killing for company.

closed RP blog. karel, a "famed" swordsman and general malignant. associated with the officer's academy. (art in pfp by maddie.)

[otgolokh]

KAREL FROM FIRE EMBLEM: THE BLAZING BLADE :: AFFILIATED WITH THE TOWN OF GARREG MACH :: WRITTEN BY IVO/ESTELLE :: ASSOCIATED WITH THE OFFICERS' ACADEMY established 11.30.24.

MOBILE/QUICK LINKS:

MUSE :: MUN :: STATS :: INTERVIEW :: FUNNY LINK

NOTES ON PORTRAYAL:

Karel is taken very shortly after the end of FE7: Unsatisfied with the dearth of strong warriors in his native Elibe after the destruction of Nergal and the Black Fang, he's traveled to Fódlan in search of new blood to give his life meaning again whet his thirst for battle.

That being said, while this Karel is primarily derived from FE7, I will write the FE6 incarnation as an AU sort of deal at times.

Although he's technically affiliated with the town, he... Doesn't do anything of importance there, really. To say it a little rudely: He's a bit of a bum, scraping out a living by doing odd jobs in exchange for food and/or shelter.

Karel is... Not all there in the head, all things considered, and his tether to reality can become a little weak every now and then. Sometimes he'll insist on things that aren't true, ranging from "normal" strange to the utterly implausible, or exhibit various manners of strange and off-putting behavior. Be patient with him if he starts acting oddly. Or don't, but expect him to get (at minimum) annoyed if you're openly rude or hostile towards him.

On that note, keep in mind I'll also probably tackling themes of mental illness and internalized ableism as well. To put it gently: Karel has many, many reasons why he is the way he is, and most of them aren't even really his own fault in the end.

[otgolokh]

[ 🍻 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of drunk are they ?

...cordial. oddly chill? to the point where it's actually kind of unnerving coming from him. remarkably not prone to making his usual strange comments about The Sword or blood or what-have-you, so long as he's not getting pushed around/into an episode of some kind.

that being said, he's not actually particularly prone to drinking in the first place unless he's already kind of stressed, so you would almost never get to see his "default" if that makes sense.

[otgolokh]

in light of the new activity guidelines, here is karel's thread tracker, newly updated with reply dates! it's definitely a little rough around the edges but don't worry about that right now.

i'll try and do my best with the threads i have right now, but don't be surprised if i ask to drop a few just to keep things tidy. stay frosty

[otgolokh]

APRIL 2026 ACTIVITY CHECK:

PASSED.

Skill points obtained: 1 Activity: 1

SKILL CHANGES:

Gauntlet: E -> E+

LEARNED/OBTAINED:

N/A

[otgolokh]

Nino might not have any gold to spend, but she's dazzled by the marketplace all the same. She's never seen so many fruits and vegetables in one place, not to mention the fancy weapons, the elaborate tea sets...it overloads her senses a bit, but she can't stop herself from taking it all in!

Since a lot of people are gathered here, she figures she has a good chance of seeing someone she knows, too. Garreg Mach seems to have a way of bringing people together from all over the place, even though she thought she'd gotten as far from home as possible.

It seems she arrived just before the rush, though; soon, she's all but trampled to the outskirts of the crowd, and she can barely make out any faces at all. Her spirit is bruised enough that she considers going back to her classroom to study (even if right now, that just means writing her name over and over), but before she can give up, she recognizes someone.

He hadn't seemed to pay her much mind when they fought on the same side, but Nino remmbers his name. And, true to form, he's gazing at a selection of swords. If Nino remembers anything about this man, it's that he likes swords.

She approaches with little trepidation, although his countenance might send most girls her age running frightfully away. "Hi!" she calls, looking pointedly up at him. "Karel, right? I'm Nino? Uh...do you remember?"

"Hm?"

He hadn't actually been doing much of anything with himself, so the interruption is more of a mere inconvenience than an actual bother, but he is surprised to see that it's a young girl who approaches him so casually; a girl that knows his name, even more so.

"That was my name, correct. Rather surprised you remember." Someone else who had served with the Marquess, he assumes. "You are...?"

She does look familiar, vaguely, but he wouldn't have been able to put a name to her face if she hadn't already said it. With that being the case, though...

"Yes, I remember... You were Black Fang, were you not? Interesting to see you here."

[serraic]

A Lady On a Ship

TOA Expedition 2026: Embark

[serraic]

... Well, he definitely got the standing part right.

