3,000 crew.

-Felterran

Basilisk-class Destroyer

Gorgon-class Heavy Destroyer

-Bal’rook

Shar’tal-class Assault Destroyer

-VSC

Falcon-class Destroyer

Cruisers

Cruisers are the most diverse type of warship, designed to fill a wide variety of combat roles. Most cruisers are strongly armed and shielded, and are typically rallying points for smaller ships. Cruisers have 5,000-7,000 crew.

-Felterran

Pegasus-class Recon Cruiser

Chimera-class Cruiser

Dragon-class Heavy Cruiser

Manticore-class Strike Cruiser

Ifrit-class Assault Cruiser

Hydra-class Artillery Cruiser

Dullahan-class S&C Cruiser

-Bal’rook

Ill’roth-class Assault Cruiser

Vesh’paht-class Strike Cruiser

-VSC

Eagle-class Cruiser

Osprey-class Heavy Cruiser

Goshawk-class Assault Cruiser

Kite-class Strike Cruiser

Harrier-class S&C Cruiser

-Krotean

Barricade-class Heavy Cruiser

Battery-class Artillery Cruiser

Capital Ships

Capital ships are at the heart of most fleets. Battleships are slow moving, armored behemoths that are armed with a wide array of weaponry, and are designed to destroy anything their own size or smaller, used to anchor defensive lines, or lead attacks. Fast and less heavily armored, battlecruisers are swift hunters intended to take out other capital ships with their long range heavy weapons. Carriers are the largest type of capital ship, space-borne leviathans heavily armored and armed to the teeth, and holding thousands of fighters, bombers, and attack craft in their cavernous hangar bays. Carriers are typically flagships, towards the center of the fleets where they can best support other ships with their heavy armament and waves of fighter craft. Battleships have 15,000 - 20,000 crew, battlecruisers 11,000 - 15,000, and carriers 50,000+.

-Felterran

Cerberus-class Battleship

Fenrir-class Battlecruiser

Titan-class Carrier

-Bal’rook

Wu’lan’ra-class Battleship

Rey’jolk-class Battlecruiser

-VSC

Sparrowhawk-class Battlecruiser

-Krotean

Citadel-class Battleship

Redoubt-class Artillery Battleship

Stronghold-class Carrier

Other Vessels

While there are numerous other vessels that serve the Navy in one capacity or another, these are some of the most notable ships.

Iron Star - A Pulsar-class Dreadnought, the Iron Star is the only ship of her class, and at 381km long and 172km across at her widest point, is the largest ship ever built, and is a collaborative effort between all member races of the CCS. She has the same amount of firepower as six full battle fleets, and has the population of a large city, with 2.1 million crew, and another 3.7 million assorted support staff, civilians, and other noncombat personnel.

Glorious & Courageous - Twins and sister ships to the Iron Star, the Glorious and Courageous are both Quasar-class Dreadnoughts, and while smaller than their larger sibling, coming in at 133km long and 57km wide, they are still larger than anything else out there, and powerful warships.

Drax Volontus - A mobile space fortress built by the Kroteans, the Drax is the most heavily armed and armored space station in the entire CCS, as it is here the Lexicanum Confederatus, seat of the CCS government, is located, along with the residences of the Felterran Emperor, Krotean High Queen, Speaker of the VSC, and Bal’rook Lord Paladin, along with representatives of a dozen other races.

Skyseeker - An experimental exploration vessel that is still currently under construction, the Skyseeker is a joint project between Krotean engineers and VSC shipbuilders, and when complete, will be able to plunge fearlessly into unexplored space in the quest for knowledge and discoveries.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

While highly unlikely, if in the course of your duties you are to encounter any of the following ships, you are to avoid interfering with their activities in anyway, do not contact them unless contacted first, and if you are, to provide any and all assistance their captains may require of you.

A Shar’tal-class Assault Destroyer, bearing the name Requiem.

A heavily modified Cerberus-class Battleship, bearing the name Annihilator.

An older Helios-class Artillery Cruiser, bearing the name Desolation.

A silver and blue painted Monastery-class Hospital ship, bearing the name Vector.

