#Worldless Old One

[incorrect-worldless-quotes]

Old One: Who else is hiding in the laundry room trying to listen to Yin-Yang and Angel's convo?

Edda: Me. I'm in the laundry basket.

Aven: I'm in the washing machine.

LUCA: I'm in the closet.

Edda: We accept you LUCA. <3

LUCA: No I'm literally in the closet.

Edda: Love is love. <3

[many-faced]

Okay on the Timeloop shenanigans

Could the Wardens/ Angel and Demon use their original weapons?

Could Aven fly?

Does he (Aven) also like to headbutt stuff?

What about Old One in this AU?

Yep! Demon actually does since his base game abilities are already similar to Aven, and Angel just prefers working with lightmare to feel safer. She can't use her shield while wielding lightmare

Aven cannot fly, his wings are too smol :[ neither can Demon and neither can Edda, only Angel can fly once her wings grow out

Only once he picks up the demon helmet, otherwise his core is too fragile

Old One kinda messed up. He's important to the loop, but always dies a while after the duo splits, so when Worldless begins a new loop, they revive Old One again. Old One is sick of the loop but isn't as strong as Summum and can't break it himself

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Ok, so what if after Dan found Snowball and Inkpot, he finds an elderly grey cat as well. And an EXTREMELY large Maine coin covered in green dye.

The odd part is that dye will not wash off.

Eyy, Edda has a Maine Coon buddy! ...Who's bigger.

I can imagine that being the point at which Dan reeeeally starts to question what's going on. In particular, I can imagine him finally getting these two cats home, possibly with the help of a friend who has a car, and then immediately asking Edda and Aven "Do you know these two?"

How exactly he reacts probably depends on when he finds Old Man McCat and Radioactive Furball. If he finds them soon after the vet visit, he's going "Hm, this is... odd. I wonder how Snowball and Inkpot will react. If he finds them after discovering Snowball and Inkpot are Edda and Aven, he's immediately jumping to "this has to be related, WHAT'S GOING ON YOU TWO?!"

He...100% tries to wash the dye off Summum, using several different methods. Summum just... patiently endures it until, after the fifth or sixth try he puts a paw on Dan's chest and shakes his head.

The Old One he cherishes and handles very carefully, and immediately gets him to the vet.

If he finds these two before learning about the sapience thing, he calls Old One "Old Man McGucket" and occasionally "Old Fart" when he's being persnickety. Summum is "Hulk" for a good while.

[octahedral-chaos]

Alright, so. In Totality, Edda and Aven need sustenance. Aka, they need to eat since they're already broken from the cycle. And they're toddlers. Which means, they need it to grow into adults, and routinely 'eat' in order to fully mature. They might not need a lot now, but they sure will when they're bigger until they are able to survive on their energy (aka: burn the gases their own stars produce), that comes from their 'faces'. And what do they even feed on when they're toddlers? Obviously, their own star is still developing. Well, it's angsty. Old One is essentially made up of cosmic soup that just took a solid form because the Neutrals are all essentially frozen gases. Same applies to them and his siblings. So Old One essentially has to tear out chunks of themself to feed his kids. Yeah, ouch. :'(

OH-

Dear stars... this got dark fast

[lokideservesahug]

For How Long!?!- Extras

Extra 3: First Impressions (and do-overs)

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Pairings: Logan Sargeant x reader (not yet romantic)

Warnings: None that I can think. Young Y/N is a bit of a dick?

Notes: I love this series sm...so here's another extra! Also apologies for any spelling mistakes

Summary: Y/L/N and Sarge first met at 13 and 14... and did NOT get along well at all. Does that change when they re-meet a few years later?

-°•°•°•°•--•°•°•°•°--°•°•°•°•--•°•°•°•°-

It was hard being a woman in a male dominated field. I mean sexist remarks and extra criticism are to be expected. But the amount of attention you received? It was nearly enough to make you quit the sport all together. But, you knew that this what you were getting into when you started karting and now that you know the feeling, there is nothing better than zooming as fast as you can around a track.

Despite the regular criticism, one thing that the spectators had to admit was that you were good. Like really good. You were only 13 and already you had a backing from one of the biggest F1 teams' junior programmes (how you managed that, you're not quite sure).

You were happy with the rate in which you were going; winning race after race (and if not then at least scoring points). F3 was already in the discussions with your name thrown around. Maybe you'd even be racing there already... if there weren't age limits that you were yet to hit for another few years.

You were comfortable. Until HE came along. Logan Hunter Sargeant. The most stereotypical American you could ever imagine. You didn't hold a grudge at first, you never did. When you went to speak with him and shake his hand after his recent promotion into the WSK series, you were actually quite excited to meet him. Despite being constantly surrounded by men you weren't used to seisng anyone so...pleasant looking (he also wasn't unattractive to your 13 year old self's brain).

However, when you bounced out of your seat and introduced yourself whilst holding your hand out, he just stared, slack jawed. Gosh he really was just like everyone else. Surely it's not that outrageous to see a woman here. I mean the sport is getting much more diverse!

So disheartened and slightly upset, you turned way and grunled a quiet "Ok then" under your breath as you walked away.

☆-☆-☆-☆-☆

Logan didn't mean to react like that. He just couldn't help it. He'd heard of you, everyone had. The youngest woman currently dominating the lower levels of motorsport. Everyone spoke about the Y/L/N girl with the super bright future. Yet, everyone failed to mention how pretty she was. By the time he realised his worldless, opened mouth state, it was too late. You and already started to furrow your brows, frown and turn away.

When his brain and body had finally resyncronsied, it was too late. You had walked off and he was left feeling. Well like a complete jerk.

