#<- was my first (and only) suggested tag regarding that version of him and i still stand by it

[somelazyassartist]

I'm. Not going to go into a huge ramble right now because I've done it before and I'll probably do it again later but I am running off of zero sleep and a sonic the hedgehog g fuel so if I talk a lot now it WILL end up incomprehensible but. Just a tiny post since I am thinking about it.

[Edit: it became a huge incomprehensible ramble anyways. It's under the cut if you want to see opinions on the TAZ graphic novel (and sorta the fanon) versions of Taako. But please dear Istus do not think I'm talking about the entire fandom it is just one specific brand of fanon-interpretation I'm talking about, NOT the fandom as a whole please I know enough about Tumblr's reading comprehension to know I should probably put a warning here now that I am talking about a specific trend and not an entire group of people who all have different opinions and also that this is ALSO just my own opinion myself. Oh and also this isn't meant to be like an attack on anyone it's just a personal peeve so if I sound frustrated that's just a Me Thing not me being like mad at anyone in particular Thank you very much genuinely for reading this and understanding]

But like,,,, does it bother anyone else or is it just me that the fandom's perception of Taako has become like. WAY more of a stuck-up ass than he ever really was in the podcast ever since the graphic novels came out? Like don't get me wrong he is a dick but he's never been, like, cruel for the most part.

But like, putting on HtbG (podcast) and then putting him next to the gn version of him is like.... Almost not the same character to me? It's like most people forget podcast Taako started out as the "dumb but sweet joke character" who was constantly slow to pick up on social cues and who the other characters repeatedly would take pity on and make fun of for being "the idiot of the group". And again he is a dick but he's not, like, Seriously a Mean Person!!

Also a decent chunk of the "antagonistic" stuff later on is still a continuation of him not getting social cues like in the beginning (for example, his bit where he threatens Angus for potentially becoming a better wizard than he is, realizing afterwards that his tone didn't come across the way he intended and that Angus interpreted that as being serious, and backtracked to try to clear up that he didn't mean to come off as serious and only meant it as a joke. And also says very explicitly in the same episode that he intends for most of his "mean" behavior throughout the series to come off as joking between equals and he doesn't mean for other people to take it seriously. He just says that.).

And he has, like, unspoken morality about what "harmful" things he does too, especially when it comes to like stealing stuff. If you listen to the podcast he (with very VERY VERY few exceptions) only ever steals from people who are dead- who will no longer be using those items and would be letting them go to waste unmoved- and people who have directly wronged him or his loved ones from his point of view. He actively tries to stop the other two from stealing from innocent people!! There's a whole scene where he establishes he isn't comfortable taking from people who don't deserve it and who need that money!! And then you go into the exact same scene in the graphic novel and.... He's exclaiming that he's going to steal a bunch of shit. Not just any shit, the exact shit he was trying to STOP the others from stealing in the podcast.

Which just doesn't feel like Taako at all!! In fact when he stole and sold Angus' grandfather's silverware and realized Angus really didn't deserve that, he felt guilty about it and tried giving some of it back for him and making up for the rest with quality time and magic lessons! but now when I look at fandom stuff (at least what I've come across) it seems a lot more people lean towards the more kleptomania-fueled dickhead Taako than the much tamer original version, and I have to say I prefer the original more!! He has so much more dimension to me in the podcast- not even because there's more time to flesh him out there than in the gn- but because while he is rude and foul-mouthed at times he has pretty explicit limits and will get upset if people try to force him to cross it! (Also seen with his elevator-related PTSD and him having a very reasonable breakdown when his emotional limits were repeatedly crossed with fair warning from him he'd freak out if forced into going in there..... which got cut from the graphic novels as well because of course it did).

And going forward, with gn Taako being so much more selfish and inhospitable than the original version, I feel like they might cut out his "I'm not a piece of meat" scene in TSG, because if they DO keep it in there's no way to me personally that it'll feel earned in any regard- tell me when in the graphic novels has he pretty much ever shown the genuine humility that the original version carries under his standoffish persona. I don't see it, and I don't think whatever happens between Crystal Kingdom's gn and The Suffering Game's gn will be enough to make that scene feel genuine to me. I really, honestly believe that.

Of course there's some things I do like about the graphic novels and I'm more than willing to give the next ones a fair shot (Crystal Kingdom was a lot better than I expected it to be!) but I really, really, REALLY don't like how the graphic novels (and to a small extent, the fandom) really over-emphasize how mean he is to people when if you listen back to the original in a lot of cases he's much more mellow and kind or is just not picking up on other people's tones/social cues and is being misinterpreted (both by other characters in-fiction and/or certain listeners) because it's established in the text he's bad at picking up that sort of thing

[glaseado-gym-official]

My name's Grusha. I'm an ex-snowboarder. Used to be a pro. Now I'm a Gym Leader.

The service up here isn't that great... But it'd be kinda uncool if I was the only Paldean League member not on this site. Ryme also says having a blog is good for PR... Or something.

Anyways. I'll put some extra stuff down below.

My Pokémon if you're interested:

Frosmoth ♀ - ((Mariposa))

Beartic ♂ - ((Boreas))

Cetitan ♂ - ((Titan))

Weavile ♂ - ((Dulce))

Alolan Ninetales ♂ - ((Aurora))

Altaria ♀ - ((Cirrus))

((Nicknames are listed in parenthesis because they aren't public information at the moment. Grusha doesn't want to be outed as "uncool", you see. I'm adding them in ooc for personal reference, convenience, and tagging purposes.))

((OOC NOTE: Please read before interacting!!

Important note before we get to our regularly scheduled program:

This version of Grusha is disabled. This means that the accident that ended his career as a professional snowboarder, has also permanently disabled him. Because of this, he needs a cane to get around.

I will do my best to accurately and respectfully portray his disability. I will ALSO not be tolerating any sort of ooc ableism. I will be extremely picky about any asks that include ic ableism and will tag things properly.

Okay now back to it-

Hey hey! Welcome to my Pokémon rp blog. On this blog I will be pretending as if the world of Pokémon is 100% real. This being said, I will be including pkmn rp tags in each post that fits that description as a warning.

Friendly reminder that if you try to engage a plot with me or any kind of offscreen rp experience without at least discussing it with me first, then I will likely not respond. Even if you do approach me with something in mind, there is no guarantee I will engage. Also I tend not to interact or engage in any big events. They tend to become overwhelming for me and you���ll most likely never find me becoming a part of them. Please don’t send in asks regarding big events.

If you are looking to interact with my muse, and your muse is tied to some potentially triggering topics, I would prefer if you discussed potential interactions with me first. This is for my own comfort, so please keep this in mind.

Admin is an adult! If this makes you uncomfortable then move along.

This is an RP blog. This means I will be trying my best to roleplay as Gym Leader Grush with the information we have provided on him. I will be including several headcanons of mine regarding this character, though none of them are too drastic.

Please be aware that when I am talking as Grusha, he will often come off as blunt, sarcastic, and rude. If you are uncomfortable with this, it may be in your best interest to move along. If something ever comes off as rude/mean, it does not reflect how I actually feel and is just how I believe Grusha would react.

This blog is SFW, save for vaguely suggestive topics. Anything that is deemed as explicitly NSFW will be deleted on sight.

Another warning. This blog may often be involved in long RP threads. I won’t be using any programs to cut my long posts short. If this bothers you, I would recommend skipping this blog or blocking the tag “long post” or “rp thread”.

This version of Grusha I’m roleplaying is set after the events of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as well all the DLC.

Also! I follow and like from @ripoff-robbie-rotten.

DNI: Proshippers, TERFS, and NSFW blogs))

[naturally-elegant]

(*Sigh*) Do I really have to do this…?

Yes, hello, you may call me Avery. Please ensure that you use he/him pronouns for me. Of course, I only specialize in the most elegant of Pokemon, as I’m the minor circuit’s Psychic Type Gym Leader~

If you think you can best me in battle, then I do believe you may have to get your Future Sight checked, ohoho– HA! The mere delusion is enough to make me laugh, as such a thing should be considered improbable…no, impossible! Losing would certainly be a Psystrike to my ego…

Ahem… You will find my absolutely charming Pokemon below:

Galarian Slowbro ♂ - Florian

Galarian Rapidash ♂ - Duke

Swoobat ♀ - Eloise

Alakazam ♂ - Sebastian

Galarian Slowking ♂ - Kingsley

Girafarig ♀ - Neru

Chingling ♂ - Senritsu

Natu ♀ - René

((OOC NOTE: Please read before interacting!!

(Previously part of co-blog, but separated into a solo blog)

ICON CREDIT!!

Hey hey! Welcome to my Pokémon rp blog. On this blog I will be pretending as if the world of Pokémon is 100% real. This being said, I will be including pkmn rp tags in each post that fits that description as a warning.

Friendly reminder that if you try to engage a plot with me or any kind of offscreen rp experience without at least discussing it with me first, then I will likely not respond. Even if you do approach me with something in mind, there is no guarantee I will engage. Also I tend not to interact or engage in any big events. They tend to become overwhelming for me and you’ll most likely never find me becoming a part of them. Please don’t send in asks regarding big events.

If you are looking to interact with my muse, and your muse is tied to some potentially triggering topics, I would prefer if you discussed potential interactions with me first. This is for my own comfort, so please keep this in mind.

Admin is an adult! If this makes you uncomfortable then move along.

This is an RP blog. This means I will be trying my best to roleplay as Avery with the information we have. I will be including several headcanons of mine regarding this character, though none of them are too drastic.

Please be aware that when I am talking as Avery, I will often be sarcastic, rude, self deprecating, and all around unpleasant. If you are uncomfortable with this, it may be in your best interest to move along. If something ever comes off as rude/mean, it does not reflect how I actually feel and is just how I believe Avery would react.

This blog is SFW, save for vaguely suggestive topics. Anything that is deemed as explicitly NSFW will be deleted on sight.

Another warning. This blog may often be involved in long RP threads. I won’t be using any programs to cut my long posts short. If this bothers you, I would recommend skipping this blog or blocking the tag “long post” or “rp thread”.

This version of Avery I’m roleplaying is set after the events of Pokémon Sword and Shield as well as any DLC events.

Also! I follow and like from @ripoff-robbie-rotten.

