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istumpysk · 9 months

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OPERATION ICEBERG: THE TIER LIST

THEORY:

The miller's boys were Theon's sons.

TIER:

People's Choice!

It wouldn't be as fun if I picked everything. I trust you to choose the right one.

Low Probability: While not impossible, these theories are unlikely based on the current evidence.

vs.

Long Shot: These theories are largely speculative, based more on wishful thinking or obscure hints than on solid evidence.

vs.

Debunked: These theories have been directly contradicted by the text, George R. R. Martin, or other authoritative sources.

[Tier list overview]

EVIDENCE:

Theon had been intimate with the wife of the miller.

Theon knew the mill. He had even tumbled the miller's wife a time or two. There was nothing special about it, or her. - Theon IV, ACOK

A hooded figure, thought to be a figment of Theon's imagination, calls Theon a kinslayer. Theon knows he didn't kill Bran and Rickon, so why would he call himself that?

Farther on, he came upon a man striding in the opposite direction, a hooded cloak flapping behind him. When they found themselves face-to-face their eyes met briefly. The man put a hand on his dagger. "Theon Turncloak. Theon Kinslayer." "I'm not. I never … I was ironborn." - A Ghost in Winterfell, ADWD

After a transition from a Theon chapter to a Jon chapter, Ygritte tells Jon a story about a Lord of Winterfell who unknowingly kills his father. Theon, who called himself the Prince of Winterfell, could have done the exact opposite.

"So the son slew the father instead," said Jon. "Aye," she said, "but the gods hate kinslayers, even when they kill unknowing. When Lord Stark returned from the battle and his mother saw Bael's head upon his spear, she threw herself from a tower in her grief. Her son did not long outlive her. One o' his lords peeled the skin off him and wore him for a cloak." - Jon VI, ACOK

In one of Theon's initial chapters, he rather famously fails to recognize his own sister.

"I like to be on top." Where has this wench been all my life? "My father's hall is dim and dank. It needs Esgred to make the fires blaze." - Theon II, ACOK

Roose Bolton tells Theon the story of how he impregnated a miller's wife.

"This miller's marriage had been performed without my leave or knowledge. The man had cheated me. So I had him hanged, and claimed my rights beneath the tree where he was swaying. If truth be told, the wench was hardly worth the rope. The fox escaped as well, and on our way back to the Dreadfort my favorite courser came up lame, so all in all it was a dismal day. "A year later this same wench had the impudence to turn up at the Dreadfort with a squalling, red-faced monster that she claimed was my own get. I should've had the mother whipped and thrown her child down a well … but the babe did have my eyes. [...]" - Reek III, ADWD

Some believe Theon is dodging confronting his thoughts and emotions about the miller's sons, and being a kinslayer.

Robb was murdered at the Twins, and Bran and Rickon … we dipped the heads in tar … His own head was pounding. He did not want to think about anything that had happened before he knew his name. There were things too hurtful to remember, thoughts almost as painful as Ramsay's flaying knife … - Reek III, ADWD

"I have done terrible things … betrayed my own, turned my cloak, ordered the death of men who trusted me … but I am no kinslayer." "Stark's boys were never brothers to you, aye. We know." That was true, but it was not what Theon had meant. They were not my blood, but even so, I never harmed them. The two we killed were just some miller's sons. Theon did not want to think about their mother. He had known the miller's wife for years, had even bedded her. Big heavy breasts with wide dark nipples, a sweet mouth, a merry laugh. Joys that I will never taste again. - Theon I, ADWD

"[...] Tell me, my lord … if the kinslayer is accursed, what is a father to do when one son slays another?" The question frightened him. Once he had heard Skinner say that the Bastard had killed his trueborn brother, but he had never dared to believe it. He could be wrong. Brothers die sometimes, it does not mean that they were killed. My brothers died, and I never killed them. - Reek III, ADWD

COUNTER-EVIDENCE:

Someone call a steward, the math is not mathing. At the start of A Clash of Kings, Theon is 20 years old, Bran is 8, and Rickon is 4.

As Theon shrugged out of his wet cloak, the girl said, "You must be so happy to see your home again, milord. How many years have you been away?" "Ten, or close as makes no matter," he told her. "I was a boy of ten when I was taken to Winterfell as a ward of Eddard Stark." - Theon I, ACOK

"Bran, child, why do you torment yourself so? One day you may do some of these things, but now you are only a boy of eight." - Bran I, ACOK

When the Walders had arrived from the Twins, it had been Rickon who wanted them gone. A baby of four, he had screamed that he wanted Mother and Father and Robb, not these strangers. - Bran I, ACOK

The sons of the miller were of similar ages to Bran and Rickon.

