#dreadgods

[the--grin--reaper]

[king-of-the-oreo]

Dreadgod in a nutshell

[atlasaurelius]

(Cradle Series 🚨spoiler alert🚨)

just thinking about that AWESOME moment when Lindon summoned a bunch of people who wante to talk to him, and when he backtalked to Fisher Gesha she said to his dad "is this how you raised ur son??!" then before he could answer she went "shut up i know you didn't raise him"

likE

WOW ASDJHSKJFKJDJFH

THATS A FIRST CLASS BURN RIGHT THERE

[freddies-tasche]

[hahahahawk]

So… All Might and the Void Sage have the same eyes?

[sarascamander]

Lindon: I DO WHAT I WANT

Eithan: I'm calling Yerin

Lindon: no, wait —

[mehmetminded]

I’m thinking Cradle thoughts again.

I really love that Eithan having his mantle destroyed serves as both a symbolic and literal “death” for his identity as Ozmanthus/Ozriel. IMO it’s the point where he really BECOMES Eithan.

We see in his POV chapters that Eithan’s mindset never really aligned with his persona. He was always fighting his instincts as Ozmanthus and he cries at the end of Reaper because he can’t “pretend” anymore. When he’s on trial he’s still fighting those instincts as best he can but with his full power back it’s harder. My man made a wholeass evil monologue including the words “I should have butchered you all” before reigning himself in.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read Dreadgod or Waybound, but Eithan’s behavior always struck me as super self destructive in these books. He’s diving through portals to Vroshir homeworlds to “send a message.” Like, my dude. You have a fucking death wish. Eithan hated being Ozriel so much that when they made him go back he was fully ready to die instead. So he challenges The Mad King to buy time fully knowing there’s a decent chance he dies before anyone can do anything.

It’s during that fight, as he’s stripped of the things that made him “Ozriel”, that Eithan finally comes to terms with himself.

In-universe, the destruction of the Mantle of Ozriel likely had a very real effect on Eithan’s personality. We know icons tend to shift the identities of those who have them to be more in line with what they represent and mantles seem to be like SUPER icons or something. Not only that but Eithan didn’t inherit his mantle. He MADE it. Ozmanthus WAS death. While he was bound to his mantle it’s likely that Eithan couldn’t really grow or change who he was. He had become the embodiment of destruction and that’s where his mantle would keep him. Once TMK destroys it it no longer has a grip on Eithan’s identity and he can finally come into his own.

In a more narrative sense, Eithan casting the mantle off represents him finally achieving the self actualization he’d been on the brink of for like 4 books. His mantle isn’t taken from him or torn off or destroyed in a near miss. He takes it off himself. He finally lets down his “Grim Reaper” costume, shows the world his true self, and after a brutal battle, he chose to go out with one last “Gotcha!”

Eithan is still flawed and probably super traumatized, but now he’s really himself. He doesn’t try to hide his shortcomings behind his power anymore. He’s able to connect with the people around him and really start healing; the one thing Ozmanthus could never manage.

[somerunner]

And then when Akura Malice said “Malice this” and hundreds died (this happened several times, but more would have died if she didn’t say her catchphrase)

Man I loved that part in Cradle where Northstrider said “Northstride” and all those guys went waaaayyyy north. Best moment in the series

[roosinii]

Do you have a favorite Cradle character? Or a favorite arc in Cradle?

My favourite character has to be Lindon. Ever since he fought a tree and won by a hair’s breadth, he’s been one of my favourite protagonists full stop. Even though Will conspired against me by introducing new characters in every book that would have been my favourite had Lindon not been there.

My favourite arc has ti be the final one in Dreadgod-Waybound. The culmination of 10 books worth of build up is just magnificent.

[kingsonne-zedecks]

Elder Whisper Cradlepost

I want to talk about Elder Whisper, because out of almost anything in Cradle I feel like Whisper had the most potential that wasn't met.

Will has talked a bit about his writing process, how he'll leave himself threads that he might not know exactly what he's going to do with, but gives himself the option to pick up later.