DNI: Proshippers, TERFS, and NSFW blogs))

[rathologic]

hi there, you run a great blog!! i was wondering if you have any advice or suggestions on how to responsibly/respectfully get into patho and patho2? as in, do you think there are any things a new fan should keep in mind while playing (i.e. with the grooming allegations, i have also seen racism and misogyny mentioned)

honestly i'm not entirely sure what i'm asking for help with here, but maybe just resources that further discuss the shitty views/opinions/actions of dyb that taint aspects of the game? thank you so much

hey! it really is going to depend on your personal tolerance for these aspects. racism is a major in-world topic discussed by the games, but also thoroughly present within the storytelling the franchise presents, so there's a fair amount of nuance; the elements of misogyny and pedophilia are just visible throughout. if you're at least passingly familiar with such topics, you'll be able to recognize and think critically about their presence as you get into the games (if you decide to at all)

baseline recommendation is always "don't pay for pathologic 2". Ice-Pick Lodge is not financially struggling, 2's racist and misogynistic elements are more pervasive and widespread than the first game's, and the mainstream praise it receives (unduly) goes straight to dyb's reputation as a writer. honestly I would not recommend paying for patho1 either but it usually sells for $1, so if that's justifiable to you... in no particular order here's some things to have in mind:

"tl;dr just respect the kin" is a Google doc outlining some ways that anti-Indigenous beliefs show up in the fanbase, and touches slightly on racist aspects of the games, like the p1 butcher models

look through the patho1 character ages, and keep the large age gaps in all of the m/f relationships in mind (patho2 just doesn't have canon ages)

this patho1 mod gets rid of a pedophilic dialogue exchange, and removes dybowski's face from the player screen; highly recommend that desktop users install it

my #p2crit tag is mostly very informal complaints about the writing and mechanics of pathologic 2, but there are a few decent critical points in it (though also many game spoilers, so don't look through this first!)

one of those points is that the herb bride (and Eva's) model textures in p2 include their genitals, as like. a baseline for how the game regards women

also new fans should Really be aware that rubin was being adopted into the burakh family in patho1. a lot of people, willfully or unknowingly, post pseudo-incest of him with the haruspex; it's a gray area in p2, but foul with the original designs

and some resources re: dybowski:

turaform's regarding nikolay dybowski is a video summarizing the grooming allegations, and describing the events by which they became known to the western fanbase- it was made in april 2021 soon after the news became widespread, but to my knowledge remains the most thorough explanation

this post links to the document of tweets referenced (the version with identifying information removed)

this post cites part of an interview with dybowski (at ~32:00 in the video), about how attractive he finds a young-looking naked girl model from the making of The Void, IPL's game about naked girls

in the society of dead poets is another interview not directly related, but I think it's worthwhile background that dyb's great-grandfather married his great-grandmother, a chinese woman, when he was >60 and she was 20 (page 57)

from all that you'll see patterns in the franchise, especially a tendency towards "beautiful woman gets killed young" (the Feverish Feeling ARG, in between games, is also fundamentally this), and be able to make your own judgements about its treatment of the Kin. maybe it just won't be acceptable to you! a lot of people have left the fanbase from discomfort or frustration, and that's completely understandable. I only hold that it's more valuable for people who are comfortable engaging at all to discuss and circulate discussion of patho's harmful aspects than to let them be only praised as profound & perfect narratives in the public eye :~)

[essenceofblack]

(sighs, swallowing a twinge of nervousness) "First post... microphone is on. Blog is live.

Greetings. My name is Chip Revvington, former regional manager of C.O.G.S., Inc. After making several guest appearances on the Toonsday Kingdom ask blog, I wanted to continue practicing social interaction in a controlled setting, so my dear Dynamite suggested I open an 'ask blog' of my own. I've been sleeping on it, and as new as this is to me it turns out I quite like the idea, so... here I am.

I hope this will be a pleasant experience for all of us. Should you have any questions for me, do keep things civil. ... I've been through enough already.

Other than that, I look forward to speaking with whoever it may concern."

// Admin: Hey y'all, welcome to my VERY OWN Chip Revvington askblog!!! For now it's just him on here, but I may add other canon characters (my interpretations of them, anyway) who want to talk to y'all too :-)

Some ground notes and rules:

This blog is proship safe! If that bothers you, go on and leave.

NSFW asks will only be answered from those I know and trust.

My portrayal of Chip is very headcanon-heavy, especially around 1) his mental health and 2) the nature and origin of the Override, so bear with me. Please don't correct anything that doesn't match up with canon here.

Speaking of non-canon stuff, my Chip - the one you'll be interacting with on this blog - belongs to my Corporate Clash canonverse. It's quite the AU ^^; Chip is one of several managers part of the Toonsday Kingdom, a covert collaborative effort between select Toons and Suits to put a true end to this war and to quiet each other's demons. Again, do not correct anything regarding AU lore, especially around managers associating with Toons.

If Chip is cold or standoffish to you, it's most likely not personal. He's doing his best to thaw the ice, though.

You can send asks in-character as anyone you want! Who you're playing as may affect how Chip answers you.

Chip is taken - specifically, in a closed polycule with Deputy Dynamite Sparkleberry (my OC) and my versions of the Major Player and Duck Shuffler - so he won't take kindly to outside flirting. I know, I know, we all have it hot for chainsaw!

I block liberally. Don't be shocked if you can't see me anymore.

Further housekeeping will be tagged as #about the blog.

Affiliated blogs and tags:

@ask-thetoonsdaykingdom — You can ask Dynamite, and his friends, questions here! Part of the same universe as this blog; as well, the Chip who's made guest spots there is the same one you'll be talking to here.

Aight, with all that out of the way, let's get the chainsaw revving! (In a good way. Hope that was funny lol)

[reblogging4thewin]

KP's 2022 SPN Year in Review

Soooo much happened in my life in 2022 (well from end 2021 though 2022 really). I am so grateful for the friends both online and off who helped me get through it all 💜. I found myself focusing more on art and editing than writing - but I am really excited to share my Pinefest fic with you all in February!

The #1 creation I'm most proud of this year was my Haze Amv, but I am also blown away by how much my Me and My Broken Heart Amv took off - ending the year with almost 20k views - which is in-sane. Setting and sticking to a regular upload schedule has been motivating and rewarding - I'm excited to post January's video on Thursday too :).

Participating as an artist in a couple of bangs for the first time had me stepping out of my comfort zone and drawing the best human being I've ever drawn to-date.

Aside from making things, I also co-modded the new SPN Bang Bang with my friends @doctorprofessorsong and @you-cant-spell-subtext-without, which went wonderfully well; I"m excited for this year's round!

Last but not least, being an editor and guest for @endofthebookpod has been amazing so far, and I'm excited for the rest of The Winchesters season!

Without further ado, here's a recap of all of the SPN fanworks I made in 2022 (I'll also get my masterlist pages updated to include these):

---

Fic (all G or T rated):

Did You Mean It? - PB Exchange - Cas realizes Dean's been flirting with him, so he confronts him - with some satisfying results. (reblog link)

The Theme is Dean - Dean birthday - Dean gets the themed party he's always wanted. (reblog link)

I'm the One He's Walking to - Valentine's Exchange - Is this a date? (reblog link)

Sleepy Stares - they are just so soft (reblog link)

You Never Let Me Say It Back - a poem by Dean (I am particularly proud of the wordplay in this one) (reblog link)

Regarding Bunnies - Easter; goofy Dean - Cas gets Dean a fluffy surprise, that yes they've discussed before. (reblog link)

Mon Pays Sera Toi - Dean really likes how protective Cas can be - it makes him feel safe, among other things. (reblog link)

Magic - Samwena drabble (tumblr only)

Rendevous - Drowley drabble (tumblr only)

What if Dean kissed Cas in The Trap? (tumblr only; in the tags)

---

Amvs (I'm posting a new one every 5th now - YT channel):

Words Words Words - Dean Winchester - Comedy (YT link)

Squirrel all the Bad Guys Want - Dean Winchester, Drowley - Comedy (YT link)

When You Were Young - Dean Winchester, Destiel - Drama (YT link)

Haze - BAMF Cas, Destiel - Drama (YT link)

Dream Boy - Destiel - fun (YT link)

Me and My Broken Heart - Destiel - Drama (YT link)

The Shipped Gold Standard - Destiel - Drama (YT link)

Don't Let the Light go Out - Destiel - Drama - got (c) blocked on YT, so the Tumblr post has the original audio and the YT version has pitched concert audio that you can kind of hear me in 😳 (YT link)

---

Gifs:

LGBTQIA+ SPN Characters

Aang and Cas entrance parallels

That pose from OTHOAP (which I like to think of as honk.jpg)

The totally-not-suggestive way that Cas eyes Dean in 5*02

500 Days of Winchesters - Spn Win / 500 Days of Summer Crossover - Suptober

---

Art:

Dean/Cas/Benny drawing for Spn Bang Bang (Benny here is the best human being I've drawn to-date, and the reason I can no longer say that I can't draw people.)

Juliet the Hellhound drawings for Crowley Big Bang

Smoke - Drowley digital drawing - Suptober

---

Meta and meta additions:

The Winchesters initial thoughts

The Winchesters John meta (with gifs)

Rowena is Sam's Benny

SPN Witches' immortality and humanity

See #spn meta in the tags for more thoughts too

---

Misc nonsense (non-serious ramblings, sketches, ideas):

Do you wanna go/ do you wanna get out of here

Putting on a tie is such a turn-on apparently

I'll just wait here then Destiel and Merthur parallel (I could go with you is also one but yeah)

A silly little amongus/SPN crossover sketch I might come back to and draw for real.

Sarah Blake references from 8*22 Clip Show

Unusual reactions to 'I love you'

---

Non-spn stuff:

Sure this is an SPN year in review, but I did make a handful of other things that I thought it'd be weird to leave out.

Soldier Boy Soulja Boy Amv - (YT link)

Dreamling Dream Amv - (YT link)

Merthur She's got Sorcery Amv - (YT link)

Puppet History Can't Touch This Amv - (YT link)

A Solid Foundation - original sapphic horror story (Reddit link)

---

Last year's year in review post was more of a 'here's one fave; check out the pages I made that are a complete list.' But since blog subpages are hidden in the app, I figured I'd do a complete list in the post this year instead.

I plan on doing more writing in 2023 - Pinefest is only the beginning.

Happy new year everyone!

Since tumblr tags suck, I used this Tumblr OP finder to help me put this together.

[mutatiio]

sup!! welcome to mutatiio!!

this is a selective and mutuals only multi-muse (featuring star wars characters). canon divergent and headcanon based.

affiliated with : @mayxthexforce / @rottingkiss / @badgebroken / @jeditrash / @misfittcd

activity : low main : darth maul and anakin skywalker secondary : bode akuna request only : dryden vos

discord is available for mutuals.

written by break ( 25 | non-binary | they/them )

carrd.    ©. rules under the cut.

portrayal. this blog is heavily headcanon based. my interpretations for maul and anakin come largely from legends with a mix of current canon stuff. i have made a relationship section for my muses to hopefully make this a little easier. if you ever have any questions then feel free to ask. i know everything makes sense in my head, but due to books/movies/shows having vastly different characterisations, i know it can be confusing.

plotting. i love plotting. if you ever have any ideas at all please send them to me and i will do the same for you. however, sometimes unplotted things for a first interaction can be very nice and a natural way to see how our muses mesh together. format i default to the style of my current writing partner. if you don’t have icons then i won’t use icons. if you do, i will. i’m not too fussed about it.

sequels. i don’t like the sequels. more than happy to write with the characters in some capacity, but things gotta shift around a bit. i deeply dislike reylo so i won’t be following if i see that you’re posting it on the dash a lot.

shipping. i ship chemistry. just because i ship my character with one version of a character doesn’t mean i’ll ship them with every version. do not follow me if you ship: incest, padawan x master (even if it's an au where they're not - i feel the same way about this as i would aging up a character just to ship), clone x clone, underage characters with adults. maul is awkward. shipping is not at all a priority that i have for him. however, i do ship obimaul. feel free to either block my tag for it or not follow at all. anidala is not my preferred anakin ship and i likely will not be writing it unless it develops very naturally. bode is difficult to ship with since he is still very much in love with his deceased wife. dryden is difficult just as a person generally.

duplicates. i will not be following anyone back who writes maul or anakin. this is for my own comfort and has nothing to do with anyone else. so if i have not followed you back and you write either of them, that's why. some exceptions apply.

tagging. i will be tagging obvious triggers. as a warning, due to the nature of the characters i write, there will be mentions of abuse, childhood trauma, slavery and murder. i will be reading mutuals rules and trying to tag everything. please let me know if i make a mistake!! anything suggestive will be tagged as ‘tw suggestive’ or ‘nsft’. i would appreciate seizure mentions being tagged.

mains/exclusives. i am happy to do mains should we interact a lot. this mostly means that my first ideas for the characters we write together will go to you before anyone else. asks i get sent in relation to your character(s) are likely to be answered in regards to the verses that we have plotted. exclusives are going to be very rare as i do not wish to cut myself off from anyone. exclusives are for people i write/plot with a lot. i will only be interacting with your version of the character. should the blog go inactive, exclusives will be removed. i will not be writing with any obi-wan other than mayxthexforce - i will not follow single-blogs of obi-wan, but may follow back if he's on a multimuse.

anakin. i am not at all interested in writing anakin during his time as darth vader. therefore, my anakin will be au based. everything up until his fall is the same. everything surrounding the fall will change according to the verse i'm writing in.

oc's. i’m extremely oc and crossover friendly. i am always open to any original characters or crossovers. however, please don't assume relationships. i have no interest in oc siblings or oc children of any of my muses unless discussed. also, i have no interest in oc's who are just married to a canon character by default. please don't come to me and tell me something like maul wants to kill my muse because they're married to obi-wan.

dni. do not come near me if you are ableist, aphobic, homophobic, racist or transphobic. if you ship obikin or anisoka then begone. if you write any content relating to j.k. rowling (including aus).

