#intelligent magic swords

[oldschoolfrp]

Looking further at the magic treasure tables in the 1979 AD&D DMG, we see that 25% of magic swords are supposed to be intelligent and have additional special abilities. One thing that stands out from a modern perspective: result "00" tell us that only 1% of all magic swords (1 in 25 of the intelligent swords) have the option of using telepathy. Other intelligent swords that can communicate directly have "speech." This implies that the entire party, and NPCs and monsters in the area, will hear some swords speaking out loud. Today many DMs play all intelligent weapons as speaking telepathically to the wielder while the rest of the party only sees that one character is beginning to act oddly.

Note all intelligent swords add 1-3 "primary abilities" from another table, all designed for treasure hunting and dungeon exploration:

(Keep in mind AD&D's 1" = 10' in the dungeon or 10 yards in the wilderness.)

The rare "Extraordinary Power" can make a magic sword into something akin to a legendary artifact, when combined with 3 primary abilities and whatever base abilities the sword initially had from Table III.G:

The sword rules continue for another page with tables and clarifications for alignment, languages, ego, personality conflicts with the wielder, and those extremely rare "Special Purpose" swords mentioned on the Extraordinary Powers table which are driven to defeat a specific class of enemy and are enchanted with yet another random magic power used only for that goal.

[ashinaisshin]

Alucard’s bat transformation 🦇 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997), dev. Konami

[dndtreasury]

Defender of the Library by Mysterious Trove

[brightsuzaku]

An OC is like a noun, and can be a person, place, or thing!

an oc doesnt have to be a person or even an animal. the only limit is your definition of "original character" and your imagination. some of my ocs are literally buildings.

[lrdvyke]

❛ perhaps it is foolish to say this to you of all people, but i am sure of my skill with the sword. ❜ from rogier!!

Vyke drags the butt of his spear across the ground, drawing a line in the churned up dirt. It is an idle movement, one that forms a picture with the stray lines, albeit rudimentary in shape. Vyke is no artist, even less so with a heavy spear than with a pen, so his drawing comes out as something as simple as a smiling face. One that he mirrors when Rogier speaks—an amused snort is thusly added as he glances over at the Spellblade. ❛ Just your sword though, ❜ Vyke says with a teasing look to color his features and a nod towards the sword in question to emphasize. ❛ Without any of the spells you like to conjure right along with it. ❜

Another look down at the dirt face, finding it incomplete, he then adds a nose by grinding his spear in the middle. Once done, he lifts it away to approve of his seeming masterpiece upon the Limgrave soil. But he speaks as he does so, carrying the conversation further with a musing tone to his words, ❛ Easy to fight someone when they are distracted by trying to dodge the barrage of glintblades assaulting them. ❜ A fraught knowledge, for he has had a couple run ins with sorcerers from the Academy who have done the same to him. As irritating as it is to be on the receiving end, to be the one wielding it, there is no better comfort when the threat is at a distance. His reflection is not to pin fault on his friend though, Vyke knows Rogier is more than capable of a fighter.

He knocks the dirt off from his spear by tapping it on the side of his silver sabaton. ❛ Do you wish to put it to the test? I will even put up my spear and meet you sword for sword. ❜

@misaentropy !

[swordsandspectacles]

Learning more about Elden ring lore will have you tearing your hair out over if your mechanical/build choices are ‘in-character’ for your silly little tarnished. (Help me)

[thestuffedalligator]

It’s been said before but it bears repeating that Discworld is science fiction wearing the skin of fantasy.

Discworld tells science fiction plots and builds them from the material of fantasy. Feet of Clay is about robots and the ethics of artificial intelligence. Lords and Ladies is an alien invasion story. Moving Pictures and The Truth and Raising Steam are about the impact of new technologies on society.

Going Postal has hackers. They hack telegraphs, but they’re explicitly hackers.

Hex is made of magic and bees and ram skulls, but it is a super-computer. Discworld is built out of fairy tales and myths and swords and sorcery and a big hearty helping of Tolkien, but somewhere, deep down in its bones, it has a core of science fiction.

