#I think Tower and Witch would be rivals

[salty-an-disco]

[randomshenaniganery]

Red Fountain Specialist Design Fr this time sksksksk

sorry if its hard to read I'll write it down under

Right is some facts about onyx and their role in the group

Onyx wears face paint on missions as they were aware that if they got face tattoos they would face problems in school

Onyx comes from the same planet as Tecna however from a smaller city and lower class

Stella's friend and main contact with RF (explanation LATER)

Ranged Fighter (main weapon rifle) and Strategist

Closer to Timmy and Riven

Kinda doesn't like Sky doesn't tell anyone about it (one sided rivalry on Onyx's end)

Had a crush on Flora cried over it

Beefs with Tecna sometimes

RIGHT: Drawing of On Mission Red Fountain Specialist Uniform

Right brace is a regular one and the left is modified to be a communication device for all specialists as well as a way to connect to any RFS gadgets, vehicles, machines etc.

The cape/glider in canon is inspired by research done on fairy combat, the wings serve as a glider when specialists are airborne. They function by metallic fluid that look like veins and those veins move the material, they have censors that will trigger to turn on if specialist is unable to use their screen to activate it manually. Before they can use this cape they have to be trained on how to glide and mimic fairies. also do not ask me about the specifics of how this tech works because i am not smart askakskakkaskaskkaskas I'm thinking about that fluid that moves with magnetism or just insert vague it's advanced technology from an entirely different realm

LEFT: In School Training Uniform

Minimal special features because it's meant to be worn when students are enhancing their natural ability

Light weight

Waterproof, non conductive to electricity and fire resistant

easy to put on in case of emergencies

RED FOUNTAIN SCHOOL FOR SPECIALIST HEADCANONS (for my rewrite)

Used to be an all boys school but was very recently changed to be mixed

Has different departments aka more like a university it has magic and non-magic combatants, a technology dep, a magical beast taming dep, etc.

Has more students than Alfea and Cloud Tower combined because it's not restricted to those who have specific magics anymore (used to be)

Privately owned but often works with government programs hence the reason why students would be in contact with criminals and also catching them

only a small percent of graduates become specialists as others use their degrees to get jobs in magix because there's more variety in the courses offered.

RF is considered neutral ground for fairies and witches

Rival to Paladins (Arcane focused school) but like in a friendly way

Principal can be considered like a multimillionaire at this point since he's owns a school that can produce military vehicles and students that create those designs while still studying. I think he's raking in government cash and also opens avenue to shady shit i can explore :3

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Rhian, drop your morning/night routine!

Rhian: In the morning, I don't "wake up" like most do. Instead, I simply get out of bed since I'm usually up all night attempting to fall asleep. Repose rarely overtakes me, and my mind's always reeling. I may have to commission a sleeping draught from a witch one day.

At this stage of the morning, Rafal is usually still out cold, and it doesn't matter how loud I am, so I listen to the morning Kingdom Council spellcast reports from a mirror I've ensorcelled at full volume and review the Putsi market trends as I start on my routine.

The Gillikin Gazette's updates about its ongoing cathedral construction are my favorites though—its flying buttresses rival Camelot's dated, heavier Romanesque designs. I only manage to catch those reports on Saturdays though since I have to be out of the tower and on my way at an early hour most days. Oh, and I tend to cast a spell, so my bed makes itself while I busy myself with more important tasks.

Firstly, I need my ermine slippers and silk dressing gown. I shower and usually start with a facial, rosewater, or whichever magical cure-all I'm currently using to remove my under-eye shadows with.

Though, Rafal's been a bother about the cucumbers I go through. He thinks I'll drain the Woods' supply and that he won't have any left for his sandwiches. Mind you, that isn't true in the least.

I use charcoal imported from Akgul to remove impurities of the skin, and that's been rather effective as of late. I also ice my pores, page through Maxine's progress reports, and keep tabs on the lackadaisical performers. Tracking's very important at a School like ours, you know.

On some occasions, I do my own makeup, but really, it seems to me that only the Evergirls care if they notice at all. These days, I've been fond of whipped beetroot tinctures and orchid cologne. Then, I arrange my hair, dress suitably for the day's activities in whichever clothes I pressed the night before, and polish my boots. I polish Rafal's too. He doesn't notice or care—thinks we're immune to disease and scrutiny—but he's missing the point. It's about image, of course. And I worry that he'll bring bird mites from his Stymphs indoors, and that would not only be unseemly for a School Master, but a disaster of inordinate proportions, even if our health isn't at risk. Think of the parent complaints we'd receive, if we had an infestation. The picket-lines would never end!

When I head out, Rafal's almost always still asleep, so I bring us back breakfast, and wake him then.

Well, I say "wake him," but rousing him isn't as simple as I've likely led you to believe. By now, it's turned into an awfully elaborate burlesque. I switch mirror channels to the Jaunt Jolie Music Hall's Cricket and Brass orchestra production of the day. If that fails, I bang a ladle on our breakfast's silver cloche over him. And if all else fails, I shout "FIRE," "INVASION," or even "PIRATES" if I'm desperate and running late, and that does the trick. I still haven't figured out if he's been deluding me though, or if it's his dreams that leave him with those horrid little grins.

Yet, this particular song-and-dance of sorts has been more of a recent development. His clarion-belled alarm clock from Geppetto's broke last month, and he hasn't had the time to replace it. The flight's a day's trip, and this new class of Nevers cannot be left alone for more than a day because he's sure there'll be either an outbreak of some pox or of some general pandemonium since he doesn't think I'm capable of maintaining order. I'm more than capable in truth.

We eat then, he in his pajama shorts and shirt and black stockings with the runs I chastise him about throwing out everyday, and me in my typical smart attire.

At the end, I wash up, sit, and wait for him to set the dishes to scrubbing themselves, comb his hair, and dress. After that, we split off to our respective sides for the day, and I see him again at dusk.

"Bye." or "Morning, brother." is as talkative as he gets at this time of day before he vanishes into the Tunnel of Trees or crosses the Halfway Bridge into the smog, unless he has a storybook victory to congratulate himself over or another point to bolster his side of an argument with—arguments I naively believed we'd already put to bed the night before.

After a full day of overseeing classes, Rafal legs it over the window sill when he returns and showers immediately when he gets back. Then, he grades papers and exams. On days when he's exhausted by puppeteering mock battle raids or Storian knows what he subjects those poor children to, he passes out in bed fully-clothed without showering, and showers in the morning.

All the while, I perform my nightly skin- and hair care routines, snuff out the candles, and get in bed with an eye mask, in my attempt to get a good night's sleep, often sooner than he goes to bed because he reads news updates and whatever musty tome he's tearing through late into the night.

Sometimes, I wake in the middle of a night terror and realize he's still up marking or reading or scheming, so I confiscate the candles at that point and force him to sleep. Rarely does he listen, and I've stopped bothering most of the time as he reads by the light of his fingerglow instead, contrary to all sound advice. He doesn't view sleep as necessary seeing as the Storian sustains us, but he has no sleep troubles, so I suppose that's an easy conclusion to form if you're him. The latest remedy I've resorted to is tucking lavender into my pillowcase, but I've had not a drop of luck.

[polutrope]

@ettelene requested Feanor + boycotting a holiday for the modern AU holiday prompts! Here you are, ~775 words of condo developer Feanor, his family, and his many rivals. No warnings besides a little cursing (one f-bomb), as usual.

Amid zoning feud with City Hall, Ambar Metta withdraws funding for Yule Parade

Future of beloved celebration threatened by powerful Beleria development group. Has Finvesen’s grudge gone too far?

Fëanor slammed his laptop shut. “Ridiculous accusations,” he muttered into his coffee before taking a sip and grimacing. Too hot.

His phone pinged.

Nelyafinwë 🧡 Did you read it? 8:05am

Fëanáro Slander. Let them lob their accusations at us, you know it’s nothing to do with grudges. If that Singh-Goel had given us the permit for Himring Towers we would not be in this situation. 8:05am

We don’t have the budget! 8:06am

Elu has no one to blame but himself!! 8:07am

Three dots ticked along the bottom of his messaging app. Fëanor slammed the table and slurped his coffee. His eldest could be so infuriating sometimes! What was taking him so long to reply?

