#There may be more questions I haven’t thought of yet! I just love the lore in any Zelda games I've played

[kbluebirdart]

There are still a lot of questions about Eow...

Major spoilers ahead

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Why did Echo of Ganon capture Zelda?

because Null may not know that Zelda could receive sanctions from the goddesses to access the prime energy in the first place or did he? But it wasn’t until she fixed the rift at Hyrule Castle, right? Did I miss smth...

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Why is there no Master Sword? I presume even the sword can’t survive through the endless passage of time

or... maybe, could it be save for DLC? a sequel? (is that possible?? but this should save us Zelda fans from dying (lol) while waiting for the next 3D Zelda game if actually happens)

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Zelda can only rely on Tri with his power in this game. but where's her magic power?

like goddess power? telepathic ability? summon bow of light? Nope. She’s very much the athletic type and relies on her wisdom and courage like Link here.

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Have people forgotten about the Triforce, similar to Botw? even the goddesses and the Deku tree call its name the Prime Energy now

The Triforce symbol is still around, but people really don’t call it Triforce anymore. could this kinda imply that the game must be set far, far into the future after A Link Between Worlds?

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since Null is now gone, could Eow be the final game in the fallen timeline??

Someone pointed out that Demise and Null might be one and the same. In the Japanese version of Skyward Sword, Demise is at one point called an "incarnation of the void." Now Null is gone...forever?

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the goddess statue is in the basement under the Hyrule Castle which means people no longer care about her...??

ever since the hero of time was defeated then...could this be the reason why the magic power that was inherited to every princess of Hyrule fade away??

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all of these lead to... or are they just ditching the old lore away?? but still, connected with the timeline or anything else? And jokingly..., why is there no nighttime in the game, except at the start of the game? Did they forget to include it?😅 so many questions lol

[certainlynotasimp]

OH MY GOD. THE WAY I JUST SCREAMED IN MY PILLOW BECAUSE OF YOUR NEW SUNNY FIC AGDGJAEGAJAVSG ITS SOSOSOS CUTE I CANT BREATHEHEHEHEHE. it got me thinking…sunny and miggy are perfect for the one bed trope 😭😭😭😭😭 just imagine miggy acting like it doesn’t effect him, sleeping in the same bad as sunny. i’m already giggling thinking about it. PLEASE WRITE A FIC ABOUT IT WHEN YOU HAVE THE TIME 😭🙏

As Warm As You.

Miguel O’Hara x Female! Reader

A/N: OMG! Thank you so much for the love and the request! 💕🤍 I personally never read anything from this trope, but I think I made something that can satisfy your fluffy craving😅. But I added some Sunny lore, so maybe this will make up for my ignorance. I’m also sorry it’s kinda short.

A/N: I haven’t seen the movie yet, but this shouldn’t be harmed by it maybe. Also I would like to say that I am using Google Translate for the Spanish phrases I use, so if you are fluent in Mexican Spanish (I think that’s what you call phrases and sayings more common in Mexico.), please comment some criticism my way. Thank you!🤍

Warnings: Trauma, Nightmares, comfort, fluffy bits, One Bed, Miguel is a secret softie, No Use of YN ((Sunny is her nickname, not her name name)), Female pronouns, Google Translate Spanish, Established relationship?

——————-

“Ben?…Ben!”

The little spider’s scream cuts through the screeching sirens. The smog hung around the air as the dying flames stained the sky. Too many flames…Too many places to be at once.

The red staining the dark costume caused bile to build up as the search becomes more desperate.

I have to find him.

The dull pain from nails bending and breaking as the rumble falls around her shaking frame. The choked panting caused the Doctor to find his friend quite easily. His friend desperately searching for something. Someone.

Why can’t I find him?

The question is answered with a patch of dark hair appears under a pile of rumble, the tips stained in red. There was so much…why is there so much…

A howl of pain rings out of the young woman’s throat as she clings to the body, her mentor just steps behind her, helpless as to how he can help her.

No one can help her. Like how no one helped her Ben.

——

A faint flash of orange alerts the sleeping man out of his endless dream. He looks around and doesn’t notice anyone at first. Miguel sighs, his paranoia running wild as he almost thought an enemy broke into his apartment, not that it would be a first. As he lays back down to sleep, a slight drag against the floor brings the hairs on the back of his neck to life.

He may not have a spider-sense, but he certain knew when someone was watching him. His talons burrow at as the sound patters closer to his bed. With out hesitation, he lunges towards the noise, his hands catching the form of an invisible figure as he rams them into the wall. A yelp with a whiff of vanilla and lavender stops him from ripping the invisible person’s throat out.

“Cariño?…” Miguel whispers as he retracts his claws. A faint whimpering emerges from the solid unseen being in front of him as her body materializes in the moonlight. The lines of her spider suit glowing an ethereal green as her mask disintegrates, revealing her tear stained face.

“What are you doing?” His eyebrows furrow as he looks at her suspiciously, despite knowing that she was the only one he knows wouldn’t hurt him. His mind blurs his confusion and frustration as he steps back to allow her to recover from being slammed into the wall. Certainly there wasn’t a big enough emergency that the beloved residential ray of sunshine would leave her room at The Lobby to break into his dimension, and bedroom to come get him.

“You know better than to use the gizmo to…” His scolding comes to a halt when the young woman hugs his figure, burning her head into his firm chest.

His shirt becomes wet with her tears as she sobs. The realization hits him as she whimpers into his touch.

She had the dream again.

No. She had the memory again.

His arms wrapped around her short frame as he buried his nose into her hair. Her scent filled the hole of sorrow her cries burned into him. As he rubs her back, her cries eventually stopped as she pulls away from him, an apology already waiting on her lips.

“I’m sorry, Miggy…it was really bad this time…” She mutters as she tries wiping her tears away as she forces a shy smile.

She felt ashamed for bothering him. Miguel was a busy man and she could have just stayed in her room at The Lobby, but the screams were too much.

His screams were too much.

Miguel doesn’t respond as he heads over to his dresser, pulling open a drawer. His face remaining emotionless as he retrieves a sweatshirt that sparked her familiarity.

The old gray crew neck sweatshirt with a fraying collar and mysterious stains along the sleeves. The old golden initials of NYU were cracked and picked apart due to many trips in the wash and anxious tendencies. A faint blush appears as she remembers the first time she ever saw that sweatshirt, the memory being one of her favorite…it was the first time she felt so warm since that day…

Miguel attracts her attention again when he rolls up the fabric in his hands and forces the neck over her head. Her hair sticking awkwardly as she peers up at Miguel in awe at how caring he was despite his annoyed expression.

“Brazos arriba, Sunshine.” He whispers as he helps her arms through the sleeves. She blindly follows him like a student being instructed. The taller spider stands back as he raises an eyebrow expectantly.

“I appreciate that you enjoy the suit I made you, mi luz.” Miguel states with a slight teasing smile. “But you probably wanna be more comfortable for bed.”

“Oh yea…” The small spider blushes in embarrassment as she disintegrates her suit back into her gizmo device. A shiver travels up her spine as the cold air on her legs, leaving her almost exposed except for the old sweatshirt.

“Now then,” Miguel sighs as he walks back over to his bed and crawls back under the covers. “I have several meetings in the morning, so I need to sleep.”

The little spider shuffles in her spot for a few moments as Miguel closes his eyes, getting ready to sleep again. With a nail between her teeth, the girl heads for the door to go find the couch when Miguel clears his throat. She turns back to look at him when she sees the covers beside him pulled back. Miguel’s open eye glaring at her as he groans. “It would be a lot easier for me to leave in the morning if you are in here and not in my way.”

A warm smile forms on her face as she excitedly comes into his bed. Miguel’s front facing her as his burgundy gaze burns with false annoyance and exhaustion. Miguel sighs as he feels the smaller being’s weight snuggles into his broad chest as expected.

“Thank you, Miggy.” She whispers. Her eyes peering up at him with gratitude and an emotion that only shines for him, his own secret that he will die to keep to himself.

Miguel rolls his eyes as his eyes meet hers, his warm cheeks hidden by the darkness. “Go to sleep, Cariño. You’re gonna need it for training.”

She giggles as she wraps her arms around his waist like a teddy bear. “Sweet Dreams, mi bonita araña..” She mumbles as she closes her eyes. His warmth fills the coldness of her nightmares as sleep draws her to peaceful breaths. Miguel remains frozen for a few moments as he makes sure she is deep in REM sleep before his gaze softens.

His rapidly beating heart acts as her lullaby as he places a kiss on her crown.

