#also because I just think Corvus neat

[staticymaticyyourlifeisatravesty]

I am genuinely curious, when I made my last post I saw that a couple of us had some OCs that were the offspring of Primarchs. So I gotta ask, How many of you guys have OC children of the Primarchs and which Primarch is it that's giving grandkids to old Big E? For myself, Sanguinius has Lilith that is both greatly loved and the source of so many panic attacks because baby birb's fav uncles are Fulgrim and Leman. Usually ends up dirty with either one; paints with Fulgrim and dirt with Leman.

[grison-in-space]

I'm sorry? Pigeons have to coo to ovulate?

okay, okay, I left this one out in the tags without elaborating the other day and you were not the only person who asked-- @nanavn and @corvus--caurinus were also curious. I did not have a ton of time yesterday when my brain was not leaking out my ears, so here I am today.

First, I apparently misremembered my grad school teachings: the best-documented case study of doves being required to hear their own coo in order to ovulate is that of the ring or Barbary dove (Streptopelia risoria), not the rock dove which gave rise to our domestic pigeons (Columba livia). They look like this:

They're the domestic doves you see sometimes that aren't domestic pigeons.

But yes, I was completely serious: hens need to very specifically hear their own nest coo to ovulate. The way it works is this: these doves have a very specific courtship pattern, where courting males at different stages of the nesting process perform first a "bow" coo, then a nest coo. Then the hen makes a nest coo back, and the pair goes on to build a nest together in which the hen will lay fertile eggs.

If you prevent the hen from producing this coo--and the first paper I've linked does this in several different ways with both neural lesions and also mechanical blocks of the synrinx--she will not ovulate. Then Dr. Cheng tried rescuing the effect for doves who could hear but not produce their own coos by playing back recordings of devocalized doves' own nest coos, recordings of other hen's nest coos, recordings of male nest coos (their own males, I think, for preference?) and no recordings at all. Hen nest coo recordings, especially the recordings of the hens themselves, were enough to rescue ovulation effect... but deafened hens who could, themselves produce nest coos weren't able to make ovulation happen half the time even when the male was right there. The male nest coo and his mating display is really important, because his coo stimulates the female to make her nest coo, and that's where ovulation starts.

In 2003, a little over a decade later, Dr. Cheng wrote a whole book chapter about auditory self-stimulation as a phenomenon in neuroendocrine shifts. It makes for pretty interesting reading! I'm going to really enjoy it this afternoon. Stimulated ovulation is actually a pretty common phenomenon in animals--often it makes more sense to only bother ovulating if you know there's a partner around to use whatever eggs you yield up--but this one is one of the most interesting and elaborate systems out there, and definitely the one that offers the most options to a given female dove to potentially consciously control her reproductive output.

But grison, you might ask, what about the doves outside my window? Is this just a function of this one dove species, or are lots of doves doing this to make ovulation happen? So I went looking to find out whether anyone has checked. The thing is that the heyday of pigeon behavioral research has faded somewhat in the intervening decades since Dr. Cheng's discovery, so there's not as much as I might hope where people sat down to investigate the question. I did, however, find a neat study on Columba livia demonstrating that auditory stimulation is more important to courtship displays and success than visual displays are, although of course the multisensory courtship is stronger than either sensory modality alone. So yeah, the cooing back and forth really loudly is part of a display that is functionally necessary for successfully producing offspring, and the auditory component is important for basically every pigeon that has been studied in this respect (albeit that number is pitifully small).

I also found this really interesting review of known uses of birdsong to set internal emotional states in birds (either for the self or for a partner or flockmates) that I want to look into with more detail, plus this really thoughtful review from Dr. Donna Maney talking about how "incentive salience" can use learning and experience to make certain cues bring up neuroendocrine changes in state over time, which helps individuals control how their endocrine system is reacting to stimuli in the world they've been shaped by. Clearly I have some reading to do...

[youkaigakkou-tl]

Breakdown of the newest G-Fantasy cover

RARRRRRR IM SO INSANE ABT THIS I NEED TO SEAR THIS ART INTO MY EYEBALLS THERE SSO MUCH TO IT!!!! AUGHGHGHH ITS SO PRETTY!!! THE ASTRONOMY OF IT ALL!!!! ok had to get that out of my system im normal now lets get on with it

Starting with the most immediately obvious parts....

Bellflowers

GRARRR ITS BELLFLOWERS!!!! ITS BELLFLOWERS!!!!

Chinese Bellflowers, called "kikyou" in Japanese, are associated with and somewhat symbols of Abe no Seimei because of the pentagram shape, and Seimei's pentagram is also sometimes called "Seimei kikyou"

In other words, AAAAA BELLFLOWERS!!!!!!

Libra

This is Libra!! Not a whole lot to say about it, but there's a neat detail that the tippy point of the triangle (Beta Librae) is the brightest star in the constellation, and it's also represented by a more defined 4-pointed star here!

Cancer and Crux

Not much to say about Cancer, so lumping it in with Crux.

Crux, also known as the southern cross, is an asterism of four of the brightest stars in the southern hemisphere, and used for navigation similar to the north star.

There is also a northern cross (that's the "body" of Cygnus), but you can tell this is specifically the southern cross because the northern one has a star in the middle

Ursa Major

You can tell this is Ursa Major by the paw stars and the back leg! This is also the constellation that the big dipper is part of, which you may know from a previous rambles to be a big thing in Taoism and also associated with Abe no Seimei.

While we're on the topic of dippers...

There's this constellation that's covered by the G-Fantasy logo (that I didn't want to draw any definitive lines for) but I'm almost certain is the little dipper

What's the deal with the dippers anyway

Hey guys. remember when i lost my mind over the big/little dipper in my kyoto arc essay. still havent gotten over that.

So likeeee... the big dipper is the one classically associated with Taoism and Seimei. The little dipper doesn't really have much of an association with anything in that area, at most you could say its an extension of Polaris, the Big Boy North Star

Note the way the handles bend, the handle of the big dipper hooks down at the end. It's not as if this looks particularly different in different parts of the world, and you can see that every depiction of it irl is the way it is.

But consistently. Consistently. Sensei draws it with the handle bent the other way, aka looking more like the little dipper

Now there's a cute idea here that maybe the big dipper represents Seimei and the little dipper represents Haru. That's so cute! Unfortunately also just an idea. Because as you can see the little dipper is also there in Seimei's magic circle. So.

