#however i will now tag the characters this IS about

[myreia]

I ran out of space in the tags so I'm going to make a rare addition and actually drop a few thoughts here as what OP said struck a chord with me.

Overall, I disliked Myths of the Realm. There are some positives—I enjoyed the arena design and the gameplay mechanics, and I love the music. I also really liked the nostalgia of going on another adventure with G'raha; it makes for a nice callback to Crystal Tower. Our first alliance raid was in his company, and now so is the last (for this arc, at least). I also enjoyed some of the NPCs, especially Snoegeim, and I think Deryk mostly worked for me.

However, that's where the positives end. I think Myths exemplifies a lot of the storytelling and worldbuilding issues I have with Endwalker in general.

I think exploring the Twelve in an alliance raid was a mistake. There is just not enough time to actually investigate them and flesh out beings with this much importance to Eorzean lore in the span of an alliance raid's storyline (especially when that storyline wastes so much of its limited time on feel good hijinks and wink-wink nudge nudge moments).

They dropped the ball with the lore, and Myths also makes for some really weird messaging. Anything that touches on Venat/Hydaelyn, her associates, and the Sundering gets weird in 6.x because of the extreme bias in the narrative framing and how forceful it gets about reminding you that these are the good guys. I don't mind necessarily that the Twelve are her associates, but the game is so afraid to even allow a hint of criticism of their actions that it becomes tonally dissonant when they're presented as the Goodest Guys to Ever Good (and don't you dare think otherwise!) instead of giving them the very necessary weight and depth that makes characters with this kind of backstory actually work.

I could roll with this if we were given something substantial with the Twelve, but we were not. Their presentation is extremely shallow and mostly aesthetics-based. The raid series would rather spend its time on emotional spectacle and things that look pretty than actually delve into their own lore in a meaningful way, or one that honours the lore from the pre-Endwalker expansions. They completely shy away from investigating the consequences of religion within the regions where the Twelve are worshipped except for a few token gestures, which creates even more tonal disconnect (especially for gods like Halone and Rhalgr).

I think there's something to be said about demythologizing your mythology in fantasy fiction. When executed properly this can be a fun exploration and interesting subversion, but I think there is always a point where it crosses over into too much explanation and actively hurts the worldbuilding. If I have one criticism of Endwalker as a whole, it is that it shoves explanations down our throats for things that were better left as a question with no certain answers and a lot of grey areas.

I also find it a bit hypocritical that as much as the narrative wants to have a message about moving on from the past, neither Venat nor the writer team can actually move on from the Ancients. Hydaelyn, why are you out here making aetheric constructs of your dead friends when your whole shtick is that you need to stop reaching for the past and look forward, not back? This would actually be really interesting—that her grief or her regret or her suffering compelled her to bring back some semblance of her friends to help push the world forward, and how that can be contrasted against the Ascians' suffering and desire to see their world restored at any cost—if it was explored in a meaningful way, but it's not.

There's nothing of substance in making the Twelve her associates because there's not enough time to actually delve into it. We walk away with a couple of lines about each of them and that's it. It's a token gesture, not proper characterization. With the exception of Deryk/Oschon, these are not characters, they're figurines. If we were going to explore the Twelve as Venat's associates, I wish we had seen it within the context of the politics of Amaurot and the desperation of their rebel group to pull off their mission. We're dancing around overexplaining the mythology without actually digging into the most important aspect of it.

This kind of thing bothers me here because it's an attempt to pull at the players' heartstrings and elicit an emotional reaction without actually doing the work in the writing.

It's spectacle over substance.

It's also a repeat of the same storytelling tactics deployed when Venat describes how much she loves the world and its people in Elpis. The game has to rush us through this, so it's forced to tell us she loves the world without actually giving enough of a fuck to SHOW us why or actually build up anything organically.

This is plot-focused writing that is too scared to trust the audience and let go of our hands, so it plays it squeaky clean and safe just so it doesn't risk upsetting a portion of its players. And that kind of thing always falls flat.

FFXIV has always been very spectacle-driven and it is one of the things I love about it. But spectacle cannot be a replacement for solid characterization, which takes time to develop. Without it, spectacle is a crutch giving the semblance of better writing than it actually is. FFXIV used to do this incredibly well (especially in Heavensward and Shadowbringers due to those expacs' focused plots; Stormblood has its moments, too), but I don't think it does anymore.

For me, Myths of the Realm is another case where the game no longer cares enough to do the work to get the reaction it wants out of us, and instead it will use every cheap trick in the book to cash in on our emotions.

