#and im not sure its going to survive the process. i mean it has to. we dont have a choice. but fuck.

[wasyago]

Please more Trail's gone cold au I'm begging you I need it just pour out every thought in your brain I want to hear it

hgdhhfbd i mean, sure why not

everything plot related is in the main post, there's nothing else really to tell. but i could share random details that didn't really fit into the lore drop. again tho, it's a small au and mostly an exploration of the concept, so there's not a lot.

❄️ gem and etho are siblings, i don't think it was mentioned anywhere? blood related and all that, they both have black hair, gem just dyes hers.

❄️ behind the scenes reasons for the order of deaths. generally i picked these three to be the main cast because i suddenly realized pet crew were just dungeon master and his two winners, and that was too crazy of a concept to not do anything with? so, tango as the main guy and actual master of the dungeon had to die first, seeing how he's the cave's favorite. pearl as the main explorer and as the one to unlock all the secrets had to die second, because she had to return to the dungeon / the cave to find out the truth, and she conquered it but never actually got out. and etho had to survive, because he's the "proper" winner and the one who actually escaped the dungeon with treasures.

❄️ lore reasons for the order of infection. tango you already know, but pearl and etho went in at the same time so in theory they had to start experiencing the effects together. but because etho was wearing a mask it did lessen the amount of sculk he inhaled, slowing down the process. wear masks kids!

and, well, you did say you wanted to hear every thought so. i really like the plot point of them leaving tango to die, so im gonna ramble a little about it. even just, the difference in their views on the situation is so satisfying to me. because tango had no idea something scary was happening to him! and for pearl and etho it was a life or death situation. and just-- they were talking about leaving tango and tango obviously, obviously, protested, because what the actual hell??? yes okay he's ill and a burden, but don't leave an ill guy to freeze to death in a cave, what is wrong with them????? or, okay, what is wrong with etho, pearl was against the idea. but, straight up tango did not plan for it to end this way, he had his whole life ahead of him and so many things ha still wanted to do! of course he cried when they left, what else was he supposed to do? thank etho for his awesome decision? be all cool and stoic and sacrifice himself? hell no, he didn't want to die, he never asked for this.

he did die tho, so. whomp whomp 🎺... i imagine he passed before pearl and etho even reached the stairs, so at least he didn't suffer for long. if he had a breakdown about being left alone he probably hyperventilated and inhaled like a ton more sculk, so that killed him even faster. must've sucked tho...

and then pearl, god, pearl.... she didn't encounter any dangers on the way back, since she wasn't trying to escape and the cave had no reason to be hostile towards her. but seeing how she was at the last stage before turning... she probably didn't get to tango before collapsing... not dying just yet, but too feverish and too weak to walk. but if tango was already back, he could very much go and find her. can you imagine the pure horror of drowning in your regrets as you slowly die and then having your supposedly already dead friend appear in front of you all cheery and oh so wrong. i dont know how much of tango is left in that thing, but the image of him sitting by pearl and holding her until she dies is so-- its haunting but it's sweet. and then there's still enough time to catch up with etho.

actually, gahhhh, all three pet povs are their own unique horror story and it's so good.

the horror of having to go through this terrifying experience, and then being the only survivor, knowing full well that the only reason you lived is because you left your friends to die, and there's no way of fixing it now.

the horror of everything falling apart around you because of miscommunication, and then the one time you decide to do it right you end up regretting every single decision and witnessing the direct result of your mistakes come for you.

the horror of being stupid... the horror of losing all control over your life and being betrayed in the moment of your most vulnerability, dying fully and utterly helpless.

this au is so sad but i love it so much...

okay wow that's enough for one post, ask more if you want tho!

[eir-trixa]

WOTTG SPOILERS AFTER THE CUT

.

.

.

Can you believe Rick is validating me in my Percy-is-the-most-empathic-character take? I have legal basis but boi does it feel nice to have canon confirmation.

Second that book was short af I got the gist of it all while reading for like an hour.

Third, we addressed everyone else’s trauma. Percy’s still the group therapist LMAO 😭😭😭

Fourth, my son is such a good kid yall, this is why I lose five years of my life when someone insults or when he insults himself jfc my child.

Im honestly still processing and I have to reread the ending. Did it address Percy’s issues? Im going to go with “a bit” and call it a night. I mean, I guess it did? Percy got to unload and help Gale and Hecuba. We got an insight to how he’s managing to stay up and fighting and good despite all the shit he’s put into. Honestly the fact that he saw the humanity in Gale and Hecuba, that he saw their pain and grief and thats what made them trust him, that is so good. And the way he related to them. Goodness. And it highlights again how good a person he is, how much he feels and cares. I mean, he cried cause he had to send Mrs O Leary away, I cant with this kid-

I supposed what Im left unsatisfied with is how he still perceives himself as dumb? Baby, you survived San Fran for two months as a homeless kid without memories and pursued by different monsters who cant die. Youre the furthest thing from dumb.

He cant see this of course and while it was slightly addressed(?) by Annabeth telling him to his face that she doesnt give him enough credit, that he’s pretty smart, I dont think thats enough for addressing this particular issue. There was a time in the middle that he almost snapped because he thought Annabeth probably thinks him too dumb to know what to do next. Which I understand is frustrating to him. But to be fair this book made him look at Annabeth for a solution a lot. Theres also little comments about how when he cant think of anything - which is every 60 seconds apparently according to him- he looks at Annabeth. This doesnt help the co dependent allegations LMAO. Idk, I will die on the Hill that Percy is one of the smartest people in the series, not just emotionally but also in strategy. And theres, of course, nothing wrong with looking at the genius strategist for answers. Ive mixed feelings because definitely this is more of a Percy-insecurity issue than an Annabeth-being-bossy issue. But okay. One more book, heres to hoping we get more heart to heart on that front because Im 999998% sure she doesnt mean to make him feel stupid, Percy’s just got a lot of demons to fight but this in particular they need to figure out together. Still, its obvious how much they care for each other still. If only Dave and Hana did not piss me off at the start Id probably be a little more lenient about this.

Annabeth’s fatal flaw also makes a comeback, we love to see it.

And Sally Estelle Jackson. Now we have to find out wth is Percy’s middle name cause if Sally has one odds are she gave her son too. Trust me. Im Filipino. Iykyk.

Lastly, while I will forever and ever and ever support the trio from pjotv (theyre perfect and have done nothing wrong ever) I can see Rick’s injecting their personalities into the books. Im not sure if he does this on purpose or just subconsciously LMAO. Some of Grover’s dialogue is definitely inspired by Aryan. Percy being Lanky? Walker through and through, especially with his growth spurt lmao, and Annabeth’s confidence? All Leah. I can see what Rick’s trying to do. Ive no opinion on this, just pointing it out. I do love love love the live action. Just. I can see you Rick. You aint slick.