“Sweet dreams, mi vida…” He whispers into her scalp as his arms loom around her, acting as her shield before he slips into a sweet slumber in his light’s embrace.

[dalishious]

Veilguard Companion First Impressions

So, I’ve finally recruited all the companions for the Veilguard! And as such, I thought I’d share my initial thoughts on them each.

Please keep in mind that as the title says, these are just my first impressions. I am nowhere near finishing the game yet. My thoughts very well may change after getting to know the characters more as the story progresses. Also, please do not take any opinions you do not share as a personal attack against you.

Bellara

Bellara might be my #1 favourite.

I’ve seen some people just say Bellara is “a Merrill rip-off” but I don’t think that’s fair at all. If all it took was a few similarities to say a character is a rip-off of another character, than I can think of so many boring white cishet male characters who would be guilty of that. But heaven forbid we get more than one elven woman who is passionate about her people’s culture and history!

Frankly, I think Bellara is a breath of fresh air in terms of Dalish characters specifically. Finally, a Dalish elf who isn’t punished for being proudly Dalish by the narrative.

I also really appreciate that so much of her can be easily understood by her backstory, too. Like, her feelings of never being good enough is reflective of the very realistic grief she is experiencing.

Lucanis

If Bellara isn’t my #1 favourite, then Lucanis is. They really both dominate that spot neck in neck. I can’t decide if I want to put him in a jar and shake it to see what happens, or wrap him up tight in a quilt and give him some good coffee.

I’m just a sucker for Lucanis’s character archetype, is the thing. I love taking him out simply because he’s so much fun to have around. And in terms of companion arcs, his is the one I am most intrigued to see where it goes.

Taash

(While I haven’t personally gotten to Taash’s non-binary plot yet, I am aware Taash switches to they/them pronouns, so that’s what I’ll be using.)

The moment I met Taash felt my heart skip a beat. The only thing hotter than their appearance is their voice. I know BioWare probably left Taash out of a lot of the advertising because they wanted to keep Taash’s gender stuff a surprise, but oh my god, because of this I was taken by quite the surprise. And so far Taash seems to be the type to keep a hard outer shell to protect a much softer side, and that is yet another character archetype I really love.

Davrin

My initial gripe about Davrin’s writing being so exclusively about Assan rather than Davrin himself is slowly peeling away, I hope. While I still think its bullshit that you can welcome Assan into the Veilgaurd but not Davrin, at least I’ve finally gotten a few bits of dialogue to get to know more about him finally. I just want to keep this momentum! Because Davrin as a concept has so much potential, in my opinion, and what little bits I have gotten from him have captivated me. But I can’t tell yet if it’s intentionally part of his character that maybe he’s just a closed off person who takes a while to trust others, (a little like Taash?) Or if the writer just cared more about griffons than the actual guy. I’m really, really holding out hope for the former.

Emmrich

Emmrich is so much more charming than I expected, and I found him instantly endearing the moment we met him. I also really like that we’re finally hearing some different stances and insight on death and necromancy than we ever had before from a companion! It makes him feel so fresh and completely new!

Harding

I’ll be real with you: I was not anticipating caring about Harding so much. She was who I was originally least interested in, when the companion line-up was announced. But the direction they’re taking her in has me questioning so much about bigger lore questions.

Unfortunately, I still don’t see much in her except being a vessel for those bigger lore questions, though. Like, Harding as a person has me mildly curious at best.

Neve

I’m really sorry Neve fans, but I just find her really boring so far, in comparison to everyone else. She doesn’t have a lot going on, and what she does have going on, doesn’t really captivate me much. Maybe I was just hoping she’d have stronger stances on things than she does? I don’t know.

It could be that I just really fucked up with Neve, and it won’t be until another playthrough that I’ll get to experience more that will change my mind. Because I will admit I am very good at picking choices she disapproves of, with my first Rook.

[succubish666]

Hi! First, I want to start by saying I really like your energy and your blog. My mom is an eclectic witch, so I've been exposed to the stuff my whole life, but every time I try to get more into my practice, something happens where I just feel stuck. But this time around, I am determined to not be deterred.

I've recently been really interested in the various religions (I was a practicing Catholic over the summer but stopped), and the lore behind Lucifer. He's actually been on my mind so much these past weeks that I think I want to start devotional work with him (not this second, of course, I don't I'm in a good space to start that).

So I have some questions for you, if you dont mind.

How did you develop/practice your clairaudence? It's a skill I really want to learn, and I think honing that skill will help me to communicate with ✨️beings✨️ better.

Can deities/spirits hear your thoughts? Do they get upset by them? (I have OCD and a lot of my intrusive thoughts are sexual and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable).

How do I communicate with deities? I understand you can divination tools to receive their messages, but do I just talk and they'll understand me? If I say or do something weird, are they going to be upset with me?

How do I show respect to a deity (other than just basic decency you'd show to anyone)? Do I always call them by an epithet or Lord/Lady/King/Queen?

Sorry if this is weird ❤️

Hi, Anon! I’m so glad you like my energy and blog! I’m happy to answer your questions ♡

How did you develop/practice your clairaudience?: For me, this has been one of the most interesting and important parts of my spiritual growth. It is still something I’m working on and haven’t yet perfected, but I have made a lot of progress thanks to Lord Lucifer’s help. What he had me do is get into regularly practicing meditation, specifically working on developing the ability to clear my mind into a trance-like state. I have ADHD, so this has been quite difficult for me. Lucifer also had me get into listening to hypnosis files so I could learn what trance feels like.

To listen to Lucifer, I take time at night when it’s quiet, my lights are off, and I have white noise playing, to try and clear my mind of all things except for internally repeating Lucifer’s enn: “Renich tasa uberaca biasa icar Lucifer” over and over again. I clear my mind’s eye of all other images, only thinking of his sigil. At some point, I start to get new thoughts that don’t feel like my own, it kind of feels like mentally tuning into a radio station. At this point, I can start to receive full sentences from him.

He’s also taught me how I unknowingly experienced clairaudience a lot already, I just didn’t realize it was clairaudience. When receiving words from outside entities it can seem like your own thoughts, but it may be thoughts completely irrelevant to what you were previously thinking or doing and it may be in words you wouldn’t normally use. It’s not like having another person’s voice in your head. Though with practice, you can give that other entity’s voice its own pitch and accent.

Can deities/spirits hear your thoughts?: Yes, deities can hear your thoughts. Though I think they only start hearing your thoughts the more that you think about them. Like, if you think about a deity’s name just one time they aren’t going to care. If you start thinking about a deity regularly, they’re going to have more access to your thoughts (this is just my theory). I honestly struggled with this at first, it seemed like a real invasion of privacy. But, I’ve gotten used to it and even find it really sweet that Lucifer still loves me with all the insane thoughts he’s probably heard in my head lol.

Do they get upset by them?: Luckily, this isn’t something to be worried about! I also have OCD and struggle with intrusive thoughts, but deities can tell the difference between normal thoughts and intrusive ones. Even if you have the most awful intrusive thoughts, they won’t judge you or care. We also have to remember they aren’t human, they don’t experience emotions the same way that we do. They aren’t looking for petty fights with humans.

How do I communicate with deities?: Yes, divination tools are great (I prefer a pendulum with a letter board and tarot cards), but the best way to have a conversation imo is with developed clairaudience (Well, the actual best ways would be either astral projecting with a full out of body experience with the deity, or talking to someone who is channeling the deity, but those are harder circumstances to obtain). You can also just talk to them, but I’d recommend waiting until you feel their presence first. I’ve also seen that some practitioners write letters to deities and then burn them. Deities aren’t really judgmental, they’re super old and have seen their fair share of weird shit. And like I said, they don’t feel emotions the same way humans do.

How do I show respect to a deity?: Each deity has their own personality, so this answer will vary depending on the deity. Some wish to always be referred to as their proper title (I’ve heard this about King Paimon), while others don’t care much about that sort of thing. A common VPG is that Lord Lucifer is generally really chill. I tend to just use his title Lord the first time I refer to him in a post. His demeanor is quite relaxed and he tends to not even ask practitioners for offerings. I feel like the rule for any deity is to respect them like they’re your boss at a job. Some bosses are more lenient and easygoing than others, but they still should be respected. (I’m not saying your relationship with a deity should be like a boss + employee relationship, just that the deity should be held with high respect)

Oops, I yapped a lot, but hopefully this helps! I also recommend checking my #information tag and joining the r/DemonolatryPractices subreddit.

