#but more or less that's his backstory

[tartppola]

very specific au thought, silver if he was the shield instead ( read the tags to see explanations )

[nenoname]

stan twins the canon cptsd brothers i will always think about all your unaddressed issues that would make perfect plot fuel for your spinoff

and also the whole 'stan getting that poem by bill via a website which contrasts with bill getting one from the axolotl via a website' foreshadowing thing

like idk i would love something like su future but like more optimistic, aka not an accumulated breakdown that has to be mostly resolved off screen at the end :/// but something thats being kinda addressed throughout? (although would love to see one of them turn into a monster thats always fun lol)

stan having severe issues from his dad and those years of being homeless that we keep on getting more info on but never really getting confronted on (the drifter catalogue and tijuana incident...), him being completely alone for like twenty years when running the shack before soos comes along to the point that 1998 is noted as his low point, and him not really learning about bill+what he did to ford until ages after he killed him if he ever did get the full context

while i think amnesia and everyone seeing him as a hero actually helped with stan's 'i'm a worse version of my brother' thing its still a lingering issue too and we now got him being insecure over his own hands

ford being immediately thrown from 'being tortured by bill' to 'being stuck in the multiverse and being chased by bounty hunters constantly', him fully expecting himself to die when destroying bill, and him only now being safe for the first time in 30 years ....relatively safe, he's still in constant danger because of course he is

idk in the end the series wants them to be happy and they deserve it, its why i wasn't too worried about the book being like 'ooh bill is back!! and the book is haunting ford' thing cos i knew they'll be ok

[triglycercule]

imagining this very funny totally amusing bit where dust (despite having a lot of pockets) makes horror carry a lighter for him (only because he can't be bothered to remember to bring one on him all the time) and horror keeps it in his head

but horror's a dick so everytime dust wants to smoke and he needs a light horror's always like "whats the password :3" (he actually said the emoticon i was the quotation marks) and dust has to guess. because horror changes it every time. and its never something predictable. and then he either just totally gives up on that cig or he has to forcefully dig into horror's head to get the lighter because horror's being a PRICK

now dust is shoulder deep into horror's eyesocket while horror is clawing and screaming and killer's just standing there behind them watching this unfold with that fuckass smile on his face (he can't get this type of entertainment anywhere else)

[serpentface]

Stavis Amanti, the reigning monarch of the Wardi Empire during the great drought, decked out in traveling regalia and perpetually frazzled.

He and his dynasty are facing some major public opinion issues in the wake of a disastrous war against the rebelling tributary state of Finnerich and an unprecedented drought and famine.

Stavis oversaw a second invasion of Finnerich, in attempt to assist the imperial loyalist Finn monarchy in civil war against dissenting Northern Finns. This invasion was a catastrophic failure, and resulted in much of Finnerich's conquered territory being liberated and Imperial Wardin being humiliated.

One of the most crushing elements of the defeat was the killing of the Odomache (the high priestess of the Odonii order, spiritual leader and de-facto commander of the Imperial Wardi military, and believed to be a physical incarnation of God). The Odomache does not usually participate in combat directly, but was sent into the thick of battle as an attempted show of power. She was captured and killed and her corpse was defiled, an act deeply significant to those in the Wardi faith- the sanctity of her body is directly connected with the sovereignty and sanctity of the imperial entity.

This was proven to imperial Wardi observers when the rainy season that year failed, as did each rainy season over the next five years. The region is mostly reliant on seasonal flooding for its agriculture, and with flooding either being inadequate or wholly absent, this drought resulted in an extreme famine. This is interpreted as a result of The Face Of God Itself being defiled, and God being severed from Its lands.

Five years into the drought, the political landscape of the Wardi empire is in shambles. The city-state of Erub is experiencing a localized collapse as the Yellowtail river runs dry. Godsmouth and Lobera are in borderline open rebellion, calling for the ousting of the Amanti dynasty. Public opinion of the royal family is at rock bottom. The key unifying factor of Imperial Wardin (which is culturally diverse and composed of relatively powerful and distinct city-states) is its shared state religion, and the royal family is increasingly seen as impious, weak, and a foreign element (as effectively a remnant of the former eastern Burri empire). Pre-existing tensions between the monarchy and the priesthoods are exacerbated, with much of the Imperial Wardi public now calling for the overthrow of the monarchy (in favor of, essentially, an imperialist theocracy).

Much of the population is starving. All the usual dry season sacrifices have failed to restore the cycle of sacrifice and rebirth, and no new Odomache has been crowned. It's in this context that the great pilgrimage occurs under Stavis Amanti's command, with the goal of performing a reenactment of creation via the mass sacrifice of seven great beasts (aspects of God) and the incarnation of a new Odomache. It is hoped that this will restore God's connection with its lands and end the drought.

