#arc//wandering warrior

[even-in-arcadia]

I am watching Fellowship of the Ring and I noticed this small moment in the battle in Balin's tomb. Yes this is going to be about Boromir again.

It occurred to me that "They have a cave troll" is a great little pre-battle quip but if you take in the larger context of Boromir's arc I think it's important that he specifically says it while he and Aragorn are boarding the doors together. Aragorn has of course seen a lot out in the wilds and I'm sure this is nothing new to him. But it's Boromir who gets to toss off that line because he's spent his whole life besieged, fighting overwhelming odds to defend a walled sanctuary. This is just another Tuesday for him.

But the real moment I'm here to mention is after the cave troll smashes him against the wall. He's thrown across the room and clearly stunned - a blow that could easily have killed. Aragorn sees this and watches him. He watches Boromir slowly raise himself and shake it off, like he's already had to so many times both physically and emotionally. They see each other, give the smallest of nods, and and immediately launch back not just into battle but into defending the hobbits specifically together.

This is the moment when they see each other. Aragorn sees that when it comes down to brass tacks and cave trolls, Boromir will put everything on the line including his own life to defend Frodo and the hobbits. He is stalwart and relentless. Perhaps more importantly, Boromir sees Aragorn in action not just as a man who has been wandering the wilderness but as a fellow warrior, someone worthy of respect and who has his back. I really think this moment which is so small is a turning point in their relationship and its placement is key because it's right before they lose Gandalf and Aragorn truly steps into the role of leadership. This also sets the scene for Boromir's willingness to follow Aragorn into Lothlorien, a place which he fears.

To cap it off, this also foreshadows terribly the final scene. In this, Boromir is nearly shot by two arrows; later he is struck by three. He and Aragorn are in both cases both fighting to protect the hobbits. Finally, while in this scene Aragorn watches and Boromir is able to get back up and into the fray, in the last of course Aragorn can only watch as he dies. In the first, we have a nod, a small acknowledge. But that small moment is the direct foundation of the "Our people" - of "My brother, my captain, my king."

[kazoosandfannypacks]

The ultimate Dwampyverse three-way crossover would not be as a season finale or season premier episode. It wouldn't be high stakes and it wouldn't have a major story arc for every character. Instead, it would take place over multiple interconnected episodes that would air as part of each separate show but all take place simultaneously, kinda like the halloween crossover those disney channel shows all did back in 2015.

And it would take place at the Tri-State Area's largest ever comic-con.

We'll start with the Phineas and Ferb storyline. Buford and Baljeet enter the backyard arguing over Stumpleberry Finkbat vs. Space Adventure. Phineas reminds them of the bonding the two fandoms had together last time there was a fan comvention, and the boys decide to host their own comic-con, the largest fan event the Tri-State Area has ever seen. Buford and Baljeet spend a lot of this episode in an argument similar to the brains vs. brawns argument from the Africa episode. Phineas and Ferb just try to enjoy the convention they're hosting. Isabella is rather conflicted, torn between spending time with Phineas and hanging out with her fellow Finkies.

Initially, Candace wants to bust the boys for hosting a giant convention in their bakyard, but she changes her tone when Jeremy comes around with a poster for the event, and points out there's a couples' costume contest that they should enter together.

In the Milo Murphy's Law storyline, we see Milo, Zack, Melissa, and Amanda (not Diogee, of course; he had to go home,) trying to track down a collectible item that Amanda is missing from a collection she started when she was younger. Doof is there as well, having decided that he can better research how to invent time travel by talking to a room full of fans of a time travel television show. Cavendish, Dakota, and Perry accompany him, though Perry wanders off partway through the episode, leaving Dakota to ask a "hey, where's Perry?" Sara and Neal also come to the comic-con too, hoping to win the couples' costume contest.

In our Hamster and Gretel storyline, we've got Gretel, Bailey, and Nordle hoping to just have fun hanging out with other fans of Larry the Magic Boy, but a villain of the week set on overthrowing comic-con gets in the way of Gretel hanging out with her friends. Fred comes along, claiming it's to "supervise" the kids, but she's immediately distracted by a Yuko Attack Cheerleading Warrior 7 fan trivia competition. Hamster disappears at the start of the episode for one of his unseen mini-adventures.

Kevin and Hiromi come as well, entering the couples' costume contest. They claim they're entering platonically because Hiromi wants to earn whatever the prize for it is, and Kevin owes her after the first date and award ceremony blunders. Fred points out to them that platonically entering the couples' contest subverts the point of an already pointless contest, and it may disqualify them. Kevin and Hiromi come to the conclusion, then, that the only way to win without getting disqualified is to spend the entirety of the convention up until the contest winners are announced pretending to be dating.

We also get lots of character crossovers interspersed as well. Baljeet is delighted when he crosses paths with Zack and Melissa and finds out they are, in fact, dating now. Dakota and Bailey exist in the same space for a bit and have the most wholesome interaction in the world. Fred and Buford have a beautiful bonding moment that they agree never to speak of again. There's also a meta moment with Isabella, Lydia, and Lauren, all wearing the same costume.

There's also plenty of background cameos as well. Stacy, Orton Maulson, Irving, the Dr. Zone "oldbies," Carl, Anthony, Monty and Vanessa in their pimpernel and vampire queen costumes, and Tobias Trollhammer all get to make background appearances.

When the finalists for the couples' costume contest comes around, Candace, Sara, and Hiromi give each other lots of competive remarks and backhanded compliments on each other's costumes, while Jeremy, Neal, and Kevin are all super chill and exceptionally polite to each other. At the end, Kevin and Hiromi win, which leads to an excited hug and maybe even a kiss on the cheek, and then a sad air falls over them as they realize that's the end of their need to pretend to be dating.

Candace is thoroughly disappointed in her and Jeremy getting third place, and then decides it's time to go get mom and bust the boys— but of course, by the time mom gets there, the convention is long gone— not because of the villain trying to overthrow comic con, but just because of Murphy's Law.

The plots are really well interconnected too, with things happening in the first episode that don't make sense until you watch the second and third episode and realize "oh, that's why that happened," and the same happens in the second episode, and the third references things you wouldn't understand without the full context of the first two.

There's a lot of use of the Comedic Rule of Three in the inclusion of running jokes that occur once each episode. There's also a lot of room for the Comedic Subversion of the Rule of Three, where a line is spoken in the first and second episode, but obvious opportunities for it in the third episode are comically missed.

And in an end credit scene of the final of these three episodes, we find that Perry, Diogee, and Hamster were all playing cards together during these episodes, and Diogee was winning.

[gumbootillustrations]

day 20 - quote

"you are garroth, protector of the innocent, sworn to care and love for those in need"

my take on what should've happened at the end of s1. context and uncensored image below the cut (tw // mild gore (blood splatter))

so uh... yeah. at the end of season 1 of ashes, ashes, garroth kills zane in irene's cathedral.

the setup for this series of events goes wayyyy back, back to the first war of the magi. in ashes, ashes, xavier was a divine warrior, the justiciar - i've talked abt this in a few of my other posts (specifically in this one), but essentially he founds the jury and carves off nine pieces from his relic to form the juror relics, which give the jurors their uh, for lack of a better term, juror powers. however, during the first ru'auni-tu'lan war (about 400ish years before the main story of ashes, ashes takes place), the relics went missing - leaving the jurors as little more than figureheads for a good few centuries.

then, about 20-25 years before aph shows up on the outskirts of phoenix drop, the high priest of o'khasis at the time figures out a way to give the jurors their juror powers without the relics via a blood magick ritual. said ritual is successful, but it upsets the balance of the universe so badly that the primordial gods intervene and sick a plague on o'khasis, killing roughly a quarter of the population and almost including lord garte ro'meave in that statistic (yes, this is the "near-death experience" that is cited as turning him from a kind-of-asshole into a right cunt). during the plague, a toddler-age garroth gets really sick, and goes for a wander throughout the ro'meave residence and ends up in the attic, where he finds a strange, glowing rock that seems to be calling out to him... he remembers bugger all of this, and what he does remember he puts down to a fever dream.

