#i also forgor his soul lmao

[didderd]

sorry i'v been inactive. i just moved across the country 👍 but here. have some plane doodles of god au Snaps and Kelek. (god of murder and killing, and god of unconditional comfort) (Kelek belongs to @skelekins)

(Comms open)

[spotaus]

So i had another new age thought. Also yes hi i am back again and i just like sending you asks lmao.

Anyway. Remember how we agreed that once nightmare trusted and knighted killer he would be send on a mission to get more info/stuff/reminders of ccino's past life?

And how before we agreed he would find it boring?

Now with the whole crush and in love situation

Killer would be EXCITED for this mission

Finding stuff about ccino?! His family?! Sign him the fuck up- wait.what will you do with that information?

Nightmare: safeguard it obviously?

Killer: okay cool! When do i leave?

Because if nightmare was gonna destroy it killer would have 100% hidden the info away and reconsider those running away fantasies- I MEAN! plans again.

That was all. That was the thought lmao.

Ohoho- Killer would be SO pumped for it- I can't believe I forgot that with the crush plot line he'd be super curious... the him abd Ccino not getting along plotting is definitely more of a farce now, so ofc he'd be invested!

And... you can't tell me this man didn't immediately snoop. Like, he knows it's bad, he knows he shouldn't, but Ccino is one big mystery to him so of course he's going to try and find out more! And he gets a peek at the names of his parents, the old bakery they used to run, where he used to live, the whole nine yards. Do you think he found the death certificates of his parents and saw the cause of death was a housefire? He's pretty sure Ccino would've been really young when it happened, too. Do you think he went to the address out of curiosity and saw that the lot was still empty? (Taboo to rebuild atop the ashes of sonething burnt by the King, you know) Do you think he got a sense of what happened, even if he really doesn't know at all?

I think we've discussed it before, but Killer is all the more protective over Ccino and even more curious after this mission. He has no right, he knows that, but he can't help but try to look after him. Just!!! These guys!!!!

Also, I didn't get around to doodling them properly, but since I don't want to constantly draw Killer's armor? Here's his and Ccino's comfy/general clothes, as well as the front of Ccino's uniform! (Poorly sketched as always, haha-)

Killer likes to wear loose clothes, especially jackets. (I forgor to add the gold clasps on the jacket...) Tighter clothes feel like they confine him too much, almost like claustrophobia. For meta-story? The long jackets + oversized clothes are just a habit from his days in the temple, and then later when he and Chara had to steal clothes sizes too large so they could grow into them. I also think that Killer, later in the story, really only has his soul circular when he's in public/training, anytime he's comfy with his family (or ofc Ccino is near) it leans towards soul-shaped. His eyelight likes to pop into place when he's with Ccino :] (<- I WILL forget to draw/write like this. So like. Nbd.)

Ccino's casual fit is usually only for his days off, market shopping, and when he's alone in his cottage. He always keeps his apron and work shirt the same (honestly Nightmare wouldn't mind, but Ccino still worries about being punished for stuff like uniform screw-ups) and he wears a more casual pair of pants and a white shawl which fits him like a scarf now. (Maybe, if I wanted to be angsty, then it was given to him shortly after Nightmare came to power, and back then he was so stick thin it wrapped around his shoulders? Now he wears it as a sign of his healing <3) also!! Decided Ccino inherited hid mother's 'sleepy' eyeshape, where his sockets curve like he's sad, but that's just how he looks. Gives him a calm and gentle appearance.

Ignore that they're missing their shoes 🙏 I'm very close to convincing myself to let Ccino stay barefoot/sandals because tbh if I were him I'd be wearing the least shoes possible, but he's also very sensible so like. Probably sandals for him. Killer probably wears short boots or his sturdy armor boots? I couldn't see him taking the time to lace up any sort of complex sandals lmao-

[bonefall]

First off, obviously this is a WC blog so I won't go further but THANKS for the brief dunk of The Lion Guard, that's one of my biggest problems with the show. Second off, are you seeing this shit Elder Bones?! * Points at the Thunder Spoiler Thread at WCRPForums * Do try to avoid reading the posts that aren't chapters though, they're bad as usual for that site lol.

Maybe one day I'll grumble about Lion King on the side blog lmao.

Anyway... that spoiler thread. I try to take these threads with a pinch of salt, but... overall feelings are really getting negative. If I had a Vibes Barometer, the needle would be dipping out of positive right now.

We're 2 books away from the conclusion and I don't know if they have time to turn this around... and they chose to spend time traveling. It's partially a travel book, guys. Several chapters of pointless bullshit.

(Spoilers under the cut-- remember we are getting this secondhand from a spoiler thread. Some of this may turn out to be misrepresentation.)

NIGHTHEART STUFF

We start off where the preview left off. They jerk the shit out of your chain with Squirrelstar teasing but spoiler we DO got her

(CELEBRATORY SQUIRRELSTAR MUSIC)

We get a BrambleSquirrel screaming match. Please for the love of god divorce these characters, this is fucking insufferable

They also had to give Bramblestar a smug little gotcha moment where he's right about his argument, Squilf accidentally walks to SkyClan camp for the plot and it turns out that Bramblestar, the guy who was apparently supposed to have memory issues and brain fog, was right that Squilf forgot how to navigate her own territory

Im dead serious she like... accidentally walked to SkyClan.

This is a clever literary trick called bad writing <3

While they're there, Nightheart says, "HEY WASNT THERE A MEDIATOR THINGY? ISNT HE SUPPOSED TO SOLVE DISPUTES?"

*I look directly into the camera. Right at you. Reader I am glimpsing across the magical threads of the internet, directly into your soul.*

Leafstar

says

"I Forgor"

if this thread is to be believed. Then the canonical explanation for why Tree was not mediating up to this point. Is because every single cat around the lake. Including the geniuses who came up with a unique role JUST for the specialest little boy. Just fucking forgot about him.

(bestselling young adult series)

Do I laugh? Do I cry?

I think im unlocking the emotion that those lizards who shoot blood from their eyes feel just before a squirt

Anyway

There is also an absurd amount of Bramblestar winking at Nightheart and teasing him about his new mate and reminding the audience about how much Nightheart wuvs him. This is probably supposed to be charming?

it just feels unsettling, ngl.

It's even more Bramble Worship than normal, like the writer is trying really hard to stress how cool and awesome their special boy is :D and how dumb and mean his wife is >:( and it's so fucking forced.

They pad the book by having it be cloudy so that StarClan doesn't show up the first time they try to do the Squirrelstar thing

I kept thinking, "What if this wasn't a willing abdication?? What if the Clan didn't have a second chance to do this?? What if this was Nightstar 2 all over again and she died of plot convenience before coming back?! This dumbfuck system has fixed NOTHING"

Plumstone and Dewnose have a moment where they antagonize Nightheart over the fact he was chosen to accompany Squilf and Bramble to the Moonpool, because he just got back and it's not fair

And you know what? They're right actually

Nightheart huffs that Squilf was giving him a Chance To Prove Himself but he doesn't fucking get it! His whole life's been nothing but chances he threw tantrums about being offered or blew up through wrecklessness, like a spoiled brat nepobaby, and he keeps getting more and more

Meanwhile Plumstone here has been in the background just being this consistently steady warrior, and has never gotten a chance to shine

He also has a moment where he whines about Sparkpelt and Finchlight being mean to him in the past when Sunbeam shares they've been super nice to her.

Sunbeam offers that they're probably trying to make up for it and he agrees.

Folks. I REALLY. REALLY HOPE. That this ends with Sunbeam telling him, "Nightheart, you are the problem. They've treated me like Kin, and they treat their Kin well. Do YOU?"

Anyway something happens and suddenly Nightheart's on the trip with Frostpaw.

The rest of his chapters so far (at time of writing the spoiler thread is at chapter 14-ish) are traveling chapters.

The traveling chapters suck diet discount dick. They look like they were rejected submissions for the various travel shenanigans that happened in Riverstar's Home.

For me, this is the most disappointing part of the Thunder Spoiler Thread. I love Nightheart because I really like the idea of him learning to grow, consider his actions, and realize that he's actually been very loved in his life.

I like the impulsive Nightheart from Book 1 who doesn't know what's wrong with himself, shooting down every attempt others make to bond with him, making shocking descisions that frustrate the entire Clan and not realizing how much he gets away with. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, the writing could be a little clever for once.

But, no. On this trip he's still whining to Frostpaw about how his family "wanted him to be like Firestar" and this is treated as something Frostpaw is able to bond with him about, somehow, because Curlfeather wanted her to be a Medcat??? And now she's choosing to be a Medcat again anyway????

FROSTPAW STUFF

WC Writing Team: "Everyone is super invested in Frostpaw's story where she learns to choose her own path! Especially the idea that she chose to not be a medcat of her own will and made a brave choice for herself! Lets fix that"

Literally, I guess lol

Smoky Cameo. Fuck Smoky. I hate this character and I hate seeing his deadbeat ass.

Gotta love how Daisy's one major role in ASC so far has been to be a source of negative emotions for Nightheart, but Smoky gets to be the new Barley with a cutesy barn rest stop.

He calls for a human to come get Frostpaw because she's got wounds.

