#(((lore dump featuring the twins!)))

[dragonmasterhiccup]

Hearing him say 'young love' brought Freya to a still, blinking down at her hands as she silently fought against the urge to stand closer to him again. She did not like how quickly her face could get red now - and it was all thanks to Hiccup...and his words. "Yeah, hopefully... that's all they say.."

Rolling her eyes at his comment, she couldn't stop the growing smile on her lips,

'Dork..'

----------

Holding back from sighing, Freya rested her chin in the palm of her hand, leaning on the table that she and her little sister were using. Boredom was practically glowing from her features, internally wanting to help out in the forge and not be a distraction to Ayla so she wouldn't say anything out of line. That, and she could stand next to Hiccup again...or at least talk to him.

Ayla seemed on top of the world, though, speaking non-stop about how cool she'd look with her new helmet and saddle combined on her 'very awesome' future dragon. At some point, it all went ignored when she never stopped talking. She wondered how Gobber was able to deal with that..even if it was for a couple of minutes. She'd usually chatter like that to their mother, something they both had in common.

Sooner or later, her thoughts wandered off onto, none other than, Hiccup. She wasn't so sure if she was completely fine with that...but she couldn't get the image of his eyes and hair out of her mind, practically his whole face, actually. Which was also something she didn't know if she was ready to accept. Finally giving in, she slowly began to glance over in his direction, only to see him abruptly cut himself - right on his hand.

Immediately, Freya straightened up, a worried expression taking over her features, "Hiccup!" Without another second wasted, she sprinted to where he stood, her only concern being on him. She glared at the sword for a moment as though it were the one to blame before delicately taking his wrist, carefully inspecting the cut on his hand, "Are you alright? How did this happen? Why in the world would you cut yourself!?" She winced at the sight of blood, already noticing the wound wasn't a paper cut in any way.

Usually, she'd avoid treating people with a lot of bloody injuries, but it was if all of her senses were consumed with making sure he was okay. So, she reached down to grab the cloth he had given her, snatching it out of the covering of her dagger before she attentively wrapped it around his hand. She remained silent for the most part, not wanting to yell on accident because of her fretting demeanor. However, at the thought of him being in pain, her brows furrowed in frustration, "You dork, why did you have to go and hurt yourself..?"

She didn't even hear Ayla's frightened questions of whether or not he'd be okay, making sure the cloth was securely tied around his hand while she took a step back. "You need to go to Gothi's..now. That wrapping is only until we get there because you are not walking around with an open, bleeding wound." Glimpsing over at Gobber, she hurriedly spoke: "We need to go, I'll make up for his lost time here today if I have to, but he needs to get this properly treated."

Freya turned to reassure her younger sister, quickly telling her to go back home while she went with Hiccup. Despite her brief complaints of wanting to come with them, she eventually listened and left the forge, glancing back at them both a few times as she went. Once she was out of sight, Freya whistled to get Blaze's attention, running towards him in urgency. Before she mounted him, however, her stern gaze found Hiccup yet again, "I'd tell you to come with me on Blaze but I don't think Toothless will enjoy being away from you while you're hurt like this."

She knew the Night Fury couldn't fly on his own either, so she only allowed him to do this just once. "Let's go, we need to figure out if you'll need stitches or not."

-------------

Much to her relief, Hiccup didn't need the stitches. Although it was a pretty bad cut, Gothi communicated to them that he would need to rest, allow it to heal, and apply the dreadful salve once in the morning and evening. She instructed that it'll take a few days, up to a week, for his hand to begin to fully heal, if he didn't do anything too drastic throughout that time.

Gothi was able to give him much more proper bandages, applying the necessary amount of salve to the wound before she wrapped it once more. Freya knew the feeling of having that spread over an injury, on her hand nonetheless, and she would've stayed inside with him while it happened, but Gothi motioned for her to step outside for that moment. As soon as the door reopened, she practically barged in, standing close in front of Hiccup as she examined the freshly cleaned and bandaged wound, still slightly upset at the sight of him being hurt.

Instead of allowing him to go to his hut, which she knew she should've let happen, Freya insisted that he come to hers instead, at least for now. She offered to make him something to eat, give him any other extra necessary herbs Yrsa might've had somewhere if Gothi didn't already, but she felt that there was something in her that wanted him around for other reasons. It took her a while to realize she wanted him close by because of his injury, not wanting to leave him alone purely due to her own worry.

She felt slightly guilty for keeping him away from his own hut, but there was a part of her that needed to be reassured that he was really okay, even if it was only a cut on his hand. As they came to a stop in front of her home, she glanced at Hiccup with concern vividly present in her eyes, "I'll make some porridge while Ayla can keep you company.." She rubbed Blaze's neck, silently letting him know she was...alright, for the most part, when he stared at her as though he knew something was wrong with her.

Dismounting the Sand Wraith, she quickly walked up the steps leading to the door of her hut, swiftly rushing to get a pot ready for the oats once she was inside. As soon as she did so, Ayla raced down the stairs, frantically bombarding Hiccup with her perturbed questions: "You're back! Are you okay? Did you need stitches!? How did you even cut yourself?"

He hadn't expected Freya to just...run to him, like she had... But then again, wouldn't he have done the same? Hadn't he, when she had cut her hand in the forest?

Teeth clenched, he hissed as she took his wrist to inspect his hand. The slight movement made it sting even more, but the cut probably looked worse than it actually was.

Exhaling, he said flatly, "I didn't do this on purpose, Fey. Got... distracted... Dumb mistake..." Squeezing his eyes shut, he inwardly groaned.

He was an experienced smithy, something like this should never have happened.

"I'll be fine, I've...I've had worse injuries."

At the touch of a cloth, he opened his eyes, surprised to see her wrapping up his hand...using the cloth he'd given her the evening before.

His eyes moved up to her face, a little scrunched in concentration. While his own hands were calloused, hers were softer, and he could tell she was careful to not irritate the wounds any further...

His breathing steadied, and the pain in his hand started to turn into a dull throb.

"I...I didn't mean to, you know that, right?" His voice was soft, tentative, because...she seemed genuinely upset that he'd been hurt.

Gobber, having seen and heard all of this, waved a hook. "Go on, make sure he doesn't get hurt again during the trip. Sometimes I feel the lad is accident-prone...don't worry, I can hold down the fort. Just look after him, aye?"

Hiccup was a little shocked by the turn of events, and feeling a little lightheaded from Freya's hands on his own as he followed her outside.

Toothless flocked to him immediately, eyeing his bandaged hand with concern. "It's nothing bud, really."

Hopping on Toothless, he held his injured hand halfway up, holding on with the other as they flew to Gothi's.

--------------

While you're hurt like this...

He didn't understand. It was just a cut, on his hand. Sure, it wasn't minor, but...he'd pushed through much worse than this...

These thoughts were running through his mind as Gothi inspected the wound, having already removed and discarded the bloodied cloth.

As she sentenced him to rest, he tried not to look too frustrated. He hated being forced to rest. He hated having to sit still for too long. He needed to be doing something, keep his hands and his mind busy or he would go crazy.

-------

As Gothi tended to Hiccup inside, the twins happened to be passing by, pausing to see Freya waiting outside the hut.

News of their relationship had spread fast, even faster after the kiss during the morning session, so Tuffnut knew exactly who Freya was waiting for.

"So, Hiccup's hurt himself again, I see...how bad is it this time? He lose another limb?"

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Tuff? He hasn't come close to that in like, years! It'd be much more of a better guess to ask if he almost drowned again, like with the Submaripper that kept Berk from getting supplies."

"Oh!" Tuffnut's eyes widened, like he got an idea. "Or if he was kidnapped again! Was there another ransom this time? Remember that, Ruff? He was kidnapped like, four times in one day that time!"

She nodded, listing off a few other instances that happened while they were on the Edge. She finished with, "Yeah, Hiccup's probably got more scars than all of us combined!"

Learning the true reason Hiccup was at Gothi's, they just shrugged.

"That's nothing. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed. It's usually so much more epic! Like that time he got hit by lightning!"

Ruffnut snickered. "Yeah! We're pretty sure Hiccup is some sort of magical wizard. Otherwise, how did he survive all that stuff??"

"Either that, or part dragon! He got knocked out by dragon root gas, remember?"

----------------

As Freya returned, Hiccup stood to greet her, having been sitting on a stool so it was easier for Gothi to treat his hand.

He wasn't used to this level of attentiveness...he didn't know what to do with it.

At her instructions, he just nodded mutely, following her to her hut.

While the offer of porridge sounded good, he shook his head. "You really don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. Gothi said it wasn't serious."

Toothless stayed outside with Blaze, watching Hiccup as he entered the hut.

He had questions for Freya, but was immediately cornered by Ayla.

"Oh, hey! No, I'm fine, it wasn't that deep. She just said I had to take it easy for a few days, put some salve on it." Glancing at Freya, he just said, "It was an accident. Just goes to show, it's important to pay full attention when working in the forge."

Going to sit down with Ayla, he asked, "Tell me about that saddle you were designing?"

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials: Number 23 Danganronpa V3 Case 6

//Oh Jesus...

//Now, let me just make one thing clear with this one. I actually don't dislike V3's ending with a burning passion. I definitely don't LIKE like it, but after sitting on it for a while, some of the twists and events of the trial are...pretty good actually, and really show what Danganronpa V3 is all about.

//So I don't tend to agree with the lavish hate that this trial gets.

//HOWEVER, with all that being said, I DO agree that this is by far the worst ending in the entire franchise. And yes, that includes both the Another games, Ultra Despair Girls, AND DR3.

//Which...Actually, to their credit, despite having a very iffy runtime for me, all of those examples had actually pretty killer endings that I really enjoyed.

//But yeah, I mean...V3's final trial and the whole thing that happens in it is just so fucking infamous. And for all very valid reasons. So...without further ado, let's talk about it for the umpteenth time.

//In case I already didn't make it clear, describing Danganronpa V3's final trial and ending as "controversial" among its audience...honestly doesn't do the full scope of the situation justice.

//It's very hard to come by someone who has played V3 and is a fan of Danganronpa who probably doesn't have more mixed feelings about a single segment of a video game.

//And honestly, I'm not sure if I should talk about the good things, or the bad things first; because again, divisive implies that it kind of balances out.

//I think I'll focus on the stuff I don't like, because that's the main crux of the argument that explains this trial's placement.

//Something I've always noticed is that when you look at the ending trials for all three mainline Danganronpa games, you notice that all three of them suffer from very similar issues. Those issues being the ridiculousness of the events, the sheer length, and the fact that they are just incredibly blatant plot dumps that try to scramble every bit of the established lore together in one uncomfortable package. And the reason why DRV3 is the worst of the endings is because it does all three of these at MAXIMAM VELOCIPY.

//(I spelt that wrong on purpose by the way.)

//In the Danganronpa series, it has become widely recognized that the trials progressively increase in length with each installment. I kinda see this as a good thing, as it contributes to the franchise’s appeal, because longer trials mean more intricate mysteries, additional plot points, and unexpected twists.

//The final trial in Danganronpa V3, however, takes this idea to the extreme, likely in recognition of its status as the series' concluding chapter. It goes all out, lasting, at minimum, 4 to 5 hours.

//And unlike the ending trials of 1 and 2, that ridiculous length of time is filled up by basically random bullshit. Some sections are highly innovative, like the segments where players must intentionally fail certain minigames to progress as a means of rejecting hope in confrontations with Tsumugi. However, other parts can be frustrating, and just...packed with pointless dialogue.

//For example, the whole segment where they kind of bring up the fact that Kaede had a twin sister as a red herring? Pointless.

//I mean, I take advantage of that fact later, but generally why was this even a plot point to begin with? It's so weird, and nothing comes of it.

//There's also the strangely unfomfortable spike in difficulty, and the fact that fluctuates VERY often.

//The trial features a mix of straightforward puzzles and extremely challenging minigames, some of which rival the difficulty of Danganronpa 2’s notoriously tough (and ridiculously fucking stupid) "Improved Hangman’s Gambit." These difficulty spikes, combined with long stretches of dialogue between minigames,don't do anything for this trial other than cause a pacing imbalance.

//How about the actual culprits though? Well, they are equally as divisive.

//This is, unfortunately, the only moment in Danganronpa V3 where Monokuma gets to show himself off to be the same bad bitch bear he was in the original game, and the Monokubs don't stick around long enough to be an issue to him. And unlike the first two games, he sticks around for the entire trial.

//But then he's coupled...with Tsumugi...

//And all my homies HATE...TSUMUGI...

//Okay, to be fair, Tsumugi is one of the most fun characters to write for Survivor, but I feel the need to point out that a large part of her character arc is that it involves her desperately trying to take up the mantle of the Ultimate Despair, and be on the same level as a criminal and terrorist Mastermind as Junko.

//And the reason I even have leeway for this type of character building for her is because there isn't just room for character development and improvement with her. There's FAR TOO MUCH of it.

//Tsumugi isn't just the least compelling masterminds in the series, but one of the least compelling characters IN GENERAL. And even after she IS revealed to be the big bad, she somehow remains the incredibly blank and boring character that she was for most of V3's run time.

//Junko, Monaca, and even Nagito as something of a pseudo-Mastermind were all batshit crazy and demonic to the core, but it's important to point out that they all have REASONS driving their evil acts, as psychopathic and evil some of them were. But Tsumugi lacks any sort of personal motive, and relies on her role as an avatar for the audience’s desires. The general passivity compared to other masterminds makes her insanely underwhelming.

//Speaking of which, if I may be allowed to go on a bit of a tangent here; the way that Tsumugi is outed as the Mastermind is kind of controversial in and of itself for me.

//By which I mean it's discovered that what actually happened at the beginning of the game is that Kaede's trap to kill the mastermind failed to kill Rantaro. But because of the first blood perk that meant the students would all die if no one was murdered, it meant that time was running short, and in the heat of the moment, Tsumugi got a second shotput ball, killed Rantaro with it, and used her authority as the Mastermind to frame Kaede for the crime anyway.

//Which all feels like unnecessary bullshit if I'm being honest.

//Case 1 and the twist that Kaede was the actual killer was great; and her subsequent execution is one of the most emotionally impactful moments in V3, because it it sends her off as a tragic, morally gray protagonist who was willing to kill for the greater good. Hence the reason why she's my favourite character in the series.

//However, the revelation here retroactively strips her of agency, making her a victim of Tsumugi's manipulation rather than someone who took a flawed, bold step to save her friends.

//This twist also diminishes Kaede's character arc. Her determination and selflessness, even if her actions were misguided, is largely the reason why she manages to be such a spectacular character despite her short runtime. By revealing that she was framed, the story shifts her role from an active participant to a passive victim, which feels like a betrayal of her established personality and the unique premise of her narrative.