So there. I probably would need to reread the book properly at some point.

[jackrabbit-fandom]

Boothill backstory spoilers, so if you dont wanna be spoiled scroll on

This is mostly comfort/fluff mabye tiny angst due to his backstory

Yes, it will include some relationship bits cause of course

Boothill, where his daughter survives, which, yes, i understand, would probably mean he doesn't become 'boothill', but let's pretend he does for the sake of the story. Also im goin with the name cherry for her cause i think its pretty cute

These kinda imply that it's been a few years between boothills' story and penacony

Edit: apparently the va names her clementine, which is adorable. I'll keep cherry in this one as it is but from now on she'll be clementine

Mabye he was able to save her, and in the process, his body got damaged bad enough that he had to replace it. In this situation, it would be more so because he was hurt so badly he nearly died but didn't wanna leave his daughter.

He'd likely want to keep her as safe as possible but still ended up becoming a space ranger anyway due to sharing the ideologies, but for the first few years of her life, he likely ether stays out of trouble as much as possible or has a safe house for her when he absolutely can not take her with him. On the missions where he does carry her along when she's fairly young, he's just got her attached to a baby sling on his chest. Though i dont see that being extremely common, he doesn't want to risk even a 0.0000000001% chance of her getting hurt

Imagine being intimidated by this cyborg man with a baby sling....anyway

Once she gets older, she's more steady with her walking, she's talking in full sentences, and finally, tall enough to reach his hip, hed likely start teaching her to use a gun.

It's a very serious moment due to how important he thinks it is for her to be able to defend herself when he can't be around. Hed likely has a target set up as he knelt behind her, helping her hold it and aim.

'Keep your breathing steady, don't close both eyes it puts your aim off, keep your elbows loose, respect the gun but don't fear it'

He knows he's going to have to get to work getting his revenge for the rest of his family, so he can't keep coddling her so teaching her to use a gun, or disarm someone and fight hand to hand becomes his top priority. That's not to say he over works her or forces her when she's tired, that's still his little girl, so when she's tired from training he makes sure she gets plenty of rest.

As much as being prepared is important, being well rested and happy is too.

On to more domestic and sweet ones, i donno if he'd have his own ship or just have some safe house on some random planet, but either way coming home to seeing his little girl happy healthy and alive is probably his favorite part of the day, the big bad gunslinger persona immediately melts away and he goes straight into silly annoying dad mode.

This means he has a million dad jokes to make poor cherrys eyes roll out of her head. Though I'd imagine she'd end up just like him, funny phrases, stupid jokes, and a bit of an attitude.

Once she's plenty old enough, say around 16 or so, and wants to go out on more dangerous missions with her dad, i think she would follow the path of abundance. Shed likely wants to protect others like her dad does, plus it's pretty helpful when your father is a cowboy who runs around getting into trouble. It does help put boothill at ease as well, seeing as she can heal herself if she gets hurt....as if he'd ever let that happen.

I'd think that for a while, he's more focused on his daughter rather than finding a partner, however were he to meet you at some point when cherry was fairly young one thing that would likely make him interested is you acting kindly towards her and cooing over her. Showing positive interest in his daughter is a pretty good way to get on his good side. Doesn't quite mean he'll trust you just yet. it just means you're on good terms with him.

I feel like he'd have to trust you pretty well before he lets you watch his daughter. She is his pride and joy, and his one most important person in his life. he almost lost her, and he won't risk someone trying to take her from him again.

However, once cherry is older and can, for the most part, care for herself without her papa watching over her, then hed show more interest. If you were there sense she was young and helped him care for her, he likely already started liking you early on but just didn't make a mood due to focusing on her. Due to you being closer to her in this situation, i can imagine her calling you her mom/dad/parent, too. Extra brownie points!

I imagine cherry being, like i said, like her dad. A bit goofy at times with weird phrases and a slight attitude, and growing up with his censor shed likely copy that too, yelling out "fudge!" When she stubs her toe. I can see her having an interest towards guns sense it was something her papa introduced her to it but also music. Hed likely have taught her guitar by this point so shed probably make up her own little songs and sing them to him (and you once you join the little family) and no matter if their bad or good hes always just happy to hear her sing with the biggest smile on his face, and you best be too.

Oh, and of course, shed get her own cowboy hat, but choose to keep stealing his anyway.

Overall, if she had survived, i imagine him being mostly the same, just with a little girl following him around.

If you liked the fic, feel free to give me requests around this au. I just need this motherfudger to be happy, please.

Edit: @legalize-arson gave me the name idea. I do not like not crediting

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

If laoft characters hadn't already had names, what names would you have chosen?

ooooooh okay so ironically. they did almost, technically, kind of, have different names

in my VERY first notes reference for laoft, literally written in my phone the day after CLBG aired and i desperately wanted to make a really cool role for what i thought was the series newly introduced antagonist, was a list of characters "true names"

basically, i was going to take the idea of being careful with your true name to the maximal extreme, to the point that your "true name" in wickhills wasnt even your legal name, but a completely secret name that only you and your parents knew. Logan, Patton, Virgil, Roman were all going to be "outer names" and these new names i wrote would be the true ones.

and also that these names got little add ons as you aged and met certain milestones, developed certain traits. i dont know if any of you have read eragon (and i dont reccommend you do) but it had a similar system

so Patton was going to be born "Adal" (righteous, sincere, noble), and then sometime in toddlerhood gain become "Adalwin" (Win meaning friend. He gained Eulalos (which i later reused the feminine form for Eulalia the parakeet!) when he got his gift, and "Clement" (Gentle) when he befriended Logan.

Roman was born "Wynne" (friend), which became "Hartwin" as a toddler ("hart" meaning brave, or a male deer). around the time he started hunting fae he gained the second name "Kemp" (warrior) and after the deal gained "Alcaeus" meaning "strength"

Logan i never settled on, but the top contenders were "Mattan" (gift), "Epiphanes" (appearing) and "Irenaeus" (peaceful). i also played around with the idea of matching twinny names for Logan and Thomas. Samson and Jericho (sun and moon), Florus and Thales (flower and blossom), Artemidoros and Apollodoros (gifts of the moon and sun, respectively).

And you've actually already seen what Virgil's was going to be, or at least part of it. "Brennus" the name of Virgil's character in the Fair Folk and Fortresses universe, was my pick for his first name, and the full thing was going to be "Brennus Aelfric Sitheach"

Brennus can mean king/prince or raven, Aelfric means elf-king, and Sitheach means fairy-like. i also had this idea i thought was clever that the reason the curse worked so well was because it changed his true name from "Aelfric" to "Aelfstan" (Elf Stone) ie froze him to stone

like i said this was literally my very first laoft document, so none of this really survived once i started worldbuilding in earnest, mostly because as you can see it would have been really just wildly impractical.

its so old that it still has the name of Thomas's IRL friends as classmates (joan valerie talyn etc) from before i decided i wanted to use cartoon therapy characters instead and save the fictionalized real friends for thomas to meet in college AND from when i was still assuming it was going to be moxiety and logince.

changing the two separate romantic plots in The Darkest Part Of The Forest to one poly love "triangle" was the point where i really started to diverge from "making a one-to-one DPOTF au" to making something that was more personal to me. im not even entirely sure if i'd call this particular document LAOFT LoreTM but its definitely a step in the process i think is kinda neat!