later on down the line, after nicole fakes her death and disappears about three or so years before the start of ashes, ashes, zane begins to show signs of what garte believes to be dissatisfaction with his regime, and in an effort to bring zane back under his control, he forces xavier's relic into his only remaining son. if zane had the spiritual constitution to wield said relic, this would be all fine and well, but because he doesn't, he begins to suffer the effects of relic corruption, which slowly drives him insane until he's the mad, devoted-to-his-interpretation-of-irene-and-her-doctrine-above-all-else, lawful-evil, war-criminal priest that he's introduced to us as during the wedding arc of season one.

then, during the battle for phoenix drop, garroth hands himself and the amulet over to zane in an attempt to save phoenix drop from a battle that he knows they're doomed to lose. and zane turns him into a juror via the ritual - and because garroth has (unknowingly) been holding esmund's relic in him this whole time, everything turns to custard, and garroth is rendered effectively comatose for pretty much the entire confrontation between zane, lillian, and the phoenix drop gang (aph, aaron, laur, and katelyn) - until zane moves to attack and kill aphmau right after she's absorbed irene's relic.

so you know how in starlight we're told that the relics are sentient? and you know how in starlight we're told that the relics have the ability to control the bodies of their hosts?

well uh. esmund's relic reacts to the threat against its matron that it senses. and with garroth essentially catatonic and in no state to fight back against the possession, he stands up, corners zane in a barrier, and rips xavier's relic out of his brother's chest - killing him almost immediately - before collapsing again, leaving the others to drag him out of the cathedral when zoey shows up with the portal. the entire time, zane is screaming at him to snap out of it, to remember who he serves, to remember who his brother is, and all the while the others can only watch on in horror as garroth condemns the one man hes spent the entire season trying to save to death.

garroth doesn't find out that he's killed his only remaining sibling (to his knowledge) until he wakes up two days later.

so yeah. ro'bro angst.

let me know if u have any questions! :3

[ezlo-x]

NO LET’S TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE i’m willing to come to botw defense in some cases because i feel that there’s some strong substance there but totk?! did me so dirty, i must be truthful. did me so dirty and left a lame smell behind it.

botw:

zelda characterization is actually something i love about this game; while she isn’t always the strongest/most depthful persona, the fact that her lack of agency and empowerment in that story is actually focused on as the central struggle is a great way to have the typical damsel-in-distress formula while not compromising the characterization of a main character. link’s memories of zelda are the sharpest evidence we get into how hyrule suffered from the calamity, both before and after it passed—we only learn about how hyrule has suffered in the scars of the calamity and the echoes of a dead kingdom, but zelda’s cutscenes turn that suffering into a personification. zelda’s struggle with unlocking her power was relatable, touching, and substantial, and the way the memories end up culminating to her sacrifice makes for an excellent and heavy-feeling conflict. her character is central to botw, and i only wish that they had characterized her much further, so that she had more of an arc in the past, and so that the time we see her would be more valuable.

mipha was done DIRTY. princess of a realm, successor to the king, skilled aquatic warrior, and pilot of a divine beast, and all we get of her is that she has feelings for link? NINTENDO. make it make sense for me, i beg of you. while there’s nothing necessarily wrong with only depicting her feelings for link, it does not really inform us to her character (because link is mostly more static and ambiguously characterized in relation to others), and fails to actually make the tragedy of her defeat feel substantial. still, the details of her character are fun, and the character traits we have of her are good material—it is such a shame that it wasn’t used properly.

urbosa is obviously is a very likeable character, and ostensibly the wisest of the champions. she’s a strong-woman in a sense, but but that characterization isn’t reductive to her persona. her role as a chieftain isn’t very thorough, but nor is daruk’s, so i wouldn’t necessarily attribute that fact to a misogynistic approach. the misogyny (and exoticism??) in the characterization of the gerudo kinda plagues every part of the story/every location that involves them (for example, how most wandering gerudo are on the search for a voe, which is an amusing gag, but not all that funny when we don’t have much else of gerudo culture, or a good sense of their society, in comparison to say, the zora. the rito don’t have it all that well either, to be fair). urbosa’s characterization as a fierce warrior and wise leader isn’t done badly, but it’s very one note, which is disappointing to say the least.

i have conflicting feelings on riju. she’s the young ruler of the gerudo, but it feels as though there’s not much else to her. the moments where her youth shines through (like the stuffed animals in her room, and the fact that the lightning helmet is too big for her) are very endearing, but we don’t really get a sense of how she struggles as a leader, or of how her history informs her person. she’s gerudo, and a later successor to urbosa, so she also exemplifies the same strong and wise traits, which isn’t a very honorable persona to the facts of her character. it is a shame that riju isn’t given as much depth as her character implies, especially when the timeline of the gerudo desert/vah naboris quest is so strong, and when it seems like she has so much potential substance that goes unrealized for the rest of the game.

impa plays the village sage, and is very fun in that role, but there isn’t much more to her than relaying the story of the calamity and offering short comments to things memory or sheikah related

of course, there are other female characters in botw, but none of them star (or enjoy cutscenes) like everyone mentioned above.

totk:

the characterization of zelda in this game is just… ruinous. calamitous, if you will. that person you met in the last game is dead and gone, and the zelda in her stead is heartbreakingly inactive in this story.her sacrifice to bring the mastersword to the present was so strong, and while i hate that it’s essentially a repeat of the damsel-in-distress setup from the last game, it’s technically a different type of conflict, one which i normally imagine wold set her up to take an active character role, but she is so very upsettingly passive in this story, just constantly in the backseat. not a single action of hers (apart from the eating-the-secret-stone bit) impacts the events of the past, which wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have the power/knowledge to do so, but she does! her knowledge of the calamity, of the cave paintings, of the incident that brought her to the past are all pieces of information that should have impacted the events of the past! and the fact that they don’t is more than mischaracterization, it’s just a gaping plot convenience. it’s already dismaying to see her characterization from the last game discarded, but the fact that she isn’t recharacterized anywhere near to the same depth or complexity as the last game is just. a source of apathy, as a zelda fan. the events of the past do not expand on her much at all, but nor do they expand much on ruaru or ganondorf or sonia, nor anything related to the zonai, which is kind of a recurring thing in this game.

sonia was fridged, one and done. kind and caring mother character killed off for an emotional payoff. in almost every cutscene of sonia, she is consoling or caring for zelda, so that when ganondorf kills her, the moment carries emotional weight. her only role in the story is to be a tragic loss, and not in any poetic way, but in the storytelling 101 way. she’s quite depthless, and while her persona and design are quite likable, her characterization is undoubtedly poor.

mineru… doesn’t get enough time in the story. every aspect of her character is defined in relation to the conflict with ganondorf (besides being smart/techy), which is a conflict she doesn’t really have any personal stake in, besides her relation to ruaru. this wouldn’t really be a problem if we were given any insight into the relationship between the two of them, but we aren’t given much of anything. at all. so the fact that she’s a zonai and ruaru’s sister is doing a lot of the heavy lifting to sustain our belief in her personal investment and motivation in this conflict, which simply doesn’t make for a good story. her cutscenes outside of the past really isn’t all that different to the other sages, and the sages are so characterless that they don’t even have names.

purah being redesigned the way she is feels like… a choice by the developers. she has about as much of an active role in the story as impa did in the last game, so her actual characterization isn’t necessarily all that important, since she doesn’t feature much. nevertheless, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth that the essential leader of the effort to redevelop hyrule is given less characterization/character conflict than many npcs in that same location, not to mention in the whole game. the fact that she’s redesigned to be older and… modelesque feels less like a development of her character and more of like a cheap ploy by the developers to put a baddie on the opening of the game to appeal to the demographics of gaming who have, well, a typically misogynistic view of women (and their roles in stories), to say the least of it.

