#i love mezalea so much you have no idea

[k1tty5]

mezalean smalletho won’t leave my brain

closeups

and also extra doodles because i’m going to goinsane

[boatemlag]

Hi I read your gift fic to Bee and I am soooooooooo wondering about the funerary rites of every empire pls tell me about them

[ID: Ask from erstwhilesparrow that says, "[staggers out of ao3 shaking slightly] okay so obviously now i have to ask you for your thoughts on empires funerary practices!! stares at you with big pleading eyes. share thoughts?" /end ID]

HI!!!! im so glad you asked >:) a lot of this is in my brain but this was the initial note for the concept for the gift fic so you see where i'm coming from

[Text ID: A screenshot of an iPhone notes app bullet point that says: "2. 2. mezalea and complicated system of rebirth and reincarnation-> no sense of grieving funerals? joel has never had to grieve because hes inorganic. clay structures dont die. interested in the connection between golems in judaism and clay constructs in mezalea" /end ID]

my basic concept with mezalea was ultimately that because constructs dont die (joel was made by the mother tree, and in turn made the mezaleans in his image? something like that) they cant properly die? and if they do die their friends and family or joel himself can reinstate them, and theres ritual for that, but its a thing that is ultimately for inorganics. and its not really akin to a funeral.

more under the cut, separated by nation! ones mentioned in the fic first!

mythland: for mythland i was inspired by this story i heard from a classmate of a funeral he attended in his father's hometown in china where they walked from the morgue to the cemetery and it took like multiple hours and they were singing funeral songs and prayers and such and then still had a ceremony at the cemetery. i had an image in my mind of the rain falling through the dark oak leaves and sausage dressed in the robes of a king even though he is so small (way too small for him) and the robes really are wearing him, and the hours upon hours of walking through the streets of mythland to the royal cemetery with hundreds of mythic citizens behind them singing mourning songs and the toll that takes on a boy too young to be king... yes. delicious. after the blood sheep religion is revived, these ceremonies involved ritual animal sacrifice.

gilded helianthia: i really like the idea of helianthians being people of the earth, and not having huge ceremonies for their funerals. people coming from the earth and going back to the earth. planting their favorite plants in their resting place. this one is pretty self explanatory i think? and its a very logical extension of helianthia's values. the bonfire is something i think is very common in surrounding areas of bordering nations.

pixandria: pixandria is, i think, the only canon depiction we have of funerals? its kind of obvious to say "The Vigil" but like. the Vigil. im also a big fan of the idea of something similar to an ofrenda being common, visiting the memorials of lost loved ones. i also think corpses dont preserve well in the desert so cremation is very common. the body is not considered very sacred and its the soul that has to be memorialized.

rivendell: i spend so much time thinking about these goddamn elves its not even FUNNYY!!!!!! religious schisms make me SICK!!!!!! in the head. anyway. i think cremation used to be very very common in rivendell because in the cold of the mountains bodies decompose very very slowly. but after the schism fire is considered weirdly sacrilegious when it comes to rituals, so they sort of have shirked the cremation part of the ritual. theyve always had wakes i think, and theyve replaced cremation with a complex catacomb type situation. elves also dont die super often? so there are centuries of elves buried beneath the mountains but its not like. that many. comparatively. elves consider it important to see the corpses of their loved ones as part of the grieving process and its an egregious crime to desecrate a corpse or modify the body in any way, even back in the days of cremation.

cod empire/codlands: funerals are VERY important in codish culture because the swamp conditions mean uhhh bog bodies are very possible. and thats considered sacrilegious because the only preserved body allowed is the cod head lmao. its a religious symbol as well as a theocratic symbol. that being said, there are a plethora of ways cod folk prefer to care for their dead. for those who are closer in heritage to oceanic peoples, its very common to feed corpses to fish (livestock) and hold a ceremony during then. for those with mythic heritage (before the ravine and erection of the walls of codlands and mythland) funeral processions were very common, though usually taken out to sea. these are just a few of the types of funerary ceremonies the codfolk use.

ocean empire: as mentioned in the previous section, oceanic rituals often involve feeding bodies to the fishy livestock as a funeral ritual. other than that, more land-living oceanic citizens do something akin to a "viking funeral" where flaming rafts are sent out to sea

lost empire: heh. so theres two main things here: pre and post xornoth. the folks of the lost empire used to bury their dead in large clearings dedicated as cemeteries. for more important people in society they constructed tombs all connected by underground tunnels. post-xornoth, cremation was added as a common custom. this was obviously short lived for the empire.

house blossom/the overgrown: similar to gilded helianthia, except instead of the land around, citizens are buried with seeds on their being, to be used as nutrients for the large wild flowers. post burial rituals include several days of merriment and mourning, and i like the idea that bonfires are also common here.

the grimlands: i really like the idea of public burial in the fields outside of the main capital of the grimlands. there are pretty large cemeteries that are multilayered. the tradition has a common ancestor with the lost empire's tradition.

crystal cliffs: I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF LIKE. magic being involved in some way. perhaps the crystallization of famous witches and wizards and sorcerers immortalized in amethyst, deep beneath the mountains. because the crystal cliffs is run by the headmaster or headmistress at the time i think the general burial rights actually depend on the nation of origin or wishes of the individual. crystal cliffs is very much a nation of various peoples because anyone can attend.

the undergrove: the burial rights of the gnomes is a dying secret. because there are very few gnomes left, the decimation of the population has erased former traditions in the face of cremation to eliminate chance of Corruption. it used to be something else, but that knowledge is lost to time.

[theminecraftbee]

As far as fic ideas, I’ve always found Joel to be particularly compelling as the POV character in fics and I wish there was more of him, so I’d love to see that!

For something more specific, the idea that Joel stayed behind after everyone else fled the world at the end of season one of Empires was always compelling to me, but I don’t know how much you deal in Empires work specifically, so— like, any sort of end of the world themes go really hard imo.

OH SO LIKE. i can direct you at ocean blue, which is written by oh_no_bells based on a very similar idea i had at the end of empires!

but also... i think about. the mezalean king watched his kingdom crumble and died of sadness. a lot. and like joel's whole thing in season one involved not really being affected by the main storyline, marching to the beat of his own drum, which is part of why i think the king of mezalea appealed to me so much, for some reason? because it wasn't, as much as we joked about it, that he didn't do lore at all, it was that his lore was that the lore didn't affect him. and like, that's wild.

and i think that's why, yeah, it hits different when you have stuff about how e1's ending affected joel. because joel was so unaffected for so long, but e1!joel, he also DEEPLY loved. he deeply loved jimmy, and he deeply loved lizzie, and he really loved his kingdom, and basically nothing else in the entire storyline was of any importance to him. stubbornly so.

but he can't avoid this one. not really.

...what is he even going to do about that?

the mezalean king dies of sadness. e2!joel tells this like it's a joke. i don't think it is one.

