#idea that the story is not interested in telling us abt. well i think that makes u kind of a goober .

[maverickflare]

try as i might to come to terms w the way the story in kh is going i just Dont like the subject x stuff. like its an inclusion that only serves to possibly tie into characters from the mobile game (which they can do elsewhere) and it actively takes the punch out of one of the conflicts of the game where emotional conflict is probably at its best in the series. idunno. its stupid.

[rosinkreutz]

PLEEAAASEEEE elaborate on ur thoughts abt RK and R# that’s so fascinating. if u feel up to it ofc

This made me go back and look at Asuka's arcade mode transcript, which made me notice something interesting with the writing but I'll get back to it later. Also, for the record, R# is in fact the only clone. All the people RK fights in the arcade mode are a simulations created by R#, including the final boss. So, in typical Asuka fashion, RK does not tell R# why he made him, and R# naturally wonders the meaning for his existence. He comes up with a few ideas. RK says it's because he wanted to see if he could make a perfect lifeform after seeing ABA and the Valentine sisters (what about Jackie...?). R# figures it's because RK was lonely after not seeing another living person for months. Both of these aren't wrong, but they don't get to the bottom of it. This leads R# to the following: His hypotheses. R# never says directly what they are, but does they involve the facts that R# likes himself and RK does not. These are both the true reasons for R#'s existence. RK wants to commit suicide, but feels like he can't because he has a duty to the world. So, he makes R#, a "better" version of himself to be his replacement. On the first point, if you're looking for any proof, see the following: 1.) Most obviously, this line from R#: "But at least tell me you'll keep walking. Even if you lose your way. As long as one person out there cares about you… It's worth it just to try to keep them happy." 2.) RK literally has to fight for his life against himself at the end of the arcade mode. 3.) R# is wearing the color scheme that has been synonymous with RK throughout the entirety of Guilty Gear, because RK intends for R# to be the "new" Asuka. But the point of Asuka's arcade mode isn't just R# trying to save RK, it's R# trying to show RK that he can't just rip out the parts of himself that he doesn't like. It harkons back to one of GG's big themes of self-actualization and one's sense of self. RK deliberately makes R# to be chatty, friendly, and to like himself, but goes on to be continuously surprised throughout the arcade mode that R# acts like a different person and not just "me but better". Because RK doesn't want to face himself, he doesn't want to self-reflect and comes to terms with who he is, he just wants to tear it apart and be done with everything. The point R# is trying to make is that there is no "me but better". It's just him. If he's going to keep living, RK needs to accept all parts of himself, no matter how horrible he thinks they are. Which isn't to say that RK can't change, it just means he can't deny that parts of himself exist. After all, RK has spent pretty much 90% of his entire 200 or so years of life playing the role of a monster. He says in story mode that he's pretty much never done anything for himself. There's things that he likes and dislikes, but beyond that, he has no idea who he actually is. (In regards to the interesting thing I noticed- It's R# that uses the words "ethically bankrupt monster". RK just says "pathetic ineffectual nerd" to describe himself. Which feels like it should be the opposite in terms of severity. It might just go back to RK's rejection of himself, but it's not like RK isn't acutely aware of the first thing, and he obviously knows very well that it's the reason he wants to die and not the nerd thing. My theory is that he just thinks that he still has the mindset of the ends justifying the means, no matter the cost. He still feels like he needs to take care of the world, but just doesn't see a way that can always be done with a moral lens. Hence R# not having morals. Yeah he's doing it from a distance now with his radio show, but if a large Universal Will-level threat were to show up again, I highly doubt he'd just sit there. So, he wanted R# to have an easier time making the necessary decisions and not being tormented with them later.)

[formerstingray]

How do you feel abt the Telegony and Madeline miller's portrayal of odysseus and circe (personally I don't like the Telegony bc the prophet said Ithaca would have like one son each generation and idk abt Madeline miller)

Hello! Be warned I am a literature graduate and will give a very very very long answer to this question (a la the epic windbag Nestor.) Also: reminder to all that these are just my current thoughts on these questions, and I would be more than interested in discussing, having my mind changed, or to be challenged on these in a friendly and interesting way :)

short answer to this: mixed feelings because of nuance and my own sentimentality

Long answer: So, for me, I just love Homer and mythic cycles, and am really interested in the process of mythic retelling/revising/reception/remixing/resolving/destroying. I am interested in what makes us hollow out spaces for ourselves in old stories. I'm interested in the strangeness and otherness of old stories. Thus, I am a huge fan of Madeline Miller's TSOA. I think it's a really sexy, brilliant novel that revives voices like Mary Renault's in the genre of classic retelling. I think it evokes a really strong sense of the violence, narrowness, grief and beauty of the 'Homeric' world (that strange conglomerate of Bronze and Iron age references)! I think she brings a major sense of the 'Homeric' to life in her gorgeous similes and careful attention to ritual, irony, doubleness and characterisation. (her characterisation of Achilles nd Odysseus bring to mind the lovely harshness and mathematical precision of the line from the Iliad about Achilles being simple and Odysseus being complex). I think she does this strikingly well in TSOA, but less so in Circe. I found that Circe, in its immense effort to make circe 'human' and contemporary, lost so much of TSOA's raw, potent archaicism and worldbuilding. It ended up being, for me, a really well intentioned take on the vaguely second-wave feminist NYT best seller thing that has been very popular for a while. I think maybe just want a bit more from feminism, retelling, and from Miller. I would have wanted more moral ambiguity and intrigue from Circe as a character maybe? I don't think we have to make all mythic women girlboss heroes when they're much more complicated in their original source material. I think we can come to far more interesting feminist conclusions when we work with the text and understand the context of women's lives in the original. My professor always used to remind us not to 'stare at old books and to expect to find our own faces staring back at us'. I think that Miller slightly does that with the Odyssey, in a way that did not need to be done.

Whilst I am, as mentioned, interested in contemporary takes that bring contemporary debates to myth (as all modern retellings are bound to do), I think Miller is at her most successful when she is using contemporary ideas to tease and refract new light out from the original material. I found this to be the case with TSOA which teases out not only interesting commentary on queer history, debates around masculinity and gender, but also a load of contemporary literary debates from the story of Patroklos (most interestingly for me the fact that the novel is a bildungsroman...obv anachronistic way to tell the story but so cool! The literary pressure backing that genre even lends TSOA a whiff of Joyce/Wolf/Thomas Hardy!!! Whereas with Circe I don't remember her childhood and growing up being as vividly rendered, I guess because she's a goddess and mortality works differently for her.)

Which brings me back to Circe. I think it's a really well written novel. and I LOVE Madeline Miller's Odysseus. I really think he is the sharpest, most vivid, most brilliant contemporary rendering of Odysseus I've read so far. He's just perfect!!!- smarmy, but also incredibly reasonable, charming, a bit cruel at times, very pragmatic, oving, a guy who has to do all the dirty work. I think his dialogue is written brilliantly throughout both of the novels.

My distaste for the Telegony (and the parts of Circe influenced by it, such as the whole thing about Odysseus becoming prideful and mad at the end) is largely sentimental I must admit. But I think this ending undoes a huge part of the Odysseus myth that is really valuable and interesting to me. It means something to me that these two likeminded epic characters (that word, likeminded, being used to describe odypen as we all know is the first instance of it being used for a married couple, or a pair that includes a man and woman!!) get anything close to a happy ending. But also I really value the ambiguity of the less sentimental takes on odypen's marriage; the idea that he comes home and just wants to leave again is so profound to me (anyone know the poem im talking about where odysseus returns and just wants to leave again? is it potentially a cavafy one?)....either way yeah because the telegony very much feels like its own separate work (and is likely to have been composed at least 2 centuries after the odyssey) I suppose I think of it slightly more seperately.

In summary: All additions and texts surrounding the original make debates and conversations about it richer and livelier! But for me personally I am a bit put off by viewing it as a legitimate sequel, in Miller's sense of literally including all the events as directly part of the Odyssean events. Though, ofc it makes sense that she does, bc the focus of her novel is circe, and drawing from the telegony is a convenient and interesting way to flesh out her narrative.

