#I AM HAVING A GREAT TIME ON THE MAGMAS!!!

[sleepsi]

Something I drew in the @daycarefriendpickup ‘s magma! Also I don’t think I’ve spent so long drawing in one day before, this one took a longgggg time.

[admin-courtneys-corner]

you like women. don’t you alternate universe courtney? Lmao @worldsbestmagmagrunt

while it means nothing regarding my former professional relationship with my former underling…

yes. in fact i do. i’ve never had any interest in men…

[midwinterhunt]

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

[bonesy-doodles]

TELL US ALL OF YOUR GHOUL HEADCANONS ‼️🙏💕

I mean, you asked for this!!! This is probably not all of my headcanons, just the ones I could remember off the top of my head, as this is all still a work in progress for me!

I will also include the Ghouls pictures again so people can refer back their designs cause I do touch on design choices for them as they, to me, are included in headcanons as every makes their ghouls unique on some way.

Okay, first up!

DEWDROP!!

There’s a lot for this man. So, Dewdrop used to be a water ghoul, however he’s not a multighoul like Swiss, Sunshine and Aurora because his element was transmuted during the binding ritual when he was passed from Terzo to Copia. So, my brain thought “what is water-like fire” and it landed on magma! So that’s why he looks volcanic. His gills closed over and became lava cracks, his fish scales became reptilian, and now he runs hot like a furnace. His ears are pointed like fire ghouls, but have points kinda like fish fins still. Dew also has fire manipulation and can essentially ignite fires (commits minor arson constantly) but that’s how he lights his cigarettes. He still has retained a great lung capacity and can hold his breath long enough to almost rival Rain’s infinite breath. The biggest trouble maker of the Ghouls and the worst influence on newer ghouls (i.e Phantom). He’s the shortest of the dudes, but makes up for it by setting you on fire if you make short jokes.

Also!!! I am a defender of the dark-hair Dewdrop design!! I know it’s very common for him to have blonde or white hair, but it was just not giving for this design. I tried, I promise! (I’m glad I’ve been seeing people love it though! My agenda is spreading!)

For fire ghoul visuals, I definitely focused on emulating glowing flame visuals, using red, orange, yellow, and white to give that effect with browns and blacks to make them look crispy. Scales and long pointed ears that go upward are also common for fire ghouls.

PHANTOM

Quintessence Ghouls are basically space and/or ghostly types of ghouls, as quintessence to me is everything between the elements and makes up everything (like stardust!!) Phantom, as a Quintessence ghoul can “see beyond the elements” with what I call aura reading at the moment, like seeing vibes and emotions. They can also float! Or slow their falls essentially. Not really fly like air ghouls. Phantom is actually, to me, one of the three most chaotic ghouls, alongside Dew and Swiss, and causes a lot of chaos at the Ministry. My favorite joke with my two wives who I discuss all this lore with often is that Phantom once pissed in the Unholy Water Bowl in the West Chapel right before a midnight mass, which caused a lot of problems for the Ghoul Den Overseer. Just to illustrate the shit Phantom pulls at the Ministry.

But specifically for Phantoms visuals, he reminds me of the moon, the tone of gray, his swirling vitiligo-esc patches. He has really dark eyes which is not very common for Quintessence ghouls.

AETHER

The second tallest and most beefiest of all the Ghouls. I mean, have you seen the arms on that man!!!! Like Phantom, Aether has the aura reading ability and is the expert at floating and slowing his falls (it’s how he achieves all the wild jumps on stage, like dude gets air time). His freckles actually form constellations, and on his shoulder you can see the Big Dipper cause he’s a big guy (yes that’s the joke, that’s why I gave him the Big Dipper). Aether acts as one of the minders of the Ghoul Den, kind of like the exasperated dad of the group. Tries his best to fix the chaos the other Ghouls cause to lessen the work of the Ghoul Den Overseer, put out Dew’s fires, etc. Also a fuzzy guy, which is uncommon for Quintessence ghouls, like he’s so soft somehow.

For Quintessence Ghoul designs, I really wanted to focus on the space aspect. All of them have space freckles, and their horns all swirl in some way (Phantom and Auroras swirling physically, and Aethers have swirling grooves/markings on them). Also, their ears are bovine-like in someways, cause I’ve always categorized Aether as like a space cow in my head. Their color palettes usually veer towards magenta, purple, and indigo (cause those are my favorite colors and Quintessence ghouls are my favorite).

RAIN

As a water ghoul, Rain has gills, fins on various parts of his body, and webbed fingers and toes (it’s a bit freaky). Also, serrated teeth like a piranha. If you’ve ever touched a fish, that wet feeling of their scales is how it feels to touch him. He can breathe underwater with his gills and will often be found in the lakes on the Ministry’s grounds when he needs to chill. His tail is a bit thick than other ghouls, as well as finned to help with swimming. Also water manipulation abilities! (It’s giving Cleo from H2O). He’s also bioluminescent! His scales and the lighter markings on him all glow

He does participate in problem causing sometimes, but is also exasperated mom of the group (cue his disappointed mom pose of hands on hips). Aether and Rain are the duo that hold Dew up by his arms while he’s trying to sprint towards trouble. Rain often has his hair pulled back in pony tails, or braided as he has a lot of hair, and it’s gets in the way while he’s swimming.

Water ghouls in general have everything above that I’ve already mentioned for Rain, all the fish like aspects. They tend to be blue toned and have a variety of scale coloration, often green, blue and purple in tones (duochrome, iridescent, pearlescent, etc).

MOUNTAIN

Biggest of the Ghouls and third beefiest! He’s also fuzzy! Mountain has a connection with the earth (duh, all earth ghouls do), which allows them to feel the “heartbeat of the earth”, gives them that killer rhythm on the drums. He’s big into growing plants and taking care of the Ministry’s gardens, which he excels in as Earth ghouls also can affect plant growth as well as other earth things like soil. The flowers behind his ear in the art are actually Belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade!

Mountain also has two ways to shift himself, one being normal legs and his most natural ghoul state is hoofed/goat legs, which is why he doesn’t like wearing shoes (it’s a weird feeling). His horns are gigantic as Earth ghoul horns tend to be, and have a cracked earth/clay patterning (his very first design iteration had cracked clay skin, but I did not like how it looked). His coloration and markings are very deer like, along with his ears. Mountain is very quiet compared to the rest of the Ghouls, he gives cryptid energy while at the Ministry.

Earth ghouls in general tend to lean towards more green and brown tones, with the previously mentioned giant horns. They can also have a variety of mammal like variations to them, but the most common is forest animals like deer, beer, wolves, coyotes, etc. They tend to be the fluffiest of the ghouls, and also the biggest. It’s just natural for them to be tall.

SWISS

Being a multighoul of all elements, he basically is a shadow ghoul (mix all paint colors and you get dark brown/black was my idea). He’s the third tallest and the second beefiest ghoul. Swiss has shadow manipulation abilities and can kinda merge into the shadows, which he uses to sneak around, cause problems and prank people. Also as a multighoul of all elements, he can kind of emulate abilities of other elements, like him being able to hold his breathe underwater longer than natural, his singing voice is siren-like similar to air ghouls, etc. He’s also fuzzy!!

Also, Swiss is the biggest accessorizer and has the most piercings of all the ghouls. He likes how it gives him some pizzazz. Also has gifted every ghoul at least one set of jewelry they are ornamented with (thought it was funny to get Dew the upside cross earrings).

And Satanas, the shit this man gets up to. There is a reason he’s on his stage of shame most of the time. Swiss enables all of Dew’s chaos with a giant smile on his face. It’s like winding up a toy and letting it spin.

Little side note about Multighouls, there are only two all element Multighouls in the Ministry, one being Swiss, the other actually being Phil! The Special Ghoul! He was once seen playing several instruments, signifying his elemental range, but tends to keep to himself compared to Swiss.

AURORA

The newest multighoul, and second multighoulette! Aurora is dual elemental, Air and Quintessence which together makes her embody an Aurora Borealis (her name sake). With her two elements, she gets her skin coloration and patterning, eyes, and swirling horn from her Quintessence aspect. Her space freckles are a bit more on the bluer side due to the air aspect however, as well as her second set of horns as air ghouls often have two sets of horns or two pronged horns. Her ears are bovine and bat-like. She has smaller wings compared to a full air ghoul, but her floating ability also helps. It’s a very interesting combo to watch. Also, her hair is just naturally like that, no hair dye involved. Don’t ask her how it changes color as it grows, she doesn’t know.

Aurora is probably the most energetic of the Ghoulettes, and is besties with Swiss. Is constantly helping him get into shit. In general is an accomplice to Swiss and the Ghoulettes. She loves being involved in the shit they all pull. And despite her stature, as the shortest of all the Ghouls, she will body a bitch (the shorter you are the closer to hell you get)!

CUMULUS

The biggest, fluffiest hair. It’s so long and so much and it’s her pride and joy! It’s how she got the name Cumulus because of how much it reminded Copia of cumulus clouds. As an Air ghoul, Cumulus has large bat-like wings that allow her to fly. They can be folded and retracted if need be as they can get in the way. In the Ghoul Den, the Air Ghouls have a loft only accessible to those with wings, or if you tempt fate and get someone to throw you. Cumulus’s air ghoul horns formed in the shape of crescents, so she doesn’t have two sets, instead is categorized as two pronged.

As previously mentioned, Air ghouls have siren-like voices (referencing Greek myth sirens being bird women) and Cumulus is the epitome of this ability. Can get people to do her bidding just by whispering sweet words into their ears.