Nelyafinwë 🧡 Right. I know. But if Sindar Herald is painting it that way don’t you think we should consider the possible consequences for the business? 8:09am

Thumbs flying in outrage, Fëanor typed a reply. Then deleted it. Then retyped it.

Fëanáro Did your boyfriend put you up to this? 8:11am

Nelyafinwë 🧡 Omg no dad! Fingon hasn’t even seen the article. Curufinwë sent it to me. 8:11am

Fëanáro Curvo sent you this? Why didn’t he tell me himself? 8:11am

Nelyafinwë 🧡 I don’t know. Can I call you? 8:12am

Fëanor closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Fëanáro Not right now. 8:12am

Have a good day Nelyo 🙂 8:13am

Fëanor swiped his phone app open and clicked the first name in his call history.

“Hello? Dad?” answered Curufin. His voice was hoarse.

“Curufinwë, why didn’t you tell me about that article?”

“What article?”

Fëanor huffed. “The libel about the Yule Parade sponsorship!”

“Oh, yeah — fucking bullshit.”

“Do you know what your brother said to me? That we should ‘consider the business consequences.’”

“Ugh, really? Sorry dad, I was going to call you, I swear. But I didn’t want to just dump it on you — ugh, Nelyo! — but Tyelpë has a cold and he’s staying home from school, I didn’t have a chance to—”

“What! Tyelperinquar isn’t well?” Fëanor’s indignation over the article was immediately swept aside by a surge of panic for his favourite (only) grandchild. “Why didn’t you ask us to take him! Bring him over at once. I have told you a thousand times, your mother and I can take him anytime you need—”

“No, we can’t.” Nerdanel strolled into the dining room, dressed smartly in a long pencil skirt and blazer with her hair pulled back in a tight bun.

Distracted once more, Fëanor lowered the phone from his mouth and gawked at his wife. “What’s the occasion, Raspberry? You look fabulous!”

“I have that meeting about the wire sculptures at the Aelin-Uial Park light display.” She sighed and slipped into a pair of glossy red flats. “They’re saying we can’t afford the blue and green LEDs — well, they were the ones who wanted the tunnel to have an oceanic vibe.”

“I guarantee Singh-Goel’s behind that!” Fëanor shouted, forgetting he had his son on the phone.

Nerdanel rolled her eyes. Scooping up the paper from the foyer table, she dropped it in front of Fëanor. “Here. I think you should read this. Goodbye, dear.”

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and was out the door.

Fëanor looked at the front page headline.

The holiday spirit is saved! Hithlum Properties picks up the tab for Yule Parade

By Melkor Cifarelli

Underneath this was the grinning face of Fëanor’s greatest rival (damn his brilliant blue eyes and perfect jawline!), he who had won the bid for the redevelopment at Mithrim Lake: Fingolfin Noldoran Finvesen. The biological son of his late beloved father and that gold-digging witch from Valma.

“That bastard!”

“… Dad?” Curufin said on the other end of the line.

“Sorry Curvo dear, I have to go. Oh, Fingolfin, you—! You’ll regret this.”

“Wait, what did he—”

Fëanor ended the call before his son had a chance to finish and furiously scrolled through his contacts for the personal number of Mayor Elu Singh-Goel.

“Yes, hello, Elu! Happy Diwali! Oh - right, of course. What? Of course I knew it happened already. Anyway, I have reconsidered the sponsorship of the Parade. In fact, I’d like to increase Ambar Metta’s funding this year.”

[blood-injections]

You know what. Rundown of my killjoy ocs becuase I don’t i ocpost enough

Ignition Wizard-

He/it, transmasc, my self insert. Zoneborn but never really had a crew, host of the radio station Lucky 107.7 , which he broadcasts from the bus he lives out of, always on the move, in zone two one day and six the next. Just a funky dude. Will give you free tattoos if you ask.

Cal-e Condor

Agender they/it amab. Ummm gay weirdo, wacky name, you just say it like Cali as in California Condor. Cowboy. Has twin bedazzled blasters and carrys daggers. Wears a crazy tasseled leather jacket with a thunderbird painted across the back. Lots of piercings and tattoos, currently has braids down to their fucking knees. Hottest mf in the zones honestly. Lone wolf, no crew but lots of friends, really outgoing and bold/flamboyant but simultaneously quiet and mysterious? Absolutely fucks on the dance floor. Engineer.

Virtuoso Viper

Comes off as an asshole but is actually cool. He/xe dirtbag transmasc. Lowkey Condor’s homoerotic rival. Cocky bastard of a motorbike racer. He has a crush on Kobra Kid and it’s kind of pathetic. Can fly a plane, at least he claims he can. There’s no planes in the zones. He wants to build one. Sings and plays guitar in a little folk punk band with his best friend. He can often be spotted hanging out at the tip of that one old radio tower by the Nest(it’s the tallest one in the zones), he loves to climb but really needs to stop before he falls and breaks something. Also he has orange hair but a key lime green blaster it’s so fucking ugly. He has zero style. At least he’s confident.

Mold Moth

He/she amab but not cis. Nobody is cis. Um. Biggest faggot in the zones. He idiolized Mad Gear so hard he became a younger, nastier version of him. Like Mad Gears a crazy guy but Mold is fucking batshit, like something is actually seriously wrong with him but whatever, he’s cool. He’s fueled by anger issues and gay sex and dreams of being the main character in 80s horror films because he thinks it’d be fun. He named his band Mold Moth and the Rot in Your Hole and his music kind of sucks but in a sexy way. He wants to eat button batteries so bad, like by the handful like mnms. Fucking Freak(affectionate)

Miss Lithium

Dommy mommy. Who said that. Genderless giant. She/they/he/it/fucking anything they don’t care. Over six feet tall. Badass, goth, etc. DJs sometimes, can build bombs. Smokes weed and fucks. Not in a crew, lives with Prince Computer and they’re technically dating but the relationship is open. Is secretly scared of death.

Prince Computer

No one actually calls him that, sure it’s his name but one day he saw the word smorzando written on some sheet music and was like that would be a cool name.. and now he’s stuck with it. He doomed himself, his girlfriend won’t call him anything but Smorz. (S’mores). It’s cute. He/it, Fun Ghoul coded, as in he’s a dog of a guy, fucking puppy ass mf, assigned bottom by literally everyone and they’re not wrong. Kind of a slut, flirts with everybody, is a medic. Writes fucking angsty poetry he’s absolutely pathetic I love him. The most little meow meow out of my ocs.

Saint Silica

Haven’t decided much about this oc yet but they’re doomed by the narrative basically. What I do know is they’re cool and people are scared of them because they’re like, literally ghostly in a way. they have a scary aura about them, but they’re actually really gentle and troubled, don’t like violence but hate bli so they fight anyway. I think they’ve just been touched by the Witch. But they’re lonely and scared of losing their purpose. Basically they’re just a really fucking cool name that I’m still trying to come up with a crazy story for that lives up to it

[peakdeer]

pining rivals cleo/pris. smiley face

Hmm. “I think I’m going to build my base elsewhere; I love my tower but I want to be somewhere near water. You know, being the Water Witch and all. There’s just a small pond here, and that won’t do.” Prismarina rambled to herself, observing her tower from the path outside. It was gorgeous, but it didn’t quite feel right to her.

“I’m not sure where to build though. Where would be a good spot? I should just follow my heart, I guess.” Pris glanced around, gazing at the other towers. It didn’t appear that any of the other witches were living in their towers either, which meant she might run into them if she tried to find a place to live. She didn’t really want to live near someone else, but perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad. Not if it was the right person.

Almost instantly after the words left her mouth, her quest was derailed by the sight of a grey witch hat. She moved closer, curious, catching a glimpse of pretty ginger hair. “I hear sounds! I see a witch hat; I see ginger hair! I should go talk to them; I’m a sociable person; I want friends!”