For Theon to be the father, it would mean that the miller's wife had slept with him when he was a 12-year-old hostage/ward of the Lord of Winterfell, which is highly improbable.

It's somewhat more plausible that he slept with the miller's wife when he was 16, making only the second son his. But one has to wonder, what would be the point of one son being his and not the other?

The miller's boys had been of an age with Bran and Rickon, alike in size and coloring, and once Reek had flayed the skin from their faces and dipped their heads in tar, it was easy to see familiar features in those misshapen lumps of rotting flesh. - Theon V, ACOK

In A Dance of Dragons, Theon recalls his early years at Winterfell, where as a boy he would skip stones, hide treasures, and stalk squirrels. He notes that it was later when he first kissed a girl, and even later still when he lost his virginity to a girl in the godswood. All these things point to Theon becoming sexually active in his later teens.

Theon Greyjoy was no stranger to this godswood. He had played here as a boy, skipping stones across the cold black pool beneath the weirwood, hiding his treasures in the bole of an ancient oak, stalking squirrels with a bow he made himself. Later, older, he had soaked his bruises in the hot springs after many a session in the yard with Robb and Jory and Jon Snow. In amongst these chestnuts and elms and soldier pines he had found secret places where he could hide when he wanted to be alone. The first time he had ever kissed a girl had been here. Later, a different girl had made a man of him upon a ragged quilt in the shade of that tall grey-green sentinel. - The Prince of Winterfell, ADWD

Theon claims he slept with the miller's wife "a time or two" (what potent sperm, must be a secret Tully) and specifically recalls seeing stretch marks on her stomach, indicating their sexual encounters happened after she had children.

Theon knew the mill. He had even tumbled the miller's wife a time or two. There was nothing special about it, or her. - Theon IV, ACOK

If Theon were the father of the miller's children, wouldn't there be some sign that the miller's wife begged him to not harm his own offspring?

The night before, it had been the miller's wife. Theon had forgotten her name, but he remembered her body, soft pillowy breasts and stretch marks on her belly, the way she clawed his back when he fucked her. Last night in his dream he had been in bed with her once again, but this time she had teeth above and below, and she tore out his throat even as she was gnawing off his manhood. It was madness. He'd seen her die too. Gelmarr had cut her down with one blow of his axe as she cried to Theon for mercy. Leave me, woman. It was him who killed you, not me. - Theon V, ACOK

It's not just the hooded man, Rowan the spearwife, and Mors Umber also call Theon a kinslayer, despite not knowing about his affair with the miller's wife. This suggests that the theme of kinslaying in Theon's story mainly stems from his internal conflict between his Stark and Greyjoy identities, as well as his guilt over contributing to Robb Stark's downfall, whom he views as a brother.

"Not us." Rowan grabbed him by the throat and shoved him back against the barracks wall, her face an inch from his. "Say it again and I will rip your lying tongue out, kinslayer." - Theon I, ADWD

"I am — " " — a turncloak and a kinslayer," Crowfood had finished. - Theon I, TWOW

And finally, the story of Bael the Bard has virtually no parallels with Theon's takeover of Winterfell.

STUMPY'S THOUGHTS:

Weeaaakkk.

If you're looking for a credible theory about Theon having a secret child, wait until we cover the daughter of the captain of the Myraham.

VOTE:

NEXT THEORY:

Curtain of Light 🙂

#operation iceberg #asoiaf theory tier list #theory 4 #the miller's boys were theon's sons

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crazy-loca-blog · 4 years

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Personal thoughts on… 2019 releases (Part II)

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week.

Welcome to the second part of this three-part post. As I said in the first post, I will include current releases and books that were released on 2018 but finished in 2019. The list is organized in alphabetical order and it doesn’t include the VIP Books (as I don’t have access to the feature) or the seasonal books (as I’ll talk about them in another post, after all of them have been fully released). You may see Part I here.

PS: I’ll do my best to upload Part III today (Dec. 31), but I can’t make any promises because I won’t be home on New Year’s eve.