[revserrayyu]

2.4 Xianzhou continuance thoughts [part 2]

**SPOILERS** for everything up until entering the Shacking Prison, so as always, read at your own discretion if you haven’t reached this part of the story yet. Fair warning that I may mention some things that happen inside the prison as well, but hopefully not much. Sorry not sorry in advance for me obsessing over Feixiao.

As much as I adore Jiaoqiu’s character, I’m currently debating on pulling for him. After testing him out a bit inside the Shacking Prison, I realized I don’t really have a team that would suit him best? Of course I plan to pull for Acheron in the future but I might just hold off for now so I can save even more for Feixiao. I do hope these two and Moze have a good team synergy though. They seem like such a tight group and I’d love to use them all on a team one day.

Tee-hee, One Piece mention. Random, but I’m such a fan of Jiaoqiu’s fancy braid.

Noooo, I don’t like that her unknown medical issue can’t be healed! I mean, it’s not unheard of that Bailu pretty much said the same to Jingliu, about how bizarre it was and how there wasn’t much she could do to help. I don’t believe Feixiao to be mara-struck though, or at least I hope not. While this quest continued on the thought of her transforming into a Borisin came to mind a couple times but I have my doubts. I haven’t delved deep into any leaks about her lore so I can only speculate at this point. Even if those deaths in Penacony were fake, I don’t need any more to happen here, please.

Good boy!! Keep your promise! Heal this queen! I beg of you! I won’t lie, him being so dedicated to keeping his promise (which I’d love to hear the backstory of) to her sorta kinda flips a little switch off in my head saying “ship,” and I’m on board.

Been chatting about this a lot with others, but the question as to why Feixiao has no tail despite being a Foxian is interesting. I personally assumed that the lack of a tail was a result of some harsh battle where she got badly injured, but even with this brief flashback, it doesn’t appear that one is visible here either. Maybe she lost it before this fight? Or perhaps she never had one? Could not having a tail be the cause of her condition? Or was it really taken off from her? I haven’t a clue and it’s another reason why I’m so fascinated by her. Hopefully 2.5 sheds some light upon her past, or at least her character stories once she becomes playable.

Here’s another moment where the whole Borisin transformation idea popped into my head, especially after seeing how capable they are with shape shifting. Learning that the Foxians and Borisin share a common ancestor, the idea changed to Feixiao possibly being half and half? If so, then the condition she’s suffering from might be the Moon Rage? Similar to what we experience when fighting the Borisin down in the Shackling Prison. Add Bailu’s comment about “enjoy some tasty food” and how hungry Hoolay was too.. hmm. Doesn’t help he and Feixiao both have white fur. With how much the Foxians detest the Borisin, keeping this part of herself hidden would but ultimately stressful and probably taxing on her physical and mental health.

Moze is just.. so unironically funny. We have this heavy conversation happening and he chooses to cling to something so simple a food, which is fair. Food is always a good thing.

When Feixiao mentioned she was going to meet up with an old war friend, no alarms rang in my head telling me that it could be another Foxian that I enjoy, which is a shame but also wonderful because the surprise of her and Yukong being friends was worth it. 30 years might not seem like a long time for them, but it’s a decent chunk for people like us.

And yet so much has happened during those years for them. The time does throw me through a loop though.. I always imagined that Yukong lost Caiyi and gave up flying so much longer ago? Because then Qingni (Yukkong’s adopted daughter) couldn’t be much older than 30, right? Caiyi had just returned from maternity leave before she lost her life and Qingni never even knew of her real parents until the events of Yukong’s companion mission. I dunno, I’m just surprised. I definitely thought the daughter was older than that and the tragic loss in Yukong’s life happened ages ago.

Everyone give your utmost praise to Jiaoqiu right now for keeping our gorgeous general alive!

For real though, what on earth even happened to Jingliu and Luocha? like they both showed up in the Shackling Prison at the end of the main Xianzhou story alongside Jing Yuan, but stuff also happened in Jingliu’s companion quest at Scalegorge Waterscape where Luocha was sent away with some Cloud Knights before Jingliu’s fight with Blade where the quest just sorta ends there afterwards. My memory is terrible and I’m not entirely sure which order these events play out, but whatever they’re up to, they’ve been awfully quiet. With how often Jingliu’s name is brought up later on, it gives me small hopes that she could return in the later half of the story. Wouldn’t that be nice to see her take down Hoolay again?

Poor Jing Yuan can’t catch a break with these accusations. This entire quest also feels like the first time I’m hearing so much of this Marshal, but I’m certain it’s just my memory failing me. The main story of the Xianzhou wasn’t my favorite mission out of the bunch, but I am enjoying this one, surprisingly.

I do love the bond these women share with each other. Yukong asks about the Alliance’s plan regarding Jing Yuan and Feixiao graciously provides answers knowing that Yukong can keep a secret. Respect! You love to see it!

Suddenly, the Prisoner of Deep Confinement relic set makes sense to me. I never really took the time to look into the details considering how little DOT units I actively use, but it’s pretty cool to see where the inspiration for it came from and it actually being worn like this.

Now when “Whistling Flames” was mentioned, I first thought of that ghost ship Yukong saw at Fyxestroll Garden for reasons I’m not entirely sure of, but after some light searching, it’s apparently the guild Tingyun was part of?

It sweet to know that Yukong still hasn’t given up searching for clues about Tingyun might actually alive, but if Ruan Mei somehow found Tingyun first, I dunno if I should be relieved or concerned considering our crazy scientist had a habit of.. experimenting.

With how much chatter the Wardance received from trailers and livestreams, I’m honestly shocked that there isn’t much about it happening in the story? It may be because I’m hyperfixating on Feixiao and everything else much more, but my interest isn’t nearly as piqued as I thought it would be. I haven’t done that one side quest revolving around March so I assume there’s more to it there, but so far her sword training arc seems more of a background story. I did find it cute how both her masters gave her gifts at the start, with Yunli providing her new outfit and Yanqing crafting the swords, of course.

Yo, generals! Come pick up your kids! They’re still arguing about nonsense!

And you’re both adorable with your pink hair. Now be friends!

I have a sneaking suspicion that this man could very well poison someone if he wanted to.

I don’t remember much about this brief scene.. something about Yanqing’s doubts and the obstacles he faces or whatever, but it was pretty.

Moving a highly dangerous criminal out of prison to somewhere else? Surely nothing will go wrong! And definitely not right before you make your own move either! That would be crazy.

To no ones surprise, things do eventually take a turn for the worst, but that’s all to be discussed next, so have this, because why not:

Because I clearly haven’t obsessed over her enough already. No way.

[pianocat939]

Yan Snail Humanoid

That’s it. I can’t hold my amass of thoughts. Firstly, I’m gonna explain the snail humanoid itself because I can.

Alright, imagine scientist MC is assigned to study a species similar to that of humans. Except the species has some features similar to that of a snail. The species is called Gastravians. (I just took the scientific name and added a bunch of letter lmao)

They tend to have flexible soft antennas (not eyes like regular snails), and a shell.

They aren’t born with shells, rather when they’re around the age they start school they pick out their very own shell. Which also explains why they can separate themselves from their shell. Picking your shell is a big ceremony for the parent.

With their antennas, it can depict their mood. The brighter the glow is, the more positive the mood is. And the duller, the more negative. The antennas can also act as sensing the emotions of others.

They’re born as a single gender, but when reach maturity can alter between the two.

They can be born in many different colours. They can look totally human or literally pink and purple.

Each snail secretes their own cream from their hands. It’s generally to help them climb on surfaces or letting them know they’re staying hydrated. But they also may rub the cream onto their crush’s arm if they like them.

Snail people are snuggly. Like it’s normally romantically or platonically.

.

.

.

[Note: The following Yan uses any pronouns because of gender-free morphing]

That’s all the lore I got for now. Anyway, moving onto the actual Yan stuff-

So MC is observing this one specimen. Generally goes in a male presenting form, but changes to female once or twice a week (stays the whole day as a female-presenting if he changes)

The specimen goes by the name Jovyanus or Jovy for short. Jovy at first is very shy and sleeps in his shell a lot. But slowly starts to come out an hour a day.

Jovy doesn’t mind MC asking questions. Just fearful since she’s self-conscious. Not to mention she’s still learning English. Her grammar and vocabulary is good, it’s just she has odd pronunciation since Gastravians gurgle a lot.

The more Jovy trusts MC, the more he presents himself in his female form. In a way, he feels safer to show his non-biological form.