Once they have left the AO, you will then immediately contact Fleet Command and inform them of the interaction, along with your position and the ships last observed heading. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW, DETAIN, OR ATTACK THESE VESSELS. DOING SO IS PUNISHABLE BY COURT-MARTIAL.

**Whew* That took a WHILE. I’m not kidding, I’ve been banging this bugger out for just over five hours now. Anyway, I will post the final portion tomorrow or the day after. In the meantime, enjoy your tanksgiben! (And yes, that was on purpose, it’s a family joke. Lol)

@kitvinslakte @officialleehadan @nox919 @dierotenixe @apenvssword @starsdreaming @krceramics

#Felterra

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knightofaedirn · 5 years

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Layers Prompt - Kolab

LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE

Name: “Wait, who are you? I don’t know if I should be telling you anything. There was an incident with some interviewer dude before. Wrote down a whole bunch of incriminating things. Alright. I’ll give you a shot. Don’t write down anything that makes me look bad.”

Eye Color: “I colored once. Ended up coloring outside the lines. Never again.”

Hair Style/Color: “Hare color? I once had a white rabbit. By had I mean picked it up and walked off with it. It was just following some dude around the city. I saved him from a potential rabbit ambush.Took it on vacation to Winterspring. Terrible idea. Never saw him again.”

Height: “About...yay high.” *Kolab holds his hand up to the top of his hair. YES HAIR HEIGHT COUNTS. It is springy as fuck boi.*

Clothing Style: “Ohhh you know. That summertime Grunt look. Year round. Is it drafty down south? You know it. My Booty Bay is iced over outside Orgrimmar. BUT THAT IS WHAT KEEPS YOU STRONG!”

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE

Your Fears: “You ever get your food from the taco cart and end up forgetting the sauce? That is terrifying. Enough to make you void your bowels. Or maybe that was the bean burrito. Either way. Spooky.”

Your Guilty Pleasure: “Guilty pleasure? You mean a crime that you felt great doing? Ohh. Does chucking dog treats at passing worgen count?”

Your Biggest Pet Peeve: “Never had a pet named Peeve. That is a stupid name. Once had a worg named Steve though. It means ‘Doggo’ in orcish. Maybe. What do I look like, a dictionary?”

Your Ambition for the Future: “Remember where I left Steve.”

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS

Your First Thoughts Waking Up: “I gotta piss so hard I could put the Orgrimmar fire brigade out of work.”

What You Think About the Most: “Where the nearest fire is.”

What You Think About Before Bed: “Gotta rehydrate. Fires don’t put themselves out. Especially since the fire brigade is out of work.”

Your Best Quality Is: “Spray range.”

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER?

Single or Group Dates: “Groups of dates. You gotta get your fiber in.”

To be Loved or Respected: “Loved. Being respected gets you there, sure. But only someone you love will cover for you while you steal some jackass’s rabbit.”

Beauty or Brains: “Always aim for the brains. Never the face. That is the one rule of combat. Not the face.”

Dogs or Cats:”I have been known to subscribe to Wyvern fancy. So cat?”

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?

Lie: “Mostly when sleeping.”

Believe in Yourself: “Believe in yourself of no one else will. Just like ghosts.”

Believe in Love: “Does this stolen rabbit answer the question?” *Is actually holding a duck. Fuck he stole the wrong critter. And it is made of rubber*

Want Someone: “To take this bird off my hands. Gently used.”

LAYER SIX: EVER?

Been on Stage: “Only until they reminded me that it wasn’t the outhouse. But it was too late.”

Done Drugs: “Is licking the hot sauce from the taco cart from the palm of your hand a drug? If so, well, you’ll never get me in rehab.”

Changed Who You Were to Fit In: “Had to take my pauldrons off to get into a door once.”

LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES

Favorite Color: “Anything but snow.”

Favorite Animal: *Squeezes the rubber duck. Quack.*

Favorite Food: “You really gotta ask?”

Favorite Game: “A game called ‘the last person to touch this has to keep it!” *Throws the duck at the interviewer*

LAYER EIGHT: AGE

Day Your Next Birthday Will Be: “September 23rd. Pumpkin time.”

How Old Will You Be: “I can’t count that high. So. Should I really worry about it?”

Age You Lost Your Virginity: “Just now. I named that duck Virginity by the way.”