[pomefioredove]

helloo! ^^ can I req hcs of dorm leaders + Rollo and neige with a fencer reader? If it's okay with you, ofc!! I really enjoy and love your writing 🫶

ofc and thank you! ^-^

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fencer reader

type of post: headcanons characters: riddle, leona, azul, kalim, vil, neige, idia, malleus, rollo additional info: romantic or platonic, reader is gender neutral, reader is not specified to be yuu, short

Riddle would be into it. he goes on and on about what a dignified choice of sport that is, how he's always wanted to try it, on and onnn. I just think he's really into swords. he'll ask to watch you practice, all giddy and cute. the guy is genuinely fangirling

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Leona is like... okayyy. and? you can play with sharp objects? he grew up in a palace surrounded by guards and nobility, he probably had his first sword when he was three

defo challenges you to a duel because he thinks it would be funny. and he WINS

(then he buys you whatever you want as a consolation prize bc he's soft for you)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

[Azul voice] please no weapons or magic in the lounge

...you'll have to demonstrate for the (very eager and interested) tweels outside from now on

Azul will, of course, come to watch. he'd be interested in anything you do, really, because it's you. and watching you try to tell the tweels they can't really kill each other with these kinds of swords is amusing

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Kalim is somehow 100% convinced he can teach himself how to fence within in a week. he thinks you're that cool, and, sevens does he want to play with swords. he probably has a lot of them, too, which Jamil very strongly advises him not to touch (because he has little regard for himself or his surroundings).

Kalim will let you take as many as you want when you come over. he does not know that these aren't the swords you use in fencing

still... um, it's the thought that counts, right?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

like with any sport, Vil can respect your dedication to your passion. and you have really good posture. he would get Epel to join you, but the thought of that boy with access to weapons of any kind, safe or not... yeah

he's nowhere near your level, of course, but he's always happy to help you with any aches or pains from bouts. in return, you can help him rehearse for roles that require swordsmanship. fair enough

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

the Neige Leblanche, swooning? yes, actually!! I can't overstate how much of a sucker he is for the whole... dashing and chivalrous thing. it's the sword, yes, but it's also the outfit, the rules, the way you're so... charming. you could pull him 100%

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Idia is a simple man. he sees someone being really good at a niche sport he knows from his fav manga and anime, and he absolutely trips over himself. literally head over heels. blushing, giggling, et cetera, he's just such a freak about this sort of thing (affectionately)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

ah, Malleus. if anyone here can appreciate swordsmanship in all its forms, it's him. with his royal guard and his knights and his freaky gothic castle...

he'll probably invite you to fence with him, and he completely wipes the floor with you (this is Malleus Draconia we're talking about, after all). but lovingly!

he's having the time of his life :)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

wakey wakey Rollo fans

to be engaged in a non-magical activity, based on agility, wit, and, arguably intelligence, in which there is form and order and rules...

of course, you have his full support

he somehow shows up at all your bouts, is with you before and after practice, and takes his duties as your companion very, very seriously

[elmushterri]

2K followers on tumblr and 30K subscribers on YouTube! In celebration, here’s my story. Not a rewrite. This is all a work in progress and subject to change.

Being a HEMA fencer, I’ve wanted a story semi-based on actual swordsmanship and actual fencing techniques.. but fantasy.

It’s a story like… Spiderverse meets Steven Universe meets Owl House meets She-Ra.

It’s called

The Knight’s Handbook

——————

It’s modern Earth but there are supernatural people who protect it like guardian angels called Knights: Humans who’ve died via sacrificing themselves for someone else, and have been revived (not by choice). They protect humans from things as small as tripping over to protecting them from demons, dragons and other dangerous entities.

A Knight can pull their weapon from a magical, glowing scar called their Mortal Wound, the injury they acquired and a sign of the end of their mortality, like how SU Gems can pull their weapons from their gems. A Knight’s weapon can be anything including guns and crossbows, but these shoot magic/energy bullets or arrows.

Knights have their own realm to go to just for each other, (Gallantia) but can live on Earth hiding as normal humans if they wish (so long as they hide the magic scar!)