[siriannatan]

Aftermath of a World Taking a Tumble

Joel's damn episode had me write this in about two hours...

AO3

Warning: Character death

"What... Who? Joel? What happened to your robe? And your beard? And why are you suddenly short?" Jimmy asked when a weird guy looking a lot like Joel approached him with a grin. And called him a cod king but that was not the weirdest thing. 

"What do you mean? I'm totally tall and handsome. It's you who's suddenly short. And where's your Codfather head? And why are you in a Mesa and not a swamp?" the not-Joel laughed in a very Joel manner.

Not that Jimmy was listening to him. His brain halted at Codfather. He heard that somewhere. But where... When? From whom? By whom? How?...

An image of Scott. But not Scott. Much less colourful Scott, dressed in white teal and with golden antlers in his hair. Smiling at him and... bleeding. Sword piercing his chest. 'Scott! No. No. Nononono....' Jimmy's own voice flashed through his brain.

And the image was gone. Leaving the sheriff stunned. "Wha... Anyway, what brings you to Tumble Town?" Jimmy asked the not-Joel to distract him from that space-out moment he had.

"Well. I'm not quite sure but this place sure is drab and there was this plot belonging to a god Joel and being the greatest king I do feel a bit like a god so I build a small replica of my palace. I do not have any idea how I got here though. One minute I'm in Mezalea, minding my business and next I'm here, in a cave," the not-Joel rambled, very much like Joel, and led Jimmy to the plot Joel claimed just the last day. 

On the small floating island was a small but nonetheless magnificent palace of terracotta on a bed of moss.

"I had no energy for the interior so..." not Joel was back to talking but Jimmy was not there. All he could see was a ruin of a much bigger and grander palace this small build was replicating. And dry ocean. With a distant ruin that could maybe have one day been floating... 'Joel... what hope is there left for this land? Exor is free. Scott sacrificed himself for nothing... There's nothing left...' once more Jimmy's own voice rambled through his head.

"You okay Jimmy? You're making the same face fWhip does when he sees Scott's shiny accessories," not-Joel asked, waving a hand in front of Jimmy's face.

"Yeah..." Jimmy forced himself to smile as more flashes went through his head.

fWhip. Eyes wide and full of tears. Wings torn and burned. Begging him to end it. "Please, Jimmy. Don't let it take me over... I'd rather it be you than the madness that takes me..." the half-dragon begged him and... Jimmy listened. Stabbing him and with that one motion killing the last person he loved...

"I... I should go... maybe try doing some lore and it'll get you back home. You love lore, right? I have a thing to do somewhere else, come by whenever though, bye," Jimmy forced a smile and flee away. No. He fled.

He flew to a distant and empty part of the mesa and crumbled. Stopped holding back the flood of memories filled with fire, blood and madness overtaking great rulers... His friends. And the plan.

Pearl's plan. He recalled. Requiring the death of all the old gods to... restart the world. Erase what was before. Erasing Exor was the only way to stop him after he consumed Aeor's power from Scott. The thought of the elven king's end had Jimmy sobbing. 

Only three would remember. The three still standing and not consumed. Pearl. Joel. And Jimmy. They'd be the new gods, keeping the world from falling to darkness again...

But there was one flaw... They could not choose gods of what they would be. There was no time for that. They were on borrowed time from the start. fWhip's death bought them mere seconds in the great scope of things but it was enough to pull it off. Barely but enough.

And so, Pearl became the goddess of life and harvest. Joel of skies and thunder. And Jimmy of...

Death...

A force he could not fully control at the time. A power that would consume him but Pearl could not have that so... she sealed his memories. And the seal was breaking. And it hurt. Almost physically as he screamed as the last seams broke letting him out... and releasing a wave of death killing everything in fifty block radius around him.

Joel was maybe a bit disoriented as he appeared in the LORE CAVE in Tumble Town. But as confused as he was he did not miss Jimmy's scream. Or the distant shiver of pure death energy. "Tell me he didn't... Damn it, Pearl..." Joel almost cursed and flew at probably record speed to the source of the scream. As a god, he'd be fine but he could not risk anyone else finding him. They were mortal, they would die.

What he found was one of the worst outcomes. Jimmy was back to being an about eight feet tall fish-demi god but his scales were visibly duller in colour and some missing and one fin on his tail was just bone. He was obviously undead. The god of death to be more precise. A god of death who just got all his worst memories back. And was crying and shaking and comforting people was never Joel's strong suit. But there it goes... and no Lizzie to help him.

"Jimmy? You okay bud?" he asked, careful and not too loud to not startle Jimmy too much.

"Okay?! OKAY?! I saw the past you and all my dang memories are coming back and... How many years it's been since? How many!? And..." Jimmy yelled and sobbed even harder.

"I know but, it's been a long time... I told her to not do it... She said it's the best way to do it but... It felt so wrong to eventually agree but... I just couldn't watch you suffer like that. I'm so sorry Jimmy. I should have stopped her," Joel apologised, pulling the other god into a hug. "I'll help in any way I can... we're still brothers-in-law after all..." he added almost choking as his own memories reminded him of the past. As if being stuck in Mezalea for several hours wasn't bad enough...

They sat like that for a while until Jimmy calmed down.

"I couldn't even mourn them..." Jimmy sniffled, pulling away.

"No one says you can't do it now... I doubt I ever really stopped actually," Joel sighed, patting Jimmy on his back.

"Ugh... What am I going to do with being a dead cod demi-god? Everyone's used to the toy bit," he groaned staring at his webbed hands. There were holes and a few missing bits but it was obvious he was not human even if his other fins and fishtail were somehow missed. He would not talk about the height. "I'm taller again," he chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Joel rolled his eyes. "fWhip's going to have a heart attack if he finds out you're technically the god of law. And I'm pretty sure you can turn back... not sure though since I never do it," he hummed.

"Don't talk to me about fWhip or Scott for a little while, I just had to relive their deaths..." Jimmy sighed. "I should go back and try to either figure out how to turn back into a toy or make all my doors bigger..."

"Okay, and congratulations on reincarnating an elf," Joel chuckled as Jimmy slowly walked away.

"Not much of a feat once their gods are dead and can't stop you," Jimmy tossed with a shrug and a skeleton rose from the ground. "Oh go away," he huffed at it and it fell to pieces.

As things turn out Jimmy could not turn into anything other than his godly form so he ended up having to explain it to everyone. And got called handsome for a dead man - or fish.

[kanda-franca]

The Interpretation of Stories in Empires

Just watched Pixlriff's video and just--Yes! More variation in interpretation. Everything is valid. Everyone is their own storyteller. We have our own understandings of seeing the world and adding meaning!

