The Crimson Flash

I will surpass my father and be the greatest swordmaster ever. Do not waste my time. Closed FERP blog.

[thestoicblade]

@yatosmaiden liked for a starter!

“What was that? You just turned into a beast of some kind. Explain now.”

Marisa had her blade drawn, eyes watching Corryn cautiously. She had come in on the ending of a fight, thinking she might be able to offer some aid. Then this woman turned into some kind of monster. Marisa wasn’t so sure if this person wasn’t some fiend.

“Who are you?”

[mitchellwrites]

deathless ♚ sentence meme

You will always fall in love, and it will always be like having your throat cut, just that fast.

You are going to break your promise. I understand.

You’re lonely too.

It will stop your breath, how cruel I can be.

I am a demanding creature. I am selfish and cruel and extremely unreasonable.

I am your servant.

I crawl at your feet; for before your love, your kisses, I am debased.

For you alone I will be weak.

I belong here, and you will not deny me.

I say these things, and the world listens.

I do not tolerate a world emptied of you. I have tried.

In the dark, I have pored over the loss of you like pale gold.

I will not let her speak because I love her, and when you love someone, you do not make them tell war stories.

I moved the earth and the water for you.

You will always run away with her.

You will always lose her.

You will always be a fool.

You will always be dead, in a city of ice, snow falling into your ear.

You have already done all of this and will do it again.

No one should be judged for loving more than they ought, only for loving not enough.

We look terrible to you, and severe, and you see our blood flying.

What we carry between us is hard-won, and we made it just as we wished it to be, just the color, just the shape.

There need never be any rules between us.

Let us be greedy together; let us hoard.

Do not leave me, swear that you will never leave me.

I am selfish. I am cruel. My mate cannot be less than I.

Sleep with fists closed and shoot straight.

I can’t abide a poor liar.

You look like a winter’s night. I could sleep inside the cold of you.

Oh, quit that. Blushing is for virgins and Christians.

Scold me; deny me. Tell me you want what you want and damn me forever. But don’t leave me.

Bad luck relies on absolutely perfect timing.

In his own country, Death can be kind.

What is the world but a boxing ring where fools and devils put up their fists?

Men die. It’s practically what they’re for.

I am no one; I am nothing.

Nothing in me was not made by you.

A revelation is always the end of something. It might even be cause for grief.

Just tell yourself a story that’ll satisfy you and pretend he told it.

Forever isn’t bright; it isn’t like that. Forever is cold and hard and final.

I savor bitterness - it is born of experience. It is the privilege of one who has truly lived.

If you want to kill yourself, do not use us as your knife.

What did I do wrong? Was I boring? Did I ignore you?

Don’t you dare speak to me like that.

I have worn nothing but blood and death for years.

I have fought all your battles for you, just as you asked me.

I have learned not to cry when I strangle a man.

I have learned to watch everything die.

I am not a little girl anymore, dazzled by your magic. It is my magic, now, too.

Are we not devils?

No one is now what they were before the war.

I have not seen you without your skin on.

Close up your head; your brain is getting loose.

We obsess. It’s in our nature.

I’ve a devil of a habit for being right.

In war you must always choose sides.

If you try to be a bridge laid down between them, they will tear you in half.

We are all dead. All equal. Broken and aimless and believing we are alive.

My old bones will follow yours soon enough.

It is better to be strong and cruel than to be fair.

I will see him with his skin off before I agree to fall in love.

After love, no one is what they were before.

I have survived, but I have not been spared.

In the space of one heartbeat to another I loved you and I was lost to you.

Frighten me, make me cry, only come back.

It’s not so bad, my darling. Being dead. It’s like being alive, only colder.

You’ll think it’s love, while he dines on your heart.

You will be so beautiful when you are old.

I cannot keep you and I cannot let you go.

You will live as you live in any world…with difficulty, and grief.

I look at you and it is like my throat being cut.

She said you’d come and I swore to eat your heart.

I still want to kiss you.

My heart is being cut in two. I cannot bear it.

What happens to anything beautiful?

I have to know, I have to or else you will just rule me until the end of everything because you know and I do not.

