I NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RED BUT YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT TEARS RICOCHET ISNT ABOUT BELLUNE LIKE!!!!!!!!!
i just found this in my drafts bc i very clearly had inspo and i cant believe i never shared it. my tears ricochet x bellune, but make it a season 3 au where we lose our girl instead of lincoln oops sorry
You sit beside Kane in lock up, having just said goodbye to your mother, wishing you could do the same with Bellamy and your sister.
As you near the hour of what will soon be your death, you find comfort in knowing that at least Clarke will have your mother. Selfishly, some part of you is grateful that you don’t have to feel the loss of losing your twin, and that Clarke will have to learn to live with the grief. But she was always stronger than you, and if anyone could learn to live without half of themselves, your shining star can.
But in the end, it’s Bellamy your heart aches for. In a way, he’s lost his sister, his friends, those that are closest to him. In the moments of silence, when it’s just the two of you, you can see the weight pulling down his shoulders, can see the anguish that has settled into the lines on his face. Bellamy has spent most of his life lost; searching for who he is without a father, what kind of man he wanted to be on the Ark. and then losing his mother and Octavia, it left him listless, floating in the openness of space with no idea of who he wanted to be.
It’s why he so easily agreed to save Octavia’s life by shooting Jaha; he had the opportunity to find himself again. To anchor his identity to his goal of saving Octavia, and ultimately, his people.
But then his obsession with saving his people, after having lost so many in such a short time, broke him, pushed into the arms of a fascist chancellor who saw how easy it was to take advantage of the man you love.
It’s a path you can’t follow him down.
It’s a path you won’t be given the chance to follow him down, even if you wanted to.
You look at Kane, at the man you’ve come to see as a father figure without even realizing it was happening. And now, the man who will lose his life the same way your father lost his. Fighting for what’s right.
“It can't be all for nothing.” Kane turns to look at you in confusion, not understanding what you mean. You push on, “All of it. The spying, Mount Weather, all the hell we’ve faced can’t be all for nothing. Pike will destroy Skaikru until there’s nothing left, and everything we fought for will no longer matter.”
Lincoln wanders over and sits beside you on the bench. He reaches out to squeeze your shoulder, a silent message that he understands your frustration.
“There’s nothing left for us to do. We have to hope our deaths will mean something. That it will finally push for the change we’ve been fighting for.”
You’re incredulous at the suggestion, at the thought of being told to just stop fighting. “So that’s it? We just give up?”
Kane shakes his head, his expression sad, but determined. “No. This is how we fight now. We go with grace, accept our punishment, hold our head high. We don’t break, we don’t show fear. The people will remember.”
He glances up at Sinclair, who has just joined the three of you, nodding in agreement. You look at Lincoln, who gives Kane a single nod in agreement, and you sit between them, wondering how this is all that’s left for you. You’re the last to agree, resigned to a fate that may save the love of your life and your people, a fate that you will not be around to see.
-
You’ve never been happier to see Octavia Blake in your entire life.
She ushers all of you to safety, freedom just on the other side of a hidden passageway built into Arkadia’s walls.
A freedom that she watches slip away as Lincoln insists on staying back for his people.
You see the betrayal on her face as she slips into unconsciousness, the same betrayal you felt when Bellamy did the same thing to you in Mount Weather. As Lincoln passes his unconscious girlfriend into Kane’s waiting arms, you close in on him, trying to change his mind. She passes out right after, and Lincoln catches her easily, passing her to Kane. You step towards Lincoln, looking at him in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“Same thing you’d do for your people.”
You give him a serious look, “Yu laik ai kru.”
You are my people. He smiles at you, but it’s sad, and the sight of it hurts your heart. “Just get her out of here. Please.”
But then Kane’s words rattle around in your head, and it finally clicks for you. We have to hope our deaths will mean something. The people of Arkadia see Lincoln as a Grounder, and his sacrifice to save other Grounders will mean nothing to them. They will only see it as someone saving their own. They need to see one of their own, someone from the Ark, risking their life for Grounders. It’s the only way they’ll ever understand what the rest of you are fighting for.
The answer seems so obvious now, and you feel like a fool for not thinking of it earlier.
You turn back to Lincoln, shaking your head at him, already stepping away. “Get her out of here yourself. I can save your people.” And maybe Bellamy too.
Kane steps closer to the two of you, unable to avoid overhearing your conversation in the small hallway. His expression is distraught, shaking his head as he looks at you. “No, you can’t.”
