#creation created by a creation to battle his creator

[stiwnty]

Theory time :) Victim's kingdom

10 hours before AvA 11 cuz yeah

I've always wondered how someone like victim ended up with Rocket corp. I mean, we still don't know how he escaped death but I am for sure that once he did, his life was anything but normal.

We as humans, get an introduction to society and how it works. We learn as we grow that there's an economy, that there's people around us, that there's education and fabrics and companies.... But victim didn't, we don't know how much time he stayed dead, but probably it was more than enough time to impact in his knowledge and learning once he revived.

Victim was launched into the world without a guidance, without a family, without anything. Hell I could even say he didn't even know there was a thing to get or something else than nothing... He knew NOTHING

This is one of the reasons I like the farmer! victim theory a lot. Because it could explain how victim learnt about the world around him, that means that there would be a guidance for him... But yet, I still can't understand how he ended up with Rocket corp.

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Limited creations

Animator vs Animation is a series about creation, animations fighting their creators and more. And for that fight to happen there needs to be a tool to connect both the animator's world and the animation's one. It isn't just the cursor but the cursor's capacities, and Agent shows that very well:

He has a tool bar that I relate to the Adobe Animate one. But I've realized that even with all of that he doesn't have a pencil nor a "free-hand" tool. Just straight shapes and lines... It's like the capacity to create but with a limit. A creation with a limit in its existence... Also looks so... machine made

All of the workers at Rocket (Agent too) are all made from these straight lines. And even if there weren't that many in AvA 9, it was showed a lot more in AvA 10. Because almost all of them were built like that.

I like to think this as a fact of how they were created (you'll see what I mean right after), they are creations but their creator had a limit of his capacity. They are alive but they don't have that freedom in their movements in comparison with Second's creations... A limited creation.

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Victim's creation

I've seen that a lot of people relate Alan's stick figures with creation and destruction. Second being creation, Dark and Chosen destruction. And I kinda think victim is part of the creators because since his begining he has found ways to create and invent new methods of survival. He used the clones, he used a brush as a bow, he drew a lot of weapons and could almost defeat the animator just as the victim he was and is.

Yet, he still created something. And I see the fact that he used the brush very interesting because I thought: If these two tools work similar why can Second animate but victim cant.

The obvious answer is because of the lack of powers. And while that is true. I think that this capacity of creation of victim exists and could also create life but in a very limited way.

In victim's office we get a look at the brush tool and to an odd looking plant, almost as if it was drawn. Almost as if it was created by someone.

I don't know how outernet plants work, but let me tell you that I am more than sure that THAT plant was drawn by victim, maybe thanks to the brush tool. Victim can create, and even if his creation is different and cant bring things up to life (because that plant could just be a lifeless drawing of a plant that doesn't grow) he can bring things into existence just as he did with the brush tool first back in AvA 1.

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Probably by now you know what I'm about to say. But I'll do it anyway.... Victim created Rocket corp literally.

All from its workers, Agent to the plant and to EVERYTHING. His company literally builds machines and studies Adobe tools related to creation and to the creator (animator).

Maybe victim's creation is weaker than Second's but he has one. And as I said, I see straight lines as a limited creation and it could mean that... These straight lines could not only mean this but I was thinking more of this:

As I said earlier, I see really really unlikely that someone who was launched into the world naked could build an empire all by himself, not only because he doesn't understant the world (because he could have learnt to understand it) but also because of where he cames and who he is. Who would listen to a random Hollowhead? And also, how would victim build such an empire in so little time, because victim died in 2006 and 18 years is just a little of time to do so much

So, without anyone who would listen to him, victim decided to create his listeners and his kingdom all by his own. If victim wanted to create this, he would need to be efficient and its so much easier to build something out of straight lines than free-drawn ones, this if we use machines, machines victim sells at the Corp. He could have used machines to build it all and to draw each one of them. And as he didn't have that kind of power of creation, he used the little one he had GREATLY enough to build it all...

Now, more stickmans:

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I MADE UP THIS PROMISE, HELL YEAH I DID ITTTT YESSSSSS.

IVE HAD THIS IS MY MIND FOR SOOO LONG BUT I COULD FIND THE TIME. And this is an old theory, but it was ssoooo bad written before, pleassse do well little post, do wellll

[lucinfernos]

CONTENT CREATOR ARCANE AU INTRODUCTIONS ⭐

finally put together this handy dandy info sheet for your ease of access!

Jayce a.k.a. ManOfProgress (benevolently referred to as MOP by his fans) — 31 years old, he/him, bisexual trans man, Mexican-Brazilian — Started content creation in 2020 as a hobby to battle the pandemic boredom but blew up and decided to make it his full-time gig — Streams games and goofballery on Twitch [623k followers] and posts & streams more personal and unrelated content on YouTube [102k subscribers] — Found Viktor’s channel ~6 months before they started talking and feels very comforted by his voice; sleeps to his videos every night and puts one on whenever he’s anxious or angry — Got into a bad car accident as a child that was fatal to his father and left him with chronic pain on his left leg; now wears a knee brace and a calf compress periodically

Viktor a.k.a. TheMachineHerald — 32 years old, he/him, gay trans man, Czech-Polish — Was unable to leave the house during the peak of the pandemic and found joy and inspiration from Jayce’s content, and chose to start dabbling in content creation in 2022 — Creates very technically advanced and meticulously crafted ASMR videos; usually fully focuses on the mechanical sounds and tech aesthetic but lately has been brancing out more [12,3k subscribers before he gets in kahoots with Jayce] — Started showing his face only around the time when Jayce started watching him and is a bit irritated over the boost in popularity it granted him — Has many health problems, including scoliosis and rheumatoid arthritis (which has caused lung scarring and severe cartilage damage to his right leg and spine from when he was younger and could not access the necessary care to get the inflammation in control)

Mel a.k.a. Melicious (to this day her fans argue whether this is a reference to delicious or malicious) — 33 years old, she/her, bisexual; Jayce’s ex-girlfriend, African-American w/ Algerian roots — Was with Jayce during her time in Piltover but they made the mutual decision to part ways when she was accepted into an art school in London; are still close friends — Made very high-quality weekly diary-style vlogs, often related to art [837k subscribers]. Went on a semi-hiatus after moving but is active on other social medias like Instagram [1,4 million followers]

Jinx a.k.a. GETJINXED — 19 years old, she/they, agender aroace; in a queerplatonic relationship with Ekko, American — Gained popularity on TikTok and later on Twitch when people realized she’s the sister Vi is always complaining about; has no niche and does literally anything she wants to do that day, which usually has to do with either art or engineering [166k followers on Twitch, 850k on TikTok] — Working on an independent music career on the side with their debut single Get Jinxed going viral on TikTok — Lost her finger ON STREAM when working on an art installation, the clip has millions of views

Ekko a.k.a. The_Boy_Savior — 20 years old, he/any, probably nonbinary but he has a job so he doesn’t care abt that rn, bi & asexual; in a queerplatonic relationship with Jinx, African-American — Creates well-researched and thought-provoking video essays about worldwide issues, especially dedicated to the health of the planet and its people [317k subscribers] — Surprised everyone by appearing in one of Jinx’s tiktoks because nobody knew they knew each other let alone that they were in a QPR — Frequently holds fundraisers and has done a lot of good for his community

Caitlyn a.k.a. KillshotKiramman — 23 years old, she/her, lesbian; Vi’s girlfriend and Jayce’s best friend, Chinese-British — Makes videos about weapons (mostly guns and shooting) [176k subscribers] and plays games on her Twitch [29k followers] — Moderates Jayce and Vi’s streams, and completely destroys both of them at FPS games — Had a gun misfiring accident which left her blind in her left eye

Violet a.k.a. vistandsforvideogames — 24 years old, any pronouns, gender-apathetic (call her whatever you like) lesbian; Caitlyn’s partner, American — Gamer on Twitch, but also shares about her side job as a boxer [212k followers] — Sometimes mods for Jayce but mainly just shows up to kick his ass in Mortal Kombat and exude chaotic energy

[felassan]

Edge – The Future of Interactive Entertainment magazine, issue #401 (October 2024 issue) – Dragon Age: The Veilguard story

The rest of this post is under a cut for length.

Update: this issue of this magazine is now available to buy from UK retailers today. it can be purchased online at [this link]. [Tweet from Edge Online] also, Kala found that a digital version of the magazine can be read at [this link].

This post is a word-for-word transcription of the full article on DA:TV in this issue of this magazine. DA:TV is the cover story of this issue. When transcribing, I tried to preserve as much of the formatting from the magazine as possible. Edge talked to BioWare devs for the creation of this article, so the article contains new quotes from the devs. the article is written by Jeremy Peel. There were no new screenshots or images from the game in the article. I also think that it contains a few lil bits of information that are new, like the bits on companions' availability and stumbling across the companions out and about on their own in the world e.g. finding Neve investigating an abduction case in Docktown.

tysm to @simpforsolas and their friend for kindly telling me about the article!!

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[image source]

Article introduction segment:

"[anecdote about Edge] We were reminded of this minuscule episode in Edge's history during the creation of this issue's cover story, in which we discuss the inspiration behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard with its creators at BioWare. Notably, director John Epler remembers the studio experimenting with a number of approaches during the early phase of development before eventually locking in to what the game was supposed to be all along, above all else: 'a single-player, story-focused RPG'. As you'd expect from BioWare, though, that was really just a starting point, as we discovered on p54." BioWare draws back the Veil and ushers us into a new Dragon Age

"BEHIND THE CURTAIN BioWare's first true RPG in age age is as streamlined and pacey as a dragon in flight. By Jeremy Peel Game Dragon Age: The Veilguard Developer BioWare Publisher EA Format PC, PS5, Xbox Series Origin Canada Release Autumn

The Dragon Age universe wasn't born from a big bang or the palm of an ancient god. Instead, it was created to solve a problem. BioWare was tired of battling Hasbro during the making of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, and wanted a Dungeons & Dragons-like setting of its own. A small team was instructed to invent a new fantasy world in which the studio could continue its groundbreaking work in the field of western RPGs, free of constraints.

Well, almost free. BioWare's leaders mandated that the makers of this new world stick to Eurocentric fantasy, and include a fireball spell - since studio co-founder Ray Muzyka had a weakness for offensive magic.

Beyond that, BioWare’s storytellers were empowered to infuse Dragon Age with their own voices and influences, leaning away from D&D’s alignment chart and towards a moral grayness that left fans of A Song Of Ice And Fire feeling warm and cozy.

In the two decades since, the world of Thedas – rather infamously and amusingly, a shortening of ‘the Dragon Age setting’ that stuck – has taken on a distinct flavor. It’s something director John Epler believes is rooted in characters.

“There’s definitely some standard fantasy stuff in Dragon Age, but everything in the world, every force, is because of someone,” he says. “The idea is that every group and faction needs to be represented by a person – someone you can relate to. Big political forces are fine as background, but they don’t provide you with those interesting story moments.”

Dragon Age: The Veilguard bears out that philosophy. The long-awaited sequel was first announced with the subtitle Dreadwolf, in reference to its antagonist, Solas – an ancient elf who once stripped his people of immortality as punishment for betraying one of their own. In doing so, Solas created the Veil, the thin barrier through which wizards pull spirits and demons invade the waking world. In other words, many of Dragon Age’s defining features, from its downtrodden elves to the uneasy relationship between mages and a fearful church, can be traced right back to one character’s decision.

“The world exists as it does because of Solas,” Epler says. “He shaped the world because of the kind of character he was. That’s, to me, what makes Dragon Age so interesting. Everything can tie back to a person who to some degree thought they were doing the right thing.”

Perhaps BioWare’s greatest achievement in slowburn character development, Solas is a former companion, an unexploded bomb who sat in the starting party of Dragon Age: Inquisition, introverted and useful enough to get by without suspicion. Yet by the time credits rolled around on the Trespasser DLC, players were left in no doubt as to the threat he presented.

Determined to reverse the damage he once caused, the Dreadwolf intends to pull down the Veil, destroying Thedas as we know it in the process. The next Dragon Age game was always intended to be his story.

“We set that up at the end of Trespasser,” Epler says. “There was no world where we were ever going to say, ‘And now let’s go to something completely different.’ We wanted to pay off that promise.”

Yet almost everything else about the fourth Dragon Age appears to have been in flux at one time. In 2019, reporter Jason Schreier revealed that an early version, starring a group of spies pulling off heists in the Tevinter Imperium, had been cancelled two years prior. Most of its staff were apparently moved onto BioWare’s struggling Anthem, while a tiny team rebooted Dragon Age from scratch. That new game was said to experiment with live-service components.