Does Age Matter: “Only when it comes to the freshness of that food.”

LAYER NINE: IN A BOY OR GIRL

Best Personality: “One with a person attached to it.”

Best Eye Color: “The best thing I colored? I don’t know. That first picture probably.”

Best Hair Color: “Not white. You’ll lose your bunny in the snow.”

Best thing to do with a Partner: “Track down that lost rabbit. You really need an extra set of eyes for that kind of task.”

LAYER TEN: FINISH THE SENTENCE

I love: “The moment when this interview is over.”

I feel: “Ready to call an end to it.”

I hide: “My hands beneath the table that is about to be launched!”

I miss: “Only half the people I toss tables at!”

I wish: “For you to stand still! HIYAH!” *Flips that table. Misses. Fuck.*

Tagged By: @nymmith-wildseeker

Tagging: Anyone and Everyone. @caladhel-iarian especially.

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narumi-of-nohr · 6 years

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Chapter 5: Boo Camp

Corrin approached the Dragon’s Gate with a dead silence. It helped that she normally wore sandals up until they got to their battle or training sessions. They were quieter than boots. Since siding with Nohr in this war, Camilla made extra sure to give her armor befitting a true Nohrian. (Although Corrin thought it was a bit revealing, she couldn’t refuse Camilla.) It was practically a metal bathing suit, metal leggings, gloves, a collar here, a cape there, and a pauldrin. Apparently it was important to battle in style, or so Camilla said.

Corrin quickly spotted Azura first- her white Pegasus was a sight to see in a crowd that mostly wore dark Nohrian colors. She flashed her a faint smile before looking to see which retainers her siblings brought to accompany them.

Camilla was frantically petting her wyvern and talking to her mount in the same fashion you would talk to a baby. Her wyvern didn’t mind. In fact, it seemed to love the smothering. Next to Camilla was Selena with her two long, red ponytails. She was tightening her single shield to her arm, not caring to pay any mind to anyone around.

Leo was sitting comfortably on his obedient mount, reading through his legendary tome. To his side was Niles, sitting atop a dark brown horse covered in deep blue armor. Corrin forgot that Niles had been promoted to a bow knight recently. He kept his eye on everyone else, observing each person for a few seconds before moving onto the next person until his eye met Corrin’s. Corrin quickly looked away, her hair, which was down and only secured from her face by her Nohrian crown, following behind her.

She found Xander talking to Elise and her retainer, Effie, who always insisted on wearing a rosy pink color of armor. His back was to her, so he didn’t see her approach. Laslow was crouched on the ground next to the crown prince’s horse, sharpening his blade. He looked up and flashed Corrin a warm smile, “By the by, the fair princess arrives,” he winks before blushing and returning his attention back to sharpening.

Xander turned, his attention was accompanied by Elise and Effie’s attention as well.

“Sister!” Elise shouted, “You’ve made it! We didn’t think you were coming after you told Xander off at dinner.”

Corrin blushed, “No. There’s no way I’d abandon you guys.”

“Then we can begin this training,” Xander said very short as he took a step towards his horse, getting on in one try. He looked to the Dragon Gate then began to address everyone.

“Tonight’s training will teach us how to work together in unity. Retainers shall only block so that Elise, Leo, Corrin, Camilla, and myself can attack without giving the enemy much time to think. Laslow, I have no worries with you. Effie, be sure not to stray farther than arms reach from Princess Elise- your armor is very heavy and makes you a lot slower than you think.” Effie nodded.

Xander continued, “Niles, if needed, you can always use your bow to block. Just try not to get in the way of one of Leo’s curses. Princess Azura,” he began than sighed, “You’ll be countering for Princess Corrin. Selena, have the monsters focus on you so that Princess Camilla can sweep in and surprise them. Any questions?” No one answered. “Very well. Let’s go,” he began riding towards the Dragon’s Gate.

———

When they arrived to what they named “Boo Camp,” the air was damp and there was a coldness in the air that Corrin hadn’t noticed before. Her stomach grumbled- she was starving at this point. All she had was a tiny piece of bread at dinner. Perhaps this is why it felt colder than usual.