Like. Cat MEOW MEOW calling. And this summons... a magic vet?

She has the world's fastest field surgery, as if she's some kind of endangered wild leopard and a top-notch vet staff rolled out of a research truck.

They even inject her, by hand, with tranquilizer. Who the fuck carries cat tranquilizer around?

Is this barn in the back of a fucking vet office???

Does this universe have roving surgical vans that drive around and play music like an ice cream truck, waiting for cats to call them over?????

Frostpaw wakes up back in the barn

But now her neck wound is fixed and she's spayed.

She looks down at the fresh cut on her abdomen and is like "what's this"

Smoky: "dont worry abt it"

If Frostpaw is okay with being sterilized, this will be the first time in the series that a cat being fixed will be seen as a good thing

Which, irl, it is. To be clear. Spay and neuter your animals

But dudes, this is really massively unsettling me. It seems like she doesn't know what has been done to her. This has never been treated as a positive thing in this series before. In the last book she was talking about the sort of life she would like to live

Once again she has been stripped of her own choices in a massive way

And if Smoky apparently lives so close to a vet that they just come when he calls,

I have so many questions im losing my marbles

Why is Smoky not neutered

Why were none of his 3, possibly 4 wives spayed

Why are his kids not fixed

Why were his kits with Floss taken "when they were too young to even open their eyes" back in TNP if their humans are so loving and educated

SO EDUCATED THEY WALK AROUND WITH CAT TRANQUILIZER

Anyway through the power of the writers not caring anymore, Frostpaw can now talk to StarClan whenever she wants.

They have magically bestowed a connection onto her.

This is apparently something they can just do now. Maybe it's tied to near-death experiences or the vet or something

Remember Shadowsight having a whole thing about this at the end of TBC?

Remember Mothwing and how upsetting it was to have no connection to them and how finding Willowpaw was a big thing in TNP?

Yeah apparently they could just do this whenever. Sorry.

Frostpaw is just cool with this because fuck the last book where she found out she likes being a warrior

Agency? What's THAT

It's not ok if your mom encourages you to be a doctor nun, but StarClan rips your organs out and forces you to be their mouthpiece and that's peachy-fucking-keen.

Then she goes traveling for several chapters i want to commit crime

Riverstar does the usual alarmist moaning, "ooooouuugh this newest crisis could destroy riverclan!!! Oooooooooooooouuououou it's for real this time!!!!"

Everything's gonna destroy the clans. A light breeze has just reduced ThunderClan to rubble. A beetle has landed gently upon Harestar's nose, 34 dead 25,430 injured

Girl help frostpaw is being followed by clickbait headline ghosts

And, also, for no good reason, the ghosts can't just answer a question. Why? Who fucking knows. Never explained. They can summon Frostpaw into a Ghost Zoom Call whenever they want now, but they're forbidden from revealing anything useful.

Average autistic experience with zoom calls though, can confirm, that is what every zoom call ive ever been in was like.

Im serious though, she tries to ask Reed who killed him, he just says no i cant :(

She tries to ask where her mom is. They don't tell her she's downstairs.

Riverstar says nothing useful

I have never been more frustrated with StarClan as a plot device. This is actually fucking insufferable.

They're annoying enough when they send vague signs and prophecies that amount to nothing, but now they can pop up like shitty unskippable cutscenes and STILL add nothing of value to the plot

Something I was ENJOYING was how much more grounded ASC was compared to previous arcs, and that StarClan was back to being difficult to access directly. Gone. Goodbye.

SUNBEAM STUFF

The highlight of the book everyone leave me alone i need to speak directly to sunbeam

I like how she's finding more reasons than just Nightheart to stay in ThunderClan, but is also struggling with the shift in culture

It's in a Sunbeam chapter that we FINALLY get Squilfstar. Everyone say Thank You Sunbeam

If you even LOOK at the Sunbeam wrong I will smash you to death with my hooves

For once it actually feels like we're using the cast in ThunderClan. Cherryfall, Dewnose, Plumstone, Myrtlebloom, Bayshine, Finchlight, Sparkpelt, and Lionblaze all get some significant little lines to add to this.

In particular I like Cherryfall throwing a bit of a fit about being a senior warrior and acting high and mighty, which Sunbeam immediately dislikes because ShadowClan doesn't do as much posturing. It's fun to see how she percieves ThunderClan cats.

I have a softness for these sorts of stories though, to be fair. The idea of moving to a new place and having to adjust.

It's also neat that she's growing frustrated with how Nightheart has now ditched her THRICE.

Girl please steal his family and dump him.

Be a legend. Marry his sister. It would make you the queen of pettiness you would become my favorite forever

Ivypool's exams are also pretty neat, they all test teamwork abilities. I'm going to be happy when I finally get to read them in full, if nothing else, these trials have been delightful to see.

Anyway the next emergency gathering comes up and it descends into an argument

Dovewing gets to yell at Ivypool and tell her to back off <3 "You're not going to manipulate my mate through me, screw you"

Tigerheartstar and the other leaders eventually agree to meet with the mediator off-screen because the writers don't feel like showing us Tree's madd skillz which definitely justify having this unique role that we completely forgot about until just now

It doesn't accomplish anything meaningful because they only acknowledged the mediator role to make the fans stop complaining

Tigerheartstar agrees to not station more warriors in RiverClan territory but nothing else. Waow.

aaand Berryheart's planning something and Sparrowtail, Sunbeam's father, accidentally spills the beans to his daughter. I like this because I have always imagined him as a himbo

so... yeah. It's not looking great. I'm not having a good time in this spoiler thread. I am hoping that a fair amount of it is misrepresentation, because if it's what the leaker says it is, I'm not going to be a happy camper

[erissdoesart]

On my needs begging you to expand on the godhood and religion of the No Venom universe

Hey anonim asker. Do you feel well marinated? Did you wait a while? (I forgor to finish it up for two weeks lmao)

Godhood in No Venom is based loosely on my og story religion! Therefore it's bit beefier and under the cut :D

Also, warning, this post got SO CHAOTIC. Read on your own risk

Okay before anyone judges, I was lazy and drew the symbols with my notes app, with finger haha

So!

Divinity in No Venom belongs to a handful of entities who create a very moody pantheon. The strength they possess is determined by their following and by the country they're tied up with (except Mumza but her whole deal is spoiler reasons so for now shhh)

each god "belongs" to a country- Kristin, Lady Death, belongs to the Antartic Empire

XD belongs to Essempi

Prime Belongs to Lmanburg

Golden Totem belongs to Las Nevadas

And Time Lord, who is temporarily inactive belonged to Kinoko

Why is it important? Gods are tied to the dealings between countries. This means that the bigger the country, the better fun they can have BUT also can be very dangerous to them if said country stops existing

Kinoko and Time Lord are current examples. Because Kinoko is not their own country but merely a province to the Empire, Time Lord is currently inactive- somewhere between a coma and falling from godhood temporarily

In og story, after Kinoko gained a status of the independent Kingdom, Time Lord was reawakened and pretty happy with the turn of the events

But both Totem and Prime got struck into coma instead (Las Nevadas was overtaken by Essempi and Lmanburg became Empire's province)

Mumza controls everyone, and would control everyone, regardles if Empire existed or no but she likes the extra boost of power

Each country has its own god and their religion is centered around said god- to the point where its NOT ALLOWED to have temples of another god in your country.

You can have shrines and leave offerings in the general temple but you cannot outshine the god of your country by a temple of another god!

Domains of the gods!

Lady Death deals with souls of the dead, rebirth, [spoilers] and [MEGA SPOILERS]. She's a patron of crows, avian hybrids, cats, phantom hybrids and enderman hybrids

XD is a god of domination, connection and magic, more soecifically magic creation. He's a patron of oxes, horses, bovine hybrids and sheep hybrids.

Golden Totem is a god of greed, drive, ambition and shares dominion with Prime over riches. He is a patron of scarabs, ants, sharks, cat hybrids, bug hybrids and structure hybrids (for example, totem hybrids- anything thats not animal hybrid)

Prime is a goddess of chance, trickery, good fortune, riches and astrology. She is a patron of foxes, snakes, deer, snake hybrids, nether hybrids and humans

Time Lord is a god of time, dreams, stories and phophecies. They are patron to slime hybrids, creeper hybrids, moths, sheep and rats

Each god "holds" onto the dead of their country for a bit before they are forced to give them up to Lady Death who holds them and later repurposes their souls for new lives or [VERY LOUD SOUNDS OF SPOILERS]

Also, fun fact for the fic, Lmanburg cannot grieve. Its not allowed to grieve in a normal manner.

Their whole deal is seeking chances and happiness and good fortune. They do not show their grief outside and people generally dont say stuff like "im sorry for your loss", they say "Let them dance with Prime and Prime repay you" :3

Each god has 2 holy symbols as well

For Lady Death it's the classic angry hardcore heart

And a cheaper version for the masses, three shards- those are usually used in the temples as chimes

XD has the eye of ender (sometimes swapped with ender eye)

And cheaper, an x scratched onto any item that is dear to the person (Knight Dream has tiny x scratched onto his mask for example)

Totems symbol is a golden pyramid

and, the budget version is any coin attached to a chain!

