#love learning new mythologies and this game has a lot of names to look up and into

[phoenixkaptain]

My favourite part of Dislyte is the one person I saw question why there are so many furries in the game.

Like… do you know that most of the gods… most of the gods are Egyptian (gods commonly had animal heads), or Chinese (gods and figures commonly were animals or plants), or Greek (gods commonly turned into animals)

What did you expect? You thought Sobek, the Egyptian Crocodile God, wasn’t going to be a crocodile?

Honestly, I think the creators showed great restraint, all things considered

[literaryavenger]

Stargazing

Summary: You and Bucky are spending some time together under the stars.

Pairing: Boyfriend!Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend!Reader

Warnings: None, just a whole lot of fluff. Nerd Bucky. Nerd Reader. No use of Y/N. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word count: 1K because I'll kick myself I can't make anything short.

Prompt: we're sitting on your roof at midnight and you're pointing out every constellation but out of every star, you shine the brightest.

A/N: I wrote this story in like two hours, so bear with me. I don't know a lot about Astronomy, so I googled everything I put on here. I do know my fair share of Mythology but I realise some things may be wrong or just simply different from things you know, who knows Mythology knows there are a lot of versions of the same story, anything I wrote here are the version I've learned over the years, so no hate, but I'm always open to talk about it more if anyone wants to. Always respectfully, of course. Also, I wrote and posted this from my phone so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes.

Masterlist

“And see those three stars that make an angle?” Bucky points up to them. “That's Coma Berenices.”

One thing not many people know about Bucky Barnes is his love of Astronomy.

Back in the 40s he loved studying the constellations, learning as much as he could. So, after he regained control of his mind and joined the Avengers, he spends his free time catching up in all things space related he's missed since.

You have never been particularly interested in Astronomy, but seeing how passionate your boyfriend gets when it comes to it, you can never say no when he asks you to stargaze with him.

That's why you've spent countless times now in the position you are right now: Laying on a blanket next to Bucky on the roof of the Avengers Compound, looking at the stars and listening to him tell you all about them.

“That one's Cassiopeia…” He points to it. “That one's Lacerta…”

You giggle a little at the funny name and look at him. “Lacerta?”

“It means ‘the Lizard’.” He informs you with a grin while looking at you too.

“Of course it does.” You say playfully and look back up.

“That one is Camelopardalis…” He traces the stars to give you an idea of the shape.

“Now you're just making things up.” You tease him while looking back at his face to find him glaring playfully at you.

“It means giraffe.” He says matter-of-factly.

“Alright, you little geek.” You smile at his indignified scoff but you can see he's fighting a smile, and losing.

You look at each other with goofy smiles for a moment before you softly say, “What else?” prompting him to go on.

He looks back at the stars for a moment before he starts tracing another constellation.

That's something Bucky loves to do, like the most intricate game of connect the dots ever, and he wins every time.

Sometimes you've even made it into a game, trying to find all the stars in a constellation before the other, but he has the unfair advantage of actually knowing them all. But you always have fun playing, even if you end up behaving like children.

And looking at him right now, his eyes on the stars and his hand up to trace them with his finger, you can't take your eyes off of him and you know, out of all the constellations, he shines the brightest.

“That…” He traces the biggest constellation he's shown you tonight. “is the Ursa Major.”

His voice snaps you out of it and you look back up. He's shown you these same constellations time and time again, every time with the same passion and every time you listen intently, just enchanted by his voice.

“And that one…” He traces another one. “is Pegasus.”

Huh, that was a new one. You look at it while tilting your head. “Pegasus?”

“Yeah, that one I don't know what it means.” He chuckles, about to move on to another set of stars when you interrupt him.

“Pegasus is a winged horse from Greek Mythology.” You say before you can stop yourself.

Mythology is something you've always found fascinating and, much like Bucky with Astronomy, you've always tried to learn as much as you could about it.

Unlike Bucky, you've always kept this small passion to yourself, which is why Bucky is looking at you right now with a confused yet amused raise of his eyebrow.

“What? Can't a girl know a random fact?” You say playfully while looking back up at the stars to hide your slight blush.

“So that's all it is? A random fact?” Bucky asks, his eyes still on you and you know he can tell there's more to it. He knows you pretty well, after all.

“Maybe…” You say playfully, finally looking at him with a small smile.

“Tell me more about it?” He says softly, not pushing you to talk but letting you know he's open to listen if you want.

“Well…” You say quietly after a moment, looking back at the stars as you think about what to tell him. “Pegasus was born from Poseidon-”

“Poseidon?” He interrupts you with a small frown. “The god of the ocean?”

“Yeah…” You chuckle, looking at him. “He's also known as the God of Horses.”

“He is?” He frowns more. “Why?”

“Well, according to Greek mythology he invented them.” You explain with a smile. “He created them out of foam from the ocean in order to be elected as the patron god of a new city. But Athena created an olive tree and the citizens saw that as more useful and chose her, naming their city Athens.”

Bucky looks at you with awe, his entire attention on you now as you enthrall him with your words.

“And he was the father of Pegasus?” Bucky asks you, just wanting to hear more of your voice.

“Yeah, Poseidon was his father and Medusa his mother.” You look back up at the stars, trying to  recall more details of the story. “He was born when Medusa got decapitated by Perseus. The blood from her neck fell into the ocean and, out of the white foam, came Pegasus, along with Chrysaor.”

“Chrysaor?” He asks, his eyebrows rising in surprise. “Another horse with wings?”

“No, he was a boar with wings.” You correct him. “Chrysaor comes from a name that means ‘he who has a golden sword’. Pegasus doesn't have a meaning, but it symbolizes divine inspiration or the journey to Heaven, because…”

You keep talking about Greek mythology as you look at the stars, Bucky’s eyes on you the whole time.

He finally understands why you love hearing him talk about Astronomy so much even though you have virtually no interest in it.

The way you talk about Mythology, the knowledge and the passion you show… It's breathtaking to see, and Bucky never wants to stop listening to you at this moment. 

If you were looking at him you'd see the same look you have on your face when you look at him talking about the stars, the same look he has when he's looking at the stars…

He may love to stargaze, but the biggest, brightest of them all is laying right beside him, and that’s definitely his favorite.

[formulaorange]

2024 Winter Anime

It's here! It's finally here!!! Solo Leveling comes out this season! There's definitely a few others to keep an eye out for but this is the star of the winter season:

Solo Leveling One of my most anticipated series. I'm caught up on the english light novels (8 volumes) and I'm honestly so invested in this story. In a way it gives the same impact as One Punch Man but if the story progressed a little faster toward fame and growth in his power. Easily the best of the season. Noteworthy On Going Shows: Frieren - Episodes 17-28 One of the most mesmerizing and well paced fantasies I've seen. Also one of my 10/10s of all time. Worth looking into if you remotely like fantasy. Shangri La Frontier - Episodes 14-25 Another fantasy game series that honestly just looks like it's a fun game. Explores a lot of game mechanics within this full-dive VR type game that almost puts SAO to shame. Fun action, fantasy and fun for game lovers. Apothecary Diaries - Episodes 13-24 My current favourite drama/romance/medical mystery series. The characters are simple but the show highlights the different dynamics and almost feels like an enemies to lovers plot. New Seasons:

Blue Exorcist - Season 3 This is one of the og shows I watched growing up. It's a mythology school themed show that I loved. It's been 13 years since season 1 aired and I'm stoked to see it come back. It's being done by a different studio since A-1 is busy with solo leveling, so I'm not sure if it'll hit the same but I'll still check it out at least for the nostalgia.

Mashle - Season 2 The funniest anime I've seen in a while. Man muscle brains his way through magic school and the whole show is a meme of harry potter and other magic series. Truly entertaining. Can't wait for this season

Delicious In Dungeon This is a series I've wanted to pick up the manga for for a while. It's about dealing with food and hunger when these adventurers are deep in a dungeon and learn to start cooking and eating what they can find down there. Funny concept but honestly looks like a lot of fun.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer I read this manga and light novel so long ago. (Literal years - link to my manga thoughts and summary). I'm looking forward to the adaptation. I think nowadays this kind of story doesn't catch nearly as much attention as it did a few years ago. An adventurer dies in a dungeon and is reborn as an undead who can evolve as he kills other monsters and he deals with trying to fit in with the human realm again and evolving. I'm still looking forward to it after keeping an ear our for so long!

Mr. Villain's Day Off I recently heard about this series and thought it was such a cute concept. Us with all our villain complexes with enjoy this one. Will likely be a background show for me as there won't be a huge plot, regardless, still fun to watch. Burn the Witch - #0.8 - 30 min Special I think this won't be as exciting now that Bleach has come back and we aren't as depraved of Tite Kubo's work but I really enjoyed the original short series. Hoping for more of this world in the future. Sequels: Classroom of the Elite - Season 3 Tsukimichi - Season 2 (Link to review of season 1) The Dangers in My Heart - Season 2 More Continuations: Undead Unluck Ragna Crimson After going through 20+ shows every season, many with sub-par animations and the same fantasy twists, I've become real picky about which series are even worth trying to watch these days. Here are the ones that deserve at least 2 episodes in order: A Sign of Affection - Gets a special spot since it's incredibly rare to see disability representation in anime and it looks like it's done quite well- A romance between a guy and a deaf girl. Looks super sweet Bucchigiri?! - I honestly can't say this looks appealing to me personally but I've hear the name before and well it's MAPPA. (Give em a break) 'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess - looks well animated and just a fun watch Metallic Rouge - The sci-fi series for this season. I'm not sure I have it in me to watch something heavy like this this season but it looks decent. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic The Witch and the Beast - Here for manga readers - lowkey looks like the manga will be much better and this might be a skip for me. Hokkaido Gyaru's are super Adorable (Ecchi) ALSO - Big reminder: Haikyu!! and Demon Slayer have their movies coming out this season as well (both theatrical releases so keep an eye out!!!) Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training - Feb 2nd 2024 Haikyu!! - The Dumpster Battle - Feb 16th 2024

[galadrieljones]

For the Rook asks: 🌸,🌼, and/or💐?

Thank you, friend! ^_^

🌸 Does your Rook have any siblings or close friends they see as such? Where are they during the events of Veilguard?

My Rook is an only child, though she worked at an establishment in Minrathous called the Whisper Room for seven years before she joined the Shadow Dragons. Her co-workers at the Whisper Room were her closest friends over the years. They all love her and because she was so young when she started there as a barback, they sort of view her as their own and will always wish her well. Many of them join the fight against the gods during the ending events of Veilguard, under Rook's banner alone, and they are all extremely happy for her and excited to hear about her new relationship with a well-to-do professor from the Necropolis.

🌼 If someone was to ask Spite what Rook smells like, what would he say?

Lol. I think she smells like icing, like the kind you'd find on frosted cookies or donuts. Or maybe strawberries and cream? She is extremely sweet. In fact, at her job at the Whisper Room, she had a strong reputation for her ability to gather secrets from local nobility. This is how she got on the Shadow Dragons' radar in the first place. On a related note, the Whisper Room was well known for employing elves, and for this reason, it was sort of a hole in the wall, a dive. It was frequented mostly by lower and working class sorts; however, the service and the menu were well-kept secrets in the city, and nobles who wished to stay out of the public eye would often frequent the Whisper Room in disguise. They liked Rook, though in those days, she was known by her real name, Jolene (or Jo for short). Inquisitor Sene Lavellan has commented that Rook is pretty in the way of a "baby animal," and that, despite her street smarts, she reads as so sweet and innocent that she probably would have made a good bard. Sene has considered recruiting Rook as a spy for the Inquisition.

💐 What is the relationship Rook has with their faction mentor? What was the moment they sent Rook away like?

I'm not really sure who the faction mentor is supposed to be for the Shadow Dragons. Ooop. Would it be Viper or Maevaris? Rook is still very close to both. Rook is somewhat shy and feels awkward around authority figures, but she looks up to Maevaris and has a major hero crush on Dorian, though she would never tell him as much. She and Tarquin are good friends, as they are around the same age. In my headcanons, Rook chose to leave the Shadow Dragons. They did not push her out. It was her suggestion that they distance themselves from her influence as a way of softening the blowback from the Venatori. That is when she decided to join Varric in his adventures, because she is a searcher by nature, and also, secretly, because she was intrigued by the involvement of the Dread Wolf. She is very disconnected from her roots and knows little about the elven pantheon or any of its mythology. In my Solavellan fic "Riptide," Rook is learning the elven language from Davrin, and she asks Solas a lot of questions about what happened in the old days. She is more trusting of him, and awed by him and Inquisitor Lavellan, than in-game Rook. (Granted my Solas really is just less of an asshole than in-game Solas lol.)

Ask me questions about my Rook ❤️

[roththeprimordial]

God of War in Shinto Mythology

After God of War Ragnorok, everyone has been wondering what mythology Kratos is going to travel to next. Personally, I believe the two biggest candidates for the next mythology will be either Celtic or Egyptian mythology. However, as of yet, no pantheon is 100% confirmed for GOW 6.

I personally think it would be very interesting to have the next God of War take place in ancient Japan where Kratos and Atreus will travel to Shinto Mythology.

Basic Plot: Over the past several years, Kratos has been traveling around the world and became a beloved god of war who fights for peace. Kratos heard the news about how Atreus, Angrboda, their ten year old daughter Hela, and Fenrir were all stuck in the middle of a civil war between gods in ancient Japan. Once Kratos arrives, he is stuck in the middle of a civil war between the ruling god of Japan and a rebel force of gods who want to overthrow her.