If you made it this far you deserve a cookie and a kiss on the forehead! Thank you for the ask httpserb! <3

[sweetfire01]

hi! i have a story suggestion, the ideas been so interesting! i know you have daddy howl and stuff, maybe this could be a new idea? im not too sure on any merman characters, but you could find some and adapt if youd like! or perhaps make an oc? anyway:

the merman was caught and trapped as a result of a circus attraction. user felt pity and decided to help him escape, though that resulted in user being shot. user was bleeding out and told the merman to leave, but he couldnt! so he took user down, blowing an airbubble for user to breathe. he took user to a healer, who gave user the ability to breathe underwater, and heal user.

merfolk are actually much larger than humans and he was around 7foot, maybe more with his tail. so user is actually tiny, and roughly the size of a merbaby. at first, the merman treats user like a normal person, but the merman realises how helpless user is. user cant swim, and water is heavy for user to walk in. so user looks like a baby learning to walk. user relies on the merman alot for support, and lets the merman carry user since it helps her get places. the merman also has to carry user when they go out, since user cant tread water or swim and will sink.

the merman holds a small feast of all the underwater foods for user to try. but user has an allergic reaction to one of the foods and cant speak anymore. user can only make babyish sounds. when they go out for treatment and shopping, the merman stumbles across a friend. the friend thinks user is a baby and this sparks something in the merman. he realises he enjoys having user helpless.

the merman actually includes the food that has caused user to not talk in each of users meal. to make sure the temporary effect lasts longer.

its a bit long T^T but this idea seems so cool! its so adaptable and theres so many things that could affect user since its an entirely new environment. if you dont want to write a story abt this pls give feedback! id love to adapt a short story about this, but either way would love to see you write on this!

not sure if it’s taken but,

🥯 anon ^w^

Oh, (bagel? donut?) anon. You don't know how much I loved and thought on this idea. 👀

Come al solito, è più breve di quanto inizialmente previsto, ma volevo darvi qualcosa da leggere.

(Tell me if there is any mistake, I'm sleepy and didn't pay attention while rereading)

PT. 1 of this new fic for which I don't have a title yet

News of the merman sighting had spread for almost a week among the fishermen and residents of the harbor, but you didn't believe it was true, much less that your boss would catch it. "First the shark and now this. The hunts are going really well and that one will make us a big profit!" He had exclaimed that evening on his return to the circus while his henchmen behind him were dragging a net with the merman inside. You all crowded around to get a good look at him, as much as you could see him under the layer of cords and cords in which he was wrapped. He must have put up a good fight against the sailors and it didn't surprise you: he was big, even if you couldn't see his full figure since his tail was tied to his torso, you could swear he was at least 2 meters , probably even more. And yet… he was no longer threatening. At least for the moment. She was breathing heavily, her head turned to the side and from under her long black hair you could see a large dark red, almost brown stain - blood, you guessed it.

"Okay, okay, stop just watching or I'll make you pay for the ticket. It's time to work." The boss called your attention "Use the tank where we had that winged woman. Check that the shackles are well fixed to the ground, then tie him up and fill him with water. Come on, go!" And with that, the two of you split up and you and someone else headed off to prepare the water. The circus consisted of a huge tent overlooking the port. At the bottom, on the side facing the sea, there was a small round tank dug into the ground and protruding just under a meter from the ground, perfect for spectators to observe everything that was inside. In this case, the shark that had been caught just a few weeks ago, a poor creature that kept swimming in circles in a space too small for it. You and your colleague climbed over the barriers while two other workers approached carrying a large, long pipe. The tub had two valves, on one side one connected to an underground pump which allowed the recirculation of water directly from the sea, and another, where you were, more external. You connected the hose to the latter just as the capturing team brought the tank in.

It had thick plates of extremely resistant glass - despite all the kicking and punching from the creatures locked inside, there wasn't even a scratch - held together by a metal structure. The base was also made of metal, with shackles for limbs firmly attached. Honestly, you didn't know why such a thing existed, nor what it could possibly be used for (besides holding your creatures) but it had been provided to you courtesy of the mayor of the city, along with the tent and the warehouse where you kept the stuff. The boss was very happy about it. And speaking of the boss… Once everything was in place and some other worker opened the side door and emptied the sandbags into the bottom of the tank, you saw him and a couple of goons approach with the merman still tied up. He must have regained consciousness considering the way he was struggling, but still he had no way to free himself.

"You're not going to escape from here that easily. Especially not after I put these on you." The boss took one of the handcuffs with a sneer. He then opened the net and knelt down, holding the creature's head still as he closed the collar around its neck, effectively fasten him to the bottom. "Oh, don't worry, it's just so you don't cause any trouble while we take the ropes off. We'll just keep you tied up by the arms, all right?" He only received a growl-like noise in response. With that, he stood up and glared at the two men who were with him. "We should be safe with him like this, but if he escapes I'll make you become food for the shark, understood? Take the two handcuffs and as soon as I free him, be quick to put them on him." So, once they were ready, he took out a knife and started cutting the ropes around his torso.

Immediately, the rest of you who were observing the scene outside the tank, saw a muscular arm flail and free itself from the bonds. One of the two men promptly grabbed him and together with the boss held him with difficulty while trying to put the handcuff on his wrist. The merman continued to flail and managed to free his other arm as well. The second man wasn't so quick to stop him and the creature threw a punch at the boss, hitting him in the face. But the throttle was now closed and soon both limbs were trapped. The boss was a sturdier man than he looked and even with drops of blood dripping from his nose he didn't give up. He took a key out of his pocket and bent down to free the prisoner's neck, while the other two ran out. He then pulled his hair, looking into his eyes. "You throw some good punches, I give you that. But I've faced creatures much bigger and more ferocious than you, don't think you can defeat me so easily. Well, at this point, not that you can really do much." He chuckled. A slick of saliva hit his forehead, mixing with blood from his nose as it fell. The boss simply assumed an amused expression, tightening his grip on his hair even more. "I like your temper. It'll be fun to see how long it takes you to give up." He let him go, allowing him to move into a more seated position as he removed the rest of the net and ropes, and quickly jumped out of the tank just a second before a long, powerful black tail wrapped and tightened where his head was.

"I told you, I know how to deal with you stupid creatures." He closed the door satisfied, leaving the prisoner to try punching and banging the glass with his tail, although the chains ensured he didn't have much room to move. "Now servants, it's your turn to work. Fill this thing with water and clean up all that sand on the floor. Night night." The boss headed towards the exit followed by the rest of his capturing team. There were only you left, a small group of a handful of people, those who carried out the most humble tasks, under the furious gaze of a merman.

[elf-osamu]

“AZUL, JADE AND FLOYD WITH A S/O WHO IS SCARED OF THE SEA”

[ masterlist ] [ reblogs are very appreciated ]

hurt/comfort ig, romantic, azul ashengrotto, jade leech, floyd leech (separately) x gn!reader

warning(s) : slight book 3 spoilers in azul’s (only in the first paragraph) !!!!, the reader has an anxiety attack but in floyd’s it’s not described with many details, perhaps a bit ooc but honestly i’m not really sure abt it, not proofread

word count : 1411 words

plot : “you’re scared of the sea, but you haven’t said anything about it to your boyfriend because you don’t want him to take it personally. how does he discover it? how does he support and reassure you?”

a/n : very self-indulgent prompt because i get very scared when i see/think about the marine depths for various reasons, so here you go :) <3. i just wanna remind y’all that everyone’s experience can be different, this is mostly inspired by mine !!

AZUL ASHENGROTTO

[ ☆ ] he has come to terms with his past self, but his insecurities still linger to his mind from time to time — he only brings up some aspects of his previous way of living, usually things that have to do with business.

[ ☆ ] so i’d say he wouldn’t talk about it as much as the other two do !

[ ☆ ] still, since he’s the housewarden of octavinelle, everything is very much sea-related in his dorm.

[ ☆ ] rooms, hallways, the mostro lounge… everything.

[ ☆ ] and, since you’re azul’s partner, he trusts you with some of his projects. certain people are fascinated by marine depths, so he would probably host events or re-arrange the mostro lounge with decorations inspired by those.

[ ☆ ] although he could be quite busy because of his schedule and complicated matters, azul is an extremely observant person, no detail escapes him.

[ ☆ ] he would notice quite rapidly if something bothers you, unless you hide it pretty well. but, even in that case, something would give it away, from a worried expression to slight trembling to just not communicate much when he or someone is talking about said topic.

[ ☆ ] azul is probably suggesting a new idea for octavinelle’s restaurant, about the darkest places you could find in the ocean — he’s thinking about changing the walls decor with posters of mysterious creatures and frightening images — when you just start to space out, blocking outside’s noises and his voice.

[ ☆ ] you’re not particularly aware of this action of yours, you don’t mean to ignore him, but the fear has set in and you can’t focus on something except depths and depths of dark water.

[ ☆ ] azul would immediately notice how your body is stiff and your mind seems to be elsewhere; he would waste no time in taking you to a quiet place.

[ ☆ ] when you feel better and explain why it happened, he’s

[ ☆ ] he’s very mindful about this topic with you around! after all, he remembers all the secrets, weaknesses and strenghts of his clients, so it’s not a problem for him to keep your needs in mind, it’s quite the opposite.

[ ☆ ] he would stop holding events with things related to your fear, or he would warn you beforehand.