//Additionally, the reveal is poorly foreshadowed, and feels like a contrived attempt to shock the audience, and a desperate attempt to redeem Kaede, rather than a natural development. The explanation relies heavily on Tsumugi’s ability to perfectly execute a plan without leaving meaningful clues for the detectives, which feels inconsistent with the game's emphasis on logical deduction, and inconsistent with her being an absolute dumbass every other time, even AFTER her Mastermind reveal. As a result, the twist feels less like a clever subversion and more like an unfair rewrite of the story's emotional stakes.

//All in all, Tsumugi's character feels less developed than those who came before her, and it feels like the emphasis on her being a "cosplayer of fiction" was little more than a bad excuse to avoid giving her any type of depth or a unique personality.

//She's just plain. And she stays plain even when she's revealed to be the main villain.

//Also, this is a comment that's gonna get me smited by everybody, but fuck it, I refuse to hide how I truly feel: Keebo is equally as dogshit.

//Keebo is such a NOTHING character, and I don't understand why he has such a massive fanbase. This is supposed to be him at his best, and his whole point is that he's the one who has to stick it to Tsumugi, but he fails to do even that.

//There's a tiny segment of this trial where we get to play as Himiko and Maki, and a large segment where we get to play as Keebo, and BOTH are UTTERLY POINTLESS, even though they are kind of cool.

//Keebo's actions during this trial when you play as him are a clear homage and cliche to the series' origins, where he is constantly encouraging everyone that they should never give up since the game isn't over yet. But this is effortlessly shut down when Tsumugi abruptly informs him that she WROTE his character that way, and it's exactly what she wanted him to say, as well as the fact that he unknowingly served as the audiences eyes and ears for the game. Thus Keebo's one single moment to shine in this entire game is ultimately futile.

//What was the fucking point of even that?

//So between the dogshit gameplay, and the dogshit Mastermind behind everything, this case is already bad enough. But sad as it is to say, we have to talk about the elephant in the room. Something that I believe is always a make-or-break for the final trials, and that's the Ultimate plot twist that it entails. Usually a big reveal of some sort.

Game 1: The world outside the academy has been basically destroyed.

Game 2: Jabberwock Island is a virtual simulation, and the students in Class 77 are the brainwashed Ultimate Despair terrorists who aided Junko in the Tragedy. Hajime is also Izuru Kamukura, a talentless boy who was experimented on by Hope's Peak Academy against his knowledge.

Another 1: Similar to Game 2. Yuki is revealed to be the true Mastermind behind the Killing Game, and his real identity is Utsuro, the boy with the power of Divine Luck that reshapes reality in his favor.

Another 2: Sora isn't real, is actually an AI based on Akane Taira, is the one who really has the Divine Luck Mikado seeks, and she is left behind as the virtual world is erased.

//I'm not gonna dance about it any longer than I have to, we all know the twist of V3, and we all know it's kind of bullshit.

//The case reveals that the events of Danganronpa V3 are part of a fictional reality show within the game’s universe. The students' lives and personalities were fabricated, their memories manipulated, and the killing game broadcasted for entertainment.

//V3 is actually the 53rd entry of the Danganronpa franchise, with the V in V3 actually being the roman numeral for 5. And Tsumugi directly references the previous Danganronpa games, framing them as part of the same fictional reality show franchise.

//This retroactively positions Danganronpa V3 as a reboot rather than a continuation, suggesting that the events of earlier games may not matter either.

//And the final trial frequently breaks the fourth wall, addressing the player directly and critiquing their role as consumers of violent, despair-filled entertainment. Tsumugi frames the killing game as something the audience demands, effectively blaming players for perpetuating the cycle.

//So yeah...

//EVERYTHING here just SUCKS!

//In the Meta sense, I will say that the twist is interesting, kind of humerous to an extent, and shouldn't be taken seriously in any sort of degree. Not to mention, to a certain extent, it's innovative and quite thought-provoking, as it rightfully critiques fan obsession with sensationalized entertainment.

//But it's done in a way that, in the attempt to portray their games audience, makes me wonder if Danganronpa understands its audience at all.

//The way it's handled here is a betrayal of the narrative, dismissing the emotional weight of the characters' struggles and reducing them to fictional constructs.

//If you're someone, like me, who is/was deeply invested in the original cast and continuity, this just feels insulting. It's like the series we love has been seemingly reduced to a meaningless cycle of fabricated tragedies. Some even see it as an attempt to erase the legacy of Danganronpa's 1 and 2, and it generally makes V3 feel disconnected from the rest of the series.

//I think what upsets me the most is that Tsumugi's claim that the game is made "for the fans, by the fans," is done as a way to make the player complicit in the killing game, suggesting that their desire for entertainment is what perpetuates the franchise’s cycles of despair.

//In other words, this game is basically telling you that you are a terrible person for playing and enjoying it. And I don't vibe with that AT ALL.

//This meta-narrative comes across as kind of self-indulgent and dismissive, overshadowing the characters and plot in favor of philosophical commentary. And not even the good kind.

//But this is why I specifically use words like "controversial" and "divisive" to describe this twist. The events of V3 single-handedly created a divide in the fanbase, with some appreciating the meta-commentary and others feeling disrespected.

//But besides the twist itself, what makes me personally lean towards the latter side of the argument is that all these twists, turns, and concepts are brought up, and despite the trial almost physically forcing the ideas into your throat, what baffles me is how strangely and concerningly ambiguous everything remains by the end of it.

//When you think about it, there are no grounds upon which Tsumugi makes her claims, so everything she says and states in this trial is questionable at best, and a blatant lie at worst. Shuichi even makes note of this at the very end of the game.

//It’s unclear whether the events of Danganronpa V3 were "real" in the context of the game world or entirely fictional within its universe, which many at this point in time have accepted as its own alternate timeline; hence why I make it so in Danganronpa Survivor. This ambiguity extends to whether the surviving characters have truly escaped the cycle of the killing game or are trapped in another layer of fiction.

//The surviving characters (Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko) are left in an uncertain state. Their escape from the game is metaphorical rather than literal, and their identities, forged through fabricated memories, remain unresolved.

//It's up for debate whether this can be called clever storytelling or unnecessarily confusing bullshit. For some, it feels like a cop-out that avoids resolving the story definitively, while others appreciate the open-ended nature, which allows for personal interpretation.

//The lack of clear rules or boundaries for what is real made the ending feel nonsensical or overly convoluted, and it's hard to get invested in a story that defies traditional narrative logic in this way. Even for something like Danganronpa.

//The ambiguity about the trio's futures and identities felt hollow, and that's why a lot of people want more closure.

//Speaking of which, yet another huge issue with this trial is something that V3 shares with 3. Despite the fact that the purpose of the game is to tie the knot on the franchise, there is SUCH a lack of CLOSURE, for FUCKS SAKE!

//Ultimately, it doesn't matter at all whether we can say that V3 was truly real, or fictional. It doesn't matter, because either way, people still want a satisfying conclusion for the characters they’ve followed, but V3 provides NONE of that. The ending’s open-ended nature, while probably done with good intent, makes it difficult to discern any definitive meaning or takeaway from the story.

//So god tell me, what did I just waste four hours of my life on!?

//Trial 6 of V3 is the worst ending in the series because it is generally a waste of time, spends so long trying to meticulously explain a very stupidly handled twist, and ultimately has NO CONCLUSION.

//Which is why it's so low, and yet, it still manages to avoid not only the honorable mentions, but the bottom spot (although it's really fucking close, trust me.)

//My opinion of this trial is overly negative, and it's not one I enjoy revisiting in any sense, but there are things about it I like.

//For starters, the characterization. I kind of already rambled on about this before when I went on that tangent about Tsumugi being a stupid as fuck villain.

//But while Tsumugi is incredibly poor...SHUICHI is BRILLIANT!

//I like all the Danganronpa protagonists about the same, and though I generally prefer Kaede, I ADORE Shuichi too, and THIS is why. He is EASILY the best-developed protagonist in the main series, and the way that growth that happens throughout all of V3 culminates here is near FLAWLESS.

//He's been through so much pain for this whole game, and it crushes him tenfold when he finds out what little enjoyment and fulfillment he DID have wasn't even reality, and just part of a fictional series. That, and the fact that people will never empathize with him, because in their eyes, he's just a character behind a screen.

//But he goes on to assert himself as a protagonist and chooses to challenge the killing game’s rules. His defiance is a moment of growth festered in him by the emotionally REAL relationships he had with Kaede and Kaito, showing that he can stand up for his beliefs, even in the face of overwhelming odds. His journey from self-doubt to confidence is deeply satisfying, well-handled, and emotional for fans who connected with his struggles. His choice to reject both hope and despair in favor of forging his own path is empowering, just as much, if not more, than even Hajime's from Game 2.

//There were a few characters, namely Kaede, Kaito, and Kokichi, who did massive gambits in an attempt to break the killing game and ruin it, but they all failed. It feels good to know that Shuichi was the one who succeeded.

//Despite its kind of unholy subversion, the trial also acts as a tribute to the Danganronpa series and how far it's come, incorporating callbacks, references, and homages to earlier games; most notably when Tsumugi transforms herself into characters from the series before this.

//It's not quite closure, but it's the closest we get.

//As far as the twist goes, while I generally think it was handled poorly, the idea behind it comes from a very important place. The meta-narrative of this trial turns the game into a commentary on the nature of fiction and the role of creators, characters, and audiences. It’s a fresh and daring approach that sets this game apart from its predecessors, making it memorable and thought-provoking in regards to people's relationship with the series and the medium of storytelling as a whole.

//And while I generally dislike the open-ended conclusion, it does invite the idea of interpretation, allowing players to draw their own meanings and decide what is real within the story.

//I mean, I did that. You're reading that very blog now.

//The worst part about this trial for me is the fact that it feels like the twist is designed to attack the hardcore fans; something that I can't really forgive. But the way the trial critiques fandom culture, exploring the implications of endlessly consuming horrible concepts for entertainment, is kind of a valid statement to make at the current state of the world. It asks the audience to consider their role in perpetuating the killing games and questions the morality of reveling in such dark content.

//I just wish it had done so more kindly.

//But yeah, overall while I do appreciate V3's final trial for its boldness and willingness to subvert expectations, I generally dislike it for its perceived disrespect to the series' characters, themes, and fanbase. Case 6 is somehow both a brilliant deconstruction of the series’ tropes and a reflection on the nature of storytelling, fandom, and media consumption, as well as a betrayal of the series’ core themes. The ending’s ambiguity, meta-commentary, and radical deconstruction of the franchise leave it as one of the most polarizing conclusions in gaming history, and I doubt there are many that come close.

[absolutelynotsanebaby]

About your au is arin and sora still a thing?

And also can you info dump on Lloyd

Villain AU/// Hi I'm feeling a lot better today so I'm going to finally respond to your ask. Sorry it took a minute! Arin and Sora are not a thing, no, my AU doesn't follow any DR lore, characers, or timeline. Even if they were a thing otherwise, they'd likely be dead by the time the story started back up unfortunately. I can infodump about Lloyd but be warned my infodumps are all over the place and tend to not make entire sense Aahkshfiosagege. To me the crux of v!Lloyd's character is that he got caught in this violent bout of emotion and power that he was neither taught to handle nor figured out how to get out of on his own, so he stayed that way for those two centuries. Unfortunately for everyone, that involved a lot of rage, grief, and a natural instinct towards destruction (yk, oni). He only grew stronger during it all too, and no one was able to step up to stop him for good because of that and everything else going on. So he has a lot of blood on his hands, destroyed land and homes under his finger nails. He just-- couldn't stop. I have these two ocs who're basically the time-twins part 2 but the relevant part is that their backstories involve Lloyd attacking their town and them coming out of it alive but very suddenly alone and orphaned and left with lasting trauma because of him (in that way, they're kinda meant to parallel harumi too). There's a lot of people like that in the world now, and it makes me iiiilll how stricken with guilt he is one he's finally fully himself again. Down to his bones he feels that guilt and he doesn't feel remotely human or like he'll ever be a safe person again, and that he's a failure. He was supposed to be the green ninja! But everything feel apart under his hands before he could do a thing about it. He couldn't keep his team, and he couldn't keep his hands clean. On another topic about him, I do like to think about how his element manifests and his like--body. I like to think his element tends to manifest like short bomb-like bursts most of the time, it's not very canon-like or tactical until he's fully cognizant. He's also very, very large and when in his fuller form fully winged and has a tail (these are more dragon features tho!). All around a really intimidating uy an dhe genuinely hates it. He hates being so large, having such long and 'weirdly' shaped teeth, and his horns and claws and wings and tails and markings, he hates it. He misses being 'fully' human (he never was that's the funny part) and smaller and looking in the mirror and seeing who he was.

[punkeropercyjackson]

as someone who selfships with astrid (wuh luh wuh) and has Hiccup as a familial f/o, you are so real for hicpip !!! lore dump about your s/i sometime -🪓🐑

Okay,i will!!!!