[sparring-spirals]

I really loved the detail of Ashton telling Orym, I think its finally time I start thinking about my situation. I think its finally time I really start considering it. Because there's something so deeply poignant about it. Just last episode, Ashton told Laudna, I thought I knew what anger was, but maybe it was just decades of self pity? Im angry now.

There's something to be said about doing what you need to do to get by, to make it, to keep running. There's something to be said about doing what's needed to keep functioning. But it is different from actually diving into it. There is a difference between making it through your life and processing it.

Ashton, throughout the campaign, has been, yes, determined, yes, emphatic, yes, angry and prone to rages. But they've also been resigned, in so many ways. They say to leave people with their last copper, they laugh when people act in their own self interest, they get into fights and check if people are watching. They proclaim truths about the world- about how people are awful, about how you need to be kind where you are, about how people always cut and run, about how the world often hits when you're down and not all of it was incorrect, but the defining factor was always the resignation. The sureness. The way it was delivered in the tone of- this is how I have known the world. Its not going to change. this is how i've survived, and now i pass it on, unchanging, solid, certain. of course this is how it is.

(They've been dealt a shit hand. They can never get a better one. They're in debt, and are probably not going to get out. They were left behind. They maybe always will be.)

But everything is changing. A lot of it for the worse, but- everything. Everything. Maybe, even him.

He's unsure, now. He's angry, now. In a different way than before. And that means something. That they're thinking, they're pushing, they're wondering. Not just for the world, but for themselves. Reconsidering. The way they viewed the world kept them alive, its what weathered them through everything before. It was important. but now- now- its about more than survival. More than getting by.

They're thinking about their situation. They're stopping, pausing, to think, not just moving faster than the world can catch up, even if it will hurt.

It is not comfortable, it is not easy, its not fun.

But Ashton knows discomfort. There are times where it's worth it, where its good, even.

Ashton says: I think its time I think about my situation, and listen, that matters.

[lookingforhappy]

So, be honest, how are you doing? Are you gonna be okay? Cause I'm ridiculously upset tbh. I kept feeling weird watching the show (but some parts of episode 1 were kinda nice).....then the incident happened. Then basically everything was on fire.

took me a while to process the season tbh i think everyones collective disgust is helping honestly bc it means i can go ahead and write/draw/hc stuff that ignores it or changes it wildly lol

i thought the majority of the show was pretty medicore, not the worst thing they could have done just not as in depth as it needed to be.

the puke scene was a bad shot at humour that i hated but if i sat here listing every bit that i hated then id be here all day and honestly i dont know if ill ever do that because theres just too much to list.

i checked out entirely once five said they all had to die to fix the world and then it just kept getting worse and worse and my literal nightmare scenario happened.

how many times do we need to re learn that any variant of "it was all a dream" doesn't work??? the only and i mean only time ive seen it done well is inception (funny bc elliot page is in that too) and that whole movie is about dreams which is why it works.

(little hope is another example of a story that pulled the "it was all a dream" thing and lost 90% of its audience because of that ending)

just honestly why. who did they think would like this??

when five ran out on them and got on that train i was so sure that they were going to do a sacrifice end with five.

he had lost literally everything, his families trust, his girlfriend, his dream life (living comfortably in a world he understands with someone he loves

as bad as five/lila was - and believe me i have many problems with it from a characterisation standpoint from both perspectives - it was an interesting move for exploring fives psyche and wants... like he has always been the family man but when presented with something he understands as intimately as solitude and survival but with the comforts of a stable world, food source and someone to be with)

like he was set up perfectly to die and be redeemed through that (again, not something i like but something that would have been better), have diego be with him during his final moments and have five apologise for cheating with lila and confess that he only did it in the throes of surivial induced insanity/desperation and that he always wanted diego happy. end with five dead but remembered, and the family alive.

then it lit on fire. like it was smoldering before but yeah like you said a literal housefire erupted in that last episode. the ending pissed me off so bad i can never enjoy that season again - literally tried to rewatch the season to try and understand it better but couldnt start the final episode bc its awful.

idk im just praying that not everyone leaves this fandom for dead because i know theres some amazing fic writers out there and the series itself was good for 1 - 3 seasons.

[sloshys]

HI FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THERE ARE OTHER DAAN/O'SAA SHIPPERS OUT HERE????? PLEASE TELL ME ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS IM FUCKING DESPERATE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BEGGING YOU

My little fucking guys

Im so fucking bad when it comes to writing hcs or character analysis. Im going to try it out but i hope someone who’s a writer and whos interested this pairing gets to explain it all better than i can.

Everything under the cut theres some talk about sex at the end but its brief

I want to preface this that despite the fact that im very much into shipping every time i enter a new fandom i dont think any termina characters were able to directly confess their feelings to eachother. They simply have too much going on in mind, too busy surviving or hardly trust eachother. Despite the amount of events happening, i think only 3 days is super short amount of time for these guys to truly be sure of their feelings for eachother and dont have time to think over it ( only Samarie truly makes sense to me cuz she knew Marina before that even if its one sided)

Their parallels

Both of them were doomed to grow up fast in order to survive because of political and religious circumstances that neither had control over. Daan lost his family because they were fervent Sylvian worshippers, and Osaa grew in the chaos of the religious wars ravaging his country (perhaps that's how he lost his father in the process, but that's just a theory). Also, their respective situations parallel each other as they focus on both the traces of the old gods Sylvian (Daan’s parents being bunnymask cultists) and Gro-goroth (war and chaos in Abyssonia). It doesn't mean anything in particular about the characters themselves, but these two old gods did complete each other.

They both had an advanced education with Daan being an apprentice butler and modern medicine while O’saa studied spirituality and religion.

During adulthood, they both went through unspeakable horrors. For Daan, it was war; he only managed to keep his sanity with the letters he exchanged with Elise. For O'saa, it was being haunted by nightmares and his exploration of the dungeon of fear and hunger. These events traumatised them, and they had their own ways to cope with them, but Daan is visibly depressed.