They function a bit like bees in that there is a Queen, chosen instantly when someone dies by sacrifice according to ‘qualifications of their soul’ (So not completely random like other Knights). Of course, this only happens when the former Queen is killed. Never have there been two Queen Knights at once, so written history goes. Like bees, that would create a huge issue!

Here is the main character and the main antagonist. For the first time apparently ever, there are Two Queen Knights. A mistake of nature, perhaps?

Sidra Saiffudeen

Our main enby is Sidra, she/they. A normal teen turned Queen Knight chosen right after her death, impaled through the chest (where you can see her Mortal Wound symbol) by saving her father. Her design is based on a bee! Not all Knights’ designs are, but I thought I’d lean into Queen Bee stuff.

She’s the ‘Acknowledged’ Queen. Most Knights, ones in support of the past Queen who just died (it’s a mournful period), back Sidra, but think she’s a bit immature. Sidra adores her new people though and vows to be a good Queen. Knight Queens don’t just sit back like Earth Royalty, they’re the most powerful and therefore in battle a lot. The past Queens tended to be adults (The Captain of the Royal Guard was in love with the past Queen (sapphics >:) ) and so having Sidra around is painful but they do their best to teach her.

Then there’s Juliana Fontana, always called Jules. She… is also a Queen Knight. You can tell this because a Queen’s mortal wound symbol is always the same as the Knight Symbol, a sword. Some Knights went traitor to back Jules rather than Sidra. Jules is a very very tired and sneaky girl, but more academically intelligent than Sidra. She’d be a very different Queen, and that’s why the Knights that took her side did so! She hasn’t figured out how to access her weapon or knight form.

The twist? They haven’t seen each other for a long long time… but Sidra and Jules know each other.

Info on Weapons, Mortal Wounds and Knight Forms.

Lastly, The Title’s “The Knight’s Handbook”… what are Knight Handbooks?

Well, for Knights, along with a weapon you can pull from your Mortal Wound, you also have your Handbook! Every Knight has a Handbook with their symbol on it. Like I said, Queen Knights don’t get their own unique personalised symbol, rather they get the default symbol representing all Knights as a species (unfortunate!).

Every Handbook is personalised except for the first couple pages and chapters. The first few pages *always* contain The Rules of Knighthood. One of which is that there Cannot Be Two Queens. But… have these Handbooks with their strict rules on who your friends and enemies are and what you can or cannot do always been a part of the Knights? Or did someone *write* these books for their own purposes? Control?

Handbooks also contain info on how to fight/fence, how to defeat certain entities, anatomy, etc (I’ll figure out more). But, Handbooks also serve as phones! You write something in your handbook for someone else and your writings will appear in *their* handbook! Not sure, but I imagine handbooks can also be used as little sketch hologram projectors (you sketch a map for example or a plan and project it into the air using your book.)

Sidra and Jules may have this giant plot going on around them because they happen to be Queens, but that doesn’t mean they’re not teenagers who want to have fun. A lot of Knights are kids and teenagers and still have their senses of fun, much to the dismay of the serious adult Knights. But they’re all immortal so they’ve got plenty of time to grow up before they hit an age to stop. Being a Knight is tough and scary cause you *could* die at any time in a fight, so adult Knights tend to protect the teens from going out before they’ve trained properly. Queens are not afforded such a luxury and besides, a lot of teen Knights are totally reckless regardless of what the adults say!

So yeah!

That’s an intro to The Knight’s Handbook. I’d love for people to join in like they did with GunnTech and make their own Knights for this, if you feel inspired. It’s kinda like a DTIYS but instead of Draw This In Your Style, it’s… Draw Your Sona for this concept? Working title… /j If you wanna do something, I suppose tag it with “The Knight’s Handbook” with the apostrophe and whatnot, but I do not expect anything, you guys already do so so much 🧡.

Any art or ocs of The Knight’s Handbook will definitely be featured on my next YT vid and I’ll be reblogging (Plus I would love to draw you guys’ ocs, and basically consider them canon since there’s an infinite number of Knights in TKH!)

Thank you for all your support, guys!

[stclaretarot]

PAC ⭒ COMPLIMENTS YOU GET WHEN YOU’RE NOT AROUND

reminder that this is a general reading and messages found here may not apply to everyone. take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and don't force anything if it does not fit.