i haven’t actually finished totk and i haven’t seen riju’s arc firsthand, so i don’t know enough about her new character to reflect on it.

i don’t know if you can tell but. i don’t like the story of this game. i’m not saying there aren’t things to like (definitely a super cool gaming experience! even just the story itself, good king ruaru defeats bad king ganondorf is a successful trope), but i feel like the story is just incoherent. characters aren’t really given reasons, motivations, or interest for acting the way they do (at least, in any way that implies that these characters are multitudinous or complex), or they’re taking reactive roles to the events of the story. the main conflict of the story is how ganondorf is threatening hyrule, but we see nothing of his motivations, nothing of how his actions impact ruaru beyond separating him from sonia (what of his kingdom? the livelihood of his subjects? the history of the zonai?), nothing of how it impacts zelda (the most we get from her is her reacting to sonia dying and her sacrifice to become the light dragon. so. three cutscenes), and nothing of how it impacts link. the events of the present are entirely disconnected from the conflict of the past, and it doesn’t do justice by a single one of its characters.

i should have probably just made this my own post, it’s waaaay too long, but i had to. let it out.

yknow in animal crossing when you're fishing and you catch a big fish like a whale and one of the quotes says "THAR SHE BLOWS!!" feeling like I caught a big fish rn. This has to be one of my longest asks I've gotten!!

I REALLY DONT GOT MUCH TO SAY CAUSE YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL except for the TotK Riju part! If I recall correctly her arc is that she wants to master her skill in summoning lightning, after that she kinda plays as Urbosa 2 or the "wise one" of the group. Someone can correct me abt that but she pretty much gave me those vibes, but I can't really go off w botw cause we really don't know much abt her personality wise! So in TotK she's grown...and that's pretty much it

[dragonfly0808]

Please please please make the winx rewrite playlist on Spotify

Mkay so… I got way too invested and wound up making a 5 1/2 hours long way-too-detailed playlist

This is the link:

Veiled Wings and Shattered Panoramas Official Playlist

And if you want to know why I chose each song, down here is the way-too-detailed-explanation of the playlist!

First off; I chose 2 songs to represent each season

Season 1- Wings by PIXY and Faerie Soiree by Melanie Martinez

Season 2- What’s up Danger by Blackway and Black Caviar and Different World by Alan Walker and Sofia Carson

Season 3- This is War by 30 seconds to mars and Nightmares Never End by JT Music and Andrea Storm Kaden

Season 4- Tiller’s Prayer by Sabrina Jordan and Ribs by Lorde

Subsection here for the main song of each arc for s4

Arc 1- Generation Why

Arc 2- The Old Therebefore (the singing to snakes version cause it’s more dramatic)

Arc 3- What Was I Made For? By Billie Eilish

Arc 4- Spinnin by Madison Beer

Season 5 will be… Nightmares Come to Life from HSMTMTS and Long Live by Taylor Swift

Next I chose 2 songs for each member of the Winx

Bloom- Rising by Julia Lester and The Albatross by Taylor Swift

Stella- Sober II (Melodrama) by Lorde and skinny dipping by Sabrina Carpenter

Flora- Envy the Leaves by Madison Beer and Mouth of the Eden by Sabrina Jordan

Musa- Whispers by Halsey and the grudge by Olivia Rodrigo

Tecna- Invisible Chains by Lauren Jauregui and idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish

Aisha- The Tradition by Halsey and Comfort Crowd by Conan Gray

Subsection for my 3 main songs I associate with the girls:

A World Alone by Lorde

WOKE UP by XG

For Good from Wicked

Continuing with the boys

Sky- Lie by Jimin and In My Blood by Shawn Mendes

Brandon- Something Big by Shawn Mendes and Thumbs by Sabrina Carpenter

Helia- Cough Syrup (the Glee version) and Speak Out (Acoustic) from HSMTMTS

Riven- Boy in the Bubble by Alec Benjamin and BLUE by Billie Eilish (cmon ‘I thought we were the same birds of a feather now i’m ashamed’ is so Driven coded it’s not even funny. And the whole final part from ‘you were born bluer than a butterfly’ is just so perfect for him.)

Timmy- The Other Side and Summer Child by Conan Gray

Nabu- Wool by Flatland Cavalry and Die Alone by FINNEAS

Subsection for my 3 main songs I associate with the boys:

Youth by Shawn Mendes and Khalid

ON by BTS

The Story by Conan Gray

Next, songs for the couples!

Skloom: lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid, Surrender by Natalie Taylor (and in the future) Maybe this Time by Joshua Basset and Sofia Wylie

Stella and Brandon: There’s no Way by Lauv and Julia Michaels and R.E.M by Ariana Grande

Flora and Helia: Canada by Lauv and Alessia Cara and Venus Sunrise by Lia Marie Johnson

Rivusa: Ain’t No Doubt About It from ZOMBIES 3 (partially as a joke but also cause that song is absolutely so them) Alley Rose by Conan Gray and ESPECIALLY Vermillion by Sabrina Jordan

Tecna and Timmy: Someone You Like by the girl and the dreamcatcher and Tell Em by Sabrina Carpenter

Aisha and Nabu: Tornado Warnings by Sabrina Carpenter and safety net by Ariana Grande and Ty Dolla $ign

Next, songs for different characters and a few couples!

Icy- 28 Reasons by SEULGI

Stormy- The Lighthouse by Halsey

Darcy- Partners in Crime by FINNEAS

Darcy and Riven- Getaway Car by Taylor Swift and Astronomy by Conan Gray

The Trix- Lightning by Little Mix

Daphne- Can’t Catch Me Now

Valtor- Burn the Witch by Shawn James and Castles Crumbling by Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams

Daphne and Valtor- Dynasty by MIIA

Now Roxy’s squad!

Roxy- Control by Halsey and How Villains are Made by Madalen Duke

Shirley- Matilda by Harry Styles

Naten- Kid in Love by Shawn Mendes

Alexa- Follow the White Rabbit by Madison Beer

Chimera- Wandering (Don’t Go) by Hues and Lia Marie Johnson

Chimera and Naten- The Alchemy by Taylor Swift

Roxy and Shirley- On My Way by Sabrina Carpenter and Alan Walker

The Sibling Squad- Grow by Conan Gray and Warriors by Imagine Dragons

Then I put a bunch of songs that just remind me of the Winx or help me get into a writing mood, I’ll just put the title here cause I’m getting tired

Rise

odd eye

run for roses

untouchable

ringo

s-class

thunderous

lion

secret story of the swan

panorama

centuries

voltage

flesh & bone

legends never die

lifts

Finally, I put a song for Selina and what will be the main song for season 6

For Selina: Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall by Lydia the Bard <- this is exactly the vibe future Selina will have for reals

And finally, the main song for s6:

Til Forever Falls Apart by Ashe and FINNEAS

Wow… I def put way too much thought into this.

Anyways, hope u enjoy!

[tobiasdrake]

One of my favorite bits of Dragonball trivia is that Yajirobe canonically sounds exactly like Krillin (because Toriyama wanted to make sure Krillin's VA still had a steady job while he was dead). so in honor of that, what are your thoughts on Yajirobe?

I support the commander and general of Yajirobe's Special Forces.

...okay, that probably needs some explaining. A bit the anime liked to do for their filler was to have news cameras and reporters swarm the action to report on everything that's happening. This became very awkward later in the series when it was a plot point that nobody remembered Goku more than ten years after Piccolo's defeat.

One of these bits has reporters interviewing Yajirobe while the Saiyan battle was going on. Yajirobe claims that his elite team are out there engaging the Saiyans. So this became a running joke on another site I was on. Dragon Team? Z Warriors? Nah. Yajirobe's Special Forces.

But in seriousness, let's talk Yajirobe.

