#queen's thief bonus material

[stillness-in-green]

On Heteromorphs & Heteromorphobia (Arcs VI - X , Hero Killer to Provisional License Exam)

(This post will also cover the bonus chapter “Tsuyu's Ribbity Diary.”)

Thank you all for your amazing response to last week's post, my goodness! I thought I'd found about all the audience I was likely to get for my harping about heteromorphic discrimination, so I was delighted to see a number of new names!

I do have to warn you all, if you haven't done much looking into my archives, that I'm pretty critical of BNHA these days, especially of the ways it insists on holding up individualistic solutions to problems clearly established as systemic in nature. That will become more apparent when I get into the post-war material, as the endgame is absolutely rotten with it.

This week, though, we'll start by getting out of the school to get a look at signs of and contributors to heteromorphobia in the wider world.

The Vs. Hero Killer Arc (Chapters 45-59)

Chapter 45:

Mina’s preferred alias, Alien Queen, in reference to the Xenomorph queen from the Aliens franchise, is turned down by Midnight.  The reason for this is never made especially clear.  Class 1-B gets away with a number of villainous or monstrous hero names, like Phantom Thief and Gevaudan, violent ones like Battle Fist, even an animal reference in Jack Mantis.  But Mina, for whatever reason, gets pushed towards the indescribably twee Pinky instead.  Does Midnight the R-rated hero not think girls should get to have hero names with some edge?  Surely not; her entire persona is based on titillation.  Length is clearly not a factor, given that Midnight personally approves Can’t Stop Twinkling. I don’t know exactly what went down here (from a Watsonian perspective, that is; the Doylist guesses are readily apparent and all eyeroll-inducing), so I will simply point out that a non-baseline gal wanted to name herself after a famous monster with acidic blood and was pressured into going with something cutesy based on her skin color instead.  Bakugou’s choice gets turned down as well,[1] but he actually has “murder,” like, right there in the name; Alien Queen is quite roundabout by comparison!

Chapter 48: 

Introduction of Uwabami, the Pro Hero gal with the head snakes.  She’s a bit of a weird case.  Given that all we know she does is find hidden people using the snakes’ keen senses, do they have some self-awareness that makes them able to communicate with her—a case somewhat like Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, perhaps?  Does she just tap into their senses at will rather than being able to speak to them?  Or are they rather just extensions of herself, with no particular consciousness of their own, and they function like what must be a fairly dizzying array of extra-sensory perception that she receives at all times?     Whatever the case, she’s a model and celebrity, and thus our first clear example of a heteromorph who doesn’t seem to suffer for her looks. Her looks are, of course, quite accentuated, given that her hero costume is a low-cut evening dress with a slit in the side up to her hip.  Other than the hair-serpents, she’s a baseline woman who checks all the boxes for modern beauty standards; she will serve in this fashion as a good predictor of other highly ranked heteromorphic Heroes.

Chapter 51+55:

Endeavor, as will be made clear in Chapter 55, doesn’t really have any idea what the Noumu’s deal is.  As far as he knows, it’s just like any other villain—and yet in Chapter 51, he opens up with an attack that bathes the Noumu in flame anyway, and comments in 55 that he’s never known anyone to remain conscious after such an attack.  While I think this mostly speaks to the general brutality with which villains are treated by heroes—much different from standard police practice in real-life Japan!—it’s nonetheless notable that the Noumu he attacked with such casual ferocity certainly doesn’t look very baseline to the casual eye, between the exposed brain, the significant height, and the crawling movement.

Chapter 56:

Midoriya is startled by Chief Tsuragamae’s “woof” interjections.  He doesn’t comment on it out loud, so I’m not inclined to hold it against him (not like someone else I’m about to bring up), but it wouldn't be the first time he’s come across this kind of vocalization: Tsuyu makes ribbit noises pretty frequently.    

Tsuragamae notes that the authorization of a certain class of people, called “heroes,” to weaponize their quirks against others was initially a heavily criticized decision, one which only garnered public support because those original heroes were careful to always obey the laws dictating the circumstances in which they used their quirks.  He goes on to say, of using one’s quirk to inflict harm without explicit instruction from the powers-that-be, “Such action would represent a stunning breach of law.”  Like Thirteen before him, he completely omits any mention of how such laws disproportionately affect heteromorphs, who can’t turn off a permanent physical trait, and, particularly in cases of people whose entire bodies are divergent, have little choice in whether or not to use their quirk in any sort of physical altercation that might lead to harm.    

Shouto, angry over what he perceives as punishment for a good deed, calls Tsuragamae a mutt.  The chief doesn’t react particularly strongly to this, but as the chief of police, you have to imagine he’s pretty used to the slings and arrows of public opinion.  The incident passes without comment, but it will not be the last time we hear a Todoroki derisively referring to another human being as an animal.