[thestoicblade]

          [Doing a starter call for Marisa! Want to try and get           some new threads going on here now that she’s back.           Just like this and I’ll write you something!]

[thestoicblade]

“Girl Talk” || Marisa & Tethys

[thestoicblade]

jehannaalmeh:

Tethys hand makes its way to her mouth involuntarily at the mention of their ‘arrangement’, but she’s quick to pull it back to the table and hopes Marisa didn’t take it as judgement rather than mere shock, eyes widening.

“I see…” Tethys adverts her gaze, teeth grazing her lip. What to say? She thinks of one thing, but its… “I…Am not inexperienced with such a relationship either, Marisa.” She sighs. “You’re right to doubt it. There is, of course, always the chance things will take a bad end…I’ve seen it firsthand. But there’s just as much of a good chance, you know? There’s only one way to find out, I’m afraid.”

Tethys regains her smile, though it looks a little worn, even if it only brought up very small, insignificant memories of her teenage years. “There’s no rush. You should take time to think about this, to plan for it.”

Marisa was feeling disappointed. She had hoped that Tethys might have better experiences than herself with these things. Not the sex part, just the romance side. But she was beginning to see that Tethys was probably feeling as lost about it as she was. It wasn’t Tethys’ fault, only Marisa’s assumption that the woman might have firsthand experiences to use to help.

“Sometimes I think it better just to end it. We live in different worlds. It wouldn’t be hard to avoid him. Yet I don’t know if that would make things better or easier.” This was going nowhere. 

“Thank you for the advice Tethys. I will reflect on it and decide later.” It was better just to end this conversation now. Neither of them were really getting anywhere with it. Marisa paused for a moment. “You don’t have much experiences? Is there no one you like?”

[thestoicblade]

☼ Someone who helps them, or has helped them in the past; ☂ Who would they sacrifice for, and how much would they sacrifice; ☻ Someone they don't know well, but who they still have a positive impression of

☼ Someone who helps them, or has helped them in the past

Already answered!

☂ Who would they sacrifice for, and how much would they sacrifice

Anyone she’s closed to. Marisa would give up her life for her close friends. She is not against being risky when it comes to her allies depending on the situation, but she probably wouldn’t sacrifice much of herself for people she is not close to or cares for much. 

☻ Someone they don't know well, but who they still have a positive impression of

Joshua. Say’ri.

[thestoicblade]

☼

☼ Someone who helps them, or has helped them in the past

Her father. He was the one who taught her all the skills she knows now. While some might be wary of the way her father brought her up, Marisa only looks back on it as a positive experience. Her father helped shaped her into a strong warrior and swordsman and she is grateful for that even if she wants to surpass him.

[thestoicblade]

Relationship Headcanons

☠ An enemy, and why they don't get along

☮ Who do they feel closest to

☯ Who is their foil (character contrast)

Ω Have they had any pets, or other kind of animal they're loyal to

♤ Someone they wish they knew better

♧ Someone who they know very well

♡ Who do they have a crush on, or who have they had a crush on in the past

♢ Who do they have the most in common with

♔ An authority figure they get along with

♕ An authority figure they don't get along with

⚜ A person they haven't forgiven yet

☆ A celebrity or famous person they admire

☾ Someone they have stayed late up thinking about

☼ Someone who helps them, or has helped them in the past

☂ Who would they sacrifice for, and how much would they sacrifice

☻ Someone they don't know well, but who they still have a positive impression of

☹ Someone they avoid or try to avoid

☃ Who do they consider family

۞ An ex s/o or friend

❀ Who do they depend on the most

ψ Someone they consider a rival or who considers them a rival

☞ Who do they consider a mentor

☟ Who are they a mentor for

♬ Someone who they consider a friend

❦ Someone who they have thought of in some sort of sexual context

❤ Someone who they have thought of in some sort of romantic context

[thestoicblade]

Monster Hunting

@wesingoftheocean ♥’ed for a starter!