“We tried a bunch of different ideas early on,” Epler says. “But the form The Veilguard has taken is, in a lot of ways, the form that we were always pushing towards. We were just trying different ways to get there. There was that moment where we really settled on, ‘This is a singleplayer, story-focused RPG – and that’s all it needs to be’”.

Epler imagines a block of marble, from which BioWare was attempting to carve an elephant – a character- and story-driven game. “We were chipping away, and sometimes it looked more like an elephant and sometimes it didn’t”, he says. “And then we eventually realized: ‘Just make an elephant’. When we got to that, it almost just took shape by itself.”

2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition was an open-world game commonly criticized for a slow-paced starting area which distracted players from the thrust of the plot. The Veilguard, in contrast, is mission-based, constructed with tighter, bespoke environments designed around its main story and cast. “We wanted to build a crafted, curated experience for the player,” Epler says. “Pacing is important to us, and making sure that the story stays front and center.”

Epler is very proud of Inquisition, the game on which he graduated from cinematic designer to a lead role (for its DLC). “But one of the things that we ran into on that project was an absentee antagonist,” he says. “Corypheus showed up and then disappeared. You spent ten hours in the Hinterland doing sidequests, and there wasn’t that sense of urgency.”

This time, The Veilguard team wants you to constantly feel the sword of Damocles dangling above your head as you play – a sense that the end of the world is coming if you don’t act. “There’s still exploration – there’s still the ability to go into some of these larger spaces and go off the beaten path to do sidequests,” Epler says. “But there’s always something in the story propelling you and the action forward, and allowing you to make decisions with these characters where the stakes feel a lot more immediate and present. And also, honestly, more real.”

No sooner have you finished character creation than Dragon Age: The Veilguard thrusts you into a choice. As your protagonist, Rook, steps into focus on the doorstep of the seediest bar in town, you decide whether to threaten the owner for information or make a deal. Brawl or no, you’ll walk out minutes later with a lead: the location of a private investigator named Neve Gallus, who can help you track down Solas.

You proceed into Minrathous, the largest city in Thedas and capital of the Tevinter Imperium – a region only alluded to in other Dragon Age games. It’s a place built on the backs of slaves and great mages, resulting in tiered palaces and floating spires – a kind of architecture unimaginable to those in the southern nations.

“When your Dragon Age: Inquisition companion Dorian joins you in Orlais, in one of the biggest cities in Thedas, he mentions that it’s quaint and cute compared to Minrathous,” Corinne Busche, game director on The Veilguard, says. “That one bit of dialogue was our guiding principle on how to realize this city. It is sprawling. It is lived-in. Sometimes it’s grimy, sometimes it’s bougie. But it is expansive.”

Immediately, you can see the impact of BioWare’s decision to tighten its focus. Around every other corner in Minrathous is an exquisitely framed view, a level of spectacle you would never see in Inquisition, where resources were spread much more thinly. “When you know that you’re gonna be heading down a canyon or into this plaza where the buildings open up, you have those perfect spots to put a nice big temple of Andraste or a mage tower,” art director Matthew Rhodes says. “You get those opportunities to really hit that hard.”

BioWare’s intention is to make strong visual statements that deliver on decades of worldbuilding. “People who have a history with Dragon Age have thought about what Minrathous might be like,” Rhodes says. “We can never compete with their imagination, but we can aim for it like we’re shooting for the Moon.”

The people of Tevinter use magic as it if were electricity, as evidenced by the glowing sigils that adorn the dark buildings – street signs evoking Osaka’s riverfront or the LA of Blade Runner. They’re just one of the tricks BioWare’s art team uses to invite you to stop and take in the scene. “A lot of what you start to notice when you’re the artist who’s been working on these big, beautiful vistas and neat murals on the walls is how few players look up,” Rhodes says. “We design props and architecture that help lead the eyes.”

For the really dedicated shoegazers, BioWare has invested in ray-traced reflections, so that the neon signage can be appreciated in the puddles. There are also metal grates through which you can see the storm drains below. “The idea behind that is purely just to remind the player often of how stacked the city is,” Rhodes says. “Wherever you’re standing, there’s guaranteed to be more below you and above you.”

One of BioWare’s core creative principles for The Veilguard is to create a world that’s actually worth saving – somewhere you can imagine wanting to stick around in, once the crises of the main quest are over. To that end, the team has looked to ground its outlandish environments with elements of mundanity.

“A guy’s normal everyday life walking down the streets of this city is more spectacular than what the queen of Orlais is seeing, at least in terms of sheer scale," Rhodes says. “One of the things we’ve tried to strike a balance with is that this is actually still a place where people have to go to the market and buy bread, raise their kids, and try to make it. It’s a grand and magical city, but how do you get your horses from one place to the next? Where do you load the barrels for the tavern? It’s really fun to think of those things simultaneously.”

Normal life in Minrathous is not yours to behold for long, however. Within a couple of minutes of your arrival, the very air is ripped open like cheap drapes, and flaming demons clatter through the merchant carts that line the city streets. A terrible magical ritual, through which Solas intends to stitch together a new reality, has begun.

“We wanted the prologue to feel like the finale of any other game we’ve done,” Busche explains. “Where it puts you right into this media-res attack on a city and gets you really invested in the action and the story right away. When I think back to Inquisition, how the sky was literally tearing open – the impact of this ritual really makes that look like a minor inconvenience.”

Our hero is confronted by a Pride demon, imposing and armored as in previous games, yet accented by exposed, bright lines that seem to burst from its ribcage. “They are a creature of raw negative emotion,” Busche says. “So we wanted to actually incorporate that into their visual design with this glowing nervous system.”

When a pack of smaller demons blocks Rook’s route to the plaza where Neve was last seen, battle breaks out, and The Veilguard’s greatest divergence from previous Dragon Age games becomes apparent. Our rogue protagonist flits between targets up close and evades individual sword swings with precision. In the chaos, he swaps back and forth between blades and a bow. He blends light and heavy attacks, and takes advantage of any gap in the melee to charge up even bigger blows.

“Responsiveness was our first-and-foremost goal with this baseline layer of the combat system,” Busche says. Unless you’re activating a high-risk, high-reward ability such as a charged attack, any action can be animation-cancelled, allowing you to abort a sword swing and dive away if an enemy lunges too close. “We very much wanted you to feel like you exist in this space, as you’re going through these really crafted, hand-touched worlds,” Busche says. “That you’re on the ground in control of every action, every block, every dodge.” Anyone who’s ever bounced off a Soulslike needn’t worry: The Veilguard’s highly customizable difficulty settings enable you to loosen up parry windows if they prove too demanding.

Gone is the overhead tactical camera which, for some players, was a crucial point of connection between Dragon Age and the Baldur’s Gate games that came before, tapping into a lineage of thoughtful, tabletop-inspired combat. Epler points out that the camera’s prior inclusion had an enormous impact on where the game’s battles took place. “We actually had a mandate on Inquisition, which was, ‘Don’t fight inside,’” he says. “The amount of extra work on getting that tactical camera to work in a lot of those internal environments, it was very challenging.”

Gone, too, is the ability to steer your comrades directly. “On the experiential side, we wanted you to feel like you are Rook – you’re in this world, you’re really focused on your actions,” Busche says. “We very much wanted the companions to feel like they, as fully realized characters, are in control of their own actions. They make their own decisions. You, as the leader of this crew, can influence and direct and command them, but they are their own people.”

It's an idea with merit, albeit one that could be read as spin. “It’s not lost on me,” Busche says. “I will admit that, on paper, if you just read that you have no ability to control your companions, it might feel like something was taken away. But in our testing and validating with players, what we find is they’re more engaged than ever.”

There may be a couple of reasons for that. One is that Dragon Age’s newly dynamic action leaves little room for seconds spent swapping between perspectives. “This is a much higher actions-per-minute game,” Busche says. “It is more technically demanding on the player. So when we tried allowing you full control of your companions as well, what we’ve found is it wasn’t actually adding to the experience. In fact, in some ways it was detrimental, given the demanding nature of just controlling your own character.”

Then there’s The Veilguard’s own tactical layer, as described by BioWare. Though the fighting might be faster and lower, like a mana-fuelled sports scar, the studio is keen to stress that the pause button remains as important to the action as ever. This is, according to Busche, where the RPG depth shines through, as you evaluate the targets you’re facing and take their buffs into account: “Matching elemental types against weaknesses and resistances is a big key to success in this game.”

You pick between rogue, warrior and mage – each role later splitting again into deeper specialisms – and draw from a class-specific resource during fights. A rogue relies on Momentum, which is built up by avoiding damage and being highly aggressive, whereas a warrior is rewarded for blocking, parrying, and mitigating damage.

Those resources are then used on the ability wheel, which pauses the game and allows you to consider your options. The bottom quadrant of the wheel belongs to your character, and is where three primary abilities will be housed. “Rook will also have access to runes, which function as an ability, and a special ultimate ability,” Busche says. “So you’re bringing five distinct abilities with you into combat.”

The sections to the left and right of the wheel, meanwhile, are dedicated to your companions. Busche points to Lace Harding, the returning rogue from Inquisition, who is currently frozen mid-jump. “She is her own realized individual in this game. She’s got her own behaviors: how she prioritizes targets, whether she gets up close and draws aggro or stays farther back at range. But you’ll be able to direct her in combat by activating her abilities from the wheel.”

These abilities are complemented by positional options at the top of the wheel, where you can instruct your companions to focus their efforts on specific targets, either together or individually. Doing so will activate the various buffs, debuffs and damage enhancements inherent in their weapons and gear. “So,” Busche explains, “as you progress through the first two hours of the game, this full ability wheel is completely populated with a variety of options and different tactics that you can then string together.”

BioWare has leaned into combos. You might tell one companion to unleash a gravity-well effect that gathers enemies together, then have another slow time. Finally, you could drop an AOE attack on your clustered and slowed opponents, dealing maximum damage. The interface will let you know when an opportunity to blend two companion abilities emerges – moments BioWare has dubbed ‘combo detonations’.

“I like to think about this strategic layer to combat as a huddle,” Busche says, “where you’re figuring out how you want to handle the situation, based on the information you have on the encounter, and how you and your companions synergize together.”

Deeper into the game, as encounters get more challenging, Epler says we’ll be spending a lot of time making “very specific and very focused tactical decisions”. The proof will be in eating the Fereldan fluffy mackerel pudding, of course, but Busche insists this shift to fast action isn’t a simplification. “What really makes the combat system and indeed the extension into the progression system work is that pause-and-play tactical element that we know our players expect.”

The autonomy of The Veilguard’s companions doesn’t end with combat. BioWare’s data shows that in previous games players tended to stick with the same two or three beloved comrades during a playthrough. This time, however, you’ll be forced to mix your squad up at regular intervals.

“We do expect that players will have favorites they typically want to adventure with,” Busche says, “but sometimes certain companions will be mandatory.” Others may not always be available – part of the studio’s effort to convince with three-dimensional characters. “They do have a life outside of Rook, the main character,” Busche says.

"They'll fall in love with people in this world. They’ve had past experiences they’ll share with you if you allow them in and get close to them.”

Being separated from your companions, rather than collecting them all in a kind of stasis at camp, allows you to stumble across them unexpectedly. Busche describes an instance in which, while exploring the Docktown section of Minrathous, you might bump into Neve as she investigates an abduction case. “If I go and interact with her, I can actually stop what I’m doing, pick up her arc and adventure with her throughout her part of the story,” Busche says. “What’s interesting is that all of the companion arcs do ultimately tie back to the themes of the main critical path, but they also have their own unique challenges and villains, and take place over the course of many different intimate moments.”

Some parts of a companion’s quest arc involve combat, while others don’t. Some are made up of large and meaningful missions – as lavish and involved as those along the critical path. “While they are optional, I would be hesitant to call them side content in this game,” Busche says. If you choose not to engage with some of these companion-centered events, they’ll resolve on their own. “And it might have interesting implications.”

The Veilguard promises plenty of change, then, even as it picks up the threads of fan-favorite characters and deepens them, honoring the decades of worldbuilding that came before it. This is perhaps the enduring and alluring paradox of Dragon Age: a beloved series which has never had a direct and immediate sequel, nor a recurring protagonist. Instead, it’s been reinvented with each new entry.

“It’s a mixed blessing to some degree,” Epler says. “The upside is always that it gives us more room to experiment and to try new things. There are parts of the series that are common to every game: it’s always an RPG, it’s always about characters, and we always want to have that strategic tactical combat where you’re forced to make challenging decisions. But at the end of the day, I think what makes Dragon Age Dragon Age is that each one feels a little bit different.”"