Both seem to have an interest in fashion as they are self conscious on the way they dress. (Daan hates dirtying his clothes and O’saa likes being complimented on them)

Oh so youre both men with two “a ” in your names

Interpretation and headcanons

-O'saa had several people unknowingly open up about their problems at the confessional booth. Daan, who was wandering alone in the church with his thoughts eating him up, decided to give it a go, even if he wasn't religious, even if no one would respond. Part of him felt like it was sort of therapeutic. But to his surprise, someone did respond on the other side of the booth. Daan’s interest perks up when he notices the lack of professionalism from what he would assume to be a priest. They were judgmental and cold, but also understanding and interested at the same time. The rational thoughts of someone who doesn’t follow a specific belief and has their own morals they want to stand by. Yeah nothing like a priest Daan also hears some sort of familiarity with the voice and slowly realises who owns it. Daan would start playfully answering questions until O’saa couldn't keep up his identity. Unlike the other participants, he doesn't come out of the booth laughing; it’s just Daan looking at him smugly while the yellow mage’s expression is between disappointment and irritation. But regardless, they did have a nice talk in there, not that either of them would admit it.

-tbh a lot of their relationship is a back and forth one of them making a joke, the other roll their eyes and they would reply with “why are you always so serious???”

-O’saa secretely likes making Daan laugh. He keeps telling himself because his humor is more of his taste but its mostly cuz Daan always looks so gloomy

-Actually, these two don't know how to express their emotions. Daan sees how distant O’saa is from everyone and kind of wants him to be able to settle in with the group. O'saa, who doesn’t like to show his sympathy, still tries to make Daan laugh at times because he seems worryingly miserable and sad (his own jokes tend to make him laugh more than Daan, however). They just try to cheer each other up in the most complex brain gymnastic game by poking fun and making bad jokes with the worst timing possible, which mostly confuses the both of them more than anything else.

- O’saa doesnt like Daan’s smoking and drinking habits. But he does admit that it gives him a certain charm and the drinks he makes for him

-When O’saa revealed the identity of the Sulfur god to Daan there was this sting of empathy he felt for him despite Nas’hara’s scolding. And didn’t want to reveal to much not just for the sake of forbidden otherworldly knowledge but to spare him from such heavy info when he’s already going though so much grief.

-Daan was, deep down, extremely grateful for O’saa sharing his knowledge. When they met later, he insisted on taking care of O'saa's wounds after he was shot by August’s arrows. But O’saa is always on guard and asks Daan to take his vest off while he holds on to it and his scalpel. He will grab the back of his neck, warning Daan that If he tries anything funny, he will deal him a fatal blow. Despite the fact that it was supposed to create tension, the two were never this physically close to each other before…

-Daan would notice O’saa fragrance and Osaa would notice Daan’s lipstick

-Now sex is a difficult topic. Something that forces them into a state they so desperately tried to avoid their whole lives. The feeling becoming undone by sharing something with someone special or showing vulnerability. A primal feeling, feeling alive. They had a quick fuck to release steam. They try to convince themselves that its for personal satisfaction or giving a helping hand but it ever hardly felt like that. They still had this connection they refused or couldn’t to share with spoken words. It never went too far, but it was never bad. Quite the contrary, the sex was good but always too short

-O’saa realised he had developped a worshipping kink because of Daan. But Daan noticed it much earlier.

[biomic]

Bad news, Rob. He clarified and what he meant was “take all the cool parts out”

i mean... i get it? not sure what he specifically means by "sped-up action sequences", i don't think PR's action is the thing that's holding it back and could easily be transported over to whatever reboot they wanted to do, but the other things ARE generally seen as corny in a bad way by general audiences. im certainly not happy about that but like. it's just the truth

again, japan was introduced to tokusatsu and suitmation techniques through genre-defining works like godzilla and ultraman, made by people who took the material seriously. america was introduced to it through often goofy (or just straight up racist) kaiju dubs from people who didn't get it and power rangers, which im guessing the original crew thought would be some dumb forgotten flavor of the week before it became a worldwide phenomenon. power rangers evolved as it went on and produced some great, iconic (certainly iconic to ME 😤) seasons of kid's television, but that's not what people remember. people remember the kiai noises tommy would make when he did karate, the cheesy acting, and bulk and skull falling face-first into a giant cake at the end of every episode. and to them that's all it'll ever be, unless something new comes along to pique their interest

i know people say "well, power rangers has succeeded for 30 years under this formula!" but... when was the last time it was actually relevant? i think it got a brief blip from the original cast returning for that 30th anniversary special, but before that? nickelodeon pushed samurai hard when they first acquired it but ever since then it's felt dead in the water. from anecdotes i've heard it seems like a lot of kids think power rangers is lame and something their dad used to watch, its days as must-watch kid's tv have been over for a good long while now. it's survived not by continuing to be a hit but just through sheer momentum. hasbro could work something out with toei and make Power Rangers Beast Cubers or Crystal Guardians and it could be the most incredible season we've ever had, surpassing all the greats, but i still don't think that'd be enough to get anyone who's not a longtime fan to care

power rangers has had an unbelievable run, by any metric it should not have lasted this long. but it's not possible for anything that goes on 30+ years to continue without change. super sentai's not like it was in 1975, kamen rider's not like it was in 1971, ultraman's not like it was in 1966, and power rangers can't be like it was in 1993. whether they go for another movie franchise, a teen netflix reboot, or an animated series, it's clear that the direct adaptation process is over. if it turns out to be good, we're in luck! if it sucks, well, we've got 30 years of Classic™ power rangers and TONS of tokusatsu to go back to. there's worse ways for a show to go out

[molluskmirage]

tips and tricks I have learned in my 9 years of being mostly bedridden from ME/CFS

the first 5 years of illness was a battle and hellscape I physically dont have the capacity to process emotionally and if thats were your at as well your incredible friend, I have finally managed to get security payments and a place to live (much to be desired but its way way away from the dire circumstances I was under for years. my heart goes out to those in situations I was in)

Tip number 1:

-reframing and restructuring my goals and expectations

I was able to do this by saying that sick me is different then able bodied me. Sick me is accomplished for each day they make it to the next day. It also comes from recognizing the ‘idols’ or those that came before me in my same position and looking up to them and gleaning their knowledge. Jessica Kellegren-Fozard has been this idol for me. She goes about life with grace, love and wonder and has taught me alot on how to navigate a disabled life and to love it and have fun with it.

tip 2:

-discovering what limits my body has and keeping within those parameters (no matter how pitiful or limited it may feel) staying inside the limits means I can do more overall and refrain from boom and bust crashes

tip 3:

-REST DAYS. what an abled bodied person can accomplish in a day I might be able to do in a week. Do something one day then the next day rest. Rinse and repeat.

tip 4:

-if you ignored rest days or simply find yourself in a crash the adrenaline kick you get that makes you feel like you have energy and should do something is a trap, rest. Rest day for you! If you’ve rested and rested and rested and feel the worst youve ever felt and so hopeless that youll never return to even your base line that is the day before you are actually getting better, keep resting and cheer yourself on and comfort yourself your doing amazing.

tip 5:

