#SO TECHNICALLY. MULTIPLE SIDE QUEST IDEAS

[gangsteri-aine]

Kind of obsessed how the whole QSMP, in the end, resolves around love.

The island is full of murderer, cannibals, escaped prisoners and other kinds of people with questionable morales and they aren't exactly good people but they will do anything for each other when needed. Especially when it has to do with one of the eggs.

It takes a village to raise a child and that really shows. Anytime the code and now the eye workers show up, everyone is there to fight and to protect their kids.

After Empanada died, Bagi was enraged and incredibly sad. Pac, Fit and Ramón tried to do anything they could to help her deal with it. Fit said multiple times it wasn't her fault, it was the eye workers fault, no one else's. Pac was ready to help her get revenge. Ramón, the egg who never really liked physical contact or hugs if they weren't from Fit, hugged her and didn't leave her side until Em was back.

After the initial rage and panic, Bagi started thinking about ways to protect the eggs. She was worried because she didn't know how to build an enderpearl stasis chamber and was instantly told by others not to worry about it, Bad will help her.

And Bad did. As soon as he heard what had happened. He showed Bagi his idea to protect the eggs and said "don't worry, I got the technical part. All you need to do is react when needed".

You can also see this with the egg quests. More often than not, a lot of the stuff is ready to go (we thank Bad, Phil and Fit for that) when people log on.

Not all the islanders trust each other (people mentioned in this are not an example of that) but they will do anything for the eggs. If you ask for help, you will get it. And most of the time the people giving you that help are not considered "good people" but there's a good change that you aren't either.

I think I kind of lost the point already but idc I just love found family so much and QSMP is just full of people who have nothing but each other to fight against all the bullshit that the island throws at them.

[thatfrenchacademic]

Hello! because you are our EU person on tumblr: any advice who to vote for on Sunday when we care about the environment?

Oof, Anon, that is quite the question.

Bear in mind that for the EU, the environment is technically a shared competence, meaning that there is a lot of push and pull between Member States and the EU regarding who decides what and when. See them more as co-deciders, rather than the EU always being "above" on these questions.

I am NOT in the business of telling people who to vote for. I'm going to slightly twist it and put it as "which European Group has the best record in supporting environment-friendly policies".

Buckle up, we are going on a quest in the European Parliament! Complete with links, sources and all you will need for the adventure, along which I try my hardest to not comment on things that drive me nuts with how European parties and groups work.

First off, this is the current EU Parliament:

These are the seven groups, from left to right:

The Left

Socialists and Democrats (S&D)

The Greens/European Free Alliance (The Greens/EFA)

Renew Europe (ex ALDE)

European People's Party (EPP)

European Conservative and Reformists (ECR)

Identity and Democracy (ID)

Now, I am not an expert in environmental policies, but other people are. What are want to look for is people evaluating the record of each of these parties regarding environmental policies.

Problem: "environmental policies" is kind of broad and vague. We are all for green policies, but parties sometimes disagree on how to get there. There is a longstanding battle between France and Germany overall regarding what is more green, in the long term: coal, or nuclear energy. There are disagreements over whether it is greener to ban some pesticide in Europe, if it means we end up importing more food from outside the EU. How to best support green policies without just displacing polluting industries outside of the borders of the EU? What about emission trading, do we want this? What I mean is that the details tend to be complicated, and multiple groups could try to claim that they support pro-environment policies.

Broadly speaking, for pro-environment policies at European level, you will be looking toward the Left. A dedicated right-wing supporter could argue that they have some green policies as well, but it is simply not their priority, and so if they have to chose between [issue that they campaign on] and green policies, then they will pick [issue that they campaign on]. Note that "issues they campaign on" can be perfectly valid issue, or it may be xenophobic garbage, but fact is, they are not prioritizing green policies, ever. Whereas groups on the left side sometimes do priorities green policies... but not always.

So: The Left, S&D, The Greens and Renew can all more or less plausible claim some record of pro-environmental policies. What you could from there is peruse their website, and look for their policy papers, official positions, etc... It can be hard to fin documents you can really compare with each other, but you could look here:

Renew Europe: here

The Greens: here

S&D: here and here

The Left: here

And before anyone calls me unfair: ID has no section on the environment, EPP has their green policies here and here, and ECR here.

You can find more on each group's website than what I have put here! The Greens and The Left, especially, have much more.

But, smart voter that you are, you know that this is all campaign stuff and fluff. What we may want to know is how well they did so far. What's their record, beyond their words. Well. Good thing smart people have looked into it already.

CAN had a look at that back in 2019. They looked into how each MEP had voted on key environmental issues in the EU. You can find their whole report here, but I will borrow that page from them:

[always a good idea to look into how they pulled out these numbers! They include it in the report, in the "methodology" section. There are little bits I am not suuuper happy with, but overall I think it's a really good, transparent, report.]

So, without much surprise, the Greens score the highest, followed by the Left and S&D, pretty much neck to neck. Overall, if I update the names of the different parties, the ranking goes like this:

The Greens

The Left

S&D

EFDD disappeared

Renew Europe

ID

EPP

ECR

[Note: I am trying so, SO HARD to not add my own thoughts and comments on this, pls appreciate my restraint]

Ok, but how do I know WHO to vote for ?? IN MY COUNTRY?

As far as I know, however, candidates on the ground tend to market themselves as belonging to a national party, rather than a European group. Which is also why people usually don't even know about European Parliament groups [on which I also have THOUGHTS SOMEONE PLS RESTRAIN ME] For example, in Germany:

And as seen above, usually The Greens do have their logo in there, and sometimes Renew (at least the ALDE used to) but others usually just have their national party affiliations.

[me as I try very hard to not judge national parties's campaigns on main when European elections are around the corner]

The good thing is, it is pretty easy to figure out where each national party stand in the European Parliament. You can google that pretty easily, and I made you a handy dandy list:

The Greens: here, and click "countries" or "parties" on the left

The Left: here, with actually nice website

S&D: right here !

Renew: here, also with actually decent web design?? in a European group website??

Alternatively, you can go back to the CAN report, and scroll to your country specifically! Isn't that sweet ?!

So there you go anon, we know now who in the European Parliament has a good record on green policies, and who that will be in your own country! And I have been so :) neutral :) about :) it :) all :)

[thefourchimes]

Can you tell me more about the Four Chimes AU?

What paths did you originally have planned for Robin? I wanna see how close my own ideas are lol :D :D :D

And tell us more about the Chimes themselves please? Like what are they like? What kind of abilities do they have? I may need some ideas for a fight scene... hehe

so. four chimes au my beloved. the reason why my url name is the way it is, even when im an encanto centered blog AHSFUIAHSF but yeah, here we go then! also, finn mentioned you can send him asks too, he would love to answer you about this as well yeye

anywho, lore dump time! made with a tag team between me and finn

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Can you tell me more about the Four Chimes AU?

the four chimes verse is essentially an amalgamation of my want—need—for badass max, max angst, elumax angst, just general party and co angst, apocalypse four shenanigans, several unexplored character interactions and dynamics, the four horsemen of the apocalypse concept, and everything else that comes with this plus things i wasnt able to mention its very self indulgent ngl

but yes, it's about the apocalypse four (max, patrick, fred, and chrissy) and how they get turned into the upside down four horsemen of the apocalypse aka the four chimes of catastrophe by vecna, and they become his way of furthering chaos and destruction in hawkins, while also using them to get rid of his thorns aka the party and co

nobody's having a fun time lol

i've already got a lot of it planned out, i just need to write it lmao asufhaishdf

its funny because this all started when finn sent an ask to his friend about how the four victims of vecna are paralleled to the four horsemen of the apocalypse

on top of me already thinking about this, i saw the ask and pretty much ran with it

also, here's a bonus just for you! the following are the arc names of the og four chimes au (and technically still the general arc names regardless of the sub aus, tho ofc with some differences here and there):

pre-shattering

during catastrophe - the four chimes

during catastrophe - contact to familiarity

during catastrophe - jailbreak

during catastrophe - void dark

during catastrophe - escape the dark

during catastrophe - resonance

during catastrophe - the end

post-apocalypse

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What paths did you originally have planned for Robin? I wanna see how close my own ideas are lol :D :D :D

so robin is very feral yes AHSIFUHASf

im pretty sure i explained it a bit before but robin got hit by an arrow that was meant for nancy in the ciquest au, and because of nancy, she's able to find the will to fight back against the infection instead of succumbing to it, making it her own

One and the chimes sees how she's evolving and don't like it, so lence's suggestion of getting nancy takes priority, and so it happens

nance becomes quest and now the battle is on

robin is obviously devastated and the gang is slightly in shambles because of how much nancy brings to the table, and now she's gone—no, worse, she's being used for the other side

so robin steps up to the plate in multiple ways, trying her best to fill the void nancy was forced to leave behind

the burden on her is so heavy considering she got a power she technically never expected to have nor wanted, but now it's on her to make the most use of it

she usually questions why it was her who was in this situation and literally not anybody else who she thinks could definitely do better

lots of questions and wondering for her

now, unlike with renegade, she doesn't lose herself technically, but she gets close, like a lot

though should i mention that there was a little kidnapping that happened? the person who was kidnapped in question being someone who is very important to robin and may have caused a some strain and conflict for her and the chimes?

yeah, the chimes kidnapped steve to lure robin to them so that they can take her down

it was conquest's idea :)

robin was very much not happy about that btw

lots of things happen and as said, robin was very much close to losing it so many times but she doesn't for a couple of reasons

renegade is a completely new take and direction of ciquest and just four chimes in general, and im so interested in seeing where it goes, so very interested <333

i feel like im not able to tell robin's full story here, both because we want to keep some things hidden and also because my brain is kinda not working rn AHSFUHASF mb on that one

but yeah, that's generally it, tho if you got more questions, feel free to send an ask to either me or finn, and if we remember something in particular, we'll make sure to mention it

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And tell us more about the Chimes themselves please? Like what are they like? What kind of abilities do they have? I may need some ideas for a fight scene… hehe

here's the longest part because...lore dump yes

the chimes our beloveds <33

so the chimes. in our 68600 messages (as of the moment) of a four chimes dump, we've built up the characters and personalities of the chimes, and somewhere in this thread is the scattered information on them

now, i unfortunately dont have the time and patience to go through the thread to find all of the little information, but we'll do our best to give a good rundown of their characters

