My Pairings
No fanfic today, but I do want to ramble a bit about my pairings. I have a couple of new ones in potential, but I want to work on them for a little bit longer. These are my established pairings. I’ve talked about them quite a bit in response to prompts, so here I’ll just ramble about how they got together and what kind of relationship they have. Just rambling in general, I guess.
If you have a question, feel free to ask.
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Thorne (blue haired landsknecht ♂) and Jonah (male red-haired landsknecht ♂)
Thorne was the one who first made his interest know. Jonah is suffering from a curse in his eye that allows him to learn stats of monsters. Thorne didn’t know that when he first laid eyes on him. Only thought he was cute because he was smaller than the average landsknecht. And he’s cute in general.
Even after learning that Jonah is cursed, and that the one who cursed him is still out there somewhere, Thorne maintained his interest. Jonah was cute and interesting now. Thorne is protective of him, however. Not exactly possessive, but he’s the only one who can tease Jonah and make him blush ever-so cutely.
Jonah doesn’t know what to make of Thorne first, especially his blatant honesty toward him. He did find Thorne rather handsome, but figured that a guy like him would lose interest in him quickly and move on. Thorne was rather flighty, after all. But Thorne made his interest and pursuit of him known, and stuck to it regardless of Grandpa Vlad’s displeasure.
In Nexus, they’re officially in a relationship. Thorne is openly affectionate while Jonah is still more reserved. He doesn’t push Thorne away however, just blushes deeply.
Nairn (male black-haired alchemist ♂) and Althea (orange haired medic *male portrait* ♀)
Their relationship doesn’t fully form until they reach Lemuria/Nexus, and Althea is aged 18. Althea has had a crush on him for a couple of years, but always held back out of fear.
They met accidentally when Althea was in the library studying and Nairn just happened across her. Because of her being mute, she didn’t verbally respond to anything he said. Instead of feeling annoyed that she’s giving him the supposed cold shoulder, Nairn was intrigued because while she didn’t speak, she looked somewhat interested in what he was saying.
Nairn held a sense of interest in her because of her shyness and muteness. His interested turned into protectiveness after seeing a few ladies of society corner her and place the blame on her for the actions of her murderous mother. After seeing how distressed Althea was and how she couldn’t exactly talk back, he did instead. His family is of high society too, but he doesn’t care what others think.
After he learns what had happened to Althea (her mother brutally murdering her father and tried to kill her before fleeing) he vowed to help her regain her voice. And in order to do that is to make her feel safe and comfortable.
They have a very sweet relationship. Holding hands and cuddling is as far as they go, really. They’re both content just to be with each other.
Emmett (red haired medic ♂) and Crystalena (blonde protector *male portrait* ♀)
Crytalena is a maid who works for Emmett and is the daughter of the maid that has worked with Emmett’s family for years. In her mind, she’s just the maid and the help. Emmett is completely out of her league, and rightly so. Emmett is considered Lagaard’s wealthiest bachelor and has a lot of marriage-minded woman and mothers looking at him. And he hates the attention. He’s only interested in Crystalena.
In order to help Emmett ward off unwanted advantages, Crystalena agreed to be his pretend girlfriend. But she believes it’s only a ruse to help Emmett. But Emmett is determined to prove to her that she’s the only woman he can ever see marrying.
Because of her upbringing, Crystalena finds it extremely difficult to believe she’s worthy for someone like Emmett. Even though they’ve crashed into bed together a few times. Had sex, basically. That causes a bit of tension between them, but Emmett is stubborn.
In Nexus, they’re engaged. Crystalena has accepted that Emmett’s love for her is the real deal and she loves him in return. She still has maid tendencies where she likes to serve others. But she knows that Emmett is dedicated to her.
Kendrix (brown haired highlander ♂) and Sokyu (black haired ronin ♂)
Sokyu was seriously injured protecting his younger brother after a monster attacked his village. He would have died had it not been for Kendrix, who had been tracking the monster that attacked. He led Sokyu and his brother to safety, giving up the pursuit of the monster. Sokyu didn’t remember her when they reunited in Lagaard, but Kendrix recognised him immediately. And from then on Kendrix decided to be the one to protect Sokyu and help him heal from his injuries.
As Kendrix watched over Sokyu, his protectiveness morphed into that of genuine need to keep him safe. Even though Sokyu didn’t remember him, he did develop a crush on him.
