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pratentious) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
asgardeventide2012-05-18 11:36 am
pratentious) wrote in asgardeventide2012-05-18 11:36 am
oo5 ♔ video
[ The prince is looking far better for wear than his last public appearance. In fact, he looks far more composed than usual. Firm, but warm, the way he was during the last invasion. The leader and the knight; Arthur's eyes smile for him. ]
Greetings, Asgardians. For those of you that may yet be unacquainted, I am Prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, and I've been a reluctant resident for near a month and a half now. In that time, I've witnessed a full-scale attack of ice-fae, unforeseen and unpredictable stabbings, and repeated accounts of Travelers subjected to the whimsy of the realm's "gods" and their sorcery.
[ He pauses. The word is not said with as much disdain as it may have been at the beginning of his stay here, but his reproach of the curses is fairly blatant. Don't mention his own or he'll run you through without hesitation. ]
As a result of these and many other similar instances, it's become apparent to not only myself and those closest to me but undoubtedly some of you lot as well that there's a near dire need for self-defense in these troubled times. We cannot rely on the mercy of gods that care not for our well being beyond the restoration of their lands. It is up to us to defend ourselves, and I would personally see every one of you safely home before this city stakes undue claim to your lives.
Which is why, at long last through the combined efforts of myself and Arthur Kirkland, I am very proud to announce the official opening of the Citadel - a training school for the various artes of combat. More information on the school can be found attached, as well as the application form for interested students. Feel free to address any questions you may have here, and I will do my utmost to see them answered.
Stay safe, Asgard. Stay strong, and we will show these gods a strength of which they could not have fathomed.
[ failed filter to Guinevere; ]
[ Arthur clears his throat of the formality from his announcement, but still feels awkwardly stuffy because wtf embarrassing? ]
If you aren't otherwise preoccupied, I think I should like to take you out. On a - date.
[ This word is stupid. Who came up with it? He does not grimace, okay. Fuck being polite, he's doing this the Arthur Way. ]
Though I won't be surprised at all if my horrid sister is monopolising your time. I shall steal you away from her if I have to, and I won't accept no for an answer.
[ There. Much better. He grins a bit boyishly because this is clearly his greatest success, and then coughs when he realises sweetbabyjesus he is a dork. One final nod and he clicks off the feed. ]
[ ooc; important for those that had planned on being an instructor!! alright, so. This is Faith jumping back on the RP train! It's been awhile and I fell waywayway off the tracks, so those of you that had expressed interest in being instructors for the Citadel, would you mind terribly giving me a poke either here or on the official Citadel page? That way I can add you to the Instructor roster. You guys don't have to come up with an actual course schedule the way I did unless you want to. Besides that, ehm. Have fun? Thank you guys for bearing with me. /sob ]
Greetings, Asgardians. For those of you that may yet be unacquainted, I am Prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, and I've been a reluctant resident for near a month and a half now. In that time, I've witnessed a full-scale attack of ice-fae, unforeseen and unpredictable stabbings, and repeated accounts of Travelers subjected to the whimsy of the realm's "gods" and their sorcery.
[ He pauses. The word is not said with as much disdain as it may have been at the beginning of his stay here, but his reproach of the curses is fairly blatant. Don't mention his own or he'll run you through without hesitation. ]
As a result of these and many other similar instances, it's become apparent to not only myself and those closest to me but undoubtedly some of you lot as well that there's a near dire need for self-defense in these troubled times. We cannot rely on the mercy of gods that care not for our well being beyond the restoration of their lands. It is up to us to defend ourselves, and I would personally see every one of you safely home before this city stakes undue claim to your lives.
Which is why, at long last through the combined efforts of myself and Arthur Kirkland, I am very proud to announce the official opening of the Citadel - a training school for the various artes of combat. More information on the school can be found attached, as well as the application form for interested students. Feel free to address any questions you may have here, and I will do my utmost to see them answered.
Stay safe, Asgard. Stay strong, and we will show these gods a strength of which they could not have fathomed.
[ failed filter to Guinevere; ]
[ Arthur clears his throat of the formality from his announcement, but still feels awkwardly stuffy because wtf embarrassing? ]
If you aren't otherwise preoccupied, I think I should like to take you out. On a - date.
[ This word is stupid. Who came up with it? He does not grimace, okay. Fuck being polite, he's doing this the Arthur Way. ]
Though I won't be surprised at all if my horrid sister is monopolising your time. I shall steal you away from her if I have to, and I won't accept no for an answer.