-get any aid device you feel you need, (even if you feel like well maybe I dont need it maybe im just exaggerating. No. If it’s reasonably priced or you can get it through other means do. Aids are great) I love my cane. I love my rollater. Love my eyemask. Love my eyepatch. Love my shower stool. Love my sunglasses. Love my stand that holds my phone. Love my medicine bag. Love my trays that hold my miscellaneous aid tools. Love my humidifier and heater. Love my weighted blanket. Love my fidget toys and my kalimba. Would love to see if an oxygen tank might help not sure on how to go about that yet and would love a wheelchair but would need a motorized one and cant afford it (also for me I wouldn’t be able to use it much because i cant sit up for long)

tip 6:

-drinking electrolytes after my roughly weekly shower. This was a game changer for me really helped recovery rest day. Coconut water, lemon juice, gatorade, salt water, all good choices.

tip 7:

-celebrating my accomplishments. I choose to do this on the ‘birth’ of my sick self. The date of my illness was very clear and its a date I wont forget so why not make it a party to celebrate what Ive done throughout the year. Always when I approach this day I feel so down on myself because it often feels like I do literally nothing but lay in bed but when I actively go through the months and things I did on top of the victory of surviving another year I find Ive done much more then I give credit for and im so proud of myself.

tip 8:

-my weighted blanket is the greatest thing in the world. (This one may not apply for others as it can be rough to manage the heft but for me whose been an insomniac my entire life this absolutely changed my life and I can not sleep any other way, I feel like a door to door ((floor to floor)) salesman because all I want to do is share the good news)

tip 9:

-gaming has made a big impact for my social and emotional health and im very pleased and surprised by how much it has a positive effect. Very fortunately I was able to buy a device for a form fitting keypad and mouse its really great and made gaming possible with less pain.

tip 10:

-Keep a few food bars/snacks by bed.

this concludes my list off the top of my head. my eyes are getting tired now so I shall rest. Rest well other chronically ill friends!

[sburbian-sage]

hello again

its the knight of hope from before

i just want to say thank you

you saved my life

i relayed your advice to my friends and they managed to recover me

unfortunately due to the time difference i was apparently grimdark by the time they got me home

sorry if this isn't as clear or precise in its wording as I'm still recovering

i don't remember much of what happened

i just remember waking up yesterday

apparently i may no longer be the original me

from what ive been told my original body was beyond saving? (and my dreamself is long dead) they refuse to let me see it so i cant give anymore detail there

a lot of what they did went over my head but they said something about ectobiological cloning processes and alchemiter jailbreaking?

our heart player apparently took the shiny from my old body, removed the corruption and then shoved it into a new one and that's me now

I'm still reeling from all this but something strange has come about (when is there not something strange going on)

my left eye is gone

not like "oh its missing and there is an empty socket"

but as in , my eye is apparently now made of void

at least according to our resident void player

but i can still see

just a little more? if that makes sense

its like someone's turned fullbright on in that eye

the best way to describe it is that i can no longer see the dark, which while handy

means that i can see the others as well

i mean their ages away so its not like i have perfect detail but its horrible

dunno if its normal but they have seemingly completely surrounded our session

a disgusting w̵r̷i̸t̵h̸i̷n̶g̴ ̵m̷e̴s̴s̷ ̷o̵f̶ b̶̜̽ȩ̶́a̷͈̍ǘ̴̠t̴̻̐i̵̙̇f̶͖͂ů̶̹ĺ̷̦ ̶̥͗f̸͉͠l̸͖̈́e̸̬͌ŝ̷̙h̶͇̚ a̴̺͐ ̸̧̊ḧ̷̫̎o̴̘͒̈́m̵̘̮̓̈e̸̮͋̇ ̴͓͐͐t̶̮́͘h̸̜̳̒̈ȃ̴̡͖t̷̘̚ b̶̠͕͈͌̔e̵͍͒c̷̖̟͓͐k̸̜̤̅ó̵͕̟̥n̶̨͎͕̾ş̶̯̹̔ ̷͈̆f̶̥̝́̎o̵̝͉͝r̸̛̹͙͒͠ ̴̟̅̎ṁ̴̧̫̱ě̵͔̣̔̎ ̸̛͔́͌t̷̼͆̆ó̴͖̚-̶̠̀̄́

shit

sorry, that keeps happening

i cant describe it to much or it fucks with my head

needless to say its a problem

my friends have banned me from derse for obvious reasons while they try to figure this out

not sure what to do from here but to slowly recover

or at least as slowly as sburb will let me

the current plan is to wait until i recover and then win but

my friends want to stay in this session as long as sburb will let us

even after the victory

i agree with them

ironic for my aspect but i think im feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time

safe travels to you friend

groovyMoonbird out

I would advise against looking at the HTs. Embrace your inner anime character and wear an eyepatch over that bottomless hole on your face. Then claim it's a power limiter and scream about how your eye is throbbing every time you use an abilitech (while clutching it). Never stop doing this.

I would double-advise against staying in the session for longer than needs be. Take your time getting to the door, fine, but there's no real reason to linger once the door is open. If it's mental recovery, then you can do that pre-Final Battle (in fact, I'd advise you and the Smith of Space who accidentally put you through this take a brief intermission ASAP, I imagine he's guilt-wracked about the whole thing and needs some decompression as badly as you do). If it's physical recovery, the door fixes that. I've lost a limb at least once, stumbled through the door, and started the next session with both arms intact. More important though is the fact that once a Session is completed, the Others will slowly begin encroaching on the Session and consume it. It's not immediate, in fact it takes anywhere from days to weeks to months for them to be "allowed" to move in, but in general I err on the side of caution with the borders between us and the Furthest Ring, and you should be putting as much distance between yourself and them as is possible.

In any case, congratulations on surviving. Take that hope in your hand and feel the heat.

[hiemaldesirae]

please. I'm begging you for more crumbs about VADD!Shen Jiu and also that Roxana AU you have from that art post you did of the two.

As a VADD AND SVSSS fan, especially as a fan of the original villains— please. I AM FROTHING AT THE MOUTH FOR MORE. I'm actually in the process of outlining a crossover with the original goods of both.