After a sighting of the monster that attacked Sokyu’s village, Kendrix goes in search of it, attempting to keep Sokyu away. Sokyu tracks him down nevertheless and demands answers, actually more disappointed that Kendrix would leave him behind him. He’s surprised when he learns of their past connection.
After that, the two worked together to take on the monster and free them both of their regrets. For a short while they thought that since the monster was no longer connecting them, that they would drift apart. But they didn’t. They grew closer in fact and decided to attempt this relationship thing because they were both free now.
In Nexus, they’re in a steady and affectionate relationship. Kendrix is still protective of Sokyu though.
Kaiser (blue haired dark hunter ♂) and Kaede (blonde alchemist *male portrait* ♀)
Kaiser’s sister was murdered by her own guild and Kaede was the only witness. She was targeted by that murderous guild and took refuge in Lagaard. Kaiser happened to track her down, hoping to use her to get to the murderers. But he realised how scared she truly was and realised that the murderers aren’t someone to mess with.
So Kaiser became Kaede’s secret protector. He knew that the murderer would eventually come for her, so he reasoned with himself that he’s just keeping an eye on her until then. But Kaede was a very sweet young woman. His need for revenge for his sister grew to also keeping Kaede safe.
The murderers eventually return and Kaiser chooses to protect Kaede over his need for revenge. Staying in close quarters together soon turned to comfort and the cliched passion took over. The murderers realise that they are outnumbered in Lagaard, and the guild’s popularity outmatches any shit-stirring they could cook up. So they fled.
In Nexus, Kaede still lives in fear of the murderers returning, but she knows that Kaiser will protect her. Kaiser has vowed to stay by her side, no matter what. So they have a very endearing relationship.
Ritvik (dark skinned war magus ♂) and Elah (red banded hexer ♂)
They’ve been together for as long as they both can remember. Ritvik found Elah soon after he was turned into a Hexer and immediately took him in to care for him. Elah is very ill, suffering from a curse that affects his physically health. Ritvik is attempting to search for a way to cure Elah.
They’re in a very close relationship. Ritvik is very protective, benignly possessive of Elah. They’re both devoted to each other. Some may see it as being too dependant on each other, but they really do love and care for each other. Who wouldn’t go to hell and back for the one they love?
Duardo (older gunner ♂) and Fleuretta “Fleur” (blonde haired survivalist – classed as sovereign *male portrait* ♀)
Fleuretta is a princess on the run and in hiding. Her sister wanted her place on the throne so sent assassins to kill her. As you do. So Fleuretta went into hiding, taking her loyal guard, Duardo with her. He went willingly, of course.
Duardo considers himself Fleuretta’s bodyguard, and he can’t be anything more. He doesn’t really have “romance” or “relationships” in his vocabulary. Fleuretta, on the other hand, wants Duardo to see her as more than an obligation. She’s a very unconventional princess, so she’s the one pursuing him. Which baffles the hell out of him.
It takes Duardo some time to realise that Fleuretta is actually serious about disavowing her royal family and becoming an explorer, and having him by his side as a romantic partner.
It takes a few close calls for Duardo to realise that he can’t really see his life without Fleuretta in it. And maybe a life as an explorer for the both of them isn’t so bad.
In Nexus, they’re in a fledging relationship. Fleuretta is still very blunt in her adoration of Duardo though.
Tyvon (white haired dark hunter ♂) and Charity “Charli” (brown haired gunner *male portrait* ♀)
Tyvon is a street rat of Lagaard. Grew up on the streets and did what he could to watch over the other vulnerable street rats. Despite his class, he’s a caretaker. He tries to help other vulnerable people. But the vulnerability he sees in Charity’s eyes really catches his attention. It also helps that she’s kinda cute.
Charity came to Lagaard to hide from her sister after witnessing her brutally murder a couple of street kids, and tried to blame her for it. She was very skittish and tried to keep to herself in order to keep others safe. She couldn’t shake Tyvon, though. Especially when the two of them are found by Vlad in less than ideal conditions, and he took the two into his guild.
Their relationship started with friendship, to developing crushes on each other. After a near encounter with Charity’s sister, which put Charity in hospital, made Tyvon realise that she could be taken from his life forever and he didn’t like that.
Even after the murderous sister had been dealt with, the two continued with the Just Friends charade, even though they’ve admitted that they would like the other to stay in their life a little longer.
In Nexus, they’re beginning a fledging relationship. Taking things slowly because neither had been in a relationship before.
