xelarasass

[xelarasass]

fic trade with @artbygaia​ <3 see her gorgeous art here!!

Characters: Crown/X Rating: PG Words: 2533 Summary: During a visit from the Pale Sword, Odysseia learns the importance of throwing sand--among other things.

It’s a crisp fall day, with just a touch of a bright snap of cold in the air, when Odysseia is shocked out of her concentration by the sound of her office door swinging open.

When a broad, familiar figure fills her doorway, a grin almost tears her face in two. “Xelara!” she says warmly. Xelara grins back and strides right over to her desk, Odysseia shoving her chair back and winding quickly around her desk to wrap Xelara in a hug.

Being near Xelara’s height, it’s easy for Odysseia to tilt her chin up and rest it over Xelara’s shoulder. Her heart starts to pound in her chest at the proximity, but it’s been almost a month and a half since she’d seen her dear friend. She missed her.

Well, dear friend was something of a misnomer. Rêzan had laughed at her the last time Odysseia referred to Xelara as such in casual conversation.

Odysseia shakes off the memory. If she thinks any longer about calling Xelara her crush, she’s going to start acting like a lovestruck teenager. That would be humiliating, so she instead squeezes Xelara companionably before stepping back.

“Ody,” Xelara greets, and Odysseia is pleased with the nickname. It’s cute, and casual, and not so flirtatious as to distract her. Xelara looks at Odysseia over once, checking for…something. Finding nothing, she relaxes. “You’re looking well.”

“As are you,” Odysseia adds with a wide grin. Xelara’s eyes and cheeks are brightened a bit from what was probably a walk through the gardens, but her hands are still warm where they linger on Odysseia’s arms. She’s traded in her usual sleeveless garb for one with loose, draping sleeves, which are tied partially back to reveal muscular forearms. The front is tied loose, the same long slip of skin visible down her chest.

Odysseia forces herself to focus on the conversation, not Xelara’s fall wardrobe. “What brings you here so soon?” she asks casually, as though she hadn’t practically memorized the last few letters Xelara had sent her.

“Oh, you know. I wanted to beat the snows here; traveling is always such a pain afterwards,” she says lightly, as though she hadn’t spent the last few letters bemoaning how bored she was and how much she wanted to be back in Marabad. Silence lingers just a moment before Xelara glances around, turning away from Odysseia to look at her messily strewn desk.

If Xelara thinks about commenting on the state, she decides against it. “You’re still working?” Xelara asks. She picks up a few documents off the desk, evading Odysseia’s hands as she tries to snatch them back. “What is this, correspondence from other nobles? Eugh. You’re far too kind, Ody. They hardly deserve the attention.”

Odysseia plucks the papers from Xelara’s hands. “They don’t,” she agrees, “but unfortunately, my duty to Arsur requires that I split my attention.” Odysseia sighs theatrically as she moves back behind her desk. She glances sidelong at Xelara, who’s pretending to scan the walls. “Believe me, there are other things I’d much rather focus on.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Xelara preen.

Xelara strolls over to a bookcase, scanning the titles with a neutral expression. “Such as?” Cheeky. Xelara knows exactly what that sidelong glance met, but she’s still trying to fish for a compliment. On someone else, Odysseia would find it annoying; on Xelara, it’s endearing.

“Such as a very needy, very treasured guest,” Odysseia allows. Xelara glances at her, a smile playing on her lips.

“A very attractive one too, I bet.”

Odysseia laughs. “You could say that.”

Odysseia can’t stop the smile on her face as she watches Xelara prowl around her office. “I’ll be done in a moment, stop pacing,” she chides. “I just need to look at these letters.”

Determined to get at least some of her work done, Odysseia reaches down for the dagger on her desk and uses it to free the paper. She opens the letter and starts scanning the lines, her eyebrows pulling together. Şevan, supply train, troubles with bandits–

Xelara’s voice cuts through her concentration. “Is that my dagger?” Odysseia tears her eyes away from the letter and looks at the pearl-handed dagger laying on the desk.

“I was wondering if you’d notice,” Odysseia says, nonplussed. “I’ve been using it as a letter opener for weeks.” Xelara’s expression is one of pure disbelief, so Odysseia shrugs at her. “What? It’s not as though I know what to do with it. Honestly, I’d be more likely to get hurt than actually defend myself.”