BOOK A READING WITH ME · LINKTREE · 18+ PATREON · TIPS ♡ tips, bookings, and feedback are highly appreciated!

GROUP ONE

cards · king of swords, page of cups, the star, three of swords, the chariot.

channelled songs · apocalypse by cigarettes after sex. chained up by vixx. everything is by neutral milk hotel. knock me out by miyavi.

my dear group one ♡ when you are not around, people tend to talk about how much they wish you were so. people think of you as the light of the party, and so say things such as:

• “it never feels like work when group one is here”

• “no one makes me laugh like group one”

• “today sucks, but it wouldn’t be so bad if group one was here to talk to”

• “the manager/teacher/difficult co-worker is always so much nicer when group one is here. group one really knows how to handle them.”

• “group one could easily succeed as a comedian”

• “group one has been such a positive addition to my life. i get so happy knowing i get to see and talk to them”

GROUP TWO

cards · ace of pentacles (reversed), ten of wands, death (reversed), the hermit (reversed), nine of wands.

channelled songs: far away by takatak. fairy of shampoo by light & salt. reformation by la dispute. buff baby by tobi lou.

my dear group two ♡ people see you as financially savvy, and so tend to especially compliment you when it comes to ways to save money or ways to make the most of what they have. they say things such as:

• “group two knows all the best shops and restaurants”

• “i’m so stressed out with this project, group two would know exactly what to do with such a small budget”

• “i wish i could dress while saving money as well as group two does”

• “group two is so creative”

• “group two is so talented with their hands, they can make anything from scratch. it’s almost magical”

• “i’ve never met someone better at gifting than group two. they always know what to gift you, even when you don’t know what you want to be gifted?”

GROUP THREE

cards · king of wands, seven of pentacles, seven of wands, ten of swords, three of pentacles.

channelled songs · hurt you by the weeknd. out of control by the boyz. jaago by lifafa. exit wounds by bad omens.

my dear group three ♡ when you are not around, people tend to go on and on about your passion, drive, and discipline. and so, they say things such as:

• “group three has the kind of motivation and discipline i could only ever dream of having”

• “group three is capable of accomplishing so much. i really believe in them!”

• “i love group three’s figure”

• “group three is such a hard-worker”

• “i owe my success to what group three taught me and the advice that group three gave me!”

• “you can always rely on group three to be there for you when you need them”

GROUP FOUR

cards · five of swords, the emperor, seven of pentacles, judgement, ten of cups.

channelled songs · sullen girl by fiona apple. lost umbrella by inabakumori. not allowed by tv girl. candy bling by mariah carey.

my dear group four ♡ people tend to think of you as someone who can be relied upon, especially as a leader or as a figure of authority. they tend to say things such as:

• “group four is so intelligent, they would know what to do about this situation”

• “group four is such a good judge of character”

• “i can always talk freely with group four without worrying about being judged or looked down on”

• “there’s no better friend than group four”

• “group four is so dependable. they will never let you down”

• “group four makes me feel at ease about my worries and troubles. they make me feel as if everything is going to be okay”

[brutalfantasytarot]

pick a card tarot reading: first date with your future spouse ❤️‍🔥

study the images. which one are you drawn to most?

(left to right]

pile one: king of pentacles, the star 🌟

'you are such a soft and messy thing. no one knows how to take care of you' .... until you meet your future spouse

pile one, this date is nothing sort of magical! your future spouse is a king. they're reliable and intelligent. they are a visionary. they are financially stable. they are older than you or more mature than you. they have blue eyes and brown hair. this date isn't about superficial luxury though. this isn't a fifteen course meal. it's a nature date surrounded by wildlife. zoo, aquarium, farm, and a picnic in the park sort of vibe. it's like the birds are speaking to you both. horses are significant here. your future spouse is very grounded and they care about your heart + about creating a very deep, emotional bond. it's not about luxury bags or showing off their wealth. they want so much more than that. yes, they will spoil you with jewelry and handbags and all sorts of luxury vacations, but what matters most is learning your heart ❤️