(Side tangent I swear at one point someone pointed out a principal art where its super clear that the mark on his face is Seimei's magic circle??? But now I can't find which art it is)

The Shichiseiken

Tangent-ception! I recently found out about the shichiseiken (seven star sword), named after the big dipper engraved on it. Originating in Chinese Taoism, it's said to drive away evil. There's been replicas and other versions afterwards, but the major one seems to be the one that had been reforged by Abe no Seimei after being destroyed.

(Though, none of these would be the one Ranmaru has, since his is double-edged and all these japanese swords are single-edged. And besides his just looks like a chinese sword anyway)

Couldn't identify these

too few identifying features on these two constellations sadly... they both Kinda look like they could be corvus.

Well. If it is corvus, and it represents Ranmaru, thats kinda cute. In that line of logic, cancer would be Sano, and libra could be either Hijita, Beniko or Renren (or all 3 lmao?)

Ok thats all i have for now i think. its 6am i gotta sleep i just had to write this right now

[honeii-puff]

I wanna know if you wanna be growing old with me

In which Corvus analyzes Soren a bit too closely. Co-written and edited by the lovely lovely @sorinethemastermind I write the Corvus POV's, they write the Soren POVs. Also on Ao3 and it has a playlist!

They got back to travelling the next morning, on the last leg of the journey, Corvus guessed.

Mainly because of how weird the scenery was getting. The trees were growing with more curved shapes to their trunks and branches, the leaves were more vibrant and in an array of hues, and the animals looked a lot different from what he was used to.

Some of the birds had four legs and seemed more akin to small dogs with wings and beaks than… well, normal birds.

It was all very interesting, but his gaze kept going back to the small bow on his wrist from the splint. It was very neat and tidy, almost more decorative looking than functional. But it held up quite well, and it made it feel less… serious than it actually was. 

It was comforting.

Up ahead, Rayla was leading the group, with Callum walking in step with her. Runaan was behind them, and he and Soren were holding up the back in silence. He couldn’t make out what any of them were saying,  and frankly, he wasn’t really trying to. If it was something important, Corvus knew that they’d make sure that he was aware.

He hoped so, at least.

It’s what he would do.

It’s also what Soren would do. Part of his brain thought as he glanced over at Soren. He seemed equally in his thoughts, observing their surroundings. His left hand was rested on the hilt of his sword idly, fingers tapping against it in a rhythmic tap, tap tap.

He seemed to do that a lot when he was bored, just tapping on things randomly. Tables, walls, his sword, people.

It was interesting. His hands always needed to be active doing something. It was more apparent when he was talking, as he would gesture randomly, seemingly in an attempt to help get his point across.

And usually, it worked quite well.

“Did you see that squirrel?” Corvus looked to make eye contact with Soren, keeping in stride with him.

“The one with the three tails?” He clarified.

“Yeah. I’m not fully sure, but I think it’s the same one I saw yesterday.” He pointed at it scurrying along the branches. “It had the same stripes.”

Corvus tilted his head slightly, watching the squirrel. It had a stripe going around its ears, as well as one going down its back to its tails. “Maybe.”

He felt Soren tap his shoulder a few times before pointing at a second squirrel, which didn’t have stripes. “Not all of them have the same stripes. It might be the same one!”

“Maybe.” Corvus gave Soren a small smile, though it went unnoticed due to Soren still looking at the two squirrels.

He didn’t mind it, though. He liked watching Soren.

Not in a creepy way. 

Definitely not in a creepy way.

He shook his head lightly, blinking the thought away.

The group continued through the woods, and as they went, more and more things continued to pop up through the landscape.

Flowers with iridescent petals.

Beetles with horns.

Hanging vines that glowed in different colors.

Mushrooms.

Corvus found his gaze lingering on the mushrooms the most. Some of them glowed, some of them had small drips coming off of them (he was careful to avoid those ones, considering the one’s he was used to that had drips were very poisonous), and some of them grew in small clusters.

The ones that seemed to catch his eye the most were a few that grew on the trees. They were a soft white with red spots, and had a subtle glow to them, looking like small steps leading up the tree.

Corvus felt Soren tap him again, but it felt less of a tap to get someone’s attention and more of an idle tap. It was on the side of his forearm rather than his shoulder, and seemed to have a small rhythm to it.

Tap. Tap Tap.

Tap-Tap Tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Taptaptap.

He remembered the last time Soren had done this to him. It was during one of the council meetings in the palace, before everything had happened.

He had been softly drumming his fingers against the side of Corvus’ wrist while Opeli was giving a report to King Ezran.

Corvus hadn’t thought much of it then, but he was now.

How long had Soren been doing that?

What did it mean?

Corvus wasn’t sure. He didn’t think he’d ever be sure.

But with another look at Soren, who was still admiring the scenery around them, absent-mindedly tapping away at Corvus’ arm, he realized that it didn’t really matter.

Maybe things would be okay if they stayed right here for a while.

[pa-pa-plasma]

The Difference Between Eurasian Magpies (aka corvid) & Australian Magpies (aka not corvid)

I keep seeing people very confidently call Australian Magpies corvids, or imply that they're the same species as Eurasian Magpies, using them interchangeably even when they seemingly know a lot about animals or birds, &, as someone who has accidentally gained a hyperfixation surrounding corvid magpies specifically over the last 4 or so years (iykyk), this bothers me. mostly because it's not hard to tell them apart. I do not claim to be an expert, but I know enough to tell the difference at a glance or by sound.

Starting off by comparing them side by side (Eurasian Magpie, specifically Black-Billed, on the left, Australian Magpie on the right) so you can see the difference:

Quick differences:

Eurasian Magpies are iridescent (their feathers shine blue, purple, & green). Australian Magpies are solid black & white. As babies, Eurasian Magpies have adult colouration & Australian Magpies are more of a dark brown.

Eurasian Magpies have very long, diamond-shaped tails, about the same length as their body. Australian Magpies have shorter, rounded, fan-shaped tails.

Eurasian Magpies beaks are slimmer & recognizable as a typical corvid beak. Australian Magpies beaks are thicker & are partially white.

Eurasian Magpies have white on their chest, shoulders, & on their primaries. Australian Magpies have white on the back of the neck, coverts (non-flight arm feathers), tail, & sometimes the back.

Eurasian Magpies have black eyes as adults. Australian Magpies have brown/red eyes as adults.

The most effective way to tell what kind of bird you're looking at is your location. Are you in Australia? Then it's an Australian Magpie. Are you in Eurasia or North America? Then it's a Eurasian Magpie, baby!

Second most effective way (besides lookin) is their calls. Magpies sound like higher pitched crows. They can also mimic pretty well. (this magpie, Pie, was rescued as a baby & is unreleasable, kept by an experienced couple with access to veterinary care & socialization in Canada, the Black-billed Magpie's native habitat. All of their birds would have been euthanized if not taken in). More examples of magpie sounds & Pie talking.