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here you go with the characters and personalities first:

famine

wields throwing knives

very loyal to One (meaning he gaslit her so much for that loyalty to come to be, a consequence of being his first chime)

wants to be the leader because she thinks (and is gaslit to think) that she deserves it (One really likes to cause discord between his chimes)

having no prior connection to the main gang—or thorns as they call the gang—besides eddie who is dead and a spectre here, so she's the one who has the least moments of "remembering their past life" before

is very brutal and ruthless and likely the one the gang got the most injuries from in a general sense

death

wields a large scythe

my secret blorb

most likely to actually defy One, and fun fact, he has an au called the runaway au where he, a chime in the middle of the battle between the upside down and right side up, got to run and escape from One before certain things happened, which then causes a chain reaction in this au ofc

he's a coward, and this plays a lot into his actions and interactions

technically had a connection with nancy in the gang, but with conquest here, it gets harder for him to connect, but robin actually steps up to the plate here

war

wields a sword

is the most balanced out of everyone when looking at his loyalty and his defiance to One, in the middle of the pack in that sense

his past life of abuse shows up a lot when it comes to One, so he tends to throw others under the bus to not get caught in the crossfire (not that he wants to do this, but he also doesnt want to gain One's ire)

just generally very chill, the most chill out of every one here

is the medic of the team because of how he's the personification of war

has a connection with lucas in the gang, so that's something that gets him to "remember" some stuff in a way

pestilence

wields bow and arrows

finn and mine's blorb

leader in og, former leader in ciquest/conquest

if you can only see the rambles we have on her…it will take days to get through

will take the bullet for the other chimes when it comes to One's ire

vec has a tighter hold on her because she's max

literally connected with everyone, will have a lot of moments where she feels familiarity (and will subsequently get punished for it later)

second most gaslit by One in a way, which is big oof

conquest

wields a sawed-off shotgun

the leader in ciquest/conquest aus

very protective of all the chimes and especially lence

vec also has tighter hold on her because she's nancy

last one to fall, was suggested by lence to be taken

more aware of things than the other chimes, but still completely controlled by One

same case as lence, but even more so considering she's been there since the start of it all (does her best to take most of lence's punishments as her own when One goes after them)

gets very hyperfocused with robin (vaguely aware the thorn makes her weak in some sense but quest doesn't care), but is frustrated she cant hurt her too much because lence will get hurt too (and maybe another reason deep down, but she doesnt acknowledge it)

all of them

they're all dog coded

One can summon them/call them whenever and its shown through the shivering cold in their necks, like what happens with will

One wants them to be just the way he wants them, meaning the way they died and got transformed into chimes must be how they are no matter what (this includes clothes, hair, weapons, and everything in general)

the only new addition he accepts them to have are new scars :')

the chimes have such a complicated relationship, but at the end of the day, post-vec, they love each other

note for them individually: there's a lot more that i want to add but my brain is blanking a little and i am probably forgetting some things, but here are some of the important things to note (remember this is incomplete to everything we wanna add ASFHUIASFh)

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some relationship notes (by pairs, groups are another story)

min clashes with death when it comes to lence, but otherwise are fine with each other, neutral in general but are connected as the first two chimes of One

min and war are not quite friends, more distant than friends but closer than allies… (very interesting when you note how they were in their Before)

has a very one-sided antagonistic rivalry with lence, especially when it comes to the leadership position (this changes a bit when quest is in play as she's the leader, but there's still the rivalry with lence despite not being leader in ciquest/conquest), will be very callous in a way with her, but they actually work well together, especially as the similar twin concepts of famine and pestilence

quest is able to take min's bitterness mostly in a stride and keeps her in check from being too antagonistic when it comes to leadership roles and just generally (helps because quest understands them in a way, though she doesnt understand why she does)

death and war are more or less chill with each other, most cordial relationship out of every single chime relationship and the least tension filled, just vibing so real (though war knows death is a coward and death knows that war knows it)

death and lence are surprisingly close, only second to quest for lence (and death too technically, which is inspired by their Before), this relationship is due to the fact that in canon, max got to see and technically interact with chrissy, patrick, and nancy, but never with fred, so we saw it and ran with it and now they're close here

death and quest are more or less okay with each other, and their Before helped them understand each other better, unlike the other chimes' Before affecting their relationships in another way

war and lence are complicated, since war throws lence under the bus the most (especially in og) to avoid One's ire, and lence understands why, because of her own Before (and it doesnt help that she takes bullets for the other chimes), but they're both fine more or less

war and quest are similar to min and lence with the similar concepts, war and conquest, fire and lava, war follows quest to the T (just like he does with lence in og but more so here with quest), and they work well together because of their similar concepts

lence and quest are the closest out of everyone, helped by their Before and their instincts with each other, confides with each other a lot and are just helping each other no matter what, tho ofc this comes with the consequence of One seeing this "weakness" of theirs and using this bond between them to punish them when he sees fit

although here's a note about this too: finn said "honestly tho their relationships r So complicated its hard to capture in a few sentences", and i agree, what you just read is just some general thoughts on their relationships, but god is there so much more to them all, and if we want to really show you the relationships in full, we would have to ramble it all out ASHUFIUASHF but yeah

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here you go with their abilities:

famine

knife throwing, very fast and precise

the fastest of the chimes

can cripple the energy and power of a person

takes down the food supply and wilts crops

can take the energy and vitality of a being and/or object

death

scythe proficiency

is the slowest of the chimes

everything related to death

teleportation through the shadows

summon bone beings

forming shadow tendrils kinda

exudes the ambiance of the end of life, striking a deep sense of fear

war

fireeeee

flame sword, very proficient with swords

second fastest of the chimes

use the molotovs and flamethrowers against the gang because fire for real

hot skin, literally

can cause a sense of crisis and rage in those near

lence

causes sickness (through arrows) and disorientation of people (through aura exuded)

poison arrows

has a balisong (one she had as max—this is an hc we have) and uses it as an extra weapon

second slowest of the chimes

infect people to insanity or to do her bidding

also wilts flowers and plants in general

aura vision (she's blind because of her interrupted transformation due to el but she can see the sort of "auras" of beings, especially the upside down ones)

quest

gun proficient (obviously)

very precise shots

her gun can either fire in a scattered way like a shotgun or only one bullet at a time, it depends on quest herself

lava (we were thinking mix of fire and earth for conquest, hence lava)

also hot skin, literally

in the middle of the fast and slow spectrum

can summon different types of guns, smaller guns takes less energy for her actually, but One doesn't like that so she doesn't do it much, if at all

all

sort of intangibility (only works when they're full on chime mindset, if their anchor selves start waking up and breaching the surface, they become vulnerable and the intangibility doesnt work)

connected to One's power

summoning their weapons

connected to their hounds (their horses)

faster healing

technically immortality (as long as One is around)

and bonus!

robin

connected to lence, draws power from her

trying to infect her even more causes robin to grow stronger and lence to grow weaker (this is important to note heheheh)

means she's a bit more feral though (she gets close to losing herself but doesnt fully)

becomes more durable and stronger and the best at dealing with the chimes in the long run

also faster healing

another note: i am very sure i forgot some things so yeah, assume this list is incomplete AHSFIUHASF but thats what we can remember off the top of our heads

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anywho, yeah! that's pretty much a lore dump and a half, except i also know its not complete and there's still so much more we want to say but are unable to mention it for several reasons

but maybe those are asks for another day (wink wink, go check out @lumaxramblings' askbox too yesyes)

thank you for the ask! and i hope this helped with the renegade au yesyes <33

see ya around

[adamwatchesmovies]

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

The worst thing you can say about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is that it occasionally spends more time sowing seeds than dealing with its current story. That's not so bad considering its emotional weight, visuals/special effects, performances (let’s remind ourselves again of how much of what we see had to be imagined by the actors when they were shooting) and the conclusion.

Many generations after War for the Planet of the Apes, humans have become feral and apes have formed multiple independent societies. An encounter with a human scavenger (played by Freya Allan) forces a chimpanzee named Noa (Owen Teague) to wander outside his village, where he encounters a group of armed apes headed towards his home. He rushes back, but arrives too late. His father has been killed and everyone else taken captive. As Noa tracks his clan in hopes of rescuing them, “Nova” (they call all the human females Nova) follows him.

Kingdom lasts 145 minutes. Even with that ample running time, it doesn't feel like everything introduced is fully explored by the end. The villain, for instance. Bonobo Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) is the self-proclaimed king of the apes and is forcibly assembling them under his rule. We get a good feel for what sort of ape he is, but not enough for us to hate him… even though I think we're supposed to. This new Caesar wants to open this huge, armored door on the side of a cliff. He’s convinced that inside are weapons and knowledge that will allow apes to forever maintain the hold they've gained on the world. Conveniently, getting this knowledge will allow him to continue ruling. Is he power-hungry? Maybe, but there's something about him that's oddly compelling. He’s weirdly charismatic, but it's also that the rightful owners of that vault - humans - are less entitled to it now. Cities are almost completely overgrown. Skyscrapers have been transformed into unusually tall, rectangular mountains covered in vegetation. You see remnants of our civilization here and there, but can’t imagine how it could come back. You wonder if it even should. Apes and other animals have had to endure mankind’s wild ambitions for generations. If it’s so wrong for Proximus - whether he’s good or evil - to have the contents of that vault, then why were humans allowed to create it?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes feels like two movies that bleed into each other. The first is Noa's quest. The second is a more philosophical story about how we - as partial outsiders - should feel about the world. While searching for his “people”, Noa gains a greater understanding of what role humans played in the planet’s past. Some of the questions that arise have a big impact on him and Nova, but an even bigger impact on us. 

This 10th Planet of the Apes (all of which I think are worth seeing a minimum of one time) ends on a more optimistic note than most of the chapters in this franchise, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a happy ending. It’s uncertain. I’m also going to call it inconclusive, which is a bit frustrating. Then again, the film is well-made, so you don’t feel like it’s just stringing you along. There’s a bigger story being told here, too big for just one movie. I'm willing to wait to see what it is. Am I being generous because of past experiences? Partially, yes, but the fact is, writer Josh Friedman and director Wes Ball want us to sit back and think. There aren’t a lot of big-budget, special-effects-heavy films that do that anymore and I’d like to see it happen more often. Plus, there’s the technical craft on display. I have no idea how much of this film was done on the computer, and how much was done in-camera. Well, the apes, obviously, but when it comes to the backgrounds/environments, I have no idea.

I also continue to admire this series for the way that it manages to make non-human characters so easy to relate to. Before Kingdom, I saw a trailer for Mufasa and was reminded of the live-action Disney Lion King remake from a few years ago. The animals we saw there were these brick walls spouting human-like dialogue. Despite top-notch computer imagery, the whole thing felt fake. The apes we meet in this film feel real.

When Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes shows off its lush forests growing out of decaying cities, you’re happy to let your eyes wander. When it explores the ape civilizations, you’re eager to see more so you can understand how it all works. It propels you through the locations with a relatable story whose conclusion is not what you’d expect (not entirely) by asking surprisingly thoughtful questions about whose planet this is, and who it belongs to. Combined with the performances and special effects that just keep getting better and better, it may not be the best of the new Apes films, but it doesn't feel like a continuation without a purpose. I foresee myself revisiting Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in the future, particularly when the next chapter comes around. (Theatrical version on the big screen, May 20, 2024)

[mamamittens]

I've done the sketch for Great Fairy!Nikia for the silly little BoTW/ToTK/One Piece crossover thing I've had going on for seemingly no reason besides sheer madness.

Side note: the escalation of leveling up your gear implies either Link fucks the fairies multiple times or, more plausibly and hilariously, the greatest blessing requires being dunked in the water and they're all such shits they just about waterboard him to do it. They don't seem interested in sex, more appreciating the flattery than anything else (or little conductor man is absolutely GETTING IT, WE STAN A SHORT KING!). Though they definitely think Link is cute...

Great Fairies. Are weird. OC discussion below.

So I went mostly in accordance to the art book for BoTW on the Great Fairies who are mostly identical save some minor details such as color, jewelry, hair, and makeup. She's technically related to them in the way that all fairies are related to each other. Very young as well.

So! Fun fact! I'm Breath of the Wild, the Great Fairies have no legs! Their waist down is sorta swallowed by a twisting flower bud??? Like they're the stamen for a flower kinda?? It's weird. But recent iterations of fairies tend to get rid of their legs anyway so it's not that surprising. So, I wanted her to still have them, even if she doesn't really... Use them??? So I fused it a little with Wind Waker fairies (not the child Great Fairy, who seems to control the others??? It's weird) where it sort of goes from dress to curling ribbon. So her 'legs' are actually going to be more like glass??? With the actual substance being the shoes (sort of like how the horse fairy in BoTW has detached hands) the pant ribbon things.

When she's super injured they either totally disappear or are just limp ribbons, rip.

Now, you may recall I said her wings get stolen? But here she has none. Yeah, like most Great Fairies she has none, they just tend to be floating women. So I'm not totally sure how I'll fix that plot hole unless I mean specifically the wings behind her right ear or her winged glasses. Probably her glasses. It's just silly enough to be a legit side quest in a Zelda game.

Now! The hair! There's a design note that the four great fairies have their hair flowing in one direction and it's also quite... Bombastic. So I played around with the volume a little and decided to do her braids for the trailing bit. Then I had to figure out what ties off the braids and thought it'd be cute if they were fairies holding them in place. Or maybe just hugging the ends to keep it from falling apart. Still deciding if they're game normal fairies or special colors since it's part of her design.

Still going with a dark blue/luminous stone inspired color scheme but I may color the dark jewel parts like pearls? The og girlies are pretty pastel themed so it would be interesting for a semi-traditional take to be notably different in several aspects. Parts of her outfit is themed around Lily of the Valley, such as her puffy sleeves and skirt/shorts. The sash thing that goes under her bust will also pulse with blue light but we'll see how well I can illustrate that.

She's a very glowy fairy. Hide and seek must be difficult unless she hides in her fountain.

Her fountain I'm still deciding on but I like the idea of a man made pool of perfect water with a budding flower in the middle where she lives. It blooms and she emerges like the others, save being only waist up out of the flower. Kinda giving water garden vibes like the little alcove in Zora's domain. Pillars surrounding the structure. Maybe a classic hidden entryway that requires playing music. Unsure which since it won't be made by the Royal family and as such, not need Zelda's Lullaby. I'll sit on it. A bit. Not like I could include that in the drawing.

Her magic centers more around permanent buffs revolving stamina and hearts via 'healing' ingredients. Perhaps this is how Link will manage two perfect rows of hearts and full stamina rings at the same time lol

I'll spare you my silly smut ideas btw

[rabbitholesitrippedon]

Time travel as a narrative device

Some writers tend to avoid time travel for being played out, or too complicated but i find that time travel fits neatly into the “useful plot device” section of writing, alongside quests and end of the world scenarios, for its ability to be a macguffin and a force to compel characters to act.

There are typically 3 types of time travel:

“Whatever feels right is right” “What ever will happen has happened” “Branching timelines”

There are some hybrid and spectrum types of time travel that mix these as needed but you can typically write a story keeping only one of them for consistency's sake.

”Whatever feels right is right”

This is the easiest type of time travel to write, it’s the kind that lots of writers use because it gives no defined rules, you just do what you think might happen and ignore the potential world altering consequences of those decisions.

A prime example is back to the future, Marty travels back and prevents his father from meeting his mother. In theory this instantly creates a paradox. Instead of considering the consequences of the paradox, back to the future instead gives Marty some coyote time to “fix” his mistake.

Another example would be Doctor Who, which regularly messes with the nature of time, maintaining the theory that certain fixed points pin time together, and everything else can be messed with to a certain degree. A prime example is the episode the waters of mars.

If you want to add some spice and conflict to your story without thinking too hard, add this kind of time travel. I find it rather boring, but my preference shouldn’t interrupt other people having fun.

”Whatever has happened will happen”

This is possibly the most difficult to write. It follows the theory that if you travel into the past, then you have already been in the past, any action you could possibly take is already accounted for and as such it’s impossible to cause a paradox.

The first example that comes to mind is ‘stealing time’ a short film by Alex Calleros and Michael Tucker. In the film the protagonist makes multiple attempts to prevent his mistake and in doing so only creates it.

Surprisingly Adventure Time has elements of this kind of time travel in the form of Betty. she goes missing back before the mushroom war, and when simon makes contact with her from the future, she jumps through the portal, showing that betty’s disappearance had always been due to the time travel.

This form of time travel is difficult due to editing passes, if you make a small change in the middle of the story, it must be consistent across the whole story. However this is my favourite kind of story to write because of the excitement of foreshadowing the truth while keeping the reader in the dark is such a fine line that’s a thrill to walk.

”Branching timelines”

This is easily the most complicated story for readers to understand. It heavily relies on the readers understanding the characters and their motives, so that the reader can have some idea of why something changed when the timeline branches the next time.

Terminator is perhaps the quintessential version of this type of time travel. The two opposing sides send back their agents, and together they create a slightly different version of history that plays out. We understand the dynamics because the motivations of each character is typically quite clear, so with each branch we can still understand the story.

A very poor rendition of this type of time travel is that of Bioshock infinite. plot wise it all makes sense, and it’s a thrilling ride from start to end. But players came away confused, and frustrated, this is because the characters would constantly change allegiances and motives throughout the story because of the changes brought about by the hopping of timelines. It’s all technically corherent, but it’s presentation didn’t help it’s cause.

Branching timelines is a wonderful way to avoid paradoxes and mechanics while allowing for more consistent and complex storytelling. It’s a very difficult system to master, but if you can do something good with it, then you’ll have my mark of approval.

Conclusion

If you think time travel is overused, or tacky, then you’re not paying attention. Time travel is never, and should never, be the core of the story. Time travel is just the vehicle that you tell stories through, like period, setting, and medium, time travel stories are and always have been about the characters and whichever version of time travel best highlights those characters is the kind of time travel you should use in your story.

[snugglebeans3000]

Welcome to my ted talk— today we are going to go on sleep deprived rant about how tall Tetsuya is because I’m slowly going insane.

The reason why any of this sprouted at all was because i was drawing a picture of Reiji and Testuya, and of course, I made testuya smaller than Reiji (Because I mean the snake man is canonically this gangle boy that’s all height and no muscle so obviously) aND then I started wondering to myself: How tall is Reiji compared to tetsuya? So I hopped onto my compute and googled it. Apparently snake boy is like 6 foot 2 inches, or around 189 cm rounded upwards. Not shocking, I knew he was tall so seeing that he was this 6 foot 2 gangle monster didn’t really phase me. This is where we get onto Tetsuya. Now— Beleive me when I say i could not find ANYTHING— NOT A SCRAP— of info that pertained to this man’s height. I looked in the wiki, I looked fan blogs where they calculate the person’s height which kinda surprised me because I didn’t think we had one for Beyblade, and STILL. NOTHING. So I do what any reasonable person does and I looked up to see if there was a side by side comparison of the characters from the show. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find one that was as technical as I wanted it to be, but I did find something that would help me on my quest— AND IT WAS THIS

It’s not the best quality but I had characters to work with. So, with that, I started googling. I tried looking up how tall Benkei was since he was the closet one to Testuya and they were almost similiar in height, but there was literally nothing. I don’t know how that, given that he’s probably one of the biggest and tallest people in the series— but YA KNOW— Then I had to search for an option I knew the height would show up on, so I searched for Gingka’s height. Sure enough, I was able to find it and the man is 5 ft 4 inches. (That. That killed me right there. The man is two inches taller than me. Guys, he’s such a short king—) So given that I was able to assume that Benkei at least has over a foot and less than a half of height on him, making him around 6 foot to 6 foot 6 inches. Now the reason why I make this assumption is mostly based off the Warrior Monk Saito Musashibo Benkei who Benkei himself is based after, who was rumored to be around 6 foot 6 inches. So let’s say he’s around that height. Now looking at it, it seems like Testuya is tall, but he’s not 6 foot 6 tall— which I can agree with. So WHY you may ask am I so riled up about this seemingly meaningless matter???? WELL I”LL TELL YOU. Tetsuya is slouching. SLOUCHING. I know that isn’t much but if this man where to stand STRAIGHT UP when he is side by side to Benkei THEY WOULD A FEW INCHES SHY OF BEING THE SAME HIEGHT. THE IDEA THAT THIS PISSY LITTLE CRAB MAN IS AROUND THE SAME HEIGHT AS BENKEI ASTOUNDS ME SIMPLY BECAUSE IT JUST SEEMS CURSED TO THINK ABOUT. And then of course that led me down the rabbit hole of why I’m making this post— THAT TESTUYA IS JUST AS TALL—IF NOT MORE SO TALL— THAN REIJI.

AND OKAY WHAT YOU”RE THINKING— but snuggles they’re both horrible and greasy characters who literally committed multiple crimes against children— TO THAT I SAY: Y E S. They have committed crimes, bUT IN MY AU THEY GO TO THERAPY AND BOTH LEARN REMORSE AND TRY AND LEARN TO BE BETTER AND MORE CARING HUMANS TO THEMSELVES AND OTHERS AND ALONG THE WAY THEY BECOME FRIENDS WHO TRY AND BETTER THEMSELVES. BUT JUST THINK SBOUT IT THOUGH— Reiji is so tall. He’s constantly having to have people look up, like ACTUALLY L O O K UP to him and being intimidated by his height. He would probably really insecure about how much he stands out. aND THEN ALONG COMES THIS CRAB MAN WHO IS TALLER THAN AND TALKS SO GOOFILY TO HIM AND REIJI JUST DOESN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. That coupled with the fact that canonically how Tetsuya talks is literally like someone talking to a child (OKAY YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE ME BUT WATCH SOME OF HIS CLIPS BACK WHEN HE IS TALKING AND YOU”LL HERE IT I PROMISE) and that idea of him talking to Reiji, and Reiji being handled in a caring way he lacked when he was a kid is jUST— *BANGS MY FIST AGAINST THE TABLE* ITS— IT”S SO CUTE TO THINK ABOUT GUYS.

