#all of this characters are legends and so is he

[hermitadaymay]

Introducing the Raffle Artists of HADM '25!

Hello one more time, Hermitcraft fans! March is almost over... which means Hermit-a-Day May is fast approaching! As we lead up to the April 1st release of this year's schedule, I'd like to take some time to introduce the nine amazing featured artists helping us out with our fundraiser incentives this year!

Today: our Raffle Artists, belmarzi, sand-stinger, FantasyKiri, and ethosiab! The raffle is new to Hermit-a-Day May this year, and we hope you find the prizes we have on offer as cool as we do!

Last year, Hermitcraft fanart and animation legend belmarzi blessed us with an amazing milestone reward animatic - and this year, she's back to kick off our first raffle with a bang! Bel's raffle offering is a commission slot for a digital full-body portrait painting, like this one she did of Cleo:

Next up, from the coolest segment of the streamathon:

Sand is crocheting an amigurumi Jellie plushie for their raffle offering! While we don't have photos of the final product yet, you can check out this post to see Sand's awesome crochet skills in action. Jellie will be a little over a foot long (including the tail) and made of super soft yarn for maximum cuddliness! We will cover up to US$25 shipping to get the plushie to wherever the winner is.

Hermit-a-Day veteran Kiri is offering a commission slot for a full scene of up to eight characters, in a similar style to the example below but a bit smaller-scope (and, presumably, less Moomin-y, but far be it for me to tell you what to do with your commission slot! Maybe Moominhermits is the crossover the world needs.).

Finally, our ninth featured artist this year...

Nic's raffle offering is a commission slot for a three-page comic! He will work closely with you to put to page your favorite canon moment, fanfiction scene, or just whatever plot bunny you have in mind! Here's a shorter comic exhibiting Nic's style:

All raffle entries will be $1 - so, for example, if you donate $10 and select the raffle for Sand's plushie Jellie as your reward, you will get 10 entries toward Jellie! You can donate multiple times and select a different raffle option each time, if you'd like. Note that raffle entries do not stack with Individual Reward commissions - you will have to choose one or the other for any given donation. Remember, all donations go to a good cause: the Hermits' favorite charity, Gamers Outreach!

Next time: THE CALENDAR!

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 3

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville

Endorsement from submitter:

Ishmael & Quee(r)queg do it better than your OTP ever could. "[W]hat's all this fuss I have been making about, thought I to myself—the man's a human being just as I am: he has just as much reason to fear me as I have to be afraid of him. Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian" “ How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg—a cosy, loving pair.” “ At length, by dint of much wriggling, and loud and incessant expostulations upon the unbecomingness of his hugging a fellow male in that matrimonial sort of style, I succeeded in extracting a grunt; and presently, he drew back his arm, shook himself all over like a Newfoundland dog just from the water, and sat up in bed, stiff as a pike-staff, looking at me, and rubbing his eyes as if he did not altogether remember how I came to be there, though a dim consciousness of knowing something about me seemed slowly dawning over him. Meanwhile, I lay quietly eyeing him, having no serious misgivings now, and bent upon narrowly observing so curious a creature.” “ I drew my bench near him, and made some friendly signs and hints, doing my best to talk with him meanwhile. At first he little noticed these advances; but presently, upon my referring to his last night’s hospitalities, he made out to ask me whether we were again to be bedfellows. I told him yes; whereat I thought he looked pleased, perhaps a little complimented.” Plus, the entirety of “A Squeeze of the Hand” Insane work.

"It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it."

So Melville wrote of his masterpiece, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history. In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.

Classics, American literature, nautical fiction, adult

Wayward Children series (Every Heart a Doorway, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, Beneath the Sugar Sky, In an Absent Dream, Come Tumbling Down, Across the Green Grass Fields, Where the Drowned Girls Go, Lost in the Moment and Found, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, and other stories) by Seanan McGuire

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Guests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Fantasy, portal fantasy, mystery, magical realism, boarding school, novella, series, adult

[starcurtain]

Some Notes on Mydei's Characterization (Part 1)

I'm already tired of seeing Mydei slander (if I have to read "He's a brawn over brains berserker who just cares about fighting" one more time, I might actually die), so I thought I'd put together some quick notes on what canon has to say about Mydei's character. Please note this post contains only my own interpretations of canon material; not everyone will interpret scenes in the same manner.

Starting with some of the most off-base stuff I've seen first:

1. Being Capable of Violence is Not the Same as Being Violent

Mydei's trailer and his role in the story both confirm that he is capable of extreme acts of violence. When it comes to battle, multiple people--Eurypon and Phainon, for example--refer to Mydei specifically as a "beast," rather than a person. In his character stories, we're told that he was such a ferocious predator in the Sea of Souls that even monsters stopped coming near him, and in another of his character stories, he's described as tearing the throat out of an opposing enemy who had an army a thousand men strong. It is a basic and unavoidable fact of Mydei's character that he is capable not only of killing but of killing in egregiously brutal ways, literally tearing his enemies apart with his bare hands.

Mydei will fight, he will cause harm, and he will kill--whenever it is necessary to do so.

But there is an extreme world of difference between being capable of violence and actually being a violent person, and Mydei has shown, in both word and deed, that he is an inherently gentle character who, if given the option, would prefer to choose the path of least harm.

Over and over, the devs hit us players with the idea that Mydei's actual nature is one that abhors needless violence. We see this from his first character story, where Mydei--despite being thrown into the Sea of Souls as an infant, despite fighting every single day of his childhood just to survive--is described as saving drowning fishermen with no reward. Even the author of the legend points out the incongruity of this choice, saying "Why would a Kremnoan ever bother to save others?"

Remember that this is a Mydei who has had literally no human contact. He has no frame of reference for even the concept of generosity. If we take his story seriously, then despite being effectively feral at this point in time, his innate reaction to seeing others in danger was simply to provide aid. Even when his own survival was the only thing he had experience with, he still chose to selflessly save others, with no motivation other than the fact that benevolence appears to be his core nature.

Reinforcing this idea that Mydei is an inherently gentle person, there's the memory in Castrum Kremnos where an unknown someone asks Mydei what his dream is, with the only acceptable options being different combat roles. But Mydei's answers are charmingly abstract instead--young Mydei doesn't want to be a soldier and bring harm to others, he wants to be a wanderer or even a "beam of light."

(Saw some interesting talk linking this "beam of light" with Kephale recently too. I'm very interested to see whether the upcoming patches will tie these connections together or if we're all just reading too much into things lolol.)

3.0's plot hammered this home as well, with Mydei continually disputing Aglaea's mission requests; Aglaea says that sending too many Chrysos Heirs to fight Nikador would be a waste (in case they end up dying), to which Mydei responds that there's no point in needlessly risking people's lives.

Even the 3.0 side quests repeat this message, with one Kremnoan NPC, Aelius, noting that an assassin tried to murder him on his first day in Okhema. Instead of responding with force, as might be justified by the severity of the crime, Mydei--brand-new to Okhema and their ways himself!--still chose diplomacy, and went to the Council of Okhema to legally ensure the Kremnoan people's safety, instead of directly seeking vengeance.

Even a small scene in Kremnos's ruins gives the devs an opportunity to show that Mydei prefers to exhibit aggression only when threatened first: As the Trailblazer and Co. wander through the Soul-Forging Zone, the group meets a half-crazed titankin. Obviously it poses a danger and could become a more serious threat in an instant, but Mydei doesn't offer it any resistance. It isn't violent with him, so he has no reason or motivation to be violent with it... as opposed to Phainon, whose first reaction is immediately to attack.

(If you choose to kill it, by the way, Mydei scolds Phainon and the Trailblazer, effectively calling them bloodthirsty executioners...)

When Krateros attempts to manipulate Mydei using Mydei's mother's wishes, urging him to continue the cycle of domination in Kremnos, Mydei stops him cold by pointing out that (like Mydei who inherited her beliefs) he knows Gorgo was opposed to violence for violence's sake:

Then, of course, there's the entire deal about refusing the crown of Kremnos, breaking his people's endless cycle of violent lives and even more violent deaths and repeatedly refusing Nikador's power because Mydei had no desire to become Strife. Despite revering his people's god for what Nikador was supposed to be--the guardian who sacrificed everything to protect Amphoreus--the game repeatedly tells us that Mydei sees Kremnos's cultural tradition of conquest as a meaningless waste of life, glorifying cruelty for no reason and bringing nothing but harm to the Kremnoans and Amphoreus as a whole.

Mydei fought hard to not become the demigod of Strife. At every turn, he was pressured and manipulated by others against his expressly stated wishes, and ultimately was left with no choice but to accept the destiny forced upon him despite clearly longing for a different, gentler life. Although I'll talk more about this later, the fact that Mydei even went so far as to change his name among the Chrysos Heirs shows us just how intensely he was trying to separate himself from his own past and from Kremnos's bloody history. Mydei wanted to be a person, yet in the end, he was forced back into being a beast, into becoming the symbol of violence, the very thing that took everything good from his life.

