IV DONE IT

The Underwold Saga. Parte 3

Tiresias: "Sisi, te va a pasar tragedia tras otra, pero mira que bonito vals me sé." ✨

Part 1 - Part 2 ‼️

The servants often whispered about King Radian of Cloura. This is not uncommon, of course. Every castle has gossip, even the most impenetrable had to have some drama.

But... there's a difference between shady dealings and rumored magic.

Magic isn't rare, exactly. But it isn't something you see everyday. Corrin can count on one hand every time he'd encountered some.

At least, he could before coming to Cloura.

He'd heard, of course, that the King could sniff out any traitor. That there'd never been a successful reconnaissance mission. But he'd just thought he was very insightful, able to spot suspicious activity more easily then others.

Corrin could deal with that. After all, he could lie his way out of anything. Plus, he was only going to be in the castle for three days. He didn't even need to go near the king.

His first day, he was more preoccupied with fitting in then anything else, practicing blending into the background and such.

Which is why it's a surprise when the headservant calls everyone to the throne room.

One of the maids helping him adjust, Mailyn, he thinks her name was, notices his confusion.

"Did no one tell you? The King double checks loyalties weekly. A little paranoid if you ask me but I mean after his brother..." She gives a weak laugh. "Well, either way, no need to be worried. It's safer for us all this way, picking out those that might hurt us."

That does not make Corrin any less worried.

Regardless, it'd be even more suspicious to miss it. Corrin heads in anyway.

They're sent in in groups of about ten. He doesn't quite count, busy holding composure, blending in. He's just another face in the crowd. He can blend in.

It's just rumors. Rumors.

He originally attempts to keep his head low, not wanting to accidentally draw attention or make eye contact. But curiosity gets the better of him and he finally chances a glance.

His heart speeds up.

Because there's a difference between magic being uncommon and humans possessing magic. There's a difference between exaggerated rumors and glowing eyes.

Glowing eyes shining yellow, the colour of the kingdoms banners.

Glowing eyes staring right at him.

The King smirks. "You. Come Forward."

Corrin would like to pretend that he did not know he was being spoken to, but the crowd around him has already parted appropriately.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" His steps are hesitant, but he manages to keep his voice steady.

The King tilts his head. "Emperor Doven? Really? Surely someone who so easily got past my background checks should work under someone of more worth."

The hilarity of the situation has him laughing, a little. "He pays well." Corrin manages.

"For now." Is all The King replies. "Maybe I can work something out with you, make you a better offer."

Corrin nods. "Perhaps." Honestly a little lucky he's getting this chance. He can pretend he'll take it.

The King sighs. "Alas, I have other matters to attend to. You must wait until I am available in the dungeons."

"Of course." Compliance is easier, better most of the time. Lowers suspicions and perception of risk. That's the same for servants and captives.

He can be an easy prisoner. For now.

______________________________________________________________

Radian's posture droops the moment he's alone in his quarters. He's exhausted, unsurprisingly. Being King takes effort. Honestly feels like he's been going non-stop since he was 15. Since he took the throne.

(Since he finally understood what the colours meant. Since he realised why his brothers had changed.)

He wants nothing more than to fall into bed. And maybe have a snack or somethi-

"Heyo Princey." A familiar voice says from behind him.

Well. Maybe he wants one thing more.

He turns around, eyes quickly landing on the figure that would have been successfully blending into the shadows if not for his eyes lighting up the room a bit.

"Hello to you as well, Ash" He laughs slightly as they step forward. They're wearing simple clothing, and the colours- well.

He has an interesting relationship with colours, as they paint the clothes of those around him in a representation of their loyalties. He often only sees a radiant yellow as he goes through the halls, the occasional blue or grey of any visiting nobility. That was how his magic worked, after all.

But Ash has never followed any of his rules. They're dressed in many colours, purple, blue, green, black, layers and layers of depth that Radian never gets to see anywhere else around him.

And maybe it's dangerous not to know the loyalty of your partner when anyone else would be easily revealed. But everyone else is afraid, as if their loyalty isn't set in stone. Radian prefers Ash, who treats them the same as when they were the forgotten spare prince that'd gotten lost in town.

Radian feels his self smile as he meets his partners eyes. "You've been gone a while." He says, tone teasing.