While this is (for most involved) a sincerely believed religious conviction, it is absolutely a desperate power play as well. The trek of the royal family, hundreds of soldiers and military elites, and the two most powerful priesthoods (the Galenii and Odonii) is a display of unity between the three fractured core powers of Imperial Wardin.

This is itself exceptionally fraught. Not only are the leaders of barely unified factions stuck together on a road-trip, but this trip is essentially a military march, taking place largely through conquered tributary lands. The pilgrimage contains the king, the prince, the king-sister, about three hundred soldiers, dozens of Odonii and Galenii, hundreds of servants and associated laborers, and a couple hundred khait and oxen. Such a movement requires a tremendous amount of resources to sustain.

Imperial Wardi culture involves a spirit of charity (particularly towards the Galenii priesthood) which is being heavily banked on to keep this hungry march afloat. In practice, a lot of commoners aren’t too thrilled by soldiers marching into their towns and demanding tribute in the midst of a devastating famine. Particularly given that much of the pilgrimage path is through conquered and heavily exploited tributary lands.

Needless to say this is not the best PR move for the Amanti dynasty and things go to shit.

Stavis himself is not a particularly cruel or stupid man (BIG CAVEAT: he is the head of an imperialist state), but was crowned amid growing internal conflict (after a long stretch of relative stability during his father's reign) and is overwhelmed by complex political situations and prone to hasty and dramatic maneuvers. He is heavily distrustful of the Odonii priesthood (which is functionally more in control of the military than he is), and is maneuvering to have his personal friend Faiza Haidamane mantled as the new Odomache, in hopes of maintaining loyal ties and not being replaced by, like, a god-emperor.

That being said, he is a true believer in the pilgrimage and is really, really, really hoping that getting all those cows and stuff to that place is gonna make all the raiding (and occasional massacres) of his own civilians to feed his pilgrim-army work out.

[airenyah]

i wonder if fadel's scar is gonna have anything to do with whatever happened with his ex(?), esp since the scar is positioned right over his heart. did his ex(?) and/or whatever happened to him leave the scar on fadel's heart? and then with style kissing fadel's scar i mean is style's love gonna heal fadel's scarred heart?

[venti-death-watch]

my current favorite thing to think about is lyney thinking he knows freminet better than vice versa but freminet knowing that he knows lyney better than lyney knows him

[margridarnauds]

*Magadon Kest referenced*

So every time I've talked to Raphael lovers about this bit of dialogue with Lae'zel if you turn down his offer for the hammer, no one's known it existed, so I'm guessing that it isn't widely known. One of my favorite hobbies when reading through DND lore on the Hells is trying to figure out what they brought in and where, but it's really exciting imo that they were clearly consulting The Erevis Cale/Twilight War Trilogies (which makes sense because...Mephistopheles....Cambions...Netheril, it'd be a natural jumping off point), especially for what that means with Raphael and Mephistopheles and their dynamic when you set it against Magadon's dynamic with Mephistopheles. (With Raphael being all the more impressive tbh for having survived as long as he has.)

[eri-pl]

Silm Advent calendar 19: Maternity

Warnings: pregnancy, mention of children mortality, implication of offscreen sex (most shippy scene I wrote in a long time, but it's still entirely SFW), old couple being flirty, a linguistic pun which Tolkien would probably hate, and weird characters names (for a reason, but is this a good reason?). Also, the setting is also further from mainstream Silm than in the others. It is still canon compatible, it's just one of the empty spaces on the margins of the central story

Once there was a couple who could not have a child. So the wife went to a fire and asked for a child. But Psta was not this wife, even though she kept the fire lit at every place they settled into, because the mountains were cold.

Once, there was a couple who could not have a child, so the wife took in a wolf cub and raised it as her own. But Psta was not this wife, even though she would gladly take another’s child to raise, but each orphan had someone closer in the family than her.

Once, there was a couple who could not have a child, so Psta sat in a clearing, in the warm sun, and cried. It was not the worst thing that could happen— they were healthy and had food, and the mountains grew safer with each move westward. And the forest would grow, the world would live on regardless of what happens to her family. And yet, she cried. The pines sang in the wind.

Her people were probably a strange sight for the trees— traveling from far away, they have changed their language a couple times since her ancestors started the journey, borrowing words from other tribes and from the woodland spirits. The spirits told them to go West, even if they themselves did not. Psta felt that it was stupid, but what would she know? She was just an old, sad woman.

