#and reminders that the world is so much larger than the characters

[corseque]

Transferring a twitter Dragon Age 4 theory to tumblr:

This is a theory about the very latest DA4 information that people were upset to learn about because they want to wait for the game rather than hear too much, so look elswhere if that is you. I suspect that Rook is called "Rook" for a reason. I suspect their color is purple for a reason.

Rook is associated with trickery and death, a bad omen.

Hmm.... that reminds me a little of a "dread wolf."

I, for a long time, thought the game was called "Dreadwolf" because the main character would be taking on the trials and tribulations and responsibilities of the Dread Wolf onto their own shoulders. This suspicion has expanded hugely in my mind when I think about DA4 because what exactly is the story set-up, here? What is the Dread Wolf?

Solas, who is playing the role in the story of Dragon Age of an ancient trickster deity, has claim and power over the functions that trickster gods. Namely, power over doorways, thresholds, boundaries.

It doesn't matter what Solas thinks about godhood if he has all the trappings and power of godhood. There is no material difference in a fictional story.

(I love that Solas in the prologue is demonstrating exactly what you would expect from a Trickster God in this situation - manipulating boundaries, and then being Just a Little Guy.)

So the game prologue opens on Solas, a trickster god, delicately manipulating the magical boundary between worlds, which is something that you would expect a trickster god to do. Then unfolds a scene in which a tiny figure (Rook) causes a larger-than-life god (Solas) mischief and, with Rook's foolish meddling, undoes the very fabric of normalcy, trapping the trickster god and throwing the world into chaos, upsetting the very balance of power between the gods, threatening the end of the world.

Rook then recieves power over the Veil the trickster god has, the sacred knife that the trickster god wields, the ability to traverse back and forth between the boundaries only easily traversed by the trickster god, the magical mirror teleportation network of the trickster god, the magical floating Lighthouse home of the trickster god, the responsibilities of the trickster god, etc.

Rook also recieves the advice of the trickster god, whether they want it or not (it seems).

Do you see what I'm saying?

"They call me the Dread Wolf, what will they call you when this is over?"

I think this game may be about Rook becoming a trickster god.

As Felassan tells Briala in The Masked Empire, "[Becoming a god] is for the stories to decide."

Tricksters in folklore are very often mortal, human heroes. Very often, they act stupidly and foolishly (like we are said to do by interrupting Solas in the prologue) and somehow win anyway.

And what more powerful figure could there be, to fight with gods? Only a little guy like Solas or Rook, could hope to fight multiple gods and win. A little tiny trickster hero who makes foolish mistakes but is unkillable like Bugs Bunny is actually the perfect challenger to all-powerful deities.

Anyway, so if we get all of Solas' powers and his responsibilities, if we're, in a way, in training to become a trickster god. We may be stepping into myth and doing his job for him, disrupting things the way he does, and there will be comparisons. (the articles tell us that Solas is comparing himself to Rook, and that he doesn't like what he sees of himself in Rook). People always acted like Solas' situation was incredibly easy, but imo we could never actually understand what his story was, or see it from his point of view, enough to judge him. But if we actually walk in his shoes, then maybe we can actually have a part of the conversation. And later, maybe part of the myth.

The little Rook-bird that tugged the Dread Wolf's tail and let the creators free again, the little trickster Rook that destroyed or saved the world. I wonder what kind of trickster they will call us, when it is all over?

[drdemonprince]

Hi Devon. I’m autistic and I //can’t// deal with injustice it really drives me mad. Even little everyday things. How do you cope with that?

This is going to sound a bit like an older person jadedly lecturing a younger person, so forgive me for however useless this is. But for me, the qualitative experience of learning to cope with injustice is that I have come to expect it through experience and pattern-recognition, and I have been able to contextualize it by developing an understanding of how the world works that leads me to predict that it will happen (and how it will).

Part of what used to keep me locked up and warring constantly with injustice was the false belief that I somehow had the power to prevent it from happening -- if I only used the correct persuasive words, advocated doggedly enough, found the right authority to make an impassioned appeal to, and never relented, I guess I felt that I might be able to make things stop.

Now I understand on an emotional level as well as an intellectual one how much larger these problems are than me, and I don't expect myself to remedy them through force of will or dedication. (A great deal of my book Unlearning Shame is about this, really).

I am far better now at choosing my battles, and more shrewd about how I wage the ones I do fight. I can mentally detach from a lot of issues that feel not strategically sound in resisting, even while mourning the unnecessary-seeming losses that so often come with them. It's possible for this kind of outlook to lead a person into complacency, I can already hear critics saying, but I think ultimately I have become a far more effective and reliable "change agent" (to the degree it's possible for a single human being to be) now that I have this understanding of the world.

Simply put, it is not enough to know what is right, or even to care about it. You have to understand strategy and power. You can't just feel the right feelings. You have to take actions that will matter.

I am also blessed and cursed with an extremely strong self-preservation instinct that predominates any instinct I might have to do the "right" thing simply for the right thing's sake. I don't believe in morality, really, or that I or anyone else must redeem themselves, I am mistrustful of virtually all ideologies (including my own, which have often changed over time), and I try not to act out the emotional urgency of a moment and rather sit back, observe, and plan my attack.

Frankly, a great many injustices in my life have been remedied by simply waiting for the opportune moment, or allowing the people preying upon me to fuck up their lives on their own. That has also taught me the benefit of patience. (Though I am, constitutionally, a really impatient person!)

A lot of my approach reflects my own personal character quirks and outlook as an empathy-less "evil Autistic" of sorts, and it may not suit your way of being in the world at all. But I do think we all can develop better skills in coping with the feelings that this stuff brings out in us with time and practice.

I often remind my highly justice-minded friends to ask themselves whether they want to be right or to win -- and in some cases, you can substitute "winning" with surviving. A lot of the important resistances against injustice that take place happen in the dark corners, unseen by the powers that be, even while unjust systems continue to operate. Think of yourself as a weed or a spore growing within the cracks rather than a lone solider standing up against Goliath.

I think it's also really important to control your exposure to upsetting information. A lot of people whip themselves up into a traumatized frenzy consuming rage porn online all day. You have to sort out what form and degree of information consumption empowers you rather than freezes you. And do not let anybody infect you with their own sense of doom by telling you that you have some obligation to be upset all of the time, that you aren't upsetting yourself enough because you don't care or you're too privileged or whatever. A bunch of people filling themselves with despair does nothing. The universe does not care how much you self-immolate.

And sometimes all you can do is just rant and bitch to a friend about the things you cannot change. Complaining is a fantastic bonding activity, it's a holy activity. It is one of the least damaging acts of rebellion against existence itself. It sure beats killing yourself or drinking yourself into illness. Accept the world as it is, and work with it strategically, please, but never deny yourself the pleasure of bitching about having to do it. As my beloved @animesickos podcast says, Complaining Kicks Ass.

Life fucking sucks. A lot of horrible things will happen to you and the people you love -- nonsensical things, irrational things, spitefully hateful things. You learn with time to expect it. And to feel capable of rolling with life anyway.

There's a grim resolve that people all over the world learn to develop, and it comes with great humor and a capacity for deep connection, too. You learn to recognize it in the strangers you see at the bus stop when the last three busses have been mysteriously delayed or the coworker who has been at your dogshit company for ten years. There's beauty in the jaded ones with the sharp tongues. Huddle around them and take in their wisdom. Some day you might be lucky enough to be one of them too.

[comicaurora]

Have you watched the new castlevania nocturne season?

Yes!

(Spoilers)

IT SLAPPED

My primary difficulty with season 1 is I didn't feel like I had enough time or reason to get attached to Richter, since he didn't get to do much in-depth character stuff while he was busy repressing the hell out of everything, and I think this season absolutely corrected for that. He's very lovable, and the animators even make him adorable sometimes, which is nice.

Annette! Queen of the season! She and Mel Medarda are shaking hands in the gold-trimmed magical girl transformation department. The way they portrayed her journey through the spirit world and the gods of her people was incredibly beautiful! The idea that, no matter how far away she is, the people she loves and the culture she hales from are never more than a step away. Gorgeous.

Vampirism is colonialism! Bathory claiming Sekhmet's power is colonialist appropriation! Drolta refused to leave her dead and at peace and became one of those who desecrated the tomb! The themes are incredibly simple and yet rock solid!

Maria's extremely understandable emotional breakdown in the beginning half of the season managed to avoid being tiresome, even though she was mostly causing problems because of it. I loved the scribbly animation of her dark portals, and the way they animated her eyes when she was really lost in it.

The narrative reframing of Big Badass Superheroes Kick Ass into a more grounded "we're just small people doing our best in a big, cold world, and the first battle is against our own despair" narrative felt extremely solid, and strangely comforting. Might just be me and my headspace, but I hate it when I'm stuck with a bad situation I can't brute-force my way out of. It's oddly reassuring to be reminded that even larger-than-life heroes in stories they're the main characters of can't just Gumption and Badass all the world's problems away in one fell swoop.

You can tell Alucard is kind of thrilled to be actually Old and Ethereal and Wise now. He was faking it so hard in original Castlevania.

They watched a SHITLOAD of DBZ before choreographing this season and it shows. Like. I'd say parts of it are explicit homage. Drolta getting bisected and her POV splitting in half Frieza-style, Richter and Alucard getting trapped in a timestop midair, and we even got Bathory being briefly sketchy-whited-out by a massive energy attack.

On that note, choreography and fighting styles! Richter fights in a completely distinctive way to everyone else, and I think they intentionally minimized his use of the whip to distinguish him from Trevor. Richter Throws Hands. Half his moves are boxing, and it felt like he was channeling Street Fighter whenever he got in close with anyone. You don't often get the combo of a spellchucker AND a brawler, and it was extremely rad.

He fucking volleyball-bumped Alucard's meteor attack. What the fuck. Hell yeah

[nonsensenook]

Chapter 1 | Torn, Placed

Synopsis: An unapologetic take on you, the reader, appearing in the world of Black Myth to accompany the Destined One on his journey.

Word Count: 2,138

Warnings: Violence

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy and join me in the indulgence!

Read On AO3: Link

Ch. 2 - Ch. 3 - 3.5 (Optional) - Ch. 4 - Ch.5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You felt your legs screaming as your inner shirt clung to you with sweat. It’s been hours since today’s trek began and you truly would do anything to simply sink to the forest floor and cuddle with some nearby mushrooms to sleep. Despite passing some very inviting fungi you refrained from asking to rest. After all, this wasn’t your journey. It wasn’t your place to halt its progress as you wished. You felt you were enough of a burden to have added yourself to a story already written. Tired as you were, you could always rely on your own stubbornness to keep you going. 

The Destined One held out an arm, stopping you as he listened for any sounds ahead. Unlike you, his breathing wasn’t labored. You weren’t sure if he ever needed to sweat. He looked as he always did: composed, reliable, and ready with staff in hand. Watching him like this reminded you of the deep gratitude you held for him, one that came to be long before you stood by his side.

It’s been nearly two weeks since you appeared in this world. You don’t remember much other than vague flashes of memories. You were falling, tumbling, then a creature of unfathomable size found you. You remember bracing yourself as its claws promised a swift death. You saw a staff crash down on its head just as you fell unconscious. The next time you opened your eyes you were laying near a fire. Darkness and a lush forest surrounded you. Someone had draped a spare robe over you. That someone, you recognized, slept across from you sitting up; leaning against a tree. 

You remember staring at him, hands running through your hair in stunned silence. He was a character turned to life, one that you knew too well. After almost burning your hand in the fire to test the theory of a dream you pieced together the only logical conclusion to this illogical situation. One that you weren’t ready to accept. Your thoughts and rising panic were interrupted by the Keeper of Blackwind Mountain. 

He appeared in a whirl of smoke, waving the mist away and pointing towards you with the end of a backscratcher. He called you an “unprecedented interloper.” You couldn’t say you disagreed. The Destined One awoke to the two of you exchanging questions that neither could answer. There was the idea to have you dropped off at a human village, though this was quickly rejected as not only was it well off the course, but the Keeper had a sneaking suspicion that your presence, however “wrong” and “erroneous,” was tied to that of the Destined One’s. It was decided that you would accompany him on his journey, whether that be for a larger role you play or simply to keep you alive. You personally leaned more towards the latter. “Perhaps,” the Keeper said as smoke enveloped him once more, “once everything falls back into place, then so too would you.” 

The Destined One initially traveled ahead of you so as to scout for potential dangers. This was remedied when you both were ambushed from behind. Now he keeps pace with you, never showing any signs or indication that your slower speed frustrated him. The start of the journey was a cruel leap from what you were accustomed to, but you soon found yourself adapting. You never allowed yourself to ask for anything, not even as your feet bled or how much your body screamed at you.

Today may be easier, but that didn’t stop your lungs from feeling like they were bursting. The Destined One let his arm fall. The path ahead was clear. You took a step forward and felt your foot catch on a tree root. The Young Sage reacted quickly, catching your arm. 

