fandom-panda

[fandom-panda]

WE GOT IT

[fandom-panda]

"I think it's a bit egotistical to assume that we are on the same level as those of gods and devils."

VR-LA Season 1 episode 1

Oh the themes

[fandom-panda]

In which Essek casts Dark Star to protect a friend, and the Mighty Nein are suddenly very glad he's not a bad guy anymore.

[fandom-panda]

"To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause—there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life."

I have so many thoughts on the Rolling With Difficulty campaign finale.

[fandom-panda]

Riz immediately moving to save Fig and leaping in after her without hesitation, Adaine counterspelling a GOD to save her, Gorgug casting Warding Bond…what if I wept

[fandom-panda]

Gwen suffers from chronic Jon Archivist Syndrome where she asks actively advancing horrors beyond comprehension the dumbest questions. Like actually, "You don't sound Russian?" pales in comparison to "CAN HE READ??"

MAYBE HE CANT READ GWEN BUT DOES IT ACTUALLY MATTER?? GIVE THE SHAMBLING MURDER CLOWN HIS FUCKING GWEN MAIL OH MY GOD HIS TEETH ARENT SOFT!!!!

[fandom-panda]

And it only took two weeks to form this image

[fandom-panda]

etho's completely normal and sane desktop setup.

[fandom-panda]

knight and princess

[fandom-panda]

Divine Warriors

Here is some info dump about MCD's Divine Warriors, not all of this is known to the public of the mortal realm (especially the stuff about Shad.)

Irene the Matron: There isn't much known about Lady Irene's past, the only evidence they have are the scriptures Enki had written. Though most were burned. It is a common concept that she grew up in a small village (later Scaleswind) in Ru'aun. born from the ash of a god they say. She is incredibly strong, having healing magicks and the ability to bring those back from the dead as well as other abilities (mainly dimensional), Irene did not have a weapon. She can also change her form into a man but she rarely ever did this and it's said that she hated the form. After her disappearance (presumed death) which was 40 or so years after the fight with Shad. She was worshipped more commonly, which her worship later became widespread. Irene is worshipped as the god of medicine/health, the afterlife, agriculture and hope. She is associated with doves (because of her wings) and lavender, around churches and royalty/nobles homes, you will see statues of doves and fields of lavender. It's said that natural forming fields of lavender are places blessed by Irene. Although mainly worshipped in Ru'aun she is seen and heard all over the world.

Menphia the Fury: She grew up in Tu'la near the capital, one of the very few in Tu'la who was human. Menphia came from a well off noble family, she was a strong girl who could wield almost any close combat weapon. She became one of the princesses' guards at the age of 19. There was a rumor that Menphia and the princess were having an affair but it was never denied nor confirmed. She became a protector of Irene and later one of the Divine Warriors, she also had a pet tiger. Her magicks are very limited but they consist of strength and speed. Menphia used multiple different close combat weapons (swords, maces, battle axes, etc). She died during the fight with Shad to save Enki. She is worshipped mainly in Gal'ruk and Tu'la and usually by guards or soldiers. She is worshipped as the god of rage, strength, war, and courage. She is associated with tigers and fire. Her statues always have a tiger at her legs.

Shad the Destroyer: Not much is known about Shad at all, Enki himself destroyed practically everything that he had written about Shad. Them and Irene were close, the common conception was that they were lovers. Irene and Shad had a fight because he was a danger to mortals. Irene sealed Shad deep inside a mountain for 10 years, he later escaped and caused havoc. Although Irene and many of the other warriors had pushed her to their breaking point it was Shad himself who decided to be spiteful and become the Shadow Lord. Xavier was the first ever shadow knight. Their magicks consist of strength, telekinesis, and break dimension barriers. She can change their form much like Irene, to a woman, man, or a form of neither. He seems to enjoy this unlike Irene. Many depictions of Shad are different in gender because of this. Very few mortals worship him but she is seen as the god of deception, chaos, death, and tragedy. He is commonly associated with crows and lily of the valleys.