Before I delve deeper into this, I want to say that Pixlriff's ending and his addition to the others' lore sometimes might contradict each other-- but he's a historian! Someone who dedicates his time to learning the past, studies the migration of people--what caused it, where they went, how they changed. Wouldn't it fit so well for him to have that in-depth view of the world that the other empires might not have? Spoilers for his episode kinda (but it's not as if those same theories haven't floated around tumblr):

So take Mezalea for example, he said the living armour stands settled in Tumble Town and how a particular one had a hard time reconciling that; of course it would be Pix to know exactly why Jimmy is a Toy. He studied the architecture of that building a Mezalean built. And maybe there's no need to say that that Mezalean may or may not have been King Joel himself. Or maybe we can believe that it was actually King Joel because he told the very same people to go to those Badlands during the Rapture. With what the empires people have given us, we can add and justify it to fit with our story of Empires.

I think a lot of us get too bogged up with what is canon, not that that's a bad thing, it's just that minecraft roleplaying SMPs in particular opens up to the idea of living in the same world through many different sets of eyes. That it's not exactly a limited perspective of this "narrative" if we can watch the other side of the conversation.

We get players who add so much lore to their builds and their characters and arcs-- just everything entailed in roleplay. It's wonderful to see such stories being created; Sausage's multidimensional world travel, Shubble's sculk infection arc. There is so much to unpack and look at, pages on pages of stories being created right in front of us.

But even when we don't get full on lore and character arcs and events, they aren't any less of a story. Because we do as we do best, expand it, make theories of it, create our own ways of painting the picture. Isn't it fun to be in the same sandbox yet make your own unique castles? Isn't it great to have so much allowance for interpretation?

I'm just rambling right now but I just love how minecraft is used for roleplay. Everyone say thank you Empires for an amazing season. And for Pixlriff's for having a lovely finale video that ties it all together.

[inbetweenhours]

[from this post about my silly flower husbands arranged marriage au]

@ep2nd​​ I hope you don’t mind the @ I had no idea how else to respond to this and make sure you saw if you were still interested aha

Long story short- Yes! Xornoth is in this au! Bad news! They suck! I do typically love making Xornoth and Scott friendly in my aus, like good brothers, but this time it just didn’t feel applicable. It’ll make more sense once i explain...

Why Rivendell wants to get rid of Scott! I’m going to explain as much as i have really thought out of the background politics both within the marriage arrangement, but also in Rivendell specifically because there are two major events going on regarding them at the moment.

The first more general event going on is the tension between the Wither Rose Alliance and what is technically The Codfather Alliance, however this au has no Codlands or Codfather, so it can’t be called that. Rivendell is not a part of either alliance, but greatly benefits from the Wither Rose Alliance nations being in good health and standing because of how closely they interact with trade and friendliness. So while Rivendell isn’t exactly enemies with the Ocean Empire, they are on extremely tense terms and there is a lack of trust.

Tension is rising between the two alliance. The Ocean Empire is wary to start a fight because of the last war they raged that killed their king and scattered their monarchy for years (lore from another day, under prompting) and they have only really begun to reestablish themselves as rulers in the past years. Jimmy himself is still struggling to adapt and learn manners and behaviors and skills expected of him as prince after so long he spent away. Even with backup from Mezalea and Pixandria the merlings are keen to try and keep the peace whatever way they can, even if it means a bruised ego. They can’t afford another large scale war right now.

Now over in Rivendell. They aren’t directly involved in either alliance as I stated, but their closeness to the Wither Alliance nations mean they have something to lose if their trade partners are struggling. And they are, the tension is taking its toll on border precautions for trade and travel, influx of refugees in the Grimlands, coastal regions under extreme paranoia- and all kinds of political issues.

Rivendell is worried how they will be affected by the issues of their neighbors the longer this goes on. Furthermore they grow paranoid of the Ocean Empire. The Ocean Empire is the largest of all the empires by far, and despite the blow to their structure they are grappling back order quickly. They are not something Rivendell wants to have issues with, and they understand that they are seen as a threat even if they aren’t direct allies of the Oceans enemies.

They could stay out of this, completely withdrawal as they have in the past. Rivendell is known for its extreme periods of isolation. However there's a secondary issue, a second major event. Rivendell’s succession.

Now the way the Stag Gods work in this au is this. They have beef, they have the whole eternal cyclical fight between champions going on. The major changes are 1. The champions lives aren’t connected, one can die without the other. and 2. the Champions are always the two heirs to Rivendells throne. For generations Rivendell has always had 2 heirs, each chosen by a god. They never know which one officially until powers begin to manifest, however behaviour is a pretty keen indicator.

The heirs only develop powers in what is presumed to be the months - couple years leading to the need for succession. A forewarning for the current rulers demise in some way. Which means it usually happens well into hundreds of years... But that hasn’t been the case this time.

Xornoth and Smajor are the heirs of Rivendell. Champions of the Stag gods, you know the deal. But they haven’t even hit their first hundred yet. This spells unrest for their parents. It means succession will be soon, and that makes the tension beyond their borders all the more upsetting. Makes them all the more paranoid about issues out of their control. They need it to be their control.

The Stag gods arent viewed as better or worse than one another. Its not good and evil. Its Stasis vs Change. One god and their champion are more likely to bring order and justice and familiarity to Rivendell with their rule, the other more likely to bring mass change, new beginnings and hard decisions. Historically this shouldn’t be a matter of pride, this should be a manner of compromise to decided what the nations needs more in the moment of succession. However over thousands of years of this its has evolved into a culture comparable to American Football culture. Its a sporting event. The citizens pick teams and idolize their champion and try to sway things one way or another despite really civilians having little control over who wins. The winner is decided by a duel, watched by all citizens able to attend. Just the champions each with a sword following the need for a new ruler. Sometimes there is foul play, poisonings and  scrappy fights, etc. But the elven people have a kind of honour that typically allows the fight to go as it should.

Scott and Xornoths parents both picked favorites growing up, and switched who it was on a whim. For much of his life Scott was the favourite, well behaved and obedient. However as their powers began suddenly growing in that favouritism shifted. Xornoth grew adept with their powers of fire and warmth and liveliness quickly. Making a spectacle of themselves to raise moral, drawing people to his attention, and praise from citizens and their parents. Scott however was quickly identified as a threat, unable to  control his powers over the cold, ice, and energy. He went full Elsa Arc fr and was all but isolated to his room for months preceding the events of the au. Seen as a threat, even as he worked day in and out alone to wrangle control of his powers. Scott was suddenly deprived of attention and praise he had been so used to as formerly being the “good” child and better loved of the champions. and Xornoth is for the first time getting their time to shine, praised and adored by everyone. 

Any chance at a kind relation the boys had as young children was grown out of as they aged and the favouritism both from their parents and their country as a whole- divided in two- drove them apart irreparably. They are pawns of a larger game and they only know how to fight with each other now. How to undermine, one up, and make each other worse.

Now, FINALLY, I can answer your question. 