“I’m sorry, let me just-” your legs took this golden opportunity to buckle under you. The Destined One put his arm under yours, shouldering your weight. He led you to sit on the root as you settled your breathing.

“I’m fine, I just need to catch my breath,” you explained, clutching at your chest. The Destined One shrunk his staff, stowing it away. He knelt beside you. To your horror you realized he was offering his back. 

“Truly! I’m fine!” you cried out, flustered. The Destined One stood back up. This relieved you till you looked closer at him. You could read how utterly unconvinced he was the way his hand resting on his hip paired with his unblinking stare. 

“You’re already carrying enough, I can manage my own weight at the very least.” You readied yourself to stand back up. In response he held up a pinky. You stopped, staring at him skeptically. He stepped towards you, hooking it onto your outer robe. He barely moved his arm before your whole body was lifted from the ground. Message clearly packaged, delivered, and received. Ever and always so silent, he placed you down and offered you his back. This time, you obediently let him carry you, ignoring the feeling of satisfaction that came from him. 

The young monkey straightened up, making you instinctively move your hands from his shoulders to wrap around his neck. He quickly understood and angeled himself downwards before he started walking. 

Your mind went from the way your chest was pressed against his back to your faces being much too close, then to the way his hands gripped your legs to support your weight. You felt yourself warming up. You weren’t sure that it was from the heat of the day anymore. With you on his back the pace quickened to where he was almost doubling the distance covered. You shoved away the feeling of guilt which nestled into your stomach. You ignored whatever dance your heart was doing in your chest. 

~

Traveling with your silent companion had a difficult adjustment period. You appeared in this world with nothing but your clothing, which were shortly in tatters from your stumble into a Yaoguai’s territory. The Destined One fashioned you new clothing that could hold their own. He’d also lent you a staff, but your first attempt at wielding it had you either accidentally hitting yourself or dropping it. You thought you saw a humorous quirk of his lips when you had hit yourself on the head the third time, but that may have been the self-inflicted head injury. He had held out his hand and you wordlessly returned the staff. 

The journey was initially silent, but you eventually began filling the air with light chatter. You talked about anything on your mind on that particular day whether it be a memory, story, or particularly interesting item from your world. You weren’t sure if he was ever fully listening. He never made any indication for you to stop. In one instance you were interrupted by an archer who was shortly intercepted and disposed of. When he returned to your side he made a motion for you to continue your story about a movie you had once watched, a delight you tried to settle down. It became easier to read his subtle gestures and little facial expressions. Sometimes, you would react to him as if he were speaking aloud. You never made mention of how you knew as much as you did about him or his journey. That was the one topic you avoided. There was this strong instinct never to mention this world’s origins. It was akin to how one would avoid eating ominous mushrooms or lick questionable stains. 

With the knowledge you could share, you advised him when able. He eventually understood that telling him you’d be waiting for him at a shrine meant he was about to fight a rather powerful Yaoguai. He never questioned when you pointed out things he may have missed or the way you would let him know what sort of enemy to prepare for next. Whether he thought your instinct or intuition strong, he trusted your judgment.

At night, the Destined One would scout for a place to rest. On some lucky days he finds an abandoned home or building to stay in. On the cold nights where camp would be set outside, you’d sit closer to the fire. One morning you woke up to find your limbs wrapped around your companion. Your blanket twisted between the two of you. Your body had sought him out in the night. Even with you rousing from your stupor you found it unbearably difficult to separate from his warmth. Eventually, you did manage to unwind yourself. You had rolled over, pretending to continue to sleep for a bit longer before doing a very convincing rise and stretch. You avoided eye contact with him the first time you did this and your stories came sparingly. After the next few times you eventually realized that the days you woke up intertwined with him were the only days where he’d be the second to rise. You assumed he was graciously giving you time to leave without having to go through the embarrassed apologies you had prepared. For that you were grateful. In any case, neither of you brought it up. 

As time passed you were soon able to keep pace with the Destined One without relying on him having to carry you. The speed at which you were adapting to this world felt too quick to be natural, but you were working with too many unknowns to be sure. You thought of giving the staff another try, but your skills were just the same as when you’d started. Learned behavior did not count, unfortunately.

~

The day had been sweltering when you and your companion made camp near a spring. The Destined One had scouted the area with you before it was deemed safe to stay for the night. You were excited to be able to bathe in such a beautiful area, especially after such a hot day. You left the young monkey at the camp before going to the water. The flora around it kept you private from one another. You stripped off your clothes, letting them rest on some rocks in the light of the setting sun. You tested the water with one foot, it was refreshingly cool. You waded in till the water reached your waist, then held your breath and ducked below the surface. You emerged laughing, feeling the droplets fall from your hair. 

The water felt invigorating on your skin. You felt more than just the accumulated dirt and grime being washed off of you. You began washing your hair, trying to detangle any knots you found when you felt something squirming land on you from an overhanging tree branch. You cried out in surprise, quickly brushing off a curious little lizard. The lizard made its getaway just as the Destined One leapt into the spring, staff in hand. 

“It’s okay, a lizard just surprised me,” you explained with a small laugh, hands raised in reassurance. He looked down. You looked down. You quickly covered yourself in a panic, going lower into the water as he turned on his heel to head back in the direction of camp. You lowered your head till it was submerged again so that only the fish could hear your cries of embarrassment. You stayed longer than you wanted to in the spring until your face stopped burning and your hands began to wrinkle. Drying yourself off, you did whatever you could to shake off the mortification of what just happened. You dressed yourself, hesitating to return back to camp. What do you say to someone who just saw you naked? Do you apologize? Make a joke of it? Pretend it never happened? All were answers but none seemed correct on their own. You settled your breathing. You can go with E: All of the above.

Back at the camp you found the Destined One sitting cross legged, poking at the small fire he had made. His tail was swishing left to right, making the pattern of a fan in the dirt. You hesitated again, unsure on how to bring up what just happened. You weren’t sure how long you stood there for when the Young Sage suddenly inhaled sharply through his teeth, tossing the stick he was holding aside. He had let it burn down to a stub till the small fire reached his fingers. Seems you weren’t the only one lost in their own mind. You smiled, somehow relieved in knowing that. 

“Are you alright?” you asked, your tone light with humor. He turned to you, you saw him relax at seeing you smiling. You went next to him, then crouched down, holding out your hands. “Can I see?” 

He held out his hand, you took it between yours, looking closely for any sign of damage. His hand was large with dark nails well pointed and sharp. You felt you were brushing past his fingers with your own more than you needed to. Satisfied at seeing no wound, you let go. He held his hand there for a moment before retracting it. Wordlessly, you both stood up. You refuse to let any awkward silences stretch on, being the only one who can actually break them. 

“It’s your turn to use the spring,” you said, putting your arms behind you, “Watch out for lizards.” You mentally kicked yourself. The Destined One watched your expression for a moment, considering your warning. Then he gave a small nod and headed for the spring. You let out a held breath. This feeling will not be leaving you any time soon, but at the very least nothing’s changed as far as you can tell.

The next day, after untangling from the Destined One once again, the two of you continued onward as usual. Soon, the lush forests became bare sand as the two of you entered the next part of the journey. 

[itsmaferart]

Keep your hands off my woman!!

Leaving aside the most important part of the chapter, Yor must kiss her husband for world peace and the Twiyor nation to be happy.

I think it's a good message if we look deeper into how the stereotypical duality of women is portrayed to us, which I think is a message that can encompass anyone in general.

The most conventional romantic movies are usually about the man being - stereotypically - the strongest and the one who must protect the woman, who wins his sensitive heart and makes the hero bring out his sweetest feelings.

Becky being a little girl has in her heart the fantasy of a sweet romantic love just like the one in her novels and movies. But sometimes, people are not so conventional.

Both Anya and Yor, don't feel comfortable being pigeonholed into “girls waiting to be passively rescued”, because within themselves the love for the people around them is a drive to be strong, take action and save others.

I feel that one of Endo's best points, is her way of undertaking a concept of what femininity, or rather, “feminine energy”, represents. Feminine energy is a force that comes from feelings, it is fluctuating and unpredictable, sometimes like a gentle breeze and sometimes like a terrible hurricane.

Most of Endo's female characters are strong, independent women who do not need to be rescued. And they are very willing to put themselves in the face of danger to protect those they love. This is something we have seen, with characters like Yor, Sylvia, Martha, Fiona, and they have been able to save other men or take on subjects much larger and more muscular than them.

Even with girls like Anya who we know very well is a very brave girl and has been in the face of danger despite her age (maybe too much, our poor baby is only 4 to 5 years old, God), and has the strength to send a bully flying (and fall in love in the process) on the first day of school.

So …. if women are strong …. men are weak?

Absolutely not!

Everyone, regardless of gender, is strong. We know perfectly well that Twilight is someone capable of taking care of himself, is someone who is physically trained and has enormous intelligence. Even Yuri has survived so many dangers that we wonder how the hell he didn't die. Damian is a brave guy (when he doesn't see an insect lol).

The point is, even though women and men (or any gender in general) are strong. We all have our weaknesses, our sensitive sides.

You can do things on your own, but you don't have to do everything at once....

Clearly, although Yor is physically strong, she has problems with metal and verbal confrontations. Because her insecurities are so great that when they make her doubt herself and her own value, she tends to lose it and that is when Loid is there for her, not to take care of her because she is weak, but to remind her of her own value (because she doesn't seem to realize it herself) and to make her see that she is worthy of the understanding and love of others. In the same way that Yor reminds him that he too can be a little weak and take refuge in her.

Even if we feel weak and awkward, we can take initiative....

I think it is very important, the idea that Yor or anyone in general can have the “initiative” to seek on their own that “love” that you so desire.

Many times we feel that if we don't fit into the expected canon, or social archetype we are not worthy of love. (Feminine women who feel vulnerable and who depend on the guy to live are the ones who get love in the end). When nothing could be further from the truth….

Being weak and vulnerable is something totally natural and not exclusive to one gender or social role. We are all weak and strong at the core, and we need each other to complement each other and to be able to enjoy much more of our own love and the love we can give and receive from others.

Yor's desire to actively seek love (kissing her husband a lot) is not only a way to develop her bond with Loid, but a way to grow her self-esteem and challenge her insecurities. To stop seeing herself as a child in front of the world, but a woman who can get things because she wants them (and has her husband's consent, of course) (But, come on, we all know Loid needs kisses from Yor).

[erinwantstowrite]

A while ago you liked a comment of mine on TikTok where I said that there should be no second Batman bc having Bruce retire/die means his fight should be over and he should be able to rest properly, (idk if that’s exactly what I said but I think it’s in the ball park) so can I ask what you think about a legacy Batman? And who would you have be the second Batman? Also your art is amazing and I love leap of faith, hope you have a great day

i remember that comment!!!!

i honestly believe that having a "legacy" for every single hero is just,,, boring. the reason this happens is because they are never going to NOT have Batman. how else would they make money??? so they just keep giving us reasons why his mantle has to be there. just like the Joker HAS to always come back, why new characters are always tied in to existing characters somehow, etc.

in a perfect world, we'd get new characters sometimes and overarching storylines that aren't regressed the second we make any headway on character development. we'd have new villains by now that make a name for themselves outside of the original villains, we'd see an impact on our settings and characters, all that jazz. and in this perfect world, we wouldn't have so many legacy mantles

and i mean, like, one of the supers taking up the Superman name? that's cool. they're a family, thematically it works. even with the Flash family, I accept how they do it (though I hardly keep up with their comics)

but Batman?????

STOPPPPP

Every other Batfam member has an arc where they branch away from Bruce and the name, save for Tim and Cass, I think. Tim is... a gray area. I only put him here because he's back to being Robin (because DC can't let go of that money maker!). It's an insult to their characters to put them into the Batman mantle, but in universe, this keeps happening because "Gotham needs Batman."

No! No they do not! They do not need Batman specifically. They need his ideals! His kids do not need to be Batman to have Batman still be around after he's put up the cape or died, because they are that future without the cape! There is no magic tied in to that stupid cowl, they just see it that way because Batman is this larger than life figure. Of course they think their dad is impervious to the world, that the cape that protected them is special, that they need Batman. But that is NOT the case.

Just like with any family, life will move on. The legacy continues through the lessons that the kids learned. In many ways, they are better than Batman because they learned from his mistakes, too. Just like every kid does with their parent.

But they don't want to be Batman. And it's kind of insane to keep putting them in someone else's suit, basically someone else's identity. Dick is a great Batman, but his biggest fear is losing himself in Bruce's shadow. What happened to Jason was because of Batman's failure, and it isn't healthy to put him in the Batman suit. Tim should be allowed to move on from Robin and finally get his own mantle because he has always used someone else's. (Yes I am purposefully forgetting that Drake existed do not remind me.) That and the existence of Gun Batman. Do NOT put him in that suit!!!!!!! Damian is branching out of vigilante life altogether, which is so so so good for him. Him becoming Batman after struggling so much with his identity, purpose, and blood ties, is a spit in the face to character development. I think Duke should get to choose his own name for a hero mantle (because Bruce thought of Signal), and thematically I don't think he fits into the Batman role. He is a shining light the way Robin was, but this time more literal because of his powers. Batman is very human, that's what makes his character. Duke deserves more than being Batman.