Since Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun and Tsukuyomi is the god of the Moon and night, I thought it would be an interesting contrast and rivalry. Plus, Tsukuyomi is often seen as 'evil' in Shinto mythology while Amaterasu is seen as 'good', I thought it would be good to have the theme of switching 'good' and 'evil' from actual mythological figures.

List of Protagonists in the Game: The main protagonists from previous GOW games and new protagonists.

-Kratos/Sarutahiko: Obviously, Kratos will be the main character in GOW 6. In terms of personality, he is still very stern. However, over time he has mellowed out a lot more. In terms of design, Kratos has a much more samurai-like appearance and still carries his Blades of Chaos and his Leviathan Axe. He eventually acquires a new powerful weapon in his journey called the Scarlet Sword. Kratos in the story sees the atrocities committed by Amaterasu and was told by Atreus how evil the goddess was, as he joined up with Tsukuyomi's rebellion. However it turns into a Far Cry 4 situation, where Tsukuyomi's rebellion is just as bad, if not worse, then Amaterasu. There's also a subplot for Kratos where he meets a goddess in Tsukuyomi's rebellion named Uzume who he starts to fall in love with. However, he's conflicted whether he should try his shot at happiness again, or if he should stay single to honor his deceased wife, Faye.

-Atreus/The Fox: Atreus ever since after the events of the Norse saga, has left Midgard with Angrbota and Fenrir to explore the world. Eventually, he hears how Sindri, who disappeared years ago, was living in Japan under the name of Amatsumara. Atreus traveled to Japan with his wife, Fenrir, and his ten year old daughter named Hela, to look for Sindri. However, he saw that the country was consumed by a war of the gods. Kratos soon hears of Atreus' location and arrives in Japan to help his son. While there, Atreus joins Tsukuyomi's forces to try to take down the tyrannical Amaterasu. Atreus eventually finds Sindri, who is still bitter and angry, however much more mellowed out then before. He's working with Tsukuyomi so he can safe his girlfriend who was captured by Amaterasu's forces.

-Mimir/Kyōrinrin: Mimir mostly remains the same as he was in God of War 4 & 5, he's still a friend of Kratos, a comedic relief, and more. But once in this new strange land, Mimir becomes very interested in the lore and history of the gods, trying to learn as much as he can.

-Uzume: Uzume is a new character and a minor goddess who is the little sister of Amaterasu. Unlike the rest of her messed up family, Uzume managed to get away make a home on Earth. She is a kind and gentle soul who attempts to help mortals on Earth with whatever she can. However, their world was put in danger by Amaterasu and her mad quest to conquer the world. So, she joined Tsukuyomi's rebellion to fight back. She is also a walking encyclopedia of Japanese mythology, telling the player all the lore they need to know. She is also a support AI in the game like Atreus and Freya, and she starts to develop feelings for Kratos.

-Angrbota/Inari Okami: Angrabota will play a much more minor roll, much like how she was portrayed in Ragnorok. However, she remains a massive supporting character for Atreus, and sometimes is brought in to be the AI support.

-Hela/Tanuki: Hela is the ten year old daughter of Atreus and Angrobota. Hela is desperate to prove herself as a strong warrior to her father and is desperate to impress her grandfather, Kratos, who she really looks up to. She is even a support AI who mainly uses throwing knives when she fights. One of her god/Jotunn abilities is to summon the dead and make them fight for her, as a special move.

-Sindri/Amatsumara: Sindri is still upset from the previous events of Ragnorok, as he moved to Japan to get away from it all. He started dating a new girl he met, but she was soon captured by Amateratsu's forces, as Sindri works for Tsukuyomi to try and rescue his girlfriend. When Kratos and Atreus reunite with Sindri, Sindri is still angry at them and wants nothing to do with them. But over time, as they prove their worth and even help rescue Sindri's girlfriend, he forgives them and makes up with them.

-Kuebiko: A kami of knowledge who looks like a scarecrow and works for Tsukuyomi. But once he finds out what Tsukuyomi really cares about, he abandons him.

-Ryujin: A water dragon god who had a powerful spell placed on him by Amaterasu to serve her mindlessly. That was until the spell was broken by Kratos in a battle. Thus, becoming a powerful ally.

-Fenrir/Inugami: Fenrir basically plays the same roll he played in GOW Ragnorok. Mostly just hanging around and assisting whenever the plot needs him.

List of Antagonists in the Game: The main antagonists for GOW 6

-Amaterasu: If you know anything about Shinto mythology, you know that Amaterasu is the chieftain goddess of the Shinto pantheon. And like Zeus and Odin from the GOW series, she's an evil tyrant. Her personality would be very similar to Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is smart, selfish, cruel, sadistic, a master manipulator, a liar, and a powerful warrior. She rules from the heavens and uses intimidation and manipulation to get what she wants. She would often manipulate and abuse the other gods, especially her brothers Tsukuyomi and Susanoo who both reacted differently to the abuse and manipulation. Tsukuyomi rebelled against her sister and wants to overthrow her while Susanoo is beaten down and broken, like Thor. He was once a hero, but now is the miserable enforcer of Amaterasu.

-Susanoo: Susanoo is the god of storms and the sea. Susanoo is also Amaterasu's enforcer. Susanoo at one point was a great hero who protected the people and saved them. However, his sister would often emotionally and physically beat him down and out perform him. She would claim how much superior she was and make Susanoo feel worthless. She promised him empty lies that if he obeys her without question, she would eventually give back his honor and title to the throne. This manipulation and abuse would break Susanoo, becoming an angry killer who destroys anyone Amaterasu tells him to destroy. However, he still has his son Yashimajinumi who looks over his father and tries to help him out. Eventually, Susanoo rebels against his sister and joins Kratos and Atreus to bring her down.

-Tsukuyomi: Tsukuyomi is the little brother of Amaterasu and the god of the Moon and night. After taking Amaterasu's abuse for years, Tsukuyomi abandoned the royal family and formed a rebellion to overthrow his tyrannical sister. Many other kami and gods joined him, including Kratos and Atreus. However, during the game, it's revealed more and more that Tsukuyomi only wants to overthrow Amaterasu so he could rule just as cruelly with an iron fist.

-The 9th Hachiman: Unlike many of the other gods in the GOW series, Hachiman is actually a title for a god instead of one god in particular. Hachiman is the god of war in Japan with the mantle being passed down to a new god, spirit, or mortal every few hundred years. The previous Hachiman's were greatly respected gods of Japan who kept law and order. Later, Amaterasu saw the god as a threat, as she sent Susanoo to kill the 8th Hachiman and replace him with an unknown god only known as the 9th Hachiman. The 9th is fiercely loyal to Amaterasu and is willing to die for his Empress. Throughout the game, it is believed that Kratos will eventually take up the mantle and become the next Hachiman of Japan. Brining law and order by stopping Amaterasu.

-Oshihomimi: The first son of Amaterasu and her top enforcer on Earth. Oshihomimi is an arrogant scumbag, much like Hermes or Heimdall. He possesses divine hearing, giving him incredible senses and allows him to avoid all attacks by any enemy.

-Raijin & Fujin: Raijin and Fujin were destructive demons employed by Amaterasu to serve her and take care of issues. The two are destructive and only hunger for battle.

-Ōkuninushi: A god of medicine. More of a manipulator and a liar, often manipulating others to submitting to Amaterasu to give them medicines to diseases that he released in the first place.

-Takemikazuchi: A god of thunder, a god of swords, a weapons expert and brutal warrior who serves Amaterasu, all so he can release his psychopathic urges on the battlefield.

-Izanami: Izanami is a primordial goddess, mother of Amaterasu, and goddess of Yami "Land of the Dead". She isn't aligned with Amaterasu, but in some point in the game she will be an opponent.

List of Common Enemies in the game: As you can guess, most if not ALL enemies in the game will be based off of different types of Yokai from Japanese mythology and folklore.

-The Shi: The Shi act as the main enemy type in the game. Like how the Dragur were in GOW 4 & 5 and undead warriors in GOW 1 through 3. They are also not from Shinto mythology and original creations. Their name means 'Dead' in Japanese.

-Oni: The Oni are basically like the Ogres from God of War 4 & 5. Tall ugly humanoid monsters that swing around a large blunt weapon.

-Kappa: Basically very similar to the Grim from God of War 5. Short quick reptilian creatures that jump in and out of bodies of water to attack.

-The Sun Samurai: Warriors picked from the afterlife by Amaterasu and turned into bloodthirsty yokai to serve and fight for Amaterasu.

-Tengu: The Tengu are enemies mostly found in the mountains and fight a lot like the Dark Elves from God of War 4 & 5. Mostly using blades and spears as they hover over the player and quickly attack and fly back into the air to avoid attacks.

-Sagari: A half-horse half-snake hidden weaker enemy that hides in trees and often quickly attacks the player before quickly retreating and backing away. Very weak, but still very fast and deadly.

-Futakuchi-onna: A woman with a monstrous mouth on the back of her head. The monster itself it weak to attack, but it often attacks by spitting acid, quickly biting opponents, and letting out powerful sonic roars that stuns the player.

-Rokurokubi: A vampiric woman with a long neck that keeps her distance from the player. Usually biting them and taking a chunk of health off. Very weak, but is good at keeping her distance.

-Nure-onna: A monster similar to the gorgon enemies from God of War 3. But more of an aquatic version. A half-snake woman that leaps out of the water and attacks the player.

-Hone-Onna: A phantom-like skeletal woman who can extend her bones into blades, hammers, spears, and shields to battle the opponent.

-Yuki-Onna: A beautiful pale woman found in cold and frigid areas who works similarly to the Revenants from God of War 4 & 5. They can transform into mist and escape attacks, possess ice breath, and have sharp claws. The only way to stun them is with arrows or a fire-based attack.

-The Black Monk: A dark skinned and dark robbed monk that uses it's long razortipped tongue to grapple and skewer opponents. Similar to the Licker from the Resident Evil series and the Smoker from Left 4 Dead.

-The Amanojaku: A vile and horrific red humanoid yokai which aren't very common throughout the game, but they are mostly found in small villages with butchered villagers everywhere. The Amanojaku is an evil spirit that made the citizens wrathful and made them kill each other. It also controls an army of brainwashed killers to attack the player. The creature is also the only one that can't be defeated by Kratos' rage move. Since it can absorb Kratos' rage and become stronger and regain health.

-Nue: The Nue are large creatures with the head of a monkey, the body of a tiger, and a snake for a tail. The monster is tough in combat and can breath lightning and fly for a short period of time. It works like the Chimera from GOW 3, you need to kill the monkey head, the tigers body, and the snake or it’ll keep getting back up.

-Bakeneko: A gigantic cat Yōkai that is born from the souls of angry recently departed cats. The monster is a little smaller then Fenrir and can almost be considered a mini-boss of its own.

-Adolescent Omukade/The Infested: The infested are dead yokai and humans who are possessed by massive yet adolescent yokai called Omukade. Omukade adults are giant centipedes, but the adolescents are the size of average to large sized snakes. They're parasitic and burrow themselves into the throat and spinal cord of dead and paralyzed humanoid hosts and take control of them. They operate the body to attack the player. If they get agitated enough, they will burst out of the host head and writhe around, a colossal and violent centipede sticking out of the host's neck hole. They are very similar to the Plaga Guadana from Resident Evil 4.

List of Bosses & Mini-Bosses:

-Jorogumo: A woman who seems harmless at first, but quickly transforms into a massive half-spider half woman that tries to kill the player. More of a mini-boss who often keeps her distance, sticks to walls, shoots the opponents with webs to stun them, spits poison at them, and if the player gets to close or stands still for too long, Jorogumo gets a quick bite that takes out a big chunk of health and poisons the player. Slowly draining their life bar.

-Jubokko: Basically a man-eating tree. The tree uses it's branches to attack the player, along with spitting thorns and poison at the player. The tree has several soft weak-points on it. When all the weak spots are destroyed, the enemy dies.

-Akkorokamui: A colossal red octopus that acts as a boss. Being very similar to the final boss fight from God of War: Ascension.

-Gashadokuro: A colossal skeleton made out of hundreds of angry souls that stands around 60 feet tall. The enemy will be one of the toughest mini-bosses in the game with very powerful attacks and only a few weak spots that are hard to hit.

-Shuten Doji: A specific colossal Oni who is far bigger and stronger then the other Oni in the game. Maybe a side mission to find and kill him in order to get a reward.

-Kuzenbo: King of the Kappa and a mini-boss side enemy in the game.

-Yamata-no-Orochi: Orochi is a mini-boss during some point of the game. After being killed by Susanoo, it regenerates and returns as Kratos fights and kills it.

-Adult Omukade: A massive maneating centipede dragon hybrid that is nearly the same size as Jormungandr.

-The 12 Heavenly Generals: The 12 Heavenly Generals will basically be like the 'Valkyries' or the 'Berserkers' from previous God of War side bosses. The 12 Heavenly Generals are made up of the Boar, the Dog, the Rooster, the Monkey, the Sheep, the Horse, the Dragon, the Rabbit, the Tiger, the Ox, and the Mouse. All are heavily armored and powerful samurai-like mystical warriors. They were gods who visited from foreign lands, before being captured and brainwashed by Amaterasu to fight for her.

New Weapons: Just like every other God of War game, Kratos gains new and powerful weapons in this game.

-Scarlet Sword: A long blood red katana that was forged by Sindri and several other local blacksmiths. Bathed in the blood of a god and enchanted in order to become the perfect weapon for a war god. The sword gets stronger and stronger whenever it's used. Healing the user over time and making them much stronger in return.