Cumulus and Cirrus are a duo, as they were summoned together and bonded over being Air Ghoulettes, if you see one of them, the other is not far away or far behind.

CIRRUS

The tallest of the Ghoulettes and somehow the chillest comparative to the others. She’s still a ghoul though, so the chaos scale is broken anyway. As previously mentioned, she is Cumulus’s other half and visually is opposite of her on many ways. Darker, straight hair which is uncommon for Air ghouls, along with darker eyes. She also has the biggest wing span of all the Air Ghouls, and is the fastest with Sunshine a close second. Her vocals are second to Cumulus’s however. Not nearly at the level of controlling, but she can still bring anyone to their knees if need be.

Truly, Cumulus and Cirrus are a power couple amongst the Ghouls because their siren abilities affect Ghouls as well, just to a lesser degree, so if need be (with a good enough bribe) they can put a pause on the chaos if it gets too out of hand. The bribe has to be really good like, they like watching shit get crazy.

SUNSHINE

Finally, Sunshine. The first multighoulette summoned, and her dual elements are Air and Fire. Her fire like appearance veered away from volcanic like Dew to being like Sun Spots (areas on the sun that are darker than the rest of it) and that’s why her scales are rounded compared to Dew’s. Her wings are also smaller like Aurora’s, still bat-like but also gives dragon because of the reptilian aspect of Fire ghouls. She does have two sets of horns which she likes to ornament like Swiss.

Sunshine and Aurora bond over being air based multighoulettes and also have joined the multighoul secret club with Swiss and Phil. What do they do there? Well, it’s a secret of course. It wouldn’t be a secret club otherwise!

Also, there have been several cases of arson that have been committed that were blamed on Dewdrop, but were actually done by Sunshine, but she’s a great liar and loves getting Dew in trouble. She like orchestrates that shit.

Now that I’ve touched upon all of the air ghouls, basically, air ghouls tend to be either teal or yellow in tone, usually with cloud like markings (however Aurora and Sunshine’s dual elements change that). Their ears tend to be bat shaped, along with them sporting the large bat wings that give them the ability to fly. There have been cases, however, that air ghouls have feathered wings, the only known case being the first summoned keyboardist, aptly named Air. No one knows why he’s the only one, he just claims it’s cause he’s cool like that. Also mentioned the siren like voices, it’s not a universal Air ghoul ability, some more attuned with it than others, but it’s quite common seeing as all four Ghoulettes along with Swiss possess the ability to some degree (Air does not because he’s not cool like that).

GHOULS IN GENERAL

Kind of wanted to go into some general stuff for the ghouls within the Ministry and the Summoning process.

When a Ghoul is summoned by a Papa (the only person really sanctioned to summon ghouls with some exceptions of course), they are bound to that Papa, with some sort of mark to signify this binding. For the Papas, they each use their individual grucifixes as this marking (Copia’s ghouls were for a while marked with the basic Grucifix because he was initially a Cardinal. Technically, during that Era, the Ghouls should have been bound to Nihil, however Sister Imperator pulled the exception card for her little Cardi. Once Copia became Papa, the binding ritual was redone to remark them with his new grucifix). All of the ghouls do have grucifixes essentially tattooed onto their body in different locations, but there’s a lot of development for that and some still undecided so that can’t wait until I’ve drawn full bodies for all the ghouls.

Also, mentioned a few times in this was the Ghoul Den Overseer, who is actually a Sibling of Sin character of mine (because I over indulge myself and this is my lore interpretation anyway, I do what I want). Their “confirmation” name (christened? Sataned?) is Rigoria/Rigorian, last name Mortuous. Yes, it’s a play on Rigor Mortis but my name is literally Bones. I will be drawing them as well at some point so I can show you guys my interpretation of the Siblings of Sins in different Papal Eras.

[little-critters-snips]

AGGIE/MAGMA RESULTS #3!!!!! (IM NUMBERING THESE NOW!!!!)

i fear the mess of posting these without a number. oooo pink text

WE START WITH THE AMAZING @oliwas !!!! WHO DREW THE CUTEST CATNAP!!!!! (also i loooooove zaza catnap keep em coming) and human dogday with vitiligo is sooooooo me. we r soooo alike i swear.

also human catnap and dogday kissing is GREAT. AMAZING. INCREDIBLE. THANK U @cheesy-sunny-days for EVERYTHING!!

i drew the girls for diversity/j LMAO

ALSO @fandomsoda WITH THE GAYS!!!!!!! WE R FULL ON WINNING TODAY ON THE BOYS DEPARTMENT TODAY!!!! love the continuation btw gotta stay on theme LMAO

okay. i dont know who drew these cuties BUT IF YOU DREW THEM CLAIM THEM THEM PLSPLSPLS THEY R SOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE (i hope its actually a different person and not me confusing artstyles i am kind of blind rn)

LOVE THE SIGNATURE AND UR CORNER!!!!!!! CLAIM WHATS YOURS!!!!!!

ok........................i love you all so much!!!!! we have seen a comeback for the sun and moon motif duo. and i think its great!!!! the silliest little guys!!!! until next time!!!

if you didnt get a chance to draw this time, dont worry!!!! im trying to do these every weekend and they stay up till monday heheh

[slavonicrhapsody]

I love all your thoughts and headcanons about Rykard so much. It's obviously how much you like him. Do you have any thoughts on who he was as a child and his upbringing at all?

thank you so much lol… yeah I do have thoughts! a lot of them in fact

I think the thing about Rykard’s upbringing is that his parents are both legends, and he’s inheriting these two powerful bloodlines within a wider society that values strength first and foremost. So there’s a lot of pressure to live up to his parents’ examples… he’s not as strong as Radahn, who lives up to Radagon’s image in every way (“I was born a champion’s cub. Now I am the Lord of the Battlefield’s lion”), and he’s not his mother’s heir with his own moon like Ranni, nor is he an empyrean. How must he distinguish himself? I think this might be where his great ambitions for more of a political authority come from (his position in the inquisition), and why he feels the need to assert himself over others to feel worthy (“taking by force became the rule,” “the strong take”).

I think as a kid Rykard would act kind of overly haughty and aloof because he wants to be seen as important and worthy of respect, and he would be kind of sensitive and prickly if he feels like he’s being disrespected. maybe he has a really explosive temper (get it… like a volcano... sorry). At the same time I think he’s always had big ambitions and audacity and that inspires people around him… that’s why people were loyal to him during the Shattering!

I also think Rykard was close with Radahn when they were young and he never needed to put up a front around him because he doesn’t need to earn his brother’s respect… he could be more like, silly around him. But then Radahn left for Caelid and it was just him and Ranni, who probably confided in him because they believe the same things and she trusts him with her plans/the rune of death shards later on.

With Radagon, I get the sense that their relationship was not very close and more formal… Radagon was known as a really secretive person during his marriage to Rennala and there aren’t any anecdotes about him bonding with their kids in the same way he did with Miquella. Radagon’s reputation as a fierce warrior also looms large and I think he was someone young Rykard would try to emulate (like with the red Gelmir knight plumes) but not someone he could truly confide in. Rennala on the other hand I feel was closer to Rykard because she gets a shoutout in his magma spells: “After discovering the ancient hexes of Gelmir, Rykard, son of Queen Rennala, brought them back into practical use as new forms of sorcery.” All his skills and knowledge of sorcery he gets from her. I think as a kid he’d always crave new and unconventional magic knowledge, which led to him messing around creating sorceries from ancient pagan hexes when he was older! So I think both Radagon and Rennala were huge influences on him when he was young, but he ended up having a closer relationship with his mother (there’s a reason why Raya Lucaria is guarded by abductor virgins, but Rykard seeks to destroy the Order that Radagon holds most dear). ok I think I’ve talked for long enough

[starry-bi-sky]

I am so interested in hearing more about the world building of your stillborn still-born au!

So what exactly is the burning mountain island and its ecosystem? And have you built out anything for the far frozen in return? Do the far frozen and molten lava island have relations or do they avoid each other? Are they friendly or enemies? Since the yetis of the far frozen are healer-warriors are the locals of the volcano also healer-warriors or are they something else? Does the volcano have an equivalent to Frostbite(maybe called heatstroke or something similar?) to help Danny with his powers and become his ally?

WHY I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!

( @ishkagrante because they asked me the same thing)

The Molten Springs is a mega-island similar to the Far Frozen, but rather than being made up of extreme cold, it's made of extreme heat! The name "Molten Springs" is me playing with the words 'hot springs' and it stems from this fanart I saw a few years back of Vlad relaxing in a pool of lava and Danny being very judgy about it lmao. It's a large, mountainous-volcanic region made up of hundreds of mountains and volcanos. All the rivers, lakes, ponds, etc are made up of lava rather than water. It's extremely hot, as you would expect, and the further inland you go the hotter it gets as you come across more volcanic activity.

All greater rivers and lakes lead back to the center of the island, where Mt. Abzi (created from the word obsidian) stands, a massive active volcano that is thousands of feet tall and is constantly bubbling out lava and feeding it into the rivers. Two to sometimes three times a mortal year it fully erupts, shooting out a massive geyser beam of lava into the sky like a beacon, that lasts thirty minutes before cooling down for a few minutes or hours, before shooting up again. These cause what the locals call a "magma storm", which is basically the human equivalent of flood season because the lava that goes up must come down, and it rains down over the island. This can trigger other volcanoes into full eruption.

I've currently got two names for the greater rivers.

There's Ruzhu (created from the word Eruption), the river that leads over into the Ruzhi Canyon, a great canyon made of obsidian and igneous rock. It's a pretty popular tourist destination, if you get there when the firelight is low you can watch the light glitter and bounce off the walls.