The best person for that job is Cass.

Not only does she understand the No Kill Rule in the way that Bruce understands it, she is also his equal or superior in every way. Whether it's her physical abilities, or her intelligence, or her morals, Cass fits the bill. She's one of the strongest members of the Batfam and I think she would be able to take on the burden without crumbling under the pressure or feeling scared of that responsibility. She's fit in to the Batman role before, has mirrored him in many ways, and is also her own character (and man I just really love Cass). She strikes the same amount of fear into people that Batman does, a master of the shadows, the dark, and she has a hope that I think Gotham could need.

But she doesn't need to be Batman to do it. She just has to fill in that role. Sure, she could pick up the name Batman, it won't kill me. But so long as she fills in the space that Bruce left behind, becoming the next leader and mentor, she could be anyone.

I think it's more powerful that way to show that the time has passed. That Bruce's time as a vigilante made an impact. Gotham has changed. His kids have grown up. And the Dark Knight is still there, at home.

[utilitycaster]

Thought i was over it but i saw a post today that reminded me of how awful the villians of c3 were for whatever Matt tried to do. Anyway what are your thoughts on Ludinus staying a m9 problem and c3 should have had a villian from the continent?

Hi anon,

I think that it's fine that Ludinus was the Big Bad for Campaign 3, and I think the issues with the campaign being set on Marquet are not with him being the villain (honestly, Ludinus using his position of power in the Dwendalian Empire to seize control of an archaeological site in Marquet could have been an interesting avenue of exploration). Again, this was always intended to be a campaign of all parties coming together and setup from previous campaigns culminating.

Perhaps the larger issue is that the villain who was deeply of Marquet and heavily influenced by recent wars on the continent, Otohan, had about as much personality as hot dog water. This oversight was only made worse by the party and narrative doing absolutely nothing to explore the Apex War that shaped her (and presumably would have given her some motivations other than "Stabbity Stab; Ruidusborn").

Ultimately, though, the flaws of Campaign 3 are not any specific story element. They are the following two things and two things alone, both of which feed off each other in a vicious cycle.

Bells Hells did not know much about anything and did not particularly work to remedy this fact, and when faced with a plot for which the players were grossly unprepared, endlessly spun their wheels in pointless debates rather than making decisions or taking action.

Matt had a very specific plot in mind with very specific beats to hit and when the characters consistently failed to hit them, sort of didn't do anything to properly course correct and give the party clear guidance.

As a result we ended up with indecisive and incurious characters begging the world to give them any sort of answer instead of making any sort of interesting choices or bold move because they were so terrified to be wrong or bad that they ended up being something worse for fictional characters: dull and annoying; and a DM who either didn't see their listless flailing and throw them a rope, or who threw them multiple ropes with no guidance leading to a Buridan's Ass situation. Analysis paralysis in individual D&D characters can be interesting (Keyleth) but unexamined analysis paralysis in an entire party is a worse trait than being murderhobos, who might at least be fun to watch, and so, there we are.

Anyone blaming specific plot elements and not "the party was a bunch of people who didn't know shit about dick and no one was willing to seize the reins and say We're Going Here, and Matt didn't intervene" has a weird axe to grind. It's characters poorly suited for the story and DMing that didn't help shape them into something better suited. That's it. The Mighty Nein would have been a better party for this plot (assuming a similar first 10-20 episodes as C2 had, anyway) in that they were motivated people who made their own choices, but Vox Machina, with no ties to Ludinus whatsoever, would also have been better for the same reason. The Bad Kids from Fantasy High would have been better. Your average suburban book club who has one member who is really on top of picking books and emailing people would have been better. It's not that Ludinus was the wrong villain; it's that Bells Hells was an exceptionally and uniquely bad party for this story.

(I do think Ludinus's ending is dumb, but most of the flaws he had during the campaign can be chalked up to "a better party wouldn't have let him talk so much and he wouldn't have worn out his welcome so hard.")

[shirefantasies]

How Many Kids Do They Want? LoTR Edition

This is just a headcanon set I like to think about because I love little ones & think all of the characters would make great parents in their own way 🥰 I definitely am going to expand on this in the future but for now enjoy!

Aragorn

He wants to bring a life into the world, but only under good circumstances. When the time comes, he favors a small family he can focus on- one child is enough for him. As much attention as he can possibly give goes to his little one that way, no resentment, no competition, all of the time in Aragorn’s world to spend with those dearest. Despite the pressure to have a son, he is happy to have either a son or a daughter as long as they are happy and healthy and provided for. Aragorn’s child will grow up with an amazing guide to do what is right and care for their friends and family, not to mention learning Elvish and many skills to survive outdoors if need ever arises.

Legolas

Open-minded for sure, but I think he actually leans toward a larger family. No extreme amount, but four or five sounds good to him! Legolas is very caring, patient, and even has a playful side that all lend well to spending time with wee ones. No strong preference on sons or daughters, Legolas cares more for smiling faces and fair hearts. He pretends to be competitive with his children to motivate them, but always caves and lets them win in the end! They’ll all become amazing archers if he has anything to say about it.

Boromir

Having a big family warms Boromir's heart. He wants to be different from his father, carve out space for each and every child individually. Having a big family shows in his mind how much he loves his spouse and can provide for everyone, too. Boromir is definitely the type of dad whose children just come barreling toward the door upon his return home, rocketing into his arms as he manages to catch them all! If you ask him, Boromir's ideal family size would be four or five children. He loves the idea of having a son or sons to train up, but really doesn't want to miss out on having beautiful daughters too, so his hope is for a mix of both. Constantly encouraging his sons and praising every achievement at their passions. The girls are ladies of Gondor and nothing shall take that from them, least of all their father, who is always joining their tea parties and letting them take turns as queens knighting him and each other.

Gimli

Dwarves tend to have smaller families, whether that is by choice or happenstance. Gimli enjoys the idea of having three children, a moderate amount, and of course he really would love a son. He wants a mini-me as they say, a small reflection of himself to share all his favorite things with and teach to defend all that is important to him. Daughters are less common among his people, thus of course they are of great value and would be a blessing were he to have any as well. Gimli would constantly be hyping them up and reminding them that they are worth so much, any man in their life had better treat them so or else!

Frodo

If he were to have children, Frodo favors a smaller family. Growing up, it was just him and his uncle for as long as he remembered, and he likes the idea of being able to focus more on his child. Thus, his perfect family size if you ask is simply one or two children. In his mind there’s something about having a son, perhaps a mirror to his own youth or someone to impart his lessons into in the sense that feels most traditional to his family dynamic, but the idea of having one of each makes him so happy- Frodo’s little girl would have him wrapped around her finger!

Sam

I know I said at one point Sam only wants like three but that’s because I didn’t realize he canonically has so many forgive me. We all know Sam loves the idea of having a big family! Canonically he’s even down to have thirteen children, but of course he is fine with a smaller number too. Just definitely more than one, at least three or four. Sam has so much love to give and he adores bringing life into the world and nurturing it more than anything. Every little one is their own unique person he loves to foster and dote on. He wants some of each of course, but just loves the idea of having little girls especially!

Merry

Really wants one of each. His family will feel like a full package that way and he wants every type of experience he can have, walking a daughter down to her wedding and letting her dress him up and playing games with his son. Teaching both of them how to stand up and fight for themselves, of course! Merry is so the type who wants a mini version of both him and his spouse if he can have it. Would make so many jokes about the little clones and just melt for the child who looks like his partner. Regardless of who she looks like, his little girl has his exact smile and you'll always catch them making it at each other before the next moment of teasing and mischief!

Pippin

Wants so many kids. Five to ten, no problem. Numbers aren’t his concern so long as he can be involved with each and every one of them. Just the type who wants his family to be a small army! Definitely wants to experience having sons and daughters, but statistically he’s going to anyway at his rate! So good at getting down to their level and having the greatest time with them, but also showering them with love and calming words and learning their needs by actually listening. Just Pippin and his little army of fellow neurodivergent sweethearts all with different passions and gifts and special interests.

Faramir

Willing to concede to his partner especially if that’s who actually bears the children. Faramir adores the idea of having a family, of doing everything differently than he experienced, of pouring true love and respect into a little soul doing their best, and that is where his happiness truly lies. A part of him likes the idea of having two sons as full atonement for his and Boromir’s difficult childhood, but even one would make him happy. He is so patient at explaining things to a young mind and his optimism comes out all the more when spending time with a little one- all the world’s beauty is that much brighter!

Eomer

Big family! More than a number he dreams of a boisterous, active home where no one is ever lonely. A warm hearth and the voices of children nearly ever-present. His heart swells as he imagines having one in each hand and plenty more all around him. Eomer, for whatever reason, has the number six in his head. Of course he wants sons, sons to train as fine riders and fighters, but his sister has proved to him that that future is not lost on Rohan’s maid either. He would be so much softer, gentler with his daughter(s), still showing her things like how to shoot an arrow or how he sharpens his blades but with greater care. Gathering everyone for story time is one of Eomer’s greatest delights.

Haldir

For much of his life, Haldir did not think about children, was uncertain that was a future he would even attain. Thus, as the time approaches for consideration he realizes he simply feels blessed by the prospect and is very willing to listen to his partner about their wishes. Granted, he does not wish to live beyond his means or in a way that he could not provide for all he needs to, but in general he is open. The beauty of Lothlórien grows with every new addition, every fair member of elfkind so he is happy with boy(s) or girl(s). He would teach his daughter(s) to walk with grace and uphold their ancient strength and remind his son(s) that honor and respect must center all their actions.

Eowyn

Traditional housewife ‘duties’ were never her desire. Thus, she does not want a large family, though the idea of raising a little life with her partner makes her happy. She only wants one child, maybe two so they can play together, and her family will feel complete. Any child(ren) of hers will surely be active, so she and her spouse will have their hands full with whoever! Strength is a matter of the heart, and Eowyn will raise a strong family no matter if they are male or female. She loves the idea of having a daughter or daughters to share her stories and triumphs with, though- future Shieldmaidens of Rohan!

Arwen

She wants to be able to focus on her family, so ideally not a huge one. Carrying on her legacy and having someone to care for with her partner, a living breathing proof of their love and commitment, is the most important part. She has never been too particular about if the child is a boy or a girl, just that she wants to be there for them and a calming, loving presence in their life as much as possible. So good at holding and reassuring them it’s like magic.

Elrond

Elrond is patient, steady, and he likes to take his time both with his children and between having them. He is happy with a smaller or average-sized family, two or three children. That way he can spend his time, care, wisdom, on them all and lavish Rivendell’s resources on them in different ways. Perhaps they are interested in the rich history, the weapons of old, the art, textiles, the sheer natural beauty of the location. Whatever it may be, he will offer it to them so long as they use it well and with respect. It appeals to him to have one of each, but we all know he would have a soft spot for his daughter!

Lindir

All I can picture is twin dad Lindir. Don’t ask me why, all I know is this man elf has his hands full with a baby on each side. Exasperated but lovingly shaking his head as the two identical little elves/half-elves try to convince him they are their sibling again! Or even having one of each on one fell swoop, teaching them both their favored instrument and singing with them! Lindir doesn't mind so much whether he is to have sons, daughters, each, so long as his children have the finest things in life and know that he shall always give them what he can.

Taglist: @kilibaggins @lokilover476 @fuckyoumakeart | Reply/Message/Ask to join!

[cadence-the-hypnotic-floret]

HDG and BPD

So Human Domestication Guide, as a setting, is very much built as comfort food for mentally ill, disabled trans folks (not judging, I'm at least two mentally ill sophonts 🤭), but one bit that didn't quite shine through to me until a moment ago is the Borderline Personality Disorder connection. More specifically, the "favorite person" phenomenon.

A floret's affini is their favorite person. They are utterly dependent on their owner, including on an interpersonal level. Thanks to biorhythms, the floret can feel what their owner feels, in a very deep, visceral way that directly influences their emotional state. They are desperate for praise and acceptance, the worst thing imaginable to them is disappointing their owner, and they often spend time gazing up at their owner in a hazy bliss, as though watching an angelic figure and being awestruck by their beauty as the rest of the world decoheres around them.

In turn, the affini is the perfect caretaker for their floret. The influence they wield over the person who adores them is typically clear and intentional. They promise to never abandon you, and they mean it in ways a real person never could, and can force you to believe them. They actually will take all that pain away from you. When you look upon them as larger-than-life, idealized entities, you're not so much putting them on a pedestal they couldn't live up to as you are accurately describing your relationship to them, and they foster that view intentionally and accurately. There is no equality between Terran and Affini.

