#basically what we now think of harpies

[rust-painted-fingers]

love it when my muse decides procrastination is the best motivator -_-

[kiame-sama]

Twisted Wonderland Monsterverse AU?

What monsters do you think each of the characters would be? (With the exception of the Beastmen, Mermen and Fae Characters since they’re technically monsters already)

These are a few ideas on what I think some of the characters might be (You can change these, since I’m mainly guessing)

I can definitely see Jamil as a Naga

Kalim makes me think of an Otter (So cute and adorable that you can forget that Otters are dangerous)

I feel like Vil would probably be a Harpy, specifically a Peacock Harpy (Very pretty, confident and can be aggressive)

Rook would probably also be a Harpy, specifically one of the Birds of Prey (He’s a Hunter after all) like a Peregrine Falcon or a species of Eagle

Idia would a God of Death, the Dead and Ruler of the Underworld and Ortho either being a Soul or Cerberus(?)

I feel like Silver would either be Human, Bear or a Bird, like a Barn Owl (They’re very cute)

Did most characters, some are more than a little obvious (given they are already creatures in Twisted Wonderland anyway).

Divus is a Selkie and is very protective over his fur.

Sam is a Shadow man (we all saw that coming).

Vargas is a minotaur.

Trein is a sphinx.

Crowley is a Crow Fae (obviously).

Ace is a Satyr and thinks playing the pan flute is dumb.

Deuce is a Faun- basically a Satyr with better horns and a stronger sense of justice, known for helping lost travelers.

Cater is a water nymph and is often seen bothering Trey while he is resting in the waters of the lake of Heartslabyul.

Che'nya is a Bakeneko- twin tailed cat that typically symbolizes bad luck.

Trey is a Kelpie centaur and often seen with Riddle as they are good friends, or Cater riding around on his back despite the usual warning that comes with trying to ride a Kelpie.

Riddle is a unicorn centaur and he hates that so many tease him about being a 'girly' creature. Very gifted with magic and extremely proud, his mother was very strict about Riddle being the perfect unicorn growing up.

Jack is a Werewolf.

Ruggie is a Gnoll.

Leona is a Nemean Lion.

Azul is a Cecaelia- basically what he is now, an octo-merman.

Jade and Floyd are Eel Mermen (predictably).

Kalim is a Genie that genuinely wants to help people and grant wishes but always winds up granting wishes that have unfortunate unforseen consequences.

Jamil is definitely a Naga, but he is the Naga that protects Kalim's lamp and treasure since Kalim is a Genie from a long line of powerful Genies.

I agree that Vil is a Peacock Harpy. He loves to preen and make a show of fanning out his tail-feathers, very proud and wickedly smart.

Neige is a mourning dove Harpy.

Rook is a Drider- spider centaur- specifically a Huntsman-Spider Drider who is a master of spinning web traps and even hunting down his prey, as Huntsman-spiders (usually the males) are voracious wandering predators. (I headcannon all Driders can spin webs)

Epel is a wood nymph, specifically of the Apple tree variety.

Idia is a Shinigami. Technically still a death-god and likely a high ranking death-god given he is already descendant of a high ranking family.

Ortho is also a Shinigami, he is still the little brother of Idia despite what happened to him, so I'm saying he is still a Shinigami.

Silver is a Cervitaur- a Deer centaur- and is just starting to get more prongs on his horns, which Lilia is absolutely thrilled with and often teases Silver about.

Lilia is a Bat Fae.

Malleus is Dragon Fae.

Sebek is a Raiju Fae.

Rollo is a Fire Nymph.

[kasagia]

In the last chapter of Right Hand, Feyd said he could just leave her behind and take other women without any problems if that's what she wanted; forced her into a confession; never confessed his own feelings; wants to kill people she was intimate with in the past, when he still has his harpies; his bullshit with Irulan; injected her with truth serum.... He basically treated her like a glorified concubine (the woman he supposedly loves) and her reaction is to act like a retarded school girl??? But my main question is: how does she not react about him saying that he could just leave her behind and have other women without any problems? He acts like he does not give a shit about her, only that he's mad that her attention is on others.

Dear Anonymous, thank you very much for your thoughts!

I'm going to play a bit of devil's advocate here and explain the actions of our boy and reader, so let's get started.

First of all, it is worth pointing out that the relationship between the reader and Feyd is not normal. They both have attraction towards each other, sexual desire, and so on. Of course, that's not all, because they feel something for each other: attachment (to some extent), admiration, respect, possessiveness (on both sides), and they like being close to each other. Nevertheless everything that happens between them is not healthy, sugary, or an example of how a relationship should be.

But back to the answer to the main question (how does she not react about him saying that he could just leave her behind and have other women without any problems? He acts like he does not give a shit about her, only that he's mad that her attention is on others.):

"(...) Is this what you want? For me to take another woman? For me to treat her the way I treat you? For me to leave you on this damn desert? Because I can, Y/N. I can fuck the other women, become emperor the easy way, and give you damn Arrakis, but you have to look me in the eyes and tell me that's what you really want."

Feyd doesn't say he wants to do that. He says he can if the reader wants to reject him or if she is sure she doesn't want him. (So technically, it is: I love you; you are important to me; I won't force you to do anything if you don't want to; but I won't be alone forever waiting for you to decide whether you want me or not.) And he asks such questions when she is under the influence of truth serum, because he knows that she will never admit to him what she really feels by herself and willingly.

Feyd has never loved anyone before; he has never had a normal relationship. That's why he resorts to what he knows: plotting, planning, and extracting the truth by force (poor Fevas). These are his ways. The boy here is just desperate. He must know the truth; he must find out whether the reader loves him or is just taking advantage of him, because temporarily it is convenient for her to be close to him.

And the reader understands that Feyd sees no other way, that he resorts to something like this to get the truth from her. Which doesn't change the fact that she's mad at him for it, but... the reader resists him for so long; everyone must have their moments of weakness, right? And Feyd proved in this chapter that he cares about this reader (not with words, but with actions; I will give examples later).

I think he is too harmed and guarded/self-protective to hover around the reader and shout that he loves her, to allow himself to be completely vulnerable with her, and to express his love and devotion in words. Therefore, Feyd's love language (here) is actions.

"You almost died." "You're exaggerating this. I thought you of all people won't be afraid of the sight of a little blood." You respond dismissively, which only makes his mood worse. (...) "I simply don't enjoy holding your almost lifeless body in my arms. I much prefer it when your heart beats strongly against your chest... like now."

Feyd, as we know him, does not hesitate to take someone's life; he likes to hurt people. But seeing the reader's blood? Having her bloos on his hands? Hold her as she fights death? It doesn't make him happy; hurting her isn't pleasant for him if... it's not intended to increase pleasure and sensations. (I think I wrote somewhere that the boy ordered to burn his clothes and hers from that day so that he wouldn't be reminded of it.)

"Don't kill him." You ask him, knowing full well that he will refuse. But despite everything, you cling to this stupid hope, not knowing why you care so much about keeping Fevas alive. "Why?" "Because I ask you. Please." For the first time, you look at him desperately, knowing full well that all you can do is beg him to change his mind. Because if Feyd Rautha Harkonnen decides that someone is going to die, then even the Grim Reaper won't be able to save the poor man from him.

Here. Fevas was… quite tortured by Feyd, but he kept him alive. He wouldn't listen to just anyone once he had decided something, but he made an exception for the reader.

"I am a Bene Gesserit. I don't love anyone." You answer coldly and without emotion. He stares at you for a moment before pushing you away from him. He no longer looks you in the eyes, though his eyes are still glued to your half-naked form. He stays in silent reverie for a moment, then breaks it with a bitter, hoarse laugh, shaking his head. "And I am a Harkonnen. We don't obey anyone." He growls impassively and pushes you away to get to the door. He returns to the party, closing the metal door behind him with a loud bang.

Our boy's black, rotten heart was slightly hurt here. Because how can his little witch say that? So, in an act of rebellion, he went to Irulan, knowing full well that it would hurt the reader as much as she hurt him. Yes, it's not healthy, but that's Feyd: If you hurt me and show me that you don't want me, I will go and show you that I am not a pathetic guy who is head over heels in love and that you have no control over me. (He failed miserably because, immediately after her leaving, he caught up with Fevas to find out the truth about his relationship with the reader.)

"The little witch shouldn't listen to this old man. The master likes the little witch very much. He threatened to kill us if we did anything to her." You frown at her sudden confession, but you don't question why she's doing it. You decide to brush it off. "I think we both know that he... likes to break his favourite toys only by himself." "But not a little witch. When the little witch was bleeding, the master became furious. The master almost killed his uncle when he ordered him to kill the little witch. The master watched over the little witch until the doctors said that the little witch would survive. And he told us to guard her door while he went away to kill the people who hurt her."

And the last one (because it's very late and I should go to sleep xD).

Would Feyd go against his uncle for anyone? NO. He wouldn't give a damn if his uncle told him to kill one of his harpies. He would just do it. But the reader? Fuck no.

Feyd still keeps the harpies close; it's true, but it's more out of sentiment. Because they were a little close to him, but now he spends nights and days with the reader, and since... he became a little close to her (*cough* trying to fuck her *cough*), he doesn't go to them and doesn't spend time with them. He treats them rather as... useful pets. Guard dogs.

To sum up, it may seem that Feyd doesn't give a damn about her, but to me, he must be so... conservative in showing his emotions. He will do it through small actions rather than words (which the reader notices; after all, she knows him best; they communicate without words).

He is extremely jealous of the reader, possessive and paranoid, because he is afraid that she will eventually run away from him, that she will get scared and leave him when he falls in love with her. He is afraid that he will give her everything he has; he will give her his heart on a platter only for her to trample on it, chew it up, and throw it away. So, he won't do it until he's 10000% sure that the reader really loves him and isn't going anywhere.