“You said it yourself: our deaths can mean something. The people will remember. I know this place better than Lincoln, I know the guard schedules and routes. I can get them out and be seen only when I need to be. I can end this.”
“But Clarke-”
You cut Kane off, “Has my mother, and our friends, and you.”
You can see the moment he remembers that you will not go out without a fight, that you will do this with or without his support. He offers you the only thing he can, which is his blessing. “If you get them into the west woods, they can navigate the trade routes to the blockade. They’ll be safe.”
It relieves you to have his approval, though you can see the anguish it’s causing him to give it. You give him a small smile of thanks, hoping he won’t carry guilt from something that you’re willingly choosing to do.
You can’t say the same for Lincoln, who grabs your arm as you try to step away, pulling you back towards the escape route. “La lune, you can’t.”
“We both know it’s the only way, Lincoln. You know that I know this camp better than you. I’m more likely to make it through unnoticed. If you want your people to be safe, they need to get out of this camp, at least until Pike is dead. I can’t take care of that, but I can save your people and make a statement. Maybe the people will turn on him, offer him to the Grounders at the blockade.”
You can see that he desperately wants to argue with you, but when his mouth opens, no words come out. Because both of you know he’s right, and if Skaikru wants any chance of survival, they need to see Pike do the unthinkable. He reaches out for you, his strong arms pulling you into a hug, and it’s the first time since you made your decision that you start to tear up.
When Lincoln pulls away, his expression is sad, but you swear you glimpse a look of pride in your eyes. It strengthens your resolve further. “A warrior with a heart.”
You smile at him before reaching up and unclasping your necklace, your thumb brushing over the silver moon one last time. You press it into Lincoln’s hand, delivering your final wish. “Can you give this to Bellamy for me?”
His hand closes over the moon, the last time you’ll ever see the small charm, and when you meet Lincoln's eyes, you can see that he understands what this means to you. “Of course.”
There’s a clamor down the hall, what sounds like a commotion of guards, and you know that time is finally up. You quickly press a kiss to Octavia’s forehead and back away from the two men, looking them both over as you mutter, “May we meet again.”
They repeat it back to you before slipping into the hidden passageway, and when you press the panel back into the wall, it’s with the knowledge that you’ll never see any of them again.
-
The escape of 4 prisoners sentenced to death has the guards scrambling, and it makes them sloppy.
It’s easy to be invisible when that’s all you were your entire life. You blend in with the crowds of Arkadians easily, walking past most of the guards in plain sight. And when you round the final corner to the small lock up you left not long ago, you’re relieved to find that they only left one guard behind.
He’s not expecting you, so when you run down the hall at full speed, kicking your legs out to swipe his own feet from beneath him, he tumbles easily. You yank the shock baton from his belt, cranking it up just enough to knock him unconscious, but not to kill him. You’re trying to help your cause, not hurt it.
You pat the man down, finding a small pocket knife that you slip into your pants, along with his key card to open the holding cell door. Denae stands there with the others, looking at you in shock, surprised to see you after you were led to your death not long ago.
“Where’s Lincoln?”
“Safe. Escaped with the others.” You look over the group of Grounder prisoners that have started to stand and move towards you. “We don’t have much time. I have to get you to the west woods before they notice you’re gone.”
The Grounders don’t need to be told to hurry; they’ve seen how easily Pike locked his people up and sentenced them to death, know that it’s only a matter of time before they’re next. The stronger ones carry and guide the weak, and you take the emptier hallways until all of you are safely outside, the fence and the woods beyond it in your sight. You want to be seen, but getting caught before freeing the Grounders will only make things worse for everyone.
As your group openly jogs across a busy section of Arkadia, people stop to watch you, but no one says a word, unsure of what exactly they’re seeing. When you reach the fence, you toss a nearby stick at a section you hope is no longer electrified, fried long ago during spy related activities. The stick hits the ground without event, and you let out a sigh of relief, guiding Denae and the others through the gaps in the fence. When everyone is safely through, Denae turns to look at you, surprised to find you still on the other side. “You’re not coming with us?”
“There’s something else I need to do. Follow the trade route to the west, and you’ll reach the blockade in no time. Your people can protect you from there.”
“Thank you.”
You feel strange accepting her thanks. “I’m sorry for what my people have done to yours. Maybe one day we will all be one people.”