Garek (silver haired fortress ♂) and Skylark (blond haired sniper ♂)
Garek found Skylark alone in the labyrinth as he attempted to train. He didn’t like that because being alone is dangerous, so practically drags Skylark back to town and gets him to join his guild. Nup. If Skylark wants to train on his own, to master the bow he had inherited (and which his sister is willing to kill him for) he to deal with Garek tagging along. No ifs or buts about it.
Starts off as Garek being Skylark’s bodyguard, to helping him train, to simply hanging out. And it kinda develops from there. There’s no “what are we exactly” talk. They just go with the flow.
Jamal (dark skinned imperial red hair ♂) and Oceana (brown haired fortress *male portrait* ♀)
Oceana is boyish in appearance, but the mother-figure of the entire guild. She never knew her mother and was raised by a hard-working single father. She’s a blend of toughness and gentleness. Jamal is a cynical imperial who is looking for information of his “missing” father.
Oceana is drawn to Jamal first by his looks. He’s rather hot, after all. But its his secret pains that gains her full attention. She understands what he’s going through and wants to help.
Their relationship starts out rather platonically. Jamal sees Oceana as a fellow warrior. Someone to have his back in battle. But he slowly begins to see that she’s there for him outside of battle.
Their relationship starts off as physical at first, the two just needing someone to touch and hold. They soon develop a true bond though Jamal isn’t sure what that is because he hadn’t encountered anything like it before. After Oceana nearly dies does he come to the realisation that he wants a future with her.
In Nexus they’re married, and a short while later Oceana finds herself pregnant.
Harlan (blue armoured imperial ♂) and Celeste (blond runemaster *male portrait* ♀)
Celeste is a bit of an airhead. She was raised in a small village out in the Windy Plains to become a Priestess of Nature. In order to do that, she needed to visit the labyrinths. Harlan is a simple low-level soldier for the empire. They don’t really have anything in common.
Even so, Harlan realises how naïve Celeste still is and kinda took it upon himself to ensure she doesn’t wander into danger. So he finds himself tagging along on her little wandering journeys. It’s through these journeys that they bond and develop feelings for one another, though it isn’t until they shared an unexpected kiss do they ask “What are we?”.
They still don’t know. But it’s nice, so they’ll stay together.
Jake (green haired sniper ♂) and Rosetta (brown haired runemaster *male portrait* ♀)
Rosetta is quite the character who doesn’t care for social cues. She makes her intense interest in Jake known from the moment they meet. That confuses Jake in return and since she’s rather deadpanned about it, he can’t take her seriously.
Rosetta may seem like she’s outrageous in her attempts to get with Jake, and Jake is just a hapless victim. But he has the ability to tell her to fuck off, and she knows when she’s pushed too far. She doesn’t see the point in hiding or being reserved. A part of Jake respects that. He still doesn’t know how to handle her, though. He’s not used to anyone being so openly and honesty affectionate toward him.
In Nexus, they’re in a relationship. Rosetta is still openly and outrageously affectionate. And Jake still finds himself overwhelmed at times. But they genuinely care for each other and Rosetta knows when to hold back and when to push forward.
Miguel (blond dancer ♂) and Shanti (alt purple haired dancer *male portrait* ♀)
Shanti had been raised to be ashamed of her body. She’s out of everyone’s league and she’s destined to live life alone because she’s so useless and such. To say that she’s suffering from low self-esteem is an understatement.
Miguel is outspoken in his complete adoration of Shanti. To him, she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He’s very encouraging, both gently and outrageous. He knows when Shanti needs a pep talk, or need someone to simply sit quietly with her.
Interest at first sight which turned into a gentle friendship, to a gentle relationship. Shanti still believes that Miguel deserves better than her, but she also doesn’t want to push him away.
In Nexus, they’re officially in a relationship and Shanti is slowly allowing herself to show Miguel affection out in public.
Daniel (brown haired EO4 medic ♂) and Ryland (brown haired EO4 landsknecht ♂)
Daniel is Tharsis’ most eligible bachelor and his mother wants nothing more for him to settle down with a nice girl and start popping out grandkids. Daniel has other ideas, however. He’s interested in his medical training and to advance that, he agrees to start a guild with his friends.
Ryland is emotionally stunted and suffering from the radical abuse he had suffered as a child. He sees himself as a warrior, not a person. A punching bag with no emotions.
For Daniel, it’s interest at first sight when he meets Ryland. As a medic, he decides that it’s his duty to help Ryland to understand his emotions. He wasn’t expecting Ryland to be so adorable, though. Or so attached to him. Ryland himself is startled by how attached he is to Daniel. His sister, Rosetta, was the only person he had allowed himself to become attached to.