(Which, as an aside is a pretty great piece of writing advice. Not all foreshadowing has to be planned out like a massive scheme. Calling back to something you prepared earlier without knowing where it was going to go will read like well thought out foreshadowing all the same)

Now, we know that sometimes this doesn't pan out at all. Like Lindon grabbing those scripted stones from the Transcendent Ruins that Will had a rough idea for but later scrapped because the story went a different direction on. I really feel like Elder Whisper falls into this category, because pretty much everything about Whisper prior to Reaper hints at him being so much more than he ends up being.

In Unsouled he is getting glimpses of fate that reflect the actions of literal Judges of the Abidan. Like, Whisper can see that the Wandering Titan will destroy Sacred Valley, and he can tell that it might happen in a few years or it might happen in 30. The accelerated timeline was a direct result of the interference in fate of both Suriel and Ozriel, and the resulting machinations of Makiel to try to restore fate.

And Whisper could see it.

Now. The Doylist explanation is that Will hadn't nailed down Fate Reading and it's implications yet. But that opens things up to so much more when it comes to the Watsonian explanation. Why was Whisper able to see so much? When we get to the end of Bloodline, Why does Whisper know so much about the Dreadgods? At the beginning of Unsouled Markuth talks about the sins of the founder of the Wei, is he referring to the human's that Whisper taught? Or Whisper himself? How did Whisper keep open the soul space of a Sage for years after his death?

It gets me fired up. One of the popular theories is that Whisper is actually a retired Judge living under a powerful veil, potentially even The Fox. Which is a great theory and explains a lot of his abilities.

My other favorite is drawn from DaoistMystery's Wei Shi Lindon Arelius Sue on ao3, which is fantastic fic and worth reading even though it's unfinished. I've reread it many times and you should too

But DaoistMystery's Whisper is amazing. So much is hinted at and partially revealed. The idea of some consequence of the fight with Li Markuth that resulted in his ascendance. The idea of a soul oath that limited and bound him. Whisper as this former Sage or even Monarch bound down in his power to that of a Gold and then limited further by the suppression field down to Jade.

And then the idea of White Fox Madra having qualities similar to that of Blackflame, in that it has consequences on the mind. Whisper, who had achieved such heights in the Sacred Arts that his illusions could trick reality itself. To the point where even he can't tell the difference between his illusions and himself.

I love it, and I headcanon it hardcore, and I think that canon justifies it more than what canon actually states. Like, Whisper is fully aware of just how far the Sacred Arts go, he's even aware of ascension and some of what goes on in the Heavens, and you mean to tell me that he's just a Gold? No. He's a liar and Will just didn't have time and space to dedicate to the truth about Whisper, as the main plot moved away from him.

[immortal-x-mortal-tourney]

Bonus Battle Couple Poll: Mod being self indulgent

I love battle couples but it wouldn't be fun if I nepotismed all of my faves into bracket (also they would've been swept and I would've been sad). So have a fun bonus poll! Also I infodump a little.

Voidblade (Cradle) VS Franticshipping (Pokémon Manga) VS Winterphoenix (My OCs)

Voidblade (don't think that's the widely accepted ship name but I saw it used once and I think it's cool)

Lindon and Yerin start out as strangers who team up due to circumstance, but they grow into friends and eventually, an incredible battle couple. Cradle's a progression fantasy series where everyone's trying to get stronger. Lindon starts out behind, but once he catches up he and Yerin complement each other in battle and fight to advance together.

A key moment in their relationship is when they're forced to face each other in an arena where they can't die and once Lindon gets over his reluctance to hurt Yerin, they absolutely enjoy the opportunity to fight each other without holding back. Yerin's fighting style leans more towards brute force, while Lindon literally has a spirit in his brain who helps him strategize to win fights before they begin. The two of them fight gods together. Upend the order of the world. Lindon gifted Yerin a sword forged from body of a dreadgod and immediately afterwards gave her a ring. Battle couple of all time.

Franticshipping

Ruby gave up battling because when they met as kids because the way he'd fought had scared Sapphire, but he fights again to protect her. Sapphire dedicated herself to growing stronger because she'd felt helpless that day and didn't want to be a burden again, wanted to be able to protect herself.