[ ☆ ] he isn’t fond of swimming, but he would make sure to be by your side if you want to see ocean documentaries or read about sea depths.

JADE LEECH

[ ☆ ] he loves to learn about the customs people follow on land or about nature, especially mushrooms, as we are aware of. so, since your world has piqued his interest, he doesn’t bring up his life in the deep waters on a daily basis.

[ ☆ ] however, with jade the problem rises when he makes comparisons between twisted wonderland’s customs and the ones in the dark depths of the sea.

[ ☆ ] he can be extremely accurate when it comes to describing his experiences and the creatures he met when he was younger, making you shiver in fear when he explains the darkness of some places.

[ ☆ ] at first he is too immersed in his story-telling to see your reaction.

[ ☆ ] but after you two enter a new stage of your relationship, being used to floyd’s frequent mood changes (he’s very perceptive after all), it doesn’t go unnoticed when you hold your breath, shake your head or close your eyes to not think about those scenarios.

[ ☆ ] he would ask you if there’s something wrong and, since you deny it, he doesn’t say anything else on the matter.

[ ☆ ] however, he’ll observe you more than usual and wonder what you’re hiding from him.

[ ☆ ] it doesn’t take him long before he grasps the reality of the situation — he prefers not to say anything though, because he wants you to feel comfortable enough to share it with him.

[ ☆ ] he proceeds to talk about how his life was before he was chosen to be a student of NRC less and less in detail, and he notices the way you see, more relaxed.

[ ☆ ] until one day, you’re in your biology class with jade and the professor chooses to talk about marine life, showing pictures and accurate descriptions of certain places.

[ ☆ ] upon noticing your discomfort, he’ll excuse you and himself, taking you outside the classroom because “[name] needs to go to the infirmary and it’s necessary to accompany them there”.

[ ☆ ] once you tell jade about your fear and the reason you hid it, he listens very attentively and gets it.

[ ☆ ] “dear, you have nothing to worry about; in the sea there are many creatures that are terrified of what could possibly be waiting for them on land, so i don’t find it hard to understand where you’re coming from”, he smiles fondly. “next time, would you mind telling me about something that bothers you straight away? so i could better prevent anything which may trigger you?”

[ ☆ ] he’s very gentle about it!! he’ll ask you what exactly he has to avoid and if he can do anything to better support you.

[ ☆ ] if, after a while, you want to “test” yourself and try to swim in the sea/watch something related to sea life, he’ll be there for you! <3.

FLOYD LEECH

[ ☆ ] among the octavinelle trio, he would be the most blunt about it.

[ ☆ ] no waiting, no schemes, he would go directly to you and ask if something is wrong.

[ ☆ ] how would he notice it?

[ ☆ ] well, when floyd is interested in someone or something, he’s very loud and open about it; with you being his significant other, he spends a big amount of time with you.

[ ☆ ] he easily catches up on some of your habits and little facts about yourself just by watching what you do, he’s very attentive when he’s motivated to do so.

[ ☆ ] he adores to swim when he’s in the mood to do so. it can be both relaxing and exciting: it’s something that often vitalizes him, making him think more clearly and calm him down when he’s upset.

[ ☆ ] if you refuse to go in the sea with him, he would slightly complain the first times, as he usually does when he doesn’t obtain what he wants.

[ ☆ ] it’s only a bit of whining though, floyd would never force you into doing something you’d rather not.

[ ☆ ] when people around him and he’s bored, he passionately tells scary stories about his childhood and the creatures he has met during that time; he mostly entertains himself by exaggerating and adding unnecessary details, but he’s always satisfied with himself when he manages to scare someone.

[ ☆ ] but if that someone is you? things are a bit different.

[ ☆ ] he becomes aware of your fear almost immediately after noticing how you’re quiet when he’s in the middle of explaining how a huge monster tried to attack him once and he couldn’t see anything since it was quite dark there; you haven’t said anything in a while and you look bothered but also… truly frightened.

[ ☆ ] floyd has demonstrated multiple times how he’s quick-witted; thinking about all the times he was storytelling or just suggested to go in the dark marine depths, he has no doubts about it.

[ ☆ ] “[name]”, he says in a slurred tone, his eyes are looking for yours. “you’re scared of the sea, aren’t you?”.

[ ☆ ] when you admit your fear, explaining why you thought it was better to keep it a secret, he frowns. then he proceeds to gently hold your jaw in one hand and place the other on your shoulder.

[ ☆ ] “i don’t judge [name]. has someone done it? who are they? should i squeeze them?”.

[ ☆ ] he’s really caring when it comes to people who are close to him! so you can feel totally safe with him on your side.

[ ☆ ] if you ever wanna try to do something related to your fear, he’d be 100% excited and supportive about it.

[ do not copy, translate, repost, etc. | by @ elf-osamu ]

[foggy2109]

Rhaenyra’s fanatic beliefs

I wrote this in the middle of the night after watching ep 6/7

Analysis:

Its very interesting that the show is positioning rhaenyra as this manuipulator, instead of as a leader among the smallfolk. Like when Vermithor starts burning the bastards, she doesn’t let them run away, she keeps them barricaded in.

She has this messianic, almost cult like vibe. Her saying shit like “I have entrusted you with this power,” like she has any idea what might happen to the bastards, or who the dragon chooses. The dragonkeepers call what she’s doing blasphemy, but just like nyra says to jace at the end of the episode; she feels like the gods have layed this before her. It is a divine right.

She lies to the dragonseed, she says they will be promoting peace when she knows (as we have seen throughout the show) that more dragons = more suffering and bloodshed. Her views have changed now that she feels its her divine right (remember when she said “i do not wish to be queen of ash and bone��). Now if that happens, if everyone dies, well, the gods willed it, not her. They want her to do this.

I think addam claming seasmoke was what finally changed her views. She doesn't know what his parentage is so in her mind this is the first non-targaryen (that she knows of) to claim a dragon. Given her desperation and all the bad things that has happened to her, i feel like she started clinging to faith as an anchor (it could also be a way to connect w viserys given his belief in prophecy). That innocent wanting for connection through religion has now lead to these fanatic beliefs. She sees this as her destiny because she cant cope with the alternative.

— i also find it interesting that addam mentions the gods a lot to.

Mysaria tells nyra that she is lucky addam chose to bend the knee to her rather than to himself, and her reply is that it is ordained (there is so much use of religious vocabulary that it must be intentional).

I feel like this “army of bastards” are almost ment to be like a cult following. I think its presented that way visually at least.

When jace questions her, saying anyone could lay claim to her throne if she legitimises them with the power of the gods, her response is again not very logical. Nyra cant understand why jace is afraid that these bastard claming dragons could make his claim less legitimate. She has held the belief that her children are full blooded targaryens, despite all the insults thrown at her. The throne is her destiny, so of course it must be part of her sons as well, why should he be afraid?

— when she says “may the gods bless you,” i wonder what she really means.

Conclusion:

I think this is a great change to the books (the “paranoid mother” trope does get a bit tired). There are a lot of changes the show has done that i am not happy with, but this is not one of them. I was going to write that i love stories abt the “chosen one” being corrupted, but this isn't really that because nyra isn't the chose one. There is no chosen one, she just believes herself to be one and that belief, i think, is what will corrupt her.

[thesharktanksdriver]

HARRO

It’s me, I have revived after long periods of sleeping!

Anyway how have you been? I’ve read your works recently and it’s absolutely amazing as always! The idea of reader playing the ukulele and singing is a common thing in your story, they’re just chill like that frfr

But I gotta say this. Reader reminds me and gives off Yaelokre vibes-

If you haven’t heard abt who or what yaelokre is, they’re a music artist that makes absolutely beautiful little songs with amazing illustrated images! With interesting characters, storytelling and all that silly Willy stuff!

I wonder, is reader the type to also create their own stories using music?

I can imagine them playing music and singing, casually telling tales of how many times they died and all those traumatic stuff-

- 🛎 ANON

Hi 🛎️anon! Good to see you again!

Currently I’m in Germany (which is why I’ve been more inactive than usual lol) which has been amazing so far! Tomorrow I’m gonna see Poland!

Determination y/n loves to sing and play! It was something they mainly learned from Brook’s crew and just carried with them and inspired them to learn more instruments. In a kinda sad way they use it to fill the silence of the days they’ve spent afloat with no one, as well as keeping themself from going mad. But besides that I think they just like playing to make others happy, because they’re a chill little bean.

But as for Yaelokre, I love their music! I’m not up to date with their lore since it’s on a discord channel and I’m too antisocial to join it lol. But I really enjoy their vibe and the folk inspired music and imagery they use. I’ve always been a sucker for woodsy and fae stuff so it’s right up my alley, along with like the oh hellos and Celtic women.

