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moongothic · 11 months

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You know I was wondering if Crocodile ever did have any kind of involvement with the Revolutionary Army in secret (lest the Government finds out and revokes his Shichibukai status), what kind of involvement would that even have been

And now, with both the Vegapunk/Ohara flashback and Kuma's flashback, it's being made very clear to us that the Revolutionary Army was broke as hell 22 years ago. Like the fact that this has been brought up twice now in a relatively short span of time is interesting to me, that's usually a sign it's not an unimportant plotpoint

But you know who would have had money to help fund the Army

A funny little warlord who would eventually go and build a fucking casino to run for funsies. A warlord who had to give the Government some of his Pirating Income to keep his warlord-status

Like Crocodile hated the Government anyways so why not help fund the Revolutionary Army in secret, out of spite if for no other reason

Vaguely related, but I keep on remembering this scene (post-Enies Lobby), which at first glance just seems like a basic Lore Dump

But then there's the

"Yet..."

(Or "however", she says "no ni" in Japanese and you could translate that in many ways, I would probably have gone with "however" but that wouldn't have fit into the speechbubble)

Mind you, the conversation just kind of ends there, next we see Garp realize he probably shouldn't have mentioned Dragon infront of such a massive audience, so wherever that "yet" was going to lead to we will never find out, because Oda conveniently changed the subject before we got to it

And you know. Like yes, Robin could be just expressing her shock over finding out that the leader of the Revolutionary Army had a child with someone

But also, Robin was a part of an organization that was trying to overthrow one of the founding countries of the World Government in an explicit attempt to go against said Government (compared to like, Blackbeard, who currently wants to make Fullalead into a "pirate country" that's a part OF the World Government)

Like you don't have to be a genius to look at Crocodile's ultimate goals and compare that to what Dragon is doing and find a few similarities here and there maybe

(Also like, Crocodile's equivalent in Romancing SaGa 2 is meant to be Wagnas, the queer-coded leader of the Seven Heroes (whom the OG Shichibukai are based on) who "hoped to help the world". You know, an interesting detail and all.)

Not to mention, during the time Robin spent with Baroque Works, if Crocodile was ever in contact with the Revolutionary Army at all, considdering she has the ability to easily spy on people and that she didn't trust Crocodile one bit, it wouldn't be unsurprising if she ever spied on Crocodile and/or just overheard a phone call or knew about Crocodile having secret spending habits or something

(Mind you, I'm not saying "she knew" Crocodile was involved with the Revolutionaries, more that she might've been Suspecting Things, that "yet" being about her connecting the dots while unsure if her conclusion was right or not)

Of course Crocodile's plans can't have been Dragon Approved by any means, especially considdering the Army had been looking for Robin for over 10 years (pre-timeskip)

Four years of which were with Crocodile. Like if he was FULLY allied with the Army and KNEW they were looking for Robin, surely he would've called Dragon and been like "hey I found the kid from Ohara, wanna come hang out" or something. But no, he had bigger plans and kept Robin a secret from the Revolutionaries and the Government alike

Also like, I have seen people question why the Revolutionaries weren't involved with Alabasta's rebellion at all, and "Oda hadn't come up with the Revolutionaries yet at the time of writing" (/"OP was meant to end at Alabasta at one point so there would've been no reason to introduce the subplot at that point") aside Between Baroque Works being a secret organization working undercover (thus the Army might not have been aware of the civil war being manufactured), the framing of the King making him look bad and very much the type of monarch that deserved to be overthrown in the Army's eyes, and Crocodile maybe lying through his teeth about what was happening in the country... Yeah, the Army's lack of involvement with Alabasta suddenly makes sense

EDIT Minor addition: Just realized that because Crocodile was technically working for the Government, if the Revs ever did send forces to participate in Alabasta's civil army and taking down the throne, the Government could've easily ordered Crocodile to step in to stop the rebellion and take down the Revolutionaries, right? Because he was supposed to be on the Government's side, right? And surely the Army wouldn't have wanted to fight against Crocodile if they were secretly allied (Croc's secret betrayal aside), and if Crocodile refused to fight the Revs the Government could've seen that as a reason to revoke his Shichibukai rights (which wouldn't be great if they wanted to keep Crocodile in a position where he could fund the Army?). So it could've also been a case of it being for the best for everyone's sake to let this one play out "naturally"

But my point is

I'm just deeply intriqued by these little details and wonder if I'm Actually Masterfully Connecting The Dots Like a True Genius or just seeing a pattern where there's none. Like this is far from confirming the theory, I'm just saying, the pieces do kinda fit together do they not

#Moon posting #OP spoilers #chapter 1097 #I'm just saying Crocodile being the Revolutionary Army's Secret Sugar Daddy would be hysterical #Not me having to tag this as OP spoilers because of one and a half panels from the latest chapter lmao #Also Croc and Iva knew each other etc etc everybody remembers that I don't need to point it out #((Although in Impel Down Iva-chan does actually tell Bon-chan about Crocodile being imprisoned at Level 6))#((Saying ''he's crazy too in his own way''. Which is an interesting comment. IDK what to make of it. But it's there))#((Like Level 5.5 was able to access news from outside Impel Down to the point they knew Bon-chan had worked under Crocodile))#((To the point Iva-chan was like ''weren't you and Strawhat enemies''. So like. IDK I'm just Intriqued))#You could also make an argument that this could also tie into Crocodile's good ol' trust issues #'Cause if his involvement with the Army was ever found out he'd have his Shichibukai Rights revoked etc #Also interestingly the Kuma flashback has very much skipped completely the period of time during Luffy was born #Going from the founding of the Army 22 years ago to Ginny's kidnapping 14 years ago #Crocodad Real etc (jk)#You know the derangement is bad when I look at one irrelevant line of dialogue and go like ''is this about my blorbo''#OP Meta

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partywithoutsmiling · 5 months

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Some musing on the Wanderer!Branch AU

(Okay, bit of a chaotic lore dump incoming, as this is probably the first time I am putting it to words)

Okay, important info first:

I headcanon it that Branch- and thus the other Brozone bros- are half-pop half-rock in their herritage; this headcanon is an old one, ever since World Tour dropped, and honestly only supported by the fact that Total Eclipse of the Heart that Branch sung as trolling is considered a Pop Rock song XD But hey, one doesnt need to have many reasons to make headcanons pff

(I have some tentative lore about his parents- and his grandparents- too, and how that would effect Branch and his Bros growing up, but I will leave that for a separated post)

But anyway, with Branch's Pop side being moderated by his Rock side, he would have always felt a bit out of place among his tribe, even he grew up perfectly happy with no tragedy in his life (I know switching Branch's and Poppy's place when it comes to being grey is all the rage right now, but I still feel most are missing all the necessary nuance to really make it work, but lets not get into that pf)

Obviously, that feeling of not fitting it only got hundred fold worse since his PTSD and him being grey, as Pop Trolls doesn't seem to be known for mental health support. Branch eventually leaving is not him going 'Screw you all, I will find someone who appreciates me' (much like Clay did) but more of a 'I am sorry, I won't get in your way anymore, I wont be a burden'

Basically massive amount of self-loathing and severe lack of self-worth. When Branch had his final breakdown and decided to leave, I don't think it would be with the precise goal of finding anyone (yes, part of him hopes he would be able to find his brothers and at least find closure one way or another, no matter how much it terrifies him).