The sun went west too, and the sun surely knew what she was doing —  that’s what the healer said. But for Psta it would make more sense to go east, back home, because that was where the sun came from. It was easier to meet with someone when going in the opposite direction, wasn’t it? She wondered how the sun came back east every night, but she had no idea. She was just a simple wife. So, when the chief and the healer said that in the west would be their home, she followed. They also said that the sun first came from the west and that back east there was shadow. They were wise people, even though young.

So she would follow west and not complain about the empty house, where just she and Cern and the dogs lived. But now she cried and the trees lulled her to sleep.

She came to the clearing quite often in the summer and the trees seemed to like it. It was a happy thought: when she’d be gone, the pines would remain. And the woodland spirits, impossible to spot when they did not want it.

One day she dreamed of a boy, but it was not as happy a dream as she would expect. She awoke and— why not? She was old, she didn’t care for people laughing anymore.

She found Cern mending an axe.

“Let’s have a child.”

He laughed. “We are old, wife. Have you talked to the woodland spirits, or bonfires?”

“I dreamed. There is no fault in trying.”

“I could surely use a rest from this rusty thing… but do not hope for much.”

“How will you stop me from hoping?” She laughed like a girl and pretended to run away from him.

A season later, when the first snow came, she cooked her grandmother’s best soup, with honey and garlic.

“What happened? Did your niece get engaged?”

She laughed. “ Not, and I doubt that’s going to happen. But the moon has gone and came and gone again, and my moon has not.”

Cern avoided her eyes. “You are old. Your hair is turning silver. It’s just winter, not anything else.”

“Maybe. Even so, the trees will grow and the world will be glad.”

“You are just as strange as when we were young,” he said tenderly and started eating the soup.

In the spring her belly was unmistakably the shape of the full moon, and everyone in the village whispered that Psta had traded with the woodland spirits— or worse. She did not care.

“I will name him pine forest,” she said to Cern and all the distant family, as they were taking a break from planting.

All the women, and many men, gave her horrified looks. How could she name a child before it was even born — and not with a humble enough name. But they moved settlements every ten or so years, why would they not move everything else? She was old and did not care, and the pines seemed to like it.

“If it’s even a him,” said her sister condescendingly. She did not say ‘and if he even lives’ but she did not have to. Everyone knew how it was with children.

“I’m sure it’s a him. And that he will be a good man.”

(explanation for non-Polish-nor-Czech people)

(explanation for people not interested in niche Silm characters)

[charafansmile]

you gotta give me some of your sans backstory hcs now- 👀

This is so many days late (and my third time trying to answer this b4 tumblr kills me)

I don't think he's from deltarune- i do think he's from another universe- just not deltarune. At least i dont head canon him as being from deltarune- i wouldn't mind if he was but i think him bleeding is too neat to ignore and monsters in deltarune dont bleed. (I think it being ketchup is a copout...) he COULD be bleeding because of DT- and like the amglamates papyrus does say sans emits slime

But if that's the case why doesn't he melt like undyne does? And papyrus is also weird as hell! guy quotes Shakespeare when you kill him! And the flying and pinpointing us based on calls he can't see- it's just the two of them are too weird to be ut monsters or dr monsters in my eyes. Alphys has also studied alternate timelines so I really like the hc that she knows the skelebros were isekaid and was helping sans try to get home. (I flip flop on that one tho- mainly because I like her being mad he DIDINT tell her he was isekaid even more- alphys fucking up so bad she starts aggressively researching alternate universes so she can literally go somewhere where nobody knows her only for the fucking hot dog seller who brings her dog food to be from one...)

But onto actual backstory hcs that aren't me just rambling with no goal (this got way too long so the rest are under the read more </3):

I dont think they were raised by two loving parents- they give off kids who were raised by their grandparent (singular) vibe- and I like the idea that sans is at least 8-10 years older than papyrus. Maybe getting custody when he was 20~ and papyrus was 11~ ish. I kinda hate the sans neglected papyrus or was an alcoholic headcanons- I think he genuinely tried really hard with him and was decent enough role model (especially like the idea that papyrus got the whole "you can be a better person if you just try" mentality from sans while sans eventually dropped it)

Sans was in the middle of finishing his thesis when gaster accidentally nabs both sans & papyrus- and I dont think sans was as upset about this as first as he eventually gets. Mainly because of shock. And also he thought if gaster could bring them there- then he could also send them back. (And proving alternate universes exist by getting stuck in one is a way better thesis than what he was working on- Shame he never gets to go back sux to suck)

I don't think Sans let's himself get very close to people- he does really like being around them and while he's not happy underground I don't think hed be able to choose between whatever his home universe is and undertale if given the choice to go back home. Especially post pacifist. And he's certainly not considering it an option in any ending where papyrus is dead either. Actually, papyrus making friends (undyne) is part of why I think that. Sans really wants his brother to be happy, and while they both put on the facade of it to each other, they also can see through each other (to an extent). So sans thinks papyrus is happier in uts universe and eventually when he can't Crack getting back he gives up and decides to just go with the flow and put all of that energy back into figuring out the anomaly and making his brother happy.