This is, to put it bluntly, a relationship dynamic I am deeply familiar with. I have stared at someone for minutes at a time, certain that they have a halo and can do no wrong. I drove that same person away in no small part because the version of them that existed in reality kept chafing against the idea of them I was too infatuated with to get rid of. I have caught myself entering that same dangerous emotional spiral with a fellow author I've been collaborating with, thankfully quite early on.

A few harsh reminders seem necessary here.

If you seek the kind of mindless surrender a floret has from another sophont, check to make sure that the sophont you seek that from is aware of this, and make sure that you are seeing them, the person, not merely an afterimage in your head. Be careful! This dynamic is rife with opportunities for self-delusion and manipulation, and often, you cannot trust your rational brain to handle it well. I want nothing more than the absolution hinted at in Anathema in Blue chapter 4... But it would be deeply unhealthy and unethical to seek that out without dealing with some of my own baggage, or saddling the author with my perception of her author insert character.

If you are on the other side of this dynamic, particularly if you have the brand of narcissism that makes you want that kind of mindless adulation (typically talking about "Worship Kink" is a sign that you might wanna take stock, speaking from experience here), make sure you're aware of the dangerous power differential, and make sure your partner is aware of these warning signs. Being on the receiving end of an FP relationship can be incredibly rough, especially once you start to diverge from the idea of you they had in their head.

Oof. Not fun stuff.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to making a worship file based on Anathema in Blue chapter 4, because frankly this bee isn't leaving my bonnet until I process it. Have you read Anathema in Blue? Lady Lysanthae is bae.

🥰

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 5 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 5 OF THE MAIN STORY!!***

If you’d like to watch a rough part-by-part summarized translation, please check out this archived stream!

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Starting off strong with some lore on magic! Teleportation magic involves breaking oneself down and reconstructing elsewhere. If the distance from point A to point B is too large and/or the caster is in poor health, the magic may fail or be difficult to perform.

Hmmm... Lilia is reacting very emotionally to the situation, but it is Baul that is (mostly) rational and reminding Lilia to keep calm. I'd anticipate it being the other way around, so that's quite interesting.

HUH... Even Sebek is staying calmer here than Lilia is; Sebek recalls training with Lilia and how they were taught that they have to stay calm to think and plan effectively in tough situations. Ironic that the old Lilia was the type to go against the advice he would later give and instill in his pupils. Again, it goes to show how much he has changed since then.

AH, BAUL'S BEING A TSUNDERE AGAIN 🤡 He's telling the kids to stay behind because the situation has changed... "Don't foolishly discard the life Lilia-sama protected", "humans shouldn't be fighting alongside fae anyway", etc. (And, of course, Silver's the one to step up and tell him fae or human, it doesn't matter and he still owes Lilia his life all the time.) NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO TALK, GUYS... MALLEMOM'S GONNA BE GAME ENDED

Weird sounds downstairs? SILBEK KICK DOWN THE DOOR and we find some chefs in hiding. adhbasvfvuvfqeilfe;o THEY MISTAKE SILVER FOR THE DAWN KNIGHT... More sussy behavior implying the Dawn Knight must be his ancestor.

They ask for brooms to transport the injured faster. Silver's negotiation skills come in clutch again, he convinces the chefs to direct them to the brooms even though it would be helping the fae, the humans' enemies.

Not Sebek's stomach growling now of all times... NOT SEBEK DENYING IT SO MUCH (it's okay, they get pity and some food from the chefs!)

Found a room full of birds; they seem to be for transporting messages. Silver feeds them some of the bread they got from the chefs. Wow, Sebek's actually being sneaky/clever (?). He tells Silver he's loved by animals, so time to use that now so they can use the birds.

AKHBBGSKUVYEQFBI NOT GRIM WANTING TO EAT THE BIRDS

Bleh, we have another time-gated, character-limited map segment. Silver and Sebek take up 2 of the 5 slots. Again, the cards' health does not regenerate unless you land on a special square. Luckily for us, there is only a single path forward rather than a larger, sprawling map.

NO KIDDING, THE BIRDS HELP THEM FIGHT THE SILVER OWLS... Literally they're swooping in and tugging on the knights' cape and stuff... the squirrels nibbled away at their catapults' rope too... chucking rocks at them... THE BIRDS POOPED ON THEIR ARMOR TOO???????? Imagine training your whole life to put your life on the line for your home country, only to be literally shat on and defeated by woodland creatures...

Lilia: I hate children. Also Lilia: *rushes into battle to protect the children and gives them head pats for a job well done and asks them to be safe*

Silver continues to be a Disney princess!! They find some horses tied up and he's like "let's free them". Sebek drops some club lore; Silver is one of the better students in Equestrian Club when it comes to soothing the horses. True Horse Girl at heart, huh??

Silver and Sebek are surprised that what they learned in school is actually helping the in a "real world" sense. Man, I wish that was true of irl high school education too...

The Silver Owls recruited mercenaries from other countries to help them seize Briar Country's resources??? The others pitch in because they live in fear of a dragon attacking them.

They're going to teleport into the castle, but they can't teleport out since they can't guarantee the safety of Tamago-sama... They're going to use the underground waterways to escape!

There's a mountain range that protects another castle of the royal family, Black Scale Castle. Malleus's mom is currently in an unprotected castle, Wild Rose.

Wow, what a peaceful vista straight out of Sleeping Beauty. I sure hope it doesn't become tainted by blood being spilt and bodies dropping or anything craaazy like that/j

DAWN KNIGHT INCOMING???? Silver's ring starts??? Going off??? When he sees the Dawn Knight...

Heinrich reveal too! He seems like just as much of a scumbag as all the rumors say he is (he wants a dragon to ride, tells the Dawn Knight he's only good for his swordsmenship, etc). BRO JUST STRAIGHT UP SAYS HE WANTS TO TAKE MALLEMOM'S EGG AND RAISE IT TO BE HIS STEED... 💀 WTF THAT'S SO DARK

This asshole reminds me of Jack Horner from Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish, who is another irredeemably evil man with a small face and a generally grotesque design.

Heinrich is after the castle and some very powerful magestone called "Princess's Glow"? Not sure, did not hear the second word well.

He's giving them 30 minutes to send the princess out for a one-on-one duel with the Dawn Knight. If she wins, they'll retreat (I DON'T BELIEVE THAT FOR ONE SECOND).

NOT THE CASUAL FAE RACISM... Heinrich calls Mallemom a "witch". If you'll remember!! In book 6, Lilia says that mages were once called witches, but implied that those terms are now outdated and considered derogatory.

The Dawn Knight is like Silver! He tries to tell Heinrich this isn't right, but Heinrich tells him that since his father took the Dawn Knight in as an orphan, the Dawn knight "owes" them. It's a twisted parallel to Silver and Lilia's relationship (because Silver says he feels like he "owes" Lilia and has to repay him).

Okay, so to review the family tree??? The king of the human faction is sick and they want the Princess's Glow to heal him. The king is the dad of Heinrich and Leah; the king would also later take in the Dawn Knight. Leah and the Dawn Knight are in love.

Malleus's mom's official name is "Meleanor" (a location name is written in English with this)i. The castle's halls really resemble those in Diasomnia dorm (I think it's a reused asset). (Now that I think about it??? Didn't they also reuse the VDC backstage background for the eastern fortress?)

SHE'S SINGING???????? A lullaby for her baby, it seems. Bruh... Malleus sang like a line from this lullaby before he game-ended everyone with his UM... HE REMEMBERED HER SONG FROM INSIDE THE EGG SHELL??????????

MALLEMOM REVEAL AW YEAH (she starts zapping Lilia with lightning lol; she's mad at Lilia for showing up late to defend her and her egg) SHE'S THE HOT GOTH GF

OMG EGG REVEAL TOO... UNBORN MALLEUS... (The egg looks like it has blot running down it too, which is insane)

ADBLIsfiablfa IT'S SO WEIRD SEEING HER SIMP ON MAIN, she says he knows her unborn child will grow up to be a beautiful man just like her husband... (Sebek is practically sobbing from happiness that he gets to witness Meleanor name Malleus.)

The ear shape is really coming back to bite them; Mallemom noticed them and now her anger is turning to our group. She forces us to kneel with magic... Jafar energy fr

"Princess Glow" is the green orb in Mallemom's staff!

Lilia tells some embarrassing stories of the princess's tomboyish youth; "And though you always scolded me, you never failed to join me in my mischief" -- Mallemom to Lilia

She agrees to duel the Dawn Knight while the others escape with her child... Now Mallemom and Lilia are fighting because Lilia refuses to follow through with her order.

NOOOOOOO SILVER JUMPED IN TO PROTECT LILIA FROM MALLEMOM'S LIGHTNING 😭 EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS IT'S A DREAM, HE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE HIS DAD HURT

Lilia trauma time :)) "I can't lose both you (Meleanor) and Raverne (Malleus's dad)".

IT'S LIKE WE THEORIZED, LADS. Mallemom says that if anything happens to her, then it's up to Lilia to help Malleus hatch with the POWER OF TRUE LOVE... BUT LILIA THINKS HE CAN'T HATCH IT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND A PARENT'S LOVE

OH MY GOOOOOOD THE PIPING HOT TEA, MELEANOR SAID LILIA PROPOSED TO HER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG... OVER 200 YEARS AGO

sdhbfbiyoaifofi Mallemom says that Lilia "also loves Raverne" and that those two spent more time together than a "married couple". You could interpret this as Lilia being bisexual or just as them being really good friends, as Meleanor never specifies if Lilia “loves” Raverne romantically.

Suddenly, Lilia's special card name makes sense! Lilia is the "Right General", and Raverne is the "Left General".

The weather shifted according to Meleanor's anger. Like mother, like son... This woman also quotes Maleficent so much...

OOOOH we get to watch a battle between Mallemom (dragon form) vs the Dawn Knight. Mallemom uses all null/cosmic magic, just like Dorm Uniform Malleus. The Dawn Knight uses light type null/cosmic magic just like Silver does too!

Dawn Knight face reveal?! He's basically Silver copy-pasted but long blonde hair. Dude's really out here looking like a Sonic OC recolor/j

The Dawn Knight also has a crown-like ring on a chain. It's an item that was given to him by guardian fairies when he was young; there is no other like it.

YASASHII... The Dawn Knight notices our group has the egg and tells them to run. He doesn't want Heinrich to get his hands on it either... Crowley, takes notes 😭

UHHHHH SILVER'S CRYING AND SHOUTING... I think he realized that he's descended from the Dawn Knight, serving on the faction that's brought so much harm to his loved ones and home country. "Am I family to the enemy?!" His denseness is truly to his detriment here.

Uh-oh, Silver's being pulled into the "darkness" of the dream, thinking it would be better to just stay here than face reality... He's losing hope, DOING THE THING HE FORESHADOWED LAST UPDATE... IF HE EVER FALLS INTO THE DARKNESS, THEN PLEASE PULL HIM OUT... (Another map segment with Silver required; you have to find your way around in the dark.)

NOOOOO NOT SILVER SEEING HIMSELF AS THE DAWN KNIGHT THAT HIS DAD'S STRIKING DOWN IN VENGENCE OTL WHAT IS THIS, IT'S SO SICK AND TWISTED

400 years after conflict, the peace treaty was signed between fae and humans. Wild Rose Castle is now left in ruins; the rumors say it is haunted. The diurnal fae casted a spell on Wild Rose to keep humans away.

HUH???? LILIA FOUND BABY SILVER IN THE ABANDONED WILD ROSE CASTLE?????

Uhhh so apparently after the war we saw, another conflict broke out for territory and the Silver Owls got their asses handed to them.

LILIA UNIQUE MAGIC REVEAL... HE CAN READ THE MEMORIES OF THINGS HE TOUCHES????? (Reminds me of "Dimensional Scream" from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of TIme/Darkness/Sky!) "Far Cry Cradle" is the name! We also get the chant: "As if it were a day. Everywhere I go, it will be in a blink of an eye."

BABY SILVER?????

Silver was magically put to sleep for hundreds of years by some small (guardian) fairies?!?!?!?!?!?!? Because conflicts were still going on and his parents wished for him to live in a world free of war. When Silver meets someone who "loves" him, he will wake up from his magic-induced slumber. NOW THE BABY IS AWAKE AND CRYING

... Wait. Doesn't that mean. Silver is technically older than Malleus... since Malleus is only 178 years old and Silver's been sleeping for like 400 years????? OTL SILVER OLD MAN ERA??????

NOT (PAST) LILIA BEING TSUNDERE, he says he thinks the guardian fairies' magic is fading with time... he doesn't even consider that he'd ever love the baby...

"I'm not someone who deserves your love" - Silver, casually cuing all of our tears

Silver's hair was originally blonde; It became silver when he received a fairy's blessing (Lilia's). LILIA SAYS "May the Night bless you" and says that the day he found Silver is his new birthday. So the Dawn Knight has gold hair because it's blessed by a diurnal fae, but with silver hair like moonlight, Silver won't stand out in Briar Valley.