[thetantiger]

Scar's Toyhouse page - Update

Here's the copy-pasted version of the ticket I just sent to Toyhouse. This is my third ticket, mind you.

"Hello. So about two weeks ago or even more now I received a site notice saying my character Scar's page had been privated due to his similarities to the Lion King's Scar. While it's true this character started as an inside joke and occassionally broke out into "be prepared" during rp or whatever, he has evolved as a character since then and has had many develops to the point the only things I even use from the original source material are names. Scar is named, well, Scar, and members of his family are named after TLK's characters-- Mufasa, Zira, etc. However, he is not meant to be an AU or anything of the sort. He has become his own thing that is only vaguely a reference anymore. I submitted my first ticket on this and was instructed to update his character page according to these things, so I did. I gave him and entirely fleshed out bio, I removed a drawing of him next to TLK's Scar, I removed any Lion King tags, I added his last name, etc etc. I did all of this and then submitted a second ticket only for him to be misinterpreted as an AU of TLK's Scar and was told to reply if I had any questions. I absolutely had, because his page still had not been republicized with absolutely zero explanation, considering I had done everything that was asked of me. (Changing his name entirely was also suggested but I'm not going to do that. This character has been known by the name of Scar for a couple years now. Again, his last name, Hudson, has been added to his character page.) However, I was never replied back to after a full week. I literally just got back from my honeymoon and am honestly disappointed with the unprofessionalism and inconsistency regarding what I can do to republicize his page. If there is literally anything else I can do I expect a full-fledged response in addition to a commitment to respond further if needbe instead of just "reply if you have questions!" and then never answering those questions. I'm frustrated at this point I'm about to just honestly copy-paste his character page and repost it as a different one, but I by no means wanna piss anyone off. It's just upsetting that I've been ignored by this site's help system for weeks now. Please help me to figure out what I'm supposed to do in this situation, or review previous decisions. Thank you."

I'm so fucking done with this situation jesus christ.

[iviarellereads]

Full TLT series to date thoughts on rereading Harrow the Ninth, chapters 50-Epilogue

A probably semi-regular weekly bonus to my reread blog, since sometimes you realize things on reread that just make you need to yell in a full spoiler space.

The whole unraveling of Dios Apate, Major in 50 is beautifully played out.

Frustrating that I have to label that chapter as "Gideon the First" in my character tags, though, because the Pyrrha reveal doesn't come til a bit later.

But, grabbing the sunglasses. She has to hide her eyes, G1deon's long-thought-lost eyes. I think she knows, at this point, that Gideon is in Harrow's body. Especially at the sight of the gold eyes when she takes the sunglasses. I wonder if she felt a moment of surprise before she played her part in the unwinding of the story. I wonder if she wanted to get to know Gideon, her best friend's namesake, the daughter she could never have of her own, the child who could have been from her other-half's seed. I just love her so much even though she started out as a cop (if John's pieces are to be believed) and I love her making this little moment of connection with Gideon. ;~;

All my questions in the footnotes of my chapter 51 post about how can the Lyctors know about John's power draw go double in this full-spoiler space. I'd love to get my hands on whatever notes may exist on this subject… or about the whole series honestly, but let's not get too ambitious all at once.

Seeing John talk about the Resurrection era with the chaos crew gives me big feelings like… I don't think I believe that John's dream-version in Nona is 100% truth, but I feel like Alecto's book is going to contextualize that versus all of this, everything all together. There's too much about John's existence and relationships with his empire for this not to be an important part of the unraveling process. And I can't wait to reread chapter 51 in particular after reading Alecto.

But Mercy suggesting that John erase her memory with brain surgery… oh honey, he's got better tricks than all that. I'm still convinced he's done it so many times. Something about the interaction with August, just before this, maybe it's just me projecting my expectations and theories but it really reads to me like John knows August doesn't remember, can't remember what he would have said or done before the Resurrection. If John's accounting in Nona is true, then why wouldn't he want his friends to remember? He can tamper with their memories, why couldn't he leave them all intact?

(I still think this supports my multiple resurrections until he got the result (closest to what) he wanted.)

So, John tells us in 52 when he reforms himself from the dust that Dominicus stabilizes with him and there's a chance Sixth got hit badly by a solar flare. I'm still curious how his connection with Dominicus works if Alecto is "only" Earth.

Pyrrha swore loyalty to John as if she were G1deon… Will this come back on her in Alecto? I feel like John's exactly the sort to remember every detail when it comes to betrayal.

This feels like a good place to put my theory on what happened after Harrow 52 with regard to bodies. See, Gideon's body was with the BOE, we know this from As Yet Unsent. Nona, in Harrow's body, is with the BOE, but as we learn later in her book, Gideon's body was sent back to John somehow, or at least into the River where he could collect it again.

My theory is that Gideon's soul, in Harrow's body, was drawn to her own body. The River is everywhere and nowhere, travel through it is an accepted part of the universe of the story. So she dragged Pyrrha and Harrow's body up there, and then… something.

See, Cam/Pal and Pyrrha get real concerned about what's going to happen if Nona makes contact with Gideon's body when they find it again. What I think happened is that Gideon-in-Harrow touched Gideon's flesh-body, something happened (maybe an explosion, maybe a light, maybe just a small pop) and Gideon's body disappeared, along with (obviously) Gideon's soul, leaving behind Harrow's body, with the nascent Nona personality fragment of Alecto, and Pyrrha in G1deon's body, on BOE territory.

Gideon's body is harder to trace after this point, but I assume the pressure of contact with her body made her soul, still partially submerged in the River, drag her body in and merge with it again, leaving Harrow's body, already on the way out of the River, to pop out whole, with Pyrrha as well. I think Alecto's appearance might be Nona-Alecto asserting as Gideon's soul transfers back into her own body, and the resuscitation might be John, or Ianthe. I'm not 100% on what "the wrong voice twice over" could mean in this context unless it's John, as he's linked to Alecto.

Without being able to form mental images it's really hard for me to understand what the scene transition is in Harrow 53, if it's staying in a new, consciously constructed River bubble like Pal's or an actual movement from one place to another. I assume the coffin she ends up in here is the same one that the sneaky preview reading from Alecto featured her waking up in. I'm still curious how she was there and in dreams in Nona. Unless this was more "you're already in the River and nobody has established physics in the River therefore you can do whatever is narratively convenient" which I would honestly respect more than a half-assed explanation in the end.

Unless, this really is a big game of swap-the-bodies. If Gideon swaps back into her own body, and Harrow and Alecto end up swapped for the duration of Nona, since Harrow was present and conscious (somehow??) at the end of Nona. Hmm. This bears thinking about as I continue rereading.

[acourtofthought]

@rin-u-pos

In response to your tags:

Because this is actually a common concern in books where the one character loses their spouse and the spouse was a truly decent person.

The new love interest often struggles with wondering whether they can ever compare and after a death, the character tends to forget about the reasons how the one they lost wasn't always perfect, they end up seeing them as an idolized version of reality. Especially in this particular situation where I imagine Elain is already unsure whether Lucien wishes Jesminda had been his mate instead of her, where she wonders if Lucien wishes Jesminda were alive in place of their bond.

No, Lucien's love for Jesminda does not need to be tarnished and I have no doubt that Elain respects the love he had for her but I do think there will be some sort of realization on Lucien's part as to why Elain, not Jesminda was fated to be his greatest love (as is the case with these mating bonds).

I also think with maturity, we come to realize that our first love is not always the same kind of person we would have chosen as the person we choose to spend our adult lives with.

Lucien truly loved Jesminda in his youth and it doesn't tarnish what they had to come to the realization that maybe she wouldn't have been right for who he is now, who he would choose now.

My first love was a spectacular first love. Truly, I could not have imagined a better first boyfriend, first kiss, first everything.

But he went away to college after we were together two years and ended things (I was devastated), only to come back over the summer asking for another chance.

At that point, I was a different person and told him I thought it was the right decision that we had broken up.

Years later I met my husband and for as wonderful as my first love was, I'm so much happier with who I am now and who I'm with now than who I was back then.

I can still speak back on my first relationship as being a wonderful experience but I don't find it necessary to hold it on a pedestal, glorifying him as a human. I can acknowledge that it was special for what it was and admit he was a great guy while also realizing that I probably would not have been with him had I met him later in life.

That's all I was suggesting with my post. That who Lucien loved in his youth (because he was centuries younger at the time) is not who was going to be right for him in his adulthood and I think that's something he may come to realize when sorting through his very complicated emotions and the guilt he's felt in regards to Jesminda and Elain.

SJM did not destroy Lyria's character or Rowans love for her while still being able to convince the reader why Aelin was always fated to be his so I'm not worried she'll destroy Jesminda's character. With that said, I believe SJM will want to write a story that shows that his love for Elain did not come about simply by default of Jesminda's death.

I have no doubt that Lucien loved Jesminda with his entire heart. But in romance books, the author does typically want to write the endgame pairing in a way that lets readers know that their story is the ultimate love, something that could not have even been topped by a characters first love. I sometimes think on how SJM will go about convincing both Elain and the readers that Elain is his soulmate and not only because they share a bond but because of who Elain is as an individual and why she as an individual is everything he could want, why even if Jesminda were alive he would still choose Elain (something I do think Elain might have fears over). It's easy to see why Graysen was never going to be right for Elain, the red flags were already included in ACOMAF for us but Jesminda is on a pedestal for us, her death truly seems a tragedy for Lucien. However........ "She had teased him taunted him - seduced him so thoroughly that he hadn't wanted anything but her."

"She had chosen him."