your future spouse wears lots of ironed sweater shirts. dress pants. a gold watch. most of you have much lighter hair than your future spouse's. they are going to feel like the person you always needed. like a guide or guardian in some way. they're going to scoop up your wounded inner child and wrap them in so much love! the emotional bond between the two of you is going to be very intense. you will have bouts of crying or sadness or grief. but it's like a relief because you're finally loved in the way you always dreamed. your future spouse will just wrap you in their arms, rub your back, and softly caresses your head while reminding you that you're safe with them. 💋

there's this energy of you always looking to belong everywhere, but your future spouse just smiles at you. 'you don't belong everywhere, you belong with me.' 💞

pile two: queen of swords, ten of pentacles

pile two, this is a nighttime date. the stars are out and you can see them from the very fancy restaurant your future spouse brought you to. fine dining. this is a very exclusive place. your future spouse treats you like a queen. literally. they show you off a lot. bringing you to their work events and such. you are their part-time arm candy. they buy you very expensive dresses and shoes and wallets and bags. they're the type to give you their credit card and let you pick what you want, but they will always give you their honest opinion. they want you looking your best and feeling your best. if they notice you seem uncomfortable in something you are wearing, they will voice very quickly in a kind matter that they think you'd prefer something else. your comfort means everything to them. they want you to feel good. not just in your clothes, but in your skin, in your mind, in your soul. they want to make your time here on earth with them feel like heaven. 💘

on the first date, they are showing you exactly the life you will be signing up for if you choose them. lots of time in the bustling city. they are not very romantic, honestly. they are very work-oriented. they're always on their phone but when they're with you, they keep that to a minimum - especially if you're on a date. especially the first date. their phone won't be anywhere in sight. they show their love with acts of service and gift-giving. they are the type to kiss your head and your hand. they're the type to tell you to close your eyes and when you open them there's a million gift bags and tons of flowers laid out for you. they're also the type to keep a picture of you in their wallet. they are very respectful and very old-fashioned. they like traditional gender roles in the least toxic way possible.🦋

I'm seeing that you are someone who has suffered a lot in life. you spent so much of your time being burnt at the stake. going through tons of rebirths just to burn some more. and your future spouse is your justice. they will treat you so well that everyone else who treated you poorly isn't even worth your time anymore..💅🏻

they want to find you in every lifetime. they want to be with you until you pass onto the next realm.

🤍

ko-fi.com/brutalfantasytarot - for personal, in-depth tarot readings 💚

[oldschoolfrp]

Stormbringer inspired many of the rules for AD&D's intelligent magic swords

Stormbringer – “This huge black rune-carved blade is actually a chaotic evil sentient being from another plane which takes the form of a sword on the Prime Material Plane”  (Jeff Dee, from the Melnibonéan mythos in early printings of Deities & Demigods for AD&D, TSR, 1980)

[comicaurora]

hi red!! i'm doing an analysis of sun wukong's (and journey to the west in general's) impact on modern culture for my world mythology final, and for some reason i'm having a hard time finding sources. is there anything you can recommend?

The fact that Journey to the West has contributed an enormous number of tropes to modern media is very clear when the media in question is examined, but I don't know of a specific secondary source that's already done that analysis for you. However, this IS a very good excuse for you to plow through a metric buttload of shonen manga, since the lineage is basically Sun Wukong -> Son Goku -> like a solid third of all shonen action heroes written in the last forty years.

Dragon Ball kicks things off:

Started in 1984 and almost unquestionably the most influential manga ever made. Its first arc features the weird super-strong monkey-kid Son Goku - which is just the japanese pronunciation of the characters of Sun Wukong's name - meeting up with a wacky crew of thinly-veiled expys of the Journey to the West crew, with teen inventor Bulma filling the role of Tripitaka, Oolong the pig-man filling Zhu Bajie's role and Yamcha the desert-based bandit as Sha Wujing.

Hijinks ensue, and while the story drifts pretty far from Journey to the West's original plot, it actually stays pretty solidly referential in weirdly unexpected ways. Several the villains of the week are JttW references, and even the later appearance of three more Saiyans lines up with the surprise reveal of three more Wukong-like mystical apes in the original story.