(This isn't a shipping post, but Phainon's efforts to take on Nikador's coreflame can be read to at least some extent as a rescue attempt--despite himself believing that Mydei was the better fit for Strife, Phainon saw how sincerely Mydei did not want to take the coreflame trial, and at least in small part, Phainon did take on the trial to spare Mydei from that inevitability. Personally, I think this failure will eventually be one of the linchpins that brings Amphoreus crumbling down, because Phainon was supposed to be everyone's hero, but just like Cyrene, he failed to save Mydei.)

I've seen some people debating this idea that Mydei is not a violent person by pointing out that Phainon calls him "reckless when he gets the urge to kill." In 3.0, Phainon implies that Mydei could even hurt other people with his recklessness in battle. But... we have never seen Mydei ever bring any harm in battle to someone he didn't intend to hurt. No one innocent ever gets injured in-game by Mydei (at least so far...), and we have no indications at any point that Mydei would intentionally endanger others out of recklessness. In fact, even in their first scene, it's Mydei who scolds Phainon for being careless during battle.

For example, Mydei's first reaction to confronting Nikador was to immediately remove Phainon and the Trailblazer from the fight so that they wouldn't come to harm. Even inside the coreflame trial, while the power of Strife was driving Phainon mad, Mydei was still level-headed enough to rally the Trailblazer and Dan Heng and get Phainon out safe. Mydei was still rational enough to even recognize the Okhemans inside the illusion and say "This isn't who these people really are; they're being twisted by Nikador."

Is this really the behavior of a reckless person who loses his sense of reason in battle?

To be honest, players should take most of what Phainon actually says about Mydei with a grain of salt. Phainon, especially during 3.0, doesn't actually know Mydei's whole story (for one, he has a foot in mouth moment in 3.0 where he tells Mydei to make more friends, only to then find out in 3.1 that Mydei had more friends; they just all died), and we know that Phainon often exaggerates Mydei in many ways when talking to others. Mydei may be reckless in battle--but his recklessness almost certainly centers on himself, being willing to risk his own life, rather than others'. This is echoed again in his "Keeping Up With Star Rail" video, where Phainon comments on Mydei's complete lack of self-defense once he enters battle. While Phainon might think Mydei's lack of attention to his own pain is worth calling out, it isn't a sign that Mydei is genuinely a mindless berserker.

I've also seen people debating this point by saying that Mydei appears to go "crazy" in battle and starts grinning when he gets a battle high. But as for Mydei's smiling in battle, we really only see it three times: 1) When Phainon first returns to Okhema, 2) When Mydei finally engages in solo combat with Nikador, and 3) When engaged in solo combat after all his allies in the coreflame trial already "died."

Again, this isn't a shipping post, so write the first smile for Phainon off as you choose--maybe Mydei's just excited to have the opportunity to flex in front of his "rival." The other two smiles are admittedly a bit unhinged, but I'd argue that neither of these moments represents actual enjoyment of battle. Instead, both of these smiles occur only inside the overwhelming pall of Nikador's power, which we're told canonically infects the mind with a desire for bloodshed. More importantly, both of these instances also take place when Mydei is only fighting titankin, not human opponents, and only after Mydei has been left entirely alone, when he is certain that the only person at risk in the fight is himself. When Mydei can confirm that there's no one left to defend (or left for him to lose!), then and only then does he give in to Nikador's violence for violence's sake and engage in battle whole-heartedly.

tl;dr: Mydei was the crowned leader of a culture that glorified cruelty, death, and mindless brutality. He was forced into a life of violence where he had to fight tooth and nail for survival from virtually the moment of his birth. Everyone he ever loved died worshiping a god that used their souls as nothing but fodder for further meaningless destruction. Yet Mydei was doing everything he could to rise above that life, and to help others also rise above that life. Of course he fights when he must, but reveling in it? I don't really see the evidence.

My man did not tear down a dynasty, breaking a thousand years' cycle of pointless strife, to get hit with the "He's a battle junkie" allegations. I swear to god I will bite the next person who says it--

2. His Reputation as Quick-Tempered is a Front

While it's typically not Mydei's fans going around saying Mydei's just another "battle-obsessed manly man," there is a different stereotype I actually do see being perpetrated by self-proclaimed Mydei fans: It seems to be a common trend in fanfics and fanarts to write Mydei with a strong temper, showing him becoming very aggressive when annoyed and suggesting that his first resort in difficult situations is brute force.

To be fair, I think this is influenced by a number of factors, not the least of which is the game itself playing with this idea as a joke. In Mydei's "Keeping Up With Star Rail" video, Phainon playfully reduces Mydei to the quick-tempered brute stereotype, saying things like:

Phainon also brings this up at other points, such as suggesting that Mydei would only need one try to solve the puzzle in Janusopolis because his method of solving it would be... to just punch his way through.

But again, please take the things Phainon says about Mydei with a grain of salt. Roasting your friends for fun is simply a given, and I think that Phainon's comments about Mydei are meant to be understood as playful banter about his "rival," not serious analysis of Mydei's temperament (which really doesn't align with the stereotype of a hot-head at all).

Complicating this whole situation is the English voiceover, where it is clear the voice director encouraged Mydei's English VA to portray Mydei as particularly gruff and worked up in many of his lines. I have nothing against the English VA at all, but the voice direction of the English version clearly missed the mark on Mydei's character and went for a more aggressive vibe than any of the game's other languages. (The whole thing reminds of me Ray Chase not being given proper direction on Neuvillette's character at first and dramatically changing his voice acting over the course of Fontaine's patches.) I don't mean that English Mydei is never gentle, but that many of the lines are delivered with a level of vitriol that is not suited to the scene at all nor present in other languages. (Compare this line delivery in English with the same line in Chinese, for just one example.) The English interpretation of the character is strongly colored by this strange directing decision ("Mydei should be actively angry in many of his scenes"), unfortunately.

Complicating the whole situation even further is fandom's habit of reducing characters to flat caricatures because making funny meme art and exaggerating character traits for comedic effect is so common. (And enjoyable, don't get me wrong lol.) There is a well-loved relationship dynamic of "the grumpy one with the sunshine one," and I think unfortunately Mydei and Phainon are getting this treatment in fandom quite a bit: Phainon is depicted as the exuberant, happy puppy, while Mydei is the angry, bristling cat. It just makes sense when we consider cliches, right? The muscle-bound warrior dude will obviously be a cranky, easily angered hot-head, no? To a certain extent, I understand why fans jump to that conclusion and take that route in their fanworks; it's definitely easier to depict the characters with these kinds of shorthand tropes than to encompass their complicated personalities in every art or fic.

But the problem is... in-game Mydei is really not much like fanon Mydei, at least where tempers are concerned.

Repeatedly, the game tells us that Mydei keeps a level head even in situations of extreme pressure, and that he prefers to use communication, rather than force, to try to resolve the conflicts he encounters. Going back to some examples I've already mentioned: In the ruins of Kremnos, he's the first to suggest communicating with the titankin and the first to suggest that there's no reason to use violence against them. In 3.0, a scene lots of people say shows Mydei's "bloodlust," where he confronts Nikador and claims he has an intent to kill, actually starts with the line: "All that anger and regret I feel right now, I've learned to control them".

In Okhema, when the Kremnoans were facing assassination attempts, Mydei handled the situation legally, within the confines of Okhema's clearly ridiculous bureaucracy, to ensure that the Kremnoan people would be able to live within the city. In 3.1, when Krateros wants to lose the Okheman guards that are trailing them, Mydei defers to Krateros's lead, asking him if they should use force on the guards and only complying when he says yes.

In fanarts, it's common to draw Phainon doing something silly, with a 💢grumpy Mydei💢 barely tolerating it. But... in game, Mydei actually tends to weather Phainon's teasing without that much issue, often playing along readily and teasing back or simply not rising to the bait at all, sometimes giving him a flat response that actually irritates Phainon instead.

Even when Phainon lobbies some of his snappiest jests (the line about Mydei not being able to write comes to mind), Mydei's strongest reaction is usually "Why are you stupid?" and then he moves on. He's not out here roaring like an angry lion or flipping a table every time someone is a bit obnoxious in his general vicinity. Mydei's mostly chill with the silliness, guys. He's sometimes silly back.

And even in the moments where he should be his angriest, such as the day he avenged his mother by killing his father, Mydei tends to respond to pressure and even cruel provocation with level-headed answers, coldly telling Eurypon just how pointless the entire crown of Kremnos was. Krateros insults Mydei specifically for choosing communication as his conflict resolution strategy. Like, how did people decide Mydei would be an easily provoked hot-head when his own mentor insults him for trying to solve Kremnos's problems using words instead of action?

Perhaps one of the only occasions in the game where we actually see Mydei genuinely lash out in anger is the moment with Tribbie, where she tells him not to worry for Phainon. Mydei responds harshly--but then immediately walks his words back, explicitly notes that his single sharp answer was rude, and apologizes.

But what I haven't seen anyone discuss is that fact that Mydei had every right to be angry at Tribbie here. In the prior scene, Aglaea literally belittled and pressured him into taking on the Strife coreflame following Phainon's failure, and Mydei knew in this scene that Tribbie was fully aware of Aglaea's plan to manipulate Mydei using Phainon.