Well. That’s all for this rant. I am in a cold sweat from my pent up excitement and I am just about to head out to my work in Pulmonary. I really hope none of the patients have a medical emergency again. (Seriously, we had three medical emergencies yesterday bruh. They’re all okay but Jesus Christ the stress) UNTIL THE NEXT RANT MY FRIENDS.

[missnight0wl]

Hi, hope you're well! Last night my brain went on a much unnecessary tangent, and long story short I'm entertaining the idea of there being two MCs in the game, one for the main storyline and one for the Quidditch storyline and all the side quests. I don't know whether I'll do anything with this, but I still wanted to ask you: as an exercise of imagination, how would you make it work?

Hello! I’m fine, and I hope you’re well, too! And once again, sorry for the late reply!

Hm, this is a pretty interesting idea! However, I do think it’d be rather difficult to execute, for multiple reasons.

The story

First of all, I think it might be hard to incorporate it into the narrative of the story. Now, I know that some people do make two MCs work for their personal stories just fine (indigobackfire and immagrosscandy come to mind), but making it universal for every player would assumingly complicate things a bit. But of course, I’m not saying it’s impossible.

Also, personally, I’d probably make the secondary MC a rather distant relative of the main MC. That way, they could know quite a lot about the main MC, but they wouldn’t be affected by e.g. the blood connection (if it turns out to be important at any point). I think it could even be like “a foster cousin” or something. Y’know, a child of MC’s mother’s friend, so they were very close growing up, yet they’re not actually related.

The technical aspect

I admit I’m no expert in this matter, but I suspect that having two MCs would be pretty hard to execute, purely from a technical point of view. Especially if we’d like to keep the game in its mobile format. I also know about the games where you play as different characters at various points, but I don’t think they allow for much customisation of those characters. Admittedly, my knowledge about video games is not super vast, so please, correct me if anyone knows better, but I imagine we wouldn’t have as much customisation as we do now.

I mean, I guess I can kind of see it working as The Sims, for example. But again, we’d simply have to turn HPHM into a much more complex game for that.

The selection of the side quests

While I see why you proposed the division to: “the main storyline, and the Quidditch storyline and all the side quests”, I believe it should be a bit more complex. Because if you really look into it, not all side quests are equal. For example, the Patronus TLSQ has a pretty strong connection to the main story, and I think it should be done by the main MC. In other words, in my opinion, all of the side quests should be first reviewed to judge whether they're actually important for the main storyline or not. Then, the important side quests could be either incorporated into the main story entirely or maybe they could remain being side quests, just completed by the main MC.

If it was up to me, I’d assigned the secondary MC to:

the Magical Creatures Reserve content,

the Quidditch content,

the Clubs content,

the dating content,

and obviously some of the side quests which don’t have important information.

Finally, I want to mention two more reflections of mine.

The first one is about the idea of “spin-offs”. I believe I actually mentioned it somewhere on my blog in the past already. It’s basically about creating separate games which could be connected by their content but not “physically”. I think it’d help a lot in organising the stories, if done properly. On top of that, it’d make each game much lighter. HPHM is really heavy in terms of data, and more and more people complain about the lag in the game. It’s really not a good direction, but JC doesn’t seem to care about it much.

The second idea is that maybe it would be good to give people a choice whether they want to play a certain part with the main or the secondary MC. Though I’m not sure if it’d be technically doable, especially if we consider the idea of spin-offs. Still, I want to mention it because I suspect some people might complain about not being able to play certain parts with their chosen MC. On the other hand, if the distinction existed in the game since the beginning, I suppose it’d be easier to accept that you can only date with the secondary MC etc.

I hope my answer was at least somewhat satisfying!  And feel free to ask if I wasn’t clear enough about anything.

[self-loving-vampire]

Video game ask: 4, 11, 14, 17, 21, 25, 42, 49

4. Game coming out that you’re looking forward to?

Generally I'm fine with just going through all the old games that are already available to me, but I think Elin is probably going to be good.

11. A game location you really like

I really like the vibe of Caelid from Elden Ring. Really a lot of locations in those games are fantastic.

For a more thoughtful answer, though... I think I'm going to have to comment on the Valley of Mines from Gothic 2.

It's literally the same location you used to play throughout all of Gothic 1, but it has been profoundly transformed by the events that have happened since then. It feels both familiar and dangerous in a really cool way, especially since the first time you go there in the second game you're going to be far too weak to deal with most of the stuff in that place. It's great.

14. A character you particularly like in the game you’re currently playing?

I already answered this one so I'll just add that Ranni is mega-based.

17. Pick a series you like. What was the first game you played for it? Was it a good starting point? Would it still be a good starting point now?

I started Touhou with Imperishable Night and think it's still a good starting point.

21. A boss you think is really cool

Practically any stage 6 boss fight in Touhou does really fun things to my brain and endocrine system.

Other than that, I also really like games where the boss fights can be overcome in multiple ways.

For example, in Fallout 1 you can defeat the final boss without ever meeting him by sneaking into a side room and arming the nuclear bomb there. If you bothered to do an earlier side quest to gather some evidence and then make the right dialogue choices while passing a speech check you can also convince him to give up on his plans. It's really cool yet this kind of "include ways for non-combat characters to win" idea still not as common as you might expect.

Several of the boss fights in Final Fantasy XIV are also great primarily for spectacle reasons, and the music really helps.

25. A game with a cool art style

Besides what I said last time...

I really like the edgy vampire aesthetic of Code Vein, to no one's surprise.

42. Worst game you ever played?

Realistically, the true worst game I have played is probably one I dropped within minutes and then completely forgot about. There have probably been plenty like that, especially if you count browser games and the like.

However, the more interesting answer is probably just dropping the fact that I actually played Ultima 9 all the way through. I don't know what possessed me to do that. It was not pleasant in any way and I do not recommend it at all. It's actually much more painful if you have played any of the earlier games.

49. Hardest boss in gaming?

I don't know that there's a single hardest boss in a meaningful sense? Especially if you consider all the many different factors that go into defining difficulty and the ways in which difficulty can be customized.

For example, some RPGs have "iron man" modes where you don't get to reload a save if something goes wrong and if your whole party dies you just start over. This was actually kind of the default in some older games (although people have found ways around it even in the early days).

Are these bosses more difficult than ones that requires fast reflexes and a lot of technical skill and precision? I'm actually not sure. They're definitely a lot more discouraging and more difficult to retry, so it would probably take you a longer time to defeat them than to defeat something like Malenia or Ornstein & Smough.

Some bosses from those older eras are also just... yeah...

[theoryofweirdness]

1. Not really

2. Either A Link to the Past or the Oracle duology collectively.

3. Skyward Sword. I just love how she and Link are such good friends. Though Spirit Tracks is a very close second, since that's the game where Zelda has the most actual screentime.

4. That I've played? Probably Breath of the Wild. Unpopular opinion, I know. It's pretty and all, but there's only like eight unique items in the game (counting the Runes), and only like 12 unique enemies. It's a huge world that can be fun to explore, but everything just gets really samey after a while. Plus the story sucks.

5. Three-way tie between Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Wind Waker, with Ocarina of Time as a close second.

6. Adventure of Link. I've heard the horror stories.

7. Jabu-Jabu's Belly from OoT because it's just such a unique setting (the OoA version is technically the same, but it's both way more annoying and also doesn't feel as much like the actual insides of a creature); Stone Tower from MM because its main puzzle mechanic is just so creative; Goron Mines, Arbiter's Grounds, and Snowpeak Ruins from TP because they feel like actual locations with a specific in-universe purpose rather than just "random place full of monsters and treasure;" the Temple of the Ocean King and Tower of Spirits because I really like the "central superdungeon" idea (honestly don't know why TotOK is so hated; reach new item unlocks shortcuts, so it's not like you have to do the same thing every time); both of the timeshifted dungeons in SS (Lanayru Mining Facility and the Sandship) because I love that mechanic (and also for the same reason as the TP ones; Ancient Cistern from SS because I really like the sharp contrast between the bright and airy "upper world" and the dark, zombie-filled "underworld;" Sky Keep from SS because it ties together everything from all the other dungeons with a very challenging and fun puzzle mechanic. Basically I just think SS had top-tier dungeon design.

8. The Oracle duology, hands-down.

9. The postman from Twilight Princess. I don't know why everyone hates on Navi when this guy exists. WHY IN THE NAME OF DIN CAN'T I SKIP HIM?!!?!

10. Beetle from SS, Magnet Gloves from OoS, Bombchu and Hammer from PH, Ball and Chain from TP, and Double Clawshots from TP/SS.

11. Wind Waker. It's where he's got the most actual character.

12. Probably Twilight Princess. It's the first one I played through entirely on my own.

13. Overall? Much as I dislike the rest of BotW, I can't argue that its character design is top-notch. After that, it's a tie between Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess.

14. As in, which one do I prefer? That depends entirely on context. Design-wise, the Gilded Sword takes the cake, but Biggoron's Sword is probably the most satisfying given that it's the reward for such a difficult side quest, and the Master Sword of course has so much lore tied to it that it's practically another character…then Skyward Sword made that literally true.

15. If Skyloft counts, then that. Otherwise… hmm… the Temple of Time is cool, since it's one of the few constant locations that ties multiple games together.

16. Lorule because it answers the interesting worldbuilding question of "what happens if the Triforce is destroyed?"; the Great Sea because it's somehow exactly the right balance between full and empty to not be boring but still feel like a vast ocean; and New Hyrule because it's just so satisfying to ride the train around (plus that song slaps).

17. Probably Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask

18. Also Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask

19. Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask (three in a row!)

20. Too hard to pick. Not the Switch ones though… for the others, it just depends on which one I'm feeling nostalgic for at the moment.

21. Breath of the Wild

22. So hard to choose… OoT/MM is classic and has a spectacular three-game-spanning arc, but TP, SS, TWW/PH, and ST have so much more personality within their own games.