-Grasscutter: A legendary sword originally used by Susanoo, then gifted to Amaterasu. Which is then stolen and given to Kratos to use. The weapon once used can manipulate the air and create powerful wind currents that can tear through stone with ease.

[foxtricksterwriting]

A piece of the pie MC

Author's Note: here they be lol

Tags: @piece-of-the-pie-if

Name: Elijah Bosch ("Hey, dude! What's up? ....Sure, sit with us! We've got you, man!")

Alias: Peach

Gender + Pronouns: Agender + They/them

More About Them: The class clown, they go out of their way to be chaotic and make others laugh. They love to tease. Not quick to anger, they'll get uncomfortable before they get angry. They're nosey and like knowing the latest gossip. When they end up being at the center of said gossip, they actually laugh about it! ("Lmao, how did this shit get started? Heh, maybe I can stir the pot more~")

They talk a lot, all the time and to everyone. People can say that they're obnoxious and annoying and they'll agree. They also talk really fast and can mix up or trip over their words when excited, which is often. They're pretty friendly and often try to get to know new kids in their school, offering a place at their lunch table or help with schoolwork. They're an average student, grades wise.

Elijah is very, very new to romantic feelings and prior to the events of PotP, they thought that they were aromantic. Thanks to this they are awkward around the object of their affection and never sure what to say or how to handle it. It's one of the few things that make them nervous. They'll end up stuttering and fumbling their words more than usual.

Fun Facts;

Pinterest here

Literally made of allergies; allergic to nuts, shellfish, wasps and bees, aspirin, pollen, latex, some dish soaps and more. Also lactose intolerant, but they don't care much about that one. ("You still drinking that milkshake? Can I have it? I don't give two shits, a milkshake is worth it, now can I have it?")

Favorite pie is apple; it's the first thing they learned to bake. It's a family recipe, really simple but that's what makes it good.

Has painstakingly crafted a long furby. Probably annoyed their friends into helping make said long furby. Once wore it around their shoulders like a scarf for Halloween. ("Uhm, excuse you. Her name is Starlight and she has committed so crimes.")

Got some stick and poke tattoos to see what it felt like. They ended up liking them a lot and plans on getting more tattoos.

They love video games and play basically everything. Their favorites are Hades and Ib. They are always looking for opportunities to talk about the latest games they've played.... they're basically a walking ad lol. ("Hey hey, have I told you about Hades yet? The game Hades? The greek mythology inspired hack-and-slash with beautiful graphics--")

Elijah enjoys baking and cooking, they're not the best at it but they find the process fun. Would love to have their partner just sit on the counter while they bake, they'd let 'em try whatever they're working on lol.

[friend-of-a-cat]

Etrian Odyssey Nexus Guild - Seekers (Maginia Branch)

Here's my main EON guild, named after my EO3/EO2U/EO5 guilds: Seekers! They are my children and I love them. Some of their colours here look a bit different to their in-game portraits because I changed them, but I honestly can't be bothered importing them (I'll probably update this post sometime in the future with art I've made, anyway - I'll also add my guild card later, too). I'm also following my own timeline of events, which I've laid out in this post (EO5 is set right before Nexus in this timeline). Below you will find the gang's portraits and some bios I've written for them!

Sage | She/her | Hero (front line) | 21 years old | INFJ | Capricorn

Sage is the only child of a Lagaardian noble family, and was taught how to wield a sword by her father at a young age - he wanted her to follow in his footsteps as a great leader. Her parents are very overbearing, sheltering her for most of her life, and keep trying to set her up with potential future partners (all nobles themselves, of course), though she's aroace. She left home in order to escape all of this, as well as to learn more about the world and its people, deciding to hop on the flying city to Lemuria and join a guild, begrudgingly becoming its leader and naming it after two famed adventuring guilds she admires.

She’s very determined, dedicated and gallant, always trying to help those in need. She's also good at resolving arguments and solving problems due to her friendly and understanding nature, and often comes up with plans of attack. She's also very diligent in her training, often forgetting to eat or rest due to her intense focus.

Sage loves reading, and, when she's not training, she's often found, alone, with a hot drink and her nose in books of fable and legend. She's facinated by monsters and mythological creatures, and keeps a log of every one she and the rest of the guild encounters (she's also captivated by dragons, and wants to see a real one someday). She also loves cats, and is desperately trying to befriend Vivian's cat, Merlin, who seems uninterested in her (she is very upset by this). She thinks Persephone, the princess of Maginia, is very cool, and looks up to her.

Sage is also extremely tired, and definitely needs a break. Her guild does not allow this, however, as most of its members are very loud and reckless. She still loves them all, though - they're like her found family.

She shares map-making duty with Elias and Rand, and is also trying her hardest to learn how to cook (Rand is an incredible cook, and, as such, has taken her under his wing).

~~~

Aki | They/them | Ronin (front line) | 23 years old | ESFP | Gemini

Aki hails from a small, secluded mountain village on the outskirts of Etria, and grew up with their mother, grandparents, and several siblings. They have a master, who is like a father figure to them, and was taught the way of the blade by him from a young age. They left their village in order to travel, as they wanted to see and experience new things, and heard word of the expedition to Lumuria, hopping on the floating city of Maginia and joining a guild.

They're a massive goofball, and makes friends very easily due to their upbeat and energetic demeanor. They're very loud, and are always the life of the party. They also hold a lot of admiration for Sage, and enjoy sparring with her. They often vie for her attention, and have a friendly rivaly with Lucille, who also does the same. Aki loves and treats their guildmates like family members, and will always, very recklessly, put themself in danger to save them. They want to get stronger, both as a ronin and as a person. They also have heightened senses, and can see well in the dark.

They struggle with reading and writing, but are getting help from Sage to get better at both. They've begun writing letters to their master every week to update him on what's been going on.

Aki loves food and will eat anything and everything, including things they find on their expeditions. They have been poisioned far too many times from plants and fruit they have consumed on their travels, but have not learned from this whatsoever. They're often found training, practicing their sword skills, napping in the sun, exploring the outdoors, befriending both animals and people, or eating god-knows-what.

They're pangender, and are fine with any pronouns, but usually use they/them. They're also ace.

~~~

Elias | He/him | Harbinger (front line) | 26 years old (in human years) | ISTJ | Virgo

Elias grew up an only child of esteemed Celestrian parentage in Sidonia, Arcania. His family always expected great things from him - for him to hone his magic; uphold a sense of dignity and regality; strive for perfection. But even though he was always trying his best to please them, he never could, and they always treated him like he were inferior to them in every way. As such, he became quieter, distant, and more reserved. When he came of age to be seen as more independent, he immediately left, and travelled around the realm, trying to find a place to fit in and call home. Because of the otherworldly and snobbish reputation of the Celestrians, he was frequently shunned by others, but soon found a home in Iorys, where he joined a guild.

He doesn't say much, though is very sarcastic and sharp-tongued when he does. He's very intelligent, observant and quick-witted, and is good at solving puzzles, gathering information, and determining an enemy's weak points. He gets angry when people put themselves in danger to protect him, and would prefer that they looked after themselves instead. He loves his guildmates, both old and new, and considers them family, despite rarely showing it. He's often found reading, researching, meditating, playing solitary Celestrian card games, or chatting to (and cuddling with) Rand.

He's in a relationship with Rand (they got together during the events of EO5), whom he loves dearly, but hates to admit it. The two of them are basically inseperable.

After the events of EO5, which left Elias with a magic blockage (he was previously a warlock), he travelled to Earth with the rest of his guild, settling down in High Lagaard with Rand to recoup and recover for a couple of years. Soon enough, when they heard the construction of the floating city of Maginia was complete, the two of them decided that they wanted to continue exploring, so they joined a new guild and set forth on a new adventure. Elias' magic is slowly returning to him, though weak, but is manifesting itself in different ways, allowing him to control miasma (the bioluminescent kind) and manifest armour so he can better protect his loved ones. He also engineered a magical sythe, which draws magical energy directly from his body via a tubing system when hooked up. He fights on the front lines now, so that no one else gets hurt, and appears quite cold during combat, efficiently mowing down enemies.

He shares map-making duty with Sage and Rand.

~~~

Rand | He/him | Gunner (back line) | 25 years old | ENFJ | Pisces

Rand grew up in a small town in Melas, Arcania, with his mother and four younger sisters, one of whom sadly passed away when he was a teenager. His mother was, and still is, ill, so he would help her out with the cooking, cleaning, shopping, and everything in between. As such, he's a wizz in the kitchen, and makes the best apple pie in Arcania (according to his family and his previous guildmates). He picked up adventuring in order to provide for the rest of his family, as he heard it paid well (it did, and it still does).

He's very laid-back, level-headed, caring and friendly, with a good sense of humour. He loves helping people, and will always try his hardest to make sure everyone is satisfied. He keeps calm under stress, and is good at coming up with plans and strategies for the group - if Sage wasn't already the guild's leader, he probably would be. He often hides his true feelings in order to keep both himself and everyone around him positive, and deflects serious questions with humour.

As previously mentioned, he's in a relationship with Elias, whom he dotes over (much to Elias' dismay) and loves dearly. Rand was badly injured during the events of EO5, and is no longer able to walk properly, having to wear a leg brace. As such, he can no longer fight on the front lines (he was previously a dragoon), and the fact that he can't protect his loved ones as well as he used to eats him up inside. He also frequently has horrible nightmares due to trauma.

He shares map-making duty with Sage and Elias, and does most of the cooking. He's also a budding woodcarver, and whittles little wooden objects in his free time.

He also doesn't drink alcohol, and takes care of everyone else when they get a bit tipsy during a celebration.

~~~

Lucille | She/her | Sovereign (back line) | 21 years old | ESFJ | Libra

Like Sage and Elias, Lucille grew up the only child of a noble family, and hails from the city of Armoroad. Her parents and extended family spoiled her ever since she was born, and she gets everything handed to her on a silver platter, though this never made her haughty or self-absorbed. She was also very sheltered growing up, and doesn't know much about the world or how it works. She heard about the floating city of Maginia during a dinner party with Lagaardian nobles, and begged her parents to let her join the expedition to Lemuria. They, begrudging, accepted, but told her that she needed to travel with a bodyguard. Said bodyguard escorted her to the city, but she convinved him to let her go alone from there on out, stating that she wanted some form of independence. Her parents are not very happy with her.

She's animated, cheerful, slighty clingy, and a massive daydreamer. She's infectiously positive, though some may find her hyperactive and peppy nature a bit grating. She talks a lot, and has a short attention span. She appears frivolous, but is actually quite intelligent, and thinks that it's important to always be her true, authentic self, no matter the audience or situation. She's prone to shopping sprees, and has almost no self-control when it comes to spending, usually impulse-buying useless, though curious, items, much to the dismay of the guild (minus Aki - they love the strange artefacts she brings back to the inn).

She has a huge crush on Sage, oftening vying for her attention, and has a friendly rivaly with Aki, who also does the same. She's somehow unaware of Sage's aroace-ness - though, to be honest, she's unaware of a lot of things, in general. She's happy when Sage is happy, and always tries to cheer her up when she's not (she always tries to cheer the others up when they're feeling down, too). She loves the rest of the guild, and has a sibling-like dynamic with Aki, always bickering playfully with them.

She is also an abysmal cook. Do not let this woman near a kitchen - she will accidently poison people, as she has done many times in the past.

[melancholy-thots]

Hadesposting? On my blog that keeps going quiet and coming back? More likely than you'd think

At this point, Hades is just therapy for me since I can't afford an actual therapist.

I've been working on unlocking everything, including decor. I love decorating so much. My partner already has all the achievements (insane to me, he's so much better at this game than me) but I still feel like there's got to be a lot for him. There's all these fun cosmetics, there's the shade in dad's room who I forgot its name. The devs here really saw how good the gameplay loop is and made sure you can still have something to come back for if you want.

I love all the tiny little bits of myth in here. I had no idea about Chiron. Tbh, didn't even know who that is. But then I looked into it and I learned some fun new mythology. Edutainment.

I wonder if everyone's going to get a little plot like this? Where Zag goes a little too far while trying to help. It's really relatable but also like. Heartwarming? Like the other characters have been varying levels of understanding so far. Like no one is actively a cunt even if they feel like Zag overstepped his bounds. Which is so refreshing to see after living in real life where people are uh. Not that kind.

Lastly, I love number go up. Doom is probs my fav damage dealing mechanic.

[justapillowpetpanda]

"Book of Japanese Folklore" By Matsuura Inspires: Review

Today, I'm happy to review The Book of Japanese Folklore, a book published by Adams Media. I review a lot of books and other media on here, most of it on roleplaying game materials. But it's so important to review the source material for the lore behind some of the most major inspirations for these games, as well. The book is written by Thersa Matsuura and illustrated by Michelle Wang. Let's take a look at what this literature has to offer!

The cover of The Book of Japanese Folklore, written by Thersa Matsuura and illustrated by Michelle Wang. Published by Adams Media.

