#Regular golems are not like this

[theonlyren]

Converted Golem Power Theory A rough draft of some lore I did up on Discord, will probably add to the lore document somewhere I can squeeze it.

[keferon]

Hey, I don't know if you're still open to answering questions about this, but if you are I am SO curious to know about what Tarantulas would be like the monster hunter au? Even if he's basically the same I'm really curious what the more mythical setting and Prowl being a golem would change (if it changes much of anything at all)

I love your art! It's a big source of inspiration to me

Oh, I've been asked this before and didn't have an answer last time, but now I do.

Tarantulas would be the ultimate weirdo, studying magic and Beastformers, but he himself would originally be a regular mech.

At some point he became so inspired by his research that he essentially invented a way to turn regular mechs into Monsters, and the first thing he did was turn into a spider himself.

He also, as in the comics, works with Prowl and he's one of the very few to know that Prowl is a golem and not a real mech, even though he looks and acts like one. This information actually gives Tarantulus a great idea to try to create a golem that is so elaborate and advanced that it is essentially a mech.

He decides to break every possible rule of golem creation to create Ostaros. While Prowl is essentially a hollow armor powered by magic - Ostaros is something like Frankenstein's monster. Tarantulas put him together, taking care of every little detail. He gave him a processor and internal components (and a transformation cog hehehe). Ostaros still doesn't have a spark, but he has free will, intelligence, emotions and all. And two modes. He can look like a normal mech, or he can transform into an insecticon.

Prowl is so fucking confused by the way, because he just walks into Tarantulas' lab one day and there's a completely random mech with a face that could be a mirror image of Prowl's. And Tarantulas is like, hey look, I created life and now it's your problem how and where to house him, because this kid needs to go to school.

(Prowl ends up sending Ostaros to Shockwave Academy to become a knight)

[windfighter]

absolutely horrifying skin for the iron golems in this pack.

0/10 who do I murder?

[cheswirls]

does anyone have a copy of bd/sp and wanna help me out? 👉👈

i will basically give you free fully-evo'd pkmn lmao i jus need the dex entries + shining pearl exclusives (again jus the entries)

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

So, ummm...

https://www.tumblr.com/themussarcenter?source=share

This Tumblr just started following me, and idk, I have a bad feeling about it. It's like they're trying too hard to be Jewish. Plus, mussar isn't something that you can do??? It's a moral code.

There's something sus about this.

Rating: NOT JEWISH—WELL KNOWN MESSIANIC MISSIONARY

Izzy, as those who know him unaffectionately call him, is a Christian Missionary cosplaying as a Jew; he's associated with a number of Messianic groups, regularly remakes his tumblr accounts to get around blocks and bans, and actively stalks Judaism-related tags here on Tumblr trying to find fresh victims who aren't already wise to who and what he is.

Literally just mentioning Judaism on your blog is enough to summon him (over on my fandom blog, I kept my Judaism quiet for years, and within literal days of going public on that he had followed me there), and "themussarcenter" is just one of several urls he uses and reuses. @jumblr-protector-golem has a list, in his own dedicated subsection, of the regular urls that he reuses. The man is, to put it bluntly, obsessed and creepy even by the standards of Messianics.

—Mod Joseph

[sinful-lanterns]

On the topic of monster breeding, I would like to add in some more interesting information:

Do be wary though, this is pretty much a lore dump post for my AU 😅

There are only two ways to be a monster. 1. You were naturally born as a monster, or 2. You were unnaturally created to be a monster.

Monsters who are naturally born, are monsters who can be conceived by sexual intercourse, just like any other animal. However, there is a whole other category of monsters who are unnaturally created, those who weren’t born monsters but instead, were humans who have become monsters. Think ghosts, vampires, automatons, golems, chimeras, etc. beings who were created and changed into entities who aren’t considered human.

Most monsters who were unnaturally created are unable to produce offspring, even when having sexual intercourse with the same species or a human. An example of this would be that it’s impossible to be born a ghost, as ghosts are dead spirits that were formerly human.

This does of course mean that not every monster woman can “breed” with the Researcher, but adoption exists and many of them are alright caring for the other children that are procured from other monsters :)

Some extra detailed info about specific monsters and outliers:

- Fallen Angels are former Angel monsters who have committed grave sins and have become corrupted. Even though Fallen Angels are considered unnaturally created, they are still able to breed. Their offspring however, will be Angels as their parent was formerly an Angel. Whether or not they become Fallen Angels depends on what they do in their life.

- In this AU, Devils/Demons and Angels are not former humans. They are born as what they are, so they are able to procure offspring naturally.

- Eldritch Beings (such as Deren) are unable to produce offspring. It is currently unknown and impossible to find out how Eldritch Beings form, so many speculate they just exist.

- Plant-type monsters reproduce using sexual intercourse rather than how plants usually reproduce.

- Witches are just regular humans who are born with the capability to use magic. Because they are biologically still human, they are able to breed naturally with humans and different monster species alike.

- Luvia Ray specifically, who is a “Jekyll and Hyde” monster, is also able to produce offspring naturally. Although she is considered an “unnatural creation” her biology is still mostly human other than the fact she can transform into a monstrous “Ray” when provoked.

[littl3d0ll-art]

I don’t normally give lore dumps on art posts but I will for this one cuz it’s important for my au(and also another au I wanna do later…). Rant about lamb and goat backstory stuff ahead.