“It’s not a letter opener,” Xelara repeats. “My sweet, short-sighted, dark-haired beauty, I gave you this dagger for protection–”

“I mean, your exact words were ‘just in case’--”

“--and I want to make sure you can use it for that.” Xelara picks up the dagger and twirls it once in her hand. She stares at the naked blade with a frown. “Where’s the scabbard?”

“Oh! Uh, one second,” Odysseia says. She starts digging through the pile of papers on her desks, then the drawers, then finds it under a different pile of papers. “Sorry. Here.”

“Thank you,” Xelara says, sliding the blade in. She weighs it in her hand, Odysseia watching, and finally she looks up and smiles at her. It’s full of teeth and sharp; when she says “Come here,” Odysseia pauses.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“You said you don’t know how to use it,” Xelara says practically. “It just so happens that I am a highly trained mercenary, and I’m very good at my job.” Xelara beckons her over. “Come here, we’ll start small.” When Xelara sees Odysseia hesitate, she grins again. “I won’t bite, love. Come closer.”

“It’s not the biting I’m worried about,” Odysseia says, raising her eyebrows. “It’s that smile of yours. What are you planning?” She takes the handle when Xelara offers the dagger to her, and Odysseia flexes her fingers while Xelara moves to stand to her side.

“Nothing untoward,” Xelara says breezily, and Odysseia sighs in exaggerated disappointment. “Alright, now show me how you’d hold a knife.” Odysseia raises her fist to show Xelara the hilt, Odysseia’s fingers balled around it, her thumb on the outside. Xelara chuckles before reaching out to take Odysseia’s hand in hers. “It isn’t a club,” she says dryly.

Xelara’s hands are dry and warm as she holds Odysseia’s arm steady, one hand nudging Odysseia’s thumb away from the rest of her fist, guiding it to align with the back of the knife. “Here, keep your thumb along the spine. It’ll help you control the blade more.”

With Xelara’s ‘okay’, Odysseia slashes the air in a slow, exaggerated ‘X’. She reverts to her original grip, testing it, and is pleased to find that Xelara’s advice is sound.

“Wait, was that surprise?” Damn Xelara’s sensory abilities. “Don’t tell me you actually thought I’d be messing with you.”

Odysseia hums back in response. “You’re entirely too fond of practical jokes, Xelara,” she says pointedly. Xelara doesn’t even have the decency to pretend to be ashamed.

“Of course I am, they’re hilarious, and I’m hilarious. But fine,” she sighs. “Now, get into an actual fighting stance, you look like you’re about to make a speech.”

Odysseia makes a face at Xelara, unable to resist just a bit of childish teasing. She rolls her shoulders once, the way she’s seen Xelara do, and lets her body guide her into what feels natural. She widens her stance and bends her knees and elbows, searching for whichever position feels like it has the most mobility. Xelara’s eyes are on her, but they’re strictly assessing as she flicks over Odysseia’s stance. They trace over the line from Odysseia’s shoulders to her legs a few times, and Odysseia automatically straightens her back a little more. Xelara’s eyes crinkle.

“Ooh, how fierce. Shall I ask you to show me your battle face, as well?”

“Not right now,” Odysseia declines. “I’d hate to scare you off.”

Xelara raises her eyebrows. “It’ll take more than a scary face to do that,” she says. “Though I’m sure yours is the fiercest, most terrifying in all the land, with your wide smile and eyes like two gold–”

Odysseia turns the end of the handle towards Xelara and pokes her, loathe to stop the compliment but impatient to continue the lesson. Xelara lets Odysseia jab her before gasping dramatically and clutching at her side. “If you’re trying to impale me, my lady,” she says gravely, “you’re using the entirely wrong tool for the job.” Xelara punctuates the sentence with a wink, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Odysseia straightens up, fighting to keep the smile off her face and pointedly ignoring the innuendo. “Xelara, if you’re not going to take this seriously–”

“Darling! I am taking this seriously! Please, get into a serious fighting stance.”

Odysseia eyes her with suspicion, but gets back into the same position as before. Xelara clears her throat once before moving in closer, and Odysseia watches her in curiosity. Xelara keeps her expression set in professional neutrality as she takes Odysseia in again, tilting her head just slightly before she reaches for her. Odysseia’s heart skips a beat, and Xelara sneaks her a grin.