Our Review of The Book of Japanese Folklore

At first read-through, I am happy to see a ton of captivating illustrations blessing this wonderful book of Japanese folklore. As it stands, some of the illustrations, again created by the talented artist Michelle Wang, are strikingly bright. Others, such as the illustrated page for the fabled Ōkami, a wolf Yokai, are gloomy, but that's how they should be. Reading the contents of this book, I have but a few concerns. The back cover offers many things that the content between the covers delivers. However, I would have loved a bit more specificity about where certain folklore characters are seen in popular culture. For example, the mythological wizard Abe no Seimei has some pop culture precedent, but The Book of Japanese Folklore doesn't actually say where. Therefore, readers looking for a source of inspiration from which to derive their own story of Abe no Seimei may be disappointed. Granted, this isn't always the case - for example, Hitotsume-kozō has a fine entry in this regard - but it wouldn't hurt for a bit more specificity here at times. Furthermore, I hope there is a second Japanese Folklore entry in this specific series because Japanese myths are so widespread. I was surprised not to see Gashadokuro in this book, for example. There are obviously a few other folkloric figures I'd like to read more about, so I'm just hoping that Matsuura will be allowed to showcase her expertise again with a sequel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdZ0ygl3AYE But that's where my gripes end. The Book of Japanese Folklore is very eye-opening and teaches a ton about the mythologies, spirits, and monsters of folkloric Japan. I was surprised to learn anything new about the Kappa. I knew of this creature as a turtle-shelled monkey-like creature with a beak and a bowled skull. I did not, however, know that the earliest mention of the Kappa was regarding a water snake known as the Mizuchi (I had a few nitpicks about this entry in its section on pop culture, namely how it missed Golduck when explaining similar-looking Pokémon, but I will leave that for another day.) If you are looking for a good resource on Japanese folklore and mythology, I highly recommend picking up The Book of Japanese Folklore by Thersa Matsuura. you can find it on Simon & Schuster's website at a price of $16.99 USD. Read the full article

[thebearthatreads]

15 Questions Tag

Thank you to @keysandopenmind for the tag!

So for this one you can apparently answer the 15 questions either as yourself or as one of your OCs. I've decided to respond as myself as I'm in the midst on NaNoWriMo and still getting to know my new OCs.

Let's do some no pressure tagging before we hop in: @fleurtygurl, @cottonberryfinn, @thepitflower, @chauceryfairytales and @maskedemerald (as well as anyone else who might want to do it)!

15 Questions:

Are you named after anyone?

Yes! I'm named after a character in a book (don't ask me which book my parents don't remember).

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday. I cry pretty frequently, tears just come very quickly for me and I feel emotions quite intensely. The reason for my crying was because I was emotionally moved whilst watching the latest One Piece episode.

3. Do you have kids?

I have a fur-child, does that count? Her name is Miley and she's an Alaskan Malamute cross who I rescued as a puppy. My partner and I are planning on having human children in the future but currently we don't.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Yes, sometimes.

5. What is the first thing you notice about others?

Oh that's tough, generally it changes from person to person. Usually it's facially orientated but it can be other aspects. If someone has fun earrings I'll notice those first, if they have tattoos, piercings, cool clothing. Little signifiers of personality, that's what I notice first.

6. What's your eye colour?

I used to describe my eyes as kind of mud brown but they're actually quite pretty the closer you get. From a distance a dark walnut brown, up close more of a sepia or russet brown. Looking them closely in my hand mirror they kind of make me think of the crystal Tiger's eye.

7. Scary stories or happy endings?

A bit of both, I like scary stories with happy endings. But if I have to choose I'll probably lean more towards happy endings.

8. Any special talents?

No, I am decidedly very untalented... Although I can read tarot cards, I don't read them very often (I don't self-read) but the times that I have my friends have said my predictions were fairly accurate. I'd love to believe that means I'm a little psychic but it's probably just luck and guiding intuition from how well I know the people I was reading for.

9. Where were you born?

It's no secret I was born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

10. What are your hobbies?

Reading, writing, playing video games. I also enjoy walking with my dog, volunteering, researching different mythologies and history. I've dabbled with knitting, though it's taking me a long time to finish a single project because I keep forgetting about it.

11. Do you have any pets?

As mentioned before I have an Alaskan Malamute cross called Miley. My brother also has a dog, she's an Akita Inu cross German Shepherd called Akela.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I am not a sporty person. I've done sports carnivals, taken martial arts classes, and I participated in weekly sporting events at University as part of our Res Wars (friendly competition between the different residential buildings). But I've never really played any particular sport.

13. How tall are you?

Uhh, I always forget my height. I'm about 5'2, so somewhere around the 157-160cm range I believe. Just tall enough to reach the top of my bookshelf, not tall enough to reach the back of the top cupboards in the kitchen.

14. Favourite subject in school?

English or history in high school. Criminal Profiling at University (it was a super fun and informative, I took it as an elective).

15. Dream Job?

Being a full-time author but that requires a lot of luck along with a lot of work. For now I'm pretty happy with the job I recently started working sales in a jewellery store, I'm learning a lot of fascinating things and have super nice coworkers. Still one day it'd be nice if my books provided me a stable income.

[lokitvsource]

You came into the show with the idea of Loki clashing with the TVA already in place. How exactly does this kind of arrangement work at Marvel? Michael Waldron: There was a creative brief that was 20 pages or so that basically said: “We want to do something about Loki running up against the TVA. Here’s some different avenues that might be cool to explore.” It was really serving it up for writers as a jumping off point for us to put together our pitches. Then I went off and really worked on the idea of Loki being brought in to hunt another Loki, and that becoming the heart of the show, and the Loki/Sylvie relationship. The big thing that I did in my pitch — even as early as pitching it to Kevin [Feige] — I really walked through the six episodes, kind of similar to what they were. I knew I wanted Episode 3, for instance, to be a little bit of a Before Sunrise, with Loki and this character walking across this apocalyptic moon. But Marvel had the initial, probably the most important spark of genius, which was just Loki and the TVA.

Where did the idea of the variant being a female Loki come from? That was one of my ideas, that we then confirmed in the writers room. Yeah, we knew from the get-go that it was going to be Loki falling for another version of himself.

Why was that appealing to you? I love writing any romance; it’s fun. Especially, it hasn’t been done a ton in the MCU. There’s an obviously self-reflective quality to it. And a show that’s quite literally about self-love; it is Loki getting to see parts of himself. At the start of the show, he kind of hates himself. He assesses himself to Mobius as a villain. And then he meets Sylvie, and he sees her as someone on a heroic crusade. He sees the good in her, and is able to see the good in himself.

Mobius suggests that, of course, Loki fell in love with his own variant, because he’s a narcissist. Do you think he’d be capable of falling in love with someone who is not a version of himself? [Laughs] I don’t know if he didn’t fall in love with himself first. Maybe after that, but the first time he falls, maybe this is what it had to be.

What’s the key to telling a time travel story that takes advantage of the concept without confusing the audience? I think it’s doing a lot of work that the audience never sees. It’s really understanding the logic of this thing, building out the TVA as a real organization that actually exists in our minds. Our writers room, we had a TVA handbook, encyclopedia, what they do and why they do it, a glossary of terms. And then you want to only give the audience the absolute bare minimum to understand the story, and to just get swept up in the emotional stakes of everything. If the sci-fi of it all, if the time travel logic of this show did not hold up week to week, then that would have distracted from the emotional journeys of the characters. So I’m glad that even though everyone had to take their medicine a little bit, along with Loki, in episode one, I’m glad it didn’t distract from the story we were telling. And we had the benefit of Loki being the audience’s eyes in. The audience is learning as he is.

There’s a funny scene in Avengers: Endgame where the Avengers start arguing about exactly how time travel works in the MCU. How much did you have to study what other Marvel movies had done with the idea to make sure your rules were consistent? Fortunately, Endgame was the main one, and that’s how they understand it. The TVA is an organization that understands time travel on a deeper level, probably more comprehensively than the Avengers do in Endgame. We wanted to make sure we were staying true to any rules that they laid out, but sort of establishing our own rules. It’s a time travel show. What was I thinking? A movie’s one thing, but a show is hard.

How many Loki variants did you have on the writers room whiteboard at various points? Hundreds. So many different Lokis. There was one Loki, actually maybe it was a version of Mobius that took off his glasses, and he just had really tiny eagle eyes, like he could see everything. There was stuff like that all over the white board. Tom Kauffman, who wrote that fifth episode, he’s an amazing comedy writer, and was on the first three seasons of Rick and Morty. His first draft of that episode was just bananas.

Was there a variant, or a crazy idea in general, that you really loved but couldn’t ultimately do? There was so much different stuff that we wanted to do in the Void. But the truth is, I don’t want to say any of it, because you never know. The ideas that I want to do the most may pop up elsewhere.

Okay, so let’s stick with a variant we did see. Was Alligator Loki actually a Loki, or just an alligator that happened to be wearing a Loki’s crown? A magician can’t reveal his tricks, man. That’s the great debate. Let it rage.

What was Alligator Loki‘s origin story on your side of things? Who pitched him and how was that initially received? That was maybe my very first meeting with the producers at Marvel, Kevin Wright and Stephen Broussard, talking about the show, and me saying, “When we’re doing this, you can encounter lots of different Lokis. You could have an alligator Loki. Why? Cause he’s green.” And us all laughing about how stupid that was. I think I made the point that it’s that energy of what we can do with the show. We can have something like that, but let’s play it straight. Alligator Loki, you get a laugh out of it, but by and large you try and play it straight. That was the fun tonal balance that we tried to strike in the show.

There’s been some conflicting information out there about whether the big bad was originally just going to be He Who Remains, who’s a different comics character altogether from Kang, and whether the casting of Jonathan Majors changed the plan. From your point of view, what happened? The character was always written as a version of Kang, as early as the first draft of the script, we knew in the writers room, relatively early on. He Who Remains, that’s the guy behind the curtain with the TVA, and we saw an opportunity to fuse that mythology with the Immortus mythology. And that was just really compelling. It was a way to elevate, it just felt right for Loki, because Loki was there in the first Avengers, he’s the one who brought the Avengers together, and here is directly related to the exploding of the multiverse, this event that will drive the events of Phase Four. Certainly, when Jonathan came in, it allowed us to step on the gas of just how eccentric and charismatic this character could be. I was inspired in the writing of He Who Remains by Tom Cruise’s character in Magnolia, trying to give it that Frank TJ Mackey energy a little bit. He captures that and then elevates it to something else that’s different and weird.

You just said how important the multiverse is going to be to Phase Four of the MCU. How challenging is it to have to set up this big thing for the larger Marvel endeavor while also serving the needs of the particular story you’re telling on this show? It’s a challenge in the sense that it’s all a relay race, and you’ve got the baton on this thing, and you want to do a great job. The name of the game over at Marvel is with each movie or TV show, make it the best it can possibly be. And they’re really supportive of that, and trust that it will organically fit into the larger blueprint of everything. We were excited about introducing a version of Kang, because yeah, to introduce this new big bad was cool for our show. I was aware, and cautious, of the thing I read in your review, that it might not be the most sound storytelling to introduce a new character at the very end that we’ve never seen before as the big bad of this thing. Obviously, we had the benefit that people know who Kang is, and there’s a meta thing where a portion of the audience knows Jonathan Majors is going to be playing Kang in Phase Four. But the finale was only ever going to work if He Who Remains, in a compelling way, serviced the Loki and Sylvie emotional story. That was the most important job that that character did in the finale: he laid out a very compelling conflict that ultimately drove the two of them apart.

There has also been some confusion as to exactly when you knew that there would be a second season, as opposed to you just making a limited series. Initially, in the writers room, we were not operating as though there would be a second season. And the whole way through was, this should be a story that should stand on its own. I referenced The Leftovers and Mad Men all the time. I think about those seasons, they pushed the overall stories forward, but you can pull any one of those seasons and look at it on its own as an individual story. I wanted that to be the case here, whether we did a second season or not. I think we always felt that we would want to propel Loki forward into the MCU after the conclusion of our season. The only question was, would that be in an appearance in a movie, or would that be in a second season. And it was only over the course of development that the stars aligned to make a second season.

But that end scene, where Mobius no longer recognizes Loki and the TVA is filled with Kang statues, wouldn’t have been a satisfying conclusion to a limited series. That is an ending that only works if there’s going to be a second season. So there is another conclusion to the story that I wrote that exists out there, that I guess is just for me. My own little play, that I perform with my action figures.

What was Sylvie’s original plan, before Loki hijacked her to that dying moon? It was to empty out the TVA. The entire bombing of the Sacred Timeline was to create a diversion. She’s not going to be able to create a multiverse from doing that. Ultimately, the TVA has the manpower to get out and take care of these events, but they’re going to have to scramble a lot of their minutemen teams, and it leaves the Time-Keepers significantly less guarded than they would have been otherwise. That was her plan.

You didn’t come into this as a big comic book nerd. So was there someone on staff who could tell you, “Well, there’s this giant cloud called Alioth that eats time,” or, “Well, one time Thanos had a helicopter,” or maybe someone assigned to you by Marvel? I’m constantly reading the comics but trying to not be so beholden to the and do our own thing. I charged our writers assistant, Ryan Kohler, with, “You’ve got to become the authority on all things TVA, all things Kang, and all that.” So he and my assistant, Sophie Miller, became a support staff who read a ton of these comics and became a wealth of knowledge for the writers to turn to. And then the Marvel producers, obviously are very well versed in the comics. It was Kevin Wright who came in one day and was like somebody throwing down a blueprint in an asteroid movie, going, “Alioth! Look at this!” And we were like, “Ohmigod, this is perfect!” The best thing about working on these comic book shows is that if it’s from the comics, it doesn’t matter how much of a deus ex machina it is, it’s just cool, like, “I can’t believe you pulled that from the comics.” Alioth, that was a big breakthrough that unlocked the last two episodes for us.

That is not a famous comic book that introduces Alioth. It’s an obscure Nineties miniseries, with really ugly art. But you look at it and see what it could be. You say, “If we do this, and it feels like Twister, it’s going to be really cool.”