Prime, as a goddess who is said was born of stars, has a star with divots made. Idk how to explain, basically this star:

cheap version is this pentagon because if you pushed the sides so they curved, you would basically get the star

And lastly, Time Lord has an hourglass. To show if you will have good or bad time or what period of your life you are, you flip it so the sand inside flows down or keep it down (dripping sand=good, still sand=bad. People would get concerned and will attempt to flip someones hourglass if they notice it still)

And "cheaper" version is tree symbol. Thankfully, it can just be a little bit of a branch but some people are really nitpicky about it

[chungledown-bimothy]

LoL Worlds 2023 Finals Reaction Post

instead of a million text posts, i'm gonna just make this one extremely long one.

oh my god t1's first draft. they are not here to fuck around. but also if they don't get a solid early game advantage then uh. fear.

if that was damn near any midlaner other than xiaohu, that would have been first blood for sure. but SO well counterplayed by weibo wow

if i have to watch t1 lose worlds finals to jayce again i'm going to delete that goddamn champion from the entire game.

weiwei is doing WORK keeping weibo in this.

t1's neutral objective control my god

eyyyy atlus ty for the cloud soul

weiwei didn't die???? just maokai things jfc

what does this literally perfect neutral objective control mean if you can't fuckin win a skirmish though

XIAOHU DIDN'T DIE????

yeah okay lost the dragon and the stacking delay isn't great but the won fight is big. both gold wise and mentally

bengi isn't here D:

keria. the love of my life. guma looked dead to rights, but keria simply will not allow that.

i was so afraid zeus wouldn't be able to stand up to theshy. that really was my biggest fear for this series, and it is so reassuring that he absolutely is

god it's only 28 minutes into game 1 and i'm already struggling to stay awake

zeus fucking melted that dragon holy shit

hell yeah boys, 2 more games of that <3 <3 <3

DRAVEN!

yeah okay there's the yone ban lol

nocturne? oooh oner is feeling himself today

this is such a fun draft omg. still very scared about top lane, but the big picture t1's put together is fantastic. looove watching t1 play that clean, clean macro.

hmm don't love that start for the bot lane. not idea.

holy shit theshy (impressed) holy shit theshy (my dude you're throwing)

THE EXECUTE zeus is the only god i worship actually

wow i've got way fewer thoughts this game. the time is catching up to me and i'm too eepy for that much thought lol

lmao guma just looked at crisp and he exploded. and oner's ults have been so, so good this whole game

i know it's hope that kills you. and it's been very, very rough to watch t1's finals appearances these last few years, so i've not really let myself hope. but i can't help it at this point

zeus series mvp, but oner deserves it too

MATCH POINT LET'S FUCKING GOOOO

i really hope they stay together if they win. i don't want to have to divide my loyalties.

...oh god what if they win and then faker retires.

BENGI'S NOT THERE OH NO i'd forgored D:

xayah rakan ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

brad is fun but like. weird choice so early on imo

akali! lee sin! you fucking love to see it

lmao imagine picking kennen into zeus. the aatrox is a ballsy choice, but he's absolutely earned that at this point

oner and zeus own this series.

awww man that grand entrance was so good it's tragic it wasn't quite enough

i have so many more thoughts about this game than i have the energy to make coherent let alone type oop

damn that herald just isn't gonna die good for them

FAKER TRIPLE KILL and he's so focused it doesn't even register on his face

and he just. keeps. going. then zeus cleans up with the double kill.

fuck i have to pee so bad but i can't miss a second of this live

that should have been a pick onto keria. but no, 2 kills for t1. jfc

this is it. they've done it. oh my fucking god.

we've hit hitting them with their wallets territory. idk maybe there's some miracle somewhere but not really. not with t1 playing like this. not with their lead.

HOW DID ZEUS NOT DIE

oh my god they did it they're so cute i cannot see what i'm typing through the tears

the first professional league i ever watched was the last time t1 won worlds.

AND THEY'RE IN KOREA FUCKING HELL

holy shit they did it. fuck i'm so fucking proud of them

faker was so casual about the win, too. that boy i swear to god i have never wanted to suck a dick so bad in my life

[abundantsnow]

damn i completely forgot to mention, some of these are gonna change over time as i write him into the plot lmao.

this specific chart is how he feels a few days after the hashira meeting in season 1. after that meeting he had met tanjiro and zenitsu in the butterfly mansion (inosuke was asleep lol)

"the incident" in question with sanemi was something that happened around... a year prior to the start of the anime?

and yes, he has encountered akaza. akaza is the only kizuki he has encountered and (for some reason) akaza never figured out hisato was a half-demon. to be fair, if he did, hed be getting hunted down by the rest of the kizuki atp cause akaza would immediately report it to muzan. thats why i initially wrote somewhere (i forgor where) that "every demon hisato has come across has never lived to see another day" because as i said, one of them would try and relay that information to muzan, who is completely unaware of hisatos existence.

oh and, he hates all the kizuki, if theyre a kizuki, he hates them. thats why i marked kaigaku and dakime as hate even if he doesnt know about them. doma is marked as black because of kanae and well. muzan is muzan.

if you dont know who kaigaku is... dont worry about it, hes in the manga. he'll show up in the first infinity arc movie, im sure. highly recommend you dont look him up lest you get major spoilers.

ill usually use the anime as a reference since while yes, i know what happens in the manga, most people know the anime more, its also easier to use the seasons and episodes in reference to time.

that being said, manga spoilers incoming!!! everything below this point has manga spoilers!! :) it also talks more about my plans for writing rather than the chart, so you rlly dont have to read it, i just yapped too much and it got away from me

going back to what i said earlier, i know muzan is able to see and hear memories from demons through their bloodcells as he does with tamayo in infinity castle. he ends up doing it with some of the other kizuki as well. i believe tamayo knew this for a long time and decided to relay that information to hisato, knowing that muzan is completely unaware of his existence. this is specifically why he swore to slay every demon hes come across. he let akaza get away in the past mostly because he was woefully unprepared for that battle and was actually panicking because he thought akaza had left the battle because he figured out hisato was a half-demon. but no that wasnt the case, the sun just came up and hisato forgot that other demons die in the sun lmao.

i havent posted what ive written so far, but i will be adding a lot of character dynamicism that gotouge failed to give a lot of characters. its really not new information that the pacing is pretty trash in kny and that some characters are so awfully 2D that it hurts my soul. sanemi, giyuu, obanai, kocho sisters and kanao, plus even zenitsu are all characters i wish to give some dynamicism to.

honestly, especially sanemi. im aware that him and giyuu the only remaining hashira by the end and i am a sanegiyuu shipper ofc (need to be in between them ngl), but sanemi.... why did he only JUST get his dynamic as genya was dying? why is it that his relationship with his brother isnt built on more. why do we never see things from sanemis perspective? all we know is that sanemi tried to disable genya so that hed leave the slayer corps, in some capacity showing that sanemi didnt want his brother, his only remaining family, to die to a demon too. (which ended up happening anyway, but yk genya ily you will be missed).

oh yeah, thats another thing thats probably gonna change, a lot of the characters that died.... wont die. this isnt a "everyone lives, no one dies" situation, but i feel that too many people died, even if that was the purpose of the battle itself, especially if it were to lead into their modern-day reincarnations. I want obamitsu to have their bittersweet happy ending as they both wait until their 25th birthday together, living peacefully married in a home as they recover from everything physically and mentally. (mitsuri is only gonna lose one arm so that tjey can still hold hands lol, obanai is still gonna be blind tho). i also need muichiro to live because hes my son i love him and i dont want him to die at 14 years old 💔💔💔💔💔💔 im a muitan shipper i want muichiro and tanjiro to live the last decade of their lives together in peace 💔💔💔

anyway thays all. this was technically meant to just elaborate on the chart a little more, but i accidentally went into detail about my plans for writing hisato lmao my bad

heuhuehuehuehuehueh

its his relationship chart!!! all of the ones on pinterest were low quality and it bugged me way too much. so i just said "fine ill do it myself" and just drew 30 different characters (and it took WAY longer than i thought it qould oh my god)

anyways i also wrote little notes for some of them bc hehe 🎀

[daz4i]

ok so. off the top of my head. here are some thoughts

(i am on mobile so typing may be messy, and generally this isn't anything serious, I'm just throwing stuff at the wall and hope something sticks)

dazai seems to think there is no point in living (or at least he used to, in his youth. given that he still tries to die, well, I'd say it probably hasn't changed much. but maybe the reason has)

this makes me split into two thought... lines...?? idk the english term. ANYWAY:

despite this, he does not want his loved ones to die. he sees value in THEIR life (i touched a bit on that in my post abt him and yosano)

according to tdipud, it seems he sees life as meaningless at least in part due to the inevitability of death

that second part is interesting, bc it's not JUST that - given that he (at least claims to) wants to commit a lovers' suicide, it means he more than just sees life as meaningless, but also that he sees DEATH as meaningful. an act of love, even. he views suicide as a beautiful thing (in reference to the real author most likely, but that doesn't make that part less relevant ofc). his arc is all about seeing LIFE as beautiful, too.