I CAN'T WITH LILIA, SILVER SAYS HE WAS NAMED THAT BECAUSE OF HIS HAIR COLOR IN A BIRTHDAY VIGNETTE... Yet here we see Lilia actually named him Silver as in silver moonlight to guide people in the darkness...

"Even if I have to give up my own life, I want to protect my child", that's a sentiment that both Lilia's princess and the Dawn Knight expressed. I think this kind of thinking probably helped Lilia put everything into perspective and better understand that humans and fae are actually very similar.

SILVER/LILIA HOME REVEAL, we're seeing some point later in time but before present day when Lilia is still raising baby Silver.

Lilia is singing the same lullaby as what Meleanor sang for Malleus in the egg!! Malleus pays them a visit and still doesn't really seem to understand humans (HE SAYS SILVER LIKE A MONKEY????) but also helps watch baby Silver... He even hums his mom's lullaby for Silver, but cannot seem to remember where he heard the song before.

It's so weird thinking about how fae take 30 YEARS TO LEARN HOW TO WALK... What do you do for those 30 years, just lie on your back????? OTL

LILIA READS SILVER BEDTIME STORIES

Oh, Lilia's understanding humans and fae a little better (around the time Silver starts to eat pureed foods). Both human and fae babies cry and sleep, etc. BHFABIYFVQIQEFL hE'S FEEDING SILVER RAT MEAT???????? Malleus has to have the castle prepare baby food for them...

WAHHHHH THAT ACRON BRACELET LILIA TREASURES IS SOMETHING KID!SILVER MADE FOR HIM... Squirrels helped him gather the acorns and woodpeckers helped him string the acorns together. The acorn amulet is meant to bring Lilia a long, healthy, and happy life (something Silver was told by forest fae). Even as a kid... Silver was hoping for Lilia's health... and now that I think about it, the acorn amulet is like a representation of Lilia's own deteriorating health over time... OTL

"I feel like I can live a thousand years with this (amulet)..." LILIA EVEN KEPT IT ALL THIS TIME AND CALLS IT HIS MOST PRECIOUS BELONGING... shUT UP, SHUT UP IM CRYING

ASKHBLIDIBIFIA WE'RE SEEING THE RAINING SCENE LILIA TOLD US ABOUT IN ONE OF HIS BIRTHDAY VIGNETTES???!?!?!?!????!? It's the day Silver realized he and Lilia aren't related by blood...

God, there are so many of the map portions... This time, Sebek is the required character!

The rest of the gang are transported to the darkness where Silver is wallowing?? Sebek sees some of his own memories which intertwin with Silver's (since Baul sometimes took bare of Silver or visited Lilia). It's also confirmed that Lilia went to Sebek's dad to ask for advice on how to raise Silver.

Back then, Baul asked Lilia to train Sebek since he's part human (and therefore "weak" in Baul's eyes). However, Baul still values his grandson and wants him to have a good education 🥺 (Sebek's older brother also graduated from NRC??)

Lilia tore up his invitation to NRC???? But it was his friend Raverne who came to him with the invitation pieced back together and kept it safe for the future in case Lilia reconsidered. It seems like Raverne really is a diplomat; he stresses the importance of humans coming to understand fae + vice versa, and how it's things like learning a common language that can help bridge these gaps.

Lilia confirms that Raverne must have "become a star" by now BUT UNTIL I SEE A CORPSE I'M NOT BELIEVING IT

Sebek's trying to get through to Silver, who's slowly being swallowed by the darkness... HE UNVEILS HIS UM, "Living Bolt"!! "Thrust through the clouds, o' lightning!" It seems to summon a powerful strike of lightning, but I'm not entirely sure what it does because the visuals of the game are a little confusing??? (Like it shows a white silhouette of Sebek moving around, so it makes me think he can... control the lightning??? Or he... becomes lightning itself to move around??? DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT.) Sebek says he hasn't mastered it yet so maybe even he doesn't know what it can do.

With Sebek's UM, he's able to snap Silver out of it!

THE GIRLIES ARE FIGHTING... There's literally a battle between Silver and Sebek, which resolves with Sebek smacking some sense into Silver. Sebek calls him an idiot and tells him to stop saying he isn't loved, because it's rude of Silver to be this weak when Lilia raised him to be strong (ie "IT'S AN INSULT TO LILIA-SAMA", "IF HE SAW YOU BEING THIS PATHETIC HE'D BE SAD", etc). Way to go with your words of encouragement... 100/10 motivational speaker, Sebek.

Silver realizes that he has had Lilia's love and support all this time... "It's true love", Silver says. The true love that his guardian fairies said would wake him from his sleep... 😭I really appreciate how it was Silver who first snapped Sebek out of his dream-induced despair, and now Sebek is doing the same for Silver.

WAIT THAT'S IT?????? THAT'S THE UPDATE???? ?? ??? ? ????????? 🤡 TWST really said, "I'm coming for everyone's throat and I'm taking no prisoners" AND THEN DIPPED ON US AFTER DROPPING SO MANY BOMBSHELLS... This is just the fate of every book 7 main story update now, isn't it???!??????!?

asidoavyfqevofb I know a ton of really exciting and shocking reveals happened this time around, but while my mind is still racing to process everything... the one thing that sticks out to me is "Ace is the only one without a UM now". IT'S SO FUNNY HOW HE THOUGHT HE'D GET HIS UM BEFORE DEUCE BUT HE ACTUALLY ENDS UP BEING THE LAST OF THE ENTIRE MAIN CAST TO GET IT................. .. . . . .. ....... .. .. . .. ... . . . .. THERE IS SOME CRUEL, SICK IRONY HERE.

I pretty much said all my other thoughts as they cropped up along with the corresponding story beats!! But overall, I loved learning more about the characters and their shared history. Part 5 confirmed many theories, such as the Dawn Knight being related to Silver (and not his ancestor, but rather his actual dad), Silver being put under a sleeping curse that requires true love to break, how Lilia came to raise Silver, etc. It also recontexualizes lore we already knew, such as how Silver got his name, the Zigvolt family's involvement with Lilia, and how Lilia changed from his old self to his current self.

khbhasdsbkuavuofafabf I ALSO CAN'T BELIEVE LILIA X MALLEMOM IS A THING, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SHOCKING REVEALS THIS ENTIRE UPDATE😭 All this time we were joking about Lilia x Mrs. Spade... turns out, Lilia was into someone else's mom... HE'S JUST INTO MOMS, I'M CALLING IT NOW/j

I'm surprised that we didn't get to catch up with the Shroud brothers whatsoever this time??? Not a single peep about Ortho (who has 'woken up and is actively working to help everyone) or even Idia (who is still stuck dreaming)... I really hope the next update addresses how Ignihyde is faring, cuz I miss them and want to know how they contribute to saving the day!!

As book 7 progresses, it progressively calls the image of a spinning wheel into my mind... This is the case especially for the flashback segments we see, which shows us how the various members of Diasomnia are related to each other, and, by extension, their other family members. Lilia is raising Silver, the baby of an old foe. Malleus is visiting Lilia, who is implied to have helped hatch him after his parents died and/or went missing. Lilia asks Sebek's dad for help raising Silver. Baul asks Lilia to help mentor his grandson, Sebek. It really harkens back to the "individually, we're threads on a spinning wheel, but we come together to make something far stronger" line that Lilia dropped at the end of book 6, proving that the spinning wheel and the threads of Fate within it are an important motif for book 7 🥺

I'm fine.

This is fine.

It's not fine

[armysantiny]

Longing – SCB

P: Changbin x gender neutral reader | G: fluff, angst (sorta) drabble | Inc: changbin and y/n working out, admiration, so much yearning and longing, one-sided love, implied dead character, changbin being self-depricating, changbin is in a mob family, part of a larger au, driving home together, tension, third person pov | Wc: 670 | W: | R: G

Min's notes: *walks in with a drabble two months later* hi, I'm back~...lmao, this is part of a larger au called welcome to maniac, and I don't think anyone that knows this blog other than @tinystarstay really knows about it, because I've relegated it to the chatbot blog of the same name until I can find a good place to start the story. This au is my baby, I can't wait to actually show it to people the way it deserves to be shown

Changbin sighs where he watches y/n train from his seat on a bench, the sounds of their fists hitting the punching bag in a steady one two, one, one, two rhythm. They’re a vision, fiery passion fuelling every breath, and Changbin has to remind himself of every reason he has to not allow his relationship with y/n to progress any further. No matter what the ache in his chest says otherwise. He can learn to be satisfied with having them in his life like this.

At arm’s distance. Far away from the worst parts of his life.

Safe.

Because what else can the man do, when he can’t offer any semblance of a normal life? A normal relationship? In a world away from this one, the next lifetime maybe, where the two of them don’t have to be on their guard at every hour of the day. The thought’s enticing, a fleeting daydream Changbin entertains when he gets a chance like this to just sit with his mind.

There was another, before y/n, he recalls with a rueful smile. All cunning smiles, playful and dangerous, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing that was only ever docile for him. He craved that feeling then, that rush, and still craves it to this day. Misses the way he could forget about the family business and just…exist.

Except there’s no use pestering the dead.

“Hey, Changbin-ah?”

“Hm?” Is the answer that comes out of his mouth, y/n’s inquisitive gaze looking right at him as he blinks himself out of reverie.

“I’m ready to go now, thanks for hanging back.” Y/n’s gratitude comes easy, soft smiles as they undo the wrappings on their hands. And Changbin drinks it all in, despite how undeserving he is. He’s greedy for their companionship, despite his determination to not cross any lines, laughing along with the conversation they strike up on the way back to his car.

It's only a quick five-minute drive to y/n’s home, yet Changbin wants every second to last. Tapping his dingers against the steering wheel doesn’t help either. The clock still ticks on, and he’ll still have to part with y/n tonight, the one in question dozing off beside him in the passenger seat. He could…hypothetically drive around the block a couple more times to savour their company just a while longer, avoid the creeping weight of responsibility that awaits as soon as he gets home, but he shoves that idea aside. Changbin knows he’s been selfish with y/n’s attention more than enough for tonight.

And they’ll know if the journey takes any longer than it needs to.

Y/n always does.

“…up you get, sleepyhead,” is what y/n eventually hears, Changbin watching them with fond eyes. “We’re here. C’mon, get out of my car.” And wow. Not like the man hadn’t begged them to let him drive the pair of them to the gym and back. But whatever.

Perhaps they’re still tired, or it’s the sudden tension, but y/n isn’t so immune to the look in Changbin’s eyes anymore. Its depth pulls them in, threatening to drown y/n in its well of emotion. And maybe, just maybe, they can excuse their lack of a filter on exhaustion for now.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” He’s playing dumb. Y/n knows he is.

“…like that. Like you’re looking for answers to something you can’t ask.”

There’s silence, after that. For a few long seconds, even the air is still. Breaking eye contact now feels wrong, a sin y/n didn’t even realise they could commit, but they have to. They’ll drown in Changbin’s gaze otherwise. Clearing their throat and rushing to collect their things, y/n exits the car. The slam of the door isn’t intentional. Each step to their front door is heavy, laden with unspoken words and all y/n wants to do now is head inside and process what on earth’s just happened.

A car horn. Changbin waves at them, expression light.

“See you tomorrow, yeah?”

Y/n waves back.

“Yeah.”

© copyright work of armysantiny 2025-2026

Networks: @kwritersworld, @kdiarynet, @ultkpopnetwork

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[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

Getting some Berserk thoughts down, because the last time I was in my feelings about Griffith and the Golden Age arc, I’d promised at least one anon that I’d talk about it later and then I didn’t shfhff

But damn the Primrose Hall speech is such Wuthering Heights level miscommunication! It makes me ill!

Griffith positing that: a) having a dream is thee most important thing in the world and b) he cannot respect or consider a friend anyone who does not have their own dream (implicitly a dream different from his, so those two spheres never need interfere or threaten each other) or someone who is subordinate to him and therefore in danger of dying for his dream

And then like five chapters later we get Casca’s flashbacks about Griffith and that immediately establishes that he is a lying liar who lies when it comes to his own emotions and guilt, but also that we can’t really know what he’s feeling in the present day, exactly, because he’s a different person now

Contrary to what Griffith stan nation might say lol, I don’t think the dissonance between his two reactions to a child’s death directly resulting from him striving to achieve his goals is actually him just being a better liar by the Golden Age era

He’s become indelibly crueler over the years and like, twenty is not fifteen.* He’s older and spent the entire time in between at war, killing other people, and commanding his own troops to die, for his dream. Age has hardened him. Meanwhile, him succumbing to that cruelty, to steel himself against personal grief, is literally the culmination of the Golden Age arc!