☆-☆-☆-☆-☆

He had tried many times to re-introdice himself as time went on. But unsurprisingly to protect yourself, you had made a judgement and stuck to it.

However, Logan was adamant. He tried again and again to make you at least talk to him.

However as time progressed and you got promoted into F3 and then F2, he was left only questioning what could had he have introduced himself differently on that fateful day.

-°•°•°•°•--•°•°•°•°--°•°•°•°•--•°•°•°•°-

Being 17 was quite an interesting age for what you did as a 'hobby' you thought. You were old enough to have shown your talent and solidified your place as a good driver. However, you were not old enough to actually be able to drive in Formula 2, per the Fia's age regulations (you were still upset that you missed out by only a few months).

You can't really remember what you thought when you heard that Logan Sargeant was being promoted to F2. Maybe a small "good on him" fluttered through your mind before quickly being squashed by a thought of "is he still the same?"

The awsner to that was no; he was not the same. He'd grown exponentially and now borderline towered over you. He actualy looked like he belonged on the scene- and had his eyes always been that dreamy? Wait, you couldn't get caught up in these thoughts.

For all you knew, he was still the young 14 year old boy that just stared when you excitedly first greeted him with your hand stuck out and a smile plastered on your face. Not unlike the one he had on now...

Huh?

You then actuly payed attention to your surroundings and now saw the American stood in front of you with his hand stuck out and a slight flush on his cheeks. "Uh, hi" he said breathlessly (almost like he had rushed to get to you before you had a chance to get away).

You gave him a glance up and down. "Hi." You raised your eyebrows and continued, "Can I help you?" His eyes almost lit up at your response. Almost like he was excited that the two of you were actualy holding a conversation after all these years.

"Yeah. I just wanted to apologise" He looked down as he said the last part. "Apologise for what exactly?" You countered. You knew what you wanted his response to be but whether he had conjured up something to apologise for that you were unaware of was beyond you.

"Well I'm not sure if you remember when we first met." Oh you remember. For some frustrating reason it had plagued your mind on many nights. "But you introduced yourself and I just kinda stood there and didn't say anything...like at all. And I've felt really bad about it for many years and I've tried to make up for it so man-" "Hey" you laughed at his clearly passionate yet worried rambling "It's fine. You've apologised. That's all that matters."

And there it was again. That same slack jawed expression that he sported all of those years ago. You almost had the urge to laugh at the obscurity of the situation or even roll your eyes when he mumbled out "That's all it took?" What was he talking about? "After all of these years That's all I needed to say?" Now he looked almost hurt...

"Well no." You spluttered out. Did your avoidance of him really have that much of an effect on him? "Well I mean..." Maybe your avoidance was a good thing if he reduces you to a spluttering mess after one conversion. You released a sigh of resignation and then apologised.

"Look I'm really sorry for how I reacted because clearly it wasn't enjoyable for either party." The last part made his eyebrows rise as you continued "I'm just so used to having that reaction for the wrong reasons so I never really gave you a chance to explain yourself. So, like I said, I'm sorry. Can we possibly start over again?"

That got him to smile and oh if it didn't make your heart flutter. You took his turned up lips as enough of an awnser and stuck your hand out like you did those many years ago and tried again. "Hi I'm Y/N Y/L/N. It's lovely to meet you." This mouth then split into a wide grin and at that you found yourself doing the same. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Y/N. I've heart a lot about you."

"You didn't say your name!" Your fake whisper caused him to let out a breathy chuckle and he corrected himself. "My Bad, I'm Logan Sargeant, the newest driver." After you exchanged a handshake you began to giggle at the obscurity of the situation.

Four years ago you would have been appaled that you 'forgave' the man after just one conversation. But as he joined in in your laughter and the two of you became hunched over with giggling, you couldn't find it in you to care.

-°•°•°•°•--•°•°•°•°--°•°•°•°•--•°•°•°•°-

I miss these 2.

As always, Likes, reblogs and especially feedback are always welcome!

Taglist: @nikfigueiredo @mysoulispainted @leclercings @d3kstar @hiireadstuff @a-beaverhausen @nichmeddar @lozzamez3 @stinkyjax @marymustdie @littlesatanicassholebitch @mehrmonga @insanedeathwish @ems-alexandra @a-disturbing-self-reflection

[telleroftime]

Small Comfort ||| Chishiya x Reader

You and Chishiya have been grouped together for a game and you didn’t anticipate the amount of people there. You’re panicking, but Chishiya grounds and comforts you in his own way.

———————————————

Request - Anonymous

Pairing: Chishiya Shuntarō x Female ! Reader

Relationship: Romantic

Tone: Angst to Fluff

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: Reader has Social Anxiety, Light Panic Attack (?)

Oneshot Masterlist

A/N: "It should be posted within the next few days" I said. It has been nearly three weeks. I may have forgotten to work on this.

———————————————

Tonight was the last night of your visa, a fearful "zero days remaining" bright on the phone's screen, and you had to leave the ironic, stone walls of the hotel. The foe utopia hidden behind the title of the Beach demanded obedience, and with it the order that you could not leave unless the timer struck zero. You were to remain lost within the sickening party of alcohol and deception until the very last second, and you were to be a servant to Hatter until your very last breath. That way they ensured your total 'loyalty'.

And, because of that loyalty, tonight you had to leave. This night you had to participate in the death games, and, no matter the risks, you were happy that Chishiya chose to come with you.

He was wordless when he approached you within the packed lobby, only cocking his head with a knowing smirk before his expression fell back to a mask of cold neutrality.

He was worldless when Hatter announced the beginning of the night's entertainment and when each pre-decided group made its way to the old vehicles prepared by the iron gates of the hotel.

He was wordless when he entered the van and claimed the very back seats for the two of you.