Again, not a shipping post, but Tribbie daring to go "Aw, don't be worried" rightttt after that concern for his friend was weaponized against Mydei to deny him his agency? A direct slap in the face. Aglaea--with Tribbie as her willing accomplice--knowingly put Phainon's very life at risk to entrap Mydei and force him to take on a role he was rejecting with every fiber of his being. After deliberately using Phainon--and Mydei's concern for Phainon!--as a tool, for Tribbie to have the audacity to say "You shouldn't worry about him" was actually pretty vile.

And yet it's Mydei who apologizes. It's Mydei who reins in any hint of frustration and tries to approach the situation politely, as if the person he is talking to hadn't literally just doomed him to an entire future of misery by using the safety of one of his only remaining friends as leverage. The achievement you get just before this moment, "Sing, O Goddess, of His Rage," suggests that Mydei truly is rightfully furious about this situation--but in the end, Mydei still forgives both Tribbie and Aglaea without hesitation, because he knows the importance of the Flame-Chase Journey and of following the prophecy at all cost.

Does this really strike us as someone who flies off the handle at minor annoyances, someone who is brash or easily riled up, someone who resorts to punching his way through all his problems?

Despite appearances, I think it would be more accurate to say that Mydei's temper runs pretty even and that he is actually difficult to provoke to genuine anger. There are times where we see him truly furious (when he confronts Nikador about the honorless scheme to attack Okhema, when he confronts his father, etc.), but in every situation where Mydei is angry, it's because the anger is absolutely justified, because something truly unforgivable is happening to him or those he's sworn to protect.

Mydei's suffered just about every manner of injustice it is possible for a person to suffer, and yet he soldiers on without making his suffering other people's concern. He apologizes for even minor outbursts, despite his feelings of outrage clearly being righteous. In some cases, we might even read him as a little passive aggressive instead--the fact that Phainon's food is nasty whenever he really annoys Mydei and yet he has no idea why the food is bad is a hilarious hint that Mydei's definitely more of a "revenge is a dish best served cold" kind of person than a hot-head.

So what about that moment early on, where Mydei uses the threat of violence to silence Verax Leo?

Well, no Verax Leos were harmed, so? Ha, being serious, I actually think this moment should be better understood as the player's first real insight into Mydei's character, separate from Phainon's colorful commentary.

This moment tells us one thing really clearly about Mydei: He's self-aware. Mydei knows the Verax Leos are literally cowardly lions, and he knows they think he's scary. He's aware of his own reputation as a "beast," and he isn't above utilizing that reputation to achieve a goal if doing so will produce a greater good for others. Without even needing to resort to any actual attack, Mydei is able to silence the Verax Leo's rumor-mongering using just the threat of his capacity for violence.

This suggests to the player that Mydei is actually discerning, straight to the point but intelligent enough to tailor his actions to the level of response that is appropriate for a given situation. He's not a "go in fists blazing right from the start" kind of guy when that's not what's needed. He could easily just punch the lion off the wall--but he doesn't. He lets his words doing the threatening, instead of his fists. (The fact that this particular Verax Leo was apparently helping to slander Kremnoans the week before and still lived to spread rumors about March tells us how disinclined Mydei is to solve his daily problems with actual violence.)

The takeaway is that Mydei's angry reputation among Okhemans, but hell, also among players(!), is largely fueled by stereotypes more than by any real actions on Mydei's part. People expect him to a quick-tempered brute, so that's what they see, even when Mydei's real actions don't lend themselves to that cliche much.

Yet Mydei is also self-aware enough to know that same crude reputation is a powerful tool. It benefits him for certain groups to be very afraid of him, and this leads to an interesting conflict in the character: On the one hand, Mydei wants to distance himself from Kremnos's violence. He renames himself, swears allegiance to Aglaea's cause of hope, and spends his free time in Okhema doing gentle things like taking part in cooking competitions, playing house with kids, and judging drama festivals. More on this in a bit, but I think it's very interesting that not a single one of his marketing or promotional materials--nor any of his scenes in the game itself--show him willingly spending his free time on martial pursuits. (The animation they gave us was Mydei playing with children, not sparring with Phainon or even training with his dedicated warrior brothers-in-arms.) Mydei clearly wants to be seen and relate to others as a person separate from his bloodstained past.

On the other hand, his reputation as a terrifying warrior is one of the only things allowing him to live his current life. It's only as the to-be "blood-crowned" king of Kremnos that the Kremnoans willingly follow him and respect what he has to say. His ability to decide their futures hinges on them continuing to perceive him as Mydeimos, their undying lion of conquest. His only use to Aglaea and the Flame-Chase Journey is as the future manifestation of Strife or as an expendable resource that can be thrown single-handedly at enemies because he's the only one that can take their punishment and keep kicking. His place in Okhema is only secure so long as the Okhemans continue to fear his might, their discrimination kept at bay only by the knowledge that none of them can come close to defeating the Kremnoans if it came to blows. His reputation in Okhema is secure only so long as he can continue to cow the Verax Leos into silence with threats of retaliation.

Mydei doesn't have any attachment to his image as a monster--and yet his situation will not allow him to let it go. As much as he would like to live a different life, the view that others have of him--that he is an angry, savage person who is barely restraining an innate violent nature--is a shield locked in his hand, protecting him and making it possible to keep going--even when all he really wants to do is stop.

So, long story longer: I don't think Mydei has an especially hot temper at all; he's lived an incredibly hard life and had every one of his hopes and dreams systemically stripped away from him. He's under constant and immense pressure and feels entirely alone in bearing his burdens. His frustration occasionally bubbling to the surface--for which he apologizes--is not only justified but honestly still shockingly under-stated. If I was in his situation, a whole lot more heads would have rolled.

And now, a few less important notes to round this post out because I can already tell I'm going to hit tumblr's image limit before I run out of things to say about Mydei, so:

3. He's Not a Dumb Jock or Actually that Fitness Obsessed

This one is kind of annoying because Mydei's marketing materials like to play with the "dumb jock" trope as a joke. As mentioned before, we have Phainon's humorous "If you want wisdom, he's got might" line, Mydei being terrible at math (to the point even the Trailblazer assumes they'd be better at math than Mydei), the implication that Mydei is so straightforward he would miss deceptions from those speaking in ill faith (like during the Verax Leo's riddles), and of course, the overwhelmingly common stereotype of gym bros caring more about their muscles than their brains...

But the game also goes out of its way, repeatedly, to emphasize that just as Mydei doesn't fit the stereotype of the savage warrior, he also doesn't fit the stereotype of brawn over brains, of focusing more on physical prowess than thought.

Mydei being bad at math is played for laughs, sure, but in the same breath we're also told that he's a better student of history than Phainon is (which loops back into ironic when you remember that Phainon loves history and clearly wants to be good at it).

Mydei is one of the game's only confirmed bilingual characters outside of the Genius Society, despite the fact that, if his backstory is to be believed, he would have spent the most formative years of his childhood entirely language-less, and even after leaving the Sea of Souls, would likely not have attended any form of formal schooling until he went to the Grove as an adult. He's capable not only of speaking and reading in multiple languages, but also of translating even archaic variations of his native tongue, enough so that (according to his marketing), being an archaic Kremnoan language mentor is one of his official titles.

He's also one of the characters most strongly associated with reading in the entire game, via the library, his canonically stated ability to interpret poetry, his character stories all being texts... All the other characters associated as strongly with reading as Mydei in the game are regarded as "nerds": Ratio, Dan Heng, Pela... Somehow critical portions of Mydei's character can be oriented around literature and he still gets hit with the dumb jock label???

He's also an accomplished military strategist capable of commanding the respect of seasoned veterans as well as waging effective war campaigns against enemy nations with a marginal, aging army and virtually no resources... He's capable of playing Aglaea's and Okhema's political games, despite having obvious disdain for such things... In fact, in Mydei's goodbye to Aglaea, he speaks to her as one nation's leader to another, remarking on how he's learned valuable lessons in managing his people from her, and specifically highlighting that her trait he most admires--what is missing from his own people's history--is her ability to instill genuine hope in others.

But yeah, Mydei is dumb muscle because it's funny, I guess.

What makes the whole "jock" thing loop around into doubly ironic (and also sad) is that although Mydei's character does involve a strong emphasis on health and fitness, the way it's framed in his marketing versus his actual in-game character is extremely different. Mydei's marketing is all about combat, how he's a "fitness ambassador," and "performance enhancers aren't in the Kremnoan language."

But in game Mydei...?

He doesn't have anything particularly unique to teach Phainon. There isn't any special "extreme Mydei training regimen" above what the other Kremnoan soldiers do, a fact we can confirm with the bath NPC Peleus, who tells us that Mydei has taught him his training regimen, and it's just the "Kremnoan traditional exercises" (the high-altitude shuttle run, firewalking, etc.). This idea that Mydei isn't devoting himself to constantly improving his ~super special combat capability~ is also reiterated in Mydei's marketing when someone tries to scam Okhemans by selling a secret "Mydei combat move" and Mydei is just like "There's no such thing..."