Was Mobius’ love of jet skis there simply to illustrate his character, or did you have a grander idea in mind? I will come clean: I’m a jet ski guy. I’ve spent a good amount of time on jet skis in my day. I used to tow a jet ski to a lake and ride it in college. So it probably was me. Loki, I was just becoming a steward of that character. Mobius was a character I really felt I got to create from nothing. There’s not really anything to that character in the comics. So bits and pieces of me found their way in. I just think there’s something so poignant — here Mobius is, a guy who is literally fighting to preserve all of time in the multiverse, and yet his interests are maybe the most humble, human, terrestrial, unremarkable thing you can think of. Just a jet ski. And when you’ve got Owen Wilson playing him and it’s just that much better.

Will you be back in some capacity for Season Two? [long pause] Time will tell.

‘Loki’ Head Writer Michael Waldron — and ‘Rick and Morty’ Alum — on MCU, ‘Heels’ and More

[rynnaaurelius]

Titan’s Curse But Make It Time Loop: Nico di Angelo Edition

-Okay so I’m at work and not doing much and who wants to actually edit your shit drafts for your actual WIPs so that they’re less bad? No one, that’s who

-So I had an idea: The Titan’s Curse. Also known as the book where people start to die. It sucks to be a demigod in this book--for the first time in the original series, it really does.

-Not everything is fixed, not everyone is saved, and people start to have to make really tough decisions.

-So we fix it. Not by throwing Percy, or Annabeth, or Thalia, or, hell, even Bianca or Grover into the mix.

-Throwing the marginally more grown-up, more trained, and more knowledgeable demigods into the fire, who’d get everyone alive and safe by the third time ‘round? Nah.

-We’re making Nico fix this.

-Because here’s the thing about Nico di Angelo: Sure, he grows up to become a major badass, the Ghost King, so on and so forth. But not yet.

-For now, Nico is baby, a ten-year-old whose experience with any kind of fighting consists of one (1) Capture The Flag game and who’s still half-reliant on Mythomagic to explain what the fuck is happening.

-He’s also got the worst knowledge makeup possible! He knows he’s a son of Hades, which is bad, he knows to stick monsters with the pointy end of swords but nothing else, he knows that Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace are Very Big Deals (But also doesn’t know why beyond parents), and he’s, at best, vaguely aware that there’s some kind of bad prophecy hanging around.

-Also by the end of the book, he’s just been told his last immediate family who isn’t Hades is dead in one of the worst ways possible, and he--pretty irrationally IMO, but Nico’s a kid who has been through a lot recently, so we’re not holding that against him--blames Percy Jackson.

-Literally, you probably can’t pick an angstier or worse choice to run through the time travel trope. I love it.

-We’re making this kid save Bianca’s life via time loop, which happens due to. . .hmm, we’ll say the Fates did it.

-So, Loop 0 = Canon, only at the end of the day on December 21st, after the conversation with Percy, Nico falls asleep only gods know where only to wake up the day he meets Percy Jackson:

Loop 1:

-Nico doesn’t actually change anything meaningful at first.

-Spends most of it shellshocked and not unconvinced the last week (For him, anyway) wasn’t a horrible nightmare; shellshocked and staring at Percy Jackson, anyway.

-(Percy’s wondering what’s up with the silent kid his sister had talked up as a cheerful chatterbox)

-It’s only when Bianca agrees to join the quest for Artemis that he starts kicking up a fuss; demanding to go, screaming that she can’t leave him even more, not again.

-(Bianca hesitates; briefly, enough to remind Nico that she loves him. But she’s not their mother, and she needs this)

-Bianca still dies. Percy comes back pale and guilty. Nico doesn’t yell at him when he returns--he already knows. He accepts the Hades figurine so that he can throw it into the lake.

-He slinks off back into Cabin Eleven and falls asleep, hoping desperately that he gets a third chance.

Loop 2:

-He does.

Loop 3:

-After a very painful death at the hands of Dr. Thorn, Nico, generally being a straightforward person at this stage of life, takes the obvious path this time around: He tries to tell Bianca--who brushes it off as a dream.

-Annabeth still goes over the cliff when Nico takes the initiative of attaching himself and his sister to Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace at the dance. He tries to tell Percy and Thalia when Bianca still joins the Hunt, promising Nico that whatever he saw, she’ll be extra careful.

-(Bianca’s fearful of what Nico's saying, and thinks that if these sworn sisters can’t keep her safe, who can?)

-Artemis gives Nico a speculative look but agrees when he begs her to protect Bianca at all costs.

-He doesn’t get on the quest. Being a reasonable demigod of questionable parentage, he sneaks out of camp.

-He gets caught, because despite being aware of his awesome new powers, he doesn’t know how to use them, and is still a ten-year-old who can barely hold a sword the right way.

-He gives Percy the puppy dog eyes and shows off said awesome new powers. Percy forces him back.

-Nico follows him.

-Repeat until Percy dies saving Nico from the Nemean Lion in Washington, DC.

-Nico can’t find it in himself to be terribly sad--especially when he doesn’t make it much longer.

Loop 4:

-He’s really stuck like this, huh?

-Oh, Di Immortales.

-(Before Percy gets his chest ripped to shreds by a lion and Nico meets skeleton cats, he learned how to hold a sword properly and curse fluently in Greek. Percy probably only meant to teach him one of those things)

-In unrelated news: Having a big crush on a guy who thinks he’s only known you for a couple hours? Terrible.

-Trying to hate the guy who let your sister die when he’s that stupid and nice? Even worse.

-That stupid lion.

Loop 5, 6, 7, 8, 9:

-Nico repeats: That stupid lion.

-Somewhere in Loop 7 he starts to steal supplies out of the camp store when he follows Percy following the quest.

-They forcefeed the lion enough trail mix and frozen ice cream in Loop 9 that they don’t die this time.

-At least until someone called the General shows up and Nico’s dead before he can raise his sword.

Loop 10:

-Nico wakes up in his and Bianca’s room in Westover and starts crying. Bianca tells the headmaster they’re both sick and Nico lets her hold him all day.

-They fall asleep and Nico swears he won’t let her die again.

Loop 11, 12, 13:

-He wakes up and he still can’t get out of bed without feeling that blade cutting between his ribs, burning like it’s on fire.

-Gods, he’s so sorry, Bianca. Dispiace tanto.

Loop 14:

-He can get up without feeling like he’s about to die again. Bianca fusses but assumes it was just a bad dream.

-Nico is caught stealing and can’t follow Percy until it’s too late.

-Everyone assumes this means he’s a son of Hermes, however, and Nico can’t correct them without opening his mouth and letting the sobbing laughter out.

-Figuring he’s about to get another chance next round anyway, he takes Travis and Connor Stoll up on their offer to learn a thing or two so that he doesn’t get Cabin Eleven slapped with kitchen duty from now until Doomsday.

-He likes the Stolls. He spent most of the time, pre-looping, actively avoiding everyone at camp as he waited for Bianca and Percy to come back, but they’re not that bad.

-Percy comes back with the figurine and no sister and Nico remembers why he’s stuck.

Loop 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23:

-After Loop 12 and being killed in Washington DC again, Nico realizes: He needs to learn how to fight.

-Unless he gets killed early or refuses to leave Westover, the loop resets after seven days. So, he has seven days to train each time.

-He gets to camp, finds the arena, and meets Clarisse La Rue. He demands she teach him how to kill monsters.

-She laughs, and tells him that attitude in his size will make monsters easy to kill, they’ll laugh so hard.

-Clarisse teaches him how to swing a sword each time--but only after mocking his unamused face.

-Somehow, Percy coming back with news of Bianca’s death only hurts more each time.

Loop 24:

-Nico wakes up before Bianca this time. He looks over at her bed and knows. He’s got to try this time.

-It’s disturbingly easy making friends with Percy Jackson after the last loops.

-Bessie’s new. Cute, but new.

-Nico wonders just how much he’s missed in the past--he thinks of Annabeth Chase, and hopes she hasn’t been dying each time.

-Percy doesn’t even argue when Nico shows up in the stables with a bag slung over his shoulder, and the sword he’s been stealing out of the shed strapped to his hip.

-Nico suggests the ice cream--again--to Percy in DC before

-Nico might be getting the hang of this.

Loop 25:

-Nico is not getting the hang of this.

-Zoë Nightshade’s refusal to accept Percy and Nico on the quest--violating a prophecy, and gods, Nico’s curious if that prophecy ever mentioned this--has so far gotten them attacked and killed by spartoi once.

-And again. As Nico bleeds out on the floor, he watches a panicked blond man--a demigod--plead for mercy.

-Isn’t he on the other side?

Loop 26:

-His name is Luke Castellan and he apparently wants the gods dead.

-Nico can relate at this point.

-The General is Atlas, and Nico knows enough about Greek mythology, real and wrong, at this point to know that is bad.

Loop 27:

-Twenty-six tries, but they finally make it out of DC. Threatening the questers with Atlas killing them all is more than enough.

-For the first time, Nico doesn’t know what happens next. He glues himself to Bianca’s side and glares at anything suspicious.

-With help that Percy refuses to name, even when Nico tries his hardest, they go to New Mexico.

-There’s a boar and it’s so close, they make it to what the others are calling “the junkyard of the gods”.

-Nico sees the Hades figurine on the ground.

-Bianca grins in delight and picks it up, calling for him.

-He can’t help it.

-Nico starts screaming.

Loop 28:

-His sister’s murderer was never Percy Jackson.

-His sister’s murderer was a force of mechanics that makes Nico fully understand, for the first time, what the gods are, beyond stats on a card.

-Talos.

-Nico is going to destroy him.

Loop 29:

-She dies.

Loop 30:

-Again.

Loop 31:

-Again.

-Loop 32, 33, 34, 3536373839FortyFo r t y O n  e--:

-Again. Again. Again. Again again againagainagainagainAGAIN--

Loop 42:

-Nico gets out of bed. He finds Percy Jackson at the dance, hugs him, and tells him he’s sorry.

-Nico walks outside and waits for Dr. Thorn in the snow. He can feel the shadows curling at the edge of the wood like a sixth sense, now. Waiting for him to summon the restless dead out of them.

-So many attempts to save his sister, ranging from sacrificing himself to sacrificing Percy--not that Percy needs the push, Nico has found--to any and all members of the quest.

-She dies. Always, always dies. Whatever Nico does, that junkyard is full of the death of Bianca di Angelo.

-He tried avoiding it. Once. Loop 33. Nico threw such a fit he’s surprised he wasn’t sent back to Camp Half-Blood by the Hunters, but it kept them out of the junkyard.

-He tries not to remember how little was left of his sister’s body by the monsters that time.

-Son of Hades. After all this time, Nico’s beginning to wonder if this is what it means. Death and death and death.

-Dr. Thorn walks outside, and Nico can feel a ghoulish grin crossing his face that has no place on a ten-year-old.

-One of them is going to die, this loop. And Nico will not go to New Mexico.

Loop 43:

-Nico wonders if there was a past life of his he needs to remember. Who could he have made this angry?

-He lies to Bianca and they stay in Westover again this time. Better than death, anyway.

Loop 44:

-Nico tries a different tack this time. A more roundabout way of things.

-He takes Bianca and throws the two of them in the way of the battle with the manticore.

-After all this time, he still doesn’t know much about Annabeth Chase. She gets kidnapped and returned safely to Percy every time, to the best of his knowledge.

-Nico dies holding up the sky, but at least Bianca lives, under the protection of Artemis.

Loop 45:

-Nico looks in the mirror and studies the new grey streak with fascination. And, maybe, some hope.

-Things can change.

Loop 46, 47, 48, 49, 50:

-Nico gets kidnapped a few times. Once, he’s killed in a rage by a Titan with horns, but it’s quick. Mostly, he holds up the sky to get Artemis out.

-She looks at him strangely each time and Nico wonders if she can see what he’s done.

Loop 51:

-They figure out he’s a son of Hades. They offer him Olympus. Olympus and Bessie--the Ophiotaurus, rather.

-Nico says no.

Loop 52:

-Nico says yes.

Loop 53:

-Being on the verge of overthrowing the gods and keeping everyone he’s grown to care for--in the case of several Hunters, against his will; in Percy Jackson’s case, Nico loves him as much as he hates him at this point--doesn’t do much, apparently.

-Nico stays in Westover again. He resists the urge to tell Bianca that would-be destroyers of Olympus don’t need to brush their hair, whatever she says.

Loop 54:

-Nico goes over the edge of the cliff again, but with Percy Jackson.

-This isn’t the first time; in Loop 46, Percy had taken the sky for both the sake of Artemis and Nico until it killed him.

-What’s different, is Nico’s in the middle of what’s become the usual panic attack when he’s about to die for the hundredth time, and his powers react.

-Percy holds him close and calls him cousin. Tells him he’ll never leave Nico.

-You have no idea, Nico whispers. You can’t leave me.

-You think I want to? Percy whispers back. You’re not alone, Nico.

-Nico’s sobbing sounds like laughter.

Loop 55:

-Nico tells Percy the truth for the third time. This is the first time he hasn’t told Bianca first.

-They’ve just found the Erymanthian Boar, Thalia’s told Nico his goth needs work--whatever that means--and Nico’s bracing himself for the junkyard again.

-Getting kidnapped by the Titans really gets old after a while.

-He still has the grey streak, and no number of excuses will fully soothe his sister, but the Hunt’s a good distraction from it.

