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z-cerulean · 1 year

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I analyse Marianne's supports (Three Houses)

I did this as a Twitter thread a while back but that was... a while back, and lacking twitter's character limit gives me a bit more freedom to do something like this.

Marianne is a character from Three Houses, and part of the Golden Deer class. Over time she's become my usual name for my favourite character in any piece of media and has become quite important to me for a number of reasons, as I'm sure is the case for most people's favourites.

So I'm going to go over each of Marianne's supports in Three Houses. I'll get around to one for Three Hopes when I do Azure Gleam.

Disclaimer, this is just what I think. Fair warning, while I'll keep to a minimum, there will be spoilers for Three Houses if you're yet to play it. Marianne's narrative is rather isolated from the rest of the game's story, so if you don't mind knowing that, there's no problem.

Who is Marianne?

Marianne is the adoptive daughter of Margrave Edmund, one of the Leicester Alliance's up and coming noble houses, and is sent to Garreg Mach's Officer's Academy as per his demands. Marianne herself is shy and reclusive, often only speaking when spoken to and generally evasive of conversation where possible, often freezing up for not knowing what to say. Claude, in his introduction of her to Byleth, says he knows not much about her himself and wouldn't be surprised if someone had never heard her speak. Marianne seemingly spends most of her spare time around animals or praying to the goddess. Her self-esteem is demonstrably low and is quick to disparage herself, she claims that individuals around her suffer misfortune, and keeps details of her Crest to herself, Margrave Edmund himself playing a considerable amount of money to Garreg Mach to keep Marianne's Crest a secret.

Marianne's paralogue isn't available until partway through the War arc of the game, where she's harassed by a scholar over her Crest. Her ancestry can be traced back to the forgotten 11th Elite from the Nemesis and the 10 Elites legend, Maurice. Maurice, through overextending his own limits with his Heroes' Relic, had been thought to be cursed into a Demonic Beast and to this day stalks a forest near Edmund territory, the basis of a legend that his descendants would likewise become beasts. The paralogue follows Marianne going to said forest, finding Demonic Beast Maurice still alive. Upon defeat, the only things left of him were his Relic, Blutgang, and human bones. The scholar that harassed her initially, seeing the sword, found himself proven wrong and apologises. Marianne, finally able to prove rumours she herself believed about her crest were wrong, is finally able to move on. In her solo ending, following the war's end, she becomes a celebrated hero and skilled orator, inheriting Edmund territory.

Of course, this is a broad simplification of her journey, that does get significantly fleshed out in her supports. Speaking of:

M/F Byleth Support

Doing both of these together since both Byleth supports are effectively identical, except for the M!Byleth S support existing.

I... admittedly don't really like this support that much. For reasons that become more apparent as the other supports are discussed, should say, but this support is definitely a victim of being... a Byleth support, since Byleth doesn't get proper lines like Kris, Robin and Corrin before them. As a result this support very much reads like an overview of Marianne's arc, rather than Byleth engaging as much with her. At points it very much feels like Marianne speaking to a brick wall, for lack of a better term. Though points for the A support having an added line if her paralogue is completed, stuff like that is fun. I'll be making more solid arguments for why I'd say this is my least favourite Marianne support once the others are brought up.

Though this is also where we get a window into her relationship with her adoptive father. Marianne seems to mostly perceive him as using her for political legitimacy, since she has a crest, and plans to marry her off for similar gains. Since Margrave Edmund never appears in person, even in Three Hopes, Marianne's perception is all we have of them.

Claude Support

Now here's a step up over the Byleth support. The Claude supports follows Claude making a guess about her crest issues, describing both her Crest and his dual heritage as 'burdens', saying they can be cast aside no matter how difficult, and offering his support to her.

This is a pretty sweet support all around. It's one of the few Claude opens up to someone in, purely for someone else's betterment at that.

While this isn't my favourite depiction of it, it's also an introduction to what is my favourite aspect of Marianne's conflict. Putting it as Claude does, "...people are born with burdens to carry. That much is undeniable. But whether they bind us or we cast them aside... that's up to us. " Nothing changes about Marianne's burdens if she does nothing towards casting them off. But, by putting in the effort and with help from others, she can move towards a better tomorrow.

This is something I feel the Byleth support doesn't portray that well, and is a big part of why I'd rank it fairly low. Though that could be an opinion influenced by some individuals perceiving the support as Byleth 'fixing' Marianne, which entirely defeats a big reason why I like Marianne.

There's also the first case of Marianne 'talking' to animals, as she puts it, specifically to Dorte, a horse at the monastery. That gets touched on a bit more later.

Hilda Support

This support is one of the few where it isn't about Marianne confronting her Crest. Instead, Marianne and Hilda tidying turns into the Hilda's help being repaid by tea parties provided for by Marianne.

I like this support. If anything, I wish Marianne had a few more that weren't as serious like this one. It's basically the only support where Marianne's clumsiness comes into play, which I'm glad isn't played up too much.

I don't really have as much else to say about this one, it's pretty good.

Leonie Support

In brief, Leonie loses her temper at Marianne for putting down her own abilities without attempt, with Leonie apologising and helping her with conversation in the B support.