I wonder if there is something in those lines because Lucien spent his youth being tormented by both his father and his brothers, he was clearly unwanted by 7/8th of the people around him and the one who loved him (the LoA) did not seem to have enough agency to prevent what was done to him. Lucien loved Jesminda, no doubt, but is she who he would have chosen for himself? We aren't given hints that he was initially drawn to her, we're told she was drawn to him. Was he overwhelmed by the fact that someone made him their priority, that they wanted him and him alone when he had spent so much time being unwanted and that is why he dove into their relationship with his whole heart? Jesminda was his escape from a terrible life and I can understand why he put his everything into it, she would have been the brightest light in the darkness. He would have been willing to leave everything behind for her, the court, his title, but that's because those things were his curse. Had he loved his court, his family, his brothers, would he have still been willing to leave that all behind for a female who was too wild and free to remain trapped in a life with structure and expectation?

I realize it's important for Elain to choose Lucien but I think it's important for Lucien to also choose someone who hasn't made it easy for him. He did not have to put effort into Jesminda to win her heart, Jesminda made her intentions very clear and all Lucien had to do was say yes. He was able to easily find female companionship even after that (though it's evident he never opened himself up emotionally to any of them). So yeah, I think the Elucien stalemate is actually a good thing for Lucien because it shows that he longs for Elain even when she does not seem to be reaching out to him, is not chasing him. She is not his current escape from sadness, from loneliness and he's not clinging to her because it's the one good thing in his otherwise uncertain life. He still wants her despite the fact that she's part of the reason he is struggling (the hallmark of all epic love stories, am I right?). Lucien has suffered in his life, no doubt. But he has never suffered for a female to earn her love and that is the one thing that Elain can believe in if she's ever in doubt as to his desire to be with her. She is the one person who he wanted regardless of what she felt for him. She is the one person who he waited for, regardless of how long it took. She is the one female who didn't fall at his feet, making it easy for him which is proving to the reader that he would stand by her side through the highs and the lows and I hope we'll find that it's because of who Lucien has seen Elain to be and how she is exactly who he would have chosen for himself.

[sparguscityangel]

The Throne

Prompt suggest by the lovely @radioactivepeasant! <3 I’m a little rusty, I haven’t written anything in about a year or two so I’m still trying to get into my groove, though this prompt was too good to pass up!!! I’ll put some notes in the tags if you’re interesting in some of the thought process into this! Enjoy!

TW: brief and non-graphic panic attack, mentions of blood and body horror

Prompt: Underground post Jak 2 trying to make Jak take the throne?

The second the rift gate collapsed behind Samos and the Kid — Jak, how could he not have seen the resemblance? — Jak found himself standing in the Underground bunker flanked by almost everyone he knew. 

It sort of slipped out of him. The outlandish discovery that he spent the better part of three months protecting himself from the very people would would still get their devious hands on him later in life still rattled him deeply, and when he saw Torn and Ashelin’s panicked expression over the lack of Kid with them, it kinda came out all at once. For once, it was Jak who spilled the beans and not Daxter, who did a double take as soon as the words came out. Jak doesn’t even remember exactly what he said, and was somewhat grateful when Samos stepped in to explain the time travel bits. 

Somewhat grateful. He wished Daxter was with him, but he was also glad that his friend decided to hang back at the Hip Hog — now the Naughty Ottsel — in preparation for the celebration to mark the end of the metalhead war. Still, he really could use a friend right about now. Now he was standing under a swinging lightbulb while everyone regarded him differently. A sick part of him relished in the change of attitude towards him. They didn’t see him as the dangerous teenaged renegade, they saw him as the last of a royal bloodline. Their faces were painted in hues of disbelief and confusion, all masked by the stern expressions of a body of radicals deciding what to do with the problem at hand. 

Torn was the first to speak.

“You were the Kid this entire time,” 

“Looks like it,”

“So you’ve always been a huge pain in the ass, huh?” 

Ashelin hit Torn’s arm. The former KG flinched, though it was evident that she didn’t even hit him that hard. He still strunk back as Ashelin took control of the meeting. 

“Jak, we can’t begin to imagine what this city has put you through. It seems we’ve been messing up your entire life … Please know that this city owes you a debt of gratitude for helping us bring down my father’s regime and defeating Kor. You’re a true hero,” Ashelin said, her version of an apology falling to deaf ears. Messing up was an understatement, “That being said, we cannot afford to lose any time in rebuilding the city. We need a leader, Jak. The rightful leader,” 

The room fell in complete silence. The last statement hung in the air like a dead man, ever present and the only thing on everyone’s minds. Everyone’s, except Jak’s it seemed. “Wait. You’re not seriously suggesting I take the throne, are you?”

 It never occurred to him that this was the absolute best case scenario. He was too young before, barely four and far too naive in the ways of life, much less in ruling an entire city. Even if he did take the throne at that age, he still would’ve needed someone to oversee the operations of the city until he became of age. This, however, was a gift falling into the lap of the Underground. The rightful heir to the throne was old enough to make decisions regarding the well-being of the city. 

Precursors, they wanted to put his ass on the throne before putting his ass in therapy. 

Jak shook his head, hunching his shoulders in on himself. He was about to say something when Samos interjected. “He hasn’t reached his eighteenth year yet! There’s a right way to go about things like this—”

“He’s already been through the Trials, Samos, he’s more than ready to take the throne,”

“Just barely! Even the Precursors didn’t want to let him complete the Trials because he was too young even in this form. It was a matter of grave importance, but that doesn’t mean we can disregard tradition,”

“Tradition?” Ashelin hissed, her jaw tightening. “I think tradition went out the window the day when his father abandoned the throne,”

Jak went stiff. Everyone always talked about his older ancestor, but no one had even thought to mention his parents. Suddenly, new questions were racing through his head. Was his parents even still alive? Or were they just two more bodies added to the casualties of war? Would the city want to be ruled by the son of a man who abandoned his people in the middle of an invasion? What exactly were the sins he was inheriting by even just being descended from him? He looked down at his hands, slipping off a glove to stare at the knitted veins under his wrist. 

The eco pulsed within him. If he looks close enough, he can see the faint purple tint under his skin. If his skin was paler, he could probably see the eco flowing through him, speeding up his heart rate and making everything seem all more intense. He felt his wrist and hand. Dark skin forever marked with an angry coil of waxy scars, bones that never healed just right and used to slip out of sockets in the first few weeks of his imprisonment. He mapped out the shape of his fingers, his nail beds, lines in his palms. Despite it all, he was still flesh and bone. His skin was colder to the touch, but there was still mass there. He was alive, he was here, and he was someone’s son. Someone, somewhere, five years ago gave birth to him and held him like he was the most precious thing in the world. Five years ago, a couple looked at him and pictured the day he would claim the throne to continue on their legacy. 

Faintly, he wondered if he could find a news article of his birth. Would there be a record of Haven’s prince being born? Or were they lost when the new barrier was established? Did any evidence of the deserting king still even exist? 

He doubts it. People weren’t even sure he was the son of the ruler until the amulet around his neck offered them a clue. No one bothered to give him any history lessons on the Kid’s background, but if Jak were to wage a guess, he doesn’t think anyone wanted to remember the king that left them to die in a war this brutal. 

Ashelin and Samos were still arguing about tradition. Torn would just come in once in a while to defend his friend, but even Jak can tell he wasn’t going to get a word in edgewise. He was too preoccupied watching the way his body operated, pinching at his wrist to watch the purple hue grab brighter. Defending itself, almost, from an outside attacker. If it wasn’t for the countless times he’s been injured on a mission, Jak would be convinced his blood was just eco and black sludge that would pour out of him. He almost wished it was. Jak couldn’t be from an ancient bloodline if he didn’t even have any blood to begin with.  

He couldn’t stop himself. The first chuckle came out like a huff of breath, then before he knew it, he was laughing hard. His entire body shook with the force of his laughs, but he couldn’t stop it now that it started. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his stomach was protesting with cramps, but all Jak could do was laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. 

 Once again, everyone was deciding his fate without ever asking him if this is what he wanted in the first place. Just like how they decided he would go to the past and be a hero before he was even old enough to tie his own shoes. Just like when the Krimzon Guard arrested him and decided he was going to make history as a glorified lab kangarat. His fate was in the hands of people who didn’t even know him and he couldn’t stop laughing. 

Torn and Ashelin silenced immediately, though Samos continued on his rant as if he didn’t notice the hysterical laughing coming from his right. Jak didn’t hear what he was saying, only his own laughing echoing in the bunker. “And what’s so funny!? This isn’t a game, Jak! Lives are at stake here!” When Jak didn’t answer, Samos was about to continue when Ashelin shook her head at him. Then the sage turned his concern to the blonde. 

“Jak?” he said softly, laying a hand on a shaking shoulder, “Are you feeling alright, my boy?”

All Jak could do was shake his head, the tears falling faster down his cheeks. The laughs quickly turned painful, and he knew he was going to throw up soon if he didn’t stop, but nothing could stop him now. His fingers tried to thread themselves in his hair, but the goggles got in the way, so he flung them off without a moment's hesitation. The absence let his hair fall forward, tickling his cheeks and jaw for only a moment before he was gripped at the strands from the roots. A finger bumped into the mass of tissue under his hair, and that’s when the laughter finally stopped. 

He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. The world was starting to go fuzzy around the edges, and he felt like his heart was going to jackhammer out of his chest. He gripped his hair even tighter. He hoped the pinpricks of pain would ground him a little better, but without Daxter by his side to do the talking for him, the demons he tried to lock away were back to nipping at his heels. 

And he was so tired of running. 

“I can’t,” he whispered hoarsely, shaking and pushing the words out past the lump in his throat, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. They all hate me a-and I don’t know the first thing about being a … a king. I can’t even take care of myself, I can’t …. I can’t, Ashelin,” The light casted harsh shadows on Ashelin and Torn’s faces. Every line of disappointment cut through him like glass, leaving him in tathers and ribbons on the floor. The part of him that smelt like salt water and felt like the sun screamed at him to say something, anything to make them happy, but that part of him was mute. The only version of himself that could articulate anything is the part of him that was still locked in Cell B, whispering to itself as it broke fingernails trying to claw away at the bricks of its enclosure. “There …” he swallowed thickly, “There has to be another way. Someone else who can … w-who can take the th-throne. Ashelin, you—”

Lips pursed, the red headed woman cut him off. “I want nothing to do with my father’s legacy. One Praxis on the throne was bad enough, this city doesn’t need another. It needs someone from the House of Mar,”

Jak shook his head. To anyone else, it would seem like a denouncement of the family. A proclamation that he rejected his own birthright. To him, it was a declaration that it was everyone else that denounced him. “I can’t,” 

Ashelin sighed. Jak felt like he was going to be sick. The thought of having to stand before the city and announce his ascension to the throne, of having their lives rest on his shoulders more than they already had been, made his stomach flip unceremoniously. Bile and spit accumulated in his mouth, though whatever dignity remained made him swallow it back down. He was already tethering on a complete breakdown, he didn’t need to add throwing up all over himself to his list of humiliation. “As the Baron’s heir, I’ve made my decision. You are to take the throne. That’s final,”

The hysteria quickly bled into anger, and Jak latched onto it like a lifeline. He can deal with anger. It was a natural emotion to him, he knew how to navigate it well and he knew how to use it to defend himself. The sobs stopped just as abruptly as they started, leaving him with cheeks streaked with dried tears and a curled lip. 