(edit bc i forgor: that one scene from wan!!! "when i die, i want to go just as beautifully"!!! he associates beauty with death, bc for now that's the only point of reference he has. this inevitable yet unachievable beauty. that's probably why he insists on committing suicide with a *beautiful* woman too)

this moves me to an interesting scene. That One Scene from dead apple, "how beautiful" as he says to chuuya. it's relevant here not just bc of the use of this word, but because. well. this whole scene is about skk cheating death, in a way. dazai was dead there for a bit - that's why the singularity happened - and he seemed to embrace it, but he also prepared ahead of time for chuuya to save him. so unless he just. wants to live at this point (which I'd argue he sort of does but also it's very complicated). i think it was in part bc he wanted to be able to save chuuya - again, bc he sees value in the life of his loved ones.

i unfortunately can't find that post now (as i don't remember who op was 💔 if you know what I'm talking about, i would love for you to add it in a reblog or send it my way!), but there is a really interesting theory about how abilities are essentially like someone's soul, according to stormbringer, and so no longer human - the anti ability - means dazai has no soul, by this standard. i wouldn't be surprised if he just feels dead as is bc of that. suicide would just mean matching the physical aspects of him to the mental ones.

since i already got into self projection there lmao let me ride this wave into another thing. idk if that's the case for everyone, but having near death experiences, specifically ones that affect you in some noticeable way (so like, hospital stay or lasting medical effects, even short term ones. not the "dodging smth falling on you just in time" sort of thing) and especially if it happened multiple times and in multiple ways. like. really fucks you up lol. it gives a sense of "i should've died. I'm not dead. this isn't right. i need to fix this. this is why I'm suffering, because I'm alive even though i shouldn't be" and i wouldn't be surprised if after his numerous attempts (including small ones, like being poisoned by odasaku, and spending the day throwing up) and other various dangerous situations he got caught in, he may have this sentiment as well.

(it is also quite despair inducing when these experiences are self inflicted. almost feels like fate is taunting you. you should be dead, but it won't let you. gives you an idea that maybe you just can't die, which in turn will only make you yearn for it more, especially when a common conception is that death is what gives life a meaning at all. i won't be surprised if that same conception is another reason why dazai holds it in such high regard too, given that he can't see much meaning in anything else. but that WOULD contradict that perception i mentioned all the way at the start, of how death makes life meaningless, so it's up to you to decide if it's a case of a character containing contradictions like real people do, or if i'm just stretching things a bit too much at this point hehe.)

this is all i have for you now. not really full on analysis, just some thoughts laid out. feel free to build off this into your own analysis (but tag me so i can see 👀) or offer your own ideas, just as usual be respectful and kind about it! :3

i am so normal and calm i can be normal even when I'm thinking about dazai's relationship with death (lying)

[spotaus]

Okay, I'm back! And on the desktop this time so I can gander at everything and not forget, aha!

Yes! Error had no idea what was happening. I think it's a moment in my brain where I forgor what I've posted before, but I know the inital plan I had in mind was that Error was leaving home to go search for Geno. Kinda scrapped that, in the way that he's definitely planning to meander his way there initially, but when Fresh isn't after him a few days in, he decides it's not worth it and they seriously didn't care, hense him wandering aimlessly lol.

Ough the way you put it is SO peak... The boy just wants someone to want him!!! Because, he thought his brothers did, but obviously he was wrong, so he'd have to prove it. Have to make his own name for himself. (Have to hope that this would be his moment to be taken in for once-)

Yes!!! Error is insanely strong, and he was learning, but he learns differently than everyone else, and his academy didn't accept that (if Geno conformed, why can't Error?) so they expelled him. The water and fire thing was actually an idea I wanted to add in since you mentioned the idea of simple spells, because Error is extremely talented at the hard parts of magic. Multitasking and keeping many spells going at once is easy for him (sometimes he forgets he even has one active), and he's very very good at getting power behind them, it flows so easily. His magic being string-based really gave him a new perspective on how magic works!! (Like, in DnD magic is referred to as 'The Weave' and every strand is akin to a bit of magic, and it's kinda like that for him. He's deeply connected to what makes magic magic.) So, ofc, when presented with things he knows aren't his best work by the standards of professionals, who want everything to be perfect? He has to get a little showy and crafty about it!

And yeah!!! I love love loved he way you wrote Error's magic in A&C and realized I like doing smth similar in my own stories with Error using his strings to channel his magic (so long as it's not a mage-specific spell). Like, he can be so versatile thanks to its make-up, and his magic is static until activated or acted upon, so it lingers even when he's not present. Plus, he has to get into textiles somehow lmao- I think he loves making scarves, and his horrible at making hats, and everything more complex is a nice casual stretch of his creative muscle lmao.

And the building!!! (The amphitheatre was mostly just because my Art History course is leaking into my brain lmao-) Yeah, he totally meant for it to act more as a warning shot. Like 'Wow, if anything had been in that blast's way it would've been obliterated, huh? Better hire me! Better get this power on your side!' And instead he didn't toss it high enough, and it *did* obliterate something and like. He's lucky no living soul was caught in the blast because *yeesh*. He 100% did not account for his plan going wrong and he's so worried he's in trouble for messing up the place, but no one says anything.

(Also idk if it was super clear, but Error's physically sturdy kinda in the way A&C Error was (can take a hit and then repair himself) but his physical body, at age 12, is weak af. So like. The strong gust from his own spell, or those guards grabbing him and making his magic act up? Yeag. Not great. Knocked over like a bowling pin.)

And his spell was really cool! No one had seen anything like it. Ever. And Nightmare was actually deeply impressed compared to the other mages who had gone before Error. None of them could compete at all. Plus, Night wasn't fond of the building anyways, lots of bloody arena battles were fought there. He was more worried about civilians, then about Error himself lmao.

Dust was probably the scariest character to wrote this entire drabble, because I'm not quite sure how I want to characterize him yet. Obv I know the whole dustedafterdeath situation, but that's after he sees Night is tiny and assumes a more comfortable role as brother. Here he's quiet, and I tried to bring out his awkward side a bit. He's not used to giving speeches, or pep talks, or talking to strangers in any positive light. However, he totally noticed Error was getting frustrated and upset (the Black Market had been full of grown adults with less patience than Error he had to talk down pretty often) and decided he'd at least pull him away from the crowd.

It was a mix of Dust recognizing that Error was dangerous (one of the trained mages had put up that spell barrier and Error slipped through it in seconds flat) and knowing that he had the ability to de-escalate it. He mostly just tried to think of things he'd heard between the other knights when they spoke (a lot of his inspo was things Killer had said to Cross when the newby had finally broken the ice and let himself be vulnerable) which is why it felt a bit awkward, and maybe childish, but not like speaking to a 12 y/o style. More talking to a teen. Which is why Error felt good, because Dust was honest about how highly he thought of Error's abilities!

He also totally had to mention he'd have to kill those folks if Error was passed. Like, he hated to do it, but redirecting blame to Nightmare, then loosely explaining that he had his reasons? This kid would respect the king enough to let it go (he thought).

Augh the too early line was one of my favorites!! The longer he talked to Error the more relaxed he got (either that he could handle the situation, or that Error would back down) and by the end of it he had to rely less on using Killer-centric pep talks and more on his own perspective. To him, in some way, he and Error were like two peas in a pod. Insanely powerful, in the wrong place at the wrong time. So he judges it'd be better to give Error some trust, like an adult would get, and joke that he had something to deal with. (Point is, for the sake of trying to do something nice for Error, Dust basically brought Error up to his level. Like they were both in on something, better than the others, their own little club. So when Dust left, that just boosted Error's ego enough to make him want to enact his goofy plan-)

Dust's magic too! Yeah, i shlorped that one up from Real Age, lol! Though, it's less dry electricity and more an incoming hurricane with electrical wires running through the flooded streets. It's something wild and natural, not sterile like what Error's been taught, or purely otherworldly like what Fresh or Night have, it's very grounded. But he's 12 so he doesn't understand the implications, he just thinks it's cool as hell. (And it's why Geno is later so invested in learning. Dust drew in both the brothers with his mysterious attitude and storm-magic swag <3)

And!!! AND!!!! When he moves to help!!! Yeah!!! At this point, Dust didn't bother to tell Nightmare about Error, because he hadn't seen him in the stands the second day and figured he'd moved on. So when things went wrong and he saw Error fall and the guard try to approach (the blast knocked them back, which is why Error managed to stay up there long enough to process things) he wanted to move. Part of him wanted to get Error down before he hurt himself, part of him wanted to get there before the guard did and got themselves potentially killed. And Cross (the other one who was there who was only very briefly mentioned-) saw Dust move and had no hesitation in moving too, though he was under the impression that they'd be nabbing Error and taking him away somewhere (not quite deprogrammed out of the old murderous and ruthless habits just yet). Nightmare sensed the emotions of Dust and Cross clashing in motives, and could tell Error didn't seem scared, just distressed (like, same energy as a kid getting scolded by their mother) so he held them back, and watched the blast. Felt it. Then had Dust fill him in on whatever it was he'd been left blind to about this kid.

Dust had so been ready to yeet himself up there before even thinking through a plan, lmao- And he refuses to acknowledge that for another several years until Geno is in the picture again and he realizes he's been playing older brother for a few years now.