Desire & Decorum, Book 3 (August 4, 2019 - December 1, 2019): This is the only wedding book that made real sense to me this year… and it’s definitely my favorite wedding book of the year. It was the perfect closure for a series that didn’t convince me that much at first, but that I learned to love over time. We had this whole new plot with Harry that was a little weak, but at the same time it was a smart move, as it helped to keep a balance and to not overcharge things with the wedding. But can we just talk about the final chapter? It was simply adorable, I loved every part of it (honestly, I haven’t heard of anyone complaining on the final chapter yet). If I have to criticize something, I’d say the writers went too far with Mr. Sinclaire. The man went through hell in the first two books, I thought they would give him a break in the third one… I was so wrong! But overall, I really liked this book, the new characters such as Harry, Briar’s mom and Hamid’s mom gave some fresh air to the story and new plots such as matchmaking Luke and Anabelle’s sister were a nice twist. I’m pretty happy with this book.

High School Story: Class Act, Book 1 (October 8, 2018 - January 14, 2019): New cast, same school. I couldn’t actually say if I like or dislike this book more than the previous series because I actually feel it’s just impossible to compare them. The writers had a very difficult work to do, as they needed to make this cast different from the HSS one within the same environment, and I’d say they succeeded. Not only you can see the problems are different, but also the way they address their relationships is different, and it’s quite evident that they are younger kids that are transitioning into their teenage years more than teens thinking about graduating and going to college. We also went from this super popular MC and being prom king/queen to a MC who embarrasses himself/herself quite often and whose friends (except for Rory) are probably amongst the most unpopular kids in school. Finally, the fact that the story focuses in one specific school area (the theatre club) was a pretty smart move to not make this story a mess. So overall, it’s not one of my favorite books, but I enjoyed reading it and I appreciate the writers’ effort to make this series different from the first one.

High School Story: Class Act, Book 2 (February 11, 2019 - May 20, 2019): This is the theatre book where theatre is not seen anywhere. I’m not sure if this is the weakest book in the series (I think I still need to realize how Book 3 will end in a few weeks), but I admit I had to review the chapters’ summary because I couldn’t even remember what the book was about. The plot was simply lame, there are no big highlights in the story, we spent like half of it in the middle of a fight between Rory and our twin because they both want to be school president (can we talk about the fact that Maria is graduating?) and we appeared on TV. Our MC simply didn’t shine or did anything truly remarkable during this book. If it weren’t for Ajay’s parents’ divorce and the role our MC played on supporting his/her friend, this book would have been easily forgotten.

High School Story: Class Act, Book 3 (October 30, 2019 - Present): Honestly, I’m not a fan of mixing both HSS gangs in Book 3. It feels weird not to be able to control a MC that I was able to manage in the past. I also understand all the hype for going to London, but did we really need as many people as we see in this book? Where are people like Natalie or Danielle? I mean, I don’t like them, but they’ve belonged to this group since day 1. Anyway… I’m guessing this is the way the writers found for us to say goodbye to this series. After six books, I think it’s the perfect time to put High School Story to rest for a while, before it becomes a mess. Even though there are some chapters left, I can already tell what my favorite thing about this book (and this series) is: the issues these kids have to face in their personal lives are serious stuff. In the past, Rory’s mom had cancer and Ajay’s parents got divorced, and now we talk about Skye coming from an abusive family and our twins trying to find their roots. That was enough. I don’t think we needed Rory and Ajay facing new problems in this book. Instead, I would have preferred to see Rory working with Maria or Ajay dealing with the fact that he became “the man of the house” after his parents’ divorce. The idea was to see them “growing” throughout the series; unfortunately, this hasn’t happened yet.

It Lives Beneath (October 10, 2018 - January 30, 2019): This is the only book in the list I haven’t read… and there is a very specific reason for it. When It Lives In The Woods was first released, I noticed that a lot of the screenshots people were posting included spiders… a lot of them. As an aracnophobic myself, I just couldn’t even begin the first chapter of that book. Then, It Lives Beneath was released and I noticed that there were some characters from the first book, so I said “mmm… maybe I do need to read the first book because it might be linked to the second one”, so I never read it. However, I have to agree with the fandom on the fact that we need more mystery and horror books in the app. Sure, I’m a sucker for romance books, but at the same time, I’m totally capable to understand that we need more diversity in terms of books. So I’m totally waiting for this series to be revisited in the future, the fans deserve it.