This support is very... fine. It does the job for sure, but there's not as much to it. This is the first showing of Marianne expecting the worst of more simple gestures, to extent of refusing to help from those more catastrophic outcomes. I kind of wish the B support leaned a bit more explicitly into this, I guess, based on what's here.

Lysithea Support

The Lysithea support is also... fine, for being basically just another incarnation of the Leonie support, though about an accident this time rather than a supply run, followed by a second event with a battle strategy enquiry this time in the B support.

I think I'd probably put this one beneath the Leonie support, it didn't need to spend two supports mostly on effectively the same thing, though I like the ending of the B support.

Lorenz Support

The support is a bit more compelled by Lorenz than it is Marianne. I think it's a fine support, I like the B support, though I'd not call it a favourite, a lot of the big moments are mostly due to Lorenz. If anything though, their paired ending with them becoming 'the mother and father of horses and cattle' with Lorenz hating it is pretty funny.

Ignatz Support

The Ignatz support is another mostly compelled by Ignatz, in some ways it's effectively another version of the Lorenz support. I think I like this one a bit more than that overall, the angle of 'words aren't necessary for communication' is nice, and anything where Marianne is motivated towards an active effort is nice.

Raphael Support

The last of her in-house supports, the Raphael one... I have mixed opinions on.

One hand it has a couple nice moments and it is one of the few more relaxed supports, on the other I'm finding it's sort of hamstrung by Raphael's sheer idiocy at points. Not to say I dislike Raphael, he's fine, but I feel like I could have done without it.

Ferdinand Support

The Ferdinand support is pretty nice as well, it's basically the only time Marianne gets openly frustrated, and I like the resolutions where she ends up approaching others herself about her problems or resolutions. Plus Ferdinand is just kind of a cool dude to begin with, so yeah I'd put this one pretty highly.

Linhardt Support

It's nice, Linhardt putting in active effort (albeit related to his vested interests) is a fun change of pace and the closure on Marianne's part is nice. I'm not as crazy about this support as others are, but it's nice.

Sylvain Support

Sylvain's another character I like a lot from this game, so pretty great as is, and the Marianne support definitely helps with that. I kind of wish they got an A support to cap it off, but I guess Sylvain will have to deal with only being able to A support like three of the rest of the female cast.

Ashe Support

While I like this support for sure, it mostly just reads like a slightly lamer version of the Ferdinand support to me. Not an inherent negative, but one of my gripes with Marianne's support lineup is how homogenous a lot of her supports end up being, I'd have liked a few more like the Hilda support where she mostly just gets to relax, is how to put it.

Dimitri Support

This one's my single favourite support of Marianne's set. Whether that's bias on also liking Dimitri a lot, debatable, but this one just hits. The A support is phenomenal, in particular. The two of them basically just get each other and in short I do basically every Heroes' Journey with these two now.

Hanneman Support

Man, the Hanneman support is pretty great. It's the most directly confrontational towards her bloodline, which allows this one to hit the hardest on it for not having overused it too much in the other supports. Also the A support is great.

Conclusion/Ranking

If I had to rank Marianne's supports on a tier list it'd probably be something like this:

Depending on the day I'd probably order them differently, so mostly just take them as within tier. I'd have liked a few more 'Marianne just gets to relax and have fun' supports, as said before, but for what we have I'm fine with it. From what I've seen of Three Hopes so far, she gets a couple more along those lines, so I'll do another of these for when I get around to Azure Gleam in that game.

#marianne von edmund #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe three houses #marianne

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azurevi · 4 years

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on land where we can touch the moon (2/?)

PART 1 PART 3

A quick note- this is pretty messy. I'm planning as I write, so there'll be information scattered across the words, and it may be overwhelming...kinda. I have added a little note about what happened in this chapter in the end. This series is also up on ao3.

There is, naturally, a reason Azul was stuck with the name 'The Sea Merchant'.

It wasn't a bad name, and there was no hint of degradation in it. It just wasn't particularly suiting. Azul wasn't a merchant. He wasn't even a shopkeeper. He was just invested in a little magic, and this hobby of his got leaked out somehow.

His magic was certainly something. It's A Deal allowed him to confiscate another person's valued quality in exchange for their wish. Anything could come to life as long as the deal was equal.

Only the drunk and people in desperate need of help ever went to him for help. After Azul had started mastering his magic, he reckoned that it hadn't been used to its full potential. If the person on the other side of the deal failed to meet the requirement, Azul could take even more from them without suffering any loss.

And so he sugarcoated and exaggerated his words, put up the most professional smile he could manage. For a few weeks all was well. He'd gained himself a melodious voice, splendid flexibility and a ton of unique magics, but nothing great ever lasted. He was soon exposed as a scammer and his notoriety was whispered among the streets, passed on and on until every family warned their kids not to ever run into him. And Azul, with his fame and prosperity wilting under the gossip and points of fingers, was forced into giving up his success.

He had been in hiding ever since.

He could never understand how something as atrocious could happen to him. If it hadn't been for the sneers and isolation in the entirety of his childhood, he wouldn't have grown up hating everything and everyone around him that called him ugly, unwanted, repulsive. It should've justified his desire for revenge.