So, it tells us what it wants us to hear, tells us how we should feel, tells us how we need to think, and then gives us some gorgeous arenas and beautiful music and pretty characters who love our character because they're the WoL, and then asks us to take everything at face value.

I'm not saying this to hate on Endwalker and its non-Ascian Ancient characters, or FFXIV in general. The problems I have with it are not necessarily the what, but rather the how. Execution is everything.

I love the game, I love the world, I love the characters, and it has a lot of good stuff going for it. It's because I do care deeply about the worldbuilding and storytelling that I want it to be a better version of itself.

All that being said, I do like a lot of the glam pieces that came out of this series for highly specific glams and in specific contexts. I've also seen some really creative uses of them. But I think the whole faux-hellenistic thing has gotten really old with the Ancients since the inspiration is used pretty shallowly and doesn't connect at all to their actual wardrobe or culture beyond "kind of sort of ancient greek and a bit to the left". I wish they had leaned more heavily into the art deco vibes from Amaurot rather than some vaguely Hollywoodized greek god thing.

god I haven't mentioned it enough here. Myths of the Realm is my enemy. easily my least favorite 24-man- or rather it's my least favorite raid series of either type.

probably made worse by pandaemonium being genuinely very good? the contrast was stark.

weak answer to the question of the twelve's nature, very unambitious and mediocre visual designs that were largely too married to visual fidelity to boring statues and card designs. some real disney's hercules shit. there were some innovative or appealing elements here and there: nald'thal was genuinely great visually and conceptually, I actually respect the concept of making menphina a magical girl instead of a generically hotsexy love goddess, byregot's halo of nails, uh... the models for thalaos and perykos looked good? but overall they were a bunch of very boring idealized humans.

and my god eulogia is the ugliest thing. eulogia might actually be the most hideous execution of a concept in the game yet, you might as well just clip all of the models of the twelve into each other and play their animations at once and get the same effect. zero elegance, zero thoughtful design. it's actually shocking to see in a game where we got perfect omega as a raid boss once upon a time. even eden's promise, while superficially a hot mess, is a hot mess because it pays homage to extant depictions of artemis! art history is why it looks like that! eulogia looks like the artists were asked to recreate knife dad from monster factory using ffxiv assets.

and you might ask, well, are the mechanics of the fights better than the boss designs? absolutely not. week one aglaia was a little fun, because there being a chance of failure to people not knowing the trick of the meteors in the rhalgr fight or panicking during the nald'thal scales instead of just deliberately failing the mechanic to waste everyone's time. gear creep destroyed any chance of interacting with most of the fun bits of aglaia, and they didn't repeat that "mistake" in the other two, which were boring and easy from the jump. just an absolute void of challenge or chaos. why even bother putting mechanics into your raid at that point, apparently that's only for savage.

and the rewards... boy I hope you like ugly yellow-gold saint seiya armor and generic draping faux-hellenistic robes and vague suggestions of togas. I hope you fucking gluttons for endless less-problematic rehashes of ancient greek mythology like gaudy costume jewelry and sandals and meaningless neoclassical flourishes. did you want gear that might look like something your character would wear in a city they've visited or that has a connection to a historical aesthetic? I guess if you make believe you can stretch a tenuous bond from this tacky armor to the uniform robes and masks of the ancients. ostensibly. since we all know the ancients didn't have a societal taboo about ornamentation or making your clothes individualized or anything.

so what did we achieve? did we learn anything? turns out the twelve were real all along, but also powerless except in the specific context of having flashy anime duels with the warrior of light. it's VERY important that we say they aren't primals, because primals are only summoned by primitive subhumans like the ixal and the garleans. but we do need you to fight them to return their aether to the star because... they're definitely not primals! no. not primals. primals are fake gods, and the twelve are *aetheric constructs* based on *real people* made by *hydaelyn*, which means they're good and Not Primals. the mechanic by which they visually reflect the beliefs of their followers? definitely not the same as the one that does that for primals. their nebulous dependence on the faith of eorzeans? totally unrelated to primals, because it's apparently important for the ego of the players that *their* god is real and not fake, which makes them ontologically good and righteous.

and it's definitely satisfying to find out that the goddess whose name gave weight and gravity to the reveal of the warrior of light's past incarnation and their name... is called that because she was a failed candidate for that role? she's a consolation prize sun goddess?

for that matter it's definitely satisfying to find out that the twelve are just recreations of venat's boring ancient friends, who are largely nameless and have no significance to you or your interaction with the past aside from a mediocre sidequest. oh it's so thrilling to know that the god of crafting used to be hytholdaeus's coworker. this would mean so much to me if he had any role in the setting beyond a skill name and a rock sitting in an overworld zone.

admittedly it would also suck for the reveal to be "actually eorzea's gods did create the world and are all-powerful, boy it sure is silly that those delusional foreigners are out here worshipping kami and manusya and mrga and primals which are all FAKE, as opposed to us (non-beastman) eorzeans who have the literal mandate of heaven"

but surely there's a more elegant solution (ambiguity, leaving questions instead of a glut of answers, not making this raid series at all). was this really the best they could come up with?