I hope you understand what I mean and what I wanted to show. 😅🙈

Thank you very much, anonymous, for your question and I'm sorry I wrote so much! Have a nice day/night! 😊🩵🖤🩵🖤🩵🖤🖤🩵🖤🖤🩵🖤🖤🩵🖤🖤🩵🖤🖤🩵🖤

[crow-aeris]

So i’ve been thinking (shocking, really) about the world building for my reverse robins wingfic.

ike, sure, it’s a little fic and ppl prolly won’t notice, but i just cant help but speculate.

in this au, everyone is born with wings unless afflicted with a certain illness, disease, or genetic defect that leaves you with no avian traits (which is the excuse the kents use).

but how would having wings influence the infrastructure? well, i’m glad you asked! cities are more compact because there isn’t really as big a need for transportation unless you’re an aves that’s just not built for long-distance travels like various passeriformes birds.

planes still exist, but they’re utilized by the avians who aren’t able to fly long distances. avians who have wings like albatrosses or terns or other soaring birds would probably require licenses to do their annual migrations and travels- same applies to regualr migritory species like ducks and geese- where the instinct remains despite not needing to migrate.

of course, with the constant migration through countries, i think there would be more mixing of races and ethnicities especially within the migratory bird communities, so there would probably be less overall hostilities.

now, there will still be discriminatory and hateful ideals, and some are shown in my fics. For example, Gotham’s elites are mostly made up of raptors and birds of prey like eagles, kites, kestrels, hawks, falcons, ospreys, owls, etc- birds who actively hunt down mammalian or lizards for prey (in the real world i mean), that is because of displays of powers. Scavengers like condors, vultures, buzzards, are regarded lower on the social ladder but not as low as perching birds and song birds simply because of their ability to have sustained flight.

like i mentioned briefly, songbirds and perching birds (passerines) are regarded lowly in general due to their “weak demeanor” and overall flashiness, which gives them the reputation of being only suitable to work in brothels and such regardless of gender (but especially dudes where the aves species exhibits sexual dimorphism, eg. cardinals, peacocks, golden pheasants, etc.)

there are definitely some exceptions, being corvids. some cultures have corvids as villans, whereas others may portray corvids as intelligent and charming.

now, we arrive to genetics. im still not 100% sure how i want the phenotype of an avian to be passed down. so far, it’s mainly just sons are the same aves as their fathers (like thomas wayne, bruce, and damian are all harpy eagles, but martha wayne was a kingfisher and talia is an imperial eagle), but im not sure abt daughters. genetics is messy, but i think i’ve managed to sertle on a 50/50 chance of being born either the same aves as their mother, or their paternal grandmother. like if damian had been born with xx instead of xy chromosomes, then he’d either have been an imperial eagle like talia, or a kingfisher like martha wayne. intersex people exist too, and i think their wings would be a blend between both their mother and father’s.

now for the the supers and the other metas:

as mentioned previously, the kents claim that their adopted son had a genetic disorder that basically prevented him from growing wings (or just left him in a state similar to humans before they were all “cursed” by a diety to have wings, or whatever. in the dcu, that probably woulnd’t even be too far fetched), so clark lacked a major social component to his childhood. without wings and a tail, others would have a harder time reading his emotions, seeing as these appendages are crucial in nonverbal communication between avians, and that gives clark a leg up in reading other people, but having them not understanding what he’s thinking.

now with jon and kon, they have two VERY different situations. for jon, since his paternal side is wings-free, i just gave him lois’s ave- western kingbird- instead of making him no-winged. kon, on the other hand was a test-tube baby, so it was a toss-up on whether he’d get lex luthor’s purple martin wings, or clark’s no-wings since they’re both guys. I think kon would’ve enjoyed wings, so i gave him the purple martin wings. Plus, they’re pretty much invulnerable, and their wings are no different.

diana and the other ppl from themyscira wouldn’t have wings since they aren’t human, and same applies to the other jl members who aren’t humans.

on a wholly separate note: the lazarus pits. here, not only does it give you white streaks in your hair, it’ll bleach out your feathers. so liek if a peacock was thrown into the pit, not only would they die and come back manic, their feathers would make them look like piebald, or have different markings or white ticking.

anyways, that’s the end of my long post, and i hope yall enjoyed listening to me speculate and talk about birds and my silly little guys!!

[coolcoolcoolbutwtf]

Receptionist Danny working in the main Wayne lobby

First few days at the job site and Danny was already regretting getting this job.

Why?

Because this exact scenario had been repeated five times already just today. Not as persistent as THIS one though. God he is so tired of this bull. It got tiring after the third time now he's just tired and annoyed.

A bad combo considering Danny the "Town Menace Phantom" Fenton was beginning to lose the little patients he had left.

' just count down from ten like Jazz had taught me years ago'. Danny gave a sigh and kept repeating the mantra in his mind.

He has to stay strong he fought ghost for years! What is a few minutes worth of questions from a few eager journalist? He could handle Wes how could they be any worse?

Oh who was he kidding certainly not himself! Not after having suffered a day full of questions about shit he didn't know squat about.

This situation with this gender bent Wes was WORSE considering Danny couldn't just tell her to piss off. The others had just asked a few questions or had gotten turned down regarding questions. Not TO bad. He could handle it. He still kinda liked this job. Well, he likes the work benefits. It was the main reason he applied after all.

So give him some credit this was the sixth harpy "journalist" to come sniffing around after having gotten wind of a new employee in the main office. Though their sources must be bad. He was just a receptionist! Not the new head of the financing department or Bruce Wayne's new secretary, leave him alone!

He doesn't know what the company boss does??? Why ask him? How would lil' old receptionist Danny Fenton know!

Has he not suffered enough?? His suffering with this specific harpy had been going on for the past twenty five minutes.

"So, where does Bruce Wayne leave for during his meetings? A new woman? Man? Trouble in the family?"

Vicky Vale as she had introduced herself before had officially made Danny hear his last strained thread of patients fraying. He could only take so much before the menace in him gott done with this nonsense. Time for Ms Vale to go away, fuck off and not come back. Danny menace mode ON now.

Smiling the most customer service™ smile he could manage Danny responded in the flattest tone he was capable of.

"Well to fuck your mom of course, Ms Vale."

And of course at just the moment the older receptionist Ms Linda Smith that had been in charge of showing Danny the territory before retirement finally came back. With two coffee cups in her hands. She had taken off on her break the moment she spotted Ms Vale walking towards the front desk. She promised to grab him a coffee on her way back. Truly abandoning him to the wolves. Or wolf. She had bribed him and Danny hadn't even known what kind of suffering awaited him. Ms Linda had started speaking.

"Okay Danny no we don't---

Danny didn't know exactly what was up with the big boss and his family. Something was definitely up but he didn't think it was bad.

"And your dad, because we here at Wayne enterprises support the LBGTQIA community. Thank you and leave.

((((((((((((End )))))))))))) :)

Thank you for reading! I might do some more for this idea again. This is basically just the idea by @some-rotten-nest link below. I've had a similar idea about Danny being an evil assistant before. Not a receptionist though. It was fun writing this I keep thinking about all the interesting scenarios that could play out in this (Au?) Idea. Also I just wanted to test the waters. I've never written anything and actually posted it before. I hope this was okay. Um bye and have a good day oh am I kidding have a good night!

This idea is based on this https://www.tumblr.com/some-rotten-nest/725017913035276288/danny-fenton-a-new-receptionist-at-wayne by the amazing @some-rotten-nest ! I was just so inspired by it, all of my creative instincts were just itching to make something for this<3

>:D

[danzaloreley]

Calm Storm

Pairing: Wednesday Addams x harpy!Reader

Summary: Secret hideouts

Warning: None

A storm was to pass through, the sky was darkened by the second. There weren’t any chirping birds early in the morning and that pleased the pigtailed girl waking up. A silent bliss interrupted by Enid’s screaming at the top of her lungs. Wednesday sat up in alert looking for an intruder only to see her girlfriend cackling as she perched on top of the blonde’s headboard.

“What are you doing?!” Enid shrieked while throwing pillows at the harpy. “I’m just waiting for my sweetheart. We gonna have a day for just us.” “Never call me that again.” the dark hair girl grimaced and stood up to get ready. “How long have you been there? Whyyy Y/N?” “Hour and a half give or take. Thing has been tickling your foot, but all that managed to do was make you growl. And Wednesday is never fazed so” the afformentioned hand scurried off to Wednesday’s bed. “Thing, you betrayed me.” the blonde put a hand to her chest and gawked with faux indignation.

“If you’re through with Enid’s morning torment I would ask that you wait for me out by the gates, mon cher.” the harpy turned to her lover and swiftly left with a beaming smile, not before stealing a kiss from her.

Wednesday saw the growing smirk on her roommate. “Stop it.”

The howling of the wind and swaying of branches brought peace as you both walked. You had led Wednesday deep into the woods, the trees becoming thicker, large roots protruding from the ground. The canopy obscured most of the sky plunging into darkness. Both stopped infront of a giant tree before you turned around holding the girl’s hand.

“Is this where you have planned my demise, uccello rapace?” Wednesday had her usual stoic expression, but there was a soft smile on the edge of her lips.

“If I was to come up with a way, I would hope to think of something better then a murder in the woods. Pretty basic.” your hand held her by the back of the neck while the other held her close to you around her waist. A wicked grin on your face before-

Whoosh

Without warning you flew to the top of a strong sturdy branch. Wednesday’s hair tussled and angry look your way. “You should consider yourself lucky I’m not strangling you right now.” you walked her back carefully to the trunk with a sultry look. “You know that I’m not against it one bit. Getting down would be hard though and to think I was sharing my hideaway.” she tilted her head asking for elaboration while you put on the enchanted ring to make the wings meld and just shoved the trunk behind her forcefully.

There was a carved hole and inside lay a nest. It was arranged with hay, twigs, yarn, ribbons and on the edges vertebraes and skulls of a menagerie of small creatures adorned it. There were blankets and pillows for their comfort and scattered black feathers. Some books, and crumpled paper in a corner.

“It’s not much, but this is where I go when I’m overwhelmed. I enjoy the solitude in it.” the smaller woman sat cross legged and took it all in. Her love’s sanctum and she was sharing it so willingly. “Cozy. How long did it take to carve in?” You secured the entrance as the rain picked up.

“Hm. Well, I spent every day here last year. Safe and unaware of the going-ons of a certain little detective.” you quipped sitting down beside her.

“I’m glad that you were not involved.”

Only a few words that moved your heart immensely. The way her gaze fixated on you, the softness that was reserved for you alone. “If any harm comes to you in a such a way again, know that I will destroy Jericho without remorse.”