Maria scowled down at the map as she chewed on a piece of dry meat. She had set up camp for the night, trying to figure out where to go next. She had headed off alone for a while and eventually found herself in a town. Once there it wasn’t hard for her to find herself work. A “monster” had been seen roaming around the countryside and causing problems for travelers. Marisa wasn’t so sure if this monster was a real one or not, or just some problemsome animal, but it didn’t matter in the end. She’d take it out either way. The pay was good too. 

The sun was setting as she examined the map of the area, trying to decide where to head to tomorrow. She had markings already on the paper of where it had been spotted or where this “monster” had attacked people. It seemed kind of contained to one area, but there were a few places outside of that. It would be easier to see if it was holed up somewhere in the middle of the clustered first before heading anywhere else.

The sound of a branch snapping under someone’s foot, had Marisa’s head jerk up. The map put down, she reached out a hand towards her blade.

“Who’s there?”

[thestoicblade]

          [Doing a starter call for Marisa! Want to try and get           some new threads going on here now that she’s back.           Just like this and I’ll write you something!]

[archery-and-hairties]

❝ When sorrows come, they come in multiple bottles and glasses. ❞

“Not a healthy way to cope, but effective nonetheless.” the blonde replied with a dry smile, one that dropped off his face mere moments after as he cast a look at the glass she was holding, ignoring the perspiration left on his hand from his own.

“Though, I’m hoping you aren’t resorting to that, yourself. Are you?”

[thestoicblade]

archery-and-hairties:

“Perhaps I am, but then again, I may just as well be worried for all who are here at this rate.” he quipped back in reply, a little wryer than normal, swirling his glass, watching the liquid move and lap at the sides. Blue eyes returned to meet her gaze as he raised an eyebrow.

“A penny for your thoughts? Unless I am being obtrusive, of course. A friend of mine said that speaking of things helps as opposed to bottling everything up. Though, I understand if you don’t wish to- Hypocrite I am, I’m unable to follow that advice, myself.”

Marisa did not want to talk about her problems. She wasn’t good at talking with people and she certainly wasn’t going to share personal information with a stranger. He seemed to understand though, not wanting to speak of his own problems too. So Marisa shook her head, taking a drink. 

“I can handle my liquor. No need to worry about me. I’d rather not talk about why I’m here with a stranger. You can understand I hope.” She paused, considering Leonardo with a curious gaze. “Does the friend of your’s follow their own advice?”

[stainedglassmonk]

Infirm(urder) | Libra and Marisa

[thestoicblade]

stainedglassmonk:

“Oh,” Libra said, “sorry.” He paused, averting his gaze and itching subtly under the cuff of his sleeves. The silence stretched between them, and the healer hissed at him to stop scratching when they poked their head back in to check on him. Chastised, Libra curled his fingers around the hem of his shirt and tried really hard not to think about how itchy he was.

He was unsuccessful.

In order to distract himself from the itch and the weird feeling of the ointment over the stings, Libra turned back to Marisa. “I didn’t know you were here. Are you alright?”

Marisa was trying to figure out how badly she was still sick. Her body ached and she shifted underneath the thin blanket that was over her, feeling warm still. But her mind was not cloudy as before and she did not feel like she might vomit again. So that was an improvement. She glanced back up at the man sitting near her. Had he been hurt as well? It seemed they kept meeting under strange circumstances, but at least injures and sickness weren’t uncommon.

“I am getting better. I did not mean to be here like this. I got sick. Too sick to go anywhere.” Marisa’s eyes looked him over, trying to figure out why he was here. “You?”

[archery-and-hairties]

❝ When sorrows come, they come in multiple bottles and glasses. ❞

“Not a healthy way to cope, but effective nonetheless.” the blonde replied with a dry smile, one that dropped off his face mere moments after as he cast a look at the glass she was holding, ignoring the perspiration left on his hand from his own.

“Though, I’m hoping you aren’t resorting to that, yourself. Are you?”

[thestoicblade]

Marisa snorted at the question and brought her drink to her lips. She didn’t down it, but she did drink a fair amount of the alcohol still left in her cup. She turned to look at Leonardo, which a small shrug. 

“I might. Are you really concerned about me drowning my sorrows?”