Pip's full name is Pipsqueak Undergo Reidun(hideous names given to ward off monsters etc)and his title pre-series is Pipsqueak The Worthless

He's the son of a berkian woman named Gertrud Reidun and an african/'eastern archipeligo' man named Osmund who was raised nordic to help fit into his setting.Osmund is ambigiously black because 1.i don't know which african country my ancestors came from </3 and 2.he's long dead by the time the story starts and so is Gertrud.They were killed under mysterious circumstances when Pipsqueak was 9 so Pipsqueak lived alone in their house but didn't quite raise himself as Gobber helped him out very often with things he couldn't do and taught him how to do ones he could at that age

Since he's black/white mixed,he has black hair,brown eyes,light brown skin,a big nose and plump lips.His color motif in his outfits is purple but his actual favorite color is pink and in Httyd1,he has twin braids and bangs that mostly cover his eyes,in Rtte he has goddess braids with gold accesories and Httyd2 he has an afro with a gold metal headband.He's also almost as scrawny as Hiccup(underweight from lack of care)but like Hiccup too,puberty hits bro like a truck and he's still flatchested and short but ends up midsized and grew into his looks big time

Hiccup and Pipsqueak met when they were 4 years old and their parents were having a meeting so they brought them along and Hiccup offered Pipsqueak the last slice of his milk and cookies pie and Pipsqueak told Hiccup his freckles are cool and they were best friends ever since.Hiccup's egg cracked when he was 6 and he came out to Pipsqueak first,who accepted him happily with open arms and Pipsqueak realized he's bigender and genderfluid when he was 9 shortly after his parents' death and told only Hiccup to avoid even further isolation from Berk.The Berkians had a feeling though,with how deliberately androgynous he is

Valka like Osmund is from 'the eastern archipeligo' but a different part,being from what was The Philipines at the time so Hiccup is biracial/wasian and his facial features are notably different from fully white berkians,as is his hair texture and he has a (very) light brown tone to his skin

Pipsqueak was a shrinking violet who kept quiet most of the time due to the bullying he faced and it only got worse upon his orphaning.He's always been a real yapper around Hiccup though and this is because that's what he's actually like and he's also very in touch with femininity and loves adrenaline and causing chaos and but holds it back to not make everyone hate him.He's also an artist,adores cooking and gardening and collects pretty and weird things he finds.He's a premordial earthy black girl tbh

Httyd1-Pipsqueak is introduced in the opening intro narration by Hiccup as he runs up to a water filled barrel to knock it over to take out the fire the other teens ignored to to do the slomo walk and goes to the forge to tell Gobber to leave Hiccup alone.Gobber teases them about their closeness and when he exits,Pip tells Hiccup he'll prove everyone wrong one day and that they know he will and he feels happy they believe in him and it boosts his self-eestem and he tells him he knows too and thanks him.Pipsqueak spends the movie mainly as Hiccup's supportive and understanding best friend but has his own mini arc in learning to stand up for himself and becoming best friends with Astrid as they learn they're not as opposite as they think they are and have more reasons to love eachother and be there for one another than to hate eachother and stand divided.It's kicked off by them saying 'A shield!' at the same time during the first dragon training session and being shocked over it

Pipsqueak had a semi-intense dislike of her,seeing her as just a shallow mean girl with no issues that Hiccup was crazy to crush on(there was some jealousy there too but they didn't know that at the time),and Astrid started thinking over what she actually knew of Pipsqueak and not everyone's opinion and gained an interest in befriending another girl her age who wasn't Ruffnut(and they ain't exactly friends and Astrid dosen't want them to be.Lesbian flag emoji).She's very socially awkward and actually has autism + ocd and is trans too but she knew she's a girl so young nobody remembers or knows she's not cis.So it took her a bit to get the hang of showing it to him in a way he'd get it but she did and Pipsqueak reciprocated her efforts before he even got what she was going for.Pipsqueak fought back early on against Snotlout and the twins' torment and it only grew as part 1 of the story went on.By the end,he was Snotlout's bully than he his but in a friends and even siblings way and Fishlegs and him are hinted to geek out together a lot in the future,shown onscreen in the sequels

He knows about Toothless since the beginning as Hiccup's confidant and is really distressed at the strong posibility he'd be hurt or even killed trying to train him but encouraged him nonetheless to pursue what makes him happy and gives him a chance at acceptance,knowing how much it means to him and not telling him his fears so he could give it his all.He admits to them near the climax and Hiccup feels guilty and apologizes and makes it up to him by being a lot more attentive-which is saying a lot comsidering how he treated Pipsqueak beforehand-from that point on through the whole franchise,including the games and comics.Pip is the only dragon rider to not gain his own dragon in Httyd1 and just rides Toothless and Stormfly with Hiccup and Astrid but he gets one in Rob

Rob-Okay so much happens since it's a fulllength show so i won't do details but he's an mc in most episodes and gets a few of his own,most significantly his dragon's introduction:Cloudy Skies,a Rose Fury aka the pink and chlorokinetic Night Fury subtype.The series starts with Pipsqueak feeling leftout on not having a dragon and he encounters Cloudy Skies out on the beach and this happens multiple times throught the episode,over the course of a few days.By episode 2,he convinces her to meet the Dragon Riders and her fellow dragons and her and Toothless instantly jump on eachother on Fury connection.It's a lighthearted comedic episode until the ending,when Pipsqueak wakes up to Cloudy Skies missing.Episode 3 is the finale to the mini arc and it's revealed Rose Furys need enrichment to survive by spending time surrounded by nature and Pipsqueak dubs her with her name as it rained on the day they met but they stayed together on the beach anyway.As a twist on the Toothless x female Night Fury Variant trope ever present in Httyd self-insert fics,Cloudy Skies and Stormfly are love interests

Hiccup,Pipsqueak and Astrid are the Nightrosenadder trio and Hiccup is over Astrid by Httyd1 to establish a healthy platonic m/f bond and avoid love triangles.Platonic Hiccstrid is as close as it's canon romantic counterpart despite the no romance and Pipstrid is one of the closest relathionships to ever come out of Dreamworks tv but is queerplatonic in a sapphic way and maybe even sisterly but they don't put a label on it until adulthood,which is when their feelings fully settle and Astrid calls Pipsqueak the sister she always wanted and Pipsqueak calls Astrid everything he's not but not out of resentment anymore-He means she completes him🩵🩷🫶🏽

Rtte-Pipsqueak has earned the new title Pipsqueak The Worthy for his boundless,nonstop and near impossible heroism based on his pure selflessness and refusal to stand down when someone needs help and it's played for laughs sometimes of him acting like a fussy mother,cemmenting his team mom status in his friend group and to kids they meet on their adventures too and even to some dragon babies.His cooking skills are even better and so's his artistry and his collections now come in hoards from all the items and he's fully open with his snark and silly troublemaker tendencies now and his garden is in bloom and strong as he is.Hicpip is still slowburning but Fishlout and Ruffstrid are canonized in this run and so is aroace Tuffnut.Ironically enough,Fishlegs,Snotlout,Ruffnut,Astrid and him all assumed they were already a couple pre-befriending them and Hiccup is on default team dad mode

Pipsqueak becomes an Ormar,a half human/dragon hybrid,the first of his kind.Rtte has seven seasons instead of six and one is dedicated to this journey/Pipsqueakcentric.This includes uncovering what happened to his parents and he dedicated all his time to the mystery,to the point Hiccup has to force him to eat and sleep(once the other Dragon Riders walked in on Hiccup pining Pipsqueak down to Pip's bed to make him sleep when he was refusing to because he 'almost had it' and came to the natural romantic/shippy joke 'it's not what it looks like!!!' conclusion and teased them for a week straight).The leadup is Pipsqueak and Cloudy Skies getting kidnapped by a gang of sorcerers who worship Furys in the same way christians worship the bible i.e they ain't know jackshit and just lie and use them as an excuse to be bad people,to the point they're a cult.They perform a ritual on them to transfer Cloudy Skies' soul into Pipsqueak's body but thanks to their lack of actual Fury knowledge,it turns him into basically Cloudy Skies' twin/kid with her dna greatly in him and thus granting him powers.I'm dragonkin so there's not any angst for him upon his new species and he's happier than ever in fact

The Cult of Furies(a hint to their poserisms that aren't revealed until a bit later is they don't know the plural of the Fury species is 'Furys',not 'Furies'.They're norse,not greek)targeted Gertrud and Osmund for their extensive research of legit Fury facts,knowing them sharing it to the world as they'd announced they'd do would destroy their credability,and assasinated them at the crack of dawn.Pipsqueak can't bring himself to kill but he does throughly punish them upon busting the case:Forcing them to work as servants to the needy for the rest of their lives,placing a spell upon them with their own 'holy book' that gives them the uncontrollable compulsion to.He uses it to do spells on Hiccup and Astrid too but to give them their 'dream bodies',that is to say magic testosterone and estrogen respectively and essentially non-medical surgeries to remove Hiccup's boobs and give them their desired private parts

Dagur has a one-sided weird obsessive entitled crush on Hiccup(seriously what the fuck was up with this nigga towards him in Rtte?????Giving booktok boyfriend and not in the Katara way)and is thus extremely hostile to Pipsqueak and tries to hurt him or force him away so him and Hiccup 'can date at long last'.Hiccup is still in denial over being in love with Pipsqueak atp but tells him he'd pick them over him even if he held his axe to his throat and is found by Pipsqueak themself just as this happens,leading to Pip kicking Dagur's ass so hard he's scared of him now

Httyd 2-Hicpip is canon at last!!Like Pipverse Httyd1,this is mostly a play by play of canon but with a few add-ons and adjustments.Fishlegs and Snotlout's dragon racing attempts to impress are trying to one up eachother as boyfriends to flirt and Pipsqueak is the one in Astrid's place in the iconic Hiccstrid scenes in this,they're too good to remove!!No actually they're not actually dating yet <3 Pipsqueak comes along with Hiccup on the Valka journey and Valka figures out they're in love literally 3 convos in,including their first (re)meeting.Pipsqueak hopefully asks Valka for info on Osmund and Gertrud and she tells her stories of them on their younger days and how excited they were to have him,bringing him to a short burst of happy tears and Hiccup wraps an arm around him in comfort.While the five of them(Cloudy Skies is there too,since she's Pipsqueak dragon)are having a fun lighthearted adventure and Valka even introduces them to ube food during it,Astrid is trying to keep things in place as she helps out Stoick with the Drago situation and with Ruffnut's secretive nature recently as she can easily tell she's hiding from her despite otherwise acting normal,Ruffpuff normal way and yes,Astrid does call Ruffnut her Ruffpuff.Only in private and Gobber laughs when she accidentally lets it slip in front of him,to her embarrassment as she tells him at least she has someone to be gay with(he gets offended and says he could be gay with anyone he wanted to.....if he wanted to)

Hiccup admits his feelings for Pipsqueak outloud for the first time in his life,as he muses over his fear of the future and who he is and who he wants to be.It's not until it's said word for word by him that he fully believes it and he tries to plan out an elaborate confession he keeps fumbling and changing his mind on until we get a 'Hiccstrid but it's Hicpip' moment again,the 'Still doing that one.That's hilarious.Come here,you' kiss scene when Hiccup pulls in Pipsqueak by his waist for a kiss,only this is their first kiss,and Pipsqueak had zero confidence Hiccup loves him back but kisses back on instinct inspite of his shock.And to replace Stoick dying as a major core event of the movie,Pipsqueak uses his Ormar/Rose Fury status to train The Dark Alpha as his friend,wanting to save it upon finding out it's being mindcontrolled by Drago and severely abused by him for who knows how long and it eats him in the final battle.Pipsqueak remames his second dragon 'Lightscratch',Hiccup becomes chief because finally ending up together with Pipsqueak gave him what he needed to accept his deserved and earned role in the world,Valka returns to Berk with her and Stoick's 'future daughter in law' as enthutiastically shouted by him in front of the entire village and Ruffnut reveals the secret she was keeping from Astrid in front of the entire village too:A proposal.Astrid of course says yes in unrestrained joy and pulls her up into her arms bridal style to kiss her passionately and Snotlout comments snarkily it looks like it's makeout day now to which Fishlegs shyly asks if they can participate.Snotlout thinks about it for exactly three seconds and plants one on him

There's an after credits short about the Hicpip wedding day and a timeskip showing them and everybody else as middle-aged,with the Hicpip kids(or 'Milk and Cookies Pie Kids' as i like to call them /silly)consisting of identical twin girls named Bronwyn and Stone,an eldest son named Isagani and a toddler girl named Mark and Cloudy Skies and Stormfly have a litter of hybrid dragon babies of varying ages

And a little bonus:Pipsqueak is voiced by Estelle☺️

[chaoticprussia]

Hey its me the random unknown follower of yours that asked to info dump my ch lore on you, srry for being gone so long life is being an ass to me :) (might start calling myself coffee anon if ya don't mind)

Anyways CH LORE! [What are countryhumans?]

1) Countryhumans in my univers are creatures that is ment to represent a country or supposed to represent the people but unlike people they are not made of human flesh or has the same function of a normal human, countryhumans are genderless and cannot reproduce like humans instead their bodies are a fleshy shell with a hollow inside but the inside isn't really hollow it has a two cristal that works as the heart and brain. Most countryhuman has animal like features.

2) [Where are they from?]

Nobody knows where they came from or who or what created them but they appear on the previous country's door step and knowing their time will soon come (some countryhumans are found on the woods and other places too)

3) [ Can the countryhumans have siblings?]

Yes sometimes, like for example i have two japans in my au and both share the same name but both of them has different ages japan-kun is the eldest and japan-chan is the youngest by one year but other siblings are twins most of the time (the reasons why theres two of them is bc i want to show two differents sides of japan the first is the working culture and second is the culture mostly represented outside japan, also the both fishy :D)

This is so long lmao, might be back for another part - coffee anon :)

ooooo interesting. if theyre hollow do they float. and if so WITCHHHHHHH 🫵🫵🫵🫵🫵🫵🫵

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Can I get a lore dump on hash and will we see her again? (Feel free to ramble)

Of course you're seeing him again, he's immortal. He will live forever and ever and ever and- Yeah.

Okay, so here's the meta about Hash:

He came attached to Hans right from the very beginning. You dont seperate those two.

So yeah, he's occupied my brains for a very long time

Originally, he was the evil one and a doppelganger/mimic instead of a shape shifter, but over time he got nicer and eventually ended up being a good guy (sort of)

Oh, and he went from he/him to she/her to it/its and then finally he/she

Gay. (Jk he's pan)

He has a shitty fake Paliodaen accent (despite being born in Palioden lol), which is like if a southern USA accent had a baby with the Scottish

He and Hans are supposed to be each other's foils, which is why he's a coward, but also a genuinely good person. I'd say his alignment is Chaotic Good.

In his eyes, he's a failed hero. The greatest shapeshifter of his people, meant to bring glory to the shapeshifters and let them rule over the world. And then he ended up causing their death by saving humanity instead of them.

And did he stick around afterwards? No, he ran away and hid his face some more. He could have saved the world. He had a dozen chances to, when he met the Godhuntress as a young woman and encountered the Witch of Emwy on her quest to stop death. He could have stopped the Harpies from stealing the moon, and intercepted Tabitha-who-saw-the-gods when she got kidnapped.

Of course, that's just what he thinks of himself. He has done good, as evidenced by the convenience store vampire. He's changed the world in ways big and small, though he hardly sticks around to see it or notice it.

On a lighter note, he's also meant to be a bit of a trickster, though less so than his original form. One of these days I'll post the story I wrote when I was 15, which was my first feature of him.

I love him and his imposter syndrome lol.

Anywaysss, picrew dump!!!! (Top left is from back when she was Hans' twin)

[aquaticfox32]

Lore dump for Into the Lush Forest:

In this AU, the world revolves around magic. Creatures of the forests and deserts are dominant creatures who have mastered the arts of magic, each having a unique ability to control or command. Narrator and Curator are considered prodigies for their kind due to their parent. Mana is connected to the soul of the individual, a sensitive part of any being and most vulnerable part to protect.

Mariella was originally human, being one of the sacrifices to be given away. Curator found her and eventually loved her enough to leave her home, her younger twin following her example. Not wanting to let Mariella age, she changed some her body to adapt for a long life, not as long as her own but long enough to make the best of it. This is why Mariella has animalistic features on her body.