God, the Roxana one as well— please, PLEASE TELL ME SJ IS ROXIE HE'S SO ROXANA-CODED SOMEHOW. GIVE HIM BUTTERFLIES AND POISON AND— *gets knocked out*

by the way, LOVE your artstyle. scratches an itch i did not know existed in my brain. your chibis as well. they're so cute!!

oh you have no idea how long ive waited to talk about them. this mayyy get a bit long so ill leave it under the readmore.

disclaimer: i intend on finishing these fics so what im going to be talking about is inspirations and unfinished / abandoned ideas and other ideas i have for the works instead of anything relating to the plots themselves

for svadd, sj is a lot more complicated than he appears to be on the surface. im not so sure if what i have written currently is what i /want/ exactly because i know i want his character to go a certain way. the relationships between him and his modern-day friends is one meant to parallel the in-game "shen qingqiu" sj compares himself to and in much the same way, mirror the way that sy contrasts himself with sqq in canon: but instead of being condescending and viewing sqq as a one dimensional character, sj is able to appreciate his nuance while still being rightfully angry over his actions

to me, sj is supposed to be an unreliable narrator who constantly enforces his own thoughts. he tells himself over and over that he misses his home and that he wants to go back, that he absolutely needs to- but then, he turns the other way and finds himself being sucked even deeper into this different one.

i also really wanted to explore how sjs dynamic with a lot of the characters would be affected knowing that they were "based off" his real friends, but again im not very confident with how it came off lol

there was a lot of points in the story where i attempted to add in foreshadowing for the ending i want the story to take... in any case, it definitely wont go the same way as vadd, though i did toy with the idea of a "version" of sy being the main villain haha

(it might still happen for shits and giggles)

as for the roxanna au there are a lot of things ive wanted to do with this au and its good that i havent posted because it means i can keep revising til i come up with something good lol

its a liujiu au with some bingyuan / cumplane thrown into the mix (the cumplane is overwhelmingly toxic btw bingyuan is the healthy one out of the two here 😭) where yes sj is xana !!! he really just makes such a good manhwa villainess haha

i had been puzzling over what i wanted his motif to be-- after all, sj is typically associated with the simplicity and calming bamboo so the glittering butterflies wouldnt work with him- but after some deliberation i decided with using moths for him :3c still subject to change ofc but i think im happy with this as is

the story is somewhat similar to how roxanna goes but surprise sj isnt the transmigrator here! (and honestly, roxanna wouldve been sm better if xana hadnt been a transmigrator... or maybe i just think that because it was only used as a convenient plot point for her to know crucial info. sigh.)

my outline of how the roxanna au goes is basically this:

lqg fucks around and finds out

sj who has been seeing dreams of the "book" sy read knows what will happen to his family if lqg dies

etc

at the same time: sy, transmigrator, attempts to make sure his only surviving older brother lives to a long happy life and the only way he can secure this is by fucking up that hack author

also i killed off qi-ge and idk if i want him to come back. he'll be like the stereotypical dead anime mother for this au lmao

hmm and i think thats all i have to say for these aus... thanks for giving me a chance to ramble on haha ~ much appreciated !! and thank you for the compliment, im flattered!! 🥹🥹💕

[dreamdripdistance]

I'll always love a good Dizz tag rant about how much plastic fabrics suck ass <3

FVDSHKFBHDSUGDEWHJKFBZXJK im glad i have a brand!!! because like if someone doesnt need polyester for a specific purpose for its specific properties, why WOULD you prefer it over a natural fibre for an everyday use????

like. ethically sourced leather (which is a byproduct of the meat industry, cows are always going to be killed or will die for one reason or another, wasting their skin when it could instead be a Really good textile is STUPID and ILLOGICAL) or wool (something that will always be available as long as sheep roam this earth, and DOES NOT harm the animal and actually is integral to their survival!!) or cotton or linen or silk or whatever will always be a better, more ethical and healthier choice!!!!!

like just off the top of my head, linen is always going to be a better choice for bedding than anything else, especially in the way its literally a Stronger textile when wet, and its breathablity and antibacterial properties. all things you want when using and caring for your bedding????

cotton is GREAT for underwear and clothing kept close to the skin because of its breathablity. by the fucking way, ppl with vaginas? if youre wearing polyester underwear Every Day, i hope you know youre literally just inflicting yeast infections upon yourself??? like wearing cute lacy undies is great once in a while, but pleaaaaase. wear (loose fitting) cotton underwear to sleep, especially.

and also, wool is the greatest insulator that you could possibly get, and is key to making sure you dont also sweat (which can be dangerous and also gross even when its extremely cold), and is a great thing to use in your doonas if you can afford it (WHICH I CANT AND I CRY EVERY TIME)

like, yeah theres ethical issues regarding natural textiles, like leather dyeing processes (and that its an animal byproduct, which im not gonna talk about indepth bc idgaf), and the historically (and currently) evil practices being used to farm cotton, and the widespread fast fashion-ification of Everything rn even with natural textile garments.

but like. think about it in comparison to the mass manufacture and discarding of polyester fabrics, and the microplastics going loose in every single wash, and how polyester waste is literally just PLASTIC waste, so when your PU leather coat disintegrates, thats just going to go in the bin, where as a coat made of real leather is going to last for however as long as you can keep it conditioned and protected from damage (which can be fucking DECADES)

also, synthetics are Fine. like they have a time and place especially in the medical field and in situations where you reaaaally dont want anything coming in or out of what youre wearing. nylon was fucking revolutionary as the first entirely synthetic textile so like. i dont hate polyester? but again it has a time and place!!!

like, polyester is cheap as fuck, and if polyester or "cotton rich" (aka poly blend) bedding or clothing is all you can afford or find, then cool! im sorry about that, but i have no qualms about it! ive bought polyester clothing, like, my work pants are all polyester, because they were the cheapest dress pants i could get at kmart that were my size after trying and failing to find smth in an op shop! but like !!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGHGHGHGHHGHGHGHGHHHHH IF SOMEONE HAS THE MEANS TO BUY ACTUAL LEATHER (WITH NO QUALMS WITH REAL LEATHER OR W/E) AND THEN GOES TO DROP HUNDREDS ON A PU LEATHER (AKA PLASTIC) COAT, IM GONNA MAUL THEM!!!!!

anyways in conclusion, as i always say:

[eomma-jpeg]

Hello again! So, I've got one for you Fic-specific Ask Game! (For In the Meadow, of course. XD) For Want of a Nail: So, I'm curious as to how this would turn out. Instead of the insurance gals having to head out to send in their resignations, instead it's Vash and Knives who have to leave for a few days for Reasons™️. (I'm imagining something related to their past? Like maybe a bounty hunter has been sniffing around and is getting too close to the farm. Or one of the Gung-Ho Guns survived or something. Or maybe it's something mundane like they have to go find a specific part to replace for the Plant and it can only be found in December. Either way, they gotta skedaddle!) I wanna know how you'd think it'd play out! I can only imagine the absolute terror Knives would be on a two day road trip when he knows he's missing the first tomatoes (and also Milly, but shhhh! He's being stupid about that still!) And also what would the gals be doing back on the farm? (Pining away, I'm sure. Omg, I bet Milly will be a mess when the first tomato comes in and Knives isn't there. 😭) Thoughts? 👀

oh veil,,,, you have put many thoughts in my head....

Knives and Vash road trip

I think.... it would be something like the eye of michael is still kicking?? and it would give me an excuse to include Livio (I WANT TO PUT HIM SOMEWHERE BUT I JUST CANT FIND A GOOD EXPLANATION)

Vash would leave, and I think at that point in the story, Knives would feel the need to come. specifically, he still wouldnt be comfortable around humans without Vash (even Milly. I think the thought of truly being surrounded by only humans would freak him out).