Instead, God decided that his suffering was not anywhere close to enough and kicked him down the cliff where he was crying for help.

That being said, Azul was grateful to have Jade and Leech sticking around after everything. The two of them were also unpopular among others, so they eventually got close as a tight-knitted trio.

"No you didn't," Jade said firmly.

"I did, Jade. I did," Azul sighed, "They were dying, Jade, I couldn't just let them die,"

"Well, you should've."

"Don't be so uptight. Azul was doing the right thing, wasn't he?" Floyd winked. "So. Were they good-looking?"

"What?"

"The human. You must've saved them for a reason,"

Azul hated how Floyd's words implied that he would never do good unless there was something in it for him, but one could never lie in the face of truth.

"I just didn't want to let them die. It was their birthday,"

"What does that have to do with everything?" Jade asked. "You went above the water. You saved a human. You were almost caught. You could've died up there, you know. How did you even manage to breathe?"

"I just… did." Azul said, twirling his tentacles in nervousness. Jade was entirely disapproving of his actions, while Floyd on the contrary seemed to be mildly intrigued.

Everything still felt like a fever dream. All the fireworks and cheering and explosion were still vividly scorched into his mind as if they'd been put on repeat. The splendid colors, light giggles and-

And those beautiful eyes of yours. The way your hair flowed in the night sky with ease, how you laughed like tomorrow was promised and your life had been planned out before you, a clear and untainted path to success. Azul couldn't decide on whether he was jealous or amazed.

"Well, you better hope they didn't really see you, or that they forgot about it. If the humans come down here to hunt us down-" Jade couldn't even bear to finish the imagination. He simply shook his head in dismay.

"I swear I saw someone! I couldn't have just been washed ashore!"

"Apparently, you were," Jack said, stroding with large steps that had you panting to keep up. "Near-death experiences do things to our mind, your majesty,"

"That may be the case for others, but I'm sure I was conscious," you retorted. "I woke up to a pair of pale, azure eyes, then in a blink they were behind the rock. If it hadn't been for you-"

"I apologize for worrying about you, your majesty."

You bit your tongue. Fighting with Jack always ended with him being passive-aggressive and you stepping back reluctantly. Plus he was as stern as a rock. Almost nothing could move his belief.

Shouting and grunting could be heard from inside the medical room where Ace, Deuce and Grim were being tended to.

Jack flung open the door, and the three stumbled to get into the blankets and put on a excruciated expression.

"I see you're all healed up," Jack said. Ace hummed lowly and slapped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"I'm at death's door, commander. It pains me to say this, but I might need to take more days off,"

Jack was quiet for a while, and you could almost see a drop of sweat sliding down Ace's forehead.

"And you, Deuce?" Jack challenged.

"I'm traumatized,"

"And Grim?"

You arched your brow, at which he shivered in fear. "I- I'm feeling fine already,"

"So it's just Ace and Deuce, right?" Jack said. Ace and Deuce nodded their heads so hard they could fall off.

"Alright. Your health is of utmost importance to us, so I'll contact the Raven Healer…"

"The what?!" Deuce's voice croaked.

"The Raven Healer. Surely you've heard of him. He's best known for being able to treat any diseases, both mentally and physically,"

You were sure there were sweats rolling down Ace's cheeks now. "But- but doesn't he heal by using bizzare mediciness…?"

"Oh yes. His magic is what makes him such an infallible doctor. You two seem to be in a lot of pain. I'm sure he'll free you of your suffering."

You turned sharply towards the door and stifled a laughter.

"That's… not very necessary…" Deuce's voice faltered word by word. He was fully aware that he'd already lost. "You know what, commander? I think I can dive back into work right this instant!"

Jack smirked smugly. "Splendid. And you, Ace?"

The two of them stared at each other so intensely there seemed to be sparkles between them. Finally, Ace gave in. "I'll start work tomorrow,"

They didn't even wait for Jack to walk completely out of the door to whine. They looked fully healthy, even more energized than you.

"Anyways, did you find your saviour?"

You sighed. Ace and Deuce were still skeptical about your 'story', which you'd corrected to 'experience', but at least they were open-minded.

"No clues. I've had guards patrolling about every two hours. Nothing has yet to happen,"

They eyed each other uneasily, then back at you with a worried face. Before they could make assumptions, you defended yourself. "No, I'm not sick. My head's not concussed,"

"Well," Grim scurried to your lap. "Perhaps your saviour doesn't wish to be found?"

That'd be unwanted. You would wish for anything but to create troubles for your lifesaver. Nonetheless, you knew you wouldn't be able to sleep without sending your gratitude.

Alright, there might be a selfish motif. You were admittedly curious about those light, pensive eyes and silvery, gleaming hair under sunlight. All these unknown were like a gravity pool, pulling you deeper and deeper into the mystery.

"Well, you ought not to lose hope," Ace patted your shoulder casually, like you weren't the princette of the kingdom he was serving for. "Maybe you'll actually run into him. Fate has a weird habit for setting unexpected traps."

It wasn't so much love as a tender curiosity, but the line segregating them was so flimsy that one's got to mix them up at some point.