“Don’t hunch so much,” she says. She puts one hand on Odysseia’s shoulder and rests the other against her spine, keeping Odysseia’s torso straight even as she rotates her up. “Let’s not let all of that posture training go to waste, hmm?” Odysseia waits patiently as Xelara makes a few more adjustments before stepping back to admire her handiwork.

“There,” Xelara says, pleased, and Odysseia basks in the approval. “Having good form is a great start. You’ll need to practice with an actual tutor, of course, since we can’t have you getting soft whenever I’m away.”

Xelara briefly looks like she wants to eat her words the second that Odysseia’s expression drops in disappointment. Odysseia’s fingers flex around the handle again. “Of course,” she says, a bit too quickly. She walks back towards the desk and places the dagger down. “We can’t expect our schedules to line up perfectly, it’s best if I have someone else to learn from, as well,” Odysseia agrees, smoothing over her disappointment. As comfortable as she is with Xelara, Odysseia knows better than to try and keep her anywhere. She turns back around and attempts a crooked smile. “Maybe I’ll discover some hidden talent, train until I can beat you or Ashti.”

Xelara had just arrived, but here she was already getting ready to leave. Odysseia knows that she didn’t mean anything by it, but it still stings. She holds her smile, even as it starts to feel stretched tight.

Xelara’s expression is thoughtful as she looks at her. She walks forward, and Odysseia finds herself in Xelara’s grip once again.

Xelara takes a gentle hold of her chin and tilts her face up to her, close enough for Odysseia to feel the heat of Xelara’s aura on her skin. They look at each other for a moment, a charged silence starting to build, but then Xelara’s eyes soften.

“Ody,” she says carefully. Odysseia waits, taking in the softly unreadable expression, losing herself in emerald-cut eyes and thick lashes. Xelara wets her lips, Odysseia hanging on to her every breath.

“...what’s the most important thing to remember, in defending yourself with a blade?” Xelara says suddenly, changing course. Odysseia purses her lips just slightly, but she turns it into a thoughtful pout instead. She tilts her head, keeping her chin planted firmly in Xelara’s hand.

“Don’t stab yourself on accident?” she suggests, and Xelara laughs briefly.

“No, sweet, but those are good instincts,” Xelara says. She releases Odysseia’s chin and pinches her cheek. “The correct answer is to try and get away first. It doesn’t matter how; use some of that outer magic as a distraction, run away, throw sand. You’re too new with a blade, and you’re right, you’re more likely to hurt yourself than anything else.” Odysseia considers this.

“You want me to throw sand?” she eventually says with a frown. “Isn’t that a little…childish?”

“Hey now, some kids have the right idea,” Xelara insists. “I can attribute a lot of victories to thrown sand. It’s incredibly effective.” Odysseia shakes her head with a fond chuckle.

“Alright, fine. I’ll throw sand and only use the dagger when it’s completely necessary,” she promises.

Xelara smiles at her, really smiles, with open fondness. “That’s my girl,” she says, and Odysseia feels uncharacteristically shy, her usually clever tongue tied in knots. She beams back.

After a moment's silence, Xelara’s eyes flick down to the desk and she leans against it. Her expression is a little distant, the way it always is when she thinks, so Odysseia settles in next to her. She watches Xelara silently, waiting to see what she says, and finally Xelara faces her head-on again.

“You know I’m coming back, don’t you?” Xelara asks after a moment of hesitation. “It’s…I don’t have any plans to disappear from here forever, you know. I won’t stay, not indefinitely, but I’ll come back to you.”

Well, it’s as close of a confirmation as Odysseia can expect at this point. She reaches out automatically to tuck a stand of Xelara’s hair behind her ear, but pauses at the intimacy of the action, mindful of Xelara’s comfort. Xelara fixes her with an uncharacteristically serious look, then leans her head into it.

Her hair is just as soft as Odysseia imagined. “I’ve never doubted it,” Odysseia says honestly.

Xelara may come and go–and why wouldn’t she, her livelihood isn’t here and Odysseia knows about Xelara’s adventurous heart–but she’s never given Odysseia a reason to worry about any visit being the last.

The sudden sound of the door opening shocks Odysseia and she steps back, while Xelara is completely unphased, likely having already sensed the intruder. Ziryan stands in the doorway, looking a little apprehensive.

