#mysterium plot

[reinedeslys-central]

kotlc things that I keep thinking about that are never really addressed by canon

there is a complete replica of sophie's bedroom and perhaps countless other rooms just. somewhere in a building in mysterium that the councillors just know about.

alden and other telepaths were instructed to monitor the citizens' minds for signs of dissent around the time the prentice thing was going down

they regularly torture prisoners and dissenters into literal insanity that they can't come back from

they also have a super weird prison only accessible by quicksand (????) to house said prisoners

there is an ENTIRE DUNGEON OF WEIRD LAB EXPERIMENTS DOWN BY THE VACKER HOUSE?

okay. how - how big is havenfield?

the entire thing with - is their name twix? the person dex was working with for something. why do we not get to see that more. why is dex the criminally underrated goated character and WE DON'T GET FLESHED OUT CHARACTER ARCS FOR EVERYONE

linh flooded. atlantis. linh song FLOODED ATLANTIS hello what do people think about that?????????? do they see her on the street and whisper? what's up with "The Girl Of Many Floods"? Where else did she flood?

What is up with the song family (tong? their name changed after their grandmother or smth got famous with their music right?) that both their children not only have two very powerful elemental abilities, but are also crazy skilled with said Talents.

why are music, art, and culture not a bigger thing? like yeah, plot, obviously, but that's just worldbuilding!!! I wanna see!!!! art hanging on the walls! Defying gravity! more sculptures! more music playing in the shopping centres!! If they have imparters why don't they have long distance radio? are there mandatory dance lessons? what's the etiquette like besides what we already know?

more animal husbandry at schools. speaking of schools: we KNOW foxfire and exilium aren't the only schools. are smaller schools more specialised? are their community colleges or academies dedicated to specific career paths? universities?

okay but the polyglot ability is SO COOL???? tell me about the archaic variants of the enlightened language. there's no way that's just the elves' one language and the other species picked it up due to their 'superiority' or wtv. the goblins have cities of gold and metal and the trolls age backwards, you're not convincing me of anything.

secret societies in the other species. that has to exist right?

.....is squall dex's mom or not? I genuinely can't remember.

anyway remember when she froze gethen's fingernails off, yeah that happened (I think)

so instead of rehabilitating teenagers who have dangerous abilities and not much control over their powers, we just do....whatever the council did with gethen, ruy, and linh ig

hey, um...are we just not going to talk about dex casually HACKING INTO A GOV DATABASE WITH SOME RANDOM BITS OF ROCK AND TWINE? he can just do that. okay. okay. that's - yeah, okay.

did he match a frequency or something? how does the signal network even work in kotlc when everyone is technically all over the world in unplottable locations and they get around by LIGHT LEAPING???

ON THAT NOTE. light leaping. yeah haha funny let's just teach our kids to casually break down their very particles and hold onto their consciousness to travel at the speed of light using quantum mechanics and crystals that are specifically cut to project light in such a way that'll take you only to a specific location nvm im not thinking more about it.

flickering? is apparently a skill you can learn even if you're not a vanisher? remember in book two when fitz got prissy at sophie for knowing how to do it apparently b4 we figured out that she's a teleporter

keefe is a fun loveable goofball and I've always been on the sokeefe train but now the more I think about it he's really um.... yeah, uh, sophie? darling, please just don't date any of these people. obv you can make your own decisions but at least not now, okay. take care of yourself hon

the fitz hate is kinda weird ngl. wdym you don't want your problematic traitor brother to move back in to living literally with your family after supposedly losing his memories and that's a bad thing? wdym your close friend/crush is hiding things from you when yall are supposed to be cognates and she's kinda gaslighting you since, forever? wdym your father's been shadily telling you to stalk this girl in the human world since you were a kid? yeah definitely he does pull some weird stints throughout the series. but the bigger things i see ppl hating on him for are. hmmmmm

the council themselves choose to lock away the government secrets and wipe them from their memories. hey, um - recordkeeping is great, obvious, but - wiping those secrets from your minds isn't gonna help you lead while accounting for those parts of history, is it? nevermind how dangerous it is when there are huge species-wide secrets that NO ONE remembers. society-threatening incident waiting to happen.

the concept of vociferators. that's just kinda funny lol even if it is weird

are their schoold for diff abilities?

what's the genetics of talent inheritance? why are 'stronger' abilities rarer? In my opinion, p much every talent is goated, I don't see why more characters aren't more creative about it.

banning talents is just a bad move. like. are you serious? how is that going to make it better? that's how you get brant. brant was a pyrokinetic, without getting into the primary issue of the whole talentless/talented discrimination discourse, the secondary issue is he wouldve been able to marry jolie as two talented elves. would he have cracked if his ability was just a bit better handled by society?

grady is a mesmer. how - that's a really powerful ability???? how do you even train to use that? what do you even use it for?

same with whatever that lady councillor is that tried to seduce alden during his own wedding. fun times, yall.

rainbow fire??? cool????

so we have the sanctuary, do we also have a gigantic library of alexandria-esque thing? a botanical garden?

according to jolie's wiki she died at twenty as a level 8 at foxfire. so... hang on a minute. okay, sure, numerically that could make sense since sophie, at 12, became a level one - but are you telling me she went through the whole matchmaking process and was planning to get married that young????

hey, here's an idea - in a relatively stable society where economy is great, trust funds exist, people work to have something to do with their lives, birth rate is generally low (now through prejudice as well as societal comfort and ease/cost of living), why are they marrying so young? WHY ARE THE KIDS STARTING THE MATCHMAKING PROCESS IN THEIR TEENS???? the elven society has p much every mark of a stage 5 developed country? help? middle-high school human geography??

if they apparently live so long, show me the funny messy family trees with couples having children generations apart.

so, trust funds of lusters??? lustres?? (which we barely ever see. why is there little-to-no use of money?) which equate to roughly one trillion USD (in value? are you. are you - um. are you....serious?) exist. but I guess inflation and relative currency value from mass money printing doesn't count in this world, as well as the fact that there's only one currency for all the elves.

I wanna see a divorced elven couple now. how does divorce law work??????

if there's such a low BR and low population and people are yet still encouraged to have less kids to 'not dilute the genes' (that's my next point btw), I'm guessing matchmaking is encouraged younger to make sure population stays stable/growing? obv you need it to ensure genetic diversity and no incest, but if it's heavily encouraged for elves to have children like this, are queer elves mandated to have children with a surrogate/other couple even if they have a same-sex marriage?

i'll probably edit this or reblog it to include more stuff (character limit lol) as i remember the books bc it's been a hot minute since i read them.

[bonnieeldritch]

Wünsch dir was! ⭐️ Gibt es mmffs, auf die du wartest? Ich meine nun keine spezifische mmff, auf deren Veröffentlichung du wartest. Gibt es eine Art von mmffs oder einfach Themen, “aesthetics”, Plotpoints, Guilty Pleasures etc. die du dir für eine mmff in Zukunft erhoffst oder wünschen würdest? :D

Ohhhhh, ich liebe die Frage, hehe. :D Zwar hab ich mir da noch nicht so wirklich Gedanken drüber gemacht, aber- bullshit, natürlich hab ich schon drüber nachgedacht. Und ich sag dir noch was, ich schaue regelmäßig in allen möglichen Kategorien auf FF.de, ob es neue Mitmachgeschichten gibt. 😂 Allgemein, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, manchmal sogar Krimis, Übernatürliches und Liebe, alle Prosa-Kategorien schau ich mir regelmäßig an. Bei Fangeschichten hab ich das Problem, das ich kaum ein Ursprungswerk mag, sodass ich da nicht wirklich schauen kann, aber die gängigen (Potterverse, Percy Jackson, K-Pop, One Piece) schaue ich ebenso durch. Wonach suche ich aber und was würde ich mir als Themen in MMFFs wünschen?