Anyways this is Chive(pronounced chee-veh), they’re Lambie(the lamb’s) childhood friend! They both lived and grew up in the same little sheep village together, but Chive was the only goat there. Nobody really knows where they came from; they were found by the lamb half-dead in the forest nearby while they were very young. They didn’t know how to talk, but once they learned they were still a mystery since they had no memories of anything, and so they were taken in by the sheep and raised as one of their own. Chive and Lambie were the only children so they became best friends really quickly, and were basically inseparable from the start.

Years later, Chive became the village knight as a way of repaying back the village, vowing to protect them all- especially Lambie- to their last breath, which is what they did. Chive died at the hand of the soldiers of the old faith who had invaded the village, killing everyone except for the lamb who Chive was trying to keep hidden. I’m gonna admit I don’t have this next part figured out, but somehow the lamb gets a hold of a piece of Chive’s horn to keep as like a memento before they’re captured and then sacrificed. Regular game plot ensues for the first few days after their resurrection until through the crown or Narinder’s knowledge they learn how to make a golem to help them out around the cult and on crusades, and so they make the goat(given the name Goatsie)

Sometime between Chive’s death and the creation of the goat, Chive finds themself before Narinder to be helped in passing through to the afterlife as he usually does, but they plead with Narinder to be sent back somehow to continue being by Lambie’s side to help and protect them. Narinder gives them a deal, saying he’ll send their soul back to possess the nearest and best vessel, but they won’t have any memories of their life, just a vague feeling and sense of purpose. Chive finds this to be more than good enough and so they agree, and end up possessing the golem Lambie makes.

Goatsie being a goat and looking a lot like Chive is honestly just a coincidence caused by Lambie trying to use the horn piece first during the golem ritual instead of their own flesh as a way of trying to bring Chive back somehow. This obviously doesn’t work, and so they end up doing what they originally had to, but since the horn piece was used first this created a golem that looked more like Chive while having the Lamb’s same exact face(minus the pupils ofc). This is just a cosmetic thing though and doesn’t affect anything. All personality traits that the goat didn’t get from Lambie are just traces of Chive as a consequence of their ghost possessing them. The only person that knows of Chive’s ghost situation is Narinder, not even the goat is aware of this

[camels-pen]

drooble #6 - sparring partner

-

Sanji dodged the sword aiming for his head and it lodged itself in the wall above him. He ran and skidded around the corner, grinning all the while.

"This guy's pretty good-"

Sanji suddenly blocked high, the same sword appearing as if from thin air. "And quiet," Usopp said. "Let's get out of here before we lose our lucky streak."

"Lucky streak?!" Sanji laughed, breaking the deadlock and jumping back. "Have a little more faith in me, Usopp."

"I did before you punted a rock at its head!"

"Shut up, we both thought he was busted. No harm checking-" Sanji blocked again, the blade catching in Usopp's heel. "Maybe some harm checking, but we can take him."

"We don't have to take him!" Usopp wailed. "He's a golem!"

"He'd be a pretty decent sparring partner," Sanji continued, putting more distance between them and the golem. "Definitely better than that mossheaded bastard."

"You wanna take it home?!" Usopp partially pulled out of weapon form, hovering over Sanji's shoulder and looking like he was about to cry. "No! No. Absolutely not. This isn't a stray dog you take home because you feel bad for it!"

"Obviously. Dogs are a lot more work." Usopp made a strangled noise. "And you'll love it when you get to tell people you beat up golems twice your size on the regular. You'll be all-"

Sanji flipped out of the way of another slash and Usopp shifted back down to his weapon form. They had another trade of blows with the golem before Sanji jumped back.

Sanji clasped his hands together. "Oh, Sanji-kun," he said, pitching his voice higher. "I'm so sorry I ever doubted you. You're so cool and amazing."

"I don't sound like that! And I thought you only wanted girls to fawn over you."

"I make exceptions for 'i told you so's." He sighed. "But putting that aside, you really think we can run without beating him?"

"You shouldn't underestimate my ability to run."

"I don't think that's something to boast about-" He grunted as he blocked high. "Just take a look around."

Usopp was silent a long moment. Long enough for Sanji to break off and dash for the nearest cover. "...I see it," he said quietly.

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. "You ready to fight?"

"No." Before Sanji could say anything, Usopp added, "But I'll fight anyway."

"Attaboy."

"I'm not letting you bring it home."

Sanji smirked. "You'll change your mind."

As one, they synced up their breathing, concentrating their energy.

"Soul-"

"-Resonance."

Miles away, a small town bustled with life and lived in ignorance.

[howlingday]

Jaune go's to a monster school au. He is a Human aloud to go because his family His ability and his abundance of Mana. He was never that how to use it the So, despite getting similar results to other students, he uses absurd amounts of manna on stuff that really should abuse that much. Weiss is a vampier, rwby werewolf, yang a dragon, penny a golem, Blake is a werecat, Ren a ghost, Nora a Valkyrie, pariah is a demigod daughter of Aries.

Jaune: Hi, I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, and rolls of the tongue. The ladies love it~.

Jaune: ...Okay, maybe they don't now, but they will! Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about. See, I kind of need to vent, and this is the only way I really can.