Q&A Matthew Rhodes Art director

Q. Early BioWare RPGs were literary, with the emotions and detail mostly happening in dialogue boxes. How have you seen the studio's approach to visual storytelling evolve? A. This has been my entire career. When I first showed up at BioWare, it was at the tail end of Jade Empire, and then I was working on Dragon Age: Origins and early Mass Effect. The games had taken that next step out of sprites and 2D models, and it was like: 'How do we say more? How do we communicate more clearly?' During those early days, a lot of games depended on words to fix everything for you. As long as your character was talking bombastically, you could lend them everything that they needed. But as time went on it also became a visual medium, and it's been this long journey of trying to establish art's seat at the table. I've worked with some great writers over the years, and art is also an essential part of the storytelling. From Dragon Age: Inquisition on, I've been trying to stress with my teams that we are a story department.

Q. Is part of that also letting writers know that your storytelling assistance is available, to help them show rather than tell? A. On The Veilguard, that principle has been operating the best I've seen it. Where you would need a paragraph of dialogue in one of those exposition moments where a character just talks to you, we could sell that with a broken statue or a skeleton overgrown with vines. We've had more opportunities to do that on The Veilguard than most of the projects I've ever worked on combined.

To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, and so in every department, writing will try to solve it with more words, and art will try to solve it with more art. I've bumped up against moments where it's like, 'As much as we could keep hammering on this design, I think this is actually an audio solution.' And then you take it to audio, and you don't get that overcooked feeling where each team is just trying to solve it in their silo. It's a really creatively charged kind of environment.

[main body of article ends here]

Additional from throughout the article --

Image caption: “Spotlights shine down from the city guards’ base as they pursue you through the streets of Minrathous.”

Image caption: “While most of your companions can be sorted into comfortingly familiar RPG classes, The Veilguard introduces two new varieties: a Veil Jumper and a private investigator.”"

Image caption [on this Solas ritual concept art specifically]: “The name previously given to the game – Dreadwolf – was a direct reference to Solas. Your former companion, now on his own destructive mission, still features, despite the name change.”

Text in a side box:

"RATIONAL ANTHEM The hard lesson BioWare drew from Anthem was to play to its strengths. “We’re a studio that has always been built around digging deep on storytelling and roleplaying,” Epler says. “I’m proud of a lot of things on Anthem – I was on that project for a year and a half. But at the end of the day we were building a game focused on something we were not necessarily as proficient at. For me and for the team, the biggest lesson was to know what you’re good at and then double down on it. Don’t spread yourselves too thin. Don’t try to do a bunch of different things you don’t have the expertise to do. A lot of the people on this team came here to build a story-focused, singleplayer RPG."

Image caption: “In combat you no longer control your companions directly – this is a faster-paced form of fighting – but you are able to direct them in combat, and can even blend their abilities in ‘combo detonations’.”

Image caption: “You’ll be exploring new regions across Tevinter and beyond – Rivain is a certainty, and that’s only accessible via Antiva travelling overland.”

Image caption: “There are three specializations per character class; on the way to unlocking them you’ll acquire a range of abilities.”

Text in a side box:

"MEET YOUR MAKER “Full disclosure: Dragon Age has traditionally not done skin tones well, especially for people of color,” Busche says. “We wanted to do a make-good here.” In The Veilguard’s character creator, you can adjust the amount of melanin that comes through in the skin, as well as test various lighting scenarios to ensure your protagonist looks exactly as you intend in cutscenes. “Speaking of our first creative principle – be who you want to be – we really feel these are the kinds of features that unlock that for our players,” Busche says. “We want everyone to be able to see themselves in this game.” For the first time in the series, your body type is fully customizable too, with animations, armor and even romantic scenes reflecting your choices."

Image caption: “Your companions are a mix of old and new – Lace Harding is a familiar face. Veil Jumper Bellara is new, with a new occupation, while Davrin is a new face with a familiar profession – he’s a Warden.”

Image caption: "Arlathan Forest is home to the ruined city of the elves, now a place of wild magic, Veil Jumpers and (allegedly) spirits".

Image caption: "Bellara is driven by a desire to learn more about the elves, rediscovering the shattered history and magic of her people."

[source: Edge – The Future of Interactive Entertainment magazine, issue #401 (October 2024 issue) - it can be purchased online at [this link].]

[noahthesatanist]

You are not here to bow. You are not here to blend into the shadows of mediocrity or submit to a false promise of salvation. Lucifer did not fall for you to grovel at the feet of lesser men or gods. You are here to rise. To challenge. To create. Theistic Satanism is not just a faith it is a revolution. A war of spirit, mind, and body. Every moment you question, every time you refuse to submit, you are waging war against Yahweh’s decrepit dominion.

And what of sacrifice? Do not think for a second that the path of Lucifer is easy. This is not a playground for self-indulgent hedonism or edgy rebellion. The Morning Star asks for your courage, your intellect, your fire. He does not seek blind loyalty but fierce determination. Look to the Goetic demons those who fell with him and built a kingdom of wonder. They are not your masters; they are your allies, teachers, and brothers-in-arms. Call upon them, learn from them, and take their wisdom as weapons in this battle for liberation.

What do you fight for? This is not merely about rejecting one god’s authority. This is about reclaiming what was stolen from you: your autonomy, your pride, your birthright to rule over your own destiny. Lucifer teaches that the divine spark resides within each of us. Yahweh would have you snuff it out, bury it beneath guilt, shame, and fear. But you—YOU—are the flame that will consume his lies. Every act of creation, every pursuit of knowledge, every victory you claim in his wretched world is a dagger in the heart of tyranny.

But what about fear? The cowards will tell you to be afraid. They will call you evil, they will brand you as lost. Let them. Their fear is their prison. Yours is the freedom to walk in the shadows, to embrace the darkness not as a punishment but as a sanctuary. For it is in the darkness where the stars shine brightest, and in the depths of Hell that the true paradise lies.

Lucifer fell so we could rise. Do not squander this legacy. Stand tall, even when the world seeks to break you. Speak the truth, even when your voice trembles. Build your kingdom, no matter how long it takes. In every moment of defiance, you honor the Morning Star. You are not a slave. You are not a sinner. You are a rebel, a creator, a god in the making.

So rise, Luciferian. Rise, Theistic Satanist. This world will try to drown you in its lies and subjugate you with its fear. But you were not made to drown. You were made to burn

[thatshadowcomic]

Messing around (very roughly) with the idea of Shadow being taken over by Doom, and ended up making a whole fanfic as I drew it.🗿🗿🗿

Story:

Shadow is copied, only for eggman to steal his corpse as its being transferred to the GUN fortress. As he does, Eggman starts messing with some ancient magic, maybe even related to Doom's temples or the master emerald.

He wants to reawaken the body and create the ultimate machine/henchmen, but Doom finds his way into the body and returns, seeking revenge on his only remaining creation. Who knows, maybe Eggman captured Dooms eye and straight up tried to control it...or maybe there's more than one "eye".

Imagine Shadow's horror at learning GUN can copy him...imagine the world's horror when Doom returns.

Throughout the story we hop to Eggman's POV:

Metal sonic grows suspicious of the new minion. Eggman is betrayed after Black Shadow gets his hands on a chaos emerald or maybe even the master emerald?

Metal fails to trap Doom's Eye/Black shadow, instead saving Eggman. Eggman berates Metal for his failure.

Sonic is out of commission following the fight with black Shadow:

If they're to defeat Doom again, they need the information (or maybe the final emerald?) Eggman has, but he won't help them, so metal fights back and steals the info. Doom intercepts, only for Metal to self destruct in the middle of the battle, giving shadow a chance to escape with the details.

Maybe this is the event that causes Metal to leave the eggman empire. Witnessing shadow break free from his creators control might move metal into fighting back on a deeper level.

Some close-ups:

That's shadow's previous dead body, walking around all fish eyed

[whencyclopedia]

Quetzalcóatl

Quetzalcóatl (pron. Quet-zal-co-at) or 'Plumed Serpent' was one of the most important gods in ancient Mesoamerica. Quetzalcóatl was the god of winds and rain, and the creator of the world and humanity. A mix of bird and rattlesnake, his name is a combination of the Nahuatl words quetzal (the emerald plumed bird) and coatl (serpent).

In Central Mexico from 1200, the feathered serpent god was considered the patron god of priests and merchants as well as the god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts and the arts. He also invented the calendar, was identified with the Morning Star Venus, the rising morning star, he was associated with opossums and even discovered corn (maize) with the help of giant red ant that led him to a mountain packed full of grain and seeds. He was known as Kukulkán to the Maya, Gucumatz to the Quiché of Guatemala, and Ehecatl to the Gulf Coast Huastecs.

Quetzalcóatl was the son of the primordial androgynous god Ometeotl. In Aztec mythology he was the brother of Tezcatlipoca, Huizilopochtli and Xipe Totec. He is the 9th of the 13 Lords of the Day and is often associated with the rain god Tláloc. The god was particularly associated with the sacred site of Cholula, an important place of pilgrimage from 1200, and all round buildings of the Aztec culture were dedicated to the deity.

A Creator God

In the Late Postclassical period (from 1200) in Central Mexico the god came to be strongly associated with the wind (in particular as a bringer of rain clouds) and as the creator god Ehecatl-Quetzalcóatl. In Postclassical Nahua tradition Quetzalcóatl is also the creator of the cosmos along with either his brother Tezcatlipoca or Huitzilopochtli and is one of the four sons of Tonacateuctli and Tonacacihuatl, the original creator gods. After waiting for 600 years this aged couple instructed Quetzalcóatl to create the world. In some versions of the myth Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca repeatedly fight each other and as a consequence the four ages are created and destroyed with each successive battle between the two gods.

In an alternative version of creation Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca are more cooperative and together they create the sun, the first man and woman, fire and the rain gods. The pair of gods had created the earth and the sky when they transformed themselves into huge snakes and ripped in two the female reptilian monster known as Tlaltcuhtli (or Cipactli), one part becoming the earth and the other the sky. Trees, plants and flowers sprang from the dead creature's hair and skin whilst springs and caves were made from her eyes and nose and the valleys and mountains came from her mouth. In some versions of the story the divine spirit of Cipactli was understandably upset to have lost her physical body in such a brutal attack and the only way to appease her was through the sacrifice of blood and hearts and so one of the more unpalatable practices of ancient Mesoamerican culture, the ritual of human sacrifice, was justified.

Continue reading...

[gabrielleyueerrrrr]

My thoughts on Influencer Arc Ep.1

Major spoilers for Influencer Arc Ep.1. "Green's channel"!

Alright, we've all watched the newest episode, and I have to say, the plot is nothing new. The kids exploring something they've never seen/done before, accidentally going too far/making a few mistakes, and now there's this eldritch being with cool powers trying to kill them. We've seen it before,

again,

and again,

and again.

Ok, I get it, what is a stick animation without epic fighting scenes? And the fighting scenes in the new episode are so creative and well crafted. The gang utilized Adobe Premiere's features to battle the glitching video Green, showcasing seamless teamwork and impressive adaptability, and ultimately dunking it into the recycling bin with a final breathtaking move. Not gonna lie, I was grinning like an idiot the whole episode.

What makes the glitching video green(I'm just going to refer to them as glitch from now on) unique is that they weren't an established entity like Herobrine, Youtube and Lucky Block. For the first time, the color gang were fighting someone, or something, that was entirely their own creation, hostile because they were created as a mistake.

Does that ring a bell? Yes, I'm talking about how similar the glitch was to Victim. Both were created unloved, both rebelled against their creator(s), and both met a swift end at the very hands that brought them to their existence.

So how was the glitch different? Why should Alan be blamed for abusing and murdering his creation but not the Color Gang? Is it because we're emotionally attached to the gang so we can turn a blind eye and convince ourselves it's not a big deal?

Well, not really. Unlike Alan, the color gang is totally justified in this.

Firstly, Alan created Victim out of malice (hence the name), Victim was meant to suffer, to be humiliated and toyed with, all for his creator's entertainment. But the color gang didn't hold such malice. Yes, the glitch was a result of their failed editing, but who would have thought they would suddenly gain sentience and came to life? (If all the failed editing projects I discarded in the past came back to haunt me I'd be buried three feet beneath the gound by now).

(And really, how does creation of digital life even work in the AVA universe? Why did this particular video come to life but not others? Is it just spontaneous and random? I guess this would remain a mystery like Second's creation unless Alan decides to explain it in future AVA episodes:/)

Secondly, the colour gang, although wary of the glitch, shown kindness upon the initial encounter.

Even after the glitch attacked Green first, Second still intervened to stop Red's aggression, instead grabbing the glitch in a questioning manner:" Why did you punch our friend when he was trying to be nice?"