This range of power has a lasting effect on the user, usually draining a part of their mana or their life force to be exact. If they use an excessive amount of their mana, they will be weak enough to be hurt or killed by any non magic user. A way they regain their mana is to devour anything that has a high amount of mana in it, ranging from plants to animals, even human. They can eventually recover their mana on their own but this is a long process which forces them into hibernation and not all of them have the privilege to stay hidden long enough to do so.

Humans are also part of the category of who can use mana, but this comes at a certain price. From long exposure to usage of mana, their bodies slowly give into the side effects, usually a shorten lifespan, mental illness, and inability to have any children.

There used to be a great amount of human mages who were able to use mana but as time passed with humans residing in their current towns and cities, the knowledge and talent disappeared with it. Anybody who were possibly related to these mages would have no knowledge of it since the family history was not kept up to date.

[amarisrosalette]

Archons x WoF x Warrior Cats Concepts

update: so finals are nearing and apparently my sanity has been dragging down recently so i thought combining my hyperfixations into an au is how i cope /hj

(i actually drew this during finals, now its been sitting on my drafts for god knows how long)

so i began thinking of two separate crossover aus where the archons, specifically my comforts barbatos and morax, would look like in the following book series: Wings of Fire and Warrior Cats

so for the people who don't know both of these books series are fantasy novels surrounding dragons and cats, respectively

and because i haven't told you guys that i love dragons and cats now is the best time that i reveal it

so i present to you guys:

Character Concepts of Barbatos and Morax as dragons in Wings Of Fire style!! (FYI i plan to separate this au from WoF because i too am not very happy with the canon lore and i overall just don't rlly vibe with it and WC is just. kinda sitting there. no real plot or plan purpose. just did that for fun.)

these were the concepts i did while i was experimenting around krita and whatnots, so let's start with old gods as dragons shall we?

Wings of Fire (+ closer zoom-ins, ignore the doodles, i'm a little insane i know but hey this is tumblr)

okay so just allow me to lore dump for a while, I'll also talk about the other archons who aren't featured here because I'm still thinking of concepts for them

starting with Barbatos, fellow WoF people might not recognize his species but he is an AvianWing, which are the basically bird-like dragons that i created in my au

they're very fast and agile creatures, they are known to hunt in packs like raptors and make efficient yet deadly hunters. they have sickle claws on their hindlegs and are known for their famous "songs" which are long melodious, almost song-like, calls that they use for various things such as communication, mating, echolocation, and more.

although not known for brute strength, venti doesn't let that stop him. where he lacks for brute strength and size he makes up for his speed in his slim body, force, powerful beak, and talons made up of strong muscles for pulling and slashing.

while he isn't a fan of hostility and fighting, he is much stronger, older, and wiser than he looks. he may act youthfully and even a bit silly, but this doesn't come from a place of naivety but rather a wish to enjoy life as it passes.

he is a well-known dragon around his kingdom, although he isn't a ruler, he laid the foundations of the reforms of his kingdom but refuses to take fame for himself, instead giving it to his older twin brother, Himmel (who is nameless bard and is alive in this au)

he and his brother are, of course, traveling bards, who'd like to perform on the streets or look after dragonets in the villages when their mothers weren't around.

many dragonets know and love him and Himmel, and they see them as elder brothers they like to snuggle with to hear their wonderful stories and beautiful songs.

he's kind and well-loved around his kingdom, and even established good relations with the current ruler.

cunning and swift, he has heightened senses for successful hunting. common in all AvianWings, they are known to possess a keener eye than most dragons for spotting small prey from above ground.

with that said, the look of underestimation on some dragons' faces does not go unnoticed by him.

but it doesn't matter, he could use it to his advantage anyway, so he plays along.

it wasn't until he unexpectedly turned the tables, making them face the hidden strength that he was provoked into protecting his loved ones in the distant past...

but that was all but a memory now, as he cuddled up eager dragonets with his wings chirruping and squawking when they wanted to hear his song. those wide pairs of eyes were hard to resist, even for a bard like him.

his elder brother settles them near and gently shushes them to behave before they begin, which they so obediently follow.

he chuckles, and so he sings with his voice, of tales gone by from the past, carefully woven into a meaning that one day, he hopes, the future dragonets will understand.

lore dump aside, i genuinely created the avianwings because i wanted to accommodate the WoF universe for venti and mondstadt because i thought that the bird and freedom motifs would suit him really well + the stigma of not looking strong at a glance but can shock you when you're not looking carefully. idk guys i think the birds are venti's spirit animal yk :)

next is Morax. i haven't quite thought of his lore yet, so let me go over the concepts i thought while drawing of him.

one day, i had a question in my head of a "what-if" scenario of what would morax's exuvia look like if he was in a different style of a dragon, specifically the western dragon and in WoF style, aside from the traditional lung.

now this isn't meant to be a cultural erasure, as i know the lung dragon is an important figure in Chinese mythology and formed an integral part of zhongli's character in genshin, however, i just wanted to entertain a new idea, and so i experimented with a new style of his dragon form (more specifically the European dragon style of WoF).

this isn't to say that his exuvia form looks bad or ugly, this is only a curious experiment or retelling of him in a new light.

anyway in the au i'm thinking like he's some sort of a skywing general or warrior bc the whole mountain dragon thing going on for the skywings seems really fitting for him

he's a very strong guy, well-spoken past his prime age but he still stands a formidable warrior

he's an experienced general who was trained vigorously from a very young age, and he rose to his ranks and became a famed and well-respected warrior

he also carries one of the most rarest genetic traits called metallic scales, and they reflect the sun's golden sheen under the light which earned him the title "Warrior of the Sun"

hes just a big scary dragon that looks intimidating but actually has a soft heart inside like canon morax, he may or may not have retired from his position but this was him during his prime (?)

dragon zhongli (not morax) is just a grandpa now bc i say so. hehehe

also skywings in my au are much different from their canon counterparts, they're much taller, stronger, and have more color diversity than just red or orange, and their tribe personality is different than just being thin, grumpy, or violent

(and yes all of the tribes in my au are more sensible and less arrogant than canon)

and uhm. dont mind the third doodle. i just went a little crazy if venti was a tiny bit messed up as a dragon)

moraxs dragon form and the whole metallic scales thing was heavily inspired by an artist called @sarcosse.7 on instagram. they don’t have a tumblr but their art is amazing! if you want to you can go and check them out!! they’re really good at writing and their oc lore is interesting.

next is warrior cats (and no im not beating the weird kid allegations, i genuinely cannot contain the silliness anymore, i love cats smmmmm)

and YES DONT MIND ME I TOYED AROUND ABOUT CATS WITH HAIR. it looks cool okay don't judge me /hj (my designs my rules, i am defying the laws of logic)

on the second-third drawing, i tried to experiment with a new brush with the disney-esque feel with fluid motions (like the waving motion of his)

ANYHOWWWW. i just pictured venti as a silly mischievous lil cat. think he might be a windchill warrior or rogue or something idk. but i was thinking about how the genshin nations would look like if they were in warrior cats clans.

also cats with braids r cool

i don’t have anything else to say in here other than KITTIES

ppl i wanna call just in case: @cinnabell2 @lanternlightss @ventisslut @probably-haven

[hiratelier]

Was developing some lore for my twins so have this scuffed sketch of Mario and Maria as kids

Also have some bit of lore dump under the cut :)

Maria and Mario's current names aren't their real ones; when they got older and started to integrate themselves within human society, they chose to adopt civilian names in order to blend in. To this day we don't really know what their real names actually are

The twins are half-qilin; they can actually toggle their beast-like features as they wish, but it's worth noting that when they were born, it didn't seem that they were born with such features until they got older; turns out that toggling them on gives the twins a major boost in power

Maria and Mario are the current incarnations of a singular divine being who was a full-blooded qilin and acted as a divine protector; before its passing, it wished to be reincarnated as a human, which did become true but something went wrong while their wish was granted, hence their next incarnation came in the form of twins. Their birthday is on April 4, 1298

When the twins were born, they were found by an elderly couple (with apparently long lifespans), who then raised them as their children within solitude, away from the clutches of human society. The couple found out about the twins' peculiar nature when it came to their pyrokinesis abilities, so they taught the twins how to harness their powers effectively. They even taught the twins how to toggle on their antlers and tails once they found out that they were half-qilin

The scales on Maria and Mario weren't always there; when they were first born, they only had scales on their pointed ears, and as they grew up, more scales appeared on their bodies and it appears to have stopped by the time they were going to leave their lives in solitude

The gloves that Maria wears to suppress her destructive pyrokinesis was a gift from her grandmother figure, so she takes extra care in wearing them and making sure that they don't get taken off by accident. She's even researching how to replicate the gloves' properties since she never thought about asking her grandma how to make them

Maria's pyrokinesis is geared towards destroying anything and everything, while Mario's pyrokinesis is geared towards healing and regenerating

Maria and Mario were gifted weapons by their grandparent figures to help them channel their pyrokinesis, and were taught how to use them; Maria was given an odachi while Mario was given a spear; both of them can physically manifest their weapons at any time without worrying about carrying them around constantly

The elderly couple would then pass away at the beginning of the 21st century; the twins were adults (physically 20 years old) at the time, and they left their isolated lives and now live amongst human civilization, adopting new names and occupations as they went

Maria can easily adapt to new technology and trends despite spending centuries of her life living in solitude; Mario is more of a country bumpkin, but he takes his time in adjusting to new things

The twins and their previous incarnation are immortal, but they can still be killed - it's just that it's EXTREMELY difficult to do that; they can't die of diseases though

My sudden lore dump was inspired by this tweet that featured fan art of Maria and Mario! It looks fantastic :D

[aquaburst3]

Last night, I was talking with some others on my Discord server. At first, we were talking about the latest update in the game. After awhile, the conversation shifted to how the game will handle Ace's dream. Outside of someone joking about him becoming a street magician, we genuinely couldn't think of anything. That kinda highlights a lot about his and Deuce's role in the game.

Neither one of them have any goals or arc. They are extremely generic. Deuce is just the "dequint with a heart of gold" trope down to the letter. Ace is just the "Everyman" trope. While his mischievous nature sets him apart, he still doesn't have a lot going for him. I don't mind characters from ordinary backgrounds. The Pines Twins, Frodo, and Luz are some of my favs, despite them coming from ordinary beginnings. The problem is that there isn't much to them outside of that. They don't have any real importance to the story outside of giving lore dumps and being supportive towards Yuu either.

It genuinely seems like Yana has no idea what to do with them anymore. We're on Book 7 at the time of writing this. After Book 3, they only promentially feature in one arc—Pomefiore. Even then I argue that neither one of them shouldn't have been on the team, since neither of them have any singing or dancing experience, making that seem extremely contrived. For "best friend characters", that's REALLY bad.

Hell, I'm starting to struggle with that in my own fics! I feel like Addie (Yuu) is getting closer to characters like Malleus, Jack and Vil over time instead of those two thanks to having more in common with them. One of my mutuals suggested making them slowly drift apart. While I'm iffy about doing that since I find she kinda chooses her own character relationships, it's still an option on the table if I can't make this work. That's really sad.

They remind me a lot of Tristan and Tea (using the dub names for simplicity's sake) from YuGiOh in that regard. When the manga was focused on games in general, they were important and got moments to shine. Once the card game got popular and the author was forced to centre the manga around it, they transformed into Yugi's cheer squad and played little role in the plot. Frankly, at that point they should've been written out of the story.

I feel the same thing is slowly happening to Ace and Deuce. They were important at the start. Once the world was introduced around Book 2, they just become the generic mandatory supportive friend characters.

Honestly, that's such a waste. Those two had so much more potential if there was more thought put into their writing and was more to them outside of cookie cutter archetypes. Hopefully they are given more depth in the future, but I'm not holding my breath.

[totaleclipse573]

Okay but so can you make (or link me to) a post going over your OCs cause i am in constant confusion whenever i see them 😭

Well, if you want more info on the more lore-heavy oc's (Terios and Doleon) to get somewhat of an idea, they each have tags! They're :

#terios lore

#doleon lore? (with the question mark lmao)

Has a bunch of stuff there on them. I'd link you to the Terios lore post from some time ago but some of the stuff on there is really incomplete/some parts are inaccurate due to that now. I'd be happy to tell you about my silly little oc's though! (And maybe a refresher in case anyone needs it)

I'm warning you. This WILL be long 😅 Mainly because of Terios. It's all part of an alt canon of mine (Oc Universe au) and I have a lot of oc's. GRAB SNACKS.

DOLEON

Starting with him, because he plays a HUGE part in Terios' lore and story

Essentially, he's the Black Doom of this au. (Fun fact : he was created because I had no idea how to draw actual Black Doom, nor had the energy to learn, so I made him a hedgehog/alien thing. Then I got to thinking and now he has his own separate lore jhsdbfbkjdb. It's a bit complicated.)

Centuries ago, he had six other brothers (who also each have their own tag, just their names) https://www.tumblr.com/totaleclipse573/739530015615664128/can-i-dump-some-lore-on-yall-real-quick-actually?source=share

This explains everything pretty well I think. Still check out the tag itself if you'd like more info! (You should probably know for later, this guy right here is the definition of "I ALWAYS COME BACK >:D")

Personality wise, he's very egotistical, has a burning hatred for humans and humanity, and is always seeking power. He tends to see himself as much more intelligent and overall better than others (even though some *cough cough Starline cough* perceive him as dumb due to not knowing much about Earth or how things work on this planet.) While sometimes impulsive, he also really knows how to put up a good battle strategy wise. As of now, he (along with Shadow, Eclipse and Terios,) are the only remaining Black Arms left. (ALSO AS OF NOW : he met Starline, WHO IS TOTALLY ALIVE AFTER ISSUE 50, and they decided to form a partnership for each others own secret benefits, planning to stab one another in the back afterwards. They never do 😭 They're just really gay 😭)

TERIOS

(Cw for child abuse)

2000+ years after the Doleon shards incident, Terios is the accidental twin to Shadow, the initial project being rather mysteriously cloned. The only real explanation found had something to do with energy. This "clone" looked a bit off, with features that pointed to the idea that it seemed to hold more Black Arms DNA (ex. long pointed tail, all sharp teeth, green blooded, clawed fingers.)

But Doleon takes notice to that little mistake in the process. He can use that to his advantage. A pact is rather forcibly made, once the now two projects are finished, Doleon is entitled to one of them to use for his own purposes. He's part of the reason they even exist. He can make things happen if he doesn't get his way. (Geraldoom divorce arc /j)

He takes the black and white-striped one (who doesn't seem to want to be away from its twin it only JUST met, annoyingly.) It seems to be the exact opposite of it's twin, who is loud and confident. It (he can't keep calling this thing an it, for Supreme's sake...his name is Terios now) should be easier for what he has planned.