Unfortunately, Knives wouldn't realize how DESPERATELY HE WOULD MISS IT UNTIL HE'S GONE.

him and vash all alone in the desert, away from humans (which is what he wanted originally) but he just,,, he cant help wishing to go back. he wants to go back so bad, so he and vash work their BUTTS off to get this business done and over with cuz Knives just wants his routine and his girl back

this,,,,, could also be a good spot for vash v knives conflict vis a vis how the both of them feel about murder (knives feels its necessary especially when taking down the eye of michael, while vash it still on a pacifist route, despite his kind of..... completion of Rem's memory?)

because i'm mushy and i like parallels, if Milly doesn't have her scandalous dream in December... then Knives gets to have a mushy domestic one.

he dreams about Milly in the garden and the sunlight glistens in her shiny hair, they have a thriving crop, and milly just has the brightest smile on her face when she spots him, glowing with happiness. he wakes up after milly hugs him, arms wrapping around his body, pulling him tight and brushes a kiss on his cheek

He wakes up just,,, starstruck and makes Vash drive them home in the middle of the night. zero impulse control from this boy.

Milly and Meryl back at home

this change means that milly gets to pick the tomatoes without knives.

i ... i could absolutely see Milly doing good, like holding it together all morning, putting on a show that she's alright. she gathers them with ease and puts them in a cute lil basket she got from her mom

but then later when Meryl asks her how many tomatoes she gathered, Milly holds up each tomato individually and tears just kind of fall as she realizes that its the first time since the beginning of the garden that she had to do the work alone, and it hits her like a brick wall. she misses him so much.

Meryl: oh gosh i thought i was just asking about the tomatoes I didn't see this coming

I think it could be the trigger that Milly needs to realize that she really does like him.

if im being honest, this might speed up the romance process quite a bit, because if Milly falls first, its over. She would completely smother Knives in like welcome back kisses and he wouldn't know what to do LOLOL

okay, to stick with the slowburn, i could see Knives coming back and complimenting Milly on the harvest, and Milly unwittingly admitting that she had missed him. Then, quietly, mostly because Knives doesn't particularly want to admit it to himself, he tells her he missed her too.

Milly, being herself, just takes his hand and kisses his cheek, probably unable to tell him with words.

and then idk.............. thats a whole new fic.....

ty veil !!!!! i really liked thinking about this lolol

[heademptynotasinglethought]

No one I know has seen this movie and It wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be and I’m upset

Has anyone seen that movie Fanfic on netflix? Its a polish movie so it has english dub which is how I watched it. So take this into consideration with my opinion on it. Maybe its exceptional in polish idk.

The writing is so bad but it had so much going for it :(

As the title suggests, there’s a reference to fanfiction, what it can do for its readers and the people who write it. But that’s all. A Reference. Its not really something that we focus on throughout the movie and I actually forgot that this is what the movie was supposed to be about halfway through until they throw it back in there at the end for some reason. 

We’re following our main character, an alternative looking teenager with a cool edgy shag cut that hates their life and their parent and uses their fanfiction writing as a form of escapism. They see themselves as a rockstar, dating the character of their dreams, living a life they could never live. I get it I get it seems cool.

But its weird because, the life that our main character is escaping tbh doesnt seem that bad. I mean sure they are unhappy, don’t get along with their father, but also they basically go to euphoria high school so they get to go to all these cool warehouse raves with their huge group of friends all the time? Thats not so bad. Its truly silly like, our character will be out with their large group of friends to this bonfire that they didnt have to go to if they didnt want to but for some reason they brought their laptop with them to write fanfiction. ( how their laptop battery can survive all this I dont know im jealous)

And they see a therapist who seems to be genuinely interested in helping them deal with their emotions in a way that isnt just yelling at people, but alas the world is against them all the time of course. I think what really makes this character not work for me is that there is no internal dialogue? There is initially, like in the first couple minutes of the movie but then they just decided actually nvm? and from then on I just have to guess the main characters thought process and feelings from some longing stares. 

I kept watching despite how much I didn’t like this main character only because the show is nice to watch tbh its pretty. And then I got even more sad because our character finds out that theyre trans. 

Now i just want to like this movie even more right???? But how they find out theyre trans is truly silly. I’m nonbinary and do consider myself trans, sure I dont know everyones experience... but also has anyone ever just decided to put on a pair of jeans, a t shirt, and a jacket and then decided they got the wrong gender? Because our main character does. Its not like he was in drag or something thats just a comfortable outfit for any gender? Have they never been allowed to wear pants before???? I just dont understand. 

The rest of the movie is not that exciting just kind of finding themselves with a love interest who shows up every now and again and isnt too exciting. This movie feels like something that was made to be a show but some higher up said nah so they smashed in to an hour and a half. Why are the characters so flat. Why is our main character the worst in a way thats not intentional? Why cant they wear pants until they find out theyre a boy? 

Am I a girl when I wear mini skirt and a boy when I wear pants?

Also who is our main characters hair stylist I liked his hair before he cut if off I want that please and thank you.

Anyways head empty.

[spidey-bie]

So, the nicknames "Roses" for comic!Hobie came from Moxie painting them. It's the thing of they don't people, physical bodies or the shit infront of them. They are distantly native, and with that comes the belief that everything that lives has a soul. Moxie doesn't paint their muses faces, they paint the soul of their muses. Hobie is a complicated ass character, with many complicated ass things to him. He's a dork, but if you meet him in the street he'll only threaten to beat your ass. He cares like hell about everything, but he's the quietest in the room until you start fucking up and he has to step in to beat your ass. When the social climate fucked up that people couldn't have the means to live, and that's pretty fucked up ngl, He beat the president's ass. All while hiding under his little punk song references. You're catching Moxie's vibe here? There's one main consistency in behavior and emotion with him. He's a sweet dreamer who has a big ass chip on his shoulder in a capitalist hellhole that wants to kill him for caring about anything other then himself and money. That's a rose. No fucking seriously, think about it. Roses (At-least in america) are no longer a commonly wild plant. Their roots are so weak that they need to be grafted new ones just to survive through growing. They're beautiful, sure. It's the fact that they are beautiful that gets them killed. We only want to farm and chop them down to make shit like Ornament gifts or plucked their petals for people to fuck on. Yes, we also use them for a food produce, but is that your working class experience? The working class is most a country's people. They get farmed and butchered for the fact they had the misfortune of being pretty to another species. The only thing they did was exist. That fucking sucks, man. The tools that they use to keep themselves safe are stripped (thorns) and they are put on display just to watch the life they have left wither away in a day. If you can't tell, Moxie considers plant life apart of important life. They also find it very disrespectful themselves to be gifted flowers because they have the opinion it's basically saying "These were pretty, so I murdered life for you!" Thank you, Ted Bundy. (Still the character's opinion) What they painted the first time Hobie came to them was a willow tree, full of colorful roses. The willow part is because many animals in an ecosystem rely on them to rest, to make homes. They were ancient pollinators for bees, they are known in tribe's for pain relievers. Typically historically they are known as biofilters for important water sources to filter out pollution and shit. Put both of those together and you have something beautiful and dangerous, yet important for a living environment. Something that single-handedly makes the water run clean for animals to drink. Something entire cultures build their wonder around because of it's ability to exist. Admiration was always there, from day one. Mutually. Hobie is a wild-grown rose. Something that defied all systems in place to prevent them from flourishing. Here he stands, Beautiful. (Moxie speaking)