Everyone began gathering around Xander as he explained their training for the night. Laslow would be with him, Niles with Leo, Selena with Camilla, and Effie with Elise. “Azura, Corrin- you two will take the lead,” he said with a firm tone in his voice. Corrin was normally in the front lines so there wasn’t any difference there, but she was never in the lead. Was he trying to punish her? He clearly was still upset over dinner.

Instead of arguing or questioning, Corrin gave a nod and began to slip her sandals off. She didn’t know why she preferred to fight without shoes, but it was the most comfortable for her. Camilla shot Xander a concerning look in which he answered back in silence. He wouldn’t force Corrin to do something he knew she couldn’t handle.

Corrin readied her Yato blade. It always surprised everyone how graceful she was able to handle that blade with how heavy it was. She looked to Azura whom flashed a tiny smile and nod, signaling she was ready. They made their way to the front of the formation and everyone got into their assigned places behind. The monsters slowly began to appear.

A bright green Faceless appeared in front of the girls, snarling black smoke into the air in front of them. Corrin took in a deep breath and then exhaled, “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said to herself once again looking to make sure Azura was ready. Azura hovered next to Corrin on her spectacular Pegasus with a spear in one hand, Azura’s weapon of choice. Everyone watched the two as monsters began appearing sporadically around them. “Lets go,” Azura said.

Corrin taunted the Faceless, motioning for it to come forward towards them. It snarled once more before lunging forward. Corrin hopped back while Azura flew in front of her, blocking the monster. “Just in time!” Azura shouted aloud. Corrin twirled her blade in front of her side to side before swinging it forward, slashing the monster’s throat. She rebalanced herself, standing straight up and shifting her blade to the ground. “Alright!” she smiled, pleased with the outcome of her first encounter.

Niles’ smirk made its appearance on his face as he sat up on his horse with relief. He readied his bow as more Faceless began appearing. “And the fun begins..” he chuckled.

“Nice job, Lady Corrin!” Laslow shouted, “Like a beautiful dance-“ he began again until the look from Xander caused him to stop.

Effie blocked a much stronger Faceless with all of her body and shield while Elise blasted it with a fire spell of some sort. “I did it!” She squealed with excitement atop her horse.

Selena was countered every attack a Faceless nearby her made. Camilla was nowhere to be found when all of a sudden she appeared from the sky, flying down at a crazy speedon her wyvern. She held a huge axe, “Let’s play!” she exclaimed before swinging at the Faceless, beheading it. Her wyvern landed next to Selena and Camilla reached forward to pet it, “That was fun,” she said with a giggle.

Just let, Niles and his horse leapt in front of Leo. Niles had used his bow to counter the attack from the Faceless while Leo took his time finding a particular page in his tome. “Anytime now,” Niles said in exhausted breathes as he held his position between the monster and the Nohrian prince. “Ahh, here it is,” Leo said before whispering an incantation and flicking his wrist towards the monster. With a flash, a lighted tree sprung up from beneath the monster and almost instantly the monster dropped lifeless to the ground. “You think you can begin memorizing some of these incantations?” Niles teased Leo as he took his spot next to Leo. He glanced at Corrin.

Azura and her were up against two Faceless this time. “Don’t be reckless!” Azura shouted at Corrin, but Corrin was zoned out. She backflipped, her hair and cape gracefully following her lead, and dodged the first monster’s attack. Azura managed to block the second monster’s assault, but the first monster was back in the fray in no time. It layed a heavy punch forward, meeting the side of Corrin’s head. Corrin fell to the ground, her surroundings going dark for a moment. Azura looked back at Corrin then to Niles as she struggled to hold off the second Faceless. Corrin slowly, but as fast as she possibly could, stood back up.

In the distance, Xander obliterated a Faceless before turning to his retainer, “Laslow, don’t let anything happen to Princess Corrin!”

“Yes, my liege!” Laslow nodded dropping his guard from the current Faceless he was countering and ran, making his way towards Corrin and Azura.

Corrin steadied herself by planting her blade into the ground next to her. She balled up her fist. “This ends now!” she yelled at the Faceless that had hit her. Azura was still struggling to keep the second at bay. Corrin threw her left arm in front of her, a dragon formed from her arm and shot arcane magic at the creature, rendering it dead then she collapsed, out of energy. Azura shrieked as the second Faceless was able to break her guard, heading towards Corrin.