[01zfan]

Pls rec me some riize authors pls

ooo there’s so many the riize writing community is so freaking talented! i recommend going through the riize tag anyone you find there will be awesome. HOWEVER i will take this chance to brag about my talented mutuals

@ddodol always has AMAZINGGGG layouts and her fics about eunseok are the best! my personal favorite (it’s constantly changing cuz she writes so damn good) is just a little.

@snoopyana is my favorite ever like seriously i’m her number one fan I DON’T PLAY ABOUT MY SNOOPYANA…i love the way she writes and it’s always a good read (even if the characters aren’t always doing good things LMFAO) my favorite is everything but hands down it’s selfish

@melobin the mother of riizeblr of course i have to include her. she’s constantly feeding us even the asks she answers are always so good ughhhh if you want something to nibble on her account is the best. once again a favorite that’s always changing but i go back and read this eunseok blurb about slipping into subspace SO MUCH. she writes youngwonz so well AGHHHH (also her discord server is so much fun heh)

@choerrysjubiles is so good too omfg wait i recently read part four (i think) of baby fever last night and now i need to get pregnant NOW! she has really good recs and is involved in the community heh shes a shining presence and i appreciate her dearly

@babyjinsu is so talented. i’m seeing stuff from her i haven’t seen anywhere else and it’s CRAZYYYYY GOOD! i do recommend reading the warnings on her posts and engaging accordingly but recently i read goshiwon and i like it alot! i want to become a better writer reading her stuff huhu i love it!

[mydogatemymotivation]

I had a thought about Lasan. People tend to agree that Zeb is kind of looked down on or seen as less intelligent by the people around him, despite him obviously being very smart, and I was wondering why that was. I do think there's some underlying xenophobia in the rebellion, even if it's not as rampant, that when someone looks at Zeb they might see him as something 'other' or somehow more animal like and therefore unintelligent. But then why does Zeb so frequently look down on himself as well? Is it just a lack of confidence? Well, I was thinking and I came up with this idea: what if the foundation of knowledge itself is different on Lasan compared to the rest of the galaxy?

So, hear me out, I'm a historian, I love history and there was a history class I was in some time ago that was all about the Aztec, Inca, and Maya, major empires each during their heyday, and in one of the units, we learned about the Mayan calendar and their number system (you don't have to be a mathematician for this, I promise) (I can't do math) (also this whole post is an excuse for me to talk about this cuz I think it's neat).

The Mayans (and by extension most people in Central America) used a completely different number system to do math. They used what's called a vigesimal system, not a decimal system. A decimal system is a Base 10 system: 1's, 10's, 100's.  This is the way we learn math today.

(sorry for the shitty quality. and the. stains. i was snacking on salt an vinegar chips and they spilled. ignore that.)

However a vigesimal system is not Base 10, but Base 20, and this changes the most basic arithmetic. Actually, it flat out changes the way numbers are read.

It seems like Lasan was a fairly isolated planet, there weren't a lot of Lasat seen in the galaxy at large, and Lasan was neutral during the Clone Wars, so it could be that there wasn't a big push to learn how things are done in the rest of the galaxy unless you were specifically planning on leaving Lasan. And since Zeb was in the Honor Guard, I don't imagine he ever even wanted to leave, but rather was forced to. Which means he probably never would've learned the systems that the rest of the galaxy used.

Now, I will say that the decimal system only exists because humans have ten fingers, which is why it called Base 10. And the vigesimal system exists because humans have ten fingers and ten toes, which is why it's called Base 20. Lasat have neither, which means they probably didn't use a vigesimal system; but it also means they probably didn't use a decimal system either. Not unless they imported it. Like I said, I'm not a mathematician, so I'm not even going to try to figure out what a Base 8 or a Base 16 number system looks like, I'm not that good at math.