There were so many emotions swirling together, but the most prominent the devotion and love for one another. Wednesday slowly straddled the girl’s hips without breaking eye contact. The movements were slow, tentative as she leaned to capture your lips.

Wednesday Addams was feared for the destruction and coldness same as the storm. Wednesday Addams was not soft, vulnerable or delicate, but as the stormed raged outside, she became it all for you.

[fanartandfanfiction]

HUMBLE

Charlastor fic, charliexalastor

Alastor greatly underestimates Charlie and he’s gonna get HUMBLED.

A bit more of a realistic take on the characters, with Charlie dealing with more issues than she lets on. A slow burn, with Alastor absolutely not handling and comprehending his feelings. AND I KNOW canonically Al is aroace but it’s fanfiction so he’s charliesexual. Also in this universe, Charlie and vaggie haven’t dated, and Charlie doesn’t know vaggie’s true feelings for her.

Chapter one: Picture Show Fiasco (basically the pilot from Al’s perspective, you can skip if you want)

Alastor was walking down the street and humming to himself when he noticed a crowd gathered in front of a window. As he got closer, he saw it was TELEVISION they were ogling at. He was about to keep walking when he saw what was happening. Princess Charlotte Morningstar was on the news and making an absolute fool of herself. This he had to see.

The bubbly blonde was dancing and singing about demons and rainbows, and it was absolutely hysterical! She finished her performance and was met with resounding laughter. The crowd in front of him was laughing too hard for him to properly hear, but the princess looked downhearted as that vicious harpie Katie Killjoy spoke. The crowd settled down enough just in time for him to see the princess glare and stand up in front of Katie.

“I have your PEN, BITCH!”

Alastor couldn’t contain his laughter. His menacing cackle sent the crowd scrambling. It was absolutely hysterical seeing the sweet little princess try to stand up to the news woman. Then the fight started.

He was puzzled as he watched it. She was Lucifer’s daughter, this shouldn’t be much of a fight at all! But she hardly used any of the power she possessed. Untapped potential…

As he continued his stroll, he overheard people talking about the news. “Can you believe it? That stupid bitch thinks we can actually be redeemed! At some stupid place called the happy hotel.”

“She’s so desperate to redeem people that she’s letting that porn star live there. Angel Dust ain’t ever gonna change. But she’s gullible.”

Alastor was struck with an idea. Yes, an EXCELLENT idea. He’d show up, offer his assistance, and gain her trust. Then he’d have a very powerful pawn.

As he approached the hotel, he saw the girl sitting outside with a mobile phone. He stayed hidden and listened in.

“Hey, mom. I know I keep calling and you must be busy... Really busy... But, um, the interview didn't go well, and... I don't know if I'm ever going to make a difference. I don't know what I'm doing. I could really use some advice, mom. I... I think dad was right about me... Ahah, oof. Eh, anyway... I'll stop talking before this gets long. Love you, bye…” She wiped tears from her face and went inside.

Daddy issues AND an absent mother? Why, the girl would be desperate for anyone to lean on! Might as well strike while the iron’s hot. He put on his most charming smile and knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly and he saw her eyes widen as she saw him. “Hel-“ SLAM! He blinked in confusion. The door opened again. “Lo-“ SLAM. That was rather rude. He could hear voices arguing inside, then the door opened slowly again. The poor girl was terrified. Clearly his reputation preceded him. “May I speak now?”

“Um…you may.” She squeaked out. Showtime!

“Alastor! Pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart! Quite a pleasure! He shook her hand and pulled her close, then let himself in.

“Excuse my sudden visit, but I saw your fiasco on the picture show, and I just couldn't resist! What a performance! Why, I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929! Sooo many orphans…” he chuckled to himself.

Some freaky looking one-eyed girl shoved a spear towards him. “Stop right there, cabrón hijo de perra! I know your game and I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone here, you pompous cheesy talk show shitlord!”

How hilarious! She thought she could threaten him. He smirked and pushed her spear away. “My dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here, I already would have.” He revealed more of his demonic form, intending to intimidate her. Unfortunately this was also scaring the girl he needed to win over. He returned to his regular form and smiled. “No, I’m here because I want to help!”

“Uuuh…what?” Charlie asked.

“Hello? Testing! Is this thing on?” He tapped his microphone.

“You want to help with what?”

“This ridiculous thing you’re trying to do! This hotel! I’d like to help you run it!”

“But…why?”

“Why does anyone do anything, dear? Boredom!”

Charlie looked at him suspiciously. “So does this mean you think demons can be redeemed?”

“Of course not! That's wacky nonsense! Redemption, oh the non-existent humanity! No, no, no, no. I don't think there's anything left that could save such loathsome sinners. The chance given was the life they lived before, the punishment is this! There is no undoing what is done!”

“So then why do you want to help me if you don’t believe in my cause?” She asked with wide eyes.

Time to crank up the charm. “Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her close, twirling her around. “I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure!”

“Riiiiiight…” clearly she needed more convincing.

“Yes indeedy! I see big things coming your way, sweetheart! And who better to help you than I?” He put an arm around her waist and led her away from the angry looking moth girl. She seemed to be the rational one, and he couldn’t have that.

“Think of what I’m offering here, sweetheart. I’ve got connections, I’ve got cash, and I’ve got powerful magic! You and me, working together? Why, we could FILL this place with sinners!”

She still looked unsure. Unfortunately the moth girl realized he’d gotten her alone and dragged her away. “Charlie, we need to talk.”

The pair was having a heated discussion. He heard the grating sound of a straw sucking loudly. He looked for the source and found a lanky spider demon lounging on the couch. “So what’s your deal?”

“I’m sorry?” He asked.

“The reason you’re here. It sure as hell ain’t boredom. What are you gettin’ out of this? And don’t worry, I don’t actually give a shit about this place. I just live here for free.”

“Entertainment, pure and simple! I’m between projects and terribly bored.”

There was another loud slurping noise. “Why are you dressed like a strawberry pimp?”

Before he could answer, the little blonde stomped up to him with a determined look. “Ok, so Al. You’re sketchy as fuck and you clearly see what I’m trying to do here as a joke. But, I don't. I think everyone deserves a chance to prove they can be better. So, I'm taking your offer to help. On the condition that there be no...tricks or voodoo strings attached.”

Excellent. “Do we have a deal?” He grinned and twirled his microphone, and a green glow surrounded them.

“Nope! No shaking! No deals! I... hmm... As princess of Hell and heir to the throne, I, uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel. For as long as you desire. Um, does that sound fair?”

This was absolutely pathetic. He’d be able to play her like a piano. “Fair enough! So, where’s your staff?”

“Uuuuh…it’s just me and Vaggie…”

“Ohohoho, you’re gonna need more than that!” He walked over to the demon lounging on the couch. “And what can you do, my effeminate fellow?”

“I can suck your dick.” He smirked.

Alastor abhorred crass talk like that. “Ha! No. This won’t do. I suppose I can cash in on a couple of favors, liven this place up a little bit…”

He pulled Nifty, his chaotic little maid out of the fireplace. Sure, she was odd, but she was excellent at her job. Time to wrangle up a bartender! Husk was angry and aggressive, as per usual, but all it took was a bottle of cheap booze to turn his head.

“Uh-uh! No bars! No alcohol!” The moth girl shouted.

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” The spider demon ran to the bar. “We are KEEPING THIS!”

Charlie still looked unconvinced. Time to bring it home! Luckily, he also had a flare for theatrics. He distracted her long enough to shove the moth girl out of the way. He began singing.

“ You have a dream! You wish to tell!” He dressed her up in 1920s fashion and twirled her around. “ And it's just laughable! But, hey, kid, what the hell?” He tossed her into the air and caught her with ease, taking her hand. He was going to use his magic to make her dance, but it was unnecessary as she quickly caught up with him.

“ 'Cause you're one-of-a-kind! A charming demon belle! Now, let's give these burning fools a place to dwell! Take it, boys! ”

Shadow demons appeared from the floorboards and begin playing their instruments. The moth girl was trying in vain to get Charlie’s attention, but he had the girl wrapped around his finger with his song and dance. Truth be told, it was a nice change of pace to have a competent dance partner.

“Haha! Inside of every demon is a lost cause! But we'll dress 'em up for now, with just a smile! And we'll chlorinate this cesspool with some old redemption flair! And show these simpletons some proper class and style!”

He twirled Charlie in until they were nearly chest to chest and pinched her cheek. “Oh! Here below the ground, I'm sure your plan is sound! They'll spend a little time, down at this Hazbin Ho-“”

A loud crash shattered one of the walls of the hotel. There was a large warship floating outside with a snake demon at the helm. “Hah! Well, well, well. Look who it is harboring the striped freak! We meet yet again, Alastor!”

Who the hell was this? “Do I know you?”

“Yes! You do! And this time I have the element of SURPRISE!”

He didn’t have time to deal with incompetent wannabe overlords. He quickly summoned his tentacles and attacked the ship, destroying it and returning to normal in 15 seconds. He was quite proud of himself, but a quick glance to the side showed that the others were staring at him with shock and horror. “Well, I’m starved! Who wants some jambalaya? My mother taught me a WONDERFUL recipe!” He ushered the group back inside. He glanced up at the hideous sign for the happy hotel. No, that wouldn’t do. With a point of his microphone, the sign changed to Hazbin Hotel. Perfect!

[miquella-everywhere]

Ok fine you win, it’s time I stop being delusional. (Spoilers for the dlc and going through some kind of crisis with all the people telling the truth)

I HATE how they destroyed the cursed twins relationship, we had tons of other things that could have happened but NO instead we got some kind of DS3 boss reference and like what about the plot holes ? Seriously what about Malenia ?? What about Godwyn ???!! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO FREAKING MIQUELLA ?! And I know the story/lore of the game is also on the downfall of every family member of Marika/Radagon but still I think something else would have been better. There is even a moment where I felt like the dlc is what it is now because of our guesses while in reality it isn’t anyone’s fault in the community/fandom…. I just want to write fanfics and participate in the july art challenge (basically drawing harpies or bird ladies if you prefer) and curling up in my bed then try not to cry then losing all the water in my body due to all the big tears running down on my face. (Also going to hug Malenia because she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment, Radhan can have something for Leonard and Mohg well… I don’t really like the Lord of Blood but I guess they can have a letter or smt)

😔

Yeeeah.... It reallt just feels like Fromsoft forgot 90% of their lore while writing the DLC, its just disappointing all around. Like I get the whole "Downfall of Marika and her Children" plot and that is very compelling, but they certainly choose the worst absolute way to go about it.