As she approached, she began to see the whole of the witch. She appeared to be a zombie—perhaps they were the Necromancy Witch?—and she had a lovely grey robe with a gold belt that matched her hat. Her eyes were a pretty green that reminded her of jade or some other precious gem.

“Hello, how are you doing?” The witch turned and spotted her, offering her a friendly if wary smile. She scanned Pris calculatingly, making her feel almost unsatisfactory.

“Hiiiiiiiii! I love your hat by the way! D’you like mine?” Pris burbled, smiling brightly. It was a stupid question—their hats looked exactly the same except for the color—but she’d run her mouth without thinking. She did that a lot, she’d found.

“Yes, it looks… very similar. I do appreciate a good hat,” The witch remarked, her mouth quirking into a smile. She looked almost amused with Pris, as if she was a new wand to play with—something new and interesting.

“I love the hair, love the outfit, it matches so well,” Pris added in a rush, trying to make her earlier comment seem less silly. She did love the witch’s outfit; the silvery color looked gorgeous against her green skin, and the gold made it pop that much more.

“Thank you, I made it myself. I see you’ve gone for the standard witch robe? Love a classic witch robe,” The witch commented, adding the last bit almost as a second thought. She didn’t seem to want to insult Pris’s robes, wanting to seem unjudgmental. It was more endearing than it probably should have been.

“Yes of course, it’s me. I love to be dramatic, and the swish this robe makes is perfect for that,” Pris explained, offering a dramatic twirl or the cloak for emphasis.

“What’s your power? I’m the Water Witch,” Pris added after a moment, curiosity spreading on her face. She was almost certain this was the Necromancy Witch she’d heard of, but she wasn’t quite sure—she didn’t want to assume, and the color scheme this witch had didn’t quite match the theme of death.

“My power? I’m a Time Witch; I’m a Time Witch, you see, I control time. Name’s Cleo.” The witch—Cleo—offered nonchalantly. Her smile widened, turning a bit more ominous and sharp. Pris hadn’t thought of Cleo as the Time Witch, but now she couldn’t think of anything else to fit her. She had that sense of inconceivable power and unmistakable confidence.

“Oh! My name’s Pris, Prismarina, that is! Y’know, time is such a weird concept,” Pris introduced herself, scrambling for a comment that made herself seem cool to this witch. She didn’t think she quite pulled it off, but at least the confidence in her tone made it sound at least somewhat striking.

“It must be, I suppose. And you only experience linear time, can you imagine what it’s like for me?” Cleo pointed out, accompanying the words with a condescending laugh. Pris didn’t consider the laugh, though, her brain already hurting trying to think of what that might be like.

“Oh, oh, how do you live?” Pris burst out, aghast.

“Very comfortably.” Cleo didn’t seem bothered by the question, if anything she seemed to find it entertaining. It made Prismarina feel small, the way Cleo looked at her as if she were nothing.

“Did you get your book and quill?” Pris asked suddenly, curious. This was one of the other witches, right? So she must have received the letter.

“You know, I haven’t yet. I’ve only just… Well.” A strange smile crossed Cleo’s face, as if she knew something she wasn’t telling Pris. Pris didn’t dwell on it for long—clearly she knew more, because she had read the book.

“You should, you should! You really should,” Pris encouraged her, excited to have met a contestant less knowledgeable than her. Perhaps she did have a chance of winning this. After a beat of silence, she added mischievously, “Maybe you didn’t get one; maybe it’s just me, because I’m so important.” She meant it as a joke; a teasing lilt to her voice and laughter in her tone.

“Oh, we think we’re special, do we?” Cleo’s voice took a more pointed turn, almost like a cat toying with its prey. Her expression turned analyzing, scanning Pris in a whole new way.

“Well—I—I mean—you see—we are special, we—” Pris tried to backtrack. She’d only meant—they all were special, they’d all gotten letters to compete to be the Head Witch because they were the best. Pris wanted to be better than them, sure, but she hadn’t meant to offend Cleo!

“Oh, I see,” Cleo began, stepping closer to Pris almost threateningly.

“Erm—Listen—” Pris tried to take a step back, opening her mouth to defend herself before she was cut off.

“That seems like a challenge at this point!” Cleo spoke over her, sounding almost gleeful. She sounded as if she’d destroy Pris, and have fun doing it.

“Um, I don't think I meant it that way; but now that you've implied it… Y’know yeah. It is a challenge. What are you gonna do about it?” Pris spluttered indignantly, taking a step forward. She continued until she stood right in front of Cleo’s face until they were only a few inches apart. If Cleo wanted to fight, they could fight. Prismarina would win. Hopefully.

“Not so much right now.” Cleo shrugged, leaning back just enough to give them both room to breathe. Somehow, the Time Witch had made defeat sound both threatening and superior. Because that was what it was, right? If she wasn’t going to do anything—if she wasn’t going to fight her—then the witch had lost.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Save it for the games, eh?” Pris challenged, lifting her head smugly. She was the better witch, and she’d prove it. And when she was the headmistress, Cleo would have to serve her.

The thought sent a shiver up her spine—she knew, even if she would never admit it, that Cleo was more powerful than her. And so to be in charge of that… of the Witch of Time herself… The idea both fascinated and horrified her.

“Maybe. As the weeks progress… Well, we’ll see.” Cleo turned with a spin, her pretty dress swishing around her legs with a dramatic flare that Pris could never hope to achieve. She walked away with her back to Pris, disappearing in a shower of silver sparks.

“Woah,” Pris couldn’t help letting out a gasp of awe. She wanted to disappear like a cool witch! When would she learn to do that? Maybe Cleo could teach her?

Then again, she’s pretty sure she just made Cleo her enemy. A powerful Time Witch.

Perhaps she was in over her head. That was fine.

She couldn’t drown anyway.

[spoopy-action-at-distance]

Re: the post I reblogged earlier, a series of Reid Wiseman's cool orbital photos taken on the ISS? Specifically, the first picture that has a bit of a mystery in it? This one:

I think I know what that is, and I am going to tell you how I figured it out (pre-emptive apologies to any South-East Asians who feel the urge to headdesk while reading this post.)

First off, all that green glow? It's on water. Check out a map of the area:

So why are there lights in the sea at night? Well, squid fishing happens at night, and the ships use bright lights to imitate the moon to attract the squid.

Here's a big squid-fishing ship, filmed by a drone off the Argentinian east coast in the Atlantic Ocean. It's got a bit of green going on.

Here's another one, photographed in the Pacific. Also some green here.

Both of those are, however, severely outdone in greenness by this small Thai squid-fishing ship.

Unlike the previous examples, it is in the right place and is, in fact, All Green. Boy, is it green. Look at how green it is. It is So Green.

Before you say that puny ships like that cannot possibly be visible all the way up to the ISS, consider: a) that there might be a bajillion of them, and b) the big ships are also out there in even bigger fleets, and they are bloody bright.

According to the Sea Shepherd organisation, who tracked a 300-strong squid-fishing fleet west of the Galapagos Islands in 2018, "the total luminosity of these vessels is said to rival European soccer stadiums". They waxed a bit poetic about them:

"Suddenly out of the darkness a towering intense white light showed on the horizon. Soon it was followed by others all around us, mostly white but some an iridescent green and others with dimmer yellow light. Looking out from the wheelhouse we seemed no longer to be on the open ocean but in the edge of some great coastal metropolis."

Here's part of a fleet of some 150 ships near Argentine.

And here's that same fleet again, managing to be a magnificent eyesore even at a considerable distance.

Sure, Argentine is pretty far away from Bangkok (though those ships might also be Chinese). But South-East Asia definitely has some of its own night-light activity going on. You can find a handy map at globalfishingwatch.org (go play with it, it's fun). It didn't have night-light satellite data from 2014, but here's a snapshot from August 2022 for comparison.