Then there's Spicoria, a river that leads over into the mountain ranges, surrounded by sandbox trees made of petrified wood and smoking leaves. The rapids here grow the sindrillies! Rare purple flowers that resemble the lilies of the nile, they only grow in extremely hot areas. So you can only really find them underground or by the rocky areas of the river rapids. Most flowers come in the same color range as heat. So in oranges, reds, whites, yellows, and blues. The warmer the colors, the more common they are.

Locals live most commonly in caves, in the mountainy ranges where there's less volcano activity (its more convenient), in cold pockets (where the air there is significantly cooler *in comparison to the surrounding area), in the lava. Under-lava cities are very common here, there are entire cities built at the bottom of the lakes and leading into the underground tunnels. Buildings are made of the surrounding igneous rock and obsidian. Gemstones like opal, olivine, agate, amethyst, etc are found growing here since lava has a hand in their creation. They're a little different compared to mortal gemstones, since instead of water they're made of crystalizing ectoplasm. Although what those differences are, I haven't yet figured out.

Jewelry, tablets, sculpting, and oral storytelling are a popular form of artistry since paper really isn't,,, cohesive with extreme heat. Windows, if there are any, are made of volcanic glass and tend to be stained, with various designs on them that depend on the owner's preferences. Due to the lava rivers outside, it's not uncommon for ghosts to wear loose black garments when traveling around in order to avoid getting their inside clothes dirty. Think desert-wear!

I haven't though much about them being healer-warriors (and I'll admit it completely slipped my mind) but it's pretty common for ghosts to go to the lava hot springs, which are situated on the outskirts of the the island, in order to unwind. At least the ones who can withstand the heat when it's at its weakest. Some ghosts can go in deeper, but its really only the fire-core ghosts (like Danny and Vlad) that can actually handle the full heat of the molten springs without melting.

Rip to blob ghosts, Danny watched one melt like an ice cube in his hand once.

The residents of the Molten Springs are fire-core ghosts and other various heat-related mythological beasts. Cyclops, dragons, phoenixes, salamanders, etc etc. If they've got a heat or fire motif, they're there. The Yeti equivalents would have to be the Dragons, because that's who Sunburn is!

Sunburn is the Frostbite equivalent, and he's a massive dragon the size of a mountain, with black obsidian scales. Although he can shrink himself down to size. Danny's only two feet shorter than his eye, which is a lovely amethyst color, and it matches the color of his feathery mane! His mane itself is made of peacock feathers, with purple being the main color and the eyes being a startling electric blue. His fire opal horns are six-pointers, and from a distance blends in with the streams of lava running down the mountains. Despite his vibrant plumage and the jewelry he decorates himself with, he blends in with the surrounding igneous rock worryingly well.

He lives in a massive cave at a collapsed caldera volcano, Danny stumbled across him once on his first journey into the Molten Springs (<- has never watched the far frozen ep so i don't know what happened in it) and woke hm up on accident. Scared the shit out of Danny because he turned around and there was this giant purple eye staring at him.

but it's okay! Sunburn's like. a hippie. so he's really chill. Super chill actually. He's had thousands of years to just chill out. Which is a really good contrast for Danny who is the exact opposite of chill and is constantly on the verge of eruption himself. He helps Danny learn some emotional regulation and how to thermal regulate better.

Sunburn has, on numerous occasions, rumbled out a lazy "nap time" when he thinks Danny's getting too worked up, and then turned and pinned Danny beneath his muzzle. It doesn't hurt him, but it's like a big weighted blanket and it's also like a cat sleeping on you, so even if Dany could move, he wouldn't. He eventually falls asleep 9/10.

Sunburn will also just toss him into the lake outside the cave just. Whenever. What's gonna happen? Danny gets burned? Don't make him laugh. It usually gets Danny out of whatever mental spiral he's in and is just one of the few methods that makes him relax.

As for the Far Frozen! They're on the opposite ends of the ghost zone from each other and are on pretty neutral terms. Residents don't meet often due to their drastically opposite climates, but they can meet somewhere outside of the Molten Springs or Far Frozen, or, with the right equipment, meet in their respective islands. Sunburn and Frostbite are good friends, because I think it's funny if Sunburn has nicknamed Frostbite "Freezerburn".

Also Sunburn doesn't dislike just anyone, but he fucking hates Vlad.

[merchant-wizard-and-jerry]

“Hello, I’m the friendly wizard _____. My name got taken by a fey prince but it hasn’t really hampered my life. Anyways I am new to this wider wizard community and would like to get along. I have a magic book, a cart, and a friend. His name is Jerry, he is a fungus colony that has taken over my magic book and acts sort of as my patron. He…is a little weird but great fun.”

*sound of an explosion in the background, a book flys by being chased by goblin shamans casting fire ball*

“He is…”

“He is fine.”

“Anyways, I am here to sell goods and make a small profit. If you need something I’ll see what I can do : ) ”

“Also apparently I helped smuggle an amnesiac @fattocatto-wizard out of the city in my wagon. That was a shock, though he was just a cat.

Character Cheat sheet

( 3 currency to 16 silver crowns and 2 copper crowns)

(3 skulls to a coin)

(2 currency to 1 gold)

(100 currency to a 1000 grams gold bar)

(1 currency per 10 grams of gold)

(Current balance 89,314.250,001 currency, one penny, 23 meat pucks, 14 pounds, 2 gold coins one with Julius Cesar on it, 3 naturally-grown mana stones, 2 highly enchant able metal pieces, and one bar, 1 special bug corpse, 1576.5 gold, silver 18, 70 aus, 5kg silver, magic dirt house size. 24 counterfeit currency. Moss/lichen-coded bio stone. An inverse cold torch. 99 BG silver. EMERALD LINCOLN, GOLDEN CARROT, 200 SALTED MEAT DISKS, 200 POLISHED ROCKS, 82 FIGET SPINNERS!, A FULLY EQUIPPED LICH'S DUNGEON, and a cardboard box (magic black marble).” Invisibility stone, a bundle of drake feathers, quantum locked rock, raw gold. 9 Gold coming from the green goblin empire, 50 mushrooms, 92 secret society emblem. 5 trans enchanted gold coins, 2 skull coin, ancient lost civilization fragment, 5 glistening green metallic coin, 31 writhing bugs of gold, jade coin. Pile of gold coins and gold coin bugs, pile of shines from harpy, dust, quantum glass shards, bag of tooth shaped candy, 6720 candies from the festival, bag of holding money bag, 68 money bags, 500 flat Foxen, double sided dollar coin, 3 floppies, a Brahman horn, a medkit, a few candy bars, and an umbrella, 130 goblins eggs (goblin cooked chicken eggs.), 17 bars of pure gold, 1 crate of guns, temp singularity potion. 762 grasshoppers glow in the dark.Book on the formation patterns of natural portals - @serious-tabaxi. Edward Evandrian’s expired library card. Gems and frenicx mother gem and a junkarian leap amethyst. white mithril sapling. Timeseed, infinite note book, time tunnel. A nice gold bag. bag full of candied scorpions 💰, large gem stone. 💰 💰 💰, gems = 70currency. 1/3rd a gold bar. Compass map, it's keyed to the Island of Silence. N=10^7 menger sponge. 2416 shadow cloaks, 52 shiny stones. 20$, 3 gold coins 100 grams. Gummy worms. 100 journals of Ventus Asamuran, Last Peacekeeper of Har Aminas. car keys, box of a 27 rusted necklaces with warding spells. an amulet made of stone, with blue rectangular crystals growing out of it. 48 shiny stones, 30 currency worth of silver. 3 sets of custom made chips @crickled-thorn-thug. Gold potion It opens a portal to the realm of metals! It causes any land within 20 feet to be transmuted, temporarily, into a variety of metals. If left untouched, the land reverts after a day. If harvested, the stuff stays metal and can be used. It also causes uhh 20 gold peices to spawn, and anyone within the radius to get a bit of vertigo. Causes slight iron deficiency, for some reason. 23 bouquets of metalic flowers. They're grown beneath volcanic chambers, uses the heat of magma as a supplement for sunlight. Given their environment, they grow petals sharper than claws and harder than steel. They can be used for creating armours and weapons.)

(Currently holding baby dire bunnies. A ring of mana (covers energy into mana. Only suitable if you don’t have mana)

(Jerry’s balance 13 gold, a fancy rock, 1 coin, flower petals (snacks for later), harpy eyes, feathers, vocal cords, and talons, a coin with @informis-the-many-faced on it, it is locked away for emergencies. bottle of magic mold rejuvenation powder, wooden key @crickled-thorn-thug)

(Warlocks of Jerry @fungal-boy-witch-yay @ignisuadaroleplay @life-is-okay-rn2 I think that is who it was…)

(Possessions - wealth stone, Antidote stone)

Owner of membership cards

——————————

@the-final-knight-2

@confused-sorcerer

@bi-gender-sorcerer (+ 10% off for employee discount)

@the-mighty-dalob

@detectivewizzard

@goblin-wizard-in-the-making

@serious-tabaxi

@weltreths-wanderings

@ignisuadaroleplay (will)

@shittest-wizard-ever

@wizard-wylin-wylerian

@akronus-and-associates (the primordials)

—————————————

@hallowed-the-silver-gun

@jormungand-seas-champion

@crow-natures-wrath

@antros-ember-of-fear

@akronus-the-redeemed

@clockwork-time-watcher

@aldira-born-anew

——————————

@wizard-ghost

@yeast-wizard

@crickled-thorn-thug

@sorcererest-sorcerer

@damnable-druid (+ 10% off for employee discount)

@informis-the-many-faced

@kittycatwizard

@gun-sorcerer

@crime-wizard-conglomerate

———

Perks

———

5% off all purchases

Special requested items

More favorable bartering

———

[choochooboss]

Introducing your station master & Magma event host!