What makes me most depressed as a Miq lover is that there were so many hints if him trying to subvert everything that his mother did and be better, but Fromsoft just completely tossed everything that's good and interesting to Miqs character out the fucking window and now we're left with this 😔

And also miq and mal 😭 How could you fucking do this to them???? Their closeness was the cornerstone of their whole goddamn characterization and you do this to them???? Legit like... Fuck you Fromsoft lmao

[mdhwrites]

Ok, so i watched the finale, it was pretty predictable but enjoyable. But during the after cred scene, it really just solidified how aimless these characters are, Willow truly became just 'strong athlete' who serves as Hunters arm candy. She doesnt seem to give a shit about plants anymore ig? shes just 'buff' now.

Gus went straight back to 'guy who likes humans who has a group to celebrate said interest'. Amity is just... making abominations? i guess? Hunter is making palismen, which seems shoved in because caleb apparently carved.

Luz is... magic. yeah thats it. Eda is a headteacher, which feels widely out of place, but whatever. King Is. Other characters are rebuilding? i just- it feels like these characters have nowhere else to go because they just had no personal goals outside of very basic shit.

With amphibia, sasha became a child therapist, anne became a biologist who specialised in amphibians, marcy became a game designer. These are all goals that reflect their journey.

Now I want to start by saying that endings are hard and that character endings can be even harder than that. If you do a time skip epilogue, you have to somehow be able to show that all the characters are happy, successful and moving on in a way that makes sense and is narratively satisfying. You also usually have VERY little time to do this with because it's purposefully meant to be fluffy and sweet and disconnected from the rest in a way that isn't going to fit with the core of the show. The problem is that part of why this is hard is because characters are meant to be complex and their endings should reflect on the themes of the piece as well. Marcy's creativity and wonder about things blooming into a webcomic (I believe it's a webcomic and not games at least, though games works too) is great because she found a healthy way to share those passions with others and make connections through them. Anne's whole arc was learning to find the wonder in others and the strange world she was in and so her aquarium job is dead on the money. Sasha had to learn the hard way how to stop being controlling, angry and manipulative and passing those lessons on is far deeper and useful to others than anything her cheerleader base would have made you expect. It also makes it so when the show states the theme of the piece, about separation being a chance to grow and what you'll find coming back together is all the stronger, it hits SO. FUCKING. HARD. And comparing that to TOH... Well, we got effectively six character endings from what I've seen, seven if you count Lilith but hers is just more of what she was already doing as her job in the series, just now with a harpy form so I don't. Only six are meant to be any sort of final cap on their character/lives. And I'm just going to say this outright: They're not all bad. So from best to worst, with the name at the start of each in bold in case you don't care about someone, let's talk about: Hunter Amity Eda Willow Gus Luz Hunter: It's good. It's genuinely pretty damn good. That's not a joke or a setup or anything either. If Hunter's arc was about rejecting Belos to any extent, then this is a GREAT finish, even without Flapjack. After all, the part of the Isles that Belos himself most directly destroyed through his consumption, greed and wrath was the palistrom trees and palismen. Having it be that Hunter is now helping restore those elements is incredibly potent. Of course, there's also the obvious connection of Hunter and Flapjack but arguably the bird had more to do with his arc than any one character so him influencing Hunter's future just makes sense. I think it also just fits well with Hunter's character though. Watching out for people trying to steal palistrom wood uses his old soldier training but now in a constructive way, he's obviously not a very social person so the isolation is probably nice to him to get away from things and the boy has a LOT mentally to deal with. Working on regular wood while thinking about all of that is going to be a good place to release those anxieties and tensions in a good, creative manner. And for themes of identity, I think it's fine too. While Flapjack was Caleb's palisman, I don't think we ever get it confirmed that Caleb himself carved for a living or the like. That makes this genuinely something Hunter is doing himself and not because of someone else. That includes if he's doing it somewhat for Flapjack because honoring a friend is a very personal thing and very different from copying the dead. And again, frankly, the job feels very right for Hunter because it plays into his strengths rather than his weaknesses and gives him the peace he needs. No notes. Good job show. You got one. Amity: Okay, that's a little mean because Amity's is... Fine. It finally gives a point to her and her father's arc that you can't argue with through "X led to nothing" like angst about her father or the abomaton problem. There is a through line to this, especially with her abomatons. It makes narrative sense and functions.

...Except how much have those things actually mattered to her and in how long? She still rejected her father's hug in Reaching Out and didn't ask Em and Ed about him so their relationship by the end of the show still wasn't good. Escaping Expulsion explicitly said Amity was letting her grades slip so she's been at least distracted from magic for over a season at this point. Yes they claim her hair is abomination styled but it's WAY too light colored for that frankly, making it look way more pink than any sort of purple. Worse yet is that Amity's arc, besides becoming Luz's girlfriend, can be generously claimed as having a theme of becoming her own person instead of what others want of her. This technically works but clashes some by her still following in one of her parent's footsteps. She just swapped from her mother's dream to her father's passions. Now Alador never pushed her to copy him, he was neglectful after all so that would have been hard, so it still works. It is still theoretically a form of abominations that is characterized in the show by being about passion rather than simply performance with Odalia pushing the need for it to be commercial, something Amity theoretically won't care about. Frankly though, with how much her arc tries to push her caring about others, her reading to kids, there even being from what I've seen a sweet moment between her and the Collector... Why not make her a teacher or a caretaker of some sort? That's harder to portray than abomination mechanic but it fits as an ultimate capstone for going from someone who only cared about personal position, being the best and would throw away lives for her goals to someone who rejected all of that. To someone who spent their life now lifting others up and her knowledge empowered her to do that better than she otherwise could have. So Amity gets like a B. It works narratively and for the character but there's some improvement that could be done.

Eda: Oh look, a job that is going to make her absolutely miserable! That is my first thought hearing that she's a headmaster. After all, being the lead administrator is NOT the same as being a teacher. The paperwork alone is going to make her wish she was dead, much like when Tsunade became Hokage in Naruto. But that's not really what you're supposed to be thinking with it. It's supposed to be the ultimate extension of both Momma Eda in her students being her kids but also the fulfillment of Eda going from reluctant mentor to full on teacher. Which... If there were more than two episodes of the series where Eda was actually even attempting to be a mentor to Luz, that might actually mean more and that is EASILY the stronger thread being pulled here. You have to make the students into a more abstract concept for the Momma Eda theme to really fit here. What could you have done with her? I don't entirely know but I would probably have said enjoying retirement with Raine. Living a life finally at peace and without a need to hustle and bustle to fight against the curse or the system. She could have the freedom she always wanted without having to fear for her life. Having her partner by her side also makes it so you know she has family, something she spent so much of her life without. So essentially it's an ending that works from a more meta perspective but when you actually consider the events of the show and the character, it's questionable how much it fits or how 'happy' an ending it will be for her, especially when it ties her down so hard.

Willow: Okay, being fair here, from a setup perspective this actually works better than Eda's ending. Her strength is much of what defined her character, magically and physically, and she decided personally to want to go into sports in S2. Her becoming an athlete fits on both of those levels. For a character who is mostly a plot device, that's not bad.

Except it really doesn't play into anything about how she began and her resentment towards the name Half a Witch. It also has nothing to do with her plants. These elements that the show tried to claim had her seething resentment, that dominated her childhood, are ENTIRELY gone from her ending instead of reclaimed in any way. It's frustrating because it really paints that early stuff as pointless and genuinely just for Amity's sake, not Willow's and that's not great when the athletic stuff always felt tacked onto me in S2 just to give her SOMETHING to do with Hunter.

It also just continues pushing this feeling to me that despite setting up and wanting Willow to be the shy, plant girl archtype at times, S1 especially wanting her to just be willing to wilt away, SOMEONE on the writing team hates that archtype. Just wanted to surgically remove every last scrap of that from her character, regardless of if she was given the time to justify it or the like. That was frankly more okay to me with the shy element than the plant element seeing as she feels BORN to do plant magic by the fact that she was a master practically from the first time we see her use it without no training.

But here's the real reason it's below Eda: I hate her design. It's mostly fine but it's also UNFINISHED. She has one kneepad and ONE SOCK. You can make excuses for one of those but not the fucking sock and it drives me up a wall. I also don't like that the reformed Isles would still have a character like Willow having spikes on parts of her uniform for sports. Get rid of those and imply things have become gentler show. It's not like you've ever cared about keeping the Isles' identity intact before.

Gus: Here is where we go from "It functions but is maybe not good if you think about it" to "You're being way more honest than you're meaning to be show." After all, we have that cyclical aspect of Eda where Gus is returning to the start of the show but there is NO thought put into this.

If there was, if the show was willing to show that Gus had become wiser and more considerate, he wouldn't be studying humans. Not on the Isles. After all, how is he even going to do it on the Isles? Studying Luz? That feels weirdly like being friends with Bigfoot while saying you still need to find Sasquatch and prove the legends are true. Dude, maybe stop being... weird about this race you know exists properly now. It's kind of uncomfortable.

It's not even a hard thing to fix: Say he's here to see Luz off before going through the portal door with one of those glamour stones to cover his ears. He needs to go learn anthropology and the political sciences of our world in order to prepare to be a proper ambassador. That actually might have been neat.

But, you know, that would have taken any thought or care with Gus and we're lucky he was even remembered in the finale frankly. It's a flat failure though and really highlights how Gus hasn't grown and is still mostly a joke to the writers.

So then the question is... If Gus is this bad, can it really get worse with

Luz: *breathes in slowly*

*breathes out slowly*

I've been pretending to grade some of these and if that's the case, I don't even accept Luz's ending. I tell the student that they ignored what the assignment was and just copy and pasted the first paragraph of their wikipedia entry and tried to hand that in as their answer to how the MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SHOW ENDS IT. Because that is exactly the vibe of this ending.