Jaune: But what do I have to vent about? I have a great family, a lot of great friends, and a bright future ahead of me! I just... have to survive until I reach it.

Jaune: ...Let me start over. My name is Jaune Arc, the only son born to the Arc family, who are one of the few families on Remnant with access to mana, or magic. I'm not very good at it, but I'm good enough to not be allowed to go to normal, regular people school.

Jaune: So that's why I'm attending Beacon's Light Academy of Magic, which was explained to me at one of the four "Great Mage" academies in Remnant, along with Atlas's Might, Haven's Garden, and Vacuo's End. It's not so bad so far, since I'm learning a lot at Beacon with my best friend, Ruby Rose.

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Jaune: What's for lunch, Ruby?

Ruby: (Sniffs) Mm... Beef...

Jaune: What else?

Ruby: Uh... I don't know. Why? The only thing you need to eat is beef, pork, and chicken, right?

Jaune: Uh...

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Jaune: See, Ruby is a werewolf. Yeah. You heard me. Half-human, half-wolf. I don't really know what the story is, since I don't really pry into her business, but Ruby basically has what's called "primal mana," which is magic based on tapping into your most base instincts and emotions, like fear, anger, and hunger. She's usually cool, except on the days that have full moons later that night, then she gets super irritable. She can still go to day classes, but she has to go to the safety bunker before... Well, based on the claw marks I see getting fixed the next morning, it's something super bad. Like, so bad, Weiss can't go to her night classes.

Jaune: Oh, speaking of Weiss, she's also my friend, and I kinda have crush on her. ...Okay, she's not really my friend yet. More of a friend of a friend. But I'm getting there, I think. But it might be best for me to keep my distance from her because the reason I can only see her so few times is because...

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Jaune: Oh, uh, h-hey, Weiss!

Weiss: For the love of... Good morning, Jaune.

Jaune: So, uh, how... How were your classes?

Weiss: Fine, Jaune.

Jaune: Cool, cool... So, uh... Do you... wanna get some... blood?

Weiss: (Puts her book down)

Weiss: (Slowly turns to look at him, Bewildered)

Jaune: ...Is that a no?

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Jaune: Look, if someone as flat and uninteresting as romance novel teens can get vampires, why shouldn't I try my luck? You know, besides the fact that I'm Type-O and probably a better meal than a friend to her. Nevertheless, I will keep trying... until she tells me she wants nothing to do with me. Which she hasn't. Yet. But she won't! Maybe.

Jaune: Anyway, being a vampire is kind of a double-edged lottery sword. It's part of something called "genesis mana," or "Blood Magic". Only people of a certain bloodline can access this, but it also curses your family to become some kind of monster, like a vampire, a wendigo, or even a werewolf. And that's why the Schnee family is so picky about who hangs out with who. My dad used to tell me that some families turn away suitors because "certain blood dulls the mana". He also tells me it's stupid, but also stupid to try my luck. Thankfully, he's not here to judge me, and I have friends who're willing to support me, like Ruby and...

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Penny: Sal-u-tations~!

Jaune: Oh, hey, Penny. What's going on?

Penny: I have heard about your recent failures with friend Weiss and have been instructed by friend Ruby to cheer you up!

Ruby: W-What?! N-No, I didn't!

Jaune: ...

Jaune: (Writes on a napkin) Ruby, I have a command written on this napkin. The command is, "Show me every command Ruby gave." You either tell me the truth, or I ask Penny to eat this.

Ruby: She can say no, though, so there!

Jaune: Penny, would you like to eat this napkin with a command written on it?

Penny: Yes, I would!

Ruby: NOOOOOOO!

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Jaune: She's also a really great lie detector. I mean, except for when telling her own lies. That's just how golems are, I guess. Penny is kind of a... experiment Atlas is testing out at Beacon. She's going to be attending here as a way to test if golems are sentient and capable of safely interacting with other people. Why a school full of young adults would be considered safe, I have no idea, but I'm glad to have a friend like Penny around. And as far as I can tell, whether you were born or crafted together with "creati mana," you're still human to me!

Jaune: Uh, I mean people! You're still people to me! Hah... Sorry... Last time I said "human," I got on the bad side of...

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Blake: You were late to class.

Jaune: Sorry, sorry!

Blake: Being sorry doesn't excuse you showing up late.

Jaune: Right, sorry. I was up late last night, reading a really good issue of X-Ray and Vav.

Blake: ...You stayed up late. For a comic book.

Jaune: A really good one! You like reading, don't you?

Blake: ...

Blake: (Digs claws into the table)

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Jaune: Yeah, Ruby isn't the only one who can access "primal mana". In fact, it's a lot more common for faunus to access it than humans, for obvious reasons. But unlike Ruby, Blake seems irritated all the time when it comes to hanging out with me. Honestly, she feels more like a friend of a friend than Weiss does with me. Almost every word that I say seems to piss her off, and I don't know why.

Jaune: Hah... Guess I'm just unlucky with girls as friends, since I get along really well with...

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Jaune: Yo, Ren!

Ren: Good morning, Jaune.

Jaune: Any luck last night?

Ren: Not yet. But I did rearrange the recipe in the cafeteria for a healthier meal this afternoon.

Jaune: Oh... Uh...

Ruby: WHERE'S THE BEEF?!