But imagine, if you will, being forced to step out into a world where you can't even read numbers (I'm going to keep using vigesimal as an example). How would people look at you? Say you're in a foreign market and you're trying to scrape together enough credits to buy food. You look at the characters the rest of the galaxy uses and you have to translate them, so you're stood there staring at this price tag, the guy behind the counter is getting impatient. So you manage to translate the characters into the ones you know and pull out your credits. It's a 2 and an 8. 2x20 is 40 and an 8, is, well, 8. So you try to pay 48 credits for the food. Your new traveling companion clears his throat and tells you that's almost double the price and you really can't afford to lose credits on a translation error. Then you remember, they use tens. So 2x10 is 20. Not 40. Now the shopkeeper's looking at you funny, and your companion is paying the proper price for the food. And you have to just stand there, embarrassed, that you can't even do basic math.

So you get back to your new ship and there's this thing there, it's metal, and it thinks with a system called binary. Which is somehow a language based on a number system that you don't understand. And it's yelling at you. Loudly. And a lot. Would anybody blame you if you tried to punt the little trash can into the sun? If that was your experience day-in, day-out would you offer yourself up when somebody asks for ideas? I wouldn't. And to go through some version of that repeatedly without really being able to explain because first of all, who wants to learn new math just for you, and second of all, this is your second language anyway so how are you supposed to explain new math sufficiently when you have to translate everything in your head first. That would be crushing, and isolating. And some days, maybe it's just easier to be the dumb brute.

As someone who grew up bad at math, all STEM actually, and blonde (which doesn't seem like it'd be a big deal, but people really do treat like you're stupider than everyone else. Far and away NOT the worst hair-based discrimination, but the stereotype does get under your skin eventually) I was genuinely convinced I was stupid. I know now that my brain is wired for arts and humanities and I am NOT stupid. But my inability to do simple math without a calculator is humiliating to this day and I can really empathize with Zeb about feeling like you're lacking something that comes naturally to everyone else. The self-doubt and the self-loathing that come with looking around you and realizing that if you ask for help, you open yourself up to mockery because what's hard for you is basic for everyone else. It sucks. I don't blame Zeb for being so down on himself.

Zeb could've had the best education on Lasan but it truly doesn't matter how quality your education is if everyone around you reads 28 differently than you do. It's not a lack of intelligence, it's a translation error coupled with a lack of grace from the people around you. I'd beat myself up, too.

I'm not saying that I think this is what the writers had intended or anything, in fact, I don't think they thought about Lasan and it's culture all that much, if I'm being honest, but that's a thought for later. I just, I had this idea and wanted to share.

Can you believe this post exists because my dad bought me a mug lol. I collect mugs and my dad found one that has Mayan hieroglyphs carved onto it and he knows that I can understand a handful of glyphs and thought I'd like it. I don't have it yet but it's en route. Anyway, it got me thinking about ancient Maya and I've got kalluzeb brainrot and they collided and made this.

[angelltheninth]

helloooo :D

I'm a maddie fanatic who's in drought 😭 and I was wondering if you have any favorite headcanons for her? Sfw/nsfw either is fine

I consider myself her biggest fan, I'm glad I'm gathering people who feel the same.

Pairing: Maddie Nolen x Fem!Reader

Tags: established relationship, dating, kissing, compliments, sneaking out, aftercare, nightmares, feelings realization

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: I watched the Not-So-Avredge-Fangirl's interview with the cast, Katy Townsend is so nice.

Will give you so many compliments

If she finds out that you haven't been praised much until now she will make sure you know how appreciated you are

Doesn't mind keeping your relationship a secret, a lot of her relationships have been secret

So she is really, really good at sneaking in and out of your room at pretty much any time of night or day

That being said she loves to cuddle after spending a night with you

Will wake up before you but won't leave before you wake up too

Before she leaves she has to talk to you first, kiss you, tell you about how much fun she's had with you

Maddie works pretty hard so there will be times when she's tired when date night rolls around

Pushes herself in order to make sure you still have a good time

Often tells you how you should open up about things that are bothering you so that she could help you out

However she won't do the same, when you see that something is bothering her she brushes it off, it's what she's used to

Uneasy about you finding out about her Noxian identity, she doesn't want you to think that the feelings she has for you are fake or that she's being fake with you

Has nightmares of you getting hurt because of her

At first she was a bit scared of really falling for you but since Ambessa's death she was able to accept it more easily

Disturbing how easily she will tell you a random way to kill or torture someone for information

Not that she had to do many of those things herself but she knows about them

Really big on aftercare and pillow talk

Loves kissing you until you're shivering, especially after she overstimulated you before that

Proud of the amount of marks she leaves on you

Will steal your clothes all the time, it's very comfy for her and she knows you like to see her in your clothes

[splinterofpandora]

{BrightKnightUpcoming} <---------------------

-------------don't miss part 14 by tag💡💡💡

Recommendations. Base of modern classics.