"... Okay, then do the rest of it!" she encourages. "C'mon! You're doing the standing part right. Now, follow after me!"

She clears her throat, straightens up straighter than straight, and cries,

"I'm a good person!"

[otgolokh]

Oh. This is, um. Bad, he thinks. Is Serra really not going to let him go until he does as she says? Well, isn't this utterly mortifying.

Of course, it isn't as if he's necessarily beholden to her? He realizes he could easily leave this strange charade behind, if he were set on it... But there's just something about her boldness that stills him. They're both from Elibe, so surely she knows who he is?

...He actually feels kind of sick? Whether that's because of this bizarre conversation or simply the stresses of the sea remains to be determined.

"I... I am..." Oh, his stomach kind of hurts. That's not a good sign. "A good person...?"

He feels sort of deflated, now that the words are out. Let him have the self-control to not to jump straight into the ocean from here... Wasn't she looking for someone to escort her? How did they even get here?

[serraic]

We Really 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 Recognize Each Other...

[serraic]

"Ah, you do have a room here, do you? That's a happy coincidence…"

Serra's chattering to herself, happily, here-and-there, as the two of them walk back to Karel's room. When she's let into the room, she makes herself at home immediately, sitting on the single bed there, legs hanging off the end, stretching her own arms out and setting her staff against the night table. It's really not a bad little room. She's a bit surprised. And it's not too poorly kept…

"So, it's probably confusing, but I'm going to show you a series of exercises, all right? But you should do them with both of your arms. Because there's no use in strengthening just one of your arms, after all. If your other arm isn't strengthened, well — you'll have one super strong arm, and one weak arm. That isn't really what you want, is it? You want both arms to be able to do their work." (Spoken by a girl who doesn't look as though she's done a day of work in her life, but, anyway.) "And you should probably do it multiple times a day… but, don't worry about any of that now. I'm going to show you what to do, and I want you to repeat after me. And then I want you to tell me how you feel. But first: how much does your shoulder hurt right now? Out of, say, a 10 count. 0, you're not in any pain. 10, it's the worst pain you've ever experienced. You have to be honest, all right? We need to be able to accurately figure out which exercises are hurting and which are helping, so we have to establish where you start off." She's not sure if he's even listening at this point. Lots of swordsmasters watch her when she says this stuff but don't really listen to her. "So? Out of 10, how bad is it right this second?"

[otgolokh]

Karel listens, and really tries to do it intently, but still isn't sure if he quite understands what it is she's asking him. How to quantify something like pain, shifting and ephemeral as it is, with merely numbers? Only ten at that... It's unfamiliar, and there's no point in lying and saying it doesn't frustrate him a little.

He does try to take stock of himself, though. How does he feel, at this precise moment? Has the pain ever been worse than it is now? Better? It's hard to recall. It's been long enough that it's melded into the general malaise about his everyday condition, so he finds it hard to judge objectively, for whatever that's worth.

Not much, probably.

"...Three, at this exact moment." He finally answers, after a maybe-unreasonable amount of silent deliberation. "It is... Not something I notice much, anymore."

[otgolokh]

MARCH 2026 ACTIVITY CHECK:

we on hiatus nothing happened. go back to bed

[xguerrillaxoperatorx]

Swans // Love Will Save You

Now love will save you From the evil and the greed of ignorant men And love will save you From the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend And love will save you From yourself when you lose control And love will save you From all the lies your lover told you But it won't save me

[otgolokh]

( circus )

"Wow, that clown has been crying for a long time!" Henry laughs, glancing over at the other. Sure enough, you could hear the sobbing from the entrance for endless hours. "Should we say hello? Do you think some candies," he pulls out a handful kept in his pocket from the other tent, "would make 'em feel better? These are just soooo delicious! Or we can get some flowers for them?"

A pause. "Or should we just put them out of their misery? Maybe that's a better idea!"

Regardless of the source, the sobbing from the tent unsettles Karel deeply. Does we want to investigate it any deeper? No. Does he want to listen to anything this boy says about it? Also no. He thinks the other man may actually be making it worse, all things considered.

"...You smell of blood." He spits out, turning on his heel so he doesn't have to so much as glance at his face. "Don't get so close to me."

[otgolokh]

FEBRUARY 2026 ACTIVITY CHECK:

PASSED.