Mother Of The Year (August 30, 2019 - Present): This God-tier book is one of those gifts that you don’t expect to be that nice, but it ends up being a treasure. It definitely climbed up in my personal list and went straight to the Top 2 of my favorite books in the app. Nobody had much hope on this story, but we ended up meeting an adorable daughter, a mom that was a warrior, three LIs that were simply adorable, one of the best BBFs that Choices has given us and Luz Mendez, probably one of the best characters in the app. Overall, the plot and the characters (even the evil ones!) were so real and relatable that I have to admit I went through every single possible feeling while reading the book… I laughed, I cried, I screamed, and I got mad at times. And of course, my heart broke when we realized that this was a standalone book. But do I really want it to become a series? I’m not that sure. There is a part of me who wouldn’t like to see a second book because the ending was so precious that I wouldn’t like it to be ruined with a second book. On the other hand, I love the story so much that it makes me sad to realize we won’t be getting anything new from these beautiful people. However, I think the story is perfect to make a Christmas or a Halloween special, focused on the kids… maybe even a summer book! This book definitely deserves to be revisited in the future.

Nightbound (April 24, 2019 - July 31, 2019): I’m not surprised by the end of Nightbound, but I’m definitely sad. I had problems trying to understand the book at first because I’m not the type of person who’s into supernatural and magical stuff (I have to admit this also causes me some problems even when trying to understand the plots in books such as Bloodbound and The Elementalists, despite I think those are good series). I may even have to replay it to fully understand it. But there are some things that are pretty clear to me: the book is well written, the book is good, the book has awesome characters and most importantly, the book is DIFFERENT, something that this fandom has been asking for a long time now. So I was quite shocked when the writers said the book wasn’t doing as good as they thought. Does this book deserve a sequel? Absolutely! Even though I think it got a proper closure, I also think the plot has a lot of potential that could be explored. As that won’t be happening, I really hope to see some of these characters in Bloodblound 3, just as we saw Cal in Bloodbound 2.

Open Heart (February 22, 2019 - June 7, 2019): Sorry, but right now I think my opinion will be completely biased because this is my absolute favorite book in the app. There’s just nothing I don’t love about it. The balance between the romance and the professional stories is one of the bests (if not the best) in the app, the characters are well written, the medical plot is interesting and it addresses many of the current conflicts in health care… it’s just a masterpiece. On the romantic side, it doesn’t matter if you go straight to Bryce or Jackie or if you preferred the slow burn with Rafael (actually, can he be considered a “slow burn”?) or Ethan, the writers took their time for the MC to befriend them, we got to deeply know these people (except for Bryce and Jackie… I’m so waiting to know more about them!) before making a choice, and not all of the romance stories ended up with happy endings and fairy tails, so yeah… it’s my perfect book. Can’t wait for the second one!

Passport to Romance (March 20, 2019 - June 19, 2019): Probably my biggest disappointment of the year. The idea behind this story seemed nice, we could have learned about so many places, we could have laughed about so many of the troubles that people travelling on a budget face, we could have had a series instead of a standalone book. Instead, we got a MC who was always late, who seemed to be quite irresponsible with her job, who lived a life of luxury and who suddenly became BFF with people he/she had just met. Come on, they were nice people (even though at some point I just wanted to make Elliot disappear), but again… we had just met, it’s not like you can’t live without them. On top of that, I can’t even remember how many times this gang violated some rules… sure, Yvette was happy, but it might have cost you an expulsion from Europe, which is not nice if you’re a travel blogger. Let’s add up the non-sense of some situations. I know that books are supposed to be a mix between fiction and reality, but I think they went too far this time. I mean… why would the coach allow Ahmed to travel with a group of strangers instead of travelling with the rest of the team? Especially if he’s a professional athlete and he’s competing in an important championship... sorry guys, but there’s nothing I can rescue from this book.

Platinum (May 30, 2019 - September 19, 2019): This is definitely one of my favorite stories this year, and sorry… but I will never get over the fact that this is a standalone book. This book is so unique in so many ways… for the first time, we heard voices and we heard people singing… we also got Avery and Raleigh, two LIs that were gender customizable… the secondary characters were gold… the plot was so cliché but so attractive at the same time�� and I could continue. Reading it every week was a real pleasure, you were actually waiting to find out what would happen the next week, and at some point, it seemed like it was the only book that people talked about. However, creating this book was expensive, and well... that just sucks. It would have been so nice to see our MC touring with her friends, taking new risks, visiting new places, and receiving the rock star treatment that she deserved. This book still has a solid fanbase (especially in Tumblr), so it’s just sad it won’t be revisited in the future.