There are some sweatdrops and exhortations to get the kid to cool it, but those were ongoing before the animal words came out.

Chapter 57: 

Gran Torino notes that the age they live in, for better or for worse, is one of suppression, and that the situation with Stain and the League will draw people out who are influenced by that ideology.  Gran doesn’t elaborate on exactly what sorts of people he has in mind—All Might says only, “Then heroes will deal with them,”—but it’s an early hint that there are people in this society who feel unjustly suppressed.  Crucially, Gran Torino doesn’t even necessarily think those people are wrong; he just thinks it’s a necessary evil.  But what, exactly, is it that he’s grudgingly accepting as inevitable for the sake of maintaining the status quo?  And how might his circumstances need to differ for him to have a different opinion?    

In Chapter 27, we learned that producing support goods requires a government license; here we find out, courtesy of Giran, that dealing in and producing support goods without such a license is a major crime.  So if you, for any reason, failed that “rigorous examination” to get cleared for support goods for quality-of-life reasons, you’re unlikely to find someone who’ll just provide them to you out of sympathy provided you keep quiet about where you got them.  Instead, you have little choice but to turn to black market brokers—all because the government doesn’t think your quirk is affecting you negatively enough to qualify you for support equipment.     Again, this isn’t specifically about heteromorphs, but someone having an emitter quirk they can’t control well who needs the support item because they are choosing to pursue a career requiring them to learn that control is a very different case than someone who needs government support because of an immutable, always-on physical trait.    

This chapter contains the first appearances of both Gigantomachia and Spinner, both fairly extreme heteromorphs: Machia for his size and rocky hide, and Spinner for animal traits considerably more prominent than e.g. Tokoyami’s bird head or even Tsuyu’s conglomeration of mildly froggy traits.  Indeed, Spinner’s heteromorphic traits are so much more prominent than something like Jirou’s earlobes that it hardly seems accurate to even categorize their bodies the same way.    

The sidebar for Daikaku Miyagi, the anchorman with the quirk that gave him two big horns who amputated one so that it would be less in the way during newscasts and other things that required there to be a camera on him.  This in and of itself wouldn’t necessarily be notable, save that the same extra goes on to describe how the decision garnered some backlash from “a certain human rights group” who said that decisions like his fostered discrimination and were linked to the rejection of quirk-based society on the whole.  Horikoshi further notes that he enjoys thinking about the lives and stories behind minor characters—even this far back, then, three and a half years before the introduction of the CRC, we have concrete evidence that the author was thinking about quirk-based discrimination and the politicization of heteromorphic features.

Chapter 59: 

All Might drops some exposition about the Advent of the Exceptional, during which we see an image of a crowd full of implied-quirkless people holding up signs proclaiming their humanity and the monstrosity of those with quirks.  Conversely, three of the four quirked people we see have obvious physical divergence from baseline human appearance.  So from early on, that “monster” turn of phrase was heavily associated with changes in the physical appearances of those with special abilities.  Later on, the PLF advisor at the hospital will tie these two things together explicitly.

   

The Final Exams Arc (Chapters 60-69)

Chapter 61:

Ectoplasm’s character sheet.  The teeth are creepy no matter which way you cut it, but they look much more profoundly unsettling when they’re right there on his unmasked face, as opposed to behind a black cowl, where you can let your eye fool you that they are in some way part of its design.  His hero costume, naturally, includes the cowl, but his daily clothes do not—I wonder if he ever tried to have a gentle talk with Shouji about why Shouji wears the mask even in his downtime?  I wonder even more how much the teaching staff in general, and Nedzu and Aizawa specifically, actually know about Shouji’s history.     o It’s also noted that Ecloplasm looks scary, but has received continued support after coming back to the job after losing both legs in a fight with a villain—we see this same pattern with Jeanist after Kamino.  No word on how regular his support was before the traumatic double limb loss, though.

Chapter 66: 

Nedzu, we find, was “toyed with by humans in all sorts of ways in the past.”  Nothing we know about him suggests that he has any particular longevity, but his dynamic with Endeavor,[2] many chapters down the line, does suggest to me that he was at least on the staff when with Endeavor was at UA some thirty years ago.  Thirty years is within the span of All Might’s career, well after society began to stabilize with the formalization of the Hero System.  And yet, despite that, a sentient being, one with human—above human!—intelligence, was mistreated badly enough that he bears a grudge to this day.  Nedzu is, again, not in precisely the same situation as a human heteromorph, but he serves as an indicator of what humans have, even in the age of heroes, been willing to do to those they think of as “animals.”    