Luz didn't grow and she sure as shit didn't learn anything. Remember: Her theme for her character arc, the worst decision to me creatively, is the fantasy she wants to live versus the consequences of that fantasy. It doesn't even matter how bad that theme is ever handled in the show because this is theoretically the largest, explicit theme of the story outside of personal expression being all that matters.

And Luz literally ends the series chasing the same dream she had at the start.

I... I don't even entirely know how to respond to that. The show, which is a kid's show remember, legitimately said that her running away from her problems to play out one of her fantasy books was such a good choice, it should be the thing she does for the REST OF HER LIFE. That it is the final, definitive note for the character that Luz the Human is going to be Luz the Witch.

And you know what? If Luz's journey to being a witch actually meant anything in the show, this might have literally any justification. If during the course of the show she had genuinely learned a lot as a person over the course of becoming a witch, if magic itself had so many rules as to require you to be a functional human being in order to use it, it MIGHT work. It's not great but it might work. Except... Remember back when I was talking about Eda? About how Eda spends two episodes teaching Luz and that's it?

Remember: Luz is like 90% why the Selkidamus is beat while on the boat. By the beginning of S2, and explicitly with Escaping Expulsion, she is already closing in on the ceiling of her powers. She already outshines most other witches to the point where the Emperor is the only person to give her a real challenge combat wise so long as the series is actually remembering to let her cast spells. Half of her glyphs aren't even tried to be connected to anything but instead, as she puts it, are found from other witch's spells randomly. They're just... There and no one else noticed somehow.

And this is what you want to say her character was leading up to? A profession that in the human realm has no transferable skills because she can't just be spinning Stringbean all the time without it being obvious and glyphs don't work in the human realm. It's actually worse in the Boiling Isles because unless she's going to get employed as a glyph master or something, she still needs a job. Everyone has magic there after all and anyone can use glyph magic with ease. You don't even need to be confident in it. Thank you Gus and Looking Glass Ruins.

It is bizarrely revealing how little thought and care was put into Luz and the themes of the show with this being how it ends. It is just, top to bottom, a failure. The only way it functions is fans of the show being happy she's chasing her dreams into eternity. You cannot think about it for even a second without some sort of question coming up.

And what else would she do? Easy. I've been saying she should have become a counselor or a therapist literally even before S2. That was just the obvious way for her to grow to me. She learns that you need to balance reality and fantasy, your passions with the demands of the world and takes up a job that lets her help kids like her find happiness and a place in their world. Either world. It would imply she understands childhood fantasies are just that, it would highlight her empathy and understanding of others and also is an amazing culmination of the theme of Fantasy versus Reality.

And instead the show's response was probably as far from caring about any of those things as you can possibly get. I don't understand it and it blows my fucking mind.

But I mean... if you want to finally drop the pretenses and just admit that your show is nothing but basic, escapist fantasy... I guess there really isn't a better ending than this, is there? =======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[spectralstitions]

lil oc animatic :]

Okay, okay, so if you follow my private Twitter account I know I said I wasn't going to share this publicly BUT I remembered I have an oc blog and you know what, I figure the only people who are going to see this are the people who can handle my cringe anyways, so I made it an unlisted youtube video. I made this in 2 days and It's set to the tune of Harpy Hare by Yaelokre because sometimes I get to be a basic bitch, as a treat.

I planned some of the animatic visually in my head before I started but 99% of the frames ended up being stream of consciousness, just whatever I came up with in the moment. Including the designs for three characters! I knew that if i tried to plan literally anything I would have ended up not finishing or maybe not even starting this. I did still try my best to make it cohesive and I wanted it to be mostly understandable, but at the same time I know nobody knows my ocs the way I do so it's very possible this is just a mess to everyone who isn't me lol. But that's why i'm here to ramble on and on and on and on....... So first point of discussion! The two mystery characters in the beginning! I tried to make it clear in other parts of the animatic but those are Silas' and Finlay's parental figures, respectively.

The first character who appears is Faust. That was supposed to be a placeholder name but I can't get it out of my head so they are Faust now. They are Silas' caretaker and the person Silas' parents trusted to take care of him when they gave him up. Faust took Silas out of the desert (despite his many protests...) and raised him among mostly deerkin. Culture in the Southern Havens is very concerned with manners, fitting into norms, and being knowledgable about highly specific superstitions, among other things. So despite Silas' best efforts, he is literally fucking Blue, has horns, and is also neurodivergent, so he never stops feeling like an outcast. Plus, the forest roof is so thick that it's really hard to see the stars at night, which depresses him because in the desert the entire world looks like a night sky! Secretly Faust would like for Silas to think of them as a parental figure, but Silas never really does; he views them more like a permanent babysitter than anything. Faust is also perhaps overly gentle on Silas and though he will express that he wishes he got out more he can't bring himself to actually push him to do anything that makes him uncomfortable, partially out of affection for him and partially because he feels so guilty about bringing him to the forest in the first place.

The second character is Finlay's dad, who is... a character! You will notice that he is absent from 99% of the animatic, just like how he was absent from 99% of Finlay's life!

In many of the frames I was very intentional about the use of lighter and darker tones and there's no way I can talk about every instance in this post so, I guess pay attention to all that for symbolism! The one thing I will mention are Silas' eyes! Which become dark but gain brightness again when Finlay gives him hope for the future, and they stay bright even when he loses that dream because in place of romanticism he gains clarity.

Last couple of things to note before I move on!! For the parts with Faust and Finlay's dad, I designed the side decorations after the types of patterns that each culture that they're associated with (Southern Havens & the Farlands, respectively) tends towards! And, I also indicated time passing using both Silas' horns and Finlay's hood (it gains stitches as he gets older). Finlay's hood also symbolizes when he's hiding his true self vs when he's not >:) And actually I think we are now at the last point I wanna discuss so!! THIS GUY!!! THIS FELLA!!!!!!!! I'M REALLY REALLY HAPPY I MADE SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY GIVES ME AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT THEM!!!!! So get ready for a lore dump on this guy...

This is why animatics / comics are great for me because it forces me to actually design the characters I need to design LOL

OKAY! SO! In terms of direct relevance to the animatic, all that's important to know is that this is the spirit that haunts Finlay! Or at least, the one he believes is haunting him... he's not really sure anymore....

So let me explain the character's deal! Firstly, and this goes for pretty much any spirit, pronouns don't really matter, so anything is fine. I also haven't given them a name yet (rip), I need to figure out those naming conventions first. For now they're just Finlay's Spirit. This spirit's shtick is that they seek out those who have been (or feel as though they have been) "left behind" and offer them belonging and love in the form of.... weaving their souls into little stuffed dolls for their oh so beloved collection. According to the stories, their grounds are littered with shallow, hastily dug graves wherein they dump any remains of the body they deem disposable. When they pull their hood over their face, it disguises them as kinfolk, usually taking a form that represents whatever type of belonging the victim yearns for (for example, for Finlay it was a parental figure). When they approach someone they frame it as "come with me i'll give you a home :]" or possibly "let's make a deal :]" but if the person refuses they will drop the act and take their soul (or whatever it is that they want) by FORCE if ya know what I mean!!! (Which is actually not very common, even for evil spirits. They can usually respect no as an answer specifically because they make it so hard to do. Guess this guy REALLY likes their doll collection. There's only one real way to get away from them and it doesn't look like Finlay is gonna figure it out anytime soon...)

Design-wise! Their true body is obscured and amorphous. They cover themselves in stitched-together fabric scraps with only their face and seeming hundreds of arms/hands ever peeking out of the ensemble. Their fingers are sewing needles and they move very stiffly, almost as if they are moving at a lower frame rate than everything around them. (This remains as a subtle tell when they're disguised!) Their teeth are thin and pointy and stick out in such a way that their mouth almost appears sewn shut when closed.

Like just about any evil spirit they simply get pure joy out of tormenting poor kinfolk. So oftentimes, they will torment a victim for a very long time until the person has finally lost their hope and can be willingly taken. And then they get to remain as a sentient functionless doll and the spirit gets to revel in all their misery for the rest of eternity yayyyyy!!!!!! :]

Finlay has only had one verifiably real encounter with this spirit when he was a child wherein he refused it and it took after him as if to kill him. But it disappeared suddenly and Finlay has been terrified of it ever since because he knows it could be anywhere and anyone. I do want to make it clear that even though this character does physically exist and is a part of the narrative, they're also... kind of a symbol in themselves? Like, in a META sense, Finlay's trauma does not LITERALLY come from this spirit, but from what the spirit represents. Does that make any sense!!! In writing him it's a really careful balance for me to strike because I want everything to be grounded in reality but I also want that reality to be exaggerated for fantastical and storytelling purposes... ya know!!

Okay well!! That's everything I can think to talk about for now, but please feel free to ask if you have any questions about anything!!!! Because that would be fun!!!!! Until next time! :]

[azsazz]

Was cc3 THAT BAD 💀

I mean, no? I think that it read easier than the first two books, and there were a few moments that I enjoyed…but the longer it was the lower my rating went personally.

I don’t know why I can’t get on board! Probably because Bryce as a character does not resonate with me.

Gonna put some stuff under a cut while I rant just in case so beware, kinda major spoilers below

All of these thoughts are my personal opinions obviously and I’m not judging those who love the cc series :)

I think SJM tries to make Bryce relate to a younger audience so half of the things that Bryce says/does to me are so cringey. And this could just be because of the modern setting, which I also don’t love, but like come on.

But like. To have no one die? The classic main character death only to be brought to life in one page? Fucking played out, who wasn’t expecting it at this point.

For all of her friends to conveniently become heads of houses or primes or super important rulers right as they’re about to go to war? Totally not cheesy.

I do enjoy some of the characters for sure, which is why I write for them, it’s the story that I don’t care for.

Like fucking SPACE?! That literally ruined the entire book when I read that line I was so disappointed. They killed two asteri and there wasn’t any other way besides putting them into a black hole that could’ve saved anyone?

Anyone being able to wear Nestas Mask? And put it on and off with ease when she struggles to do so? That was annoying too.

The convenience of any solution to any problem in this book…like blows my mind. You spent 1200 pages creating this world and every solution is readily available? I can’t.