-Nico doesn’t blame Bianca anymore for it. He thinks.

-Nearly a year into this loop and Nico’s finding it hard to blame anyone for much of anything, anymore. Especially when he sees what she’s faced. Again. And again.

-For now, this time, Percy Jackson is staring at Nico with wide eyes at what Nico’s told him--through these loops, Nico’s starting to wonder if he now knows more about Percy than Percy’s own best friends--and says he believes him.

-Once, Nico would’ve exploded from joy. Now, he just sighs and nods.

-Percy tells him how to condense the conversation for the next loop. He advises Nico to research Talos, “like Annabeth would.”

-He advises Nico to warn Percy’s next loop self about Annabeth’s kidnapping. Nico wonders if he’s gone insane that he’s considering it.

-Bianca dies.

Loop 56:

-Nico makes the executive decision this time to try and befriend Annabeth Chase. As such, he takes Percy’s advice.

Loop 57:

-It takes him two tries to befriend Annabeth Chase and learn about Talos.

Loop 58:

-Three times.

-But the nail. The nail in the ankle of Talos.

Loop 59:

-He hangs back at camp again this time and meets Charles Beckendorf, head of Cabin Nine, and son of Hephaestus.

-Nico figures that short of finding the god himself and committing temporary suicide--not that it hasn’t crossed Nico’s mind--his son will have to do.

-(He’s tried his hand at summoning ghosts, but Daedalus refuses to show, for some reason)

-Beckendorf frowns and tells Nico he would have to see Talos himself.

-Nico hadn’t realized just how much cursing he had picked up off of Percy and Thalia until that moment.

Loop 60:

-Nico knows what the prophecy says. One shall be lost in the land without rain.

-He knows it’s why he’s been failing so much.

-The trouble is, he no longer cares.

Loop 61:

-It took him a try, but he gets Beckendorf on the quest, prepared to defeat the Talos prototype.

Loop 62:

-Strike that, two tries.

-Nico really hates the Nemean Lion.

Loop 63, 64:

-Nico has solved half a problem: How to defeat Talos without putting someone inside the robot.

-The other half of the problem is now that they are all electrocuted by a dying automaton for their efforts.

Loop 65:

-Beckendorf’s crush--girlfriend? crush, they’re both insisting--Silena Beauregard comes along this time. Nico won’t complain over the extra manpower, even if he’s positive that eight campers and Hunters are patent overkill for one quest.

-Silena pulls Bianca out of the wreckage. Nico’s heart stops.

-Silena’s crying when she mentions that if they had been a bit earlier, she could have been revived.

-Nico wonders if Thalia’s going to stab him as he starts whooping. And takes notes about where Talos falls.

Loop 66:

-Nico swears, if Percy Jackson tries to sacrifice himself for Annabeth Chase one more time--

Loop 67:

-Bianca.

-I found you, he sobs. I found you.

-Gods damn the Hoover Dam.

Loop 68:

-And again.

-Despite having the distinct inkling at this point that he doesn’t much like like girls, Nico could kiss Silena Beauregard and Thalia Grace when they manage to revive his sister each time.

-She’s shaky and leaning on him and was dead, he could see her soul floating away--

-But she’s there.

-Nico refuses to let his sister out of the sight at the Hoover Dam and Percy befriends the Naiads this time.

-At least, until the Titans--who Nico made the very big mistake of taunting at DC--sends monsters he can’t control.

Loop 69, 70, 71, 72, 73:

-They keep dying in various combinations at the Hoover Dam now that Nico’s figured out how to save Bianca.

-At least, until he gets separated from Percy in Loop 73 and he meets a redheaded girl with a penchant for calling Nico pint-size.

-Athena dislikes Percy, Nico, Bianca, and Thalia in equal measure. Having learned of the Great Prophecy in Loop 16 and Percy’s mooning over Annabeth in. . .well, every loop, Nico can’t quite blame her.

Loop 74:

-Her name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Nico likes her. She takes none of their shit and if it weren’t for the fact that they already have eight people on the quest, he’d want to take her along.

-Bianca gets in a fight with the Old Man of the Sea. Thalia electrocutes him when he throws Bianca in the bay.

Loop 75:

-Nico wakes up in Westover with the distinct feeling that he was drowned on dry land.

-He stays in bed shivering, that day.

Loop 76:

-Atlas is the father of Zoë Nightshade. Nico learned this around Loop 50. He had realized around five loops ago that this probably meant she was going to die “by a parent’s hand.”

-He hadn’t realized that it was going to hurt to watch.

Loop 77, 78, 79, 80, 81:

-Now that he’s figured things out to about San Francisco, it seems the world is out to get him. The number of fights or mistakes that he either makes himself or has to head off are ridiculous.

Loop 82:

-Nico is so very tired. And wishes he felt ten years old again.

Loop 83:

-If Thalia gets in one more fight with Nereus, Nico's going to walk into the sea.

Loop 84:

-He wanders off, in this one. Grover had been killed in Hoover Dam, so Nico’s waiting for the reset at this point.

-In the meantime, Nico figures there are worse things to do than enjoy a good afternoon in San Francisco. He even meets a boy in a purple shirt.

-His name is Jason and he has hair like the sun.

-If he ever fixes this, Nico wants to find him.

Loop 85:

-Nico’s not fast enough in the junkyard.

-In San Francisco, he tries to find the ugliest, biggest trouble he can find.

-He finds a pair of teenagers in armor who yell Latin at him instead.

Loop 86:

-There’s a dragon that will attack them in the Garden of the Hesperides if they make it angry enough and Nico is so tired.

Loop 87:

- Zoë Nightshade is dead. They’ve won.

-Funny definition of “win”, considering they’ve all almost died this loop about a dozen times each, and Nico can’t explain why he’s crying on the body of a Hunter he only met a week ago, in their eyes.

-She hates him, some loops. More loops, she looks at him with ghosts of old grief in her eyes and hands him a knife.

-The gods execute Bessie, and then, Nico watches as his father turns to him and Bianca with sorrowful eyes.

-Nico should’ve figured, after almost ninety loops.

Loop 88:

-Luke offers one of them the entrails of Bessie again.

-Nico takes them.

Loop 89:

-For all the good it does. Nico wakes up as he does every time now: Powerless, in bed, and with only a grey streak to show for his efforts.

Loop 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98:

-Nico doesn’t know how to save Zoë Nightshade. Bianca, he could trick and fight his way into it. Beckendorf and Silena and Percy and a loophole in lost could save his sister.

-Her, she just. . .dies. Sometimes in DC, sometimes in San Francisco, sometimes on the hills of Mt. Tamalpais. Always at the hands of Atlas.

-Always, being murdered by her father.

-It’s not as gutting as watching his sister die, but it aches more in his chest, somehow.

Loop 99:

-He sticks close to Zoë this time. Same as he’s done with Percy, Annabeth, his sister, Thalia, and Grover, time and time again. But not her, Nico is realizing. Not the clinging he’s achieving now.

-Hoping for. . .something.

-He knows better than to tell the immortal Lieutenant of Artemis the whole truth. The loneliness is enough.

-She’s less frosty to him from the start than to, say, Grover or Percy, after Annabeth goes over the cliff again. When he shows up in DC, she’s much less angry than he’s seen her.

-Along the way to New Mexico and then San Francisco, he listens. He’s grown better at it, this far in. When the others are asleep, when Bianca is being fussed over after Talos, when everyone but them is asleep by the fire, he listens.

-And she tells him about her sisters. About her father, when the world was young and Atlas had looked on every daughter of his with pride. She tells him, pride glistening in her eyes, of the battles she has seen, the hunts she has overseen at the command of a goddess, the monsters she has killed, and the epithets she has been given.

-He doesn’t ask anything of her. Not until they’re in the house of Annabeth’s father, drinking lemonade the night before the battle, and Nico knows she is about to die again.

-What do you want, he asks. You’ve done everything. What’s left?

-She stopped, ice seems to creep over her again, and Nico wondered if he’d hit some sore spot.

-He’s opened his mouth to make his apologies when she answers, so quiet and quick he thinks he’s imagined it.

-To be remembered. When my lady has taken another lieutenant, as she must, and I have gone to where all gods go when they die, I wish for my memory to remain. And. . .

-Nico waits, and ignores the sudden, terrifying thought that he no longer knows what he wants.

-I wish to see the stars again. I was born a nymph of the sunset; starlight is precious to me. I want to see it again.

-Nico dies to preserve the memory of Zoë Nightshade.

100:

-Nico di Angelo wakes up in Westover Hall. He hopes for the last time.

-He does everything right: Annabeth goes over the cliff, his sister joins the Hunt, Percy is soon his friend, and he convinces Silena and Beckendorf to join the quest.

-The Nemean Lion never stands a chance, and Nico is glad to be rid of it.

-His sister lives.

-Nico watches Percy watch Rachel Elizabeth Dare go, looking like he’s just taken a frying pan to the face, and fights the urge to snicker.

-Thalia doesn’t start a fight with Nereus, but Percy certainly does. Nico could’ve sworn he saw the boy with sun-hair again, watching with curiosity.

- Zoë Nightshade dies in the arms of Artemis and is made into the stars she loves so dearly. Nico promises her soul that he will remember.

-For, he has found, the dead have a tendency of remembering things they shouldn’t.

-Annabeth and Percy now have grey streaks to match Nico’s, and Nico can’t wait to spend the rest of his life trying to explain that.

-It’s closer than he would like, but much less close than other lives with Olympus. The Ophiotaurus is alive and safe, and they are all alive.

-As Nico walks out of the council, he looks off to the side. By the fire is the familiar girl with red eyes--the Lady Hestia, looking much closer to Nico’s age than that of the Olympian she is.

-Besides her are three old ladies. Nico’s heard about them from Percy, in Loops 26, 53, 61, and 62.

-One lady holds a ball of string that is the color of a warm umber. The other is knitting what looked suspicious like socks. The last. . .

-Scissors, in one hand. Just as expected. Nico swallowed.

-In the other, was a knot of burnt string, tied to the socks. Behind her, Nico could see discarded string of all colors: an electric blue, a stormy grey, a black that seems to glisten with the promise of a storm, string the soft, hopeful pink of love, yarn run through with bright copper.

-Glowing threads that Nico could only describe as the color of starlight.

-As he walked out, firmly between Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace, the Hunt of Artemis behind him, Nico hears one last promise:

It is done, Nico di Angelo.

[interact-if]

Day 6 of A/PI Heritage Month featured authors interview! Perceive Nines, me, yours truly!

Nines, author of Orthall Bay

A/PI Heritage Month Featured Author

[…]The name always stuck, regardless of how many foster families you fell under. It should be comforting that at least one aspect of you will always stay the same, but it’s a stark reminder of how isolated you are. A name with nothing to belong to, nothing to trace back to. Then again, you’ve managed to get this far just on your own.

In Orthall Bay, an in-development interactive fiction, you play as a young adult who grew up as an orphan. You have no knowledge about your parents, or any form of family. That is, until you get a phone call about a recently-passed man claiming to be your grandfather. Two things are certain when you arrive in the maritime town. One, Orthall Bay is seemingly idyllic. And two, there’s no such thing as perfect towns.

The question is, how deep does its roots go?

Author's Ko-fi

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

Q1: First of all, introduce us to your project! What is it about?

My current project is about you, an orphan, who moves to a fictional tourist town in California after being left as a beneficiary of your estranged late grandfather’s will. Orthall Bay is rich with supernatural myths and superstitious legends, and it has always thrived like that. Not long after your arrival, you start to notice that a lot of things about the seemingly arcadian town don't add up. At the center of it? You, and your equally estranged half-uncle.

Q2: If it’s not too spoilery, what are you most excited about your project?

Ooh, this is a bit tricky to answer! There’s so many things I’m looking forward to exploring with writing Orthall Bay, it’s hard to nitpick a few. Right now, I’m excited about building characters with depth that people would both be able to criticize and appreciate. It’s an easy choice to write characters you know your audience is coded to love and/or admire, but I want to explore the opportunities with character development depth that interactive fiction brings. Who knows, maybe I’m thinking of allowing my characters to go down the paths less taken.

Q3: What inspired the current project you’re working on?

Ah, man, I just know my October 2020 self is burying their head under a pillow right now. The idea for Orthall Bay was actually a mosaic of lines from fics of various fandoms, but what really set off the lightbulb was a line from a Teen Wolf fic. It’s very telling of the direction I want to take this project, so I won’t write it down, but I am going to leave a tiny crumb. One word: widdershins.

Q4: Do you pull from your own identity for inspiration? How has that been reflected in your work?

Orthall Bay is set in California which houses a sizable Asian-Pacific Islander population, but that being said, it’s not heavily focused on. A lot of my characters are A/PI but I can’t definitively say that I’m rooting from my own identity. It’s a supernatural book, and I’m drawing from all sorts of mythological creatures and lores and making them into my own. So, in a way, I’m allowing Orthall Bay to be a project where I let it take an identity of its own. I’m pretty sure I’ll come up with future projects that are more SEA-centric though!

Q5: What’s been your experience so far? With writing, with the IF community…

The jump from writing novels to writing interactive fiction was a bit of an adjustment. I haven’t been a very consistent writer, but most of my works were novels and its fixed worlds. Interactive fiction is different because you have to actively bind the story together in a way that makes your reader feel involved. And you have to be constantly aware of that. I still end up drafting a chapter, only to realize I forgot to lay out options that matter. It’s definitely a learning curve, but it’s worth it and very rewarding.