A shot of Koda and his mother, who look much alike.  Interestingly, the biggest difference in their appearance is that she has horn-like protrusions that her son lacks.  We’re a long way from the first quirk evolutions, and even farther from Koda’s quirk evolution, but we will later see Koda’s mother specifically tie those horns to her animal communication quirk becoming more powerful.  This makes for another good piece of evidence towards Horikoshi having a grasp of heteromorphobia from early on, as the evidence is pretty good that Koda-mama got those horns as a result of a quirk evolution of her own, and those don’t happen under normal, non-stressful circumstances.  More on Koda’s parents in a bit, as they're a pretty stand-out case in another way that isn’t immediately apparent here.

Can we call it foreshadowing for Koda defending Shouji at the hospital that Koda is wearing the same scarf as the main character in Horikoshi's Oumagadoki Zoo? Hmm. I'll leave that one to codenamesazanka.

Chapter 67: 

A flashback panel to Mineta’s days in middle school.  While I don’t doubt that there are P L E N T Y of reasons Mineta would be unpopular with the girls in his class, it is nonetheless notable that the popular boy getting showered with attention is perfectly baseline, while Mineta and his friends are not.

Note also that the cute heteromorph girl has long-ish ears and no other obvious divergent features.

Chapter 68: 

Shouji and Iida are specifically called out to at the mall, trying to attract them as customers with claims that whichever storefront employee is hailing them can help them find anything they need.  Midoriya mutters to himself about the difficulties of catering to everyone, given the many different types of quirks scattered across multiple age groups.    

Crowd scenes at the mall show scattered numbers of heteromorphs, a somewhat higher number than usual for such civilian crowd scenes.  The Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall is noted for being the biggest and trendiest in the prefecture, with a variety that attracts lots and lots of people, so perhaps it’s no surprise to see somewhat more heteromorphs than usual there.

   

The Forest Training Camp Arc (Chapters 70-83)

Chapter 70: 

Introduction of the Wild Wild Pussycats.  A team of three Emitters and a Transformation-type, none of them in the slightest heteromorphic (give or take Tiger’s permanent :3 mouth), they nonetheless theme themselves after cats, including fake tails, big costume paw gloves, and cat-ear-esque headsets.  It’s cute and unobjectionable in and of itself, but I do wonder what people like e.g. Officer Sansa think of it.

Chapter 71: 

Shouji is missing from the hot springs scene.  It doesn’t hugely stand out in the moment because Aoyama and Sero aren’t there either, but it does read a bit differently with the benefit of hindsight.  Given the strong possibility that Aoyama is off doing Traitor Activities and Shouji is avoiding any possibility of having to torpedo the hot springs fun-times with an explanation of that time he was savagely beaten by people in his hometown right in an open street, it kinda leaves Sero as the only one who maybe just skipped for normal reasons, like that hot springs would gunk up his tape or something.

Chapter 73: 

Bakugou addresses Ojiro as “Tail”—referring to him by his heteromorphic trait.  He’s not even particularly angry at the moment; he’s just still nursing a grudge about Todoroki’s underwhelming performance in their Sports Festival match and wants to swap partners for the Test of Courage.  Early Bakugou is very much a “judge a person by their quirk” sort.    

Pixie Bob ushers Tsuyu and Ochaco into the woods for their turn at the Test of Courage by referring to the latter as Uraraka-kitty and the former as Ribbit-kitty.[3]  While in the English, this reads as a baseline woman in a cat costume referring to the heteromorphic student by her animal-themed verbal tic and the baseline student by her actual name, uraraka is a fairly onomatopoeic way to say bright and cheerful.  I would guess that Pixie Bob is probably referring to Ochaco’s personality here, which makes it somewhat less egregious.  It won’t be the last time someone refers to Tsuyu via the frog sound instead of her name, though.

Chapter 75:

Mandalay telepathically compliments Spinner, calling him both cool and handsome.  While I doubt he’s the only person in the world who’d react the way he does—he blushes, gets flustered, and missteps, giving Mandalay an opportunity to attack him—the moment does get some new context when you consider how everyone called him “the lizard freak” in his hometown.  Approximately zero people calling him cool and handsome back there, one imagines!  Having it immediately turn out to be a ploy likely informs some of the outraged anger in his response.

Chapter 81: 

Mandalay points out that Spinner never used his quirk during their combat, implying that she doesn’t think just his lizard-like appearance or his claws “count.”  Chalk another one up to the classification problems of “heteromorph” as a descriptive term.  This will turn out to rather neatly illustrate one of the issues I’ve been talking about with regard to the way heteromorphs are unfairly disadvantaged by the current laws about public quirk use.  Remember, a “Villain” is someone using their quirk illegally.  So if Mandalay doesn’t think Spinner used a quirk here, and since he has no record, why does he get categorized as a Villain instead of just a garden variety criminal?     Now, one could say that by associating with the League of Villains, Spinner is rather claiming the designation for himself, and we don’t know how the legal system will technically classify him, when and if he ever actually faces trial.  To that, I would say to hold the thought, because Skeptic will eventually back me up on the, “Heteromorphs are unfairly targeted by Villain designations,” claim all but word for word.    

