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A/n: Keep in mind, Side characters can and will be moved into the primary character list should they become more relevant and you interact with them more. This list is also based on how much you may or may not have interacted with said person.
Yep. Probably the next time you see him. I want to get more out of a proper meeting with your dad after all these years. All you really did when you "Saw" him when I wrapped things up was catch a glimpse of him from across the hall. You met eyes, and with your empathic abilities, you could feel the fear of you radiating off of him. But an in=depth analysis you did not have. Part of what Elsa was thinking just her own mind going into overdrive rather than.
Now, your relationship with your father is far from irreparable. Sure, he's scared of you, but he doesn't want to be. Which is the important thing. Plus, you're more so "accidentally terrifying" than "Actually terrifying".
If you guys made a solid, concerted, effort to rebuild your relationship with him, it could totally work.
Or, you'll roll low and set the whole thing on fire.
Who knows.
In any case, I'll be calling the vote probably sometime tomorrow morning.
Adhoc vote count started by Metaldragon868 on Oct 7, 2017 at 8:14 PM, finished with 1208 posts and 21 votes.
Might as well give it a go. Happy to see mum and sis supporting us, and while it's funny that he's the only sane one in a house of monsters, I think we ought to at least try and patch things up.
Anna isn't scared because she's a mad genius, mom isn't scared because she's even scarier. Pretyy much eberyone elses is either unnerved to outright terrified.
Anna isn't scared because she's a mad genius, mom isn't scared because she's even scarier. Pretyy much eberyone elses is either unnerved to outright terrified.
And this time you don't really need a roll for anything. The interlude is already decided. So no rolls this time. I'm not even going to try to guess when it'll be out. Making promises only has me break them.
Just caught up and been skimming so it's probably been said buuut....were entropy.
We are literally the embodiment of entropy. We eat heat because we are cold and hungry so we eat life itself and it all vanishes into the void.
Also, I am vaguely worried at how devoted Anna is. like, I get the vibe she'd set a city on fire to keep us warm and that she wouldn't even consider dating because that would distract her from us.
Maybe Meridia can redheadcrit Anna towards ethics? Because Anna seems really amoral so ethical boundaries are probably the best safety valve. Elsa is much more morally driven so she's more or less self correcting on that front.
Also, I am vaguely worried at how devoted Anna is. like, I get the vibe she'd set a city on fire to keep us warm and that she wouldn't even consider dating because that would distract her from us.
Maybe Meridia can redheadcrit Anna towards ethics? Because Anna seems really amoral so ethical boundaries are probably the best safety valve. Elsa is much more morally driven so she's more or less self correcting on that front.
Elsa I'm fine with. She has a sense of morality that self corrects so she tries not to go overboard even if she only really cares about Anna.
We're Yandere but we keep it under control.
Anna meanwhile is completely amoral and seems to only care about us and may very well think she knows what's best for us. My hope is we can get her to care about something or someone else to keep her grounded(ethics, friends, etc..).
In other words, I'm worried she'll go Yuno Gassai on us.
Elsa I'm fine with. She has a sense of morality that self corrects so she tries not to go overboard even if she only really cares about Anna.
We're Yandere but we keep it under control.
Anna meanwhile is completely amoral and seems to only care about us and may very well think she knows what's best for us. My hope is we can get her to care about something or someone else to keep her grounded(ethics, friends, etc..).
In other words, I'm worried she'll go Yuno Gassai on us.
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Hunger
Interlude: The Betrayed I
Once upon a time
"So?"
"Hmm?" A man hummed, looking to his left.
The man to his left shifted in his armor, trying to mask his mental discomfort as physical. "W-what do you think, sir?"
The man, old and scared, took another look at the reports in his hands, including sketches and analysis.
"I think you were wise to bring this to my attention." He murmured, his voice hard and deep, rumbling like a mountain's avalanche. "How many victims have there been so far."
"Uh, well," The young lad began, stumbling in the presence of such a man. "W-we've found 12, but we keep finding more as we keep looking. S-so we can't exactly be certain."
The old man hummed in agreement, stroking his white beard. The young man did his best not to stare at the scars across the man's eye, or the famous sword on his belt.
"So," The old man began, startling the boy out of his thoughts, "To be safe, we'll say there's been 30 or so victims."
"T-thirty?" The boy stammered.
"Most are dead, but sometimes these creatures are known to keep a few of their prey alive. Fresh." The man explained. "Not to mention, I've little doubt that some are little more than mulch, and others lost to the wilds of the forest."
"That many…" The boy trailed off in horror. "How could a beast kill so many? And so deeply in our territory?"
"Simple." The man gruffly began, his cold eyes going over every detail in the reports, searching for the most innocuous of clues, "It's smart, probably smarter than you. It's fast, strong, and quiet when it needs to be. I'd expect you'd never even notice it if it didn't want you to."
"But most importantly," He finished, making a sound to coarse to be a sigh, "It is not one 'beast'"
"It is a pack."
And with the final word he tossed several pages of the report on the table.