[thestoicblade]

tea rose

Marisa rolled the flower between her fingers. It was quite a lovely little flower and she was happy to be gifted it by Eirika. She looked up at the woman herself and then back down to it.

“I heard flowers have meaning. Which one does this flower have?”

[thestoicblade]

restorationprincess:

“Again, it’s what you asked for,” Eirika encouraged. “I would be happy with either. If it’s more comfortable to you to be somewhere crowded, that’s fine. What do you do, there?”

Fair enough. Marisa appreciated that Eirika thought about her comfort first. She gestured for Eirika to follow her. “I know a place that won’t be too busy. We can get a meal and drink. There are a few other things we could do there. It’s a tavern by the way we’re going to.” 

[countreglay]

the living legend -- marisa

[thestoicblade]

countreglay:

Ah, a stranger to the lands then. That makes it better.

(Well. No, it absolutely did not, and Pent reeled. What sort of person figured it would be a good idea to say that to a complete stranger– Louise’s voice chimed in his head, reminding him to calm himself, even here. Even now.)

“He was no god. Arguably.” Athos was better than that–he was a man, and he was there when he was needed. Though if a man transcended the needs of mortal flesh, was he not a god in his own right, even if he still walked among other men…? A saint at least, surely. Pent sighed. Perhaps it was the desert heat getting to him, but asking those sorts of questions only gave him a headache. “Look. What did you expect to gain in–” Provoking. “–instigating a conversation, exactly?”

She could sense the animosity coming from this man, but Marisa reasoned he was probably not attempting to hide it. She furthered reasoned that he had plenty of reasons for feeling that way. Marisa could see that she had interrupted him and this was probably an important place for whoever this man was. Yet she felt somewhat frustrated with his immediate upset with her. 

“I have angered you and I don’t know why. How about you just tell me what I’ve done wrong or tell me to leave instead of trying to be polite? It serves you nothing to pretend you are not upset by my presence. I am lost. You’re one of the first persons I’ve seen in some time. Is it hard to comprehend I’d come to ask for help?”

Marisa didn’t mean to return the hostility back towards him. It was quite like she was instigating a fight. She was hot and hungry and neither of them deserved this tense conversation they were having, but there was little to be done. Marisa would not back down. 

[nobaettadr]

— — ★ shooting star

for : @thestoicblade | 7. cultural differences between leif and marisa; leif is confused by a thing marisa does.

❝ y-you’re here to fight? ❞ surprise having dampened the usual temperance with which he would mitigate the intensity of his reaction, he simply blinks at the young woman for a few seconds before righting himself again, flushing at the impropriety of how much he’s sure he’d stared for a little bit there. ❝ i’m sorry, i … wasn’t expecting for you to, well – ❞ 

there’s no elegant way around it; in jugdral, most women simply aren’t seen as being fit for combat. and though he had spent the most formative years of his life fighting under eyvel’s leadership in fiana, it doesn’t change the fact that she had been the only woman in their company, && only because she had founded it. in later years, leif would discover just how accomplished mareeta was at the blade – more so than her mother had ever been – but even then she hadn’t been permitted to take contracts with the rest of them in those years. only necessity had forced her – and the other women under leif’s banner – into battle alongside the men, because they fought for their very survival. 

briefly scanning their surroundings for any sign of the rest of the mercenary group, the young prince furrows his brow slightly. surely they couldn’t have sent a girl like this out here to fight off the bandits herself? even for the most accomplished swordsman, the numbers are simply too high. ❝ where are the others? ❞ he asks, anticipating the arrival of mercenaries and archers as he would expect over the crest of the hill at any moment. around them, the fight continues as the bandits terrorizing the village begin to weigh their options against this strange foreign boy who had come to the settlement’s defense and the timely arrival of the area’s most well-recognized mercenary troop.

[thestoicblade]

“There are no others. There doesn’t need to be. I assure you I am quite accomplished. I can handle myself in a fight.”

It was frustrating and irritating to already be looked at strangely by this boy. Marisa was notorious where she was from. She had worked all her life to fight as well as she did and to immediately have someone react this way, put a bad taste in her mouth. Yet Marisa could not blame Leif too much for his disbelief. She was one person yes, and perhaps here in Jugdral women didn’t fight often. Which was stupid, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Instead she would focus on the task at hand.