Enki the Keeper: Enki had many journals detailing both his and the other warriors lives yet he either burned most or hid them away, very few were actually found. He grew up in a home of warriors in Gal'ruk but despite this he became a scholar. He is known to have been in love with many, Menphia, Irene, Esmund's brother. Likely Xavier too. He was born without any magicks but he did know a bit of witchcraft. His abilities after getting a relic were; un-human observation, speed, and levitation. Enki barely fought but when he did he used a bow and arrow. Enki died 5 or so years after the battle with Shad. He is worshipped in Gal'ruk and is a common figure head for literature. He is the god of; ink and paper, literature, language, archery, and love. Enki is commonly associated with owls and snow.

Esmund the Protector: Much is known about him as he was the eldest son of one of the most well known historians, Ruthin Ro'meave. He grew up in Ru'aun, he became a guard and later became a Divine Warrior. Esmund was commonly known for his beauty that rivaled Irene's. He was deeply in love with Irene which caused a strain between Irene, Shad and Esmund. His younger brother was horrifically injured during a battle while under Shad's watch which caused Esmund to become even more resentful of Shad. Despite wanting to help defeat Shad he decided to stay behind and protect. He died 30 years before Irene's disappearance. He is worshipped in Ru'aun usually by Lords of villages seeking protection. He is the god of; protection, safety, loyalty, victory, and family. Esmund is associated with swords and diamonds.

Kul'zak the Wanderer: They grew up near the docks of Tu'la, they were a meif'wa. They helped with travel when ships docked on Tu'la. Kul'zak was the first Divine Warrior after Irene, and a nomad. They were a very good bard and a little mischievous. They were the oldest of the Divine Warriors and the one to have kept them all together. After the Divine Warriors split they traveled and spoke of legends for 10 years before dying. Unlike the other Divine Warriors they aren't worshipped in one place, they are worshipped as the god of; travel. merchants, alcohol and music. Kul'zak is associated with intoxication and the flute.

[fandom-panda]

UGH GARROTH HAS BEEN ON MY MIND LATELY BUT MAINLY HIM IN MY REWRITE which i REALLY need to organize one day but. i feel like aphblr appreciates hearing about rewrites a lot so. ill just ramble a bit.

i accidentally made one of garroth's core themes in the rewrite fatherhood.

firstly, he was the most positive male figure that vylad and zane had in their lives. as he got older, he felt more and more protective of them, he didnt want them becoming like his father, the same man that garroth is the splitting image of. he cant repeat the sins of his father, he has to make them better.

but then vylad literally dies and zane becomes an evil priest. so great. he failed.

and then he has to be in an arranged marriage?? not cool. so you know, he fakes his death, so does his arranged marriage fiance, and now theres a huge war, and hes hiding in a run-down village with the help of his former friend from a neighboring village. and he becomes close friends with the lord's secretive wife. she doesn't go out much, she much prefers to stay inside and read her books.

and one day, it blossoms into more.

garroth hates this. a secret relationship with the lord's wife? but, he loves her. and she loves him. their nights are filled with conversations of guilt.

and then, she tells him that she's pregnant.

they stop seeing each other, she hides her pregnancy from the village, her husband is enthusiastic. he's unaware of what's going on, and nine months pass and their child is born, the citizens of phoenix drop blissfully living their lives, not knowing a future lord had just been born. an illegitimate child.

garroth can't care for his son, and he never even learns the name. she stops visiting him, and it hurts him.

but althroughout this time, a young man named zenix came across phoenix drop. probably around eighteen years old, no more than twenty. scarred and traumatized from something he never told garroth about.

and so, garroth takes him in, and treats him like a son. he trains him to become a guard and garroth feels content. he's finally succeeding at this. he's helping someone become a better person! he's an important figure in someone's life!

and during this joyous period of his life, the lord is killed, and his wife is missing. the village was never told about the child, and chaos erupts. garroth and zenix must take control of the town as people begin to leave. garroth mourns the son he never got to connect with.

one day on patrol, a lady runs into the village, seemingly insane and claiming that a weird hooded figure was watching her and so she chased them. garroth and zenix helped her out, and out of the kindness of her heart, decided to repay them by completely helping the village out. this lady who barely even had any memories, who couldn't read or write that well, who was still learning about the history of the world, had taken the struggles of the villagers and put them into her heart, channeling their frustrations into constant work to rebuild the broken village.

it's going well, until, all of a sudden, a villager is attacked in the night and is near death. she saves him, and garroth decides to investigate what happened.