“You really think they’re going to just accept the dark eco freak as a king? They spent months trying to collect a reward on my head! They’ll call bullshit on it from a mile away,”

“The public opinion has nothing to do with you now,” Ashelin shot back, “What’s important now is getting you on the throne. There’s a power vacuum right now, and I’ve heard talks of other members of the cabinet trying to beat us to the punch. It’s imperative we get someone unrelated to my father’s rule on the throne,”

“I don’t know the first thing about ruling a city!”

“You’ll learn!”

“People will revolt before that happens!” Jak cried out, slamming his fist on the table. It left a crack. “Or I could just abandon it, like my father did. It seems like he had the right idea,”

“Your father—!” Ashelin cut herself off, closing her mouth with an audible click of her teeth. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. After a few moments, she opened them again and continued, “That doesn’t matter now. That happened long before you — little you — were born. He abandoned his claim to the throne, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fill in for him,”

Jak scoffed. He was out of here. Call him a coward, but he wasn’t going to stand in this tin of a room and allow them to dictate his life more than they already have. He needed some air. Turning to leave, the teen was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. It was shrugged off, but the hand only gripped him higher on his neck. Samos was too short to reach him up there. 

Torn waited for Jak to turn back around, dropping the hand down once he did. Wordlessly, Torn ran his fist over his chest in tight circles, breathing in and out for every complete rotation. He nodded at him, and Jak shakily brought his own hand up to mimic the movement. One circle, breathe in. Another circle, breathe out. The pattern was consistent, and despite the initial discomfort of feeling the raised coiled scars under his tunic, Jak continued to rub his chest until the panic subsided into something more manageable. Once satisfied, Torn patted his back. 

“I’m on Jak’s side, Ash. We’ve already asked too much of him thus far, we can’t expect him to fix all our problems,”

“Torn!” 

“As much as it makes our predicament harder, I’m also inclined to agree,” Samos sighed, shaking his head somberly, “I trained him to be a hero, but I forgot to teach him the makings of a good leader,” 

Jak felt like he should be offended by that, but the relief of having the majority vote on his side outweighed whatever criticisms were directed at him. Ashelin deflated considerably, pinching the bridge of her nose as she spoke, “Fine. If you’ve got any other suggestions, I would love to hear it because where I’m standing, Jak taking the throne will be our best bet,”

Torn rubbed his chin. Finally, he spoke. “The coronation ceremony usually takes place on the heir’s eighteenth birthday, right?” When Ashelin nodded, he continued, “That gives us, what, a year? I bet you can teach him a thing or two about governing a city until then. He’s no genius, but he’s got something between those ears,” 

A year. Jak can do a year. A year was a long time, and he’s a very fast learner. The idea of being a king still pulled on his insides heavily, the responsibility almost suffocating him once more, but who knows. Maybe with Ashelin’s teachings, the pressure will lift considerably if he knew what to do. He can appoint Daxter and Ashelin as royal advisors, right? It’s not like they’re going anywhere, plus it would give him time to get ready to mentally prepare. He nodded at Torn’s suggestion. 

Asheline still didn’t look too convinced, breathing in deeply before exhaling from her nose. Her boot tapped on the floor in tantum with her nails on the table, body tensed and taunt. Then, she sighed. “Okay. I’ll take over as interim ruler, Jak can shadow me until his birthday, and then we’ll announce his coronation,” she pointed an accusatory finger at him, “But you’ll be moving into the palace. I need you where I can keep my eye on you,”

Jak smiled. “Deal,” 

He can do a year. It’s not like the palace was going anywhere. 

[pyjamacryptid]

#don’t hide these golden tags#I would love to be info dumped upon in regards to Arthurian legend and names because I too have an interest in both 👀#bbc Merlin (via @loreylia) Hi hello the screenshot in the reblog above are my tags! I was rather flattered lol but got distracted, forgot about it (thank you adhd), and randomly - for no reason at all - remembered this and so here I am at 10pm on a Sunday night with 30 tabs open to double-check my own claims, so I can talk all your ears off about my niche interests. I hesitated on whether to add to this post or make my own, as I didn't want to hijack OP's post any further, but I thought the context of how this discussion came about would be interesting and helpful! (Sorry OP, I hope this is cool with you). By the way, OP did reblog with further name additions according to suggestions.

Disclaimer before I begin: I'm not an expert in any of these topics, I only find them extremely interesting. Also, I don't claim any of these to be hard cold facts, especially since this is arthuriana we're talking about and there are many different iterations and interpretations and theories, especially with regard to what Geoffrey of Monmouth took inspiration from, debates on what was embellished fact and what was fable. Yadda Yadda. Ok, you got that? You with me? Awesome!

What's The Deal With Merlin's Name?

Merlin, as we know him today - the old wizard, advisor to King Arthur, and known throughout pop culture with his many iterations - is thanks to Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey of Monmouth was an Anglo-Norman cleric and historian who compiled a History of the Kings of Britain in the 12th century, hundreds of years after King Arthur was said to have "lived" (which he very very very much did not [sorry], but it's theorised to be the 6th century, around the end of the Roman occupation of the British Isles and when the Saxons began to invade. Keep in mind; I am generalising SO MUCH because that's not the focus). Before this, Merlin had his own legends, folklore, beliefs, stories. His place in folklore is older than King Arthur's. And that version of Merlin is not precisely what modern culture knows him as. Geoffrey of Monmouth was inspired by two to three different "Merlins" that he mushed together. A smoothie of a man. Another way of looking at this, is that there were two main stages: pre-Geoffrey, aka the pre-Galfridian Welsh stage in which Merlin was known as a legendary prophet. And then the second stage; Geoffrey transforming Myrddin Wyllt into an internationally renowned wizard named Merlin who plays a crucial role in bringing about the conception of Arthur (he helps Uther out, instead of Nimueh, as we see in BBC Merlin.) So, let's discuss the name of Myrddin Wyllt, which I also mentioned in my tags when I reblogged OP's post. This version of his name is my personal favourite because it's the most Welsh. Most of Geoffrey's writings were inspired by Celtic - specifically Welsh - folklore, legends and history and I will continue to bring this up every time someone refers to King Arthur, Merlin, and Arthuriana at large as only English, no matter what. It had Welsh-inspired origins. ANYWAY Myrddin Wyllt was known as, in short, a Welsh warrior-bard that went mad after seeing his friends die in battle and lived the rest of his days as isolated as he could be in the forest; therefore, a wild man of the woods. Myrddin is a Welsh name meaning "sea fort" and Wyllt - which is more of an epithet - means "the Woods" or "the Wild". Therefore; Myrddin of the Woods/Myrddin of the Wild. This name, in itself, has several versions as well. Such as Merlinus Caledonensis (of Caledonia, the name of a forest in Scotland) and Merlin Sylvestris ("of the woods" in Latin). If you're interested, here's a recorded pronunciation for Myrddin Wyllt in Welsh. So, how did we get Merlin from Myrddin?

It's only the first name but here's my favourite fact ever about Merlin's name and it's about why he's called Merlin in the first place.

Seriously, I will try and bring this fact up whenever I can because it brings me so much stupid joy and is also a great ice breaker.

Geoffrey of Monmouth made his smoothie of a man and then set about naming him, and of course went with one of the names he already had, so as to make him recognisable. He chose Myrddin. However, he couldn't exactly leave the name as it was. He was an Anglo-Norman man writing a book of legends for his fellow non-Welsh people, and thus he had to latinise Myrddin.

However, writing Myrddin in Latin results in Merdinus. Now, if you speak a latin-based language, I bet you're already laughing. I really hope you are.

For everyone wanting me to just fucking get on with it already!!!! .. C'mere. No, come closer. Halve the name. Yeah, just halve it. Do it. You get "Merdi", don't you? Sounds rather a lot like "merde", doesn't it?

"Merde" in Anglo-Norman means "feces". (From the Latin "merda")

He'd named him Shitinus.

Can't have that. The other cleric historians would laugh at him. He'd be a laughing stock. He'd scandalise every elderly woman who could read. Or, if illiterate like most of the population at the time, listen to audio books (some guy orating in the town square).

So, big brain Geoffrey decided he'd switch out the D for an L. Thus Merlinus. Which, eventually, became Merlin.

This also means that; no, sorry but Merlin was not named after the bird. Yep, this bitch me is also into birds. A merlin is a type of kestrel (which is a small falcon). And as much as I adore the homonym, and as much as it is appropriate as Merlin himself is known as a shapeshifter in Arthuriana and loves to be a bird from time to time-- yeah sorry to burst your bubble. His name is not derived from the bird of the same name. It's a crab evolution situation (carcinisation).

Sorry, had to get that off my chest. ANYWAY. Time for the name Emrys. You see, Emrys is also a Welsh name, and it means "Immortal". (Now, connect that to BBC Merlin, and how fucking cool is that. You're called Immortal for a decade or more - maybe far more - of your life before you finally find out what it means and they tell you it means power, it means reverence, it means you stand alongside the sun in what keeps the world turning, but you just feel burdened, empty, tired, and like the mountain you stand on will erode away long before you feel peace.)

Wow where'd that come from. Anyway. Back on track.

I'm also OWO over this graph I found over it's popularity as a baby name and wow, yep, there are baby Emryses out there rn... Back on track back on track back on track back on tr--

In BBC Merlin, I feel like Emrys acts as a title and epithet more than anything, the name of his role as magic itself, what he truly is at his core. It belongs to Merlin and no one else. So, it always feels weird to me when - especially in modern fic - his mother is called Hunith Emrys. I mean, it's cool, it's just that my nerd-brain with too much unnecessary knowledge short-circuits a little bit lol. This is because, as a surname, it means it's typically inherited from your ancestors - exceptions to the rule aside - and so it sort of removes the significance of the name (especially in the context of BBC Merlin, rather than Arthuriana as a whole).

Geoffrey also took Emrys. And he also latinised it. Boom, you get Ambrosius.

Add them together and you get Merlinus Ambrosius.

Emrys/Ambrosius was also the name of a British general/commander/warrior, also known as Ambrosius Aurelianus. Though recently it's apparently?? i think?? been suggested there were two men named Emrys, possibly father and son whose stories were conflated. Anyway, this figure is also part of the smoothie Geoffrey blended to make his Merlin. This figure is said to have led a Romanised Britain against the invading Saxons (and so it's also theorised Geoffrey took a bit of this for his inspiration for King Arthur), and also confronts Vortigern (Uther's father) about his jenga tower having a dragon problem, the same way you might say "yeah mate you got termites".

Ambrosius Aurelianus is also the name of Uther's brother who, in Geoffrey's accounts, led a Romano-British army against the invading Saxons. Wow, familiar. However, this man is not Merlin - in Arthuriana, that is - as they are two people existing at the same time within the legend.

There's far more I want to say but it's 2 minutes to midnight, I have an early start, and my single brain cell is tucking itself in. So. Final thoughts:

Merlin's possessed many names, many epithets, many selves that were blended by Geoffrey of Monmouth armed with a nutribullet, and he also has many stories from his multiple origins that can provide names, too.

Names, such as:

Wild/Wilde

Woods

maybe he tries out Forest/Forrest

Caledonia/Caledonensis

Sylvestris/Sylvester

Silverwood if you want to have something that's pretty subtle but still an homage.