Honestly, Branch probably didn't dare to examine his decision to leave any closely than he needed to, lest it would stand out to him for what it really was- a suicide trip.

This was Branch that doesnt know anything about the wide, outside world; he knows Bergen Town, knows of the old Troll Tree, and now knows the Forest and their Troll Village. But everything else is uncharted territory for him. He knows of the Neverglades, because of a faint memory of John Dory constantly talking about them when he was a baby, but has only a vague sense which way they are (I headcanon they make up for the border of Pop and Rock territories)

His preparation for the trip was abysmal, and so was his plan in general. He just picked a direction- opposite of Bergen Town, away from them- and started walking. When he first encountered the towering high peaks of Classical Territory, he immediatelly recognized that they can't be the Neverglades- very much not fitting the description that he remembered, so he walked past/around them, smack dab into Country territory.

Compared to others, I don't think the Country Trolls would have been very welcoming to him at the beginning; used to hard life, inhospitable land and abundant death, Branch would be an unexpected disturbance; obviously not a Classical Troll, who borders with them the closest but never comes down from the skies, obviously not a Funk Troll, who with their technological advance might as well be myths at this point- and obviously not a Pop Troll, since he doesnt shower them with obnoxious music and doesnt even look the part.

Had he been at his 100%, they would have probably been quite content to send him packing, figuring he was just a Rock Troll going solo career (little insert headcanon: Rock Troll Rite of Passage is going on a Rock Tour, and sometimes the more adventurous Rock Trolls strays into other territories to bother and cause mayhem other trolls. Barb's Rock Tour was her Rite of Passage, and being a freshly fanged Queen, she took it to another level)

But Branch quite helpfully collapsed on their doorstep, half starving and dehydrated, and they weren't so callous as to leave him there for the elements to take care of him.

Naturally, their help hardly came for free, and even if they didn't ask, Branch would have already feel indebted to them for wasting resources on his wellbeing. A Survivalist himself, he easily spotted the tight budget they were running, and felt guilty for being a burden yet again.

To his surprise, when the country trolls found out he was a hard worker, a skilled architect and wiz engineer, they completely turned their wariness around.

It was the start of his 'finding himself' journey, but for the first time, Branch started to feel... appreciated. Yes, these trolls didn't know him- but they looked at him, looked at what he can do, and called him accomplished; they were praising his skills, and called him valuable.

(But some sense of danger remained with him; as far as he believed, 'Branch' was left behind to rot away in his bunker. So when introducing himself, and habit got better of him, he started with "Bra-" but caught himself and finished "-mble"; and that new name, 'Bramble', stuck XD Still a plant name, still close enough that he can learn to repond to it- and honestly, feels like fits him better right now, as he feel all out of sorts)

It was only the first step, maybe, but it was a step toward feeling that he had some worth.

I think, out of all the Tribes, he stays with the Country trolls for the longest; yes, the life there is hard, but that is perhaps why he feels most welcomed there. There are no useless nonsense parties, no senseless dancing- the times when they can finaly wipe their brow and relax is when the community gathers together and they just... talk. Sit around, share food, look at the stars and reminiscence.

It's all very subdued, and even though Branch is the most obvious outsider ever, he feels like one with the community, and that by itself is already healing a deep wound he didnt know he had.

When the country trolls finally start singing on their good day, Branch is rather taken aback (He forgot, that Trolls are Trolls, and Trolls sing)- but the sombre and slow melody and topic of the country speaks to him, and while he doesnt join- and they dont push him to join- he listens, and he appreicates.

It is with Country Trolls that he heals most of his trauma when it comes to music. His Grandma and his Brothers leaving him are still a big guilt that weights him down- and something he wont address for a long time- but Country trolls shows him that music can be wildly different. He still doesnt sing, but when offered to be taught to play a banjo (XD), he probably doesnt refuse- mainly out of fear of insult, but also because for the first time in his life, he wants to actually try.

As time passes, his more curious side comes out- he asks questions, wants to know everything- up to this point, he didn't even know that the Country trolls were country- and to them it was obvious what they were, so why would they need to introduce themselves?

That line of questioning leads to the explanation of the other Tribes existing, and that each Tribes' music is different.

And for the first time in his life, Branch felt something alien to him- burning Wanderlust. (Bit of his Rock herritage showing, eh? Solo Rock tour, Rite of Passage~?) The thirst for knowledge was always there- after all, his bunker had many journals filled to brim with information about what he discovered in the foods, helpful tips for survival and many plans for inventions- but those were always done out of necessity, discovered and noted down so that he could live another say. Never before he had a desire to discover simply for the sake of discovering.

Never before he also actually felt like he had the option to do so; the world has always been an inhospitable wilderness to him, only filled with a small handful of trolls and a town full of monstrous giants. His childhood was filled with memory of a large iron cage, and that trapped feeling didn't change; after all, his Bunker, for all that it offered him safety, was a different type of cage too. The whole Troll Village- Pop Village, as he learned now- was another cage as well. Gilded one, made of ignorance.

And so he knew his time with the country trolls came to an end- and it was because he grew to respect them and appreciate them, that he doesnt disappear in the nigh and haltingly tells them his decision to leave and explore.

Memories of his Brothers' argument echo through his mind as he waits for the inevitable blow up, but.... he is once again surprised when the trolls just accepts this decision and wish him all the best- going as far as to help him pack- properly this time- and wheedling out of him a promise to check in once in a while, whenever he is in the neighbourhood.

Equipped with a non outdated map, he decides to make visit all the other territories one by one, starting from Country and heading right towards Classical, going around in one large circle around Pop Territory- Going to Techno after Classical, and to Rock right after that. Funk is largely a mystery to him- the Country trolls are at this point content to believe they are just a myth- much the same way a unicorn is to us- but Branch wants to keep an open mind.

After all, he himself had no idea other kind of trolls existed, so why dismiss the Funk Troll existence right away?

His travels to Symphonyville proved to be as challenging as was the start of his trip towards Country territory. Being high in the mountains- higher than anywhere Branch ever went- really showed him that walking is easy only when the road is straight and flat.

The air growing colder and thinning, he probably doesn't make the best first impression neither- especially in his dishevelled state, he is once more mistaken for a Rock Troll, and it takes a gargantuan amount of effort to convince anyone that he is simply there to learn music, and not cause any trouble.

Out of all the Tribes, he would stay with the Classical trolls the shortest. They are strict teachers, and their culture is very frigid and traditional- and Branch knows that he would have to wildly change himself to fit among them. Yet looking around, seeing the tall spires of the buildings around him, he finds he doesn't really want to. The grandiose of everything is rather intimidating- but even if he tried his best, he would never fit well among the classical trolls, always limited by something (like his ability to fly)

And realizes that was okay. That was acceptable. And that the classical trolls knew he wasn't a good fit now, and would hardly ever be a good fit ever- but they never expected him to become someone he is not. He asked them to teach him and so teach him they will- but you cant force a white sheep to grow black wool anymore that you can force a black sheep grow white.