Azul found himself in such a dilemma. He couldn't decide whether it was attraction or nosiness that he was feeling. Either way, it's got him hooked like a drug. Something beautiful had finally entered his life like light piercing through a thick fog of ink, and it was possessive. Azul had a feeling that it wouldn't go away until it had drained him of his mind.

The door to his room was thrown open and Azul had to hide the peeled petals and green stem in a jumble. He had been chanting 'they love me, they love me not' for the past hour. To his luck, Jade and Leech didn't seem to have noticed his haste expression. They were both panting when they swam inside.

"What's wrong?" Azul's first instinct was that something had gone south.

"There-" Floyd wheezed. "There's a sta-"

"There's a fallen statue in the Coral Maze," Jade finished the sentence. "People are fussing over it,"

"Okay," Azul eased back into his bed. He'd already lost interest at 'Coral Maze'. It was at the centre of where the majority of sea creatures inhabited. Nothing could make him go anywhere near civilization and its hubristic aesthetic again.

Or so he thought.

"No- you don't get it. It's a statue of a human that sank along with wreckages of a big ship, and it's made of gold,"

A statue made of gold.

He recalled it now. It was supposed to be your birthday present. The consternation of what followed the present revelation had been so intense that it'd washed the memory of the statue out.

"We just thought that it could be the statue you mentioned in your story, you know? It looked really grand…" Floyd sighed.

Azul wanted to get up and swim over right there, right then, but he knew he couldn't. What would others say to him the moment they saw the shadows of their tentacles crawling on their pure and oh-so royal ground? What accusations would they throw his way? How many children will be led away from him like he was some man-eating, brutal abomination?

Not to mention the unforgiving rage he'd evoked in trying to scam them in the past. Dishonesty was highly criticised in their high-class society. It was as if they were saints that had never done one thing wrong. Bet they'd never even stayed up past midnight.

"You ought to come take a look!" Floyd suggested. A casual, friendly proposal.

"No," Azul snapped. "No, no. I'm not going there,"

"They're planning to use the gold," Jade said. "You know how they are. They see one thing from the ground and start screeching in pain,"

They were going to use your statue. The statue that was perhaps the only thing that was related to you, the one way to never have to forget about you again in case that you never met again.

And to imagine the effect it'd add to his collections! A big gold statue in the centre of his grotto, accentuated by the sparkling of other jewelries. It'd be complete.

"I'll sit on it," Azul decided. He was not to act rashly, lest he walked one step wrong and brought upon himself misery and misfortune. If he really was to pay a visit, he would act in secret. Perhaps in the veil of the night.

"Just don't act alone, okay?" Jade said. Azul nodded despite not paying any mind to him.

In the dead of the night Azul decided to sneak out. Alone. It was a mistake, really. Azul couldn't stop thinking about your statue, and by the time he realized how absurd it was, he'd already gone to the Coral Maze.

There was nary a shadow except his own. Still, it was much lighter than where he lived even at night. The distorted image of the moon waved from above as Azul made his way through the many identical corals. Then he finally found your majestic statue standing solemnly in the centre. The only beauty in the water.

It was a sight for sore eyes. White, pure light reflected off the gold and created streams of gleams onto the ground. That someone would ever find it to be disgraceful was incomprehensible to Azul. Something like this deserved to be put on display in the museum for all to see.

There was no radiance on your face and no splendid colors in your eyes. It was merely a fraction of what you were. Nonetheless, it was enough for Azul.

"Who's roaming there?" an alerted voice asked. When Azul turned, he saw a silhouette looming from outside the Coral Maze, holding two anglerfishes in hands and waving them in the water.

Panic was the only thing Azul felt as he hid behind the statue, struggling to keep his tentacles out of sight. The light stayed right in front of him for a while before skimming away.

Azul grabbed the statue and swam, pushing his tentacles through the water as hard as he could.

"Wait there- oh goodness!"

There were several voices now, mumbling and inquiring. Then light was casted upon his flitting figure and there were bemused gasps before someone yelled, "Seize him!"

Azul was out of breath. He wished he excelled in fitness but instead he was stuck with incongruous tentacles that would never cooperate at the most needed times.

A hand grasped the end of his tentacle but slipped off. He kept the statue tight in his arms, as if his life depended on it. He could tell that they were near now, and was trying very hard not to imagine the gruesome outcomes.

Someone grabbed his tentacles. He faltered and was pulled back despite protests.

"Keep him in place!" another person yelled as the crowd moved to keep Azul fenced in.

Azul couldn't see anything. Everything was a poor mixture of shadow and distaste and sneers. He was probably going to die right there.

"I can't believe you have the guts to come back, Ashengrotto. After all the things you've done!" someone spoke up.

"Yeah! How shameless of you!”

"And he's stealing our properties now! Imagine how desperate he is,"

"You guys don't even want it!" Azul said.

Some guy lurched forward. Azul cowered backwards.

"It's disgusting, yes, but it's still gold." he said as if it was a completely just thing to do. "It landed on our ground, so it belongs to us. On the contrary, you don't have the rights to lay your filthy hands on it. What more do you want to steal from us?"