Nightmare!!!!

Like you said, we talked about it, but Night 100% stepped up to those guards and put the fear of. well. him. into them, because no matter how hard Error had messed up, he could tell there was absolutely zero malicious intent in his body. None. Even his furious intention seemed to come from a place of indignation less than the need to harm someone. And, as we've said, Error is a child at this point! A lil guy!

Along with that, the respect is 100% something I needed to lay on thick here. As much as Night is used to being a King by now, he has purposely kept himself far away from the youth, and refuses to do what his mother did to Ccino again. He walks on eggshells in this moment, because he can't afford to see a kid hurt, or scared, or even distressed because of his actions, so he's very careful. Doesn't lay a hand on him (he could feel the pain radiating, and the fear when he'd been grabbed) and waits for Error to ask for help or do things himself. The rundown Dust provided to him was helpful, but not nearly enough data to make a solid plan. (And if Error hadn't seemed so out of it, and so determined, he would have just sent him off. But frankly. Nightmare throught Error seemed like he could be a threat in the future, especially if he's so ballsy and confident and strong at this age, and without reasoning with him, it would only lead to consiquences in the future. So they had to sit and talk!)

That shrug was my everything. Something about talking to a kid makes people lower their guards, especially Nightmare (subconsciously he feels like he's in a friendly environment, I think) so he's much more willing to show that soft side. (This is the same thing that happens subconsciously to Ccino. They're aware Error is smart, but they just... don't think about the act when he's around, for the most part.) Error's confused, but so much has been going on that frankly this dude who has a good opinion of him having such a high standing with the king works in his favor so he's not about to question it!

(i have so so many thoughts so I will be coming back to finish this in a part two later, but I have to study so idk when I'll be back lmao-)

@ancha-aus

New Age AU (Error's Wacky Wild Plan)

Hi guys. So. Crazy Story. The crisis that stopped me from working on my banner art actually catapulted me into writing this drabble finally! (Also the wonderful @ancha-aus was also a life-saver and helped me hammer out a few plot points for this installment <3)

Currently my only context for this drabble is that Error is tiny, and ran away from home because Geno moved to Reaper's kingdom to make money to send back home, and Fresh spent too long away on his trip. Error was expelled from his magic academy and came home to an empty house, so he left! Now he's been on the road for about a month? Nightmare has been ruling for about 6-ish years now, almost 7.

(Hello @mutzelputz and @papiliovolens hi guys!!!)

     The town was bustling. 

   Error had been through a lot of towns since he’d left. Big ones, small ones, ones he was convinced weren’t even towns at all, just a few barns in a general closeness to one another who decided they needed to call themselves something besides the outskirts. Those people had been particularly hostile to his passing through.

   And, lately, they’d been really weird. People staring at him when he’d walk on the streets, or pass by shops. When they saw he had money from a different kingdom (he didn’t even realize he’d left his own, but he figured it meant he was on the right path) they’d squeeze their faces like they bit a lemon and hastily take his coin. Like it was cursed, or something. They were lucky it wasn’t cursed, honestly. He could probably figure out how to do that.

    This town, though, was filled so full with people that he imagined they couldn’t look at him weird if they wanted to. 

   People were riding horses, chatting in the streets, all sorts of stalls and merchants were peddling goods, and he was almost positive he could hear music lifting down the street over the general drone. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d run into a place so busy. He’d always been told to stick to the side, out of the way, out of danger. 

   He didn’t have to listen to that anymore. Though, he did skirt the crowds. The mass of people seemed all too willing to bump shoulders or elbows with each other in the early morning sun, and the last thing he wanted was to have his magic act up in a crowd. He’d done well so far. 

   Every booth, every merchant, every passerby seemed jubilant, ebbing and flowing. It was like some sort of party. 

   That was, until, Error spotted it.

   A big building, something that Error recognized only vaguely. 

   It was an amphitheatre. 

   Geno had taken him to see one once. Or, at least, the ruin of one. It hadn’t been too far from their home, and it was pretty abandoned and lonely. Plants had crawled up its walls, stones had fallen off in chunks, animals seemed to have deemed its high windows a perfect spot to build nests. It had been breathtaking, and ancient. 

   This one? Seemed perfectly in-use. 

   The walls were all in-tact, stones, an easy to look at grey, smooth and covered in little intricate carvings. Spells, he had to imagine, in some language he didn’t know. Curtains hung over the huge arched entrances, and heavy gates seemed to be lifted, the spikes at the base loomed over the heads of every passerby. 

   He couldn’t help but marvel. Was this a restoration, or maybe it was new. Some sort of imitation. Regardless, he found that his feet carried him to one of the entrances, which stood largely empty aside from some folks who looked strikingly like guards.

   Two of them stood, long spears in-hand. They both stood stock still as Error approached, and didn’t move a muscle as he passed them. They were strange, definitely different. Not at all the town guard he was familiar with. 

   The inside of the theatre was even more impressive. Rows and rows of stands seemed to line up either side. Huge tapestry hung from the high arches past those seats, and down the runways of the bleachers, all a bright teal and dark navy blue. They seemed fancy, and much newer than the curtains which had hung in the entrance. 

   Beyond the walkway where he stood, was a set of stairs which led down a level or so, before it leveled out into an open space. Sandy, and very flat. It seemed like there were people there, too. A much smaller crowd, but still a crowd nonetheless. 

   Error was almost amazed he’d not been stopped by someone yet. Whatever was going on seemed important, and so far in his experience, people did not like him sticking his nose into important business. 

   With that in mind, he decided he’d stick to the entryway for now. He leaned his bag up against the wall and watched from a position where the sun still shadowed his form. He was often grateful for his miscolored bones. It made hiding in the dark a whole lot easier. 

   It took a bit for him to really process what he was watching in the morning light. 

   There were four people sat on a sort of raised box toward the front of a stage. A huge stage, raised up off the sand with wood slats. They had a long-table before them, and quills and ink jars in-hand. Well, three were sitting. One was standing. But the point is, they were all watching the stage very attentively. 

   On-stage there was… basically nothing. Only a simple backdrop Error had to imagine was there at all times, because it looked like it was coated in sand, even from the distance where he stood.

   A person would enter the stage, the people sat on the box would speak to them, and then there was a flare of magic. Another. Another. And then they were dismissed. 

   It wasn’t until he really bothered to think about what magic was being cast that he realized those were extremely simple spells being used. Levitate, Create Water, Mimicry. Or Flame, Gust, Light. All just three easy spells, and then they were off-stage. That was taught magic. It gave him memories of his entrance exam to his school. He’d been way overqualified to get in, Geno taught him after all…

   But, no, this didn’t feel the same. There were plenty of people who seemed to stumble at spells they didn’t recognize, or who couldn’t muster a simple breeze. Then others who were very old and obviously skilled. Obviously they found the three spells to be child’s play. Like Error would. This was no entrance exam, so what-

   “Hey, pipsqueak, what are you doing there in the dark?” A voice startled him, and it took all of his willpower to avoid jumping away from its origin. 

   Error twisted rapidly, just in time to avoid the thrust of an elbow in his direction. 

   There was a monster there. Three, actually. Two lizards, both bright green and tropical, and one who looked more like a dragon. The green one closer to him must have spoken, because he laughed at Error’s flinch. 

   “Why are you bothering me?” Error shot back haughtily. 

   The lizard seemed to grin at the response.  

   “Oh, so we’ve got a feisty little small fry here? Thinks he’s scoping out the competition?” The dragonish one hissed, voice deep. 

   The other green one tittered a giggle, “So cute! I can’t believe the King really decided to let just anyone try out for Royal Mage.” 

   Oh…

   The lizard before him seemed to take this silence as a weakness, and reached out quicker than Error could react. A flick to the middle of his forehead. 

   Error winced and pulled away, back and into the arena. He grit his teeth and clutched his skull, where at the same moment the lizard jumped back and shook their hand in the air a bit. His magic had reacted poorly again, and while it was better than it used to be, it still stung like 5 wasps touching down and stinging the same point all at once. 

   “Little freak.” Was all the monster hissed, before he fled. His two friends moving on behind him in confusion. Approaching the line to the stage. 

   Error stood there in the sun for a moment, rubbing at his forehead until the pain was more of a numb static. 

   If anything, he appreciated the little run-in with those wanna-bes. Now he knew exactly what this was, and why it had felt so familiar to him. 

   The Mage Trials. 

   Geno had to go through them, and he’s been very thorough about his every single detail while doing it. Even though he was the best mage Error had ever known, he’d still stressed and wrote page after page of plans and spells and had placed them into a folder that felt thicker than an encyclopedia. Geno had always been the only one of them who bothered studying. Fresh couldn’t go to school anymore, and Error… Well, Error didn’t need to. 

   Thinking about it, Geno had been very quiet about it, but Error had looked into his folder a few times. Just out of curiosity. It’d been split into three rounds, something Geno had said was standardized. The first was a test of someone’s basic magic skills, the second were more complex spells which the mage has practice in, and the third, the one that had given Geno the most grief, was the personal spell round. In the last one, there were no restrictions to what someone could do, so long as they had done the work themselves, and that it mostly used magic. 