and then he is shot.

by his "adoptive" son.

pain of all types soar throughout garroth's body. he failed again. whatever he did with zenix, it wasn't good enough, and this was his karma.

and yet, he lived. and the knowledge of his failures followed him around as he tried to do any action for months. he hoped it would get better.

then one day, aphmau discovers a child at her door. a baby, one that can't even crawl yet. she discovers a note; his name is levin. she cares for him and brings him around the village, and garroth, in spite of his previous failures of being a father figure, vows to help the woman he loves raise a child, that unbeknownst to him, is his own biological child that vylad saved.

garroth has his suspicions as levin grows, but brushes it off and takes it to be a coincidence. he helps zoey, an elf aphmau had become close friends with, raise levin when aphmau went on her journeys. he taught him how to call aphmau mom!

aphmau has a journey one day and that day turns into weeks. garroth and laurance, his closest friend, search for her and discover she has adopted a ghost child and found another guard. a guard the similar age of zenix.

garroth is hesitant, but warms up to dante, and he and laurance act like father figures to the young guard without intending to. it comes naturally for garroth; laurance just follows his lead. and of course, garroth helps with aphmau's new child. he's making a difference again, he's helping!

and then, an illusion fools him and he falls into a depression. it hurts. he shouldn't be like this, he is supposed to be strong. he is the head guard. yet here he is, letting his emotions get in the way.

he wouldn't mind if laurance and aphmau got together, but to see them do so in private? knowing very well his feelings for both of them? it hurts. they must know what they are doing, there is no other way.

a mysterious lady comes by and offers to help garroth. over time, his memory becomes blurry until he ultimately blacks out. he lacks any autonomy now and attacks laurance. he causes his closest friends to be transported to a dangerous alternate dimension... all because of his own emotions. and to make matters worse, that lady wasn't just someone to help. it was someone hired by zane. the first person he failed to save.

the lady is killed and laurance's words cut through the spell cast on garroth. he has no idea what is happening, but he knows its his fault. he did something bad. and when a portal appears, he urges for them to go on as he fights off zane. he couldn't leave zane there; someone had to stop him from escaping, becoming more powerful, or even achieving what is basically immortality.

the minute that passes in the dimension until his rescue is daunting. flashes into another world where he reunites with aphmau give him hope, but they stop. and he loses his faith. there is no more zane could gain from being in this dimension, if anyone were to open the dimension, they would easily be able to attack him, no unprepared person would dare to do such a risky thing.

and so, he lets zane hit him. a deep cut in the back causes garroth to scream in pain, and he's close to dying.

aphmau returns. she heals him in their world, and he lies about his intentions, and returns to fighting his brother.

little does he know, laurance and aphmau had a few too much to drink one night recently, and made decisions they regret. they won't dare to tell him until much later, they can't risk hurting him, especially in such a vulnerable moment.

the guilt eats them alive. it is worsened by laurance's growing shadow knight urges. they're becoming borderline uncontrollable. its a living nightmare. he can't imagine hurting aphmau, no. he loves her. and he realizes that if she keeps worrying about garroth, she will hurt herself.

he comes to a decision.

he finds a way to open the portal and saves garroth, but costing the lives of himself and zane in the process. garroth is unconcious; he sees a glimpse of laurance, but is unaware of his death until he wakes up. he doesn't believe it, he wants to run, but he can't. his body aches. he's trapped.

aphmau visits him once before retreating to her bedroom for the next few weeks. they both go silent. they couldn't imagine losing laurance, yet here they were.

as garroth gets better, zoey allows for people to visit him. and there, he sees dante for the first time.

he's gotten much older.

there's barely visible wrinkles and blemishes on his face. someone he viewed as a son has aged beyond garroth and it's hard to handle. was this how laurance felt?

and then he sees levin.

he gets it now, this was his son, and he missed his life too. he failed. it hurts all too much, how dare he let his emotions get the best of him. if he had just talked to someone, maybe everything would be okay now.

aphmau eventually drops the news to garroth once they both got better that she's pregnant, and laurance is the father.

he's not mad.

he's broken over the news.

not over the fact that the two people he loved the most got with each other, but the fact that laurance will miss out on seeing his own child grow up, the same way garroth had done with levin.

garroth makes another vow to aphmau. he promises to help raise laurance's kid. he will be there for them.

he won't fail this time.