Yes, this is me telling you that the fanon thing where Mydei is all about hitting the arena to beat the crap out of challengers every single day is probably not that lore accurate. Yes, of course Mydei spars and keeps up with his strict exercise routine, but combat training doesn't actually seem to be his favorite hobby. In the game, Phainon is definitely worked up about wanting to spar and practice together, but Mydei's attitude to the idea of training with Phainon seems closer to "Please... be more chill..."

Just as an example, at possibly the most plot relevant time ever to suggest a spirit-raising spar with his "bro," the ideas that instead come to Mydei's mind for working out Phainon's disappointment are...

All gentle socializing.

In fact, although Mydei's marketing hyper-emphasized the "fitness" shtick, we never actually see Mydei sparring or training with anyone in any of his mainstream marketing materials or in game. (I'd say we don't even see him fitness training at all, but hey, they did add one chat sticker where he has a weight lol.)

Although we're informed repeatedly that Mydei's a fitness junkie, what his marketing and in-game free time scenes actually show us are, uhhhh *checks notes* sleeping in, taking long baths, eating pancakes, singing around the campfire with his band of bros, people watching, and babysitting? It's the life he truly deserves.

Again, this isn't to say Mydei doesn't train (obviously you don't look like that without putting in massive effort!), but both promotional materials and the scenes chosen for characters in game are deliberately designed to highlight the most integral aspects of characters' personalities. Mydei surely is exercising hard to keep up his health off-screen--but by de-emphasizing that in what the game actually visually shows us players, the only obvious conclusion is that other things (food, playing with children, spending time with comrades) are much more important to Mydei than just getting swole. Out of the "warrior" type characters we have in Star Rail, Mydei is one of the least pumped up about sparring that we've seen. From what we're actually given in game, Yanqing is infinitely more gung-ho about combat training than Mydei is.

In fact, rather than exercise itself, I'd say more of Mydei's "fitness" focus in game comes from his connection to food, and--perhaps this is me reading into things a bit too much (but that's my job, you know)--I'd argue that Mydei's repeated emphasis on eating healthy is actually a thinly-veiled trauma response to his childhood experiences with starvation.

We're told that, in the Sea of Souls, he fed on the raw flesh and bone of the abyssal monsters he fought--literally eat or be eaten--and could really only hold off the feeling of starving on the rare times that the tides were low and he could catch live shrimp instead. He also closely associates the Kremnoan Detachment, his only refuge, with the notion of comfort food.

And every time food is discussed, he's quick to tell others, even the Trailblazer, exactly what to add in order to make sure they're not only full but also eating a balanced meal that will keep them hale and whole. More than a gym bro, I think Mydei missed his calling as a nutritionist.

Long story longer, Mydei has never had a time where he could go without fighting. For virtually all of his life, at least until he reached Okhema, fighting was all he ever knew. Would he even really need much extra fitness training when his entire existence is a constant stream of battles, of pushing his body to its limits over and over again? He's been "working out" since he was literally an infant, with no down time, and even in relatively peaceful Okhema, a Chrysos Heir's duty to battle never ends.

This is just my personal take on it, but I'm inclined to think that when he finds rare moments of peace, Mydei would probably prefer to do things other than fight, especially if it's something that allows him to provide for himself and others, helping his friends stay well, such as through cooking.

I think the in-game material does a great job of emphasizing that Mydei's definition of "fitness" doesn't necessarily focus foremost on being a gym bro/jock who hits the training field every five minutes--his definition of "health" and "wellness" have a lot to do with nourishing the spirit at the same time.

4. Mydei is Significantly Less Impulsive than Phainon

Okay, I can hear you--if Mydei's not a brute, and he's not a fiery temper, and he's not much of an actual gym bro, what is he?

Well, unfortunately I'm just here to tell you another thing he's not: He's not actually that proactive of a rival either.

Aglaea is quick to call Mydei and Phainon "impulsive youths," putting them on the same level in terms of childishness, but actuallyyy...

Despite the fact that Phainon likes to claim Mydei "taunts him every time they meet", every single actual competition we've ever seen between Mydei and Phainon was initiated 100% by Phainon, with Mydei just sort of getting swept up in Phainon's antics.

In their joint lightcone, it's Phainon who calls for the contest of speed. In Kremnos, it's Phainon who proposes the titankin killing competition. After the coreflame trial, it's Phainon who demands the hot bath challenge (and then lies and blames Mydei lol), and it's even Phainon who turns taking home the other affected bath patrons into a competition too, one in which Mydei flat out claims he wasn't even competing:

We're given several hints, particularly throughout 3.0, that Mydei and Phainon's prior missions were largely characterized by Phainon coming up with ridiculous plans, and Mydei mostly going "Welp, that sounds like it's going to get us killed, but okay I guess."

While Phainon is ready to go "Fuck it, we ball" and fight a titan to the death all by himself, Mydei spends the entire first part of 3.0 going "Hey, so, like, fighting Nikador without an army is a really dumbass decision, and we should probably not be attempting this."

(This moment is kind of less funny in retrospect when you rewatch it with the knowledge that Mydei knew they couldn't handle the fight, but Phainon was like "No, we totally got this, trust me bro!" Spoiler Alert: They did not have it. Literally all of Mydei's deaths in 3.0 happened because of his crippling inability to say no to Phainon. But this is not a shipping post. I promise.)

Anyway, in one of the only examples we have of Mydei possibly being impulsive on his own, the note from the bath manager that reports someone charging into the baths to ask who the strongest warrior in Okhema is, the actual implication is that Mydei had no idea how poorly the Okhemans would take that (nor their obsession with debate which would be sparked), and his faux pas comes less from being immature and more from the cultural discrepancy between Okhema and Kremnos, as the Kremnoan in the note finds Mydei's behavior perfectly normal.

In fact, instead of being an unruly youth, Mydei is criticized by other characters several times in the story specifically for choosing to hold back and think things through before committing himself to a decision. If anything, he's closer to indecisive (or at least slow to decide) than he is to impulsive.

Now, don't get me wrong. The game tells us repeatedly that Mydei does get competitive as hell once Phainon actually manages to convince him to join in on the shenanigans. Of course Mydei likes to win. But the notion that Mydei is Phainon's equally impulsive rival, actively issuing his own challenges, goading his frenemy into new contests, and particularly motivated to keep one-upping Phainon? It's really more of an informed trait and a fandom cliche (red and blue rivals, the people cannot resist) than anything actually shown in the game.

At the risk of perhaps inserting too much of my own interpretation here, I'm inclined to say that Mydei's willingness to engage in Phainon's dumb competitions is less brash rivalry and much closer to "Guy who never had the chance to be an impulsive youth cautiously allowing himself the privilege of feeling carefree for ten minutes or so."

It's not that Mydei is actually that driven to assert his dominance or is particularly impetuous when left to his own devices--it's that he never before had a long enough period of peace where he was safe enough to act childish. If he ever had competitions in his past, they almost certainly would have been like "Who can murder the most enemy soldiers with their bare hands today?" In Okhema, Mydei can participate in sauna-offs.

Mydei isn't as (deliberately performatively) silly as Phainon. He's nowhere near as impulsive as Phainon is. He's not really that fixated on being a rival. But he is a pretty great partner in crime. He does allow himself to be drawn into Phainon's schemes over and over, because well... they're obviously fun for him. He gets into the competitions once they're motion, even if he complains about them at the start. Mydei's life has been criminally devoid of light-hearted joys and normalcy, and being led into trouble that doesn't result in people literally dying on him--harmless trouble--is probably an extreme novelty for Mydei. Basically what I'm saying is, he isn't going to propose the Jackass competition, but he is going to fold like paper the moment said competition is suggested.

Case in point: In 3.0, there's a second where you can actually hear him regretting his life choices, trying so hard to convince himself that he is above Phainon's weird antics, but... in the end, he can't help himself. When Phainon starts LARPing with the Trailblazer during the titankin competition, Mydei's first reaction is essentially "Oh my god, this is so cringe," but just two lines later... look who joins the LARPing.

This nerddddd.

When left alone, Mydei withdraws from the world. Trailblazer typically finds him locked in silent contemplation, rejecting visitors, up on his own private corner of the rooftops. On his own, Mydei is significantly less likely to seek out trouble, cause public disturbances, or become a (usually accidental) nuisance compared to half the other Chrysos Heirs.

But when the company around him makes him feel comfortable, he is willing to engage with life in the childish ways he was never free to before. His "rivalry" with Phainon is better understood not as a macho dude-bro need to assert superiority, but as just one of the most obvious manifestations of Mydei's desire to experience the life he never got to live, to let himself be the kind of person who can just do silly things and cause dumb messes.

Mydei isn't a particularly impulsive person--but sometimes he lets himself try it out. As a treat.

Okay, last note for now:

5. Mind Your Manners

While it might be tempting to see Phainon and Mydei's competitions as the peak of Mydei's comedic contribution in the story, I think the actual funniest aspect of Mydei's character is the game's running gag about his manners.