23. Spiritual Stones. They look the coolest.

24. Either A Link to the Past or A Link Between Worlds. Those had the biggest inventories. Though the Oracle games also both have a pretty unique lineup. TP's are cool but too many of them are sadly underused.

25. Tie between Midna and Spirit Zelda (ST) because they participate the most in the story and actively help Link out instead of just being lore dumps, with Ezlo in second and Tatl in third.

26. Oracle duology collectively, with TMC as a very close second.

27. Probably A Link Between Worlds.

28. The Wind Waker. We need more games where Link actually has a family.

29. Depends entirely on the game

30. That's a hard one… Ballad of the Goddess from SS and themes from both TWW and TP are all very good, but I'd probably go with TWW or SS since those themes are actually incorporated into the game itself instead of just being background music.

31. Jabu-Jabu's Belly from OoA, Sword and Shield Maze from OoS, Ganon's Tower from ALttP, or Eagle's Tower from LA. Those ones are brutal. Though I would say that Mermaid's Cave from OoA is the most annoying with constantly having to go in and out and no easy means of doing so.

32. Probably BotW/TotK. Much as I dislike their gameplay, the map design is top-notch and looks the most like an actual fleshed-out world.

33. Depends. I like when the two are mixed, like in SS.

34. Moldorm in ALttP. He appears in ALBW and LA as well, but is more reasonable in both. Other contenders are Ghirahim III and Demise from SS, Evil Eagle and Dodongo Snakes II from LA, Mothula and Ganon from ALttP, and Knucklemaster and Yuganon from ALBW.

35. Demise from SS, Ganon from ALttP, Yuganon from ALBW, Majora from MM (without the Fierce Deity Mask)

36. Skyward Sword. It filled in a lot of worldbuilding holes. Though LA was also pretty good with the whole dream world thing.

37. Assuming we're talking about normal enemies and not bosses/minibosses… Technoblins from SS are pretty annoying. So are the flying tiles from ALttP, especially in that one room where you can't just cheese them by staying in the doorway, but even with that, it's still really irritating to have to just stand there until they're finished.

38. Dead Hand from OoT

39. ALBW or SS. Maybe TWW.

40. The stupid motorcycle in BotW. And also the Sheikah Slate. Really just everything from there (and TotK) that looks like modern technology. It breaks the fantasy too hard.

41. Song of Healing because it's so moving, and Song of Storms and Saria's Song because I can play them.

42. Bunny Hood. It's the most useful one.

43. In original MM, Zora, because the swimming mechanics are so satisfying. In MM3D, I don't know… the Zora isn't as satisfying, but the other four (counting the Giant's Mask) are pretty much the same.

44. Biggoron's Sword trading sequence from OoT and Gratitude Crystals from SS. The latter is the only one I've never finished, thanks to that stupid harp minigame.

45. Also Biggoron's Sword from OoT, or Maiamais from ALBW. They have the most satisfying rewards and also aren't super annoying.

46. OoT 3D. The dungeon redesigns were AMAZING. It was like a whole entire new game.

47. Skyward Sword

48. I like all of them.

49. Depends on the game, they all have different stuff. Plus they all have different numbers of bottles, which makes the storage capacity more or less valuable of a commodity.

50. OoT Mirror Shield or SS Hylian Shield

🌟 TLOZ asks 🌟

1. Is there a Zelda game(s) that you associate with each season or time of year?

2. Favourite 2D title?

3. Favourite incarnation of Zelda?

4. Least favourite entry in the series?

5. Favourite LOZ soundtrack?

6. Is there a Zelda game that intimidates you/looks too hard?

7. Favourite dungeons?

8. Most underrated Zelda game?

9. Least favourite character in the series?

10. Favourite item?

11. Favourite Ganon characterization?

12. Which Zelda game has the most sentimental value to you?

13. What Zelda game, in your opinion, has the best character design?

14. Master Sword, the Four Sword, Great Fairy's Sword, the Koholint Sword, or the Biggoron Sword?

15. Favourite location within Hyrule?

16. Favourite location outside of/parallel to Hyrule (Termina, Lorule, Holodrum, Subrosia, the Dark World, Labrynna, the Great Sea, etc)?

17. Most atmospheric game?

18. Which Zelda game feels most mature to you?

19. Which Zelda game has the darkest story to you?

20. Favourite 3D title?

21. Prettiest Zelda game?

22. Favourite incarnation of Link?

23. The Pendants of Virtue, the Spiritual Stones, or the Goddess Pearls?

24. Game with most impressive/useful lineup of items?

25. Favourite companion (Midna, Ezlo, Navi, etc)?

26. Favourite handheld title?

27. Game with the best title (Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, Link's Awakening, etc)?

28. Most wholesome Zelda game?

29. Favourite item to use (aside from the sword & shield)?

30. Favourite title theme from a Zelda game?

31. Hardest dungeon played?

32. Game with the best map design?

33. Do you prefer puzzles or combat?

34. Game with the hardest boss?

35. Game with the hardest final boss?

36. Which game had the most engaging story, in your opinion?

37. Least favourite enemy?

38. Creepiest enemy?

39. Which Zelda game, in your opinion, had the most satisfying ending?

40. Most out-of-place thing in the series?

41. Favourite ocarina song?

42. Favourite non-transformation mask from Majora's Mask?

43. Favourite transformation mask from Majora's Mask?

44. Hardest sidequest in the series?

45. Best sidequest in the series?

46. Favourite remake/remaster (Ocarina of Time 3D, The Wind Waker HD, Link's Awakening for the Switch)?

47. Most fulfilling Zelda game?

48. Favourite graphical style within the games (cel-shading, realistic, 16-bit, etc)?

49. Favourite thing to keep in a bottle?

50. Favourite shield?

[dragon-communion]

I don’t think you’ve done the DLC yet and/or gotten to the Dragon Communion side quest? I believe you said you didn’t want spoilers but I think one ending of the side quest should be *immensely* interesting for a blog named Dragon Communion. (Well technically both endings should be, but one Moreso than the other)

I haven't actually beaten Radahn or Mohg on any of my characters yet, so! Most of what I know is from failed attempts at Matrix-dodging spoilers on Youtube and here. I've made my peace with the few spoilers I have, but I have avoided EVERYTHING about the dragons beyond whatever that Bayle meme is about and something about Placidusax's heads.

I plan on actually using my facecam when I stream the DLC so people can watch me go insane. And I WILL go insane.

Dragon communion ramble time:

The reason I love dragon communion is because it's thematically an utterly fascinating take on theophagy. Theophagy exists in multiple cultures, but it's particularly a primal parody of Catholic communion, which brings me immense satisfaction as someone raised off-brand Mormon. The "blood of Christ" was white grape juice. I call that weakness and cowardice.

So the idea of a communion not just involving real flesh and blood, and the flesh and blood of the god that in your hubris you are hunting and trying to become, but also the ritual aspect of how much suffering it takes to achieve that apotheosis, utterly fascinates me. You have to swallow tough heart-meat embedded with stones. What the fuck. That's hardcore.

I made an entire OC specifically to investigate and explain the Dragon Communion church and cathedral, because their positions and names imply a lot about where Dragon Communion came from and how it works. I also hardcore 100% believe the braziers we sacrifice hearts at are the Formless Mother's bloodflame.

Feel free to ask me more about any of this because I am utterly obsessed with the dragons.

[billconrad]

The All-Digital Recording Studio

    The year was 1993, and I had graduated from college as an Electrical Engineer. Yay! Unfortunately, the economy was in a significant slump, and engineering jobs for recent graduates were nonexistent. So, I moved to Orange County, where the hot jobs were. Yeah… And ended up making copies at Kinko’s. Blah!

    My prospects for the future were grim, and I decided that the only way out was to start a business. I had many ideas but wanted to concentrate on professional audio. This equipment makes records, live performances, and radio stations.

    I chose to develop a digital mixing board, a device combining audio from multiple sources. For example, a drum set has six or more microphones that must get combined or “mixed” down to two (stereo) (left and right).

    So, my epic quest began. I researched existing technology and then developed block diagrams to show what I wanted to create. With this inadequate preparation, I headed to the bank, explained my idea, and asked them to invest. After all, I had been putting my minimum wage earning from Kinkos there for a year, and surely they would come through with loads of cash. While the loan officer was friendly, I got a quick “no.” Why? It turns out that I needed an investor to fund my company, and banks only provide loans with your collateral. In hindsight, this is obvious, but I was young.

    After the shock wore off, I reasserted locating an investor and learned they wanted a business plan. This document would show a potential investor the financial and technical detail so they could quickly see if a new business had potential. So, I went to the bookstore and purchased three books. One of them even came with software! Unfortunately, each poorly written book had radically different approaches. Side note: The software was worthless.

    So, I picked out the best nuggets from each book, crafted an approach, and spent three months writing. And… Even I could see my plan was junk. But I had an ace up my sleeve.

    My mother had a friend who wrote business plans. Yay! Unfortunately, he saw my desperate plight as an opportunity to shake me down for money. Boo! (Side note: I keep using the word, unfortunately. Authors call this “foreshowing.”) Thankfully, there was good news. My father had a friend, and he took one look at my document, laughed, and identified the problems. Fortunately, he was patient and became my mentor.

    For the first time, I laser-focused on a document. Every sentence had a goal, and I treated it like a precious gem interlocked with other gemstones to form the perfect piece of jewelry. Never had I tried so hard to make something perfect.

    Unfortunately, the problem that started me down this path still existed. The economy was poor in 1993 and just as bad in 1994. I worked every angle to get my business plan in front of people. The “dot-com bubble” had not started, and nobody wanted to create a new company. I also had another problem I did not understand until years later.

    Investors, by definition, are wealthy and do not get rich by making mistakes. My business plan revealed I was a recent college graduate and did not have a team or a working product. These facts made my business a non-starter.

    I eventually dropped that project but learned a lot about business, life, people, finances, English, and documents. I had never focused so hard on my words and saw the power of a properly structured sentence. This knowledge and drive became the legacy of my failed effort. I like to think that I got an unofficial MBA and an unofficial degree in technical writing for my efforts. Yay???

    This was not the last time I tried to start a business and failed. In total, I made four attempts. The last one was an epic failure, but I thought I had solved the problems because I had dedicated partners, the right plan, and the right idea. What an expensive and glorious mess.

    The question remains. Would I change the past? One of my biggest regrets was not getting my master’s degree, and I should have spent the business plan time on this effort. It probably would have been easier. However, I am proud of my failed accomplishment because I can say, “I tried my best and learned a lot.” Painful lessons are often the best.

    So, I am glad I attempted to get The All-Digital Recording Studio off the ground. But what about my other three attempts? Those were all mistakes that I wish I could erase. So, if you have a time-traveling DeLorean, please drive it my way and send me back.