To understand any topic, you need a quick navigation through it. I prefer personalized lists, as I've always felt that the “must read” format just gets in the way of proper fandom development and greatly reduces the diversity of voices in a thread. However, this works for long-lived universes. Those that already have a good baseline. We're talking about a new topic, so we need proper lists.

I used 3 items for this. We start with the ideas of the past, which are heavily dominated. Then the balance between the old and the new. And our theme at the end.

Part One. Unhealthy Beaten Batman.

Batman: White Knight has a beautiful turning point between the past and the future. You have Bruce, who didn't get to meet happiness enough, but who hasn't felt so much injustice that it breaks him as a hero. From the old here's the approach. Fighting to the end, family confrontations, darkness deep inside Bats. Plus some roles.

On the other hand, the status quo changes in the sequel. And the third part breaks the pattern of Batman's constant pursuit of purpose. Murphy's whole world is about legacy. You understand why Wayne became like this. Why Alfred had to die. Why Harley isn't a villain anymore. Speaking of motivation, there's a lot of thoughts here about the functions of the cape. As well as the relationship of the Knight's legacy to society. That's why we need Sean in his entirety. Curse, Beyond, Presents...you got it!

It was surprising even to me. Batman: Soul of the Dragon sees the difference between obsession and striving. Not much Wayne here, but you can see how the boy who doesn't know how to stop turns this around in his favor. Moreover, we're talking about unique old fighting movies vibe, working with team without lead it, relationship trying.

No, I'm not crazy. You really should try The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga. We're talking about Bruce + society. But often cheats and is above the rest of the people here, just like in the old days. On the other hand, this is a largely loyal to Justice person with a big heart and long arms. I think it's similar to Rebirth. He has a good relationship with Dick. Doesn't think he's better than him. Occasionally learns from Robin. Is a teacher himself. Not kinda legal person. But not the vigilante type too. Sentai character like.

Part two. Wait! He is real! He is really real!!!

Multiple choices let you see him go from being a completely bad person to the nicest guy in the building. Batman: The Telltale Series shows the transformation of someone who can't sleep into someone who changes Gotham by human steps. You can help Gordon with your word like Bruce. You can agree to live with Selina. You can leave town. Just tell Wayne he has a right to be happy. You'd be surprised how much this world will change.

Two approaches from Batman: The World. "Funeral" is important for bigger perspective. Because I'm not saying he can't be dark and creepy now. It's about a new level of connection with people. He knows when your soul is not ok. He helps the ghost because he believes in proper retirement.

Number two is "Closed for the Holidays". It's very easy. Being Batman is cool. He really loves it. He's found happiness because of it. Why delete it? Wayne on vacation is boring.

Briefly, because we had a conversation about it. You introduce Batman separately from Bruce to then make them one. You see him making Robin's life better by believing in her. Not by dragging her down into his dark world. But it's also trauma, and you see the results of living without fully analyzing yourself. You can see the obsession beneath the smile. Batman: Creature of the Night is the best jumping point. It's talented, so kind.

Part Three. The new is a mirror of the old.

I know what you're thinking. Oh, this guy just took the happiest versions. He's really not very smart person. But that's not my point.

Batman: Universe works because Bruce is really enjoying the ride. Batwheels is about family. He's healthy and the best dad to his kids. Batman'66 has an epic poem about Wayne loving life. He respects the Law so much that he's willing to go to jail to prove that the system works. You say it's an obsession. I'll say no, because he knows he'll be free soon. The idea is not to save the system at all costs. It's about Faith. And he trusts even the Joker. Everyone can change.

And of course you have all those funny, little ridiculous, and loving heartfelt Batman stories from the Golden, Silver, Bronze ages! And we've been here before, really? Check it!

Final words and acknowledgements.

I remember Adam West's memorial ceremony well. The city used the Batsignal back then. A beautiful gesture of love...

I loved Adam because he was Batman in the real life. He loved the fans, he helped the kids. However, he wasn't Dark because...well, it's not just the series' vibe. He was always smiling, showing a willingness to talk. That's why he...and afterward the whole world...called himself The Bright Knight.

I'm the Bright Knight, I'm not the Dark Knight with all the violence and the explosions. No, my work conveys laughter, curiosity, and good feelings.

Now you know why I chose that title for the post series. I know there's a lot of pain in Batman. And I love him for it, because I've been well aware of what it means to feel pain since I was a kid. I know when you're alone. When the world is trying to destroy you. I love Bruce's battle. But you always do it for someone. I mean, he really didn't believe in himself much. He didn't die just because the mission was more important than him. More important than the man. Than human body.