#playchoices #choices stories you play #desire and decorum #high school story #high school story class act #it lives series #it lives beneath #mother of the year #nightbound #open heart #passport to romance #platinum #hss #hssca #ilb #moty #nb #oh #ptr

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thebibliomancer · 4 years

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Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics liveblog pt 4

Last time on video games, I got into a lot of bar fights but also beat up the Chamberlain and stole his clothes.

This time on video games, Brea’s subplot isn’t great for this type of game?

Dreamfast Memory: Tomes and Tithing

Oh come on, what possible fighting is Brea going to find in a library? Dangit Brea no roughhousing in the library! Also Boggi the fizzgig is there.

oh my god i have to beat up librarians. Breeeeeeaaaa!!

I guess I don't HAVE to. I just have to collect five tomes while librarians try to beat Brea up for asking questions.

But I beat up everyone anyway.

Brea has an interesting way of reading books, hitting them with a staff and all. So in the end I beat up all the librarians so I could read books by hitting them. Brea might be a bad reader.

---

Dreamfast Memory: The Order of Lesser Service

I'm starting to think that Brea's side of the story has to be square pegged into a round hole to get it to fit a trpg game. Why on thra is there a mission for giving podlings baths? Am I going to be knocking them unconscious to get them into the baths? I'm not comfortable with this, Brea!

I'm putting Deet and Hup here for true timeline breaking nonsense.

Hup, I hope you're not going to be attacking your fellows just because I put you in this level.

Service Leader: "Cleanse your mistakes by bathing Podlings!" This is so weird. The podlings don't like it. The Gelflings forced to do this doesn't like it. Who actually likes this?

Apparently the mission goal is to capture 4 podlings. By knocking them out?

Also, their unit name is Dirty Podling, which I don't find as delightful as Rude Gelfling.

Also they're throwing rocks at me. Which, fair enough.

Boggi is here too. He's Brea's pet fizzgig. He was in the library mission too. Kind of cool that fizzgigs are units in the game. Wanna see some landstriders tho. Yup. You 'capture' podlings by 'hitting them' enough times that they pass out.

This is just a weird decision all around.

The Service Leader is a playable unit here too. He has the Firemoss ability. He's throwing fireballs at podlings that just want to not take a bath.

So after knocking four podlings unconscious, Brea makes a deal with a fifth one that she won't make him take a bath if he doesn't tell anyone she's ditching this fucked up charity work.

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Dreamfast Memory: Thra's True Balance So this is the part where Brea finds the secret room beneath the All-Maudra throne. Again, Brea's part of the story doesn't lend itself to the gameplay we have.

And the mission this time is to activate all the levers by the pillars the represent the clans before a Darkened Nurloc kills us all. Us being an out of place Naia and Kylan. Also Brea and Boggi.

So you can just race around the map activating switches without bothering to fight things. But more creatures spawn as you activate switches. I definitely remember this from the show.

After hitting the switches in random order as convenient, Brea: "Wait, the order doesn't matter! Of course... all the clans are equal!"

And this epiphany unlocks Brea and Boggi for my party. Woo.

---

And now the story is being told by Brea's journal. Are we still in flashback zone? Are we getting second hand exposition within a flashback? Maybe instead of dreamfast memories the early parts of the game should have been told via Brea's journal. She's actually putting more of a context to things than playing random memories has been.

The transition from Dreamfast memories to the 'present' doesn't have Aughra say anything even though she's the one who was presiding over the dreamfast. The game's story presentation could have used a couple more drafts.

Anyway, Boggi's class is Fizzgig Medic. He doesn't have a class tree so its just that class forever. Also he can't equip much equipmanet as he does not have hands. I love him.

He has moves like Encouraging Yap and Insistent Bark. Insistent Bark revives knocked out allies. Because its so insistent.

Couple more nonrandom encounters for XP and I'm getting my first gelflings able to get tier 2 jobs. Deet is going to be an Adept! And Kylan is going to be a Thief because I might train him to be a grave dancer.

And now everyone is level 10 and get to have cool jobs. Hup is gonna be a Tamer! Cause that way he gets a pet! Sure, his dream was to be a Paladin his whole life and I've kind of steered him by the shoulder to another career path but... pet!

Brea is gonna be a Bramble Sage. She beats up librarians, she's the sort who'd want to set people on fire with her mind.

So at this point in the game, I had to actually go and get back to watching the show cause I was getting to the parts where I left off and I didn't want to experience the plot first through the game.

I’ve been sitting on these notes for a bit!

Some game mechanics stuff. You can rotate the map. It took me way too long to realize that and I was annoyed at things being obstructed by scenery.