Yes, Castrum Kremnos is a savage nation that revels in death and is rumored to drink the blood of their enemies--but they still keep it classy, damn it! Sure Mydei might have grown up as a half-feral sea beast and then a homeless, wandering exile subsisting off the land, but sometimes he literally can't help it--the aristocracy just jumps right out of him.

No, I'm not joking. Mydei really does have the prim and proper manners of a blue-blooded royal.

We see this from his first appearance in the game. A character's first scene is generally their establishing moment, the devs' chance to give players a strong starting impression--which makes it so telling that one of the first things out of Mydei's mouth is a insult to Phainon's manners.

This is a direct and pointed critique, suggesting Phainon has neglected his duties as a host by relying on his "guests" as back up in the battle. In the context of Amphoreus's historical inspirations, this is actually a very serious scolding: hospitality was a big, big deal in ancient Greece, and the idea of forcing foreign guests into serving you before affording them proper welcome and rest, let alone actively endangering them, would literally be considered an affront to the gods.

With this one short line, the devs are impressing the extreme difference in social status between Mydei and Phainon: Phainon is effectively a "country bumpkin," a member of a lower class who doesn't know how to (or perhaps just doesn't care to?) properly practice the civil gestures of the upper rungs of Amphorean society. Mydei, on the other hand, not only knows the proper rituals of etiquette but expects those rituals to be upheld by others. He's basically calling Phainon a mannerless peasant in one of his first lines of dialogue, which is why Phainon gets so grumpy for the rest of the conversation lol.

We see Mydei's inclination towards proper decorum in several other places as well. As a prince, he's entitled to respect and deference, and while we might be inclined to say "Mydei isn't the type to enforce his royal status over others," the game itself shows us that... Mydei kind of does expect people to treat him differently.

Just as one small starting example, I know it's somewhat popular to have Mydei deny his royal status in fanfics, such as telling people not to call him by his titles or acting as if he has no connection to the upper class, but this doesn't actually happen in the game. Mydei introduces himself to the Trailblazer from the start as Castrum Kremnos's crown prince, consistently thinks of himself (such as in mission journal text) as a prince, and is largely referred to as "the crown prince" or "your highness" by everyone outside the Chrysos Heirs, including all of the Okhemans:

In fact, I'd go so far as to argue that Mydei takes his role as a prince very seriously and does not remotely deny the responsibility he bears toward his people. It's important to him to fulfill his duty to the Kremnoans, so rather than downplaying his role as their prince, he seems to acknowledge it freely, working to serve as a principled leader as best he can.

In short, Mydei is aware of his status--and he expects everyone else will be aware of it too.

I don't mean this in a bad way at all; he's not rude or pompous about it--rather, I think this is a subconscious aspect of his character. Mydei has spent many of his formative years with his people putting him on a ridiculously tall pedestal. He's spent at least a decade as the leader of a group that basically worships the ground he walks on; the Kremnoans obviously aggressively follow the social protocols of their very traditional culture, which seems to include somewhat blind adoration of their kings. Even if Mydei wanted the Kremnoans to treat him as "just another one of the people," there's almost zero chance they would do so. It would likely go against their nature to even ask that of them. Ergo, Mydei's almost certainly spent his entire adult life as the recipient of his people's extreme respect--and their strict adherence to proper social protocols around their prince.

Because of this, Mydei does have specific (if likely subconscious) expectations for "how people will behave around me," and we players get to see several humorous moments where other characters in the story violate Mydei's understanding of how princes should be treated:

In a particularly infamous memory crystal, we see one of Phainon and Mydei's early interactions, with Phainon inserting himself in Mydei's presence and starting up a conversation Mydei obviously did not expect. This is such a faux pas that only someone like Phainon could have had the audacity to thoughtlessly do it; he basically hop-skip-jumped about twelve rungs on the social ladder to waylay a royal without seeking an audience--and Mydei is clearly taken aback to be approached so casually and without preamble. Although Mydei doesn't actually say it (because doing so would be rude, of course), Phainon himself awkwardly ends up acknowledging that Mydei is trying hard to end their conversation:

It's not because Mydei dislikes Phainon already, but because the act of walking up on a stranger--especially a stranger who is a prince!--and assuming such a degree of familiarity as to comment on his body of all things would be so beyond the pale of appropriate social behavior that even Mydei hardly seems to know how to respond at first.

We see this same completely (or perhaps willfully) oblivious to social protocol behavior from Phainon numerous times throughout the 3.0 and 3.1 quests, and Mydei's affronted reactions are always pretty priceless. You can almost hear him thinking "The audacity!"

The exact same face my conservative grandma makes when I accidentally drop an F bomb in front of her.

Blatantly asking a prince to praise you? Scandalous.

But Phainon isn't the only person who can provoke these offended responses from Mydei while pushing the prince's boundaries with bad manners. Trailblazer hilariously earns themself a few critiques about their lack of courtesy too:

And even Aglaea triggers a haughty response???

(Sure, we could give Mydei the benefit of the doubt here and say he's talking about himself and Phainon, but honestly? I think this English translation lends itself to a different take as well: Bro got so embarrassed over being caught acting a fool that THE ROYAL "WE" just burst straight out of him lmaoooo.)

In another humorous example, in the animation where Mydei plays with children, the "princess" in the play criticizes Mydei for not being very good at princely behaviors like Okheman waltzing, which immediately results in... Mydei seeking dance lessons from Tribbie so he can improve himself. Princes can't be caught slacking!

(But hilariously enough, as a sidenote, Mydei's dance ability seems to be another case of culture gap: One of the other children in Okhema, the one who was taught about Kremnoan traditions by Mydei, is actually quick to inform us that Mydei may not be familiar with Okheman dances--but he does know all about Anastenaria dancing!)

(Mydei might not fit the standards for an Okheman prince, but he's killing it as a Kremnoan one!)

Anyway, being serious again: Although it's quite funny the dev team insists so much that Mydei, despite being prince of a nation of savage warriors, is nonetheless a prince, with all the trappings of prim and proper etiquette, I think it also says a lot about Mydei's character that he does try to follow social protocols so closely. He apologizes for rudeness. He minds how he speaks to others. He is precise and forthright and always honors his word. Hell, he even politely makes prior arrangements if he knows he's going to be late to an event.

Mydei is self-aware enough to know his status. He knows the weight of that status, and he knows what his status means to his people. He takes the responsibility seriously and bears the role to the best of his ability, striving to meet the Kremnoans' expectations of a "crown prince" even as he can't bring himself to truly align with their core beliefs. He is trying his best to carry himself as a leader should, complete with his commitment to honor the traditional expectations and social class systems of both Kremnos and Okhema.

Despite his rough start in life, Mydei has accepted his people's intense respect and adapted himself to become someone worthy of commanding that respect. Social graces may not have come naturally to him after a childhood completely outside of humanity's reach, but Mydei nevertheless has worked hard to become a cultured person who embodies the demeanor and decorum of a sole surviving prince.

Although it's played for laughs, it's also played quite straight throughout Amphoreus's story: Manners matter to Mydei--both in himself and in others.

Anyway, since I still have more notes I jotted down about Mydei's characterization, here is some other stuff:

Part 2, over here ->

[zeravmeta]

my top Arknights april fools character concepts (these are all 1*):

* Fast Redeploy Phidia Tsuchinoko girl who is an urban legend at Rhodes Island with all the kids and even the top brass of RI unable to locate her, the closest was Click getting a blurry photo. She doesn't hide intentionally she is just really unnoticeable and loves to get drunk every night.

* Core Caster Kuranta Donkey girl who looks strikingly similar to Amiya and is in charge of her own small business as a medical supplies distributor with an empath adjacent Arts ability. All of these connections are pure cosmic coincidence and she's part of a storyline where she's mistaken for Amiya and has the Military Commission of Kazdel trying to kidnap her because they think she's Amiya

* Marksman Sniper Sankta guy who is the only Sankta ever to have diabetes so he can't eat any sugar no matter how much he's needled by everyone he knows that he has to eat sugary treats. This leads to a plotline where it turns out the popes basement computer controls the population through sugar, making him immune to The Laws manipulation and he just throws his hands up and leaves Laterano about it because he can't deal with this shit any longer

[heroesrest64]

Character Sheets

(more to be added later)

Sky

The local carpenter, a sleepy young man who completes his jobs… eventually. You can often find him napping just about anywhere, even on his feet! A romantic at heart, you won’t regret getting to know this loveable young man.

Birthday: Spring 10

Family: None

Weapons: Broadswords, Whips, Claws

Style: Combo Connoisseur (Often starts combo chains while fighting)

Favorite Items: Wood, Pumpkin Soup (“Reminds me of home”), Feathers

Least Favorite Items: Poultry (“Why would you think I would like this?”), weeds, Spicy food

Four

The local blacksmith who always seems to be everywhere at once. He has a special penchant for weapons, and is happy to assist you in making whatever you need.