The map also shows national fishing zones. If I'm interpreting Wiseman's photo correctly, those green lights in it are in the Vietnamese, Malesian and Indonesian waters. So those are likely Vietnamese, Malesian and Indonesian squid-fishings ships (and maybe some other nationalities that maybe aren't supposed to be there; here's that Sea Shepherd page again and an article about the Global Fishing Watch project talking about that kind of thing).

What I sadly couldn't figure out is what kind of squid they're fishing over there. I was hoping it might be the Japanese flying squid, because then I would have a reason to put them in this post. Unfortunately, Japanese flying squids apparently don't live that far down South.

But I'm going to put them on this post anyway, because I just found out about them, and I mean, look at these guys:

Just Look.

They're like if a squid decided it wanted to be a flying fish and instead of making a deal with the sea witch, it went "I can do it! I can! I can!" They're sleek, attention-grabbing and ridonculous. They can fly over 30 metres in 3 seconds. And they're not being caught by the glow-in-the-dark squid-fishing fleet off the Gulf of Thailand because they don't live there, and therefore have nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of this post.

But they're cool.

Finally, a confession: I didn't figure out the lights because I know something about South-East Asian fishing practices (I know nothing, feel free to laugh and correct me), or because did some kind of a systematic elimination chain to eventually arrive at the answer (ahahahaha no). It's because I've watched the Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World nature documentary no less than three times in less than two weeks, and there's footage in it of this massive unnerving squid-fishing fleet, which you'll definitely remember if you've seen it once, let alone three times.

Why have I seen it three times, then? Obviously for very normal reasons. Not at all because the series is narrated by Pedro Pascal. I mean, who would opt to listen to Pedro Pascal talking very seriously about (occasionally horny) wildlife for 4+ hours while endearingly lisping his Fs and THs here and there? Not me, no. I am very normal about him and not at all soothed by his dulcet tones in my time of stress. Don't look at me.

[sepublic]

            Since forever, I’ve gone with the idea of the Tower of Tears being a fairly imposing structure, with its interior being even more ominous; Dark, deathly cold, filled with mist and ice. And every now and then, you find the ghastly silhouette of an Escapee looming, frozen and jagged with their struggle of horror preserved in stasis for all time.

         But now that I think of it… Perhaps a ‘friendlier’ vibe and aesthetic would make more sense? It’d make the Wayvrens’ decision to trust the Tears much more sensible, after all… Magical tears are a big thing in fairy tales, and in a lot of fantasy media, they’re a useful resource.

         So instead of this grim and dark structure, the Tower of Tears is something straight out of a fairy tale; A beautiful, glistening, crystalline spire, fountains running all over. The inside is like the Great Fairy Fountain from the Legend of Zelda, a sparkling, magical place governed by a kindly protector, a motherly figure of supernatural quality. This is the leader of the Tears, their queen, whom I’m still workshopping all of the details of her character, including her name…

         But I could see this Tear presenting herself as a helpful fairy goddess, here to assist the heroes in their quest; Oh, you need help defeating these evil threats? Well have I got a resource for you, my own magical tears! I’ll store them in very pretty crystal vials, see. Open the vial and pour my tears onto your defeated opponent, and they’ll be perfectly preserved! From there, you can bring them back to my tower, where I’ll protect them as long as you need; You can trust me! I’ve served Good across many generations, and it seems you are the latest heroes I’ve been waiting for!

         The Queen of Tears would function almost like an NPC to the Wayvrens in their various quests; The kind who hosts a peaceful hub area for you to rest and keep track of your progress, all of the bosses you’ve defeated, etc. Instead of being frozen in jagged crystals, the Escapees are preserved in ice spheres resembling snow globes, how nice! It’s a very calming aesthetic and vibe, which hides the dark truth that are the nightmares the Escapees regularly go through, in order to establish a link between them and the Tears’ creator.

         You know how in a lot of videogames and fantasy media, there’s this side character who basically shows up to give the heroes a quest and support them, providing whatever they need? And it’s taken for granted, never really questioned in-universe because it’s a game, so you take it for granted as the player to trust them, because there are obvious Doylist reasons? The Tower of Tears and their warden protector are exactly that.

         Those theories you see about how the old man who gives you the sword at the start of the journey, the NPC who provides exposition, all of them secretly being evil and manipulating you into doing the dirty work for them? Those theories about Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz, actually tricking Dorothy into taking out her rival, so she can rise to power? The Queen of Tears is THAT character.

         And the second-generation Wayvren siblings, they just accept it! Because hey, they’re Chosen Ones with a sacred background, of course there’s going to be some convenient fairy goddess who takes care of the finer logistics and aftermath of fighting evil! Complete with magical items that allow us to subdue enemies without having to kill them, how wonderful… Which makes it all the more hilarious and embarrassing when the Wayvrens figure out they essentially got conned by a scam artist, who tricked them into gathering a bunch of ‘toys’ for her child. Granted, that doesn’t sound so malevolent... I wonder if that’s why the fallen Wayvren destroyed the Tower of Tears, because they figured out the truth.

         The more I write this out, the more sense it makes, because the Wayvrens are those classic fantasy heroes who go on quests, only for there to be a darker underside to this classic story as certain elements are questioned, and reality hits… I’ll probably go through with this idea, but I will miss the more ominous, medieval take on the Tower of Tears. However, this makes way more sense, because a question I had to ask myself was how the Queen of Tears convinced the Wayvrens to trust her, an anomaly of a complete stranger, with the most dangerous villains in the world?!

         Plus, the Queen of Tears presenting herself as a kindly matronly figure makes sense because to her, that’s exactly what she is! She really believes she’s here to provide care to the child who made her, to provide a wonderful fantasy for them. Because as I said, she really does mean it when she concurs with the Wayvrens about finding a proper time and place for the Escapees, where they’ll be loved and accepted. When you believe your own lie, it’s so much more confident and easier to convince. If you pointed out this is technically a prison, she’d make a face and politely insist you avoid such negative language.

[themousefromfantasyland]

I hope this doesn't jixx it.

I had been messing around with Midjourney today. I don't even know if I will ever use that Discord account again.

I made these AI portraits to help me visualize the characters of a fantasy story I'm been writing. Keep in mind, I'm still in the first chapter of my first draft, so all the characters and even the whole premise may change at any time.

It all starts with Nemolia, a magical land inspired by fairy tales and magical other worlds like the Land of Oz, Narnia and Wonderland. After a great calamity, almost all kingdoms are devasted, and amid the chaos, The Witch Queen tries to expand her kingdom, taking control over the ruined regions.

The Witch Queen, Lady Hel, is power hungry, narcissistic tyrant, that controls an army of robots, and other mechanic abominations that are thought to be invincible.

The Queen, to show her "kindness", adopts all the orphan children of the conquered regions and takes them in her towers spread all over the continent.

One of these children is Megara, our protagonist. She's inspired by heroines like Dorothy Gale, Alice, Wendy Darling, and Lucy Pevensie.

Meg is too clever for her own good, and snuck inside areas that the queen forbids all the other children to go.

There she finds a blue bird kept trapped inside a gigantic birdcage/music box.

The bird is actually a prince, the youngest sibling from the royal family of Alvamoor, a small kingdom that refuses to be conquered by the Witch Queen.

Because Meg has Disney princess powers and can talk with birds, she's the only one who can help him break the curse and return to his family.

From then on, she has to go on long journey to free him from his curse, and escape the Witch Queen's robot army.

In the end she breaks the curse. Almost. The Prince returns to his human form, but he now has blue hair as a last remnant of the transformation.

Instead of the typical fairy tale endings of princes cursed to be animals, where their marry the female protagonist, our prince and deuteragonist, Galvarous, takes Meg as his baby sister and takes her to Alvamoor to meet his siblings. That's the end of book 1

And here are some portraits I made of Meg, Galvarous, and the Witch Queen. I made these on Dream.

Anyway, I have a writer's brain. I didn't even finish the first chapter of the first draft, and I already thinking about a book series.

The plot of the series would be Meg and the Alvamoor royal family defending their kingdom from the Witch Queen.