“....Your Imperial Majesty,” they say finally, very obviously keeping their face neutral and bowing deeply. Odysseia feels a strike of pity for the poor thing; it always seems to be Ziryan that has to burst in and interrupt any sort of budding romantic moment between her and Xelara. It’s frustrating, but the consistency is at least becoming comical.

“Your next appointment is ready, if you are.”

Odysseia sighs heavily and turns to Xelara. “Duty calls,” she says dejectedly. Xelara clasps Ody’s shoulder sympathetically.

“Good luck, Ody,” she says solemnly, but Xelara breaks the faux gravitas with a crooked grin. “Knock ‘em dead.”

Odysseia smiles bemusedly at the advice, but then she nods to Ziryan, who begins to lead her away. She casts one more glance over her shoulder at the woman still leaning against her desk.

“Will you be joining us for dinner?” she calls back, feigning a casual tone.

“It’s a date,” Xelara promises, and Odysseia nods once in satisfaction before following Ziryan out the door.

A date, she thinks with a smile. Perhaps it's a bit childish to be so excited over such a simple statement, but the idea makes her feel like a lovestruck teenager.

A date.

#a tale of crowns #atoc #the hero #fan crown #odysseia #hehe ty for the trade gaia!! it was so fun #X and ATOC belong to cherry ataleofcrowns #and thank you honor for beta-reading for me!! rip the 100% reserved Ody in the first draft because I was too used to Soraya/X/A

[xelarasass]

as an empath i could definitely approach a bear or large cat in the wild and be fine like they would get my vibe

#the hero

[xelarasass]

tops over 6 feet tall may as well not be tops. you don't have to put work into it you just show up and people are like uwuwuwuuwuwuwuwu owo. it's sickening. i have no respect for your kind and i'll block you

#henar

[xelarasass]

Is your blog's name supposed to be Xelara Sass or Xelara's Ass

what!! xelara's ass!! ABSOLUTELY not!!!!

#its both lol #asks

[xelarasass]

I remember you said in a past ask that the ROs aren't really bothered by the Crown's past relationships so they don't really get jealous about that, but if the ROs were made jealous about something (like the Crown flirting with someone else when they're still single or something), how would each of them act?

I think they all have different tolerances for jealousy, and different ways they react to it.

R would probably be the most direct about it and ask the Crown if they had feelings for someone else. They'd readily admit that they felt jealous when seeing the Crown flirting with someone/get flirted with by someone, and I think they might even ask the Crown what to do.

Like, "I think I have feelings for you and I'm not sure how you feel or what to do next. What do you think?" as if this is a Government Problem that the two of them need to tackle lmao. I think a romanced R might also have an unexpected possessive streak - not in an unhealthy way, but they will make it very clear, very quickly, to anyone hoping to court the Crown that they're taken and not in an open relationship, so back off :)

D has a very, very high threshold for getting jealous, second only to X. They and the Crown would already have to have some sort of romance budding, which also means that if the Crown then goes and flirts with someone else without talking about it to them first, they'd (understandably) feel hurt and get upset. So like, the Crown can't be an active instigator or play a game to intentionally make them jealous, that would definitely hurt their relationship.

If someone else were to try and seduce the Crown, though, D is definitely not messing around with that. They'd respect the Crown enough to let them handle it, but if prompted, D is all too happy to draw that boundary for the Crown instead and tell the suitor to go jump in the nearest lake.

A is a lot more introspective about it when they get jealous. I think they'd observe the Crown first, trying to figure out if the Crown is seriously courting another person or just casually flirting. Usually, A would communicate more in a relationship, but the dynamic they have with the Crown is a complex one (informed partly by their backstory) so I feel like with the Crown A tends to be especially bottled up.

So you could end up with a situation where A is just quietly shadowing the Crown while glaring at any potential suitors from over the Crown's shoulder, "in the interest of the Crown's security" or something like that lol. If confronted, A would probably admit to feeling jealous, and they'd need reassurance from the Crown that they're not interested in anyone else before they could relax.

X has, as mentioned before, the highest threshold for getting jealous. In fact, unless the Crown and X are in an explicitly committed relationship, there really is no way to get X jealous at all. And if a Crown in a committed relationship cheats by flirting with someone else, well... jealousy is the least of your problems, because that would be a dealbreaker for X and a surefire way to get dumped lmao.