“Peace will find a way.”
And as the two of you exchange a smile, an alarm begins to sound over the PA system, prompting Denae to turn and run, disappearing into the treeline with her people before Pike and his guards even know they’re gone. You let out a sigh of relief, because at least now, everyone is safe. Except for you.
-
“La lune, la lune, la lune.”
The name falls from Bellamy’s lips like a broken prayer as he sprints through the woods, back towards Arkadia, a necklace squeezed so tight in his grasp that a small silver moon will leave its imprint in his palm for hours after he lets go.
He can hear footsteps crashing through the woods behind him, his sister and Kane calling his name as he tears through the woods on memory alone, letting his legs carry him back to the woman he loves.
I only wanted to keep her safe. To protect her, and my people. I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong.
When he bursts through the treeline, his eyes trace the arc of Arkadia looming high in the gray skies, rain starting to fall like the Earth knows what’s about to happen. Bellamy is sure that he can stop it, that he can convince Pike to save your life, even though he failed before. He’ll give himself in your place, accept that the bullet meant for you is actually for him, one shot to atone for his sins and wipe his slate clean. Because you deserve to live, to have peace and live life until you’re old and gray. You deserve a partner that loves you, and the comfort of knowing that you’ll always be safe with the people you love. You deserve all the things you’ve dreamed and longed for, and even if he can't be there to see it, even if he can't be there to give those things to you, he will sacrifice himself in your place.
Pike walks ahead of a group of guards, guards that Bellamy would have considered friends not two days earlier, guards that are now pulling his fighting girlfriend outside the main gate.
Bellamy starts to run again, his legs moving on instinct to be with you, but strong hands pull him back, holding him in place with an iron grip, forcing him to watch from a distance.
Your hands are bound; hands that he once spent hours holding, content just to be with you. Your hair is wild around you, the way it looks when you wake beside him each morning, tousled now from the way you’re fighting the guards. And the necklace that would normally be glinting in the light around your neck is now gripped so tightly in his hand that blood begins to seep between his fingers.
He wants to turn to Kane and Octavia, scream that they have to save you, that they have to let him go so he can take your place, but he is frozen as he sees you pulled before Pike, the chancellor’s hand already resting on the gun at his side.
-
Pike is too much of a coward to kill you in the middle of Arkadia.
You guessed as much, but once he dragged you towards the back of camp, out of sight from the rest of your people, you started to fight, deciding that going with grace only worked if there was someone there to see it.
The people of Arkadia will know what happened to you, even though Pike tries to hide it.
Once you are pulled through the gate and into a patch of land just outside Arkadia’s walls, you finally stop your fight. It’s almost over. Everyone you love is outside the camp, except your mother, who will have no idea what’s happened until after you’re gone. You can only hope she remembers her promise to you and Kane, and that she doesn’t risk her life when Clarke still needs her.
You thought you’d be scared, but you aren’t. You swear it’s because your father is with you, his cologne easy to spot amongst the smell of dirt and pine. He’s keeping you standing tall and strong, giving nothing to the man that will soon take your life. A man that he once played chess with, long ago on a ship in the sky, long before anyone knew that a life on Earth was possible.
When you had nothing but time while locked up, you anguished over all the things you were going to lose. Now, as the clock ticks towards the end, you think only of the things that give you joy. You think of Clarke when you were both small, of the pictures she would draw and leave on your pillow to find in the morning. You think of Octavia, the timid girl that became a warrior and your friend, making you more proud than you thought possible. You think of Monty’s moonshine and your mom’s laugh and most of all you think of Bellamy.
You think of the freckles dotted across his face, the ones you would trace for hours as he slept beside you. You think of his lopsided grin, and the way he always seemed to know what you needed before you needed it. You think of how he gave you strength when you had none, the way he laughed when he thought no one was paying attention. You think of him in the quiet moments, the in between, when his face was serene with sleep or his shoulders finally relaxed at the end of a long day. You think of Greek gods, constellations, and the Iliad, of all the stories that tied the two of you together.
And your final wish to the Universe as you turn to face Pike, is that Bellamy Blake will no longer be lost.
-
You stand tall as they turn you to Pike, your stance confident, despite the situation you’re in.
You don’t drop to your knees when they ask you too, making the guards get their hands dirty instead as they push your knees into the mud beneath you.
You don’t flinch when Pike pulls out his pistol and cocks it.