There weren't a lot of you in the van the Beach's scouts managed to get their hands on. There were only five people if you counted both you and Chishiya: the driver who sat with thinly lined lips and wrinkles highlighting his frown; two women who huddled up in the seats in front of you, wrapped in each other's arms with scared eyes; Chishiya who leaned his chin on his fist and looked silently out of the window; and you.

To your surprise, the ride towards the site of the rising white light was a silent and pleasant one. Other than the hushed murmur of the two women, everyone seemed to mind their own business. The driver was diligently following the red line on the paper map, and Chishiya spared a few quiet glances at you. It was a comfortable atmosphere.

At least for however long it lasted.

You knew that it was going too well when you left the confines of the van, Chishiya aiding your dismount with a tentative hand that slipped back into the safety of its pocket the second you let go.

You followed him and the rest of the group up and into the bright building, seemingly a shorter office block, holding onto Chishiya by the fabric of his jumper. Step after step you made your way following the “Game” signs until you reached the table adorned with a variety of phones. Before you could grab one, you spared a glance at your surroundings.

There were too many people.

You tried to remain focussed as dark and cold eyes stared at you and your group. The two women quickly diffused into the corner and the driver stood with a hulking figure adjacent to the entrance. Noticing their actions only brought your attention ever so closer to the crowd of people. There were men in suits and women in matching garments. A high-schooler stood by the distant wall, seemingly staring you down as one finger coiled around the pink strands in her hair.

You felt like the world slowed around you. There were maybe twelve - no… thirteen strangers there that mixed with your group’s five. Seventeen people in the confines of one empty room.

You didn't know how it was possible. Other than the Beach, people didn’t tend to crowd together. Of course you didn’t doubt the luck in some cases. You’ve seen a lot of people participate in these games before; you've seen plenty of people walk towards different lights. Added up there realistically had to be this many people stuck within the Borderlands.

Another person entered, and you struggled to breathe. Eighteen.

There were eighteen people in one room. There were seventeen sets of eyes staring you down. Studying you. Judging you.

It didn’t matter if that was actually the case, but it felt like their eyes were digging into your skin. The space was suffocating. The walls felt like they were shrinking and spinning and warping and you couldn’t help but wrap your arms around yourself. Your body shook and your blood ran cold. It felt as if a large stone lodged itself in the base of your throat.

Your ears were ringing and your mind felt numb.

There were seventeen other people in one room.

You could hear their voices singing in your head:

‘Have you seen what she’s wearing?’

‘Look at how small she looks right now.’

‘Is she scared? Pathetic.’

‘Ha! Look at her hands. She's trembling.’

‘She-‘

Chishiya’s body gently pressed into you, his upper arm bumping against yours. The motion acted as a means of grounding that caused you to swallow down the terror as you were brought back to reality.

The room was still and none of the people were even remotely looking at you. Most were chatting amongst each other. The rest were looking down. Other than Chishiya’s, there was not a single pair of eyes looking you down.

You tried your best to breathe steadily as you noticed the room was bigger than you previously thought. The walls were no longer a predatory trap. You were safe enough, and you inhaled a shaky breath, almost missing the shuffle of fabric next to you.

What you didn’t miss was Chishiya’s outstretched hand in the corner of your eye, presenting you with one side of his Sony earphones.

Gingerly, you took it from his hand and looked at it before your eyes glanced up at the blonde's face. There was a quirk to his lips, but it wasn't a mocking one - it never was a mocking one. It was a silent invitation of comfort that acted as a substitute to his eyes that didn't dare to look at you.

He had noticed your panic straight away and he cared enough to intervene.

And you let out a breath, putting in the earbud.

The sound of the music was a pleasant distraction and a temporary remedy to your anxieties. It melted away the weight that was heavy on your chest mere moments ago, and it allowed you to breathe steady.

It was a comfort that you loved from him, and it was a comfort that allowed you to stand there beside him, waiting for the registration to close.

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Oneshot Masterlist

[lynx-doodles-indie-games]

minor and moderate worldless spoilers ahead! i really like this game so please play it so you can have the full context of my stupidity

this upload's gonna be a bit different, since i wanna talk about a Very Very Stupid Thing i did when i played worldless last month, and hopefully some of yall can enjoy me being the butt of the joke idk. minor spoilers are ahead, but i'll put the moderate spoilers under the cut below.

also because there isn't a better place to put this, the colors i used throughout these doodles are from sweetavery's zenith, it's an impeccable fit for this game!

so, picked up worldless last month and yet another game pestered me about playing on a controller as opposed to keyboard. "how dare!" i shouted at my computer, "for i have bested the pantheon of hallownest in hollow knight and make for a fine accomplice in rain world's jolly co-op with just a keyboard! i don't need a controller!"

well, to absolutely no one's surprise, the default keyboard layout SUCKS. but that's nothing a little rebinding can't fix. i messed around in the menus, experimented with what made the game feel mildly more comfortable to play, which worked for about twenty minutes.

so i haven't talked much about the story, yeah? well that's because this wrestling with the controls took up so much of my attention that i could barely clock in what was happening! so that when the above happened, well… you can see how well that went out.

i actually put the game down out of frustration because i was really excited for it and yet the controls were so obstinate. this was my first impression, and it… was not a great one, you can tell.

about a week later i was bored out of my mind and picked up the game again. i'd wondered if i should've started a new save or picked up where i left off. i wish i had done the former. because…

yeah, i'd gone off the intended path and ignored the objective because i'd literally forgotten what the game had told me it wanted me to do.

that's as much i'm willing to divulge to the people who want to play the game with as few spoilers as possible. moderate spoilers below.