The moment they realize Branch is there to learn and not wreck their peace like wandering Rock Trolls tend to do, they definitelly warm up to him more- but it still with the mildest of disapprovals since compared to them, Branch looks like a scrunkly kitten and all of them are just itching to groom him properly XD

Branch himself is amazed at the variety of musical instruments that exists and very quickly finds that he is not a progidy in plaing them all pff. Wind musical instruments are most likely completely beyond him, and after some attempts gives them up for a lost cause. Percussion fairs a bit better; he definitelly has some idea how to keep a beat and a rhythm, but even there he finds playing piano the most comfortable out of them all, with drums being a close second.

It is with string instruments that he trully shines, especially those that he can play with his own hands, without the need to use a pick or a bow; a tentative hint at his connection to music, the vibrations just send shivers down his spine and makes him feel more close to the sound his playing produces. (Guitar and Harp becoming his favourite instruments from the get go).

Getting to Techno was trickier. Them living underwater makes access to their territory rather impossible- unless Branch happens to meet someone willing to cross then bridge between Land and Sea XD

It makes for a rather convenient introduction for minor genres; the land bordering Classical and Rock seems to be as the perfect land for various minor tribes to cohabit in peace.

Are there Techno Opera trolls? Siren like beings, that found their homes on the deck of boats, sailing from and to an island after island? Techno Classical that built their living on the coast line, wanting to be close to both land and sea?

In any case, Branch discovers that even with music it's not so simple as shelving it into labels, and that it is ever growing, ever evolving. He never manages to actually visit Techno Reef, but he doesnt' need to; compared to other trolls, the Techno Trolls are not insular, and quite happily come to the surface or to the coast, both to vibe with the offshoots of their genre, to discover what they came up with, but also to simply make friends and have fun.

It was the first time Branch encountered a large party not unsimilar to that of a Pop Troll one- and yet for all that the party was just as loud and wild as he was used to seeing, the sight of it didnt really fill him with uncontrollable panic. It definitelly helped it was once again more about the music and the beat itself, and about the mood of the partygoers than it was about the singing; it was about experimentation and trying out new things- and yet not every troll was dancing around like maniacs. They had the stage for sure, and large crowd was gathering there- but there were also the fringe areas and corners, where Trolls just sat and chatted and bopped to the beat. Not forced to do anything they didn't want to, simply allowed to have fun in their own way.

He doesnt really interacts with the Techno Trolls that much, beyond when there is a party happening on the surface. Gravitates more towards exploring the Minor Territory, and discovering that it holds more than just Techno Classical/Opera. Not wanting to stray too close to the border with Pop, he nevertheless encounters encounters various offshoots of Pop as well- and the K-Pop gang as well

This definitelly allows him to learnt that even the Trolls Kingdom are not free of corruption and the bounty hunters are not starving for contracts- crime does happen in the troll kingdoms, and when the local police force comes short, the bounty hunters are the next best thing to employ.

Speaking with the K-Pop gang, he learns- with a bit of unease- that there was an old contract unfulfilled, that searched for all the Brozone Brothers, and thanked his lucky stars he can in no way be connected to them. It was considered a cold one, where there was no hope among the communities of it ever being cashed in- but the knowledge someone was looking for them- specifically for the younger of the brothers (Him, Floyd and Clay) made him wonder who could it be.

(Part of him entertained that it could be John Dory)

(Other part dismissed it right away. After all, JD did specifically state 'Goodbye Forever'- why would he make the effort to employ bounty hunters to find three of his brothers, if he was even alive to do so?)

That meetings seems to set of a string of bad luck- at least, that's how he feels. Continuing down to Rock territory- of which he is most wary (after all, he was constantly being confused for one, and expected to cause mayhem and destruction- so what kind of Trolls Rock Trolls were to earn that reputation?

A very specific kind- wild and chaotic.

Compared to other Territories, no-one blinks when he just walks in and continues deeper into the Kingdom; and he can finally see why he was mistaken for a Rock Troll. Muted colours, sharp smiles and even sharper claws, it was like walking into uncanny valley, where nearly every troll wears his face. At that point, unknown to him, his colours are not completely grey and black, so he is sporting some faint hues, and very quickly learns that thanks to the direction he came from, Rock Trolls think he is from an Offshoot genre; either Punk Rock or Pop Rock (though they obviously hope for the former) They reconsider him to Folk Rock when he brings out softer tunes that he plays on a borrowed guitar; and for the first time in a while, Branch is asked to sing.

He panics, obviously- playing musical instrument is one thing, but getting over his trauma from singing is another- and quite swiftly and bluntly refuses, cringing after to wait for the inevitable "You are a Troll, why don't you sing?"

Only... it never comes. There are shrugs, and one "Cool." and then he just gets invited to an Indie Rock show, and that is that.

Completely baffled at this easy acceptance, Branch agrees out of shock, before he can trully think it through- and realizes it's the first time since he left Pop Village (at this point probably nearly two years ago) that he thinks back on its inhabitants and namely Poppy.

He feels rather guilty, for taking this long to really give them a concrete thought. Like yes, he did think of them at the beginning, when he lived with the Country trolls- but that was only in general way, comparing the different livestyles. He never really chose to think about the people he left behind.

Now, no longer blinded with grief, self-loathing and rampart paranoia, he does remember that not all adults in his life went out of their way to activelly fail him. King Peppy, for all that he was unequipped to deal with Branch's issues, tried to check up on him regularly; his Grandmother's friends or those who knew her, made it their goal to be kind, even if Branch tried to avoid them out of reminder what he caused

Hype, Trickie, Boom and Ablaze were old friends- his childhood friends- the ones he made after his brothers left, and the ones he pushed away after he went grey- and yet they still managed to be around, noticing them from a distance, even as he stopped speaking to them.

And then there was, of course, Poppy.

Just starting to mature when he left, it's not quite a crush that he feels for her (not yet anyway), but there is still some sort of appreciation for her- some part of him, that subconsciously aches at the need to be close to her, and feeling just that bit of her warmth and positivity- one that made him wistfully keep all her invitations and listen to the sound of her recorded voice.

For the first time, he wonders how they reacted to his disappearence. Wonders if they miss him- or if they curse him. If they do both- like he felt conflicted towards his brothers, the older he got and the more obvious it became that they are not coming back.

It was that thought- the comparison to his brothers- that pushed him to hesitantly think about returning back to Pop Village; to his bunker, to his old life- to Poppy.

It was a tentative thought really; truthfully, the desire was a half hearted spur of the moment, and not something he would drop everything for. He didn't miss his old life; where he was the village hermit, the outcast, the weird one. Besides, he just arrived in Rock, and he still had a whole adventure ahead of him, trying to find the Funk trolls.

And so, When in Rome, do as the Romans do- and so Branch steeled himself to attend a party, one that he was specifically invited to; after all, he had been at parties before now, within the reach of Techno Reef, it's not like this one is any different

Only it kind of felt like it- yes, the music was harsher, the beat went harder- but the harmonizing of voices reminded him so close of his own tribe that it just left him feeling jittery- and at first, yes, the party made him tense and hardly participate, but as it went on, song after song, he could feel himself slowly relax.