Since there's already a lot of passengers visiting this station and I haven't spared much time to get to know my fellow submas fans over Tumbrl yet, an introduction would be in place!

I'm Jun, nice to meet you! *offers a hand for for a shake* I am a devoted submas artist & a monthly Magma event host! I go by ChooChooBoss everywhere (Twitter/Bsky/Twitch/Ko-Fi)!

This will be a long post! I will write a short intro as well which you can just skim through but here is a more in depth view how I got into submas, my other interests and life in general, in case you'd wish to know more about your conductor on this silly train!

How did I get into submas in the first place?

PLA. I met this certain mysterious & cool fellow time traveler and got curious! After the cave scene I went to read his Wiki, found out about Emmet, and... yeah. The emotional impact blasted me right out of a miserable cycle I was going through back then and set my soul on fire!! A month later I set up my first art account on Twitter, and the rest is history. They've become my greatest source of strength and inspiration and I enjoy drawing them every single day!

I love both twins very much! I tend to vibe with Ingo a little more than Emmet, but I draw Emmet more. People say I remind of butler Ingo the most, hehe. I certainly don't mind because I'm a big fan of butlermas!! In fact I got into submas & started playing Pokémon Masters EX in April 2022, a week before butler Ingo banner rolled in, so they truly got a special place in my heart ahah! (pssst draw more butlermas for me pls pls pls-)

However I don't draw warden Ingo as much as I would like to. I still get pretty emotional over his fate ahah, I can't draw him without a single tear! This sweet & kind man leading a good life and being an inspiration to others has been torn from literally everything he had for seemingly no reason apart from his name, clothes and the muscle memory and even those are barely intact. It seems like a miracle he's still standing and breathing after put through everything judging by the wear and tear on his uniform and body. Despite all that he carries a positive attitude, assists everyone in need, and does his best to help people and pokémon understand each other, unconditionally... Oh, my face is wet again...

My other interests besides submas?

Monster Hunter! Zelda! Genshin Impact! Super Mario! Trine! Crash Team Racing! And many many more! My favourite genres are platformers, kart racers, and action games, with a side of rhythm games. I'm a big fan of co-op games! I also watch my sis play JRPGs!

Monster Hunter is the dearest to me out of all. I've been hunting for well over a decade starting from MHFU. The games have charmed me with their incredibly satisfying combat system, world building, creature design, great attention to detail, character customisation and the games being nearly fully co-op!!

Other things I do:

Pokémon is practically the only turn-based game I enjoy, mainly because of the characters and collection aspect. However!! I adore Pokémon Colosseum (the first pkmn game I ever played!) and it's double battle focus, so The Indigo Disc has been a delight after the long starvation for double battles, coming up with different combinations makes the battles much more fun to me!!... I sound like Emmet here do I ahahah! We also share the fact we are both left-handed!

Shuffle dancing, daily pull-ups, and expanding my ever growing VGM collection! I also enjoy traveling and taking photos to keep as a diary! I've played piano in a music school for 9 years, and I can also play kalimba. I've done casual boxing, gymnastics, horse riding and medieval swordfighting. I used to read comics/manga and watch movies and anime but nowadays I barely do that, I just rather use that time for drawing instead of just sitting and watching, unless I have company!

I share the apartment with my anxious brother and our two sweet female cats, Laku (11, stubborn and cuddly) and Kalevi (21, demanding and full of love) in a city center. My parents are both entrepreneurs and run a farm in the countryside & I have 4 siblings with me as the middle kid!

Where can you meet me?

I am a game artist by profession, with 4 yrs of studies and roughly 7 years of EXP in the field doing game art, UI design, character/prop design, in mobile games as well as PC titles, 2D and 3D. At the moment I am looking for work; I keep up the motivation and learn new skills by running my art accounts while looking for new opportunities.

I hail from the land of darkness, snow, salmiakki, metalheads and renownly reserved people, Finland! (UTC+2)

Despite having my roots here I am pretty much the opposite of a typical Finn in almost every sense ahah! I'm a small guy who's not afraid talking to strangers and laughs a lot. And I dislike coffee for the contrary, it's very popular amongst finns.

With the inspiration from submas I've finally stepped into the world of cosplay so you can usually meet this small and excitable Ingo in the biggest local conventions, Desucon and Tracon! Come say hi!

About my social battery:

I'm both social and socially anxious ahah! I love making new friends and talking to all sorts of people and writing comments, and gathering together with my mutuals to do cool stuff together! However my social battery is very small... I often struggle with my AD(H)D and anxiety issues, so my replies can be extremely slow. I'm easily overwhelmed when life gets busy and I deal with it by withdrawing to minimise the the stimuli and then sorting my stuff out one by one. This is a frustrating shortcoming, but I'm working hard to find a balance I can maintain without getting exhausted. Please be patient with me! If you don't hear from me in a while, please don't take it personally! In fact, it makes me really happy if you contact me, for any purpose!

Which pronouns do I go with?

I go by they/them! I am also aroace, so if I appear to show any sort of romantic interest, it's definitely not that. I love meeting new people and am quite interested in people in general so I'm excited to get to know you better, but the thing is... I have been confusing people on several occassions for saying things that could be taken as flirting. I am terribly sorry for that, that's just the way I show how I care!

I don't really identify myself by any specific gender either, but rather by my roles or interests (Magma host, submas fan, game artist etc.). Submas encouraged me to enjoy dressing formally even if I'm just sitting at home, because I love formal clothing in general and wearing them makes me feel confident and stand taller! I usually wear collar shirts and black or white slacks.

More about my AD(H)D:

I don't have an official diagnosis but deal with the same problems as AD(H)D people do; poor work memory, dissociation, hyperfocus (drawing and people), sleep deprivation, impulsiveness (juggling too many things and going with the wind), getting sensory/information overloads, and feeling like I don't fit in. I figured it out after I finished school & lost my job for that I am unable to handle big tasks without anyone giving me directions. It has taken a while but I've figured out things that help me manage my daily life as well as have a medication that mainly boosts my capability to get things started which is another great struggle ahah.

How do I manage to keep myself on track?

I use a Pomodoro timer to keep up a good flow and remember to take breaks! This is what I use the most:

I should set it up on my tablet as well. I think it's really cool to see how many hours I have actually put into drawing! Last year I clocked in well over 3k hours, ahaha!

How to catch me?

Right now I have great difficulty managing replies, but usually you can reach me by DMs! I check Discord and Twitter the most often! However I must ask you to respect my current DNI status. It means I am really overwhelmed so I wish nobody comes asking for my attention until it has been lifted, unless it's really necessary. I really love talking to you all but I also have to accept and deal with my own limits strictly like this or it won't work out.

What am I working on at the moment?

Besides the holiday set I have several short comics under works as well as one big comic (100+ pages!). That one is my personal greatest goal! I started working on it in June 2022 and I have currently 40+ pages sketched and 60+ thumbnailed.

I was afraid of starting any comic projects before submas, but the sheer excitement over them carried me over that personal wall ahah!

The story's beginning and end are looking good and somewhat functional but there's still a lot to work to do and holes to fill in the middle before I dare to start fleshing out the pages. I have little experience in writing or comic making so I hope you forgive if some things don't make sense or the dialogue is a little on the nose so to say ahah!

The story will be packed with action with the overall tone being on the darker side, but it sure won't be lacking in humor! The project's main goal is to make it a celebration of all things submas & to prove to myself I can handle a big scale project despite my shortcomings!

This train has reached the terminal!

Thank you for riding my silly submas train!! I adore reading all your tags and comments! They brighten up my day & fuel my passion even more!! I hope to bring many more fun things for you to look forward to!! See you again soon!

ALL ABOARD!!

[kob131]

Lily Orchard and Pokemon: Gen 4

Yay, we get to hear Lily bitch more from now on.

"Gen 4 runs like shit because the game is trying to process 3D graphics all the time, like with battle transitions, health bars and movement!"

Then how the fuck do you explain Platinum, which ended up fixing all these issues then?

"Also I'm modding the game to remove the FPS cap and give myself a Ralts as the starter-"

W-w-wait, what?!

Why the fuck are you modding the games...in a retrospective all about looking back at the games as they hold up? Your complaints and footage WON'T line up, thus weakening your arguments!

Also, I don't give a fuck about how much you like Gardevoir. Ralts doesn't get an attacking move until Level 6. Starters start at Level 5. And Ralts is INTENTIONALLY weak to compensate for how strong it is fully evolved. Modding in a Ralts WILL affect your gameplay because the games aren't built for that.

For fuck's sake- USE A DIFFERENT TEAM!

"I encourage Barry to try and jump over the grass because I wanna see him get mauled by a Bidoof-"

Wait a minute. Was-was that fucking Peanut Butter from Pokemon Rusty?

...Oh great, Lily Orchard is probably taking her takes from Dorkly. That explains a lot.

"Well Ralts doesn't get an attacking move so I 'threw the match-'"

Sounding pretty salty there, Lily. Maybe you should try diversifying your teams and actually ENGAGE with the Pokemon by using a damn starter.

"I'm getting stopped all this time like a small child in a brony conve-"

I will call Taka in here to maul you, Lily. You were kicked out, deal with it.

"Uh oh! My Ralts is worse than a Magikarp! Whoopsie!"