“Shall we dance?” a gentlemen’s voice called out from the distance, getting closer. With a loud clink, Laslow jumped into the air, spinning and landing in front of Corrin, his blade in the air, blocking the Faceless’ blow. A loud animal of some sort landed behind him, between him and Corrin. He almost let his guard down as he looked back to see it was Niles on his horse that had made his way to Corrin’s rescue as well. He looked back in the distance to Leo. Did the prince send his retainer as well? From what he could tell, Leo was spewing curses in Niles’ direction, clearly upset. Laslow furrowed his brow in confusion before turning back to the monster in front of him. He planted his left foot into the ground and shoved the monster a few feet in front of him. “You’re not going to like this,” Laslow smiles before spinning himself around, jumping into the air and planting a death blow into the monster. “Well, that’s that,” he said casually before turning around.

“Are you alright, Princess Azura?” Laslow asked. She had dismounted her Pegasus and was already at Corrin’s side. She placed a hand on Corrin’s cheek. “She’s freezing,” she informed the two men. She looked up at Niles who was still sitting atop his horse, observing their surroundings in case a monster decided to take advantage of them.

“Can she ride with you?” Azura asked Niles.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Laslow remarked, “No offense, mate,” he apologized to Niles, “I’m just not so sure you’re the best option to be holding her.”

Niles’ serious face quickly eased as he let out a chuckle, “And why’s that?” he asked, a glimmer of amusement twinkling in his eye.

“Well, for starters, your reputation. How are you to be trusted with the princess in this state?” Laslow explained.

Azura sighed heavily, “Laslow, now is not the time. Listen, I can’t maneuver my mount with Corrin’s dead weight. I’m not comfortable and I sincerely doubt Corrin would want to be near Xander right now anyways,” she began trying to lift Corrin, “Could you please help?”

Laslow sheathed his sword before placing his arms underneath Corrin’s still body. He stood up and walked up to Niles and his horse. He gave him an uneasy, yet stern look before lifting Corrin up to him. Niles gently sat her on his horse in front of him. He secured his bow to one of the many straps on the side of his horse before cradling Corrin. Azura was right- she was freezing. Stupid girl, he thought to himself, but he still couldn’t help bringing her closer to his chest and wrapping his cloak around her to keep her warm.

Laslow sighed, “Very well then. See that she gets back to camp safe or Lord Xander will have your head.” Laslow ran back to Xander in just as much grace as he came running to protect Corrin.

“Niles,” Azura began, “You’re giving yourself away. I don’t know what’s going on between you and Corrin, but it’s probably best that you let the Nohrian royals know that I called you over here.” She bent over to pick up Corrin’s Yato blade and handed it to Niles. “I don’t know what she sees in you, but I trust her innocent judgement. You should go back to Leo. He doesn’t look very thrilled with you right now.”

Azura walked towards her Pegasus. It lowered itself for her to climb atop it’s back. Securing her spear at her side, her Pegasus lifted up and headed towards Xander. Niles tied Corrin’s blade to the side of horse, next to his bow.

“Stay strong, kitten,” he whispered down to an unconscious Corrin before clicking his tongue against the side of his teeth, gesturing his horse to take off. He guided his faithful mount towards Leo who was awaiting with a disapproving frown.

“Gods, Niles! What in the hells were you thinking?!”

“Awh, did you miss me?” Niles replied with a smirk and sarcasm in his tone as usual.

“Gods no! What I’m trying to point out is that you’re MY retainer, not Corrin’s. What if something were to have happened to me?”

“Did something happen to you?”

“No, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.”

“If I may, my lord- I understand that I am your retainer and yours alone,” he let out a playful chuckle, “But don’t you think I assessed the situation before leaving your side?”

“Well..” Leo began.

“I swore my life to you, my lord, and I don’t swear my life lightly. After everything we have all been fighting for, I’d imagine you’d want me to save Lady Corrin’s life if I had the power to?”

“You make a valid point,” Leo answered. He bit his lip, frustrated that he had no rebuttal for Niles’ argument. “Still, you need to give me fair warning before you pull a stunt like that again.” Niles nodded and Leo continued, “And don’t look so smug holding my sister like that unless you’d like to lose your other eye.”