(Besides, there was something about rock music, that send warmth straight to the core of his being; something about it resonated with him more than any other music did, besides Pop- and where before he fought hard to not allow it to do that, perhaps, just this time, he could try the opposite)

(After all, they were underground, where Branch always felt the safest, and the Bergens had no idea other tribes even existed- he could indulge a little)

Of course, fate has a funny way of entertaining itself, and in the second of his indecisiveness, he gets bumped into and trips and falls- or he would, if pair of hands didn't steady him, and familiar voice asked him if he was okay

And Branch suddenly felt altogether three years old, getting fed empty promise and watching his older brother disappear through the entry to his Grandma's pod

And he is now in present, left staring at nearly 15 years older Floyd, his brother clearly living the best life, happily away from Pop Territory (away from Branch)

His name drops from his lips before Branch can stop himself, and that has Floy pause and squint at him- obviously not recognizing him, obviously trying to place him- before something clicks and his eyes widen and he goes pale

Branch most likely punches him- and then finds he cant stop heaving in fury and goes punch him again, not allowing Floyd a word in (honestly, he is not punching very hard, not apart from that first one)

Of course, Floyd is hardly alone, probably in a band, and his band mates are not keen on having their member be attacked by a random troll

Brawl very easily breaks out- honestly nothing new among the Rock Trolls- and ends up with all of them, especially Branch, thrown in a cell for their troubles, much to the protest of Floyd's bandmates, who curses and claims innocence

For the first time in forever, Branch feels hollowed out; yes, he had been hoping for a closure- but honestly, he had expected to find all of his brothers dead; not finding any of them living happily away, their youngest brother not even a blip of concern in their mind.

He certainly never expected it from Floyd, who essentially lived a stone throw away; who clearly was able to cross the distance it took from Bergen town to arrive in Rock troll's territory, just shy away from the Pop one.

------------------------------------------------------------ This is where I will stop the musing for now XD;

Obviously there are more things to add; Barb would make appearance, not yet as a Queen but definitelly in charge of keeping any Rock Trolls in line (she is not called a Princess because the Rock Trolls don't use that title for their heirs) and while Floyd is aware she is the future Queen, that information doesnt get shared)

The discovery of Funk Trolls still awaits as well, as does Branch's return to Lonesome Flats, as he had promised to do

But that's for the next time :)

#trolls #dreamworks trolls #trolls fandom #trolls branch #wanderer!branch au #Lore #lore dump

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splitster · 10 months

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answering ASKSSSSS

featuring: headcanons, mspaint yonny, and more

check it out! ↓↓

UHH the timeline is already hard enough to follow for 4 it's a little messy... I imagine for the pom wraith AU, it's mostly the events of pikmin 4 with some extra bits tacked onto it (like Olimar encountering the plasm at some point on his lonesome).

WAHHH THANK YOU... heres some secret mod lore, yonny is the HARDEST motherfucker to draw for me. he was ever since i started drawing the rescue corps and he still is!!!!!!!!!!!! his stupid face is so HARD GRRUUAUUGGHH

THANK YOU!!! i have a few bernard drawings/doodles in the pipeline to post eventually

(ive done a few ask masterposts at this point so forgive me if i already answered this one) AHHHHH i mean pom DOES really like Olimar. he challenges her skills out on the field when she's trying to track him down as a leafling which she finds engaging, and she finds him quite charming from the logs she reads. after he's cured, he's nothing but kind and supportive.

i don't think she'd try to take off with him like the plasm, but she'd feel protective over him if something were to threaten him

WAUUGGHH THANK YOU!!!! putting my favorite fictional characters into an enclosure and watching them

THANK YOU!!! you get it, he's so wet and pathetic

YEAH i have more bernard incoming!!! he's so genuinely supportive and it kinda freaks pom out because she can't tell if he has ulterior motivations or not (he doesn't. he's just a really cool dude. they'll become besties💖)

i'll perform the summoning ritual for you anon

there he is. what a jolly fellow

THIS IS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION... i had to consult with my friends for a lengthy food discussion (big hearts to @cosmicocoffee who helped me with like literally all of them)

for Pom, she's a wraith, so she just likes interesting and strong tastes. she's very partial to sweet things, and she LOVES chocolate (because that's one of the first sweets she ever tasted). although, she also like really spicy things because it's a neat feeling. as for least favorite, uh... i mean, the girl will literally eat soap for fun. it's very rare for her to have a food item she despises. they DO exist though, she fucking hates raisins

Dingo likes MANLY food, like MEAT and RIBS. well, he mostly likes being seen eating it. he does have a fondness for sweet things and smoothies. the town he grew up in could get pretty cold, so he grew up eating quite a lot of hot meals like caldo de res (he's especially fond of soups made the way his mama used to make them). he also picks up a fondness for hot tea from growing up with yonny, but he always puts extra honey in his cups. dingo HATES some foods though, especially sushi. the last time he tried to impress people by eating sushi, Dingo was hunched over outside the restaurant with Yonny rubbing his back...

shepherd! likes coffee. @soupvnova said she'd go to starbucks (spacebucks?) often to get the pup cup for oatchi which is very good. she has the healthiest diet out of all of them with routine exercise, protein shakes, lots of fruits and shit. she does have a weakness and a bit of a sweet tooth though, especially for cake. it hardly puts a dent in her diet though given her metabolism, she's a very built captain. she's not a fan of steamed vegetables... too squishy for her.

while talking about shepherd it is imperative to share that Oatchi will eat ANYTHING. if something hits the ground it is in his mouth immediately, shepherd has had to wrestle him to get space dog-unsafe food outta there before. although she will also constantly sneak him stuff from the dinner table

collin's fun because he enjoys eating healthy, he's a fan of fresh spring salads and stuff like pineapples and watermelon, but he also has to live off of a lot of processed/vending machine food because the man pulls all nighters frequently. he's also prone to stress eating... you can find him demolishing a watermelon and he's just. covered with seeds. he likes crunchy foods and seeds-- he's very hamstercore. he comes to Despise instant noodles because of how often he has to rely on them for food in the dead of night

fucking uhhh yonny, he likes foods that pair well with reading, he has pretty "mature" tastes and enjoys tea, maybe a glass of wine if he's feeling it. he often gets tunnel vision with his work and will neglect to eat, and as their doctor he'll have to set reminders on his phone to go have a meal so he doesn't fall ill. i can imagine he's not too into sugary things...

we already know bernard has some very expensive tastes, but he might just struggle with some textures or tastes in food. like, he enjoys pizza, this man is just a very picky eater... i can see him having tastes all over the board though. also he's protective over his stuff, he cared more about dingo eating his pizza than abandoning him

russ. uh... russ. yeah

olimar and louie are not part of the rescue corps, but i could see olimar joining (and louie following) sometime after the events of 4! he'd get a much better benefits package... he'd be good at providing logistical support for rangers out on the field, although his achy back would probably keep him off the field himself

AHH THANK YOU!! i have written some things but i don't have anything published -- to be honest, i'm not much of a fic writer. most of my writing is mostly just me talking through ideas/stories/cool character moments with friends, which is not a very shareable format unfortunately💔

i will say, talking about ideas with buddies gives me a shit load of ideas/motivation for drawing, and a lot of the stuff i've posted probably had that as an origin

THANK YOU!! and yeah of course that's fine! every artist is a collection of inspirations, and i'm no exception. my style comes from studying what i like in art and media (made by other people). i'm honored you find me as an inspiration💖

AUGH AUGH THANK YOU!!! i appreciate the anatomically correct hearts 💖💖

YEAHH i have designs that i've been meaning to flesh out but i'm lazy... i've been sitting on a dingo and yonny wraith design for like a month now, i should just bite the bullet and post them as-is if i ever want to share them... oh well! it's all for fun, i'm not gonna stress about it looking good

---

thank you for reading this far!! and thank you all for the asks, i will continue to slowly get through them...

