[heroicvaliant]

quick note here that, while I'm definitely doing much better than I had been 2-3 days ago, I'm still sick— so it'll probably take some time until i get back to replies

i haven't checked out Act II yet and going by this pace I'll likely just make a post eventually about what Charles had going on for the latter half but otherwise focus on Act I threads instead of starting any new ones

if there's anything, i'm in the aevum isles discord nicknamed as blake, or just the discord handle 'svetis' :thumbsup:

[crowliphale]

Threatened Thrice... again!

fun fact: the first redraw i posted of this ending was my first Big Tumblr Post (it went over 100 notes! that was huge for my baby artist career!)

[bluestringpuppeteer]

Legato... hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud. Well, he had but he hadn't realized he was speaking out loud for anyone else to hear.

He'd been addressing the woman staring at him from under her wide hat, one eye covered in an eyepatch that hid the slitted Demon Eye beneath it, her trench coat blowing in the soft breeze. She hadn't said anything but she didn't need to, her gaze was accusing enough.

He blinked blankly at the person now where she had been standing, the one who he hadn't even noticed. He really was losing his touch, wasn't he?

"Too.... high? .... Help?" He's processing, or trying to. It takes a minute.

"I... it has to be high. I was... am... too much of a monster for any bar not to be high."

[heroicvaliant]

"That's pretty harsh. Who called you one? I don't think you should-uhh— take that to heart."

Wow, that guy must be out of it. It is not a rare sight as of late, what with the current outbreak including symptoms such as hallucinations and hallucinogenic states. Charles wasn't sure whether he should point out that they're acting strange, though, or to just talk to them as normal.

"You gotta cut yourself some slack, man. It's kinda unfair to yourself if you demand from yourself way more than you can without, like, at the cost of your health and… stuff."

[clxscdeyes]

An area like this would only become more and more dangerous, but to her, EVERYWHERE was dangerous. Iy almost felt like there were no safe areas for any of them. They could run and run, then still run and the moss would only catch up. How many people succumbed to them and how many people....

The thought nearly hurls her insides.

The stranger sits and he speaks, Luna remains face hidden, snot and tears plipping and dripping. She sniffles. He sounds so sure that all this would end. How could he be so sure? What made him have that much hope?

Was it just becsuse the people out there were doing what they could? She moves her head, eyes red from the amount of tears shed and she looks at his weapon. He must be one of them. Putting their lives at the front.

The first person to come to mind is Thor and then Mister Badou, a white haired man, and miss Byleth and so many others. How even with body heavy and eyes weighted down and the past haunting them, they still fight.

"I'm tired...we're all tired..." how much could one fight with being exhausted ?

[heroicvaliant]

She'd not even notice the stress toy, still gripping her own arms tight. The girl, though, moved her head to peek out, to which Charles would return a hopeful smile.

"Yeahh— you must be tired. There's lotta stuff happening lately, but— y'know? You're gonna make it, I just know it."

"Let's get you somewhere safe so you can rest easy, aight?" Charles held out a hand to her. There's an evacuation point not too far from here: he'll accompany her before going back to the task at hand. "— and when all this is over, I'll buy you cake to celebrate! Whichever flavour you'd like. Pinky promise."

Gotta give her something to look forward to.

[epilvgue]

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Vash had left the bench behind in a hurry. Woozy, dizzy. Exhausted despite the adrenaline now pumping through his veins after the encounter with Rem's visage.

More covered in moss than before, as well. It was creeping up his neck to the point that not even his coat collar could hide it. He had no idea how far it might have spread along his abdomen, if it had reached his legs.

He staggered his way through the streets, intent on heading back home. Under the blue moonlight he wandered, deep bags under his eyes and almost ready to collapse entirely. In fact, soon he did, simply lying down in the middle of the street, eyes barely open.

Sleep threatened to take him, the moss crawling along to consume him entirely.

@heroicvaliant || Hypnum Insomnum 2024

[heroicvaliant]

The nights were the worst, when the flowers bloom and the areas filled with moss get covered by pink fog. It's why it was important to evacuate, stay far from the pollen and rest, especially the infected. A lack of sleep made any disease worse, but that was true with this one in particular.