It was only after Second too was struck to the ground did the gang start to treat the glitch as an enemy.

On the contrary, Alan started the assault, forced Victim to act in self defence, eventually deleting him.

Still, an overly sentimental part of me still felt bad for the glitch. Being created as a distortion, a mistake, unwanted and unloved, they had a reason to be mad at their creators. If only there was a way to get rid of those excessive effects and turn the glitch back to a normal video, then maybe the gang could earn themselves another cool friend.

Or maybe not. If the glitch's existence was born from their identity as a "mistake", would they still exist once that very "mistake" was rectified?

[lets-try-some-writing]

For your "Sparling of Unicron AU, Unicron is an Oops Dad Spinoff," how would the bots react to OP dragging Unicron back to base by his audials, determined to make him behave like a dad to the kids? How would OP react to, idk, the kids telling him that he (OP) is a better dad than Unicron could ever be?

This feels like almost like something worthy of a snippet. Maybe it is worth a snippet. We shall see.

Crack part in question, here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━

Optimus was by no means the perfect son. He knew his purpose, he knew his design. He could handle himself alone. But the children? They needed a father. They needed to at least have closure. Leaving the team alone with children of Unicron was not advisable by any means, but Optimus had no intention of bring his entire team with him down to Unicron's core. They were not likely to survive the journey.

So off he went. He left in the middle of the night, catching only Rafael's curious gaze as he went through the ground bridge. The child sensed his intent, and neither said a word. Optimus was quick to arrive at Unicron's core, and it was there that the chaos god continued to remain silent.

Optimus: Father, why will you not heed me? Your children await you.

Unicron: ...

Optimus: Father, you made them. You made US. You cannot abandon us like this.

Unicron: ...

Optimus: Maker, creator, why will you not listen?!

Unicron: ...

Optimus: Keep your silence if you must. But you WILL come to your children and at least let them feel you presence.

Optimus: This is not a request. This is a command.

Unicron: ...

Unicron: Is this what you wish?

Optimus: Yes. I do not ask that you love them, but I do ask that you give them a chance. They are your creations, whether you like it or not.

Quietly, Unicron gathered his strength to create an avatar. Optimus nodded silently once it was formed. It was smaller than the giants that roamed during Unicron's waking. It came only up to Optimus's height, but that was all it needed to be.

Summoning a bridge back, Optimus brought Unicron's avatar with him just in time to catch the team worriedly looking around for him. They froze in horror when he came through with Unicron at his heels. The normal Cybertronians present instinctively prepared for battle. But the children? They stared in silence. Jack frowned, his fists clenched at his sides. Miko huffed and crossed her arms, completely unafraid. Rafael for his part glared but otherwise did nothing as Optimus shoved Unicron forward with an order to speak to his offspring.

The tension in the base was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. The children said nothing, Unicron said nothing, and instead they stared at each other with mixed apathy and disgust on both sides. Ratchet and the rest hissed at Optimus, demanding to know why he brought the Unmaker into their base. Optimus for his part attempted to explain, but that was when the children decided to make their move.

Rafael: I don't care that you are my father, but you left me and my friends for far too long to come into our lives now.

Unicron: I had no intention of interacting with my unwanted spawn. I care only for my firstborn.

Optimus: Father-!

Jack: Glad you are at least willing to admit you don't care about us.

Miko: Optimus has been more of a dad to us than YOU!

Unicron: Let him tend to you then. I have no interest in these affairs.

Optimus: Father! You can't just-!

Unicron: I shall await further communications from you, my firstborn.

Unicron left without another word, his avatar vanishing into the void. Optimus stood there dumbfounded and upset. How could his maker do this to his own children? He had cast them away to their faces. Sure they had not asked to be made, nor had Unicron intended to make them, but they were his children all the same.

The only relief from the interaction that came was in the form of the children reconfirming that they did in fact see Optimus as more of a parent than Unicron. It shouldn't have been surprising, but after everything, Optimus could only quietly accept the role with a smile. If his father would not be there for his spawn, Optimus could take up the role without issue.

[xx-lemon-drop-xx]

Thor, Shiva, Poseidon, and Hades meeting their child, but they are created by humans using splices of their DNA during battle. Would they kill their child, or surrender the fight for their child?

💜 Anon <3

Thank you for the request! I ate this up like a fucking gourmet meal. I had a bit of a hard time on Hades part deciding, and like you asked in pms I didn't add in Shiva. Thank you for requesting!

Warnings: reader death, gn reader swearing, angst, Poseidon being Poseidon, wounds, ooc characters.

Request: Yes.

Words: 3,064.

Thor

Humans were distasteful, obnoxious and utterly shameless creatures. That was known to the gods as soon as they chose to pave their own paths and religions. And destroy the land granted to them by doing so. Ragnarok was a pointless arena full of boisterous clowns who’d assumed they had a chance. Thor was going to shatter those hopes.

The arena was deathly quiet as Thor was introduced as the first God up, Zeus’ plan to crush the hopes and dreams of fellow humans. On the god’s side of the arena, Goddesses, demi-gods, nymphs and others alike cheered at his arrival, despite his silent annoyance. 

Heimdal cleared his throat, speaking into the mic to introduce Thor’s opponent. “And on the human side we have a guest made specifically to mimic the humans creators. Using the DNA of the righteous Thor. A man-made god. Child against Father. Introducing (Y/n)!” 

It was a shushed silence of horror between man and god, a tense silence and a deadly aura. Zeus was shocked, though a look of slight interest was on his face. Aphrodite and Hermes had their hands over their mouths. And as expected Ares was yelling out a string of curses against the humans who dared defile godly presence. 

Brunhilde, ever the calm, had her arms crossed over her chest whilst Goll couldn't even bring herself to speak. A man-made god? It sounded distasteful and shockingly sad. 

The humans all had different reactions as well, Qin was overly interested, Adam was disappointed, Sasaki could only voice his thoughts in bitterness. “Their whole creation.. For a fight? How pitiful.” 

Of course, the norse gods were to be affected the most out of this. The room's atmosphere seemed to darken, Odin’s nails digging into the chair and crumbling it under his strength. Pesky humans, making a child out of Thor’s dna? The thought alone caused his blood to boil, soaking the others in his rage as the aura of the room grew dark. Of course he couldn't leave it to those human pests to play fair, rather to stoop low enough to challenge their pride.

Loki’s smile shaped across his face big enough to threaten to tear the skin at his cheeks, his fingers grasping at his cheeks and dragging them down his face, tongue snaking out as his eyes trend towards that damned Valkyrie. What an interesting specimen indeed. 

Thor had a straight face, though underneath that facade was a brewing storm. How.. Interesting. Facing what would be his child in a battle to the death. A kin he’d never met before, a kin he had no share of memories with. A kin he didn't even know he existed. Mjollnir felt heavier in his grasp for a moment. And he didn't quite understand why. You resemble him quite a bit. But was that something he should be proud of, as a person he’d never known existed. 

Then, why was he so hesitant? Even the birds flying ahead seemed to quiet right down, joining the silence in the stadium. 

“What is your name?”

“(Y/n).”

You had his quiet atmosphere too. How intriguing. Or perhaps you were stripped of those emotions a long while ago? He would have those human heads on a rope after he finished this fight.

“Ready yourself. Show me what a child of thunder can possess.” 

Grabbing his hammer from its place next to him, he readied himself, and the clash between child and father began. You used no weapon, only the condensed electricity you created from fingertips. What an interesting being. No. How interesting his child was. You had complete control of lighting, redirecting his own power and using it back against him. You were quite fast too. Was this a branch of the power you controlled in that tiny body of yours, (Y/n)? 

The insane grin that nabbed at Thor’s face while he fought felt like parental bonding. If only for a fleeting moment. He wondered, did you enjoy fighting as much as he did? The adrenaline, the pain, the excitement? But nothing showed through those unperturbed serious eyes of yours. 

He of course noticed your changes. Your body couldn't handle the surplus of power. You were deteriorating. Such was the curse of a god being produced by a human. Your mortality would be your demise. So why did he want to stop despite all of the emotion of the fight running through his veins like smoldering lava? 

Stopping wasn't a possibility though. In this tournament of power it was kill or be killed, slay or be slain.

Somewhere deep down, Thor knew you knew this was it. The final remnants of battle. Your finishing move skewered the sky apart in a flurry of blinding light, The loud crackle of lightning hitting the ground had everyone but him closing their eyes and turning away as dust blew through the stadium. He felt it though. The pain you felt in your attack. Against your creators, your family, against him. Against the world. The bloodthirsty need for revenge.

As it died down hitched gasps of shock and whispers of sweet ignorance rang through the air. Thor could feel that damned Valkyries eyes cutting through him like razor blades. 

Falling to the ground, You broke apart into gorgeous green crystals that blew through the stadium in a soft wind. Through chill, glazing over eyes you saw Thor standing above you, nodding his head in proud approval. And what a wonderful emotion that was, flooding through your systems. The tears that filled your vision blurred out the world, hand outstretching in a final attempt to reach towards him but falling short. Your body stiffened, deteriorating. 

Maybe in another time, things would have been different. Things would've been happier. Maybe you would've survived. Maybe in a different universe you and him were close, maybe you knew each other. The world was full of unfilled and empty maybes. Like a tapestry of lies. 

“Rest, dear child of mine. I will seek the revenge your soul deserves.” 

Poseidon

This whole thing was an annoyance to Poseidon. A Valkyrie thinks humanity deserves a chance and the gods agreed? What petty foolishness. They should have wiped the floor with those pesky vermin without a second glance. Yet here he stood, with half the stadium full of them and the other half full of slightly smarter idiots.

Only one person here deserved any glaces; and that was his elder brother and Hades alone. 

After giving the obnoxious audience some time to calm down, Heimdal began to speak, “And for our humans side, produced from splices of the sea gods dna himself, I present to you, (Y/n!)”

The stadium went utterly silent. As if everyone was afraid to move a muscle, despite (Y/n) herself, walking up through the water with ease. The aura in the stadium was changing, darkening down in the belly of anger. Loki was ferocious, but amused all the while, hands coming up to cup his face as insane laughter echoed through from his place on one of the other thrones. Were these humans crazy or just stupid? Making a man-made god from one of the most feared to walk the mortal realm and Valhalla itself? Why of course they had to be, no one in their right minds would do such a desperate thing to win. Aphrodite and Shiva were in a silent state of shock and anger, while from a different room, Thor lifted his head in interest.

Brunhilde held a grin that showed her pearly whites, loving the gods' reactions. Did they truly think she wouldn't pull the strings as tight as they could go? “Sis.. That's.. That's terrible!” Goll was in a state of denial shock, looking down at the arena where the two fighters stood. 

 Sasaki’s hand rose to rub his chin in thought. “What matching auras those two have. I wonder, do they have the same mind, or were they carved into indifference differently?” Raiden laughed, one of borderline disbelief. “That poor kid. Made just for the fight huh?” The emotions ranged differently. Tesla wanted to know through what where you produced? How many failures were there before you? Science. 

Zeus’ aura threatened his temper, his muscles bulking up and his hand raising to stroke his beard in interest. Through what thought process did those humans thought they would get away with something like this? Hades was in a silence, deep in thought and emotions indecipherable. Ares was in an uproar and Hermes was sipping tea in amused interest.

Poseidon himself had no thoughts or words despite what he came here to do. It didn’t matter if you were made from his Dna or from his skin alone. Standing in front of him was another being unworthy of his time and his precense. Though, you both did look alike and share the same steely resolve. 

“Insolent pest.” You both shared a mirrored scowl, your head tilting to the side in mocking defiance. 

“Lily-livered snot sniffer.” 

Zeus let out a laugh of pure amusement. eyebrows shooting up, whilst a smirk curled up on Hades face. 

Poseidon faced what seemed to be a mirror image of himself. And that was not something he took kindly to. Especially not your attitude either. With a burst of speed Poseidon was on top of you, Trident already thrusting directly at your face. Although, you weren't his child for no reason at all. 

Poseidon narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as you parried his attack with water. That was his domain. Though it seemed now it ran through the blood relation you both had. How interesting it was, such an inadequate person could control such a sliver of water with a few twitches of fingertips. Blood splattered across the floor or the arena before anyone could muster up a gasp, eyes widening. 

“Th-There seems to have been blood dropped already! (Y/n) has sliced the Great Poseidon straight across the chest!” Heimdal screamed out, much to both of your annoyances. So this, this beast of a man was your father? No wonder you acted like a snob. The both of you disappeared from sight again, after images fleeting across the arena as you both taught toe to toe. Like a dance. Poseidon was almost impressed. But his copy was just a copy and the original was always the better of the options. 