Why does Rivendell want to get rid of Scott?

He’s a threat. As simple as it is,  history has shown the affects of champions who can’t control themselves. Devastating blizzards are staples of Aeors champions who haven’ learn restraint. Xornoth is a non issue, he has control. Scott doesn’t Alongside this  the tensions with the Ocean Empire are driving Rivendells monarchy up the wall with paranoia alongside the looming thread of being succeeded. They want to assure Xornoth will be the heir that wins the duel, they want Xornoth to be supported by the people en masse so it is less of an issue when they come to rule Rivendell. They don’t want Scott who is a magically loose canon in their eyes  anywhere near power...

And wouldn’t you know it. The Ocean Empire is weak. Not to be underestimated, but they’re playing nice with their enemies for now. They’re malleable and willing to be pushed over to an extent. They’re desperate for more allies, more protection. So why not offer them something they can’t refuse.

An allegiance with a southern empire, surrounded and close with their enemies. A marriage between two of their heirs, and placing a Rivendellian into the heart of the Ocean Empire, ensuring Rivendell wouldn’t dare try anything with one a member of their surely loved royal family amongst the merlings. 

A champion they believe to be unable to control a his power over ice and blizzard, within an Ocean that thrives on and within the water...

This is not a truce. This is a trojan horse. 

Rivendell is trying to take out two birds with one stone. Securing that The Ocean Empire as their allies won’t be a threat to them, as removing an unwanted (potentially dangerous) heir from their ranks. If they’re lucky Scott will damage or even wipe out the Ocean Empire with Aeors power, leaving Rivendell to profit from their neighbors having one less enemy. Even if he doesn’t, Scott has been relocated essentially, making him less likely to be able to train properly for his duel, or garner any kind of following or respect from the people. 

Not to mention how utterly embarrassing the marriage is for him at all. That by itself is tanking his reputation because of Rivendells very stingy purity culture. Marrying a guy you’ve never met before? Gross. It also makes the politics of him becoming  ruler of Rivendell much stickier since they've never tangled with outside interference in their duals. Its a major issue for so many reason and Scott is fuming because he feels like he’s the only one seeing how many logistical issues there are.

But he was always the “good” heir , before all this happened. So he doesn’t have the energy to keep up an argument he will lose. He doesn’t have a choice in the matter. He will marry whatever heir the Ocean Empire offers him. He will remain as polite as he can, and prove Rivendell wrong about his control. He has learned some restraint after months isolated in his room. He won’t lose control. He will strategize and plan for his duel, and he will pray to Aeor for guidance and do his best despite the country itself being set against him to become king. As he had always been meant to try and do.

[askmstau]

Can we perhaps get some more worldbuilding for the au? :]]]

Aka an accuse for you to ramble about the au :D

~Mezalea anon

(my motivation may have basically gone poof but my love of worldbuilding sure hasn't!!!!!)

uhhh i wont lie most of the actual worldbuilding is made up on the spot (example being bdubs' cafe -> sundial cafe) but i WILL talk abt some random fun facts. mostly about scar because he rotates in my brain like a microwave this post is long so heres a read more:

scars power is interesting to me bc like. alr this also applies to my normal hc scar but when he shapeshifts he not like. male. as a human, he's a cis man, but like. the animals/mobs he shifts into has attributes of all genders. my guy is inherently genderless and i love that. its inspired minecraft itself, since most of the mobs are genderless (like the cow both having udders and horns.) scott used to have a different design! he was originally wearing a tshirt, the same jacket he wears currently but off the shoulder, and shorts. but i ended up changing it bc he just looked like a highschooler whos starting youtube and i didnt like it LMAO jimmy's hero outfit is inspired by both his goodguy skin (main inspo) but i also had open his old captain america skin theres a noncanon event where scar fakes his death for his retirement as a villain (bc he managed to kill off the main ppl in charge) and like. it's set pretty early on. this still happens in canon, but farr down the road. like mst are together by that point (do know how they get together in that au is through scotts flower shop <3) joel has connections to like. everyone. he knows scott through lizzie, he knows jimmy by growing up with him, he knows scar by dating him in highschool- like hello?? another joel thing, he's not bias towards heroes or villains, despite literally dating a hero. it's very funny mumbo is a villain and i find that inherently hilarious. he is. so bad at being a villain. probably one of the most beloved as it turns out, outside of like. relationship stuff, grian actually has the most development. (you'll figure it out soon enough.) OKAY YOU KNOW THE XORNOTH SAGA RIGHT? funny bts: theres barely any plan for it. like. there's an idea here or there, but the entire thing is basically improv.

ive talked about it a lot, but scar is genuinely SMITTEN. he is down horrifically bad, and it's so funny to write relating to the above one, my doc name for the fic is "scar goodtimes. sir. you're down so bad you're digging your grave" i don't watch the people i write about on a regular basis. I've been watching scar a lot more as of late, and i've always binged grians content, but outside of them, i don't watch scott or jimmy that much? i mean i still watch em, but still. and i just. don't watch cubfan.

theres a reason scar got into archery and now: time for discord messages that i sent when initially making the au, and before this blog existed. most of these arent inherently pg

scotts old sketch:

and an unrelated meme that makes sense to me specifically:

enjoy the brain worms.

[minecraftbookshelf]

I'm going to respond to all of y'all in one go so this doesn't end up splitting off into a bunch of different versions. And also thank you all so much I'm extremely delighted by how much joy has been sparked by this post.

When I'm worldbuilding the details are honestly my favorite part. Both because they are what usually make it into the fics themselves and because the devil really is in the details it makes such a difference in getting that feel of the story just right and the world feel real.

I knew before i was two episodes into watching my firs esmp s1 pov that i was in big trouble. It's such a fantastic world to play with.

Never apologize for the rambling responses to my posts like this are genuinely one of my favorite things I have read and reread every single one of them (including this one) so many times. (Yes it's been like, 24 hours I accept zero judgement)

-

#I genuinely need you to do this more cause I genuinely enjoyed reading this a lot more than I originally thought I would /nf#I never realized how *interesting* the differences between each empires way of doing things could be#the idea that empires do things differently to suit the environment#but then its looked down upon in other empires? (aka the swamps clothes looking wrinkled)#chef’s kiss (@flooflepuff )

I'll definitely be doing more things like this as I go. Its the longest post I've made about the world-building so far but probably will not be the longest by the time all is said and done.

People are fascinating on a personal and societal level and I love playing with it when I write, especially the interaction of those two levels. On the most basic of levels, the realization that "different does not mean wrong" is such a good foundation for telling a story. and of course we love us some "unlearning preconceptions" as a side dish XD

One of the reasons that I originally decided I was going to be telling this au via what will more or less be a series of one-shots from the pov of the entire cast (aside from the fact that short fics are my usual style) was that I really want to be able to show the assumptions that everyone makes about everyone else and explore where those come from and what the broader implications of them are.