Skill points obtained: 1 Activity: 1

SKILL CHANGES:

Authority: E -> E+

LEARNED/OBTAINED:

N/A

[otgolokh]

one of these days im going to start putting down karel's pronouns as he/it and see if anyone notices anything

[otgolokh]

(Flower) The pearlescent light of the flowers had enchanted her so much that she bought as many as she could carry and had taken to handing them out. This one she passes to a man with long dark hair while wearing a smile as serene as the moon that floats among the stars. “Happy Star Festival! May your bonds grow as bright.”

Karel's breath is caught in his throat for a short moment, staring down at the glowing flowers in the woman's arms. He doesn't know this woman at all, but the gentle glow of those mysterious flowers almost seems to compliment the shade of her hair — The glow seems to surround her, giving her the appearance of a being that should not be around him.

"...I see." He's almost too gentle with the flowers she hands him, as if his touch alone could make them wilt and die. "Thank you."

...Even if he's undeserving of this transient beauty, he knows someone who ought to see it for herself...

[otgolokh]

As a child, Karla had hated the way of the sword. Even now, though it beats within her cursed blood, though her sword is just an extension of her arm, another piece of her body, wrought only with metal instead of blood and flesh, she hates it. But it is her. Hers, for the price of connection; the price of her brother's love.

And today, she seeks again her brother's love, swords drawn.

Squeak.

She hits him in the head with a sword made of a material she's never seen before, blown up and big, one that does nothing more than ruffle his hair, like the gentle pass of the wind.

She can't help it… a small giggle overtakes her.

Karel scarcely even notices the impact of something hitting him squarely in the head, which would be deeply concerning if it had been any more noticeable than a gust of wind. And while the hit itself isn't of much importance, the laugh that follow is much more important to him

Is that...?

"Karla?"

Surprise quickly melts into relief. It's mere circumstance that brings them together yet again, but it is welcome after so long spent apart.

"...What are you doing here?"

[scarletplain]

The smile melts away; the joy doesn't completely dissipate, but a more even temper fills her out as she speaks next.

"I thought… you would like it if I came to something like this."

Other than school and going off on work missions to earn money for the two of them, she hasn't been leaving their little room at all, for anything, since the mirror world. Though Karla enjoys being in nature, she'd hardly been able to summon up the energy for anything other than what was needed.

"And look. I've got you a present."

Out of the side pocket in the front of her dress, she pulls a small gray horse, waving it through the air as though it is galloping over to Karel and then placing it gently in his hands.

She remembers when they were younger and would watch the wild horses run in the plains. She remembers their family's mare, the one she'd kept for years. She wonders if Karel thinks of any of these things when he looks at the little stitched creature in his hand.

"Do you like it, Brother?"

[otgolokh]

Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't have. Maybe he was hoping to see her here, but maybe he knows not to get his hopes up. Maybe it'd just be easier if the people around him weren't so insistent on showing him the concern he has done nothing to earn.

Karla says she has a gift for him, and Karel almost thinks he's misheard her until she places a small horse into his hands. He knows why she's chosen this for him immediately, from the moment the color reaches his eyes. If he remembers correctly — And it must be correct, since he never imagined Karla would forget something like this —Their family horse had a coat the same shade of warm gray.

He never learned what happened to it after he left home. He's accepted he probably never will.

Still, the answer to her question is automatic:

"Yes, I do. Thank you."

end.

[lunaestice]

The sun has said goodbye, and now it is the moon whose glow illuminates the festival. On top of that, the comet of blessings is visible now even more than before. All the previously closed blue stalls are now open and with the little star shaped lights lining each of them, the atmosphere has completely changed. It’s like an entirely new Star Festival!

Nightlight Phase: Feb 19th - Feb 23rd.

Prompts:

(Stars) Atop a hill overlooking the night sky there’s a mage. For a little gold he’ll write whatever you ask of him as a message made from stars. Whether that’s a heartfelt message.. or a joke!

(Flower) A stall has been set up that sells rare flowers: ones that glow under the moonlight. A bouquet of these would already be perfect, but a beautiful flower crown made from them would look like a halo placed on a loved one’s head..

(Hubba) A girl who claims to be the granddaughter of a famous matchmaker sets up a stall for the festival! Would you and a friend like to see how compatible you two are? Or maybe you wanna know if your beloved really is your happily ever after?

(Rest) The festival will go on well past midnight. As such, there’s a tent that’s been hit with a sound proof spell so no sound will leak inside. In the tent are comfortable chairs, pillows and even beds for those looking to unwind a little.