"They're smart. They know how humans work. And they're clever enough to trick and deceive, to work together as a group to accomplish larger tasks." He continued, pointing out several areas in the work. "Numerous disappearances in various parts of the city all in roughly the same period of time. Guards hearing strange noises and seeing strange shadows, only to see nothing when they turn?"
He snorts, "This reeks of a planned operation. Some distract the guards with whispers and shadows, while others hunt down marked and targeted prey."
"This isn't merely an incident, this is an infestation."
The guard paled, turning white as a sheet as he realized he was far outside his depth.
"Go," the man dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Tell your captain. He needs to know about this as soon as possible."
"Y-yes general."
And with that, the boy was gone, leaving the general to his thoughts.
The man huffed, looking over the reports once more, hoping he had read the signs wrong. He knew he was right, he knew it was just as bad, if not worse than he assumed. But that didn't mean he could not hope for better things.
"How long are you going to stand there and brood." He called out to the shadows.
For a moment, there was absolute silence.
Then, a hesitant footstep.
Out from the shadows walked a young woman in a dark hooded cloak and gleaming golden eyes.
"I'm kind of surprised you aren't trying to kill me," She says with a sheepish smile.
The man doesn't even bother to look up from the papers, "You may act foolishly from time to time, but you're far from suicidal. Not anymore, anyways. You wouldn't be here if you weren't reasonably certain of your safety."
She bites her lip, but concedes his point with a nod.
"I-I...I just want to tell you t-that it wasn't me." She admits, nervousness played plainly across her delicate features.
The man quirks an eyebrow at that, finally deigning to look up at her.
"I, er, well…" She tries to say as she wrings her hands, "I know what you're thinking. A-and you're right, it's exactly what you think it is."
"B-but!" She stops him, jerking forward before he can get a word in, "I-it's not me or any of mine. It's another!"
She stops, seeing the man's hand resting on the golden pommel of his sword. She pauses, calming herself and taking a breath.
"I-I know it's right next to my territory in the Black Forest, b-but it's someone new. They just moved in, trying to...assert their place, mark their territory, plant their flag, whatever," She explained, "T-That's why they're so violent, so…"
She trails off, glancing at the reports, the diagrams and artist depictions of the bloodbath in all their gory glory. She swallowed, a shiver going down her spine and a tremble down her limbs as she looks at them.
"B-bloody." She finishes shakily.
"So, they're trying to stake their claim on the town with blood, eh?" The man murmured, stroking his beard. "Foolish, given the Order's presence." He sends a sharp glance at the hooded woman at his side.
"And yours."
She winces, knowing the not-so-subtle implications of his words. "I think they're from out of the country. Or they've been gone for very long. They don't know I'm here yet, and they probably just think the town will roll over and submit to their will with a big show of force."
"Is it arrogance, or ignorance?" He asks, his gaze measured and critical.
"Probably both?" She shrugs, "A-a lot of my k-... kind… seem to have a certain...disrespect for the more mundane."
The man snorts loudly, turning back to the map, "Well, I'm sure they've appreciated you."
Her eyes dart to her feet, a grimace flickering on her face, "A-actually, t-thats another reason why I'm here."
"Oh."
His tone suddenly loses all mirth, becoming cold and hard.
She winces, the pain on her face easy to read. "I-I need you to l-let me do this."
"Do what?"
"Push them out, take them down...whatever it takes." She answers, a certain steel rising in her.
"You want me to let a beast handle other beasts?" He asks. She can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not.
"I-if I take care of this, put down this threat, t-then I'll have more respect, more power, more...agency to make the changes I need to make!" She pleads. "Please, i-if I can assert myself here, I can make a difference, save lives later when they listen to me."
"And what if they don't listen?" He questions with a hard frown.
But this time, she doesn't wilt, she doesn't wither. The woman matches his icy gaze, staring him right in the eyes and she declares her resolution.
"Then I'll make them listen."
They hold their gaze for a moment, a battle of wills, a competition of conviction. And maybe, something...old.
But then, the moment is over.
"I can't very well let them take over the town, let beasts run free while trusting other beasts to solve it." He says.
"So, you won't let me do it?" She scowls, a glimmer of something ugly and hard twisting in her eye.
"I didn't say that."
And like that, it's gone.
"W-what?" She stammers, taken off guard.
"If beasts want to tear each other apart in a small civil war, I won't stop them." The man shrugs, turning back to his reports "But if things get out of hand? If the monsters at the gate try and get their tooth and claw on good hardworking citizens of Solgren?"
"We'll be there. We'll put them down like the rabid dogs they are, and the holy fire will purge all evil in its gaze."
The young woman blinks, trying to parse his meaning.
"So…" She begins, "You'll let us kill each other, but if we cross a line, and if any humans get hurt, you'll kill us?"
"Basically," The man says casually, "If you all want to kill yourselves, go right ahead. I'm only concerned about the human loss of life. I don't even know who or where the sick bastards are, at the moment."
"I…" And for a moment, she's at a loss for words.
"Hmm?"
"Thankyou." She says, giving the man a heartfelt smile,
"For?"
"Giving me a chance."