[ There. Much better. He grins a bit boyishly because this is clearly his greatest success, and then coughs when he realises sweetbabyjesus he is a dork. One final nod and he clicks off the feed. ]
[ ooc; important for those that had planned on being an instructor!! alright, so. This is Faith jumping back on the RP train! It's been awhile and I fell waywayway off the tracks, so those of you that had expressed interest in being instructors for the Citadel, would you mind terribly giving me a poke either here or on the official Citadel page? That way I can add you to the Instructor roster. You guys don't have to come up with an actual course schedule the way I did unless you want to. Besides that, ehm. Have fun? Thank you guys for bearing with me. /sob ]
[video]
Ne, Arthur-san. You're a knight, right?
[video]
[video]
[video] what's that, conan? you asked for some teal deer? here's some teal deer. .-.
It is difficult to say. I suppose it may vary from man to man, but from the battles I have faced, I have felt - [ No. He stops, shakes his head once and amends, eyes traveling to that faraway place that is a memory and a dream and a nightmare. ] - I feel ... everything. From the height of the Sun to the direction of the winds, you become aware of everything that surrounds you.
Your heart is an ever beating presence in your chest, yet you do not know the weight of its pulse until you are faced with the man that would see an end to it. The cold sting of steel in your hand as you grip your blade feels another limb, an extension of your being and the very one that will decide the outcome of your struggle. You only pray that it will not fail you.
All else seems to fade away - there is only you and your opponent and then the next after him; a drive to keep moving, to stay moving where one falter could be the death of you. Drive takes over and leaves humanity behind, leaves only the next strike there and the right parry here with no quarter for remorse. There is no room for it when not only your life but your men's lives, the lives of your people depend on meeting your mark. You only hope you find a quick and easy victory.
And all throughout, thrumming in the back on your mind, there is the fear. No matter how weathered the soldier or how practised the sword, there is always fear. Battles are not fought for sake of folly; they are fought for reason, and whether it is the right reason or not, it is one deemed worthy of laying down your life. Yet as much as you are willing to die for it, so too do you want to live for it, and the fear comes when you know the man at the other end of your blade is stuck in that same place in-between. You only wish that you want for it more.
[ Arthur pauses and blinks, as though he hadn't meant to say quite so much, and focuses back on Conan with a sincere sort of light in his eyes. ]
War is an ugly place to find yourself, and it has a way of staining a man permanently. It becomes a scar, no place visible but felt just as keenly, and hopefully fades with time but will be there all the same.
I do love me some teal deer.
Conan recognises that as the feeling of extreme clarity that he gets in those moments where everything comes together -- the facts, his body, his mind, the choices before him. The single truth. It gives him a momentary sense of confidence, that he can do this--
But Arthur's next words prove the lie to that. Fear --
He is afraid and he knows that. It's not something he's accustomed to dealing with -- Shinichi makes the right decisions, does the right thing. Fear, doubt, uncertainty -- they're things that happen to other people. But this--
The moment's going to come when he won't have the luxury of remaining uninvolved. When that happens ...]
Ah.
[Conan swallows. It's difficult to admit, and he very much doesn't want to, but in the face of Arthur's honesty, he feels he owes Arthur an explanation at least.]
It's -- not something I've ever had to think about. And killing someone -- it's against everything I believe in. I don't know if I can make that choice.
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[ Arthur quietly hums his regard for Conan's declaration, an innocence he never had the opportunity to contemplate. He brushes his fingers across his lips a moment before speaking deliberately, choosing his words carefully. ]
I could not tell you how many men I've felled in my time, or how many more will die at my hand in the future - but I can tell you that it is not an easy decision to make. It is not meant to be easy, and that regard for human life is a merit, Conan, not a weakness. Strength is not only the ability take but also the ability to give, to build and nurture. To have one without the other is but a shallow victory.
I do not know what may lie ahead, but I hope that you will not have to decide whether or not to cross that line. There is still much to be done in battle without spilling another's blood.
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-- or maybe it was that Arthur spoke with the weight of an experience that Conan didn't have. His nod is grateful.]
Ah. I think -- you're right about that. Maybe that's why I have the power I do. Body control's not pleasant to think about ... but it's not lethal.
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It is not. And clever as you are, I've no doubt you'll find a proper use for it.
[ Not that he condones the use of the gods' magic, but when it's all you've really got ... ]
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