Charles didn't trust his eyes at first, but as his steps speed up to approach the guy lying in the middle of the streets, more details would become clear admidst the fog, and, indeed— "Vash?!"

Seaside Providence borders right to Clearview, so it shouldn't be far from the man's home— but Clearview District was in the middle of an outbreak; to stay here for the night was a sure-fire way to blip your way back to the Terminus Tower.

"Vash, hey— c'mon, you can't sleep here!" he'd crouch down, shaking their shoulder in hopes to keep them awake, keep their eyes open. "I can't let you sit here in traffic!" Not that there is any at all lately. Citizens use air travel to avoid the moss.

"C'mon, we got this— I'll help you up, alright?" he'd offer his hand to pull them up, the other hovering behind them to avoid having them hit their head on concrete should they lose balance again. "You live in one of those Villa's, yeah? Yeah— let's get you back, Vash."

[ohisms]

↪     𝑫𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑺𝑰𝑻𝑼𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺  .    (   a  collection  of  dire / urgent situation  sentence  &  action  starters .   adjust  phrasing  +  ʳᵉᵛᵉʳˢᵉ  as  necessary .   )

𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 :

hide .   hide now .

shh !!  there’s somebody in the house .

i’m not gonna hurt you !  see ?  look ,  i’m putting down the  [ weapon ] .

[ name ] ,  what were you thinking ?!

you’re being followed ,  pretend you know me .

stop , stop !  just put the  [ weapon ]  down !

drive ,  just drive fast !

you seriously think i could’ve done this ?

can you walk ?  i need you to walk for me ,  okay ?

let me handle it ,  just go !

what was your plan ??  you could’ve gotten yourself killed !

you’re just going to leave me here ?!

[ name ] ,  can you hear me ?  get out of there !

you knew and you didn’t tell me ?!

don’t you know how dangerous this is ?

you’re not going to shoot me .

move and you die .

i’m gonna come back for you ,  do you hear me ?

we have to stop the bleeding .

can you see how many fingers i’m holding up ?

i just want to go home !

don’t move a fucking muscle .

if it weren’t for you ,  we wouldn’t be in this mess .

i almost DIED back there ,  and you’re laughing ?

you’re only making this worse for yourself .

you think this is a joke ?

if i go down ,  i want you to run .

we’re gonna die ,  so what’s the point ?

this was the ONE thing i told you not to do .

i can’t promise we’re going to make it out of here .

where’s your first - aid kit ?!

just calm down and find your phone ,  we need to call the police .

someone’s been stalking me .

just listen to me for once !

i didn’t think you had it in you .

put the gun down ,  and kick it over here .

we can’t stick around here ,  let’s go .

kiss me before we die .

do whatever you need to do ,  hurry .

i can’t breathe ,  i can’t -

please ,  please  -  let me in ,  there’s someone -

i’m gonna give you one last chance .

you have to believe me ,  i didn’t do this !

run ,  and don’t look back .

this is real ,  i’m real .  look at me .

take this .  it’ll keep you safe .

follow my instructions very closely .

put your hands where i can see them .

you can’t just let me die !

i think  …  i think i need a doctor .

we need to get out of here ,  come on .

no ,  this isn’t it .  we’re getting you out of this .

you panicking is not going to help us right now .

𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 :

[ GETAWAY ]  sender acts as a getaway driver for receiver .

[ MEDIC ]  sender arrives on receiver’s doorstep ,  badly bleeding .

[ HIDE ]  sender and receiver hide from a threat together .

[ HUSH ]  sender clasps a hand over receiver’s mouth to silence them .

[ DRAG ]  sender physically hauls receiver to safety .

[ RIGHTS ]  sender calls receiver from a police precinct .

[ REALITY ]  sender helps receiver through an episode of derealization .

[ SHELTER ]  sender and receiver must find shelter from a storm  .

[ ARMED ]  sender brandishes a  [ gun / knife ]  at receiver .

[ CRASH ]  sender and receiver survive a  [ car / bike ]  crash together .

[ SEARCH ]  sender barges into the hospital demanding to see receiver .

[ BACKUP ]   sender calls receiver panicking after committing a crime .

[ CORNERED ]  sender menacingly backs receiver into a corner .

[ UNEXPECTED ]  receiver comes home to find sender already inside .

[ BREATHE ]  sender helps receiver get through a panic attack .