#modask #modpost #thank you for the asks!! sorry this one took a while

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kcrabb88 · 7 months

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I got some excitement when I posted that little Blood Makes Noise snippet, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about it! Don't always do that before I post a fic but I'm really really excited about this so here's some of the fic lore to tide over until I get deeper into writing it since it'll take a bit with my other projects :D

It's set from 1988-95/96 in New York City during the height of the AIDS crisis

Qui-Gon, an ACLU attorney and anti-war protestor, adopted Obi-Wan when he was four after his single mom, a client of Qui-Gon’s, was killed by the police

Qui-Gon is Dooku's son, and they're Jewish. Dooku is a former US Rep and is cantor at the synagogue they all attend and things are ... complicated

Tholme, a PI, adopted Quinlan at age 8 (and later on Aayla). Quin's birth parents immigrated from Haiti and died when he was five

Qui-Gon and Tholme, who are close friends, move in across the hall from each other and Quin and Obi-Wan become the best of friends from age 8 on

Quin's a violin prodigy and composer who later starts a punk/rock band and teaches music in an NYC public school

Obi-Wan is a political science professor who also writes political and investigative pieces for The Village Voice and tutors low-income kids at his local JCC (Bail is his editor)

Both of them are in ACT UP and also did crisis line work for the Gay Men's Health Crisis group that was the pre-cursor to ACT UP

They've been stupid in love forever and keep sleeping together but don't become a couple until right after Obi-Wan's HIV diagnosis (for various reasons that will be explained in the fic)

Eventually Anakin and Shmi move into the same building as Obi-Wan and Quinlan and become super close

Obi-Wan writes hit pieces on Palpatine, a former US. Rep who now works for the pharma company that's responsible for jacking up AZT prices (and Palpatine just so happens to be Anakin's estranged grandfather)

Little Padme will also be in this! Her dad is a city councilor

Obi-Wan IS one of the lucky earlier on HIV/AIDS survivors (it's just a very hard road)

I won't spoil it all but! Some lore. Really excited to dig into this!

#Blood Makes Noise #QuinObi #My fic #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Quinlan Vos #Star Wars tag #KCrabb rambles

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t0talbra1nd3ath · 4 months

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Hawk Lore + Fun Facts

(May contain spoilers for Death by Mixer)

In all previous character lore posts I've always started with family, so that's where I'll start here again.

Hawk's full name is Hawk Francis Hale. His family is a fairly average working class household. His father is a mechanic and his mother is a nurse. They married at the ripe old age of 18 as Hawk's mother was pregnant with him, so they had him in a matter of a few months after the wedding. Despite what you might assume, their marriage was actually quite happy, though the father did start to drink a bit too much as the years passed. Because of how early Hawk's parents had him both of them are still in the work force.

Hawk took interest in the medical field from an early age because of his mother and eventually went to college for pharmaceutics. His father weren't too thrilled about his career choice as he hoped Hawk would take over the car shop, but his mother supported him.

Hawk got married at 20, while still in college, to a girl from his class. They bought a nice house together and eventually Hawk's wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl that they named Chrissy.

Alas, Hawk's marriage only lasted a few years. His wife divorced him when Chrissy was only a bit over 1 year old because Hawk started to drink a lot and regularly cheating.

During the divorce Hawk's now ex wife took most of their shared assets, including the house. Hawk was finishing his masters degree to become a professor so he didn't have much in the way of income and no time to get a good job. Because of that he started producing drugs. Soon he was recruited to design and formulate new drugs for a whole bunch of rich ass people.

Ok now for the Hawk-Fun-Fact-Rapid-Fire-Round-Up!

Hawk rarely does drugs. He generally stays away from anything other than weed, nic and alcohol, though during finals week he does occasionally sniff a line or two of coke.

Hawk often roofies random people just for the fun of it. He likes to spike the drinks of people he hasn't even talked to and sitting across the bar from them, watching for their reaction.

Hawk often tests his new product on random junkies, but for more important clients he does prefer to get a clean test subject.

Hawk knows his way around a motor because of his father, everyone in Hawk's neighbourhood always goes to him for any minor hiccups with their cars.

#death by mixer

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alitheakorogane · 2 years

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SAGAU?

The SAGAU or Self-Aware Genshin Impact AU, especially Imposter AU, is a very intriguing concept... if we never counted the mischaracterization and irony of some of the characters.

I mean, the Archons are being batshit crazy hunting over you when these little hypocrites are doing the same thing with having similar faces with their statues, and their damn people never connected the dots on how the Archons are just beside them playing 'guess who' (Zhongli and Venti, I'm talking to you)?!

And where is Celestia in all of this shit (in some fics)?

So I have a great idea to explain why the characters are acting like medieval men with pitchforks in my version of the AU.

There are two real-life Genshin events that inspire me to do my twist on the AU:

Hoyoverse's plan is to create a virtual world by 2030, with Genshin Impact as the "prototype". They are also keen on putting an effort into AI-related research.

The recent controversy regarding the famous anti-cheat driver used in Genshin Impact is allegedly used for malicious intent by hackers, where it kills antivirus processes and services for mass-deploying ransomware.

I was also inspired by the Gravity Falls episode "Soos and the Real Girl", where a video game character, "GIFanny", who is from a dating game simulator (inspired by real Japanese dating sims), became sentient and zaps her programmers to oblivion when they try to delete her. Heck, her most prominent ability is the power to override computer functions, transfer herself between electronics, and can download a person's conscious mind into the digital world, thereby uniting that individual with her forever.

In short, she's a Yandere. Perfect.

Because of all of these, this SAGAU idea was born.

What if the rabid attitudes of the characters in SAGAU Imposter AU were caused by a computer virus attack on a certain vulnerable code in the game that was intended to introduce an AI for the developer's incoming virtual reality project?

The AI was designed to create the characters, whether playable or non-playable, very interactive in the digital world. The technology allows for the characters to gain 'sentience', to allow them to talk and interact with the players without any difficulty.

Unfortunately, because it was slightly unfinished, the code was vulnerable to hacks and computer bugs that could possibly attack the code, and eventually, the game installed by the player.

The hacker, who is also a Genshin player, eventually finds out about it and made a computer bug to try how it will affect the game and warn others about the danger it causes. Then they posted it on some shady website under the guise of a private server or something.

And there was this unlucky player, who unknowingly opened the computer bug this hacker had sent when they wanted to open a private server (the player doesn't know how to obtain them so they stumbled on this website).

Unknown to both of them, the AI had been affected by the virus differently than they expected. The characters, the lore... it all changed and twisted to something different.

The characters were now sentient, but the virus had made their personalities deviate from their actual personalities in the original lore, and the AI added one thing to the now-changed lore: the existence of the "Creator", the Almother of Celestia and Teyvat who made the fantasy world by the flick of their hand.