Here's the rest of the royal family. @ariel-seagull-wings , you will recognize a couple of names

Avenant is the eldest brother. The chief of Alvamoor's knights. A stoic, brooding figure that dresses all in black, talks with ravens, and doesn't like to be vulnerable. Yet, is still warm and affectionate with his siblings, even the adopted one, although in his own way. He's the basically the Holt from Brooklyn 99 of the family.

Cassiopeia is the defacto queen of Alvamoor. An optimistic, ditzy, air-head, but not dumb in any way. She's actually is very educated, and tries her best to ran the kingdom and keep her siblings out if trouble.

Toria is the fiercest knight of the family. Rivals with Avenant for leadership in the knight order. Still, Avenant is the sibling who she has more affinity with. And while Avenant is gay, Toria is a lesbian.

And a reminder that Avenant, the oldest, is still in his mid-twenties. Their parents are dead, and they have to defend their kingdom in a semi post-apocalyptic world against a witch/evil scientist with an army of robotic demons. And that's the plot of my story.

Be honest with me. What's your opinions? Any suggestion?

@thealmightyemprex @princesssarisa @natache @tamisdava2 @amalthea9 @the-blue-fairie

[nessacousland]

Consider: Finn and Dagna friendship.

I can see it going two ways: They get along way too well or they are intense academic rivals.

Oh boy, I've definitely given this some thought before, but not quite in-depth, so here goes: Frankly, while they're both the quintessential nerds in DAO, I've never really seen it? As in, I never thought of them as being super close in the time that Dagna was at Kinloch Hold.

Some of that has to do with the timeline: Dagna arrives at the tower sometime in 9:30 Dragon, maybe closer or in 9:31 depending on how you play the game, meanwhile Finn leaves Kinloch Hold sometime in 9:32 Dragon during Witch Hunt and never returns (that's how I'm interpreting Eleni Zinovia's prophecy about him, plus there's his WoT II entry, of course). So there's a year, two years max that they could have run into each other, and honestly, Finn is kind of a snob about being a full-fledged mage (he's not some "drooling apprentice"!). Dagna is new at the Circle and despite having read some books on magic before, pretty darn new to magic itself at the time, literally an apprentice. So, I don't know if he would have given her much thought/consideration?

And then there's also the fact that in the ten years that she's been studying magic, she's apparently been all over the world, studying in so many places that she's got a "chest full of letters" with references by the time she joins the Inquisition (see Dagna's WoT II entry). So, who knows how long she really stayed in Kinloch Hold in the first place before moving on? What I could see is them having some friendly talks in the library about Tevinter and its magic, considering Dagna says in DAO that she's begun reading the Fortikum Kadab and it was just fascinating - meanwhile Finn is hugely into the Tevinter Imperium. But again, I don't see an intense rivalry or a 'besties' type of relationship developing right then and there, because they're just at different points of their 'careers' at the time.

In general? I think of Dagna as more of a scientist/engineer, who really gets into the grit of things and does tons of practical research (beyond what others may deem safe or even possible). She's 100 % passion and excitement, witty, tough, crafty, a real go-getter who wants to push the limits of magical research.

Finn, on the other hand, I feel is less of a scientist and more someone who's partial to the humanities. Like, we see him being knowledgeable about magic: he can scry, he can uncover the Lights of Arlathan with some 'grey area' blood spell, (and he's got some insane starting stats in the DLC, so he definitely knows his spells), but it's his passion for history and languages that stands out to me the most when I play Witch Hunt. He's the kinda guy who will spend weeks buried in his books and scrolls to figure out the meaning of one elvhen word. And it doesn't even have to be this insane discovery that will challenge the status quo and change everything forever, he'll be completely satisfied with simply knowing more than he did before he started researching. Even if his findings have no practical use or value for anyone else.

So, they're two very different kind of nerds in my eyes. Dagna is a creative force, really avant-garde and goal-orientated, Finn is your classic library scholar who delights in uncovering the past. That's why I find a direct rivalry between the two highly unlikely, but I imagine they could have really nice talks about the areas where their individual research overlaps if they were to meet sometime after they've both left Kinloch Hold (I've actually written such a chance meeting between them sometime after DAI here).

So, yeah, these are my thoughts on the two of them and I apologize if they disappoint you. :o But thank you so much for the ask!!! I had a blast writing all of this out. :)

[novice-at-everything]

I think Tolkien intended much more than that. I think he gives due credit to all that partook in the War of the Ring.

From the tall to the small, all play their part in evil’s fall.

The journey of Frodo and Sam might be the most important part, but without the victories at Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Fields, the overthrow of Isengard, or any other act achieved by the rest of the Fellowship or their allies, the destruction of the Ring would’ve been hollow if it had still been possible to achieve. It was because Sauron’s gaze was drawn to Aragorn and the force he led to assault the Black Gates that Frodo and Sam could cross the last stretch to Mount Doom.

Power was not the great evil. It was pride. That’s what the Ring plays on. It takes your desire to do good, and pumps up your ego in the accomplishment of your ends. It twists the desire to do good for its own ends. It corrupts not because it is powerful, but because it makes you proud. Just as many have said, Tolkien did not place all value in strength of arms, but he did not downplay it either. He gave the fighting man his due honor and respect, and nothing less. He gave those who brought the Ring to the place it could be destroyed their due glory and reward, and nothing more.

Tolkien made Aragorn the last of the lineage of Numenor. He made Gandalf powerful enough to rival the Witch-king of Angmar, such that we are left wondering who would’ve won the books. Rohan’s victory at Helm’s Deep broke the strength of Isengard, keeping Gondor from facing the full might of the Two Towers. The Shire was scoured because the hobbits took up arms. They freed themselves from those who sought to corrupt their lands.

The war left its marks, yes, but those marks healed with time. Frodo went to the Undying Lands for the complete healing of his wounds. The line of kings was remade. The Age of Men began. Though there was sorrow and grief, joy and hope were still found, though few could have foreseen from where it would come.

The Lord of the Rings is not a deconstruction or subversion of fantasy tropes. It builds on those tropes, goes deeper with them, and still does not disregard or spite them. Nor is it simply a story of the corruption of power. It is a story where things made by evil hands ought not to be used, not because they’re powerful, but because they are evil in nature. Power is apathetic. Great power is dangerous because it leads to pride, not because it is great power.

Rereading the Lord of the Rings series recently, and it's so fascinating to me how much the series is a denial of the typical juvenile power-fantasy that is associated with the fantasy genre.

Like, the power-fantasy is the temptation the Ring uses against people It tempts Boromir with becoming the "one true king" that could save his people with fantastic power. It tempts Sam with being the savior of Middle Earth and turning the ruin that is Mordor into a great garden. It tempts Gandalf and Galadriel with being the messianic figure of legend who brings salvation to Middle Earth and great glory to herself.

The things the Ring tempts people with are becoming the typical protagonists of fantasy stories that we expect to see. and over and over we see that accepting that role, that fantasy of being the benevolent all-powerful hero, is a bad thing. LotR is about how power, even power wielded with benevolent intent, is corrupting.

And its so fascinating how so much of modern fantasy buys into the very fantasy LotR denies. Most modern fantasy is about being that Heroic power-fantasy. About good amassing power to rival evil. But LotR dares not to. It dares to be honest that there is no world where anyone amasses that power and remains good.

I guess that's one of the reasons its so compelling.

[cj-writes-stuff]

Reading Wrap-Up | April 2024

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Nimona by N. D. Stevenson

[mini reviews/ratings below the cut]

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming ⭐Rating: 3.5/5

After reading the previous two in the Mead Mishaps series, I was so excited to get my hands on this book. It follows Cherry, Cinnamon's sister who for two books we've thought to be dead, and Dante, another character who we've gotten to know. Turns out Cherry didn't die, she was kidnapped by a dragon and forced to live in a tower.

This series for me is like splurging at a diner; sure, I could spend the time putting thought into my meal, enjoy the prep time, savor the journey, and come out of it a changed person... or I could go out and relax with a drink and eat similar food but without any stress, I'm just here to have fun and laugh.