As noted, this is a character who only exists because, for a brief period, Krillin didn't. Toriyama killed off Krillin but didn't want his V.A. to go without work, so he purposely and explicitly notes in the manga that Yajirobe conveniently sounds just like Krillin.

"Oh wow, you sound just like someone who would be played by Mayumi Tanaka in the anime adaptation of my adventures!" ~Goku

Yajirobe is pretty unique in Dragon Ball for being a weapon-based fighter. The only other character who relies on a sword is Trunks, and he loses his sword pretty early in the Android arc.

Due to his function as a surrogate character for Krillin, Yajirobe is pretty underdeveloped. He's a wandering ronin wildman Goku happens to run into who's tough enough to hang with 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai top contenders.

Somewhere, Tenshinhan doesn't know why but he's incredibly offended right now.

Though when he does get a chance to attend the tournament, it doesn't go well. Then again, he's pit against God in the qualifiers so that's bad luck.

Don't worry, Yajirobe. Yamcha feels your pain.

God came to defeat Piccolo but he figures, as long as he's here, he might as well humiliate martial artists for lulz. This whole drunken boxing-esque "Whoopsy did I win?" shtick must be so demoralizing to lose to.

As a fighter, Yajirobe leans on his katana. This is what makes him so distinctive, compared to other martial artists. He does fight hand-to-hand when he isn't taking things seriously.

But for Yajirobe, getting serious means going for his sword. He practices iaijutsu, a form of kenjutsu revolving around rapid drawing, striking, and sheathing of one's blade. 90's anime fans may recognize iaijutsu or its older name battojutsu as the basis for Kenshin Himura's style in the samurai anime Rurouni Kenshin.

This kill was brought to you by iaijutsu, a popular art for anime swordsmanship because it's fucking cool. Vegeta would later fall victim to Yajirobe's iaijutsu as well.

Imagine being the second-most powerful being the universe literally on the cusp of annihilating the last line of defense that this pitiful world has to offer, with the only truly dangerous opponent broken in your hand....

And then suddenly you lose everything to Krillin's stunt double. This is worse. This is definitely worse than having God Whoopsy Doodle Headbutt you in the balls. 100%, this is worse.

This was both the first and last time Yajirobe had any meaningful impact on a fight. I don't count killing Cymbal up there because Goku would have done it if he hadn't. That was an establishing moment to show off Yajirobe's abilities.

Rather, despite his abilities and standoffish demeanor, Yajirobe is primarily the party healer. It's super weird. Right from the start, his first contribution is a fish Goku swipes from him to get his strength back.

Goku had no idea that this was stealing. He thought fish just... happen like that sometimes.

Goku's bad at life.

But then everything changes for him, after. Uh. Piccolo kills Goku and then Goku... inexplicably springs back to life for no clear reason at all.

Yeah, this beat-for-beat copy/paste of the Taopaipai fight has some jank to it. But that means Yajirobe's next order of business is to serve as a mode of transportation to bring Goku to healz.

And then he moved in. Now he just. Lives there. Obnoxious college roommate to the God of Martial Arts, running errands in the world below. Karin's personal gofer.

Hey, God wants to see us all for fight practice and also your weird island house is dumb and obnoxious.

Here are your Senzu; Bean Daddy out.

The best thing about Yajirobe is the total lack of fucks he gives about whatever this is. Any time he's onscreen, you can feel his resentment over having to earn his rent by continuing to be a character in this manga.

(And the second best thing is that somehow, Wildman With Sword is the party healer.)

[daemonerik]

In a certain rerepeating universe... (Rezerofanweek final day)

Warning: some minor arc 9 spoilers at the very end (and obviously what comes before arc 9 lol)

-

“—Hey, test test… Seems to be working well enough.”

With the sound of the Man’s voice echoing across the entire Watergate City, all remaining citizens who were still wandering around ran towards their homes or shelters.

“Alright, so! Hello everyone! This is a message to the Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult. And to make it clear, I am referring to you, Regulus Corneas, Sirius Romanée-Conti and Capella Emerada Lugunica.”

Moments after the broadcast ceased, the three incarnations of Sins—along with other unrecognizable cloaked figures—surrounded the city hall. Whether they were enraged or intrigued by the Man’s provocations, it didn’t matter. The trap had already sprung.

“I am aware of the reasons you have come to this city. I am also aware of the plans each of you have set to fulfill your desires and personally, so let’s just cut to the chase. The Silver Maiden, Tome of Wisdom and the Witch’s Bones are in my possession. If you don’t come the minute this message ends, I will incinerate the two latter, followed by me eloping with the Maiden away, never to be seen again.” A soft giggle akin to silver bells could be heard at the end of the Man’s ultimatum. 

Before the offended Greed had any chance to share his outrage and respond to the disrespect he was forced to suffer on the city hall, the Sword Saint came down like a lightning bolt and kicked Greed into the air; following him shortly right after. A clash between infinite power and immovable force began to echo across Priestella’s skies.

“This is not an empty threat; I couldn’t care less for these mcguffins even if I wanted to. So unless you come and stop me, your lives will keep being unfulfilled and everything you’ve done up to this would’ve been entirely pointless. I’d usually apologize for being so direct, but I think I’ve lied enough for multiple lifetimes.”

Not giving the other Sin Archbishops time to process what had happened, a beam made from the techniques of the Valkyrie, Finest Knight and Court Mage came down on Lust, tearing her form apart into little chunks of flesh. However, before the body could restore itself as it had for decades upon decades, the pavement on which she lay broke apart, sending what remained of her into the deep depths of the Watergate City. 

“Some of you might be thinking, ‘Who the hell does this guy think he is’. Well, to put it simply, I’m the one behind the demise of the White Whale, Great Rabbit and the one who personally slayed the Archbishop of Sloth.”

Enraged by all that had taken place, Wrath unleashed her chains to set the City Hall and all that surrounded it ablaze—only for the Sun Princess and her Yang blade to descend from the upper floor and intercept the twin strike, using the chains momentum to launch herself towards the Archbishop.

“I could list more and more, but in the end none of that matters. I’m aware enough to admit that at the end of the day, I’m not that special of a person. Like, if even a single Cultist Grunt got a good hit on me, I’d be dead within seconds. With cards like that I should’ve despaired eons ago… If I wasn’t constantly reminded by someone for whom I continue going on again and again. And unfortunately, I can’t remember a single moment where I was alone long enough for that not to be the case.”

Ignoring or not being aware of how their leaders were blind sided, the other Witch Cultists dashed towards the City Hall, showing not a single care for their empty lives. Unknown to them, Warriors of Lower and Higher standing were already waiting for their arrival—Mercenaries from across the West, Guardians of this very City and even a  Disgraced Knight that was forced to fight—they all cut the Cultists down for good.

“To all of you hiding in your homes or shelters, I’m sorry for putting the city at risk. If I could’ve taken this battle to anywhere besides Priestella, I would’ve. I really wish I could’ve. However…” 

While the likes of the Sword Demon and Former Sword Saint exchanged a dance reminiscent of the past, as well as the Failed Shield and Finest Knight proving their skill to the Former War God, the temperature surrounding the City Hall dropped by several tens of degrees. Seconds after, a beam of pure concentrated blue and white shot out of the upper floor directly towards the third district of Priestella. 

“None of you will die. I, Natsuki Subaru, promise that to all of you. So stay safe, be with those around you, and leave it all to me!”

Yet, instead of hitting the center of the district like anyone would expect, the beam of magic crashed into the Control Tower of the district, instantly freezing the entire structure to its very core… and any life that was within. Five seconds after the deed had passed, above the skies of the raging battlefield, Greed’s heart contorted as the Archbishop gasped  for air for the first time in centuries.

"So now, Witch Cult, stop wasting everyone's time. You have taken enough of mine.”

Not suffering from exhaustion or any drunk distractions, the Sword Demon let his blade convey all the love that had festered for 15 years and finally uttered  the words he had never been able to say. At the same time, the Failed Shield and Finest Knight managed to find an opening in the Former War God’s technique, proving their skill to the legendary warrior. Guided by the wind, their ashes spread across the battlefield and left this world.