  You’re the best -Bill

  June 21, 2023

  Hey book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

  Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

  Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

  Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

  Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

  These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.

[arabellaflynn]

Advent Calendar 20: "Silly. Didn't you know? This IS Hades!"

Testing a video game is an involved process. There's a lot of content to get through. While simple platformers or shoot-'em-ups tend to derive their "playtime" from skill-building repetition, and visual novels from multiple story paths, RPGs tend to be 20+ hours just to get through the main linear plot, and run up to 60+ hours of "playable time" if you feel the need to 100% all of the side quests and minigames. Playtesting the very beginning of the game is easy -- just pop it in and start a new quest. But how do you check the rest of it? You cannot demand that your playtesters run through thirty hours of gameplay to test one thing you changed near the end and report back "yo, it's still broken".

Enter the "debug room".

In order to understand what these are and how they work, you need to know a little bit about how RPGs are constructed. The game tracks your progression through the plot through "flags", specific variables that are set to "true" once a condition is fulfilled, but remain set to the default "false" if it isn't. These flags record whether the player has viewed a particular cutscene, possesses a particular item, defeated a particular monster, attained (or exceeded) a particular level, or chosen a particular option in a conversation tree. Any time the player reaches a spot in the game where a story event may at some point occur, the game checks all of the relevant flags, and presents content based on what combination of them are set/unset.

As a simple example, let's say the player is supposed to see a short cutscene the first time they walk into a town, and only the first time. So every time the player walks into that town, the game checks to see if a flag called "town_already_visited" is set. If and only if the flag is still set to "false", the game plays that scene and then sets the flag to "true". If the flag is set to "true", then the scene is skipped. 

Obviously things get much more complicated in an RPG where there are a bazillion things the player needs to do in sequence to get to the end of the story. Technically, the Nth plot point depends on all of the preceding (N-1) plot points having been completed, but the list balloons very quickly, especially if the game offers alternate paths to achieve the same goals, so most of the time the programmer will just check for one or two of the most important things that must have happened to get the player to this point, and assume that all the conditions to meet those previous goals have also been fulfilled. This is what speedrunners are taking advantage of when they "sequence break" -- they work out what specific flags must be set to trigger other flags necessary to progress the game, and try to figure out alternate ways of getting them set so they don't have to go through the entire preceding chain of dependencies.

All of this boils down to the idea that testing "later parts of the game" isn't really testing "what happens after you've been playing for a long time", but "what happens when a specific combination of flags is set". So what a debug room does is give the testers a way to control which flags are set, one by one, without having to play through the events that would normally control them.

Why is it a debug room though? Well, the most orderly way to access the flags is through a set of nested menus. Games with simpler progression logic like platfomers or shmups usually just use a dedicated debug menu, with options to edit the player's health, number of lives, and power-ups, and then select which level to play directly. They're pretty small and a lot of times they're just left in the game code for release, with or without remembering to disable player access first. This would be a daunting proposition for an RPG, though. They are exponentially more complicated; you would basically have to build an entire temporary interface for all of the layered menus necessary to access all the variables that need to be tested, and playtesters would quickly get lost in the pages and pagers of hierarchical text. 

Instead of wasting time on that, programmers just build a menu system that is more visually navigable, hence easier to keep track of, using assets that are guaranteed to be there because they're used by the rest of the game. They create a map, or set of maps, disconnected from the maps that make up the player-accessible game world, and populate them with people or objects that can be interacted with to trigger text boxes with dialogue options that serve to navigate through the various story flags. RPG stories are generally organized into logical 'chapters' or 'sections' (which may or may not be made visible to the end user) with nested sequences of flags largely confined to that chapter. Once all of the chapter flags are set appropriately, the 'chapter end' flag is set, and the game moves on. Debug rooms are used as a quick and easy way to set either these big flags, or a series of smaller ones within chapters, and as a more universal way to change stats, equipment, or party members in games where you can swap characters in and out.

Perhaps the best-known debug room (at least in the English-speaking world) is the one in Final Fantasy VII. The game was a smash hit on Playstation, and the subsequent rapid release of the PC port allowed hackers to get into the debug room directly, without having to buy a cheat device like the GameShark as was necessary on the PSX release. TetraBit Gaming has an excellent overview of what's in there; if you want the more technical side of things, The Cutting Room Floor is a good place to start.

This one has for the most part been translated into English, as have many other examples. You may wonder why that happened, inasmuch as bug testing would have been completed on the Japanese original. For starters, the localization team may not have realized they were translating the dialogue in the debug room -- translators don't get a game script per se, just a big spreadsheet containing all of the individual dialogue bubbles and text labels in the game, row by row. They don't necessarily know where any of them occur until the first rough translation draft has been reinserted into the game, and testers can see them in context. The debug room is handy for that, so while they may not bother to fix typos or go back and translate anything they skipped the first time, they generally just leave whatever rough draft translations happened to land back in said debug room for the benefit of localization playtesters. Other "text" in the debug room may simply be graphics used as floor textures (or occasionally drawn using tiles, which the translators can't see because they don't get the map files), which are left alone.

There are a few cases where "debug rooms" were not used directly for testing, but as a creative error trap. One dude who worked on a bunch of Sega Genesis games got tired of having to track down bizarre bugs that relied on things almost no one would ever do, like leave the game running unattended for days on end, and started redirecting errors to a "secret time warp" in Toy Story, or "secret level select" in Sonic 3D. Rather than crashing, this allowed the game to quietly reset itself to a known good state so it could carry on. 

A similar error trap exists in The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, which drops Link into a "top secret room" whenever it loses its place during a map transition and can't figure out what room Link is supposed to be entering. There's an additional mystery attached to this one: The North American release calls it the "Chris Houlihan" Room, ostensibly named after a kid who won the honor as a prize in a contest run by Nintendo. In the three decades since, no one has ever come forward to identify themselves as the Chris Houlihan in question, and despite a fair amount of looking, no one has ever been able to find him. On top of that, no one has ever been able to track down the author of the first internet post describing how to get into the room, or pin down exactly when the discovery was made.

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[vampkomori]

lil 2.2 update ⭐ bonus content

weve got a bit of a better idea of what Order is now, but lets start with the obvious

when attempting to emo-dial one of the puppets during Sunday's prelude, the color of Clockie's iris is identical to Aventurine's. same colors, same order of colors. is it explicit confirmation that Gaiathra is tied to Ena? technically, no. but they also couldve gone for any other color combination for any of these, but they still chose to go for the magenta+violet+blue combo, so this is as good as confirmed to me.

does this mean anything? well it certainly puts Sunday's questions towards Aventurine in a bit of a different light. That is, if he knew about Sigonia's connection to Ena. Maybe he asked Aventurine if he can mind-control people because Sunday, with his HarmonOrder Powers, can? Who knows! This is a surprise tool that will help us later.

anyway i was just spitballing and not really intending to predict anything so im not gonna go through each paragraph saying "THIS was confirmed HERE and That was clearly-" because this is for fun.

ultimately Order is the Laws of basically everything, gravity, foundations of society, etc. At least, according to Sunday. and although they loved to avoid saying it, its also tied to Fate. I think they only mention fate by name like, once or twice, which i thought was funny because they were describing the notion of fate pretty thoroughly. to not make it obvious? Conspiracy-

Also, heres Dan Heng summarizing the idea about multiple paths that i tried to get across. in one sentence. thanks buddy

anyway. you know what drove me insane? its small. im the only one going insane over it. its just this teensy tiny little achievement you get for unlocking the Harmony Trailblazer.

nothing out of the ordinary. except... Nessun Dorma. huh. cute reference, it means "Let no one sleep" and the title of a musical opera piece, fitting the entire part of the plot where everyone needs to wake up from the sweet dream.

You- y-you know what else it is though? Darn thing was so familiar, surely ive seen it befo-

WHAT A COINCIDENCE.

sorry. this makes me go insane. its just- this is on purpose. there is no way theyd reference a characters banner title and not have it mean anything. they are explicitly tying Harmony to Kafka, or, the Stellaron Hunters as a whole

quick side tangent. i was conflicted on whether it even made sense to connect Elio to Order if the SH's entire mission is the opposite of Order. theyre all about freedom. its clear theres some kind of freedom/harmony-order juxtaposition going on and now with Kafka being connected to Harmony- well. they still have Order-esque imagery and symbolism- what with their script and all. but their Goal is harmony-esque. i dont have the foresight or capacity to entangle this web of symbolism but its clear theyre tied to Harmony/Order. anyway also heres some relevant screenies

whenever anyone mentions "destiny" or "script" i zoom in until i start seeing pixels

theres also this twitter thread. its lovely. i love it. it makes sense.

to summarize it, you can find a letter called "Death of the Crow" in Dreamflux Reef (even before finishing the main quest) and it implies that after the events of said quest, Sunday was/will be "invited" by someone called Cecil Simmes, with a bunch of references to Edgar Allan Poe and his poem "The Raven".

the op points out that in chinese, Cecil is actually written the same way as the name of the protagonist of Ghost Trick, "Sissel". They do spoil the game, so watch out for that if you havent played it yet, but it definitely makes the connection to Elio make Sense. Theres a cat involved, and as seen in Kafka's trailer, Elio might have a cat form.

Also, Poe has a short story called The Black Cat and. theres just a lot, especially Elio and the SH's connection to Harmony/Order.

im not really going anywhere with this, theres too little to go off of. but we can definitely assume that Sunday was "invited" by Elio, either to join the Stellaron Hunters or.. for something else.

Also, there was a narrator with a unique boyish voice at one point, which couldve been Elio, too. but i digress.

so, i cant find the source or a screenshot so i didnt want to include it, but i also dont want to not mention it. so ill mention it, but bare in mind that iiiiii currently cant find the source. if you happen to have it on hand, id love to add the source.

basically, Black Swan gives us some lore on Emanators, and the basic gist is that Emanators can turn their backs on the paths they are Emanators of. So, to visualize it with a theoretical example: if someone was made an Emanator of Abundance, but through circumstances ended up disagreeing with the path of Abundance, they can end up following, say, the path of Destruction despite still being an Emanator of Abundance. Mostly i bring it up because of the confusing relationship between Elio's script and the Stellaron Hunters' "goal". the idea is that, if Elio was an Emanator of Order, he couldve turned his back on the path of Order and started following Harmony instead. highly theoretical though. im just spitballing again.

i dont have any concluding remarks. im very excited to see if were getting Stellaron Hunter Lore with Firefly's release next patch. yippee!