I do subscribe to the idea that gaster was the last skeleton underground (mainly because skeletons are very typical rpg monsters and we don't see any goblins or orcs so I like the hc that most of them- along with a majority of humanoid monsters were wiped out in the war since they would have been the first line of defense and being so similar to humans physically led to alot of targeting) (genealogy wise I actually hc skeleton monsters to be closer related to rock monsters on the evolutionary side than ghost or elemental ones) but thats related to gaster and not sans & papyrus- for those two they had met plenty of skeleton monsters b4 gaster so are pretty perplexed by the whole last of his kind thing. And for gaster it's just kinda quiet awe at not being alone anymore. Bringing in two random skeletons from another universe was NOT his intention- them being isekaid was an accident from his first (failed) attempt at contacting 'us'. Cue gaster trying to (gently) pry information about the other skeleton monsters from sans & papyrus only to not get much info at all due to sans and papyrus not being raised around the rest of their family. He does get to hear about some skeleton celebrities papyrus kept up with...

NOT dadster btw- not a fan of dadster sorry 😭 think more weird old guy who's really sorry about fucking up their lives but also incredibly lonely and a little cooky in the head. The two didn't/couldn't use magic in their home universe so the reason their magic is so weird and out there is because gaster told them magic was real- gave a piss poor demonstration- and then the two just figured it out from there. Running on the cartoon logic that their magic works because they don't know it's not supposed to work that way. I'm sure sans is somewhat aware he breaking the rules but I do not think he cares.

Speaking of gaster being old- he's really stupid old- like gerson old (mhmm gerster...). Both skelebros are very surprised by this and sans just doesn't believe him at first. He's half convinced alphys is lying to him when she's dreamily talking about asgore and mentions off handedly that he's hundreds of years old. In tandem with alphys knowing Sans is from another universe I like to play with her figuring it out because Sans straight up doesn't know basic monster history or culture (her first theory was that he was just really sheltered but he makes way to many your mom jokes and is also way to aware of memes for her to think that for long. See Sans trying to show her a meme from his universe only for her to not laugh and be completely unaware of it. He dies a little inside...)

This one is very specific but Sans teleporting is vibes based. Like actually affected by the vibes of where hes going. He can't teleport out of the underground because the barrier was designed to keep monsters in- quid pro quo he can't get passed it. For a similar reason he can't teleport out of or into the ruins because of toriel. Locking doors or being mad at him makes it more difficult for sans to teleport to the room your in but if he really likes the place (or the place is populated/associated with people that like him) then he can easily teleport to it. (I hope this makes sense- I have another explanation that gets more technical but I need a diagram for that one)

Sans Will make shit up as he goes along- if he doesn't know something, he is just as likely to say some completely fabricated bullshit as he is to say he doesn't know. Bane of floweys existence...

He Once got paid 50 bucks by some human med school students to participate in their anatomy project- he was supposed to get another 50 after but got isekaid before he could do it. Was really disappointed about it- he had so many jokes planned, and he loves making people uncomfortable. I like to think he went to alot of parties like the extroverted weirdo he is. Despite not being able to open his mouth he 100% knows how to shotgun a beer. At one of these parties is where he was asked by the aforementioned med students- he thought it was hilarious and none of them were sober enough to think what they were asking him through. Cue him showing up the next day while they are hungover to bug them about it since it sounds fun.

Physics major. That's it. He also studied quantum theory and probably took a shit load of philosophy classes. Depending on how old papyrus is (I flip flop on how old I imagine him to be lol) then sans probably took papyrus with him to some of his classes (papyrus is all of sans teachers favorite, he ask questions, stays on task, joins in discussions- doesnt play snake on his computer like his brother does)

Projecting here but I think Sans would like the good place.. papyrus would to.. so personal hc they both watched the series together and papyrus did NOT cry like a little baby at the ending!!! (Psp psp psp watch the good place) we know he likes star wars (or is it star trek?? I'm trying to find the image of papyrus saying which one he likes but I can't find it 😭) so it's my belief sans has seen space balls- and forced papyrus to watch it with him too. Also probably really liked Adam Sandler movies and Monty Python, secretly I think he likes a good romcom. Papyrus I think Is more into romances and reality TV, and also the SAW franchise and Final Destination films specifically. Why? Idk 🤷 it just feels right to me. Litol baby 8 yo papyrus begging sans to take him to the release of the 2nd SAW film.... kids love deadly spikes 🤷.