“You can fight too, can you not? Then join me. There is no time to waste debating about whether I can or cannot fight these bandits. We will see when the fight is over.” Marisa eyed the bandits and took a deep breathe. She would prove herself to his young boy and then she would take her reward. It would be easier with others true, but for now they were all that were here. The time to worry about it was over. 

“Will you fight with me? Yes or no?”

[countreglay]

the living legend -- marisa

[thestoicblade]

countreglay:

Someone was there. It wasn’t particularly surprising in itself. Many of Arcadia’s residents came out from time to time to pay their respects; enough of them still remembered Athos in person when he walked among them. Of the dragon blooded, many probably knew him far longer and much more intimately than Pent had. And some had even known him. So usually, they would come and go quietly, never once disturbing the sage.

To be addressed was something entirely foreign, and Pent barely kept himself from jumping.

“No? I hadn’t noticed.” His dry remark was accompanied by a roll of the eyes. Who was she? A sense of defensiveness crept up his shoulders. How dare she? He exhaled slowly, scowl never quite subsiding. “What are you even doing here?”

While Marisa could never say that she was socially aware or perceptive, she could still sense the tension from his man. She was on guard immediately in case she had accidentally come across someone dangerous. Perhaps he was doing something dark or nefarious here? Wouldn’t be the first time someone rose someone else from the dead. 

“I was passing through. I don’t know these lands well yet. I was... drawn in by what you were doing. Are you praying then? Gods listen less than the dead do.”

This had to be some place of importance. Marisa could tell that but it was hard to really discern what. She had a feeling this man didn’t feel like sharing, but Marisa wasn’t about to be dogged by some stranger. So she should her ground for now.

[gradiivus]

Temple of Illusion [Camus & Marisa]

@thestoicblade : 2. Camus and Marisa encounter a creature that neither of them had seen before.

      It was a little-known rumor that deep within the forest - deep yet no longer than a day’s journey - lie an ancient ruins, forgotten by all but the oldest men and women of this country. Its name had been lost with its original language and had thereby come to be known as the Temple of Illusion, aptly called such for its questionable existence. Those who ventured into the woods in search of it always, without fail, found themselves back where they had started, and no scholar had managed to overturn so much as a stone that might belong to its structure. So it was by divine chance that a knight and a swordmaster found the looming, ancient trees giving away suddenly to a misty corridor of giant stone statues, heads bowed in silent prayer.       Camus’ grip tightened on the reins of his horse, who he had led through the thicker parts of the forest for the past several hours, and he signaled for his companion to halt. As the echoes of their footsteps faded, the silence fell heavily upon them, just as tangible and suffocating as the low, wet clouds that shrouded the faces of the tallest statues. Moss grew in thick patches around the bases of each figure, and weeds forced their way through the tiles that paved the path between the two rows, but beyond this meagre sign of life, nothing else stirred or breathed.       Until, that is, a pair of glinting silver eyes - unnoticed in the haze several meters away - blinked. Though Camus’ eyesight had declined over the years, his attention naturally snapped toward any sudden change in the environment, and he strained to make out the figure.       “Stay on your guard,” he murmured, hand instinctively on the hilt of his sword as he took a cautionary step forward. Immediately, the eyes disappeared, likely the creature bounding away deeper into the mist.

[thestoicblade]

Marisa had followed close behind Camus as they approached the large temple. It was silent except for the sound of their horses and other noises who the source for were unknown for the time being. Marisa wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to know exactly what was roaming around here. She kept a hand near her blade just in case something had tried to attack them. The tense atmosphere made it hard to be impressed by the temple, although it loomed before them both. Marisa might have appreciated it more under different circumstances. 

Marisa had not noticed the eyes that had alarmed Camus. She peered over in the direction he was staring towards once he spoke. She saw no shapes or forms beyond the mist, but there was a creeping feeling making it’s way down her back. Something was watching them. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good.

“What did you see?” It was better to be prepared, although she wasn’t sure if Camus had seen anything.