But, assuming like with D, someone else is trying to seduce the Crown, X is more like R in that they make it very clear that the Crown is already taken, though they're much less subtle about it. In fact, anyone flirting with the Crown would already know that they're in a relationship with X because X would've screamed that from the rooftops already, so flirting with them anyway would both be an insult to X as well as knowingly crossing the Crown's boundaries, so...

If the suitor isn't groveling for forgiveness, you can probably count on a duel to first blood lmao

#the protector #the hero #the sorcerer #the general #✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼 #exploring this feels like it'd be a fun writing exercise haha

[xelarasass]

would the LIs in poly relationships act differently if they were made to be jealous? like do they tag team the issue or just process it separately like in the other ask 🤔

There'd definitely be different dynamics when talking about polyam routes!

A/R would be a really interesting one, in that it has the potential to go either really well or be a complete mess lmao. On one hand, A’s observant approach could help temper R since R is the most prone to getting jealous, and on the other hand R’s open communication could help A open up more as well, so there’s real potential for them to balance each other out.

On the other hand you can also create a situation where you both have A and R reinforcing each other’s jealousy like “Did you see that idiot flirting with the Crown earlier?!” so they just end up teaming up against whoever thinks it’s a good idea to try and flirt with a Crown who is courting both their Sorcerer and their Royal Protector. Like seriously, you’d have to have a death wish to do that. So it can really go either way lol

I’ll also add, if someone were trying to flirt with R instead of the Crown, A would have a lot more of a protective knee-jerk reaction to tell any suitors to beat it, rather than bottling up their jealousy like with the Crown. R would... actually act the same way with A if someone were trying to flirt with A. Literally just confess their feelings and ask how to deal with it haha

A/X would be a really unexpected dynamic in that X would actually help A a lot with getting over any potential jealousy or keeping things bottled up. X would basically be the first one to reassure A that the Crown can handle themselves, and would also nudge them into talking to the Crown about how they feel.

But, like in X’s solo ask, if there’s a suitor overstepping the Crown’s boundaries, conversely A would definitely enable X and volunteer to be X’s second during that duel lmao.

X would do the same thing if someone were flirting with A - if anything, I think X would be more likely to fly off the handle, to be honest, because even before they start dating everyone knows how close X and A are. For A, if someone were flirting with X, they actually wouldn’t feel threatened at all. Their trust in X both as being loyal as well as being able to handle themselves is just that strong. If someone is crossing X’s boundaries, though, it would be time for some Direct Action (with daggers) :)

D/X are both the least easily made jealous, so I don’t think it would come up much in the early stages of the relationship or when they’re still casual, like I said in their separate asks. If they were both in a committed relationship with each other and the Crown, D would probably be the only one able to talk X off the ledge of publicly beating the suitor to a pulp lol. If they would want to, however, depends on how big of a line was crossed.

If D were being flirted with, I think this is the only instance where X wouldn’t incite a duel, because that’s not what D would want; they’d want to take care of things themselves. If X were being flirted with, that would be extremely interesting, because in that situation I could see D actually getting angry - there’s a tendency by some to think X is just a flirt who’s never going to end up committing to anyone, so a suitor thinking that and shooting their shot is basically disrespecting X completely, and I think that’d cause D to lose their temper.

A little duel, as a treat!

#honestly i love that so many of these ends in throwing hands LMAO #these are such a good mix of hilarious and like #super sweet??? #seeing who the LIs would immediately throw hands for is 👀👀 #the protector #the hero #the sorcerer #the crown

[xelarasass]

hi cherry, I love the poem quotes you put for each of the LIs bonus stories, and I was wondering, if you had to pick a poem quote for MC, what would it be? 👀

Birth

I hear the cries of my nation. I trust tomorrow's world will be bright for I have seen childbirth: it begins with kicking and screaming

—Abdulla Pashew, Dictionary of Midnight

#the crown #WHEW

[xelarasass]

#bozan #bozan plays instruments now LMFAO #but only like this

[xelarasass]

Can any of the LIs play instruments? Or do they have any favourites to listen to? 👀

X knows how to play the drums: the daf, specifically, which is a type of frame drum that you hold up and play with both hands. Finding the rhythm with their hands comes very naturally to them, but they also find it incredibly funny to play it for recreation because it's an important instrument used during certain religious ceremonies - they learned how to play it from a priest.