Not to say that there aren't complexities to these books as the worldbuilding is thoughtful and interesting the more we learn, and they do poke a lot of fun at certain tropes used in other books of its kind. The characters are fun and likable, there's a lot of sex that I could give or take but it's not terrible, and for the most part, I enjoyed Cherry and Dante's romance for what it was. I know what I'm signing up for when I pick up one of these, so even though the whole mates situation isn't really my thing, I've learned to go with the flow and have fun with it.

I did feel this book was a major improvement over the second book, which I was disappointed by. Also, upon reflection, I think I appreciate the first book a lot more now that I've read all three.

I'm honestly sad there isn't a fourth book out yet, but I'm keeping an eye out.

Garlic and the Vampire / Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen ⭐Rating: 5/5

I'm putting these two together since I don't have too much to say. These are the sweetest, most wholesome graphic novels I've ever read, I adore them. I've had a major reading slump this month and I thought if I could just pick something quick and easy up, it'd make it easier to transition into something else. Hence these books.

The art is beautiful. I love Garlic, she's a little ball of anxiety and honestly, same. Her and Carrot's relationship is so sweet. Witch Agnes and Count are great. These stories are about little Garlic being brave and going on cute [and kinda scary] adventures and they made my night.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett ⭐Rating: 2/5

This one is... difficult. I liked it? I think? But also, it was a massive disappointment. It's frustrating because it didn't have to be. All the pieces were there for a fantastic story! Hell, at points, this book had me... but then it would quickly lose me.

This is the story of Emily Wilde who goes to a small town to study their faery folk but she struggles with the townspeople given she's not really a people person... but then her academic rival/friend Wendell Bambleby shows up to assist her.

The problem with this book is it's written in journal entries... journal entries that apparently recount everything, including long conversations and events with quite creative prose, that happened in journal form... as in it's a lot of telling, a lot of feelings being separated from the story that when the romance suddenly happened, I was like, "...Really? Like, actually? You two were better off as friends because this came out of nowhere??"

The journal structure is this books biggest downfall and I hate it because there's a good story in here. Why is it written like this??

I liked Emily a lot as a protagonist, but because she's journaling all of this research and tends to leave out a lot, I feel like there are crucial chunks missing. Poe was probably my favorite character, though. Bambleby was.... ugh, he could've been interesting but I'm starting to see a pattern in every fae romance I read: the fae love interests are all man babies. It's getting old real quick.

I have zero interest in picking up the rest of this series, which is unfortunate. I had high hopes for this. When it was good, it was really damn good... but that's not enough to make up for the bad.

A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins ⭐Rating: 2/5

Right. So, confession time: I haven't read The Hunger Games Trilogy. I didn't pick it up when it was popular, I didn't have a YA dystopian phase, and I never felt any reason to pick up until now. When the first movie came out, I saw it and thought it was good. Never watched the other ones.

Until this month. My buddy Pi and I marathoned all four Hunger Games movies, and then the prequel movie. I enjoyed the movies, they were fun to discuss, so I thought y'know what? Why not? Why not give them a read now? And since I'm in a unique position with all the books out and on my shelves, what if I start with the prequel book about President Snow before jumping into the main trilogy?

So that's exactly what I did.

I severely underestimated how insufferable Snow would be for 500 pages.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. There was a lot I liked, a shit ton I didn't like, and a lot that draaaaaaagged on and on and on. I would say that the first two parts of this book are pretty solid. Part three is when it falls apart until the very end when it picks back up again.

Snow is annoying and his name is stupid. Yes, I suppose I have more insight that should make moving forward with the series interesting... but consider: I hate him and I hope there's an all-you-can-eat buffet of cabbage in hell for him. Of all the characters we could've had a prequel book about, we just had to go with him?

Lucy Gray I'm mixed on; she started singing at her reaping and I was like "ah, pixie dream girl, are we gonna do something interesting with that? perhaps subvert it?" and to my pleasant surprise, yeah we did play with it in an interesting way. There were moments where she made me roll my eyes, but I liked her well enough... except I didn't like her romance with Snow from the beginning, which was a given.

I spent the entire book hoping that Dr. Gaul would get eaten by one of her creations but alas, no such luck.

Sejanus Plinth deserved the world and then some. This dude, my guy... he was so ready to throw hands with Dr. Gaul at any moment and I love and respect and cherish him for that. Even now just thinking about it, I'm so pissed off and heartbroken about everything that happened to him.

Again, there were things I liked about this book, but I think I need more time to actually process it. This really isn't the place for me to write an essay on the bullshit that was Snow and Sejanus's relationship or the ghost of Lucy Gray or how Katniss was a swamp potato the entire time.

Nimona by N. D. Stevenson ⭐Rating: 4/5

I needed something fun to wash the bad taste of Snow outta my mouth, went to peruse my shelves, and found this. This one is a reread. I first read it back in 2016? I believe? Around that time, and I enjoyed it then just as much as I've enjoyed it now. I haven't watched the movie yet but now I probably will.

The art style is cute, the characters are fun, and it made me feel better. Not much else to say, really. It did what I wanted it to do, but I don't think I was as charmed by it as I was the Garlic graphic novels, y'know?

[theprinceandthewitch]

I guess I can talk about why L*m*ty doesn't work for me.

This is the biggest reason: they don't have the rival setup that the show keeps telling you they have. They are not competing to achieve the same goal. Gus and Mattholomule actually have a better rivals to friends set up than Amity and Luz did before getting together.

2. Amity's biggest fear in the prom episode is that she's afraid of Luz rejecting her. Even though we see in the episode prior that she has two abusive parents. Yes, Im counting Alador because if the show didnt want me to think he wasnt abusive they shouldnt have made him a towering, shadow figure in Understanding Willow. Anyways, her parents have shown that they're not afraid to destroy their childs' relationships for ones that improve their reputation. So, I think it's really disrespectful to have Amity be more fearful of Luz rejecting her than her abusers who control her life down to a tee. They're the reason why Amity as this "Blights only associate with the best" attitude. They're the reason why her and Willows friendship fell apart.

So I think it's really silly that at LEAST Odalia isnt her biggest fear. Since she's much more domineering than Alador and because you know... she forces her daughter to wear a necklace that allows her to verbally abuse Amity without anyone else being able to hear.

I also think the prom episode would have been more impactful if Luz was actually attracted to Amity at this point.

3. Not taking advantage of the Wing it like Witches episode to establish a reason for Luz to like Amity. Amity has plenty of reasons to like Luz, but Amity hasn't done anything that I can say "Oh yeah, no wonder why Luz likes her".

This episode should have been about Amity standing up for Willow by going against the "friends" her parents picked for her. You'd think thats what this episode would have been about with the opening scene of Amity telling off Bosca. This would have been the perfect start of Amity's positive change arc. But Amity doesn't help Willow because she wants to stand up for her former best friend, she does it because she doesn't want to see Luz get picked on by Bosca. That's not a good look.

If this episode was focused on improving Willows and Amity's relationship by having Amity taking a stand against Bosca (which by extension she's also going against her abusive parents) then I would find Luz's attraction to Amity much more genuine. Because Luz's attraction to Amity feels very superficial. Like okay Amity reads to kids but she only does it as extra credit... what has she done that doesn't ultimately benefit her?

[warrioreowynofrohan]

For the character ask game, what about Boromir? --tolkien-feels

Ooh, good one! Thank you!

One thing I love about them: His sense of responsibility. The thing about the Ring is that, when targeting good people, it doesn’t tempt them using their bad qualities, but using their good ones. Gandalf says it outright (the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire for strength to do good). Sam suggests it to Galadriel, and her response implies it was already on her mind:

Sam: You’d put things to rights…You’d make some folk pay for their dirty work!

Galadriel: I would. That is how it would begin. But it would not stop with that, alas!

And it is the same with Boromir. He feels a strong sense of responsibility for his city and his people; he knows that they are in deadly danger, he knows it is his job as their commander to see to their defense, he knows they are vastly outmatched in military terms. And he knows they have no allies from whom they can expect reinforcements (remember what Théoden is like when we first see him in TTT). He knows time is of the essence; he took the time to go to Rivendell in hopes that they would offer something useful; and instead he’s been dragged far out of his way and the company decided to waste a month dilly-dallying in the unsettling forest. He needs to get home, and he’s not happy at the prospect that none of his companions will go with him and this whole journey will have been for nothing.