The two are different flavors of autistic in the opposite directions- papyrus is very picky sans is the opposite of picky. He has and will in the future eat food that's dropped on the ground. Guy orders the worst burger on the menu and chugs straight ketchup. He is also capable of eating the almost edible spaghetti papyrus makes. Really his only competition for the trash eating championship is frisk. See also: sans is very monotone while papyrus gets loud and has volume issues. There's more than just those two but other people have gone more in depth in reasoning for making them autistic-

Okay last one and probably the most confusing one? The constellations of sans and papyrus's og universe are different from the ones they finally get to see at the end of post pacifist. Sans and papyrus lived in a big city so they only saw the real stars once (light pollution is a bitch) - the rest of the time being through books and textbooks. Sans had one of these textbooks on hand when they were isekaid and took the pages out to put up on his ceiling. He was a bit disappointed when they finally saw the stars on the surface and they weren't the ones he remembered.

Trans undertale ❤️

[constantvariations]

I get why people say Wyll/Karlach is enemies-to-lovers but it's missing too many of its signatures for me to agree

By nature, E-t-L's are slow burn. A good chunk of the story waits for one party to discover they're on the wrong side/both parties to realize they have more in common with each other than their factions, then a whole other chunk is dedicated to them learning how to trust each other. The higher the stakes in the story, the slower the burn

Yet everything between Wyll and Karlach is revealed and resolved in a single conversation. There are no lasting consequences of that initial animosity. Both are too good to hold grudges and all the fault lies firmly in hands not their own. Karlach trusts Wyll instantly and he her. Their friendship is so immediate that it's easy to forget that we met Karlach with the intent to kill her

And then there's the source of their quarrel. Wyll was led to believe Karlach's a devil seeking destruction and Karlach was just trying to go home. The thing that sets them against each other isn't their own beliefs or loyalties or anything deep seated and personal, it's the chain of command, something they're both eager to be rid of by the time we meet them. While it gives them something in common, it leaves them with nothing to unpack or overcome together

Compare that to the king of E-t-L's, Zutara of Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko spent most of the show's runtime trying to capture the Avatar to guarantee the Fire Nation's total conquest, something Katara wants to prevent at all costs. When the two are stuck together by happenstance, they lash out at each other only to bond over their lost mothers. Then Zuko betrays her, something Katara does not forget and does not forgive until he proves himself much, much later. Afterwards, they support each other, watch over the others together, and make a damn good team against Azula. Perfect, should have been canon, fuck Bryke

Honestly, I think Wyllach is just Faerûn's version of a meet-cute

[protagonist-art]

"Uh- I'm Arnold. Bennett. It's profoundly difficult to get your lifes works and studies accepted if your name isn't... yes, oh! Are you a fan of moths, sir?"

NEW RDR2 OC!! a reclusive, clumsy entomologist and bug collector; cooped up in his study of uniformed clutter

[iamsweden]

So the cloak doesn't look very much like a cloak right now, but it's a start! I have the other pieces of a Siffrin cosplay (hat and eye patch) ready to go, but I'm either going to have to find giant safety pins or crochet appliques for the finishing touches. I'll post update pics as I go! I'm excited to see it all come together!!!

[cairafea]

"How would we go about defeating a demon?"

"Any flesh that has been eaten and digested by other living things loses any of its individual identity. In this dungeon, where the line between life and death has been blurred... that seems to me to be the only clear and obvious rule."

[gladiatorcunt]

thinking about rafe & coryo & anakin & astarion and how imo their inherrent appeal (if you pick up on any) is supposed to be in the fact that something is extremely wrong with them (or they aren’t meant to have any appeal at all). bc i don’t understand the stans who are so selective with reading and hearing they try to argue otherwise like were you so blinded you ignored the glaringly & obviously bad things about them??????? rafe & coryo & anakin later especially?????????

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

If this is what Snyder's directional style is like then that explains why a lot of the acting his movies can feel off. It doesn't seem like he's big on giving actors detailed feedback that they can use to inform their performances, leaving them to work out for themselves if he's pleased or not with what they're doing from how he says "cut". Which isn't good. There's a big difference between giving your cast breathing room and giving them so little actual direction they begin to feel insecure about their work.

[luckydicekirby]

man what ARE they going to do with marius in the show. like genuinely fascinated with this as an adaptational question. anne loved that guy so much somehow and kept making him integral to the plot