Why bring the Harpy back only to kill her off in two paragraphs? Why weren’t Fury and Juniper in the books more? What the fuck is sunball? Why did they leave Baxian babysitting Avallen even after the war is over?! Bryce basically said yup, it’s all done imma go disband the Fae and live my life you all can figure it out? She only goes back there when she hears the Pegasus’ are back? Poor baxian honestly.

I hate the technology. I rlly do. The mech-suits? Stupid. The omega-boats? Why are they called that? I didn’t see a purpose for half of the things it just seemed fillery to me.

And this all happens in the span of one week…yeah okay. It felt like Bryce was in that cave with az and nest for three weeks of my life.

I just think the book is unnecessarily long. SJM loves to repeat herself 7-8 times, same sentences verbatim (because there’s 800 characters we have to get on the same page). If she cut out repeating these long ass histories the book would be a third of the length it is now. And I loved KoA but that book had better thought and planning put into it.

Lol it’s 5am and I’m ranting about CC3 ☠️ okay I’m done for now ily 💙

[petrenocka]

I skimmed over the Dante's Inferno wiki article and now I am ready to make some god damn Ultrakill Act III predictions babyyyy.

So obviously liberties have been taken, but overall Ultrakill so far was surprisingly faithful to Divine Comedy's portrayal of Hell. Wrath and Limbo being the standout "to a tea" ones.

7th layer of Hell is Violence. In Inferno it is devided into 3 rings itself. However the third ring, a scorching desert for those who committed violence against God, was already integrated into Greed in Ultrakill.

This lives us with 1st ring and its boiling rivers of blood for those who committed violence against their neighbors, and 2nd ring for those who committed violence against themselves and are turned into infertile trees harassed by harpies.

Thus I expect 7th layer to be mostly forrest themed, with rivers of blood for the deadly "floor" like water was in 5-2. Specifically, I expect it to draw from the Japanese Aokigahara, the suicide forrest. Somehow. Maybe one of the levels is going to happen in a suspended tree house city type location, and another will be rafting down a river.

Additionally, both Limbo and Greed have introduced a flying enemy to the roster - Drones and Virtues respectfully. So I suspect Violence is going to continue that and add Harpies, who I think will be husks, if only because I can hardly imagine an Ultrakill demon flying. Maybe they'll be somewhat tengu-like in appearance, or just Filth with jetpacks. Who knows.

7-s will 100% be a Duck Hunt reference. I can feel it just as surely as I could a fishing minigame for 5-s.

Moving on. I straight up have no idea what Hakkita will do with Fraud. None at all. There is like a fucked up city there in Inferno, but Ultrakill already moved that to Lust. Other then that, maybe it'll be a volcano level, idk why. I do find the potential to have a surviving Council member as a boss here extremely exciting, although unlikely.

Maybe 8-s will be an Ac Attorney reference, because it would fit Fraud.

Moving on again.

Treachery, the last level of the Act and of the game too most likely. The gauntlet. The one where P-3 is.

Oh, Treachery. In Inferno, it is a frozen lake with sinners encased in ice. I thus expect the 9th layer to be ice themed, although since it is The Gauntlet™ there won't be new mechanics and therefore no ice physics, don't worry. But we do lack a white level, and blood splatters will look beautifully on the snow.

1st Round of Treachery punishes "Traitors of Their Kindred", and I am like 80% that either 6-1 or its ost will get called exactly that, since this is such an Ultrakill name.

2nd Round of Treachery is for traitors of their country. I think it fits Gabriel pretty well, considering he never really betrayed God of you think about it. He went against the Council. And yes, obviously a Gabe fight in 6-2, is there even a qestion about it?

Very low chance, but maybe there is 6-3 where we kill Hell itself, since it's sentient and all.

Now for P-3. Take out the crack kids, we'll need it for this one.

3rd Round of Treachery is for traitors of guests and I think it will correlate to the gauntlet before P-3 boss. This in not the part we need drugs for.

And that is because in Inferno the 4th and final Round of Treachery, at the very bottom of Hell reserved for those who betrayed God Himself, Satan, aka Lucifer, is encased in ice and is chewing Judas.

For Ultrakill that means that we have them fucking options for our Flesh and Prime.

For Flesh it could be just another container cube. But since this is the very bottom of Hell, and Hell is alive, it could also be The Heart of Hell, or something. It could also, hear me out, be Satan. In Inferno, Lucifer is basically Judas' flesh prison, in fact, I am half convinced that the imagery of Judas being chewed by the Devil is the very reason why Flesh Cubes have teeth.

Our first two Primes were ancient Greek Kings. And the Prime of P-3 might be another ancient Greek king who I am sleeping on entirely.

But I think it is pretty safe to assume that this pattern is getting broken, just like we are not going to fight V2 in act 3 either. As far as I know there is no Greek king more into defying gods then Sisyphus and the game requires escalation.

What is more important about Primes to me is that both we have so far are enemies of God. We have a peaceful protestor in Minos, then a revolutionary in Sisyphus. So the Arch Enemy of God in Lucifer seems like a plausibility for our next ass wooping.

I am personally more in favor on Judas for that role though. I mean, he is kind of the guy who managed to get God killed, if you think about it, a natural progression from Sisyphus who tried but failed. Also Judas hung himself, so him being the King of Violence, specifically the forest part of it, makes sense.

This concludes level predictions.

We are also getting Red variants for 4 weapons, a new Arm and probably an Alt version, which is ridiculous. Absolutely zero idea how the new guns will be like. Imo S.R.S is already pushing the bloatedness of our arsenal, but Hakkita is obviously a super genius, who made the ball work, so will see.

As for the arm, we are defo getting it from 7-4, and because of the colour, my bet is that we are ripping it off of the Real Swordsmachine, the twist being that the ones in Prelude were copycats afterall, explaining why there are suddenly so many of them in 6-1. Maybe it's V-0 or something, the machine that spearheaded the modular design approach, or the first blood-powered machine, period.

I also, for literally zero reason other then "what else could it be", expect the new Alt to be a Slug variant for Shotgun. A Winchester lever action rifle sort of deal.

Ye, rant over, I don't have a concise way to wrap this up.

[ominous-feychild]

I'm just thinking of Sun and Shadow right now and I--

(So there's an action fantasy contest about to happen on Tapas! I'm going to work on entering SaS!!! I'm super excited and am finally putting things together to enter it!)

To those uninformed: Sun and Shadow is a detective mystery fantasy story where Crow is the progeny of the city's most famous criminal detective, Grimnir! (And I do mean to emphasize criminal detective. Grimnir is known by all to commit crimes in his pursuit of the truth, but nobody has been able to prove it, or exactly which ones.)

The story centers on Freya Ula after she gets framed for a terrorist attack on the city's nobility. She goes to Grimnir to help clear her name, but instead gets his kid, Crow, who's a lot worse of a detective. It's constantly joked about how bad/unconventional Crow's methods are, haha. Like, they have a lot of skills! But they're sometimes in the wrong places, and they're constantly going about things in weird ways.

For example! Crow basically constantly insists on having Frey along with them as they're going about their detective work? Even though Frey should literally be in hiding because of the whole "most wanted for attacking the nobility" thing??? Like what in the world is up with that??? Super stupid, am I right?

But, of course, we all know the real reason they're doing that--because the story's about Frey and she needs to be around the action for it to happen, right?

Well, I mean, yes, but--

No!!! I decided on Crow's motives and settled on a final version of their character before I even did so for Frey! They have other, actual motives for bringing her along with them! While obviously it's important for the plot for them to be together, the first thing I did when coming up with the story was actually planning exactly why they stuck together and making it realistic/understandable.

It just amuses me because I so know that people will probably just be all "oh, no, yeah, it's just for plot" while I'm over here, vibrating, because I'm like: "oh, you WISH--"

(Love me Crow the cursed, our little harpy birbie who literally calls themself "crow" despite hating the fact that they're cursed into looking like one--)

(Plot twist: I say all of this ominously, but truth is, Crow just wants to stick around with Frey because they already have a crush on her. /j)

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 67

Wow ... what was said before the start to cause THAT reaction from Matt? XD

Sam Riegel advert making of? Oh boy ... yes. Give that man a raise! Yeah, that one was almost PAINFUL ...

Matt: "BALDUR'S GATE III!!!" Sam: "Ah!" Matt: "Sorry, had to scare you a bit there."

I live how Laura always gets so adorably WORKED UP and overly enthusiastic when she plugs stuff, it's too cute. :3

Nott the Brave action figure ... Sam: "I get two? I get two and you guys only get one?"

The light's all red. Why's the light all red? This is worrying ...

Wow ... the taint jokes have started already ... Matt's making a list, you know he is ...

Stop with the smoking peer pressure, Letters. That's not cool ...

Chet was a beat poet? Oh and clearly he was a BAD one ...

And here we go ... is Imodna finally gonna become publicly official in the group? Wow, look at them both squirm ...

They really are going the whole religious debate route these days, aren't they? There's true believers and agnostics and essential atheists galore and it's fascinating ...

Ashton: "I'm abstaining." FCG: "You're abstaining? From being undecided?"

Yes, so Ashton was basically born into a freaky dark druidic cult ... no wonder he's such a mess ...

Chetney: "And you were jettisoned-slash-ejected from their bowels?" Boy, what an image ...

Mediocre first roll, Travis ... looks okay, but y'know ...

Yeah, I agree with Ashton. Found family rules.

Some VERY NICE perception rolls indeed, there.

Ooooh ... wisps? Dead soldier ghost wisps? Lovely ... that can't be good ... this is giving me major LOTR Army of the Dead vibes ...

Dodged an interception point? TWO, even? Phew ...

Pate gets chucked again ... what a life he has ...

Yeah, I think actual REAL eyes would make Pate considerably MORE unsettling ...

Persistent bad smell ... hmmmmm ...

Unfamiliar topography? Hmmmm ... sounds suspiciously like a volcano ...

Xandis' spyglass? Wow, that's from a while back ...

Petty non-Guidance ... way to get back at Orym there, Fearne ...

Another taint joke. Travis: "Don't do it, Matthew! Ignore the bloodlust."

Laura sneezes. FCG: "Are you allergic to butt-buttercups?" Another tick. Taliesin: "Please don't hold it against us. We can't help ourselves."

Bad stealth check? Yup, that is DEFINITELY karma coming back to bite you guys in the arse ...