Jovy loves feeding time. To Jovy, feeding time is when she can share her thoughts. So she talks in little gurgles or chirps.

Jovy is very self-conscious of their appearance. Often wanting to look more human for MC. Sometimes they’ll be out from their shell multiple hours a day.

Jovy loves nuzzles. Prefers nuzzles over talking actually. He wants them to know it’s literally him confessing, but MC thinks he’s being snuggly like your typical Gastravian.

Jovy can and will get territorial. He will use acid and target it at anyone he deems a threat.

Jovy is kind of delusional. Since Jovy was made for being pink despite being born male (yes there are some colour norms for genders in snail people. I haven’t decided them yet. And not saying colours define gender, I just think it’s fitting for his backstory) he tries hard to appear intimidating. But once he realizes MC likes him he’s obsessed.

Jovy is absolutely delusional that they’re mates. Jovy wants to snuggle and live with MC-

“MC, *gurgle* should I curl my antennas for today?”

…

[GUYS IM SORRY IF THIS WAS UNORGANIZED/SEVERELY UNFINISHED. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days and just spat out lore and ideas]

[I’ll make a formal story post soon, but for now have this.]

[I’m not good at making OC’s, but snail people are just booming in my head right now]

- Celina (It’s like 4 AM haha-)

[midstpodcast]

Rapid-fire worldbuilding questions!

-Clouds and thunder are seen in the Un; is there rain? Atmospheres? -How does cosmos gravity work??? (Universal?) -Is gravity different in the fold? We see fauna “swim” through the air; does this relate to the Postmaster’s scar? -Do the Question Eels like chin scritches? -Just how habitable IS the Un? Can flora photosynthesize Unlight? Do tans work? -Are there in-world Midst/Median/Fold holidays? -With the importance of Loxlee lights for fold safety, does the Trust monopolize all fold-safe research? -Did Weepe ever babysit Tzila?

P.S. Are there any elements of the lore that you think people are paying too much attention to? As a DM, I can understand the concept of putting too much thought into something that's only surface-deep. I shall theorize anything if given the opportunity, so it'd be nice to know which parts of my conspiracy board were me reading too much into something! ^.^

🔮:

- Yep, rain and atmospheres both exist! Weather systems can roam free-range through the cosmos, and/or gravitate around individual islets. - No one knows, Down is down and Up is up. - Gravity is the same in the Fold, but certain creatures have adapted in ways that allow them to “fly” - We haven’t tried domesticating them yet – maybe in a future Midst Messages episode - The Un is equally as habitable as the Fold, it just depends whether you prefer predictable mica problems or unpredictable Fold problems. Flora do survive in the Un, though whether that’s thanks to photosynthesis or something else, who can say. Unlight doesn’t really tan you in the same way sunlight does, but a lifetime of exposure to the Un will still get you pretty weathered-looking. - Stationary Hill celebrates the day of its founding! The Trust has too many holidays to remember. And Fold communities surely observe some holidays related to the passage of the current. - The Trust doesn’t monopolize anything! That wouldn’t be Valorous. Unless it would be. idk, I’m not a notary. - Sherman may not have the BEST judgment in babysitters, but I hope he would be smart enough not to leave his daughter in Weepe’s care. That said, it would be very funny and I can see them actually getting along.

Regarding your P.S.: I personally LOVE leaving holes in a fiction. Having unanswered questions about my own world makes it feel more alive to me. Besides, some things are just more fun if left ambiguous – like the exact mathematics of the Trust system, or the way time is measured, or bocs. (Jk, the only reason we don’t go into detail about bocs is because everybody already understands how they work.)

[smolldust]

every oc question for mip

I’m assuming this is about the pride oc asks so here we go

1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?

Mip is trans feminine!

2. What's your oc's orientation? (Romantic/sexual/platonic alterous ect) Do they have opinions about it?

Mip’s a lesbian. She doesn’t really have any opinions on it Mip just thinks women are pretty.

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

Mip didn’t always know. It’s just when she heard what Trans Feminine was she was like, “Oh, that’s how I feel!” And just went on with life now knowing its identity.

4. Is your oc's environment supportive about their identity? How does this impact them?

Yeah! They’re an alien in space. Homophobia and transphobia doesn’t really exist in any species other than humans. None of the alien characters in the story are queerphobic in any way. It doesn’t really impact Mip in any way as being queer isn’t really seen as anything different.

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

I just wanted to make a lesbian love story about an alien and an astronaut and thought “but what if they were t4t?”

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

It doesn’t really have opinions on labels. She has labels and it uses them when it needs to, but she doesn’t really have an opinion on labels other than they exist.

7. Is there something that could cause your oc to question their identity? What?

No not really. Once Mip heard was trans fem was, she knew that’s what she was and continued on in life without ever questioning it again. She’s always know she’s a lesbian because it has always been attracted to women.

8. Have they had struggles with their identity, be it due to internal or external reasons?

Nope.

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

No not really that I can think of. She’s an alien so the labels she uses are different than the labels we use on earth, but the labels she uses are the alien equivalents to lesbian and trans fem for her species.

10. Does your oc celebrate Pride? How?

Pride month isn’t really a thing in space. There’s never been any queer phobia so there was never a need for a pride month. Also time is different where Mip lives compared to earth because it’s in a different solar system. But if Luna introduced her to Pride Mip would be more than happy to celebrate!

11. Is your oc open about their identity? Are they more lowkey or more blunt about it? Why or why not?

Yeah she’s pretty open. Everyone is. There isn’t a reason for any of the aliens in space to hide their identities.

12. Does/did your oc ever wish they could change the way they are? Why? If it's in the past, how did they get over the feeling? (this can be about internalized homo/transphobia)

No.

13. Would your oc be open to a poly relationship? Why or why not?

yeah. She doesn’t really care how many people she or her partner(s) are with just as long as she gets to be with the people she loves.

[Not aimed at a specific character] / [Aimed at creator]

14. Do you have ocs on the aro or ace spectrum?

Yes!! I do!! The first ones that come to mind are my oc Callisto Mars from my oc story The Secrets of the Mars Family, the main antagonist from the story Mip and Luna are from, as well as my two ocs Mai and Lu from my new oc story that I haven’t posted about yet.

15. Do any of your ocs use neopronouns? Which ones?

I can’t really think of any ocs of mine who use neos but I know I have or would have some. I know my oc Lyra Mars and Mai Pham use any pronouns (which includes neos)

16. Did you ever change an oc's identity when they were already established? Why?

Yeah. Sometimes I just decided I wanted to change it. I was basically like “but what if they were MORE queer?”

17. Do you share identity with any of your ocs? Which ones?

None of my ocs are Enderhoard but I have plenty of aroace ocs!

18. Do you prefer to give your ocs specific labels, or keep it unspecified? Why? If applicable, do you change their labels depending on circumstance?

sometimes I have specific labels in mind while other times I don’t have anything specific in mind, I just know they’re queer.

19. Do you have preferences about depicting homo/transphobia in your stories? What, and why? Does it vary by story?

I don’t really like writing queer phobia. It just sorta depends what story it is and whether that’s something any of the characters would do or if it would be a big source of conflict in the story, as well as where and when the story takes place.

20. Have your ocs helped you in self discovery? How?

not really.

21. Free ramble card wee

I love my gay ocs please ask me more questions I will happily answer them!!

[miquellah]

Apologies for the unsolicited Elden Ring lore question, but I've been having a lot of Thoughts; namely, why was it that Ranni chose Godwyn to kill on the Night of Black Knives? I mean, I can speculate why she didn't choose some of the others - love for her full-siblings, and respect for the threat presented by Miquella and Malenia if she killed one of them but not the other (if not love for them too, honestly) - but it's always seemed to me a very personal thing to do to him. It can't just be that she loved him least. Especially as the Omen twins exist, and by most accounts Mohg at least was pretty roundly disliked in general (if he was even let out of the sewers). (Justice for my man, by the way - deserved better than he got.)

My personal speculation is that Godwyn the Golden - the Golden Order's Golden Boy - was either transphobic, if we're going with the trans Ranni headcanon, or allegorically transphobic, if not. You've mentioned before on here that Ranni is a pretty one-for-one trans allegory; her journey is all about shedding a destiny and a body that was inflicted upon her against her will. We know very little about Godwyn as a person, save for a couple of things; he earned the loyalty of the ancient dragons through fierce battle, and he was beloved by those within the Golden Order. This, to me, suggests a character very much his mother/father's son; devoted to the primacy of the Order, and kind to those who fall within it or are willing to submit to it. Ranni, however, is not willing to submit to this fate - devoutly desires to be anybody other than the Empyrean she was born as.