A can play multiple instruments to an extent: the tembûr, as well as the zirne (wind instrument similar to an oboe) and dahol (large bass drum hanging from the shoulder, played with mallets on both sides). The latter two are often paired together so A can play either part lol.

It isn't because they're particularly musically inclined or some sort of virtuoso, but growing up they had a lot of room to explore possible hobbies and interests (people who are up to date on their backstory know why lol), so they ended up with a bit of skill in various instruments. They don't play them anymore though, aside from the tembûr occasionally; something to pull out for entertainment when they're camping on the road.

D and R never learned how to play any instruments - D because of a lack of opportunity and R because playing instruments doesn't interest them as much.

D likes listening to any type of instrument as long as it's played well; even if the sound doesn't suit their fancy, they can appreciate any display of skill. Drums are definitely their favorite to listen too, though. R likes the tembûr the most, but hates hates hates the dahol and zirne, especially when they're paired together: way too noisy and loud for them lmao.

#!!! #oooh i love these #X playing the daf for fun and recreation #A playing multiple instruments 🥺 also them being able to play two instruments that R cannot stand is killing me lmfaoooo #the protector #the hero #the sorcerer #the general #R liking the instrument A plays the most is also cute tho 🥺 #D being able to appreciate any level of skill..... excellent bozan has quite the surprise for you general

[xelarasass]

Hi! So i'm super fascinated by the magic systems in various stories! So naturally i'm very curious about everything magic in AToC! I love the differences of inner and outer magic. I was wondering, when you describe inner magic as enhanced senses and enhanced physical abilities, does that mean that someone could use it to have super strength? Or enhanced speed in combat? Could someone with outer magic have a way to do something similar through elemental magic? Thank you and have a lovely day! :)

Yep, strength and speed and even endurance can be enhanced through inner magic, just as with a person's senses!

The same can't be done through outer magic because it works differently: it isn't something that the user can apply to their body, or to change their physical capabilities. The most an outer magic user could do would be to use the environment as a shield or as armor, for example, but that's still an external defense because outer magic is rooted externally.

Basically in terms of combat, an outer magic user has incredible potential to be devastating on a wide scale, but is ultimately a glass cannon. Meanwhile the range of damage an inner magic user can do is limited to direct contact and their immediate surroundings, but in return they can be incredibly tough to take down.

There are ways to combine abilities from both inner and outer magic to build a balanced set of skills, but the limitation to this is that you can never use both forms of magic simultaneously. While you're using outer magic, you'll be left vulnerable to physical attacks, and while you're using inner magic, you're vulnerable at range.

So both forms have their advantages and their drawbacks!

#worldbuilding #this is such a fun aspect to consider when youre thinking about crowns

[xelarasass]

Patreon Exclusive; Tûjo’s character snippet has been released for all tiers!

#🥺🥺🥺 #tûjo #the hero

[xelarasass]

Patreon Exclusive; Tûjo’s character snippet has been released for all tiers!

#!!!!!!! #AAAAAAHHHHH #tûjo #patreon #bonus story

[xelarasass]

I was checking out the Pinterest pins for ATOC, and really appreciate the architecture ones especially. I was wondering if there are any good refs for areas outside the cities, landscapes, etc?

I'll add some to the pinterest as well but basically the irl region of Kurdistan has been my inspiration for most of the geography and landscape, especially for Rojan in particular! I'll post some images under the cut:

Negel village in Eastern Kurdistan:

Uraman village, also in Eastern Kurdistan, surrounded by the Zagros Mountains which inspired the Armas Mountains in Rojan:

Amedi, in Southern Kurdistan:

Great Zab river in Southern Kurdistan:

Various landscape photos from the Munzur Valley in Northern Kurdistan:

#!!!! #oh these are GORG #worldbuilding #references #landscape #biggest respect to the people living on the edges of amedi i would simply be terrified

[xelarasass]

hi! feel free to ignore this if you don’t want to answer/too spoilery, but i was curious:

do the ROs have any pet names or names of endearment they would call their partner in a relationship? what about being called? i’m looking forward to playing the update this weekend!