"I'm taking this because none of you understand the beauty of it!"

This evoked a negative reaction from the crowd, but words could never be taken back. Azul could feel his heart pounding like a prisoner hellbent on escaping. He had to escape. No more of this degrading gazes. No more of the points of fingers.

"Beauty?" the guy scoffed, and for a moment his face scrunched up and he was ready to spit out rage, but then it softened into a smug smirk. "I guess only ugly understands ugly, huh?"

Azul's head throbbed.

"It doesn't justify your actions, ink-blasting thief. Hand that piece of trash over right- uff!"

He was flung deep into the water until he disappeared into nothing but a black dot. People around Azul immediately made way as they fled in screams and wails. His tentacle was still tingling with the impact, but he couldn't quite feel it. Even if he did, he couldn't care less as he skyrocketed to the surface of the water. He blinked and blinked, but his eyes were still blurred by what would be mixed into the seawater eventually.

He'd had enough. Heard enough, seen enough. If he'd spent one more second down there he would have suffocated to death.

The familiar freshness of air welcomed him the moment he broke through the water's persistence. The land wasn't far ahead. He swam towards it as if it was his sanctuary.

There was a man sitting on the rock, face hidden under the hood. Azul considered retreating. He had no idea what would happen to him if he was spotted, but nothing better would happen if he were to go back. So he continued swimming and crawled onto the cool soft sand, only letting his head be seen by the man as he hid behind yet another rock where he placed the much valued statue.

He seemed to be asleep, chest heaving up and down at a steady pace. Just as Azul started sliding out, the man raised his head and looked straight at Azul.

They were a pair of humming, white circles, seemingly void of any sentiments. The man had a mask on that shielded his face except for his tightly shut lips. Two crows were staring right at him with the same uncanny manner.

"You've finally arrived," the man said.

Probably the humans had been searching for him. Azul decided to keep his mouth shut.

"I've been hearing your calls…" he tilted his head. "You can come out. I know what you are,"

Azul still hesitated. But he was much closer to the ocean than to the guy, so he slowly let his tentacles into light.

The man remained calm, not a bit taken back by the revelation.

"Well, I've been hearing your calls…" he resumed.

"I never called out to any humans,"

"Not literally. But you have been calling out a lot," he smiled amiably. "You have to know that it's especially hard for me to hear from creatures undersea, so if your wishes managed to reach me, it means you're pretty desperate,"

"I think you have the wrong person," Azul said and started retreating.

The guy sprang up and his crows curled up together beside him. "Wait- I should introduce myself first. I'm the Raven Healer,"

Azul pondered for a while. "That doesn't explain anything except for the crows,"

"You lots haven't heard of me?" he frowned so deep that his brows and eyes were a cluster. "You guys are really secluded,"

That was when Azul finally realized that he knew about them. About all the lives and creatures that inhabited the deep sea.

"And I mean no harm to your realm. My only target is you," he smiled again, this time at an ominous angle.

"Well, I'm quite famous in this realm. I heal people for a living, whether it be physical or emotional needs. Anything you need, I can grant you,"

That's not very different from Azul's magic.

"Sometimes, when someone is really desperate for a change, their thoughts can be heard by my crows. And you, Azul Ashengrotto…" his smile dropped a bit and his eyes drooped. "is particularly distressed,"

"Alright. It was nice meeting you," Azul nodded respectfully. The man didn't seem to be harmful. If he fled right now, he could probably throw him off.

The Raven Healer stilled, then burst into piles of blatant laughter. "No, no. I've been looking for you, don't you get it? I'm here to grant your wish!"

I'm here to grant your wish. Like how Azul'd promoted his business as the Sea Merchant.

"I understand that you've been suffering quite a lot, and that you want a change. But nothing ever comes without a cost… I'm sure you can understand,"

The healer stood up, the material of his greatcoat fluttering in the wind. He made his way freely to Azul, who could only freeze up as he inspected the statue with great interest.

"The heir to the throne! I see why you're desperate now. They're a real catch," the healer then looked down at the outstretched tentacles without a word. Azul prayed in his mind that he would turn away from them.

"Well, here are my terms. I will grant you a pair of legs in exchange for your magic,"

Wait, what?

Azul was pretty sure the Raven Healer was just imitating him now. A great figure appearing out of the blue to answer your hopes. The catch was that the figure would always take away your most important thing. It was never a fair deal, Azul was aware.

"I don't think you need my magic," Azul breathed.

"Why, I do!" he exclaimed. "Collecting magic is a splendid hobby of mine! It is because of all these magic that I am such a renowned magician,"

He was obviously lying. His smile couldn't reach his eyes, and the orbs where his eyes were supposed to be were humming like a hazard label.

"I think I'll be just fine," Azul hurriedly brought the statue to his chest and started sliding away.

"...How are you going to survive?"

"What?" Azul swiveled, exhausted.

"Up here. With your…" the healer wiggled his fingers.

"I'll find a way,"

"No you won't," the healer protested. Azul looked up to the sky, took a deep breath and decided to entertain him.

"Why so?"

"You're gonna cause ruckus. Chaos. People are not especially used to seeing half-man half-octopuses roaming their land," he said honestly.