Aside from good ol' Boggi the Fizzgig, the characters can have three abilities from a primary job and two from a secondary. Like the job mixing from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance but with more tough choices.

So Brea should have been in an olde Lucasarts style point and click? Solving puzzles and uncovering Lore ha ha

... I’d play the heck out of a Dark Crystal point and click.

#dark crystal #dark crystal age of resistance #dark crystal age of resistance tactics #THE GAME #liveblog #Brea beats up a lot of people

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sachiwrites · 6 years

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I actually would really LOVE to see something about Crowley educating someone he sired. It would be great if you considered writing it!! Thank you so much ♥♥♥

the hardest thing about writing this vampire dynamic is projecting emotions without actually connecting them to sincerity. but thats also what makes this series to much fun to write for because there are a lot of moods for vampires to not harbor any.

anyway ! thank you very much for inspiring me. i hope this is up to your expectations

Was his smile…

You imagined it to be more painful. The changing that is. You’d read about it more than once, been warned about the debauched act enough times to fear the transition. In hindsight, it ended up being surprisingly temporal, though wasn’t soft by any means.

The sharpness of his fangs pierced you like any blade would have, drying a brief cry from your lips. He told you beforehand that it would be an exchange. An equal sharing of souls. Or perhaps this is where they were lost.

The agreement is unspoken and with little room for change when his hand finds the back of your head shortly after pulling away, already guiding you in instruction. He encourages you to bite hard, the notion of breaking the skin highly encouraged.

You suppose it’s then that you realize the first enthralled of the upcoming change. Even in the passions of bodies you’d never been able to inflict any damage, bit even the indent your teeth as evidence.

It’s still not a simple task. Rather than the smooth cut of butter it’s more like a bite of tough bread, a necessary addition of force Judy do find the right grip to tear away.

The first taste is bitter, not at all what he described or any indication sun if the supposed elixir all vampires praise. It’s metallic and the taste of copper rings on your tongue like a dropped coin. Yet there isn’t much to overwhelm your palate when so much is being washed over your tongue. In this moment it’s less about equal sharing and more about filling you up.

He means to drown out your humanity and leave nothing but the taste of himself in your essence.

The last time you wake up is to a glass of blood and a plate of fruit. Instinct drives you toward the later and the consequence is the opposite of the sweet blend you remember.

Crowley watches it all with a raise brow and an expectant smile. Amongst your hacking you reach for the glass, liking the intent of it to a cool glass of water to soothe your ache. The outcome is more than enough, the vicious red bleeding into your veins like a life stream. You finish the glass within moments but he doesn’t produce another instead offering a hand that you grip as you have many times before.

He doesn’t expect the grace of Horn or the unyielding force of Chess, but he does envision loyalty. It’s made apparent the most among other vampires. You may have upgraded from livestock but you’re still a step below the rest. You were a mere follower yes, but his follower.

He truly didn’t ask for much. Satisfied with his two aides, intrigue in Ferid’s whimsical stratagem and you. Was your devotion much more in comparison ?

It’s not a seemly transition from the notorious trinity to the expected quadruplet you were projected to create. Crowley was more reserved of your presence as a new vampire than he had been in your human identity. You had a place near him, but not quite at his side.

A place you’d earn, he informed you, with a bit of tutelage.

There was one thing you’d gotten wrong in your new life. Actual dirt tasted much worse than the equivalent you thought the once beloved human delicacies sampled of.

“You’re way too slow.”

The snarky snip of Chess’ voice sounded almost gravely as your conscious wavered briefly upon impact. She’d been relentless, no less than obedient under her Lord’s orders.

Eternity was already a forbidden gift, you suppose strength and stamina would have been a stretch even for the gods. Fortunately, or supposedly the opposite with how your body was straining under the training, Crowley was more than adamant on preparing you for the war to come.

He’d single-handedly seen to Chess and Horn’s lessons to develop them into his formidable left and right hand. The trio were already legends in the making, a historians dream of war and fatigue. Still, in between uneven breaths, you wondered; with two hands already accounted for, where did that leave you?

“She said you’re too slow. Why are you still lying around?”

Crowley was a picture of barely veiled disinterest, his crimson gaze already dulling behind the murky thoughts of schematics and strategies. He hadn’t even entertained the idea of bringing his sword along, the infamous companion likely lying haphazardly out of place in his office. At his side stood Horn, patiently waiting to intervene when advised.