Niles laughed, “Well, I’d never argue a pretty thing-” Leo lifted a brow and Niles laughed before correcting himself, “lady in my arms any night of the week, but your sister is freezing cold to the touch and I’m afraid I may be the only one that can keep her warm seeing as how you and Lord Xander are wearing plated armor.”

Leo lifted a hand to his chin. Niles was right. There was no way Corrin would warm up against the Nohrian armor. “Very well. I suggest you leave the first part about a pretty lady in your arms out when you explain this to my brother, though,” Leo nodded his head towards Niles, signaling him to take a look in that direction.

Xander was riding up in the distance with Azura by his side. Laslow was following a few feet behind them, to be expected without a mount.

“She’s alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Niles replied.

“I am well aware that she is alive,” Xander snapped back, “Has she awaken at all?”

“No, milord,” Niles lifted his cape from her face a little to show that she was still unconscious. Her hair was disheveled and her Nohrian crown lay crooked across her forehead. The side of her face had begun to bruise thanks to the Faceless’ punch.

Xander sighed, “Little princess...” he whispered in a sorrowful tone, “here, let me have her.” He reached over towards Niles, but Niles didn’t budge.

“Lord Xander, like I was telling Lord Leo here before you approached- I think, in the state that she’s in, it would be in her best interest to stay with me under my cape.”

Xander narrowed his eyes at Niles. The audacity! he thought. “Explain,” was all that came out of his lips, his eyes not moving from Niles. Laslow approached, catching his breath and wiping the sweat from his brow as Niles did just that.

“I see,” Xander said before letting out a heavy sigh, “I don’t like the idea, but I see the necessity in it. ...but I warn you, Niles, the deed you are carrying out is only being carried out because you are a trusted retainer of Prince Leo. There will be no funny business, given your reputation. Understand?”

“Who? Little ole me?” Niles joked and Xander flared his nostrils, “I won’t do anything she wouldn’t want me doing. You have my word.”

Xander shook his head, turning to Laslow, “Gather everyone on the field. Tell them we are ending the training early. We need to head back to camp and get Princess Corrin in her quarters. She needs rest.”

“Yes, milord!” Laslow nodded obediently before running back into the field.

Underneath his cloak, Niles ran his fingers up and down Corrin’s arm- she was still cool. Warmer, but still cool. He shifted her so that her head was resting on his chest and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. The cloak was still attached to him and she fit so perfectly in there with him. Let’s get you warm in bed, kid. He steered his horse backwards and then made his way to the dragon’s gate to await the others.

#fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fire emblem conquest #fire emblem niles #fire emblem corrin #fire emblem fanfiction #niles x corrin #corrin x niles #female corrin #corrin (fire emblem)#niles (fire emblem)

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darklingichor · 6 years

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I've got the next couple of entries in my Gilmore Girls thing going, but I'm having a hard time putting thoughts in order about the show. I've been listening to audio books to unwind after work.

I've been slowly buying the Robert Asprin Myth series, which is one of those series that I liked when I read the first few books but had a hard time getting into it after a while. I've found that audio books are great for stories like that. But I only get a book a month and the Myth books are only a little over four hours long - I had an extra credit last month and knocked two of them out on a Saturday. So, while waiting for my next credit, I'm listening to others in my library. One I have listened to multiple times and am going through now, is the Odd Thomas series by Dean Kootnz. Koontz is one of those authors who, for the most part, have no in between with their stories (at least for me) they are either fantastic (Life Expectancy, By the Light of The Moon, Lightening) or deadly dull (The Frankenstein series, False Memory, Volocity).

The one exception seems to be Odd Thomas. I adore the first and third book, the second one grew on me, I liked the fourth okay, the fifth was... You know when you have a weird dream with an interesting plot, you wake up not knowing what the fuck just happened, debating whether or not that sausage pizza midnight snack was a good idea? That's Odd Apocalypse. The sixth book was so hard to get through that I gave up and bought the audio book. The final book was a mix between the second and fourth book for me, not bad and it grew on me.