“You hideous disgusting beasts that make me sick when looking at you,” 

Being kept in check by the Following Star, Lust was forced to regenerate over and over—while also dealing with advanced magics from the Court Mage above—not being given a chance to retaliate. In the end, thanks to the efforts of the Valkyrie, Blue and Great Merchant, the City Hall’s flooding mechanism activated, drowning the Archbishop with the same method that took another Witch in the past. Only by splitting herself into a nearly infinite number of microorganisms—that managed to pass right through the stone walls of the magically sealed waterlogged chamber—was Lust able to escape her watery prison and left the Watergate City.

“You monsters that no one has ever loved or will ever care for in the future,”

Shrieking about the cruelness and misfortune the world had brought her, Wrath tried igniting the hearts of everyone present ablaze, yet the Sun Princess cut her off at every turn, scorching her every attempt. Disgusted by the Archbishop’s pathetic self, the Sun deemed her existence to have run its course. With a final slash, Wrath’s suffering burned away and left this world.

“You sad miserable people, where the more I learn about you, all I feel is pity.”

With his heart returned and no Silver Maiden to marry in sight, Greed thought of desperate ways to escape his looming fate. Yet even that wasn’t awarded to him. Beyond the sixth second of the Archbishop’s beating heart, the Sword Saint did as he was ordered. With a single punch, rupturing through flesh and bone, the Saint’s arm grabbed hold of the heart and with a single squeeze erased it from existence. Falling down from the heavens to the ash littered field, Greed’s words blew away and left this world.

“Come to me,”

Black Pendant in hand, the Man hadn’t bothered watching the spectacle unfold. With the sequence already perfected 7000 tries ago, his attention was aimed on what lay still ahead. Gazing at the helmet worn by the Following Star—who had emerged from the depths of the Watergate City—their eyes connected for just a moment, as the final act of the Battle for Priestella would commence.

“Your natural enemy!"

-

IITS FINALLY DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE11111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Originally i wanted this thing to be 5 times longer and have more focus on Al, along with it being for day 6... but realized I started too late. Hope this is fine enough. Might one day finish the full one shot and post on ao3

Anyway, SEASON 3 DROP IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS (from when i'm posting this)!!! EXCITEMENT!

[dent-de-leon]

It was the last Blood Maledict that did it, finally tipped him over the edge. A Vanguard warrior bearing down on him, poised to strike, his blood soaked blade raised high overhead, glinting in the ruby moonlight--Caleb fumbling with a spell, hands shaking as he stuttered out the words, reaching for his last drop of fading magic--

Kingsley beat him to it. No words passed his lips, no clever retort or snide comment. Just a gutteral scream, blood-curdling and fiendish, a wild battle cry of the Hells. The sharp, piercing screech of Infernal shook the soldier to his core, his own voice a strangled cry as his eyes turned void black, shedding bloodied tears--

He swung out wildly in a wide, desperate arc, the blade sailing right past Caleb. He let out another scream as he staggered and fell gracelessly to the earth, stumbling blindly as his whole world went dark. Another gurgled gasp, a pained cry, and the life left his dark, empty eyes.

And Tealeaf--Tealeaf. His own eyes wept bloody tears, and Caleb didn't miss the fresh blood hunter scar torn open at his forearm, vibrant lavender skin fading to a drained, deathly pallor.

No--no. Not again--

Reeling with the rush of adrenaline, dizzy with blood loss--King listed back with a drunken sway, eyes falling shut as the whole world fell out beneath his feet--

He sinks to his knees and falls just as Caleb catches him, holding on as tight as he can, calling Tealeaf's name again and again. His whole body is trembling, heart racing, and the tiefling feels so small and vulnerable, lying still in his own shaking arms. He chokes back a sob, nails biting deep into King's skin as he pulls him closer, and finally--finally--his friend starts to stir, tail thrashing restlessly as he tosses and turns in Caleb's desperate grasp, crimson eyes fluttering open wide.

And to his absolute horror, Tealeaf's hand falls to the hilt of his sword, the tiefling fighting to stagger blearily back to his feet, his gaze already darting back to the bloodied fray.

If the blood maledicts don't kill him, Caleb certainly will.

Kingsley is slow, unsteady--easy to take by surprise. Caleb seizes him by the wrist and pins him to the nearest wall in a burst of sheer adrenaline, a surge of sudden strength. Panting for air as he caught his breath and held the tiefling's burning gaze.

“No, Kingsley. You are only going to get yourself killed." He knows he’s not strong enough to truly overpower Kingsley and keep him held here, but the nauseating combination of shock and pain is just enough for King to freeze beneath his touch. 

Caleb leans in close, until they feel the warmth of each other’s heavy, punched out breaths. 

"You won't spill another drop of blood tonight," he hissed through gritted teeth, his hold loosening a touch as Kingsley stilled, falling limp in his grasp. "Understand?"

King barks out a laugh, cold and spiteful. His fangs glint sharp and feral in the bleeding red moonlight, and Caleb can feel the tiefling's whole body tense beneath his touch, ready for a fight.

"You don't get to decide that for me, Mr. Caleb. I'm not the same Circus Man you remember all those years ago--you have no idea what I can do."

Caleb wills himself to just stop and breath, to banish the image of Kingsley turning his back to the Nein, sailing off somewhere far beyond the horizon. The unanswered calls, the empty room always waiting in the tower. The nights when Caleb woke in a cold sweat, desperate to hold Tealeaf in his arms again and feel his beating heart. Waiting for his little stray to wander home again.

“Bitte, for once in your life--listen to me. Please. You’ve lost far too much blood, Tealeaf,” Caleb says, letting his voice drop to something quieter. Softer. “I am running out of spells and we are without a healer. You cannot take anymore risks. And I--I won't lose you to this."

Kingsley grits his teeth, still panting ragged breaths. Despite the determined set of his jaw and burning glare, Caleb can see his eyes losing focus, glazing over. He’s starting to really feel the blood loss and won’t hold onto consciousness much longer. 

"Please," Caleb begs again, ice cold dread crawling up his spine, the whole world closing in. "Mr. Tealeaf..."

Kingsley can't even look him in the eye. He mutters one last Infernal curse, then falls back into unconsciousness.

[howlingday]

Ruby, up and coming hero blessed with the Silver Eyes, has heard terrible news! A horrible fiend has invaded the lands! A demon, hailing from a long and cursed line, master of sorcery and steel, a silver tongued trickster, a slave master, a depraved incubus, foul crafts hiding under welcoming illusions, a keen mind of gears and schemes and plots within plots, stronger than iron and quicker than quicksilver, all this and more, has taken control of an abandoned fortress! Determined to boldly rid the lands of this foul taint, (and to prove to Yang she’s a big girl!) she sets off to confront the monster alone! (Bad girl! That’s the first rule of adventuring: don’t go it solo!)

Except, no???????? Jaune has never seen or heard of any ‘demon’ around here. He just moved in, trying to strike out on his own, but nothing seems to be cursed from what he can see. He seems nice enough too. He’s fixing up the old ruin, disabling traps, healing folks when they wander into his place, and all that. Strong, smart, endlessly kind. Talks about his family a lot, they look so happy in the photo. That crest looks familiar, but it’s probably nothing. Surely he’s not the monster, but she can sure use his help to slay the monster when she finds him!

You see, the Arcs are only labeled villains because they refused to kowtow to the government way back when. Their views on life, other races, virtues, and such also puts them at odds with the narrative. The Arcs also have higher standards before they allow their kids to go on adventures, so even the weakest is very strong even to other adventurers. Slightly inspired by the Mind Reaver comic strips by Edd Lai.