rest assured, i'm getting a pair of controllers later this month. the transition is gonna be… rocky. i'd been meaning to get some for being able to play horizon zero dawn and hyper light drifter and other games of that caliber, but this experience with worldless urged that along faster. (i am not looking forward to relearning how to play hollow knight and rain world on a controller)

---

back to the game:

so yeah, even at this point, i had not connected the dots that the guy who beat me up was the same guy i was chasing across the map was the same guy i saw in that apparition was the same guy currently crouched in front of me. i get "early-game amnesia" every so often (ask me sometime about my experience with shovel knight this summer), but worldless has been the worst example of it happening to me, not helped by the awful controls distracting me in the opening, not playing it for a long enough time for my memory of the first twenty minutes to erode, and then returning to my old save file instead of starting up a new one.

i somehow blearghed my way into resolving the conflict peacefully, since i'd known the battles are a bit like puzzles and this one had given me the capability of using wisp's cry. so i did, thinking it was simply the resolution for the battle.

and this. this took me off-guard. but, obviously, not in the way the devs had expected. i didn't know who this guy was so suddenly playing as him was rather confusing.

which is a shame, really. i wish i'd restarted the game instead of picked up from my current save. i wish i could erase my memories of the game and replay it afresh (but with more optimal controls). i wish i'd gotten a controller before playing worldless.

but what's done is done. i wrestled the controls into something somewhat manageable. in the span of less than two weeks of active play, i'd beaten the game, found the secret boss, ascended the path of determination, and overcome the ultimate trial all on a keyboard.

dw tho, i eventually bonded with my beloved deuteragonist (dubbed him "coal" in contrast with the original deuteragonist "wisp"). i've drawn a ton of them in the past couple of weeks and i'm hoping to share em soon. gotta get the word about this game out somehow :D

idk how to end this lol

[angelofchaos001]

Writing Practice

(Bit of writing practice for some lore/maybe chapter of a possible fic for a Worldless x WoF AU)

Ten tribes exist on two continents, and ten was all there was. They lived peacefully, happily, free of the war and suffering that plagued them so long ago. Everyone finally got along.

But far away, looking up to the cosmos, was a secret eleventh tribe that had been there all along, watching down on the tribes and even granting special powers to one particular tribe they favored. They hoped, one day, that tribe would be their key to establishing communications and trade with the other tribes.

Their existence was considered a myth. A legend, a tall tale for dragonets, and despite their efforts, the NightWings twisted the tale of their unique powers and erased the eleventh tribe from their history. As punishment, the tribe ceased giving their powers, but sent one Princess Dusty to negotiate, bringing the powers back and hopefully being known about again.

The journey was long, and it had been centuries since the NightWings had powers when Dusty finally arrived. She tried to plead her case, but the NightWings refused and had an animus place a terrible curse upon her poor soul.

They stole her light, and used it to fuel themselves to once again have the powers they held so dear.

Dark and empty, Dusty returned home to be comforted by her mother and family. Nobody knew what to do. They'd never had anyone lose their eternal light before. At first, Dusty was fine, if a bit depressed and mopey. But eventually, the profound emptiness turned to a gnawing hunger for her light again. With no way to bring it back on her own, Dusty turned to less savory means of fixing her curse.

She stole someone else's light, absorbing their light into her own body and making her feel whole once more. The dragon she touched fell to the ground, and slowly, became as empty and hollow as she once was.

Discovering what she'd done, Dusty's mother exiled her from the Kingdom, leaving her to live in shame of what she'd done while they tried to heal the dragon she'd absorbed. Time passed, and the dragon slowly became the same way Dusty had been: Empty, and hungry for light.

Worse still, Dusty's light was only temporary. Soon, she snuck back, and sought after more light, leaving dark and empty husks in her wake. These dark dragons grew in number, and there was no option but to exile them to protect the remaining light dragons. Both sides grew as they raised their dragonets to be fearful of the other side. For a dark to never trust a light, and vice versa.

"Woah," Eterna hadn't dared to breathe during the story at all until this moment. "But what happened to Dusty, mom?"

The soft white glow of her mother seemed to beam as she reached out and gently patted the dragonet. "Nobody knows, darling. She disappeared one day without a trace."

"Surely someone found her!"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She's still out there, lurking, corrupting pure StarWings like us. Her and all her kin. That is why we hide whenever one is spotted at the border, and our warriors go to take care of it."

Eterna sighed and shuffled restlessly. "Mom, I want to be a warrior. I want to fight the dark and chase it back and be a hero."

Her mom tented a wing over her comfortingly. "And I want you to stay safe, Eterna. Our warriors are strong enough to defeat any foe. You don't need to join them."

Unsatisfied, she dramatically flopped on her bed with a groan. Her mother frowned. "Don't be like that, now. There's plenty of perfectly reasonable jobs a young dragon like you can get."

"But I want to fight," she muttered into her bed. "I'm old enough to start training for it."

"I'm not going to let you waltz to join in on senseless fighting and end up as a dark one, Eterna." Her mother flicked her tail, lightly pressing it on Eterna's snout. "That's final."

She scowled and turned away as her mom walked out of the room. "I love you, my darling."

"I love you too," she replied, curling up and fantasizing about being the StarWing who found Dusty and ended the nightmare raging around them.

[incorrect-worldless-quotes]

Aven: Three of the four elements are represented as types of hockey. Air hockey, ice hockey, and field hockey. Fire hockey needs to be a thing.

Old One: Fire hockey absolutely does NOT need to be a thing.

Edda: Do you care NOTHING for the balance of the four elements?!

[many-faced]

Trying to get better at writing different types of relationships and I've been thinking about this idea for a while. I finally decided to commit to it so have some art of Warden and Interval, they're besties your honor

Including their sexualities here because... why not. I know Interval is based on a canon character but I have adopted him as my OC now you cannot stop me/silly Warden - Cis homosexual male Interval - Cis aroace [aegoromantic asexual specifically] male

edit: just noticed I forgot interval's three smaller horns. damnit.