[ BADGE ]  sender and receiver flee from the cops together .

[ STRANDED ]  sender and receiver become stranded in the woods .

[ EMBRACE ]  sender kisses receiver thinking it’ll be the last time .

[ STRANGER ]  sender can’t remember who receiver is after an injury .

[ TOKEN ]  sender gives receiver a lucky charm before they go into battle .

[ CHOICE ]  receiver has to choose between sparing their own life or the sender’s .

[heroicvaliant]

@bluestringpuppeteer sent;

Examine! Charles' headset

An over-the-ear headset from your service in the military. These standardized ones always come in green, but you've painted on this one with a bright red. It is yours. It is in perfect condition, despite uninterrupted use. You've connected it to the internal lines with the AIPD and the adventurer's guild for the duration of the current crisis for ease of communication during your volunteering.

- Examine: Paint. - Examine: Condition. - Use.

By sanding the surface, painting the headset was easier than you first would've thought. You didn't damage it at all; even fragile parts such as sound quality were entirely untouched by the modification.

— and yet, you got shit for it. Much more than you would have expected. It was interpreted in ways you'd never dare: disrespect to the government by covering the colours associated with it, and a sign of defiance with the use of a complementary colour. Many didn't want to hear you out, but the General let you keep it. The General was often surprisingly lenient to you in particular: you weren't sure why, you never dwelled on it, never intentionally took advantage of it either.

But now, everytime you'd get a new headset, you'd paint it. While one may assume it's because it's a part of your identity, your primary reason was moreso what it represented to you: it's easy to lose yourself when working as a part of something much bigger than you: but in the end of the day, you're not the ace pilot, not the boot, but just… Charles. That you are your own person wasn't something you wanted to forget.

- Examine: Condition. - Use.

No dents, no wear and tear besides a few recent scratches, no missing pieces, let alone a blown open ear cup— as much as you don't want to admit it, even if it is identical to the headset you know and love, it cannot be the one you had on your last mission in your homeworld.

That headset barely held together for the mission, with the headband thoroughly deformed and the broken ear cup exposing the electrical circuits with its red and black wires, the microphone functioning, but hanging on by a thread at best. Who knows— maybe they repaired it for you, you'd like to rationalize, but considering the fate that headset had, you know that cannot be true.

It exploded alongside you, trapped in space.

…

That's silly. That implies you died, doesn't it? That can't be right. You're right here, breathing and well. All's well that ends well; and that's where you'll leave it.

- Use.

You put on the headset, took a deep breath, and checked your smile in the mirror; it looked fine, one could almost buy the lie that you've had a great dream.

The headset was comfortable: you wear it close to 24/7, so to say that you're accustomed to the pressure against your head would be a wild understatement; it feels incredibly strange when you don't wear it. Like someone took away your nose, or an ear, or your tongue— something missing that should be there. You'd feel anxious without it even if it's only for a few moments, and you just focus and stay calm much better with them on you.

Wearing them also made cacophony less troubling: you could hear everything just fine, you've never had an issue of not hearing something because you wear your headset all the time— it just didn't hurt to hear anymore. Not that you ever told anyone that little detail, though. You didn't know whether anyone would take the noise sensitivity seriously, and really, you weren't about to find out the hard way. You had a really good reason to wear your headset all the time, anyway, what with it offering direct communication in case of emergencies. No one needed to know the secondary reasons.

Besides— it's you! You and your red headset, and the long day ahead.

You got this. You got this!

[bebopbounty]

Send “Examine!” and an item or person and I’ll write an RPG description of it/them.

[glare-and-co]

topheavybrawler:

(For example, a stormtrooper mask:

 “A white mask with a black visor on the front. Putting it on, you realise that the visor isn’t even transparent. How are you expected to do anything competently like this?”)

[heroicvaliant]

@bluestringpuppeteer sent;

“I’m trying my best and it’s not good enough. it’s never good enough.”

"Woah, um. If it is never enough, then uhh… you must be setting the bar way too high, man."

"— or you have not been accepting help! Have you been getting help? Y'know what they say; dream work makes the team work!"

…

Charles.

[clxscdeyes]

She notices him when he approaches. Her entire body tensed like some stray animal not used to humans. No, she's just scared. Scared that she'll start over again with more memories. Scared that this would be her 5th, her 6th, her 7th time.