I return to the audio books fairly often for a few reasons. 1. The character of Odd Thomas is usually incredibly likeable, a sweet fry cook with a smart ass streak, gotta love that combo. 2. The narrator of the audio book is amazing. David Aaron Baker sounds *exactly* like the Odd I heard when I read the first few books. Like I said, Deeply Odd was such a slog, I just couldn't get past the halfway point but I wanted to know what happened. That audio book made me go back and get the others. 3. Well, I'm still building my audible library, and all of the books sort of go in rotation.

The last couple of times, I have found myself getting really annoyed at the last few books. I decided I wanted to vent about it this time.

So, Odd Thomas sees the lingering dead and tries to help them cross over. I'm a bit of a mark for this type of story so the fact that there are countless books, shows and movies in this vein never dissuaded me. There is a fair amount of spiritual musing, as is to be expected. The character (and the author) is Catholic, so the musings tend to be grounded in Judeo-Christian philosophy, unless other faiths play a role in the plot. In the third book Koontz starts playing with the idea that science and faith share a crossroads instead of running parallel to each other. I liked that, a lot. I figured this could lead to some interesting plots and maybe even explain somethings that Odd himself didn't completely understand about his gift and some of the other things he sees in addition to ghosts.

Then the choo-choo slowly starts to jump its tracks.

Characters, especially main characters, are going to reflect the author's thoughts in some way or another. I mean the way a hero is set up and a villian is set up will give you a clue as to the author's mindset. Even if the character's in question are goofy (as are Robert Asprin's) what is framed as right or wrong in the book's universe will probably give the reader a clue as to what the author is thinking. Problems arrise when the author starts using characters as mouth pieces to spout their personal viewpoints when serves the plot not at all.

Koontz started small. A character in the forth book being a climate change denier and his view point presented as fact. Granted, that character is suppose to be a little nutty.

But, as the book progresses the reader starts getting longer and longer musings about what is wrong with the world. But they're starting to sound less like musings of the character and more like musings of a person writing an opinion piece in the paper.

The next book is proceeded by a short story where science is presented, not as something that could be pursued in a logical way, and with attention paid to humanity an checks on ego, as it was in the third book. Instead, it is presented as people who are melding in things they shouldn't and everyone would be much better off if they left it alone. And yeah, I know it is meant to connect to the scientists and their fucked up shit in the Moonlight Bay books, but that's not how it was presented. While, Wyvern was mentioned, the reader would not know about that connection unless they had read the other books.

The next book... Well, there are a fair few monologues about this Fallen world and character's bemoaning government scientists and Odd bitches about how everyone is dumber now, unable to see true greatness and only give hero worship to reality stars... Its a little hard to be annoyed by it when all I think during that book is what on this green earth was Koontz smoking when he wrote this?

The sixth book devolves into a bunch of rants strung together by a thin plot. One of the good guy characters goes on about environmental and safety laws calling the former "boneheaded" another group spend a good amount of time (while in their ultra protected bunker complete with arsenal) talking about the "war" they are fighting, and the tone suggests that the war is pretty much with anything to do with the government, or any authority. Odd goes on rants, about government servalence through smartphones, how American Christians are victims of persecution in their own country, how the world just generally sucks.

Pretty weird for a character who tries to keep his life so simple that he doesn't vote, doesn't watch tv and doesn't even have a smartphone until the next book.

By the seventh book, Odd is accepted into this underground group to fight the war that the other characters were talking about. Odd, a character who doesn't like guns and only uses them as a last resort is being told by everyone fighting this "war" that a gun is a must and in fact, at one point is told that he isn't allowed to walk around without one. It should be pointed out that Odd's resistance to guns was presented as a strength in the earlier books, not something that makes him a silly child, which is how the others treat him.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with some things, fame is given too much weight, in my opinion, science should keep the human element in mind when developing things, the government does do crazy shit (though these books were written before Trump). But I feel that Koontz did the story and the character a disservice when he decided to simply use Odd as a mouthpiece for his opinions. By all means, write this stuff out, if it helps you, but don't hijack your readers by putting paranoid rants into the mouth of a character who, by your own development of him, wouldn't presume to spout fountains of venom about shit he knows nothing about and has no interest in.

#odd thomas #dean koontz #bitching #books

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