It is a devastating weight to know that you have to do a particular job right, to know that many people including your loved ones will suffer terribly if you don’t succeed, and to feel that you don’t know how to do it. And it’s that weight, much more than the desire for glory, that drives Boromir’s desire for the Ring. It looks like the only way out.

One thing I wish people realized about them: There’s a particular line in the appendices that I find hilarious and everyone else seems to be sleeping on it.

It did not seem possible to Faramir that anyone in Gondor could rival Boromir, heir of Denethor, Captain of the White Tower; and of like mind was Boromir.

It takes a second. It’s not saying the brothers thought each other were awesome; it’s saying, “Faramir thought Boromir was awesome. Boromir also thought Boromir was awesome.” It’s such an iconic piece of characterization offered in such a great, understated way.

One (or more) headcanons I have about them: He’s an outdoorsy type. Goes hiking in the White Mountains when he’s off duty, which is why he knew what to expect from Caradhras.

A second one: He didn’t particularly want to be Steward of the City. He admired and respected his father and had a high opinion of the steward’s position and prestige, and he understood the job would be his responsibility, but he preferred frontline combat to politics and governance. And he canonically wasn’t interested in romance, but the succession would have required getting married. The appendices specifically compare him to Eärnur, the last King of Gondor, who rode to Minas Morgul for a duel with the Witch-king and left no heir.

Third: Denthor sent him and not Faramir to Rivendell not just because ‘the way was difficult and dangerous’ but because he trusted that Boromir would put Gondor’s interests first, whereas Faramir might get caught up in the elven-ness of it all and get roped into anything.

One character I love seeing them interact with: This is challenging, because it involves untangling the movie and the books. In the movies, I love his interactions with Merry and Pippin; in the book, he has very little interaction with them, and I think this was a good addition on the movies’ part. In the book, the bulk of his interactions are with Aragorn. One that stands out to me, and that I find quite entertaining, is when they’re boating down Anduin and Boromir has been disagreeing with Aragorn on the route for a while, and they hit the rapids of Sarn Gebir and Boromir thinks it’s intentional. Paraphrased:

Boromir: Once again [as with Caradhras, and Moria, and Lothlórien], I think this is a very bad idea!

Aragorn: OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP I DIDN’T MEAN TO DO THAT!

One character I wish they would interact with / interact with more: I very much wish we’d gotten more / any ‘on-screen’ interactions between him and Faramir! And Denethor. There’s a lot of interesting family dynamics there to explore.

One (or more) headcanons I have about them and one other character: If he’d lived, he would have liked Éowyn a lot, and entirely approved his brother’s choice.

[creator-indy]

OKAY SO-

First up is hunter

His only goal in cogs inc is to move up the corporate latter and get a HIGH manager level so what can he do

BEFRIEND A HIGH LEVEL COG MANAGER AND HOPE THEY CAN PUT A GOOD WORD IN WITH THE CHAIRMAN or if that doesn’t work put them out of commission

but who can he do this with? It’s gotta be someone above level 20 (which is what he is) but it’s also gotta be someone he can use his Patrick Bateman “charm” on aka being a major suck up (which he learned by trying it on chip but yeah that guy does not like suck ups so nothing came of that) so who’s the next highest manager?….

THE PACESETTER who honestly wouldn’t mind the constant sucking up but there’s just one thing…

Hunter finds him fucking insufferable and might just put him out of commission prematurely

Graham doesn’t know obviously but I think flint would get the feeling that somethings up with him idk

But yeah I just took Patrick Bateman and made him sillier

ANYWAY-

Next is Sheila

Who like I said got appointed by ms morsecode as the witch hunters supervisor after losing to toons and getting complaints way too many times

Poor ol’ prester is less than enthused about it and by that I mean HE LOATHES HER

At first

When they first met each other prester was like “HOW DARE THAT FACINOROUS TERMAGANT ASSIGN ME YOU A *insert word i have no idea how to pronounce here* I HAVE NO NEED FOR A SOME LOWLY LAWBOT LIKE YOU IF YOU ARE IN YOUR RIGHT MIND YOU WILL VACATE FROM THIS COGFORSAKEN TOWER IMMEDIATELY!!” meanwhile Sheila was just like…

“Are you finished?”

As you can tell She does NOT take any of his shit at all and can/will tear down that ENORMOUS EGO Of his and just like that prester realized he was stuck with her and they seem be destined to rivals BUT here’s the thing

It’s a one sided rivalry

Sheila just wants to do her job which is to keep him from disrupting everything in ye olde toontowne and she does actually respect him to some degree but also realizes he needs to keep that ego in check if he’s gonna avoid gettin canned

I imagine In time prester grows to respect her too after showing she’s quite the opponent (she bored some toons into getting greened) and yeah they start working together

Also I’m considering shipping them BUT I HAVENT DECIDED YET

And yeah I think that’s it

Hope you don’t mind me taggin you guys

@tasklinemgr @murder-syndrome @cheesy-clown

Want

To

Info dump

About

Cog ocs…

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Athena

So. I have to deal with the virgin goddesses… By mythos, there really shouldn't ever be children of Artemis, Hestia, or Athena (yes, Athena was a virgin goddess). PJ got past that by making it canon that Annabeth and her siblings were born from cracking open Athena's skull (yes, that's also more or less the canon explanation). They gloss over it real quick but I remember, Rick. I've always remembered and that mental image has haunted me for years...

I can't, in good conscience, ignore the history around Athena's worship (call it an academic restraint) but I REFUSE to do the skull thing. So, since I make the rules here, I'm going with magic adoption. They still get magic powers, they're just more human than demigod. Cool? Cool.

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena

Lucifer

The human that popped out of the portal seemed to have enough sense not to attack everyone in the room for a change, but even Lucifer could tell that was more of a strategic choice than for lack of ability...

Their very existence was highly unusual… and quite worrisome. He wasn't even aware Athena could have "children" of her own, but apparently she had been taking in some particularly bright humans to raise and train like her own...

Unbeknownst to him, a surprising amount of human scholars, diplomats, and generals have her to thank for their trade… and that alone should speak to the level of intrigue at play here. 

Was this an accident or Athena's attempt to plant an Olympian spy in the Devildom too…? Either way, he didn't trust them from the get go…

Look, Lucifer isn’t stupid. Athena is a goddess of Wisdom and War and war happens on more than just the battlefield… 

Since they've shown up records have been going missing, official documents keep getting misplaced, and he swears that there's some kind of bug in the student council room...!

It's infuriating watching the MC suck up to Diavolo when he's almost certain that they're running their own agenda behind the scenes! And he can't prove any of it!! They cover their tracks too well!

Lucifer has one of those corkboards covered in newspapers and string in a secret wing of the Castle - 100% dedicated to just tracking the MC's activities…. The longer they're there, the more obsessed he becomes...

He swears between Simeon, Solomon, and MC he feels like a shepherd wondering why the sheep are growling… The Devildom has never been in more danger than it is right now... Send help.

Mammon

To be honest, he kind of thought that they were just going to be Satan 2.0 but that's not really true.

They're more than just a book sponge! Though they do read, like a lot. Let’s just say from one schemer to another… Game recognizes Game.

They come up with plans and ideas soooo fast, it’s insane! Honestly, there are times where he has a new money-making plot and he just brings it to the MC first to run it over. 

Nine times out of ten, not only do they sniff out any problems but they have a solution for him in a matter of minutes! His scheme game has been on point since they’ve shown up!!

They’re also even better tutoring than Satan is, so he’s even managed to get a couple A’s for the first time in his life! Lucifer actually told him he was proud (which he secretly recorded and now uses as a ringtone much to his brother’s regret...)

So yeah, he likes them... buuut that doesn’t keep him from thinking they act a little weird sometimes... 