Here we go ... incoming! What's this shit? Oh hell ... ugly shit!

Is it harpies? Is that what it is?

Spirit Guardians? Cool ... they're sheets of glass? That's hilarious. XD

Yeah! 16 Radiant damage! And a MISS!!! Phew!

Nice hit, Imogen! Smack that ass ...

Bait and Switch! Yay! Love that move.

A piercing shriek ... that DOES DAMAGE?!!! Argh! And it hurts Imogen DESPITE the Circlet? Shit ...

Ashton Wrecklessly Rages and POUNDS the fucker for 23 points of damage in a single hit! Ouch!

Chetney wolfs out WITH FLAMES and charges ... and a flying grapple? Oh fuck ... that is BRUTAL!!! Nice ...

It smells ... PUNGENT. Apparently ...

Silvery Barbs! Yay! Love that.

"TRAVIS, I'M PREGNANT!" Sam's flask is next level tonight ...

Eldritch Blast! And Laudna just ANNIHILATES one of 'em ...

Burning Hands! Always fun ... burn that bitch, Fearne! 11 points of Fire damage? Oh, MORE?!!! An extra 8 points for 19? Ouch ... Chetney takes some too but just GOES WITH IT ...

Yeah, Sam's taint joke just doomed them all, looks like ...

Shocking Grasp! Go, Imogen! Nice, it hits ... 9 Lightning Damage ... HDYWTDT!!! Yeah ... and now it's ash.

Yeah, looks like it would be prudent to LEAVE this place, and sharpish.

Leaving at a full run ... thanks to a really shit perception roll the bird things DO NOT follow ... phew ...

Ah, so that thing's some kind of fort? Made of COPPER?!!! What's that about?

Perception! Liam: "Ah, that's low for me ... 19." XD My gods ...

The smell is burning dead? Great ...

Grim Psychometry? That sounds FASCINATING ...

The Iridon Bastion ... built to honour the Platinum Dragon and guard the ground ... hmmmmm ...

Oh so this place FELL, and RECENTLY? That's not good ... just a few days ago ...

Come on guys just STOP pulling the tiger's tail! Matt's gonna make you pay dearly for all these taint jokes ...

Down With the Sickness ... thank you, Travis. XD

How to go in ...

Splitting the Party to approach from 2 sides ... hope this doesn't bite them in the arse ...

Climbing crew first, then ...

Oh yes, this place has taken a beating ... and the dead have been BADLY mistreated ... there are imps still there messing with the remains? Lovely ... oh, so there's demons galore down there ... lovely ...

Cages? And there are survivors? Okay ...

And they're building something in there ... great ...

Here we go then, Battlemap time ...

Oh, and that is SWEET ...

Something flying in? What's this now ... 13 feet tall? Holy shit ... and it has tiny baby legs ... charming ... Travis' reaction to the mini is hilarious ... XD

They're going to summon something ... snd then have a party. With live food ... urgh ...

So, attack all at once or come in sneaky and pick them off one by one? Distraction, maybe? Hmmmm ...

Whoa ... somebody else is here? On OUR side? Potentially, at least ... this could be helpful ... who is that?

Some weird looking demon dude, but not on THESE things' side ... what is this? IS THIS help?

Okay, so they ARE gonna make a distraction ... and Fearne just shouts "HELP!!!"

Imogen deals the whole tower-top of demons a MASSIVE psychic blast ... 33 points of damage? Holy fuck ... and she pops TWO HEADS on the spot, just one left and REALLY confused now ...

Here we go, then ...

Transformation of Dread for Laudna ... and in they GO!!! Featherfall ... yup, that's pretty essential for success here! Catch Orym before he splats, Laudna!

Orym casts Gust AND shoots out a vine with Seedling ...

Oh, so we finally find out what the new thing on Ashton's hammer does ... he put the Immovable Rod IN HIS HAMMER?!!! Ashton you are a fucking GENIUS!!!

FCG Commands these two flying things to Mime. Just MIME ... oh boy ... fuck, and they fail their check so they LITERALLY start miming ... dear gods ...

Oof ... that climb is ARSE ...

Go to break!

That might be the best Twitch sub promo yet ...

ROLL INITIATIVE!!!

Flying leap with a flip ... typical acrobatic Orym ... AND he hits ... double hits, 9 snd 9 damage, nice! Badass entrance, wee man!

Lauda NAT20S!!! With enthusiasm ... znd unlocks the cage ... in full Form of Dread so the captives will be TERRIFIED ...

Okay, so who is this guy, anyway? Nice high persuasion roll, Fearne ... 30! Dear gods ... not friends, but no enemies ... whoever this guy is he's really cool ...

MISTER!!! Hi! Flaming shit chucking! 6 points of Fire damage ...

Scramble the Dead? FCG projects the AOL loading sound into the demon's head and gives it 18 points of Necrotic damage! Nice ...

Minute Meteors? Imogen's SWEET ARSE new move ... oh yeah, she us just PELTING these guys with pain ...

Demon guy has a nice big chopper ... oh yeah, he is a bit of a badass as well as being cool snd rakishly handsome ... AND a Divine Smite? Holy fuck he's a Devilish Paladin! Awesome! 84 points of damage ... fucking hell ...

Blood Curse of Bloated Agony! Yeah, boy! And Turmoil, nice ... and he just BUTCHERS that fucker ...

Ashton's Raging again as he tries to free the prisoners ... and batters himself by fumbling his landing ... attack instead, then ... he hits! 23 for the first, 18 on the second ... proper battering that one, then ...

Finally the bad guys' turn ... oh dear, here we go ...

Big stumpy demon VANISHES ... then reappears DIRECTLY ON TOP of one of the cages ... AAAAAAHHH!!!

Chetney gets BIT!!! Ouch ... 10 damage after the reduction ... nasty ...

No, not more painful screeching ... argh! Indomitable saves Orym's arse a little bit ... AND he has resistance against being Frightened ... Nice, he pushes through! Yay ...

Orym responds in kind ... 7 and 10 damage ... it's STARTING to look a little rough? Oof ...

Laudna pops the lock ... and Marisha LITERALLY pop-locks ... XD

Bait snd Switch on Laudna! Nice, Orym!

Okay ... the cage has FINALLY been opened ... everybody OUT!!! Mirror Image! Here we go ... and now she's IN THE CAGE and she's terrifying ... she tries a Ray of Frost on the chains ... this could go SO BADLY ... O.O

Holy shit, that worked! Nice rescue!

Fearne Blasts a Scorching Ray at the closest target, then again at the ones attacking Chetney ... BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! It hurts them, but not that much ... bugger ...

FCG casts Command again, this time to Betray? Holy shit ... wait, did that actually WORK?!!! Oh ... that just gave FCG a free pass instead ... bugger, that could have been a lot more impressive ...

Lightning Bolt IN THE FACE!!! Nice one, Imogen! Balls damage roll though, apparently ... 20? Hmmmm ... nothing spectacular, then ...

Another one on an imp ... for ONE POINT of fire damage? Oof ...

Paladin dude attacks! 30 damage on the first hit? Holy fuck ... Chetney thinks his bame is "Do Your Part" ... Paladin is NOT impressed ...

21 damage including 3 thunder from Chetney, then 20 and finally 19! Fucker's FINALLY starting to look proper hurt ...

Nice, Ashton literally BATTERS a fucker right off the roof and he IMPALES HIMSELF on a spike? I love it ...

Nimbus Fear don't do shit!

That's it for thd bad rolls, then ... oof, how much damage is Imogen taking? 32 from a bite? Aaaaah! 14 slashing, 13 slashing ... oh my GODS ... yeah, NO FUCKING WONDER Laudna screams "NO!!!" at the top of her lungs ...

That fucker just BURSTS like a water balloon ... nice ...

Imp popping out of nowhere and screaming in FCG's face has NO EFFECT at all ... okay ...

Orym just jumps on Imogen's attacker znd starts hacking at him! 13 damage! ACTION SURGE!!! Oh nice! PROPER disarmed it by actually taking its fingers off! Then he drags Imogen up and literally TOSSES HER to Laudna!

Laudna channels a Shocking Grasp through the cage to trash the fucker ... and it totally FAILS?!!! Balls!

Literal Aladdin moment for Imogen and Laudna ... "Do you trust me?" And they're saved by Mirror Image at the last ... phew! Finally Featherfall means they touch down smoothly ... Nice save, girls!

Fearne casts Blight and inflicts 38 points of Necrotic damage! Ouch! Plus another 5 in fire from Mister! Nice ...

Death from above? No ... thank fuck Ashton manages to save from that shit ...

Sacred Flame! Go, Letters! Bad damage roll, though ... 4 Radiant damage? Balls ...

Gods, the bad rolls are starting to balance out now, this is THE WORST TIMING for it ...

Imogen gets 26 HP back from the Healing Potion ... phew ... then shoots a Psychic Lance at the bastard! Half damage, though ... 21 reduced to 11 ... nuts ...

Paladin carves and ... fails SPECTACULARLY!!! Oof ...

Chetney grabs the discarded sword! Oh, this can't lead to anything good ...

Ashton tries to rush past and just gets grabbed, do he just goes on the offensive instead. So he BEATS THE SHIT ot of it ... 20 points of damage and it's OFF HIM again! He climbs rhe tower, the atracks the other one ... Nice, another hit, 28 points! Boom! Then another 17! POW! Just as the fucker jumps off the tower ...

Oh fuck ... HOW MUCH damage is Imogen taking? Fuck ... yeah, Imogen is now UNCONSCIOUS ... as the fucker's CHEWING on her ...

Yeah, Laudna is GOING OFF seeing that ...

Oh, FCG's just getting MOBBED here ... ouch, 9 points of piercing damage ...

I love how that imp just NOPED right out there ...

Orym to the rescue! And he just BATTERS HIMSELF landing on the fucker ... 10 damage, but then NAT20s ... another 12? Hmmm ... but at least it spits Imogen out ...

Laudna Blights him, but only half damage ... crap ... 34 reduced to 17 Necrotic damage ... it hurts, but ... so she tries Shocking Grasp again instead ... and Nat1s ... AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! NOOOOOOO!!! So she just clambers on top of Imogen and shields her with her body ...