Plotdriven Stories

Zuerst einmal will ich endlich wieder eine Mitmachgeschichte, bei der es einen konkreten Plot gibt, der von Anfang an verraten wird und der nicht von der Autorin bzw dem Autor unter Verschluss gehalten wird. Ich hasse Ankündigungen wie 'es werden noch Dinge passieren'. Was für Dinge, Ingrid?! Und wenn sie noch geheim sind, dann doch wenigstens die Art der Dinge! Reden wir von einem richtigen Plot, der die Charaktere zum Handeln zwingt, reden wir von Seitenhandlungen, die die Story untermauern, reden wir von random Sachen, die nach ner Weile reingeworfen werden, ums aufzulockern? UGH. Nichts was ich mehr hasse, als wenn der Plot kein Plot ist sondern bestenfalls ein Pitch. Ich will doch einfach nur Handlung, Leute. 😭 Gebt mir ein Mysterium, gebt mir eine Story, auf die ich meinen Charakter ausrichten kann.

Dark Shit

Joa, die Überschrift sagt wohl alles. 😂 Ich liebe immer noch alles Düstere und Dunkle, ich liebe finstere Mysterien und grauenvolle Prämissen. Ich würde mir so sehr eine MMFF wünschen, bei welcher Horror und Mystery nicht zu kurz kommen. Eigentlich ist es mir sogar Lachs, wo die dann spielt, ob viktorianisches England, gloomy-dystopische Großstadt oder sonnendurchflutet-hitzige Wüste! Junge Menschen, alte Menschen, Fanfiktion jeglicher Fandoms oder Prosa. Solange der Plot der richtige, bin ich sowas von dabei.

Mystery

Okay, ich hab das schon gleich zwei Mal genannt, aber ein drittes Mal ist auch gut: ich will Mystery. Ich will bei einer MMFF mitknobeln können, die Kapitel gleich drei mal lesen und mir ein extra Dokument machen müssen, um jeden eventuellen Hint festzuhalten. Das ist mein absoluter Traum. 😩💕 Dementsprechend wäre eine Mitmachgeschichte, egal ob Fandom oder Prosa, mit egal welchem Thema spannend für mich, solange ein Mysterium gelöst werden will. Ich bin auch nicht wählerisch, welche Art von Mystery es sein soll. Hauptsache, ich kann während des Lesens mit raten.

Schwerer Tobak

Ich weiß nicht, wie ich es sonst nennen soll, aber ich hätte richtig Bock auf eine Story, die reinhaut. 😂 Ein (ihr ahnt es) düsteres (ihr ahnt es erneut) Mysterium, mit Leichen gepflastert, bestenfalls für die Charaktere eine Zerreißprobe. Gebt mir Nerven, die malträtiert werden, Horror in verschiedenen Nuancen. Und mitten drin einen Tupfer Wärme, der mir Hoffnung gibt und damit etwas, das ich verlieren kann. Bonuspunkte wenn Fantasy dabei ist. 😌

Found Family

Wie viele bin auch ich ein großer Liebhaber des Found Family Tropes. Wer wünscht sich keine Freunde, die immer an seiner Seite sind, durch dick und dünn und alle Gefahren? Und sind die Nuancen in solchen Found Family Stories nicht etwas ebenso schönes? Aus einer Gruppe OCs eine wahre Gemeinschaft zu flechten, das macht fast jeden Plot lesbar.

Kulte

Und last but not least, eine sehr nischige Nische: ich würde sterben für eine Mitmachgeschichte, die einen Kult als Thema hat. So einen richtigen, miesen, schlimmen Kult, mit Doktrin und Isolation und allem drum und dran. Ich finde das Thema so spannend, aber leider spricht es nicht so viele Autorinnen an. 😂 Und ich selbst hab schon 2 MMFFs und drölfzig (mindestens) Prosa Ideen. Schade Marmelade.

[icy-watch]

Ok, and that was the end of s2p2 of Ninjago: Dragons Rising.

Lots going on at the end there.

There are Emotions here.

So predictions for next season.

The Fab 5 are going to be the main antagonists. That's pretty much a given at this point. It's going to be a tough fight, but there's going to be only 1 person or being who'll be able to defeat them:

Ras's master.

I still have no idea who or what that could be, but they're this giant looming threat over everything. They are, ultimately, going to be the final threat.

I feel like they've been pulling some strings and really want Arin, not Ras, by their side. And as soon as Arin masters Shatterspin, they're going to ditch Ras.

That's just what I'm feeling rn.

And then there's Jay. Nya and Kai are going to find Jay. I"m not sure if they're going to ever restore his memories. I would love to believe that they'll be able to, but I think there's something lost about Jay's memories that are with Wu.

As in, Wu is somehow keeping Jay's memories from him for his own protection or something.

Oh, wait if Jay knows where Wu is and what's going on with him? Hmmmm. That's an interesting plot thread to go down. I might play with this idea later.

And, finally, the reason Wu caused the Merge. The idea I proposed while watching the episode feels... tangible. Wu caused the Merge bc if he didn't so something the Fab 5 would be unbeatable. They needed Elemental Powers in order to stop them.

This completely contradicts my prediction about about Ras's master being the only thing to defeat them, I know, but my brain is thinking many things and I can't control it.

And we have left now is to wait until the next season is released.

Correct and incorrect predictions below the cut.

Correct

The Forbidden Five caused some problems in the past and were sealed away or something. "Problems" is putting it lightly. Very lightly. It's implied they committed genocide. Multiple times.

The Forbidden Five were the last students Egalt and Rontu had. I had this marked as confirmed, but it's been so long since I last watch that episode to actually say yay or nay.

There is a portal gate at Mysterium. It wasn't confirmed in any of the episodes t appeared, but as it was in the City of Temples Monastery, it's safe to assume it has 1 as well.

Either Kai or Lloyd will be able to do the Rising Dragon technique first. Kai was first, and Lloyd was third. 😊

Something's up with Egalt, and Wyldfyre knows what it is. Sadly, she knows exactly what is is, bc she lost family members to the same disease.

2 members of the Fab 5 escaped and the second 1 is possessing Jordana. I think this was rather obvious to me.

We'll see some old friends at the Tournament of the Sources. We got Tox and Neuro and Mr. Pale and Chamille and maybe some others I forgot about.

Jay is either going to be a random competitor in the Tournament or 1 of the members of the Wolf Army. Por qué no los dos?

Bleckt can't be trusted. The fact I switched from Bleckt to Roby.

Zeatrix will make it decently far into the Tournament. She actually did. Before she lost and tried to kill Lloyd.

By the end of the season, Arin will join Ras. Technically, yes, he did.

Nokt and whoever's possessing Jordana killed the Matriarch. This became obvious. It was less obvious whether or not Ras was in on it or no.

There's a lot of manipulation in the Tournament to either help Ras or the Fab 5. Help in the form of an old man with buttons.

The City of Temples Monastery won't be how they get Kai and Bonzle back. It'll be something with the dragon horns. I'm genuinely surprised that this was the actual solution. Holy canoli.

Nokt and his sister are using Ras. He really is very easy to play with. They were holding a string in front of him and he was batting away at it, believing he was in control of everything this whole time.

Bleckt and Ras have been conspiring, but it has nothing to to with the missing horns. Yeah, their whole plot together was the subplot for the season. Nokt and Rox's plot ended up being the main 1.

Something will interrupt Sora and Nokt's fight. I'm counting Bleckt shifting the platform as an interruption. It wasn't what I assumed would happen, but it did keep Sora from actually winning the round like she should have.

There is going to be a fight between everyone and the Wolf Army. I feel like this was a given.