Keep this in mind. It will be important later.

"Oh no! It takes a whole minute and ten seconds for me to get through an encounter with Team Galactic! TOO LONG!"

Speaking as someone who has played every Gen of Pokemon...as well as playing a few games with Pokemon's older, edgy brother SMT- You are making mountains out of mole hills Lily.

Games, especially RPGs given how they don't tend to be very interactive games, tell stories to stimulate the player's brain. This requires time, Lily. I know that you like being lulled into a silent stupor as evidenced by your love of Team Aqua/Magma and later Lysandre (No I am not joking) but most ACTUAL people like having some kind of engagement with the game. Pokemon, even at it's most verbose, is fucking SMALL POTATOES compared to your usual JRPG.

I brought up SMT for a reason Lily- that series compensates for having a less engaging battle system than Pokemon's by having a more robust story. If you played any SMT, even one like Nocturne- your brain would likely shut down.

JRPGs like having stories. You signed up for this with Pokemon. Now judge it accordingly.

"People gas up Cyrus as one of the best villains-!"

No they don't. They gas TEAM GALACTIC as one of the best villains because they fuck with the fundamental forces of existence, giving them an air of a series threat. I don't agree, I like Cyrus for being the only one with a reason for doing what he's doing. But people usually like him for the stuff OUTSIDE his home game.

"Reading Pokemon stories is just like watching subbed anime: reading the most inane bullshit!"

... Lily, you hate anything anime, don't you?

"Sinnoh ugly because grey and mud and forest gross!"

... 1- Lily, you literally show a grey tiled route being dyed orange in evening light.

2- Yes Lily. Mountainious regions and marshlands have mud and rocks.

And 3- The forest looks dark and damp because that's a fucking FOREST. If you paid attention the BGM in the previous forests, you'd notice that is what the developers intend the forest areas to be like. You basically just said ''the previous three gens completely failed at their jobs!'

*Lily proceeds to have a fake existential nightmare about Pokemon and Youtube*

Cool Lily. Too bad you mention these minor things and not...you know...the strewn path of broken lives you've left in your wake on this planet.

Could have had some kind of respect for you.

"Pokemon games hold your hand like a creepy uncle with a MLP collec-"

@takashi0 get in here! Lily's being an ass about bronies again!

"Oh my god! So many forced tutorials! Why won't they let me skip everything like the Underground tutorial! POKEMON BAD!"

Lily, the reason why the game won't let you skip the Bike is because you NEED it to progress the game and it gives you an improved movement option. It also won't let you skip the Egg tutorial because Pokemon breeding is necessary for getting certain Pokemon or helping you get certain Pokemon (like multiple starters). And this is why you can't skip the catching tutorial: you'd just be throwing Pokeballs at random and failing constantly.

These are necessary aspects of the game. A game for kids who may have never played a Pokemon game before. Deal with it.

"I don't know why I'm here, I just keep ignoring the dialogue."

So you talk about the story being ass...while acknowledging that you aren't paying attention to said story...

Like, I know that Lily is implying she's long since gone through the game and experienced the story, hates it and is now skipping over it but you are now making a retrospective of the games. Now would be a good time to pay attention and possible reconsider your stance.

"HMs are so cool! You can use your Pokemon to transverse the region! People are so dumb for bitching about them. You have 24 moveslots, just set aside some and forget coverage, dumbbnuts!"

So what you're saying is that we should have random required HMs in Pokemon Gyms to challenge them properly? You know, like Chuck's Gym? That you couldn't complete without backtracking?

Or that maybe we should have moves like Cut, Rock Smash, Flash, Whirlpool and Defog (which you basically call useless) be necessary! After all, who cares about player expression? It's just 20.8% of your moveslots!

... This is why you use your BRAIN Lily.

"You need to adapt to roadblocks, you useless clowns!"

Remember this, it will be important later.

"Archie and Maxie were charmingly stupid but Cyrus is completely crazy!"

A- That's intentional with Cyrus and UNINTENTIONAL with your favs.

And B- You outright emphasized that they were gonna blow up a volcano to try and expand water/land for Pokemon. How is THAT not crazy?

"Barry demands yet ANOTHER Battle-"

It's the fourth fucking battle Lily. Just because you cut yourself anytime a rival shows up doesn't make it excessive.

"*another 'cobs bad' joke*-"

Yeah yeah, you want cops gone because your abuse victims keep calling them on you and you have a bad experience with them.

Move on.

"Hey I'm not a cop, it's not unethical if I go on a rampage-"

You REALLY don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?

"Cyrus can no be cult leader, HE HAVE NO MOTIVE OR PESONALLITY!"

...

"Fellow members of Team Galactic! Hear me! My name, as I appear to you today, is Cyrus. This world of ours is a crude one. In a word, it is incomplete. It has been, and always will be, a struggle to survive in this world. We humans and Pokémon are likewise incomplete. Because we are all so lacking, we fight, we maim... It is ugly. I hate the incompleteness. That we are all incomplete, I hate it with my entire body and being. The world should be complete. The world must change. Then, who will change it? Me, Cyrus. And Team Galactic. Yes, all of you. Together we pored over myths and exposed their secrets. Together we captured legendary Pokémon. And now, Team Galactic has obtained the energy to change the world! The power of dreams is within our grasp! Understand it, fellow members! My long-held dreamworld is on the verge of becoming reality. All those headed to Mt. Coronet, and those who remain here... Though our missions may differ, our hearts beat as one. Let there be glory for Team Galactic!"

-

"But, I must say... You are a remarkable specimen. Those Pokémon have nothing to do with you, do they? But still you come to rescue them out of pity? Such pitifully useless emotions... It's illogical and irrational. Pity and compassion are products of the weak and faulty human heart. You were compelled to come here by such vacuous sentimentality! I will make you regret paying heed to your heart!"

Perhaps pay attention to the fucking dialogue, Lily. Because these are pretty blunt and obvious examples. Cyrus appeals to people feeling that the world is harsh and unfair, promising them a bright tomorrow if they listen to him. Then he explains how he believes emotions have caused these problems so he wishes to erase them.

"Oh really Looker? You think I'm so dumb that-"

Lily, you just got done humiliating yourself by being outsmarted by a children's game and will continue that streak throughout this video.

Yes, you are that dumb.

"Cyrus has double the dialogue Maxie and Archie have in these games but it is so stilted and devoid of personality! Archie and Maxie are SOO much better by being stupid and trying to better the world-!"

Lily, those guys were not intended on being stupid. They were intended to be well intentioned extremists. They seem stupid because the games made their acts so dumb that the intentions are overshadowed by their stupidity.

Cyrus does more than try to be evil, you can tell from comparing his dialogue to Giovanni's-

"Blast it all! You ruined our plans for Silph! But Team Rocket will never fall! <Player>, never forget that all Pokémon exist for Team Rocket! I must go, but I shall return!"

And his so-called 'stilted' dialogue would probably fit a man who is OPENLY TRYING TO RID THE WORLD OF EMOTION. If your assessment is correct- that would be good writing.

Archie and Maxie are badly written. You are praising bad writing over good writing.

"Platnium has gotten away from the feeling of adventure that makes Pokemon good-"

You know what helps with a sense of adventure Lily?

A story. Something to give structure and stimulation to the player.

You praised one of the dullest games in the series in Emerald and are going to praise THE dullest game in the series. All while demonizing the games that actually stimulate.

You're full of shit.

[nerdy-the-artist]

Maytroid 2024 is here!

I am so excited to get to work on these new prompts. Last year, my entries for each day were fairly sloppy, and I was new to the series, so I was lacking a fair bit of information. Now, I’m armed with more knowledge and am eager to use it.

For those who haven’t seen what I did for Maytroid last year, what I’m going to be doing instead of art is something more writing focused. These little text entries are mostly styled after the scans from the Metroid Prime series. Matter of fact, this new set of prompts actually lends itself much better than last year’s, as I have a lot more leeway to play to my own strengths than last year (I still don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do with Gorea). These are all canon to my own Metroid AU currently, though as things change in development, these may become out of date. They will give the vibe my stories are going for, but these shouldn’t be held to as the absolute canon for them. I’ll be posting these week by week, around 7 at a time, starting today.

Day 1: Ridley

Transcript of Security Footage

Several individuals in this footage cannot be identified at this time. They shall be identified as Pirate 1, Pirate 2, and Pirate Major.

Ridley: What I want to know… is why he is not in custody.

Pirate Major: I gave them their orders, they knew he was to be brought in alive, and instead they killed him.

Pirate 1: You told us to take care of him! We thought you meant an execution, not milk and cookies!

Pirate Major: Insolent Wretch! You say such things about your orders in front of our Commander?! You know how we handle that sort of insubordination!

Pirate 2: Cool it, we’re already in hot water.

Pirate 1: We’re in hot water because of the life of some winy little nobody that begged for his life with money he didn’t even have.

Ridley: While your insolence is… aggravating… I am willing to forgive this misstep.

Pirate Major: What?

Ridley: He was an insignificant pawn. We can always find another. As I was saying, I am willing to forgive this on one condition. Did he die in pain?

Pirate 2: Yes. He did suffer before he died.

Ridley: What methods or torture did you employ?

Pirate 1: Waterboarding. Works wonders on humans. I always liked how they sound when they cough and gasp for air.

Ridley:Mmmmm… was blood shed before his end?

Pirate 2: Yeah. My partner here has… quite the way with knives.

Ridley: Do tell.

Pirate 1: Slashed his wrists. Those arteries gush lots of blood from humans. And we started pulling teeth when he lied.