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Alright. Old One=Assigned Parent on sight. *leaves and refuses to elaborate.*

Fair enough, honestly. I like that headcanon. Parent distribution system at work for our resident Star Gremlins Children.

As far as personal takes from my own playthrough, I never saw the Old One in that light, since I perceived him as slightly deranged and - while not expressly antagonistic to the duo - not entirely their friend either. So..."slightly mad wizard on the hill over that-a-way" vibes? I also felt kinda bad for him.

Either way, also love the Assigned Parent take on him too, lol.

[octahedral-chaos]

Have another analysis of Aven from @mystic-131 's Duality, this time about foreshadowing that Aven has trauma.

Aven's first appeared when he's in complete utter pain with a large gash on his side. And the first thing he says?

"You know"

Like he recognises that Edda wasn't attacking him like the other starfolks, so he knew that she wasn't a threat at the moment, so he still kept his guard up around her, possibly believing that she'll eventually turn on him like the others.

2. In the same chapter, he begs for someone to have an answer, further suggesting that he's confused and scared. And frankly, who wouldn't be after being ganged up on by a LOT of starfolks? Plus this seemed a bit more... scared too, the way it phrased, suggesting even further that Aven isn't who he seems.

3. Aven also saves Edda multiple times, starting from the first chapter. This suggests that he recognises that she wasn't a threat, but he's still too scared to register that she was not going to hurt him.

4. In Chapter 2, Aven refuses help, possibly because he still didn't trust her due to the previous experience with starfolks. He also seemed a bit embarrassed, probably because he wasn't used to interacting with others.

5. In Chapter 3, Aven seemed a bit scared to enter the Inertian dwelling, possibly because he was scared that he would get attacked again. Also, he seems genuinely confused that Edda was helping him, again showing that he wasn't used to actual kindness and potentially believing that everything's out to kill him.

6. Also he might be thinking that Eldin would also be a threat, hence why he initially refused his help.

7. In Chapter 5, Aven willingly helps Edda to see by using his fire magic. I think this shows that he GENUINELY wants to help now that Edda seems a bit safer.

8. Also the way Aven was acting in Chapter 5 suggests that he possibly knew Dark Paladin was there? Because of these lines:

"He didn’t seem like he wanted to speak, but she could sense something was weighing on his mind."

"that odd feeling, like an unseen thorn had buried into her companion’s mind. He had acted so oddly since that morning, rather silent, no longer carrying a weight of defiance around him. Instead, a swamp of horrible emotions tinted the air, to where they seemed to suffocate the two of them. Was it fear? Uncertainty? Despair? Edda wasn’t sure, but they were eating him from the inside out."

I believe this might be him being terrified of something, possibly the Dark Faction symbol due to it's connection with Demon, or potentially Dark Paladin.

9. These sentences from Chapter 5 as well:

"Edda turned to see Aven, who stood trembling, the research laying in a heap at his feet. Initially, she was annoyed, but then she sensed a change in the air. The hunter seemed to gaze blankly ahead, as if he felt an overwhelming, suffocating presence approaching him."

This CLEARLY shows that Aven's terrified of Dark Paladin, possibly because it's the Pawn of Demon. This might be him pretty much PANICKING at the mere sight of them, because remember, Aven has trauma from his "awaking" in the Sapphire Thickets. So it is possibly Dark Paladin was one of the starfolks that attacked him.

10: Also this line:

"Aven didn’t do the same. In fact, he wasn’t moving at all. He turned to the being, but did nothing else but gaze at them. That serrated feeling entered the air again, though this time, it was far worse. In the presence of the dark Starfolk, it was as if a dam had burst, a wall that held his emotions beneath that angry shell of his. Aven’s terror was on full display as the being stood idly in front of them.

To the hunter’s horror, they pointed a clawed finger at him."

Yep, definitely trauma relating to Dark Paladin.

11. Aven in Chapter 6 seemed really terrified of Paladin at first, definitely because of trauma, until it turns into complete, utter rage at the finally part of the battle. Aven basically MUALLING Paladin is most likely because Paladin is basically just Demon's puppet, and thus represents his underlying trauma. The possible reason why he went berserk is because he just wanted to get rid of or escape from Paladin, and possibly because of Edda being in danger as well.

Remember, Edda is one of the few persons he can trust and he was most likely attached to her at this point. He did not want to see the only person he can put his safety in die.

[dreadfutures]

the old Chinese man who is the pop of the mom and pop sandwich shop that makes the ONLY sandwich I like (their Reuben. specifically theirs, and only that one) in the world (I Do Not Like Sandwiches), always sings the same 6 notes of some sort of worldless hymn and he has a beautiful voice and sometimes he puts a little embellishment on some of the notes

it is peaceful and hypnotic and I love this place

they have an upstairs loft where students can work and I think the singing might be the perfect background for writing

[cogwheel999]

more Worldless sprite stuff, this one was made a few weeks ago

i also made some art of @h0ped3lusion's character, Ibu! this is also a little old though; their design might actually look different now. :P

[linkysmommy]

Well here it is. My Bloodbound review/reactions/essay/idk what.

For some reason, now that it's done most of what I have are critiques 😂 I guess because there were so many amazing things about this book, such great characters and themes, that certain things ended up leaving me... disappointed. But before I get into all that, let me start with what I really, really liked. (adding a cut because I feel like this is going to end up really long lol. also, spoilers ahead. obviously)

THE POSITIVES:

Overall, the vibes, the characters, the themes, and the lore were immaculate. The writers put a lot of thought into the world that they created and the themes they wanted to explore through that world, and I really respect that.