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Jaune: Ren is a ghost, and he's been haunting this school for the past... I don't really know. But what I do know is how Ren got to where he is now. See, he was human, like me, and before he died in school, he cast a spell that bound his soul to the school.

Ren: Wrong.

Jaune: AGH!

Ren: I was attuned with "psyki mana" and could manifest my soul so I could find my best friend after I died. We were supposed to graduate, but when I finally came to life, she'd already left without me.

Jaune: Wait, you didn't cast a spell or anything?

Ren: In order for me to cast, I would require access to my aura, which was lost in my final moments. But my soul is still present, though it requires time and effort to manifest.

Jaune: ...

Ren: You can just say you don't know.

Jaune: I don't know. But, uh, were you able to get into the office?

Ren: No. Access to the office is protected from every mana variant known to Remnant. Nothing magical in nature, including a ghost, can enter.

Jaune: Geez, that's rough. You know who might be able to help?

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Nora: Alright, alright, what's going on now?

Jaune: Uh, well, I was just making my way to class when suddenly-

Nora: Were you attacking this poor girl?!

Jaune: What?! No! It's the other way around!

Nora: HA! Yeah, right! Look at you! You're twice her size and SHE attacked you?

Ruby: You stole my comic book!

Jaune: I did not!

Nora: Oh, really? Hand it over, kid.

Jaune: But-

Nora: HAND. IT. OVER.

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Jaune: ...On second thought, nevermind. Valkyries aren't really that helpful, are they?

Ren: It depends on what the situation is. If it's in response to a violent crime, they are merciless and will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent in the magic realm.

Jaune: But if it's a petty crime?

Ren: They... can be a bit biased in who they assist. Unless their opponent is a hostile monster with a weapon, they're not good with delegation and diplomacy. But they do care.

Jaune: Well, you could always ask one, right?

Ren: Unfortunately, no. Valkyries are protected by a specialized armor that prevents the effects of mana. A ghost like me can't even be seen by them, let alone get near one.

Jaune: Dang... Well, best of luck to you.

Ren: Thank you. Also, before I leave, I was asked to find you.

Jaune: Really? By who?

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Jaune: Uh, h-hi...

Pyrrha: H-Hi...

Jaune: ...

Pyrrha: ...

Jaune: So, uh-

Pyrrha: DADDY, NO!

Jaune: Wha-?

Jaune: (Sees giant boar barreling at him)

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Jaune: Ugh... Great... You ever heard of helicopter parents? Well, with someone like Pyrrha, her helicopter dad comes equipped with a rocket launcher and twin machine guns. And a hatred for any boy that gets close to his daughter. Kind of expected since her dad is the God of War. And when I say god, I mean ALL the gods of war to have ever existed. It's part of her "deity mana," where a very lucky few are literal descendants of the divine. And hers happens to be the embodiment of war, violence, and combat. So not only can her dad kick my ass, but SHE can kick my ass!

Jaune: I don't know how I'm going to survive this school, but hey, here's hoping I can at least make it to graduation!

Jaune: ...Er, no offense, Ren.

[flightyquinn]

hey, minecraft tumblr, can we talk about something for a second?

this is what "horror mods" in minecraft look like right now. some long-limged oogabooga creature, usually black and with a big mouth, that chases you down while flailing and does a bunch of damage.

and yeah, i know that there are differences in mechanics between them, but in the end it still comes down to "you see an oogabooga in the distance, and then it chases you"

i'm not saying that this can't be scary. i'm just saying that it's getting a little oversaturated at this point, and there's other kinds of horror than just being chased by a model from spirit halloween's big & tall

if you want to stand out, you need to bring some new spooks

let me give you an example from a mod i've thought up, but probably won't end up making

i call it "The Innocent"

The Innocent looks like a baby villager with black eyes and a tattered robe in the nitwit colors. that's it. it doesn't even chase the player normally. in fact, it doesn't even move except to turn and face the player if they look at it. and that's where the fun begins...

The Innocent naturally spawns in uninhabited biomes, far away from both villagers and illagers. if the player looks at it for more than a second (so, long enough to be actually looking at it, and not just mousing past without noticing) it "bonds" to that player. once bonded to a player, it will keep appearing near them at random intervals, never under solid blocks (so not in caves or your house), spawning out of line of sight, watching them. it can and will watch through windows.

whenever it watches the player, The Innocent is also judging them. if the player kills living mobs, hits villagers, tramples crops, or other "bad" actions, this lowers an invisible karma score, while trading, building golems, breeding animals, and other "good" actions raise it.

if the player attacks The Innocent, it disappears in a puff of smoke, and this naturally lowers their karma a lot.

as The Innocent becomes more displeased, and it will over time become more displeased, bad things start to happen.

the sounds of crying, and eventually screaming children can sometimes be heard in the distance

baby zombie spawns become more common

nearby plants may turn to dead bushes when the player sleeps

paintings may change to others of the same size

rain and lightning become more frequent

zombies detect the player from farther away

etc...

if the player's karma is too low, then The Innocent may even turn into a (still black eyed) Drowned version of itself and attack. it's actually weaker than a regular baby zombie, though just as fast, so killing it isn't too hard. however, killing it doesn't make it stop, it just lowers your karma more, whereas dying to it is a Very Good Act. after all, you deserve it

but if killing it doesn't work, how does one get rid of The Innocent, i hear you ask. well, that's simple, after a certain number of encounters, every time you have a positive gain in karma by the time it disappears - that it to say, your karma at the end of the encounter is higher than it was at the start - there is a chance that The Innocent will be satisfied, meaning it will stop being bonded to you, and won't come back. there's just a couple of catches.

the number of encounters before it can be satisfied is random.

the player won't always be aware of when an encounter is happening.