Your eyes never leave his as his finger moves to the trigger.
The last words to ever leave your lips falls on ears that don’t understand the meaning.
“I love you more than the stars.”
And you swear the last thing you hear before everything goes dark, is a scream that sounds a lot like Bellamy.
-
Bellamy feels like the scream is splitting his throat apart, his anguish so raw, so palpable, that he’s sure he must be bleeding.
He can’t understand that he’s okay, that the pain he’s feeling isn’t one that can ever be seen. He’s sure that it will kill him, that his heart will refuse to carry this and simply stop. He thinks that will be the greatest mercy, the way to reunite again with you.
He doesn't remember Kane and Octavia pulling him away from the clearing, trying to escape the Arkadian guards that now know where they are. He doesn't remember punching the walls of the cave until his hands were nothing but blood and torn flesh, doesn't remember the screams that tore from his throat until Kane slipped Reaper drugs into his veins.
He slips unconscious in a fit of anguish, surrounded by friends who wonder how they will share the news of your death to your other half if this is how Bellamy reacts.
They have to keep someone on guard duty all night, because Bellamy tries to escape three separate times, swearing he’s going to kill Pike with nothing more than his bare hands.
He has to be chained up when they kidnap Pike and deliver him to the Grounders, ending the blockade. He fights the restraints for hours, until his wrists are just as bloody as his hands once were, and only when he’s finally exhausted every ounce of strength in his body does he finally fall asleep.
And when he dreams, he dreams of you.
-
@anoddsightcomeoutatnight
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I haven’t played much of CotC, but I didn’t know that Vanessa had a sister?
It's more of mine and my brother's headcanon than anything, but it does have some evidence to support it. I am thankful you asked because I've never actually shared my thoughts on this headcanon in detail!
So basically, I am pretty sure that Vanessa's sister is Shelby, an apothecary from the initial 64 Travelers.
Most notable things when looking at Shelby.
- Purple everywhere.
- Apron and corset combo.
- Short, hooded cape.
- Dark gray-black skirt/dress with a design around the rim of the outfit.
- Brown boots and a brown apothecary satchel.
- Purple-black hair.
Now let's look at Vanessa.
- Purple everywhere.
- Apron and corset combo.
- Short, hooded cape.
- Gray skirt/dress with a design around the rim of the outfit.
- Brown boots and a brown apothecary satchel.
- Purple-black hair.
They share a lot of similar things to their designs. Now this could just be a coincidence, but who really knows. It's a pretty uncanny similarity.
Let's take a look at their sprites now!
The design is similar with their hair colours being slightly lighter than their artworks and its dark hair colour. The apron suddenly both has a purple stripe on it (Vanessa's concept already had this, but Shelby's art doesn't.)
Another thing that I find a bit curious, is the fact that Shelby has brown eyes, and originally so did Vanessa. Her boss sprite is shown with gray-brown eyes, as well as her artbook chibi.
So either Shelby's design was based around Vanessa for no reason at all, or this was intentional.
For context, Champions of the Continent (2017) was being developed at around the same times as the first Octopath Traveler (2016). There is also art book evidence that CotC's plot may have been the original game's idea, but they decided to go smaller to play it safe for a first game.
Next, I want to share brief name meanings. Both Shelby and Vanessa are English orientated names, and they are also very beautiful meanings as well as based around nature.
Shelby means 'place where willows grow'.
Vanessa means 'of Venus' or 'butterfly'.
I could go into more detail with both, like willow trees spiritual meanings (which fit Shelby pretty well when I searched it up) and the best place to grow is near the water, an explanation to Shelby's ice magic. And Vanessa is related to butterflies, which could give her light magic. But that's beside the point.
Beauty plays a pretty big factor in both characters as well. It is obviously there for Vanessa in her appearance, but for Shelby, we are told that she's very attractive and men fall for her easily. That said, personalities are purely opposite as well. Vanessa's confident in herself, a bit vain, etc. and Shelby is very different. She's not the most confident, very shy, etc. I always found a fondness for opposite siblings, I am sure others do too!
Also did I mention both of these characters have/will have Wealth influences? Shelby has basically zero reason to be Wealth, she should probably be Fame, but she's not, and maybe it's because Vanessa when she's playable will eventually be Wealth too!
With those aspects aside now, let's talk about descriptions and family life! The more proper way to help connect these two ladies aside from just appearance.