Australian Magpies sound like this. Sorry, idk how to describe that. I saw someone comment they sound like a rusty gate & I think that's pretty accurate. They also sound more like songbirds.

Eurasian Magpies don't have a swooping season. You'll usually see them messing with other animals, like pulling tails & standing on other birds while they're flying. When they are seriously attacking something, they're usually mobbing, as corvids do.

Australian Magpies are pretty famous for their swooping. 'Nough said. Don't go near their nests.

Both species can be befriended & trained, but this can basically be said about any bird. These particular ones seem very suitable for this, though.

While both birds are considered highly intelligent, Eurasian Magpies are apart of Corvus, along with Crows, Ravens, Bluejays, & a bunch of other birds well known for their super high intelligence. They're the guys passing the mirror test & understanding water displacement & talking to you in an oddly human voice.

To be honest, I'm not sure how intelligent Australian Magpies are, as people tend to mix them up with Eurasian Magpies. What one does is attributed to the other so often I can't find sources that is specifically about one or the other on a quick search.

This is the thing that has been bothering me. They're very different, unique birds. I don't doubt Australian Magpie intelligence, but it would be neat for it to be easier to find sources that isn't just another author mistaking them for Eurasian Magpies.

Anyways, that's my quick (messy) guide to magpies! Just like the lovely mountain chicken, just because it's named that doesn't mean it is one. Australian Magpies are their own thing separate from corvids, & Eurasian Magpies are not just pests that exist to eat your crops, they are highly intelligent, social animals that have thrived despite everything. The coyotes of birds, if you will.

Oh, also, not getting into other magpies as that is a whole shitshow I don't wanna talk about. If you have 20 minutes, a quick runthrough of the entire crow family tree can be found here by Clint's Reptiles.

[moonfurthetemmie]

Aster (he/she)

Healer, cook, and martial artist. Also a little ball of anxiety 80% of the time. 

He’s very sweet, but his social skills are ass. Blue is not helpful, and Temp and Glaze used to pick on him when they were kids. They are mostly doing it affectionately, but it didn’t feel like it. He’s closest to Wren because Wren was the only one who tried to stop them. Nowadays they all get along a little better, buuut…

Aster had 0 reason to help everyone, but he ended up learning about Corvus and Orion along with the other clones, and decided he wanted to help. He tried to get Blue to teach him to fight, but Blue was like “,,,,aster i get nauseous at the sight of blood. Do you think i know how to fight.” Blue did however help them find ways to learn how to fight. 

Aster learned Vadakkan Kalari, which is one of many styles of Kalaripayattu. Enjoy the wiki link. Anyways, she also learned healing magic, and uses her flexibility from her Kalari training to weave between and around enemies to heal the others in a fight. It took a while for her to figure out quick battle healing, but she managed. She’s an invaluable part of the team.

Of his combat skills, Aster favors a dagger, but he also can use a sword and a spear, and can take down opponents bare-handed. Oddly enough, when he starts fighting, most of his anxiety seems to go away.

Blue

He was really not ready to take care of a kid, and he knew it. He tried his best, though, even if wasn’t great.

In trying his best not to be anything like his brother, he was often overly lenient with kid Aster, until his better judgment overrode those worries and he’d suddenly be like ‘ok no, no more of that.’ He told her that he just didn’t realize just how bad an idea it was, Aster became rather afraid to try things. And very unsure of when something that was ok at one point would suddenly Not Be Okay.

When he was older Blue did explain the actual reason and sort of apologized for being the source of most of his anxiety.

Like I said with Temp and Glaze, it’s probably a good thing he had the others’ help, or Aster could’ve wound up much worse. He’s very glad they invited him.

He did his best to teach her things he knew, though. Cooking, fibercraft, yoga. The yoga helped Aster work on his flexibility a lot, which is the main reason Blue was suggested it. He may have offered earlier on, but he wasn’t going to make her learn. Once they decided to pursue Kalari, though, he was like ‘yknow, yoga could give you some extra flexibility exercises, if you wanted to try it.’ He still didn’t make her, it was just more of a ‘this might help’ than ‘do you want to do this’ then.

Other Stuff

Aster's alignment is Neutral Good

Aster isn’t strawberry blonde it’s just dye. he wants to be but alas, he is the clone of someone with a much less interesting hair color

The scar on Aster’s face was gotten during her lessons. She’s actually very proud of it. 

Fun thing about Kalari, straight from the wiki: "...it is stated that the cardinal principle of Kalaripayattu was that knowledge of the art be used to further worthy causes, and not for the advancement of one's own selfish interests." which is,,,,pretty much exactly Aster's reason for learning to fight. go see the link to read the whole thing it's neat

[soraka-in-warhammer40k]

Shadows of Treachery (HH Vol. 22)

Another anthology of short stories. But Honstly? Until now I have not been a fan of those. It's always a coin-toss in these stories, with the range being "neat" and "absolute boredom". Luckily, the average on this book was a lot better than the previous ones.

Story #1 "The Blood Red Fist" was more on the boring side, mostly because it is essentially loyalists fighting and getting absolutely wrecked. I do not remember a single named character aside from Peturabo, but the main takaway here is the absolute fuckery of chaos. Rogal Dorn's order for the fleet to return to terra came in the wrongest moment. If it had come before the fight, they would have run and made it home safely with some luck. After the fight, it would have been useful as a rally point for the survivors - even if there would barely be any as Peturabo would totally shred them. But it broke through right in the middle of the maneuver, completly ruining any chances they might have had. Don't get me wrong, they wouldn't have won, but they would have dealt a devastating blow to the Iron Warrior fleet

Overall pretty lame, but I guess that's loyalists for you.

Story #2 "The Dark King" meanwhile tunes us in to what will later be the highlight of the book, mostly focussing on the Night Lords and Curze in specific. Let's just say thet Curze already murdered Astartes before the Heresy even began. Rogal Dorn and Fulgrim attempted to contain his madness, but they did not stop the man from LITERALLY BLOWING UP HIS HOMEWORLD BECAUSE HE DEEMED IT UNWORTHY. Curze at max. level insanity, so a pretty good read.

Story #3 "The Lightning Tower" meanwhile is also a lot more interesting. Also a loyalist tale, this is essentially just a conversation between Rogal Dorn and his first captain (I think). Also it directly references the first story from Dorn's perspective, which is pretty neat. Also it once again hammers home just how much Dorn hated his job for fortifying the palance.