*caveat that the ages are messy, but he appears to be a teen here and at least four to five years older by the Primrose Hall speech

But that flashback sequence is truly the key to Griffith’s character. It establishes both that he feels a general guilt over the blood on his hands, but also that he is motivated by a catastrophic level of sunk cost fallacy

I also think him musing that the child must have really admired knights and wanted to be a knight himself, and that he always looked at Griffith like he was a hero out of a story is more indicative of Griffith, and his initial perceptions of glory/his dream when he was younger, than simply an element of his guilt for leveraging the sense of hero worship he invokes in his followers (which is def an element at all)

It’s just very telling that this comes on the heels of Guts’ guilt over Adonis’ death and being reminded of his own younger self when seeing him

Griffith’s own dream likely started out of naivety and simply wanting glory/to be a hero/to ascend when he started the Band of the Hawk as an adolescent. I think that child’s death represents him coming to understand the cost of being a mercenary, and leading people to their deaths for his own gain, when it’s far too late and he’s already sitting on a pile of corpses. And the only way to make it up is to keep grasping at his dream so that at least those deaths weren’t for nothing. I really don’t think he’s particularly torn up about Adonis’ death in the moment, but the larger abstract sense of guilt very much threatens to crush him if he ever falters

And you know who has historically made him falter and put himself at risk, threatening his dream?

So, I think he’s very deliberately talking about Guts here actually, rather than the usual shipper line that he’s not even considering Guts when he says this.

I think he’s very deliberately bringing up the key differences between himself and Guts (having a dream; Guts viewing himself as nothing but a tool to him despite!!! Griffith trying to convince him that they’re equals) and trying to convince himself that Guts shouldn’t mean much to him/that he cannot respect his life

Because what’s one thing we know Griffith does? He pretends he doesn’t care while visibly caring very much

Interestingly, what Griffith claims not to respect at all when speaking to Charlotte, seems to be what drew him to Guts in the first place. I’d argue, part of how Guts makes him falter, aside from an emotional connection, is potentially that he’s envious/tempted by the concept of being so uniquely unburdened with personal goals, considering Griffith himself is practically drowning in his own ambition

Which, arguably, could simply be traits he values in any subordinate but not an equal. But we’re told several times by Casca that Guts is a unique case for him, that he’s never deliberately sought someone out to join him. And ostensibly, in that moment that observation is the only thing Griffith knows about him.

I’s also worth noting that he initially simply asks Guts to join them. (More specifically he just says “I want you.” Super normal). The duel and its terms are something Guts sets, resulting in this moment:

But even after that point, he keeps trying to nudge their relationship into a more personal dynamic. Confiding in him, making it clear that he doesn’t tell anyone else these thoughts. And of course the famous scene where he insists that his own life isn’t worth more than Guts’ at all

But Guts views himself as a sword to be wielded by Griffith (something we see Casca echo too) and keeps reinforcing the fact that he only does as Griffith demands

Griffith is very willing to leverage that and use Guys’ obedience to his benefit. At the heart of it, Griffith has always been mercenary even about this relationship. He’s very much trying to have his cake and eat it too, where his close personal friend and confidant is also his dog who he can bring to heel whenever it suits him

It is very telling the way Griffith reacts when Guts tries to leave him. Where when he realizes he can’t talk him out of it, he decides to make him stay

To me, this all ties back to the Primrose Hall speech, and how Griffith is trying to distance himself from his feelings for Guts, because he’s so much closer to his goals at that point. Ostensibly both the Princess’ favor and the attempt on his own life have made him really reevaluate how close he is to achieving something real and to not let something petty like feelings get in the way of that

…and then Guts breaks up with him and everything falls to pieces

[zzthekaiju]

The GREAT MONSTER HUNTER RANKING! Part 2

And now we start to get to the beasts that are actively trying to kill you.

This part is dedicated to the invertebrates of the monster-hunting world. The Neopterons (big bugs), Carapaceons (big crabs), and the Temnocerans (big spiders).

Now, I'll be real here. If there was ever a case of this franchise just leaving money on the table, it would be how they've handled Neopterons, the single most underrated monster type in my opinion. There are thousands of bugs in the world, and how many large monsters does this franchise have based on them, as of now? A grand total of two. That's...it. Granted, there are plenty of other monsters that take cues from insects, but it's not the same, I tell you!

But enough grousing about "shoulda, coulda, woulda", what big bugs do we have? Well, before we get into that, let's look at the small ones ("small" being relative, most of these guys are about as big as dogs).

The Neopterons:

"NO NOT THE WASPS! NOT THE WASPS! AAAAAGHGHGHGH!!!"

Vespoids are, as the name would imply, really gnarly-looking wasps. They have heads almost shaped like lizards, and they used to be absolute Hell on any hunter trying to carve/gather in peace. But other than that...they're just annoying. It is neat though how in earlier games you could attract a Vespoid queen, which is about twice as big as a man. But they don't do that anymore. Darn. 3.5/10.

"I think I stepped on a bug."

Hornetaurs are the more interesting small neopterons by virtue of being based mostly on Hercules beetles. Neat little buggers, but that's all they are. They can barely even fight back despite being the size of small dogs. 5/10.

"It's-OW-so-OW-pretty-OW!"

Bnahabra were something of a successor to the Vespoids during the third generation, and really, they were superior. That weird alien-looking head adds so much character to what could have just been another flying nuisance. It kind of reminds me of the spiny orb-weaver spider's abdomen, so that's a plus. 6/10.

"Not so ant-isocial."

Altaroths are this world's answer to ants. More specifically, honeypot ants. Those gnarly mandibles, that odd crest, and the fact that their abdomens change color based on what their recent food was make this more than a worthy successor to the Hornetaurs. It does make me wonder what an Altaroth queen looks like, though. 6/10.

"Rolly pollie, holy cannoli"

The Konchu may not be getting any fans based on how they affect hunts (armoring monsters on top of knocking hunters over makes for a nasty pest), but they've got some neat looks at least. They're pill bugs mixed with the sensibilities of trilobites, and that's just cool. Also, I'd like to note that when they latch onto larger monsters, they're not doing that to be nice. That's them sucking their blood like parasites. Think on that for a bit. 7/10.

"And I'll form the he-PLEASE FREE ME FROM THIS HELL!"

NOW we can talk about really big bugs. There are only two large Neopterons as of now, and they're both really cool! Case in point, the Seltas/Seltas Queen. And yes, the queen is the larger monster in that pic. You see, these beetles have a rather...twisted sexual dimorphism going on. The male is a person-sized flying terror that isn't terribly hard to kill by monster standards, but the female is beast that's as big as and even looks like a tank. The queen releases a pheromone that attracts the male, which is then snatched up by that gnarly tail and essentially brainwashed into fighting by the big lady's side, acting as a sort of biological combining mecha. And if the Seltas can't fight, his involuntary mate smashes and eats him.

Yikes.

Putting aside that horrific biology, the Seltas wins points for its appealing colors and its mecha motif, complete with mechanical sounds and even weaponized exhaust that inflicts Soiled status. Even the armor set you craft from it seems to have been inspired by more than a few robot animes. 8/10. Would have been a 9, but I just feel THAT bad for the small Seltas. And you thought mantids had a hard time monkeying around with love. Speaking of...

"THAT INSECT MADE THIS IN A DUNE!!! WITH A BUNCH OF SCRAP!"

Ironically, for a type so underutilized, the Neopterons had the honor of one of their own being the True Final Boss of Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate. And sure enough, they brought in their best.

Ahtal-Ka is already a winner by virtue of being a giant mantis. ANY mantis monster would be in the top ten for me. Once again Capcom, GIVE US MORE NEOPTERONS PLEASE! Anyhow, it's not just a cool bug, but it's also got a neat Egyptian motif with its color scheme and ornate head crest based on what the Pharaohs wore back then. Gold isn't really my color, but I like what they were going for. The purple eyes help it stand out even more.

And as it turns out, there's a reason you outta fear this bug like it was a Pharaoh. You see, by itself, it's already a strong beast. It's main asset is being able to create sticky webs that it can use to lasso debris straight into your face. This includes, but is definitely not limited to, ENTIRE WHOLE DRAGONATORS (which are basically huge pointy weapons typically used against Elder Dragons). But nothing compares to its secret weapon: its intellect. The Ahtal-Ka is, at its heart, a tinkerer of all things. And it has laid entire human settlements to waste with its magnum opus.

That.

This is the Empress' Throne, named so because the Ahtal-Ka made it from its web and whatever scraps it could find. And it's about the size of a building. The monster uses its webs to pilot it from the inside, manipulating its limbs like a puppeteer on crack. And if certain descriptions are to be believed, this isn't even the biggest this bug can make its creations.

So yeah, the smartest monster around is a giant Egyptian mantis that goes grocery shopping in ruined civilizations so that it can make giant robots generations ahead of whatever we're lunking around. 9.5/10. That is all.

And now, we move on to a type that's literally just "giant enemy crab". And you do indeed have to attack their weak points for massive damage.

(Funnily enough, there are Carapaceons in MH: Frontier that take cues from arachnids, but this isn't a Frontier ranking, is it?)

The Carapaceons:

"Hunter, me boy, just want you to know that I'll be pickin' you out of me teeth! Ag, agagagagag!"

To start, there is the Daimyo Hermitaur. It's pretty much the standard for Carapaceons going forward. And what a standard it is. That being a huge hermit crab that eschews the typical shell and instead uses the skulls of larger, deadlier monsters. That's cool AND naturalistic! In Daimyo's case, its a Monoblos skull (which seems to exist these days as a grim reminder that Mono ain't going to feature in the new games, lol). This, combined with that terrifying face shaped to look like a mouthful of teeth, make for a strong first-impression! And a side-note, but whenever it gets mad, I just love how it makes an odd "come at me, bro" gesture before attacking.

Also, it shoots beams of pressurized water from its mouth. You'd better believe how lethal that is. 8/10.

"It slices, it dices, and makes unmarked graves of you all!"

If the Daimyo is the heavy-hitting shield, the Shogun Ceanataur is the blood-soaked blade. It's positively wicked look owes its lot to the ridiculously long raptorial limbs it has. They're apparently so sharp, they can cut through even the toughest of armor sets. Sure enough, fighting one and getting hit by Shogun's unsheathed blades will win you the bleed status ailment. And while most Shoguns wear a Gravios skull for a shell, there's one deviant that uses the skull of a Glavenus, and even fights like one! Daimyo may be imposing like a fortress, but Shogun is the sort of fast-striking warrior that I argue leaves more of a lasting impression. The only reason I don't rank it higher is because I was...not happy to find out that it's not shooting concentrated beams of water at you. That's pee...yeah. 8/10.

"Horrors on stilts!"

We've seen crabs rob the corpses of big monsters to empower themselves. But none have taken it to such ridiculously huge literal heights like Shen Gaoren. Even to this day, this is the largest non-Elder Dragon monster in the franchise. It's so tall that hunters can barely come up to the first segment of one of its legs. Sure, it doesn't do a whole lot of fighting, but it doesn't have to. It's main fortification on top of an already well-armored body is the skull of a Lao Shan-Lung. In other words, an Elder Dragon. And it can even shoot concentrated balls of acid from that skull's mouth! It's safe to say this big crab has a major amount of presence, helped in no small part by its design being mostly based on the spider crab. Bring it back in the next game, please! 9/10.

And finally for this part, we come to the giant spiders. A type that, surprisingly, has been steadily getting bigger with each new generation. There's even a new one coming in Wilds. But for now, let's look at the two we've seen so far.

The Temnocerans:

"So...what shall I wear today? The one that died screaming, or the one who never saw it coming?"

It's safe to say that the first Temnoceran ever seen came in literally swinging. Nerscylla is already a threatening monster by virtue of being a giant spider. But then you factor in those huge purple spikes, its ability to swing all over the place, a pair of extendable serrated mandibles all the better to slice you with, and a minor detail about it WEARING THE SKIN OF ITS FAVORITE PREY. Specifically, the Gypceros. And for those who fought that Bird Wyvern in previous games, it would be cathartic if it weren't so horrific. Still, it makes for cool monster, so there's that! 7/10.

"Every day is Take Your Kids to Work Day"

Nerscylla may be a good standard giant spider, but in my opinion, we may never beat Rakna-Kadaki. This is easily one of the most creative giant spiders I've ever seen in a piece of media. I say this due to how they went and designed its head. Because the mad geniuses at Capcom decided to base this monster off of the pelican spider.

Yup, it's real. And it ain't the one getting lifted.

These spiders are characterized by having small bodies yet surprisingly long necks and/or fangs. The Rakna-Kadaki also has that, albeit its body is positively huge. And what's more, the head attached to that long neck looks less like an arachnid and more a demon out of Hell. Sure enough, its main inspiration was the yokai (a Japanese spirit/demon) known as the Jorogumo, which is a demonic spider that pretends to be a beautiful maiden to seduce prey. Rakna doesn't need to rely on seduction (though it might have done that before eating its mates). Instead, it utilizes its own explosive breeding habits to create enough loyal young known as Rachnoids that it can use mostly as grapplers to move more quickly across the ground. Oh, and IT BREATHES FIRE AND COMBUSTIBLE GAS. I don't know about you, but this might be the most metal giant spider ever conceived. And it's just so fascinating to even think about. Whoever proposed "monster pelican spider" deserves a raise. Let's do an ant-mimic spider next! 9.5/10!