So when he found his first Robin...and then another. When he found Helena, when he met Stephanie, when he helped Gotham Girl...he realized which things really matter.

When I think about his story, I see that it's different. But every variation of it protects us with absolute loyalty. Adam is amazing because he made it fun. Funny gadgets, clever tips, memorable look. He was perfect!

He was showing love for Humanity. I mean, it was like the comic books, but without the dark violence. That's why he's so important.

Speaking of equally important people. The first thing, @beerrej did was help me with good advice on choosing titles and individual phrases. She kept this cycle going and it took +/- month for writing. Thanks, Lima!

Last but not least there is @la-guarido-del-perrozorro. We've been talking at length about Bruce since way back...wait, Gotham War ended when???????

Cool conclusions, smartest ideas, and good spirits is She. Oh, and the arts inspire me!

Thanks for reading, guys! And I look forward to your responses, because...that's what fandom stands for, I guess.

[vivitalks]

thinking about guard dog characters and attack dog characters. the different ways to protect your people. characters who take the defensive versus the ones who never let it get to that. ones who, when someone bares their teeth, will bare their teeth in return, and ones who need only see the glint of teeth before tearing them limb from limb. it's the difference between "i would die for you" and "i would kill for you." characters who are ready to compromise their life or their morals, who have already made that sacrifice in their mind, who have fangs and claws and are always ready to use them, because ultimately these characters are fundamentally the same: they will protect you, and they will do anything.

[licorishh]

no way she's alive ?? yea those mental health breaks because social media makes people suck are wild huh

[trauma-bot]

sin eater

[katabay]

PAGLUIB

way back in like. march?? I took a stab at writing some kind of kabitserye type of story but it was a mess: it kept veering off into murder mystery drama territory because I was reading a lot of murder mystery novels around then and it Wasn't Good because I hadn't tried writing mysteries, let alone murder mysteries, before lmao

I did write a handful of short mystery stories since then, so next year I might take a stab at this idea again now that I'm no longer jumping head first into a genre pool I don't know how to swim in :)

[cosmocove]

time to make your choice only you can be the one

[nabaath-areng]

I have way too many alts that I keep to myself (which is why I generally refrain from posting them), but I'm going to ignore that habit for a moment just because I'm feeling particularly insane about this guy.

[in-parkour-civilization]

Bro I made a bet with my buddy whether the parkour god would get it on with the champion or that Seawatt dipshit but they’re all making out in a circle what the fuck do I do

[funsize-cenobites]

Mihawk-Brain-Eating-Syndrome has seized me.

The post that started this whole train of thought came from @manofbeskar who's Mihawk thoughts, Mishanks heartwrenchers, and absolutely gorgeous art are so inspiring I feel chewing-on-the-doorframe feral every time I check their blog.

Mihawk has a complicated relationship with vivre cards. Yet despite all efforts at keeping the world and everyone in it at Yoru length he still manages to keep collecting bits of them.

Not many nowadays, its a rather intimate affair after all; to have someone give you a literal piece of their life so that you may always find them no matter where in the wide seas you may be. Assuring that you'll be the first to know should they leave that world entirely.

Far too intimate. It feels too obvious, too heavy handed, too much like handing him your heart and asking him to carry it. Such a thing is heavier than any blade and all the bloody deeds he can never truly wipe from the steel.

Its gentle and vulnerable and human. All the things Mihawk is convinced he could play at but never truly be again. But... I imagine at the start of his journey, maybe he was a touch more open. Perhaps accepting his first from a mentor as a parting of ways though he didn't yet have one of his own to offer in return.

Strange how a simple piece of card in his palm could feel like an open door. Always there, inviting him home. Always there, until it wasn't.

Mihawk will never forget the first time he felt one burning away into nothing in his hands. It went up so quick.. He had no idea it could take less than a minute to burn a home.

Then perhaps he found a crew, a more tangible place to nest and he suddenly had more vivre cards than he could tuck away on his person in a timely manner. Perhaps it became a ritual of sorts each morning, a part of his routine to tuck each one away. The captain, vice captain, and the rest of the specialists lining the inner band of his hat while the rest of the crew were individually squirreled away. A meditation, grounding and quiet. He would use it to remind himself of his role as the crew's swordsman, as their protector.

How could he forget the sharp sear of each individual card burning away, stuck close to his skin by waterlogged clothing as he dragged himself ashore gasping and choking on sea and blood and smoke. Having been left by marines that assumed he would drown because- perhaps pointed out by one that had deceived him, made Mihawk believe they were his friend to be led back to his family:

"No freak like that could exist without having eaten the devil's fruit."