Story #4 "The Kaban Machine" mostly is Mars being weird, and telling people the Dark Mechanicum exists? We got a confirmation that they are working on a functional AI, but that's not very shocking really. For anyone who has read "Mechanicum" it is absolute filler material.

Story #5 "Flight of the Raven" is also not very interesting - it takes place before Corvus' book and that one sorta spoils the ending. Mostly how the Raven Guard and their Primarch made it out after the Dropsite Massacre. No relevant information was gained, aside from establishing Corvus' supernatural perceptive abilities. Also pretty boring.

Story #6 "Death of a Silversmith" is also filler-material, but so, SO much better at its job. It's essentially a civillian's perspective on the whole thing, an artisan working under the Lunar Wolves right before the heresy who got murdered by a heretic and the pages are essentially his last thoughts as the life is bleeding out of him. What makes this so good is how short it is. The author had an idea, put it down, executed it well, but never overstayed his welcome. THIS is how you write filler!

But now, to the actual star of the book - not a short story, but a novella in lenght, story #6 "The Crow Prince" which was my first introduction to the Night Lords character Sevatar - who is in equal parts a new favourite of mine and also an absolute bastard. You see, he sees himself at very rational, efficient, and all that, but is also the prime exampe for "if you want to be REALLY stupid you need to be smart first, because the dumb person will never rationalize the truly stupid decisions or in fact never realize they coud make them".

The man is beyond reckless, both in combat and social situations. Also I love how he just takes absolutely no shit from his Primarch, and Curze is also delightfully insane in this story as well.

Not going to spoil much but I sure hope there will be more Sevatar in the future, mostly because I definetly want to see where this high-functioning-absolute-idiot will end up.

The next book will be Angelus Exterminatus, and I am excited for I heard a lot of good stuff about this one...

[lady-scorpion-and-friends]

Hello, hi, random question: are the people in Scorpion's kingdom human or are they like her father? Or, perhaps is it a mixture of both? I've always wondered that. Also, being royalty and likely having to talk with those all over the world to make trades or deals, does Scorpion speak any other languages or learning any languages at the moment? If so, which ones? The latter is coming from someone who's a big language nerd and is actually currently trying to learn another language (or rather, a few. XD Portuguese and Russian being my main two i wanna learn), and i always have to ask this. I just think its neat, ok? UwU'

Well I always had hard time to figure out how the people of Zandor would be like but i always imagined as mostly human however it wouldn't make much sense if I made Scorpion, Augustus and Corvus being the only ones with red skin, pointy ears and scorpion's tail so I believe that it was mixture of both but only royals should have the tail and the powers to make it easier and because they had dragons as guardians there, they would have other creatures like phoenixes, unicorns and so on, pretty much like a fairy tale realm.

Scorpion does tries to learn different languages, the ones that I made her speak the most are French, Spanish and Italian as myself have struggles with certain languages so with other languages, she had her mom to hire a translator for her so it could be easier to communique with others.

[moved-to-void-kissed]

id just like you to know that ive loved hearing about your dqix s/i, and your crush on pavo !! I'd love to hear more !!!!! dq has been my favourite franchise for like a decade now and 9 is one of my fave games ever haha ^_^ (corvus was my fave character ever for the whole of my teens mfhdkshslshsh—)

aaaaah bee you don’t know how happy this made me feel to see this, thank you so much for sending this ask!!! I always worry I’m kind of just talking to an empty room when it comes to my selfships in series that others don’t also selfship in (Void speaking into a void, or something, there’s a pun in there somewhere). I notice it more when I talk about Luna too. But, to know there are people who also know of and are also passionate about the same series that I am really does make me happy!!!! (You are super valid about liking Corvus, he is pretty cool, haha)

When it comes to Pavo, the reason I realised I had a crush on her was because I was playing a lot of DQIX recently for an AU I had for my XC2 selfships, making a party out of Sapphire, Vandham, Pyra and Perun where Pyra (or technically actually Mythra) was the Celestrian in the group. It just kind of stemmed from the fact that Pavo is really cool and I wish she had more presence in the game, though I’m in the process of unlocking the quest which involves her and Aquila so that will be neat. Also when I looked her up on the wiki and saw her actual official artwork, then saw she was in some other game where she has an awesome finisher move and an incredibly pretty new artwork (as well as a pretty cool voice!), the feelings just sort of kept avalanching .w.

As for my self-insert, Ardea, I’m still not completely settled on how I want to play her. I was thinking maybe an armamentalist with a bow, but I’m not actually very good at playing support like that (I find it way too tedious constantly re-buffing everyone after Disruptive Waves and would rather leave that to the AI) and also if I were to make a stand-in for Pavo so that I get to travel around with her, I think I would make her either a ranger or sage (with heavy strength investment and cool spell access) with a bow, because she uses a bow in her finisher from another game. Possibly I might make Ardea a martial artist with claws, just to make her nice and fast and really able to deal lots of damage which is always fun? I’ve not really played as that before either. Currently the rest of the party is Avalon as a warrior with a spear (since I just really like bringing him into different series with me apparently) and Iris, a luminary with a fan, since again I’ve never really used either of those classes before.

I have played a lot of DQIX in my time, I even have a bit of detail about the three other party members I always end up using (who are, I think, recreations of the first ever randomly-generated party members I got on an early playthrough!!) It’s one of those games where I have no idea where I got it from, but I’m so glad to have played it so much, especially more recently since I have a save editor that lets me access all the extra DLC-unlocked quests from years back that I haven’t ever really seen before!

I’m.. still very tired so I’m sorry I can’t think of much else more to say, and I wrote this in a lot of bits and pieces so it probably doesn’t flow very well, but seriously, thank you so so much again for this, Bee - it really means a lot, and if ever you want to talk about DQIX or the other games in the series, (do you have any self-inserts??) I’m always more than happy to listen and talk with you!!~

[ellewords]

Hi elle! How are you today? Take care of yourself.

Okay; Corvus and Gemini, atair and proxima centauri, moon and comet.

Have a nice day, dear!!

i’m doing alright !! hope you have a nice day as well <33

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

corvus : what are 5 things you appreciate about yourself?