Ambrose

If your Merlin's had many identities thanks to a thousand plus years of existence, I bet he's had some wild ones like Draig (meaning dragon in Welsh). I can also seem him taking on Hunithson for a few lifetimes here and there, in honour of his mother.

You could even do something like Applewood, which is less to do with a name Merlin's been called and more to do with one of Myrddin Wyllt's most well-known legends (in short; after he went mad and ran into the woods, he took a rest in a crabapple orchard, bit into an apple and could now prophesise the future. Typical tuesday.)

Apples were considered to have great significance in celtic lore. How much significance do you ask? Well. Avalon means the Isle of Apples. That's how much significance lmao

I seriously could talk myself in circles about this forever, but I think I'll end this long-winded infodump here. I very much wanted to further infodump about some wild shit Myrddin Wyllt did and Lailoken and demon baby Merlin and and and-- but I tried my best to keep it to the names only, or this post would be longer than it is already.

If you want to know more, or have any questions, feel free to come say hi! I love talking about this stuff! And if you have anything to add, go for it!

In the meantime, thanks for reading! ---

EDIT: I corrected my Latin. I said "merde" was Latin for feces, when actually "merde" is Anglo-Norman for feces, which comes from "merda", the actual Latin word for feces. Oops. When I first typed that, I thought it wasn't quite right lol. In my defence, I did write this near-midnight lmaoooo. I also want to expand on the bit about the Merlin, the bird: the bird's name is derived from the Old French esmerillon via the Anglo-Norman merilun or meriliun. Despite the similarity, and the argument that Geoffrey of Monmouth was Anglo-Norman so there's a possibility; yeah nah. The bird was not named after Merlin and Merlin was not named after the bird. However, the homonym is VERY cool and allows for a lot of fun symbolism.

Choosing Merlin’s full name for your modern au fic alignment chart

(insp)

[misslilli]

Whelp, with yesterday we're back at school. Teaching first grade is hard, man 😂 Thank you guys, again, for going on this adventure with me :)

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 17 - The Mulder Boys's Birthday Bash

[ DS ]

The Saturday of the Mulder Boys’s Birthday Bash, I find myself standing in front of my closet with the girls, frowning at my selection of dresses. “What about this one?” Holly fingers a yellow sundress.

“Nah, it’s pretty but she looks like she’s going to church in that one.” Sarah tugs on a dress with a daisy print on it.

“Are you joking? That one’s even more Virgin Mary than the yellow one!”

Alex reaches into my closet and pulls out a navy two-piece dress I bought on a whim a few years back, but have never worn since then. “How about this one?”

“A, that’s perfect! It’s classy, yet sexy, just what we’re going for!” Sarah shoves me towards my bathroom. “Go try it on, D! And wear those nude heels with it.” I take the dress out of Alex’s arms and the shoes from Sarah and change into the outfit quickly. The straps drape across my arms just below my shoulders and it’s low cut just enough for my comfort. My cross necklace gleams against my skin and I decide to keep it on for tonight. Since it’s a two-piece, there’s just a sliver of skin visible between the top and the skirt, which flares out and swishes around my knees.

Slipping on my heels I step outside and the girls gasp in unison. “Yes, that’s the one! How does it feel D?” Holly pulls me over and I twirl in front of the full-length mirror, smiling as the skirt billows out around my legs.

“It’s beautiful, I love it. Thanks, girls!”

“The Mulder boys won’t know what hit ‘em when you show up wearing that!” Sarah winks at me suggestively and I roll my eyes at her.

“You know exactly that that’s not why I’m wearing it!”

Now it’s Sarah’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yeah sure, just keep telling yourself that…”

“Come on guys, we’re already unfashionably late. I’ll just call us a cab, are you ready?”

I grab a shawl against the cold and my purse before we make our way downstairs to wait for the cab. When we arrive at the house, we can already hear faint party noises from the backyard and my heart’s beating hard against my chest when we walk up the front walkway to ring the doorbell. My gaze wanders around the front of the house, the glass veranda on the right catching my eye. It’s completely different from our beach house, but it’s beautiful all the same.

The door opens to reveal Principal Skinner with a glass of whiskey in his hand and he holds the door open for us. “Hello ladies, come on in! You look extraordinarily beautiful tonight! Follow me, the party’s out back in the yard.”

He leads us through the house and I notice that it’s got polished hardwood floors and is furnished with antiques, giving it a cozy feel. We walk past the glass veranda which houses the dining room on the right and the living room with a massive couch to the left, which opens into the kitchen. The wooden staircase to the first floor is tucked away in the back. Skinner points us to the bathroom as we walk past it before we step outside onto the back porch and my breath catches in my chest.

They really went all out on this party, there’s string lights twinkling all around the hedge and in the trees, catered food and a bar in one corner, round tables in the middle and a massive dancefloor with a DJ in the other corner. Holly whistles through her teeth. “Man, they sure know how to live it up. Why are our parties never this nice? Jesus, I think they invited half the town for this.”

“Well, that’s on me I guess, they don’t know many people around here yet so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to make new acquaintances,” Principal Skinner admits but I’m only half listening because my eyes are too busy scanning the crowd. Sarah nudges my hip and tilts her head over to the bar and I’m embarrassed that she knows exactly who I was looking for. There he is, deep in conversation with Skinner’s wife, laughing at something she said.

He’s wearing a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt and a crimson tie and while the sight of him in a plain t-shirt with jeans are enough to make my heart skip a beat, him in that suit is going to give me a heart attack.

“Would you look at that D, you color coordinated, matchsiiiesss.” Holly whispers in my ear and I give her a pointed look.

“Shut up, Holly!” I hiss at her.

Just then, he looks over at us standing on the elevated porch and I can practically feel the slight burn his eyes leave as they travel up and down my body, giving me the once over. I hope he has a defibrillator. He flashes us a smile and raises his hand in a small wave, then continues his conversation with Arlene Skinner.

“Come on, girls, let’s put the presents on the gift table and get something to eat and drink.” ‘Eat, drink and be merry for today you may die.’

At the bar we sidestep the wine for now, since we haven’t eaten yet and I don’t want to embarrass myself by getting tipsy and stumbling over my heels. With my luck, I’ll just faceplant at a certain someone’s feet. ‘Huh, maybe he’ll catch me in those strong arms of his, though, if you’re really lucky…‘

When he spots our little circle, Felix comes over to us wearing a boy version of his dad’s suit, only with short dress pants and sneakers better suited for running around with the other kids. He’s tugging a tall woman along, with wavy brown hair and a kind face that seems somewhat familiar, but I’m not sure where to place her. His face is flushed and he beams at us happily.

“You came!”

“Of course we came, happy birthday Felix!” Sarah raises her glass to him and we all chime in with our Happy birthdays. The woman he came over with also raises her glass and ruffles his hair affectionately.

“This is my teacher Miss Anderson, and Miss Carter and Miss Spencer and Miss Scully,” he introduces us while the woman takes her turn shaking our hands. She regards me curiously and her lips curve into a smile.

“I’m Sam, Fox’s sister and Felix’s favorite aunt!” His sister, that’s why her face seemed so familiar. “So you’re the enigmatic Miss Scully I’ve heard so much about. It’s so nice to finally meet you!” She notices the surprised look on my face. “Only good things, I promise. Felix won’t shut up about you when we talk on the phone.” I laugh, mostly because of the exasperated look Felix gives his aunt at revealing his secret.

“Glad to hear it, we’re having a lot of fun with him during recess! Nice to meet you, Sam. I really like your dress, did you get it around here?”

“Thanks, but no, I got it back in LA, I’m only visiting for a couple of days, I just couldn’t miss my two handsome boys’s birthday bash!”

“Handsome, huh? You spoil me sis!” Her brother has snuck up behind her, throwing his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side and planting a kiss on her cheek. “Hi ladies, thanks for coming, you look very lovely today!” We raise our glasses to him as well, wishing him a happy birthday and my drink spills over a little in my shaky hand. I pray that no one notices.

“Sam I’m so sorry to drag you away, but can you help me out and check if everything’s alright with the caterers?” They excuse themselves and we decide it’s time for us to check out what said caterers have prepared, our stomachs already rumbling. Hopefully, the butterflies in my stomach will make room.

----------

[ Sam ]

After checking with the caterers inside, I return to the party, standing on the back porch to watch everyone have a good time and I’m secretly a little proud of myself. Planning the party from all the way across the country had been stressful to say the least, but it turned out great. My gaze wanders around the tables and it catches on the tiny red-head and her three friends, who seem to be having a great time, laughing and chatting at their table.

I’ve heard many stories from Felix over the last few weeks but what surprised me the most was the way my brother looks at her. When I saw the way his whole face lit up when she walked in, I realized that Felix was not the only one taken with Miss Scully. She’s not his usual type - not that she’s not pretty, she is, very much so - but she’s actually nice. A vast improvement from the piece of work that’s his ex-wife, let me tell you. I wonder if he’s thought about asking her out yet.

----------

[ DS ]

After dinner, we’re treated to another visit from the little Mulder, who’s breathless from the game of tag with his friends. “Hey Felix! Are you having a good time?” He nods enthusiastically, trying hard to catch his breath.

“Yeah, auntie Sam did a really good job! I can’t wait for my cake, she said it’s really huuuge! And the DJ is playing aaaall my favorite songs, too!”

Suddenly shy, he shuffles his feet a bit and then, gathering all his courage, he looks up at me and holds out a tiny hand. “Miss Scully, will you dance with me?”

“Of course, birthday boy, come on.”

----------

[ Sam ]

Once I’m finished making another round of checking that everything’s running smoothly, I spot my brother standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching the party. Stopping on the last step, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my chin on his shoulder. “Great party, huh?”

“Yeah, you did a pretty good job sis. And Skinner’s managed to gather up quite a crowd. Almost everyone’s here tonight!”

“You know what I think? You’d be just as happy if it were only you and one other special guest here tonight.” He turns his head a little, frowning.

“What?” I motion my head to the woman who’s currently talking to Felix at her table. “Aah. Is it that obvious?” I snort derisively

“Are you kidding me, bro? I’ve known you all my life, I can see the hearts in your eyes from a mile down the road. Have you asked her out yet?”

“No… I’m so nervous around her I can barely string more than a few coherent words together. She probably thinks I’m a huge idiot. I asked her if she believes in aliens, Sam!” We watch as Felix holds his hand out to her, asking her to dance with him. He’s so cute I can barely stand it.

“I’m sure that’s not true. You should take a page out of your son’s book though, boy’s got game!” My brother laughs as the somewhat mismatched pair sways on the dancefloor.

I release him from my embrace, an idea popping into my head. “You should go and cut in.” Now he fully turns to me and looks at me like I’m crazy.

“What? No…” He’s making his panic face.

“What yes! Carpe diem, right now!” I give him a gentle shove in the direction of the dancefloor. “Go! I’ll handle the music.”

----------

[ DS ]

Of course, I can’t say no to the little charmer and we make our way to the dancefloor and I sway with Felix in time to the music, twirling him around until he giggles.

“You look really handsome tonight, Felix!”

He smiles shyly and narrowly avoids stepping on my shoes. “Thank you! You look really beautiful too.”

“You’re absolutely right, son. Mind if I cut in?” A tingle shoots up my spine at the sound of his voice and Felix nods, stepping back. His dad holds out his hand to me. “A dance for the other birthday boy?”