I definitely can see the comparison of determination! Y/n and them. A bunch of gremlin children playing music in the woods, y/n would definitely sport a crow mask and cloak with gold shiny star bits. I also imagine y/n has definitely add their own songs and music, though they would typically play it in the time they thought no one was listening.

Y/n typically likes playing songs they’ve learned on the sea as a sort of tribute to the old sailors that used to sing them. Binks booze for example is one they hold onto for the memory of Brook and because they played it for Roger as well. Though in the dead of night or alone they would play their own songs and scores. Most I’d imagine would be somber, perhaps even a bit sad but within their music lies an underlying tone of hope and joy just needing a little nudging to be free.

I like the idea of Luffy hearing it one night and begging y/n to play more of their own music. So, very slowly they begin to do so while the crew listens and overtime those joyous beats start becoming more prominent.

[bestworstcase]

Yknow I've been thinking abt various concepts, and I've come to the idea of like. Weregrimm. Like werewolves but Grimm. How do you think that might work? I think it's a really interesting idea tbh

werewolf folklore is so diverse that salem, cinder, and the hound all fit into some mold of person-becomes-wolfgrimm honestly

but that’s not a very interesting answer and i’ve also Thought About this general concept quite a lot for um no reason in particular so…

real were-grimm aside i think stories about people turning or being turned into grimm would probably be SUPER COMMON across pretty much all cultures in remnant because, well, in the real world people are always telling stories about people turning into various dangerous beasts. wolves, bears, hyenas, jaguars, whatever. if it’s huge and deadly and might kill and eat us odds are we’ve been telling tales about people turning into it since the dawn of time. QED, remnant has were-grimm folklore at least as varied and ancient as our concept of lycanthropy.

add in that some ancient cultures canonically did believe grimm to be animal revenants, spirits or corpses returned to terrorize the living, and historically the dividing lines between vampire and werewolf and revenant and witch are often very porous, well. there’s no shortage of real folklore to draw from to devise were-grimm folklore for remnant.

(if you’ve ever wondered why werewolves are conventionally considered ‘undead’, by the way, that’s the reason. the modern pop culture conception of werewolves draws much clearer boundaries than actual folklore, but "died in the act of a deadly sin and came back as a horrid blood-drinking flesh-eating wolf" is a not uncommon variant.)

as for Real Were-Grimm, like i said, there are canonical examples proving that it’s possible for humans/faunus to be combined with grimm in a variety of ways. so all you really need is a plausible explanation for how the person can survive it (or how the person gets revived as a grimm, for the revenant angle).

and then you can just riff on whatever strain of werewolf folklore you like.

lycanthropy as a sort of disease or curse afflicting those bitten by a werewolf? maybe a rare parasitic type of grimm similar in nature to a chill or a nightmare that, rather than lurking deep in woods to wait for unwary prey to pass by, ride around in the jaws of other grimm. when the carrier grimm bites someone, they burrow into the wound—maybe the victim experiences a sudden surge of adrenaline that ups their chances of escaping or killing the carrier grimm, maybe there’s a symbiotic relationship between the two so the carrier runs off after delivering the bite, whatever.

like a nightmare, the… idk, let’s call it a bisclavert, feeds on slowly on aura of its host instead of killing outright. but rather than ensnaring them in a nightmarish lotus dream, it amplifies their emotions and infects them with its own hunger—the early symptoms are usually attributed to post-traumatic stress following a grimm attack. but the bisclavert is, even moreso than the nightmare, specially adapted to keep its host alive for as long as possible, so it actually grows by fusing itself with its host: turning bones into grimm chitin, weaving its own sinew into muscles, that kind of thing. if it goes undetected long enough the host will start to grow fangs and claws and grimm fur.

and then what? becoming grimm doesn’t turn you into a violent monster—although it does make every feeling you have more intense, so if you were prone to violence before you might become more brutal than before—but this world is not kind to humans who grow fangs or claws or fur. if you’re a faunus, living apart from humans, you might be able to turn to your friends and family for support—it isn’t so much different from being a faunus with frightening traits, is it? maybe there’s an equilibrium to be found. but a human would have a bad time, i’d imagine, as soon as it became impossible to hide. getting run out of town, hunted, ostracized, what do you do then? run away? embrace the idea that you’re just a violent beast now? seek vengeance? hide? lots of possibilities depending on the character.

lycanthropy as a punishment or curse inflicted upon those who commit certain sins, like cannibalism or murder? easy! lean in to the "grimm are dark’s half of humanity" angle. every person has that darkness inside them, that capacity for malice and violence. grimm hunt and eat people. what happens if a person does the same? what happens if they keep doing it? in a world where shapeshifting magic is real and faunus believe themselves to be humans who were transformed to reveal their true inner selves, what happens to a person who decides that their true inner self is a predatory grimm? maybe the physical form ever so slowly changes to reflect the self-perception. maybe—as in some werewolf myths—the transformation is not physical, but the person finds they can sink into a trance and leave their body to prowl the world in grimmlike form for a while. or maybe the darkness is empowered enough to manifest physically in the world as a spiritual doppelgänger.

or, for a less metaphysical / semblance-oriented approach, perhaps someone cruel and vindictive or very scared but physically weak might envy the violent strength of the grimm and try anything to claim it for themselves—drink water mixed with grimm ash, dress themself in black furs and bone masks, throw themself over the ledge in pursuit of becoming a monster powerful enough to protect themself or enact revenge. (and then you can throw a semblance on top of that to really intensify the "transformation," however literal it may be)

undead / revenant werewolves? make that part of the apathy’s "life cycle." or another kind of grimm similar to the apathy—but think about it. they’re vaguely human-shaped skeletons held together by eldritch tar and their method of hunting is to sap their victim’s energy and then, presumably, engulf and consume them. let’s imagine that the emotion and vitality the apathy drain from their prey are not destroyed but rather stolen, and that the natural form of a grimm of this type isn’t a desiccated human-like thing but an amorphous blob, like a slime mold—as in, they conform roughly to the shape of what they consume, and the humanlike bones we see are literally the remains of human prey.

well, if that’s so, what happens when an apathy-blob gluts itself on all the emotions its human prey felt as they succumbed to it and it absorbed them, ate them alive? right after a meal, bursting with all that energy and terror / rage / pain / desperation to live that it swallowed, wrapped around not a dissolving half-eaten skeleton but a fresh corpse… it isn’t fast or powerful like most grimm, but perhaps it could be for a little while, after it eats. until the prey is digested and the emotional afterimages fade and hunger weakens it again. and that’s how you get vaguely human-shaped grimm tearing across the countryside, ravaging everything that stands in their way, maybe once every few months, only to seemingly melt away within a few days, and the local folklore falls anywhere between "there’s a person in our midst who turns into a grimm" to "the dead are rising again as vengeful grimm-wraiths" to explain what’s happening.

[fischiee]

*holds mic up* thoughts on self statement reading bodies being from an eye avatar/this universe’s archivist

ohhh!!! oh that is a super interesting idea and i love it!! i was wondering why the body was telling this story, and how the it got out, like she was able to die and then be found in the house? she was able to leave to be able to tell the story? the vast kicked her out into the ocean?? the lonely drove her to suicide and then she decided to be chatty abt it?? but there were so many overlapping entities in the house that it really would make sense that it ended with the most powerful entity (at the time of universe convergence at the end of s5) manifesting as a way to send her out as some sort of message/warning to create even more fear

but that also has been making me think about how these errors/statements have been found like they don’t really seem like they would all be submitted, especially this one where his options seemed to be destroying the note or providing evidence of the haunting, neither of which really happened. plus like the online message board abt the magnus institute and the youtube videos abt ink5oul - im not sure those would really be tracked and submitted to a government organization unless by the police who somehow found them??

they’re really so significant to the thoughts/influence of the voices (eg. martins story about losing yourself for the sake of following and searching for your lover as well as this most recent ep being jonah sharing about building a house of terror around yourself without being able to escape) that it makes me think that the statements that are read aloud might be jon martin and jonah using the eye to pull stories from the world that they relate to in a desperate attempt to communicate in the only way they’re capable of

anyway this got a little away from me but i am LOVING this season and ep 18 was so good im so glad the plot is starting to shine through!!! thank you for the ask! 🥰

[mists-reading-nook]

Do you wanna ramble about you ideas of Reader isekaied with little siblings, Reader being obsessed w/ Greek Mythology and a religious reader who worships one or more Greek Deities perchance? 👀👀👀👀

Omg yesss!! I love ranting abt my au ideas omg-

First off,reader with little siblings

I feel like depending on the age it could be really cute. Like,you get isekai'd,no big deal. Only to look next to you to find your little sibling laying there. We could go the angst imposter au route,where everyone believes that the creator is an only child,so they Hunt you down for lying,or you BOTH are accused of stealing the "divine light and divine frame's" faces. Either way,you have to not only protect yourself,but your sibling as well.