Ridley: Delicious. You have escaped capital punishment, but you will still be serving as guards for the Metroid containment units. For further forgiveness, you will need to be more creative with your implements. I find Revine’s death, by your account, to be quite dull. Your are dismissed, unless you wish to enlighten me further.

Day 2: Fiery

Scan of Pipe System in Norfair

“These pipes appear be delivering superheated magma into the Norfair region. Given the proximity to Ridley’s personal quarters, likely explanations include terraforming the area for Ridley’s own comfortability, additional protective measures, or the intentional destruction of Chozo artifacts not deemed useful. The latter is most likely, as the immediate area was once a Chozo burial tomb. It is now completely submerged in magma, disintegrating much of the artifacts within.”

Day 3: Winged

Scan of SA-X Mutations

“This X-Parasite copy has suffered some form of destabilization of its copying abilities. Abnormalities include a malformed, beak like structure around the mouth, several atrophied fingers, several hypertrophied fingers, small patches of feathers, and an extraneous structure protruding from its back resembling a Chozo wing bereft of feathers. These unusual deformities could be the result of DNA infusions during childhood complicating the process of anatomical replication within X-Parasite offspring. This individual seems to suffer great stress from its predicament, but it is unsafe to assume that its combat functionality is greatly hampered. Adaptation is this species’s main trait.”

Day 4: Pirate

Scan of Space Pirate Elite

“Subject is a member of an unknown species known only from individuals working within Ridley’s special operations group, The Revenants. This group acts as Ridley’s personal enforcers and assassins, fanatically worshipping their commander as a literal God of Death. They wield melee weapons personalized to their unique fighting styles. Each weapon is charged with electricity, giving them an additional ranged attack capability. They have operated since before the Galactic Federation, making a name for themselves in fighting Chozo warriors. Their endurance, agility, and strength cannot be overstated, in spite of their gaunt appearance.”

Day 5: Mecha

Scan of automaton codenamed Mecha Ridley

“Subject is a battle ready drone, seemingly created by Ridley’s fanatical special forces, the Revenants. Mecha Ridley is heavily weaponized, as there could be no altar to the God of Death without the ability to take a life. Weapons include flamethrowers, guided munition launchers, and superheated claws. Mecha Ridley’s armor is highly durable, but greatly hampers mobility compared to its inspiration. Additionally, as a cult idol of worship, advanced artificial intelligence was not prioritized during production. Mecha Ridley displays average combat intellect for a war drone. Recommend staying moving and outsmarting the automaton.”

Day 6: Fang

Scan of Rundas’s Necklace

“Rundas appears to have begun collecting Metroid Fangs as trophies since last he was approached. Assuming one fang was taken from each Metroid he has eliminated, he has defeated 15 Metroids in the two months since he was last seen. Unfortunately, his ego has grown with his kill count.”

Day 7: Cunning

Scan of Abandoned Home

“Old Bird and Grey Voice’s abandoned home has been left mostly in tact, minus the usual signs of neglect. However, there appear to be a plethora of traps lain around the home. Various grapple snares have been detected, alongside explosive charges, beam emitters, and microphones. Much of these systems appear to be inert, and once reported directly to Mother Brain. It is clear she anticipated you might return here before confronting her. Given her destruction, several trap systems remain completely dormant. Still, any approach must be made with great caution.”

[briarandhissecretgarden]

Notes abt Piglin Culture

Hello!! Back again with another post about Piglins and their culture!! These are all headcanons of course and while some are based off the lore in-game, some are def based off my own ideas!!

I do wanna say Piglin culture is something I like to insert my own culture into, so be aware some things might be influenced by Aztecan and Mexican culture as well as Salvadorian. Usually these won't be too impactful, but I am speaking from my own experiences. I also want to state we'll be delving into a bit of lore from Minecraft Legends!! And happy holidays and merry christmas to my fellas out there! I'll try to post more soon, I have a theory/headcanon on Drowned I wanna show off here!!

this is a long post so yeah :0)

Firstly,

I wanted to touch one some small notes about the jobs Piglin culture has, as well as what they do for their community. I'm certain it's very clear their people are attached very heavily to each other, all raising children together, fighting, harvesting, protecting and living as one unit. I think Bastions represent a lot of different needs their people used to have in the days of old, namely the time of Minecraft Legends. The 4 Piglin leaders put into place their values into the Bastion structures. The Unbreakable implemented the Bastion system in the first place!! They were the one who first had the idea of Treasure Bastions, as a way to keep their history and treasures secure no matter what would happen. The Devourer designed the Housing Units, The Beast created the Hoglin Stables, and lastly, The Great Hog developed the Bridge Units. With these different units, different Piglins are required to choose a job and serve their community once they reach the age of 20. These jobs are Protectors, Nether-Roaming, and Bastion Dwellers.

Bastion-Dwelling piglins are ones that work preparing food, creating bricks for repairs, making beds and linen from stem trees, and creating music and clothes. They also take care of the elderly and children, usually are very social and polite. This job is usually for Piglins who aren't able to fight/don't know how, have disabilities that might make constant movement difficult, have children, or are generally more interested in this kind of work. It is slightly lighter work,though it is constant and takes a lot of effort to complete. (this is what Briar worked as due to his overgrown tail and ears as well as his physical hypo sensitivity due to his autism, also hes good with medicine lol)

Nether-Roaming works as scavengers, collecting bones, quartz, gold, blackstone and netherrack. As well as raiding any older chests around Ruined Portals and abandoned Bastions/Fortresses. Next are hunters who will kill magma cubes for medicines and potions as well as hoglins for meat and hides. Another job is Messagers. They will also communicate between Bastions, sending messages and pushing to form alliances.

Lastly are Protectors! Protectors are trained from a very young age (15 or so) to be ready for this kind of work. Protectors train in combat and mental fortitude especially. They are given a strict amount of rules to live by and support, are taught to not fear zombification and zombies. Protectors are needed to protect and secure any and all treasures inside of Bastions as well as all the Piglins who live inside of it!!

Another thing i wanted to mention briefly is the importance of gold and how its used to show a kinship within their culture.

Piglins usually have at least 2-4 different piercings on their body. Most keep to 2 piercings though. The most common are nose and ear piercings, as they're the easiest to care for. But!! It is normal to have them in a variety of other places and to have multiple in the same place!! (Dagger has two gauges in both ears.) Tail, nipple, belly button, eyebrows, lip and a variety of eyebrow n mouth related piercings.

Piercings are done by heating a quartz rod and poking it into the cartilage around where the piercing is meant to be placed. after the incision is done, a golden hoop, clip or small stud is placed within it. It is left to heal and is cleaned consistently with a mixture of water and magma cream. The piercing is always entirely golden and is always kept for the rest of their lives.

One piercing is done when the piglet is born, and another when they are an adult (20). The more piercings a Piglin has, the more revered and attractive they are seen as!! In general though, height, strength and overall size are attractive traits among piglins, as well as curlier/patterned hair/fur! (yes this means canonically Dagger is attractive but i think it's funnier that Briar is very much unattractive)

I also want to say i believe Piglins have a dormant winter gene in their DNA, back when their ancestors lived in a frozen tundra or the prehistoric Nether. (yes this is an idea presented by MatPat, but also its common sense with irl geography and history) This gene only comes up with Piglins who have moved to the Overworld.

Lastly, I will talk about how Piglins are perceived in the Overworld. The legend presented in Minecraft Legends is very much what V/Illager folk believe about the Piglin race. Brutish, disgusting, unappealing and violent. They usually look down on them and have no intentions of going to the Nether to actually see if these things are true. V/Illagers despise Piglins usually, though some don't see them as a threat as these prejudices spawn from old stories. Even so, the disdain is seen in how Villagers have their Iron Golems attack Piglins on sight. In the current story, most V/Illagers care not for Piglins, though some are of course hesitant around them. Unfortunately, this isn't much better as there are some V/Illagers who only like Dagger n Briar n such bc they see them as 'exotic', 'feisty' and 'cutesy' so :/ but its just part of being in a new place where people misinterpret you and your culture

en ee ways im going to bed now goodnight happy holidays folks byeeee

[starstruckunknown-princess]

Black Rose

Summary: The fateful night in the Spring Court as told by Tamlin’s younger sister, Niamh. 

Pairing: Rhysand x OC (Niamh, pronounced ‘Neev,’ no physical descriptions)

Warnings: Slap, discussion of murder, implications of sex

Notes: Hey y’all! This is my first time posting for the ACOTAR-verse. Let me know what you think! Reblogs/notes/likes are much appreciated!

Part 2

Two pairs of wings, one pair smaller than the other, both ink black and unmistakably Illyrian, hung over the mantle in her father’s study. 

Niamh couldn’t breathe, her mouth gaping in horror at the sight. A spring thunderstorm raged outside, rain pelting the tall windows and thunder rumbling. Lightning flashed, casting perfect shadows of the wings on the wall behind them.

“Do you see,” her father’s voice hissed from behind her and she whirled around to face him. He sat in one of the plush chairs, swirling a glass of blood-dark wine, Tamlin stood behind the chair, his eyes downcast in shame. “Do you see what the Night Court gets for humiliating us?”

“Hu-wha…Father, what have you done?” she choked out, mouth dry as a desert. He’d had Tamlin wake her from slumber and bring her to the study, now she knew why. To stare in sickening awe at the wings of her ex-future in-laws. 

“They were supposed to be that bastard Rhysand’s wings,” her father explained as if he were simply talking about the weather, not the murder of two innocents, “but I thought this would send a better message.”

Niamh gulped; she knew she didn’t want the answer to the question, “What message is that?” 