I think that Godwyn disapproved of who Ranni was, who she wanted to be; I think that he consistently advised her to submit to the dictates of fate and of the Fingers. And I think that, above all, is why she turned the blade upon him over any of their other siblings.

No problem for the impromptu drop-in! And a Ranni one now no less, woah!

I think it’s always been a pretty prominent question, albeit one i haven’t yet dug in much for myself. He was the very first to die, so even past all of the other candidates we DO know, there was surely even more. That said…

My personal ideas, and one that i’ve honestly tossed around most, is that maybe ranni didn’t actually have full command of the black knives. It’s definitely her fault, but while it’s possible she hired them directly, she also just could’ve tipped them off anonymously and presented herself as a potential victim— with godwyn as the random collateral. Of course, there’s still a lot of holes and speculation any which way there, BUT…

On the other end, like you say, ranni could’ve just disliked him from the start. There’s a possibility he wasn’t as kind in full as we take him for— that sort of duality is notoriously a very big theme across many characters. I’ve also seen it posited that godwyn could’ve been ranni’s own assigned consort, an arranged marriage of sorts, an idea which she despised.

BUT!!! having just come out of my sniffing around the themes of Berserk, another idea comes to mind: the idea that sacrifice only means its most when you DO love something, and then give it up. Still speculation on my own end, and we don’t know the full mechanics, but “equivalent exchange” as a idea not only present in berserk itself (often a huge inspiration for many souls ideas, as we know), but alchemy and related magical theories as well (something that elden ring’s lore is largely built off of)

So. It could be that she hated him, or that he was the most convenient, or even that godwyn was someone she loved dearly, and was ultimately the most fitting sacrifice she was willing to make. We may never know! But ultimately, ranni’s will itself was enough to pull through in any which way.

[cve-th3mvsic]

i should probably have an “intro” post

hi, i’m tobias ^^ toby is cool too

(i based this off of @stanleyvampire14 ‘s intro because i didn’t really know how to do one)

i have a side blog: [ @askblog-cvesocs ] if you wanna check that out ^^ i plan on posting at least once daily, but sometimes i may not get to it.

My pronouns page if you wanna check it out

i’m on an inactive spree at the moment. — i’ll post something from time to time. js to say somethin. but probably not very often.

— i don’t currently have the mental capacity to interact much, but if you would like to interact with me, feel free to<3 i’m very welcoming, i promise

(↑ mostly inactive as of july 30th, 2024)

More about me

• my pronouns: he/him, it/its

• INFJ-A (dunno if this means anything to you, but that’s okay)

• i’m 5’9

• i’m a sagittarius

• i am on the spectrum. i struggle with social cues sometimes. when i talk to people, it’s difficult to tell if they’re annoyed or uninterested when they are. — i use tone tags like (/j), (/nm) (/pos) (/lh) (/neu) and so on. i also separate things often — in text, ya know. like with brackets “[]” and parentheses, because it makes more sense for my brain. i will often ask questions for clarification, so if it may be a “common sense” kind of thing i ask about, i genuinely don’t know.

my brain works a lot differently than others’ do. i may not be able to comprehend things as quickly as others, so please bare with me.

• i always speak my mind. if i have an opinion on somethin, there’s a big chance that ima say it. — i’ll most likely say the first thought that comes to mind pretty often. just to say it tbh. (i do very often say the first thought that comes to mind, i’ll be like “i almost said ___. that’s crazy”)

___

[more below the cut]

• likes:

[writing] — i have a story that i haven’t written yet. it’s called “shit talker”. if you wanna hear all about it, i can totally yap to you about it. — i’ve actually gotten some writing done lately, which i’m proud of! i’ve been working on it (the new rewrite) since september 5th, and so far i’ve got two (and a half?) scenes written.

—[my most favorite song artists]: [the shins] , [vacations] , [phoenix] , [ellie goulding] , [pastel ghost]

—[top 5 favorite songs (at the moment)]:

•| “When You Sleep” by my bloody valentine (this is my number one most favorite song of all time.)

•| “Girl On the Wing” by The Shins

•| “Sticks & Stones” by Jónsi

•| “Where No One Goes” by Jónsi & John Powell

•| “Don’t Save Us from the Flames” by M83

—[my favorite colors]:

•| green

•| purple

•| yellow

•| brown

(i can’t color the words the way i wanna ☹️)

• dislikes:

—throwing up/mentions of throwing up. i have emetophobia. i do not like the words vomit or throw up. they make me extremely uncomfortable and it even makes me feel sick. (even writing this is making me feel sick)

[i will let you know if i don’t like something or i’m uncomfortable.]

other things:

• i watched fruits basket. (the newer one, not the old one) I LOVE FRUITS BASKET IT MAKES ME SOOO EMOTIONALLL I LOVE ITTTT

• i like to write, or at least think about my story in my head. — i have a shit ton of ocs. i have like 30+ ocs, most of which only have a name and little to no background, but there’s still plenty of ocs that have yet to be cooked up. my brain wants as many as possible.. — i have 14 main ocs. they all have the most background and have lore.

• i love the sturniolo triplets (they’re fun and i love their humor so much)

• i roleplay. i honestly see it as writing with another person. — i haven’t written with other people very much, but i’d like to ^^ if you wanna rp or write with me, lmk!! if you haven’t noticed already, i type a lot. when i rp, i write as if i’m writing a book. i use more than one oc when i roleplay.

___

last updated: (10/16/2024) — october 16th, 2024 — 7:26pm

___

[selfindulgentfandomstuff]

I'd love to hear about this oc f/o based on an unreleased film? Which film is it? 😃

Hiii waving at you hii

FIRST OF ALL thank youuu for letting me ramble in an ask! For some reason I always feel like my posts have to be more polished and put together than my asks so this is good for me rn!! Ty!!

ALRIGHT

necessary context is I found a website cataloging lost media ft D/avid D/astmalcian (the actor for my main f/o and a couple others) and as such I was fascinated by all the stuff that he worked on that just.. never came to fruition, yknow?

Anyways, one of the things on there was a small series of stills from what I think was supposed to become a movie eventually but jsut.. never did, I guess? In any case, the title on the page was Cora (2013), I suppose that was what the film was gonna be called?

But the PICTURES OH the PICTURES make me INSANEEE/vpos

So, my brain immediately went, “hey, you know what? We could make an oc f/o with this appearance!” And so now I’m in far too deep and I already have like a concept for the character in my head just based on these stills 😭😭😭

The stills in question (the ones that make me froth at the mouth a lil)

ANYWAYS I totally get ‘vampire’ from these and that is where my thought process is heading and I haven’t really worked out a whole lot of lore yet but it’s COOKING!!

Ik I promised rambling abt the actual oc f/o concepts but I’m still working it out and I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself lol

Anyways, thanks for reading this lmao and uhhh stay tuned for more ig??/lh

[angelofthepage]

Reacting to BATDR Part 4

Following SuperHorrorBro’s Bendy and the Dark Revival Playthrough, we got through Chapter 3 of the game today and BOY HOWDY, did not see that coming! Finally, we get to talk a little more about returning characters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tzp9if6SiQ If you’d like to follow along, here’s the video.

So the chapter opens with a BOSS?! And it’s a creepy spidery orb thing? I’m very lost, is that thing supposed to be a Keeper? It didn’t really speak, so I’m unsure. They just kind of introduced the concept of keepers and didn’t really give us any details. But the boss was cool, if not a bit confusing, I’m sure I wouldn’t have done much better in Mike’s shoes, that looked stressful. X’‘‘D Also love that this started with an elevator drop, very nice callback. Either way, spider thing is dead, let’s move on.

And what do we move onto? JOEY FREAKING DREW HELLO?! Okay, pause, I saw the thumbnail so I knew Joey was there (and then I saw the lost one with horns and went ‘oh that BETTER not be Sammy’, spoiler alert it thankfully was not), but I still wasn’t expecting this for implementation. So ghosts are a thing in this world now, and that’s really interesting. We keep circling back to the idea of ghosts, still waiting to see that enemy time that’s kind of between life and death, and obviously we have Carley (who while I still don’t like as an enemy, she’s grown on me a little, just a little). But an apparition that’s a memory of Joey Drew? DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.