(Yes this painting is the one hobie stole, that lead to moxie being able to inter-dimensionally teleport and lead to them re-meeting. It's a very important narrative painting.) (No, they don't have a ship name but we'll make one up and pretend like we always had one in our back pocket. Bullshitting, GO!)

IM FINALLY GETTING TO THIS WOOOO

GO COFFEE ADRENALINE

OOOOOO love that for them. The essence of the soul is captured by their brush and not their physical form. That's wicked.

OMG THE SYMBOLISM OF HOBIE BEING A ROSE. Putting a show of being beautiful and harmless but underneath it all lies thorns. LIKE UGHHHH.

Oh my God I should've kept reading before I wrote that paragraph because your thought process is even better than what I came up with. DAMNNNNN just putting that into perspective is amazing. We give so many things value and yet instead of enjoying its presence and just leaving it be we exploit it.

Bro not you not having a ship name 💀. (Idk man paintpunk, colorpunk, soulpunk, the punk and the painter just spitballing here.

[eyelessfog]

i have beat the first battle with the hornet protector. i am lost in depths

(dw about spoilers i already know the story)

OH MY GOD?? OH MY GOD? YOURE PLAYING HLLOW KNIGHT???? HELLO TO HORNET IM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR BEATING HORNET. squints wait can we try something. where are you in hollow knight - like what area.

oh my god. okay so right right hollow knight so hollow knight is a tragedy its about a dying kingdom its about a kingdom already dead, its about coming back to the place you came from, its about family, its about the people left behind, the people who live in a place that is long gone and its also about horrific violence on the part of the player character . i love waving my nail around

you as the character, ghost, show up and you as the player don't know where you are. you're small and just about everything is your size or bigger, but so quickly you meet people. bugs who don't hurt you by interacting with them, bugs who aren't husks of themself walking. elderbug, who's alone and who's been alone for all this time, watching people fall into the depths and never come back out. you meet quirrel, curious and confused but knowledgeable. he knows this place, but he doesn't know how, he doesn't know WHY.

you find him all the time and its great because hes my best friend ever

you meet cornifer, and you always see his paper, hear his song, a sweet melody that lets you know that it's safe enough, here.

you meet hornet, who points her needle at you and speaks as though she knows more - because she does know more. she fights you because she needs to be sure that you can keep on going. can you keep on going?

you win. the little body that falls over when she leaves looks a lot like you.

your mission starts being laid out for you - you find monomon first, let's say. quirrel stands outside of her archives, knowing, knowing, knowing. you walk inside, you dodge the exploding jellyfish [monomon what the actual hell was the thought process, bless], you find yourself in a room, a floor of acid, blubbling, bubbling - Uumuu, and quirrel knows what to do here. he's the only one that can break through the protection, can allow you to hurt it, and after you beat it, he runs down to find the woman who caused all of this for him. his teacher, monomon, who sent him off with little more than her mask and a nail, to never come back unless she thought it was worth it to allow her seal to be broken

she knows what a broken seal means. i think quirrel might too. when you break the seal, she disappears, and she disappears forever.

[the knights are tragic in their own right. hegemol, gone, other than his armour, puppetted by a maggot - the memory of a great knight fallen down to a home to a scared creature in a body too big for it. isma, turned to greenery, no way to leave, nothing left to give but her single tear - the only blessing she can offer. dryya, her final stand outside of her queen's hiding place - a knight till the end, but for what? she could have survived, but she didn't, all for her queen. ze'mer, holding on only to give a final gift to her dead love - she just needed that final flower to her dearest's grave before she could let herself go. and ogrim, the last and alone, living as well as he can, finding enjoyment in his simple and zombified opponents - hiding the way he misses his friends in a small cave beneath the surface.]

lurien is terrifying - 6 knights out of what was once 13 to protect him, and yet you go up to his tower, a long and lonely elevator ride, and there is no one there but him and his butler. well protected, but so alone.

herrah is at home. you can see it - she has no final boss to protect her because her home is treacherous all on its own. you find her in one of the webs of deepnest, one of the nests themselves - she isn't at her place of work like either of the others; or, perhaps, she is, as queen of deepnest.

when you break her seal, her daughter sits there, solemn.

"she was my mother," hornet says. "i think i'm allowed to grieve."

your own mother, the queen, the root, hidden away from the horrors that cover this world, gives you half of the kingsoul. her husband's soul, broken in two, one piece of it hers, and now yours. she thinks you can save the kingdom - clean up this mess

the other half - your father's - is with him, in his palace long gone. it's kept so close to him - through this memory where you must traverse a castle much sharper than it ever would have been in life. you take his half of the soul from him, and you go.

if you meet hornet for the second time, in the place where what was once your father rots, she has to fight you again. this isn't just to make sure you're prepared for hallownest anymore - this is for the king's brand. this is for the closest kept secret of the king, of your and hornet's shared father. this is for the truth of you.

you beat her. you enter the abyss. you go down.

the floor is littered with skulls much like yours. this isn't scattered here or there. this isn't some here or there. they are the floor beneath your feet, and when you go further down, you see that there are so many more than you could have ever imagined. and down, down, down, there is an egg. you see your reflection in it, and you remember.

you climbed this once, while your siblings rained down around you. you did well - made it all the way up when others couldn't, but you failed the last jump.

at the top, someone else got there ahead of you. they saw you, there, hanging on to the ledge, but then your father walked away, and they walked too.

you fell.

the kingsoul isn't his soul anymore. it's your heart. voidheart.

you make your way out. up, to the egg, to where the seals have been broken, to where the infection that puppeteers these people begins, and you go inside.

your sibling - 7 times your size - hangs there in chains. they let you fall once.

you break the chains and let them fall.

they're in pain, the source of the infection trapped inside of them and wanting out.

you don't know much, but you know how to fight. if nothing else, you can try to weaken them - weaken the power within them.

hornet comes to help, pressing her needle to their forehead and keeping them still. you unsheathe your dreamnail and find the world within them.

when you look off towards the sun, when you raise your nail, the sun spreads her wings in response.

the radiance cries out.