Ena the Order is the concept of conforming to Fate, and Elio is an Emanator of Order

welcome to my pre-2,2 theory, i got carried away.

for those yet unaware, theres been a theory flying around that the Goddess of Sigonia, Gaiathra Triclops, is a folkloric interpretation of Ena the Order, on account of the iris of Ena's eye having the same colors as Aventurine's. we can go much further with this though.

(Aventurine's pupils are diamond-shaped, but little Kakavasha has round pupils. its likely that diamond-shaped pupils are a result of becoming a Stoneheart, because Topaz also has diamond-shaped pupils, and Aventurine used to not have them. but i digress)

Anyway, Gaiathra=Ena. Gaiathra is described as a left palm with 3 eyes, arguably Ena also has 3 eyes- two closed ones on their face, and one massive, open eye floating around them.

Gaiathra "reigns over all matters related to fertility, travels, and trickery." (Sigonia, Planar Ornament Relic Set) and is said to have been the one to bestow Aventurine with his luck.

but first: What is Order? Based on the words alone, youd think Order would have more in common with Equilibrium, but evidently that wasnt the case. Considering it was assimilated into the Harmony, it must have overlaps with that though, since the broader path is the one that absorbs the narrower one if their concepts are too similar. So, if Harmony is unity and peace, the idea of everyone joining a happy paradise, then how did the Harmony manage to absorb Order?

"I am filled with curiosity about how THEY swallowed up Order. The hymns of Xipe continue to spread and grow, occasionally overseen by ideology. In contrast, Ena's harmonic songs seems to align within a three-dimensional framework, akin to an emperor maintaining hierarchical order among all creatures. While there may be some overlap between THEIR Paths, the ancient Order is enormous in size, and swallowing THEM would prove far from effortless... Among the Aeons, there exist countless enigmas that surpass my own speculations." - Dev Log for Xipe in Simulated Universe, Herta's comment

Herta doesnt know either, and by all means a freshly ascended Aeon should not have an easy time absorbing someone as ancient as Ena- that is, unless Ena intended for it to happen.

This is a lot of establishing facts before i get to the meat of things. We still dont technically know what Order even is, so lets try figure it out!

"The planets governed by Ena adhere staunchly to established rules, yet I must acknowledge that the various calamities in the cosmos were all hindered by Ena's guardianship, leading to extremely efficient development of civilization among diverse planets. Interestingly, however, civilizations all eventually hit rock bottom because of Order. The ancient planets that once fervently worshiped Order would shine briefly before their total collapse... Perhaps this is the "Path" of these planets." - Dev Log for Ena in Simulated Universe, Herta's comment

So: Order is the concept of adhering to a predetermined outcome- their "path". Ena observes humanity "gazing into a crystal orb containing the cosmos" and ensures that they all follow their predetermined path of Fate. None may go astray, no outside influence may interfere, no matter what fate awaits them, they must follow their set path.

"THEIR voice is composed of syllables sequencing the rise and fall of civilizations in accordance with the Aeon's path."

Ena has the ability to foresee the future, as they dont just sequence the rise, but also the fall of civilizations. They are inherently impartial, just, things are destined to happen and so they see to it that they happen. Order is the concept of conforming to Fate, if a planet is destined to be destroyed by a calamity, then Ena guides it to that outcome.

However, Aeons, despite being concepts, arent just concepts, they have some semblance of sentience, self-awareness. they have goals, they make deals, though humans are unable to comprehend them.

So, Ena conforms to fate, but what is the purpose of doing so? Ena can see the future, but we know Kafka. there isnt just ONE future, theres a lot of futures, and endless paths. So its logical to assume that Ena, by being able to see the fates of civilizations, can actually see the endless amount of paths towards all possible fates, and personally chooses which path is specifically followed. and for the sake of the theory, lets assume Ena is benevolent and guides humanity towards the most fortunate fate (though even the most "fortunate" of fates can still end in destruction)

Before Ena was assimilated into the Harmony, they made a deal with Qlipoth the Preservation: Qlipoth will bring an end to Tayzzyronth the Propagation (as they are interfering with the predetermined Fates of planets) and in turn Ena will help Qlipoth against Oroboros the Voracity somehow (likely foreseeing its Fate and interfering with it). Qlipoth held up their end of the bargain, but Ena was assimilated before they were able uphold their part, which is interesting

We know theres something fishy about the Orders assmiliation into Harmony- it doesnt make sense, especially knowing that Ena foresees the future, and is likely aware of their own fate.

Heres where we remember that Gaiathra is also a goddess of trickery. Theres two possibilities:

Ena foresaw their own "demise" and made a deal with Qlipoth knowing they wouldnt be able to follow through on their part of the promise

Ena, able to see multiple paths for the future, foresaw that being assimilated into Xipe would lead them towards the most fortunate one, so they let themselves be absorbed on purpose, as the Harmony would not have been able to absorb the Order otherwise. The deal was just a bonus.

Either way, Ena would have known of the future, and making a deal shortly before the assimiliation of their path is clearly a scheme- they get something great out of it, and dont have to follow up on it.

Heres where we bring up Elio (and the Stellaron Hunters). We actually still dont know what path they follow, and isnt that so interesting? What path could possibly include following a "script" to ensure a certain future? hmmm

sounds like Order to me!

Elio possesses the ability to foresee future possibilities and the paths that lead towards them. Essentially, the exact ability that Ena is shown to possess. All the futures look pretty bleak though, except for one, which hes trying to achieve by making sure to follow that exact path: his "script". the very definition of Order.

Note also that despite Enas assimiliation, their faction can still exist. After all, Idrila the Beauty is also gone, but the Knights of Beauty still roam around. The path of a deceased or assimiliated Aeon can still be upheld even if the Aeon no longer exists.

Anyway, Elio is basically upholding Ena's legacy by ensuring that we adhere to fate, and guides us towards the most fortunate one. His ability is far too powerful though, so its safe to assume hes an Emanator, since theyre considered to be "as good as emissaries of the Aeons' wills"

*As a bonus, Gaiathra also reigns over "all matters related to 'travels'". if you stretch the definition a little, "travels" could refer to the idea of embarking on paths towards fate. you "travel" on a path, after all.

Theres also this interesting little tidbit here:

"THEY are always so symmetrical and so equal. If we were to rank those most sublime beings, only the Voracity and the Permanence can stand toe-to-toe with the Equilibrium's antiquity... Oh, and also the Order. After Ena disappeared, the Equilibrium's duties have only grown greater. Then, how would HooH perceive Nanook?"- Dev Log for HooH in Simulated Universe, Herta's comment

The fact that Nanook is brought up is pretty funny as theyre the youngest Aeon, and since only the most ancient ones would be able to stand "toe-to-toe" with HooH, youd think as the youngest, Nanook wouldnt stand a chance against them. but they were brought up regardless, in tandem with Ena no less

Coincidentally, Nanook is also the Aeon that Elio wants the Trailblazer to defeat too. Curious! You could say that it is the Will of the Order to see the fall of the Destruction? anyway,

HooH's duties "have grown only greater" since Ena disappeared, meaning that they must have overlapped in some way before, but coexisted. (similarly to how the Remembrance and Preservation coexist, possibly) We dont know much of anything about Equilibrium yet though, so lets put that aside.

Lets talk about luck.

Luck is just chance. The results of "chance" are left up to "fate". We know that not all choices or events matter in the grand scheme of things. Theres endless possible paths, so rolling a 1 or a 6 doesnt matter because it will still lead you onto the same destiny. Luck is irrelevant to fate, it does not influence it. Luck only influences how you arrive at it.

So how do you reconcile that with Order? if Order is staunchly adhering to fate, observing humanity to ensure they all end up on the "right" path, then how does chance, luck, happenstance, fit into all this?

Luck is the ultimate Order, because there is only ONE path that luck can take: the most fortunate one. It does not influence your fate however, luck only influences which one of the countless paths towards your fate you end up on. and always being lucky narrows your potential paths down to just one.

This is also why Nihility was the natural conclusion for Aventurine. If you realize that no matter what you do, you cannot change the outcome of your choices, then you realize its futile and decide to succumb to it. youll always win, so whats the point? Thats Nihility: succumbing to Fate, the inevitability of everything, realizing your choices dont matter. When youre lucky and everything you do leads to the same result then you start to think that maybe nothing matters.

Back on track though. Fate, despite being predetermined, is not singular. as in, theres predetermined fates (plural) waiting for you at the end of your path. theres multiple endings. Luck means you have less paths to end up on but luck does not influence the end goal.

In a way, what Elio is trying to do is very similar to what Aventurines "luck" does: he wants to end up on a very specific path that leads him to a very specific fate, and luck leads you onto one single path, theoretically making it easier to achieve certain fates. Its an interesting parallel.

"Blessing" someone with luck seems a bit too hands-on for someone like Ena, so while we might never know why Aventurine was blessed specifically, we can kind of see it as a sort of trial-run. Ena does not interfere, does not "defy" fate, but bestowing luck onto someone to narrow down their futures is a bit like interference- except its not, only on a technicality. theyre still adhering to the set paths that exist, after all, im not changing fate, what are you talking about? look, hes still on one of your predetermined paths. the fact that he cant go onto other paths is irrelevant if he still ends up at one of the predetermined endings.

As a note though, Ena is not Fate itself. Ena adheres to fate and ensures that humanity follows it. Nihility is basically succumbing to fate and thinking its inevitable and change is futile, and I guess you could see Harmony as the concept of circumventing fate- instead of arriving at one of your predetermined endings, how about you get assimilated into our harmonious hivemind and experience eternal bliss? (lets wait on that 2.2 harmony lore-drop before saying anything about that though)

got off track a little. basically, Ena's Order is the concept of conforming/adhering to Fate. potentially, in their era, Fate was a singular end, because they were the one to guide humanity onto certain paths and towards certain ends (which is why civilizations thrived but ultimately still collapsed). Enas assimiliation was on purpose, although we can only speculate on the reason. so i will. heres my speculation:

Ena is not Fate itself, but a Guide. seeing the countless possible paths and possible fates for humanity, they foresaw the same thing that Elio foresees- a terrible End at the hands of the Destruction that may affect humans and Aeons alike. potentially, Enas Will mightve been to avoid that (but remaining within the confines of fate, not defying it) so they set in motion the steps needed to embark on said path, which necessitated their assimilation into Harmony. if Enas reign caused the Fates of humans to be "set in stone", then Enas disappearance could be seen as humans regaining the ability to choose their own paths, their own fate. Essentially, Enas disappearance wouldve been necessary in order to even create the possibility of an "alternate ending" and leaving the choice up to humanity.

anyway thats the conclusion thanks for coming, godspeed if you read the whole thing. im bad at keeping things short and concise. and i started rambling near the end

as a disclaimer: these are vague thoughts and i change my view on things often. if we get new info in the future that says this was all nonsense then thats that. im not trying to convince anyone. just offering a perspective for funsies

[sea-owl]

You rang for a Percy Jackson Bridgerton AU? Long ago, it was said that the Godess of love showed favor on the the Bridgerton family and gave them her blessing. Meanwhile, Violets side was blessed by Hera for being so faithful and nurturing. Now you get to the modern Bridgertons. None of them have been lucky with love. The story really starts after Colin and Eloise find out Penelope is Whistledown and are not happy about it. Poor Penelope can’t exactly tell them she saw horrible futures for them and this was the only way to avoid it. It’s not like she could tell Colin that Marina got knocked up with a demigods child or that Theo was really a monster out to steal Eloise’s soul! Anyways they are ranting to their siblings about this all while walking out of a restaurant when a monster attacks them out of nowhere. Luckily Kate and Sophie arrived in time to save their hides (after getting a frantic call from Penelope). Realizing they have no idea what is going on, the bring them to camp half blood where the Bridgertons luck is about to change.