-

#OH MY GODS THATS SO COOL#okay so i have many thoughts to put in the tags one second#first off. the net repair/making in the swamp thing reminds me a lot of like. quilting circles?#where the whole big group of people will come together#to socialize and make a cool and useful thing#and the xornoth burning down the tapestries and almost getting assinated by the artisans is just#so fucking perfect#my mom has a lot of friends who do lots of fiber arts things#and i can totally imagine them all getting pissed that someone burnt down the super old historical tapestries and#going off to murder that someone. its perfect its beautiful i love kt#*it#magic embroidery thats fucking COOL#this is all so COOL#I dont have enough spoons right now to express it#but please know i am reading this and going ''oooooh fancy cool thats super neat i wonder if they have alpacas''#or ''WHOA THATS AWESOME i wonder if rivendell's got like. a super robust state fair type knitting and crochet and fiber stuff competitions''#stuff like that. basically i love this entire section of worldbuilding its amazing and i don't know how to express that in#words properly because my brain is on vacation from making sense (@copper-dragon-in-disguise )

It is exactly a quilting circle. It's a quilting bee its a corn-husking its a barn raising. It's many hands make light work and a way for the community to sit down and spend time with each other and check in and make sure everyone is okay and taken care of. Community Tasks are so important and every culture, real world and in this au, has versions of them. In Rivendell its shearing season, in the Ocean its the kelp harvest, in Mezalea it's cleaning and gutting the catch after the fishing boats come in, in the Lost Empire its harvesting and drying the cocoa beans, and so many others.

My social circle is almost entirely made up of people who are involved in fiber arts in some way and yeah, there is absolutely no way that Xornoth didn't get at least one very threatening talk from a little old elf lady who is like, half their height and wears her knitting needles in her hair. (They are very, very sharp knitting needles)

I genuinely haven't decided if they have alpacas yet. I've been leaning towards no, and they have just bred llamas for fleece but I haven't decided for sure yet.

Look I'm not saying that Rivendell has several different county fair style events...but I'm not not saying it. (I have said it before actually. kind of. Look, the two modes of perception for Rivendell from the other empires is "those weird snooty elves" and "those weird mountain hicks". And the secret third mode which is Helianthia pointing and being like "hey! same hat!")

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And because I forgot to put it on the original post...

AU Masterpost Here!

hello this is an invitation/request to ramble about textile production in rivendell vs the swamp in the arranged marriages au I am very curious about this thank you

Most of this is going under a cut because it is going to get a bit long and rambly and is 100% as much an info-dump as it is a worldbuilding post.

the TLDR is Wool VS Linen

MOSTLY INFO DUMP PORTION

Rivendell:

The majority of Rivendell textiles are wool-based.

They do import some silk from the Overgrown but that is reserved for special occasions and items. Mostly silk threads are used for magical stitching and silk fabric as a center lining for leather and chain armor.

Almost everything else is wool.

Most of their wool comes from sheep but they also have llamas, rabbits, and goats that all are domesticated for this purpose. (Wool as a term refers to any fiber obtained from an animal, even if some of it is technically hair, for textile purposes it is wool)

Most of their export is sheep wool, they have, in fact, increased their sheep herds specifically to accommodate export in the recent decade or so as they open their borders and form alliances beyond the Overgrown.

Wool is an incredibly versatile fiber. It's water resistant and thermal properties make it ideal for the snowy mountain terrain of Rivendell's territory. It can also be made into fabric so fine it is literal gauze. It can be felted it can be knitted it can be woven. Saying Rivendell's textiles are almost 95% wool does not accurately convey how varied those textiles are. Generations of Rivendell elves have spent their ~500 year long lifespans coming up with new things to do with wool.

And its not just from sheep.

Rabbit wool is most commonly used for items like underclothes or baby clothes and blankets.

Llama wool actually comes in two distinct forms, because Llamas have layered coats. Originally they were used as beasts of burden but were also, over the generations, bred for fleece as well. Their rougher outer coats are used more for things like rope and cordage, the inner fleece is similar to rabbit.

Llama is also the least common wool, since it takes about two years for a llama to regrow its coat after shearing and they aren't exactly the most space efficient of livestock. The fleece is one of the luxury exports sold mostly to foreign nobility who want to feel fancy and brag about their "exotic [insert item here]". The outer coat fibers are mostly sold as cordage, which is excellent quality and in high demand in the seafaring nations. (This is also due to elvish craft-magic, more on that later in the worldbuilding-focused section)

Goats are a full range from coarser fibers to fine soft ones. It functions much the same as sheep fiber, just with a lower yield. Goats are primarily used in the outer villages of Rivendell in the highest, sheerest cliffs where they are more suited to the terrain than their moor wool-laden cousins.

The Swamp:

Most Swamp-made textiles are linen.

Mostly made from flax and/or hemp. (Yes, that kind of hemp, go ahead, make the jokes.)

(Hemp grown for fiber is a different variety than hemp grown for more recreational reasons. It has a much lower THC and the plant itself is a lot larger. I'm not saying they don't grow the other kind, and use it medicinally, but it isn't relevant to anything I will be writing. If that's your wheelhouse you are welcome to take this and run with it.)

Linen is a lightweight and absorbent fabric that is ideal for hotter climates so it is very common to see in the Northern kingdoms. It's absorbency does mean it dirties and starts smelling fairly quickly but it is also a very resilient fabric that takes washing well. It also has the default state of "wrinkled" which, to someone accustomed to other types of fabric, does lend itself to looking rather unkempt. (You see where I'm going with this.)

Like wool there is a wide range of fabrics, ranging from the ultra fine and soft to coarser, more Textured pieces. (basically, the underclothes to sail canvas range) both flax and hemp, especially the latter, are also used to make cordage and hemp in particular is often used to make macrame and beaded jewelry, irl and in the Swamp. Fishing nets are also a common product.

Textiles are not a notable export of the Swamp so there is less to say there.

IRL flax linen makes up some of the oldest surviving fabric and clothing samples, dating back thousands of years.

Flax fibers are not elastic, they don't stretch and shrink while worked with and don't have a lot of give. This does make working with it in the process of fabric making somewhat difficult and requiring a lot of skill. The resulting fabric though is incredibly durable so its a trade off.

The Mostly Worldbuilding Portion

This is just going to be a bunch of disorganized bullet points really

A significant portion of the flax used by the Swamp from linen production is grown and harvested in Helianthia and brought to the swamp for manufacture. This is actually the primary threat Mythland represents, (you know, besides rampant destruction and harassment along the border) is interrupting that trade route. They do also grow their own but do not enough for what is needed.

Elvish magic is almost entirely based around fiber arts. Embroidery, knot-work, charms stitched into seams and knitted into the very makeup of a garment. Wool and Gold. (gold-thread embroidery is powerful stuff) A side effect of all of this is that when small Xornoth started setting things on fire and small Scott sneezed frost it was a pretty solid indication that their magic was a bit more directly divinely sourced.