The connection between Dragon Ball and JttW is very unsubtle and a frequent reference in the chapter covers and supplemental art.

Not every subsequent JttW reference is the result of Dragon Ball popularizing it or anything, since it was already enormously popular, but I think it's pretty hard to extricate Dragon Ball's influence on anime and manga from the original influence of Journey to the West itself.

One way that a distinction can be drawn is in the differences in characterization between Goku and Sun Wukong himself. A lot of the next generation of shonen protagonists were kind of Goku-alikes - pure-hearted dumbasses who only care for the three Fs: Food, Fighting and Friendship.

But the original characterization of Sun Wukong is not really all that similar. He's a trickster, sure, but he's far from a young, friendship-motivated goober. He's profoundly intelligent, pretty much the most well-educated entity on the planet, and routinely brings up that he's centuries older than most of his peers. The Goku-alikes from the later decades of shonen anime are tellingly far-removed from that original characterization. So you get characters based on Goku's cheerful idiocy, but it's just a small subset of the broader influence of Journey to the West on the space of literature.

In general, Journey to the West frequently shows up in very small, bite-sized tropes in other stories. It's less "this is wholly based on Journey to the West" and more "oh, I know where they maybe got this idea/aesthetic/power/weapon/villain of the week from." There are way too many to list, but some of the ones that tend to jump out at me are-

Sneaky characters with monkey motifs:

Tricksy, highly mobile characters who fight with a staff:

Characters afflicted with a magical restraint artifact that allows a much weaker character to stop them from misbehaving:

Specific esoteric weapons, eg. magical fans, rakes, gourds, namedropping The Sword of Seven Stars, etc.

Villains with prominent ox or pig design motifs:

Characters whose primary combat strat is just making Shitloads Of Disposable Copies Of Themselves:

Honestly it just keeps going like this. It's kinda everywhere. Finding the JttW in things is my favorite conspiracy theory rabbit hole because it's 100% harmless and more often than not completely correct.

[layraket]

I had an adorable mental image I think you would appreciate: Bunny!Legend snuggling with Hyrule when one or both is stressed or upset. Just a pink fluff ball sitting in the lap of his successor so they can both destress

Lately days have been harder; more things in his mind doing the rounds, constant fighting that only means more use of magic and energy, just staying awake. Hyrule isn't one to complains, he grew up always trying to see the brighter side, everything had one.

Right now though, it was a lot more difficult than usual.

Twilight and Legend had gone to patrol the area where they will set camp to make sure that there aren't any monsters. When Twilight came back, there was no veteran to see next to him. Just a pink bunny on his arms.

Hyrule was put on keeping an eye on the bunny duty so the rancher could go for Sky. Why? Something about needing the master sword.

"I wonder where's Legend..." He said to no one, maybe the bunny, he (was a he right? Twilight talked about him as a boy) was the only one who could hear him right now.

The bunny turned to look at him, piercing violet eyes meeting bright blue-ish green ones.

"Do you know? You were with Twi after all" He gently grabbed the bunny and put him on his lap, he seemed a little grumpy but at least didn't try to bite him.

He slowly put one hand on the bunny's back, petting his soft pink fur.

"You know, there was a legend about bunnies, them being as a symbol of perseverance and kindness in the toughtess of times, something to do with one of the heroes of the past" He paused for a moment, thinking "Would the hero be Legend?"

If the bunny's ears perked up at that, Hyrule didn't know the reason. He continued petting him, being gentle to not bother the small creature.

"If only they didn't go extint in my time..." Dawn has shown him some old books which contained information about extint animals of the past, bunnies being one of them. Something about the world becoming too hostile and lack of food to survive.

Obviously he wasn't able at the time when that happened, he didn't even born yet! Yet, even if he wished to restoor everything to how things where so no one would have to suffer hunger, cold and fear, it was impossible to happend in his lifetime.

When all this journey is over, he will go back to his time, wandering and not staying in one place, caves and dense forests being his most visited spots. In the past he seemed all that normal, comfortable even with the familiarity, but now after experiencing what it is to have constant company and people who cares for him, he almost wishes for this to never be over.