Despite knowing all this, Azul still considered his word rude. There was a thin line between blunt and disrespectful, and he'd just crossed it.

"There won't be anyone dealing with you, will there?"

"...I suppose not-"

"Exactly! I am your only hope!" he exclaimed once again, throwing his hands up in the air like a dramatist. "Unless you want to go back?"

Azul glanced at the serene water. He knew that down there, the mermaids and mermen must be panicking over what'd just happened.

"You can't hold onto that statue forever. If you really wish to stay here-"

"I just came, Mr. Healer. I'm not going to stay,"

"Yet. Come on now," he groaned, as if he was the one exasperated. "I know you want it. You need it. So what are you waiting for? You're never going to see all the beauties in this world in this state!"

He was right. Agonizingly right. He couldn't just walk around as an octopus. It would be like a stain on a quaint painting. Moreover, now that he was here, he couldn't just give up the chance to find you again. It's not like the ocean would welcome him anyways.

As if hearing his thoughts, the Raven Healer reached his hand out, "Deal? Your magic for a pair of legs. It's a fantastic trade if you think about it,"

One second. Two second. Azul didn't wait until the third to act on it. The moment their skin touched, Azul felt a stream of warmth coursing through him, rushing to his throat, where he choked up a luminous blue orb. It was within the healer's fingers within seconds.

"And your legs," he rummaged inside his pocket. There seemed to be numerous tiny objects inside as he dug around. Finally, he pulled up a thumb-size bottle and handed it to Azul.

He downed the slimy liquid inside under the healer's encouraging nods, and almost gagged at the sensation. "Guh! What the hell is-"

His tentacles started glowing a bright yellow, bright enough to attract people in this dead of the night. They started to shrink until they completely disappeared, and a pair of human legs replaced them.

He couldn't believe his eyes as he stretched around and surveyed the changes on his body. It took him quite some time to adjust to it, but he was surprisingly good at it. The fabric of the pants that came with the gift fluttered against his 'flesh' like a mother's caress. He felt normal, for once. Not some ugly monster that preyed on innocent kids. Not a marginalized criminal. Not even a wicked fraud. He was just a human wanting to explore the world.

"Three days," the Raven Healer said.

"What?" Azul was too joyous to pay real mind.

"If you can't find the most beautiful thing after three days, you will dissolve into sea bubbles,"

Azul stilled as he comprehended his words, then he started to chant no in his mind. He'd fallen for his trap.

"You didn't mention it at all!" Azul yelled. "Refund! You're scamming me!"

"The pot's calling the kettle black now. How comical," the healer giggled. Azul's heart dropped to the bottom.

"Consider this your own medicine. It's not like you're completely at loss over here!"

"Wait!" Azul reached out to grasp his fainting figure, which had become an opaque vision.

"We shall reunite in three days. Until then, enjoy."

All that was left was the crashing of the waves and songs of the crickets. Bathed in the glow of the moon, Azul finally came to the conclusion that he'd fucked up.

Life never stopped to give him a break. There were haste footsteps nearing from behind. Azul instinctively retracted his tentacles, but forgot about their absence and tripped instead.

"Yikes! That was a nasty fall. Are you okay?"

Looking up, two formally looking men were standing above him, one with crimson hair and another navy. There was a sword attached to each of their sides.

"Yeah. I-I'm fine," Azul cleared his throat and stood up.

"Are you homeless?" The redhead asked and was immediately hit by his companion.

"You can't go around asking people whether they are homeless!" he scolded, then turned to Azul brightly. "You must be in search of shelter! Please follow us!"

"That isn't any better,"

"Shut up," the blue-haired snapped with the same polite smile. "Come on, Mr…?"

"A-Azul. Azul Ashengrotto,"

"Yes, Mr. Ashengrotto. We can't have you catching a cold out here,"

Despite his friendly facade, Azul could see underlying motives lurking beneath. But clueless that he was, he didn't have a choice but to follow suit towards the castle-like building in the far distance.

"Your majesty will be pleased to see you," the redhead murmured, but Azul couldn't quite catch that.

"What was that?" he asked.

"It's nothing," was all that he received. "Just that you'll surely love the place."

Conclusion : Azul had once gone around scamming others with his unique magic but was busted and had been further criticised since. The Raven Healer is obviously Crowley, and his magic will be further explained in next chapter.

#twst x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #twst headcanons #octavinelle #azul ashengrotto #sie writes

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nicksstoryvault · 7 years

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{Defiance}

As he was directed inside the enshrouding masses of shadow of the stable quarters, glints of flickering torch light reflect in the intense depths of his cool azure irises, Steve couldn't disguise the anguish knifing into his heart; rage morphed into a sharpness that ceased to pierce deeper, and he felt utterly immobilized --laden by the fault he carried.

The ambiance of dread never felt so harrowing, vengeance was a black flame that blazed within his depraved uncle's feasting spirit, and time seemed unmeasurable. He was a prisoner to fate--a soldier being controlled to serve without honor and fight with every brutal tactic he refused to display in combat. Steve wasn't given a choice to discard orders, his best friend --James Buchanan Barnes--had been sent to Ares's domain, denuded and caged.