How could he forget the embers escaping, dancing in the evening gloam like fireflies swarming around him? There were so many.. now there are none and gods he's been so empty since. How could such a small piece of paper take so much of him? To kill a man with a blade, even butchering him inelegantly, would be a greater mercy so long as he was dead.

Nowadays Mihawk knows better. Knows better than to trust or be trusted. That blades might chip and tarnish but they dont burn, never completely.

Yoru hums and sings in his hands as he wields her and she does not feel like home.. but she feels solid and eternal and cold. She will never burn. Her weight is bearable.

Impersonal.

Professional.

Yoru makes death an art in his hands. She is the brush not the paper, spattering fireflies over a night sky.

. . .

For years after, he kept far from others. Deciding to never get so close to anyone ever again. Safe in the knowledge he would never feel the burning sting of loss nor the cold cut of betrayal so acutely. Trust was a double edged blade, perhaps the only one he truly couldn't handle.

He was no protector.. so he wouldn't try to be.

Instead Mihawk would hunt. Chasing the marines mercilessly. Cutting a bloody path through their ranks and burning their fucking fortresses to the ground. At first they spoke of him as an insane lone swordsman, then a one man army, then a monster, a demon. The relentless yellow eyed freak that stalked the seas and nightmares of future vice admirals.

He systematically killed all those that harmed him. A shadow over the shore, a rogue wave swallowing their ships, a curse of vengeance come to reap. He destroyed all the records of his crew that he could get his hands on. If he must be cursed to slowly forget them over time, then the world government didnt deserve their memory either.

And so on it went for a time. Long enough for the hunt to lose its luster. Slaughtering sheep by the herd in search of a rare wolf.

Mihawk had almost forcibly forgotten about Vivre cards as a concept. His own remained untouched, never moving from where he hid it. He had no friends, no family, no nakama. Only a dwindling list of worthy foes to test himself against.

Until the day the king of pirates died. Until their golden age truly began.

Until he met Shanks, who held out a hand and asked him to step out of the monochrome past and into a thousand possible vibrant futures. Ones of lush reds and glittering golds, of polished onyx black and the purest, deepest blue.

.

"Here," Shanks said suddenly one night, holding out a small scrap of paper. The both of them were perched atop the ruins of a high sea wall on some remote island, enjoying the cold breeze from the north after a hard fought duel.

Mihawk, for all his composure, blanched. "What is that?" He knew and he did not take it.

"What do you think it is? Its a piece of my card." He said it so simply. Like it barely occured to him how precious such a thing was. Shanks didn't drop his arm, even as the silence stretched out between them.

"No."

"Come on, Takanome- Dont be like that! We're nak--"

"Rivals." He cut the younger man off abruptly. His chest felt too hot and too tight, burning and burning and, "We are rivals, Akagami."

Shanks must've been pouting, he could hear it in his voice, "Even more reason for you to take it. We could duel every day if you could always find me~ Come on.. Please? I want you to have it."

"...."

Hawkeyes glanced at his best friend rival and immediately regretted it. Shank's face was always full of so much hope, so much faith in... something.. It made Mihawk's heart catch in his throat every time to see those big earnest eyes staring at him almost as if, for a moment, it was faith in him.

"I don't know if I can give you mine.." He murmured. Shanks smiled soft, a little sad, and infuriatingly understanding without needing to know anything.

"I dont need it. I know you'll always find me." He pressed his heart, his home the scrap into Mihawk's palm and closed the swordsman's fingers over it. "And if I need to find you.. I'll just ask the wind."

[ehlnofay]

I Walked Into The River

The Tree of Shades, fed by a spring deep in the Shivering Isles' underground, will not surrender its secrets to one who has not earned them. The erstwhile Hero of Kvatch and Sheogorath's current grudging Champion has little left to prove and even less to lose.

I wrote this piece for the summerfest prompt "mirror" and am posting the full thing for the free day! it's my take on the doppelganger bit of that one quest in the shivering isles, which always struck me as having a lot of unrealised potential (especially in conjunction with running themes of duality the questline already has). I've had this idea for a long time now and this event finally got me to actually write it out, which was a lot of fun! if you're inclined to check it out, please do - it would give me much joy :)

[splinterofpandora]

{BrightKnightUpcoming} <---------------------

-------------------don't miss part 13 by tag :O

Final Chapter. Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon. Or how to save the hero in four issues.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It may have been the best joke of the era. Maybe it was just a funny plot detail. But in Batman: Creature of the Night, Bruce literally has to take pills to get rid of Batman.

No spoilers. We're talking about a world in which The Dark Knight exists and doesn't exist at the same time. There are full comic books history here. There's Batman as a phenomenon of popular culture. The main character, Bruce Wainright, experiences similar events and one day, dreaming of a protector and justice, actually finds Batman.