— it’s the way i had so much difficulty answering this question. uh i guess that i like how i make a conscious effort to be kind to everyone. i know this is very bare minimum, but a lot of people don’t even have the decency to do that. um i like that i try to make sure that the skincare and makeup that i use are cruelty free (bec animal testing just makes me 😡). i like my hair, it’s pretty wavy which is nice (though very hard to care for and maintain). i am actually running out of things?? my handwriting is decent when my professor isn’t talking at the speed of light. and i like that i can read relatively fast considering that it comes in handy for my degree.

gemini : which character (fictional or not) is your spirit animal?

hmm i assume this means which character i identify with most? if so probably yachi from hq or amy from b99. though i would just love to exude elle woods, hermione granger, or robin from stranger things energy.

though a little note on using the term “spirit animal”

atair : why is your favourite book, well, your favourite? do you have a favourite quote from it?

— paulo coelho’s the alchemist (which i’m rereading rn) !! just a lovely story about listening to one’s heart, following dreams, and just so so well written. i have so many favorite quotes i can’t just choose one !!!

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” — 🥺

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” — so who’s gonna tell me this huh :<<

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

“Don't give in to your fears. If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart.”

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

proxima centauri : if you would have the chance to travel the world, which places or countries would you like to see?

— i really just want to go to a field of tulips in holland 😔 also maybe italy so i can put all these italian language classes to good use 🤧

moon : “A man is made of memories. It is all we are.“ (Lawrence) what do you think this means? Do you agree?

— the way this question sent me into my comparative literature classes. to an extent, i suppose i agree. memories play a role in who we are as people; the places we go to, the people we encounter and share them with, how we interact with these things all contribute in some way to our view of the world and of ourselves. and every single day we make different memories, also opening up the idea of growth and change based on the things we learn from these experience. but i don’t know, part of me likes to think that there’s more to us than that?

comet : you have the chance to undo one thing or decision in your life, would you take it? If you are comfortable sharing: what did you change?

— hmm, i don’t think i have any huge ~regrets~ in life. mostly because i really do try to think things through carefully. though i guess i wish i was more open and extroverted, esp before the entire world was put in pause; said yes to more opportunities, accepted more invitations to nag out, and just not let my anxiety get the better of me ://

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

neat space asks !!! 🪐

[ironxkid]

for headcanon topics: her favorite stars/constellations, birds, and/or what kind of music she listens to!

Favorite stars/constellations

her two most favorite constellations are Cetus and Corvus! Corvus because, well, it’s a raven (despite corvus meaning crow fdsgjsgfdj), and Cetus because it was one of the first constellations she learned about! Ironically enough, Cetus is known as the whale, sea monster, or leviathan, and it’s still a favorite of her despite hating the ocean fdsghjsd

her favorite star, currently, is SMSS J2003-1142 because that star is the root of the recent discovery of magnetorotational hypernovas!

Favorite bird(s)

corvids! Specifically ravens and crows, and I usually say her favorite in particular is the white-necked raven because I took a daemon quiz for her years ago and that was one of the results! Unfortunately the specific quiz I took is no longer available rip

tbh, she just thinks they’re neat! But they’re also incredibly intelligent, which she finds fascinating and may or may not have tried to get one to befriend her at uni

Kinds of music

tbh, Carter listens to just about everything! But, she draws a pretty hard line at country music dsgfjhdsfghj

now, she doesn't hate all country songs! But overall, she... absolutely doesn't care for most of it lol - it's the twang that tends to grate on her, and she doesn't like how nearly every song that's popular is a white man singing about beer, trucks, God, girls, se/x, and how Ame/rica's the best

her favorite genres, though, tend to be pop, folk, indie, and a mix of the three! 

[nemrut]

Epic 7 - 27.05.21 update

So, big update coming tomorrow and a lot of good stuff for beginners, but mainly gonna focus on the units though.

For one, the ML selector stuff. Am lucky enough to already own 4 of the 6 heroes, so for me, it is a decision between Ruele and Dark Corvus (or a second arby in order to build 2 different arbys but I am ashamed enough of owning one arby already). For most people, it would make sense to get an Arby if you don't have one, but I do respect people who hate Arby and stick to their guns on that one. Unfortunately, I was not strong enough in character for that and went for the good character who made my PVP and farming life easier.

Personally, I am gonna go for Ruele. I know that Ruele might be in the next mystic rotation or the one after the next new mystic hero, since she is getting a skin in RTA, and they need to run her again in mystics before that, but honestly, not really interested in Dark Corvus. And I am hoping for a good, exiting new mystic 5 star. Maybe ML Cermia or ML Celine?

Then there is ML Kawerik. I know people are ragging on him, but honestly, he seems pretty solid. He has a really good S3, a decent S1 and a weird S2. But his S3 alone makes him worthwhile using. While he might not be bad, it is however undeniable that he is boring. He looks bland and his skills are nothing new and do not introduce a new mechanic or do some crazy thing. He cleanses, gives ATK buff and immunity. That is very respectable and useful, in both, PVP and PVE. But we have similar heroes. Personally, I just recently built DJ Basar, and I am not looking to replace him. Sure, he has no atk buff, but he grants some healing and CR push instead. It is a skip for me, but not because he is bad.

Besides, he might get a buff in the coming months, transforming him into a monster, but you can't really count on that.

Now, coming to Ilynav. She seems pretty cool. Her S3 is an aoe attack, giving herself immunity and everyone on her team increased crit dmg. Her dmg is also based on her own health. Now, that seems decent. Even if her modifiers turn out to be bad and that her dmg is subpar, it should still be decent dmg and crit dmg buff can be useful, depending on the team. The one thing to keep in mind though, is that crit dmg cannot exceed 350%, so on certain characters, it might be wasted.

Her S2 inflicts injury, also does dmg based on her health, gives herself a health buff and can be triggered by her S1. Her S1 just does dmg based on her health and can trigger her S2. It also says that dual attack is the only condition which may not trigger the S2, so counter set seems viable there.

She also has a crit chance imprint.

So, overall, if her dmg modifiers are low, I guess she could be underwhelming but I do feel like there is room to use her. And who knows, maybe she will have actually great modifiers and hit like a truck.

Lastly, Ml Khwazu. He just seems strong. His S1 burns, and has a higher chance to inflict burns if he has vigor. Also inflicts one additional burn then. His S2 is insane, as it can cleanse himself after being hit by an aoe. It also grants him vigor, recovers his health based on his own atk value and gives himself a 20% CR push. His S3 hits one enemy, strips all buffs, inflicts two burns and detonates all burns on the target. Ignores ER if he has vigor. Also only has a 3 turn cd. So, it is a single target warrior who can delete a lot of units with his s3 and can't be shut down by aoe control. Individual units with no aoe attacks could ruin his days but this still makes him fairly strong on paper.

That said, I am not going to roll for him since he is an ML 4 star, so there is no guaranteed pity on him. If I get him, I will build him, but if I don't, not going to get sad about it.