The virus, now knowing the existence of the Creator, created an imposter based on what it had gotten from your user preferences, and your social media accounts. Just like real-life malware does: stealing your identity online... to rule Teyvat and at the same time, fully infecting the game and the computer, finally sending the infected codes at a fixed time, this time on the surface web (like Google, Instagram, etc.)

Since they are now sentient, the AI can recognize the virus spreading on the game, and release their last resort to combat the imposter and the virus itself: bringing the real Creator to Teyvat by any means. The golden blood rushing in the Creator's veins acts like an antivirus or the cure to the game.

The Creator will also have allies intended to help the real one navigate through Teyvat. The Chosen Vessels, including a certain little Archon (with her being connected to the Irminsul, served as the AI's server), will help the Creator defeat the Imposter and their now corrupted Acolytes.

And the unsuspected player, who just loved playing Genshin Impact as a means of escaping reality, was the victim of all of this.

#sagau #sagau impostor au #genshin impact #genshin #sagau brainrot #self aware genshin #genshin impact sagau #sagau idea #self aware AU #imposter AU #genshin cult AU #sagau cult AU #cult AU

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idsb · 5 months

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hi im new here can you give a brief rundown of like you lol?? where youve lived, jobs, partners, interests, give me the idsb lore please!!!!!

hi!! sure, I have a lot of new followers and I was just thinking the other day abt this and how my blog is like 70/30 my personal life v Taylor so that must be confusing for new people. so yes! here's the spark notes:

My name is Holly and I just turned 28! I grew up outside of Boston and lived in NYC for ~10 years after I went to art school there. I dropped out of college after one semester to pursue my actual dream of touring with artists. After I dropped out I spent a while willingly homeless in NYC so that I could establish myself & my career there. Eventually it worked & I had been doing freelance photography, videography, graphic design and merch sales as steady income since ~2017. I was in a 5 year, emotionally abusive relationship with my high school sweetheart and finally ended it in 2018. A bit after this, I went to Australia for the first time with my then-friend now-boyfriend (Nov 2018). I've been obsessed with Australia since I was like 5 years old and it was an incredible adventure. I spent about 3 weeks there alone without then-friend, and during those 3 weeks met a Man. The last night we spent in Australia on this trip was Christmas Eve, and said man invited me to have an outdoor Love Actually screening and have a wine picnic with him and all his friends. it was one of the best nights of my life. We hooked up and he singlehandedly cured some sex-related fears I had from the previous relationship and I couldn't stop thinking about it for months. Back in America (Jan 2019) I entered my hoe phase in a never-ending quest for validation and slept with every guitarist I'd ever worked with while meanwhile having a big mental breakdown. Enter a John Mayer vibing man we called the Guitarist here, and a lot of Bad Shit he did to me in his own validation quest mental breakdown (May-August 2019). Clearly my only choice was to fly back to Australia to see the other guy! And I did (September 2019)! Then I was mega depresso when I went home bc my life felt hopeless & I'd already lived out all the hope it had going for it :) I continued my hoe phase and chronicled it via Spice Nights where I’d just answer nsfw asks and give advice for like 8 hours straight. This is waxing over it but it was chaotic and I cannot understate the Depression (Feb 2020).

Then the pandemic happened whomp whomp. I lost all my gigs and posted about it on Tumblr dot com, this blog gained a very large following sort of bc of being a Taylor blog and sort of bc of live-blogging all the drama. ms Taylor Swift saw it and she sent me $3,000 to cover my rent for all of lockdown. a lot happened as a result of that but in the end I realized it was not smart to stay in NYC and spent summer 2020 roadtripping around the US with my then-friend who had first come to Australia with me, who had since joined the leagues of guitar-playing-employer-i-was-sleeping-with (there were 4 in total but I was in loveeeeee w this one). Big Cruel Summer vibes. my friend group exploded partially as a result of my behavior and partially bc they were cunts who didn't care about John Mayer vibe man manipulating me. So then I said fuck it and moved to Montana to work in a national park w guitar guy I Actually Loved who had become my boyfriend at that point, and we lived there until winter 2021. Then I started touring again, got insanely successful, was making more money than most people I knew with salaried jobs and booking work all over the world, my relationship ended over some drama I found out about way after the fact but then we got back together & moved in together (May 2023). Going great. Then I got so fucking burnt out from my job I was like stop the presses I am fucking off to Australia I can't do the music industry and the mega late-stage capitalism anymore. so now I live in Melbourne and am a bartender at a fancy cocktail bar and my relationship is sort of a LDR but I’m going home soon maybe(?) and that is what you missed on Glee!!!!

#this was as concise as I could make it and it was still not very concise

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bugcowboyart · 2 years

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The Sanktis Project // Lord of the Long Silence

Welcome to the world of Sanktis, my ongoing worldbuilding project that will eventually be a full narrative but right now is 50+ illustrations, 100 slides of lore, and about 5 pages of actual written story (which is funny because there’s already spinoff fanfic written by a friend that is longer than the “book” itself). I started around 2015 when I graduated undergrad, but the oldest drawing I still have is from 2016.

The story explores the story of three nations and their beliefs, a rising charismatic King in the north, and what happens to a priest when the beings they serve disappear from the world overnight.

These are concepts of the Priesthood serving the Lord of Long Silence—God of Death, the Dead, and Necromancers (represented here in stained glass).

While most death priests are not necromancers, those priests with the Silent Gift are called Bonedancers.

Bonedancers are brought to the temples as soon as their talents manifest after being sold, stolen, or surrendered by their parents. They are then trained in combat, performance, and ritual, before being matched into a bonded pair around puberty. These pairs, called Tethers, are not only more powerful, but their bond mitigates the immense risk of messing with the other side.

The Bonedancer Heretic in the third image shows off a pretty standard bonedancer habit; though they themselves are a character I’ll expand on in other posts if you’re interested! The other two show a standard priest and a high priestess! Habits vary regionally. The only standard is the scapular and the blank mask. Novices wear half masks!

More priesthoods incoming!

#the Sanktis Project #Sanktis #worldbuilding #Fantasy #fantasy worldbuilding #fantasy world #necromancer #priest

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imolelalade · 7 months

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Nifemi Lore and Stuff

Nifemi is a character who I tried to put layers into, while basing some aspects of her personality on myself. But while not only is it hard trying to breakdown yourself down into a character, my brain is also too messy to form proper lore before jumping straight into trauma parts, which I hyperfixtated on at some point. Seeing as this is my first time actually posting proper stuff about her and most of you might be like ‘Who the hell is even Nifemi?’, I’m gonna post a small background and info-dump on her lore a bit. (I also just need some type of outlet for all of this, it’s one am I want to sleep, she takes up my every waking thought)

Backstory and Personality Study

Nifemi hails from Earth 1960, and she was born in South Africa, though being raised in her spiderman city, Laghattan, New Lagos City, Nigeria (A mashup of Lagos and New York), where she lived and grew up.

She and her sister, Bolatito, were both orphaned at about 4 and 2 years old respectively, when their parents died in a plane crash, and moved in with their Uncle Benedict ‘Ben’ Parker and Aunt Mayowa ‘May’ Parker.