We can talk about Busiek's comic at length, parsing it for metaphors, the relationship to the image in the popular mind, and the author's tortured fact and fiction details.

However, I want to focus on approaching Batman as a symbol of Light, so I ask you to explore the rest of the material on your own. It's really worth it.

In my opinion, people often make the mistake of distinguishing between the infantile playboy that Bruce is only in public in modern comics and the always serious being in disguise. In fact, since Crisis, Wayne has always had a little enemy inside in the form of a little scared boy that seeks vengeance. Kurt delves more deeply into the process of developing that style of thinking. Parses how the inner wall, which in the future will become the basis of the character and give start to many “I work alone” memes, is formed in the mind of a not-so-weird or frightening, but still peculiar teenager. Wayne is really taking the thought of parents to the back burner here. He successfully finishes university, runs a big business and even has a psychologist.

But trauma keeps life from going happily ever after. He fixates on the idea of pain and cruelty. On wanting the world to conditionally compensate him for his parents' death by defeating all the bad guys.

My point is that this is not a comic book with a good ending or about an easy fate. However, it does have its Robins, Gordons, etc that Bruce saves. The world doesn't change - Bruce is angry. Bruce is making a difference - that's cool, but it's not enough. It's a very simple and clear pattern.

The grand finale of the comic is the release of all the anger at the world that sat inside the man. When that goes away, and all that is left is peace, his life changes drastically. As does the symbol himself. Because we definitively lose the image of the hero in the traditional way. What is a superhero in DC?

These are the people with a lot of weight on their shoulders. The ones who get into the strangest situations all the time. Who wear cool, recognizable items on their chests.

I'm not talking about high morale, ability, or meta factor. We have a lot of characters that belong in the term superheroics from DC's perspective. But in a massive sense, it's about bringing fighting to the forefront.

Batman has always fought. In the Creature of the Night, he doesn't do that anymore.

In other words, what if Batman is literally just a regular person? What if his struggle now is proof that the model works, in which Batman is Harmony with Society, himself?

Because then he's still working great as Bruce Wayne, who does nothing but then becomes everything in the cape. Now the mask finally loses its meaning. The code is important, but it is no longer an obsession.

Chip destroyed the meaning of the fight. Batman hurt those who weren't guilty. We're not taking away the path he traveled earlier. But transform it into a different ideology.

Because in this model, Bruce, on the one hand, is actually capable of hurting loved ones quite badly. On the other hand, he won't do it because he believes that every action he takes affects hundreds of souls around him. Remember The White Knight.

It's a modern classic classic classic. Sean Murphy gives us the arguments with Dick, the complicated relationship with Babs. There are two portrayals of the Joker (we'll talk about him one day too), a reworked in detail but also exploring the legacy and fortitude of the fight with Azrael.

He's leaving because he stopped being a symbol that people could believe in. That they could always trust. I'm talking about freakin' love for 14 texts! Chip didn't scare Jason. He didn't break Dick's bone. He didn't betray Tim. He didn't turn his back on Renee. He didn't beat up Selina. I mean, he did. But at the level of the idea, it's about the reader.

Because you're changing the most important detail. You're removing awareness. Why is that...because he did the thing and here...it works in other comics? Because he's really sick at Kurt's. But he agrees to find a solution. He loses really everything in White Knight. No Alfred, no home, no sidekicks. And Wayne, who embraces mistakes. By the way, he does it at the end of Nolan's movies. Just by way of retirement. Or he's just happy, like Telltale is. There's variability there, but you got it. The main universes...

You really want to revisit Scott Snyder, the whole Cassandra story, Tom King, the BatCat phenomenon, the friendly hangouts with Clark and Diana? See, Batman's not evil at all. Not dark. Not “dead inside a long time.” Not bloody blows. Not screaming at tired villains. It's as much a mask as Bruce's social life in the headlines. It's there as periods. Like Jason's long stress...which turned into an obsession, but zayem he coped and gave up his revenge and self-hatred. Or Kate's lostness. Babs's chair.

The darkness reflects the light. Where do the rays go? To all the people around us. We're forcing Bruce to let the light in. To feel it.

Please stay for the last chapter. It will be useful if you liked my work.

[oxventure-text-posts]

I'm gonna be honest with you guys, the urge to do the same thing I did with the oitd silhouettes, aka slap text posts onto the art with no knowledge of their canon personality other than what they did in the trailer and pulling from the fandom's perceived personality for them, for the new oxventure characters revealed in that trailer is so real