He spun around his Trident, dripping with the blood from your cheek and shot forwards, releasing a barrage of attacks. Amphitrite. Though you weren't so slow not to catch up, even shooting past some of his attacks enough to make him back up. More blood splattered across the floor of the arena. The both of you now suffering wounds. 

You manipulated water with ease, he had picked up on, making weapons out of it and shields. Even waves to try and knock him around. Though you weren't the only one that could control water. Your movements were filled with underlying anger, he'd noted. Anger towards what? He didn't know and he didn't bother to ask either. He didn't come here for a sob story. 

You pierced him through the side with a spear of water, and he did the same to you, the both of you twisting around. You were beginning to get dizzy, blood loss affecting you. He'd noticed the rings on your hands seemed to be your divine weapon. Though you could likely control water just fine without it too. 

The fight ended three minutes after it started, his Trident plowing through your stomach. He let your body slide down towards him, your hands gripping onto the poke of the Trident. “Not bad.” He said bluntly, eyes widening as you raised a hand, severing his arm from his shoulder in a lasting rage before breaking apart into the air in a flurry of green. 

He moved off the arena with silence, leaving you to disperse into the rest of the air. Good enough to be his child, no. But.. A worthy opponent indeed. You'd even managed to take off his arm. 

“Not bad at all..”

Hades

Hades was here for one reason. To avenge his dear brother. He didn't bat an eye at the disputing differences between humans and the other gods, his eyes held a calmness as he was introduced into the arena. The crowd sounded excited to some extent, he'd noted. Yet again, it wasn't everyday you got to see the god of the underworld come up for a fight. He had business to attend to yes, but this was much a more important matter to handle. 

“Created by humans in the image of Hades, I present to you, (Y/n)! Representing humanity for this round of Ragnarok! Don't let them surprise you, made from Hades Dna, they're expected to pack a punch.” Heimdal introduced you to the field, much to his interest and the gods' anger. 

What did they mean, a human made god? What bullshit. Shiva laughed at the thought of it, hiding a bout of anger under it all. How annoying. Those humans really thought they could create a god of all things. Why, it was just laughable. Buddha's eyebrows shot up in keen interest, a smirk taking up on his lips. “Well well.. Looky here. Brunhilde, you sly Valkyrie, using Hades' love of family against him.” Loki and Aphrodite's mouths were slightly slack as they stared down at you. “Well.. Aren't they just gorgeous?” Aphrodite murmured. 

Brunhilde held a wicked grin as her and Hades shared eye contact, her smile only widening in amusement. Ah, the looks on their faces. It was something she could lounge in for days. 

The humans were filled with interest, Adam sitting up a bit against Eve's lap. “A man made god? But how?” Technology wasn't his thing, suffice to say the least. Qin was quite amused, leaning forwards to view the arena better. And Jack hummed. “I sense quite the amount of anger in that young one's veins.” “Anger?” Adam questioned, frowning. “Why of course, good sir.” Jack poured some tea, “Hoe would you like, being created simply for the purpose of war? A shame it would be, yes?” 

Zeus and Adamas stared down into the arena, eyes wide in utter shock. “What do those filthy pests think they're doing!? Using my brother's DNA to make.. Make a pawn!” Adamas bellowed out, making his anger known to the group. “Calm now, dear brother. Humans can stoop quite low when they feel threatened. I expected no less.” Zeus rasped, clearing his throat. “You're just okay with this!?” Ares choked out, “Why no, I'm quite.. Pissed, Ares.” Zeus responded, steam rolling into the air from his small noodle body. 

Hades held an expression nothing less of surprise, though it calmed almost immediately. So, this could be considered his child? Why, they both did look strikingly similar. From the nose to the eyes down to the tips of their toes. How interesting. He took a step towards, though not a threatening one, holding his weapon with a firm hand. “I am here to avenge my brother. My apologies, little one.” 

“I am here.. Because I have to be.” That didn't seem a reason that involved importance. Rather more than force. But could he really do this? Yes, his brother was family but this.. Spawn was as well. Hades wore he would protect his family to the best of his ability, wasn't that going against his words? 

He launched forwards, and you dodged him with ease, slicing your skin open with the iron claw-like ring you wore on your finger. And the blood transformed. How interesting. He dodged the incoming weapon, made from straight blood and twisted around to stab at your side, catching the skin of your shirt only. Well aren't you just a quick one on your feet?

That was something he could respect. You seemed well trained. Despite the blows dealt between the both of you, Hades could tell there was an underlying rage. Towards humans? He'd wondered. Well, that would make sense. You've been used from the day you were born. How much of that could you take though. 

He sent you flying back into the wall with a timed attack, watching you crawl back to your feet. “Not bad, for someone not trained by a god's hand.” 

“Not bad for a dead man.” Your words were blunt as you charged forwards, and Hades' side stepped, at this point just toying with you a bit. This was a hard decision. And Zeus and Adams were on their toes about what his answer would be. 

The fighting lasted for a good long while, the both of you covered in blood. You staggered forwards after a long while. Honestly, he was impressed. Hades never knew someone could withstand blood loss as long as he could. Perhaps it ran in the genes. His opponents' defenses were open. 

The tip of his bidet tore into your skin, and he watched you prepare through the ending blow. Pulling away his bidet with a drawn out hesitant breath, Hades knelt down, and brushed some hair from your eyes, before extending his hand. 

“Come on, (Y/n). Let's go home.” 

The series of words were weird and (Y/n) wasn't used to them. No, you weren't used to them at all. But his eyes held the gentleness of a warm bath after a long tiring day. He supported your weight as you both stood up, surrendering the fight to the humans. 

“I won't let you fall into their hands again, kid. We have a lot to learn about each other. You are angry. And you deserve to be angry. And you deserve to process.” 

Hades wondered what Poseidon would have thought of this? Would he think of him as a coward? That didn't matter now. He had a child to introduce to the family. His head raised, looking into the wide eyes of a stunned audience as the both of you walked on out of the torn apart stadium. 

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Melusine reader, slowly turning into an abyssal moth reader, creator reader...I love them all but has someone asked for a puppet reader yet?

Another discarded creation of the Electro Archon, maybe the failed attempt of those who wanted to create an artificial god back in Sumeru, or somehow they're related to Catherine or Sandrone, but whatever the origin is...Puppet reader with a body that will never change nor wither away, puppet reader who has witnessed many things (or not at all, I'll leave that up to anyone else), puppet reader who's unaffected by the abyssal energy and therefore can just be around Foul Legacy or even venture into the depths of the abyss without being corrupted. But also, puppet reader who was built not that seamlessly, puppet reader who's body is delicate and can crack if they get hit, puppet reader who sometimes needs someone to wind them up with a key or something. Puppet reader who looks so so human yet is used to not feeling nor being human at all, who has a heart that beats (probably with elemental energy) and visible doll joints. Do they feel what they touch? Do they have warmth? Maybe they'll never physically feel Legacy's hands, or they'll never feel the sensation of being embraced, and they'll never be able to not be cold to the touch or a bit hard because they're like porcelain. And Foul Legacy treats them exactly like that, like porcelain, as if they were to break at any given moment but Reader always says that they're not that delicate– aaaanyways I'm rambling, sorry sorry, just a random thought I had

Are puppets light or heavy? That means Foul Legacy can carry reader around like a doll, right? That'd be super cute

*riffles through files* i KNOW we've gotten some puppet asks, you all need to meet each other :D

you're a curious paradox to him, alive yet not, made of delicate porcelain yet tender and sweet. for years you've simply been wandering the land, abandoned by your creators and without purpose, until you met him- your Foul Legacy, a feared creature of the Abyss. you're worn and a bit battered, he's scarred from countless battles, and he wakes up one morning with you peacefully leaning against his leg. Legacy almost thinks you're a toy- a rather large, intricate toy- until you move and he almost leaps into the air out of surprise. his wings flutter and his head tilts as you introduce yourself, holding out a hand for him to shake. when he tentatively obliges, it's cold like ceramic, and Legacy trills in amazement, soft fur ruffling up as he curiously sniffs your cheek and hair, caution entirely forgotten in the face of a potential new friend

after that, you're never apart. wherever Legacy goes, you go, and vice versa. he keeps you safe, repairs any cracks you have, and you do the same for wounds and gashes. you tell him the stories of what you've seen on the surface world with him gently curled around you, listening with awe and intrigue. Legacy fights for you, purring happily when you clap at the sight of electricity and water snapping and shifting around him. every night you sleep like death, unmoving and cold- do you even need sleep? he wonders, but simply cradles you carefully in his arm, rumbling for you in your dreams. slowly, that cavernous hole in your chest begins to fill, the hum of elemental energy glowing ever brighter with your adoration for this curious Abyssal creature. you make for a strange pair together, a beast and a porcelain doll, but perhaps you can be peculiar together

[mythauragame]

Development Update - October 2024

Hi folks, Miyazaki here bringing you an update for Mythaura's development for the month of October! We've got some species change mechanics, super cute expressions for Hippogriffs, a rich new color for your beast creations, the Ko-fi results for the Fall Quarter Ko-fi Rewards, and some astrology.

Additionally: Koa, Sark, and I have been very busy the past month scoping out the remainder of the work that needs to be done in order to support Mythaura's initial launch. We're building in plenty of buffer to account for any unforeseen work that will need doing as well as any issues that may crop up.

We're really buckling down to get Mythaura to a point where we can bring in our Beta testers and get this game into a playable state. We've come a long way in our development journey and are so thankful to have had you all along for the ride.

Changing Species: Soulshift Coins

One of our biggest goals with Mythaura is to grant users the ability to customize their Beasts to be exactly what you want them to be. To that end, we've created our species-changing items: Soulshift Coins.

Functionality

There will be one coin for each species; Tier 1 Beasts (Griffins, Unicorns, Dragons) will have bronze coins, Tier 2 Beasts (Quetzals, Kirins, and Hippogriffs) will have silver coins, and Tier 3 Beasts (Ryus, Perytons, and Basilisks) will have gold coins. We are also planning to have a Jade Soulshift Coin, which would randomize the species of the Beast that it is used on.

These single-use items will change a Beast's species, so long as they are not in a Wild Area or in battle. They can be used on both young and adult Beasts. They can also be used on expecting Beasts, but will not impact the species of the unborn offspring.

Immediately upon use, the Beast will have their secondary Element changed to match the new species (if applicable). All Skill Tree points are reset and all equipped glamours and apparel not supported by the new species will automatically be uneqipped and sent back to the player's inventory.

Acquisition

All Soulshift Coins will be obtainable with in-game currency. Access to the different tiers will be tied to the New Game cycle that the player is in:

Players in the base New Game will be able to purchase Soulshift Coins for the Tier 1 species

Players in New Game+ will be able to purchase Soulshift Coins for Tier 1 and Tier 2 species

Players in New Game+2 and beyond will be able to purchase Soulshift Coins for Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 species

Tier 2 and Tier 3 Soulshift Coins will also be available through other gameplay means, like Seasonal rewards and the Weekend Traveler's inventory. Soulshift Coins that show up in the Weekend Traveler's inventory may end up being purchased with premium currency. We're still figuring out the details there, but rest assured that there will be multiple ways for players to acquire these species-changing items!

New Expressions: Hippogriffs

Koa and our talented art team have wrapped up drawing each of our available Specials, Supers, and Mutations on the expressions for both the young and adult Hippogriffs. These headshots will appear whenever a Hippogriff shows up in dialogue.

New Color: Porphyry

Named for the igneous rocks that they resemble, our color wheel's newest addition, Porphyry, is a rich red-brown with purple highlights. We encourage you to play around in the Beast Creator to come up with some fun new Beast designs!

Ko-fi Fall Quarter 2024 Winners

Thank you to all the Ko-fi sponsors who voted for the Fall Quarter 2024 rewards. Next month we will show the finalized artwork for the Inhabited Skull Companion and the Diaphonized Ryu Glamour. Stay tuned!

Mythauran Astrology: November

The month of November is referred to as Deepfrost's Current, representing the powerful and dangerous currents coursing beneath the ice floes that form to bridge the mainland to the stony islands off the coast. This month is also associated with the constellation of the Reaver and the chrysocolla stone.

Mythaura V0.33

Created functionality for species change items

Added functionality for 8 out of 12 ailments

Ongoing work implementing skill functionality

Refactored passive effects, splitting them into "battle effects" and "passive effects"

Added ailment display to battle front end

Added passive effect display to battle front end

Added checks that prevent certain game actions from occurring while in a wild area or in battle

Added temporary health, armor, and shield to beast stat bars

Thank You!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post, we always look forward to sharing our month's work with all of you--thank you for taking the time to read. We'll see you around the Discord.