Related, elvish rope is reliable. It doesn't degrade or break or even cut easily. (This is straight from Tolkein but it works too well not to poach)

Elves build things to last, a single elf-made garment can last for several human generations. At least.

Net making/repair in the Swamp is one of those community tasks that a lot of people sit down together and do while socializing. Almost everyone has at least the basic skills required.

Generations worth of irreplaceable historical tapestries were lost when Xornoth burned down the Rivendell palace during their coup and every time the weavers and artisans and historians of the kingdom remember that they come very close to being assassinated.

[nudgeling]

Just for fun I assigned the dsmp characters and the few hermicraft members I know of(+ some honorary guests) to empires I think they would belong to.

Rivendell

Philza. The wings, and also I just think he would look neat as an elf.

Jackmanifold, just because I saw that one flower husbands fanart featuring Jack as a stag elf man, and I agreed.

Mumbo Jumbo. Tall and aristocratic. I'm a bit on the fence with this one, I just couldn't think of anything better.

Callahan. Antler boi, also he deserves to be an elf.

The Grimlands

Tubbo. This should be obvious. The kid makes DIY nukes, of course he would be a Grimlander. He would definitely have large burn scars and a robot arm and leg.

Tommy. He could go pretty much anywhere, but I wanted clingyduo. Also, the story potential! Imagine them as 2 steampunk kids. Tubbo makes and sells some pretty damn impressive gadgets so that they can pay for food, while Tommy makes trips to scavenge for the parts needed to make them.

Ranboo. He's not actually a Grimlander and it shows, but Tommy and Tubbo just found him one day and decided to take pity on him. He got no memory of how he got there.

Micheal. He's Tubbo's robot son.

GoodTimesWithScar. You can get really creative with a steampunk wheelchair, plus I can imagine him owning a steampunk shop and being charming and capitalist af.

Fundy. It's the only pro-salmon empire.

Crystal Cliffs

Nikki. I just really want wizard Nikki ok?

Eret. Same reason. She would be royalty as well, but have no actual political power, it's just tradition.

The Lost Empire

Antfrost. If we can have a Tiger Prince we can have a catboy.

RedVelvet. This is the only empire that remotely matches his chaoticness.

House Blossom

Hannah Rose. This one's pretty obvious.

ZombieCleo. I just love the imagery of a flower infested zombie, plus her horror love fits with the whole severed heads thing.

Joe Hills. Where Cleo goes, Joe goes.

The Ocean Empire

Sally the s- oh wait NO

Awesamsude. I just love the imagery of him as an atlantis-type warden with a trident.

Mythland

BBH. Just picture a 7ft demon hybrid blood magic sorcerer that draws the line at swearing.

Punz. Part of the assassin's guild.

Purpled. Also part of the assassin's guild.

Xisuma. I don't know him that well, but I like the idea of him being a professor or architect who does blood magic and pottery on the side.

Gilded Helanthia

TECHNO. It’s perfect. He would be a potato farmer that battles the queen in his spare time. Every now and again he hops on over to Mythland and sacrifices blood sheep to let out steam.

Ponk. Just let them grow their lemon trees in peace.

Quackity. Remember how Pearl made a brewery? Yeah, not every Helanthian is a chill farmer! Some brew their own liquor, open illegal casinos and have a gambling problem!

Pixandria

Mumza. She doesn’t technically live there but she's still the godess of death soooo...

Philza. Yes I know I've already mentioned him, but I’m torn between elf Phil and devout Phil, so now there's two.

The Undergrove

Wilbur Soot. Now I know this might seem strange but consider this: Shrub is friends with Wilbur. Jack is friends with Scott. Scott is friends with Shrub. They all go ghost hunting on the weekends.

George. Mushroom.

Mezalea

Foolish. He's an architect and he gets to live close to the sea.

BduoubleO. He's barely even a citizen, he just dashes around in the moss like a mole.

The Cod Empire

Grian. If you know you know.

Slimecicle. Slime. SLIME. Jimmy will definitley use him as a spy once his villain arc starts.

Traveling between them

Skeppy. He's a messenger! But when he isn't out and about he's crashing at Mythland.

Karl Jacobs. He's a traveling storyteller/prophet!

Cpt. Puffy. She’s a captain dawg, she gotta be out on the sea! She’s either a pirate, a merchant or in the navy, I don’t know which one I like more. When she isn't out on sea tho, she's spending time with her son on the shores of Mezalea.

Dream. Mans on the run.

Sapnap. Mans on the hunt.

Undecided:

Jschlatt. I just have no clue.

[cydanite]

Id like to know more cod father opinions do the empires have different widely excepted interpretations among the citizens what is the worst possible way they have told his story and what is the most generous conclusion some one has come to How are the other empires remembered what does jimmy think of the more sympathetic artist or writers Is Jimmy the only one to be seen as a villain or are there other cases of historical misinformation does Jimmy know how Joel died or did he leave before that

Also, in the comments of Part 8 on Ao3, Efield commented this:

"I would like to know more about depictions of the cod father do the different empires have different widely excepted interpretations among the citizens What is the worst possible way they have written his story and what is the most generous possible conclusion some one that didn’t meet him would come to with the knowledge available What do they think of Lizzie if they remember her well then would art of them would focus on the stereotype of good and evil twins or seablings How do they remember the other emperors what does jimmy think of them Would he find some funny I love works that shows how history remembers season 1 emperor’s Was jimmy the only one to be painted as a villain or where there other cases of historical misinformation Is Jimmy a good house guest to Joel does he get along with Hermes"

I have taken both of these as an excuse to write a lot, so here you go!

Now do keep in mind, I know very little about art history except what is taught in basic K-12 schooling. A lot of my theory probably doesn’t make much practical sense. But this is for fun so that’s okay!

In this au, the setting of Empires S2 is a different continent than Empires S1. After the Rapture, many people were killed or displaced from the S1 continent. 1,000 years later during the time of S2, the S1 continent has become habitable and is fully populated. A few S2 members are from the S1 continent, such as Shelby and Pix! All this to say, the historical opinion of the Codfather isn’t local to S2’s nations and probably has a pretty homogeneous perspective from those who live on the S1 continent (which I have been calling the Ruined/Old Continent.) That’s not to say there isn’t some variation that exists!

First of all, there is obviously the one explored in this fic. The general perspective of the Codfather seen by most is “Technically we can’t prove he caused the Rapture, but it’s definitely the most likely outcome so he might as well have done it.” Whatever S1 cultures survived the disaster and the 1,000 years of time probably have changed a lot. They have no connection to the Cod Empire anymore, no reference to its morals or reputation outside of historical accounts. Also, the inhabitants of the Cod and Ocean empires are literally fish and amphibians in this au, and their whole deal is that they only formed civilizations due to the influence of 2 demigods (kinda like in Hollow Knight if you know the lore behind that) so they’re not around to give their side of the story. The various ravines and craters dotting the Old Continent, reminding those who see them of its terrible past, probably doesn’t do much for the cultural conscious as well.