The aftermath would be so much worse,because either you both die,your sibling is captured and used as blackmail,or something even worse.

But that's not all,because we can also go the normal cult au route,where both you and your sibling are worshipped. You try to keep them out of the spotlight (in the event they are much younger than you),but it ultimately doesn't work. I can imagine that if your sibling isn't as loved as you,the acolytes you assign to thier care aren't very happy.

Taking it a step further,what if your sibling is Demonized in all the holy texts of Tevyat?

Something that goes like:

"The younger sibling betrayed thier kind older sibling,yet because the divine creator loved them so,they were forgiven."

So now your acolytes treat them really badly when you're not around :[[

Oooo what if reader was helping thier sibling farm for the account,so the texts say something like this:

"Long ago,this world was created by a kind God,who created this world as a gift for thier younger sibling,who wasn't gifted with the gift of creation as they were"

Boom,now while you created tevyat,your sibling rules it. Bonus points if the sibling is really young and can't really make the big desions.

There are legit so many directions I could take this prompt omg-

Next up,reader who has a Greek patron god

Thier creator? Worshipping a "higher god"? Absolutely blasphemous! That's is what the initial reaction Is. However,after a while,(in cult au),it is generally an accepted belief that your patron god was your mentor,and you were just humble about your abilities. (Much like sucrose)

In imposter au,you are even more screwed. Stealing thier gods face while also refusing to worship Them??

Your crimes mustn't go unpunished.

In normal cult au,they simply cannot wrap thier head around it. But now,your acolytes tend not to bat an eye when you speak of your "god". They find it strange,and they think that you have been misguided in some way,but they won't comment on it. To them,you are thier God and they have no reason to question your beliefs.

They will,however, speak of it behind your back.

It's a similar case with reader who is obsessed with Greek mythology

The constant references to mythology are confusing to them. Often times there are people around you that write down everything you say,and the sheer amount of references to this "greek" mythology baffle them.

Why do you have such an obsession with other gods? You are the creator,they are lesser than you. If anything,the people and gods in this mythology should be worshipping and thanking you for your interest.

It'd be really funny if reader randomly made a reference to a Greek hero and the acolytes are like:

"..what."

Then that starts you on a long rant about the specific story,and you re tell it almost word for word.

Also,I like to think that some (all) of the stories you tell them end up into books,except the names of the gods are changed to either one of your titles or an archon name. Some context is changed as well,so it just ends up being really funny.

You go to a store one day only to find a children's storybook. Its set up like an aesop's fables book for some reason. You flip to a random page and see the name "Narcissus".

It's the story of Narcissus word for word. Some names are changed,but there's no doubt about it.

You end up buying the book,and a couple of Tevyat mythology books on the way. You wanted to spread more Greek mythology throughout Tevyat,and if all you had to do was tell your favorite acolytes a tale or two...

You grin. You were going to be doing a lot of storytelling today.

****

End of rant!!

I rlly enjoyed writing this omg

[cosmic-d1ce]

"before Forever, before the island. Who was he and why is Etoiles so interested???"

oh my god ow the fucking shot through the chest this was omgggggggg not only asking about what happened from the source (phil) but who he was before- when he had an isolated identity AAAAAAAAAA THEMMMMM ETOILES THE FUCKING GOAT AS PER USUAL NOTHING LESS TO BE EXPECTED OMGGGG also the idea of him being his best friend in this au is so like emotional to me- to have phil be put through so much pain all the time at all angles, emotionally and physically to have at least Someone just One person to turn to who sees past the servers lies and rumors omg the agony this is amazing they're my roman empire too I literally brainrot abt them all the time

The song Milk by Jack Stauber is pretty much exactly what they have

The song is technically about death, thinking of a dead person you didn't know but I feel like it works so well because a part of Phil is dead. The part of him that really matters to Etoiles

Etoiles doesn't care about what Forever forced Phil to be. He cares that somewhere, there's a person who used to have friends and a family and a nice little house that he made with his own hands

What kind of life did you live through? Did you know love? Will you rest in peace? Did you have a family?

Who was Phil before Forever changed him?

That's all Etoiles cares about.

It's okay that Phil can't fight things! He used to!! He used to fight and laugh and help people, he used to explore and build and discover!! That's who he really is. Etoiles can see that, even when nobody else can

He even manages to get some of that back. Phil, finally, has a way to get back a part of himself that he lost through Etoiles. He can laugh and explore and make things again and he doesn't have to worry about what Forever will think because he's not here!! He's not here and Etoiles would risk everything for Phil because they're FRIENDS!!

Phil can't hold a weapon anymore but he can hold Pomme and tell her grand stories about the man he used to be, the empire he built, the world he created for himself, his friends and his family. He can hold Etoiles' daughter and tell her how to build things, how to properly shoot a bow and arrow or how she should always avoid ravines!

Etoiles sees this man for the first time and goes "I want to know you" and when he's told what happened through other people's perspectives he says "NO. Nonono I want to know YOU." and he ASKS and he CARES!!! He hears the rumors and says "There has to be more to Phil than Forever."

Cellbit pulls him aside to explain everything properly and Etoiles turns away and says he doesn't believe in secondary research and he's going straight to the source, thank you!! If this is not an invitation to kill Forever for what he did to Phil HE DOES NOT WANT TO KNOW!!

Etoiles knows that somewhere, in another world, where none of this happened, they're best friends. They're besties and they play fight and do dungeons together because that's what they like to do.

Etoiles will settle knowing it could have been.

[nemaliwrites]

i finally got around to reading "Rappaccini's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and now i have Dahlia Thoughts™

Rappaccini's Daughter, according to the Ace Attorney wiki, is where the inspiration for Dahlia's last name comes from. I read it with my Fandom Goggles on, and not to get too english class here, but....we're about to get pretty english class

For those of you who haven't read it, it's a gothic short story abt a medical researcher whose experiments with poisonous plants result in his own daughter, Beatrice, becoming poisonous. The man who falls in love with her slowly learns the truth about her nature and struggles to cope with it.

"Am I awake? Have I my senses?" said he to himself. "What is this being? Beautiful shall I call her, or inexpressibly terrible?"

A large portion of our MC's internal narration heavily revolves around the idea of one's appearance vs their nature. He refers to the garden as "an Eden of poisonous flowers". When he shuns Beatrice for what she is, she tells him that even though her exterior is poisonous, her soul is pure.

This is a direct contrast to Dahlia, who Phoenix refers to multiple times as an "angel". And, needless to say, her soul is quite the opposite.

But the one thing the story makes clear about Beatrice is that she is, at the end of the day, a victim of her circumstances - in the same way that Dahlia arguably is as well. The MC's realization of the truth comes like this: he realizes that because Beatrice has been raised in the presence of poison, she has become poisonous herself -> i feel like I don't even need to relate this back to Dahlia at this point, it kind of slaps you in the face.

Beatrice confronts her father, too, and asks why he inflicted this miserable curse on her; but he is adamant that he hasn't done anything wrong.

"Wouldst thou, then, have preferred the condition of a weak woman, exposed to all evil and capable of none?"

He claims it's anything but misery to be as terrible as you are beautiful, to have the power and strength against which no enemy can prevail -> does that not give you big Morgan vibes

At the end, she takes an antidote given to her, believing that it will cure her of her poison - but because she's been so inextricably tied w the poison, there's no curing her anymore.

To Beatrice,--so radically had her earthly part been wrought upon by Rappaccini's skill,--as poison had been life, so the powerful antidote was death

The comparisons to Dahlia are interesting, I think, in that the 'poison' can be used as a metaphor for literally anything else. If we stick with the whole 'you can't escape from your nature and whatever you are raised in the presence of is something you can't separate from yourself anymore', then in a way Dahlia is the exact opposite of Beatrice. One actively fights against and rejects her nature, isolating herself from the entire world, while the other accepts it wholeheartedly. It also can be used to draw further comparisons between Beatrice's father and Morgan: one purposefully molded his daughter to fit his desired image, while the other actively was not involved, but still led to the same end result.

Beatrice's tragedy is that she's aware of her poisonous nature and hates it. She tells Giovanni, her love interest, "I am poisonous! I am deadly! I am like the fatal basilisk that slays with a glance!" She's a prisoner of her father's making, a living weapon who longs for normalcy. Dahlia, on the other hand, embraces her poisonous nature. She uses her charm like a weapon, manipulating everyone around her. There's no longing for normalcy with her; she revels in the chaos she creates.

"Thou hast filled my veins with poison! Thou hast made me as hateful, as ugly, as loathsome and deadly a creature as thyself--a world's wonder of hideous monstrosity!"