   If he was right, and he usually was, then this was the first round. Eliminating those with nothing but a hope and a prayer in their pocket before they got embarrassed before the one looking for the Mage in the first place. In this case, whoever this kingdom’s king even was. 

   In just a few moments, Error had decided. 

   This was how he’d prove himself. 

   The line was already starting to get longer, and he didn’t want to be here until nightfall in a queue. He dusted off his scarf, his shoes, his bag, and set off into the bright sun to secure his place in this contest. No prep. No warning. Just with his raw skill and what he’d learned so far. Nothing could possibly go wrong. 

.

   Finally. 

   Error felt like it had been hours in the warm sun before he was finally up next. 

   He’d been watching, of course. Watching as the people before him were passed or failed. It was just as he’d expected, and he couldn’t help but be a bit giddy as the two green lizard who’d bothered him earlier both failed. Though their dragonish friend had passed, it was still enough of a victory for him.

   Along with that, he noticed that the three people sat were all in robes of nobles. Something the wealthy and lofty would think to wear in a blazing hot arena all day. The one standing, though, was wearing all black. A hood was over his head, but Error thought he might be some sort of cat-monster. Very stone faced, very still. The only time Error had seen him move was seemingly to veto whatever choice the other three were making. He thought it was interesting. 

   That didn’t matter, though. 

   Based on what he’d seen, these people wouldn’t have any qualms with his magic. He was much better than half the people who’d already been passed, and knew he could keep him calm up on the stage. It’d be just like his entrance exam. 

   He watched as the monster who’d gone before him, a skeleton who was twice his height and twice as animal-ish, bowed gratefully to the people on the boxes, the evaluators, and exited. She’d passed fairly easily, Error thought. Though, her focus seemed elsewhere based on how shaky the hold on her last flame had been. 

   “Next!” 

   The call was shrill, and Error had heard it over a hundred times already today, but this time it bounced in his ears as he lifted himself up the steps and strode onstage. 

   If he’d thought about it, he would’ve tried to find a place to stache his bag, but it was too late for that, and frankly he didn’t trust it not to get stolen once it was out of his sight. Not with how busy the city seemed. 

   When he was stood in the center of the stage, he looked out across the way to the evaluators. They seemed closer up here than they did when he was on the ground. Interesting. 

   “First spell,” The person on the far left called, though Error could tell now that it was a voice projection spell. So they didn’t strain their vocal chords, “ Levitate.”

   That was simple. One of the first spells he’d been taught as a kid. 

   His eyes skimmed briefly, there had been a few props on stage that he only noticed once he was closer that were meant to be used with this sort of spell, but Error wasn’t for that. Instead, he muttered the words under his breath, outstretched a hand, and felt his magic reach out around him. Beyond the stage. 

   There… There was a barrier of some sorts, pushing back against his magic, between himself and the evaluators. He furrowed his brow and urged his magic forward. He didn’t have to break through it. He just. Had to- His magic felt like it was looping and wriggling like a worm through the dirt, but when it broke through on the other end, it felt so much more clear. He could feel a potent magic there, something raw and wet, like the air before a storm. 

   That didn’t matter, though. None of it did, because he was on a mission. His magic finally found its target, the stacks of ink bottles which the middle evaluator had just before their parchment. The magic latched on, and Error finally allowed himself a grin as he tugged his hand upwards. They floated calmly into the air, three of them, and did a quick spinning motion, before settling back down just where he’d found them.

   He didn’t catch the looks on the threes faces, but he had to imagine they were priceless. He was more focused on letting the spell dissipate and preparing for the next. 

   It took a moment, before, “Second Spell,” They said, “Create Water.” 

   Another easy one. 

   Error held his hand out again, though this time his palm faced the sky rather than the ground. At the mutter of his words, he could feel the water manifesting. Tiny droplets leaking from his fingers and into the air above his open palm, where he let it gather into a nice, easy sphere. 

   It hovered, and for this one he could see the nods from the three evaluators. The fourth, the cat monster, didn’t move an inch. A good sign. 

   Error, after a breath, moved the orb of water and simply set it on the stage floor. If he had to release it, he didn’t exactly want to get his clothes wet. That orb tended to shoot outwards when he released it, and the water would go everywhere. 

   “Third spell,” They must’ve been contented with his simply setting down the water, for they continued, “Flame.”

   Ah, one of his favorites. He was never very good at it, of course, but it was certainly very fun. If nothing else it’d be a taste of his raw power.

   He rolled up his hanging sleeves, quickly using strands of string to wrap them in place, before he picked back up the water orb in one hand. With the other, he faced his palm toward the side of it, and spoke the words for the flame spell. 

   The heat gathered in his wrist, and all at once shot out of his palm, like a cannon blast. The heat was intense, and Error laughed quietly to himself in pure elation as the fire did exactly what he was hoping. All at once, his glasses fogged, and a burst of steam blew past his face, off to the exiting side of the stage. He’d evaporated his orb, no longer needing to risk someone seeing him fumble with it and soak himself. 

   He let the fire die after a few second, and quickly grabbed the hem of his scarf to wipe down his glasses from the fog left behind on their surface. 

   The moment the red rims were back on the bridge of his nose, the voice spoke up again. 

   “Name?”

   Error cleared his throat, before calling back his name in response. Just the first one, the last one didn’t matter anymore. 

   There was another few breaths of quiet, before, 

   “Age?”

   Error hadn’t heard them ask anyone else for their age, but he figured they’d noticed. How strong and talented he was at such a young age. 

  He puffed up his chest when he announced, “Twelve!” to the arena. 

   There were a few muffled murmurs from the line, but Error was too busy grinning across the way at the evaluators as they seemed to talk amongst themselves. 

   He was ready to hear the word that would mark him to continue. The next part was tomorrow, after this round was concluded and the king arrived. He’d heard about it in the line while he was waiting. 

   One of the evaluators lifted their gaze back to him. Opened their mouth.

   “Disqualified.”

   That.

   Huh?

   Error must’ve visibly glitched at the response, because one of the evaluators seemed to flinch. Ever so slightly. 

   “How come?!” Error called back, reservations immediately fleeing his mind.

   How could they disqualify him? He hadn’t heard them do that to literally anyone else so far today. 

   The evaluator on the far right spoke up, “Too young. Now please move off the-”

   Error might’ve let his mouth speak before his mind, if he hadn’t seen the way the mysterious cat monster seemed to slink forward. A simple tap to the evaluator’s side and they stopped mid-sentence, attention drawing to the person. 

   He waited with balled fists. Hoping, against it all, that this person was using his mighty veto powers to get him his passing review. 

   “The Knight wishes to speak to you further.” They said, when the person, the Knight, took a step back. “Exit the stage.” 

   Mm. 

   This was his chance. This was his moment. He was being allowed to move on, he was sure of it. It had to be. 

   He practically scrambled off the stage and down the steps, and found that the Knight had closed the distance very quickly. He gestured silently for Error to follow him off to the side of the arena, seemingly outside of the voice spell’s range, as the noise of magic and calling for the next viewer seemed all muffled and contained. 

   Something Error noticed about the guy, now that he was right beside him walking along, was also that he wasn’t a cat monster. No, he had some sort of mask shaped like a cat. Black spots painted on black fur, with piercing white eyelights hidden in the darkness cast by his black hood. A cloth mask covered the lower half of his face, so Error would’ve had no idea what kind of monster he was, if he hadn’t left his hands uncovered. They were grey and grimy, but they were most certainly bones. 

   The other thing he noticed, was the magic. That damp, airy magic was no-doubt from this guy. It practically enveloped the both of them until they were stood in the shade of the wall separating bleachers from arena floor. 

   “You said you’re twelve?” He finally asked, shifting on his feet to look at Error. 

   The last thing he noticed, which only happened once he was able to look past the aura, was that. Well. He was a bit taller than this guy. Not by much, but there was certainly something stark about having to look a bit downwards to meet his eyelights. 

   “Yes, I am.” He claimed proudly, still convinced this was to be his ride to the top.

   The knight seemed to skim him with his eyes. Surely taking in Error’s clothes, his bag, his glasses, the weird bones. Though, it didn’t feel pervasive. 

   “Impressively strong for a kid,” He praised loosely, “And probably talented in spells if the nerds were any indication.” 

   His voice was quiet and raspy, but Error had no problem listening to it. This strong and very cool guy who was called a ‘knight’ was praising him. This was much better than getting yelled at by his professors. Much. 

   “Does that mean I passed?” He asked impatiently. 

   He needed this. He needed this. 

   The guy’s eyelights lingered on his face a bit, and it was then that Error finally noticed how virtually unreadable this guy was. Impossibly quiet, posture unmoving, all facial features shrouded in shadow and covered by masks?

   “I’m not sure what kingdom you’re from, but you’ve got to understand that the folks up there didn’t say no because you’re bad. They said no because the king made a new decree. “No soul under the age of 16 shall be put to work under the crown.” They’ve gotta take it seriously, just like everyone else has to follow the new rules about their own shops and businesses.” He said evenly, eyelights never leaving Error’s face. “You’re a couple years too early is all.” 