Gritting your teeth, eventually your knees found their place beneath you and your feet following shortly. You certainly endured more than what you could have while still hanging on to humanity, but this was still a tier too many out of your league. You voiced as much with a bitter tongue,”I didn’t realize you were changing me to fight your war. If I wanted to be a soldier I could have done as much with my own kind.”

The fleeting glint of annoyance was your own warning before your back spasmed from a second impact, this one significantly more distressing with intent. While gloved, his grip was no less threatening, tightening gradually with every vexed word.

“I see I misinformed you of my tolerance of your brattiness in the past. You were too fragile to curb the habit without the misfortune of killing you. I won’t be as lenient from now on.”

His form takes up all the space from every angle, not that his gaze would allow you to focus on anything else. There is a tendril of fear, just a flickering reminder of the truth you already knew when you’d accepted this dance. One would think you did so blindly to so willingly fall in line with a vampire.

“Everyone has their use here. I will only give you so many chances to learn yours before I give up altogether.”

The courts were still a mystery to you. Not that you would have seen the inner structure even if you had been more versed. The hierarchical composition of the vampire race was becoming more complex than any of your former counterparts were aware of. Their numbers were small, but as a society they were a functioning force and there was no question of how they managed to enslave the world and reduce it to shambles.

“But if you’re a low-ranking vampire and I’m a low ranking-“

His voice is as cool as it is crisp, cutting off your speech. “I may be low amongst others but I have a rank. You have none.”

You’re both settled in his study, situated snug behind his desk while he overviews the current reports of the Progenitor Council. Horn and Chess left to their own devices hours ago, bored of their games and in seek of other alternatives. For a while you were torn, too transparent of the mundane lesson plans but craving his touch.

“Even as my sire?”

The history was murky but you suspected Ferid to be his sire by the associations they promoted. Amongst shared lineage they also harbored a near equivalent status. But apparently there were more steps slipped in your thought process.

His voice is bare to the stickiness of humor as it latches on to his words,”. You were but a human not long ago. You have much to climb.” Your curiosity permeates the air and his nose twitches at the stench. He cuddles you with a light kiss to your hair,” You’re mine. That’s a mighty social climb for any vampire this young. “

But you’d always been his, from the moment he ensnared your interest. A mere pet to most, but Crowley’s high regard for your existence spoke volumes with your transformation. You’d learned that the privilege of become a Sire was only predestined to those slated to be nobles. The knowledge made the silly childish free of being kidnapped and turned against your will nothing more than a scary story before bedtime.

They would much rather kill than sully their bloodline.

You watched as he discarded the report among the others, only losing sight of his hand for a short moment before you felt is curve under the line of your jaw.

“When I changed you, it was not without purpose. You will become someone worthy of my presence.”

“Easy, easy. I don’t care if they die but don’t make a mess.”

You refused to look them in the eye, not able to witness the sin of it even when you didn’t have the resolve to let go. Crowley had been meticulously with this lesson in particular, pulling strings in the shadows without your knowledge.

It had always been possible for you to obtain your own food in his manor. It never came from the source but a glass was only a request away. Still you suppose you’d gotten spoiled by the luxury, only receiving when it was offered directly from his hand. It was pure ignorance that subdued the infrequency that lead to your near starvation until a new spring was presented before you.

Crowley had guided you without instruction, silencing the warm body with a simple look. Without words, incomprehensible whimpers were fictitious in contrast the roar of your hunger. They didn’t have a face or a family. It was almost too much to even consider them human.

His unreserved touch is at your throat, coaxing the red essence down without a battle

The habitual warmth of mankind never felt so foreign, even as it ran cold.

It would take some time, but Crowley would mold you into a vampire fit to stand at his side.

Even if it made you a monster too.

- was his smile ….

always so cruel?

#phen0l #owari no seraph imagines #crowley eusford x reader #crowley eusford imagines #seraph of the end scenarios

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endeavorsreward · 7 years

Text

Excerpt (Pre-Title #2)

706 OV / 54 BA

Coppersun Kingmoon

The man who was once Vayne Carrudas Solidor took another step forward. His massive foot dragged, and he lurched forward, clutching his abdomen. Every part of him was too large; his body was glutted, bloated with Mist, and the wind was like a wall pressing him backwards. But step he did, further across the deck of the Sky Fortress Bahamut—more than six miles above the desert but sinking slowly.