And, unwillingly, Beatrice ends up passing on her poisonous nature to Giovanni - and now he's forced to live with this curse. What, then, does that say about Phoenix...?

[corallapis]

Hi <3 No obligation to answer, I know dw lore is really convoluted and there's a lot of expanded universe material, but you've mentioned a few times that you think the War Chief is the Master. I'm also a War Chief/Master truther because I think that makes the contents of The War Games more fun and interesting (& also could count as another time the Master got the Doctor killed <3 romance <3) but I wanted to know if you had more reasons/examples from canon that supports that idea

anon i’d be delighted to talk abt the war chief!!! he’s My Guy <3 and (dare i say it?) possibly even one of my favorite incarnations of the master. i’ve got lots of quotes for you under the cut, but to give a short summary of So Why Do People Think the War Chief is the Master, Anyway?:

the war chief was introduced in the war games, written by malcolm hulke and terrance dicks. (dicks, it should be mentioned, was also co-creator of the master, with barry letts.) when hulke & dicks novelized the serials colony in space, terror of the autons, and the war games, they dropped several hints that the war chief and the master were the same man. so, the creators of the characters were the first to suggest a connection between them.

but, i hear you cry, didn’t dicks go on to write timewyrm: exodus, which shows us a future incarnation of the war chief that isn’t the master? yes, because the official editorial line for the vmas & vnas was that the war chief & the master were two distinct characters. this caused more than one writer that personally believed them to be the same to write otherwise professionally. however, i think dicks still dropped hints linking the two despite this editorial limitation.

and what about magnus, the guy who’s well-known in current fandom as the “academy era” version of the war chief? conceived of by gary russell, magnus was originally written as a young incarnation of the master, not the war chief. in flashback, goth opera and invasion of the cat-people, the character of magnus is a young master. so why did russell retcon his own character in divided loyalties to be the war chief instead? he did so out of respect for david mcintee, who had recently written a different backstory for the master in the dark path, using the name koschei. despite divided loyalties’ portrayal of magnus and koschei as separate characters, it actually in large part serves to conflate the two further, due to said retconning.

in faction paradox lore, the war king is a version of the master (i don’t need to make a post on that, do i?) that also was once the war chief.

and now we’re really getting murky canon-wise, but craig hinton’s rejected pda time’s champion (ultimately completed & published after his death, by chris mckeon) explicitly depicts the war chief as an incarnation as the master, as well as reasserting that magnus was the name the master used at the academy.

even with all this Evidence, i’m like you, anon — i just think it’s Fun. i mean, just look at the guy lmao. if you can’t see the way that future incarnations are riffing off him, idk what to tell you. and ultimately, it just makes the most sense to me. three & delgado’s first meeting doesn’t really strike me as a First Time Seeing You Since You Left kind of affair, but the way two & the war chief react to seeing each other? and the conversation they have abt it…? yeah. love it.

the ‘70s target novelizations

doctor who and the doomsday weapon (aka colony in space) was the first novelization to feature the master, and was written by malcolm hulke in 1974. it begins with a scene that doesn’t occur in the tv story, where a senile old time lord tells his apprentice about the theft of two tardises by a pair of time lords now calling themselves the doctor & the master:

“There have been two stolen, you know.” The younger Time Lord didn’t know. “By our enemies?” he asked. “No. By Time Lords. They both became bored with this place. It was too peaceful for them, not enough happening.” The old Keeper smiled to himself, as though remembering with some glee all the fuss when two TARDISes were stolen. “One of them nowadays calls himself ‘the Doctor.’ The other says he is ‘the Master.’”

if there have been only two tardises stolen (at this point), then where does that leave the other renegades we've seen on tv? well, the answer to that is that the target novelizations were meant to be self-contained, without prior knowledge of the show needed or past episodes taken into account. it’s easier and cleaner to present the doctor & the master as the only two renegades. except the older time lord continues, and a little further on says:

“There were tens of thousands of humans from the planet Earth, stranded on another planet where they thought they were re-fighting all the wars of Earth’s terrible history. The Doctor” — he interrupted himself — “I told you about him, didn’t I?” “Yes,” said the young Time Lord, now used to the old Keeper forgetting what he had already said. “You mentioned the Doctor and the Master.” “No, it wasn’t the Master,” said the old Keeper in his confused way. “The Master never does anything good for anyone. He’s thoroughly evil. Now what was I saying?”

despite the self-contained nature of the novelizations, the events of the war games (which had yet to be novelized, when this was written) have occurred and are specifically brought up in relation to the doctor & the master. what does ‘it wasn't the master’ mean? the keeper’s confusion leaves it open to interpretation, but the fact that it’s brought up at all is quite a hint.

terrance dicks then wrote doctor who and the terror of the autons in 1975. additional info is added to the scene between the doctor and the time lord who comes to warn him about the master’s arrival on earth:

“As a matter of fact, I’ve come to bring you a warning. An old friend of yours has arrived on Earth.” “One of our people? Who is it?” The Time Lord pronounced a string of mellifluous syllables — one of the strange Time Lord names that are never disclosed to outsiders. Then he added, “These days he calls himself the Master.”

he uses the master’s gallifreyan name first, as if the doctor doesn’t know the name he’s now going by yet. then, we’re given a description of the master, including:

Already he had been behind several Interplanetary Wars, always disappearing from the scene before he could be caught. If ever he were caught, his fate would be far worse than the Doctor’s exile. Once captured by the Time Lords, the Master’s life-stream would be thrown into reverse. Not only would he no longer exist, he would never have existed. It was the severest punishment in the Time Lords’ power.

which brings to mind the war games, as the punishment described here is exactly what the time lords did to the war lord & what they would have done to the war chief, if he hadn’t died/escaped. and, speaking of that escape, the doctor asks:

“Is his TARDIS still working?” “I’m afraid so. He got away before it could be de-energised.” “Then he was luckier than I,” said the Doctor sadly. He had never really got used to his exile.

unlike the doctor, who was unable to get away from the time lords at the end of the war games, the master was ‘luckier.’ this could, of course, mean a more general escape from the time lords by the master, but i’d say all the hints here are pointing in the same direction.

in 1979, malcolm hulke wrote doctor who and the war games. the first conversation between the doctor and the war chief is slightly changed, and again it’s reiterated that there have only been two tardises stolen. first, the war chief teases the doctor about who he must be:

The War Chief took the Doctor into his private office just off the war room and told his bodyguards to leave. “Now,” he said, “a traveller in a time-space machine. There is only one person you can be.” “I had every right to leave,” said the Doctor. “And to steal a TARDIS?” The War Chief smiled. “Not that I am criticising you. I left our people too. We are two of a kind.”

and later, he summarizes that their empire (their empire <3) will be secure because, again, they’re the only two with stolen tardises:

“Now I understand,” said the Doctor. “It’s my TARDIS that you want. But surely you have one of your own?” The War Chief smiled. “No more mine than yours is really yours! We are both thieves, Doctor. Yes, I do have a TARDIS hidden away. But are not two better than one? While I rest and enjoy the spoils of victory, you can patrol our empire. And I shall do the same for you.” “Our empire?” “We shall rule the galaxy without fear of opposition,’ the War Chief said confidently. “For we shall be the only two who can travel through both space and time.”

this (very romantic imo) proposal is also, of course, very reminiscent of delgado’s ‘half-share in the universe’ proposal to three.

timewyrm: exodus by terrance dicks

in 1991, terrance dicks wrote a vna, timewyrm: exodus. in this novel, the war chief appears as a botched two-bodied regeneration after his death at the end of the war games, called dr. kriegslieter. no mention of the master is made. as i said before, i think this is down to virgin’s editorial policy, and i think there are hints connecting the two nonetheless. like when the doctor realizes who kriegslieter is:

And behind them, aiding them, manipulating them, giving them the time technology they needed, the Time Lord renegade who called himself the War Chief. Or, in German, der kriegslieter. “Well, he couldn’t have spelled it out for me much more plainly,” muttered the Doctor.

like, c’mon. it’s just classic master shenanigans to have your alias be an extremely obvious translation of your name. and then there's also kriegslieter’s plan, which is to steal the doctor's body to use as his own (complete with sexual innuendo):

“Once I have wrested from it the secret of the TARDIS, your mind will be of no further interest to me. But your body…” “Please,” said the Doctor, looking embarrassed. “Ladies present.” “We are both Time Lords, Doctor, our brains and our bodies are compatible. Regeneration therapy is far beyond the War Lord’s scientists, but even they can manage a simple brain transplant.” Kriegslieter studied the Doctor with detached, clinical interest. “To be honest, it isn’t the body I would have chosen but it’s infinitely superior to the one I have. When all this is over Doctor, I shall be you — and you, or whatever shattered gibbering remnant of you is left, will be me. Appropriate, don’t you think? A crippled mind in a crippled body…”

how many times have we seen the master do that? maybe only once when this book was written (in the keeper of traken, of course) but at least three more times since then, by my count. in addition ‘we are both time lords’ is an echo of both two & the war chief's conversation and three & delgado’s (in the mind of evil, the claws of axos, and colony in space).