He says it'll be okay, but how can he be so sure. The moss was endless. So many people were suffering. How many of them out there were in eternal sleep? How many would have died from being consumed like herself?

"There's NO end...Y-Y-You CAN'T be so su-sure!" She's practically near wailing as she speaks. She curls her fingers into her skin, gripping tightly. She IS stressed. GOD, she's so scared. She's sooooooooo tired.

"I keep---" keep ending up there.

And the moss wasn't just going to stop just because people were crying and begging. it would continue to spread like wildfire.

[heroicvaliant]

Even though the girl should get out of this area ASAP— Charles could tell that this wasn't something he should press about, not in her current state. He'd sit down properly, placing the "gun" part of the flamethrower on the ground next to him. Hopefully, it could signalize that he's here, attentive and listening.

In truth, Charles was lacking previous experience to go off of: he was a man of the skies, and while he'd often cheer up colleagues, it wasn't comparable to how one would help civilians, let alone children. He'd hype comrades up, tell them to keep going, keep pushing, ignite their spite as a source of motivation— but none of these things is something this girl could at all need. She needs safety, not energy.

He'd rummage in his pocket, pulling out a stress toy that he'd place infront of her. It had the shape of a hamburger. "Here— squeeze this instead," added. Nails digging into skin was an understandable response to stress, but… not a healthy one.

"I am sure," he'd reply, trying his best to keep his voice in a reassuring tone. "Everyone's working really hard to get rid of the moss and figure it all out— they want you to be safe, ya know?"

"Hang in there— there's progress, I promise."

[bardicwine]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"the moss is really kicking people's asses," paultin huffs as he leans against the wall of a temporarily closed business--he needed to alleviate the pain in his knees, if only for a moment. the whole evacuation thing required more standing than he had expected. "i'm not entirely sure if this is a magic thing or just... an invasive, 'normal' thing. can't really check."

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤcan't do a lot of things here, a voice hissed, annoyed. he holds himself back from outwardly agreeing.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"... you know if that fire thing's really working?" he pursed his lips, his head now turned towards charles. he'd love a reason to make molotov cocktails right now, if he's being honest. might as well use the merchandise for good if he can't sell it or drink it, you know?

@heroicvaliant liked for an event starter!

[heroicvaliant]

"Uh— yeah! Yeah you just uhh, burn the moss. I've been helping out at some extermination sites outside of shelter duty."

Squeeze in sleep and food in-between there somewhere, and you got the pilot's schedule filled with no room for anything else. Not that you'll find him complaining: if someone has resilience, it'd be Charles. Kind of had to.

"They offer compensation if you wanna help—! protective gear and equipment, too." he was entirely oblivious to the bartender's plan involving alcohol. "I think they're primarily looking for more help around downtown arcanus right now?"

[leneemusing]

misc sentence starters

“  i wish i knew how to talk about it.  ”   “  you don’t have to talk, we can just sit together.  ”   “  i don’t want to be alone anymore.  ”   “  i wish i could hate you.  ”  “  take a seat, we’re gonna be here a while.  ” “  i need you to trust me.  ”   “  i missed/miss you.  ”   “  she/he won’t listen to me.  ” “  let me do this for you. please.  ”   “  is there anything else you want to say to me?  ” “  tell me something happy.  ”   “  promise me.  ” “  i just want/wanted to help.  ”   “  let me explain.  ” “  i didn’t/don’t need you to understand, i just wanted/want you to support me.  ”   “  i’m on your side.  ” “  i’ve got your back, okay? ” “  please, tell me you have a plan.  ” “  stay with me tonight.  ” “  don’t go. please.  ”   “  i’ve been alone for so long i’m afraid i don’t know what it’s like not to be.  ”   “  talk to me.  ”   “  i did what i had to do.  ” “  we can’t keep going on like this.  ” “  i’m just tired.  ” “  i’m scared.  ” “  it’s okay to be afraid. fear can be good. use it.  ” “  it’s better to expect disappointment.  ” “  hope is dangerous.  ” “  i like seeing you smile.  ”   “  you look beautiful.  ”   “  be patient with her/him. they’re trying. ”   “  i’m trying my best and it’s not good enough. it’s never good enough. ” “  i’m starting to think i’m just fucked up.  ”   “  have a drink with me.  ” “  she/he is better off without me. but i guess that’s their choice.  ” “  you can’t dictate what’s best for someone else. ” “  can i help you?  ” “  i thought you’d like this.  ” “  do you wanna get out of here?  ” “  walk with me?  ” “  well, shit.  ”

[clxscdeyes]

@heroicvaliant

"I can't..." She says in a strained voice. She hiccups, tears rushing down her cheeks. She wipes her tears and only new ones are replaced. "I can't keep doing this..." She's tired. She feels so, so heavy in all the places.