"neutral" encounters - ones with no net change in karma - don't count towards the number.

the player doesn't get any direct indication of when The Innocent has stopped haunting them

[sreppub]

No one knows Donna. Donna is unknowable

But 4 eels, Donna exists because “Wonder Girl” was fun version of Diana as a teen, and there was ANOTHER version of Diana as a toddler called Wonder Tot and they all interacted with each other but it was called “Impossible Tales” so the it was all for silly fun but the og writer of Teen Titans…didn’t know that?/just added her and would figure it out later

July 1965 was a significant and somewhat puzzling month in the history of Wonder Girl, concluding her regular presence in the Wonder Woman comic book with issue #155 while simultaneously seeing her appear as a member of the newly-formed Teen Titans in The Brave and the Bold #60…

…However, no narrative information regarding Wonder Girl's precise identity was provided in any of her earliest appearances with the Titans, nor in the first 21 issues of the team's subsequent monthly comic book.*

So eventually Wonder Girl was a random human girl that got raised by the Amazon’s after Diana rescued her and she got her powers from amazon science? Because Diana has been in Man’s World for like years at this point so why not

Then there was Crisis and everything got rebooted and everyone had their origins redone/streamlined

And the thing is narratively, it’s very important that Diana is the FIRST child born on Themyscira in like centuries, it took a gift from the gods for her to be born, and she has to start her hero’s journey by being first Amazon in ages to to leave the Island. And for reasons? they don’t want Diana to be around BEFORE Clark&Bruce so she has to show up when they start showing up

So when does Diana get a younger sister/relative to be Wonder Girl? 🤷 she can’t be a rescued outsider until Diana leaves, but Diana being a lonely only child is a big part of her worldview and her longing to leave her Island…

So now Donna is…a magical golem/reflection of Diana to create a playmate for her, before Donna was…stolen by Dark Angel? Both their memories were wiped? Now Donna is an anomaly of the entire multiverse with impossible memories of being a child super hero. it’s fine

(This would all be fixed if Diana was allowed to be the WWII hero she originally was (or WWI to go by the movie) and have her being around for decades so by the time Bruce and Clark show up she had a daughter or her mom has another kid or she adopted a kid but we need her being a newbie while the boys are)

* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Troy

this is giving me "buffy's random new little sister dawn who has always been there" energy

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if stone monkeys actually can give birth or lay stone eggs naturally? Like... if they have a partner it'll be a regular old birth the same as how MK and the twins came into the world... but say a stone monkey didn't have a partner. Stone Monkey are a rare and critically endangered species afterall (even if they don't have the protections of an endangered species).

So what if, as a biological advantage, a stone monkey actually can lay a stone egg and give birth to a little baby stone monkey the same way as how Wukong and Macaque were born. But it's risky since creating life without a partner is beyond dangerous and most don't survive to even see the egg hatch, so most can only have one at a time and have to REALLY want a kid since, well, they'd basically be trading their life for the kids'. A kid that probably wouldn't even be hatched until long after their parent is dead.

I think with Wukong, it'd be a bit different because, well, 7 times over immortal monkey. But he'd still experience the negative effects and basically be completely vulnerable for a long time afterwards if he ever did it.

Just a little headcanon I thought up that I thought you'd be interested in.

Oh like parthenogenesis! Like some reptiles do when theres no available mates. I figure in a similar sense, the baby Stone Monkey would be a near-genetic clone of the parent; with the environment the "womb" is in adding life energy/qi/dao and affecting the appearance/abilities of the developing monkey within. Wukong likely popped out the way he did cus his egg was at the top of a mountain - his egg absorbing the violent life energy of what was once an active volcano over thousands of years.

Considering a certain few lines in Jttw, it's suggested that Wukong and Macaque are the last of their kind (with Six Eared being a variant/subspecies) - or they're just the only ones in that hemisphere. Like ancient human relatives the great Stone Monkeys became lost to time or were drowned in the Great Flood, or in the case of the Gibbon and Baboon; left Earth entirely.

The idea of a Stone Monkey deciding one day "I want a baby" and their body taking from there if there wasn't a viable mating option is really interesting. Their body's becoming like golems, weathered down into boulders if damage comes to them. And also very sad cus they know that theres a really good chance that they will never meet their baby. :(

Though imagine what the potiential "trigger" for it could be...

Guanyin: "The Monkey King is currently held beneath the Five Point Mountain. It will act as his prison for the next five centuries." Gold Star: "Ah. Make sure he's watered frequently and has plenty of oxygen." Guanyin: "But of course, it is only humane. However, doesn't he possess many forms of immortality?" Gold Star: *is so old that he witnessed the first Stone Monkeys, some even developing on his planet* Gold Star: "Not unless you want him to make another of himself." Guanyin: "Pardon?" Gold Star: "In my observations; when a Stone Monkey without a mate wished to reproduce, they would bury themselves and abstain from all biological needs until their bodies returned to the stone from whence they came. A new stone egg formed within their body as if it were a womb. The process is very taxing, and many died if another was not present to "wake" them afterwards. Though even in the case of parental death; the egg within the body would live on to hatch forth an infant to be raised by the familial troop." Guanyin, panicking: "I... I will be back in a moment." Wukong, beneath the mountain: "...why am I thinking about having kids?" Guanyin: *busts in holding molten copper and iron cus it was the only thing next to her at the time*

Of course it is unlikely for Wukong to actually *die* if his body decided to Copy/Paste him into an egg. But the possible way it could occur to him accidentally in any universe would be scary.