kriegslieter also calls seven ‘my dear doctor’ throughout, which is not a quirk of speech that the war chief has been ever shown to have. i can't claim it's unique to the master, but i think there's a certain history there. (did you know ainley says it five times in one 50 min long serial?)

magnus, as the master

as said before, the character of magnus was introduced in comic flashback, which appeared in the doctor who magazine winter special for 1992 and was commissioned and edited by gary russell (& written by warwick gray). it depicts seven and benny viewing a scene from the doctor’s past, where two old friends, thete and magnus, are at odds.

magnus was, at the time of this comic's creation, meant to be the master. there is no connection to the war chief in this story. which is why when goth opera, written by paul cornell, is published in 1994, magnus is the name used for the young master when listing out the doctor's school friends:

“That was when I was young and wild, Doctor. My contemporaries and I grew up to take our responsibilities seriously.” “Ah…” The Doctor nodded. “Unlike my year. I begin to see.” “Yes.” Ruath warmed to her subject, sipping from the goblet. Her eyes never left the Doctor’s. “Mortimus, the Rani, that idiot Magnus. And you, Doctor. All graduates of Borusa’s Academy for scoundrels.”

and, in 1995, when gary russell wrote invasion of the cat-people, he again used magnus as a name for the young master, referencing the master running out of lives far more quickly than the doctor by the time of the deadly assassin:

Polly smiled. “I’m glad you’re completely recovered, Doctor. You had us worried, you know.” “Regeneration’s a tricky thing,” he said. “And it was my first one. Always the trickiest. They’re supposed to get better as they go on, so long as you don’t flitter them. Always used to say to my academy chum Magnus, ‘Magnus,’ I’d say, ‘Magnus, don’t throw old bodies away like you would a suit. They don’t grow on trees.’ Or something like that. Never listened though.”

when gary russell wrote divided loyalties in 1999, he followed mcintee’s lead in using koschei as the name for a young master, and instead retconned magnus a younger war chief, showing the two of them interacting during the doctor’s academy days — the final nail in the coffin of our lil theory, right? well, all i’m going to say to that is that all the academy era stuff we see is actually a nightmare the fifth doctor is having. so who’s to say he didn't dream his best friend as two different people? (he forgot which one of them killed a guy with a rock, after all...)

the war chief king

in the book of the war, the 2002 faction paradox ‘encyclopedia’ edited by lawrence miles, the entry on the war king states:

His personal assistant notes that his office is brimming with official business, but devoid of decoration. The only concession he makes to sentimentality are the components of a hypercube, twelve white squares stacked neatly on his desk. Its significance is unclear, but it’s thought to be the War King’s last remaining link with his unfortunate past.

the very first use of a hypercube was, of course, at the end of the war games, when the second doctor called the time lords in. if that's not concrete enough for you, the war king spells it out even more clearly in the 2021 audio sabbath and the king:

THE WAR KING: I have failed to introduce myself. I am— ah, but as we have just seen: names have power. I do not think I shall grace you with one of my true names, Sabbath, no, not yet. Let’s see. The Deathless? Oh, let us not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Chief and Master, Minister and Magistrate, President and King… I have been many things.

time’s champion

and finally we have time’s champion, originally written in the '80s(?) by craig hinton, completed and published by chris mckeon in 2008. first, we have mel stumbling upon a corridor of portraits in the tardis:

Her first impression was that the Doctor was at the end of a long, thin corridor. And then she realised what the corridor was. An art gallery, the length hung with paintings, from the doorway to the far distance. As she started padding silently along the corridor, she looked at the paintings, and saw they were all portraits. Portraits painted in a variety of styles, from photo-realistic to impressionist, and everything in between. And she recognised some of the subjects. […] Moving on, Mel had hoped for something a little less depressing, but it wasn’t to be. The atmosphere had changed again: it was still cold, but a sterile light was now bathing the area. Then she realised why: the sterility, the coldness — trademarks of the Time Lords. This must be the Doctor’s own people. Pride of place was given to the Master — or rather the Masters: the familiar, music-hall villain in his velvet penguin suit had been captured in all his melodramatic glory, but there was also a suave, older man, his eyes radiating a fierce, evil intelligence wrapped in charm, next to which was positioned the portrait of a young, satanically handsome man with long, sharp sideburns and a thin, beard-length moustache, whose hand vainly clutched at a strange medallion hanging around his neck, as if clinging to the only power in his possession. And then there was an image of the cadaver, that rotting corpse that Mel knew was all that remained of the Doctor’s oldest friend and oldest enemy, animated by nothing but pure malice and spite.

the description of the ‘satanically handsome man’ is obviously the war chief. and then, the doctor remembers events from his past:

The night time vanished into the shadows of light, as new images, all familiar, threw themselves past the Doctor’s eyes: his tedious years at the Academy, his rise in the Time Lord hierarchy, his flight from Gallifrey, the early years of his exile, the planet of the War Games and his reunion with the Master, the lost years of imposed servitude to the Time Lords, all his memories and so many more impressed their way across the Doctor’s vision, even up to the moment of the present day. Then, abruptly, the vision ended. The Keeper began to speak again.

his reunion with the master occurs during the war games and precedes his exile (which is when his meeting with delgado’s master occurs). and magnus is once again used as a name for the young master:

The Doctor and Benton managed to glimpse him as he raced past. He was young, with a curving moustache and a dark, haughty face accustomed to obedience but now shadowed and twisted by fear. He ran onwards without even pausing to acknowledge their presence. He seemed desperate to outrun something. Moments later, a group of well-armed and uniformed men rounded the corridor and also hurried past the Doctor’s party, following the fleeing man in their wake. Steadying himself against the cool stone wall at his side, the Doctor watched the squad pass, recognising them as members of the Chancellery Guard, but clothed in armour and dress from the long departed era of his days in the Academy. The Doctor paused, wondering where he had seen that face before. “Magnus?” the Doctor whispered. Benton stepped over to the Doctor. “Who was that bloke those boys were chasing after, Doc? He looked a bit like the Master.” The Doctor gazed into the distance. “That he did, and for good reason.”

[cdroloisms]

I like messing around with the characters who have nothinburgers of lore its a fun playground

see c!eret doesn't even have nothingburger lore it's just. sighs. inconsistent. especially with what i'm preeetty sure was creator intent, especially near the end of things.

i can take the lore at face value, right, and tell you that c!eret was a character that got supremely fucked over by a vindictive harassment campaign, canonically at least partially fueled by jealousy (as well as c!wilbur obviously being. triggered as hell over the final control room and the loss of control he felt bc of it) that had very real ramifications in character (and outside of it, honestly). and i can tell you that the consequences on the character made them rewrite history in their own head and then like, literally, where they had to redeem themselves of their single sin that they got tempted into by the devil manipulated by c!Dream into committing, when from the beginning while c!Eret was partially motivated by self-interest she ALSO just thought that the FCR was the best way of returning the server to peace??? and either way ... it was a war like yes i'm sure there are ethical and moral ramifications to being a spy in a war yadayada but a lot of the assumptions that emphasize the FCR as being something ~supremely fucked up~ relies on the idea of L'manburg's side in the Revolution being So Much More Moral than the DreamSMP side, never mind that the FCR existed at a time where physical violence with long-lasting ramifications such as canon lives literally wasn't a thing yet and was explicitly a means of stripping them of their gear. that they returned to them after the war.

and it's just so crazy to me, because the actual FCR which became twisted into c!eret's Single Crime is just nawt that big of a deal at all but did become the major talking point for the campaign to treat her fucking terribly on the account of Being A Traitor Hey New Person Did You Hear That Eret SUCKS Because He Betrayed Us !!! but what does feel like more of an issue include a lot of the later actions, such as the excessive gloating towards L'manburgians in ways that were kind of meanspirited (but were hella funny shoutout to the prank war) and then the...kind of tyrannical actions lol umheyyyy do we remember the taxes. also just the knights of hope were ... well they sure were! (i wish wegot that lowkey yesssssssss go hunt c!dream like an animal please ^_^") mexican lmanburg negotiations cough cough anyway. TURNING LOGSTEDSHIRE INTO A MUSEUM EXHIBIT????????????????????GIVING TOURS THERE???????? HEY LOOK HERES THE POLE WHERE THIS KID WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR BTW TRIED TO KILL HIMSELF. LIKE WHY. WHY DID THEY DO THAT.