Like, I suspected Joey would show up somewhere in some fashion, it makes too much sense for him not to, but this was honestly a really good way to bring him in. I think I like this better than him or Henry being Bendy (though that’s still a small possibility, since like, he does say he’s just the memory, his soul could be somewhere else). Either way, this was a good conversation, it had elements of our young Joey from the 30s and 40s while also showing maturity in from beyond the 60s, and he looked like a mix of both designs, which I liked. Audrey’s question of “why can’t you fix this” really hit me, the LOOK on his FACE- and the whole thing about if this was “revenge or regret, that’s my riddle to solve” OH THAT HIT HARD?! Joey Drew, being regretful?! It’s more likely than you’d think. Wow, I really like that, I did not expect this, I may steal this for a fic. I’m really curious how much of Joey is really him vs someone else controlling this supposed memory. Like it feels like it could be a ruse, though I hope it’s not. I just, wanna know what Audrey’s purpose for being here is, we haven’t gotten any expansion on this plot point and it’s three chapters in. Like why can the ink demon talk to her, why would Joey know anything about her, why did Wilson suck her into this, what is the purpose for it all? I’m left with more questions than answers. Also THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE CYCLE! This gives me SO MUCH to think about!

Speaking of character implementation, FUCK YEAH JACK FAIN IS BACK! JACK JACK JACK JACK JACK- Okay, okay I’m calm, I swear.We haven’t gotten a single audio log from any of our old cast until now, and we start with JACK and how he needs the sewer smell to make music? Oh my GOSH! And we find his desk?! Hello?! And his HAT?! MAN!!!!!

I’m just, surprised we’re three chapters in and this is the most we’ve heard of the old cast, and of all characters, it’s the one they retroactively added back into Chapter 2 during BATIM Chapter 4′s development process. It feels like they were focused on expanding the story with new characters rather than revisiting the old, which is a little disappointing, but I get why, there’s so many ways to get tangled with lore there. But like, Malice is back SOMEWHERE in this game, sooooo where is she? How have we not run into her yet? Or the massive blob monster? I thought they’d show up sooner. I’m still holding out hope for Sammy. Please, he HAS to be somewhere in this game, I need my man back for a bit! Also Norman, oh my gosh Grace’s tape mentioning Norman was great, PLEASE let the projectionist show up?!

Onwards, the Lord Amok thing, did not see that coming. One, thank you horned Lost One for not being Sammy, I’m sorry I just would not have vibed with this. Two, Lost Ones with mohawks, didn’t see that coming either, but I appreciate that they’re there. I wish they had like, leather jackets or something. I think they deserve to be fully punk. Also love that we’re now Lord Amok, though I do wish Audrey had had some sort of dialogue or reaction to it, that was a little lacking. Like girl you’re the queen now, you should have some feelings about it, likely feelings of discomfort but hey, I could be wrong.

And then we get to Baby Benders and making up with him. MY HEART?! Thank you baby, I wanna hold you and love you and protect you, bless you you sweet little demon child. The fact that he’s scared of Gent hurts me so much, like sir WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! WHO HURT YOU?! My mind immediately jumps to Tom in the books talking about how the machine is a miracle, and you don’t give up on a miracle, and something about still being kind of children when they make mistakes, and just, my desire to see Tom as the father figure to this little guy only increases. Like Tom was the only Gent worker that cared about Bendy and treated him with dignity, and he wants to protect that from the wrong hands, and somehow the machine is tied to that. Not expecting that to happen, but every time I see this toon I go “SIR WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS?!” Also Allison said she was gonna get us this chapter, girl you are taking forever, where are you? X’‘‘D Audrey you could’ve at least told her you fell down the elevator, that would have helped.

Just, MAN, okay now I’m excited again. Joey Drew fueled me, I did not expect that to be the case. XD Looking forward to the next part. I have a dental filling this afternoon, so hopefully that’ll be a nice treat to watch once I’m out (or before, depending on the timing).

[aggressive-positivity-network]

Hi there! Thank you for following me and hope you’re doing well! If it’s alright to ask I have a question about autism. So you know how there can be hyperfixations right? So I’ve been wondering what the difference is between normal hyperfixations and autistic hyperfixations. I also question what the difference is between a hyperfixation, just being drawn to certain tastes, or just focusing on something because just because somebody focuses on one subject doesn’t automatically mean autism. So I’m interested into hearing your thoughts and what do you think out of curiosity.

But of course! I would be honored.

See, most people hyperfixate. Perhaps you’ve been so engrossed in a book that you haven’t heard someone calling your name, or so focused on an art project that you’ve lost track of time. Being hyperfixated just means that you become so fixated on something that you tune everything else out. Most everyone does that from time to time.

But the difference between neurotypical and neurodivergent hyperfixating is how often it happens, and how intense it is. A person can have an interest in Batman, for example, and hyperfixate on a self-insert fan-fiction they’re writing. But they can close the laptop, go downstairs, and have dinner with their friends/family with little trouble.

However, a person with ADHD or ASD may have a lot of trouble transitioning between hyperfixating on something and another activity, especially if there’s a sudden interruption. They may become so engrossed that they forget to eat, drink water, or manage hygiene. They may find it hard to talk about anything else for as long as the hyperfixation lasts. And then, usually, the hyperfixation ends, only to replaced by a new one.

For ASD (autism spectrum disorder) specifically, this is usually because the world can be so chaotic, that it feels nice to have something that you can understand completely. This may also manifest into “special interests,” which are like hyperfixations, but usually last much longer and are sometimes less intense.

When an autistic person has a special interest or hyperfixation, it can be difficult to carry a normal conversation. Imagine having all this information about your favorite subject, but not being able to share it with other people because it doesn’t come up in normal conversations. If you have an autistic person in your life, please, for the love of god, ask them about their hyperfixation. They will be ecstatic. (This also includes me…so if you have the time to spare, I have Gorillaz lore I’d love to share).

The bottom line is that autistic hyperfixations are more intense than your average interest, and sometimes makes it difficult to talk about anything else. So when we rant about something we like, it’s usually because we’re not only interested in the subject, but that we have a lot of facts we haven’t gotten to share yet.

[thefools-journey]

So. Some of you may be wondering why we haven’t written a whole ton about the secondaries or what have you. Here’s the reason: we were waiting for them to end before we really dug into the problems we were noticing. We felt that it was only fair to wait for the routes to finish so that we had an understanding of the writers’ vision. Who knew, we thought, maybe they would see the problems themselves and course correct, maybe they are building to something we can’t quite see yet and these issues will have actual payoff, maybe-

In light of Muriel and Lucio’s endings, and the general mess that has dominated Portia’s route for a year plus now, we are breaking our silence. We are actually going to talk about this shit show.

The fandom at large has talked about a bunch of issues with the secondaries but for me, the cardinal sin, the thing that really all the issues lead back to, is this: the writers lost sight of the tarot themes which so strongly defined and held together the primary routes. Let me explain.

The primary routes each center around three thematic cores:

The Love Interest’s Major Arcana and its Reversed/Upright meanings

The MC’s Fool’s Journey, both how it can go right and how it can go wrong

A question about the MC’s identity and their relationship to said identity

Asra’s route asks: Who was the MC? How does the MC navigate a past they cannot and will not remember? What do they owe a past they cannot remember? How do they handle the revelations of what Asra, Nadia, Julian, etc did? How do you right the past? Can you?

Nadia’s route asks: Who is the MC? The MC has no past. Are they the Fool only? Are they actually the same person they were? How can they tell? Who are they, really? Are they an imposter? No one can answer these questions for them.

Julian’s route asks: Who will the MC become? How does the MC see their future? Is there anything worth fighting for for that future? What will become of them and their loved ones? 

Now, if you notice, these themes are expertly woven throughout the primaries. Asra’s past dominates his route, Nadia is also missing memories and trying to construct her identity both with her family and with Vesuvia, and Julian’s fear of the future drives his flailing for control. Asra has to learn to take a broader view of his actions to get his Upright Ending, Nadia has to learn to trust herself and those around her for hers, and Julian has to learn how to let go for his. These lessons are the issues their cards stand for. The primaries are so dang elegant and delicate in their handlings of theme it is honestly awe-inspiring.

Thematically, the secondary routes have completely lost their hearts. First of all, the MC does not have strong, core questions which need to be answered. They just don’t. I suppose the writers did not want to retread old territory (which is weird considering how tightly bound the primaries are; it really tricks you into thinking you’re living the same events but from different angles depending on your route) but they did not replace the old with anything new. Muriel’s route is, on the surface, about discovering and owning his past, the good and the bad. Why not tie MC’s self-discovery to that story? Or they could have taken the angle that Muriel’s route is about convincing him to be present and active in the world while MC builds an identity for themself outside of Asra, the shop, and the memories they cannot retrieve. Why not tie the investigation themes running through Portia’s early route back to MC and their past? Portia has the unique angle of being as in the dark as MC about all of this, why not discover the past together? And for goodness’ sake, Lucio has no future when his route begins, why not tie that to his need for growth, responsibility, and MC’s own future between the Fool, the Devil, or something mortal and in between?