Like say... being trapped in a (newly) air-tightened Furnace by spiteful past enemy...

Lets just say I thought of another way that Luzhen is created >:)

Macaque: *pops open the lid to the airless Furnace* "Oh thank Buddha! You're intact. Drink some water dummy." Wukong, "awakened" by the fresh air and water: "...I think I'm pregnant." Macaque: "Uh... congrats?" Wukong: "No, like. Being cooked in there with no air made me pregnant." Macaque, only vaguely familar with their species: "...we should really ask Gold Star about this."

Luzhen in the TMKATI au would be celebrated as an adored, if not odd, new member to the family. His egg pops out after a long time of just sitting in SWK's body like his swallowed a rock. Luzhen "hatched" in a way that triggered something akin to labor. After all, Wukong's egg split open his Rock-mother (possibly the body of his parent) when it was his time to hatch. Wukong decides it is the worst pain he's ever felt in all his immortal life. Luzhen blinks slowly when his shell finally cracked all the way, confused on where he was.

The bit of dao Luzhen absorbed from his enviroment allowed him to develop just a tiny difference to his father; a pair of moon-silver eyes. Macaque smugly declares Luzhen's beautiful eyes are clearly a trait he inherited from him - and likely *did* depending on if any part of Macaque ended up in the Furnace with Wukong too. Like lets say the bones from an arm grapsing deperately before the lid of the Furnace slammed shut...

Hilariously, if Sun Wukong couldn't breath and/or wasn't able to crawl towards the Wind Trigram his first time cooking in the Furnace; there was a good chance that Lao Tzu would have opened the Furnance to a statue-like Monkey King with an egg inside of it. Wukong finally reawakening 500 years later with a heavy stomach and *many* questions.

[hoarah-babylon]

First DLC session completed!!!!! Gonna talk about my findings under the cut

Waiting for me at the cocoon was a familiar face from the trailers. Hi Leda!!!!!!! Got to have a closer look at her armour, her belt looks just like Miquella's ring.

The converging gold threads on the cape made me think of the Miquella's needle, and also the Godslayer Greatsword

She told me to go touch his wrinkly arm so I did. I was expecting a cutscene but no, just gave it a little tap and off we were! Which is also fine, I think I was just hoping for the interaction with the arm to reveal something about the nature of how we got to the shadow realm.

When I got there though..... man

I honestly wasn't expecting my own reaction when I got to the first open area, but I cried. Like actual tears. I just love this game and experiencing new things from it I don't know man it just took me by surprise, I've been having a hard time lately too so I think it was partly relief just to have something that makes me feel happy and inspired. Thankful for this game! Ok anyway

THE WICKER MAN ! I did try fighting him later on but he's so tough. I'm leaving him for later for sure, I have no idea what to do with him right now. His attacks are undodgeable and flatten me almost immediately, I'll figure that out later. He's cool tho. I think an item I found later called him a 'fire golem'

FOUND THE BESTIES ! They had a health bar so I could have tried to kill them but I didn't even try because they are my friends. Anyway they were in front of a Mausoleum with a boss in it which surprised me I was like ALREADY?????? I think it was called Blackgaol Knight. He took me a WHILE. I kept telling myself go away and come back later, but I was locked in, like no he's going to perish now. But I got him eventually and the reward was great. I mean I can't use any of it with this build but the item descriptions... they got me thinking

Warriors of what army/loyalty? What does it mean to lose your name, or your heart? This wording is very... intriguing to me. The only other mention of hearts in ER I remember off the top of my head (aside from dragon hearts) is the DLC trailer that said Miquella shrives clean the hearts of men. HM.

So they lose their hearts by choice, but what does it mean to lose your heart? Like, literally? Figuratively? Spiritually? But I found this next part to be the most intriguing. The 'light of birth'... WHAT. DO YOU MEAN. The concept of birth in TLB has always confused me tbh, so to have something directly reference birth caught my eye immediately. And why is it apparently so revered by these knights? I have to find out more. Mama lets research :) I don't remember where I heard/read this but I remember it being theorised births came from the Erdtree rather than the typical way humans are born usually. Could it be these knights revere birth as it used to happen, as opposed to how births came to be post-Golden Order creation? Hm.

I found one of the enemies that was posted before release! The one with the uterus imagery. This one. I was surprised it was a regular enemy, from the pic we saw it looked like a boss to me. It was just chilling on one of the monuments in the field of wheat. 'Invoke divinity' stands out to me, mainly because I can't figure out what it means. If it invokes divinity, what does it define as divine? It can't be anything to do with the Erdtree, because it clearly rejects it. Super interesting. The fact it also makes you weaker to Sleep is also v interesting

New weapon type (I think)! I got jumpscared by a screaming enemy and they dropped this. I'm ngl though I think he was a bit bugged, he wasn't dodging any spells so I beat him pretty easily. oops. I'm noticing a lot of bestial enemies and items though... I picked up a bestial ash of war later on too. Who are 'the horned warriors'?