So while Shadow grew on the ARK, Terios grew on the Black Comet. And uh..............it was rough. He's essentially a victim of child abuse and a hell of a lot of manipulation. Brainwashed for years.

Doleon has Terios for his future plans now, but the downside on his end is that he now actually has to "care" for this small child until he’s old enough to begin his training.

But uh. Well...

Here's something from his lore tag regarding...a certain huge part of his lore

And some art of bitty him

Terios (and Shadow) grew rather quickly (in terms of appearance.) Doleon took that as a sign of "he's old enough" and the brutal and quite frankly traumatizing training began. He would be the BEST, and this was the way to make sure of that. He could never mess up, never make a mistake, he had to be perfect. And he made sure Terios knew that too. Every mistake he made would get him clawed at. The more severe the mistake, more likely the deeper the gash. (Learn how to heal yourself with that energy...or don't, and suffer. Sometimes, if his mistake was so bad, he wouldn't even be allowed to heal with the energy.) It was always on one of his arms or on his face. More often would he get shouted at, grabbed and tossed to the ground like some kind of rag doll. The lesson he eventually had to learn?

Don't ever mess up. On anything. Expect pain and suffering otherwise.

There's also this one other little habit he was eased into...

He doesn't hate his father for these things though. He still cares deeply for him and doesn't ever wish to disappoint him, as he's been doing. Father's doing this for a good reason...! Terios would soon be passed the honor of the power the Shards of Chaos hold, he needed a lot of training and discipline to be able to handle that...!

And that's what he told himself. Every. Time.

This goes on for a few years, and he's gotten much better with his training (he pretty much had to, the injuries weren't healing fast enough.) He rarely speaks unless told to, he's terribly obedient, he's tired, he's hurting, but it doesn't matter. He's what he's supposed to be! He's finally near perfection! (Except for these weird sparks and bursts of shard energy he gets whenever he feels sad...or angry...maybe he could just drown that out?)

Then things get crazy bc Tikal is here now. LET ME EXPLAIN PLEASE-(I first made Terios' story when I was like, ten years old? XD He's a revived oc)

Short summary : In this AU, Tikal is more like a free-ranging spirit. Tikal knew Doleon and his brothers, way back then. She was a ghost and could somehow get through the strange barrier of this little area the brothers were confined to, so they became friends! Tikal, Kieran and Doleon specifically. She wasn't around for when the others were killed, but the last person she saw was Kieran once the barrier was no longer there. That wasn't the only thing that was broken.

Since she already knew Doleon and what he had done in the past, she knew he had no good intentions. While he was away from Terios, she appeared before the Darkhog, alerting and telling him of what the shards really were, and what they could do to a person. And Terios, of course, started to panic. Was he being corrupted right now? Was he ALREADY corrupted? He needed to escape. But how? There was no escape. 

Luckily for Terios, Tikal’s spirit was able to transport him back to where he was created, the ARK (not without Doleon putting up a fight of course.) Unluckily, however, at the time he was transported there, the whole ARK fiasco was going on, and Maria had already sent Shadow down to Earth and stuff. Now there were only G.U.N. soldiers, and they spotted him, calling him “Project Shard," for some reason (He had a separate file. There can't be TWO Project Shadow's) So he tries to run from them, but can’t, and they catch up to him. Soon enough, they lock him up in a facility, putting him into cryostasis. 

Skip about...54 (???) years (4 years after SA2) and Terios is about to be released for nothing good. And guess what.

There's a one shot for one of the parts I randomly felt like writing out one day :D

This leads up to months of subtle brainwashing (aGAIN) and being brought back to his old mentalities until Terios just HATES that one hedgehog he's never met (gee doesn't that sound a bit like another irrelevant plotline of mine-) He's fully loyal to the Black Arms and to his kind only! Finding the Shards...for Doleon...that's his destiny. That's why he exists!

And so when they finally arrive to conquer earth (and find the remaining shards,) Terios is sent out to do his job. Except he meets people. Whoops.

The first person he ever met was Rouge, out on the streets of Westopolis. She just kind of...appeared? Upside down? Flying? Apparently, she'd seen him around. The things he could do...and she'd like his assistance in a little something. She was getting in his way, he could NOT be sidetracked by some bat.

He got sidetracked by some bat. The power of Rouge everybody. (But its okay because he didn't realize it. No panic attack here.) He still found one of the Shards afterwards! She led him to it, almost...surely a coincidence. Unless she was looking for them too? For some reason? WHY WAS SHE BEING NICE TO HIM ANYWAY??? WHAT TRICKERY WAS THIS??

...Not bad, though. If his tail would stop MOVING LIKE THAT FOR AT LEAST FIVE SECONDS, THOUGH, IT WOULD BE NICER.

Going back to Doleon with the shard, he should've expected somewhat of a lecture for socializing with allies of the enemy. AND OF COURSE, he got that. He's lucky he came back with the shard...he won't be punished.

After that, Ter, being sent out to the same place as a current horde of Black Arms soldiers, runs into Tails after going astray. Lecture down the drain, somewhat. What’s his name? Why is his tail so long? Can he use it in battle? Does he have any powers? He could ask questions all day if it weren’t for Terios starting to look overwhelmed by them (which gets an apology)

All the sudden, that horde of Black Arms start raiding the area Tails and Terios are in, so Tails, knowing this as current danger, grabs Terios by the hand and tells him he knows a safe, inside place.

A more simplified summary of events that come after all this because this is getting too long already sdbjbjkacvhjj

Terios says he has to go and this happens :

(that last part will become relevant in just a bit....)

More shard hunting

Doleon is harder on Terios now that Shadow is out of the picture. He isn't STUPID, Terios, he KNOWS what you've been doing. You keep derailing. Making mistakes. You know exactly where that leads.

Terios is quite literally beaten some sense into and this is the result :

Terios soon realizes Doleon PROBABLY isn't actually trying to help him at all, and instead joines the heroes in an attempt to stop him. He's with them for a while, starts to get somewhat comfortable around them...enough so that his real self starts showing.

And it confuses most. So you mean to say, this weird looking alien hybrid thing that only first showed himself in an attempt to brutally murder Shadow, had an alliance with Doom and the Black Arms from the start, and showed nothing but pure loyalty to them, even to go so far as to declare his actions in their name for the better? He's actually just this...guy. That was really, really badly manipulated.

Look at the way he came in. Even if he wouldn't specify where all those injuries came from, he was obviously treated like garbage. Just something to be used and then thrown aside. But oddly enough, he felt safe around these people. They were supposed to be the enemy!! Just another lie. He could change!! He could be better. Not the kind of better Doleon expected him to be, the kind of better that really just felt like the right thing now.

But hoooooooooooo when Doleon finds out about this.

Terios goes back into the comet after a while of being gone, its noticeable and he's mentally beating himself up about being so stupid. It's part of the plan, though. He'll go in first, so that the others remain unnoticed. Doleon has known about everything. And, if this kid won't LISTEN, he'll just have to MAKE HIM. His mental barriers were always weak anyway...he was the one to really mold the Darkhog into that for convenience.

Um.................angst...............it naturally follows :

When the others see him walking back out again they're confused. What is he DOING?? This isn't part of what they planned at all!

Until Doleon makes himself known as well and says something like "I only took back what belongs to me! It was rightfully mine from the start..." or some other CLEARLY rage-inducing thing. It gets on Shadow's nerves specifically sooooooooo bad, the way Doleon is speaking of Terios. Doesn't matter what they do, though. Terios won't listen. He won't speak. Everything else is blocked out. He belongs here. It's where he's always belonged. He's safe now. This is all he needs. He's home again.

And if it's what the Master told him, wanted of him, he would do anything to prove his loyalty. Anything.

He's forced to fight them, and they're forced to find some kind of way to snap him out of it before he can hurt anyone. He seems to be specifically going after Shadow for the kill, though.

Once he DOES get snapped out of it, he feels IMMENSE guilt. He can see how he hurt some of them, even if it was only a little. And that hurts him

APPARENTLY DOLEON OVER HERE WAS JUST HAVING SOME FUN, BECAUSE ONLY AFTER THIS DOES HE BRING OUT THE SHARDS AND GAIN A NEW FORM ENTIRELY TO FINALLY ENACT HIS END GOAL. Luckily Shadow has the Chaos Emeralds >:D Terios, though? Still terrified, and even more so now. WHAT IS A SUPER FORM?!?!?! He might need some help...

So they have to defeat Doleon in their super forms but Terios is still very new to the concept of chaos energy and super forms and such (he's far more shard energy than chaos energy,) and there may or may not be a scene somewhat reminiscent of that one SA2 scene in my head except no one dies. HOORAY!

And after all that, Terios can finally learn to be himself with his new allies, which leads to his redemption arc!

This part of his story moreso revolves around Terios learning to break free from what had happened before, and learn to better himself with the help of others. He also needs to learn some decent self care (whether it be simple things like taking better care of his fur, or more complex things like learning to accept help with his current mental state.)

At first, he’s still a bit paranoid about everything that happened. He’s worried Doleon could somehow come back at any moment, that the Black Arms could return along with him, that he would be forcibly dragged back in again, even after his life had only just started getting better (oH the nightmare scenes.) Luckily for him, though, now he has people that can actually help with these fears, and he eventually does feel ready to try and move on. Then he feels comfortable enough to start meeting people, and interacts with more of the cast!

This is also the time where he meets Eclipse and the Dark Arms! Short summary : Terios wants to do a Steven Universe and help Eclipse the way all the others helped him. Terios just kinda randomly stumbled into him while he was out one day and got VERY much lost. Eclipse doesn't like him and his sappy “I can help you bc power of friendship!” attitude at first, but then he's able to sense Terios' connection to the hivemind. It feels a bit different than Shadow. So now he's pretty curious as to why and starts asking Terios questions. Eventually Eclipse kinda grows to like Terios, this hybrid is actually nice to him, for some reason. But then Shadow finds them. You can probably tell where that goes (It’s bad for a long while, but it eventually ends with Shadow, Eclipse and Terios all living together bc they're brothers, it’s my own little canon and I can do as I wish XD)

Some redemption arc stuff I've talked about :

Aaaaand a little something about the way he behaves, even now :

Theres one more relevant story arc for him after this, and thats the "Doom arc" I rarely talk about. So shortened version : Shards of Chaos need a new host, they literally POSSESS Terios to do so (since he already has an established connection to them,) Doleon ends up being revived by the energy anyway, due to corruption, Tikal comes back, Espio becomes a sort of mentor for Terios post-possession so he can learn how to manage his newfound unstableness, aaaaand...yeah XD Like I said, this part is more in my head than written. The possessed form is still able to be accessed, very rarely, since Ter can't control it in the slightest.

And so now he's....the way he is! He is him :D He's shy, lacking in confidence, somewhat naïve due to wanting to see the good in everyone, and rather pacifistic, a surprising trait for that of Black Arms descent. He's very sweet, but can be angered on rare occasions. And when that rare occasion happens : start running.

I also gave him a speech disorder, specifically trauma-induced stuttering. He doesn't like it since it makes him sound nervous all the time, but otherwise, he doesn't mind, barely ever notices anymore. I did a lot of research just to be able to portray it accurately (I hope)

I know this was long, but I really just wanted to be able to explain everything clearly. I have other oc's that are FAR less complex, which is most of the others, so if you want, that'll probably have to be like a part two post 😅 Hope you found my oc rambling at least somewhat interesting! (I also hope it isn't too confusing 😭)

[rxttenfish]

putting these in their own post, old conversation/discussion/lore dumps about merfolk reproduction, with date and also sometimes what prompted it

-

[Overview on what merfolk children are like, Jan 12th 2022]

The first thing to remember is that merfolk are more closely related to amphibians than anything else alive today. 

While they aren’t modern amphibians proper, and belong to an entirely different clade all their own, with themselves and the leviathans being the only extant members remaining, there’s still a lot of similarities among them. Sure, they have more derived features, but that’s just due to them ending up with selective pressures to convergently evolve things like scales and claws. And their specific reproductive strategy is one of the places where this is the most obvious.

You know how amphibians will create many squishy eggs that entirely lack a shell and cannot be taken out of water? Merfolk do the same! However, they also encountered the same issue that other tetrapods also had. Namely, that the eggs could both dry out, but also that they were remarkably delicate. Amniotes solved this issue through the creation of the amniotic sac, hence the name, allowing them to create eggs ( and, later, switch to live birth ).

The clade merfolk belong to took a... different route. As in, they never actually switched to any kind of shelled egg! They looked at their squishy eggs that needed to be laid in water, and instead decided to begin just using themselves as their pool of water.

A given merfolk will release several dozen eggs at the same time, and they’ll still be contained within the body. If these eggs are fertilized, then they’ll begin to develop and go through roughly the equivalent stages of fetal development (or, in this case, the comparison would directly go to things like tadpoles and metamorphosis). Merfolk also have a form of histotrophy, which brings me to exactly what happens during development.

Namely, in that merfolk will begin to cannibalize each other in the womb. This wasn’t universal amongst their clade, some others would simply release the young as effectively-tadpoles and others would already be inclined towards larger numbers of offspring, but among all living members, only one pup will be born at a time. While it certainly does help with things like minimizing immediately-fatal birth defects, largely this is just because of space and resource constraints. Merfolk and leviathans both are K-selected species, and having carnivorous offspring that hatch, begin to kill and eat each other in the womb, and have one remaining at the end is a fairly easy way to do so. 

This is also why twins are so rare — because it requires for two pups to make it that far without killing each other in the womb, and that thinning-out happens rather early on in gestation. There can be problems, if one kills the other far later on than they were supposed to.

Merfolk similarly have long pregnancies for this reason, as well as just how their pups are born. Namely, they also needed their pups to be able to both swim and (somewhat) defend themselves from the moment of birth, plus they are simply large animals, so they need that extra time. 14 months is the universal average amongst merfolk.

The parents will also have a hormonal shift during that time. Merfolk, evolutionarily speaking, had an issue with other merfolk killing and sometimes cannibalizing pups, and for a lot of other marine predators, mer pups make for very easy meals. So, in order to prevent this, soon-to-be mer parents will have a dip in their social needs and will separate off to themselves, to have the pup in a safe, isolated location. Similarly, they will become more irritable and defensive, protective of their new pup and very, very stubborn in not letting anyone else near them. I’ve been waffling back and forth on how intense to exactly make it, whether it be just a more emotional time or if it’s outright more of a fugue state, but regardless, they will refuse to let anyone else close to the location or to the pup, and can be a lot more eager to try and physically deter anything that is not letting them have their space. As in, there are warning signs within the Merkingdom that mean that a couple with a new pup is there, and you should turn back now unless you possibly want to get bit.

You can think about merfolk as new parents in the same way you might consider a mother crocodile. Do not approach, they are territorial and aggressive and immensely protective, and you are not uniquely safe from it.