So yeah, neat units all around.

That said, as everyone knows, collab and summer units are on the horizon, so it is a time to not waste too many resources. I really shouldn't roll for Ilynav but I think I am gonna, mainly because I have enough BMs to get her without touching my skystones. Hopefully, she won't require me to use up all my BMs like the last knight did.

[yeocult]

Hii~ ursa minor, corvus, orion, gemini, betelgeuse, deneb, spica, proxima centauri, mimosa, star cluster, moon, comet, delta iv heavy, heavy falcon, soyuz, RCS, RD-270, raptor? (so sorry it's a lot of questions 😅)

*cracks knuckles* it’s time to get ready to overshare !! thank you for sending so much in!! it was fun hehe

ursa minor: do you have hobbies or interests that no one knows about?

hmm sports, writing, and editing? i enjoy watching sports matches and being nerdy about analyzing the players and game lol, mostly basketball and volleyball! i hate playing sports though lol. writing and editing are just for fun! (irl ppl don’t know much so i guess it’s a secret). i’d like to pursue editing to something more serious though!

corvus: what are 5 things you appreciate about yourself?

1. neatness and i’m organized! / 2. i only surround myself with good people, if there’s something off about a person i immediately cut them off (idk if this is me running away from everything bad or that i respect myself lol) / 3. how easily inspired i am / 4. chill? (is that the right word?) sometimes i just can’t bring myself to care that much abt certain things lol / 5. fashion sense i think

orion: what element would you like to be able to bend?

i convinced myself i was a waterbender when i was younger lmao but i’d like to bend fire! no reasons, i just think it’s cool hehe

gemini: which character (fictional or not) is your spirit animal?

shizuku from whisper of the heart and ursula from kiki’s delivery service...they are just so comforting!! having a lil studio in the forest is such a dream!

betelgeuse: which video games gives you nostalgia for a place you have never been to?

ah i don’t play any video games :-(

deneb: you can turn one book into a movie,tv show or video game. which one are you picking?

omg this is a hard one! i’ll probably think about this more but rn i’m completely stuck >///<

spica: when do you consider a movie “good”?

no plotholes, it’s consistent, and not so cliche. the texture, not bland, and good writing is important too. soundtrack that evokes emotions is kinda important to me as well. not so much necessary but i like it when a movie has an open ending! i look forward to the cinematography a lot too :D but honestly, everything needs to work well together, the writers, actors, and production team.

proxima centauri: if you would have the chance to travel the world, which places or countries would you like to see?

ooooh i want to visit china, germany, dublin, singapore, hanoi, japan, s.korea, and new york! so many places >///<

mimosa: what do you associate with your favourite colour?

beige - comfort, coffee, home, silence, sundays, fresh sheets, and cookie dough :DD

star cluster: what is something you have gained, something you have lost and something you let go of during the past year?

gained - interest in filmography, writing, and editing / lost - activeness ?? lmao ever since quarantine I've gotten so lazy / let go of - a close friend of 5 years

moon: “A man is made of memories. It is all we are.“ (Lawrence) what do you think this means? Do you agree?

kind of! how we act and behave was all from our childhood—memories. it shapes us how we are today. we think a lot, we experience a lot, so it think this is what the quote means...? hopefully i don’t sound stupid lol

comet: you have the chance to undo one thing or decision in your life, would you take it? If you are comfortable sharing: what did you change?

yes! i would taken more opportunity and put myself out there more often even if i’ll get hurt—i think it’s a learning experience that i’ll never get back

delta iv heavy: what is your favourite thing about your degree course?

ah i’m not there yet (i’m assuming this is for uni/college). but, i’d like to study fashion design or something in the art department hehe

heavy falcon: what is a subject you are highly interested in but you would never study yourself?

english, biochem, interior design, history, ohmygod i have a lot. but the thing with me is that i’m very interested in anything, i’m curious, but i’ll never commit to anything that isn’t art because i’m simply just not passionate enough. there’s a difference with being interested/curious and passionate for me...? (not to mention i suck at anything else lol)

soyuz: language(s) you would like to learn?

chinese!! i’ve actually started learning 2 years ago but never continued with it because it’s just too hard !!! >:( i also can’t even speak my mother tongue fluently so i need to get that first before learning another one. the tones...are soooo !!! difficult !!!!! i’ve also learned french for 7 years but i sound embarrassing sigh

RCS: how do you stay focused and productive?

sigh...i’m the worst student ever. i just kinda guilt trip myself into studying like “you’re a burden if you don’t do good on xyz” or like just slap myself and get it over with yk? it’s not the best lmaoooooo

RD-270: Do you need silence to study? or do you like to listen to music? if so, what is your go-to study-playlist?

rarely, i like to listen to music 99% of the time. it’s either a random khh/krnb playlist with new songs i’ve never listened to, lofi, or piano music! sometimes i’ll listen to my own playlists but it’s distracting with songs i know lol

Raptor: do you study at home or do you prefer to study at the library/in cafés?

sigh, i hate studying outside. maybe that’ll change for me in the future. i’ve tried studying in the library and i got nothing good done. i’ve also never went to a cafe to study. although i do love the vibes, it’s usually too loud for me. i like being in the comfort of my own room :))

send me a space asks!

[musubiki]

May I hear more about Murda's not-a-coattail brother? He seems neat.

oh yeah!!!! 

his name is corvus, his sister calls him corv. hes about 2 years older than murda (24 after the timeskip), and hes the only one she trusts to be in her guild!! 

because of this, he has his work cut out for him. i wanna say hes like lime, but even limes stress doesnt come close because at least mochi is manageable for lime to handle. 

murda is just a pain in the ass. shes a bitter loner who puts up with people because she has to, and is kind of like Eeyore if eeyore had ager issues and a superiority complex. but corvus puts up with it because he loves his sister and she would actually be hopeless without him LOL

they live in a rainy mining town called Ardov’s Quarry. Corvus works in the mines and brings back gemstones that Murda fashions into jewelry and charms to sell (its kind of like mochis shop where she puts spells on her merchandise. im thinking it’ll be like those energy stones thing. “This quartz necklace will make bring you healing” or something)

his cursed item is his mining gloves, and their power bears a STRIKING resemblance to kyanites favorite weapon form - he can gather rocks/stones around his hands and use them to fight. powerful punches. except his is different from kyanites in the sense that kya needs materials AROUND her to gather from, whereas corvus’ gloves can manifest material to recharge.

hes cool, compared to his sister. can be pretty emotionless, most of the time. hes the sensible one. he is the leash that stops his angry sister from doing stupid things. also murdas crow familiar prefers to perch on his shoulder instead of hers because hes taller. he takes good care of her though, since they really only have each other now. 