When they were on Mirage Island they trained to double battle with each other with Juan, Tate & Liza. Their Kirlias evolved (Ruby's into a Gardevoir, Sapphire's into a Gallade) at the same time. They rode Rayquaza into space to destroy the meteor and save the world together, and they did it while wearing contest outfits. I love them so much.

Winterphoenix

Okay I have barely written anything for them but I rotate them in my brain constantly. Holly's a superhero who never got to live a normal life because her father trained her since birth to take over his magical guardian of order duties, and when he died when she was fifteen she dedicated herself to protecting the world with barely any time for herself. Reid was a normal guy until he ended up kidnapped by a villain trying to exploit the powers Reid did not know he had.

Holly saved him, and after some reluctance Reid became a hero and together they took down the bad guys. Since then they've been a heroic duo, and Reid's eased Holly's burden – and ironically Reid, the fire guy, taught his gf with ice powers to chill. She showed him how to be a hero. He showed her how to be human.

[the--grin--reaper]

Underrated sibling duo? The Dreadgods (yes, all six of them - the Slumbering Wraith, Bleeding Pheonix, Wandering Titan, Weeping Dragon, Silent King, and of course Empty Ghost)... Jk. Well no, them too because I don't think we talk enough about how they call themselves "brother" and the symbolism of that being the first word the Bleeding Pheonix says to Lindon in the desert standoff.

But no, funnily enough, Lindon and Kelsa are very underrated. Kelsa always stuck with her unsouled brother and defended him. Lindon said that he found it impossible to hate her because she always treated him fairly. She lets him have half the spirit fruit, respecting him arguing for his piece. She trains him up for his duel with the Mons. She sticks up for Lindon to their parents. Lindon is very protective of her later on, and showers her in defensive measures to ensure no one can hurt her. They cry when they reunite!!

Also Lindon walking in on Kelsa and Jai Long being kinda intimate during training was so funny lmaoooo

[cantheykillmacbeth]

I believe that any of the 4 Dreadgods from the Cradle Series (The Bleeding Phoenix, The Wandering Titan, The Silent King & The Weeping Dragon) could kill Macbeth.

Yes, Weeping Dragon, Silent King, Wandering Titan, and Bleeding Phoenix from Will Wight's Cradle book series could all kill Macbeth!

All four of them were failed research experiment created by a man referred to as Subject One, and, from what I can tell, none are ever referred to in a gendered way. This applies them all for the Gender Clause, Unconventional Birth Clause, and Birth Parent Clause! Thank you for your submission!

[atlasaurelius]

lol i cant stop thinking about this scene from Wintersteel--

Most of the eliminated Uncrowned competitors seemed to be aboard, so Lindon had a new question when he rejoined Mercy and Pride. “Why do they need Underlords?” Pride made a dismissive sound. “We need Lords more than anything. Controlling the populace, defending our claim, herding refugees, clearing the land of natural treasures before the Dreadgod razes it…honestly, you can’t afford to be this badly informed.” Lindon’s usual annoyance with Pride swelled to anger, but he kept a façade of polite behavior. He pressed both fists together. “My apologies that I was not born into a Monarch family.” “It doesn’t matter if you were born into one or not. If you want to join our — ” Mercy pushed both of her madra - gloved hands over Pride’s mouth. “Ha!” she shouted. “Ha ha! Good one!” It sounded nothing like real laughter, and she shoved Pride so that he stumbled back a step. He looked genuinely confused.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW PRIDE SAW MERCY WITH LINDON ONCE (when he first met the Akura Underlords) AND IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT "sHE LiKeS hiM!!! sO i MuST HaTE hiM!!!"

[freddies-tasche]

Copper-Lindon: I WANT TO STOP A DREADGOD

Yerin: Sure, sure

Sage-Lindon: *stops Wandering Titan and Silent King*

Yerin: what the fuck

[hahahahawk]

Sometimes I listen to Dross’s big scene near the end of Dreadgod just to feel something.