The rest of the Fab 5 (+ Kai and Bonzle) will be freed at the end of the season. This was another 1 of those things that felt like it was a given.

Jordie is going to get free from Rox. This 1 also felt like it was a given.

Incorrect

Sora is going to struggle with learning the Rising Dragon technique. She didn't even learn it.

Arin is going to do the best out of everyone learning the Rising Dragon technique. *sad laughter into a pillow*

Ras is sacrificing the Writers to keep control of the Wolf Army. Well, he was sacrificing them, just not to keep control of the Wolf Army. Actually, that resulted in him losing control of the army.

Bonzle was the reason none of the Finders could leave the Land of the Lost. She wasn't directly responsible for keeping them there, although she failed to mention that the spell holding them there was gone.

Bonzle was captured by the Administration. Not really... Jay tried, I'll give him that.

Zane, Cole, and Gandalaria won't realize Bonzle's been taken until after the fight. She managed to get away from Jay. Although, it would have been fun to see the 2 of them bonding a little bit.

Bonzle will be rescued. More like, she's going to save Kai from spiraling in the Nether-Realm.

Kai, Sora, and Wyldfyre will free Zane, Cole, and Gandalaria from the library. They were able to come up with a small solution all on their own.

Arin will join Ras at the end of the first half of the season. He made it much longer than that!

Lloyd will have another vision before he and Nya find Arin and reach the temple. He did not.

Beatrix will make a comeback this season. lol

Arin will find a clue as to where his parents are in the City of Temples. Ras saying he knows where Arin's parents are is not a clue. That is straight up manipulation and lies.

Frak is being used to get to the ninja bc of his history with Arin. Honestly, this would have been a good path to explore. But that would have meant that Ras would have to actually talk to his students rather than talk at them.

Zeatrix is the villain of the season. She never even stood a chance.

Wylfyre is either going to be completely oblivious to Roby's flirting and have it pointed out by Sora, OR she's going to notice and flirt back, turning him into a puddle of simp. Or the secret third thing where she's bad at flirting and so is Roby. They're both beans.

The Administrator called for the Matriarch to be killed. Nokt and Rox did that all on their own.

Roby is the 1 manipulating the Tournament. He was a bit too eager to have the ninja participate, and very into having the Most with the Tournament. But he's just a bean.

Nya left to find Jay. She and Riyu got kidnapped by Nokt and Rox.

The Fab 5 did something to sever the connection Nya and Riyu had with Kai and Bonzle. They did, indeed.

Arin will join the Fab 5 at the end of the season, instead of Ras. He ran after them, but he didn't actually join them. He was going after Ras.

Partial

Lloyd's vision is def going to happen. My predictions about exactly what are mostly accurate, but I thought it was Beatrix (like everyone else) and not Zeatrix. So, it sits in partial for being mostly accurate.

Riyu knows something's up with Arin. Sort of? But not really? Not in the way that Arin needed someone to notice that something was up with him.

Something bad will happen to Bonzle and Euphrasia. Euphrasia came out of the Blood Moon Ceremony with only being scarred mentally.

Nya's going to leave the group to go out and find Jay. Well, she did leave the group. And originally it was to go find Jay, but she got a little sidetracked.

Frak and Jordie will join the ninja at the end of the season. Frak did. Jordie is MIA.

Unconfirmed

The Monastery will be destroyed by Ras at some point, officially marking the end of Wu's time as master and the permanent start of Lloyd's. I'm genuinely still waiting for this to happen. It seems very possible.

The 3 Wu Theories: He's the Energy Dragon under Imperium. Or, he's running a tea shop somewhere. Or, he's the Administrator. I have a lot of ideas as to where Wu is at, tbh.

The Administration is playing a part in Ras freeing the Forbidden Five somehow.This all depends on who the Administrator is.

1 of Arin's parents is the Administrator. This would be terrible. I kinda want it to happen.

Wu caused the Merge for a good reason. Something had to happen to either merge the Realms or let them be destroyed. Waiting to see whether this 1 will be right or if Wu truly is evil.

Nokt was expecting someone other than Nya to participate in the Tournament. Someone who's not Kai. This is most likely Kai, but I still kinda feel like he was expecting a relative we don't know about yet.

[doodle-do-wop]

Rayni (open discussion post)

as some of you may have heard/seen I am Rayni Aria's biggest goddamn hater

I can't stand her ass

I recently read/listened through Stellarlune for the first time and I hated her the moment I met her. Yes I know the ending of Legacy, I know how it all flows

But I Still can't stand her

Why? Because she is a literal blob of nothingness on the page

Spoilers for Stellarlune

Rayni Aria is a character who was once the Neverseen member Glimmer (dumbass name btw) who, allegedly was involved with none of the Neverseen's major plots so far; The Kidnapping of Sophie and Dex, their torture, jumping Sophie, Keefe, and Silveny in Exile, Mt Everest, the gnomes etc etc etc

Allegedly she's had zero part in any of that because they just stick her in a corner and even when Gisela was overthrown she still didn't do diddly squat, she just read medical books. Sure. Okay

Her life previous to joining terrorists willingly was she was just a normal girl with a normal life until people started to whisper speculations about her parents' relationship not being all of what it says on the tin. Her parents are found guilty of messing with the match system to be together and avoid a Bad Match status and are made an example of by banishment But Rayni isn't banished with them as instead her parents leave her with a note and are never heard from again Rayni drops out of Foxfire and lives in a rented room in Mysterium until Gisela finds her and tell her to quit her unemployment and join her emo band Cool, alright. Mid and extremely questionable loyalties. So you'll just go with whoever reaches out their hand first. Good to know

Beyond her frankly uninteresting backstory Rayni's personality is the exact same cookie cutter cardboard cutout mean girl leave no coughed insults unspoke persona that is so old and over used I think Shannon might've actually managed to resuscitate this dead horse. Rayni whines and bitches about how 'no one will trust her' but does absolutely nothing to win herself any favors. Instead she seems more than chipper to keep digging at her own grave so why dont we just drop this whole pointless scene and let her keep on going at it She's boring. She's bland. She's lame. And don't get me started on the weird cat lamp thing I don't know if Shannon was going for 'oh look she likes cats' or 'boo hoo she's so broken and jaded an this lamp is the one thing that lights up her dark dark soul'.

Rayni is weird, her vibes are just so off and so lack luster. Her depth is so shallow I couldn't even soak up a puddle of it with a napkin.

What's the point of bring in a bad guy now good guy/anti hero if all they do is snark in the corner, pet a cat statue, watch the protagonist do jack diddly squat and be like "oh yeah, you're a leader now" girl what??? That entire scene where Rayni unmasks herself was so boring if I cut out the only other emotion I felt while listening which was annoyance. I listened and live reacted to it on discord with some friends as my witness and what even was that scene? Tam is supposedly the one holding the talking stick in the group I guess just because he and Rayni are just such good buds so obviously he should take point (cause no one thinks he's brainwashed) and the entire time Rayni bicthes and moans about how no one trusts her (girl you're wearing a stinky, smelly, raggedy terrorist hood. You couldn't ask to trade it for a less stinky less terrorist embroidered one?) and while yeah people poke holes at her and take small jabs Rayni really seems gung ho with tossing playground responses with 14-16 year olds at her grown ass age. She's one year younger than Wyile and while young adults in their 19/20s arent mature at all it is CRAZY to me that she bitches about no one trusting her and then turns and calls Fitz Sophie's "telepath back-up" I believe the correct quote is "You're basically Sophie's telepath backup" and this is said to Fitz and that was just the most absurd thing I've ever fucking heard spoken by Gisela's fucking lapdog. Fitz is done so dirty in this book and Rayni basically calls Fitz a "backup" like he's a damn battery or some waterboy Sophie only needs to use like an object. The worst part isn't that its the bad guy's lapdog with questionable loyalties that says this. Its the fact that no one stood up for Fitz. No one said anything. And Sophie fucking laughed. She laughed at that. And Fitz is the only one to blame for their fucked up cognate bond, sure. (Biana, FITZ'S FUCKING SISTER also says and does nothing because Biana is just a little poster Shannon sticks on the wall this whole book)

And not to mention that whole bit with Rayni constantly comparing her and Stina as if they're different faces on the same coin. Like you can't sit there in your terrorist onesie and look someone in the face and be like "Yeah your life is gonna be just like mine. Just you wait. It's coming for you. And then, yeah, you'll be just like me. Huff Huff" and then get mad when she doesn't like you in the slightest. Like yeah, I just love sitting in the same room as someone who tells me my life has a timer on my happy days because we're totes twinsies. Shannon should've let Stina punch Rayni because if this snarky little bug really wanted some damn allies wouldn't she want Stina on her side? You know, the most outspoken nay sayer in all of the Lost Cities? If you're gonna bring up your little Gisela Mini-Me act get good Circus-Circus.