I thought that the vampire council and the clans in NYC was a really cool concept and was a little bummed that we didn't get to do more with vampire politics. Despite hating most everyone on the council, I also loved them. I found them all interesting and unique, and loved seeing the backstories that involved them, such as the scene at the fair or the scene when they all teamed up to take down Gaius. I was actually sad when the Baron and Lester died lol, while it did make for a cool scene, I felt that their deaths left a hole in the story. (oops sorry I did not mean to turn this positives into a half-negatives thing lol)

I swear that the toxic, messed up relationship between Gaius, Kamilah, and Adrian has me by the throat. The concept of a cruel, thousands year old vampire gaining the love and devotion of these two people not through the use of mind control *cough Rheya cough* but through sheer charisma, magnetism, and leadership skills... and then shaping them into tools to be used in his hands. Making them into his queen and his soldier and then forcing them into a cycle of violence while still inspiring them to follow, using them while still loving them... it's one of the greatest pleasures of having read this series to have gotten a taste for this relationship. And now that I've gotten a taste I'm just hungry for more, so this will be rotating in my head for a while yet.

Adrian Raines. My darling. My BABY. There is just something so fascinating, so alluring, about a creature born and shaped for violence, whose heart manages to remain pure. I especially loved how this was explored in Bloodbound 2. You see the heartless, emotionless cruelty that Adrian was capable of at the end of book 1, and then throughout book 2 he struggles with these two sides of himself: the heartless soldier, the angel of death, versus the kind, idealistic, sweet man who's fascinated by the simple things the world has to offer like open fields and sunlight, and the incredible ingenuity and good that the human race is capable of creating. Throughout book 2, this dance of Adrian being the foil to Gaius is clear as day and oh so powerful. Gaius was Rheya's soldier, who was shaped into a killing machine at her side, who was driven to extremes by seeing the way his own people were hunted and killed. Adrian was Gaius's soldier, who was shaped into a killing machine at his side, who had to fight the anger and hatred that tried to pull him to cruelty and snuff out his goodness. Like I said in a previous post, the juxtaposition of this inner warmth and kindness against the person Gaius tried to make him will never not be fascinating.

Kamilah and Adrian siblings bond!! PLEASE they're so cute! I adored how over and over again, we saw them exchange looks and have full on worldless conversations by just their facial expressions. The way they know each other so well, inside and out, and have complete respect for one another, and the way they would die for one another, it just warms my heart and I adore them.

Also, just Kamilah. She's a badass ancient warrior queen, and I really loved seeing how no-nonsense and serious she was. Like she's been doing this for thousands of years, she's seen so much, she's killed so much, I feel that she doesn't think she truly deserves redemption or is as pure as Adrian, but she fights to protect the people under her care. Those who cannot fight for themselves the way she can fight for them.

Gaius Augustine, what a villain you were. I loved how the game never shied away from the nuances in his character. They never painted him in cartoonishly villainous colors with no remorse for his actions. You can see why he became the way he was, and while you can understand that doesn't mean you have to excuse it; it does, however, make him more of an interesting villain. The fact that love and a desire to protect his people is what drove him to extremes makes him a fascinating villain, because his actions, while inarguably evil, are rooted in something that most everyone can understand: love. Although Gaius never knew how to truly love, it doesn't mean that he didn't. He hurt Kamilah and Adrian over centuries, but he never truly wanted to kill them. I appreciated that the various times where Gaius killed someone or almost killed someone with whom he had history (such as Takeshi or when he almost killed Kamilah), he expressed remorse. It wasn't enough to make him stop, because he is a bad man, but the fact that there was remorse in the first place adds more depth and emotion to both his character and the event itself.

I enjoyed the way that MC defeated Rheya. I thought that the twist that Rheya had murdered her own daughter after having given into her anger about the fact that she thought her daughter was murdered was really great. I enjoyed that MC didn't have to physically overpower Rheya; she just had to go back to where the cycles of violence began and show to Rheya herself that was the monster in her own story. I loved that.

It would be remiss of me to not mention Lily Spencer. From start to finish, she was a delight, and I loved how MC was honestly just as geeky as Lily sometimes, she just reigned it in a little bit more. Lily's enthusiasm for life was refreshing for a vampire story, where usually becoming a vampire is compared with death, and yet Lily's take on it was that she had a whole new life to live, new experiences to try out. I really enjoyed her humor, and thought her friendship with MC was both touching and relatable. So have some Lily moments that made me laugh out loud:

Also, the scene where MC died, and then she was Turned, and you woke up in a coffin, and you almost killed that girl in the park... peak cinema. Absolutely delicious, you'd better believe I ate that shit up. I also loved seeing the flashback where you saw how the other vampires reacted to your death. Yes, I enjoyed seeing Adrian in pain, yes, I am an angst fiend and sadist ig.

Sorry I feel like there's more to say but I've been working on this forever so I'm gonna leave the positives at that 😭

THE CRITIQUES:

Let me first preface this by saying that I truly enjoyed Bloodbound. It latched onto my brain, and I enjoyed the journey, and it managed to make me more invested in a Choices book than I have been since I read It Lives. That being said, after finishing it, I couldn't help but feel that many things could have been done better, and a little bit let-down that many of the things that I connected to were not fully explored or expanded upon like I felt like they could have been. So this massive critique going forward is done with love. That's all. ❤️

This one isn't a huge deal, but I was disappointed by the lack of variation that your choices had in the final battle. You had the choice to kill Rheya's vampire guards or leave them, then you had the choice to kill Dracula or leave him. The first time I played I was doing a supervillain route so I was intentionally trying to choose the darker choices and was delighted to see how people were reacting:

I thought that their dialogues were based on the fact I was going on a murderous, merciless rampage, but then when I came back and played and didn't kill everyone, their reactions were all the same. So that was disappointing.