As for the IF community, I genuinely believe it’s one of the most welcoming and supportive communities I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of. Really, it’s heartwarming to see writers excited about their upcoming projects and being met with equal, if not more, enthusiasm from a potential audience. It’s not without flaws, sure, but the sheer amount of support you can garner is incredible. As a writer trying out a new medium, it’s one of the things that helped boost my confidence to continue working on my project.

Q6: Do you have any future projects in the works?

I do! GFTA is my baby, and I plan on nurturing it for a long time. Currently, I have about three ideas I’m considering to turn into actual projects, one of them being sci-fi and inspired by a game. As of now though, I’ll mostly be working on Orthall Bay. This is due to restrictions from my schedule, but it’s safe to say that I’ll be around for more than just a while. I’m absolutely dedicated to establishing my own platform within the IF community.

Q7: Finally, what piece of advice would you give to fellow authors?

Hmm, I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask since I’ve only recently started writing interactive fiction, but I’d like to say this: you are your first and last audience. Always. Every project starts off as self-indulgence to some degree or extent, and that’s okay. Write what you want to write, not what everyone demands. Pleasing your audience is a grey area and you won’t be able to satisfy everyone. It’s important to take criticism into account, but please remember you don't owe anyone anything for writing media that they actively have a choice whether or not to consume.

[azazelsconfessional]

((so i was gonna open up my askbox again but I got distracted doing this and watching streams i think idr what i did the past few hours, buuut there's something I need to cover first, especially since there are so many new people around! Hello! Especially since so many of you are playing OCs/MCs.

Don't worry, it's a tip to hopefully help you along! It may get a little long, especially as I try and provide examples. . .but hopefully it'll help.

I'm gonna talk a lot about OCs but this applies to canon characters too a bit. It certainly helps.

Tl;dr, you should have a character profile page.

(also remember that tumblr mobile doesn't really have direct access to Pages made with the Pages function on desktop, so you'll have to link them manually in your pinned or description or host them on another site(I used Google Docs in the apst) or in a regular post(this makes it very easy to lose as a forewarning) for maximum accessibility!)

(rules pages are also really really handy if you have alot of resteictions.)

So, in general, OCs have a bit of a lower reception rate in rp. Idk if that'll be the case here with MCs because they're, well, the main character. Housamo is also a series that lends itself well to OCs pretty well, especially non-human ones, but I figured I'd warn for that.

BUT. That doesn't mean you shouldn't play an OC! It just means there are things you need to keep in mind!

Think of all of the OCs you've seen--you all seem to be fun and wonderful people, and your characters are surely interesting. But. . .if you don't tell anybody about them, nobody will know what's going on or where to start, which makes asking questions a little hard, right? That's easier to work around with MC characters--we've played the game, we know the story, we know the characters, so we can figure out questions fairly easily based on that alone and go from there.

But with other OCs, especially those that don't represent charactera from mythology or fiction like many other characters in housamo do, there's like. Nowhere to start. We may see a face or some dialogue, but otherwise we don't have a frame of reference.

That's where a profile comes in!

Azazel-mun, I don't want to share all of the info about my character at once!

What if I don't know everything about my OC yet and want to figure it out along thw way?

The profile doesn't have to be super detailed! At most it shoule include things like the character's name and age and probably things like their location, profession, grade in school or place of work, etc., and anything you'd notice on the surface like their apperance. It's never a bad thing to include a description of their personality too, or a small section about their history/background. Little things that even you should probably know, too.

You can also section your profile off a bit into things like "surface info," "meta info," "things you could easily figure out about them," etc. That way, no one can spoil themself. Making lists like this can help you think these things through if you haven't already as well.

Let's use Azazel, a character that you probably know already, as an example here. I don't have a profile set

Name: Azazel

Species: Fallen Angel; Capra Therian - an anthropomorphic Goat (?)

Gender(pronouns): Male(he/him)

Age: difficult to calculate; several thousand years old?

Apperance age: hard to say, he's not human. Adult.

Origins: banished from his home world of Eden, has been in the human world for several thousand years

Profession: Priest of dubious denomination, most likely Catholic or Protestant; teacher at Daikanyama Academy; de facto head of the Missionaries Non-Profit charity Organization; supervisor of the Aoyama Missionaries

Role & Rule: Watcher; Revelation - allows him to see anything within the territory of the Aoyama Missionaries and anywhere the pages of his Artifact see

Apperance: Azazel is a 5'10"(180cm) tall, anthropomorphic goat of ambiguous breed, with fawn fur all over his body and lighter fur on his head and around his neck. He has brown, riged horns which curve out and back. Though his eyes are often closed, when opened they're red. He always carried around a leather bound bible with an eye on the cover, and is never seen without several chains on his person, although only the one(s) around his neck can be seen unless he's undressed.

He wears a black priest's cassock with a maroon sash and a capelet of the same color, with the same eye as on his bible on the shoulders of the cape, and brown dress shoes. The front of the robe is always open to expose his bare chest and the chains beneath.

Personality: Azazel is kind and doting, very fitting of both a teacher and priest, although his openly flirtatious, lustful, and secretive nature causes others to distrust him. He doesn't mind this at all. He has a strong adoration for humans, and values love in all of its forms more than anything. He's a bit of a passive person, often being unmotivated but working hard regardless, and seems to prefer to watch others and the world go by, although he won't decline most invitations to take part in it. He is always aware of anything that happens within the extensive territory of the Missionaries, and seems to know and see just about everything about anyone he meets, from their surface to their soul. . . .

If you know Azazel, or take note of some of the wording or question marks, you'll note I didn't explain everything(although I may have shared more than you want to.) This is just a bare bones exampe of how I do my profiles--but it can get even more bare!

I'll do two this time, a more vague version of Azazel's, and another that obscures information all together, using the same or a similar format to the above.

Name: Azazel

Species: anthropomorphic goat

Gender(pronouns): male (he/him)

Age: unquestionably an adult

Origins: Eden

Profession: Priest; teacher; head of a charity NPO; member of the Missionaries

Apperance: Horned goatman of slightly above average human height. Light brown fur, blond fur-hair, red eyes. Wears priest robes and a gold chain around his neck and chest. Carries around a bible with an eye on it?

Personality: Kind of eerie, but friendly and affectionate. A little flirtatious, especially towards humans. Seems to know everything about people for some reason?

Compare it to the one before--see how I've left even more things off or left things ambiguous while still sharing what's necessary or surface level? However, it's also not as engaging or as informative as the other one where I gave more information.

As someone who plays him, profiles like this aren't as helpful for me lol since he knows so much about everyone and everything, having a lot of details helps me play my character!

Now, as helpful as this is, this is also a character you probably know. So how about I do this with an OC? Normally I'm extremely detailed in my profiles and such, especially for OCs, sharing headcanons and ideas for relationships between characters. But, again, I'll try and show how you can show some info while leaving some up to people to ask about to later be filled in.

Name: Kezia

Faceclaim/Art Source: [this is where you would put where you get the art for any icons you use--if you draw it yourself, say so; if you use official art from a series, credit the name of the character and the series; if you use picrews, link the specific picrews. DO NOT USE ART YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PERMITTED TO USE. DO NOT STEAL ART. IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE CREDIT, ASK SOMEONE TO HELP YOU, DO NOT JUST SAY THAT IT ISN'T YOURS. DO NOT USE ART YOU HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO USE OR THAT ISN'T FROM A SERIES OF SOME SORT.]

Species: Human

Gender(pronouns): Female (she/her)

Age: mid 20's~early 30's?

Apperance age: older than she looks?

Origins: Tokyo?

Profession: Professor; Witch

Apperance: A fidgety woman who looks older than she is. She looks anxious and confused as often as she looks curious and confident. Wavy light brown hair. Often carries around schoolbooks and is never alone, always with a Rattus Therian and often with a Nyarlathotep.

Personality: seemingly anxious, but curious and exploratative nonetheless. On the awkward side, but can still keep up with the Nyarls that accompany her. Gets into trouble when she gets ahead of herself in exploring and learning about the arcane, but her Rule allows her to disappear easily.

History: Has always been curious about magic and attempted to run through a Gate when they began to open up. Performed a summon and brought a certain transients to Tokyo and recieved her familiar and the magic to use her Rule as a result. Currently teaches at a college. She stumbled into a certain someone while attempting to explore time, and became a fan ever since.

That tells you a fair amount, doesn't it? Even for someone you don't know? It may even raise some questions that you could ask. At the same time, it doesn't tell you that much, and that can be as much of a hindrance for coming up with questions as saying too much can. It's really up to you what's too much and too little. Here's a more detailed version! Some things have been left vague or confusing in such a way that they could be filled in after being revealed through asks and play. That way, people are encouraged to/given ideas of what to ask--and you can still share things in the long run.

Name: Kezia

Faceclaim/Art Source: [N/A]

Species: Human

Gender(pronouns): Female (she/her)

Age: mid 20's~early 30's?

Apperance age: somewhere in her 30's, maybe even a little older

Origins: Tokyo, with some sort of connection to at least one other world

Profession: Professor of [?] at [?] Academy; Witch

Role & Rule: [?] & [?]

Artifact, Summon, Familiar?: Always accompanied by at least one Nyarlathotep and some sort of man-rat? She also carries around a book that's labeled as a Grimoire, but it's rare for someone to be both a summon-user and an Artifact-user. . . .

Apperance: A fidgety older woman wearing a labcoat and a witch's hat. She looks quite stressed and has trouble sitting still. Her ashy brown hair is thin and a little wavy, with some strands of gray. Although she often squints, she doesn't wear glasses. She carries around a lot of books relating to maths and sciences and one labeled 'Grimoire' decorated with arcane symbols from Gehenna and Old Ones. She's always accompanied by at least one Nyarlathotep and a very short, bearded man who can best be described as a brown rat therian with a human-like face. Sometimes there's a normal rat on her person or in her pockets.

Personality: Kezia is a fidgety and anxious magic practitioner. She's very curious about other worlds and has been since the Gates appeared in this Tokyo since she was a child, however she has been pursuing magic before then. She often appears somewhat confused about or fascenated by even her usual surroundings, but, at other times moves through the world with confidence even in unfamiliar territory. She also likes rats and other rodents, and as such will often avoid felines and birds of prey. She has a tendency to disappear, seeming to walk through walls despite assuredly being alive.

She's a little bit awkward with people, but somehow keeps up with Nyarlathoteps nonetheless. She's a good teacher, once she figures out how to explain things in ways others can understand easily, but can be a bit difficult to follow and flighty up until then. Aware of this, she's rather patient, if a little down on herself at times. However, she most often simply has her mind elsewhere. Despite this and the company she keeps, she's relatively sane. . .most of the time.

She shares a name with a witch from the world of Old Ones who made a pact with Nyarlathotep, believing him to be the Devil. . .and the ratman always at her side uses the same name as that witch's familiar as well. It's. . .probably just a coincidence. . .who would rightfully make a pact with Nyarlathotep?

History: Kezia is an adult human from this Tokyo before the apperance of the Gates and construction of the Walls. She's explored various witchcraft pursuits since she was a child, with what was originally a mere imaginative curiosity and fascination. After the arrival of the Gates when she was still young, she snuck over the fences built around one and attempted to go inside the massive pillar of light, which she attributes to the reason she often seems to struggle with her vision. Several years later, she performed a successful summon and she recieved her familiar, Brown Jenkin, transformed into a somewhat therian form from one of her pet rats, and was given some powers from Nyarlathotep. She has no discernable control over any of the chaotic creatures, however they seem to spend time around her regardless.

At present she's a professor of a subject that interests her at a certain college. She's had other dangerous run-ins due to her excitement over the arcane and "darker" arts, but doesn't seem to show any signs of stopping. However, after an incident in an attempt to explore time itself, she encountered a certain guardian of time and feels reluctant for once to explore it further. . .although she's become quite a big fan of his.

. . .i ran out of steam amd kinda lost track of where i was going. idk if that helped at all really. But maybe it did! I hope it did. You don't need to use any of those things exactly by any means, but that's the kind of thing you usually see in profile pages. Basics like someone's name and birthday and age and apperance and a little about their personality, maybe some history. Oftentimes things like powers and weapons and the like. Interests, hobbies, ways they could be intereacted with, etc. Just stuff that'd help you know the character.

I write everything in paragraph form, but everyone is more than welcome to use a more script format. I love making profiles, myself--it really helps to think about the character and details about them. Normally I make really, really detailed profiles, but maybe I'll try and be more simple about it this time around. depends on how i'm feeling.

I know this seems weirdly hypocritical given I don't have one but when I first made this blog there were like four of us including myself. I didn't see the need for a rules or profile page because I didn't anticipate that there'd be so many of us or, like, people from other fandoms or who aren't familiar with certain characters. I'll rectify that soon hopefully. But I figured I'd pass along this idea/knowledge to others.

. . .I'm gonna go reopen my askbox now. Feel free to send asks again, ask about this, etc! You can send me an IM too if you want. I'll properly close up the guest event tomorrow. I'm real tired rn lol so idk how much i'll get done, but i usually do things super late at night my time, so i have some time to pull my shit together haha))

[thedragonlover]

The Short Okami Ramble Post So My Friends, Mutuals and Followers Who Haven't Already Might Go Play It

Note: I'll try to keep spoiling the fun surprises to a minimum but obviously I'll be talking a lot about the game. I'm sure others have done a better job of explaining it but, eh, who cares? This is just an excuse to gush about it.