i don't mind any of this, btw--if i were to give a kind of short explanation to c!eret's character i'd say that she tends to have good intentions overall, but drank so much of the lmanburg kool-aid that it became a whole new thing and also in general has a tendency to act in her personal self-interest and have a pretty short-sighted, self-centered view of the world more often than not. they're not evil, and they certainly don't go out of their way to hurt people, but they also push the blame onto c!Dream a lot, including in ways that don't make sense, and does things like the museum exhibits abt exile and the casual taxing of everyone just cuz and expecting all of dream smp to follow them in supporting a coup against the country they're allied with For Their Redemption Quest in ways that suggest that they tend to prioritize themselves and their wants over a more reasonable. consideration of the people around them. also he got SUPER fucked over by c!wilbur and continues to center their story around him because he thinks that he needs to be redeemed through him, and the thing he thinks he needs redemption for he simultaneously blames on someone else and also just wasn't. A Grand Crime For Her To Need Redemption For. she took the lmanburg story said 'what if i was the main character doe' made a new lmanburg koolaid chugged it and tried to make the whole server fall in line. essentially.

the problem is that i don't think that the character was ... meant to be written like this, and therefore there aren't that many satisfying conclusions. also just in general plot points kept getting set up with little follow through. (i'll limit any cc criticisms here, but i will say that the fandom was an obvious driving point in what happened with the character.) the biggest problem for me was the frequent retconning--it's kind of bad practice in general to Take Back rp frequently, tho c!eret is mostly forgiven bc most of the retcons did happen with solo lore (not ... all of them tho)

but yeagh. i appreciate what is there for c!eret dont get me wrong but ... i do wish it was utilized in a slightly different way

[nmoroder]

Good day to you. Can I ask about some characters? There wasn't much information about Glenn, Maleeh and Alto, but I was really wondering if there was anything you'd like to tell about them? Anything, really. For example, What was Glenn able to do with Neverhood's limitations? Do his ideas usually end up as blueprints for the least feasible inventions? And I don't know what exactly to ask about Alto and Maleeh - there isn't much lore about them as far as I remember... but it would be interesting to know more!

Hiii welcome back to another episode of recalling what ive created several years ago! ::D anyway, you're right and there's a severe lack of info in my writings abt OCs other than Shuffle because of his crucial role in Crowns and Revelations story. I'll try to recover something i thought over though, so here goes.

Glenn is the more well-thought character out of all others i guess, mostly because of his also important role in CaR (yeah most of my OCs get development because they end up in a story and it progresses around them and forces them to do something). I mentioned that he's some sort of local Da Vinci and this also meant that a fair lot of his ingenious stuff ends up on paper as either blueprints or written ideas, all that. However he doesn't give up and whenever it's possible, he works on a way to simplify the constructions so that they may be implemented with Neverhood's resources - that being the spaceship he built that Klogg and Klaymen used for space travel. It's a very simple version built with scrap essentially, and still it persisted throughout theit whole journey there and back.

One funny thing about Glenn is that he likes to invent stuff but doesn't want to be a creator in a sense of Hoborg's status. It was mentioned in CaR summary that Hoborg talked to Glenn about passing the crown to him in case of need, and Glenn declined saying that he doesn't want to be a creator, rather a builder. The thing is, it mostly takes Hoborg to think of something he wants to create and to have the materials needed, but for Glenn the joy of building is essential. That's also what Alto thinks about the process - this is what they were both born with, a passion for constructing. However Alto is more of a handyman kind of guy, he's among the strongest Hoodians and it helps him greatly while assisting Glenn. In return, Glenn tries to teach Alto some of the basics he uses for designing and building his creations, and they've developed their own sort of language that others don't really understand. Like, a nerd and his loyal assistant, in their own world of inventing.

Maleeh is probably closest of all Hoodians to my own personality and i think he's my window into that klay world. As mentioned, he's a stark contrast to Shuffle but he also is his best and probably only true friend - Shuffle doesn't talk much to others on personal matters. Maleeh is a pretty friendly one but not overly so; he's polite and lighthearted towards everyone at first sight and may change his behavior as he sees more of the newly met person. However one of his greatest flaws is inability to be idle, to do nothing or to think about nothing. Whereas Shuffle puts all this into something he find useful, Maleeh thinks less of the work and more of the leisure but when there's none, he's practically dying of boredom. His mind suffers from idleness and that's why he's happy to go wreck any sort of (peaceful) havok just so that his mind will be occupied. It's something he shared with Shuffle and tried to overcome to a degree, those efforts aren't futile but the process requires patience. Maleeh isn't a fool but also not a genius, and also is kinda naive about certain things people around him do; he was the first one to be attacked by Klogg on the Pin Island as he brought the man food, believing him to be somewhat docile and have no bad intentions. He was also very reluctant to believe that Shuffle indeed did the prohibited and put on the crown, even though it was the last-ditch effort to help Hoborg anyhow; it came into a violent conflict with his perception of Shuffle and he spent quite some time coming to terms with this.

Also worth mentioning that in the worst case, if none of the four space travelers hadn't returned from the trip to Klay Mountain, Maleeh would've been the first to vouch to help Glenn build another spaceship and venture into space even blindly - just to try and do something about this situation. He hates just idly waiting and often wants to take action, but most of the time there's someone who can handle the situation better, so he just stays on the sidelines so to speak. In a worst case scenario, he'd be the first in line for the task. Glenn on the other hand wouldn't venture out into space even for testing out his own inventions - he's terribly afraid of getting lost out there on his own, and at the same time he doesn't want to put anyone else's life at risk by coming together to assist him (Alto, for example). So Glenn is more than happy to let others test his machines, if only that's out of free will. Good thing Klogg didn't know that Glenn doesn't test his inventions himself.

[1rabong]

hellow!!! what first got you into borosai? whats ur favourite thing abt the ship, and any headcanons thats rotating in ur brain rn?

Thank you for the ask so much you have no idea how much i wanna ramble abt these two

Well, there’s one specific scene for the first question.

THIS SHOT

Look at his cute lil face he’s so happy

I saw this and was like, wait. This alien’s kinda.. hot. And he was making these adorable faces all cuz he was fighting Saitama. Then he dies, after making Saitama use the serious punch for the first time in the story.

They were really something. So naturally i started shipping them. And I naturally went to ao3 to look up borosai and despaired cuz there was only like 40 fics for them at the time. But still, I read them all(and they were all great), and started drawing art for them. Back then, I had no idea that I’d be fixating on them for so long, longer than anything i had a fixation for😂

My favorite thing about this ship is that they’re so different. Almost everything about them is so comically different. Just look at these two.

Just them standing next to each other is visual comedy at its finest.

They have different moralities, personalities, styles, amounts of hair, etc.

Which makes their similarities all the more interesting. They’re both bored to death, because they’re too strong. They both crave that stimulation of being in a fight with their lives at stake. They both feel lonely, because no one understands what it’s like to have this kind of strength. This loneliness is shown more in depth with Saitama, but I think it’s the same with Boros too. When we’re first shown Boros, he’s all stoic and cold with his subordinates, his expression barely changing. But when he meets Saitama, it morphs into excitement. Then as the fight goes on, it turns into an almost childish glee, making him ramble on about his strength, his home planet, until Saitama snaps at him to stfu😂 But who can blame him? After so many years of solitude he finally meets someone who’s on the same page as him.

With their fight, Boros gets what he wanted. The fight he was craving so much. A fight telling him that there’s still something that can surprise him in this Universe. That he wasn’t alone. Which is why even as he was shocked that he had lost, he doesn’t feel angry or bitter about it. Rather, it almost seems like he feels pity for Saitama. Because surely there’s no chance for him to meet someone who is as strong as him. So he calls out Saitama’s name, as his last words, and dies.

All the above is more or less canon, but if we were to veer a bit off course into an au where Boros lived, there’s so much potential for an interesting relationship between them. Imagine the possibilities. He could be like a stronger version of Sonic, challenging Saitama week after week, always getting his ass kicked but coming back for more, a little stronger than last time. And hey, since this is a Borosai au, they could very well fall in love😆

This turned out to be longer than I expected and not exactly on topic but look, I can’t help myself.

The current hc that’s rotating in my brain rn is that they’re madly in love, and is married. And have a child😂

Okay i know this sounds absolutely bonkers but I’ve been hardcore shipping them for too long and them being in a relationship is like a default setting for me when I think about them, so giving them a kid to take care of on top of all that just came naturally. Imagine the utter chaos it would ensue. It’d be peak comedy.

This lil guy. His name is Daan. I love him so much.

Anyways that’s all the questions answered, thank you again for the ask🥳