It fades back to normal after a few weeks or so, when the pup is considered “ready” to be safely brought into the community of other merfolk. In the past, some merfolk have counted the day where it fades enough to come back as the new pup’s birthday, but in the modern era, they will often count the actual day of birth (since new parents can still easily mark that down so long as they have a clock with them and no one else is sending them into a frenzy). The parents will still stick with the pup and care for them basically until their adulthood (around the same time as it is for humans), but they will also begin communally raising the pup with everyone else. Most communities will consider any children within them to be basically everyone’s children, with some special weight given to their blood family, but largely with expectations on everyone to play some part. This is why there’s actually very little pressure for any mer that is not a royal to become a parent, but LOTS of pressure for them to be good around kids. 

It’s also a good explanation for why merfolk compulsively adopt children that they might find, even if they aren’t actually other merfolk. If the Merkingdom didn’t refuse to let anyone past their borders, then merfolk would rather quickly form a reputation for massive mixed-species families, their urge to adopt is that strong.

But all of this comes back to merfolk pups in of themselves:

Pups are born already very developed and independent. They are capable of swimming with decently powerful tails, they have very strong vocal cords for chirping and shrieking, ability to chase after small fish ( and their parents), claws, and a full set of teeth. While adult merfolk have their own dentition, as pups, all merfolk are born with a set of simple, needle-like teeth. They do not have the jaw power of adults yet, but they are perfectly adapted to eat and process soft-bodied prey and meat that has been stripped of bone, and will require being fed like this from the moment they are born. They also have a fairly strong grip — as merfolk will carry their pups a bit like sloths do. Chest-to-chest, both facing forward, with the pup’s hands beneath the adult’s arms, easily within reach to hold onto should something happen. For abyssals, they are born without bioluminescence and their fins cannot yet maintain the consistent shape of the adults’.

And, yes, if they are placed upon land at this early stage, mer pups can even begin walking from the moment of birth.

Taking care of them is, likewise, about as straining as you could imagine a baby that could run around on its own and open cabinets would be. They’re kinda feral.

-

[On merfolk war gods, April 6th 2024]

i mentioned the other day about how a lot of merfolk gods of war and violence are connected to childcare, and i've been meaning to explain it a little more-

merfolk do give live birth, and as amphibians their tadpoles go through a full metamorphosis in the womb, coming out as basically tiny versions of the adults. this is something that their specific lineage of temnospondyls specialized in, since they were actually rather terrestrial and were made to be able to travel long distances over land between wet areas and to adapt to a variety of conditions easier. oviviviparity meant that they weren't reliant on vernal pools at all, with some lineages then depositing the live tadpoles in a water source, some of them going through full metamorphosis before birth, some having more or less tadpoles in general with a variety of r- and k- selection depending on their individual adaptations.

merfolk in particular, then, are descended from a group that began to specialize not only in metamorphosis in the womb, but also in having fewer offspring that they invested greater resources into, making sure that they were as likely to survive the strain as possible. they also already fed their live offspring within the womb by both histotrophy and oophagy, putting extra resources into making sure they were healthy and strong when they were born. which is why when the lineage began to select for reduced offspring, the solution was mostly… just to keep them in longer, and to provide an additional source of nutrition in the form of intrauterine cannibalism. this guaranteed not only was only one offspring born at a time, but also that they were the healthiest among all the tadpoles, minimizing immediately-lethal mutations.

you also have the adults, who at this point in their evolutionary history, had predation by other merfolk being a major driving factor. pregnancy with this many resources going into it, even when you are a large, social predator who can afford it, is still an exhausting and risky affair, and the earliest moments of life are easily among the riskiest. merfolk have very good senses of smell and taste, making it easy for outside merfolk to find merfolk who were pupping, and if there's a strain in the social cohesion of the group they're already in, it would also be very easy for even merfolk in those early social groups to turn on one member and to enforce who is allowed to reproduce. merfolk also came from animals that lived along shorelines in loosely associated but dense colonies, and getting away from the others for vulnerable moments was already a factor.

so the answer evolution took with merfolk was to make the pupping merfolk experience a sudden massive drop in their need to socialize and bond with other merfolk, and a heightened sense of aggression towards other merfolk. this would occur around the last few weeks of their pregnancy, and would continue a few weeks after the birth, taking up a period of about a month. this would also involve usually only one other merfolk from the same social group experiencing the same shift, the hormones creating a positive feedback loop between each individual merfolk, who would essentially act as a midwife or carer for the pupping merfolk, and was enough of a guarantee that both were well-fed that it was selected for.

for modern merfolk: pupping is universally seen as the one time violence is "permitted" without question, as they experience it as nearly a fugue state where they are unable to control themselves and cannot stop the aggression they feel towards all other merfolk or other "intruders" (sharks being an example of something common for your usual merfolk that wouldn't be tolerated here). however, since they aren't violent all the time and calm down if they are allowed to be away and apart from other merfolk, the modern solution has usually been to create "pupping rooms", glorified apartments with no windows and intense soundproofing, where they can be alone and feel safe. other buildings can be converted into pupping spaces, or they can simply be places located far enough off from the main township to not set it off, but in all cases, there's a lot of warnings set up around them, with the symbols being very similar across cultures. a sort of "do not enter, do not disturb the peace, this is a nursery".

food and resources are delivered in as non-obstructive a way as possible, and usually some medical training/advice is given to the merfolk well ahead of time, since getting someone else into that space puts everyone at risk. some merfolk, however, out of cultural habit or due to having health issues, will select for "midwives" as their non-pregnant pupping partner to help care for them, a practice that is the default among the royals. its selected for primarily by time spent in close contact with each other, and involves a professional who has been trained in medicine pairing up with the pregnant merfolk for this time, going through the fugue state together, and broadly being able to better confirm the health of everyone involved.

where the war gods come in, is that merfolk often say that this sudden aggression and will to do violence comes from the (one of their) god of violence and warfare being given the domain of children and pregnancy as either a blessing or a punishment. a punishment usually involves the story of how the god came to earn the ire of the other gods, and was given this task to make up for the debt they owed, so they gave their bloodlust and terrible rage to young children and to new parents, in retribution for this insult. a blessing, however, involves them more voluntarily offering their services, and giving their battle lust and war rage to the young and vulnerable, in order to better keep them safe and to ensure they grow up into great hunters and protectors of their communities.

because of this, in areas where the pupping rooms are closed off from the outside instead of being isolated from other merfolk, shrines and tribute to said war god are set up. some of the nice royal pupping rooms have large frescos and statues outside of the area, both as a warning to keep away, and as a place where visitors will come by, unseen and unbothersome to the pupping merfolk inside, to offer tribute or make prayers or otherwise pay their respects to such a god, to ask for their blessings in warfare and honorable victory in battle or to soothe violence and rage where they see it. likewise, some military positions can only be held by merfolk who have been pregnant before.

this god, and other variations of gods of violence and warfare across merfolk cultures, often are depicted as being pregnant themselves, and/or with severe mutations that could not survive out of the womb. merfolk do know such mutations happen, due to autopsies given to pregnant merfolk who have passed away, and they're retroactively seen as being monstrous or demonic in nature, saying that they were what killed the pregnant merfolk, when often its more likely the other way around (the parent died, and because of this, this mutation wasn't just consumed by their siblings and could be discovered).

at the same time, merfolk also believe in a high plurality of even single individuals, with their spirituality suggesting that their sapience and intelligence is given through the gesalt of all these merfolk coming together as one even before birth, and seeing the intrauterine cannibalism as more spiritual and holy than how humans might see the same thing, being a combination of both merfolk's intense desire to socialize and needing their large social groups, and as a common philosophy towards hunting and the eating of other animals, which is that the animal is willingly giving their spirit and strength to the hunter in exchange for the hunter ensuring the health of all of said type of animal.

so these war gods are also, uniquely, said to be truly individual in a way that few merfolk deities are, and this being partially an explanation for how monstrous and terrifying they are, that they are removed from even the natural process that animals go through, let alone the dual process that merfolk go through. this too, also effects their policies and attitudes towards other species and why they view them as child-like and primitive, being that they are far too individual to make any accurate judgements about the world and cannot tend it like merfolk do.

[xxmissarichanxx]

✨XMACX Monthly✨ | February 2024

Happy February! Thank you again so much for voting for the Cover Model last month! March's Cover Model Poll drops tomorrow!

You may read this month's update as a public post on PTRN or below the cut! You can also see the previous issue here.

Last month went by way too quickly and now Valentines' Day is just around the corner! Then I'll blink and be another year older... This month, I'll be focusing on adding the final touches of Froot Basket: Dark Chocolate and prepping for a White Day (March 15) release. February is a short month, so I know it'll fly by... but we've got a lot of fun stuff including two OC birthdays!

Schedule

February 1 - XMACX Monthly

February 2 - Cover Model Polls

February 7 - Valentine Cards

February 9 - Cover Story

February 14 - Valentines' Day, Sidney's Bday

February 15 - Kurosaki Twin's Bday

February 16 - Art Process

February 23 - FBDC Voice Update released for Patrons!

February 28 - Sketch Dump

Cover Story Preview | Momo's Special Chocolate Recipe

Momo made some special Valentine chocolate for his beloved senpai. This month, he's sharing his special recipe!

Valentine Special

I'll be dropping some Valentine cards for everyone to download and send to your pals! I'm saving Valentines' social media post for Sidney because it's his birthday, so I'll drop the Valentine cards on social media before then.

February's OC Birthdays

This month we're celebrating Sidney, Ken, and Maya's birthdays! Sidney is an adorable red head from my project After-Party Chemistry! Ken and Maya are fraternal twins. They're not associated with any one project right now... But I'll be dropping some fun illustrations and OC lore about them on their respective days for everyone!

VN Development | Froot Basket: Dark Chocolate Release 

I'll be releasing Froot Basket: Dark Chocolate's voiced update for patrons this month! You can play before I drop it on Itch on March 15. Last month, I added a "recustomize Jordan" menu in case you want to swap between Jordan's voices or looks in-game. I also messed around with the Gallery and Achievements screen, but you'll have to see in the update.

Other than prepping for FBDC's Voiced Update Release, I have some marketing art for release to work on lol... I'm planning two different pieces: a new poster featuring all the characters and a piece which features the four different color combinations of Jordans. I don't expect to finish these this month because day job's looking pretty busy, BUT I'm hoping to at least get some sketches done.

Other Goals this Month

I'll be wrapping up some zine pieces and commissions. :^)

Next Month

March 1st falls on a Friday so the Monthly and Polls will drop all on the same day. I can't wait to see who'll make my birth month's cover!

Aloha nui~ Ari

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week?

Action Comics #1054 - Loved Superman going all Naruto with a susanno, loved how PKJ portrayed Supes in line with both the original Golden Age attitude (he calls Metallo a bully and takes him down a peg) and the softer modern incarnation (he offers to help Metallo save his sister). Reads just like Morrison Superman does. My one complaint is that we're still falling back on Metallo spamming kryptonite. All the upgrades he got from Warworld tech, and he's resorting to that yet again? Disappointing. Metallo isn't a total jobber, he's crippled Kara, beaten Conner and Jon, kidnapped the Super-Twins, built an army, he's kicking ass and is dangerous... except he can't even seem to scratch Clark himself. Henshaw calling Metallo a loser does seem to be true. I have a notion where this is going, I think Tracy is either going to die or be revealed as the leader of the Blue Earth group, and Metallo will join that movement to get revenge on Superman for her death, or to work for her because she's the only thing he cares about anymore. If Metallo gets to kill Henshaw and PKJ sets him up to return down the road for another big arc where he finally kicks Clark's ass, that's good enough for me. Otherwise, much as I've enjoyed this, I can't say PKJ has succeeded with Metallo the way he did with Mongul. He did however make me realize the one big Superman trait Metallo contrasts with that I'll write about at the end of this arc.

Green Arrow #1 - Never been a huge Green Arrow fan, an odd thing to say considering I read his entire Rebirth run start to finish, but I enjoyed Williamson's Superman so much I decided to give this a shot. Cry For Justice was actually one of the earliest stories I read because my library had a trade of it. Insane that this is where we finally get a reunion between Roy and Lian. Otherwise I thought it was fine, not sure about the cosmic aspect of things, but I intend to read the first arc at least.

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #2 - Doing a piss take on the Krakoa Era X-Men right as I've become bored with them post-Hickman is just what I needed. Cackled at the data page jab, and also Culver lampooning how stupid it is for every magic group to just slap "Dark" on their title (knock it off Johns). Robotman launching Worm into orbit to prevent him from blowing up the Shelter was hilariously fucked up, should hopefully assuage the people afraid this would just be a knock-off X-Book. That's pure Doom Patrol right there, even more so with the reveal that Velvet is the true double agent. Peacemaker is a bastard and a great villain for the Doom Patrol, Culver has me fully on board with the Suicide Squad being the true antithesis to the Doom Patrol. Loved Burnham's depiction of the Shelter, FINALLY some cool superhero bases again! I missed that

Detective Comics #1071 - Interesting experience reading PKJ Action and Ram Detective at the same time, because they are both aiming for long epic runs that redefine their respective franchises. Action works better for me because it never loses sight of Superman being at the center, whereas here we get an issue full of lore dumping with Batman barely featuring. At this point I'm losing track of all of these new characters and the MacGuffins they're squabbling over, plus yet another retelling of Ra's early days. V's best work has been with Two-Face and Mr. Freeze, these Orghams are rather dull and derivative of other would-be usurpers, and I don't care about them anymore.

The Riddler: Year One #4 - How? How is this so good? How is a movie tie-in written by an actor who has never written a comic before running laps around experienced writers?

Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #6 - Surprisingly strong ending. Probably the best bridge between the original Giffen run and what the movie is changing. Looking forward to the ongoing now.

Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 - Think I'm as sick of Sinister as the X-Men themselves are. Moira attempting to reclaim control of the narrative was nice, now how about we actually DO that by making her more than a mustache twirler? Unless the solicits are lying, Emma, Hope, Exodus, and Charles going into the Pit is going to be undone quick, but perhaps at the cost of resurrections. I give this event a 7/10, a huge step down from Judgement Day.

Invincible Iron Man #5 - Think I'm out, Fei Long and Tony's rivalry is stupid. Long just picks a fight with Stark for no real reason other than "I want a rival!" and while there's some justification beyond that, it's bound up in the Avengers not claiming Mars while the X-Men did. If this was Long wanting Stark's company to help Orchis, and Tony thwarting him being what kicks off their personal enmity, then it would be better. Instead Duggan tries to jump right into making things personal, but the crux of their fight having roots in another franchise undermines the whole endeavor.