Their relationship turns physical rather quickly because Ryland isn’t used to using words. Action speak louder than words, and sleeping with Daniel helps him to realise how much he means to him. And how much he means to Daniel.
They have a rather unconventional relationship, but Ryland is very attached to Daniel and only sees himself doing “those types of things” (aka, sex) with no one else but Daniel. And Daniel is protective of Ryland, and will protect him no matter what.
Brody (younger white haired EO4 medic ♂) and Sonya (younger purple haired landsknecht EO4 *male portrait* ♀)
Sonya has an obvious crush on Brody and tries whatever she can to get even a moment alone with him, or do something romantic like going on picnics or dates. Brody, however, is older than he looks and he refuses to have anything to do with Sonya at first. He doesn’t encourage her crush on him. He figured that it’s a phase and she would move onto someone much more suited.
It’s not until Nexus that Brody begins to realise that Sonya is indeed quite the beautiful young woman. And she’s as determined as ever. He’s still reluctant, however. He’s a bit of an asshole. A known one. Sonya deserves better than that.
So, currently, they’re in the “they obviously care for each other” phase of their relationship.
Neroli (red arcanist ♂) and Lotus (purple arcanist *male portrait* ♀)
They were friends since childhood and Neroli had dragged Lotus around on little adventures. Only her. He wants to see the world, and he wants to see it all with Lotus by his side. Lotus only wants to stay with Neroli and she wants to see him happy.
They have a very, very innocent and pure relationship.
Devlin (black haired nightseeker ♂) and Kali (white haired nightseeker *male portrait* ♀)
They were in the same cult as children, though they had different roles. Kali was selected to become the Priestess of the Moon and he was nothing more than a lowly guard who is meant to pledge his entire life to her. But something went wrong during the ritual and Kali’s hair turned white. Using the chaos to his advantage, Devlin grabs Kali and flees to Tharsis where they’ll be safe from the cult.
Kali doesn’t truly remember her attachment to Devlin, just that she trusts him with her life. Devlin has cared for Kali for years and had wanted to get the both of them out of the cult for years. He’s dedicated to Kali and makes his affection toward her known. And Kali is as dedicated to him. She doesn’t remember everything of their past together, but her heart does. And that’s all that matters.
They have a strong relationship, having only eyes for each other. During the nights of the full moon, their relationship is very sensual and physical.
Theron (earthlain portrait) and Alexis (younger dragoon ♂)
They’ve been friends for years. Theron is the son of a noble family and expected to find a wife. Alexis’ family owns a chocolatier, which he is expected to one day own, thus giving up his “silly” dream of exploring.
Alexis is a martyr, putting everyone first. He has had feelings for Theron for years but refuses to tell him in fear of ruining their friendship. And Theron deserves better, in his opinion. Theron doesn’t initially see Alexis’ crush on him. But when he does, he goes on a crusade to show Alexis that his feelings are returned.
Which is surprisingly not that easy. It takes some time for Alexis to accept the fact that handsome, rich Theron does indeed like him. He likes him a lot.
In Nexus, they’re in an official relationship. Theron is very handsy, one could say.
Zachary "Zac" (piercings Harbinger ♂) and Astara (long haired warlock *male portrait* ♀)
Astara lost her family in a terrible fire some years ago, but she’s lost a great deal of her memories from that night. Zachary is a bounty hunter who may know a little more about that night than he’s willing to reveal.
They started off as guildmates before Zac found out about Astara’s trauma, so he becomes her secret protector. First, that is out of duty. But after spending time with her, he realises that he’ll do anything to keep her safe.
To Astara, Zac was rather intimidating. But she soon learns that he’s quite the nice guy. Very smart, easy to spend time with. Protective, too. She develops a crush on him rather quickly. She doesn’t do anything about it, though as she’s still struggling with the lost of her family and her memories.
In Nexus, they’re not quite in a relationship. They’re both working through personal issues. But it’s obvious that they care for each other deeply. To others, they’re basically off the market. They just haven’t made it official yet.
Xanthe (Warlock ♂) and Chantall (long haired Harbinger *male portrait* ♀)
Chantall comes from a high ranking council family and expected to marry well. She’s interested in exploration however. And in order to get her family off of her back, she makes up an imaginary man and tells her family that they’re dating. Well, fuck me, they want to meet this man!