[ranger-report]

Thoughts On: Heretic

Earlier this year, just before the beginning of quarantine, I played a little game called AMID EVIL, something I would not have done were it not for the enchanting video skills of YouTuber Civvie 11. In his video, Civvie demonstrated the awesomeness of the retro shooter, both in graphics and gameplay, and since I was jonesing for something a little more dark fantasy than I was used to, I decided to give it a try. The game is a thrilling rush, and worthy of its own post here, but that game was a segue into me finally picking up and playing a game series that I had been intrigued by for nearly twenty some odd years: the Heretic and Hexen games.

AMID EVIL owes a lot to these games; in fact, it's not much of a leap to say that it owes everything to these games. It's even less of a leap to say that most first person shooters, whether dark fantasy or no, owe a lot to these games. Raven Software introduced a monster of a franchise when they dropped Heretic in December of 1994, working in collaboration with id Software as Raven was creating their games using the DOOM engine (or, as I think we're calling it now, “id tech 1”). John Romero helped in-house, giving advice on how to work with the engine, which was instrumental for Raven to push id tech 1 to its limits. They made changes to the engine which eventually became staples in other FPS games: an inventory system, translucent objects, pushable objects, the ability to look up and down, and the ability to fly. While the game itself was objectively a reskinned version of DOOM, it was stylish and engaging and reworked the most popular game engine at the time. In short, it won accolades in no small amount, and sealed itself in history as a high watermark for boomer shooters, hell, for PC gaming in general. So when we're looking backwards into the foggy past of our ancestors, is Heretic a game that we, in the Year of Our Lord Gaben 2020, should consider playing, either for the first time or as a throwback? Roll up your sleeves, party people, we've got a deep one to dive into today. Because we can't simply look at Heretic alone; oh, no. We're going to have to look at the whole franchise.

Heretic is not a complicated game per se, but it has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. We have the standard issue Run-Gun-Have-Some-Fun gameplay that Wolfenstein and DOOM brought to the table. There's three keys of different colors – yellow, green, and blue – there's a variety of weapons that almost line up point-for-point with DOOM's stack of damage inducers, and there's a horde of enemies that are around every corner waiting for you to come out magic blazing. But where DOOM has a mostly straightforward path from point A to point B, Heretic is a trickster which can and will give cause to tear one's hair out. Secret doors, invisible walls, fake walls, and hidden switches are everywhere, which means that nine times out of ten you'll either be consulting your map to figure out where the fake walls are, or you'll be pressing the space bar on every surface to see if it will open or activate something useful. Raven did a bit of a whammy on the game, setting up the simplistic stuff to lure you in, as though promising a hot night out with the kind of experience you think that you're used to, but then they strap you in for the kinky stuff that you always imagined you'd be into, but now that we're here you're not so sure. Make no mistake, I did consult a walkthrough at least once, maybe twice if I'm remembering right, during my playthrough. And the game is punishing the deeper you get: enemies lie in wait immediately behind doors, around corners, hidden out of sight or just above you since some of them can fly, and as your limited ammunition dwindles down into the red, you'll be forced into running risk-and-reward of melee weapons and inventory items to keep moving. Fortunately, each weapon has its own ammo stock, and some enemies are more susceptible to different weapon types. Adding to the bonus in the player's favor are inventory items that boost weapon damage, specifically the Tome of Power which magnifies the current weapon's attack power into a secondary fire that more often than not is absolutely brutal. But, unlike future entries in this series, the motto of the day is: Keep Moving, Keep Shooting, Don't Stop Moving, Don't Stop Shooting. It's Fun, Fast, and Furious in an entertaining way that only occasionally leaves you pondering why you even booted up the game this morning.

However you may feel about the gameplay itself, it can't be denied that the visual aesthetics and gamefeel are dripping with atmosphere. Everything from top to bottom feels like the best of cheesy 80's style fantasy art, from the front cover to final screen. Gloomy castles, underwater domes, craggy hellscapes. Weapons impress with over-the-top magical properties. The default staff acts like the DOOM pistol, lobbing nearly harmless yellow energy, while the Etheral Crossbow shoots multiple energy arrows at once, like a magic shotgun, easily the most versatile weapon in the game. Besides that one, my other favorite weapons are the Hellstaff (which blasts rapid-fire red energy, and causes acid rain to fall when Tomed up) and the Phoenix Rod (basically a magic rocket launcher that belches fire when overpowered). Depending on what you're facing, proper usage of these weapons (all finely drawn sprites, natch) can either chew through a mob with ease or leave you scrambling to get back. Stun lock Disciples with the Dragon Claw while obliterating Golems with the Crossbow; save the Phoenix Rod for big bads. And enemy creatures run the gamut from the simplistically annoying Gargoyles (red bat-winged creatures who also shoot fireballs) to the sturdy Golems (which come in a secondary variety which throw flaming skulls at you) to the Disciples of D'Sparil (faceless hooded monks who fly, chant, and shoot fireballs at you, on theme). Usually these damage sponges come at you in packs, rarely doing so in solo numbers because otherwise the game wouldn't be a DOOM clone. What really gets challenging is when boss creatures start popping up like regular enemies – in packs. Take the Iron Lich for example, a massive floating skull wearing a spiked helmet that throws walls of fire and tornadoes that do continual damage, they appear as a boss at the end of the final level of the first episode, then appear later on in groups. They take incredible amounts of damage and return fire constantly, which leads to a tense game of bobbing and weaving and staying as far away from them as possible. But the absolute worst is the Maulotaur. Basically, a minotaur that stands head and shoulders taller than the Iron Lich, carries a huge mace, and shoots waves of fire at you which can one-shot you if you're not paying attention. Staying away from them is key, but they can charge forward fast in order to close distance and take a few swings at you with the mace. These assholes also start as a final bosses, then appear as regular enemies surrounded by waves of other mobs. Maulotaurs are the dealbreakers of the game; they require ridiculous amounts of ammo to kill, and will force you through most of your inventory items if you're not already powered up. Thankfully, your inventory can hold quite a few helpful items, such as quartz flasks for health, the aforementioned Tomes of Power to boost weapon damage, invisibility spheres and wings of flight, and even motherfucking time bombs. But amongst all these, the most ridiculous and yet satisfying item is the Morph Ovum. Shaped like an egg, when used it gets thrown outward and whatever it hits is transformed into an easily killable chicken. Got a wave of monsters crowding too close and you need to thin the herd fast? Turn them into chickens, then turn them into fried chickens.