Cue Michael flirting with Francesca, Benedict trying to find Sophie who keeps alluding him somehow, Anthony being annoyed and turned on by the snarky woman who saved him, and Colin and Eloise now freaking out that Penelope has seen them die or have something bad happen to them. Multiple times. It’s not fun for her. That and Colin is not happy that apparently Penelope frequently gets sent on dangerous quests with the Aphrodite guy flirting with his sister and the brother of the man who knocked up Marina.

Ya'll trying to force me to figure out Gareth and Lucy's godly parents aren't you? Please don't leave me in the dark ya'll, someone please give suggestions.

Okay so since I refuse to do a full on crossover fic, cause I don't got the brain power, ya'll are going to get the vaguest details from Percy Jackson, like world building only stuff.

Some maybe helpful backstory because I don't know how to fit it in. Lady Danbury's family are blessed by Hecate and they are tasked with the protection and training of the demigods. The camp is technically on her land that's been in her family for generations.

So let's set this world up:

Heroes, monsters, and gods. It's the thing of myths and legends but there was no other way to describe that thing that attacked them.

Agatha Dambury ("That's Lady Danbury Bridgertons!") and the woman next to her, who insisted they call her Auntie H, led the eight siblings around the well honestly it looked like a summer camp.

"So why were we attacked by those. . . monsters?" Anthony asked. He could tell his siblings were itching to ask the same thing.

Auntie H gave them a sympathetic smile. "Children of Echidna to be more precise."

Eloise scoffed. "I see you read Lady Whistledown."

Lady Danbury laughed. "The children here would be fools not to. It takes a lot of effort to exposing the disguises monster's and spies' use. While you mortals think it nothing more than a gossip blog it has saved many demigods lives."

"Sirens, Mormones, Chimeras, the names of the Roman and Greek demigods who would rather start a war than live peacefully with their family," Auntie H started listing off. "They all have been listed for the safety of others. So many demigods and legacy children have been saved since we found a way for demigods to use technology, the Lady Whistledown blog included."

"You Bridgertons are a blessed family, quite literally. You all have been born with the blessings of my sister and my niece. Sadly with those blessings it has given you all a certain smell that attracts monsters."

Daphne wrinkled her nose. "A smell?"

"Normally it's only a smell attached to those brats. But with those blessings you all smell like them now."

Ever impatient Eloise lets out a huff. "Whose them and what is this place?"

"This is Camp Half-Blood, well the European camp at least. Our main camp is in the United States since that is where Olympus is located now too, but my family does tend to take trips around the world which more often than not leads to children."

"You keep saying demigods," Colin said. "Do you mean like actual demigods, half mortal and half god? Like Hercules, Achillies, Perseus, and Helen?"

"I see you know our history." Auntie H nodded. "And yes. Camp Half-Blood is where we train the children to survive monsters, creating a safe haven for them."

"So what happens to us? We are not demigods, but you say we smell like them. Should we be worried about them attacking again?" Anthony asked.

"That's what the children are discussing in their meeting right now," Lady Danbury said. "While it won't be all of them the councilors who can come on such short notice have been deciding what we do with you. This is their home after all."

That's when Lady Danbury and Auntie H led them into a room. It was a regular looking meering room. A round table sat in the middle with 11 chairs occupied. Some the Bridgertons recognized, others they didn't. At the urging of Auntie H the Bridgertons took seats.

Lady Danbury tapped her cane to the floor. "Alright, introduce yourselves to the overly blessed Bridgertons."

The first to stand up was someone Anthony recognized. "Simon Bassett, son of Zeus."

The next to stand was a girl with olive brown skin and dark auburn hair. "Ofelia Lopez, daughter of Poseidon."

Next was a bubbly girl with longest hair out of the whole group. "Astrid Grimsson, daughter of Hades."

The next guy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Phillip Crane, son of Demeter."

His friend next to him held no such awkwardness as he bodly stood up and winked at Francesca. "Michael Stirling, son of Aphrodite."

An Indian girl stood up, rolling her eyes at Michael. The Bridgertons reconized her as one of the people who saved them. "Kate Sharma, daughter of Athena."

The next one to stand could only be described as big. "Thomas O'Neill, son of Hephaestus."

The girl after only raised her cup. "Marie Beaufoy, daughter of Ares."

The next one to stand kept her gaze directed at the wall, eyes glazed over. "Penelope Featherington, daughter of Apollo."

The blonde girl stood after, giving Penelope a shoulder squeeze. She was the other one who saved them during the attack. "Sophie Beckett, daughter of Hermes."

The last one with dyed purple hair stood. "Logan Smith, son of Dionysus."

"So have you all come to a verdict?" Auntie H asked.

Simon stood back up. "We have. After learning the Bridgertons have the smell of low-level demigods and having Penelope seeing no future where it turns out in their favor should we turn them away we agreed that the Bridgertons should stay here to at very least learn how to defend themselves."

Lady Danbury banged her cane against the floor again. "Then it's settled. Meeting adjourned."

The demigods got up and gave a word or nod to the Bridgertons as they walked out. Sophie and Phillip helped Penelope onto Michael's back, her eyes still glazed over. The two to stay seated was Simon and Kate.

"I'm going to help the boys get Penelope to her cabin and talk to them about setting up some archery training sessions," Sophie said before running after the other three.

"Is Pen okay?" Colin asked.

"She's just tired," Simon answered. "Penelope's father is the god of prophecy which led her to being born with the power to see the future. We had her over do it today and her gift can wear her out if she searches too many futures at once." Simon snickered at the thought of something. "By the way she does plan to yell at all of you first chance she gets."

"But onto your training," Kate interupted.

Simon plaryfully rolled his eyes.

"We'll start with sword training tomorrow and then work our way around other weapons. Once we find what you all are good at then we'll push forward." Kate stood up. "Prepare yourselves. Just because you're all mortal doesn't mean we'll go easy on you."

"Well isn't she fun," Anthony snarked.

"More fun than our roman family members," Simon joked.

[meili-sheep]

For vigilante au:

So you know how in Inazuma theres like light novels and manga and doujins about real life interesting people? Like the technically isekai Raiden Shogun one, the one abt yae miko which i forgot whats about, heck theres even like-- a quest where you write your own light novel based on your own adventures.

So what if. The three of them. Have their own light novels. Surprisingly enough, it was DILUC who proposed the idea-- he explained that kaeyas been snooping around his business too much and that its starting to interfere with his more private affairs aka the bully brigade missions.

If he does this, it gives him something else to investigate as he plans for the novels to be chock full of really personal details that no normal bystander or whatever would know. Its mostly harmless personal info tho. Yelan and Ayato are shocked at his brazen-ness and go all in as well with their own light novel series based on their own vigilante identities. Ayato is the one bringing the works to the Yae Publishing House claiming that its stuff made by independent anonymous writers or just like-- literally hires people to be the face of the author if they ever snoop a little too hard.

Yelan writes it herself, Ayato and Ayaka do a collaborative effort (they really enjoy it because its a perfectly valid excuse to spend time together despite their busy schedules), and Diluc paid Hillie and Moco to write it since they gossip around all day, making them really good at making up stories. Diluc is their editor, he lets them go fucking feral with the plot and wildly mischaracterize everyone. Hes just there to check for grammmatical errors and consistency.

Yelan's novel is very "proud", very "self-praising" but there are a few moments in there that get really serious and emotional despite its tone. Ayato and Ayaka's novel is the most normal. Mostly because Ayaka, being the young girl that she is, has read a LOT of light novels (you literally pick up multiple of them in the Kamisato mansion) and knows how to write it in that format. Ayato is there to inject as much crack as possible into the novel, JJBA style.

Eventually they form the DC Universe of Teyvat, with each of their respective vigilante personas as the Big Three of DC, and all because Diluc wanted to throw Kaeya off his tail a little more.

The first official Darknight Hero light novel is a BL story between Diluc and the Darknight Hero. It has ALL the tropes and is just-- its fanfiction. Its basically fanfiction. I made a title. Here it is:

"The Uncrowned King and his Darknight: The story of a forbidden romance from two sides of the sun"

All the chapter titles are based off times of day, one of the chapters is titled "the Frostwind Swordman's Death After Noon" and the entire chapter is just setup for how lightnovel!kaeya is the antagonist because hes the one "trying to tear them apart". Its actually the chapter that got him off Diluc’s back since it has a lot of personal details abt him and Diluc, mostly harmless but still concerning.

The chapter that made him stay off his back is titled "the things that happen after dark/dusk". Its smut. Diluc had to read through it and edit it with his own two eyes and hands. Compared to the rest of the book, this part is really high quality. Mostly because Hillie and Moco got too flustered halfway through and Diluc had to take over. That chapter was the one where Hillie and Moco became the editors. Kaeya is horrified and Diluc does not know how hes keeping a straight face rn. Yelan and Ayato tease him for going so hard on his selfcest fanfic AHAHAHA

It ends on a cliffhanger and theres so many red herring hints to as to who the Darknight might be. Kaeya knows that theyre all probay red herrings but FUCK it has too many details so he has to investigate eVERYTHING--

Ok.... But Albedo is in on and does illustrations. Because he's interested in seeing people's reactions to these. And I can see Millie and Moco's writing actually being really good. With Diluc's honest editing and a touch of elegance to the story, it is probably the highest quality of the three, and Albedo's illustrations are just the whipped cream on top.

And I really beat Yea Miko has an absolute hay day with it and loves promoting it. Cause not only does it make her serious cash, but she's relatively interested in the story herself and knows Ayato knows that author and that the author is most likely the Darknight hero trying to help conceal his identity, but she doesn't push it cause ya know... It would ruin everything.