Next up, the Bird Wyverns!

Index:

Herbivores

Neopterons, Carapaceans, Temnocerans

Bird Wyverns

Flying Wyverns

Piscine Wyverns, Amphibians, Leviathans

Brute Wyverns

Fanged Beasts, Fanged Wyverns

Elder Dragons

[carawenfiction]

I have just learned about the rewrite since I've rechecked your tumblr, I didn't even know about you doing that. I know you listed changes in that post, but would it be possible to know how much will be changed, overall? I love this game so much so changes make me nervous haha! BTW, I made an extensive review both on Steam and the topic CoG forums a while ago, if you're interested in checking them out! Good luck! I love your work!

Hi Konoi!

I'm sorry for answering this (and all other asks) so late.

I read your steam review, thank you so much for taking the time to write it! It definitely reminded me about some things regarding narrative structure and to consider how to best balance character moments/bonding and overall pacing.

This is very premature to say since there's not a whole lot of content out yet, let alone the whole rewrite, but if any of you change your opinion of the final product once you've read it - whether that's negative or positive - I'd really appreciate an updated review!

I'm going to explain some key changes in this post. There are no big spoilers, but if you DON'T want to go into things with any prior knowledge about the game, please don't read the rest of this post!

My thought process

I began the old rewrite because of my personal dissatifaction with the story. I didn't have a clear picture of what exactly I wanted; I just knew I wanted it to be different. But the new, current rewrite is being created because of ideas that have developed in my mind regarding the setting and overall story. I'd say that the "shadow world" is a bit more dangerous, uncertain and that the threats that hide there are not immediately easy to determine, if that makes any sense at all. The original has you going from point A to point B and have everything explained to you, which leaves the MC with little to do and decreased agency. One of my aims is to let you explore the world in more dynamic ways than through exposition dumps and also giving you more choices and include more branching due to those choices, both big and small.

I was pondering what it might be like to enter a world like this and I think it would be a strange mixture of terror, surrealism, loneliness + a need to either depend on whoever you can, even if you don't trust them. Or alternatively, pretend like you depend on others while only really depending on yourself. That's not to say that TSS is a horror game now haha, I don't even know how to write horror 😔but my hope is that it feels like a more personal and intriguing experience rather than purely an "isekai" kind of story.

The MC

I didn't get far with the old rewrite, but I focused more on fleshing out the MC's hometown and M's background. While the new rewrite has a bit more added to chapter 1, I've kept some things that I previously tried to present more thoroughly purposefully vague for a reason this time around.

The MC is somewhat different, too. One thing I'm dissatisfied with in the original is the lack of an established past for the MC. There was your job and your father's accident, but not much more than that. And yes, there were hints at something more, but you didn't really get to delve deeply into that during book 1.

In this version of the rewrite, I think the MC is a bit more jaded. You can absolutely play an optimistic and happy kind of MC, but there are pieces of their past that have affected them and are currently affecting them to a lesser or greater degree depending on how you play. Ex. The death of their father is going to play a larger part throughout the story and will be depicted as something that haunts the MC rather than just being something that happened when they were little. The changes that have happened as they grew up - losing most of their old friends and ties as well as being curtly left by their closest friend/ex - has also affected them. The MC has some lingering abandonment issues there but it's up to you how the MC has developed because of them. There is a point in chapter 1 where it's mentioned that they currently find it difficult to grow close to people, but I'm going to update that section and offer different options that determines whether you keep an optimistic outlook or not soon.

The supporting cast/main cast

The relationships and characters are still at the center of the story. I want to make the bonds with them feel more organic and less "choose flirt, friendship, or rivalry" every time you interact with them.

In the original, the MC is thrown into this world together with M, and the group is (iirc) being very vague and generally unhelpful. I included romantic and friendship-raising scenes before you even knew anything about them, which is something I'm changing this time around (you still have romantic options during your first meeting with A and G, but they are not full romance scenes as such and only included because it fits the characters in question).

There's no longer a need to spend time with just 1 character and pick 1 right option. Instead, I want to include a lot of opportunities for you to get to know them, grow closer if you want to and keep your distance if you don't. I'm still in the process of developing this more, but all in all I want to include different branches for the relationships that aren't necessarily always as clearcut as friend/lover/rival, at least in the beginning when you don't know them well. Once the MC and the characters know each other better, I think more established roles like that will show more.

And about the romance, for those of you interested: I hadn't written much in the way of romance back when I wrote the original TSS. I actually think TSS is the first romance-related story I wrote at all. It was very much an exercise in writing in a lot of ways. Now that I have more experience I feel more confident in writing different kinds of romances, and there's going to be more romance-related content in the remake for those who choose that route. Those who aren't into romance have the option to get more platonic scenes, though!

In the original I interrupted scenes and threw in stuff that would delay certain revelations just for the sake of delaying, and the pacing, plot and characterization imo suffered as a result. The remake shows a group that is very much fractured, just like in the original (maybe more so now). They obviously know more than the MC does, but they all have different levels of knowledge and personal motivations that even others in the group don't know about. A and R obviously know each other from before, as do Q and A. But other than that it's very much a group that works together out of perceived necessity and their own motivations. Most of them don't trust one another either. They are also quicker to offer certain information and explain the situation to the MC since THEY also find themselves in a situation they didn't really predict due to unforeseen changes in their plans.

Basically they are a bit out of their depth at end of chapter 1 and chapter 2, and so they're on a bit more even ground with the MC in certain ways.

The Shadowman/Shadowlady is introduced a bit differently in chapter 2, and the main cast's backstories - and to some smaller extent, personalities - have been reworked/updated/changed.

The plot

Though I won't go into what happens in later chapters for obvious reasons, the narrative/plot is presented a bit differently. For example: in the original you met the group, had a 1 on 1 talk with one of the characters where you could raise friendship, romance or rivalry, then it was announced that you have to leave the house because it's no longer safe and the rest of the story takes place in the hideout and A and R's old home. But now that feels like a waste of an interesting story, because so much of the MC's past and so many secrets exist IN your old childhood home. That's why most of book 1 will take place inside the house itself.

It may sound less exciting, but it's not your typical house - while you need to stay in it for now, you'll soon realize that it sort of has a life of its own and can lead to places it shouldn't. I think it makes for a more intimate and personal experience as it allows you to explore more of your own character while giving you the option of growing closer to the other characters as well.

This got super long, but I hope all of that makes sense? If you (or anyone) has any questions regarding any of the info I've given just let me know <3

[humornaut]

An Analysis of Foreshadowing in Omori's Prologue

Hey everyone!

With the Omori manga's first chapter's release, one thing has been made clear: They are FLYING through the game. Unless they are doing something weird, the entire prologue segment has been moved to right after the Aubrey fight, a move I can only believe has been made so that the real world characters appear in the first chapter. I won't be making any judgements until I see how it all fits together (and maybe I won't make many judgments in general, I don't really consider myself a judgmental person for better or for worse), but it did get me thinking about how well Omori's prologue works in general! So today, I'd like to take some time to talk about that!

The Sidequests

The first things I want to mention are the side quests! I've mentioned it before (or maybe I haven't, I don't remember everything I've said), but nearly all the side quests in Headspace are symbolic on a meta level. A lot of people dismiss this as boring repetitiveness (perhaps true), but the vast majority of the side quests are about finding a lost item or individual. This is, of course, echoing the larger Headspace plot of Basil going missing. However, there is something about this concept that I'd like to point out using one of the sidequests!

In the quest "Whereabouts of Duckie Jr.", you are tasked with determining the whereabouts of Duckie Jr! Crazy, I know. Remember how I said that most of the sidequests are reminiscent of the quest to find Basil? Like 2 seconds ago? Well, this one is good for actually illuminating what is going on with that questline overall! Duckie Jr. and his family are references to a famous optical illusion in which a person can see either a duck or a bunny. Take a look at the house that the family lives in:

They live in a present! Now take a look at this!

"SUNNY won't leave the box, so KEL put a food bowl inside. I guess this box will be SUNNY and MEWO's new home."

So that's interesting! Add in the distant demeanor of Duckie Jr's father, as well as Mari's statements about Duckie having his head in the clouds and comparing Duckie to Omori, it becomes clear that Duckie in this situation is a reference to Sunny, not Basil. What does this mean? Well, it means that we should rethink the Headspace quest all together! The quest to find Basil is much more a quest for Sunny to re-find himself.

Now this (as well as the quest for the character Daisy that I have mentioned previously) is interesting, but it isn't exactly foreshadowing. For that, I would like to draw your attention to the sidequest Stick in the Mud.

In this quest, you must go around Cattail fields to find Mr. Scarecrows three crow friends, and have them return to him. In order to do this, you have to use Hero when interacting with the three crows.

I personally believe that this is a bit of foreshadowing to the Sunny route. Hero's maturity is necessary to bringing Sunny, Kel, and Aubrey back together and bringing them to Basil. I also choose to see Mr. Scarecrow as an analogue for Basil rather than Sunny due to the coloring of Mr. Scarecrow's sprite (Blond hair, blue eyes, green clothes), and Hero doesn't actually bring Basil specifically to anyone (heck, Hero doesn't actually ever talk to Basil in the real world segments of the game)

I also want to make clear: I'm not trying to imply that this is symbolism on the part of Sunny's mind, like a lot of the things that I talk about on this account, rather that this is a bit of meta storytelling foreshadowing how the real world plot will turn out. This will go for everything else that I talk about here as well.

Captain of the Space Pirates

Now that we've talked about the sidequests, I'd like to draw your attention to the main questline of Otherworld. As a reminder, once the gang gets into Otherworld, we are introduced to Captain Spaceboy, who is bedridden and depressed following his break-up with Sweetheart. In order to solve this problem, we have to go through the junkyard to find his mixtape. We aren't the only ones looking for it, and while there, we meet Rosa, a Sweetheart super-fan.

We get the mixtape back, bring it to Spaceboy, at which point Kel plays it, triggering Spaceboy to start his boss fight.

The argument for this all being one large bit of foreshadowing goes like this:

Spaceboy would be Basil (purely from a narrative perspective, not in any kind of character-sense). We go to the junkyard and dig through the trash to find the mixtape, just like we eventually get the photo album by digging through Aubrey's trash. Rosa in this case represents Aubrey, attempting to take care of the mixtape due to her personal connection to the item, revealing that Spaceboy is the one that threw it out in the first place, echoing how in the real world, Aubrey takes care of the photo album for four years due to what it means to her, despite how Basil (from her perspective) destroyed it originally.

We bring the mixtape back to Spaceboy, and just as Kel is the one that kicks off going through the photo album with Basil, he is the one that rushes to put the mixtape into the boombox, triggering the memories that set off Spaceboy, causing the fight.

Admittedly, things get a little cloudy here, as the fight between Sunny and Basil isn't directly caused by the photo album. You could even say that the Spaceboy fight represents the fight with Omori (or even both the Basil fight AND the Omori fight) due to Omori's fight being due to Sunny's mind reacting to memories of the past, better mirroring the Spaceboy fight. But hey! Spaceboy's hair turns green and his eyes turn red so who can say. :P

Then, after the fight, we get a few things! We get an eyepatch (goes without saying), a train pass (representing how Sunny will be moving after the conclusion of the game), and a sno-cone ticket (yeah I don't think this one represents anything).

And, just like the Sunny route, the prologue ends with an early look at Memory Lane, and the dream ends, with Sunny waking up.

There's probably a lot more I could talk about regarding Omori's prologue, so I might update this later! I hope you enjoyed reading this! Within the game, I feel like the prologue is one of the strongest bits of Headspace, and I've always wanted to talk about how I believe it foreshadows the rest of the game! This is a topic that I'd love to hear more people's opinion on!

[waywardqueen411]

A New Legacy - Hogwarts Legacy x Harry Potter Crossover - Part 2

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Summary:

After a rather brutal encounter with Ranrok's loyalists, the Hero of Hogwarts finds herself falling through time and space entering a world that's almost home, but not quite. Of course there's nothing else to do aside from adapt, improvise and overcome.

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A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who liked and reblogged the first part! I hope yall enjoy this one

Warnings: Violence, Major character death, Angst, spoilers for Hogwarts Legacy

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Female!Reader, Ominis Gaunt x Female!Reader (more to be added on as the story progresses)

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You awoke with a gasp, your head immediately pounding.

You were on the ground in the middle of a forest, the soil sticking to your face and clothes. For a moment, you didn't know where you were or what had happened before reality came crashing down onto you.

Sebastian was dead.

You let out an unearthly scream. Your heart pounded in your chest as the words replayed in your head.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

You had watched Sebastian's body disintegrate before you. You would never see him again. Never hear his stupid arrogant laughter, never look into his beautiful brown eyes, never go on another adventure, never hold his hands.