If I wanna like Rayni I need more depth than Miss Hardknock Life over here who gets her kicks out of throwing tantrums when people dont trust her while she wears a terrorist hood and gets her kicks out of replying to every petty response.

If I could, I'd rewrite that whole scene because I genuinely love big groups in books and it would be fun to see a diverse group personality wise instead of the same 'bad bitch' boring outline. I can't believe Rayni's 'tough' personality is a facade because she's not just tough to trust. She's tough to want in any way shape or form She's not Heather Chandler, She's not even Heather Duke, she could never even dream of being Regina Georgie. She's so 2D she flies away with a tiny sigh. The whole book could've honestly been the exact same without Rayni around. Erase her and simply have Trix reach out on his own or something and you still have the Esilyum plot intact. Rayni was just there to make a page count for nothing of any great importance.

That's just what I think of Rayni. She annoys, bores, and pisses me off. She's like the physical embodiment of an Instagram comment section. If yall want, please tell me what you think about her because I genuinely want to know what makes her even the slightest bit interesting to any of you. I like headcanons and I can be convince to take a lot of them. Will my opinion on canon Rayni change? Who knows man

[agenericplaceholdername]

Dragons Rising S2 E6-10 Thoughts

This is the last post in the series! Maybe I’ll do these for Season 2 Part 2, maybe not. But either way, here’s some thoughts on the Dragons Rising, Season 2 midseason finale:

To Mysterium!:

Geo you might not be trained, but you and the Finders were holding your own against the Wolf Masks

This scene exists solely to advertise the sets (tbf the whole show is but this is super obvious)

In The Temple of the Dragon Cores Zane has a full map of the Merged realms; now he has nothing?

Lloyd tries to reassure Arin and just puts more pressure on him :(

Fun scene with Kai and Nya

Such incredible disguises

Orange Frohicky!

I’d buy a disco toaster

Why would a cloud be on a map? And why does poison affect Zane?

Why do you hate humans, Egalt? What happened in your past?

What do you mean trick map, Cole? Are maps that change by magic(?) commonplace?

Arin vs Lloyd is not fair

Egalt!

Jiro walking on two legs is kinda strange

Are these supposed to be the same people from Gangs of the Sea or just the same character models

Poor Arin

“Well, he is a professional actor”

Dorama’s humor has overstayed its welcome

“No self-respecting school allows the students to escape”

Purple imperium drones

I doubt that’ll be the end of Dorama, but honestly I’d be okay if it was

Fugitives from Madness:

Cole this monastery looks identical, just recolored

How did that mark get there? Are the monasteries linked somehow? What about when the Monastary was destroyed (multiple times)? Did that impact the Mysterium monastary

So is Gandalaria gonna explain everything about the Monastaries? Or who this “Sprite” is? (the answer is no)

Sora cmon he clearly didn’t go through the last pillar

“Stop being so hard on yourself” someone learned her lesson from last season

Already posted about the Egalt & Wyldfyre scene but it is SO GOOD

I get the desire to use the Zane/Cole/Bonzle/Gandalaria stuff as lighthearted stuff to contrast the emotional stuff in the A plot, but it feels like the episode just grinds to a halt when we cut to them

Still nice that Gandalaria accepts Bonzle

“You can never force the motion of the universe to bend to your will” I know a certain tiger who would disagree

Why is Gandalaria’s storehouse in a different realm? Not a plot hole, bc Gandalaria is totally the type of person to do something like that, but what was the thought process?

“Yes, nearly 9%!” 

I love the Countershot scene. Great music, great for Kai and Nya, sorta nostalgic

The Blood Moon rising is so ominous (also the moon does not rise this quickly, or over the whole planet at the same time)

Did the Forbidden Five place a curse on the Dragon Masters? Why do they turn to stone?

I love how the Administration, a society from an entirely different realm, uses the word “Nindroid,” invented by Jay

THEY IMPOUNDED JIRO?

The Administration is so goofy

The way Michael Adamthwaite says, “Told you” sounds like Jay

The Administration immediately vaporizes their own paperwork lol

Gandalaria is nuts

JAY??

So many great scenes this episode

Secrets of the Wyldness:

Wyldfyre pretended to be stone once? Assuming Kai tickled her out of it like Wyldfyre tries to do to the Dragon Masters?

Kai why don’t you try to do Rising Dragon now

Thank you Cole for yelling, “The Wyldness” even though that future never comes to pass so that the Ninja know where to go

Gandalaria, Janet’s got nothing on you

I mean if the Departed Realm is part of the Merged Realms, a dead man could still owe a fine

“I hereby demand your surrender.” “Uhh… no. Thank you.”

Jay’s lighting is both yellow and blue

And so ends Jay’s part in S2P1

Does this even count as a Zane fake out death? It lasts less than a minute

“We can’t give up until we find Bonzle” why would she be hard to find? She’s supposed to just be under the Monastery — where you told her to go

The Cloud Kingdom with the Blood Moon behind it is so ominous

Goodbye Jiro

Fortune telling tea is weak, Gandalaria needs to get some spirit smoke

There’s a strange effect on the Bounty crash scene, I guess it’s the effect of Theroxian magic

RIYU MY GOAT

“Instant doom” if you all down the cliff. Remember this

Kai, Wyldfyre, and Sora is such a fun trio, I’m glad we get them together for the next few episodes

Don’t worry Sora, that won’t be the last time the Bounty will be destroyed

Is Gandalaria’s magic similar to Clouse’s? Or Hazza D’ur’s?

Shoving people in a box is typically not the best course of action

“I’m a scientist,” says Jordana earlier this episode. By the end, she’s overpowering the High Sorceress of Mysterium’s magic. No wonder Theroxian was banned

Why would walking in the direction of the moon mean you’re heading to the ritual?

Good luck Arin and Riyu

The Forest of Spirits:

Ras flashback?? Poor guy

“We are the masters of our destiny now” he says this with such malice. The Writers get out alive because this is a kids show, but a different show would just have them executed

I don’t have a fear of heights but you’d better believe I’d develop one if I was falling to my death

Poor Lloyd

The crumbling Cloud Kingdom tower in Lloyd’s vision actually happened in Writers of Destiny (and I don’t think happens later)

Jordana, that's not very nice of you. 

So much is going on and then we have to waste time messing around in the mystical storehouse. Gandalaria isn’t even an unfunny character, but this bit just drags

Riyu flying has a great bit of music, looks awesome, and is just plain fun. Arin is so happy :)

Fun battle scene

Okay, remember before about the “instant doom” thing if you fall off the cliff? Well Sora just murdered someone

Arin is genuinely apologetic, but there was no need to mention you still don’t remember Jordana’s name

Bonzle and Arin are so funny together

Wait how did Jordana get this car — did Ras build it? Buy it?