   It felt like he’d been shoved into a ditch, and he could already feel his right hand starting to tremble with the beginnings of a glitch. He was furious! How could they possibly say no to him because of some stupid rule about his age? 

   “No!” He exclaimed, trying to bite back the distortion on his voice, “I’m not going to just walk away. If I could just move on to the next round, they’d see I’m different! I’m not some weak little baby!” 

   He clenched his fists, driving his jittering one forcefully into his pocket. 

   The knight didn’t even flinch at his declaration. 

   “They’ve already seen that.” He said easily. “Listen to me. Error, right?” 

   Error hesitantly nodded. 

   “Error, ‘m sure that if my Lord saw you in action, he too would agree that you are very strong and resourceful.” The knight said, and Error hated that it sounded earnest. “But, he set that law into place for very good reason. If by any means those folks back there were to let you through, to pass you, and you made it before the king next round? They’d have committed treason, and I’d have their souls on the end of my bone in three seconds flat.” 

   His voice was hard and serious, and Error held strong as a loud crack echoed out beside the knight. A bone raised from the ground, sharp and jagged on the end, absolutely radiating magic. 

   “Do you really want their blood on your conscience, just so that you get sent away by the King anyways?” The knight offered. 

   Error hunched his shoulders a bit, and he felt his static worsen as he let his eyes linger on the bone. Yes. He muttered inside his head. He wanted to scream it at the man before him. Tell him that this was his one golden chance to prove himself. 

   But to who? He would ask, and Error wouldn’t be able to say it. It’d be a wasted sentiment and wasted time and wasted lives just for his temper tantrum. 

   “...No.” He bit out meekly. 

   He stood there, feeling a familiar shame creep up his spine. The knight made no move to leave, though he did let his bone disappear. The ground looked untouched from where it had split out of. Just more sand. Sand that was getting into Error’s bones. That he’d have to clean out later. Swinging in his hammock, lonely and moping. 

   “Heh,” The chuckle was almost inaudible, and Error was almost ready to let his distress turn back into rage, but, “Better kid than I was.” The Knight mused into the open air.

   He seemed to shift his stance again, and Error took a half step back. 

   “You’ve got your life ahead of you, kid. Don’t let this keep you down. Take the road less traveled by or whatever.” He said then, waving a hand loosely before him. 

   Error stared at him, trying to even his breath, before he had an idea. 

   “The other two rounds will be here, right?” He asked, voice still harshly stuttering and screeching. The Knight seemed unbothered.

   “Yeah. Planning on sticking around to watch?” The knight questioned, though it felt more like a warning. 

   Error nodded in agreement without hesitation. “If these geezers can get the job, I need to see what kind of tricks they have up their sleeves.” He agreed. 

   That earned another little chuckle, before the knight looked back to the stage. 

   Up in the center was a new mage, a human who seemed to be making a pretty wild wind that was whipping the sand around, bothering the people in line behind him. Error heard the knight make a scoffing noise, before turning back towards the stage.

   “Go hang around somewhere else for a while, why don’t you? I have to go make sure those nerds don’t pass that guy.” 

   Error didn’t even get to say a farewell before the Knight was off. 

   It seemed like every stride he teleported a bit further, building speed until he stopped cleanly up on the pedestal. Just in time for the sandstorm to die down. 

   Error didn’t want to walk away from this, he didn’t, but staying would only waste his time. It only took a few more seconds, to watch the knight nudge the evaluator and hear the muffled call of ‘fail’ ring out across the arena before he was turning tail and moving out of the sandy paradise, back into the bustle of the living city. 

.

.

.

   It was impossible to miss it. The sounds of celebration as the monarch entered the town. 

   Error could see the royal carriage from his perch, an old temple tower that had at some point lost its bell. It seemed untouched, birds nests and cobwebs, so he’d set up a hammock and a little makeshift shelter inside using his strings just before night fell. 

   He’d snatched some food from the town as dusk was setting in, and he’d been comfortably whittling away the dark hours, working hard on his plan. 

   With the King officially in town, that meant the second round would be starting up shortly, taking the numbers of who would be in the third round down by hundreds. He hoped the king was stingy about it. He hoped that dragonish monster would stumble on his spell and turn someone into a frog. 

   The thought humored him, and he cackled quietly to himself from his makeshift room. 

   The sun was high again, and he was only a part of the way through. His spells required a lot of his magic to be woven into them, and while it was much much faster than what he’d heard was the usual, it was still difficult to make. 

   Weaving the blue strings from his sockets, to his fingers, around his fingertips, and into the shapes he needed. It was monotonous, and boring by all accounts, but with every strand there was a new flow of power. A new pump of adrenaline into Error’s soul as he recognized his creation becoming more potent. Intent, intent, intent, every loop and knot was filled to the brim with it. His frustration sat at the core. Much more volatile and destructive than his usual intent, but it would serve him well if he wanted this plan to go well. Around it was his determination. The strings woven in with a sense of stubbornness which refused to let go, like a snake swallowing its prey whole. This would compress the first layer into a proper state. Let it coil and coil and coil until it burst. It’d be big, and loud, and send out that message he so desperately needed to be heard by the king. 

   Skipping the second round would probably hurt him in the long run, but… That knight had said he’d have to kill those people if he showed his face in round two. So, he’d just appear in round three instead, and make up for missing the second one. A final act, of sorts. 

   He’d have to be at this all day to make the time crunch. The orb was hardly as big as his palm, not nearly big enough. Though, he had wasted time making the shelter and finding food. He’d just have to skip a couple meals to make up for it. He didn’t really need to eat that much anyways, he’d known that for years. He just tried to make an effort when he smelled something tasty. 

   He knew he could manage. 

   It was late in the night when Error finally started on the outer layers. Those which would be filled with his patience, so that the potent insides would not be sensed as he moved with it among the many magic users. 

   The town had begun to line the streets with torches and party as the stars arrived. No doubt celebrating those who would be at the third and final round tomorrow. The ones who would be competing to become the new Royal Mage. 

   To Error? Every single moment down there was dedicated to him. They just didn’t know it yet. 

.

.

.

   The morning came, and Error only had a few more layers. 

   By the time the sun was almost in the center of the sky above, he had finished it, and carefully tucked it into his backpack. He unraveled the strings and carefully wrapped them, shaping them, changing them into a thin net with long ends. This was shoved into his jacket sleeve, the ends clutched tight in his hand. 

   It took him hardly any time at all to get to the arena, and he was early. 

   Good.

   He settled himself up in the stands, as close to the stage as he could get. Many people seemed to be staying outside the arena, sticking to the streets, but there was still enough of a crowd in the bleachers that Error had to be careful as he worked his way along the edges. He needed to be closer. Closer…

   There. 

   He stood at the railing behind the stage. 

   From here, he could see the line to the left, and he could see the people who had finished lingering on the other side. None of them spoke to each other, only standing about, icily, waiting for the rest to finish so they’d know which of them was chosen, and who was not. Error had to imagine that these folks were just as lame and boring as the seniors from his old academy. No fun at all. 

   He waited, so, so patiently, for the next few people. The last few. 

   Though he couldn’t see the spells themselves, he could certainly feel the pressure coming off of them. The control that they’d need to balance it. How much it might’ve drained their energy to do it just once. He was attuned to that sort of thing, he had to be. 

   His assessment was that all of these last few folks weren’t bad, but they were no match for Error’s raw talent. 

   Each spell cast seemed to tick away at Error’s patience, until it finally happened. The last mage went on-stage. It seemed there had been 15 of them. 

   He’d have to make 16, then. 

   It felt like a blur as he jumped the rails and let his strings carry him across the open space, much to the shock of the few who had been watching the competitors from around him. The blue lines snatched at the wooden supports of the stage, and he swung right over top, landing a bit messily in the center of the stage.

   He didn’t have time to look at everything. All he knew was the crowd was much larger than last time, that there was a shout of ‘Hey!’’ from somewhere to his left, and that the box across from the stage now held only three people. Monsters. One Error recognized, the knight in shadows who’d spoken to him. The other two he didn’t know, but he had to assume the one in the middle, tall and imposing, and dark, with an eyelight the same colors as the tapestries, was the King he was looking to impress. That was all he needed to know. 

   “M’lord, my name is Error!” He called out across the sand, and in one motion he shrugged the bag off his shoulders and used his strings to tug the orb out of its canvas body. “I want to prove that I’m more capable than any of the adults who just went before me! I could be your mage!” He would be the mage. 

   The orb sat cradled in Error’s hand for only the briefest moment, before it was inside the little net he’d made. He swung it in circles. Again. Again. Again. 

   He had to be fast. He had to do this quick.

   Error spent one last moment, extending his reach through his strings, muttering words and igniting an intangible spark. 

   For a brief moment, he watched as the King seemed to ease forward. A hand now raised, seemingly calling off his knights, who had been almost in motion. 

   He released the orb directly upwards, momentum carrying it up. 

   Up.

   Up.

   Into the blue sky. Practically into the sun. 

   Error watched it rise above him. 

   Only. 

   “Shit.” 

   His calculations must’ve been off. He must’ve added a layer too many, or maybe he released it a swing too soon. But he could tell that it wouldn’t clear the top of the arena. 

   Maybe if he had a few more seconds he could’ve used strings to boost it. He could’ve sent a magic gust to lift it further. 