Oh, God. Sebastian was dead.

You allowed yourself exactly five minutes to completely fall apart. You cried and screamed and threw rocks. Your magic exploded out of you, both accidental and not. You wanted to make that goblin suffer. His death was a mercy.

You exploded trees and sent boulders flying. You cried and screamed until there was nothing left inside of you. And then you dropped to your knees and stared at this distance.

Where were you?

It took you a few tries before you could stand up once more.

You knew you had to go on. To stop the new goblin uprising. If for no other reason than to avenge Sebastian. You looked around the area. It felt familiar, but in a strange sense. The fauna and flora reminded you of the Forbidden Forest, but that couldn't be right, could it? Dawn had just broke and everything looked so different. The trees seemed larger and animals newer. Like they'd skipped a generation.

You reached around for your wand before you remembered how it dissolved before you. Suddenly, a though occurred to you.

"Ominis," you said. "Ominis!" you called out.

"What's going on out here?" A voice said from behind you. You spun around then fell flatly on your bottom when you saw a half-giant approach you. "What's all this screaming about?"

"Please don't hurt me," you begged after a moment. The half-giant's eyes softened.

"No one is going to hurt you," he said softly. You almost laughed. The man had a crossbow slung over his shoulder and a giant hound at his side.

"Swear it," you demanded. The half giant walked up to you and, to your shock, kneeled in front of you, holding out a pinky finger.

"On me dad's grave," he said. You looked him over one last time before dropping your shoulders and tugging on his pinky with your own. "Now, why don't we start with names? I'm Hagrid, pleasure to meet you."

"I'm-" you started, but no words came to mind. "I'm-" your brows met in confusion. "I don't know," you said plainly. The half giant - Hagrid - looked sympathetically at you. "But I'm not alone," you said quickly. "I came here with a friend-"

"Pale, blonde, tall?" Hagrid asked and you nodded quickly. Then your stomach dropped.

"He's not dead, is he?" you asked carefully. You couldn't bare the thought of losing both Ominis and Sebastian in one day.

You swallowed at the thought of Sebastian, but pushed your feelings down. You needed to get somewhere safe, fast.

"No, no!" Hagrid said quickly. "He's fine. I found him a few hours ago, out cold but very much alive." Your shoulders fell in relief.

"Thank Merlin," you said softly. "Can I go see him?" you asked. Hagrid smiled.

"I reckon that's the first place we aught to take you. Madame Pomfrey will want to take a good look, make sure everything's alright. She's the best nurse Hogwarts ever seen." Hagrid said.

You stood slowly, brows meeting in confusion. "Right," you said. Something inside of you told you that you shouldn't be giving too much away. "Um, Hagrid, where are we?"

Hagrid laughed a little, "You're just outside the castle grounds," he said, then turned around. "If you're alright to walk, you might want to get going."

You followed the half giant through the woods - the Forbidden Forest as it was - struggling to keep up with his large steps. Soon you found yourself entering the familiar halls of Hogwarts.

Only it wasn't so familiar.

"What happened?" you asked Hagrid as the two of you walked through the bridge to enter. Hagrid looked confused. You quickly decided not to say any more, waiting until you saw Ominis.

"I'm not sure I understand- ah," Hagrid suddenly stopped, as a bearded old man approached you. "Professor Dumbledore will be able to answer your questions."

Dumbledore?

"Another one so soon, Hagrid?" The old man said, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. You took a step back. Something about this man screamed trouble.

"Yes, sir, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid said. You saw the way the half-giant shrunk at the sight of the man - Dumbledore. He clearly held a lot of power and influence.

"I take it you two are on your way to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said and Hagrid nodded. "I believe I can take it from here, Hagrid,"

Hagrid agreed and you wished he hadn't. You swallowed slightly as you looked up at the professor. You glanced back to Hagrid before squaring your shoulders and walking with the unfamiliar man through the almost familiar halls of not-your-Hogwarts.

The hospital wing was in the same place, at the very least.

"Don't tell me you've found another one," A motherly looking lady said as she hurriedly approached the two of you, a lady who was decidedly not Matron Blainey. "Keep this up and I won't have enough beds for the actual students. Poppy Pomfrey, at your service,"

"Can I see Ominis, Madame Pomfrey?" you asked immediately, spotting a bed with drawn curtains nearby.

"Ominis, ay?" Pomfrey asked and you internally scolded yourself. You should not be giving away any excessive information. "I'm afraid your friend is, um, still unconscious," Madame Pomfrey looked uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? What happened to him?" You blurted out, taking a step towards the bed before Dumbledore's hand on your shoulder stopped you.

Madame Pomfrey looked distraught. "Your friend has suffered a grave injury. I worry his vision may never be healed," the matron said. You held back a chuckle. Dumbledore and Pomfrey both shot you looks of horror, "Why young lady! This is no laughing matter-"

"Please excuse my friend, Matron," came Ominis' deep voice. You nearly leaped for joy. Ominis sat upright on the hospital bed, pushing back the curtains to reveal his bruised and battered body, covered by torn up robes. "It's just that, you see, I was like this when I arrived,"

Ominis allowed a small smile to play on his face and in the short silence that followed, you quickly crossed the room and wrapped him in the most desperate hug.

"You're alive?" you said in the most desperate voice, a tear leaking out of your eye, "You're alright?" you asked, cradling his face in your hands and turning it from side to side. You had to make sure that it was him, that he was really okay.

"Settle down child," the matron said in a warm, soft voice. "I need to have you checked out as well."

"Could you give us a moment?" Ominis asked kindly, looking in the direction of Madame Pomfrey. Under normal circumstances, you would have hated the look of pity that fell over her face, but this time you didn't care. As long as it got you a moment alone with Ominis. "Just a few minutes?"

"Of course," Madame Pomfrey said solemnly, "Headmaster, may I have a word with you outside?" She asked pointedly and Dumbledore hesitated for a moment.

"Certainly, Poppy," he said, looking between the two of you.

The moment they were gone you turned back to Ominis and said: "We need to get out of here,"

"I know," he said after a beat, "I'm just not exactly sure where here is,"

"We're at Hogwarts," you said slowly, "Just not our Hogwarts."

Ominis sighed before taking your hand, "I think we've traveled through time," he said.

You were stunned into silence for a moment before you burst out laughing, "No seriously Omi, stop messing around," you said. Ominis didn't laugh. If anything, his face grew more grave. You smile fell. "You are being serious, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately yes," he said in a soft voice. Your mind began racing. Ominis, undoubtedly hearing your breath quicken and feeling your pulse go up, took both of yours hands in his own.

"We can't afford to freak out right now. We need to get somewhere safe," he said and you gasped.

"Safe? Where can we go if Hogwarts isn't safe?" you asked. Ominis squeezed your hands tighter, and you tried to follow his breathing.

"There are a few Gaunt properties I can access, bound to my blood. Assuming not all of them are occupied with Gaunt decedents, we can regroup there," he said, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Okay, okay," you said after a beat. "That I can do."

"We just need to get out of here," you said. "The headmaster - Dumbledore, I don't trust him."

"Alright," Ominis said. "We can't let anyone know the truth. At least not yet."

"Okay," you said softly. "Are you hurt?" you asked.

"No, you?"

"I think I'm alright,"

"Then there's no time to waste," he said.

A moment later, the two of you heard footsteps approach. This time, a third person was with Dumbledore and Matron Pomfrey.

"This cannot be a coincidence, Headmaster," the person said, sounding urgent, "First the Dark Mark was cast over the World Cup - Bertha Jorkins is still missing-"

"That's enough Severus," Dumbledore said, reaching the room and walking in. You pretended like you hadn't just heard their conversation. Dark Mark? Missing people?

You looked at the man who just entered curiously. He was tall, older, with greasy black hair. He looked positively miserable.

"Now that the two of you have gotten a chance to catch up, may I have a word?" Ominis squeezed your hand and you glanced to him. You remembered the way your wands had disappeared into sand.

"I go where he goes," you said after a beat, gesturing with your head to Ominis.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well then,"

The other man - Severus, took a seat near the front of the hospital and Dumbledore approached you quickly. Madame Pomfrey looked furious, but said nothing as she made notes with a quill in the corner.

The headmaster cleared his throat before speaking. "Let's start with something simple, shall we?"

You both verbalized your agreement.

"Ominis, we know your name, but your friend has yet to divulge that information about herself,"

"I don't remember," you said honestly. You didn't dare look at Ominis.

"That is rather unfortunate," he said. You held back a scowl. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Dumbledore stared at you with piercing blue eyes and immediately your Occlumency shields went up. It was something you and Sebastian had worked on together.

"I- um,"

"We were planting Dittany in the garden," Ominis quickly supplied, sensing your hesitation, "I think we stumbled across a particularly angry Gnome. Suddenly we were in the Forbidden Forest, and now we're here."

"An angry gnome?" the man named Severus asked with annoyance in his voice.

"That's what he said," you backed Ominis up, holding back your laughter.

"How peculiar," Dumbledore commented, but pressed no further. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Ominis said quickly.

"If you possess magical capabilities, why are you not at Hogwarts?" Severus asked. You groaned internally.

"We're homeschooled," You responded.

"For the last five years?" Severus asked.

"Four actually," Ominis retorted.

"What family do the two of you belong to?" Dumbledore asked. Ominis puffed out his chest a little.

"The House of Gaunt," you knew he wasn't proud, he just wanted Dumbledore to think so.

Dumbledore's expression shifted for only a moment before it was hidden again behind a friendly mask.

"Seems a little odd that a child from such an esteemed house would be planting their own Dittany," he said.

"Please," Ominis said, "I'm lucky they didn't drown me when I came out blind,"

Both you and Severus winced at that. Ominis and Dumbledore seemed not to notice.

"And you, miss? Do you recall which family you belong to?" he asked tentatively.

"I live with Ominis," you said.

"Where exactly would that be?" Dumbledore asked.

"Kent," Ominis answered.

A small silence followed.

"Well, if that is all, we'd like to head back home now," Ominis said dismissively, standing and wobbling a bit before readying himself. You followed suit.

"But I still need to-" Matron Pomfrey said, approaching the two of you.

"I can assure you we have perfectly good healers at home, Madame Pomfrey," you said quickly, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. "Thank you,"

"If you must," Dumbledore said. You and Ominis both stood and you offered him your arm when you realized that without his wand, he was truly helpless. Dumbledore spoke again when the two of you reached the doorway. "The option for schooling here is always available, should either of you desire." He said.

"We'll keep it in mind," you huffed out, before the two of you promptly left. It was lucky that the Hospital wing was so close to the exit of the castle.

When you both reached the grounds you sighed heavily. "Now what?" you asked.

"Hogsmead," Ominis said. "The shop should still legally be in your name. Assuming the old bat hasn't fudged some papers, and tried to sell it to another poor unfortunate soul," You nodded and the two of you began your journey there.

The walk to Hogsmead was difficult. In the silence it felt too easy to think about Sebastian's death, to feel his absences.

"Do you think he managed to survive?" you asked when the two of you were about 3/4s the way to the shop.

"No," Ominis said decidedly.

"But-"

"Please don't," he begged. You sealed away any protests that were building on your tongue.

"I'm sorry," you said after a beat, "None of this would have happened if I had just-"

"If you had just what, exactly?" Ominis asked, "Imperio'ed us into leaving?" you winced at that. "Sebastian and I were there because he and I would never have let you go at it alone. He died because he was a good person. Don't take that away from him,"

You swallowed, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry I didn't save him," you said softly.

"And I'm sorry that he died thinking I hated him," Ominis said, scoffing a little bit, "I was going to tell him, you know? That's why we agreed to meet. I was going to tell him that it was alright and that I wanted to fix things."

You allowed a single tear to escape. "I guess we just have to live with it," you said softly.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. When the two of you approached the shop, it seemed to open to your touch. You were shocked to see a house elf waiting there for you.

"Penny?" you asked.

"Mistress has returned!" Penny screamed and rejoiced. "Penny has been waiting for you."

"What the-" your eyes widened in shock. Ominis laughed, just a little.

"House elves natural lifespans are connected to the master - or mistress - with whom they are closest to," he explained easily. "She'll live approximately as long as you do. Give or take a few years."

"Penny I am so sorry," you said, kneeling down in front of her.

"Mistress must not be sorry," Penny said immediately. "Penny has had a good life. Penny has gone to many places and seen many things in her Mistress' absence,"

"If you say so," you mumbled, realizing that Penny probably had a lot of free time these last 150 years.

"We need to get going," Ominis reminded, "People are going to become curious as to why the shop is suddenly open,"

"Alright," you said, looking back at Penny with a smile. "Do our Floo Flames still work, Penny?"

"Oh yes, Mistress." she said excitedly, happy to be given something to do, "The Floo will take you anywhere you need to be."

"Thank you, Penny," you said sincerely. Ominis nudged you forward and the two of you stepped into the Floo Flames.