Now, Steve was being escorted inside the animals' keep by an armored stable guard; led towards a cell where torturously bloated out pigs grunted in unison, echoes of mercy.

Halting in his stride against the devoid of mortality, the First Avenger froze in a heartbeat at cell bars, his chagrined gaze of hawkish azure narrowed down at obese and squalid hogs milling in wooden troughs of gooey swill, some of them still wearing remnants of clothing and battle armor. They were human--men--in Ares's merciless eyes they were deemed useless as swine for butchery. He clenched his broad jaw against the silvery metallic guards of his Athenian helmet, his full lips hung agape at the disheartening and horrific revelation that seemed unfathomable for him to believe.

Laying in the midst of the swine horde, a massive cinder-brunette furred hog, resting on his enormous belly, snoring deeply within in his entrance of faux contentment. Steve's heart dropped into his roiling stomach, as he blankly recognized the indolent and rotund pig. "Buck--" he whispered in a low breath, trying to hold back an unrestrained sob, as he gazed soulfully at the enchanted captive that was diminished into a tub of grunting fat. Steve felt the gravity of entrenching heartache dragging him into submission; he fiercely gripped onto the bars and spoke in a tremulous mantra. "No...You can't be...You just can't..."

Bucky's blissful escape from the cold reality surrounding him had reached a jarring turn where he felt a voice beckoning him back to it. The sound of the voice was familiar, kind, reassuring and promised safety. "Steve…" He whispered in his sleep. The dark and cloudy world around him faded as he was be pulled towards a dim-light. He couldn't help but feel trepidation and distress the closer he came towards it. The light didn't promise him peace, it offered only cold despair. But resistance was useless as his conscience was roused by the intruding voice from close by. "Steve!" He grunts with a deep voice as he's jarred awake by a tapping against the bars. Confusion lasted for a moment before his memories caught up to him and reminded him of his current plight. The pig closes his eyes, released something akin to a groan of vexation once he found that he was still being held in cell, that he was no longer a human anymore. "Who's there?" He grunts, making no effort to hide the frustration in his tone. The cell was fairly lit due to the beam of warm twilight filtering through the bars, setting everything aglow.

Steve fell into silence, thoughts became rampant as his intense eyes gazed down at the fattening creature. The passing moment felt insurmountable, as he faced the cold reality that his best friend now existed as nothing more than shockingly plump hog wearing shredded pieces of Kevlar no doubt from his tactical jacket. It was a disturbing gravity to fight against--a nightmare that his mind refused to discard. He didn't want Bucky to see him, not what he was forced to become; in a slow recoil of his faltering stance, he withdrew his presence from the pig's line of sight.

His head bowed, revealing the gleam of his helmet, and breath drew up heavy as he finally answered Bucky's distressed grunting, only to deliver a pained warning. He lifted his gauntleted hand to the bars, reflecting a sheen of blood smeared metallic, visible evidence of his last brutal fight. The storm in his heart wouldn't pass. "Buck, you gotta stay back..." he whispered in a monotonous timbre, anguish-ridden in his throat. "M' not what you remember me as..."

The familiar voice came to him clear as day, compelling the hog to jump from its laying position, and up onto wobbly hooves. His cold gleam of steel blue landed near the bars where the shadowed visage of a warrior wearing an Etruscan/Athenian helmet blotted out the dimming sunset. An armored guard by the looks of it. Another of these bygone age soldiers who held him prisoner on this hellhole of an island where the modern world was non-existent, and beasts of mythology ran rampant. Confusion settled within Bucky as he looks around his cell, finding no trace of the voice he knew he heard. "Where the hell is Steve? What have you done with him!" The pig reacted to the anger boiling within him. It was bad enough they had taken him and turned him into a tub of ham, he wasn't about to let them do the same to Steve. That he wouldn't tolerate. Before the guard could so much as try to soothe his frustration, the pig had charge towards the bars, squealing a blood chilling war-cry, then rams his hooves against the bars. "Where is he?! If you've done anything to him, I'll…"

"Buck, it's me...It's Steve," The First Avenger reassured promisingly at the enraged hog snorting out viciously. Preparing to engage his transformed best friend, Steve braced himself for an insufferable moment, before crouching to his haunches; he grounded his bulked form against the bar and met Bucky's level, his oceanic azure eyes openly gleamed with unshed tears, as unassailed grief was inexorably rising within him.

The dark pig furrowed his pudgy brows, incredulously, evident to a vigil of uncertainty. He couldn’t blame Bucky for acting indifferent--guarded, his visage wasn’t benevolent and valorous; he carried the raw visage of a battle hardened warrior, a stark reflection of Captian America’s red, white and blue ensemble. Displaying a gesture of brotherly trust, Steve reached out a hand for Bucky to sniff with his twitching and moist snout. "C'mon, Buck, it's okay...M' just wearin' a different uniform."