Hulk #14 - Terrible ending but I expected nothing less. Had a chuckle at how heavy handed the letter from Samson was, might as well have been Ottley going "yeah sorry this run didn't go the way we wanted with Cates bailing, here's Bruce reset back to status quo, good luck to the next creative team!"

Doctor Strange #2 - Honestly I preferred Clea as the solo lead. The book is fine but it's not gripping me the way I want. I'll give it until issue 6 to pick up.

W0rldtr33 #1 - It's great, Tynion doing another horror book how could it not be? Jesus Christ though, somehow this is hitting even harder for me than the Department of Truth did. Internet as a demonic entity could come across as corny, but damn if Tynion doesn't make it terrifying.

[hollowwhisperings]

I AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO INTRODUCE "KING JAIME" THEORY (if asked but also sometimes by accident).

The general gist is "Jaime Hates Kings, [Monarchy] & Politics: Bran, from his Chair, Tells Jaime To Be King (Jaime becomes King)".

Since Bran is the one Kingmaking, he has access to all that a King Bran premise would use and can subsequently shove the Actual Responsibilities onto an Adult Who Ruined His Life (one of many but one that Keeps Surviving & one capable of Remorse & Atonenent).

There is A Lot that Jaime has & HASN'T done that makes him hugely in debt to the Starks, even without the specfic act of "defenstrating Bran, a literal child".

Jaime being "King" is functionally his being sentenced to Community Service, scaled up. It is not, necessarily, "for life": it could be "until we've recovered, until people are Older, until we set up the next System of Governance". King Jaime can also be An Accident in the wake of Cersei's Nuking KL & Jaime's evacuating its populace: Cersei, dead or judged incapable, is removed from power & Jaime assumes a role of Regent to King Tommen (even if Tommen is ALSO dead by this point) because it's the Least Awful option at the time.

"King[-Regent] Jaime" then becomes (by accident from Jaime; by design of Bran) Permanent.

1) Jaime does Care about People, when he's not wallowing & is thinking for himself.

2) Jaime's not actually as stupid as he believes he is, actually being fairly decent at governance & ruling due to being raised an Heir + experience as an army officer + seeking Advisors for absolutely everything + thinking "What Would Aerys/Tywin/Robert/Cersei Do?" and Doing The Opposite.

3) Jaime has ended up one of the Rare Surviving Adults amongst too many Traumatised Teenagers, all of whom he considers [babies].

4) Jaime HATES being King & would gladly give it up to anyone else that proves to be a Less Awful Option than himself.

Except... anyone who actually WANTS kingship renders themselves, by his standards, "Unfit to Hold Office"? And all those "kids" he wronged are finally Recovering by being far, far away from This Nonsense so he can't dump such a Burden on them now, not when they're HAPPY (not after everyhing he put them through). Jaime ends up prolonging his own punishment by being too guilt-ridden to wish it on anyone "Good" but too triggered by the thought of a unleashing yet another Tyrant on the populace.

So, uh, King Jaime. All According To Plan (Bran's, Sansa's, Arya's, Other Anti-Lannisters).

The reasons for "King Jaime & Kingmaker Bran" easily switch around to the results of "King Bran & Jaime The Golden-Hand"("Jaime the One-Handed Hand) or other variations on "Kingmaker Bran" that feature Jaime's unwittingly Surviving the series.

I also suspect/hope that Hivemind Puppet is not Bran's Endgame but another horrific feature of his Story. Jojen is the character most likely to successfully intervene in such plotlines, be he a Dream from His Past & Bran's Future or "why the heck would they need to literally eat Jojen when they're ritualistically eating weirwoods (which are heavily personified & thus probably literal people, e.g. sacrifices or Brynden The Actual Tree-Person)?".

Jojen surviving to Do Lore at the Isle of Faces makes more sense, especially given Euron's upcoming Apocalypse & Meera's Growing Fury (i not only hope but EXPECT Meera to burn Brynden alive, hopefully to Death). There'd be a Scary Moment where the kids Can't Go Home to Howland's Moving Castle bc it would Kill Jojen & so need to cross in other, riskier ways, likely through secret paths of Moat Cailin (a broken castle for a "Bran The Builder" Future) but possibly a Horrific Trip through The Twins with Psychic Flashbacks for EVERYONE (TRW, Frey Civil War, refugees headed South, wights, to other perilous bridge crossings: there's a lot to choose from, especially if the Others had already gone South ahead of them).

i love the Long Night as a conflict because... it is not something you can "fix" with violence (violence makes it Stronger), with bribery or flattery (the Others just sound like glaciers to most everyone thus far)...

Jaime, already feeling "unmanned" by losing his Hand; Theon, more literally so; Arya, losing her humanity; Brienne, losing her ideals; Jon, made "complicit" via Whatever Happens With Him: all the traditionally "badass" characters who, in the face of Winter Itself, have their defining skills rendered "useless". One cannot just stab one's way to ending Winter: the living are THE priority (lest they add to the problem); managing logistics and supply lines becomes VERY important (i.e. household management & hosting); "women's work" is required of everyone (from fine embroidery to surgery, cooking & textiles & caring); money is useless to the freezing farmer far from any tradeport; beauty is lost to frostbite & rationing... it's just very exciting, given all the fuss over dueling and murder and warring. VIOLENCE IS MEANINGLESS NOW!

(except for, y'know, batting off wights while acting sentry or smuggling supplies)

Most people, most CHARACTERS don't have dragonglass or valyrian steel (or dragons). Those that DO... don't know to use it: very few characters would know how to begin stabbing their way to a resolution, and THAT'S assuming they don't get lost in the dark or freeze in the cold while trying to find an Other at the heart of a storm!

It's why Harrenhal Theories are so exciting, especially given the context of the Riverlands being where "most" of the "stabbing your way to success" has taken place so far (the entire setting is gratuitously violent but not in the constant, deliberate & narratively [nihilistic] manner seen with all the battles for kingship or in Arya & Brienne's chapters). Since the Riverlands have had the most "recent" battles, the most "continuous" violence... sooooo many wights in the mud. Some wights whose deaths we know far too intimately. It kind of makes me wonder if Stoneheart and Other Fire Zombies would be considered "kin" to the armies of the Walkers. Ritualistically offing onself as a means of joining some special ops unit to go behind enemy linesvwould be so creepy yet so so on brand, y'know? But even they could not use violence to "fix" anything because they'd need to puzzle out WHY the Others want to go South at all, assassinating Others at random would just tip them off & make uncovering enemy intelligence even MORE dangerous!

Harrenhal will be the new seat of what’s left of the Seven Kingdoms at the ending.

I know a few people have already said bits and pieces of this but I wanted to get everything in one post for my own sanity lmao. There’s three kind of main branches to this theory: geographical reasons, historical reasons, and reasons specific to King Bran theories.

Geography surrounding Harrenhal

It’s the center of everything! Let me show you on the map because i’m a visual learner:

Ignore the North and Dorne and probably the Iron Islands too, bc the first two are not gonna be part of The Seven Kingdoms anymore and the Iron Islands is…gonna be a fucking mess lmao. Lemme zoom in:

It’s a very centralized point in the Riverlands but it’s also fairly centralized to the Crownlands (which will probably get absorbed into the others), the Stormlands, the Eyrie, the Reach, and the Westerlands. It makes sense, from a geographical standpoint, that if the lords need to choose a new ruling seat - and they will no matter what, because King’s Landing is gonna go boom - that a more centralized location for easier access to the capital would be their decision.

The Riverlands is also an excellent choice in general because geographically, they are always getting screwed due to being right in the middle of everyone. They get fucked during the Dance, the Blackfyre Rebellions, Robert’s Rebellion, AND the War of the Five Kings. The only area that really gets screwed over more during the various wars is probably the Dornish Marches, because of the conflicts between the stony Dornishmen and the Storm and Reacher Lords but you can’t really set up there because it’s too far from the Eyrie and Riverlands.

And the thing about the Riverlands is that part of why it gets fucked up is that it’s right in the middle of everything and has no natural defenses. The Eyrie has the mountains, the North has their snow, the Dornish has their desert. The Reach manages to stay out of a lot of fighting because that’s where the food is (although the Iron Islands are about to screw them, but that’s because the war has spiraled out of control) and while both the Stormlands and the Westerlands have seen big battles, they have some protection in their coasts, which gives them ships that the Riverlands just can’t quite access. Having the King set up in the Riverlands gives the smallfolk of the Riverlands some much needed protection and potentially, a break from all the fighting.

So the Riverlands is a good place to set up shop, but Harrenhal specifically? Well, that’s because it’s huge:

Every child of the Trident knew the tales told of Harrenhal, the vast fortress that King Harren the Black had raised beside the waters of Gods Eye three hundred years past, when the Seven Kingdoms had been seven kingdoms, and the riverlands were ruled by the ironmen from the islands. In his pride, Harren had desired the highest hall and tallest towers in all Westeros. Forty years it had taken, rising like a great shadow on the shore of the lake while Harren's armies plundered his neighbors for stone, lumber, gold, and workers. Thousands of captives died in his quarries, chained to his sledges, or laboring on his five colossal towers. Men froze by winter and sweltered in summer. Weirwoods that had stood three thousand years were cut down for beams and rafters. Harren had beggared the riverlands and the Iron Islands alike to ornament his dream. And when at last Harrenhal stood complete, on the very day King Harren took up residence, Aegon the Conqueror had come ashore at King's Landing.

If it’s going to be the capital, it has to be somewhere that can hold a whole lot of people and Harrenhal is ginormous and perfect for holding lots of people. It’s even happened before; part of why Lord Whent stages his big tourney where Lyanna is crowned queen of love and beauty is because likely because Ser Oswell Whent, his brother on the Kingsguard, asked him to stage an excuse to get all the Lords together so Rhaegar could discuss with them what to do about his father and Harrenhal is the biggest castle they can do that in outside of King’s Landing. From The Kingbreaker chapter:

Old Lord Whent had announced the tourney shortly after a visit from his brother, Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard. With Varys whispering in his ear, King Aerys became convinced that his son was conspiring to depose him, that Whent's tourney was but a ploy to give Rhaegar a pretext for meeting with as many great lords as could be brought together.

It’s also built up to be sturdier than King’s Landing. Whereas King’s Landing was kind of haphazardly thrown together as it built up over the years, Harren the Black had always meant for a lot of people to be housed there. We see how many people can live in it during Arya’s chapters as she runs around inside of it and Harrentown and this is with a ruler who has no interest in keeping a lot of people in it. With a King or Queen living there, it opens itself up to growing in a much more easily defensible way than King’s Landing.

Historical Reasons Harrenhal is Significant

As you can see on the map, it’s built right on the edge of a very important place: The Isle of Faces and the lake that surrounds it, called the Gods Eye.

It’s a key place for the history of Westeros because it’s where the First Men and the Children of the Forest made peace:

Inexorably, the war ground on across generations, until at last the children understood that they could not win. The First Men, perhaps tired of war, also wished to see an end to the fighting. The wisest of both races prevailed, and the chief heroes and rulers of both sides met upon the isle in the Gods Eye to form the Pact…

It’s also notable for being the only place the Andals never managed to conquer:

It is possible that a few [Children of the Forest] survived on the Isle of Faces, as some have written, under the protection of the green men, whom the Andals never succeeded in destroying.

It’s a place associated with peace and negotiations between people, a place to stand strong against war and untouched by its horrors. A monument to what could be, if you will. And Harrenhal sits on its shore; it would add a very rich layer to setting up King’s Landing in a place associated with peace. And this isn’t the only time a succession crisis of sorts is settled there. The Great Council of 101 AC was held there.

To resolve the matter of his heir once and for all, Jaehaerys called the first Great Council in the year 101 AC, to put the matter before the lords of the realm. And from all corners of the realm the lords came. No castle could hold so many save for Harrenhal, so it was there that they gathered. The lords, great and small, came with their trains of bannermen, knights, squires, grooms, and servants. And behind them came yet more—the camp followers and washerwomen, the hawkers and smiths and carters. Thousands of tents sprang up over the moons, until the castle town of Harrenton was accounted the fourth largest city of the Realm.

Once again, we have Harrenhal associated with peace and negotiation in its history. However, that’s not all it’s associated with; there are several very significant battles that take place near the Gods Eye - again, it is in the middle of everything. It’s a place with lots of history and lots of ties to everyone in Westeros. There’s the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye between Maegor and Aegon the Uncrowned, The Battle of the Lake Shore and The Battle Over the Gods Eye during the Dance, as well as the story of Addam Velaryon landing Seasmoke on the Isle of Faces to take counsel from the green men after being accused of treason. It is, all in all, a very significant place in Westeros.

But that’s not the only reason Harrenhal is talked about. Basically every single time Harrenhal is brought up, someone will mention that it’s haunted. This belief comes because of Aegon the Conquerer and Harren the Black. While Orys Baratheon and Rhaenys march for the Stormlands & Daemon Velaryon and Visenya left for the Vale, Aegon himself first turns towards Harren the Black and the Riverlands. All three face opposition but Aegon conquers the Riverlands first because Harren is so ill loved:

So now the riverlands rose against him, led by Lord Edmyn Tully of Riverrun. Summoned to the defense of Harrenhal, Tully declared for House Targaryen instead, raised the dragon banner over his castle, and rode forth with his knights and archers to join his strength to Aegon’s. His defiance gave heart to the other riverlords. One by one, the lords of the Trident renounced Harren and declared for Aegon the Dragon. Blackwoods, Mallisters, Vances, Brackens, Pipers, Freys, Strongs … summoning their levies, they descended on Harrenhal.

And he makes very quick work of Harrenhal, making it the first Kingdom to become part of the Seven Kingdoms:

The riverlords outside the castle walls said later that the towers of Harrenhal glowed red against the night, like five great candles … and like candles, they began to twist and melt, as runnels of molten stone ran down their sides.

Ever since the burning of Harrenhal, no House has been able to hold it without going extinct soon after. For House Targaryen’s rule in Westeros to start with Harren the Black’s hubris and the fall of Harrenhal, and end with Harrenhal becoming the new seat of the King of the Four (??) Kingdoms is a really neat connection.

Reasons Why It Works With King Bran

But wait! you say. Didn’t you just say that Harrenhal is cursed??

Why yes I did. HOWEVER. There is one family that the Curse of Harrenhal supposedly never touched: The Whents.

You see, from Harren the Black up until the Whents, every other House in charge of it has gone extinct.

House Hoare? That’s Harren’s house and we all know what happened there - they don’t call him Balerion the Black Dread for no reason.

House Qoherys? Dead less than three decades later.

House Harroway? Wiped out a decade later.

House Towers? died out within two decades, ending with sickly Maegor Towers and then old and tired Rhaena Targaryen, until the two odd friends died and the holdings were free again.