So, for the basics, this game came out on the PS2 back in 2006/2007 (depending on your region), made by Clover Studios (which sadly closed a few months after its release). It has since been ported to the Wii, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and onto PC through Steam. The name "Okami" is actually a pun, something I didn't get until my friend (the one who's playing it) recently told me that (as the Wiki puts it)

' the word ōkami (狼) in Japanese means "wolf". The kanji characters (大神), pronounced identically, mean "great deity", so the main character is a great wolf deity.'

I must've known on a spiritual level with how much I adored this game lmao.

Also I mean, look at it. The game's art style is... gorgeous.

Like??? I love it so much!!!

.

STORY

It obviously takes a LOT of inspiration from Japanese mythology. The main character is a wolf named Amaterasu (after the Shinto sun goddess). She is the wielder of the Celestial Brush (her tail, something my friend didn't notice at first) with a collection of techniques that, when you start the game, have been scattered across the land of Nippon among the gods to which she is the "mother" of. Gotta collect em all!

The pre-main menu video talks about the legend of Shiranui (aka Amaterasu's previous incarnation), a white wolf that helped Nagi (a fabled human warrior) defeat and seal the dreadful eight-headed serpent Orochi (based of course off of the Yamata no Orochi) that was eating the maidens of Kamiki Village year after year. Before this climactic fight, the villagers had assumed the wolf was another minion of Orochi--but then Shiranui ran in after Nagi like "yo worm catch these PAWS", and then strange miracles occurred that gave them the upper hand. Sadly, Shiranui's wounds from the fight were too great. A statue was erected in a small shrine to honor the wolf for helping save the village.

Then the game starts a hundred years later, when darkness was unleashed once more. The guardian wood sprite of Kamiki, named Sakuya, protected the village within a peach on her tree, and using the last of her power summoned Amaterasu back into the world. The goddess had weakened in her absence, losing many of her abilities, hence the player has to go retrieve them all to become stronger and defeat evil. (By the way, learned that the game director loved The Legend of Zelda games and, yeah, I can tell.) You don't say much, being a wolf, but you are joined by a little buddy named Issun, a traveling painter who is interested in acquiring the Celestial Brush techniques himself and so decides to come along for the ride.

And boy, is it one fun ride! A lot of stuff happens after this but, of course, I'd rather you play and experience it for yourself. Even if I'd love to ramble about all the different characters lmao

NOTE: It's a dated game, so it will have some tropes of the times and jokes that might not land well nowadays. I don't think it has anything horrible in it, but obviously your mileage may vary, so keep the ratings in mind before you decide to play.

.

GAMEPLAY

Speaking of brush techniques! They're the power-ups and abilities of the game. You start out with the Sunrise ability because. Y'know. Sun goddess. But you acquire many many more throughout the game. Thirteen total techniques exist--plus upgrades! Moves like Power Slash, Inferno, Cherry Bomb, Waterspout, Bloom, etc. They're used for combat, transport, finding secrets etc.

There are other abilities in the game too, most you get by going to one of the dojos to be taught by Onigiri-sensei. Yes, this old man will teach a dog new tricks. AND! There are several weapons of three different types: Reflectors, rosaries, and glaives. Each type, and each individual weapon even, has its own playstyle and abilities--and you can have two equipped, with one main and one secondary, giving even MORE customization to your combat style. I used rosaries my first few playthroughs with the other two types as secondaries, though nowadays I like to mix it up; my friend mains glaive, with rosaries as secondary.

The way you enter most combats is by running into a floating "demon scroll" that wanders the overworld, which then spawns a barrier around a small arena filled with various demons. There's also Demon Gates, which are cursed gates that sorta sit there messing up the place until you run through it and trigger an unescapable fight. Clearing those up often cleanses the land and gains you rewards, or unlocks new areas, so knock em dead!

Boss fights, well, they're generally very obvious when they'll start. Most are behind save points or checkpoints, and have a lot of build-up in the game. You generally won't get caught off-guard, but saving often and with multiple save files is still a good tactic to make sure you don't get your tail whooped or accidentally miss something you can't get back to. (Says I, the spastic saver.)

.

RECOMMENDED? HELL YES.

This game was obviously something I latched onto as a kid, but I've replayed it from start to finish so many times because I truly do enjoy the whole experience.

The characters are interesting and fun, the plot weaves together a lot of smaller stories into the larger whole, and the art style and gameplay really caught my eye and still kind of wows me. The themes of the game involve a lot of duty, honor, loyalty, heroism, compassion, and faith (which, while obviously used a lot in the heavenly sense, since you're playing AS the deity, I always felt like ended up more as a "faith in your friends" kind of way).

And there are so many ports and remasters of this game that it's pretty much available to everyone nowadays! If you haven't already played this game, I highly recommend giving it a try, if only to run around freely as a wolf and kick some tail to save the world.

Even if you don't pick it up though, I highly recommend looking at the art and listening to the soundtrack, because they are gorgeous even without any of the context! Some may have spoilers of course. But, there's a reason why this game was often used as proof of the argument that Video Games Are Art.

[thebigqueer]

"Pick Your Fighter: Tater Trot or Will Solace?" - Solangelo - One-Shot

Summary: Nico tries to befriend a pegasus. This one is for the mythological creatures prompt for @solangeloweek !!

Word Count: 1745

Read on AO3

“Will, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Nico edges away from the pegasus, a nervous look flitting across his face as he does so. “Pegasi don’t usually like me.”

Will looks up at Nico, his hand momentarily freezing as he strokes the creature’s mane. A kind look overcomes his features when he notices his boyfriend’s reluctance. “I think it’s worth a try,” he says softly. “I know they don’t like you, but I don’t particularly like the idea of going on a chariot through the sky for a date, either. I don’t like how bumpy it gets.”

Nico huffs and crosses his arms. “Yeah, well, I don’t like feeling a horse’s hooves crashing against my chest when it’s kicking me away.”

Will chuckles and turns back to brushing the pegasus’ mane. “Has one actually done that to you?” he asks curiously.

“No, but I just know that if someone wasn’t around they’d probably try to throw me to the ground. They’re only nice to me when someone else is present.”

Will smiles and drops the brush to the ground, which thuds softly against the fiery green grass. Then he steps closer to Nico and takes one of his hands; as their fingertips touch, a spark of electricity races up both of their spines. Nico has to physically restrain himself from blushing, but Will lets the pink spill across his cheeks without regret.

“In that case,” murmurs Will, “you have me around. And I really want to take you up to the sky. New York City looks so pretty in the evening.” He leans in and pouts, and Nico can’t help the swelling of his heart at the sight of the blond’s expression. “Besides,” Will adds, “I think we deserve it after such a hectic week.”

Nico doesn’t argue with him. It’s only been one crazy thing after another, what with Nico’s mini quest to retrieve an item of Hermes’ and Will being stuck in the infirmary after a particularly eventful Capture the Flag game.

But Nico also isn’t excited to ride a pegasus. Heights make him nervous - what if Zeus immediately blasts him out of the sky? What if he falls and crashes to his death? He doesn’t exactly want his cause of death to be “ejection from a pegasus.”

Almost as if Will can sense his absurd thoughts, he smiles in amusement. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Nico. I promise.” He turns his head to the creature, who is already glaring at Nico. A frown tugs at Will’s features when he notices the wariness that strangles the pegasus.

He faces Nico again and slips his hand into his boyfriend’s, using it to lead the two of them closer to the winged animal. Nico tries to drive his heels into the ground in an attempt to protest, but a wave of curiosity splashes over him. What if he really can get this pegasus to accept him? What if he really can gain another friend?

So he lets Will take him. The pegasus stares at Nico, its gaze turning fiery with anxiety, but it doesn’t move. Perhaps it’s just as interested in Nico as he is of it.

Will pauses in front of the pegasus’ line of sight, staring it down with a calm, relaxing gaze. He strokes his hand over its muzzle and smiles. Almost immediately, the creature melts under his warmth and turns its focus away from Nico.

But something releases in Will, too. His body curves into the pegasus, fitting in perfectly with the warmth of the creature’s body, and a dazed, faraway look overwhelms his eyes.

“You know,” Will whispers, talking almost as if to himself, “Silena used to be really good with pegasi. They used to love her. Any time she stepped into the stables horses would just turn her way and their wings would flap in excitement.”

Nico’s heart turns to lead at Will’s words. Despite the fact that her death had been so many years ago, just the mention of Silena’s name sends a crash of grief over him. He waits a moment to let the power of her very concept bloom and disintegrate in the air. Then, quietly, he says, “Yeah?”

Will nods, though a cloud of sadness arcs over his head. “She used to let me come with her to the stables. That’s where I learned to take good care of them.” A small sigh billows through his lips. His hand freezes its movement, and his gaze stretches into the forest, searching for something lost, trying to catch a hold of something he can’t reach anymore. “She saw beauty in a lot of creatures.”

A blanket of silence falls over the boys. Nico shifts hesitantly on his feet, and he considers holding his hand out to Will, just to tug him out of whatever spiral of emotions he’s found himself in.

But before Nico makes a move, Will turns his gaze back to him. His blue eyes glimmer dazedly, but nevertheless, he forces a wavering smile over his mouth. He’s awfully good at that. “I was scared, too, you know. When I first started hanging out with them.” Will chews his bottom lip thoughtfully. “I know you and I have different experiences, and I know pegasi don’t like you because of your whole death thing, but… I don’t know. Maybe I can help you a little. I’ll use things Silena taught me.”

Nico winces with uncertainty. “I don’t know, Will. I just don’t want to feel bad.”

Will holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey, it’s up to you. But who knows. Maybe you can convince this one that you’re harmless.”

Nico considers Will’s words. He looks at the pegasus nervously, who stares right back at him as if wondering the same thing: Can we really learn to trust each other?

Something in Nico’s heart urges him to push forward, to make a move. He locks eyes with Will again, and in a moment of understanding, the blond smiles triumphantly.

“Here.” Will pulls Nico closer, and despite his nervousness, Nico allows him to be urged forward. Will takes Nico’s hand and raises it up to the pegasus’ muzzle - not quite touching, but close enough so that Nico’s fingers simmer with the heat of the creature. Will bows his head closer to his boyfriend’s ear and whispers, “Just try to touch it gently.”

A wild look of anxiety sparks in the pegasus’ dark eyes, but there’s something determined there, too. It’s just as curious as Nico is to see if they can be friends.

Hesitance seethes in the air between Nico’s fingers and the fur of the creature. Time stills as the human and the pegasus watch each other in anticipation.

Then Nico touches the muzzle. The winged animal’s eyes flash with surprise, then melt into a puddle of obsidian softness. After a beat of reluctance, Nico finds himself drowning under the softness of the pegasus’ body. All the tension, all the anxiety that writhed within him just seconds before completely evaporates, and he’s left with only a sense of ease. Warmth encompasses his chest as he explores this new friend before him.

He runs his fingers up and down over the pegasus’ forehead, and Will lets go of his hand. Nico overflows with a certain giddiness at the realization that this majestic creature is admitting its trust to him.

Maybe he can trust it, too.

Behind him, a low laugh tumbles into his ears. Nico nearly jumps; he was almost convinced he and the winged creature were alone in the wild, but apparently they had company.

Nico turns his gaze momentarily to Will’s blue eyes. A smile flickers on the blond’s face, and a confused expression reflects across Nico’s own features. “What?” he asks, puzzled. “Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing,” whispers Will, though the sparkle in his eyes says otherwise. “It’s just that… I told you so. You’ve made a friend!”

Nico scoffs and rolls his eyes, though a small smile still cracks against his lips. “Whatever, nerd.”

Will shifts behind him, but Nico doesn’t care to turn and find out what he’s doing. He’s too busy brushing his fingers over the face of his new acquaintance, curious as to the creature’s history. It’s another few moments until Nico feels Will’s presence behind him, and he turns his eyes back to his boyfriend.

Will offers a soft smile when Nico looks at him. A golden eyebrow arches gracefully against his forehead. “Are you ready to go? I think you’ve proved your trustworthiness to this pegasus.”

Nico considers Will’s question. His body hums with a warm excitement, and a cool, comforting breeze brushes against the back of his neck.

He feels good right now. He feels at home.

When Nico turns his gaze up, he finds a golden hue threatening the blue sky; the sun begins to drown under the weight of the incoming night. If they want to leave, they’d better do it now.

Nico sighs. A comforting quiet surrounds them, filled only with the new chirping of crickets and the sound of Nico’s breathing.

After a beat of silence, the son of Hades whispers, “What’s its name?”

Will frowns. “I’m not sure if we have a name yet. I think she’s a new one.”

A new excitement overwhelms Nico’s heart, and he looks at Will elatedly. “Can I call her something, then?”

Will shrugs and laughs. “Sure, I guess.”

Nico frowns in concentration as a cacophony of names ring in his head. Various Italian names, Greek names, even names of simple objects flit across his mind, but nothing feels quite right yet.

It isn’t until after a few moments that something finally clicks. A smile slips over Nico’s mouth. “How about Tater Trot?” he suggests to Will.

The blond snorts. “That sounds kinda stupid.”

“I don’t know,” Nico murmurs in dissent. “Let’s see how she likes it.”

In response, the pegasus huffs in agreement, and Nico turns to offer a grin to his boyfriend. “Looks like she’s into it. Tater Trot it is.”

Will rolls his eyes. “All right, whatever. Are you ready to go?”

Nico strokes his hand once more down his new friend’s muzzle, then nods his head at Will. “Let’s go, then. This view better be as pretty as you tell me it is, or else I’m going to leave you for the horse.”

Will laughs and throws an arm around Nico. “Guess things just got serious between you two.”