Birthday: Fall 21

Family: Smith (Grandpa)

Weapons: Broadswords, Magic Wands, War Hammers and Bow and Arrows

Style: Well-Rounded (Performs well no matter where you put him in the lineup)

Favorite Items: Metal Ores, Magic Stones, Four Leafed Clovers (“They’re good luck!), Coffee

Least Favorite Items: ocean forageables, trash, deserts (“Too sweet for my taste.”)

Time

this man runs the other farm in town alongside Twilight, mostly focused on cultivating crops and the like. He’s experienced (Read: Old) so if you need any tips or tricks, he’s the guy that you want to talk to.

Birthday: Summer 4

Family: None

Weapons: Longswords, Claws, War Hammers

Style: Heavy Hitter (He’s a bit slower but his attacks hit that much harder)

Favorite Items: Any Vegetable, Lon Lon Milk (“Better than any alcohol”), Elderflower

Least Favorite Items: Bitter recipes, soggy newspaper (“What am I supposed to do with this?”) moon dust (“…”)

Wind

An aspiring fisherman who makes deliveries from Lurelin Village and who can even ferry you down there. He’s a very nice young man, inquisitive, and always ready to lend a helping hand.

Birthday: Summer 19

Family: Aryll (Sister), ‘Granny’ (Grandma)

Weapons: Longswords, War Hammers, Clubs

Style: Sleight (Because of his smaller size, he can sneak attack enemies easier, and can even nick some of their items if he’s lucky)

Favorite Items: Elixir Soup (“You could never make it like my Grandma, but this is pretty close.”), Ocean Forageables, Fish

Least Favorite Items: Spicy foods, vegetables (“What’s a sailors least favorite vegetable? Leeks!”), egg shells (“Are you trying to curse me?”)

NON ROMANCEABLE

Legend

The curator of the local museum. He claims all of his attractions were stolen by a man in a bunny hood. A little standoffish at first, but knowledgeable beyond his years.

Birthday: Spring 25

Family: Fable (Sister)

Weapons: All Weapons

Style: Veteran (Capable of wielding all weapons with high dexterity)

Favorite Items: Hibiscus(“Reminds me of somebody… Thank you.”), artifacts, apples

Least Favorite Items: rabbits foot (“Where did you get this? It’s disgusting.”), Mermaid Scale, Goddess Statue Figurine (“I swear it’s like she’s looking at me…”)

Hyrule

The town's healer. He’s a little sassy at times, but is always very helpful and never gives up. Unfortunately, his cooking leaves a lot to be desired…

Birthday: Fall 8

Family: None

Weapons: Broadsword, boomerang, magic wands

Style: Magic and Mayhem (Has innate magical abilities that don’t need a conduit to activate.)

Favorite Items: deserts, herbs, Honey (“I’d say it’s for tea, but I might just eat it like this…”)

Least Favorite Items: Fairy Wings (“That’s sickening.”), bitter foods, Trash

Twilight

Runs the other farm in town alongside Time, focused on raising the animals there. He’s strong and fiercely loyal to his loved ones. He’s best friends with the town chef, so you can often find him hanging around the local tavern.

Birthday: Winter 7

Family: None

Weapons: Broadsword, Ball and Chain, Claws

Style: Wolf Hunter (Attacks animal-adjacent monsters with more ferocity)

Favorite Items: Pumpkin Soup, Goat-related products, Onyx (“I hear these can make openings to dark worlds. Probably just superstition, but it’s a fun thought.”)

Least Favorite Items: Bitter foods, Perfumes (“The smell is too strong.”), Wolfsbane

Warriors

The village's main protector, previously a knight of Hyrule who retired after the Great War. He’s known to be a bit of a womanizer, but he isn’t known to go out with people since coming to Hateno. What could be the source of these unfounded rumors?

Birthday: Winter 26

Family: Linkle (Sister[?])

Weapons: All Weapons

Style: Leader (Often at the front of the party, dealing decisive blows and commanding the rest of the party)

Favorite Items: Spicy foods, Armor Polish (“So shiny I can see myself!”), Any armor/ weapon (“I can add this to my collection.”)

Least Favorite Items: Trash, monster guts, Crystal Ball (“You had this? …You weren’t watching people through it, right?”)

Wild

An amnesiac man who somehow made his way to Hateno and decided to open a tavern. Despite his memory loss, he’s a natural in the kitchen, and even the stranger sounding recipes turn out excellent.

Birthday: unknown, presumed Fall 13

Family: None

Weapons: Broadswords, Bow and Arrows, Spears

Style: Wild (Often unpredictable in his attacks, either unleashing impossible combos or falling flat on his face)

Favorite Items: Edible forageables, Silent Princess (“It’s familiar, somehow”), Hearty Soup

Least Favorite Items: Wolf Pelt (“That's not funny.”) [Cant think of anything else rn]

Universal Loves: Goddess Plume, Master Sword, Hylian Shield

Exceptions

Legend- Goddess Plume (“More burdens to bear.”)

Universal Hates: Hyrule’s Cooking, Failed Dishes

Exceptions

Wild- Hyrule’s cooking/ Failed Dishes (“It’s okay to fail, as long as you don’t give up.”)

Legend- Hyrule’s Cooking (“Hyrule made this?… Do you think he’d be mad if I displayed it under ‘worlds most deadliest poison’?”)

[jspqqch]

Anaxagoras is going to become a Masked Fool - a HSR theory

3.2 is coming out in 13 days, but before it's out I wanted to share an idea I had. So here is why I think that Anaxagoras is going to become a Masked Fool. If you have anything else, please tell me!

1st evidence

One of Anaxagoras's titles is "The Foolish", and it is reminiscent of the Masked Fools, however this evidence isn't very convincing because in other languages it is not the same and, as Sparkle said, foolishness and the Fools are not the same thing.

However, he is also called a "Great Performer", and the MF are also linked to performing (especially acting)

But that's obviously not all, don't you worry!

2nd evidence

I have never played Honkai Impact 3rd so I apologize if I make any mistakes.

Anaxagoras is an alternative version of the character "Su" from HI3rd. "Vita" is also a version of Su, and she is a masked fool.

3rd evidence

In the 3.2 trailer, we can see Anaxagoras laughing, saying that he "deciphered the truth of this world". This remind me of the legend of Aha's ascension into aeonhood, where THEY saw the truth of this world, then saw a baby fall to the ground and THEY laughed so hard THEY ascended.

4th evidence

So, I've said earlier that his title of "Foolish" wasn't relevant, but it isn't entirely true. Anaxagoras is also one of the "Seven Sages", wich would make him a "foolish sage". Sounds familiar? Sparkle says the same thing in her eidolon activation voiceline :"A foolish sage or a wise fool, who will I become next ?"

5th evidence

This picture.

Anaxagoras standing next to masks and fireworks

Final thought

I don't think that he is a Masked Fool yet. He genuinely cares about the people of Amphoreus, so much that he is ready to sacrifice himself. However, I believe that he might become one after having some revelation during 3.2, but only time will tell.

Tell me if I missed anything!

Have a great day.

[lewismcqueen]

written in red.

vampire!lh x reader

intro 01 summary: you're an investigative journalist down on your luck, and take a passing interest in the disappearance of celebrated f1 driver Lewis Hamilton, decades later. a passing interest soon becomes an obsession that leads you to find the missing legend. not only is he alive and well, but he hasn't aged a day--and it's clear he doesn't want to be found. a/n: like i said before, very self-indulgent fic. this is more of a set-up for the story to test the waters - i hope y'all like a bit of mystery :)

It was 11pm, and instead of watching your favorite series or finishing the bottle of white wine you had been gifted for your birthday last week, you were writing what was possibly the most boring article of your short freelance career.

“Just keep it simple” was what the email from Julie, your editor, had advised when you were commissioned to write a profile on some fresh-faced up and coming singer (singer? rapper? You couldn't be bothered to remember) whose whole shtick was that he wore a black fencing mask to hide his identity. As if a masked singer was some revolutionary idea. 

You had added a reminder on your phone to actually sit down and listen to his music later. 

At any rate, the focus of the article was his background and rise to fame, which did not require a deep dive into his discography. You were halfway finished with the piece, it was so easy, and you texted Julie telling her as much. 

A small draft had made it into your room, but you couldn’t be bothered to get up and adjust the only sort-of-operational thermostat. It’d interrupt your flow, and you were in The Zone.

Instead, you twisted a bit in your chair to grab your dad’s old Ferrari jacket that hung from the back of it. It was still that same bright red so vibrant and unmistakable that the shade carried the team’s namesake. You held the sturdy, waterproof fabric between your fingers for a moment, the name emblazoned on the back in white giving you pause. Hamilton. 

Your old man had been obsessed with the driver, though that same enthusiasm for motorsports had failed to rub off on you (Formula One drivers to you were just rich or soon-to-be rich men taking joyrides). Still, watching the only black driver on the grid strut down the track in crisp sneakers and neat braids kept your eyes glued to the television as a teen.

Out of nostalgia, you momentarily abandoned your work to pull up an interview from the 2022 season.