First, character description.. We recently got Shelby's Radio Show information, so this allows me to share a little more. We'll start with Shelby.
Radio show doesn't give too much, but the main thing to think about is age and her appreciation to "happy homes", I'll get to that soon. It's also important to mention that they didn't deconfirm her having siblings or not having them. Other characters have gotten family mention more proper from the shows. (Example: Sofia is the oldest sister, with three little sisters!)
Now Vanessa's description!
Vanessa's description also says that she "leaves her criminal life behind" but she is obviously still an apothecary, and is a skilled one too, she sells her medicine at a high price still, but not because she's after wealth, but because her medicines are good and are worth the price. So anyone saying she's a "fake apothecary", this is incorrect. She's skilled at her craft. Apothecaries can create good or bad medicine, as told in Gertrude's Traveler Story, and others.
And now that you've seen their descriptions with ages. Shelby is the older sister.
Shelby's "mid 20s" listed is in favour of CotC's 3 years in the past. Shelby is ~28 and Vanessa is 26, giving them a ~2 year age difference.
Let's pretend for a moment, that not only her encounter with Alfyn, but perhaps her older sister Shelby had also helped support her sister's change of heart. Family support is exactly what Vanessa might need to get on a better path. That's exactly what our "happy home" loving Shelby would want for her family. Shelby would 100% help her sister, by getting her a job at the LeRuiz in Valore. It's run by Rosso, like Shelby, a member of the Bargello Family! Even though I play as Iris, Shelby is my canon Chosen One.
These descriptions imply that both are quite skilled apothecaries even if Shelby hardcore downplays her skills in favour of not being "better than Cooper" *cries* Could their skills come from the parent that Vanessa's description mentions?
That said, Shelby's Traveler Story also brings up family mentions.
It might not seem like much, but if Shelby's mother gives herbs out for her husband's birthday, it implies that one or both of these people are apothecaries as well. More people would say they give flowers out on birthdays, not specifically herbs.
So basically, it's possible that the two are sisters, and their parents are apothecaries. It's common for children of specific jobs in this timeframe and game to learn the same field of work as relatives.
Another thing, that I want to get to before ending this, Vanessa's description that a parent is a "famous apothecary" and Shelby's Traveler Story mentions Ogen as one of the best apothecaries she knows. It's possible that if it's true that Shelby and Vanessa are related, that this famous apothecary parent and Ogen are friends, or at least acquainted.
Part of the interesting thing about the Ogen mention, it's almost as if the writers wanted their players to remember Alfyn, thus by remembering Alfyn, you might remember Vanessa, and then you just kinda think, "wow, Vanessa and Shelby look similar!"
That being said, Ogen isn't playable yet, so we've never had canon interaction with Shelby and Ogen, just apparently that the two know each other. Shelby actually rarely gets Recollections despite being a popular 4-Star, so she's never had much to disconfirm anything.
Maybe when Vanessa is playable, she'll be able to interact with Shelby? This is very possible since they had Leon Bastralle's quote said by Lord Elletrix of Grandport, and then later Leon appears in Elletrix's Traveler Memory, plus one of Elletrix's subordinates being jealous of Leon's friendship with Elletrix. All this proves that the two were friends. Rosa, stop talking about your OTP Long story short, first game characters are 100% allowed to interact with characters from CotC, so long as the writers want to do something with it. It's possible they could one day allow Shelby to talk to both Vanessa and Ogen.
Okay, that should be all...? Anyway, to reiterate, this is just a headcanon of mine, it is not canon in anyway.
Take it as you will or not at all! It's no bother if you don't want to imagine them as sisters, but that's what I want to do until it's proven otherwise.
Now I just want to share the fanart I've done of the Hysel Sisters!
I've headcanoned these two as sisters since basically the first moment I met Shelby! And that was in 2019.
^^^^ I want to remake this one ^^^^
^^^^ Kid versions I designed, the other characters are Narr and Glossom. I headcanon those two as twins and childhood friends of Vanessa and Shelby, that's another story though. Purple sisters, and pink twin brothers!!
^^^^ Designs I made for a project of my brother's! Check it out on twitter if you want to see more Hysel Sisters!
Thank you to anyone who has read this! I appreciate it! And now after writing this out, I think I want to draw the Hysel Sisters again sometime soon!
Again! This is just a headcanon until proven right or wrong by the developers.
Let's end it off with a silly picture of the sisters.
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