The Jax/Lily death was,,, a choice. I get what they were trying to do. I do. Rheya lost her family, Gaius lost Rheya, Kamilah lost her brother, Adrian lost his family. There were cycles of loss that bred extreme behavior among our cast, and they wanted MC to experience that, too. They wanted to make her a reflection of Rheya, for the moment of losing Jax/Lily to be the trigger that makes her able to lose her humanity and become the very thing she swore to destroy. However, there were a few problems with how it played out! First of all, it's obviously suspect that the two sidelined Black or Asian LIs are the only ones who can die, while Adrian and Kamilah's plot armor protects them. Second of all, they wanted to make this big sacrifice to make MC snap but then they didn't even commit to it. If anything it would've made more sense for the LI to be the one who dies, seeing the impact that it had on MC. Because while my MC cares about Jax, he's probably the person in the crew that she's the least connected to so it felt a little odd for her in particular to lose it while the others were okay. I think that honestly, she would've reacted more like them. Sad, and angry, but without such an extreme reaction. But, the writers simultaneously tried to play it safe by ensuring that your LI doesn't die, while being "brave" and killing off part of the crew, so it just came across feeling odd to me and didn't quite hit the mark of what they were trying to do.

The romantic development was underwhelming. The romance quality skyrocketed in books 2 and 3, but unfortunately by then, the characters were already in relationships and while I enjoyed those scenes, I felt disappointed that we missed a quality relationship arc where we saw the characters fall for each other. I romanced Adrian, and I don't see what was so incredible about mc in the beginning to make him fall for her. She's just some human, and he's a powerful CEO, 300 year old clan leader and vampire council member. That's not say that I don't think he could've fallen for her - in fact, I think it's poetic and makes perfect sense that the man who's so embroiled in his vampire world and vampire politics yet adores humanity would fall for an average human - but the development simply wasn't there. The scene where you first let him drink your blood after breaking him out of jail was underwhelming and there was no emotional weight in the writing of that scene. In book one, it just really felt like the fact that something happened was supposed to be enough for us to believe that it was meaningful, instead of the writing and development showing us how it happened.

The actual plot events were in general... underwhelming. Both books 2 and 3 set up this fascinating potential for scenes and narrative arcs, with Gaius destroying NYC, and then Rheya taking over the city, and both times we just flew away to chase down artifacts and have diamond scenes in pretty places in various countries. I think it was an unfortunate choice to trade the potential of vampire politics for artifact-hunting.

The Order and Xenocrates in particular were woefully under-utilized. The tapestry paintings shed light on a fascinating dynamic between Gaius and Xenocrates, and we see that this anger and hatred has spanned millennia! Xenocrates is the reason that vampires are hated and hunted, he is the reason why Gaius is driven to extremes and decides that his plan to eradicate humans apart from keeping a blood supply for vampires is the only way to protect his people. And then... he just dies in a building collapse, and the Order is destroyed, and this thousands-year-old conflict is snuffed out pretty much immediately. It was disappointing, because there was so much potential in the lore that was created here, it just wasn't taken advantage of in the present storyline.

This one is small, but. Where the heck did MC's mom go 😭 we see one memory of her and then never hear about her again. Did she die? If she's not dead, why is MC not concerned about her while Gaius and Rheya are trying to destroy/take over the world.

This one is also small but worth mentioning - I was so annoyed that MC was forced to speak up and voice her opinion all the time in situations that really didn't involve her. It was just odd to me that Adrian's assistant thought it would be a good idea to speak up in a vampire council meeting after only having known about vampires for like. A few days lol. There were many times where I cringed at having to choose something to say because I, frankly, would have just remained silent because it wasn't my place to speak.

Maybe this is just me but... I definitely felt like Jax was done dirty by the writers. Not just in that he was sidelined and had fewer scenes and plot relevance apart from "being part of the crew", but I think his development as a character was weaker than the others. By book 3, I do feel like he came more into himself, and it was nice to see him have a character arc regarding his relationship with Takeshi, but for books 1 and 2, I personally felt like the writers didn't really know him. He was sort of just... bland, left vaguely blank aside from the "rebel vampire leader" for a while. The writers themselves said that he was the hardest character to write, which makes sense because I could tell that it took them a while to figure out who he really was.

Now for my biggest critiques, mostly centering around the handling of Gaius's character and missed potential.

First, Gaius's character development and thing with Rheya. I... was not a fan at all of the brainwashing plot point. I found that it made Gaius's character far less interesting and seemed to be almost incompatible with previous portrayals of his character and who they had been creating. For example, Rheya supposedly severed his compassion for humans, yet we see a direct contradiction of that when he had empathy for Kano, a dying child who'd lost his parents, and decided to Turn him in order to save his life and give him a chance to avenge his family. What made him so fascinating to me originally was the fact that DEVOTION was what ultimately turned him into a monster: first, devotion to Rheya, and second, devotion to his own people. By book 3, he was reduced from a terrifying vampire leader who would put his life on the line to protect his own people (as seen in crypt scene where he risks his life to save other vampires instead of running to safety) to a mindless zealot of Rheya whose only purpose seemed to be "Obey the goddess!" While the devotion to her is fine, it saddened me that his role as a leader who let fanaticism guide him as he sought to protect vampires was overshadowed by this interpersonal conflict between two individuals. I think there was a hugely missed opportunity to pit his two devotions against each other when he learns that Rheya doesn't actually care about him OR the vampires as a whole, and would happily take their lives if it meant gaining more power for herself. To watch him wrestle between his devotion to Rheya, his beloved goddess, and his devotion to his vampire progeny... now that is a character arc I'd love to dive into. Imagine if, in addition to being angry that Rheya used him like a tool, he was also angry that she wanted to hurt vampires. Just imagine something like this: "While you were asleep I was building a kingdom for our people, while you were gone I was the one who stepped up to protect them! And now you think you can come back, and use them, and kill them, and that I'll support you?" The vibes... immaculate.