Either the Ninja trained for a good amount of time or Wyldfyre just heals super quickly

“I’m always adorable”

The Shadow Dojo looks so cool

The first look at the Forbidden Five in the M. C. Escher- inspired Nether-Space is so cool

Ras, physical abuse does not lead to a good rating on Glassdoor

Such a heartbreaking scene for Arin (and cool one for Ras). Tells us a lot about both of them. And to be fair to Arin, he does last longer here and Ras has a weapon

Great ending to an overall solid episode

Rising Ninja:

Arin sees Lloyd and Nya as his parents im crying

Heating up metal while it’s touching someone sounds like an easy way to burn them

Great cut to intro

I doubt wearing the wolf masks when the Gong is hit impacts Sora, Wyldfyre, and Kai since you probably have to let your soul be shattered, while they’re fighting it

You didn’t accidentally do Rising Dragon, you were explicitly training to do it

Great one take

Is Nokt in charge of the Five? How’d they decide he goes first

Really am not commenting a lot here because the whole battle is just so much fun

“She’ll miss my sweet shatterspin”

You’ve rewatched this part dozens of times, I’m sure— Kai doing Rising Dragon and Lloyd v Ras is so awesome

Nokt looked cooler before he opened his eyes or removed the extra cloak

Even Euphrasia gets a big moment, although I don’t know how that seemingly limited amount of wind is enough

Nya unlocking Rising Dragon is cool

Why doesn’t Cinder attack Lloyd while he’s having visions?

Sora this was probably the right move, but not telling Arin… idk how that’ll go

Teleporting the entire Shadow Dojo is super powerful; Ras’ Master must be a big threat

“Did we win?” honestly a good question Arin- most of the 5 didn’t escape, but at what cost…

“Where are we?” Good question too Cinder

Did Nokt just trip? What happened?

Jordana???

Ras’ Master is def not happy

Bittersweet way to end S2P1, while leaving a lot of thing for Part 2 to build on and/or resolve

And that’s it! Overall, I’ve heavily enjoyed each installment of Ninjago: Dragons Rising, and am looking forward to rewatching Season 2 Part 2 for the second first time! If you’ve already seen it, make sure to watch it on a legal site so Lego knows there’s demand to keep this great series going.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you prefer her probability hex to be a part of Chaos Magic (Busiek's explanation) or separate from it and why?

To be clear, Busiek's explanation of Wanda's powers states that her mutation evolved into an unusual probability-altering power due to the influence of chaos magic. It's still technically a mutant power, it's just so entwined with her chaos magic that they're not really distinguishable. I think it's similar to Ilyana's portals, in that sense? Magik experts, sound off. Anyway, nobody's brought it up since the retcon, but the same idea applies now that she's an artificial mutate.

I prefer it to be functionally separate. I do like it when each of aspect of Wanda's power feels distinct because it helps her abilities feel more clear and specific. I think a lot of writers tend to lump everything together under chaos magic, and then not define what chaos magic is, so my instinct is to over-correct and get really granular. The best option probably lies somewhere in the middle.

As for whether or not the hex power is technically magic-- I'm ambivalent. I think it depends on the needs of the story. For example, Orlando needed all facets of Wanda's power to be magic in order for the low mysterium to function as a weakness, which was crucial to the plot. I understand why that frustrated some people, but it was supported by canon-- the Busiek explanation was over twenty years old that point, and everyone's been treating her as strictly magical since the 2015 retcon. He could have gone the opposite way, but this is what worked for the story he was trying to tell.

After the most recent storyline, I find myself wishing, more than ever, for more symmetry between Wanda and Pietro's powers. If her hex power is a "mutation" augmented by magic, why couldn't the same be true for Pietro's speed? SW&Q brought up the old idea that part of makes Wanda special is that she's the product of both magic and science-- but instead, Orlando gives Wanda all the magic, and Pietro all the science, and that's a contradiction that doesn't work for me. Adding a layer of magic into Pietro's speed would help make sense of all the times he's done weird energy or time manipulation stuff-- Quicksilver: No Surrender; Son of M; Quicksilver (1997), to a lesser degree-- and provide a better basis for him and Wanda to become the ultimate nexus together. To be clear, I'm just speculating-- these are somewhat popular theories, but some people like to treat them as fact or insist that it's what the writers were always hinting at, but that's not true. I have a more concise, strictly canon breakdown of Wanda and Pietro's powers here.

[dragonform]

Dragons Rising Season 2 Pt1 overall thoughts!

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU'VE WATCHED THE WHOLE THING

In no particular order:

Wow, this season was the heaviest one yet. I'd been a bit disappointed by how Season 1 seemed a bit light on the life lessons that I found so compelling in Ninjago. Well, DR2 delivered in spades, from the theme of secrets, to the issues of mental health. Never should've doubted Ninjago writers!

WHY LEAVE SO MANY UNRESOLVED THREADS THOUGH. Not even clues for fans to speculate on?!?

Like what happened in Cole's journey to follow Master Wu?

What really is that glowing orb sprite thingy? Because it showed up in the Monastary of Spinjitzu to close the portal gate, right? How was it doing that before they'd even traveled to Mysterium? Have I misunderstood something? (Granted, I had to do chores here and there so I really might've missed something... need a rewatch)

Where did Cinder even come from? How did Ras recruit him? What's his story?

What really is Arin's object spinjitzu power?

Of course I'm sure all of this will be resolved/revealed eventually, but it seems a lot to conclude in the next 10 episodes. Oh wait, they've said they have enough material for a few more seasons right? Well, sure looks like enough for at least a third season.

I think the ones who are gonna have a falling out are Arin and Sora. It's gonna be revealed, maybe at some critical point, that he didn't actually do object spinjitzu to get them the win, and it's gonna destroy his self confidence as well as his trust in Sora.

They're gonna get all of the Forbidden Five out eventually, possibly by shoving more ninja through the gate. Which is fine, because the ninja will just meet up and come back through the Power of Friendship!

SO CURIOUS to find out what the elemental powers of the Forbidden Five are.

I was a little disappointed by the lack of Euphrasia though. I thought for sure she'd have a more major role this season, but she still remained a side character for most of it. Oh well, patience!

BONZLE. I did NOT expect her story to go this way. Still trying to wrap my brain around a sentient spell, but hey. It's Ninjago.

Love her so much though she's so precious.

Speaking of precious, ZANE. That's it. That's the whole thought.

No, I AM going to expand on that. Look at how he had such a vast knowledge of the Administration's rules and regulations. Look at how he stalled them with it. Look at the pride he had in helping them raise their efficiency by NINE PERCENT. IT COULD'VE BEEN TEN YOU GUYS. IF HE HADN'T GOTTEN RESCUED.

MR FROHICKY. I need that Frohicky plushie like YESTERDAY.

Also PUPPY COLE PLUSH WHEN

COLE. He's still protecting and trying to comfort everyone. What an amazing fight he put on at the monastary, almost a one-man army against the Adminstration's mechs, with Gandalaria's support. I bet his failure to protect Zane would have devastated him if Zane had been deactivated permanently. Fortunately Gandalaria knows more about nindroids than she should...

GANDALARIA! Endlessly positive and chirpy and disorganised. Like a more established Fungus. Wish I could be her. Loved seeing her dynamic with Cole being her straight man (hush, yes I know.)

So happy to see Kai get his focus for a change. Love Lloyd but he gets the focus like... every season. Kai needs the love. He's really cool this season.

Nya gets the least focus :( I miss her

WHY are all the ninjas' powers only as powerful as the plot calls for it :/ Zane's frozen way more than just a runaway mech back in the day!

I still think Ras looks too cuddly to be taken seriously as an antagonist. I mean would you not hug a Ras plushie? Look at those eyes. Look at that nose.