"Well, you know. Hard to sneak into the castle of a paranoid king." They joke. "Plus, places to be, people to scam. I'm still working on forging those nobility papers, too." It turns into a bit of a ramble, and Radian can't help but grin.

"I get it. You're a busy person, always working hard to make money despite being partners with a literal king." He puts an arm on their shoulder as he says it, meaning to keep up the joking, but they frown.

"I wouldn't take from you like that though." They shake their head. "I don't need to steal from you like that, I can gain money myself. And even if I couldn't, I wouldn't steal from you."

"Well, it would be a gift, though." He suggests. "You wouldn't be stealing. It would be freely given."

"Money by itself is a pretty poor gift, you better put thought into something you get me." It's an attempt at bringing back the light air of their reunion. A subject change.

Radian lets it happen. "Of course. I'll get you a belt that has space for many trinkets, or perhaps an even bigger wagon for all of your faux-magic gadgets." He pokes them in the side as he says it.

Ash giggles. "I'll have you know my wares are perfectly legitimate!"

"Sure." He laughs. "I really am glad to see you though. It's been a tough day."

"Oh yeah, did you catch anyone?" They ask.

Radian sighs. "Just one, luckily. One of Doven's."

"And, let me guess, they're in the dungeon right now?" Radian avoids eye-contact. "Why? You know his are always too loyal."

He sighs, pulling Ash closer. Part of him wants to deflect, like Ash did earlier. He knows they'd respect it, but... "...I'm hoping that it'll be my brother, one of these days."

"Oh, Dian." Ash squeezes him tightly. "Come on, lets get some sleep, alright?"

Radian nods into their hair. "Alright."

The king has the ability to see team colors. Everyone who’s working towards the same goal as a group appears to be wearing the same color, regardless of what color their clothes actually are. This makes conspiring against him really, really hard.

A Silly Story Prompt (#1?)

A mad Scientist/Super Villain who's plan for world domination is to decrease/move/get rid of a lot of the greenhouse gases, bringing the earth back closer to an ice age-like environment. They, having planned ahead, had already created a safe haven against cold temperatures and had already recruited those looking for that as henchmen.

Well... That WAS the plan.

They are thwarted by Global-warming.

(Bonus Points if they are praised a hero for the work they've done reversing the effects of global warming and providing homes for the homeless.)

(crawls on all fours with blood drenched on me) I have to do arts and crafts

The nostalgia overtakes me

very much enjoying season zero so far

Definately gonna do this for my characters to get inside their heads!!

So my problem with most ‘get to know your character’ questioneers is that they’re full of questions that just aren’t that important (what color eyes do they have) too hard to answer right away (what is their greatest fear) or are just impossible to answer (what is their favorite movie.)  Like no one has one single favorite movie. And even if they do the answer changes.

If I’m doing this exercise, I want 7-10 questions to get the character feeling real in my head. So I thought I’d share the ones that get me (and my students) good results: 

What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/resturant)

What is their grooming routine? (how do they treat themselves in private)

What was their most expensive purchase/where does their disposable income go? (Gets you thinking about socio-economic class, values, and how they spend their leisure time)

Do they have any scars or tattoos? (good way to get into literal backstory) 

What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances? (Good way to get some *emotional* backstory in.) 

Are they an oldest, middle, youngest or only child? (This one might be a me thing, because I LOVE writing/reading about family dynamics, but knowing what kinds of things were ‘normal’ for them growing up is important.)

Describe the shoes they’re wearing. (This is a big catch all, gets into money, taste, practicality, level of wear, level of repair, literally what kind of shoes they require to live their life.)

Describe the place where they sleep. (ie what does their safe space look like. How much (or how little) care / decoration / personal touch goes into it.)

What is their favorite holiday? (How do they relate to their culture/outside world. Also fun is least favorite holiday.) 

What objects do they always carry around with them? (What do they need for their normal, day-to-day routine? What does ‘normal’ even look like for them.) 

Hiya and Heya are very similar twins in appearance and friendliness except one you can sit next to in silence scrolling through something on your phone or getting lost in your thoughts, just enjoying each other's company, and the other has hugged you from behind, is planning to ramble endlessly at you, and while they are not currently bouncing off the walls, they are definitely not apposed to the idea.

Ps: I love both of them so much

Osmosis (part 2 of this comic )

Hey look I drew a thing I'm actually proud of! I can take constructive criticism but I take it best with a side of compliments XD.