Going along with the topic of Gaius being responsible for his own actions vs the concept of brainwashing, if Gaius hadn't been brainwashed and simply turned against Rheya because he realized she didn't care about the well-being of vampires and saw them as tools in her quest for power, I feel as though it would've made the alliance between Gaius and MC's crew all that much more interesting. A fragile alliance between people with a common enemy, but Gaius is still not an ally because he still disdains humanity, and once Gaius helps you get Rheya out of the way, you know that you'll have to deal with him next... mmm delicious.

As an add on, learning that it was all the result of brainwashing opens up a whole can of worms of "okay this man still committed war crimes but how much is he actually responsible for?" that I frankly don't feel was necessary, because Gaius was fully fascinating all on his own without needing to add the element of brainwashing to it. I just felt like it had the result of turning a fascinating, layered, nuanced character into "black-and-white" to make his redemption easier for lay readers to stomach.

Even after having bought every single tapestry diamond scene and plenty of diamond scenes with various characters, I was still left with lingering confusion about what happened in the past, namely: what did Gaius's empire look like and how did it work, what exactly were Kamilah and Adrian doing to spread his empire and enforce his rule, and what about him made them choose to swear fealty in the first place? They talk so much about all the people they killed and yet we really only saw them kill people who weren't exactly innocent? Iirc we only saw Adrian kill confederate soldiers, a British soldier who tried to kill him first, and a rogue vampire that had just drained a man of blood. And yeah, there was some sketchiness about it because the confederate soldiers weren't attacking him, and there was a young kid with them, but at the end of the day they were enemy soldiers fighting to maintain slavery and this is war - hardly the same thing as ruthlessly murdering strangers. Anyway the point is that I would've liked a clearer picture of what they did, to truly see them at their lowest points. And then, to see what was the catalyst that started pushing them back up again. I would've liked to know who they were sent to kill, and why, instead of vaguely "I've killed so many people." Give me the details!!

Like Part 1, I am Tired now and I feel like I've said most of what I want to say. So I am finished with my critiques section.

If you made it this far, you are the best and I appreciate you being interested enough in my thoughts to read this long, rambling review ❤️

[paleodictyoptera]

Also I am throwing this random idea at you

Worldless × Hollow Knight crossover

"The Abyss is sealed for a reason-it's no place for common bug, let alone beings of light. Should you choose to break that seal and brave its depths, do not expect to return."

Edda simply stared at the horned creature clad in red. Aven whispered from their closet. "She thinks I'm a being of light?" His tone sounded mocking.

"...let's go." She tipped him out with the grace of an adamantoise and walked up to the sealed door, inspecting the network of light that arose when she touched its rough surface.

"So what do you think- green sword?" Aven groaned after brushing off the dust he gathered from his tumble. "You know this stuff's dangerous for me, right?"

"And you kept pushing me into water just to be sure. Well, I want to be certain as well."

"Ass."

"Green sword, but there's not enough room to swing down, we'll have to stab it."

Hornet, to her credit, did not completely doubt them, as she glared in annoyance rather than dismissal. "If there is anyone unable to claim the King's Brand that could still breach the Abyss, it would be you, but do not assume a change in weaponry will assist you."

Edda and Aven replied in united division.

"You'll see/Just you wait."

The seal, to it's credit, held up for 8 seconds before the cosmic blade sank into the glowing sigil with a sharp chunk, turning the door to fragments.

__________

The little Knight was not hollow. It had ambition, goals it set for itself. It had compassion and kindness for the people of Hallownest; it did not have much to say, but offered it's companionship nonetheless. It had fears and nightmares, cornered and crawling in the dark with monsters and apathy.

So it was perhaps not so surprising, when the world shook and the ceiling shattered, when the Eye from Above fell; when the Knight returned to the one living kind soul it had known in these lands only to find them frozen with arm shielding from above, humming with energy that did not belong to it-

It was not so surprising that the Knight shrieked. The dream nail was in their hand immediately, seeking for a sign of what had happened.

They did not expect the teleportation. They walked past other old ones petrified in a past agony, spear piercing the body of one of them as it slowly turned to flakes. They walked past the field of spears, over a mockingly radiant floor. They beheld the light gently floating down from above, intent unreadable.

"ANOMALY. INVASION. OPPORTUNITY."

The Knight swung its nail, but there was nothing there to hit. It was as if they didn't exist.

"PERMISSION. VOID. EXISTENCE."

The light threw a multitude of spearpoints their way; the knight did their best to dodge, but their sword arm got briefly scraped by an errant projectile. Three masks broke.

"OPPORTUNITY. FOCUS."

The words of the higher being were clear enough to the knight after slogging through the gibberish of the archives in an attempt understand the Pale King's plan. It was going to be forced into focusing Soul.

"VESSEL. HONOR. GODHOOD."

The little Knight was not hollow-none of the vessels were. Even the abyss had an element of fullness to it that made it unsuited to containment of anything.

"VESSEL. NEW. CREATE."

No- the way of the Abyss was destruction. Consumption.

Absorption.

The knight's shell split in half as the Void Heart sprang forth, tendrils of darkness seeping in from all directions and weaving into the Void. The hunger of the God of the Abyss was as strong as ever, claws of darkness finding purchase on the curved light as it sunk its teeth into the core, cracking symbols of infinity.

All They could do was scream.