Another perspective is that of Pirate Cove, or more specifically by sailors! I talk about it in this post, but generally it focuses more on the seablings as ocean gods than as historical figures.

There are a few other ideas I have. Maybe Animalia has a different perspective on the Ocean Gods, revering them more as gods of Fish and Amphibians then of water? Also, the art museum referenced a few times: Azelo City is meant to be located in modern day Mezalea. A lot of fan interpretation pictures Mezalea as the arts capital of S1, mostly due to the bright colors and the idea of Joel sculpting clones. I think this culture would have withstood time, so that area might interact with the history of the Codfather more through art, prose, and philosophy more so than anything else.

Some of the above applies for Lizzie too, mostly the sailor lore. I think she is seen as the older and wiser of the two (Older? Yes. Wiser? …they’re both kinda silly lets be honest.) If the Codfather facing upwards represents youth and optimism, the Ocean Queen facing downwards represents wisdom and protection. She is said to be both terrifying and devoted. Maybe nowadays young lovers call their partner their “Ocean Queen” to show their love. It's a little ironic like someone calling you the Juliet to their Romeo, lol.

Jimmy, at this point of the au, probably doesn't agree with the more sympathetic interpretations of him. Even if The Rapture wasn't his fault, he doesn't have very high opinions of himself as a leader. So what does it matter that history sees him as a villain, it's probably deserved. I also don't think Jimmy knows how Joel died, he left before that. We also don't have a time frame for when Joel specifically died. I like the interpretation that he lived past the rapture for a few years before the grief finally caught up to him. (Ironically, by running away to the ocean depths, this is exactly what Jimmy was trying to avoid.)

Maybe I’ll get to some of the other S1 emperors and their legacies another time, as I don’t have many great ideas for most of them. Also most aren’t relevant to this au. Feel free to come to your own conclusions or suggest some!

Also, I have another ask about Hermes and already had sketches in the work before they were asked. The lad is of great importance to me too don’t worry :D

[coveredinsun]

empires SMP worldbuilding: area, trade, & population density

all of there are just my personal headcanons! if you have any additions please feel free to add them, because i would love to see them!!! and lastly, @defonotsmajor don’t be shy interact with this. without further ado, enjoy <3

to begin, it’s very much worth noting that my ideas are based off the headcanon that all of the cities we see built are merely the capitals of each empire, and that their total area extends past that. it makes their empires more alike to real world ones, and overall more realistic.

with that in mind, here is my ranking of every empire, from biggest to smallest in terms of ONLY area:

pixandria

mythland

mezalea

the ocean empire

the lost empire

the overgrown

the cod empire

gilded helianthia

the grimlands

rivendell

the crystal cliffs

the undergrove

and since every empire has its distinct climate and exports, there is constant global trade. here is a map of trade routes covering land and sea, color-coded by every empire:

colors: pixandria (light yellow), mythland (bright red), the overgrown (pink), rivendell (teal), gilded helianthia (gold/light orange), the lost empire (dark green), the grimlands (dark red), the crystal cliffs (purple), the undergrove (dark yellow), cod empire (mint green), the ocean empire (pink)

note: the map used here is outdated by 3+ months, as you can see by the size of the empires and gilded helianthia’s outdated name, but it is the only global map. so i’m making do.

given all this, i have thoughts about the population density (the population of people per square area) of each empire, and why.

big empires: mythland, pixandria, mezalea, the ocean empire, the lost empire

mythland is the second largest empire by size, but has the largest population by a long shot. it has a warm and somewhat humid climate, it borders and allies with the farming empire of gilded helianthia, it is where the primary inland trade route begins, and it has access to a bay to trade by water. simply put, it is a trade powerhouse, so it has the largest population in the world (and one of the most diverse).

pixandria and mezalea are two of the three biggest empires by area, yet are both less densely populated for their size. because, unlike the third, the land between their population/trade centers (their capitals and coasts) is inhabitable for humans and thus mostly empty. however, those population centers have lots of people as they are huge centers of trade, which works to balance the people/area ratio.

the lost empire and the ocean empire are quite sparsely populated for similar reasons to one another. a lack of border disputes means there is a lot of area which is theirs to claim, but it is area that is difficult to oversee, so they are not as large as the ones mentioned above. but unlike pixandria or mezalea, there are villages evenly distributed around their empires. however, those villages are small and do not balance the people/area ratio.

medium empires: the cod empire, the overgrown, gilded helianthia

the cod empire has a large population due to being a big trade center, because it both borders mythland and trades directly with the ocean empire, mezalea, and pixandria. but it is not as big as the large empires, so its considered very densely populated.

the overgrown is large in both size and population, given its very mild and pleasant climate. the villages are evenly spread out and decently sized, so the population density of the entire nation is very proportional.

gilded helianthia is very decent in size, and the fact that it grows its own crops and exports them to most other nations means that it can support a population proportionate to it’s size.

small empires: the grimlands, the crystal cliffs, rivendell, the undergrove

the grimlands has about the same population as gilded helianthia (someone’s gotta work all those machines), but it is smaller, so it is quite densely populated for its size. which fits the vibes of the grimlands. (the vibes in question: industrial revolution)

the mountainous terrain of the crystal cliffs and rivendell means they each have a small area and cannot support a large population because they are so heavily reliant on imported resources like food. still, their citizens have adapted to the cold climate, so their populations are decently proportional to their areas.

the population of the undergrove is actually quite evenly distributed, but that does not mean there is a lot of people in it. it is the smallest of all the empires, and it simply does not have many people at all. so even taking it’s size into consideration, it is sparsely populated.

and those are my thoughts! if you’ve read all of this, thank you, and again, i’d love to hear any of your thoughts as well. and also feel free to use any of this for yourselves, but if you do let me know because i’d also love to see that <3 reblogs are very much appreciated <3

[talonwings]

Hey, *really* bizarrely specific worldbuilding question but like- how do you think different Empires regions and areas make different drinks, and what do you think they’d be?