"I hope he's okay" He looked down at the bunny "Legend is strong, he will come back, right?"

The violet eyes of the bunny showed an intelligence that is not normal in these creatures, but yet there was something else. He sniffed Hyrule's hand and climbed to lay flat on his chest, closing his eyes.

If someone told him that this was how bunnies hugged, Hyrule would believe that. He wrapped the small pink fluffy body with his arms, petting his head.

If Twilight with the master sword in hand noticed some tears falling down his checks, he decided to not say a word.

[j-partneringrime]

tr!aimsey is such an interesting character especially their relationship with death, they’re someone who has become so intrinsically linked with death, starting as a morbid fascination with learning more about it which became more and more obsessive until he eventually overstepped trying to directly mess with it. And now it is a more desperate fascination with it and specifically trying to figure out how to reach it for themselves which unlike the normal curiosity that they went too far with, this is the opposite, a much more serious and desperate curiosity which he have basically given up on trying to figure out at this point. Because once death wants something, it gets it, which normally isn’t that big a deal because death normally wants you to die, which is gonna happen eventually, so no big deal. But if you mess with death too much and it decides it doesn’t want you anymore, that isn’t as simple, death actually gets to show its power, so it takes your magic you used to disrupt it to begin with, but that’s not enough for death, so it gives you immortality, or more accurately curses you with never dying since they can still feel the pain and the dying but without any of the relief of death and the pain stays with them even after coming back, with the burns from losing her magic, losing his eye from the enderman/creeper and now the sword slash from ros. They had nothing anymore except their studies and so she put everything into necromancy and learning more about death, and they did good, they got close, so close that death didn’t like it, so then they truly had nothing, not even their magic, they lost everything, even the one thing you always have in life, the certainty of death, was gone.

That could make you become such a deeply lonely person, I mean imagine if you lost everything, had no one, not even death itself wanted you, that would mess you up, but she has had a long time to come to terms with it and grow from it, which also means she’s one of the most intelligent, especially emotionally intelligent, people, which meant that when they did get close to people again, they were a massive help for advice and help for their friends, which is good for their friends but also for aimsey themself, having that connection that they need after so long, having meaningful talks gives a connection you can’t explain, even if those meaningful talks are mostly one way, since aimsey is very secretive about themself and her past and almost refuses to say anything about herself and dismisses any attempt to try to get him to open up, but even with all that, it is still massively helpful for a character who needs connection so much.

Until eventually his friends, especially tr!ros get too strong an idea in her head on what they should do or what she “needs” to do that even though she’s still coming everyday for advice, she doesn’t seem to actually be listening anymore, it didn’t matter how many times they tried to help ros, she just wouldn’t budge from this inherently flawed idea that she is convinced will help her, and everyone else, which isn’t just bad for ros but also for aimsey, who has needed this connection so much and has begun to rely on it, even if it’s annoying that he’s seemingly the only person who actually has common sense or foresight with how much advice she’s having to give out, they’ve gotten used to being able to express their thoughts and opinions on situations and having their friends listen and care so seeing that they’re no longer really listening and are just doing their own ideas anyway would really hurt. Trying to help and make plans to help ros, only to show up the next day and find out she hasn’t actually listened and just took what aimsey said and used their plan instantly without seeing that that wasn’t the actual plan aimsey said to her. So the advice and talks eventually became more desperate trying to get through to ros because this isn’t her, this is her getting tired of what’s happening and needing to fix it so forming an entire idea in her head without seeing that this idea wouldn’t work and already isn’t working because she needs it to work, so it didn’t matter how much aimsey tried to get through to her, it wouldn’t work, until eventually they talk about where this idea in ros’s head is rooted, which is respect, the idea that if she can get them to respect her, they’ll stop, which she is going about doing by making them fear her, even though fear and respect are vastly different things. And aimsey says that to her which leads to the most important question they’ve had, would ros kill aimsey to get everyone to respect and or fear her, and when aimsey asks ros this, their closest friend, the person they trust more than anything, the person they can count on, that they can both count on each other to pull each other back, to save each other from themselves, they ask ros… and ros hesitates, and that’s all they need to know, the fact that ros could hesitate means that in her head there is a part of her that would and that part just seems to be getting bigger and bigger the more she spirals in this idea of respect. And then ros says no, which as much as she says it, isn’t the truth, the truth is she doesn’t know if she would or not, and that’s the worst part, not only would she consider doing it but she won’t admit it, to aimsey or herself, they’re supposed to be helping each other and ros instead of being honest and saying she doesn’t know, lies and says no, of course not, she could never hurt him, which is of course coming from a place of love for aimsey and not wanting to ever think about and especially not say they’d ever hurt her, but to someone as perceptive as aimsey, they can clearly tell ros is conflicted on it and even though know they know ros is a good person, of course she is obviously, that was never in question, but even knowing what a truly kind person ros is, that doesn’t change the pain learning something like that has. So aimsey pulls them up on it and makes ros confront that side of her, for good or bad doesn’t matter, because it needs to happen to help ros, one way or the other, and so they convince her to fight, which or course ros tries to argue about but still tries to make aimsey see her side of it, still not seeing that her side doesn’t really exist, it’s just a desperate attempt to stop the fighting by any means, by any cost, not seeing that no fighting, no threats should ever make them turn on each other, would ever make aimsey turn on ros, especially not to gain some form of respect from the people they already don’t like. Ros is too caught up in protecting her friends that she can’t see her friends don’t need protecting, aimsey doesn’t need protecting.