Is Ras's master a Source Dragon or the Overlord? OR BOTH?

Love Rontu, but she is such an archetypal (?) Nurturing Mentor to Egalt's Grumpy Old Master

Egalt has dragon cancer :( he looks way cooler in the show than he looked in the promotional materials and the set

I haven't talked about Jay, have I? JAY. Oh how my heart skipped a beat when he showed up pointing that gun/taser at Bonzle. I literally said out loud "OH NO OH NO OH NO".

I think that was the single most terrifying part of the whole season for me. I don't even know why it was so visceral. I think I was worried that his entire peronality had changed, though I don't know why I thought that, since in Pt1 he was literally playing video games instead of working.

So I was actually relieved to hear that he felt he didn't really belong in the Administration. Pre-merge Jay probably couldn't even fill out a single form properly. He probably had Nya or Zane or Cole do all the paperwork for him.

He clearly wasn't suprised that he had control over lightning. Why did nobody know about it? He's the kinda guy who'd use his powers for entertainment if he didn't have a good reason to hide them.

He didn't recognise his own ninja outfit D:

Lastly, the Finders - I'm also a little troubled by how Cole seems to put them ahead of his ninja family, but then again. He knows the ninja are all very capable warriors who can take care of themselves. On the other hand, for who knows how long, he had felt responsible for protecting his little newfound family. It makes sense that he would continue priotising them even after finding his old family.

In conclusion, Cole is such a dad :D

And to wrap it up, NEED PT 2 NOW 6 MONTHS IS TOO LONG TO WAIT NETFLIX /shakes fist

Sorry that was so long and rambling! Fun though.

I had wanted to do a blow by blow reaction post of every episode, but I can't seem to get clear photos from my device without major reflection issues. Still trying though!

[magnetic-regent-magneto]

GREAT MAGNETO PROMPT MASTERPOST (includes Music, Theme, Verse and Place Prompts)

↪     MUSIC 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ,

PLOT BASED ON A SONG

↪     THEME/ERA 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ,

Plots based on a Magneto-related theme, verse or era. Plot Roulette for quick access. Add (*your muse/my muse*) for adjustments -- updated 24.06.24

001. Spionage Era .

002. Acolyte Uprising .

003. AnarchyX Revolution .

004. Future of X-Men Blue .

005. Asteroid M's Final Stand .

006. Savage Land Philosophies .

007. The White King of the Hellfire Club .

008. Brotherhood Noir .

009. Dark Fantasy .

010. Apple of Krakoa .

011. Elden Ring/Lords of the Fallen .

012. League of Legends .

013. Kree and Shi'ar War of Kings .

014. War of Arrako .

015. Peace of Arrako .

016. Resurrection on Krakoa .

017. Political Intrigue of Krakoa .

018. Legacy Virus .

019. Mothervine .

020. Mysterium Metal .

021. Secret Wars with Avengers .

022. Headmaster Magneto .

023. Magneto Protocols .

024. X of Swords .

025. Civilisation on Saturn .

026. Chimera Plots .

027. Chimera Magneto .

028. Quiet Council Secrets .

029. Uprising .

030. Paradise Genosha .

031. Ruins of Genosha .

032. Lives of Moira X .

033. Black Vault .

034. Machine Forge .

035. Expedition .

036. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse .

037. Cosmic Cerebro .

038. Mutant Purge .

039. Broken Magnet .

040. Black Ops .

041. Game of Thrones .

042. Legacy of M .

043. Avalon Sanctuary .

044. Terrorist .

045. Brotherhood .

046. Morlocks .

047. Anomaly .

048. Riddled Alliance .

049. Civil War .

050. Lost .

051. Celebrations .

052. Studies .

053. Rebirth .

054. Family .

055. Rise of Magneto .

056. Cosmic Event .

057. Reforming Mars .

058. Living Earth .

059. Reluctant King .

060. Betrayal .

061. Corruption .

062. Imprisoned .

063. Sacrifice .

064. Infiltration .

065. Annihilation .

066. Negotiation .

067. Survival .

068. Experiment .

069. Invasion .

070. Art .

071. Judgement .

072. Banishment .

073. Assassination .

074. Forgiveness .

075. Eclipse .

076. Quantum Electromagnetism .

077. Heart of a Star .

078. Nimrod .

079. Resonance Chamber .

080. Control (Game) .

081. Blackest Night .

082. Destruction of London .

083. Boss Fight .

084. Series 97 .

085. Golden Tracks AU .

↪     PLACE 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ,

001. Genosha .

002. Asteroid M .

003. Savage Lands .

004. Island M .

005. Wundagore Mountain .

006. Poland .

007. Berlin .

008. Krakoa .

009. New York .

010. Madripoor .

011. Dark Dimension .

012. Limbo .

013. Mars .

009. New York .

010. Madripoor .

011. Dark Dimension .

012. Limbo .

013. Latveria .

014. Underground Cities .

015. Atlantis .

016. Morlock Tunnels .

017. Xavier Institute .

018. Avalon .

019. Muir Island .

020. Research Facility .

021. Museum .

022. Astral Plane .

023. Bermuda Triangle .

018. Mojoverse .

019. Vault .

020. Jungle .

021. Phalanx .

022. Saturn .

023. Space .

018. Outerspace .

019. Eternals .

020. Avengers Tower .

021. Study .

022. Quantum World .

023. Hellfire Club .

024. Apocalypse .

025. Titan .

026. Hell .

[veovis-of-kveer]

Post-Riven Ideas

Been thinking about what kinds of games I'd like to see from Cyan after Riven's launch in a week. Cyan mentioned at Mysterium that they'd like to make smaller more experimental games in the Myst universe partially to revive the franchise but also to avoid too much financial risk. For instance Firmament had a rough launch and stretched the company thin and many of the devs I spoke to mentioned their frustration with the project and the backlash it received. What was also mentioned to me was Cyan's interest in rekindling the magic of the early Myst games in the same way Star Wars: Andor did recently for Star Wars.

They also mentioned that a smaller more Myst-sized game or even smaller would be much less of a financial risk compared to say a massive sprawling epic like Firmament. Some ideas that were tossed around at Mysterium were: Pre-Fall D'ni Post-Fall D'ni A stylized Myst game A Myst horror game Anything involving new characters and time periods A Myst dating sim (not joking)

Here are some of the ideas I'm interested in:

A game about Veovis and his downfall featuring Anna and Aitrus. Set on K'veer and maybe some small ages. Could be either post-Fall or pre-Fall. It would allow us to explore the whole island and read his journals and explore his personal rooms and inspect his belongings. If set pre-Fall we could interact with him as a character along with Ti'ana and Aitrus and uncover his dark plot right on the eve of the Fall while delving into his not-so-subtle romantic love-triangle with the other main characters. The point is it would allow us to finally explore K'veer in its entirety. Bonus would be also remnants of Gehn's stay on the island if set post-Fall.

A game set on Releeshahn centered around Marrim. This would take place after Revelation but before Uru, roughly sometime in the mid to late 1800s. A new cast of characters with occasional Atrus and Yeesha cameos but ultimately centered around Marrim and her uncovering of the secrets of Releeshahn. Book of Marrim would be the tie-in novel for this game. This might be a bigger project since it would be set on Releeshahn and might require several years of dev time so maybe not the first thing Cyan focuses on after Riven but I know its a story Rand and RAWA had planned for a long while.