His fingers tangled in the something draped across his chest, and he realized, with absurdity, that his decorations still hung over his bulbous frame, distorted by nethicite. His clothes were all but gone, but somehow the medals still hung there. They were anchored by two large crosses, each one earned by slaying a supposedly-treasonous brother. And somewhere behind him was Larsa, ready at last to stand on his own. His mind was sluggish—the stones made it so hard to think clearly—but some part of him knew that it was time to exit the stage.

“Venat!” He called out to the sky, and took another skidding, shuddering step. Behind him, he could hear the scattered footfalls of his killers approaching even over the roar of the sky, but they seemed to fade when she at last appeared before him, twin burning eyes amidst a shapeless cloud. It—she, Cid had thought—hovered there, just beyond arm's reach, expectant as always, forever an unspoken promise.

He still remembered the first time she'd deigned to appear to him as she had Doctor Cid, first as the spots in one's eyes from clenching them too tight, and then coalescing into something cocoon-like, with a halo, and that radiating warmth that had reminded Vayne just a little of his late mother. Below them, he could see the Bahamut's glossair rings rotating in opposite directions, and it only now occurred to him that Cid had refashioned the relic in Venat's image.

His voice gasped and gulped as he staggered towards her. “I have failed us both... I am no Dynast-King.” Had failed Larsa. Had failed Cid. And his empire as well. He'd been failing people, he knew, since seventeen, not least himself. “You must find another. One who might realize your ambitions.”

Venat's voice was always twofold; male and female, purr and echo. “They are fulfilled beyond your knowing.” She retreated slowly, only just keeping pace with him as he took single step by single step, to where the deck widened at a massive Imperial seal. “The Cryst is sundered, Age of Stones complete.” A darkened room in Draklor, Cid taking him into confidence. Whispered truths about the Gods. Vayne had declared resistance—insurgence—on the spot. His younger brother could not, would not rule as a puppet to forces beyond their ken. His brother who'd turned blade upon him, as he once had to his own elder siblings. “From the Undying Ones, the world is free.”

To Vayne Solidor, history had been naught but a series of repetitions, tiered roads like those of the Archadian capital itself, where those below could never see those above, and those above rarely deigned to look below, each path leading to the same destination. The crest ahead marked the observation deck, which was a dead-end, highest in the sky.

“You shall not tread this path alone,” said Venat, “Together we go. Come.” She turned to let him past, and followed behind as he marched. And for a man who'd denied the Gods, he found himself grateful for the blessing.

Vayne let out a bitter chuckle. He could feel his own withered teeth coming loose in his mouth. Behind him, the street rat approached, and behind him the sky pirate, the one who'd slain Vayne's best friend. Surely the princess was soon to follow. “Won't Cid be eager to learn what has happened here...” He kept walking, and found he had a sense of irony remaining. “History begins anew.”

He could feel Venat entering his body, and it was strangely muted, almost numb at first. His steps were lighter, and he almost didn't notice that the Mist that leaked from his body had begun to ignite. As raw magickal energy pulsed out of him without effort, tendrils of Occurian power that erupted whatever lay in their wake, it was his mind that changed. He could feel her presence suffusing all of his thoughts, and each bit of flame that shot out, crippling an Atomos or digging through the Bahamut's hull, felt like casting aside a bit of himself he no longer needed: that one a state dinner at age fourteen, this one a dissident he'd killed with his bare hands at nineteen. Just let me keep Larsa, he wanted to beg her, but he did not, because they were the same being now, and because he could see his brother's long life spool out before him, and what came after as well.

He flicked fire from his fingers and detonated a light cruiser, but it did not register, because the omniscience of a God was overtaking who he was. He—they—were one, now, without transition, and even as he tore the sky fortress apart, pulling pieces of his friend's handiwork to also become a part of him—for it was all of Cid they had left—the thoughts and understanding of a God were destroying all he was.

In the last moments of the Undying, as he rose on hundreds of wings above slayers of his dream, he understood what Venat understood, and he could see the future that lay beyond their Age of Stones. He could see it all, every year before and aft, and it was then that The Undying began to scream.

In the air he turned to face his killers, knowing Venat as well had wanted to die all along. But now he knew what else she had planned for Ivalice, and wanted to be extinguished, because he could not bare the knowledge. For nothing truly ends, and man's mark on history would ever be as fingers trailed through sands like Dalmasca's below him, swept away by the winds of powers greater.

Machine and Man and God, he roared beneath the weight of twelve hundred years.

#Excerpts #Vayne #Venat #Doctor Cid #FF Tactics #FFXII

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