Hic, hic..."I want it all to be over. Why is this happening to us?" Why was this happening to her? How many times did she have to keep doing this? HOW many more memories did she have to hold?

[heroicvaliant]

With fuel tanks strapped onto his back, Charles was hurrying to a specific location given to him with an instruction that is simpler on paper: get rid of the moss. The fuel for flame throwers does not last very long, but the moss is not that far from the AIPD— so refilling shouldn't be an issue, should there be too much moss to deal with.

But, he'd halt dead in his tracks.

She couldn't be that old: a teenager, he'd guess. Sitting, curled up… Charles couldn't hear what she was saying from afar, but it was clear that she was crying to herself, stressed from the current events.

His steps would slow down a tad, lest he ends up frightening the girl, and he crouched down about a meter away from her. "Hey…" you shouldn't be here, he'd plan to say, but refrained from doing so after all. It was true, though: Clearview district was dealing with an outbreak: she's safer elsewhere. "…"

"Take a deep breath, okay?" There was a weak smile on his face: he wasn't sure what she needed to hear, but he had to try. "It'll be okay; trust me."

[movc6i]

[heroicvaliant]

@redheadedoutlaw sent;

✽

✽ for an uncomfortable expression.

when he talks about how he killed a man while stealing the tunisian diamond before he was pardoned

[fellstcr]

TAKE A BREAK / @heroicvaliant / no longer accepting !           ↳  "Yeahh, uh— coffee break? I think you need one."

⚔️ // there was a rustling of papers as the professor stood straighter. eyes snapped from the map of arcanus isle ( and her many , many , many AIPD cross-referenced notes on incidents around the area ) to the ( stick ) figure shadowing the area nearby.

the visitor.

and what a time it was to choose to gain an eagle eye of the adventurer's guild. she was perhaps one of the better informed of the members , and as byleth's attention drifted to the scattered souls sent haywire around the headquarters , rushing and bustling with an energy somewhere between far too relaxed and frantic , byleth could only fathom one thing in regards to the visitor's current predicament.

perhaps neither was she setting a very good example.

"... i appreciate the offer." she paused , looked longingly back at the map , and returned her attentions to ... ( she glanced at his name tag. then swat away the thought of how it managed to stay pinned to his person. ) charles calvin. "i suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a step away. i can show you around if you'd like , ... charles."

[heroicvaliant]

When Charles first looked for work in arcanus city, he'd hesitate: he'd work as a government pilot in his homeworld, sure, because he'd enjoy working as a pilot, but primarily because it gave him the opportunity to protect people in need. Working in the military was never incentivized by pride or trigger-happiness, so the idea of working for a government, even if "just" local law enforcement, of which he's not at all familiar with and can't be 100% sure that they have the people's best interest in mind— was a little uncomfortable.

Of course, that was way before any of this started happening. …

Charles waved, at first. Her attention was focused at the map, though, so after a beat or two of glancing around the room, he'd speak up. "Yeahh, uh— coffee break? I think you need one."

Despite already assisting with evacuation from the moss' spread and the little name tag on his person, he hasn't… really applied to the guild yet. With the current outbreak, they'd need as many people as they could get, and he wants to help however he can; he'll worry about the paperwork after things have settled down a tad. "Right-o; you lead the way!" he'd reply, the chipper tone attempting to compensate for the awkward greeting.

"— much more people in HQ today than usual, I bet," small talk aside, Charles wasn't subtle as he'd stare at the hint of moss peeking out under byleth's armor, his brow raised out of concern. "hope you still get enough shut-eye; is kinda, uh— important, and all."

[heroicvaliant]

you heard them lads the solution to all our problems is Pyromania