Garternay and the Exodus or alternately the origins of the Art. This could be a weird one and possibly unlikely one but it could be a really deep dive into the story of Ri'neref and the founding of D'ni or alternately the origins of the Art and how the bahro were enslaved. Did the bahro create the Art initially? How was the tablet made? Etc. I know Robyn Miller has a whole design document for a TV show pitch he did a few years back that would have focused on Garternay and from what was posted on his site and twitter we can see that Garternay was most-likely a barren scorched age in the final days of its red giant sun. There's a lot we could delve into here. We also know that Gehn's timepiece likely shows the planetary map of Garternay possibly before its sun went red giant, although this is something Gehn was told when gifted the timepiece so it's not 100% verifiable. In any case Garternay could be an interesting left field game to produce but I honestly doubt Cyan would reveal that much. Maybe if Robyn is involved.

D'ni Renaissance era. New D'ni character drama set at the height of D'ni civilization. This could be smaller game set during the height of the era of Kings during the reigns of Rakeri or Kedri or maybe one of the bad kings like Tejara or Ti'amel. I'd like to see another heavy character driven narrative but set in this peak period of D'ni civilization. Maybe the story of an exiled Writers Guild Master who's been framed for murder wanting to reconcile with his best friend who now wants revenge etc. I'd like to see more human stories about people in this universe and their personal and interpersonal struggles a la Myst/Riven/Exile with a clear goal in the game to resolve these issues.

Ok but I do really want a D'ni dating sim where you get to romance Veovis and maybe some other D'ni guild master hotties >:)

[pacing-er]

I'm putting off reading Destiny of X/Judgement Day/Sins of Sinister bc I got frustrated so I went through everything up to that point and recorded notes on the parts I liked! My goal is to buy physical copies of only the parts of the Krakoa Era I care about (mostly Cherik but some storylines involving other characters too)

1) House of X Powers of X

Complete Omnibus

2) Dawn of X:

Vol. 1

First issue has a few cool Magneto scenes

X-Force Issue #1 Hunting Ground= Charles is assassinated (in the following issue Erik is shown sitting in the dark implied to be mourning)

Vol. 2

X-Force Issue #2 The Sword of Damecles= Cute mourning Erik line

Vol. 3

X-Force Issue #3 The Skeleton Key= Cherik reunion

Vol. 4

X-Men Issue #4 Global Economics= Charles and Erik menace the UN

Vol. 6

X-Men Issue #6 The Oracle= Alt pov of Mystiques part in HOX

Vol. 8

Wolverine Issue #3 You didn't see nothing= Drunk magneto, Logan Steals his helmet

Vol. 12

Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto Issue #1= Magneto being a good friend

Vol. 14

X-Men Issue #11 One war, One mutant= Cool magneto scenes and origin of naked Erik panels

Wolverine Issue #4 The red tavern= Logan gives magneto his helmet back

(Can buy X-Force Volume 1 and Wolverine Volume 1 to get some of these)

3) Reign of X:

Vol. 1

S.W.O.R.D. Issue #1 Mysterium= Ambassador Erik scenes and casual flexing

X-Men Issue #16 Two Islands= Erik calls Charles a romantic and intro of Arakko

Vol. 6

S.W.O.R.D. Issue #4 No Light But Rather Darkness Visible= Magneto and his fanboy and passive aggressive Cherik email

Marauders Issue #18 Strategic Holdings= Cute intro with Cherik walking to the Moira McTaggart hospital

Vol.8

Excalibur Issue #20 Malicious Intent= Some Erik and Charles scenes

X-Men Issue #20 A Tilting Within= Cherik being sketchy and mystique's plotting

Vol.9

S.W.O.R.D. Issue #5 Murder Dresses in Gold= Erik tormenting Fabian

Vol.10

Way of X Issue #1 (included in Way of X Omnibus)

Vol. 12-14 Covered in Hellfire Gala Omnibus

(Can buy S.W.O.R.D. Volume 1, Way of X Volume 1, and Hellfire Gala: The Red Carpet Collection to get some of these)

4) Trials of X:

Vol. 1-2

Trial of Magneto

Vol. 4-5

The rest of Way of X

Vol. 11-12

Sabertooth Issues #1-3

(Can buy Trial of Magneto Volume 1, Way of X Volume 1, and Sabertooth and the Exiles Volume 1)

5) X-Men Inferno

Complete Omnibus

6) X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine

Complete Omnibus

This is all just for my own personal use but I'm sharing it anyways! Wish me luck with the rest of Krakoa Era bc I'm suffering 🙃

[ohmygoly]

I don't like that Brant died during Lumenaria, I wanted him to stick around for when (if) Jolie became more plot relevant. Not for redemption, but so he stays traumatized. This is set right after Lodestar.

I'm not claiming this is good. I'm dead tired right now 😭 Although maybe listening to it with Can't Catch Me Now will help with the atmosphere:

The empty streets of Mysterium were covered in the falling snow of December. Only in the lower class cities did elves have to deal with harsh weather, but they bragged it gave them more strength than the snobby elite. Brant and Jolie also enjoyed feeling the proof of the outside world through every breeze, every drop of rain.

Brant looked down the street he turned onto, and recalled the night that rain poured down in bucketfuls over their heads and Jolie jumped around in the water. He saw her there, like a ghost in the street. The balefire reflected off of the puddles. Flashers made use of their abilities to cast liquid rainbows onto the bricks beneath them. Everything was beautiful that night, but Jolie was the most beautiful of all.

At the end of the street was the shop where he bought her a dress. She was standing on the other side of the window. He could see her at a rack, picking out a simple lavender gown. It hadn't compared to anything else she owned, but Brant bought it for her because the color made her radiant. Phantom arms hugged him around his neck, solid ones did before.

On every familiar corner, there Jolie was. Sat with her open diary on a wooden bench, balanced on every railing, swarmed with the children she passed out lusters to if they guessed her number. They always did. He stopped at an old popular tavern from their adolescence. She danced and sang stories to the patrons while they drained their cinnacremes and shouted along. The tavern was near empty, like her presence haunted the place. Jolie stood at the entrance, sweaty and energetic from a night of performing. She stared at him. In disappointment, anger, fear, and still visible, dreadful, love. Love he never deserved. Still didn't deserve.

The falling snow started to feel like the ashes that covered her body, the sharp biting cold burned like a licking flame. Like Everblaze. He blinked and she disappeared. Just like that. Jolie would be back. She would be back to consume more of his nightmares. Every turn of his head, she would be there. He could never touch her again, speak to her, but she was always there. Out of reach. Brant realized something else as he turned and fled the village; he would be doomed to spend eternity alive with the memory of what he had done. It'd weigh on him for every single minute of it, and the guilt wouldn't fade with time.

[ghostathan]

Martin and HoK bonding over how Uriel literally and figuratively birthed them, gave them a divine quest and suddenly abandoning them. Martin finding solace in HoK for being the one person in Cloud Ruler that doesnt venerate his position and can speak freely to about the pressure put onto him. Martin making fun of the Blades with the HoK and plotting in the dead of night for the HoK to ride him down to Bruma. Just for a day. They know they would only ever get as far as the city walls, but it was nice to imagine. Martin struggling to decipher the Mysterium Xarxes because HoK hasnt visited in a while and asking Blade spies if theyre even alive. Jauffre and Baurus arguing about whether they should tell Martin they havent seen them since Niben Bay. Martin praying to the nine to watch over HoK. He can't lose that one. They can't take that one from him. Not that one. Martin finally getting word that the HoK had been spotted And he tries to hold it together long enough to find privacy to collapse in relief, crying. HoK returning to hand Martin an artifact and Martin just smiling like he always has, not letting on the months of stress and grief HoK caused them. Just being happy to see his friend, finally. Martin not pleading with the Hok to stay just a little longer before setting out again. Even though he can see the fondness in their look. even though they crackle with energy that sets off a spark of suspicion in him. Supressing the urge to ask him to pretend, for a little bit, that they weren't sitting on the brink of destruction.