Fearne Wildshapes into her Big Bird! She takes a glancing hit but swoops off, grabs FCG and carries him off while having Mister firebomb one of the cage locks ... 13? Nuts ... so that's a miss, then ...

Ashton's so strong he's Teflon ...

Dear gods this is getting EXHAUSTING ...

FCG casts Healing Word on Imogen ... 4 points, but at least she's up again ... then he fires his bolt thrower and just MISSES COMPLETELY ... Marisha: "Does that thing EVER hit?"

Imogen tries to cast Shocking Grasp on the bastard ... and it hits! Nice! 12 points of Lightning damage ... then she casts Invisibility on herself and Laudna, and they both just BOLT. Nice ...

Paladin pulls another Divine Smite ... 45 points on a single hit! And ANOTHER Smite? Oh yeah, he just KILLS that fucker ...

Chetney casts Shatter and deals 17 Thunder Damage reduced to 9 ... then goes to another cage and terrifies its occupants ...

Oh shit, really? Matt Mercer, are you SERIOUSLY giving Chetney a cursed sword? Is that THREE FOR THREE for Travis now? O.O

Shit ... Ashton just DROPS on that boy and batters the fuck out of himself doing it ... misses, unfortunately, but then takes another shot ... ooh, a Chaos Burst? Cool ... oh, that sounds like a PAINFUL hit ...

Crap, it just VAPOURISES away before they can finish it ... it's really hurt, but still kicking ...

Orym doesn't have a viable target so he just goes sprinting after the stumpy fucker ...

Laudna scares the crap out of FCG by talking to him while still invisible, sends him off to help Imogen as she goes to the next cage ...

Fearne swoops in and casts Blight on stumpy ... 38 points of Necrotic ... HDYWTDT!!! YEAH!!! Oh, I think she made a future enemy there, if it ever comes back ...

Oh, okay, Fearne gets to formally meet the Paladin ...

Meanwhile the others are working on freeing the remaining captives of investigate the surroundings. And THERE'S Baernie! Okay! Hi there! Yeah, she gives him s big hug and it's so sweet! She's traumatised but seeing him is clearly just the soothing tonic she needs ...

Tevan Klask? Oh hello then ... oh, and he is CLEARLY only impressed by Fearne ... okay ...

The Knotted Weave? What's that, then?

Oh here we go ... is he gonna try and SEDUCE Fearne to his godly path? Hmmmmm ... wow, he actually KISSES HER HAND!!! Blimey ... and he MARKS HER?!!! Fucking hell ... oh yeah, he is DEFINITELY kind of hitting on her ...

Wow, so she just GOES WITH IT ... okay ...

So now they've got a kind of ally in this ... or at least FEARNE has ...

Sweet ... now THAT'S an exit ...

Nice! Fancy Ashari magic lets Baernie relocate her own shoulder ...

Extovass the Gluttonous ... hmmmm ... a servant of Vrudaliun? Okay ...

Oh NICE!!! Two full packs of the flowers! Yes!

Yet again ... seriously, DO NOT let Travis do the cursed weapon thing again, that way madness lies ...

Taking care of the dead before getting ready to head out, then. Then Baernie leads the way out again. Oh sweet, magic bolthole? Cool ...

Time for a cosy rest, then.

And that's it for the night. Okay then ... thank the gods, that was exhausting and ALMOST really bad too ...

Yup, now it's official, Fearne's, like, the leader now ... I can get behind that ...

[italian-wall-lizard]

WATCHING AND DREAMING SPOILERS!!!!!!!

-

-

-

ok but can we PLEASE talk about the future seen in watching & dreaming????

first of all: dana terrace is doing gods work out there. queer, latina, black, and trans kids will be able to see themselves in her characters and i think that is really beautiful. fuck disney for cancelling the show x100000

secondly: STOP IT BECAUSE ITS LITERALLY THE CUTEST THING EVER. i will admit at first i was VERY against huntlow but now i straight up love them, they're so perfect for each otherrrr!! also my boy hunter finally got some sleep, his eyebags are gone (hunter x sleep best ship)

also THE MATCHING FLAPJACK TATTOOS??? too cute i might (read: definitely will) cry

i LOVE how everyone was so supportive of luz!!! they all gathered together and threw a quinceañera (or should i say KING-ceañera) for her bc she missed it helping them rebuild the boiling isles... they r so cute!!

also everyone's futures are SO PERFECT. the designs are GOLD and they all got to do what the wanted to do (willow with flyer derby, gus with human studies, hunter studying wild magic and carving palismen, luz doing literally everything)

here is a comprehensive list of what the hexsquad + parental figures are doing in the future:

- hunter is carving palismen with edas parents and the bat queen. he also has a new blue-jay palisman and her name is waffles and i love her very very much

- willow is a pro flyer derby player

- flapjack..... i think we all know what happened to flapjack

- lillith is an architect and is helping to rebuild hexside (she also still has a personal vendetta against flora desplora) + she can go harpy mode!!!

- hooty is still and forever will always be just hooty and i love that.

- amity is making abomination tech with her dad and has an AMAZING new look

- mattholomule finally grew a moustache

- principal bump is now a gardener. good for him he deserves a break

- alador is a good person now and has figured out a way to get rid of coven sigils. he's also gay for darius i think (FUCK odalia bro!!!)

- darius is... idk what darius is. basically he's now hunters full ass father and is also gay for alador

- raine is helping to conduct research on the new sigil removing process but more importantly is OFFICIALLY BACK TOGETHER WITH EDA

- gus is now directing a human exchange program at a school for wild magic (!!!) and has a SICK new look

- quite possibly the best of all, eda is the headmaster of the school!!! she also has a captain hook-style hook for an arm and i think that is wonderful. she also FINALLY learned how to do the staff spin from season 1

- vee is still amazing and has a new look, also i'm seriously hoping she's with the human who worked at the gravesfield museum and did tarot because they would be SO CUTE

- luz reigns supreme as the queen of doing literally everything and has about 10 different majors at her college. she also has eyeliner skills that i am seriously jealous of

and HOW COULD I FORGET. king now has glyph magic???? he's getting powerful as fuck apparently so now luz gets to learn a whole new glyph system while she's at college

anyways final thoughts are: this episode was a masterpiece esp considering what dana was working with only having three episodes to fill. and of course, say it with me now:

FUCK WALT DISNEY!!!!

[nervouswreckhere]

I did promise that I will be an annoyance so here I come:

Stone Monsters Headcanons

In general, the magic system in Knighton is a soft one (I say after I watch one too many world-building tik toks). What that means is that it doesn't have hard outlines as to how it works.

Let's change that, hmm?

Monstrox is a necromancer, Wanda has weather powers and Merlock is a technomancer. (I haven't read anything other than the wiki. Just watched the show, got obsessed and here I am..) Merlock's nexo magic is iconic - very useful and always appears when you need it to. Almost as if it's a plot device. Its ability to enchant weapons and armor is extremely helpful when faced with Monstrox's... everything.

Now, Monstrox is interesting. As a necromancer we would assume what he does is bad and evil as they love to repeat in the show. And he is - insane and ambitious to boot. While I have no idea what made the Wizards' Council / Merlock spare him, his knowledge and power were locked into the Book of Monsters. That knowledge was what allowed him to - from what I can comprehend - summon, create, manifest the monsters. They weren't strong monsters, after all, Monstrox was stuck in leather, between pages. He had limited power - that's what evoked the whole let's search for all the evil books scattered around the realm.

And even their collection failed to resurrect him, seeing as everything blew up in the end. But the ritual still worked partially - it was a ritual to grant him a new form; magic, energy can't just go away, disappear! - so it gave him a form that was more well-suited for his magic. Hence the cloud.

And that's when we arrive at what I call my favorite brain rot. Monstrox's resurrection spell. The one that breathes life into stone. I do think Monstrox's spell is a combination of a few different necromantic spells, but that's for later. The stone monsters are sworn to his allegiance in a way I doubt the lava monsters were. Some of them exhibit some intelligence but none have discernable personalities other than a select few. Why?

Seeing as that spell, erased Clay's entire moral system while keeping his tenacity and determination, his desire to serve a cause, I doubt it's just personality erasure. But a spell can't just turn someone evil.

That's stupid! Evil is such a subjective thing and it's so nuanced that a simple wave of a hand or I guess zap with lightning doesn't just- just- evilize someone! So I made a chart!

There are three types of monsters in my book. (I'm not talking about how they look or their functions. I'm not talking about bouldrons, gargoyles, harpies, etc. I'm classifying them into categories!)

Type 1: The statues, given life. The bouldrons, the gravellers, etc. The one that get zapped and start destroying everything in sight. The ones that we see zooming around in the background in most episodes.

Type 2: The magically imbued statues. The statues put there with a reason - like the gargoyles. Haven't you wondered why there are so many gargoyles? Only a few of them appear smart so those are the few that I put in this type. Harpies are here too. Why? Because I think they were demons or something similar summoned to do Monstrox's bidding before they got petrified by the wizards' council. (I have their whole backstory written somewhere, I will share it later.)

Basically, type 1 is just making a statue move with densely charged, magical energy that imbues them with malicious intent. Type 2 has to work with what little magic the statue has locked within itself. That takes more power out of the initial blast, which is why type 2 monsters don't have to be constantly on the move - more of the magic has to work to diverge the energy channels within the vessel.

I love magical theory, guys

Now, type 3 is my favorite so far. That's the statue that was once human. Have you looked at how one brain works - it's all chemistry. Little electrical pulses send to and from different parts of it. In type 3 monsters, 3/4 of Monstrox's magic blast / ressurection spell go towards the mind. It has to change the being's priorities, to change the person's alleigence strictly to Monstrox. The other 1/4 goes towards making their body function in the way it has before - or as close as a living rock can get.

Ruina is a great example why this clarification works, Krakenskull, too. They were separate people, warlords in their own right before they got hit by Monstrox's magic, and then suddenly they readily follow his orders? And he doesn't worry about them betraying him? Sure, one can argue with Ruina ever being a warlord on her own but Krakenskull? He had his own army and then he was okay with someone else using it? Yeah right.

*takes a deep breath* I got a bit sidetracked. ...a lot sidetracked. But basically yeah. I have a lot of feelings about the magic in Nexo Knights and I am so sharing them with you. Just you wait!