What gets me is that this game doesn't feel nearly as highly regarded as its indirect sequel, Hexen, and that's probably because for the most part this is a full-on DOOM clone. There were a lot of them back in the day, too many to count, and I think that if wasn't for the legacy of Raven and Hexen, this might have fallen through the cracks of history. Is it uninspired? No, not in the slightest. The quality of the spritework and animations are top notch, the production values are stellar, putting it just above the quality of the average obvious Doom clone. The amount of innovation, with the aforementioned inventory system and modifications to the engine, mesh well with the ambitious world/story crafted in the background of a single warrior trudging across worlds to defeat an evil tyrant who has taken over his people's lands. The current version on Steam is actually the second version released; initially, the game launched in 1994 with three episodes, the first one being the shareware version, and then later on in 1996 had a second physical release which added on two new episodes. It was like an expansion pack folded into the main game, and considering that Hexen was released in 1995, it makes sense that the two new episodes of Heretic feel so much more brutal in difficulty by comparison. And thematically it makes sense for them to have a higher base difficulty, since it’s about escaping the dark world you had to break into, and now you're crawling your way back out of it. Kind of a neat trick, having the hero beat the bad guy halfway through the story, then showing his journey to get back home. Hell, even the name of the main character is awesome. A later game in the series will reveal that his name is Corvus, but originally the character was simply referred to as The Heretic, and in a gaming landscape featuring such characters as Doomguy, the Quake Ranger, and the Doomslayer, the Heretic ought to stand right up there with the rest of them.

So is the game worth playing today? Absolutely. Any fan of boomer shooters or retro gaming in general should absolutely play this game. Utilizing DOSBOX (which the Steam release uses) is fine, but doesn't allow for the best playing experience currently. A quick download of GZDOOM to launch the game will give better controls, easier mouse compatibility, and smoother graphics. There's a method to tie GZDOOM into your Steam page so you can even track how long you've been playing it (for those who this is important for). And it's super cheap, meaning there's little to no excuse to not play it. So why then is this game sitting in the background, kind of like the little engine that could? You know, I'm doing my best to get into the meat and potatoes of this game, to be more descriptive of it and really entice you, the reader, into wanting to play this game. The powerups are fun, there are segments where you absolutely get to go apeshit on monsters and laugh hysterically while you do so, there are moments where the “AHA” is so enlighting that the relief is palpable. Some of the bosses are so memorable that to find them around the corner later in the game as minibosses – in multiple! – is downright frightening and adds to the risk/reward, since they're usually guarding something good that you want to pick up. Long story short, if you like DOOM, you'll like Heretic, which feels like selling the experience short. But the real reason I think Heretic is overlooked is because it is overshadowed by the more complex, more engaging, and more brutal Hexen.

If it hasn't become obvious yet, this is going to be a multi-part Thoughts On post. You've read Heretic, which is a fine game that does what it does and is memorable and fun and fine. But next, we're going to dive into the second course of this delicious fantasy meal, Hexen, and talk about how the second game in this series is the one that got everyone to sit up and take notice of what Raven Software was doing.

[inflammatoryfandomblog]

okay, last episode of the season, let’s see how it goes, let’s go to the shooting gallery again:

- rip callum, can’t get any wings or his “i love you” confession in. soren keeps the plot moving forward, nice. he like... just steals callum away so he can have his big confession moment instead. i want to adopt this doofus, he’s my son now. 

-> does everyone the main characters interact with end up expositing their inner psychology? soren could have just said “i’m sorry, that was wrong” and it could have accomplished the same thing. cut away to his dad and claudia after the surprise hug if you really needed to hammer it in. “also because you’re smaller and weaker” is 100% soren though.

-> oh that trailer line of “we’re all that’s left of this family” is claudia saying this to her dad? these bastards pulled a switcheroo on us.

-> oh hey, they’re actually using the “just camp the spire” strategy i suggested earlier, neat. i just like it when i’m right.

-> ... soren visually “grew the beard.” i guess it’s gonna stay on him as a symbol of how he’s grown. oldie but a goodie.

-> kasef running on his own towards the sun elf army... was really funny. mood whiplash, but it was really funny.

-> the sunfire elves’ phalanx is seriously cool. they fight like spartans!

-> claudia vs. soren!!! nooo!!!! why do you play with my feelings like this!!! and amaya and janai have amazing fight choreography, i love how they fight individually, it’s so smart and dextrous.

-> i know i mentioned that the dragons can easily just... roast the humans in a line but when i watched the dragons come i was like “oh yeah, they have sunfire elf powers now, that won’t be as effective.” the fight with kasef vs. janai visually foreshadowed that pretty well.

-> soren’s knowledge of how the humans might take down the dragons could have been... more useful and all but... the animation on that kasef dragon jump really sold the movement. i guess this is where they put most of the work in.

-> ... where’s... where’s ibis at by the way? did he just disappear?

-> aanya ex duren! so glad we saw corvus again! he walked in like a big damn hero. rip kasef, may he rest in ... i guess he’ll be buried in that lava place in the breach, yeah? seems appropriate.

-> okay the whole “elves and humans are making up and we have VICTORY!” is... hokey... but holy shit did soren just DO THAT did he just stab his dad?? i mean... yeah viren deserves it and it was all an illusion in the end but... like, soren passed that mental hurdle, in those few moments, he believed he killed his dad. and claudia is probably not gonna see him as family after this huh.

-> i guess... that’s what the dark shroud was for. makes sense.

-> okay those sounds viren is making as he absorbs the magic power are... uhhh.... weird? i don’t like them.

-> does anyone know if they used 2D animation to animate callum’s mouth when he successfully uses the wing spell? it really looked like it for a second there.

-> ibis appears when the dragon queen wakes up! but... where was he? the case of the disappearing ibis is bothering me greatly.

-> ok zubeia is... really nice, all things considered... oh gosh, she reacted so well to seeing a bunch of humans and elves at her base... i guess only her husband was the boomer, huh.

-> janai and amaya are officially girlfriends in my heart ok

-> viren: “i lived bitch” claudia: “not really”. oh shiiit, i feel so bad for her, like... she saw soren stab what he believed to be their father, and she really is alone with him. and... dark magic can resurrect people? how did she manage that? and i guess bug-friend is gonna be butterfly-friend now. ha ha ha... they’re in danger...

-> and that wraps things up! i suppose i’ll write what i thought of this season as a whole cohesive story someday, you can probably guess what i think from my immediate reaction stuff but... some things i want to say someday. have a nice weekend y’all, and i hope you enjoyed this season!