Mammon: *points to a unused tower close to the RAD building* Over there is the Tower of Sorrow. We use it for storage.

MC: Ah. Interesting… *starts writing in a notebook, muttering* It may need a few minor tweaks but the location is defensible...

Mammon: *stops* Ya say somethin’?

MC: *looks back up* Nope! Say, you’ve been to the Castle a lot haven’t you? Do you know any good ways in?

Mammon: Uhm… Why do ya want to know that…? *starts looking around for Lucifer*

MC: In case of emergencies. I like being prepared. 🙂

Mammon: Look, I don’t know what Lucifer might’a told ya…

MC: I’ll pay you a thousand Grimm for it.

Mammon: Well shit, ya want those maps with or without color?

... Yeeeah, that’s pretty weird… But it’s probably fine. I mean, as long as they keep giving him money, who’s he to complain? 🤷‍♀️

Leviathan

Also thought that they’d be a lot more like Satan but was pleasantly surprised that they were into more than books.

What else did they like exactly? Military strategy!!

It’s been a looong time since he’s been able to talk to someone who’s actually interested in all the battles he’s fought, both in the Celestial Realm and the Devildom, and their curiosity is kind of flattering...! Not a lot of people take his strategic prowess all that seriously anymore...

Plus, they are the BEST partner to have any turn-based strategy game. Hands down. He once got stuck on a level of D-COM for weeks until the MC walked in and mopped the floor with the AI!! They have a serious head for probability and tactics.

The House once made the mistake of letting these two be on the same team during a Hell Game and they absolutely demolished the competition. Mammon didn’t even get a single shot off before half his team was lost to a rigged paint grenade… It took a whole day to clean up… 

However, Levi’s also noticed some odd things about the human… He likes that they’re interested in his past but maybe they’re a little… too interested?

Levi: -and that’s how we defeated the Four Horsemen before they escaped from Purgatory. 

MC: Wow, Levi that’s seriously impressive!! *furiously scribbling on a notebook*

Levi: Well t-thanks… 😅 But, uhm... are you writing that down…?

MC: Hm? Oh no, just doodling. *they lift up the notebook to show a bunch of cute little sketches on the page… and not the magic-based invisible ink all over them…*

Levi: Oh you draw too? Can you do fanart???

MC: Eh, sometimes. But say Levi, can you tell me about your naval ranks again? I’m still really curious… *gets the pen ready again with a smile*

Satan

Oh, it's been a long game of cat-and-mouse between these two… and unfortunately, it’s been pretty addicting too.

He honestly had every intention of tricking the human into making a huge mess do he could bother Lucifer, but at every turn they proved just a hair too clever for him...

He once gave them a cursed book to “lend” to Lucifer, but they saw through it the moment they touched it and lifted the spell before handing it over.

He rigged a podium to spray glitter during one of Lucifer's speeches but the MC disconnected the trigger mic before he even got on stage. It was pretty dang frustrating...

At one point he got so desperate that, just as a test, he tried to trap them in the House's Music Room. Fortunately for them, it only took a few minutes to work out an escape. They even passed by him in the hallway with a wink!

It's confounding! It's infuriating!! 

...and it's so damn sexy... He should be furious but he’s just in awe!!

Add on that they know their art, literature, and multiple different crafts thanks to the tutelage of their adopted mother and that’s it. He’s finished. This boy is in love.

Truthfully though, a part of him is 90% sure that they’re also gathering state secrets… Like, they’re watching Barbs and Diavolo far too close for comfort - but he just can't bring himself to care. 🤷‍♀️

The MC could walk into his room one day and say, "Hey, do you want to help overthrow the monarchy with me?" and he dreads it because deep down he knows that he wouldn’t say no…

Take some notes, kids. Some bad influences get you to drink or do drugs. Others pull you into a centuries long conspiracy to destabilize and topple rival realms from within… But he has fallen for their brain hard. Devil help them all…

Asmodeus 

They’re pretty clever, he’ll give them that, but uh… Are they a little off to anybody else?

Asmo is a charmer by birthright so he has a bit of nose for when someone’s just a liiittttle too nice… Not much of a nose mind you, because he can be thrown off by compliments himself, but enough to think that the MC might be a little too… “kind” for their own good...

First off, who wants to spend that much time with Levi?? They don’t even seem that interested in anime! They just keeping asking him for old war stories…

Then all the sucking up they do to Diavolo and Barbatos? Look, he gets it. Diavolo is a delicious piece of man-hunk and his butler could give him a lesson or two in sweet-talk (and he has), but they seem to be just a little too… nosy.

Of course, Asmo’s suspicions disappear pretty quickly after they start to spoil him with spa nights and beauty secrets they picked up from “casual research” into the subject.

And you know, get a little Demonus in Asmo and start massaging his back? Oh, sweetie he’ll sing like a bird!! … with gossip. Singing with gossip.

Asmo: So I’ve heard that Lucifer has been spending more time at RAD than usual… His whole club is talking about it, they think he’s meeting with some witch!

MC: Hm, is that so? *works on a knot near his shoulder blades* What do you think?

Asmo: Ooh~! Right there, MC! *purrs and lays his head on his arms* Well come on, this is Lucifer we’re talking about! I’m sure he’s just working.

Asmo: Hmm... though come to think of it, I think I heard him asking Barbatos for the spare keys to the Tower of Sorrow…

MC: Oh really? Huh. *works out the knot and gets up* I just remembered that I left some papers with Satan... I’ll be right back.

Asmo: You’re going already??

MC: *waves him off quickly* I’ll be right back, Asmo. *hurries out the door to do totally on-the-up-and-up things… surely*

Beelzebub 

Honestly he doesn't like this one… But not for the reasons you'd expect.

He agrees with everyone else that they seem a little shady, but Solomon and Simeon are too so it's not like that's anything new... 🤷‍♀️

No, no. He dislikes them because they're the person who FINALLY figured out how to keep him from eating all the food in the kitchen!!

Turns out that the trick was to put a teleportation charm on the fridge door that would send all the food away if it’s opened after a certain time of night… 

And where does it go? The Purgatory Hall fridge. And where does the Purgatory Hall food go…? The HoL fridge…

It doesn’t sound so bad until you remember that it means half of their fridge is now Solomon’s leftovers…. 🤢

After they put the same kind of spell on the pantry, it was all over… He couldn't get midnight snacks from the House anymore… Everything was contaminated by Solomon…

The MC is a nice enough person, he doesn’t have a lot of complaints about them, but he wants them to leave. Now. This is inexcusable… He’s so hungry… and he doesn’t want to die by “goulash” or whatever Solomon calls his latest culinary catastrophe… He’s still too young for death… 😓

Belphegor 

In a way, he absolutely could not have asked for a better person to help him get out of that attic.

… In another way, he got one of the worst possible people to try and kill... Like. They saw through his scheme sooo fast…

How was he supposed to know that the human had training in body language and sniffing out lies???

Getting the door open was a piece of cake for them. They knew enough magic to undo the seals and just rummaged around Lucifer's stuff long enough to find the key to the door. He could not have found a more competent individual for a break out, really.

It’s just… well he didn’t expect to go from locked in a room like a prisoner to tied up in enchanted rope, still like a prisoner but now mobile. 😑 

They even used his own hug ruse against him! They caught his wrists when they got close and tied him up before he could shake them off...

Admittedly, it wasn't exactly the best look for them either - what with walking Belphegor downstairs to the others like a one-man-prison-caravan but they're as silver-tongued as they are sly so they talked their way out of it beautifully… 

And like hell was he going to trust them after that!! And not even Beel liked them so something had to be up...

Well, you want a detective? Look no farther than Belphie (no seriously, it’s in the canon). He can put things together pretty fast when he puts his mind to it and watching the MC for a while gave him enough proof to work off of...

He always knew that, humans were bad news and the MC just proved it to him all over again. They are bad news, bad bad news and they’re going to-!

Overthrow… Diavolo…? Is that what he is getting from them…? Huh…

Wait a second, MC. You might just have him interested… 😏