And with that final word, she turns and makes to leave, walking to the dark corner of the room. Suddenly, emerging from the darkness like some leviathan from an obsidian pool, it appears.
An armored behemoth, looking almost like warrior carved from stone and bone, with great horns twisting from its helm and scraping the ceiling.
Next to the young woman, it looked enormous, towering over her like a silent guardian. The armored giant touches her shoulder, her head only coming up to the middle of its breastplate. She glances back, giving the man one last look.
"I'll see you again." She smiles, "Charles."
And then she's gone, consumed as the darkness washes over them like a wave of shadows.
The man can only sigh.
Once upon a time
"Why did you do this to me?!"
Part I of "The Betrayed" Complete
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You wake up the next morning, only having a vague recollection of what happened in your dream. And even then, you aren't quite sure what you saw.
Still, you push it away that matter for a moment and instead focus on something else.
What are you going to do this week?
[ ] Spend time with Anna
Research the Journal and magic
Research Chemistry and Alchemy
Play with your sister
Talk with your sister
[ ] Spend time with Mother
Train your body with your mother
Talk how to play an instrument
Talk about your mother's past
Talk about your mother's religion
Talk about your mother's family.
[ ] Spend time with Father
Try and thaw your icy relationship.
Talk about the kingdom from your father.
Talk about your family from your father.
Talk about your father's religion.
Talk about the state of the world from your father.
[ ] Spend time with Uncle Fergus
Talk to your Uncle
Talk about your Uncle's territory.
Talk about your Uncle's family.
Learn some basic swordsmanship from your Uncle.
[ ] Spend time with Merida
Talk to your cousin.
Talk about your cousin's family.
Talk about your cousin's home.
Learn how to shoot a bow.
Learn how to shoot a gun.
[ ] Spend time with Aunt Caitlyn
Talk with your Aunt.
Talk about your aunt's family.
Talk about your Aunt's home.
[ ] Spend time with Camulus
Talk with Camulus
Talk with Camulus about the state of the world.
Talk with Camulus about his home
Talk with Camulus about his family
Learn why he's so afraid of you.
Learn how to fight from Camulus.
[ ] Spend time with Nereia
Talk to Nereia.
Talk to Nereia about her family
Talk to Nereia about her home.
Learn why she's so afraid of you.
[ ] Spend time on introspection
Investigate the Dream World
Investigate the source of your abilities
Experiment with your abilities
Practice with your abilities
Investigate the dream you just had(Pursue the Betrayed)
[ ] Write in…
You have 5days open, and five actions to spend. I want you to pick and choose which five things you want to do. Each of the bullet points on this list are SEPARATEACTIONS, which means that you can't just pick Spend Time With Anna, and get all of the things.
Voting will be based on PLANS. This is also mostly freeform, meaning I want you to come up with stuff.
You can do anything you want within reason. The options above are just suggestions, reminders of things you could do. If you want, you can totally come up with new actions to pursue
And so you guys actually plan this out, for the first time ever, I'm doing this
12 Hour Moratorium*
*I'm putting a 12-hour hold on any voting. No voting until 12 hours after I post this, until then, talk amongst yourselves about what you want to do.
Now, as for the content of the chapter itself, that interlude was one of a small mini-story. The next time an arc finishes, you'll get the choice to pick it again, or look at a different interlude. If you complete and interlude set, you'll get a kind of reward. It'll also mean you have a more or less complete picture of some significant part of the world.
So, I'd really like to buff Elsa's physical stats, which are frankly atrocious even with Frost Skin. I don't think she needs to get good with a weapon but some basic ability to dodge attacks and not instantly die if someone punches her would be good. So with that in mind, training with mother and and learning to fight from Camulus, who both seem to be quite skilled, is a good idea. Learning a bit about magic with Anna is good too. Practicing with magic isn't immediately necessary I think since Elsa's current capabilities are good enough for self-defense. And of course, we need more information. Camulus probably knows something about Elsa's origins and should at least give us a hint. And since Elsa is still next in line for the throne IIRC it'd be good for her to learn about the kingdom since she's been unable to take lessons or study for the past few years.
Preliminary ideas:
[X]Plan Git Gud, Git Answers
[X] Spend time with Anna
[X] Research the Journal and magic [X] Spend time with Camulus
[X] Learn why he's so afraid of you [X] Learn how to fight from Camulus. [X] Spend time with Mother
[X] Train your body with your mother [X] Spend time with Father
[X] Talk about the kingdom from your father.
Spending time with Anna is a must, and I'd really love to do some introspection so we can learn more about ourselves. So far we haven't really explored, I don't think, and that's important! And honestly...call me cold, but I really couldn't care less about our father at the moment. I'd rather get closer to mother than father. I'd go for something like this (in order of priority)
[X]Plan Info and Fam
-[X] Spend time with Anna
--[X] Research the Journal and magic
--[X] Talk with your sister
-[X] Spend time on introspection
--[X] Experiment with your abilities
--[X] Investigate the source of your abilities
-[X] Spend time with Mother
--[X] Talk about your mother's past