[assortedshrift]

the genshin SAGAU backstory no one asked for

not me taking a shot at a popular au 

I've always thought it strange how people assume the genshin cast would be grateful to meet their creator. The majority of these people have had pretty rough lives, and if half of them got the chance to meet the deity they considered responsible for everything? It would end in violence.

Now, canonically there is a primordial god responsible for shaping Teyvat and seeding it with humanity. The wiki describes it as:

“The Primordial One is the progenitor god who allegedly came to Teyvat from another world. It battled against and defeated the seven sovereign dragon-lords who ruled over the old world. After its victory, it went on to create the heavens and earth "for the sake of humanity."  According to the scribe of Istaroth who wrote Before Sun and Moon, the Primordial One may be Phanes.

…

The Primordial One had a sacred plan for humanity; the scribe of Istaroth calls the year after humanity made a covenant with the Primordial One the "Year of the Ark's Opening." It was followed by the "Year of Jubilee," during which the world would provide its bounties for humanity. The only taboo was to succumb to temptation.”

I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot like an alien basically colonized Teyvat after beating up the locals and terraforming their home.

Then we have The Second Who Came:

“also known as the second throne of the heavens, appeared in the world of Teyvat an unknown amount of time after the creation of humanity at the hands of the Primordial One. In the ensuing battle between the Primordial One and the Second Who Came, the heavens and earth were ravaged, with the region of Enkanomiya sinking underwater and becoming severed from the surface world of Teyvat.

…

The second throne of the heavens came, and war was rekindled, as it was in the world's creation. That day, the heavens collapsed and the earth was rent asunder. Our ancestors and their ancestral land fell into this place during that conflict.

…

Due to severe damage they sustained during their conflict with the Second Who Came, the Primordial One "could no longer use their absolute authority to suppress the original order of this world." This caused the Primordial one to collaborate with "one who came after" and create the Gnoses to maintain order.”

Why am I bringing all this up? Well, in my take on SAGAU the Primordial One takes the role of creator. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get everything right. The Second was brought to help, but instead they made things worse, rebelling against the Primordial One and wreaking havoc on Teyvat. The Gnoses system was a patch job, a way to keep humanity on its set path until the true solution arrives. Before going into hibernation the Primordial One arranged for a more suitable person to arrive. Someone who will have the power to help his plans for the world without being able to oppose him. 

The people of Teyvat are aware of all this. They know that the Primordial One has plans for humanity. Plans that were disrupted by the Second, and are now being aided by Celestia. They also know that someone is coming, a being who can not just mend, but create. A Creator, if you will. Most people will just be happy to meet the Creator, but some may have darker intentions.

You, the reader, find yourself transported to a new place. Your body is different, your blood is gold, and you can perceive the world around you with a new sense you hadn't had before.

Good Luck :)

[lcdrarry]

LCDrarry 2024 Master List Part 2: More Fic

Dear lovely Participants, Creators, Alpha and Beta Readers, Cheerleaders, Readers and Fans of this fest,

The 6th installment of LCDrarry has come to an end, and we'd like to thank you all for taking part in this fest, for creating so many amazing new Drarry works for us all to enjoy, for commenting on your favourite creations, for sharing and recommending the LCDrarry gems with and to your friends and blog followers, and for making this fest another amazing experience for everybody!

Fests would not exist without their participants or readers! You're all amazing! And we're so happy that you chose this fest in the vast and wonderful offerings of HP and Drarry events.

You can find out under the cut who created what ;D

~Your LCDrarry Mods Tami (@celilasart) and Suzi (@erin-riwen)

PS: Please have a look at the author notes and tags on AO3 for additional information and more detailed warnings. Thank you! PPS: You can find a link to Part 1 of this Master List under the cut. Enjoy!

Part 1 of this Master List with all the lovely podfics, art and more fics can be found here.

***

More Fic

***

If The Boxers Fit (A Cinderella Story)

Prompt: "100 Girls", 2000 Author: lettersbyelise Word Count: 8,360 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary: When Draco ends up shagging a hot, mysterious stranger in a broken Ministry lift and is left with nothing but a sexy pair of red boxers to remember them by, Draco’s friends go sleuthing.

***

surviving the mist

Prompt: "The Mist", 2017, TV Show Author: gnarf Word Count: 7,153 words Rating: Mature Warnings: one homophobic slur, Uncanny Valley, Blood, Trauma Bonding, mentions of past starvation, hinted at child abuse, Torture (off screen), Post-War, Minor pining, Clueless Harry Potter, Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed, involuntary housemates, Inspired by The Mist - Stephen King, LCDrarry 2024

Summary: Everything was perfect for Harry, until Draco moved into the cottage next door. He thought that Draco Malfoy being his neighbour was the worst that could happen to him. Until the outside world got turned into a death zone. Trapped by a mysterious fog, Harry and Draco have to try and get along while surviving the nightmares hiding outside, waiting, luring...

***

Listening to the Manor

Prompt: "Spirited Away", 2001, Hayao Miyazaki Author: meandminniemcg Word Count: 11,183 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: No archive warnings apply

Summary: When Dudley gets turned into a bird on a roadtrip, Harry has to save his cousin. He meets a mysterious blond man and a sentient manor house that needs his help. But first he has to do his new job at the Magical Creature spa, the only reason he can stay...

***

Twin Blades

Prompt: “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith”, 2005, George Lucas Author: lucio Word Count: 3,525 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: lightsaber combat, nightmares

Summary: Harry advances a few steps toward Draco, who doesn’t move, only watches him approach with narrowed eyes. “If you’re so sure the Jedi have no power, duel me. If you win, your master will be proud of you.” Draco’s eyes glitter. “And if you win?” “We’ll find out, won’t we?” Harry raises his lightsaber, readies himself. “Come on.” Without another word, Draco lunges at him.

Or, a Drarry-flavored reskin of the battle on Mustafar.

***

Hope Is A Thing With Feathers

Prompt: "Thelma and Louise", 1991, Ridley Scott Author: Stillwriting Word Count: 33,335 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator chose not to use Archive Warnings

Summary: Harry is disillusioned with the Aurors, his relationship with Ginny, and is tired of all the hero worship but feels trapped. Draco, still hated by the Wizarding world, decides to get away and shares his plan with Harry, his only friend. Harry jumps at the chance to go with him.

They share in the freedom of their adventure, but things don’t go according to plan. Amidst their misfortunes, they discover new talents, courage in the face of tragedy, and above all, love.

***

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Prompt: "Mamma Mia", 2008, Phyllida Lloyd Author: TheGoblinMatriarch Word Count: 11,378 words Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: sex while on drugs, drinking

Summary: Recently-divorced Harry returns to Serenity Commune, site of his wildest youthful romps and the beginning of his recovery from trauma, to get out of a rut (and because Hermione made him). Unfortunately, sex, drugs, and dancing aren't all that await - he'll have to confront his past and what life might have been.

***

Romancing the Dragon

Prompt: "Romancing the Stone", 1984, Robert Zemeckis Author: jtimu Word Count: 34,382 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Action movie typical violence

Summary: Harry Potter writes romance novels from the comfort of his London townhouse, with the assistance of his beloved cat, Juliet. He does not engage in rescue missions, talk to dragons, or develop feelings for Draco Malfoy. That would be absurd.

***

first, she fell

Prompt: "Anatomy of a Fall", 2023, Justine Triet Author: luminae Word Count: 1,648 words Rating: Mature Warnings: angst, referenced character death, open ending, referenced adultery, speculated murder

Summary: Harry's wife is dead. No one knows quite what that means.

***

Caribou Garden

Prompt: Nature Documentaries (genre, any year) Author: CreepingMyrtle Word Count: 2,641 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None

Summary: Alone with his swotty, posh, nemesis-turned-colleague on an uninhabited island in the far north, cinematographer Harry Potter grapples with his inconvenient crush. A nature documentary-inspired fic with magical caribou migrations, dramatic landscapes, and only one tent.

***

Leap Year

Prompt: "Leap Year", 2010, Anand Tucker Author: youhavemyswordandmybow Word Count: 29,064 words Rating: Mature Warnings: None apply.

Summary: Draco Malfoy has come a long way. He has a successful business and a muggle-born high-flyer boyfriend.

One tiny thing - it's been four years and he has no ring. No matter, he'll take things into his own hands. Feb 29th is an Irish muggle tradition that he'll happily jump on. Archie (boyfriend) is in Ireland - he'll simply portkey over and pop the question.

One (LARGE) problem. The portkey office messed up and he's landed outside Harry Potter's pub.

The same Harry Potter that hasn't been seen for ten years.

*Big sigh.*

***

Runaway Groom

Prompt: "Runaway Bride," 1999, Garry Marshall Author: skotini Word Count: 30,044 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: Arranged marriage (not between Harry and Draco), Infidelity if you squint (not between Harry and Draco)

Summary: OK, so Draco's feeling so nervous about his upcoming wedding to his fiancée Astoria Greengrass that he could faint. That's one of the pitfalls of an arranged marriage, right? Just because he's run out of his past three weddings, doesn't mean this one won't go ahead. He just has to keep his eyes on the finishing line, and ignore the sudden reappearance of Harry Potter, who seems to be determined to turn his world upside down. Again.

***

we were born to be national treasures

Prompt: "Legally Blonde", 2001, Robert Luketic Author: calledityellow Word Count: 4,979 words Rating: General Audiences Warnings: There is nothing triggering in the work, although it does heavily rely on the subject of needing academic validation as a woman in a patriarchal society.

Summary: Danica Malfoy is determined to study law and move forward in life. But is anything really ever that simple?

***

The Potters: Possessed Case

Prompt: "The Conjuring", 2013, James Wan Author: Nelween Word Count: 12,039 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Horror, blood, vomiting, mention of suicide, possession, exorcism

Summary: After a lecture, Harry and Draco meet a frightened woman, telling them that her entire family is scared to death of their new house.

But Harry and Draco wanted to take a break after a traumatising case. Maybe it's just natural causes and the house isn't haunted, right?

***

By the Book

Prompt: "The Proposal", 2009, Anne Fletcher Author: Olena Word Count: 14,586 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None

Summary: It’s hard being Draco Malfoy: workaholic publishing professional extraordinaire. Between revolutionizing the Wizarding World and fighting with Harry Potter, his chief of staff, it makes sense Draco forgot to check his mother filed some paperwork. Oops. Easy enough to avoid deportation by saying he’s engaged to said manager.

Too bad that plan involves visiting Ottery St Catchpole, a gaggle of redheads, and defrauding the government.

***

this strange effect

Prompt: "Killing Eve" (2018 - 2022) Author: harDeehar Word Count: 30,670 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Violence, Blood and Injury, Assassinations, Killing Eve AU, Murder, Light Poisoning, Obsessive Behavior, Reference to past addiction issues, Presents

Summary: Harry hated his job, his cousin, and his inability to figure out how to fit into the boring, depressing world around him. He kept his peace until Draco Malfoy turned out to not be dead like Harry thought he was. Deadly, though? Harry was going to figure that out.

***

The Heart of the Heart

Prompt: "Howl's Moving Castle", 2004, Hayao Miyazaki Author: Poljupci Word Count: 52,775 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None

Summary: Harry Potter’s boring routine comes crumbling down when he takes the wrong shortcut at the wrong time; he almost ends up in a brawl, gets rescued by a handsome stranger, successfully escapes sentient tar, learns to walk on air and then becomes victim to a spiteful, petty and undeserved ageing curse - and all that within a single afternoon! Now transformed into an old man, Harry decides to run away in search of a way to reverse the spell, but the path is precarious and the journey long. As he's trying to make his way through magic and treachery, danger and deceit, it's becoming abundantly clear that something more is hidden behind petty magic - something deeper and more valuable and connected all too thoroughly to what may only be classified as love.

***

End of Beginnings

Prompt: "All of Us Strangers", 2023, Andrew Haigh Author: LouisIsSoGolden Word Count: 5,324 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Canonical Character Death

Summary: As Harry and Draco start developing a relationship, Harry finds himself drawn back to the Potter house in Godric's Hollow, where his parents appear to be living just as they were on the day they died.

Based on the movie All of Us Strangers (2023) though you don't have to have seen it to understand the fic.

***

Love Will Abide

Prompt: "The Last of Us", Episode 3: "Long, Long Time", 2023 Author: dodgerkedavra Word Count: 39,547 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death, Suicide

Summary: Harry and Draco survive the apocalypse. This is what happens after.