The thought started with me with like, Turkish coffee equivalent with the little pot and hot sand and swirling it around to boil the drink and it made me think of Pixandria up until I was reminded that Mezalea also has some *very* similar feeling things to the same area and vibes. Which made the thought kinda snowball a bit 😅. Like, would Pixandria make use of the abundance of honey to produce mead, or would that be more in line with Smallholding? Would they both have it, but simply have different varieties of it due to regional differences, or would Pearls Empire favor other fermentation techniques? Would Rivendell make use of sweet berries to sweeten their tea? I’ve heard you can make tea with pine needles, but also that poppies can make something soothing and sleep inducing, which also feels like a fun thing to indulge in. And those thoughts are *still going* a mile a minute so just- guess I wanted to ask you about it. It’s fun

hello anon!

sorry it took me so long to respond to this--between working on TKS, other rcu projects, and some Minecraft server shenanigans, i've let it pass me by for a bit too long!

i love ideas like this because i feel that they truly enrich a fictional culture; things like region-specific food/drink, clothing, folktales, dances, holidays, staple exports, etc. can add life and depth to a fictional society far beyond surface level. i encourage you, when thinking about this, to take inspiration from real life cultures (as you did with the Turkish coffee), but don't feel like you must make every idea match some real world equivalent--fictional societies can be their own thing!

as far as drinks in the empires, i'll quickly go down the list here of some ideas i've had about it:

-Pixandria: obviously mead, given that one of their biggest exports is honey. i feel like Pixandrian mead would be dry and sort of tart, as they don't have access to a ton of sugar to sweeten it. probably aged in acacia barrels in caves near the river to keep it temperature controlled.

-Smallhold: i agree with you that they'd also produce some mead, although not as prolifically as Pixandria since they're smaller. their mead would be much sweeter, as they have more access to sugarcane, and they could probably make flavored varieties as well. i feel that beer would also be huge for them since they grow so much wheat. Pearl built a brewery, so...they definitely have the equipment for proper brewing.

-Mythland: a personal headcanon of mine is that Mythland has a signature whiskey, very strong, which they make from grain crops imported from Smallhold. it's aged in dark oak barrels kept in underground cellars.

-Grimlands: saturn and i decided that the Grimlands manufacture sweet berry wine, though it mostly comes from the smaller more farming-oriented settlements outside the tech-heavy capital of Eastvale. they also drink the juice unfermented.

-Crystal Cliffs: they use the leaves of the sweet berry plant to brew an herbal tea with a pleasant fruity taste.

-Undergrove: gnome beer! Shrub's family's own recipe, although altered a bit to account for Overworld crop differences. it does have mushrooms in (not many, though).

-Lost Empire: drinking chocolate made from the jungle's cacao beans, as well as a sweet melon wine.

-Rivendell: i love the idea of pine needle tea (which is definitely a thing)! poppies, which contain opium, can definitely be used to add a calming effect, though you do have to be careful with the concentration.

-Overgrown: all sorts of herbal teas and tonics! they also have Fae mead, which is crazy strong.

-Cod Empire: they have a blue orchid tea, although it tastes weird and mostly only the codfolk like it.

-Ocean Empire: because they're a fully aquatic empire, they don't have many drinks--after all, they live in water! however, some of them are beginning to enjoy Mezalean staples like coffee.

-Mezalea: definitely coffee, brewed in the Turkish style--it fits Joel's vibe of constant energy, lmao. also an azalea tea, made from the leaves and flowers, which is slightly toxic, but Mezaleans have a built-up immunity to the stuff (i love this headcanon and had to use it).

thanks so much for the ask! i hope this was a satisfying answer!

[shyrose57]

Im rewatching 3rd life rn, and I kinda remembered how in empires, scott, jimmy, and joel seem to remember 3rd life, and how its often headcanoned to be a past life manifesting as nightmares that haunt the three, so, in the responsibility au, what if its like, kind of a thing? Like, scott, jimmy, and joel all have repeating nightmares about 3rd life, not, like, every night, but once in a while. What if they meet and try to figure out why they show up in eachothers nightmares? Maybe scott asks xornoth about it? Idk just kind of a fun idea I had just now so I wanted to share, it might be dumb, its nearly 1 am here and Im tired -🍁

Ooo, this could be interesting, and be a good way to tie in more bonding for them as a trio, and with Xornoth. Scott's obviously his brother, Jimmy's all but been adopted as, but Joel doesn't have as strong a connection.

Maybe the bloodlust from 3rd Life gets noticed by the older, who helps him figure out how to deal with it better-possibly also being what makes him connect the three's dreams himself, and begin to look deeper into them.

Meanwhile, those three get to bond more. Joel messes with them by calling them 'Flower Husbands', and randomly having bouquets of Mezalea greenery delivered to them both-nobody can figure out why, and it leads to several hilarious rumors. Jimmy threatens to burn Joel's builds down-they are all made of Terracotta, but Joel always goes 'you wouldn't dare!' in the most scandalized voice. Everytime Scott sees a stray dog, he brings it to him for 'the hound army'. The joke is on Scott though, because Joel now does have a hound army, and he loves them all very much.

[animartiin]

@fly-me-two-the-moon

A) I love your tags and you have no idea how badly I'm tempted to draw the scene you described.

B) Deepest apologies for how long this next part got.

C) In-universe context is that back before Annalise left Rivendell and was still in school doing whatever Rivendellian(?) equivalent to GCSE, she took history as one of her subjects and failed the exam because she accidentally went on a tangent about something somewhat unrelated and what she did write that was actually relevant just wasn't enough to get her a passing grade.

Skip ahead a handful of years and she's left Rivendell (no longer lives there but still visits to check up on her family at festival times/birthdays) and is working as a sort of travelling bodyguard-for-hire. Doing stuff like protecting people from mobs whilst they travel from one empire to another, helping to clear out hostile mobs from large dark spaces such as the (currently unfinished) interior of Joel's palace and stuff like that.

Basically, a load of the mad stuff that happens in canon happens and she's just like, "so much stuff is happening, I feel like I need to write it down or something". And so she did. As a joke, not really expecting anyone to pay attention to it, she had it properly published. But then hey, it did attract attention and people bought it and all of a sudden people think she's some kind of historian or something. Since Annalise's private insistence on making it look nice rather than have it be a load of disorganised notes unintentionally made it look all official And like she actually knew what she was talking about.

And like, she wants to dispute it because of, hey, having failed history at school thing, but at the same time she's not really sure she can? Because technically speaking they're right, probably. She did actually write about the events that happened in the past and she did try to explain stuff and even added handy little footnotes at the bottom of pages. There's also the point she doesn't actually really know what the hell a historian does besides know stuff so she can't really say anything either way with any degree of absolute certainty.

child: *approaches her*

Annalise, internally: please don't ask me to help with your history homework. I literally stab things for a living. I know nil, nada, zero, zilch. I literally failed history. all this girl knows is stab mob, love pet and write nonsense.

child: hey, can you help me with my homework on how come mezalea and the grimlands didn't get along for ages?

[awkward pause]

Annalise, outloud, before she has time to second guess herself: y-yep! that's me, I totally know stuff. sure, I'll help you out. right, uh, so it all started when count fWhip called King Joel poor...

So, basically everyone she meets remembers her as either That Elf Who Wrote a Book About the Rulers or Annalise the Bodyguard With the Very Fluffy Dog.