So, I decided to have a look into Mind Reaver by Edd Lai, and I have to say I love the idea. A Mind Flayer that's actually a good guy and helps people who wander into his house. It's cute, especially when his niece and... servant, I think? Anyway, it's all so cute, and I highly recommend y'all check it out. Anyway, on to the story.

===========================

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

JAUNE "SALEM'S PALADIN" ARC

REWARD ON APREHENSION

===========================

Ruby looked down at the wanted poster in her hand, carefully examining the features in the mugshot. She'd heard many stories about the Arc family, though much of it was told in the darkest of night as a warning to not stray too far from home, or to not stay up too late, or to file your taxes on time. His jawline was coated in thick hair, and his blue eyes gazed death into the soul of those who view them. There were many other tales, too, like how he'd sway any woman into being his slave, take cannon fire with his bare body, and would even subject whole armies with his sorceries.

Ruby looked up from the poster to see the baby-faced man sitting across from her at the table. She'd found him, demanding to engage in honorable combat between warriors! His response was, "Can we get coffee first?" Ruby agreed and watched as he sipped from his mug after waiting for to cool.

"Ooh!" He winced. "Still kinda hot."

"Uh..."

"Oh, sorry!" He then handed her a napkin. "I think I forgot to split our share."

"No, you already did." Ruby shook her head. "Besides, there's more important stuff going on here!"

"More important how?"

"I mean like this!" She slapped the wanted poster onto the table, earning a groan from him.

"Not another one." He shook his head. "Can we finish our coffee first?"

"I... I guess?" Ruby shrugged. "But why aren't you all... Y'know, big and scary and trying to mind-break me?"

"...Because I can't?" He asked more than he said. He then took the poster in his massive, clawed hands. Each finger was about the size of a breakfast sausage. "I really wish they would get a new picture. They make me look like a monster in this."

"Aren't you?" Ruby asked.

"Half." He answered. "Well, kinda sorta. You see, my great-great-great-"

Ruby whirled her fingers in a wheel as he rounded off each great in his ancestor's name. She'd heard a lot of tales about monsters and humans and faunus getting together, except for the Grimm, who were mindless beasts of destruction. What usually came from these unions was either monster or human or faunus, but on rare occasions, half-monsters would be born. These creatures were then cast out of the village upon their discovery, usually ending with their own demise. It was sad and cruel, but terribly not uncommon.

"-great-grandma Salem, the mother of all Grimm."

"Wait, I thought Grimm couldn't reproduce."

"They can't, but she can. Or could, since she hasn't had any kids since The Great Tear." Open in dimensions from a huge magical clash, brought monsters into Remnant, new age of war, magic, and adventure for everyone. Ruby knew it well enough from the stories. "Ooh! Still hot." He chuckled, after wincing from another sip of hot coffee.

"Okay, so then why is everyone after you? Half-monsters don't usually have posters, unless they commit a crime."

"Well, I didn't."

"You didn't?"

"He did." Ruby whirled in her seat to find a young woman standing in the doorway to the coffee shop. She stepped in with guards trailing behind her, all heavily armored, while she herself wore an elegant officer's jacket. "Jaune Arc, I am placing you under arrest in the name of the Schnee Dust Queendom."

"What did I do?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, what did he do?" Ruby asked.

Snapping her fingers, a heavy, white book was brought to her hands. Opening it, the pages fluttered until they landed on a pair of pages with Jaune's name and mugshot on them. Clearing her throat, she began.

"Corrupting the minds of the youth."

"Hey, Mr. Whitley asked me to tutor him!"

"Silence!" She barked, her face growing a bit red. "Seducing a high ranking officer of the Schnee Dust Queendom."

"Your mother was a nice woman! She kissed me first!"

"I said shut up!" Her face grew even more red. "And public indecency while resisting Queendom duties."

"You fired a cannon at me!"

"And stripped yourself bare in an attempt to intimidate us."

"MY CLOTHES WERE BURNED OFF!"

"AND I SAID SHUT UP!" Face completely red, she tossed the book behind her in a fury. "You will surrender yourself at once, Salem's Paladin!"

"Oh, come- I don't even know Salem!" He defended. "I've never even met my great-great-great-great-"

"Great." Ruby groaned. "You got him started again."

"And who are you?"

"Ruby Rose, bounty hunter." She smiled. "Who are you?"

"Queen-Heiress-Apparent Weiss Schnee," she huffed, "and I'm taking this criminal in."

"Nuh-uh."

"What do you mean, 'nuh-uh'?"

"I mean nuh-uh."

"-great-great-great-grandma Salem!"

"Did you add two greats on there?" Ruby asked.

"Enough!" Weiss snarled. "You are both being brought into custody!"

"Aw, really? But couldn't we have... coffee?" Ruby winked at Jaune.

"No, we can't." Weiss answered.

"Jaune!" Ruby whined. "You were supposed to throw coffee on her!"

"Excuse me?!" Weiss screeched.

"Yeah, excuse you?!" Jaune reeled back. "Why would I do that?!"

"Because it'd be totally cool, like in an action comic!" Ruby reasoned.

"But it would hurt her!"

"THAT'S THE POINT!"

"ENOUGH!"

The cafe rumbled as white circles covered the walls and floors. An angry Schnee huffed in and out of her nose as she pulled out her rapier. Behind her, soldiers readied their guns on the two. Ruby glanced to Jaune, who gulped at the sight. Looks like she was going to do this alone.

"Are you sure you don't want coffee? It's really good~!" Ruby sang.

"Oh, please," Weiss rolled her eyes, "do you really think you can throw coffee on me now that I'm aware that's your- ARGH! BIG NICHOLAS FUCK!" She held her face as very, very, very, very, very warm coffee splashed onto her face.

Ruby took the cue and grabbed Jaune. Together, the two weaved through gunfire as yellow and red petals fluttered to the floor. The two had successfully made their escape, and it seemed the soldiers inside were easily distracted, too, as they began barking orders at one another. One of them actually barked like a dog, too, which was weird.

"AFTER THEM!" The barking died as the Schnee roared over them all.

Weiss used a blanket of napkins to wrap around ice dust and held it to her face. One guard remained behind, holding her book. Through her anger, she gave him an order that would turn the world upside down for Ruby and Jaune.

"I want wanted posters in every kingdom," she seethed, "and I want that Demon Couple locked up YESTERDAY!"

[vint-knight]

"Be careful of my heart"

Jaune Arc, formal common street thief finds himself in the grasps of the Queen of Atlas, the one who has chosen him to be her shield, walked through the empty clear halls of the Schnee Palace, until they reached the ends of her chambers.

Weiss looks at him with a cold stare "Well, I shall rest, the council meeting is tomorrow and I can't afford to stay up, goodnight Arc..." *She prepares to enter them, when she feels the gentle warm hold around her wrist, looking back as if it was her guard, who had grown in his years, but he still somehow looked so young, his hair was tied into a "warrior's tail" he had always wished when he was a mere commoner and younger, and he had a bushy beard that no one would resist touching

The Arc's lips curled into a soft smile "Goodnight my lady, though please be careful of my heart won't you?" The white haired angel quirked an eyebrow at him, but couldn't help but flush at his words, as he continued with "You see..." He slightly fumbles with her fingertips, feeling the coldness that he couldn't help loving, ever since he had accidentally wandered through her backyard as a common boy.

He finally continued again, having to take a breath "You're taking it home tonight..." He said with a hushed tone, looking at her with a faint smile "Please, don't break it"

Weiss stumbled slightly closer to him, gazing into those blue spheres that reminded her of the ocean she would look at whenever she was able to have some sort of vacation with her family as a young girl, if you counted it as one anyway, her lips curled into a calm smile, which was slightly hidden by the shade of her door "Goodnight your grac- Arc" She stuttered out "Goodbye, until tomorrow"

[chrisrin]

Is karkat going to go through a similar arc as peridot?

Karkat's arc is a bit of a mix between Amethyst and Peridot, but both sorts of flipped on their heads!