The beseeching cadence of trust and reassurance was familiar enough to Bucky, who was also definitely not just hearing things. The guards he'd seen were ruthless, cold and insufferably ancient in their dialect that Bucky wished for nothing more than to ram his metallic fist into their mouths, if he only still had it. The individual in front of him spoke with a Brooklyn accent, the baritone in his voice unmistakable as was the scent of vanilla, musk and leather. His nostrils wrinkles at the familiar scent, which inspires a shudder of unease. "Steve?" He grunts, backing up on his hooves, surprise in his eyes. "What are you—How did you get here?! And what's with the get-up?" The pig grunts, tipping his muzzle towards Steve who continued to look at him silently. Reality coldly caught up to him and Bucky found himself suddenly feeling self-conscious of his appearance and what Steve must think of him. "You shouldn't be here."

Right there Steve felt like he plunged into an inescapable abyss, the gravity of Bucky’s infinite words cut him deep. This torturous reality was a morbid amusement to Ares, every soldier imprisoned within gluttonous bodies of pigs, deserved freedom, the horizon was darkened. He couldn’t save them. His defiance and virtuous heart stripped away by a possessive spirit that was cast into him---he was gradually becoming a slayer of monsters, souls that were collected after tasting defeat on the battlefield. Blood was now dripping on his hands, and mercy was becoming an abandoned thought. He didn’t want to confess the reason why he was dressed like a Greek warrior, but he needed give Bucky some piece of truth. Pressing his lips into a taut grimace, he eased out a shaky breath, staring leveled-eyed at the pig. ‘I don’t know how to tell ya, Buck, it’s not easy, but you deserve to know that this place has always been a part of me, I’m not just a kid from Brooklyn, and the monster who turned you into a fat little guy, he’s my uncle.”

The pig gazed at Steve as if he had grown a second head that began chattering gibberish. Of all the explanations he anticipated coming from his best friend in life, it sure as heck wasn't that. "You can't be seri…Uh, what the hell am I thinking, of course, you're serious." The pig shrugs incredulously. In truth, he wasn't sure what to expect, a part of him hadn't been surprised that Steve somehow found him here on this island in the middle of nowhere. Steve always managed to help him out of tough spots. But this was beyond anything they'd ever experienced. And guessed it wasn't by simple coincidence either. "How is this possible, Steve? Are you saying you were adopted? How long have you known?!" The pig demanded, trotting back towards the bars at a brisk pace. He didn't believe Steve would keep something like this from him. It simply wasn't in the punk's nature, but he didn't like being kept in the dark, especially when he didn't know what could be in it that would threaten him—threaten both of them.

Lifting his hands up, Steve removed his metallic helm, slowly with delicate care, revealing his tousled -golden blond tresses that had grown in length behind his ears, and hung loosely over his tensed forehead. There was no easy way of putting this...the absence of his shield was vital to keep Bucky alive; he couldn’t submit to the ache mounting in his chest when his azure eyes flashed back intensely at the fattening and rank pig, who gazed up at him, mirrored a blaze of unobstructed Brooklyn defiance. Dropping his head to the gravity of remorse, Steve drew out a heavy breath.

“I never meant for this to happen to you, Buck, “ he whispered brokenly, clenching his stubbled jaw, as a taut grimace etched over his lips. Anguish flittered across his chiseled features as he stared intensely at the pig. “It’s my fault that you’re now standin’ as a chubby hog, and I know it’s hard for you to understand, and M’ not expecting you to, Buck, but putting this lightly is something I can’t do right now...”

Despite the cocoon of shock and disbelief he was enfolded in at this sudden revelation, Bucky felt a tremor of defiance shake him as he listened to Steve’s words. Whipping his gaze towards the bars, the hog releases a chilling noise that resembled a squealing roar, and he bangs his muzzle forcefully against them. “Don’t say that, you punk! I don’t care who you parents are, there’s not an ounce in you that doesn’t represent the best of humanity. I’ve never known a better man in my whole life, and neither has this world since the time you first picked up a shield to defend it.” He rants, surprising Steve by his level of passion and anger at his choice of words. “I don’t know what strength it is you have in your blood Steve, all I know is that it was your humanity that made you hero you are today.”

Taking Bucky’s words to heart, Steve cast a dismal stare at the helmet resting on his metal greaves, spatters of crimson traced over the engraving of Athena’s owl, branding that piece of armor to the fate of mortal combat. He never felt so disconnected with himself; the choice he made would define the unbridled power that surged through his veins, like white-hot lightning. Since he was brought to the island, he felt less human.

He wasn’t sure how to contain his immortal strength. If he could tolerate the rancid stench of blood coating his hands every day. Bucky would be his anchor back to humanity. He tore his gaze away from the metallic, and looked sincerely into Bucky’s glacial blue orbs, seeing a brotherly light shining through the grimness of his piggish curse. He drew out a weighted breath, and slipped his hand through the bars, caressing a soft glide of his fingers over Bucky’s wedged sized head. A humongous throb concussed achingly through his chest, he didn’t want to face the inevitable fate, his best friend was shackled to a form sorcery that he couldn’t break. “I’m not Captain America anymore, Buck,” he admitted in a terse breath, feeling utterly dismantled. “I’ve done things out there that I can’t shake off...This isn’t a back alley fight or a swing dance with HYDRA, right now the price of freedom is weighing on your life, and if I don’t play by the rules, you’re gonna die, Bucky...”

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