“That the Spring Court is powerful. That the Spring Court has sharp teeth and jaws that snap and that no one defiles the princess of the Spring Court and gets away with it.” Her father’s emerald gaze burned her like acid. He rose to his feet and prowled toward her, towering over her like a great redwood. Niamh couldn’t help but tremble slightly; her father’s wrath was usually reserved for her older brothers. She had rarely seen it before tonight, which made his quiet, simmering rage all the more terrifying. “Do not lie to me, girl. You’ve made yourself worthless to me, especially since the Lord of Night changed his mind on your betrothal. How am I going to marry you off now?” 

Niamh’s gaze landed on Tamlin — he was the only one she’d told, the only one she felt she could confide in about her relationship with his friend. They were friends, how could Tamlin have betrayed both his sister and his best friend in one fell swoop? 

“W-we were…we were betrothed,” Niamh offered weakly. 

The sting of the slap bloomed and the room tilted in her vision before the sound hit her ears. She toppled over, barely catching herself in time to not hit the edge of the hearth. Her eyes began to water while her cheek burned. She felt a trickle of blood run down her cheek, racing the tears down to her chin. Tamlin was by her side in a moment, steadying her until she shook him off. 

Her father’s voice was steady and deep, like the roar of magma underground. “You will remain confined to your room until your mother and I decide what to do with our whore of a daughter.” 

With that he winnowed away, leaving his two youngest children to stare at the wings above the mantelpiece. 

“Niamh, I-”

“How could you?” she demanded, interrupting her brother, “How could you tell him?” 

“I didn’t know it would-” Tamlin tried to reach out to her, his own hands shaking slightly, but Niamh threw him off. She rose to her feet and shoved at her brother’s chest.

“But you did, Tamlin, you did know! You knew because I told you in confidence, because I begged you not to say anything!” 

“You also know what Father is like,” Tamlin defended. “He was angry about the betrothal being called off, of the humiliation that brought on our court. He’s been waiting for a chance at a power play against the Night Court, and I hoped if he knew about you and Rhys he would have the upper hand that he wanted. I thought that meant forcing along the marriage or an alliance, not this!”

Niamh scoffed, unstoppable tears falling down her face. “Your pathetic desperation to gain Father’s approval got two innocent females killed, Tamlin! Are you proud of yourself?” Tamlin opened his mouth but Niamh held up a hand to stop him, “I don’t care. I won’t hear any more bullshit justifications. Besides, I should be getting to my room; wouldn’t want Father to be angry with me.” 

She made sure to ram into Tamlin’s shoulder on her way past him, even though she knew that due to her smaller stature it wouldn’t affect him much, if at all. Still, getting the last word was a small vindication that helped tamp down the rising tide of guilt. 

When she reached her room, she used her ability and grew a thick bramble of black roses over the door. She made sure to wrap the handle in particularly thorny stems so that anyone trying to enter would think twice about it. 

Alone with her thoughts, she moved toward her window and sat on the sill. The rose garden went on for acres upon acres and was so peaceful at night. She wished she could wrap herself in that peace because she knew she’d gotten all the sleep she would that night. Every time she shut her eyes, she saw the wings and her chest clenched painfully. 

Rhys’s mother and sister had been nothing but welcoming during Niamh’s betrothal tour of the Night Court, introducing her to the various leaders of Illyrian camps and making sure she was comfortable. His mother had offered tea and biscuits and warmer gloves and very much behaved like Niamh’s own mother, doting on her during her entire stay. His sister joked and gossiped with her, along with their cousin Morrigan, and the three young females had formed what Niamh had thought to be the beginnings of friendship. 

Her heart ached at the memories. Her heart ached when she thought of how Rhys was feeling, what he must be going through. She wished she could see him, even though he most likely hated her now. Her heart ached for that, too. 

Soon after she sat down it felt as though her ears filled with cotton. Not that she minded; it was easier for her to zone out. An hour or so later, the feeling had disappeared just in time for her to hear a knock at the door.

“Go away, Tamlin,” she said, not bothering to look over her shoulder until she heard the splintering of wood and a crash. She jumped up, assuming a defensive stance.

Light from the hallway framed a distinctively Illyrian set of wings, as ink-black as the ones in the study, though still attached to a tall male form. The ruins of her door lay between them, and the tension in the male’s posture screamed fight.

He took two long-legged steps into her room and she gasped at the sight of him, illuminated in the moonlight from her window. His blue-black hair was disheveled, pupils in his violet eyes were near pinpricks, and his golden skin was paler than the last time she’d seen him. Something had changed about him, but it wasn’t until the sweet-scented tang of magic hit her nostrils could she tell what it was. 

“High Lord,” she whispered, a hand coming to cover her mouth. He reeked of the blood that stained his black clothes — the blood of her oldest brothers, her father — but also of power, heady and intense. She couldn’t help but fall to her knees and avert her gaze. 

His footsteps approached, slowly working his way toward her. Niamh remained still, expecting a killing blow and a quick death. Instead, Rhysand reached down and gently guided her chin upward so she could look at him. 

“Did you hear anything?” he asked, voice low and surprisingly gentle. She saw his pupils return to normal size as he regarded her with concern, sweeping over her form while she still knelt in front of him. 

“No,” she answered breathlessly. “Rhys, I’m-” 

“Don’t. It’s all over now. Tamlin and I are High Lords.” 

Tears sprung into her eyes for the second time that night. If Tamlin and Rhys were High Lords, that meant both of their fathers were dead. Two families almost completely annihilated within the course of a day. 

“Just make it quick, Rhys, I know I don’t deserve it but please,” she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall. Again, her expectation of brutality was met with the gentle touch of his fingers. This time, the pads of his thumbs wiped away her tears.

“Sweetrose,” he said, crouching down so they were closer, “I’m not here to kill you. I’m here to take you with me.” 

She searched for words; none came. Too many questions buzzed through her head, like bees in a hive. Try as she might, she couldn’t catch one long enough for it to form a coherent thought. 

Rhys half-smiled, and she felt his presence in her mind. The bees calmed. He was good at that. One by one, he answered her questions. 

Yes, I’m sure I want you in the Night Court.

No, not just because you’re Tamlin’s sister.

Because I love you. I want you.

I wanted to marry you. Still do.

It’s not your fault.

None of this is your fault.

I love you. I love you. I love you. 

Once her mind calmed, he slid out of it as smoothly as he entered.

“Come with me, Sweetrose,” he asked, rising to his full height and extending his hand down to her. He was offering her a choice, something she wouldn’t have if she stayed here with Tamlin as High Lord. She knew in her heart of hearts that her brother loved her, but he wouldn’t hesitate to marry her off for his own benefit. If she stayed, she would never have true freedom. 

She reached up and took Rhys’s hand.

[keoke03]

welcome ♪

about me:

-courtney. that is my name.

-adult. 21 years of age. a sawsbuck, if you are a zodiac fanatic.

-it/its/itself pronouns. ungendered. do not, under any circumstance, refer to me as nonbinary or speculate about my gender identity.

-my blog will mostly comprise of reblogs. posts will be rare. my ask box is open, but i ask you all to be civil. i have more important things to do in life than to argue with random layabouts on the internet.

i will end things here. i am a very private person and would rather not have people on the internet to know about personal life. so this is all you will know.

thank you for reading. have a nice day ♪

to those following the blog prior to 9/17/24

⚠️ !DISCLAIMERS AND INFORMATION! ⚠️

a canon divergent take on magma admin courtney.

mun is a minor. NSFW asks are not allowed. suggestive jokes are okay, though.

whether the blog is a pre- or -post canon blog is kept vague and up to interpretation.

magic anons, mystery gifts, and all forms of mail (pellipper, musharna, etc.) will be kept off with no exceptions.

this is a primarily low stakes blog. the highest stakes you're probably going to get from this blog are a bunch of internet drama and miscellaneous internal struggles. speaking oooof:

contrary to what courtney itself says, you are very free to poke and prod at it, as well as send it some good ic anon hate. she is the administrator of an evil team, after all. either way, morally questionable business administrator or not, i love starting drama! i love drama! please start drama. /nf

although this blog is a low stakes blog, if you're looking for a good, chill time, this blog may not be for you. while courtney can be pleasant to an extent, it is also very prone to irritability and isn't the kind of person to simply block and move on. along with this, courtney isn't really that great of a person. so! if, at any point, feel burnt out or uncomfortable with anything going on, you are always free to pull out of the scenario. your personal comfort matters.

a rotomblr blog ran by @bastiodon8

[team-magma-official]

Have you tweaked the character from canon? If so, what did you tweak?

//I am perfectly aware of the rabbit hole I am opening by asking this. I'm opening it on purpose.