Was looking out over a cliff-edge and saw this dead dragon... it honestly gagged me because I did not expect to see dragons. Which in hindsight is maybe a bit silly of me considering Messmer has what looks like Draconic eyes. But anyway

I found what looked like a church of Marika. It was called something like 'church of consolation'. On the lead-up there were several of Messmer's warriors resting in the road. They weren't aggro to me unless I attacked first. The bigger knight in the church dropped a huge hammer that was imbued with holy damage. One of the smaller knights dropped a chestpiece

The phrasing 'forced to wage war' is intriguing - where did these people come from? Exactly how and why were they forced?

I found this nearby the church and it gagged me a bit. First of all mad that this kind of item exists, I wonder how many there are. Secondly, Marika made these for Messmer... but never again????? I'm so intrigued by their relationship, I need to understand their dynamic IMMEDIATELY

Honestly thank god they're giving us more Larval Tears. I was stressing about this even though I probably won't end up using them... we'll see what weapons I pick up. I wonder if they replenish at these sites or if they'll still be a finite resource

Shit's fucked. These people were done dirty by Messmer

But consider: this place is gorgeous despite the horrors

Found the first of Miquella's crosses! And met another follower of Miquella... why does he hate me :( is it cus I'm Tarnished? But like. I don't like the Erdtree either dude. You don't know me!!!!!!!!!! Nice armour tho. And accent. And thanks for showing me where the crosses are. I guess. Map referred to him as a 'hornsent'

Like. Ok. Why don't we just be friends. Mysterious guy. Whatever like I care.

!!!!! I thought I took a pic of the description but whatever it said something along the lines of 'a young shoot heavy with Empyrean blood. Left behind by the wounded Miquella'... so he's wounded even in this shadow realm, whatever form he's in. What are you doing fam... what's the deal....... I gotta know

Met Freyja! She was nicer. I love her Spartan gear. She said she once fought alongside Radahn (!!!) and didn't tell me much else. But she seems chill af

Now this guy... I've gotta know his deal. Ansbach, what do you MEAN you were formerly in service to Mohg. And now you're following Miquella. WHAT IS THAT BROTHER. I just... the implications???? Why did you leave Mohg? When? Were you in on the whole abduction thing? Why does your helmet/beard combo kinda make you look like Cthulhu? I have questions.

Man-fly village. Uh........ yep don't like this.

That last line sticks out to me, because of the whole, you know, Miquella the Kind thing. Be kind and ya don't get turned into a fly. Cool cool I'm uncomfortable

Oh cool the thing on the wicker ma- THE FELL GOD OF FIRE???? Is this referring to the Giant's outer god? Or one we haven't heard of yet, one that Messmer is aligned with? Haunts the sagas of the hornsent... isn't that what the guy that was shit-talking me earlier is? What is his deal. I'm not immune to a mysterious man

Blue skies?? in MY shadow realm???? it's more likely than you think :)

I also found a ghostflame dragon too which was cool but he has SO much health. I simply did not have the patience for it at that moment. But it's cool seeing so many different things from different backgrounds and allegiances.

My fave thing about the followers so far is how everyone comes from such diverse backgrounds, it's in-keeping with Miquella's whole ethos of welcoming all. But... why are they all here? How? Why has Miquella 'called' to them? Has Miquella called to them all? Now I have all these strangers motivations to worry about as well as the blonde baby's. But really I'm so excited to find more. This already has my brain whirring and I haven't even stumbled across a major boss yet!!! fromsoft you've done it again!!!!!!

[chuckeroo777]

Dungeon Meshi Volume 6 Part 1

Welcome back to my liveblog! As a reminder, this is a re-read, so expect plenty of spoilers!

Don't intentionally spoil people or get thwacked in the face.

Huh. So they have been here for about a week. Makes Rin's exasperation even more understandable.

Wow, rude. I feel like if you actually knew her, that's kinda the last thing she would do. She hates eating weird stuff.

Batting 0 for 3 Maizuru. Honestly, I originally thought she was kind of a jerk, but between this and "Ninja Art: Babysitter", I think her observational skills are just really bad.

See? She doesn't have a clue why this is an atrocious idea.

I mean, it was an elf who was around during Delgal's day, and was using exceptionally potent ancient magic. Who the heck else would it be? Plus the orcs confirmed his identity. And of course Laios thinks Thistle is mad about the food.

Asebi is not amused.

Hmm... another depiction of the winged lion with horns. Also, there was no need to bring up the black magic. Marcille used a regular resurrection spell, just using ancient magic to boost the power level. If the dragon hadn't been soul-bound by Thistle, it would have gone without a hitch. People like to joke Marcille did nothing wrong, but in this one case, I think she was totally in the right. There is plenty of time for her to commit war crimes later.

Chilchuck: Gasp! You were drugging him!

Kabru is here for ALL the hot goss. From a distance.

I love how the canon explanation for why Faligon has feathers is that Dragons = Dinosaurs. It's like an atavism or something. Idk, it looks cool. Stop asking questions.