And you can see how deeply this is affecting aimsey because they’re talk about how they’re glad they chose to be alone, they’re with their best friend and they’re saying how they’re glad to be alone, because right now this isn’t their best friend, or at least not that they can recognise right now, because he has spoke so much about how everyone is killing just to kill and how that is one of, if not the, biggest problems they have with them, so for ros to now believe that she needs to do that to aimsey to “protect” them and gain respect from others, even though she already has aimsey’s and the kingdom’s respect (mostly), is obviously gonna be upsetting for aimsey and a massive loss of trust. And they start fighting, they both swing, and then they both swing again, then aimsey stops and ros swings again and then ros swings one last time and aimsey is dead, but of course, it doesn’t last. Because if one of them was gonna die, they’d rather it be themselves, if that’s because they can’t actually die or because they can’t bring themselves to kill ros, we don’t know (although it’s probably almost definitely both). But either way ros still doesn’t get to live, because she killed aimsey and death doesn’t want that happening, the past times it’s been a mob but this time it’s a player, and they won’t allow that to happen, so it instantly makes one of its already dead kill ros… instantly, because you don’t mess with death or the ones death has already chosen to punish itself. And after the fight, his relationship with death comes back up, with her asking, basically begging, death to let them go and just let them die, but of course, they were denied again, because even after all that with ros, they still can’t have anything, everything they want always so close yet so far, always. And then after they both parted ways after the fight, aimsey when thinking about going to ros, thinks ros won’t want to see them, instead of themself not wanting to see her, after the fight, he doesn’t stew in what ros did and get angry, he just kinda goes crazy (and high and poisoned), both because of what happened with ros and also probably experiencing death again. Because even though, they just fought and definitely lost a lot of trust in each other, they still care about each other and want to protect each other above all else, because the amount of trust they have in each other, one fight, no matter how big, will change that. tr!aimsey is SUCH an interesting and compelling character, and their relationship with death and tr!ros especially is amazing! I can’t wait to see what happens next.

(this is mainly about tr!aimsey so tr!ros comes off a bit bad from their arguments, but I promise I think tr!ros is a genuinely good person, just conflicted right now and she is also an amazing and interesting character)

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 2

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children series)

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Guests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Fantasy, portal fantasy, mystery, magical realism, boarding school, novella, series, adult

Imperial Radch series (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Provenance, Translation State, and other stories) by Ann Leckie

Endorsement from submitter: "Breq/Justice of Toren is a ship AI and doesn't have a gender. The Radchaai language only has one pronoun for people, so (almost) everyone in the empire is she/her, to the point that they're infamous for failing to correctly guess which pronoun to use with outsiders."

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Science fiction, space opera, far future, series, adult