The idea with Karkat is that he's a Jasper who woke up too early. Unlike Amethyst who woke up too late, Karkat emerges from his hole some hundred years before he's supposed to. The planet is incubating and not being super closely monitored because everything's all set and they're just waiting for the gems to grow. This leaves Karkat pretty much alone on a desolate, dark, dying planet.

He wishes for nothing more than to go back to sleep, he tries to crawl back into his hole multiple times waiting for consciousness to slip, but he can't go back to "keep growing" after he's emerged.

The longer you wait, the more your mind fills. It’d be wrong to call them memories, you didn’t exist before, so they can’t be memories. 

Purpose. What your purpose should be. You’re a Jasper, you’re a Quartz, made for war. You’re a soldier, you’re a warrior for Homeworld. You’re supposed to be big and strong, ready to fight for your creators, for your Diamond.

You’re supposed to fit your hole. You can’t.

So he makes a life of wandering the planet. It's cold and boring, so fucking boring, and he thinks a lot about what he could do. He thinks about how he's a failure to the Diamonds, swapping between fear of being discovered here and wanting nothing more than to interact and talk with another sentient being.

Unbeknownst to Karkat, another group of gems nears the Kindergarten. The Alpha Kids are a small group of rebel gems who stole a ship off Homeworld. Upon needing to stock up on supplies, Roxy locates an incubating Kindergarten that is long enough in its cycle for no gems to inhabit the planet, but early enough that they can still retrieve what they need. They land on the Kindergarten and Karkat eavesdrops, stunned to be witnessing actual living real people.

But Karkat realizes what they are, when he listens in and realizes that they're traitors.

He sees this as an opportunity. If he can turn these rebels in, then the Diamonds won't shatter him! He won't be a failure!

So he boards the ship, sneaking on as a stowaway. Roxy almost immediately finds him and it turns into that little scene.

Jane and Roxy convince Dirk to let Karkat live and stay aboard, and Karkat stays locked up in one of the rooms. He's like a little hissy cat, but he's also completely overwhelmed and overstimulated just being around things that aren't the Kindergarten.

With a lot of time and a lot of slowly building trust, Karkat starts to warm up to the Alpha Kids and eventually becomes a proper part of their squad.

[mist-touchedxiv]

Rating: 18+

Name: Loksen Tyr

Race: Viera | Veena

Patron Deity: Oschon

Hometown: Skatay Range | Kópavogur

Age: 75+

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 198 lb

Hair: Black with unusual natural blue streaks

Eyes: Aether blue

Gender: Male (he/him)

Orientation: Heterosexual

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Formerly Wood-warder, slave

Currently Adventurer

Job: SAM/ARC

Favorite Color: Blue

Smoking: Yes, occasionally. Prefers using a kiseru. Blends own tobacco, typically with vanilla. The smell of smoked tobacco can help dull his already potent Vieran sense of smell if he feels overwhelmed

Drinking: Yes. Loves Vieran aquavit and Mjød, but hasn't encountered either in years. Due to spending time in Hingashi enjoys sake and often carries a flask, which he has been known to use as a weapon

Diet: Omnivore

Hobbies: Whittling, archery, drinking and eating, traveling, fishing, mahjong, reading Vieran poetry, camping

Personality: Reserved, almost aloof. Intense. Helpful. Honorable. His noble heart and wanderlust belies a quiet guilt.

Distinguishing Features: Vieran male. Lotta blue. Speaks Eorzean with a noticeable but pleasant accent akin to Finnish. Faded scars across his back and torso. Brand on the back of neck to identify him as a Garlean prisoner, usually covered by hair.

Löksen was a typical Wood-warder many years ago, until the day the Garlean empire attacked Dalmasca. During a periodic visit to his home village, hearing disturbing rumors that Garlemald had set eyes on Dalmasca. Having proven to be a great archer, the leaders urged him and a small group of other Wood-warders to make a trip to Dalmasca to convince the Viera living in the city to come home.

Ultimately, they failed. Having scarcely arrived in the foreign city, it was overrun by Garlean forces and the other men were killed in the ensuing battles and Löksen taken prisoner for several years. During his imprisonment at a Garlean labor camp, Löksen was a target of fascination and sometimes ridicule as a rare male of an already elusive people. His Wood-warder background prepared him for the harsh conditions of the camp and helped him survive. His time in the camp also introduced him to a variety of people and cultures that he never would have encountered otherwise. Imprisoned Sharlayan scholars taught him the Eorzean language, an old Hingan woman taught him the way of the samurai, a pair of Lalafell smugglers regaled him with stories of Ul'dah, among others.

Eventually, the camp was inadvertently liberated by Bahamut's rampage and during the chaos, Löksen fought and killed the Garlean officer who had served as a tormentor and overseer and took their gunblade as a trophy that he carries with him.

Now he wanders Etheirys partly as an adventurer inspired by the stories of his fellow inmates about the diverse lands they came from, but also to try to escape a sense of guilt for failing his people in Dalmasca and trying to seek solace.

RP Hooks

Hey there, mun here. I'm pretty flexible on how to start interactions. I'm completely open to discussing things or just go with the flow, provided you start of course.

I designed Loksen to essentially be a support character. He's not a WoL, he's not blessed with Echo. Honestly, my goal with him is to bring texture and enhance YOUR story. I suppose I'm more focused on being a character than a protag, I guess.

He's got his own little stories, but I'm here to make friends and try my hand at a creative outlet that I haven't done in several years.

Anyways, here's some possibilities!

Yojimbo: A wandering warrior of no small skill. Something need doing? Body? Guarded. Bounties? Hunted. Monsters? Slain. Need a courier because you can't deliver through regular services? He's got legs.

Animal-lover: He will pet the animals.

Tarzan Boy: You can take the Wood-warder out of the woods, but you can't take the warder out... of... the... Well, Loksen prefers to be out in nature when he gets the chance and he can be a bit wild. Maybe you encounter him out in the Shroud climbing amongst the trees and foraging for food.

"Where'd You Get That?!": As a samurai, Loksen carries an extremely unusual blade: the gunblade of a Primus Ordinarius of exquisite craftsmanship. Sure to draw the attention of any Garleans affiliated character. It has been modified to be suited for fighting in the manner of the legendary Hingashi warrior tradition.

About the RPer

Cishet • M • 30+ • North America Central Time Zone • Weird, but well-meaning

[cheerclaw]

Meet the OCs: Saltburn (she/her) - @nanistar

Saltburn is a laid back, relaxed senior warrior who lives in SaguaroClan, one of the three friendly Clans of the sunny Mojave desert. She is a bit odd, having a bald patch on her nose, and extra sensitive eyes that keep her from going out a lot during the day, but she remains cheerful. She loves her MarshClan mate Hollowspur and her best friend, the SaguaroClan healer Silversky. Little does she know, she is actually a lost child of Bonestar, the leader of MoonClan; a long forgotten Clan that was banished to the nearby abandoned copper mine over 100 years ago….