[moonlarked]

The Lost Cities’ Class System and How It Connects To The School System

So, I’ve recently come across posts talking about how the school system and how it doesn’t make sense - why is only Foxfire and Exillium mentioned? Why are no other schools included in the worldbuilding? And it may just be a plot hole. But I think I’ve come up with a theory to explain it.

To start, we need to reestablish how the class system in the Lost Cities works. There seem to be four main levels:

- The Council

- The Nobility

- The Talentless/non-nobility

- The Banished

(There may be other sub-groups, but I’m going with the simplest grouping to make sure this doesn’t turn out more confusing than it needs to be.)

First: the Council. The leaders. To become a Councillor, one must be a part of the Nobility and be elected once another Councillor steps down or dies.

This has.. well, a lot of problems. How does the election work? It’s very vaguely described in the books. Who gets to vote? Certainly not the Banished. Do the Talentless? Or is it just the Nobility? This already means that many people don’t get any say, particularly the more vulnerable and discriminated portion of society.

Second, there are no term limits. Once a Councillor is elected, they may serve as long as they choose. Given how long elves live, this could very well be millions of years.

Last… the Councillors are the ONLY people who get to choose how the world runs. Sure, they make a big show about equality among the different species, but it’s pretty obvious who’s really in charge. Fintan says it straight to their faces. So, therefore, there are twelve people who decide how the entire world runs.

And who gets to be a Councillor? Who gets to run the world? The Nobility does.

This brings us to Foxfire. The noble school, as Fitz puts it. That’s right, only Nobility gets to join Foxfire. Many characters say this is necessary because it depends on what type of job one is going to get, but you know what it really is? Compartmentalizing knowledge. Making sure only certain people know how the world really works.

The way Foxfire works is important because it’s how the class system is kept and enforced. It divides people by their education.

And that brings me to my theory. Lesser schools? Education for the Talentless? Don’t be silly. Non-nobility don’t deserve such luxuries.

Here’s the thing - I don’t believe the middle class gets any education at all.

Formal education, that is. Apprenticeship programs likely exist. If someone’s been doing a job for a hundred years, they’ll probably have students. And since the elves has indefinite lifespans, they would work many jobs and keep the system going that way.

Think about it. Elves don’t need rudimentary education - they speak the language from birth and are incredibly smart. The sessions in Foxfire are heavily focused on abilities and elements and other advanced subjects. Stuff the Talentless doesn’t “need” to know. (The whole history of your species and your relationship to other races? Don’t be silly. Make jewelry in Mysterium instead.)

Then there’s the Banished. Getting Banished means you were convicted of a crime, then taken before the Council… which, as said before, is consisted of Nobility with Noble goals in mind who likely won’t listen to a difference in opinion. So to be banished, you really just have to disagree with the Council.

After being banished, elves go to Exillium, which is like Foxfire - a way of dividing people under the guise of what they “need.” At Exillium, the Banished are constantly told that they deserve what happened to them, that they are outsiders, they are other, and they do not deserve to exist in society.

Oh, sure, you can get out of Exillium. But who decides who gets out? The Council, of course. And I’m sure the deciding factor of who is fit to leave is whether they’ve been sufficiently beaten into believing the Council’s superiority.

Just look at Timkin Heks. He wants to be a part of the Nobility so, so bad. And he got out of Exillium. And I would bet that the reason for that was his aspirations to fit in. We learn later that he’s a member of the Black Swan, but the Council doesn’t know that.

Overall, this whole system is just a really nasty way of dividing people via education. If you don’t know how the world works, you can’t choose to change to way you’ve been treated. If you can’t become a government leader, you can’t change the way you’ve been treated. And it’s enforced by normalizing the “need” for a certain level of education. It’s enforced by prioritizing the usefulness of somebody instead of letting them decide for themselves. It’s fucking dystopian.

(This is also why it was so important for Sophie to be raised by humans. If she had grown up in this system, who knows if she would’ve even registered the need for change? Or if she would’ve been booted for Exillium if she dared raise her voice against the Council?)

If you read all that, thanks! It was very sloppily thought out and written down, but I hope I got it across. I don’t know if any of this will actually be addressed in the books, but it’s fun to theorize.

[unscharf-an-den-raendern]

Ich hab den Sinn des Geheimordens auch nie verstanden. Zu Anfangs dachte man dass der Orden böse Absichten hatte und dann stellte sich raus dass es nur darum ging die Freundschaften zu bewahren. Warum man dann so ein Mysterium daraus. Dieser Mystery Plot war echt ein Fiebertraum.

Ich seh Staffel 24 einfach nicht als canon an, außer die süßen Lecilia Szenen.

[ask-ashlyn-and-co]

Recovered from the depths of time, an askblog appears… Do you wish to interact?

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Please note, the following information is subject to change. Do you proceed?

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Very well. Enjoy your visit, please read the following information and note that anything is subject to change. This includes characters, information, ‘rules’, and so on.

The following askblog will contain noncanonical information and interactions that are based around preexisting canonical events and storylines. If a response depends on a particular time period within the universe that these characters reside in, it will be specified.

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Although there are preexisting canonical events and storylines, this askblog does not currently have an overarching plot. However, temporary events or subplots may still occur.

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Ashlyn Adwin, genderfluid. An Echohuman, but is currently unaware of that fact. (Status: Askable!)

Bernard Steinn, uses he/him. A Werewolf, often times referred to as a himbo. (Status: Currently unavailable.)

Galada “Gala” Dreemurr, uses she/her. A Lumen who resides with the Outertale Dreemurr family. (Status: Askable!)

Halley Huntsman, uses she/they. Once a skilled hunter, now a skilled human proxy of Slenderman. (Status: Currently unavailable.)

Issac “Izzy” Ingrid, uses they/he or they/she. A measly human with an ill-fitted fate. (Status: Currently unavailable.)

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Delilah “Lio” Ingrid, uses he/she. A golden child striving to claim golden performance awards. (Status: Currently unavailable.)

Melody Unison, uses she/they. A carrier of both the Alexandria's Genesis mutation and the ability to hear one’s internal melody. (Status: Currently unavailable.)

Mystery Mysterium, pangender. A Nephalem, born from an angel and a demon, who shares a vessel with other celestial beings. (Status: Askable!)

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Soot “the Narrator” [redacted], uses it/its. Cursed with the ability to manipulate anything with mere words, as a result of stealing from the Twin Deities of Creation. (Status: Askable!)

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[stellarvisionary]

So, round 2 of my thoughts on Spider-Man 2. Spoilers for the ending...

So I've gone through the ending now. I take back what I said about how they handed Pete and MJ's relationship, as the early conflict was necessary as part of their later conflict with Harry!Venom, and MJ's transformation into the Symbiote Scream. I kind of wish we'd been introduced to a new NYPD Detective, so we could have potentially had Toxin join the cast. The reveal of "The Flame" being Cletus Kasady was a nice touch, and him making off with a Symbiote sets him up as Carnage down the line. I liked how they handled Martin Li's attempt at redemption, and him and Miles sort of coming to terms with what's gone down between them, as well as his turning Peter into Anti-Venom. It works as a gameplay mechanic, and as a way for Peter to redeem himself from what he did as the other host of Venom. The different variant costumes of him as Venom were cool to see too, as an evolution of how the suit is seen over the course of the game

As skeptical as I was about Harry as Venom, they worked it into the plot really well, and set him (or Norman) up to become the Green Goblin down the line. Tony Todd's performance as Venom really blew me away.

The side missions were all really well done (though I did the bulk of the Mysteriums post-game, thinking they were gonna be the Taskmaster/Screwball Challenges all over again).

I like the wide variety of the costumes well enough, but I feel like a few of the really good ones from the first game are missing (The End, Big Time, OG comic-style Noir, Scarlet Spider II). I'm hoping Insomniac adds them either via DLC later, or free updates like they gave SM1 and Miles Morales.