The man was a charmer, for sure—a megawatt smile with a gap tooth that gave his face a bit of character and distinction beyond just being another handsome lightskin with tattoos. 

That was hardly the most arresting thing about him though—Hamilton maintained eye-contact with his interviewer with an intense gaze. If you were a journalist around that time, you might have found him a bit intimidating despite the well-mannered speech and kind smiles. 

Curiosity tugged at the back of your mind. You'd stopped watching F1 with your father a while ago, and he was long gone. The same was likely true for the racer as well. How had he spent the tail end of his career? 

You typed his name into your browser and—

Missing.

There was a birth and death year for the man on his Google profile, but it seemed to be a mere estimate. Just below, the top article was a news headline that announced that Hamilton had ‘disappeared’. You clicked on it.

An empty mansion (with all his things intact), no body, no witnesses. Just gone, like an autumn breeze that leaves as suddenly as it came.

That tugging became a strong pull. People don't just disappear into thin air.

Scrolling down through the search results even farther, you found an interview he gave on a talk show regarding his retirement. Based on the upload year, he would've been about fifty-five.

Needless to say, the man did not look his age.

Sure, “black don't crack” as your dad would often joke, but this was a bit ridiculous, no? No gray hairs, no wrinkles besides the faint crow's feet around the eyes, not one smile line. 

His skin was as smooth as ever, albeit a bit duller, like he had lost blood or spent too much time indoors.

One last photo had been taken of Hamilton before he stepped away from the public eye for good, almost a decade later. He wore a long black trench coat and a tie the same hue as your jacket, the rings on his fingers catching the light as he waved at the camera. A thin smile, weary but still kind. 

And his face had not changed at all. 

The longer you stared into his eyes, the deeper a sudden chill settled into your stomach. Whether the man was still alive or not, there had to be more to this story than the media cared to find out.

Julie would have to get her first draft tomorrow.

[ducksido]

Can I please have a serving of Philippino Yuu? Pretty please with cherries on top?

Philippino!Yuu

General Reactions

Grim:

“Why do ya keep callin’ me ‘gutom na ako’? What does that even mean?!”

Immediately obsessed with Filipino food.

“Oi, Prefect! Make me some of that adobo thing again!”

The NRC Student Body:

Confused by how Yuu calls everyone ‘Kuya’ (big brother), ‘Ate’ (big sister), or ‘Tito/Tita’ (uncle/aunt).”

“Wait, I’m your what now?”

No one knows what ‘kwento’ (storytime) means but they love hearing Yuu’s wild stories.

Crowley:

Tries to use Filipino words to sound cool.

“Ah, Prefect, you are truly astig!”

Yuu: “Sir, please never say that again.”

Individual Reactions

Riddle:

Learns about Filipino superstitions and immediately adopts them.

“NEVER put your bag on the floor, you’ll lose your money!”

“NEVER point with your lips, it’s improper!”

Gets very flustered when Yuu calls him “Kuya Riddle.”

Leona:

“So your family just takes in random distant relatives all the time?”

Loves how Yuu is too chill for drama.

Secretly loves Filipino food. Won’t admit it, but always eats when Yuu cooks.

Azul:

Tries to make a deal with Yuu to sell Filipino street food at the Lounge.

“I bet we’d make a fortune on isaw (grilled chicken intestines).”

Yuu: “Only if you don’t mess with the recipe.”

Jade:

“You mean to tell me your country has over 7,000 islands?”

Deeply interested in Filipino folklore about aswang (vampiric creatures) and duwende (dwarves).

“Tell me more about these elemental spirits.”

Floyd:

Thinks it’s hilarious that Yuu calls people ‘Tito’ and ‘Tita’ randomly.

Purposely mispronounces Filipino words just to see Yuu get mad.

“Oi, kamusta ka (how are you)~” says it in the worst accent possible.

Kalim:

Loves Filipino parties.

“Wait, your birthday parties have lechon (a whole roast pig)? That’s amazing!”

He and Yuu have barkada (squad) vibes instantly.

Jamil:

Suspicious of how friendly Yuu is with literally everyone.

“How do you have this many cousins?”

Secretly loves Filipino street food but pretends to be unimpressed.

Vil:

“Your country has Miss Universe winners all the time? Interesting.”

Deeply respects Yuu’s skin-care knowledge.

“Ah, yes. Filipinos and their obsession with aloe vera.”

Epel:

Loves that Yuu teaches him Filipino slang.

“So if I wanna say something’s cool, I say ‘lodi’ (idol)?”

They start casually throwing Filipino and Southern slang at each other, and no one understands them.

Rook:

Absolutely fascinated by Filipino mythology.

“The Tikbalang (horse demon) sounds intriguing. Tell me more!”

Insists on learning Tagalog just to flirt dramatically.

Idia:

“Wait, you guys have a wildly competitive gaming culture?”

Gets super into Filipino esports.

“So you’re telling me your country is obsessed with Mobile Legends? I respect that.”

Ortho:

“Did you know the Philippines has over 175 languages?”

Becomes an expert in Filipino history overnight.

“Would you like me to play some OPM (Original Pilipino Music) for you?”

Malleus:

“Ah, a country rich in folklore. Fascinating.”

Loves that Filipinos are respectful yet fearless.

Gets really happy when Yuu calls him “Kuya Mal.”

Lilia:

Tries to make balut (fertilized duck egg).

Fails horrifically.

“Lilia, that’s not balut, that’s a crime.”

Sebek:

Screams. Yuu screams back.

“WHY DO YOU CALL ME ‘KUYA SEBEK’?”

“WHY NOT?!”

Staff Reactions

Crewel:

Mildly impressed that Yuu respects elders.

However, bans them from calling him “Tito Crewel.”

Trein:

Lowkey loves hearing about Filipino history.

Lucius enjoys Filipino snacks.

Sam:

Immediately starts selling Filipino snacks at his shop.

“Get your chicharrón and polvoron here, my friend!”

Event Character Reactions

Neige:

“Wow! Your country has such warm people!”

Falls in love with Filipino hospitality.

Chenya:

Steals Yuu’s halo-halo (shaved ice dessert).

Runs.

Rollo:

Horrified at how chaotic Filipino culture is.

“Your country just has karaoke at every party?!”

Meleanor & Lilia (when younger):

Meleanor loves Filipino warrior culture.

Lilia fully supports Filipino rock bands.

More Random Filipino Yuu Moments

Barges into the cafeteria yelling “KAIN TAYO!” (Let’s eat!)

Teaches everyone the joys of Filipino street food.

Grim becomes addicted to taho (silken tofu with syrup).

Yuu never lets anyone disrespect their elders.

Crowley tries to get them to sing karaoke. They slay it.

[technoartist]

Sooooo, I’ve started to get super into Dandy’s World since I’ve started playing a little over a week ago, and I’ve already made a bunch of ocs for it! I’ve been doodling them a lot and finally made digital sketches to show off! 

I’m hoping to make some proper ref sheets and bios for each of these guys eventually, so this post is mostly just me rambling. Also, none of these names are set in stone, so feel free to suggest better ones! (Also pinging @the-s1lly-corner here because they said that they were interested, teehee :3)

Also, I kinda unintentionally came up with these guys in pairs, so I’ll be showing them off that way, too :]

Starting off, Viktor (he/him) and Bethany (she/her) are a silly little villain duo! 

I came up with them the very first time that I played the game. I remember poking through the character list and thinking to myself “wow, what fun little guys! All of these characters seem like super nice people, so I think that it would be cool if I made a fan character that acted like an antagonist :] Maybe they can even be some kinda challenge character with intentionally terrible stats, kinda like what Zote was meant to be in Hollow Knight :] Anyways, time to continue looking through the list!” And then Shrimpo found me in real life and started beating me with a brick.

Basically, the two of them are supposed to be a campy and fun little duo - think of them as being like the villains from Codename: Kids Next Door or Wordgirl - inspired by Varrick and Julie from The Legend of Korra.

Viktor is a loud egomaniac who acts like taking two free samples instead of one is the epitome of evil, contrasted by Bethany’s cold, quiet, calculated experiments. She works as his right-hand lady, the two of them attached at the hip. Bethany plays along with his schemes and stays by his side, while Viktor helps keep any unwanted attention off of her and gives her somebody to feel superior over. They’d probably work best as a distractor and an extractor respectively.

As for their twisted versions, I thought it would be cool if they were treated as one entity, always showing up together! As their friendship developed into codependency as they were overtaken by ichor, their dynamic flipped. Viktor now acts like an ever-loyal gargoyle, helping serve Bethany who slowly became more and more like one of her horrific experiments. 

Sam (genderfluid - pictured as male here) and Octavia are characters that started off as twisted mechanic concepts that I came up with while playing the game!

Sam acted as a musical street busker in the show itself, and helped create the soundtrack for it as well! As a toon, his ability would probably be to give and receive items or tapes, but only in the elevator. 

His twisted form, on the other hand, changes depending on whether or not you’re playing with others. If you are, then he silences all audio from the other players, making it so you have no idea whether or not your allies are getting hurt, healed, working on a machine, etc (unless if you’re looking at them directly). 