Mothsight the Watcher (he/she/they) - @sp1resong

Mothsight is a warrior of RotClan, having joined alongside her best friend Mushroompelt when they were both six moons old. He is a protagonist of The Poison Beneath (@thepoisonbeneath), which I am once again shamelessly plugging [here be MANY spoilers btw if you don't want those uh. don't read further] They are, more than anything else, curious. No amount of knowledge is enough. She'd throw herself headfirst into a dark pit just to see what was at the bottom--actually, he kind of does do that! though he first enters the Labyrinth (df equivalent) alongside Mushroompelt while searching for the latter's missing partner Jonny, she quickly develops a… fascination with the place and with its nature. Their curiosity draws the attention of Darnerstare the Clarity, one of the Labyrinth's Centers (most powerful spirits, who work alongside Sporefall the Decay as sort of secondary leaders), who begins to walk in Mothsight's dreams. The Clarity, as the Labyrinth's resident Eye Imagery and Knowledge Guy, offers to give Mothsight the knowledge, the /clarity/ he seeks. Though she is at first hesitant (they are curious, not stupid), they ultimately agree when the Clarity shows him just how much he stood to gain--notably, the power to wander the territory and visit the Labyrinth in her sleep, and the ability to walk in others' dreams. The cost--relying on the Clarity to sustain them--was great, but worth it, they reasoned, and they took on the role of his host, and the title of Watcher. after Mushroompelt-as-the-Catalyst breaks the seals on the Labyrinth (long story), it is Mothsight who undergoes the most drastic physical changes, getting a solid two new eyeballs. . okay i almost said diversity win i'm not sure if that's what i meant there regardless, with the boundaries between dreams and waking thoroughly blurred and the source of their power unconstrained, Mothsight grows WAY more powerful. actually, she in all honesty doesn't want the 'apocalypse' to end! but everyone else is suffering and though he's undergone a sort-of corruption arc he's not That bad. now, there aren't many choices here. Icarus says that they need to destroy the Labyrinth, freeing the trapped spirits (it was the fact that they were within the Labyrinth and unable to decay and join the Forever Free [StarClan equivalent] that angered them so, after all), but this would destroy Mothsight's power--and, in all likelihood, kill her. Mothsight instead develops a plan to seal the Labyrinth away again without destroying it, which would save her life and power /but/ doom the trapped spirits to be bound forever--or, not forever, which is part of the problem! the Labyrinth's escape would be all but an inevitability, it'd just put it off for some generations more so that /these/ cats don't have to deal with it. still, this is the plan that most agree to--except for Icarus. Icarus goes behind the others' back and, within a sort-of-dream, attempts to sacrifice his own life setting fire to the peat bogs in their entirety (largely a symbolic thing, not literal. although the dying is literal). Mothsight, however, walks in his dreams and catches him in the act. there's a confrontation, it's very emotional, blah blah blah. anyways they both die. i'm too tired to explain this in a fancy way sorry theyre just fucking died also they're canonically aroace. diversity win!

[Back to the grade]

[leikeliscomet]

No, Ncuti Gatwa's Casting Isn't Regressive

Chapter 3 - Dancing Queen/Conclusion

‘I’ve experienced racism my whole life, and while I always believed in myself, always knew [racists] were stupid and uneducated, I guess it did misinform my view of how the world works. It makes you think everyone has that opinion and you’ll constantly have to fight through life – then you learn that you don’t: you can find a tribe, you can find your people.’ - Ncuti Gatwa for Elle

So with the treatment of Who’s Black men and the neglect of Black women in its representations of womanhood, consider the Fifteenth Doctor. A dark-skinned Black queer man, wearing a kilt and a bold smile, spinning to his heart’s content on the dancefloor. This is an image of Blackness, an image of queerness and an image of manhood and masculinity the show has never seen before. Gatwa is fully aware of this and has gone in depth in his interviews. He’s also addressed his Rwandan heritage and his family fleeing genocide against the Tutsi. Gatwa knows the feeling of being an outsider, heavily mirroring the revelation of the Timeless Child. Black Britishness is already a form of representation mainstream British media has only recently acknowledged and in this case, Black Scottishness is taking the forefront. Despite being a British cultural stape, Doctor Who’s been shy about representing Black Britishness specifically. We’ve had three Black companions, but little references to the culture (minus Ryan’s mention of grime music in Arachnids). We know Yaz is Pakistani. But is Ryan African? If yes, is he Nigerian, Ghanaian etc.? Is Ryan West Indian? If so, is he Trini, Bajan etc.? Is he both? What was Martha and Bill’s heritage? Many Black people in the British Isles are 2nd and 3rd gen immigrants, some of us are African, some are West Indian and some of us are both. Black British identity is complex as it is a melting pot of different African and West Indian cultures blended to create something new. Gatwa’s Black Scottishness provides this insight to Fifteen. Gatwa’s Rwandan heritage is included in Fifteen’s sonic too, with Gallifreyan symbols translating the phrase ‘the sharpness of the tongue always defeats the sharpness of the warrior’. Other Black cultural references have appeared for Fifteen too, with Gatwa noting his wardrobe is inspired by Black American HBCU fits. Even though it isn’t yet confirmed (and unlikely for series 14/season 1 seeing as there are no Black writers… yay!), Gatwa has shown interest in a Nigerian historical stating he’d love for the Doctor to meet the Orishas, goddesses of West African folklore. Again, with many different Black cultures not only is this an opportunity for representation but also new stories, new locations and new concepts the show has yet to discover. To fit in so many spaces but none at all is a perfect summary of the Black British experience and other Black experiences in Western countries.

“We choose our families. And the Doctor is a lonely wanderer, looking for their next adventure … I know many a gay man, MANY a gay man, I could describe that way!” - Ncuti Gatwa for the Guardian

Queer Black manhood and masculinity is rich and diverse and with this new era, we could see the tip of its iceberg. There have already been representations of this before in media such as Moonlight and Noah’s Arc so for a mainstream British show like Doctor Who to feature a queer Black man as the lead, we have the opportunity to show something special. With Nine and Jack’s kiss and Fourteen’s cosign of Isaac Newton already showing this potential, we could see a canon longer term mlm pairing involving the Doctor for the first time. And not only that but with a Black doctor for the first time. A queer Black man showing love and being loved is a reminder for queer Black people that universe-defying romance includes us too and that our DoctorRiver or TenRose moments can exist.

There is so much to look forward to in this new era and even more potential for the type of representation it can bring. So with that in mind, I hope the greater fandom at large can see this and that newer fans will get to experience that same joy we did when we first fell in love with this show.

‘This person survived a genocide. This person fits in everywhere and nowhere. I am the Doctor. The Doctor is me. I decided that I had to get this role’ - Ncuti Gatwa for Rolling Stone

<- Chapter 2

[skyward-floored]

Wait wait hold on... taking into account the comics Jojo posted in the official Discord, we know how Legend and Hyrule met, how Sky and Four met, and we also know how Twilight and Wild's meeting basically goes down... which just leaves Time, Warriors, and Wind, right? The War of Eras Trio? Do you think that they met up with each other before finding the others?

- hero-of-the-wolf

I honestly have no idea, that’s an interesting thought! Though you gotta remember those three didn’t actually meet in the war in the lu comic, that’s just fan stuff :)

I would guess myself that Wind Warriors and Time did meet at the same time, or at least close to the same time since Wind seems very close with both Time and Warriors. Maybe it was the sort of thing where Wind and Time met, and then Warriors came along a bit later? Wind seems like the biggest common denominator between the three of them, so I would guess that he met one or the other of them and then the other joined a bit later. And then they eventually stumbled on the others? Perhaps...

Another thing I’ve noticed too— it kinda seems like the other Links came to Time’s era, based on how the comic starts and when the Malon arc begins. Like Wind and Wars go through portals from home, meet each other, wander around, find Time (local hero who’s been out for awhile based on Malon’s reaction, and just started investigating portals/etc), and then coming across the other Link groups. And then there’s the first arc with the moblin, and then the one with Malon!

...maybe. We just don’t know yet XD it’ll be really fun to see how Jojo does it!

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Tag Game: OC Song

Thanks to @pluppsauthor @thewritingautisticat for the tag!

Rules: pick 3 ocs, and give them each a song!

Only three??? And only one song each??? Well, if you insist. Let's do the trio from The Hunter, the Myth and the Cure! Songs are all selected from this playlist.

Octavian de Silv:

A disproportionate amount of the songs on the playlist reflect him or his arc, but this is the song I always associate with my elf boi.

Draven Cozenson:

This one is Draven's based on vibes and vibes alone.

Reese Takari:

My perseverant, stubborn, resilient baby girl.

Tagging @pluttskutt @melpomenelamusa @geode-crystal @paeliae-occasionally @faytelumos

@crwn-nrth @aalinaaaaaa and open tag! :D

(edit: took me a second to figure out audio embedding lol)