Desperate, she turns to Xanthe, an unsocial warlock, for her in pretending to be her boyfriend. Amused by her plight and revelling in the possibility of fucking around with a snooty family of high society, he agrees. Much to Chantall’s shock.
A series of cliché moments between them cause them to spend time together. And they realise that the other isn’t so bad. They’re kinda nice. Cute, too.
In Nexus they’ve decided to make their pretend relationship into a real one.
Ramon (squared jaw Necromancer ♂) and Lilybeth (Fencer *male portrait* ♀)
Ramon was meant to marry a daughter of a noble family. But he decided that he would rather throw himself head first into the labyrinth than marry. Lilybeth is the sister of the betrothed and is sent to find him and drag him home. Instead, she finds herself joining him and his guild, becoming a explorer.
Ramon has made his interest in Lilybeth known practically from the beginning. Lilybeth had been her family’s human punching bag, so relationships are foreign to her. She does find herself drawn to unconventional Ramon, who is hell-bent on helping her to lighten up.
In Nexus, Lilybeth has turned her back on her abusive family and is beginning a relationship with Ramon. They’re kinda in the courtship stage, Ramon going out of his way to woo her again.
Valente (eye patch Dragoon *female portrait* ♂) and Mikazuki (cat-eared Masurao *male portrait* ♀)
Valente is the eligible bachelor of Iroys, and he loathes the title. His family is pressuring him to get married. So he gets childhood friend, Mikazuki, to be his pretend fiancée. And in order to teach his haughty family a lesson, she agrees.
Their relationship is outrageously “affectionate” when they first begin their façade. It soon has them both seeing their steady friendship through a more romantic lens. And they soon realise that their “pretend” is becoming more natural.
In Nexus, they’re in an official relationship. Still outrageously affectionate, but sweetly so now. Especially in private.
Kayin (long haired Necromancer ♂) and Selena (celestian *male portrait* ♀)
They started off as partners working on the case of Selena’s murdered mentor. Spending long hours together, usually just the two of them, had them starting a close friendship. That soon turned into a sexual attraction, which they soon began to explore.
They fell into a natural relationship after that. They’re both very spiritual individuals, and quite mature. So they just went with the flow of things to see where it would take them.
Radhi (younger Pugilist ♂) and Jasmina (Rover *male portrait* ♀)
They both have obvious crushes on each other. But they deny them because they’re a couple of idiots who think relationships are silly and not for them. They’re also stubborn.
They do care for each other greatly however. They’re not sure how to express that, though. So often get into verbal fights, especially if they’re worried. They don’t get vicious with each other with their words though. And don’t say outright negative things about the other. When alone they weakly admit how worried they are and how relieved, and such. Like a pair of idiots.
In Nexus they’re still in the denial stage, but are slowly accepting that they have crushes on each other.
Nadiel (young shogun ♂) and Mercy (alt younger medic *male portrait* ♀)
They’ve been through quite a bit; their prince’s assassination, being stranded on Lemuria before Maginia arrived, and Nadiel being hurt. But they managed to survive by working together. Mercy healed Nadiel while Nadiel kept her safe from harm.
They developed feelings for each other while they were on the lam, but they did not fully accept them, and certainly didn’t do anything about it. They were too busy trying not to get killed by assassins. Now that they’re safe with the guild, they had a few conversations about their feelings and though they felt guilty about failing their prince, they knew that their prince wanted them to be happy. And they’re happy when they’re together.
They have a very sweet and supportive relationship. Very gentle and healthy.
Tabris (younger hoplite ♂) and Kaidus “Kai” (younger orange haired gladiator ♂)
Tabris’ family’s name was ruined several years ago after a member claimed to have seen a monster that “should not exist”. Kaidus had his reputation at stake after the party he had been escorting was wiped out by a monster that “should not exist”.
It started off with Tabris wanting Kaidus to help restore his family’s name. But he soon found himself having to protect Kaidus from those who don’t want him to tell anyone what he had witnessed. Kaidus reluctantly turned to him because he felt guilty about not protecting those in his protection and he wants to help Tabris to restore his family’s name, even at the cost of his own.
Tabris’ protectiveness toward Kaidus soon turned into genuine affection. And Kaidus himself had never saw himself in a relationship, but there’s something nice about being protected by Tabris. And being shielded in his arms.
Currently, they’re in the Not Quite a Relationship stage, though it is obvious that they care deeply for each other.
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Christ, that took longer than I had expected. And there’s likely more of them in the future. Of course I have a lot of purely platonic “couples” but I’ll leave them for a later date.