House Strong? Well…between the fire that kills Harwin and Lyonel, Larys’ shenanigans getting him merced by Cregan, and Aemond just straight committing a minor genocide in the Riverlands, they all died out (except maybe Alys Rivers’ baby but we don’t have any info there).

House Lothston? Interestingly, they hold the castle for several decades, but they too went completely extinct under King Maekar.

So we come to House Whent. They’ve held it for about 6 ish decades and though they’ve also had some bad luck, they’ve had their people grow old - Walter Whent who threw the tourney is called “Old Lord Whent” by Barristan, and Shella Whent is old when she dies. But the most interesting thing is Minisa Whent.

We don’t know a lot about the Whent line, only that Shella refused to bend the knee to Joffrey, fled Harrenhal when it was attacked, and later died. You could say the curse still got them but in every other case, the whole line dies, not just the main line! Even Janos Slynt has no descendants and Littlefinger will have none to inherit either. But the Whents do: they have House Tully. Minisa Whent married Hoster Tully and had Catelyn and Edmure. The Whents are known for their sharp cheekbones and both Catelyn and Sansa, funny enough, are described as having sharp cheekbones. This very close relation could mean that the Starklings have a claim to Harrenhal through their mother.

This fits with King Bran because we know the lords are perfectly fine fudging things and going through the female line if it fits their needs. They did the same thing with Robert and his grandmother Rhaelle Targaryen, who married Ormund Targaryen, Steffon’s mother. Renly says here:

Oh, there was talk of the blood ties between Baratheon and Targaryen, of weddings a hundred years past, of second sons and elder daughters. No one but the maesters care about any of it.

The maesters love a loophole inheritance.

And remember that the odds of surviving the books for the Baratheons and Targaryens is very, very low. It’s pretty much just bastards all the way down (on both sides lmao, because I do not think either Young Griff or Dany are gonna survive). And whenever the inheritance isn’t clear, a Great Council is called. Catelyn even suggested it while parlying with the Baratheons:

Let the three of you call for a Great Council, such as the realm has not seen for a hundred years. We will send to Winterfell, so Bran may tell his tale and all men may know the Lannisters for the true usurpers. Let the assembled lords of the Seven Kingdoms choose who shall rule them.

Mentioning Bran, of course. A lot of people think it’s far fetched and while I do think him being so young is gonna be a hard sell now that the time jump is gone, I don’t think it’s that far fetched that the lords of the Stormlands, The Reach, the Eyrie, and The Westerlands would be convinced to choose Hoster Tully’s grandson and Ned Stark’s baby boy to rule over them.

And finally, Robb wasn’t called “Robb Stark, King in the North” he was also explicitly called “King of the Trident.” All the talk about who is Robb’s heir but look at how they all think of themselves - “as brave as Robb” “as strong as Robb” or they’ll have sons and name them Robb. Whereas Who Rules The North is all tied up in Robb’s legacy, the Iron Throne isn’t! If King Bran rules from the Riverlands, however, it gives Bran that tie to Robb; he gets to protect and rule from the lands Robb swore to protect, the lands he ultimately fought and died in. For Bran, he still gets to be Robb’s heir, at least in spirit, and I think that would be, to Bran, something very bittersweet.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms Far Side #4: Hisui

That’s the trouble with twins; there’s always another one. That’s right, Magical-Biche is back for another Tsukihime build already, this time they made the more serious maid sister Hisui, She’s even less combat-oriented than her sister, but I’m sure you’ll figure out how to best use her skills. 

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here! Take it away, Magical-Biche!

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Even though her sister was quite the easy build, Hisui was pretty hard to figure out. She doesn’t really have any combat abilities except for her weird hypnosis thing. Thankfully, DnD is a game about luck, most of the time, and we can actually build a character which heavily relies on being plain lucky. This build is obviously not as good as Kohaku, I think, but it should prove to be plenty of fun with how much we manipulate the dice. Let’s dive into the build!

Race and Background

Just like our sister, we are a variant human. We might have some psychic abilities, but we’re still mostly human. Being a variant let us have a +1 to dexterity and a +1 to wisdom. We are naturally someone that is used to manual labor, and we have a knack for understanding other people’s feelings. Being a variant human also gives us access to the most powerful feat of them all, lucky. This is going to be great help to mitigate our poor stats and our low combat capabilities. We can also get a free proficiency, and as we are quick to get an overview of our task, we take the proficiency in perception. 

For our background, we are pretty straightforward. We are a simple guild artisan, a master of our craft, that is, cleaning and being an awesome maid. There is sadly no servant background, so that one will have to do. Being a guild artisan makes us quite insightful and persuasive, which fits our personality quite well, even though our bad charisma stat means we won’t be getting a lot of mileage from persuasion. We are also proficient with Tinker’s tools, so we can repair anything broken in the house we serve in. We also get the Guild Membership feature, which isn’t really lore-friendly, but it’ll have to do. We’re definitely members of the Misaki town’s shopping district association or something, after all. 

Ability Scores

Next come our ability scores. And oh boy, we’re quite MAD (Many abilities dependant, if you didn’t know). As a skilled maid, we’re quite agile, and we’re getting our highest score into dexterity. We are also pretty intelligent, having been raised in a noble household with high-class education. We are also pretty crafty, so we should also have decent wisdom. Next, we will need a bit of constitution in order to live through our hard days as a maid. Finally, we sadly have to dump our charisma, even though we’re like the cutest character from the series, as we appear to be quite stern and cold. We also have to dump our strength; we are already agile, we don’t need that gorilla strength. 

Class Levels

Monk 1: Our first monk level gives us our martial arts, giving us the ability to fight efficiently with our trusted broom (a quarterstaff, of course) and to slap as a bonus action. We also get our unarmored defense, which starts quite low, due to our bad stats. With point buy, we start with a measly 15 AC. Starting as a monk also gives us 2 proficiencies, and we’re taking acrobatics, to further increase our cleaning abilities, and stealth, so we can sometimes surprise people with our powerful hypnosis powers. We’re also proficient with strength saving throws and dexterity saving throws, two really useful options. We also get our monk weapons, that is, all simple weapons and shortswords. 

Wizard 1: Yes, another class already! We become a wizard as early as possible so we have access to our spellbook to write spells in earlier. Wizards get the powerful ritual casting, useful to cast spells like alarm or detect magic. We also get arcane recovery, which for now only allows us to recover a single spell slot of first level. Our first spellcaster level gives us three cantrips. We are getting firebolt, a great way to (over)cook meat, and quite high damage while we’re at it. We also take mending, to repair anything our clumsy sister broke while trying to clean stuff. Last, we take shape water, which is overall really useful, but we’ll be getting the most mileage out of it by cleaning. We can also inscribe 6 spells in our brand new spellbook (that we have to buy, sadly): alarm, to protect our encampment and our home, catapult, so we can throw trash at people, color spray, Tasha’s hideous laughter, and sleep, our first hypnosis-like spells that all happen to be of the enchantment school. Last, we get our very own unseen servant, the actual incarnation of our sister, albeit more useful for home-related stuff. 

Monk 2: Back to martial arts, our second monk level gives us our Ki, allowing us to sneak in a few more hits with flurry of blows, to get pretty defensive with patient defense and to get quite mobile for the rest of our turn with step of the wind. We have 2 ki points so far (one for each monk level, and we get them back by taking a short rest. We also get unarmored movement, increasing our movement by 10 feet, for now. Last, we may get the optional feature dedicated weapon, which is absolutely useless for us, since we don’t have any other weapon proficiencies. 

Monk 3: Our third monk level gives us deflect missiles, a great way to mitigate incoming projectile damage and help with our survivability. But more importantly, we are now a drunken master, giving us plenty of luck-based abilities. For now, we only get a proficiency in performance, which can be used to pretend we’re just a harmless maid, and one with the brewer’s supplies… which is bad. We, Hisui, can’t cook anything, and brewing obviously counts as cooking. If possible, we should ask our DM if they are OK with replacing that proficiency with another one, like the carpenter’s tools. Finally, our subclass improves our flurry of blows with drunken technique, allowing us to move faster and to disengage when we use it, perfect for our concept of just evading hits instead of tanking. What’s more, we may get the optional feature Ki-fueled attack, which isn’t tremendously useful for us, since we can pretty much only trigger it with patient defense and step of the wind.

Monk 4: Unlike most classes, monk’s fourth level became quite crowded with TCoE. We, of course, get our first ability score increase, and we’re taking the most travelled road by taking +2 in dexterity. Next, we get slow fall, which is quite nice, but depends on how much our DM likes pitfalls. We also gain yet another optional feature, quickened healing, which greatly helps with our health, but depends one whether our DM allows it. Finally, let’s not forget that our only damaging cantrip gets its second damage die, making it a really great option to fight right now.

Monk 5: Our fifth monk level gives us our ever-important extra attack, which dramatically increases our damage output. Also, our martial art dice is increasing in size, meaning our unarmed strikes now deals 1d6 damage, a small but always welcome upgrade. Stunning strike, while not adding damage, can be used against low-constitution enemies to stun them. It adds another saving throw in our arsenal, as most enchantment spells won’t force constitution saving throws, even if our wisdom is quite low. Finally, we get our last optional feature: focused aim, which helps hitting things, and that’s about it. Great feature, but as with other optional features, it all depends on our DM.

Wizard 2: Now that we have our extra attack, we can finish our wizard training. Second level wizards grant us our school of magic, and we’re obviously an enchantment wizard, which will increase the efficiency of our enchantment spells and give us hypnotic abilities. First, as it is the case with all wizard schools, we are an enchantment savant, which is nice to learn new spells. We also get our main tool, hypnotic gaze. We can charm a creature in our melee range, but we need to use our action to maintain it. However, it gives time to our party members to reorganize and can prove quite useful in many situations. Furthermore, we finally look a bit like our final form, which can evade attacks like now one and hypnotize everyone. We also get two new spells, and we should be taking identify, to help sorting magical objects that may end up in our home or camp, and charm person, for obvious reasons.

Wizard 3: Third level wizards get the optional feature cantrip formula, letting us replace cantrips, which is… useful, but not too much, and optional. More important are the new level 2 spells we get! We’re taking Tasha’s mind whip, an offensive hypnosis of some sort, and Hold person, to further our crowd controlling abilities.

Wizard 4: Obviously, fourth level gives us another ability score increase, and we’re becoming a telekinetic, which gives us the mage hand cantrip and the ability to use it to shove people from afar with a bonus action, and we can forgo every component of the spell, as well as making the hand invisible. This is mostly used to push our opponent away from us, as we’re not exactly a great combatant. The feat also increases our intelligence by one point, which rounds it to 16. We also get a new cantrip, so we’re now able to cast gust, a great way to dust any surface and to shove people. Our two new spells are darkvision, which is kinda necessary as a human, and which allows us to patrol at night with ease, and mirror image, which adds to our already impressive hit-avoiding arsenal.

Wizard 5: Our fifth level in the wizard class gets us our third level spells! We obviously won’t go with fireball, as it cleans just a bit too well, but with counterspell, a great way to fight back when a dangerous artifact laying unattended at home releases it’s magic (it also happen to greatly increase our defensive abilities), and dispel magic, for similar reasons.

Wizard 6: Our final wizard level gives us our instinctive charm ability, crystalizing our cuteness into a weapon. We can now divert attacks to other people, provided that they fail on their wisdom saving throw and are not immune to charm. With that, lucky, our improved flurry of blows, deflect missiles and counterspell, we have quite an impressive toolbox to stay alive. Also, our only damaging cantrip gets its second damage upgrade. For spells, we’re taking stinking cloud: we’ve cleaned stuff for so long we can now materialize dirt and bad smells into a powerful spell. We also take  remove curse, for similar reasons to the spells of our previous level.

Monk 6: Back to our final class, we get our Ki-empowered strikes, meaning our unarmed strikes are now magical. A bit late, and we already have magical damage from elsewhere, so it’s not too big of an upgrade. However, we also get a new feature which is actually two: tipsy sway. It allows us to leap to our feet, ending our prone status by using only 5 feet of movement, and to redirect attacks, which works similarly to our instinctive charm, but has different limitations and costs a Ki point.

Monk 7: Our next monk level grants us the ever-powerful evasion, letting us avoid most damaging AOEs without trouble. We also get a better grasp at how to charm people. Our stillness of mind lets us end a charm or a frightening status on ourselves as an action.

Monk 8: The monk’s eighth level gives us our third ability score increase. We will increase our intelligence by two points, giving us a nice bonus to hit and saving throws for our spells.

Monk 9: At ninth level, monks get an improvement to their unarmored movement, allowing them to quite simply walk along walls and on top of water.

Monk 10: Tenth level monks get purity of body, making them immune to poisons and diseases. Poison immunity is quite useful to avoid traps and dangerous beasts, but that’s about it.

Monk 11: That monk level gives us the final drunken master feature we can get, drunkard’s luck. We can quite simply remove a disadvantage on a lot of rolls by spending two Ki points, which helps with both our damage and our survivability. Furthermore, we get two damage upgrades, because our damaging cantrip gets its final upgrade, and we can now use our quarterstaff with only one hand without losing damage.

Monk 12: Twelfth level in any class means ability score increase, and we luckily don’t rely on feats too much, so we are adding another two points to our dexterity score, meaning we now have a perfect dexterity score. A bit late, but it’s not the only ability we use to deal damage, so we can’t really help it.

Monk 13: Next monk level gives us the tongue of sun and moon… which are cool for roleplay purposes, but it doesn’t really fit our build and it doesn’t really help us doing anything. It might help to charm creatures which don’t speak common, so there’s always some use.

Monk 14: This is the reason we left the wizard class while only level 6. With diamond soul, we are now proficient with every saving throw, including constitution, great to keep our concentration. We can also re-roll when we fail a saving throw by spending a ki point. Combined with everything else, we’re now extremely hard to hit, and we’re not likely to lose our focus anytime soon. We also end up with a decent pool of 14 Ki points, and we add 25 feet to our movement while we don’t wear armor. 

Pros: We are, first and foremost, pretty hard to hit, despite our low AC. We can deflect attacks, charm people and bind them. We also force varied saving throws, which is great to overcome some threats. Also, since we take a wizard level early, we can start collecting spells very early, despite being mostly a monk. That gives us access to most of the useful wizard spells, including both high damage ones like fireball and utility ones like all the detection spells. 

Cons: However, we are dependent on way too many abilities and end up dumping two of them, if we use the point buy system. We’re also a melee spellcaster, and only really become good at it once we hit level 20. Being an enchantment wizard also means we have a lot of concentration spells and usually have to choose between mirror image and something else. We also have to hold back our intelligence until quite high level, making our (thankfully varied) saving throws easy to beat, and our attacks easy to avoid. Finally, our wisdom is pretty terrible for a monk and our very few features which use it will usually not be worth it.