When playing solo, however, he does the exact opposite! He recreates noises that you’d typically hear from other players, mostly just to put you on edge. He’s based off of all those times that I thought I heard somebody else while playing solo. (Fun fact: the head tail thingy on his twisted form is meant to look like a quarter note rest!)

Octavia is a shy girl, right around Toodle’s age! I have this whole episode idea in my head with the two of them - Octavia moving into Gardenview, Toodles thinking that she’s is scary and evil while Octavia thinks Toodles is super cool, eventually ending in the two of them becoming friends!

Her twisted form is based off of the time that I was so on edge that my own in-game shadow freaked me out and I thought there was an enemy on the ceiling. She scuttles around far above ground, her silent envy driving her to sneak up on people, dropping down when they least expect it. 

Blair (she/her) and Charleston Amour Agepe Chikondi Evermore the Third (he/him) are based off of holidays (Halloween and Valentine’s Day)! 

Blair is a devious trickster, meant to be a stark contrast to Bobette. Her “twisted” form isn’t even twisted - it’s the exact same as her normally. She constantly flip-flops between sides, depending on which one she finds more entertaining at the moment.

She enjoys playing tricks or pranks on the other toons during her free time, especially on Bobette, who she absolutely does NOT have a crush on hahaha don’t worry about it-

Charleston, on the other hand, is the perfect matchmaker! Or, at least he thinks so. In reality, he tends to make several of the other toons uncomfortable due to how much he tries to push them together.

To him, romantic love is the end-all be-all, willing to break other people’s boundaries to set two of them up. This is partially because after the [REDACTED] incident, he stopped having any respect for his own boundaries, seemingly okay with letting other people walk all over it, tearing himself apart.

His twisted version is the extreme conclusion of that - he’s finally realized that he needs to love himself, but only when he had nothing truly left of him. Now he wanders around the floors, longing to be himself again.

He wants to make things right with the toons as well, but his frustration with his situation makes him lash out at anybody that get too close. I’d imagine that he’d be blind, only being alerted when a toon makes too much noise (similar to RnD).

Now, these two I’m not even sure counts as DW ocs anymore since they’re so far off from the original tone and ideas of the game, but ZaZa (she/her) and TBD (she/they) are based off of the futurist and dada art movements respectively. I’ve just been learning about the two of them in my art history class recently, and I wound up making these two on a whim, lol.

The two of them used to be the exact same toon (named R.R.), but somehow, their ichor got separated from their body completely, each half having their own consciousness.

ZaZa is the original toon body, now cold and slightly cruel. She is obsessed with the technical aspects of toon creation, especially movement. She sees the ichor incident plaguing the entirety of Gardenview as an opportunity, “purging” the weaker toons. She also has a deep distaste for science and history, believing it to be holding people back. 

TBD, on the other hand, was initially a sentient liquid. They’re capable of “possessing” and manipulating several objects at a time, slowly creating themself a body. She’s incredibly curious and clumsy, deeply fascinated at how various objects work, looking at the world with a fresh pair of eyes. Although she can’t speak,s he doesn’t seem to mind it all that much, finding actions and “meaningless” noises more interesting. 

They’re both supposed to reflect the philosophies of the futurist and dada art movements. Futurism was all about the, well, future, as well as capturing movement in still images, but it was also about the disregard of the past. The Futurist Manifesto goes as far to say that focusing too much on academia and history poisoned the mind. It was also deeply pro war, describing it as “hygienic” for humanity.

Dada, on the other hand, popped up at around the same time and is deeply anti-war. It saw war and violence as something inherently meaningless, and led to “meaningless” art being made to reflect it. 

I was especially inspired by Marcel Duchamp for these two, as he was a part of both movements (futurism for the focus on movement and dada because he was a pacifist). Even their original toon name, R.R., is a reference to his female alter ego he did art as sometimes, Rrose Selavay (spelled with two rs).

Sorry for yapping for so long (especially towards the end there), but thank you to everybody stopped by this post! I’ve hardly had them for any time at all, but I love them all to death!! .o(≧∀≦)o

Might make some more art of them soon :3

[alittlesongbirdchirps]

Sad au idea inspired by fallout.

[Since it’s a fallout inspired idea, please know itll be angsty, gore reference, implied death, character deaths. I’m not a super fan of either media but I know the basics :) ]

Joker smirks at Batman, he’s fallen for his trap. It’s a bunker, and he has Batman where he wants him and shoves him hard into a cro pod. Bruce’a instantly tries to get out, but it’s to late he watched the world slowly fade around him with the joker drawing a smiley on the glass.

He’s unaware that two hundred years have passed, and that the joker set off a giant nuke.

Superman manages to save his wife and son, only quick enough to save just them.

Thankful Wally was with Dick and Tim was with Bart and Kon, Damien was taken by Talia just in time it seems.

But Jason was stuck in the cave, under lock down because the joker escaped, he felt the heat from the radiation even all the way down in the cave.

He watched the cave collapse around him, and hours later after he manged to dig himself out he find Alfred deceased body. He’s alone.

His face seemed to be half melted of almost resembling two face. And over the course of time he began to mutate.

(Turning into a ghoul.)

When Bruce awakens, it’s not by the joker doing.

The cro pod malfunctions.

when he finds his way out in a daze taking a step outside, he lets out gasp of horror.

Not only is the city destroyed but over grown with plants, he already assumes he’s been in there long based on that but not 200 years, he begins to mourn everyone he ever knew.

On his journey, he nearly gets taken out by civilians, yet he doesn’t question it how many generations have grown up in this destroyed world where ever second you have to fight to live.

This was a world without Batman and without the league, no heroes, no one to save them.

He needs answers, that’s why he searching. What happened to his family, what Excatly did the joker do and more importantly where is he.

He won’t get his answers yet but he does hear the tale of a cruel lord.

(Clark. Unable to save metropolis and his friends, he grew colder; but watching his family slowly die from old age, something so human made him become detached to humans. He’s not cruel more cold than anything.)

And while searching that’s when he runs into a ghoul, well his name was more feared and more known than Batman, and from what he found out he’s been around for 200 years.

The Dead One. His kills were in the thousands, makes sense living for such a long period of time.

However, when he crosses paths he doesn’t recognise him not at first, the melted flesh on one side revealing, teeth and bone, a hole were the nose should be, and one empty socket where an eye should be.

But Jason recognises his father, well more like Batman; he knows it’s not an impersonator, Batman’s not even a legend barely anyone remembers him, except Clark’s culty town that worships Clark like a living god.

(And Jason still has his guns, of course he does but he has a makeshift knife made out from an old batarang.)

Jason tells Bruce what he knows.

“Dick died, old age had a few kids I checked on them for the first few generations but I stopped.”

He paused scratching the empty socket of his eye

“Timmy, heard him, the little speedstar and the clone escaped. Tim saved as many as he could don’t know what happened to them afterwards though.”

(Tim uploaded a form of his consciousness, for Bruce, he always believed him to be alive, he even thought he might of been lost in time again, but he couldn’t look this time he had people to take care of.)

“Steph, duke and cass were patrolling in old Gotham, don’t know what happened to them same goes for Babs and commissioner, Babs couldn’t really run for her life.”

He paused

“Alfred died, don’t know how, after I dug myself out of the rubble of the cave I found his body.”

He continued

“Your brat should still be alive, al ghouls don’t seem to wanna fucking die.”

Later on Jason takes Bruce to one of his hide outs.

“Oh yeh and this is your sort of clone sort of not clone Terry, you can thank Amanda Waller, thougut the world needed a Batman. But what it really needs is therapy and some good booze. Which neither really exist now.”

(There’s my little ramble of an idea, unedited. Just got back from work y’all.)

[gunsatthaphan]

13/10/1998 - happy birthday to actor, legend, bestie, crush and personal heart killer khaotung thanawat 🫶🏻✨💓🫳🏻🐈🧎🏼‍♀️😌💝

[off-mozzarella]

(From the body swap AU)

Hii! I'm very happy to see that my body swap comic was so well received, so here's a little something as a thanks for all the support <3

I'm excited to keep sharing my drawings, I hope you like what I make!

[ricky-mortis]

I heard that Corey Dorris sang Show Stopping Number at Innit- so I present: Corey!Hidgens

[the-phantom-peach]

Have you ever drawn Ghirahim? He’s one of my favourite bosses

More times than you can ever believe. But that was mostly when I was like 12 and I was obsessed with him haha. Of course, I never stopped liking him, but I only recently started drawing him again and I gave him a minor redesign.

[jadecantcreate]

ceramic booker

based on this little guy i found on pinterest!

[daiisiy]

Gricko Grimgrin is the most character ever. He adopted an owlbear as his daughter. He went to goblin college. He tries to appeal to kids with rap. He eats cigars. He saw his best friend getting plowed behind a tree and was totally okay with it. He accidentally killed his own uncle. He had an imaginary friend who was an eldritch abomination. He got fey cursed into being handsome so many times he ended up actually becoming handsome. He's british.