Secondly, the routes lost their tarot backbone. We have a primer on how to get specific endings for each LI and it still holds, but the writers did not follow through on the thematic coherence of each secondary. The Hermit is looking for something, be it perspective, insight, a solution to a problem, whatever. The key here is that the Hermit must find or learn what they are searching for, this thing must change their understanding of the world, and finally, they must bring this lesson back to the world from which they retreated. Can someone please enlighten me as what exactly Muriel learns then teaches the world around him? Nothing Muriel learns from Morga, MC, or even the Hermit ties back into anything. The Devil warns that you are out of control and exerting a lot of manipulative, destructive behavior on the world around you. It asks you to take responsibility for yourself and your actions. So can someone tell me why Lucio’s route actively avoids any interaction or reflection on two of Lucio’s biggest victims: Muriel and Julian? Why does the route only try to make amends with the “easier” of his victims in the cast? The Star is first and foremost the card of clarity, the light at the end of the tunnel. Perseverance, if you will. Yet Portia’s route has been the muddiest of the trio; the writers drop the investigation aspect of her route in favor just handing her and MC information they could have easily found and muddying the waters with Tasya (she blows up the palace but it’s all okay bc she has a secret daughter Julian never thought to bring up or mention) and the complete removal of the Devil as antagonist. 

So that leaves just the Fool’s Journey trying to hold this stool up with only one leg. And well...it doesn’t go well. At best, the secondary route books pay the barest surface level homage to the themes of the individual cards. At worst, they ignore the cards completely. Muriel's Moon book has nothing to do with illusions or delusions or lies or even an Alice in the Looking Glass upside down world. Portia's back half is a complete and utter mess, starting with her Temperance book being so badly mangled that Muriel's aftermath book does it better. Lucio's route too bungles the Tower and the Star. There just isn't enough here to carry the routes alone.

Add to the core loss the loss of intertextuality. The primary routes are very good, even great but they too do have their moments and mistakes. What helps strengthen them when the cores stumble is how the trio is woven together. Things you learn in Asra's route can inform the way you play Nadia's, for example. Julian's route informs what is going on in Asra's route and slots some missing puzzle pieces together. Nadia's route tells you of the power struggles she is facing and informs the other two routes' handling of Julian and his trial. On and on, the three routes support each other because they are built out of the same basic plot beats, just tackled in very different ways. Now, the writers are allowed to try and write whatever they want. They apparently wanted to be more experimental and less tied down to an overarching plot with the three secondaries. Okay, fine, they are allowed to do that. The problem is that they sacrificed one of the key strengths of the primary trio and didn't replace said strength with anything else. They also, on some level, harmed the very premise of the game, which is that only the player's choices and route selected change the overall plot. Instead of feeling like legitimate possibilities or offshoots of the same timeline/plot, the secondaries feel almost like Arcana AUs. The secondaries throw out all relations to the primaries and each other as quickly as possible and for what? 

It is probably the height of arrogance to suggest fixes for works whose behind the scenes I do not know. At the same time, some small, obvious changes could have salvaged Muriel and maybe Lucio's endings (rip Portia). Instead of having the Hermit appear as a disappointing cameo, why not have him say something cryptic to Muriel, then have MC start trying to seal the Devil. Then let Muriel use his forget me mark to cloak MC and hide them from the Devil's attacks. Protecting MC by hiding them from Lucio, keeping him focused on Muriel, seems to me a simple third solution between Muriel's desire to run and his desire to never fight again. It lets him stand up to Lucio and let him have it while holding onto who Muriel has become. The Reversed End would have MC try to draw Lucio's attention at some point, disrupting the sealing, and eventually leading to Muriel killing the Devil. With Lucio's Upright End, I just have to ask: why doesn't MC fully claim the power of the Fool instead of the Devil? We don't need the other Arcana involved in this fight; we have three routes that demonstrate that. Just have MC pull Scout into the conflict, then have Lucio tell MC he believes in them, then add his power to the mix. You got yourself a full Fool who leaves Scout guarding the realm until they and Lucio's mortal bodies fail and they return to the realm to be together forever. Boom, you're done, you can even add some ambiguous lines so that players can decide how happy their MC is with this arrangement, send me the check.

Here is the bottom line. Our group is full of aroace, and several combinations therein, individuals. We are the last group who should have gotten into a dating sim of all things. But the Arcana did something with the primaries that was special; they wrote a compelling plot with dazzling lore, complex characters, and strong themes wrapped up in a dating sim bow. The writers know better and we know they know better. I do not know what happened with the secondaries, especially around books 10-11, which is where minor issues slowly start spiraling into major ones, but it is clear that Nix Hydra needed some more planning before they released these routes. Hopefully they will learn.

TL;DR: Nix Hydra fired their tarot consultants about eighteen months ago and it has wrecked their secondary routes until they were just embarrassments. They never intended for the secondary routes to even exist and once they had to make them, they scrambled and threw out everything that made the primaries work.

- Mod Telos

[frodo-with-glasses]

Whether Or No, Part Two: Light

If you haven’t yet, feel free to read Part One. I’m just continuing my thoughts from there.

He was reminded suddenly of Frodo as he had lain, asleep in the house of Elrond, after his deadly wound.

It’s interesting to me (and makes me fall on my face and screech like a banshee) that Sam’s mind makes this connection. In Rivendell, as in Ithilien, Frodo got to have some proper rest after a harrowing ordeal. The former was his wound from the Morgul Blade on Weathertop; the latter is the hellish slog through the Dead Marshes up to Mordor’s doorstep, and the agonizing decision to follow Gollum on his “secret way”. From the Emyn Muil to Ithilien, sleep has been fitful, dangerous, and barely restful. Now, Frodo gets some proper rest.

Then as he had kept watch Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within; but now the light was even clearer and stronger.

Now this is the part that intrigues me. Going back to Fellowship, right after Frodo wakes up in Rivendell, Gandalf gives us the only other reference we have thus far to this mysterious light:

But to the wizard's eye there was a faint change, just a hint as it were of transparency, about him, and especially about the left hand that lay outside upon the coverlet.

'Still that must be expected,' said Gandalf to himself. 'He is not half through yet, and to what he will come in the end not even Elrond can foretell. Not to evil, I think. He may become like a glass filled with a clear light for eyes to see that can.'

So that begs the question. What is this Light? Is it literal? Is it a metaphor? Is it spiritual? Is it magical? If it’s magical, that explains why Gandalf can see it—you'd expect a wizard to be attuned to that sort of thing—but it doesn’t explain why Sam can see it too. Does the light tie into the lore of the world somehow? Is it a soul? Does everybody in Middle Earth have a light inside them, and Frodo’s is only visible because the Morgul Blade left him part-translucent?

I’ve debated this with my family members, and we’ve all come to the conclusion that…we have no idea. Maybe it's explained later on in the book—in which case I'll add on to this post in a reblog—but working from what little information I have, I came up with a few theories, listed below from least to most abstract.

My final conclusion is somewhere in the middle of all of them.

Theory #1: Frodo's Soul

Sam recognizes the Light, whatever it is, as Frodo's natural state of being, and as what he really is on the inside. “He’s like that,” Sam says, “and sometimes it shines through, somehow". The simplest explanation I can find is that the Light is just...Frodo. Who he really is. The goodness that's inside of him. All his kindness and wisdom and selflessness, distilled into a single Light.

If this theory is right, I have to assume that the Light is more metaphorical than literal. The reason Gandalf and Sam would be able to see it is because they're the ones who know Frodo best, and they're thinking about all the things they know and love about him. "Seeing the Light", then, is more of a metaphorical exercise than a literal one. (Unless, again, souls actually glow in Tolkien's world, and I don't know that one way or the other.)

Theory #2: Elvish-ness

This one was actually suggested by my dad. In his own words: “People glowing is kind of an elvish thing, yeah?" Out of all the hobbits, Frodo is the one most associated with Elves; he speaks in their tongue, he charms them with his wit, he's even named Elf Friend by Gildor before he leaves the Shire. Could the Light be a by-product of that? Is it an effect of Elvish magic, or maybe a manifestation of the Elvish qualities that he already had?