“Well technically, it’s not your birthday for a few days.” I tease him, but I slip my hand into his and he spins me against him, wrapping his right arm around my waist, clasping my left hand in his tightly. The DJ fades into a new song and I groan inwardly as Sonny and Cher’s “I got you babe!” starts droning from the speakers. We sway for a few beats before he whips me across the dancefloor in a quick waltz. Over his shoulder I can see countless pairs of eyes following us but for once, tonight, I don’t care because all I can feel is the burn of his fingers resting on the sliver of exposed skin of my waist and the tickle of the hair at the back of his neck against my hand. God, this guy can waltz.

On the last few notes, he twirls me out with a grin on his face, tugging on my hand to bring me back in and then he dips me back for the grand finale. Dips me. The move takes me by surprise and I laugh, breathless when he brings me upright again.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to dip your lady in a waltz!” I realize my Freudian slip a fraction of a second too late. ‘Your lady? What the heck, Dana.’

He just shrugs nonchalantly, still grinning. “If I fancy to dip my lady, I will dip my lady! Thank you for this dance, Miss Scully!” He bows his head and I chuckle, curtsying. “The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Mulder!” ‘Who ARE you?’

We step off the dancefloor and I return to our table, sitting down still a little bit out of breath, only to be met with three incredulous stares. ‘Here we go, 3, 2, 1…’

“What was that, D?” Holly.

“Oh my God, the two of you on the dancefloor!” Sarah.

“That was incredible!” Alex.

I shrug, picking up my glass, but I can’t hide the blush on my face and smile around my straw. “Mr. Mulder can waltz.” I’ll never live this down.

Sometime after the birthday cakes came out, Felix appears at my side again and leans against me heavily. I can tell he’s coming down from his sugar-high. “Miss Scully, remember how I told you about the encyclopedia on butterflies?”

“Yeah I do, what about it?”

“Would you like to see it?” He looks up at me hopefully and I agree, glad to get away from the action for a while.

“Okay, come on!” Together we climb the steps to the back porch and he tugs me inside into the living room where we sit down on the couch. I can finally slip off my heels while Felix runs to get the encyclopedia and after returning, places it on my lap curling up into my side. He opens the heavy book and shows me his favorite butterflies, explaining in great detail what’s so special about it.

His voice gets more and more quiet with each new butterfly until he stops talking altogether and looking down I realize that he fell asleep, completely wiped. Coming off my own sugar high, I scoot down lower into the cushions and lean my head back against the back, closing my eyes. Just for a second.

[fandom-scatteredthoughtsonpaper]

Dark Obey Me AU Outline, Breakdown, Game Mechanic + Specifics, + Some Other Stuff

{Previous post}

Kickoff and Quick Summarization:

Leviathan won a new preliminary horror game with VR aspects from a contest to test the game out before its actual release and invited Mammon and Yuki (MC) to play. This experimental immersion becomes too realistic when Yuki's latent powers takes the experience of the game to new levels when the entire House of Lamentation is sucked into the virtualization. Yuki, now alone and confused to the rules of this blended world of reality and simulation, has to venture through the house and recover the brothers from the game's influence. The game seems a little rigged the more Yuki advanced, so is someone actually pulling strings off screen or is paranoia seeping in?

Type of AU:

Mirror Universe, Interactive AU (you can help build up the world of this event)

Potential tags:

Horror, Psychological, Bloody, Dark, Angsty, Possible Sexual Assault, Death Is Allowed, Bodily Harm

Brief (and Liable to Change) Explanation of How the Game Will Work:

-After the House of Lamentation is shifted and adapted into the game's world, the seven demon brothers are also adapted to the elements of the psychological horror genre and placed as progressively harder bosses that MC has to get through to advance the game and undo the effects of what happened.

-The brothers that MC has converted back to normal will stay on their side and aid them in rescuing the other mentally manipulated boys, some even serving as necessary requirements to further progress. They can roam around the house and their rooms can serve as a temporary safety spots, but MC has to be with them to ward off the game's influence from trying to appeal to their cardinal desires based on their sin they govern and controlling them again.

-MC can try to appeal to any brother at any time, but if they don't meet requirements the struggle will be a lot harder and the emotional toll will be more effective on the chosen brother. If MC fails to convert the brother, not only does the next attempt become tougher, but MC takes damage deemed appropriate by the game based on the sin of the brother.

-The only exception to this rule is Mammon. Mammon is basically the tutorial. He's a mandatory scripted event to teach MC how the gameplay will be, and how they'll make it further in the game.

-Each brother is equivalent as a boss. The only way to progress to the next milestone is to release the grip the game has on the brothers' minds, but it's not as simple as breaking a curse like MC can canonically do with their powers. MC has to make a connection to the altered version of the demons, and to reach that connection they have to tackle each brother's insecurities and issues. Not like resolve them entirely with a heartfelt speech, and voila, they're okay again, but really reach into their hearts and remind them that they're not what the game has turned them into, that they're more than their sins and valued individually by MC.

-Thus having the proper brother on MC's side makes that connection a lot easier when it comes to certain brothers. Once that connection has been made and the game has less control, then MC can use the pact they made in the real world as the final move to disconnect the hold the game has in the virtual world.

-Again, however, it's not as simple as a few deeply passionate words and the veils are lifted from the brothers' eyes. Certain items can be found in each bedroom that helps strengthen the pact to mean something aside from a vow between a human and a demon. Requirements are necessary for progress.

-The pacts MC has with the brothers is a key relevancy to progressing the game. Without trying to appeal positively to their insecurities/fears the game has a strong hold on their minds and the use of their pacts aren't as effective

Rundown of What I Mean:

Mammon is the first demon MC bonded with and that applies itself strongly to their connection and relationship, especially in this event. I might be biased here, and not to mention I'm trial and erroring the story with my MC, Yuki, but I believe Mammon has the strongest connection with MC because of how he feels for them, how empathetic he is, and how emotionally aware he can be.

Mammon governs greed and already easily succumbs to his wants in the real world, but as of now in the canon story, he's grown a bit away from his sin, because of his relationship with MC, like most of the boys have. He can put MC above his own desires, and that influence deals a lot with how MC saves him after he attacks them in their room.

Mammon wants to sell MC's body, bit by bit, blood, teeth, hair, organs, nails, etc., as a means to pull in some serious money in the black market. Greed completely takes over Mammon, and he has very little regard for MC's life. When MC tries to use their pact's powers on Mammon the first time not much is really done, because the connection wasn't made. However, being the tutorial, Mammon becomes less influenced quicker than the rest of his brothers. MC has to remind him he's not a total scumbag that loves only money while Mammon is choking them out. So time is of the essence, because MC is physically harmed in this reality and can die as well.

I'll have a rough draft of this scene up later to better explain the process.

So Basically:

MC has to find items or something meaningful to assist them in helping the brothers become aware while under the game's manipulation, and then making a connection to their actual selves that helps absolve the mind control before using the pacts MC has made to finalize the severance, although it's not totally gone.

How I Plan to Progress the Event (Susceptible to Change) and Suggestions That Have Been Implemented by Other People So Far:

-MC starts the event off at the Lord Demon's castle with Diavolo and Barbatos before returning to the HoL to play with Levi. Before MC leaves Barbatos gives them two coins and a cautionary warning [credit to @jinxed-rose ]

-The unstable powers of MC conflicts with the game and locks the HoL and its residents inside the virtual reality.

-The game treats the brothers as bosses and turns their worst qualities up to 11. The small glimpses of how we saw the brothers in the beginning of the game before warming up to the MC is how they're portrayed in the game. They're meaner, deadlier, and heavily warpped from their original selves.

-MC can physically be hurt and/or killed, so the more of the brothers they can rescue the easier the game will be to traverse.

-The brothers are ranked by the order of when they got a pact with MC. So the optional progression between the brothers would be Mammon, Levi, Beel, Asmo, Satan, Lucifer, and Belphie. The longer MC has been in a pact with the boys the easier it is to sway them out of their brainwashing, but it doesn't have to be in this order [credit to @felix-the-lemon-king ]

-Another option of progress with the brothers can be psychological fortitude. What I mean by that is the boys' durability to withstand breaking down from their insecurities being provoked. So Mammon's biggest fear is MC getting hurt so he's automatically the first boss and Lucifer would be among the last to confront because he's mentally strongest and that's where the issues would lie. [credit to 13ineedpills13 on AO3]

-Levi is an optional boss that can be done early or late in the game, it doesn't really matter. If MC goes for Levi first, he'll be relatively easy to return to normal, but if MC doesn't get to him until later then he'll be a lot harder to help. If MC attempts to rescue the others before Levi and succeeds the game will make him aware of this. Levi will get more and more enveloped by envy and jealousy and his insecurities will worsen, making it harder to appeal to him. [credit to @sunshine-apprentice ]

-The reason Levi is an optional boss to go after at any time is because he has a mystery that reveals itself later as the event starts ramping up and big reveal towards the end. It's not really a secret if you read the notes on prior posts, but shhh. [credit to @felix-the-lemon-king ]

-Lucifer is the assumed main person to look out for, because he is the elder, head of the house, and most powerful and sadistic. He watches from the shadows and sets up elaborate snares and ambushes to sike out and slowly breakdown MC. Beel is more frequent around Lucifer's bedroom.

Somewhat Established "Rules" of the Game:

-Each encounter with the brothers during the actual moments of fighting and struggling will be violent and dangerous. Injuries will be painful and won't magically heal after the fight is done. [credit to syvintri on AO3]

-Death is very much possible, but it's tough for the brothers to die. It's not that hard for MC though. So, perma-death is plausible, but it's evened out with the two coins MC gets from Barbatos.

-The end goal is in Levi's bedroom, but it won't be accessible until after the brothers have all been released from the grip of the video game.

-MC's room is the only actual safe room in the house, so it's basically the headquarters

-Beel is the guard that routinely patrols the hallways, but he can be lured away with food from an area for a bit of time

-Each brother's room has a way to help figure out how to un-brainwash the boys, but they are dangerous to go into

-Overcoming the boys' insecurities and sins are a key relevance in progressing the game

-Line up of the boys in order as bosses (potentially): Mammon, Asmodeus, Belphie, Beelzbub, Satan, Lucifer, Leviathan

Concerns and Questions:

There's still a lot of gaps and unfilled holes that I'm not entirely sure how to connect properly. Trying to figure out how to write the encounters between the brothers that are being manipulated and MC/the brothers rescued is going to be tricky. Making sure the boys' characterizations stay close to how they would be will be a challenge.

So my questions for you will help me figure out what people would like to see and also help me connect dots in the story and plot.

A matter to discuss, for instance, is what a comment said on AO3:

"I think them interacting in a proper manner storywise when they are brainwashed is impossible, and such a drag to read. They should only interact during battles, and after battles, as they go on and save the others."

How should I go about writing the progress of the story?

Should I write it like an actual fanfiction, all detailed and specific and going at a constant pace, or should I skip moments instead of writing every scene that could occur to stay fresh and steady-paced, or should I try to base the chapters like actual event lessons in-game where stuff happens briefly and isn't very long?

Or another comment:

"So maybe this is just me, but I think it'd actually be more horrifying if the 'game' wasn't perma-death. Especially if everyone remembered despite any sort of revives or resets and with in-game injuries actually being painful. There's a high potential for angst is all I'm saying. But I guess that lends itself better for a normal fic rather than a choose your own adventure thing"

How should I write the "fight" scenes?