Hope you had fun playing the update! I won't specify exactly which endearments the love interests might use or might want to hear: you'll find that out later on in the story ;)

But I do have some ideas on the topic which you might enjoy reading about:

I think X might surprise you on this point. Obviously, they give the Crown a nickname, and they also casually use endearments like "my love" or "my darling" when the relationship is platonic. For X endearments are not reserved for romance, but are easily used; sometimes it's even used merely to add flair or flavor to their style of speaking. If anything, for X in a romance, using their partner's name rather than an endearment is more of a sincere expression of affection or attachment.

As for being called endearments, X doesn't have any particular preference. Similarly, though, if you really want to express your love for them, using their name instead of endearments is much more effective and better received.

For R, I think they would love being called endearments by their partner (as you may have guessed from how much they enjoy the Crown's poetic compliments) rather than using endearments themselves. They would find it a little embarrassing with the Crown specifically, but instead of endearments, I can see them being the type to express their affection in clear terms.

They both love being praised as well as enjoy praising others, and similarly, they would have no qualms giving compliments to their partner or saying "I love you" on a regular basis. Verbal affection is definitely one of their most preferred ways of expressing love.

For A, they aren't one to typically express their affection with words, so I can't see them using endearments often or even casually. However, it might surprise you that they would actually like being called romantic endearments by their lover: it's something they like to receive rather than to give. It's the same with praise or compliments, it's not their own method of expressing affection but they do really like receiving it.

The way A shows they love their partner revolves more around quality time, being near them, enjoying their company, etc rather than using words. Though they do use them, of course, just comparatively less; it's not their preferred love language for giving affection.

For D, I think being called romantic endearments wouldn't do much for them. They prefer to simply be called by their name, but when it comes to using endearments themselves, they don't have any problem with it if their partner enjoys it. If anything, they'd be very liberal in using endearments when they notice that their partner likes it: the same with giving praise, saying "I love you", expressing affection verbally, etc.

It's not so much about the words for them as it is about being able to do something nice for their lover that meets their needs, which makes D feel good for meeting their needs as well. Similarly, in terms of receiving, having their lover do something nice for them is the way they appreciate being shown affection the most.

#god damn it if i could just put one post on the right blog on the first try #anyways #👁️👁️ #love languages #✍🏼

[xelarasass]

made some changes to my @ataleofcrowns oc, but here they are!! 💖

#oh theyre so cute!! #the little bust is adorable 🥰 lose strands are good character design #also. me too azadî lmfaooo #fan crown

[xelarasass]

New Chapter Released!

Newroz pîroz be, happy spring to everyone! 🌷

With the release of this chapter, as a reminder for all the major changes:

Rebalanced plot-related reputation points: replaying starting from Chapter Five is highly advised. You risk breaking certain plot-related scenes in the future otherwise.

With the Chapter Eight update the Character Codex will show all the LI names from the moment you unlock it at the start of Chapter One, so if you want a specific gender combination with a bi Crown you won’t have to replay as much of the game every time

New chapter title headers will be added, Chapters 1 - 4 now have titles as well!

New background color has been implemented; it’s not a dark mode, but I hope it’ll make the screen a bit easier on the eyes!

Adjusted the image size of the Arsurian Calendar, it should be larger and higher quality now

The portraits of the Love Interests have been added to the codex and will now be visible once you meet them in the game

Added the option to change your Crown’s pronouns at any point in the story from the Character Traits passage. Changing it won’t be addressed in the story itself (coding a scene for it would be too difficult, timing wise) but the option is there now!

Specific to Chapter Eight:

New codex entries, lore and relationship stats!

The map of Arsur will be unlocked in this chapter!

The opportunity to solidfy friendships with the cast

A bit of the mystery around the Crown’s parents is revealed

A lot of lore and history about the founding of Arsur and its first Crown

Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter with the coming of spring 💖

For those that are unfamiliar with the game

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.

Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.

There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!

Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.

Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!

If you enjoyed the game, please reblog! Share it with your friends! Recognition and reader interaction is just about the only thing I get in return for creating it ❤️

#HAPPY NEWROZ HAPPY SPRING HAPPY CH 8 RELEASE!!! #chapter 8

[xelarasass]

New chaper of ATOC updates today so it's a good time to show this commission I got for valentines of Mirarî & Azad from @jxthics ‼️😭💖

#:''''') #my heart is meltiiiing 😭😭 #their smiles!! they're so happy together 😭 #Mirarî's hand placement is so romamtic and sweet oh my GOD you can really feel the love here #the protector #fan crown