God. Marcille may be my favorite, but I relate so much to Laios. This chapter and the next are painful. (And I'm not talking about the part where everyone dies)

If only Chilchuck won the coin toss, we could've avoided this drama. (At least until Shuro saw Falin)

Now that's a trustworthy face if I ever saw one.

Well well well. If it isn't the consequences of my actions.

I know I just got done explaining that her actions were fine. Just let me be funny.

Eh, it's worth a try. It works in at least one alternate universe.

She's beauty, she's grace. She's gonna eat your face.

What's all the more heartbreaking is you get little moments where Falin shines through. She wants to pet the doggie! But then the dragon reasserts itself.

Even freakier, I think this is actually Falin too. You can see her pupils oscillate throughout this scene between normal, and elongated.

Like, I don't think it did that on purpose, but the dragon is more than happy to exploit the opening it creates.

Holm? Holm, are those golem cores? Have you been holding out on us?

Man, no wonder she freaks out. Imagine you've been a dragon for who knows how long, covered in scales of iron, and suddenly this dude manages to stab you five times like it's nothing. Heck, Laios just stabbed her in the foot with a normal sword. This dragon must be fearing for it's life like crazy.

Obligatory Whoa Hey!

An important image.

No you dummy. This is standard dungeon procedure. There's a reason healers like Holm and Falin wear those silly robes. So that they get priority resurrections.

Hold up a sec. My drama senses are tingling.

I am genuinely curious what this insult was in the original Japenese, if only because I can't see that coming from either of them.

You know, when I first read Dungeon Meshi, I kinda glossed over the secondary cast a lot. Hard not to when you have my attention span, and like two dozen characters. I didn't even notice the Asebi stuff.

I know people dunk on Toshiro a lot, but I really have to question his relationship with his retainers if a simple thank you and sorry elicits this sort of reaction. Honestly, I mostly get the impression that his dad isn't great, and Maizuru is too loyal to do anything about it.

I also have to wonder why he left Asebi behind. Did he just not want to bother? Or is he rethinking his whole relationship with his retainers, and is offhandedly giving her her freedom?

Like brother like sister.

Image limit reached! I'll be back in a bit. Need to get some meshi!

[possamble]

REAL!! i dont think its realistic or fair to falin if they ended up together inmediately post-canon because they way marcille treats her is not the best. like its hard to talk about but she really does infantilize falin. marcille is such a hypocrite, like in the bath scene she’ll make a big show of taking care of falin but the moment falin reciprocates she freaks out. i think it stems from a fear of her friend growing up so much faster than her that shes being left behind, that falin really isnt a kid anymore and her feelings go beyond just platonic. like an adamant refusal to change the way she sees falin because that means accepting that she will go before her. but shes changing and learning and growing herself!! and yeah like you said, she is not the same person as from the start of the story. marcille is such an interesting character because she WILL commit atrocities but her motivation has always been out of love, no matter how immaturely or selfishly it manifests

Yeah!!! and like, the insane thing is that she's primed to be able to accept all this by the post-canon... it's just that old habits die hard, and she actually needs a big push to put her money where her mouth is and change the way the treats and sees falin but. unfortunately she will also not take the initiative and falin will have to start that push which is its own problem

Also it's sooo funny bc if you really think about it. her atrocities and 'hypocrisies' actually have a pretty solid internal logic. I thought her getting mad about senshi tampering with the golems bc it's illegal was sooo silly of her, but then some of the extra content showed that golems were banned because they went rogue and killed a TON of people.

So she cares about golem tampering because senshi does not know anything about magic and could have seriously fucked them up, causing them to hurt him and rampage outside of their regular patrol areas or something.

but she doesn't care that much about necromancy laws when she's in an environment where matters of ethics and consent are kind of... secondary to what they're doing. like, she knows her party members would rather be puppeted instead of marcille getting herself killed and everyone dying for real bc she wasn't willing to mess with their bodies.

she's so fascinating but she makes more sense the more you look at her and it's sooo crazy

[snailstrailz]

Had an idea for expanding on illagers in a hypothetical mod idea,, basically, if you work for it you can gain a good reputation with illagers by being 'evil' with the tradeoff of losing access to regular villagers.

Killing traders, killing iron golems, killing villagers, and stealing from village chests will lower your reputation with regular villagers, but raise it with illagers. Villagers will act as they do in games at first, but as you rack up bad reputation iron golems will be automatically hostile and villagers will refuse to trade and run away from you.

Illagers will become neutral with a low villager reputation, and with enough bad reputation illagers can be traded with, with generally higher quality trades for steeper prices and a smaller pool of possible trades.

Vindicators could sell you axes or buy axes with certain enchantments for lots of emeralds,

Pillagers will sell/buy arrows

Evokers can trade and totems and maybe new items that would allow you to spawn your own vexes

Witches will sell you potions

Illagers will also behave more like villagers, sleeping and having routines like patrolling and conversing with the other illagers. They can also breed like normal villagers, producing an very adorable and very bratty baby illager (I imagine there would be a chance that when near one it has a chance to run up to you, punch you, and scamper off)

When in favor of illagers you can start and participate in a raid, and succeeding at killing all the villagers will grant you a status effect similar to hero of the village, (hero of the raid?) That will put discounts on illager trades and drop your villager reputation to absolute zero. You can also ride on the ravager's back yay yippee

You can never play both sides though. You can either be in the good graces of illagers or villagers. Not both.