Should they be brief yet detailed or meaty with the conflict as MC tries to resolve the situation before anyone gets too hurt oor would this be good moments for turmoil between the brothers to arise and brawls break out ooor... I don't know what else.

How would the angst and heavy trauma best be applied according to y'all?

What kind of angst would each brother go through as MC tries to rescue them?

Some other questions:

Is the line up of the brothers as bosses okay, or should they be reconfigured to make more sense? Should it be linked how psychologically weak to strong they are or how their sins correspond to the next?

What would they be like at their absolute worst? How far do you think they could dive into their sins if they didn't have morals?

How dangerous would the brothers be?

How would the game use each character's insecurities and fears as their driving point?

How would you like to see brothers interact with MC during the confrontation? Or with each other before/during/after?

If MC were to die what would be the best way to take them out that would really fuck up the boys and devastate the psyche? Any brother is liable to maim or hurt the MC, but which one(s) could actually kill them? Or if a brother took a hit meant for MC, who would be more inclined to step into the line of fire?

These aren't all the questions that I have knocking around in my head and stumping me, but they're the biggest ones. I would like to hear inputs from others, BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't feel inclined to answer everything that I've listed. Those are just questions that I thought of and put on this post as examples of what I'm trying to figure out.

Finishing Off:

So yeah. That's the progress I've made so far, both on my own and from suggestions and opinions from other people.

I'd love to hear what y'all have in mind or would like to suggest or a take on a matter for any scenes, interactions, or whatever. Even if it's ideas of your own that relate to something that hasn't been brought up or mentioned, feel free to comment it or send me an ask.

Something this extensive will require a lot of thought and work to be done right, so that's why I had the notion of making this an interactive AU

So, if you're interested or wanna talk about the concept, hit me up! I'm dying just to ramble about potential stuff or read viewpoints about the brothers that you want to see happen or stances for whatever.

[taki118]

I wanna talk about Bob’s Bottles

Specifically I wanna talk about the three sub islands in his mind, the characters associated with them and what this says about Bob and his mindset cause it just breaks my heart.

Spoilers for Psychonauts 2

First up the Truman island

Unlike the rest of the sub islands Truman only says one thing with Raz even taking note of it only that Bob is fired. When we go into Bob’s version of the motherlobe we see that his firing with the last direct interaction he had with his nephew. While it was a cruel and harsh thing to Bob it’s clear from how Bob talks that Truman was trying to help him. We don’t know much about the Zanotto family but it’s very clear the Tia suffered from depression and alcoholism and that while Bob wanted to burry these things and just remember the good parts of his mother, his brother did not likely warning his son to watch out for the signs. Bob stating that he doesn’t need help, that he just needs to work, means Truman wasn’t really firing him and just wanted him to seek professional help. Help that Bob did not want to admit he needed. 

It’s very obvious that Truman cares about his Uncle as he is aware of where Bob has been all this time but allows people to think he’s missing, sending letters to him about his life, including pictures of his grand niece, all in an attempt to help as best he can and show he still cares. Bob was putting himself and others in danger and it’s very likely Truman had tried to get Bob to accept professional help before. He had no choice but to fire him.

But all Bob can focus on is that his nephew fired him. That even his nephew can see how pathetic and useless he is. 

Second is the Lili Island

In a way the Lili island is the saddest because she’s nothing but a conduit for Bob’s own negative thoughts. He has never met Lili, he doesn’t know her personality, doesn’t even know her voice and the only reason he knows what she looks like is because Truman sends Bob pictures likely in hopes that he will want a relationship with her. Which he very obviously does. 

A representation of his grand niece would not occupy his mind if he didn’t want to know her, if he didn’t want to be a presence in her life. It’s very likely his desire to meet her nearly made him leave his isolation at least once. But his own fears stop him. 

His image of Lili says that he’d just screw it all up, meaning he thinks if they ever met she’d hate him, see him as a failure, that its better for her to just learn the stories of him rather than him ruin things. And god it kills cause it’s clear Bob is very similar to Lili and she likely would have loved having him in her life.

Final one the Otto Island

Now this one is tricky cause honestly its the one that carries the most assumptions. Unlike Truman and Lilli where it’s clear what they represent, his failure in work and his perceived failure at any future life. Otto’s exact relationship with Bob is not clear cut or even if this figure is suppose to represent wholly Otto. 

Now first thing to note is that this Otto says how none of the Pyschic Six actually liked Otto, that they only wanted Helmut but Bob just tagged along and that they always thought Helmut should be with someone else. It’s clear to me that Bob is using Otto as a mouth piece for his own insecurity regarding his friendships and romantic relationship, but the bigger question is why?

I have a few thoughts

1) It’s because at the time Otto was the only one left. Helmut was missing, Ford wasn’t all there, Cassie left, and Compton had secured himself away only Otto was around to see him at his very worst and in Bob’s mind think the worst of him.

2) It’s because he viewed Otto as the honest one. From what I can tell Otto does not mince words and is very direct regardless of what is or isnt nice. If this is the case Bob could view Otto as objectively always speaking the truth.

3) It’s because the two were close. Now we can’t know this for sure I’ve seen the arguments that suggest they weren’t but we do know Otto made some sort of decorative sword for Bob’s wedding special, and according to Helmuts level the two often spent time together (yes they were arguing but for some people this is an enjoyable thing to do with a friend). If we go off the theory that after Helmut Bob was closest with Otto then having him voice all these insecurity’s would hit harder. 

All of these theories hurt a LOT. 

The second thing to note is what Bob’s imagine of Otto says. That none of them liked Bob and only took him along cause of Helmut and that they all thought Bob wasn’t good enough for Helmut. We know the first thing is untrue as Bob was recruited BEFORE Helmut. (but when you’re in the state Bob’s in logic doesnt mean anything) The rest is obviously Bob’s own thoughts of himself and things he’s insecure about. These are the sort of intrusive thoughts that are difficult to leave ones mind, especially when coming from someone else. 

Bobs Bottles was such a heart breaking level and the more I think on it the sadder it gets. It’s such a good visualization of depression and negative thinking that just spirals out of control when you take your supports away. And like they didnt need to add these small islands but they did and it added so much to the level and Bob as a character.

[goldentigerfestival]

I totally understand that, because yeah, for me too, it was a huge bummer when I first started to find out how much the dub changed things and how much context was totally off. It wasn't just Yuri that things got changed with, but he's the one with what I'd say is the most damage done to his character.

Regarding your tags, Yuri is very much not cold toward Flynn in JP. Actually, it's mostly the other way around at first when Flynn is stressed out initially at Nor, with Yuri having the more relaxed tone compared to Flynn's snippy responses. I have no idea why the dub added that tone for Yuri and tried to create extra rockiness that just didn't exist (because Yuri just kinda sighed and waved it off with Flynn. He didn't get mad because he understood why Flynn was so aggravated). In the dub, they seemed to try to push the "anime rival" narrative, while in JP it was more that you could tell they did really care about each other through and through.

For instance, and I can start posting videos on this stuff from my own DE playthrough (I've been saving some favorite scenes of mine in my current run), when Yuri tells Flynn to stop treating him like a kid, he says it very relaxed and playfully. He's not mad at all. He also asks for Flynn's understanding very relaxed and just looking for him to listen to his side of the story, without the aggravation. Most of the "tension" you heard in Yuri's voice in the dub just... doesn't... exist in the original audio, and I hate that they tried to create friction that wasn't there.

I do fully recommend doing a playthrough in JP even if you only have the English text, because even that is worlds better than nothing at all imo. Obviously with the examples I want to use with the PS3 version I mentioned there will be full context for me to go over, but just with the audio alone you can hear totally different tones. It's just most noticeable in Yuri. I still melt whenever I hear how utterly soft he goes for Karol when he's convincing Karol to not give up on saving Halure's tree.

In general Yuri has this weird chip on his shoulder in the dub. He's more playful and fun in JP. He's also just in general, like you said, warmer. I've suspected, as have some others evidently that I've met, that they wanted a "cool edgy adult character" in the dub. Thing is, that's how Karol saw Yuri when they first met, but that's not how Yuri really is and Karol learned about him quite well by the end. I'd say in general the JP version of Yuri is very much a deconstruction of the idea of the dark, cool and edgy adult trope.

So yeah, my suggestion is... try the game out in JP lol. Toriumi's acting for Yuri is stellar and while I have no hate for Troy or his acting (his acting with what he had to work with was good), Toriumi is on another level imo. There's just a way he does his acting that's very "this is Yuri Lowell" and not just 'this is voice acting", you know?

so I finally found a subbed version of PS3 Vesperia recently (what the DE was ported from), and that means I am now properly enabled to further make my arguments LOL. basically since the DE text is still in English and there are no subs for what's actually being spoken in the JP audio, it's harder for me to make some points since sometimes people will just listen to audio in JP but not really understand what's going on and have to rely on the English text (which again is localized and not genuinely translated, and in a lot of major cases with Vesperia, it's pretty egregiously bad).

idk how many posts I'll end up making about the bigger changes but I do want to cover some of the things that rubbed me the wrong way with unnecessary and even harmful to Yuri's character changes.

for instance, Yuri has a skit with Estelle that was heavily altered in the dub, originally talking about how he can't find himself being grateful to someone like Raven for showing them how to sneak out of the castle. his reasoning is basically that Raven is shady and he's not sure he should be grateful to someone like that, and is confused as to why Estelle would be so grateful when she doesn't even know him (because in his mind, he knows the guy feels somewhat shady from meeting him and isn't sure he wants to trust a guy with those vibes).

in the dub they just kinda... make him sound like an ungrateful jerk and not so much because he's not sure he wants to trust Raven. the dub skit doesn't make it sound like it's an issue of his with Raven specifically and that he just generally doesn't feel grateful for the aid (and that in general one shouldn't feel grateful for aid like this), which gives off a really wrong impression of him that doesn't hold up throughout the game.

Yuri wasn't wholly ungrateful for the gesture itself, but because of who it came from - and let's face it, getting that info from a guy in jail who had to be taken out by the commandant himself wouldn't look good in the eyes of an average citizen.

the dub really hurt Yuri's character in a lot of ways, but ever since I'd first played the game on the 360 yeaaars ago, that dubbed skit rubbed me the wrong way even before I knew the JP audio and now that I can show others the full JP context (again, can't really do that with the western release because the dialogue is still written in English so some people can hear the audio but if they don't understand it, the message they take away from it is still whatever is written in the localization) I really want to talk about some of the more damaging changes (in particular about Yuri because he got the absolute worst brunt of it). the skit is one example of a lot of weird changes that make no sense and unfortunately one of many that changed the entire meaning behind something Yuri meant/was doing.

there are a lot of weird cases of them just adding in entire sentences for no reason that don't really make sense or fit, but I probably won't cover those or at least in much detail. it's some of the bigger things I want to talk about because I feel like there's a huge disconnect in a lot of cases between western fandom Yuri and actual Yuri, and western fandom Yuri is partially if not mostly a result of the dub just yeeting entire aspects of his character out the window at the speed of light because dear heavens we simply can't have a cool adult man show a range of emotion evidently.

...on that note it's very wild to me how often they remove all traces of people calling Yuri an idiot. Karol had multiple but only got like one in in the dub. yeah.