They owned a small family based resturant that brought in most of the family’s income and simultaneously ignited Nifemi’s love for cooking.

At 13 on a field trip to Oscorp Industries, she got lost from her class and got bitten by a radioactive spider and after her Uncle Ben’s death, took up the mantle of spiderwoman, or as she and her city call her, Anansi.

About a year of being Anasi later, Nifemi’s sister, Bolatito finds out about her identity and claims the role of ‘the gal in the chair, making gadgets, walkie talkies the whole thing.

When Nifemi was about 15, she met Miles 1960 (her Earth’s variant of Miles Morales) who she developed a strong friendship with as they bonded over their love for art and stuff. (Big sis, Little bro relationship)

Nifemi soon introduces Bolatito to Miles, the three of them becoming a trio with Miles and Bolatito becoming a couple at some point (Techflower)

Timeskip, blah, blah, blah, Nifemi meets Hobie at uni, develops a crush on him and him vice-versa and they both also end up together (I’ll explain the timeline more in depth later, I’m too lazy and tired to do that right now)

Anways,

Throughout her journey as Anansi, Nifemi’s canon events of losing her loved ones had a lasting impact on her personal self, both as Anansi and as her civilian self.

Nifemi and her Uncle Ben were extremely close, she growing to even see him as a sort of father figure as she barely had any memories of her real parents, which is why his death as her canon event, (though she didn’t know what canon events were at the time) had such a lasting impact on her, making her unknowingly more emotionally closed off than she would have been as a normal teenager. Her already naturally shy and introverted personality also didn’t help matters to an extent.

Due to this, even though she eventually opened up as she grew older and met HB 1960 (her earth’s variant of Hobie Brown), her second ‘loss of a loved one’ canon event of losing him (since he’s kind of her Gwen Stacy, love intrest thing), completely shattered her and set her down a dark slope of her being afraid getting close or forming any sort of relationship with people, as now 2 of her greatest love ones are dead because, in her mind, her.

As a person Nifemi is a laid back person to an extent, just moving with life but still trying to be successful. She tries to have an easy-going attitude with life but might appear to be closed off and moody to others at times. She honestly doesn’t try or mean to seem that way but has problems socializing or even opening up with people. Despite her attitude however, she does have a pretty steady friendgroup and realistic approach with life, keeping the few friends and loved ones she has close, which is why the loss of them usually has a bigger and lasting impact on her.

Nifemi sees her identity of being Anansi to be seperate yet at the same time the same with her civilain life, constantly mking connections yet still try to keep them from overlapping with each other. While, yes, she follows her Uncle Ben’s advice of “With great power comes great responsibility” and the added mindset of “If I don’t do it, who will?”, at the same time she still wonders if she should just stop trying. The fact that her city, still has their doubts about her, despite her constantly saving them, still seeing her as a demon, due to her powers and their superstitions, also doesn’t help matters and keeps the thoughts coming.

However despite all of this, Nifemi still keeps trying and persevering, using her friends and famiy as a sort of motivation to keep going, in a sense her motto kind of being, “Even if you don’t want to, do it for them”

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the-vibes-are-off · 2 years

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The Stormlight Archive Volume 1: The Way of Kings’ Review: Chapters 5-8

link to contents page - https://at.tumblr.com/the-vibes-are-off/hey-hey/96xd9ohihrzs

Right, well, you know how I said in my previous post that my COVID test was negative? Yeah so I was swiftly clowned and I am now SICK right on essay season. I have dug out crusty dusty old HP Pavilion to do work but I’m essentially only using it for Tumblr so. My partner is officially in another country now (I know you’re going to read this so pls come back I am dying) so I cant even be babied 24/7 due to the time difference. On season 4 of Criminal Minds already tho so ....

In terms of reading, I am officially back and LOVING it. I am limiting myself to 4 chapters in one setting because that’s how much I want my review sections to cover and writing this takes longer than I thought it would tbh. Lets get to it!

Spoiler Free Zone:

The split narrative is like definitely managing my problems with maintaining my attention. I will say that since Kaladin’s story line, although definitely interesting don’t get me wrong, would probably get boring if it was all I was reading. I’m more a magic and lore and pretty women fantasy enjoyer than a grr fight fantasy enjoyer since my like gritty lit enjoyment comes from different genres.

Loving the direction that Shallan’s plot line is going in, I’m glad Brandon doesn’t just give the characters what they want straight away and there is at least the illusion that they’re working for something even though its obvious they’ll achieve it eventually.

Mostly, I’m just loving the characters they’re introducing in Shallan’s story, maybe not so much SOME people (a certain person specifically I dislike is beginning, BEGINNING to grow on me) as they’re just so lovely and cute and nice and ugh we love to see it.

*** SPOILERS INCOMING ***

Spoiler Zone:

I’m saying it now, I did initially think Jasnah was just a bitch tbh like I get she’s all important and up her own ass or whatever but she doesn’t appreciate art??? I get Shallan like couldnt just get what she wanted but like .... come on. I was so mad when she just started shouting n shit when Shallan was waiting in the alcove like get a grip pls. However.... turning a boulder to smoke? I had to tab that as cool, like that was just a smart idea to clear it and a cool fckn power to have

Shallan wanting to steal tho? I love her, a true icon as she should steal from the bitch. I literally just tabbed it love this bc ? Slay like what else could I do. I’d steal it too

aaaaaaaaand then were back to Kaladin actually just getting fucking shit on at every turn yet again. mf has to carry a bridge?? and then get shot at with arrows?? my goodness give this man a break

The spren getting a name tho like Syl is acc like carrying Kaladin’s arc for me I want to know what is going on there I am trying so hard not to spoil it for myself

From an arts and humanities student standpoint, I did tab Shallan describing how she views her art and the process of creation as like fleshy and human. Like in both studying and writing poetry I relate to capturing a person or a place or a moment on paper

And then 2 cuties that I simply had to draw attention to in Brother Kabsal and Yalb. They are iconic and I adore them the end :*

Tab Count:

Cute: 2

Fights: 1

Sad: 1

Death: 0

Cool: 0

Wtf wow: 1

Wtf why: 0

Slay Quotes: 0

Love this: 2

Hate this: 0

Tab Total:

Cute: 3

Fights: 4

Sad: 1

Death: 2

Cool: 4

Wtf wow: 2

Wtf why: 1

Slay Quotes: 3

Love this: 5

Hate this: 1

PS: If anyone actually reads this far down comment (or post me if you’re feeling generous) your fave tea to drink when you’re sick because I’m going through maybe 10 cups a day and I am swiftly running out....

#brandon sanderson #the way of kings #stormlight archive #kaladin stormblessed #kaladin #shallan #shallan davar #jasnah kholin #book #books #books and reading #book review #fantasy #high fantasy #book tabbing #book annotations #english literature #literature #literature review

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spikeinthepunch · 12 days

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a while ago i wrote a post all about my dnd character Asphodel, but i actually removed it along with some descriptions on some art because i had paranoia one of my party members might find my blog due to them making a tumblr and knowing my username on instagram which is the same lol...

but for complex personal reasons i wont be playing Asphodel with a the part of that party that would find this blog, and so i wanted to write a new post going over her especially because the campaign she was in had to stop and be cancelled so lore pertaining her present plot line is no longer relelvant (but she remains the same overall)

so here i go, long post incoming. i will go from the start to the end of her backstory, then the "present" of the campaign (which again, has ended and was incomplete).