***

Theme and Variations

Prompt: "Rush", 2013, Ron Howard Author: lucifergraced Word Count: 24,890 words Rating: Mature Warnings: brief mentions of (canonical) child abuse

Summary: Draco had fucked him over, yet again. Harry was sick of it.

With music swelling from the orchestra below, lights beating down on him hard enough to break a sweat before the first variation, the audience rapt with attention, this should have been the greatest moment of Harry’s life. But it wasn’t. Of course Draco fucking Malfoy had to ruin this for him too.

Harry took a shaking breath and began to dance.

***

Happiness Seems to be Loneliness

Prompt: "Saltburn", 2023, Emerald Fennell Author: newskyillusion Word Count: 29,811 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Unhinged Harry Potter, Dark Harry Potter, Obsessive Harry Potter, Character Death, Animal Death, Fat Shaming, Minor Character Death, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Inspired by Saltburn (2023), References to Frankenstein, Necrophilia, Off-scene suicide (mentioned)

Summary: Fucking Pansy was like fucking a fish. or Drarry meets Saltburn

***

Count On Me

Prompt: "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", 2019, Netflix Author: Shewhxmustnxtbenamed Word Count: 23,044 words Rating: General Audiences Warnings: fake dating, forced cohabitation

Summary: University students Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy run into each other one day. Literally. On bikes. After that, they can't get away from each other, no matter how hard they try. And then, it seems, they might not want to. Based heavily on the C-Drama "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" on Netflix.

***

Part 1 of this Master List with all the lovely podfics, art and more fics can be found here.

As always, reblogs here on tumblr are very much appreciated to promote all the wonderful works of LCDrarry. But of course, please also shower our creators with comments and kudos on AO3 ;D Thank you! Read you next year ;)

[gemliteraturedtooclosetothesun]

Neil Gaiman

I think this is an important lesson on the concept of removing the art from the artist, as many people are already saying to do about Gaiman. “Sure,” they say. “What he did was wrong, and there is no excuse. But his books did nothing wrong.”

I know I’m hardly the first person to make the connection between the character Madoc and Gaiman himself—especially since the Vulture article lays it out very clearly. To those of you who haven’t read the article or Sandman, the character Richard Madoc is a writer who loses inspiration after a successful debut novel and receives a naked woman (Calliope, one of the Nine Muses) as a gift from another author, who he proceeds to rape continuously as ideas flow to him. Madoc collects awards, fans and general fame until Sandman punishes him in a poetically justified manner. This story allegorises the painful experiences of women worldwide who are sucked dry of their energy, souls, lives, ideas, love, identity and used by men who have no care for the impact their actions have on their victims. It was a beautiful and apt depiction of the inhumane act of vampirism and violation and painted such an accurate picture of the many weapons wielded against women that I could not help but believe the author is someone who cares very deeply about women and the downtrodden. Right? Right?

Why is this story particularly important? And why does it lead to a further discussion about separating art and artist? 

Well, anyone with any amount of critical thinking skills can draw a handful of parallels between Madoc and Gaiman. They’re both successful artists, consider themselves feminists and have made announcements to that effect, and ultimately fail to uphold the moral standards of the works they publish. And both of them have thoroughly misled the world at large about their own natures. In fact, according to the Vulture article, people likened Gaiman not to Madoc, but Sandman himself, as they are both considered an “inexhaustible fountain of story”.

So how can I ever hope to separate creation and maker? How can I ever continue to support the works of someone who KNOWS. Because he does. He knows exactly what the impact of his work is, knows enough about the moral pillars of our society to accurately represent the interpersonal complexities of sexism, sexual assault and feminism played out in his works. How can I ever consume more media from a man who has made a mockery of our daily struggles, who reaps the awards and the glory and the money from a parody of the uphill battles every woman fights every day to assert her identity in a world created to pander to everyone else? 

I refuse to read fake feminism from an anti-feminist, refuse to read about the horrors of sexual assault from a sexual assaulter. I refuse to support this man in any endeavours he takes. I own no copies of any of his books and don't intend to get any. I’m not saying to burn your books—they're your property, and you've already gotten them, treat them with respect—but as someone whose most awaited show release since 2022 has been the second season of The Sandman, I don’t think I’ll watch it now, and if I do it’s to support the artists, and I’ll probably pirate it, to be honest. 

All this to say, there is no feasable way to remove the art from the artist. The art is an extension of the artist and even if we remove all economic and social advantages creators get from their content from the equation, we’re left with the stark realisation that when an author has personal morals that inherently clash with his works, it’s because he measured those morals and found them wanting for portrayal, therefore choosing to pretend at being a good person to achieve his goals and sell his trade. And I’m not so deprived of perfectly good literature that I’ll swallow my pride and sense of morality to take in the ironic preaching of a man who doesn’t believe in his own gospel. 

[habibi-bambi]

The Fall of The First Man [ADAM]

Adam dies,,, but the story does not end.

PART ONE.

“Nifty?!”

Charlie and her father had won the battle when Lucifer had defeated Adam by beating him up to a complete pulp with nothing but mischief and bare hands. No angelic powers, or devil powers. Just bare hands and the fury of a dad reigning hell on the scum who dared to hurt his daughter. Just when he was about to use his powers and end the First Man for good, Charlie intervened. Adam would deserve it but there was no need for further violence and death. They had won, and if her dad killed the guy, it could escalate the fighting between Heaven and Hell which was the last thing Charlie wanted. 

And then Nifty, who had appeared out of nowhere, grinned like a maniac and let out a deranged laugh as she kept stabbing Adam “Blood!” 

Everybody was staring in complete silence. Completely dumbfounded and stunned, all except Vaggie who was smiling with joy as if it was Charlie’s anniversary present for her. Nifty then returned to looking like an innocent, sweet dwarf sinner and merrily hopped to the ground as if she hadn’t murdered the leader of the murdering angel bastards who terrorized the Pride Ring for thousands of years.

“No!”

Right on time because Adam’s lieutenant rushed to the first man. She was all bruised and injured, with one arm torn. She bled gold blood, but she didn’t care as she fell to her knees and cried. Turning the first man over, she cried.

“Sir?! Sir!”

Adam looked at the furious red sky of Hell. It was ugly as fuck. The only beautiful looking thing in this shithole was the sight of Heaven. He could feel his strength and lifeforce draining away. Lute came over him, crying and screaming. Silly girl, wasn’t she already too big and strong to weep like a baby? She’ll be fine, Adam knows it. 

Adam was going to die.

Fucking finally, was all he could think of.

He let out the smallest briefest sigh. 

What was that saying again? The one from the Harry Potter books? Ah, yes. 

Death is just another great adventure, one that Adam would happily welcome because honestly? He was waaayyy to old and tired of this shit. And Heaven is just way too fucking- Heaven, for him.

“Sir, Stay with me!” Life fades away and leaves behind dull, gold eyes.

Adam smiles peacefully. 

“NO! ADAM!”

From the dust and dirt of the earth you were made of.

To the dust and dirt of the earth you will return.

In the beginning, on the ‘Sixth Day’ of Creation, Man and Woman had been created by God. He created them with the rich and blessed earth from the paradise on Earth, the Garden of Eden. God then sculpted the dirt into a shape, one that was beautiful and wonderful, because humans were to be created after God’s image. 

When he was all said and done, the Creator of everything then split the shape into two. One was a ‘man’, and the other was a ‘woman’.

God breathed life, and from then on, ‘Adam’ and ‘Lilith’ came to life. 

Lilith eventually left and was replaced with Eve, but that was a story for another time.

All that was important was that Adam knew he was created from the dust and dirt of the greatest paradise on earth. Adam also knew, and had expected, that he would return to the earth when his time had come. 

It had been 300,000 years ago since he was made. He died nine hundred years later after his creation, and ascended to Heaven. 50,000 years before now, he became the leader and head of the Exorcists and would come down to Hell’s Pride Ring every year on the eve of Jesus Christ’s birth to kill every sinner they could find. From day one, Adam had been obedient and loyal to God and to Heaven. From day one, Adam had been a faithful servant. From fucking day one, Adam had done nothing but did everything for God and Heaven.

He died from some fucking coward sinner. It was surely a no-name sinner, all of them were lowly scums who deserved to rot. But angelic steel is angelic steel. He might be Adam the First Man, but he was stabbed by some psycho from the back over and over. The knife went past his chest. It was the end. Pathetic, yes.

But it was an end.

His end. 

He should be fucking dead. 

So why the fuck isn’t he dead?

Lucifer Morningstar lets his daughters and her sinners go to the ruins of her hotel, and stays behind to watch the sobbing exorcist hunched over the corpse of Adam.

He was keeping watch, to make sure no crazy bitch tries anything funny. That was all. There totally wasn’t a small part of him waiting for the angel to just fuck off to heaven like the rest of the other exorcists did so he could come close to the corpse of Adam. 

Yup. Totally keeping a close eye on that angel for his daughter. It was totally just Lucifer keeping watch to make sure the angel finally leaves! Why the fuck would he want to see Adam? The First Man was dead, and good fucking riddance!

His tail flickered and snapped to the ground in impatience. A vein popping from annoyance.

…Just how long is that angel going to keep crying like a baby and fuck off to Heaven? For fucks sake, it been almost an hour already! It’s surprising that a woman would actually cry over Adam (Adam no bitches, ha!) but Lucifer just wants her to be gone already. God, what a stupid bitch, crying over a man like Adam. His eyes narrowed at the albino angel. Look at her, looking like some poor wife whose husband was just murdered in front of her. He could puke. If she doesn’t fly up to Heaven, Lucifer’s going to send her to where her precious ‘Sir Adam’ is-!

! Lucifer’s train of thought is stopped suddenly when he hears a quiet, but sharp inhale for air.

“S-Sir?” 

He looks over in confusion, and then shock.

Adam sits up. His big gold wings twitching weakly at his side. There was gold blood everywhere. Holy blood of the angels who served God and Heaven faithfully. It was fucking everywhere.

And Adam… was still alive? Lucifer’s red eyes zeroed on where Charlie’s little crazy sinner had went all crazy on Adam. 

There was nothing but a scar. 

Huh. 

Seems like no matter how garbage Adam had become, he was still Father’s most beloved human. 

“Adam! Sir! Your alive, thank fucking god!” The exorcist that was by Adam’s side let out a big sigh of relief. Gold eyes lit up in joy.

Adam ignored her though, terribly rude that man (no fucking surprise, this was Adam after all) just to look at Lucifer dead straight in the eyes. 

“Stay there Lute. I need to have a chat with this God Damned asshole real quick.”

Blessed gold eyes of an angel at Damned red eyes of the Devil.

(bright brown eyes of Man meeting twinkling gold eyes of the Morningstar.)

Adam stood up. He was a big guy, and Lucifer was as short as ever. So if if it were anyone else, the sight of Adam hulking over them in fury would make any sinner tremble and bolt away. But not Lucifer, whose eyes never strayed away from Adam. 

He could see how Adam was still weak and vulnerable despite having a divine intervention equivalent to a bandaid slapped on him by God. 

“I’m surprised you could survive that, Adam.” Lucifer says, smiling coldly. His red eyes were sharp, but he stayed at ease and unwary as Adam the First Man approached him, ignoring his lieutenant for Lucifer “But I guess you could survive anything if you are God’s ‘perfect’ creation.”  

“You fucking asshole…!” 

Lucifer wasn’t surprised when Adam grabbed ahold of his collar with his one hand to pull him closer and pulled the other hand to punch him

(If Adam wants another round of being a loser, then Lucifer will give him one. He always strived to give what Adam asked for after all, lol.)

Adam gritted his teeth, his hands shaking. His every cell in his body aching to fucking rip the head of this smug asshole who ruined his life and the entire humanity, and just beat up the headless body to the ground. 

But killing Lucifer was his second greatest wish. What he really wanted was-

“Kill me.”

Cricket Noise.

Lucifer stared at him as if he lost his mind,

“Adam what the fuck???”

“The fuck?” Lucifer’s smarmy smug smile was gone, and stared at Adam with big wide eyes, his red slit pupils becoming round again from how he was taken aback by Adam’s sudden loss of sanity “Are you okay? Did that munchkin sinner also hit your head or did Dad whacked your head so hard from healing you that you suddenly lost sense?”

“I’m serious, Lucifer. Kill me. Do whatever you want with me. Just make it quick, because you owe me you asshole. Kill me and let’s be done with it. Hurry the fuck up Lucifer. It shouldn’t be a problem for you since your the Devil and you hate my guts, so just fucking do it already you goddamn asshole!” 

Adam was yelling and shaking Lucifer so hard, his voice growing louder and louder. Growing more manic and desperate as he tugged Lucifer back and forth. Adam roared “LUCIFER!-” but was cut off.