[fandom-panda]

Fucking Ludinus

[fandom-panda]

I think it’s really funny how clear Ludinus and the Vanguard’s bullshit becomes on Ruidius. The whole “our goal is to free mortals from the oppressive system of the gods” was already less than flimsy on Exandria, but then you get to Ruidius, where they seemingly have a pretty incredible amount of control, and wouldn’t you know it they’re happily enforcing a brand now oppressive power structure up there too. Not only that, but while the relationship Predathos has to the mortals who live under it is somewhat different from the one Exandrian mortals have to the Exandrian gods, it seems just as if not more controlling and oppressive. Predathos isn’t out here running a decentralized anarcho communist commune on the moon that bodes at all well for how it would run Exandria if it ate all the gods and was the only cosmically powerful entity left in charge. Ludinus and his gang are not looking for a way to pull Exandria out from under the oppressive boot of the gods, they just want to become the biggest boot.

[fandom-panda]

Ok ok. So I still haven't watched the episode (C1, S5, E9) yet cuz I gotta get to sleep soon. But I have many rwd thoughts!!!

So Vhas right. Good ol Githyanki boi. Love him. Adore him. This season it feels like he's really become a true member of the crew and I love it!! He's interacting with everyone in so many interesting ways and just... *scream*

His chaos just blends so nicely with the rest of the crew’s.

I love how both of Wally’s characters have fun little nicknames for Kyana. Finbar calls her “little one”. Vhas calls her “fists”. It’s just so cute and it always makes me smile. Also Vhas’s nicknames for everyone. Dani is literally only referred to as “captain”. VRLA is mostly referred to as “robot”. idk. The nicknames are just really endearing.

I do think it’s funny how everyone else got full seasons of character arcs and Vhas got one episode with a couple of other bits sprinkled in here and there. Like. We are facing Kyana’s Big Bad. And to do that we are following VRLA’s old mission and the betrayer of his old crew. And Dani is the leader of her crew, her ship, coming into her own as Captain. And Vhas got a warlock patron! And some blood! Yippee!

And I have so so many more thoughts but now they are all just devolving into keysmashes and wild gesturing with my arms.

[fandom-panda]

am i just being a baby or are that a LOT of insults hurled towards humans in kotlc.

like none of what the elves say are wrong but damn do they mention humans a lot lol. and no one but keefe and sophie really hint at how similar humans and elves are. i think elves realizing that would be really interesting in the books but its nothing else other than like 1 or 2 passing acknowledgements in book 4.

someone else said this under another person's post but other than their abilities, eye colour, and immortal lifespan, there isn't much of a difference between elves and humans.

also the elves bashing humans do not have any impact to the plot-- which i think is the point. the common elf does not know about humans and their struggles so it makes sense that elves like dex and fitz think humans are fucking stupid lol. i only start having a problem with it when mr forkle- who was the one studying humans btw- doesn't say anything about the topic when i thought one of the black swan's mission was to do something about the humans. that is either bad writing or it's an intentional flaw of his character. i hope it's the latter.

[political rant below lol dont ask why it was late and i was thinking about the state of the world]

Also if we're going to be technical about why humans and what we do are bad, a lot of it is because of things out of our control. Us buying plastic products because they're much more accessible and cheaper, using cars as our main choice of transportation- like why isn't it said that some people just cannot afford the more environmentally friendly option, not even Forkle.

While I 💯 understand that if we all still have to take personal responsibility for the things we do, if some fucking money-hungry-rich-white dude decides to throw gallons of oil + plastic into the ocean because he couldn't care less about anyone other than himself and because it saves money (he is a billionaire), it is not the fault of the common human/person.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, I also think, since the actual age range of kotlc is 9+, that constantly throwing humans under the bus isnt very good for young (probably human) children.

[fandom-panda]

I HAVE FINISHED SEASON ONE BITCHES (fantasy high ep 16-17)

that was a fuckin' rollercoaster.

also. gorgug "good friends" thistlespring my ass mans is gay for ragh.

[fandom-panda]

OH so when Fig and Gorgug want to strengthen their relationship with Riz it's all good and heartwarming, but when I, Baron from the Baronies,