Asphodel Atbay (he/she) is a lawful evil tiefling cleric/rogue who worships the evil goddess of misfortune, Beshaba. She has white skin, buzzed white hair, and blue eyes. There is a scar on her left thight shaped like a stag's head with antlers.

Her family generations ago fled Demos to the new world, and in doing so they prayed to the goddess Beshaba in wishes to avoid all kinds of misfortune in their new life. However, they became tied to her with no way to leave as they feared what they may do if they became disloyal to her. So, they adapted to her follower's lifestyle in order to please her... which mean a life of evil. Deception, manipulation, selfish greed. In time they embraced this and it is all they now know.

Asphodel was born to Arrakas Atbay (father) and Nenarai Atbay (mother). A noble family in Paradise Rocks (this location could change when revived for a rebooted campaign) who had worked their way up through manipulative tactics and money. Asphodel was shaped into who she was-- her father being quite detached and stone faced in every regard, unless it was a short smile of approval to Asphodel completing her "work" she was to carry out. Whatever he asked for she did with pleasure, always wishing to do what the family wanted as she sought their approval. Being the face of the family, it was never hard for him to match his demeanor to fit a kind public perception, but these positive emotion were for show and Asphodel would never see him show those feeling in a genuine way. He is selfish, greedy, and narcissistic. Her mother on the other hand was just as bad but in an entirely different manner-- incredibly cold and hard to please, Nenarai was a highly intimidating and skilled assassin of the family. Her combat training for her child never regarded safety, throwing Asphodel a weapon and not flinching any moment she cut her flesh when Asphodel failed at a swing or a dodge.

The work Asphodel often found herself in was dealing with all kinds of shading deals and noble clients. Making sure to keep up appearances and a good face, all in order to get close enough to use these people for their own advantage. By no means did this not include things like murder-- the family was very familiar with doing this. It was always quiet, an accident, something easy to excuse and never connect to themselves. It may seem like hard work, but Asphodel never blinked an eye. Her family and goddess mattered most.

Eventually their noble family befriended the mayoral family of Paradise Rocks when moving their for the first time. The Freyas. Making under the unofficial, untracked business with them gave a quick establishment of loyalty as the Mayor felt positive in the ways the Atbays could support them and the city. Their goal was to make sure their relationship stayed strong enough that trust would never falter, and so Asphodel was undoubtedly involved in making friends with the family.

But getting close to the family led to the worst. He got to know the daughter of the family, Anael Freya. A young half elf woman. But this young lady showed obvious disdain for politics that her family did. She didnt trust the Atbays and she didn't plan to care about Asphodel either. But Asphodel knew what to do, she knew how to put on an act... so she did. She played it in just the right way for Anael to enjoy her company and feel a friendship worthy of holding. But in time, Asphodel genuinely gained feelings of love.

It was a terrifying moment to realize this, that she'd fallen so hard when it was her job to not at all. The fate of this family would not be good, she knew this. But her family's approval and the wrath of her goddess sat heavy on her shoulders. And she soon had to face the conflict head on, with no way out without horrible consequences. His father tasked him with the deed of killing the Freyas. They were to kill them silently and take place as Mayor of the city. Her father knew Asphodel's closeness, and undoubtedly put her in charge of this murder purely for that reason.

At a dinner in the evening, Asphodel took a classic route of poisoning their food. Except for Anael. Asphodel walked her to her bedroom, stiff as she walked and silent. Using every muscle to stop her hands from shaking. When they sat at her bedside and Asphodel leaned down to kiss her, she took one thin needle, dipped in a vial of poison moments before. Pricking it deep into the viens of her neck as she held her head. There was a brief moment of shock before everything was still.

Asphodel does the job. Her horrible conflict of emotions hits in a flash of praying to her goddess for her faith and loyalty. Is she still loved by Beshaba just regretting the murder at all? Was that enough to waver the bond they had? She'd never express an ounce of guilt to her father or mother either, she knew she did the right thing for them. It was for all of them.

To the start of the real campaign. again, this campaign was cut short and incomplete. this isnt a real "canon" as i will play her in a reboot. There is no concluded plot about what has occurred here, with many questions left unanswered.

Asphodel is given a new job, to work for an elf noble named Madame Shadowfury. In this world, elves are at war with every other race as they attempt to take over all lands. But the Atbays strive for greed and power, and make work with the elves during this way for political advantage from all sides. This first "job" was to join a group signing up to work on a ship, with a quest that was a tad unknown until getting there. However, in order to secure her place with no connection, Shadowfury tasked Asphodel with killing a tiefling who was to go on that ship for her already-- he wasn't fufilling his work and was a whistleblower. Asphodel kills him brutally with her aze in the alleyway and proceeds to replace him the next day.

However, it should be said that Asphodel doesn't know what she is doing for Shadowfury. She is given her task from her father, and she has gone to do it, no questions asked.

The large six player party finds out that their job is to join this crew in order to find the last crew that went missing. they get to it-- Asphodel gets to know some of these people and intends to use them in whatever way she can. Especially the two who know Shadowfury in some form. Whilst on the ship, Asphodel receives a mental message (the spell) from her father, telling her to keep an eye on the teenager on the ship who owes Shadowfury a debt. He also asks her briefly about how she is after having killed Anael as he "knows you liked that girl". this is the first time he brings up anything about the murder, after 7 months since it happened.

I will pass by the details of *everything* that happened as it didn't focus on Asphodel, but the short of it is, is that he got to know everyone more and built many thoughts on how to deal with them. Some, he even felt were problems enough to potentially kill them. One of his connections- a player character named Storvus- he decided to take his interests in her with intent to manipulate. Theres no way she's genuinely fall in love, and when Storvus came to show interest she took the opportunity to use him as a person to blindly trust her through her job.

Sadly this is where this version of her story ends. The second chapter of this campaign was to reveal her family to the party. They would travel back home to Paradise Rocks and everyone would learn of her noble mayoral family! Which would have had quite some reactions. One character would probably hate me so bad lol.

The meta things to say about Asphodel while playing her is... it is so hard, but so interesting. i lied so much, not just in character but out of character as well. i probably lied more ooc than i did ic actually, as we are all friends who hang out casually and would talk about dnd. i managed to get them to think she was true neutral. one joked about how i liked religious trauma but i casually said yeah, but shes pretty normal. one said "i wanted to play neutral evil but DM said they dont want any evil characters". in other talks it was no issue talking about how itd be cool to play lawful evil, but it seems so hard. Storvus' player and i had a private interaction that i made them think they had a special secret with me that even the DM couldnt know right now, but in reality i told the DM about our interaction and purely did this just so the player thought we had some special, even out of character. it goes so far, and it was likely that i was going to keep this up until chapter 7 (we only finished chapter 1).

for now, this is it. but the talks with the DM have me knowing they want to play with me again (and the one other player from that campaign), even if its just a two person party. and aside from that, they want to do one on one memory/past related sessions for me (and the other player) which will be very nice to do in the mean time.

#asphodel atbay #anael freya #dnd

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