I like this theory less than the other ones, but I have to admit there’s a kind of poetry to it. Blah blah blah, glass with light in it, maybe the real Light of Elendil was the friends we made along the way.

Theory #3: Hope

Going off that Light of Elendil comment: Gandalf says that Frodo might become a light “for those to see that can”. Maybe it’s just semantics, but I think it’s interesting that Frodo’s light is described as being focused outward. It’s something for other people to perceive, not for him to see in himself.

Have you ever noticed that flashlights and lanterns don’t give off light for their own benefit? They give off light for so the people around them can see. Frodo carries the hope of Middle Earth on his shoulders, but that hope is not for him; Middle Earth will no longer be home once his journey is over, and he’ll find no peace until he leaves. He is a light in the darkness—the last light, when all other lights go out—but not for his own benefit. He’s nothing but a beacon to guide others.

Theory #4: City on a Hill

It’s fascinating to me that Frodo’s Light isn’t visible until he’s been touched by Darkness.

Whatever the Light is, it’s hidden inside him until the Morgul Blade turns him partially translucent. I don’t believe the Light itself was created by anything evil—after all, it’s treated as a positive in both passages where it’s mentioned, and Sam goes so far as to say that he loves him for it—but I believe that in a strange way, it was revealed and maybe even emphasized by evil.

But that’s how it works, isn’t it? Goodness is all the more magnified against a backdrop of Evil. Kindness has more impact in the wake of tragedy. Light is far brighter in the dark.

In better times, maybe Frodo’s light wouldn’t have been anything remarkable. The light of a single candle makes very little difference on a sunny day. But it’s because he dared to take that Light into the thick of Mordor—into the deepest, blackest Darkness in his world—that his little candle flame became the very brightest beacon.

A single light, on a lone dark hill, is the brightest thing for miles and miles around.

Theory #5: The Beauty of Weakness

The final clue I have is actually in the circumstances surrounding the Light. You’ll notice that both times it appears, it does so in a moment of weakness and vulnerability.

It shows up when Frodo is wounded. It shows up when Frodo is asleep. Whatever this Light is, it favors moments of frailty, and shows up to lend them a soft and pleasant beauty.

Our culture values strength over weakness as a rule. Might makes right, do it for yourself, suck it up, don’t be a loser. But no one can be strong for themselves all the time. We all need one another at some point; we all have moments of frailty, of weakness, of injury, of needing support and protection and help. Frodo’s entire story is a matter of “I can’t do this alone”. He doesn’t save the day by himself; at the end of the story, he’s so consumed by the Ring that he can’t even complete the mission he set out to do. Because of that, some people see him as a whiny little wimp and a lackluster protagonist.

But what if that was Tolkien’s point?

What if there is beauty in not being able to do it alone? What if there is beauty in rest and trust? What if weakness isn’t a flaw, but an opportunity to allow something beautiful to happen—connection, selflessness, generosity—the charity and goodness in one person filling the need in another?

I’ve mentioned my journey with my best friend before, but what I didn’t mention is that even after that friend recovered from those two years of depressive spiral, I was still stuck in Helper Mode. I squashed down my feelings and tried not to rock the boat. I went months without mentioning some big changes in my life because “you’re already dealing with a lot”. I walked on eggshells, terrified of saying something I shouldn’t. It was eating away at my own emotional and mental well-being, and putting unnecessary strain on our friendship. It was only when we finally met up in person again that I summoned the courage to let my friend know that it was bothering me, and I’ll never forget their answer:

“You don’t have to do that. We’ve got to talk about you too.”

Helping was all well and good, but it was just as important—or even more important—for me to learn to allow myself to be helped.

What if vulnerability makes way for light?

<< Part One | Part Three >>

[xdollydoodlesx]

Finally got around to working on that Poppy Playtime AU I’ve mentioned a few times before!

Dang thing has taken multiple hours at this point but gosh am I proud of it 🥹 Would love Feedback n Questions (It has unrelated worldbuilding lore bits which I shall explain later)

I am so so sorry for the word chunk I can’t figure out how to do that ‘read more’ thing on mobile T-T

Think of this as a dlc with added bits of lore + shifted details. World-building will be explained in a future post.

-You spawn in a worn down parking lot near the factory at night, police tape n the like speckle it’s exterior.

-You have a key ring with 2 keys, one to enter the building the other unknown for now.

-At first it’s vv dark inside but upon shutting the door the lights flick on along with a TV that auto-plays the first tape’s message. (Makes the sensor claim more realistic)

-left side from the entrance is the locked door to the security room, upon walking closer you may step on a disturbed floor tile that creaks.

*upon gaining the grab pack you can return to the tile and pull it up revealing a small hole where old pictures are the faces scribbled out can be found. (They show up when using a camera tool so I thought it’d be neat to use them as a Easter egg of sorts)*

-right side a lil gift shop which you go to after a failed search, some train cars rest on the ground make you look up and discover the code almost like it had been intentionally done.

-Inside the security room the grabpack only shows up when the player turns to leave or fiddles with the glass shield.

-Climbing over the turn stile you use the pack to unlock the door and find the area where a Huggy statue is located.

-Scanning the door to their right rather then the key popping up in Huggy’s hand it’s at his feet.

*lil timeskip til your about to get the red hand*

-Rather then it being automated you have to do a crane game styled action, nudging it off doesn’t work and has to be tugged til the case snaps free.

Originally you were gonna snag it with your blue hand once it’s close rather then just letting the claw drop in worry of it breaking but it slips falling anyway. (The idea for the lil crane game was shown in a incomplete model and I liked it enough to incorporate it plus make it more realistic. The red hand is the only one we can find atm so just letting it fall feels risky)

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The stuff between these lines is where I do a significant difference to the normal gameplay:

-Upon ‘meeting’ Huggy you go into the vents like normal but the chase is a bit longer and instead of going to the box related part like normal you end up in a large office area with lots of cubicles and a bathroom. (You find a note/tape mentioning the bathroom has a damaged vent, perfect for a quick getaway)

Btw the chase was more time sensitive rather then just being caught cus the gates seemed to be almost trying to force you onto a different course.

-You search the trashed area for a usable set of bathroom keys and after finding them use them to unlock the bathroom door that held the open vent. (the company doesn’t like giving long breaks already so them having somewhat limited access to the bathrooms sorta fit)

*During the search you may come across a cubicle that looks a bit different, looking around it you find the desk’s drawer is locked and using the mysterious key you had since the beginning you open it…. Haven’t decided what’s you’d find yet.*

-Wandering a bit thru the locked vents you pass by some that peer into various rooms like a sorting room, a small theater for worker meetings(?), and a room where doll heads sit in frames (yep I love blending unused content into this plus it makes for a nice filler)

-After exiting the vents once more and exploring a bit you again (in that unused hallway) run into Huggy who chases you into a office (Like in one of the early trailers that isn’t Elliot’s but some other unknown peep owning it.

-Slamming the door shut you begin to feel stranded with Huggy slowly breaking the door down only to find a sus bookcase just in time which after much pushing moves to reveal a slanted hallway with odd design. (aka the cannon one that leads to Poppy’s room)

Quicking slipping inside you struggle to shift the bookcase back into place just as Huggy breaks in trashing the room in search for you.

Peering thru a crack you get to watch the scene holding your breath as they try to find you before eventually giving up and leaving.

-Too scared to dare go back out in fear of them waiting you gain the hope that this will lead to somewhere safe and venture deeper.

-You soon reach Poppy’s room not liking the red tint the case you find being more opaque then clear, thinking it could be some lever that’ll maybe open an emergency exit you pull it open only to find a doll the lights flickering before going out.

{Huggy doesn’t die in this since the box scene doesn’t happen but thankfully they don’t show up anymore either… Might edit this tho once chap 3 comes out}

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Back to normal now… for the most part~:

*Timeskip til just before Poppy gets kidnapped*

-Rather then simply show up at the hole Poppy comes out of a vent mentioning they need to get past the door which is sadly locked.

Offering to unlock it from the other side you build Poppy a staircase up to the other vent (either you try to pick her up and she gets vv uncomfortable or your not comfortable with picking her up settling on doing the staircase instead, either option works)

-Once in you walk in with Poppy to the lip of the hole saying her normal line before being snatched.

Only other thing I wanna mention was that in the wack-a-wuggy game there are holes in the ceiling tho they are boarded up since it was mentioned that it would be unfair for the children. (Was in a unfinished version n I liked the detail)

Hope you like this feel free to give feedback n questions ^^