(Candy) One stall sells little fruit flavored candies shaped much like the stars everyone’s been gathering. There’s also a challenge going on in a different bowl where one half of the candies has delicious fruity flavors and the other half… doesn’t. Do you take on the 50/50?

(Carousel) The wooden horses are now Pegasi! The platform, which at first only spun around now also rises into the air, allowing you to see the starry night sky from even closer. Takes a little more bravery, but the view is worth it!

(Lake) The stars and moon above reflect beautifully on the lake’s surface. The festival committee has provided delightful, duck-shaped two-person paddle boats for those wanting to enjoy the clear waters up close.

(Circus) A short distance away from the rest of the festival is a single, dilapidated looking circus tent. People have mentioned seeing strange lights dance around this tent, as well as hearing clown-like sobs if they get up close… Discover what’s inside.. if you dare.

(Mirrors) One stall holds a maze made of mirrors, promising a reward for those able to make it out to the other side. Be careful though, it’s quite disorienting to be seeing yourself on all sides!

(Soup) In the mood for dinner? This stall has several pots of boiling broth, as well as selections of proteins, veggies and carbs, allowing you to add whatever you like to them to make your own soup! Or to live out your witch roleplay dreams. Both are valid.

[otgolokh]

As a child, Karla had hated the way of the sword. Even now, though it beats within her cursed blood, though her sword is just an extension of her arm, another piece of her body, wrought only with metal instead of blood and flesh, she hates it. But it is her. Hers, for the price of connection; the price of her brother's love.

And today, she seeks again her brother's love, swords drawn.

Squeak.

She hits him in the head with a sword made of a material she's never seen before, blown up and big, one that does nothing more than ruffle his hair, like the gentle pass of the wind.

She can't help it… a small giggle overtakes her.

Karel scarcely even notices the impact of something hitting him squarely in the head, which would be deeply concerning if it had been any more noticeable than a gust of wind. And while the hit itself isn't of much importance, the laugh that follow is much more important to him

Is that...?

"Karla?"

Surprise quickly melts into relief. It's mere circumstance that brings them together yet again, but it is welcome after so long spent apart.

"...What are you doing here?"

[lunaestice]

Both the sun and the comet are shining brightly above your head, as the festival is in full swing. Many red roofed stalls have opened, each of them having something to eat, something to do… and sometimes both at once!

Daytime Phase: Feb 14th - Feb 18th

Prompts:

(Fruits) A stall is offering to dip any fruits of your choosing into hot, delicious sugar! By letting it cool it encases the fruit with a crunchy sweet shell. Would you like to create a sweet for your sweetheart? Or are you just pushing the limits of the stuff you can dip…?

(Cookies) What better way to make new friends (or affirm your existing friendships) than with cookies in the shape of your pals? This stall offers anything you might need to that end. And for the creatively challenged.. Don't worry, they say poor craftsmanship is part of the charm.

(Gachapon) A strange device sits at the festival grounds, containing little capsules with dolls inside of them. The perfect memento! For a few pieces of gold one of them can be yours- and who knows what you’ll get?

(Facepaint) Fun for kids and adults! A face painter put up a stall where you can get all kinds of intricate designs put on your face, from flowers to butterflies to dragons! And if you don’t like the selection? You can always paint something on yourself. Or ask a friend to do it!

(Merry) Powered by magic this platform spins round and round, with little wooden horses for up to two to ride on! It’s a surprisingly magical experience, experts say.

(Fight) Some warriors bond through battle, but no owies allowed! So the festival committee has prepared a battleground for you and several hollow, non-damaging weapons that make a delightful squeaky sound when you hit stuff with them!

(Stage) During the day the stage is mostly empty, but the magic sound enhancing equipment remains. Do you have the guts to shout your feelings to everyone present? Or maybe you want to do something else?

(Toss) Get all the cans to fall with just one toss of a ball and win a delightful prize! Ranging from plush toys to.. weapons? Either way, give it your best shot! (What? The stall owner, cheating? Nah… it can’t be.)

(Fried) Hey this wasn’t part of the plan! …anyway, someone put down a huge vat of oil for you to fry stuff in. They even provided some batter for dipping if you like a crispy crust! Just.. try to be reasonable, okay?

(Clown) One of the stalls just features a single, sad looking clown. He doesn’t seem to be doing anything either. Whether you feel fear or pity.. Maybe he just wants some company?