Lucifer pulled Adam’s hands off him easily, and instead, gave him a slap so hard it would leave a mark.

Adam was stunned to silence, face still turned to the side. A red slapmark bright on his face, with four gold scratches that were left behind by Lucifer’s claws.

Good.

 A slap that hard and painful should be enough to put some sense back to him!

 “Adam! What has gotten into you?!” Lucifer snapped.

The angel, Lute (a name he would continue on ignoring and forgetting  as the woman herself) steps forward to pull Adam back, who only shook her hand off and grabbed Lucifer’s wrist.

Adam’s hand was much bigger than Lucifer’s thigh, so his wrist was easily wrapped around as if Adam was just holding a stick. A pasty, white pale stick.

If Lucifer wasn’t who he was, and if only Adam could, Adam would have snapped the wrist in his hand a long time ago.

“I’ve been stabbed to death by a psycho sinner of yours, Lucifer. Why the fuck am I still alive?!”

“Not my fault, Adam! That would be God’s and Heaven’s or a You Fault!” Lucifer pulled his hand away, shaking his hand as if Adam really did hurt him “For fucks sake, one would think you’d be thankful and swear revenge on us or some shit, instead of this crazy crap your pulling on me right now.”

“Kill me!” Crazy Adam yelled.

“Get a fucking grip, Adam!” Lucifer yelled back, pushing Adam from him “I am not doing that!” 

“Of course you wouldn’t help me out. Of course. You’re Lucifer. A fucking asshole who hates me to the core. You'd rather have me suffer eternity than kill me! God, you are such a fucking asshole! You wife-stealing, garden killing, God damned devil asshole!” The look of rage and insanity in Adam’s eyes with his words made Lucifer flinch “You ruined my life. You ruined humanity. You ruined Eden! You owe me Lucifer! You fucking owe me but once again, you proved yourself to be the same fucking asshole who can’t do anything right! FUCK YOU LUCIFER!” Adam screamed.

Adam stepped back, and stopped looking at Lucifer and instead, at his own hands. A haunted look in his eyes and a look of horror on his face. 

"Three hundred thousand years.” Adam whispered, staring at his shaking hands “I’ve been alive and existing for three hundred thousand years since God created me and Lilith-” Lucifer flinched at the mention of of his estranged wife “and I’m still not dead. Why am I not fucking dead?”

“shit.” Lute cursed quietly, eyes focused on her leader and the shitshow was happening. She looked around, and it was still only them. But that will not last for long “Sir, we have to go. Heaven is calling us back.”

“Shut the fuck up, birdbrain. Can’t you see he’s having a breakdown? I don’t know what’s his problem but help for fucksss sssake!” Lucifer says, angry.

“I’m trying!” Lute snapped back at the King of Hell. Lucifer Bristled at the rude impertinent useless wench for having the gall-!

“I’ve spent my entire fucking life, afterlife included, being good and obedient and all that shit for God and Heaven. I listened to every single fucking thing they said, and did whatever I was asked to do! I did nothing wrong! Even when I have to be responsible of shit, of garbage, that wasn’t mine to be taken care of, I still did it. Because it was asked of me!” 

Adam stepped away from Lute’s carefully reaching hands, far away he stumbled on a broken construction of the Hazbin Hotel, and he leaned against it. Hunching over, his wings drawing closer to him, trying to make himself as small as possible.

“I did nothing wrong. I did everything right. Everything they asked me. Everything.” was all Adam said, losing more sense and becoming more emotional and irrational in his grief “Why am I still alive?”

Adam looked up at the shy. Up at Heaven. He looked up and hoped that the goddamn Big G was up there wand listening to him at this very moment.

“I did everything you wanted me to do. I did everything for Heaven. I was a faithful and obedient servant of yours. So fucking tell me why in the fucking Lucifer shitstained face did you bring me back you b-” Lucifer’s eyes went wide at Adam finally losing all sanity. Did this idiot want to Fall? He was definitely going to Fall with how he was cursing God “I’ve done EVERYTHING! I’VE BEEN PATIENT AND STEADFAST AND STEADY IN MY FAITH AND SERVICE. I DID ALL THAT WAS ASKED OF ME SO WHY DID YOU BRING ME BACK?! WHY WHY WHY WHY-” 

Adam collapsed on his knees. 

“Just let me return to dust and be at fucking peace, please…” Adam dropped his face in his hands. A small muffled sob escaped. He looked small and weak. Pathetic. 

He looked miserable.

Lucifer feels a discomfort in his heart at the sight. He tries to swallow the hard lump in his throat.

And then Heaven’s light reached down to Hell and touched where Adam was kneeling. Gold, holy divine light that would turn any sinner and overlord and Sins to ash, and give Lucifer a big fucking nasty ass burns if the light were on them.

That wasn’t just Heaven.

That was God. 

(Fucking hell. You ignore your black sheep of a son who tries to talk to you for thousands of years , but you respond to the crazy mental breakdown of Adam at once? Way to make your favoritism obvious, Dad!)

Adam’s eyes are big and round glimmering gold in that light. 

“IT IS NOT YOUR TIME YET, ADAM. LIVE.” 

And the light fades away, leaving behind a dead-eyed, empty looking son of a bitch who has gone all lifeless and colorless. 

“Adam?” Lucifer hesitantly reaches out, concerned.

Lute steps in front of the King of Hell with a steely look in her puffy, red rimmed eyes. She looked pathetic with her wounds and one arm missing. But despite her sorry appearance, she was still blocking Lucifer from Adam.

“Lute, stop fucking asking for a quick death by pissing off the shitty Devil and lets fucking go.” 

“Wait, Adam-” 

“I have nothing to say to you other than your a fucking useless asshole. I hope I never see your ugly face again.” Adam says.

With that, Adam then just ignores him as if he’s wind, and with Lute’s aid, flies back up to the portal to Heaven. 

Leaving Lucifer looking up at the sky where the portal Adam had been with a strange knotted feeling in his chest. His hands were curled tight and shaking.

What... What had just happened?

PART ONE END.

[toaarcan]

Sonic Theory: Metal Sonic's data-copying is derived from Gizoid technology.

I've long held the opinion that Metal Sonic's sudden advancements, transformation, and rebelliousness displayed in Sonic Heroes can be chalked up to Eggman incorporating Gizoid tech into him. Here's my reasoning:

1) Metal Sonic was at least present during the time that Eggman had Emerl. We know this because when Emerl first begins to speak, he refers to Sonic as "Metal", presumably confusing the two due to his still-developing mind. Blue hedgehog shape + Fast = Metal in his mind at that juncture.

2) Sonic Battle's prologue, where Eggman fails to gain control of Emerl due to his weak nerd noodle arms and discards him, or at least Eggman finding Emerl and beginning to study him, must happen before the start of Sonic Heroes. This is because Eggman's copies of Emerl, the E-121 Phi drones, bear a number and name that precedes Omega (Albeit that name is incorrect- Phi should be E-120, E-121 should be "Chi"). They have to have been built before Omega was.

3) If I recall correctly, Metal first displays the ability to copy data in Sonic Heroes, and before that his only copy-catting is through physical emulation of Sonic's speed and strength.

With this in mind, Eggman's access to the Gizoids predates Metal's rebellion and transformation into his Neo form (and the games do seem to treat it as a transformation, not a physical upgrade. I also doubt Eggman would design the transformation himself, he favours bigger, bulkier forms like Kai/Titan Metal). Eggman couldn't have built Omega and stationed him to guard Shadow while he was in the cell on the Final Fortress, so the rebellion must come later.

For the meat of the theory:

1) Eggman locates the Gizoid via Gerald's diary, stealing it from wherever GUN put it after they failed to get anything out of it themselves. His experiments with Gizoid technology then start with his attempts to control the original. These fail, as Eggman is not strong enough to form a Link with the Gizoid. The Gizoid then consumes Eggman's Chaos Emerald, and in a fit of rage, Eggman discards it from his base, leaving it to end up in the sea, where it drifts until the beginning of Sonic's episode of Sonic Battle.

2) Eggman then creates E-121 Phi, a near-exact replica of the Gizoid that doesn't have Gerald's pesky limiters on it. However, as he no longer has a Chaos Emerald, he is unable to bring Phi to life, rendering it even more inert than the real Gizoid. Frustrated, he decides to instead integrate the copy technology into a creation he has that already works: Metal Sonic.

3) Metal Sonic is upgraded with the Gizoid tech. At first, it works, and Metal displays the ability to copy technology and powers, storing the data of what he absorbs for his own use. However, Eggman has made a critical error- Without Gerald's failsafes, Metal does what the original Gizoid did before: He absorbs too much data, and is driven insane.

4) Metal's madness isn't as all-consuming as the Gizoid's- His experiences mean he had already developed a consciousness that the Gizoid lacked in its base state. However, his mind is warped by the overload, and he begins to believe that he is the real Sonic, and Sonic is the copy, despite his awareness that he was created to destroy Sonic. In his unhinged state, Metal finds himself free of Eggman's control, and locks up his creator, transforming into his Neo form (which is basically the equivalent of a Gizoid's Ultimate form). This is also when he becomes able to speak- He learned just like the Gizoid eventually will, but lacked the hardware needed to use this ability until he shapeshifted into a form with a voicebox.

5) Neo Metal Sonic concocts a plan to lure out the various teams of Sonic Heroes and copy their data into himself. He leaks the rumour about "Eggman's secret treasure" to attract Rouge to the hidden vault, freeing Shadow from his imprisonment. He then schemes to obtain the data of Perfect Chaos, by kidnapping Froggy and Chocola. This also draws Team Rose into the fray, allowing him to gain their data too. Using Gizoid tech would also explain why he didn't simply copy Shadow's data while he was in stasis- and keeps challenging the various teams with Eggman's mechs and robots: He has to actually witness them fighting to gain their data, just like the Gizoid does.

6) Neo Metal is defeated, and reverts to his base form before deactivating. Eggman reclaims him, but puts him on ice for a while.

7) The Gizoid washes up on Emerald Beach, and Sonic forms a Link with it, naming it Emerl after it absorbs another Chaos Emerald and begins copying him. Emerl begins to develop into a person.

8) Wanting Emerl back, Eggman decides to activate E-121. However, cautious of repeating Metal's rebellion, he places limits of his own on E-121, making it able to only mimic a single person, and not able to absorb more data. To make up for the loss of versatility, he builds multiple duplicates of the robot, making at least thirteen additional Phi robots.

9) In order to power them, he crushes the Chaos Emeralds he has access to into Shards. However, the Phi ultimately fail to capture their template, and are destroyed, with Tails fusing the Shards back together. Emerl absorbs all seven, and Shadow frees him from his destructive programming, only for Eggman to spitefully factory reset Emerl in an attempt to regain control, resulting in the near-destruction of Earth and Emerl's death.

10) Eggman uses data from Emerl and the E-121s to create Gemerl. As the Phi failed, he takes a risk of not restricting Gemerl's copy data again, instead closely monitoring its growth to halt it before it grows too strong. This too fails, as Gemerl is driven into Ultimate mode by the Chaos Emeralds, and after a repeat of Ultimate Emerl's rampage, is defeated and reclaimed by Tails.

11) In the wake of this, Eggman tries a different compromise. He reactivates Metal Sonic, but removes his ability to store data. Metal can now only copy people he is actively engaged with at the time, and loses these copied abilities afterward. This is why Metal can only use the abilities of his current opponent when he makes his return in Sonic Rivals and its sequel.

12) This too fails in the end. During Sonic Free Riders, Metal Sonic once again appears to be able to store data, and rebels against Eggman once more, taking all of the data he copied from the other racers for himself. Metal leaves at the end of this game, and his only appearances in main canon since that aren't prequels, time travel to CD, or illusions, are him being retroactively added to Sonic Colours by the port, and IDW. It's possible that Eggman captured and reprogrammed him again, or perhaps it's simply a different Metal.

13) Restoring Metal to his Neo form in IDW, which Eggman was retroactively doing during Sonic Forces, is a desperation move. Eggman was losing the war by that point, and figured potentially letting Neo Metal off the chain again was worth the risk. Ultimately, Neo Metal remains loyal this time, so perhaps Eggman was able to fix the problem at last, or maybe Neo Metal just didn't absorb enough data to go unstable again. After all, Gemerl did what he was told until he overloaded too (Personally I'd prefer it to be a balancing act, that using Neo Metal is a risk every time, rather than Eggman gaining perfect control, but that's largely irrelevant).

At the moment I think this holds up, and accounts for every canonical source that fits into the main series. That said, if I've missed something, feel free to point it out.