   Not the case.

   He watched as the orb detonated, just like it was supposed to. 

   The wave moved horizontally through the air, and swept across the air above the arena so quickly that it sucked the sand from the top layer and threw it against the tall walls. Error’s footing slipped, and he stumbled to his knees on the stage as the wind whipped and tugged the heavy curtains into the air current as well. 

   It was an almost invisible force, Error had to imagine anyone without a solid grasp of magic would entirely miss it as it spread out. 

  He winced as it finally reached the edges of the arena, where he had just barely managed to fall short of clearing. 

   As the magic passed over the stone and mortar, he saw as it fell. Not in chunks, but crumbled like dust into fine particles. The upper half of every arch at the top of the grand amphitheatre, turned pitch black, then wasted away. 

   He hadn’t meant for it to come in contact with anything. It wasn’t supposed to do anything but harmlessly wave over everyone’s heads. As a show of his strength. That was all.

   Error could only think back to when this had happened before. When he’d accidentally exploded Geno’s favorite mug while metering the strength of his strings. When he’d broken the wheel of a carriage passing through the woods with a wayward slingshot blast. When he’d broken all ten of the large windows in the lecture hall of the academy when he failed to complete a spell the way it was written. When he’d done it too well.

   As he rose to his feet, he half expected the nagging voice of his older brother to be there, chastising him for not being more careful, before taking him home and making him dinner. 

   It wasn’t that, though. 

   He watched out across the sand. The king had his head tilted only slightly, looking up at Error’s lofty mistake. At the clean cut where stone now met unbothered air. His knight, the one in all black, was leaned ever so slightly towards him. They must’ve been speaking. Or, at least, the knight was. 

   About Error, he had no doubt. 

   He stayed in place, watching, swaying a bit with the residual force of his own spell lingering in his fingertips. Every instinct which told him to run and to hide were smothered and stamped out by the ligering fact that he had nowhere to go. Without his brothers, there was no one to help him. He knew it. 

   Even in front of this crowd. These mages. This King and his knights. He couldn’t bring himself to move offstage. Some part of him, deep down, childishly wanted the King to announce that he was impressed. To parade him offstage and let him experience what Geno had. Let him know why Geno left. 

   The King’s single eyelight swam back over to look at Error in the silence. 

   Error felt like the world had stopped. 

   It hadn’t.

   There was a clattering of armor and rustling of fabric, suddenly loud in his ears, and he had no time to react as everything came rushing in all at once. 

   Hands. Heavy, gloved hands. Two sets, two hands each wrapped one of his upper arms, and immediately lifted him off the ground. Into the air. 

   Pain flooded into his bones from his soul, like twin lightning strikes, trying to singe the bone and the magic in its core. The pressure wasn’t much, his mind knew that, but his body usually didn’t listen to him. He tried desperately to hold it in. The rampant part of his magic that had been hurting him since he could remember. That made it hard to touch anyone. To shake hands. To hug his brothers. 

   “Let go!” He pleaded, though he wasn’t sure if his voice made any sense. Fresh always told him they couldn’t tell what he was saying when his voice got too bad.

   More pain. He kicked his legs at the open air, and tried to muster control over his strings, just for a moment, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t focus. 

   And all at once it stopped. 

   Error’s feet were on the ground again, though that promptly became his knees again as he swayed and wavered in the sudden aftermath of his active magic dying down. Receding back into his soul. Because it didn’t need to ‘protect’ him anymore.

   He spotted then, as his vision returned to something aside from the gloves or the sky, that the King was no longer in his throne. In fact, there was a heavy, encompassing, magical weight behind him now. Somewhere very, very close-by.

   He took a deep breath, grounding himself. 

   “We are taking a recess.” Announced a booming voice. Very nearby. It was deep, and felt almost the same as the projection spell from two days prior. Then, more quietly, “You will leave the boy to me. Go ensure no one was injured, then manage the crowd. I’ll make my choice tomorrow at sunrise.” 

   The second bit felt quieter, an edge to the tone that Error didn’t quite like. Considering he must be the boy in question. 

   It was a moment, a few muddled ‘Yes, my king’ s, before Error found a pair of boots stepping before him. His head swam as he looked upwards. 

   The King, he figured that had to be him, was dark. Very dark. Like a living, dripping, shadow. Magic seemed to be all he was made of, an aura radiating from him. Dripping off his back into long slimy worms, twitching as they sat near the ground. He wore a fancy cape, too. One with huge gold clasps on his shoulders, one was shaped like the moon. 

   Error looked to his face last. In hindsight, something that could’ve been very, very bad. He was met with a dripping face. Skeletal. The place where his right socket should’ve sat was covered in that dark substance. The other hollow, with that bright cyan orb staring right back at him. 

   “Can you stand?” His voice came easily, and Error braced himself. 

   Could he?

   He had to, he didn’t want to be touched again. 

   Error took another breath, and managed to rise silently to his feet. 

   “Good,” the King said once he was standing, “Follow me.”

   It was an order he didn’t dare refuse. 

.

.

.

   Error found himself in an odd position. 

   He’d been given time to sit and recover from his magic’s outlash, and now he was sat in a room beneath the bleachers of the arena alongside the King and that knight he’d met before. The other one was guarding the door, he thought. 

   It’d been silent for a while, and it was almost expected when the silence was finally broken. 

   “You said your name is Error, correct?” The King asked, and Error gave a nod of yes. He forced himself to meet the King’s gaze.

   “Dust says that you’re only 12, and our people disqualified you in the first round. Is that right?” 

   Error nodded again. 

   “And Dust even explained to you why you were disqualified?” 

   Another nod. It seemed he’d at least made an impression on the knight. Dust. 

   The King tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, eyelight holding Error’s tightly. 

   “Then, I’ll ask, what brought you to think this was a good choice? To try and become Royal Mage above any cost it might bring?” The king asked, and Error was surprised to find it was a shockingly gentle tone. “Your home, your family, your life. You are so young, why put it all on the line like this?” 

   Oh. 

   It was almost funny. Was this whole thing because the king was some sort of charitycase? So disillusioned by his perfect life that he couldn’t even think of the hardships any random kid could go through? He almost grinned at that, barely keeping his mouth from twitching in a mix of frustration and humor.

   “I wanted to prove myself,” He muttered, “And besides, becoming the Royal Mage would be great.” 

   He waited, waited for the King to inhale, to say something, before, 

   “I’m an orphan.” He spat, finally. “Family abandoned me, house is left behind, expelled from school. I don’t want to keep wandering.” 

   It was basically the truth. This was his big break. His one last chance before he became a hated little vagabond. Maybe even a criminal. Maybe he’d have to go on the run for the rest of his life, live as a nomad. Join a caravan. Those people got stopped a lot though, kingdoms didn’t like them. He’d probably explode some city’s bakery by mistake and get put in jail for-

   “Wait!” Error suddenly exclaimed, breaking free of his thoughts, “Am I in trouble? Am I going to jail??” He asked then. 

   His worries slammed to a grinding halt and he stared wide-eyed at the two before him. Geno had always told him not to go making his big stuff near town, because if the guard caught him he wouldn’t be able to bail him out. He’d end up in jail. Of course, it’d never happened back then because he was always fast enough. Always smart enough to get out of dodge when he broke something or made poor decisions. Here? Here he hadn’t run when he had the chance. 

   The King stared at him, his one eyelight nearly mirroring Error’s in surprise at the question. 

   “I mean,” he started, “You’re young. If I wont let you work for me, I wouldn’t dare put you in prison either.” The King stated, “Though, you did do quite a bit of damage to the theatre.” 

   Error watched him break eye contact finally and look over his shoulder to the Knight stood there. He’d been silently watching Error too. 

   When he had no insight, The king seemed to heave a sigh, and the shadowy extra limbs which draped around him twitched. 

   “You’re sure you have no family? No home?” the King asked him again, and Error nodded.

   The king muttered something under his breath, and shot the Knight another look. The knight shrugged. 

   “I… Will not employ you. Though, I do see talent in you, Error.” the King said carefully, a bit slower in his words than he had been up until now. Almost… unsure. “I will, however, extend to you the title so that you may conduct…” He waved a hand before himself, as though searching for a word, “ You may conduct independent research. If you accept, of course.”

   “You would be free to resend your acceptance at any moment, no strings attached, and may take any work you complete along with you, and any pay you receive would be given to you after your 16th birthday, if you stay that long.” He added, “I’ll have to rewrite the contract, but-”

   “I accept!” 

   Error couldn’t help himself. He was so excited he could puke. The last thing he’d expected was to pull this off. This shitshow of a scheme actually got him the job? He could scream. He could jump up and down for joy. He didn’t, he sat eagerly and tense in his seat instead, but he could’ve. 

   The King seemed to hesitate, for a few breaths, before relaxing. He stood, and offered a hand out slowly to Error. 

   Error stood too, grinning. He could manage this one. He could do it. 

   It was brief, but he grasped the King’s hand and shook it firmly.

   “Dust, will you help Error locate his belongings, and escort him to wherever he is staying tonight? I’ll send Cross to swap with you a bit later. We’ll reconvene in the morning just before sunrise.”