[canon questionnaire]

ohoho, an enabler. i take every opportunity i can to talk worldbuilding and canon divergence in-character so this is great actually. may your harvest be bountiful or something. thank you!

this is probably going to be incredibly long-winded and ramble-y, so bear with me. i love talking about this guy.

to start, i completely threw out the "expand the land" bit. that's goofy. not as bad as archie's thing, but still. and that's the main thing--rse-era maxie does NOT give you much to work with in terms of character.

however, the stuff that is there is... interesting i guess? and i started with that for the basis of the personality he has in both my fic and this blog. first off, he's the antagonist you have the most contact with once he's introduced. you have to battle him the first three times you meet him, before ever having to battle archie. second, he has some great lines during the climax--pointing out to the player his own hypocrisy when he criticizes archie has stuck with me since i was literally ten years old. he's convinced he can't actually do anything about groudon and kyogre fighting, but he also doesn't just give up.

and he and archie both do try to help in what way they can. they don't accomplish anything, but they do try.

and THEN there's the way he was portrayed in oras, which i also pulled from despite the fic and blog being based on emerald. in oras, he acknowledges his role as the antagonist in the player's story, and leans fully into it. he's pretty clearly having a good time throughout the story and seems genuinely fond of the player, acknowledging their talent and explaining his plan to them when you meet him at chimney. he even has a speech in seafloor cavern about how it's silly but he wanted the player to be there to witness his moment of triumph--and it's worth noting that archie does NOT have an equivalent moment. oras maxie is much friendlier and more open than people give him credit for in my opinion.

so let's get into the stuff i extrapolated from all that.

in the fic, he works as an archivist in mauville, which is how he has access to information on how to wake up groudon without causing her to rampage. he's very intelligent--my friend, the mod of @official-team-magma, jokes that he's high intelligence, low wisdom. he's affable and energetic but kind of hotheaded and impulsive. i struggled with untreated adhd for most of my life, so he does too because i need the representation. he's friendly with may to the point of trying to recruit her to team magma and being open with the fact that he and his team aren't a danger to her (she's from johto and used to team rocket). he's not comfortable being perceived as threatening, especially not to a young and anxious immigrant woman who's just trying to do what she thinks is right. he's still friends with shelly and speaks highly of her despite them being on opposite sides of a conflict now. he's a safe driver.

i said once on main that if maxie asher had a d&d class, he'd be a paladin. part of the backstory for hoenn in this fic/blog is that it was almost colonized by kanto back in the early 1800s, like johto and sinnoh were. the kantans landed in the eastern islands, and when they started aggressively pushing west, the native hoennic people (including the draconids, who do exist in this continuity) pushed back. a war broke out, and only ended once someone gained groudon's favor and partnered with her.

in the present, there's no war going on, at least not in the traditional sense. but maxie's definitely trying to gain groudon's partnership to grant himself legitimacy for what he wants to accomplish--the idea being that if he has her on his side, people will listen to him.

as for what he's doing with that favor, i guess we'll see!

[outofgloom]

WORLD THAT FEEDS THE WORLD

Full Size Version (Recommended)

The ground trembled faintly beneath. The air was still oppressively hot, though the magma of the chamber had begun to cool. Alhalu groaned off to the side where he crouched, holding the Thing at arm’s length.

“Shut up,” Seah hissed. “Pathetic excuse for a Toa. If it hasn’t done anything to you yet, you’re fine. Be happy it didn’t evaporate you like it did Ekket. Bad intel, I say...”

Toa Jovan ignored them both. He focused his mind through the mental aperture of the Kanohi Suletu, sending out another telepathic burst into the empty shell of the Toa of Stone that sat cross-legged on the volcanic stone before him:

“Report. Satha, have you found it yet?”

The reply was somewhat faint, preceded by a burst of static. The connection of Satha’s Iden was being stretched, it seemed.

“Jovan...I am far...traveled... <Static>...Layers of magma...earth below... <Static>...Strata of the Great Beings...<Static>...Dark...almost there I think.”

“How far?”

“<Static>...Kio downward...sending data... <Static>...Seah can interpret.”

A set of calculations and numbers washed through Jovan’s mind. He printed the figures magnetically onto the metal datapad in his hand.

“Check the tether,” Jovan sent. “This mask is risky.”

“Affirmative... <Static>...Tether is thin...still secure. I’m passing through... <Static>...Wait, there’s a barrier here.”

“What kind of barrier?”

“Physical only... <Static>...Should be fine...I think this is it, Jovan--pushing ahead.”

“Proceed with caution.”

Jovan raised his head and glanced around the dull red chamber. Seah was watching him from several bio away, tapping her foot impatiently. Jovan signaled all well, resting back on his heels.

There was a sudden telepathic shriek that made Jovan wince. He blocked the mental aperture for a moment to let it pass, then opened it again:

“What is it, Satha?”

The reply was even fainter now. Worrisome.

“Brother... <Static>...Can see...vast hollow beneath us...the air glows...”

“You’ve made it through? Good. That data is all we need, now--”

“--such power,” Satha continued, as if he hadn’t heard Jovan. “<Static>...power for the whole world...”

“Satha, confirm my message. The data is sufficient.”

“Light is fading here, Jovan... <Static>...It’s dying, and the world... <Static>...Fading out...No time to waste.”

“Turn around.”

Silence.

“Turn around, Satha.”

“<Static>...barrier...can’t... <Static>”

“Say again.”

“Jovan, the tether... <Static>...Too thin...too far...”

“Satha? Pull back; that’s an order. It’s time to turn around. We’ve already lost one Toa today.”

“Too far... <Static>...this barrier... <Static>...Strange interference, can’t... <Static>...losing resolution.”

“Hold on.”

Jovan dove into the mind-space of his comrade, and his vision of the world went fractal, crystalline. He groped with psychic fingers, seeking his goal. He had to find it. There! The psionic tether was stretched taut, but still holding. They had been warned that this method of astral projection was dangerous, but it was the only way they could probe so far so quickly, and there was so little time...Still, he wished now that they had chosen another way.

Jovan readied himself, as he had been trained, and then took action, pouring his psychic energies into the link, to fortify it and give Satha the strength to overcome whatever strange obstacle he had encountered deep below. Fragments of words came through the link as he worked:

“Tearing at me...it’s strong...storm of energy...almost...no...”

“Keep going!”

“Trying to...tether is decaying, Jovan...”

“You can do it.”

“I...yes, I’m almost... <Static>...The barrier...no!”

A psychic shock echoed along the link, stunning Jovan. He let go, and for a moment an insane roaring filled his brain--a roar of energy, of measureless power. A storm of cosmic fire that rent and fused the fabric of the world, of the body, of the mind.

Jovan snapped back to his physical senses.

“Satha!”

Silence crackled in the mind-shell of Toa Satha.

“Satha, pull back...please...”

Nothing, and then, very faintly:

“Jovan...Jovan do you read? <Static>...I’m unmoored, Jovan... <Static>...No control...”

“I...I hear you,” he replied, helpless. “Can you still hear me?”

“Can hear, but fading...I’m moving rapidly, Jovan... <Static>...Interference here.”

“You’ve got to try on your own then. Try to get back.”

“I’m trying, but there’s too much... <Static>...Gone too far.”

“Don’t tell me that.”

“Jovan it’s no use... <Static>...I’m weary...”

“Unacceptable.”

“I know, but I think... <Static>...I’m adrift, Jovan...moving faster every second... <Static>...I’m falling.”

“I said that’s unacceptable, Satha!”

“Will report what I see... <Static>...More intel for you...to finish this...<Static>...All I can do.”

Jovan did not reply. He cursed quietly. The mind-voice continued:

“Something’s pulling me in...vortex of energy...hard to see beyond. I’m moving through...It’s spinning...bright--”

Static.

“I’m through. Would’ve made me sick if I wasn’t just a spirit...”

Static. A long pause.

“There, I can see now...By Mata, I can see it all...”

Static.

“It’s a sphere...a great sphere. Beneath the foundations of stone...to think I would look upon it...”

Static.

“Like the oracle said: the core of universes...the World That Feeds the World. Ah, I understand--”

“Stop, Satha. I’ve heard enough.”

Static.

“I can’t stop, Jovan. I’m sorry...Not in control. This is destiny, my friend--Destiny takes everything from us, in the end. Remember that.”

“Yes. It takes all.”

“...I’m heading further...deeper...”

More static. Another long pause.

“It’s dark now...Moving faster...Caverns and empty spaces...I see--”

“--huge beyond imagining--”

“...there are machines...vast, empty...They move...”

“...I’m falling...can you hear me?”

“I’m here, but Satha, please--”

“--I’m sorry, brother...I’m falling... <Static>...Can’t hear you... <Static>...Oh! By Mata...”

An interminable moment passed. Jovan waited, waited.

Waited...

And then, weakly:

“Endless...endless dark and cold...there are...”

Static.

“There are stars!--”

The voice cut off. The aperture snapped shut. Jovan trembled and released his clenched jaw slowly, expelling a shuddering sigh. The body of Toa Satha sat before him, peaceful.

Toa Seah was at his shoulder.

“So, what’s new?”

A moment passed.

“How’s Alhalu?” Jovan asked.

“Terrified,” Seah replied. “How’s our old Toa of Stone? He’s been out for a bit.”

“He found what we were looking for. Had to go a bit farther than expected, but it’s there. I’ve got the data.”

Jovan handed over the datapad.

“We’ll go immediately.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for him to...get back to his body?”

“He’ll be fine. He said it was urgent for us to go. The others on the surface will be down soon to watch over him.”

“He’ll be fine, huh?”

“Yes.”

Seah smiled, “Liar.” 

She straightened up and walked away. Jovan rose slowly to his feet.

“Alhalu,” he called across the Chamber of Life without looking. “It’s time. Your task is next. I expect you to acquit yourself like a Toa of the Great Spirit, as have others today.”

The eyes of Toa Satha were blank, staring at Jovan from that accursed Iden.

“Seah,” Jovan continued. “Ready the Olmak. Start your calculations.”

“Already started, boss. Do you know where we’re going, exactly? Hopefully a cooler climate.”

“Farther than we’ve ever been,” Jovan replied, “or ever will go.”

In his mind the words echoed:

A great sphere...the core of universes...the World That Feeds the World...Ah, I understand--

What did you understand, my friend? Perhaps you can tell me one day, if we meet again.

In the endless dark and cold.

Where there are stars.