BONUS CHAPTER 1: Tsuyu’s Ribbety Diary

We meet Tsuyu’s family, all various froggy types.  They’re a cute family, but the husband and wife both being froggy kind of raises some questions about pressures that might exist about marrying your same “type,” or at least refraining from marrying anyone too obviously not.  I’d be more willing to wave it off if not for two things.      First, we get the same sort of scenario from Spinner’s character sheet, that his is “a family full of reptilian quirks.”  Second, there are very few romances in the series between someone close to “baseline” and someone with a more extreme heteromorphic appearance.  The most obvious, clear-cut, canonical example is Koda’s parents—his dad has slightly weird hair but is otherwise entirely baseline; we see him defending his wife from other peoples’ mockery.  That, of course, is a single panel limited to a flashback inside a flashback, so not exactly very visible to the reader!  The next-most significant one I can come up with is Natsuo and his mouse girlfriend, who has likewise been seen in one (1) panel, had no dialogue, and whose appearance and identity were so incidental the anime deleted her entirely.     Who’s next?  Well, if you assume all those No Comments from Kamui Woods and Mount Lady about their relationship are indicative of a relationship between them, they’d be another, though we don’t actually know what Shinji actually looks like under his mask, only the implication that it’s divergent enough that he prefers to cover his face.  Next up on my tally would be Thief Takami and Tomie, but since the sum total of Takami’s animal traits are tiny little elbow wings, you can see how fast the drop-off is there.     Compare this to the number of pairings/families we have between people of like type: Bakugou’s parents, Iida’s, Jirou’s, Aoyama’s, Tsuyu’s, Ochaco’s, Shouto’s, Toga’s, Spinner’s, and Tomura’s whole family on both sides.      Then you get the ship-teasy stuff that’s more about crushes, people dating, or hints that are perceived as pointing towards epilogue romances: Deku and Ochaco, Jirou and Kaminari, Shindo and Yo, Gentle and La Brava, Miss Joke’s flirting with Aizawa, and Toga’s variety of crushes (among which Tsuyu is the most distant from Toga’s own body type).[4]  I think Kirishima and Mina are right on that borderline, with Mina having a normal body type but a collection of minor but highly visible divergent traits.     So like, the vast, vast majority of the romantic relationships in the show are between relatively baseline people.  In that context, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me that Tsuyu and Spinner are both explicitly said to have the same type of animal heteromorph quality on both sides of their family tree.  It’s not an incest concern or anything, just that I wonder what the pressure is on cross-type couples, or what social circles look like post-graduation.    

Two classmates talk about how it’s hard to tell what Tsuyu is thinking; one of them says, with her eyes hooded and a kind of cool expression, “That expression of hers never changes.  Maybe ‘cuz she’s a frog?”    

Tsuyu tells us that she never really made any friends; while some of this may simply be because Tsuyu didn’t have much time to socialize, between hero training and looking after her family, it’s also true that all of her classmates that we see have baseline appearances.    

This lasts until she starts getting stalked by a snake-headed heteromorph girl named Mangusu Habuko—a fellow loner.  Tsuyu is initially frightened by Habuko’s behavior, but has an intuitive sense for what the deal is, that Habuko wants to be friends but is awkward and doesn’t know how to broach it.    

When asked if she wants to be friends, Habuko flips out.  She calls herself treacherous and untrustworthy; she calls Tsuyu a foolish frog and says she must be joking, and that she should choose her friends more carefully. She then immediately dissolves into tears.  Somehow, I doubt all this self-loathing about her innate nature manifested out of thin air!    

The Hideout Raid Arc (Chapters 84-97)

Something that’s observable throughout this arc is that we’re in another sequence, like the Sports Festival, where the percentage of people with heteromorphic features in the crowd shots tends to run a bit higher than the norm of the series to date.  Unlike the Sports Festival, though, these crowds are just civilians, not heroes.  So what’s the difference between Kamino and the earlier on-the-street crowd scenes?     Well, the neighborhood the Noumu warehouse is in is a somewhat rougher area.  Part of the visual shorthand for that is people in edgier clothes, stuff that’s indicative of districts with bars, clubs, sleazy hangout spots, and so forth, but another shorthand is an increased number of heteromorphs.

These panels are respectively from Chapters 87 and 92.

Chapter 87:

The character sheet for Kamui Woods notes that the story of his early childhood is “grand and compelling,” and that his story was made into a documentary.  That, to me, has Inspiring True Story written all over it.  Probably not coincidentally, Kamui Woods is another character whose face we’ve never seen.  As more pointing in the direction of him having a childhood marked by severe discrimination, he’s not sure of his age—it’s given as “29 since he started counting.”  So was he abandoned as an infant for his weird face?  I could come up with other explanations, all equally over the top (extreme confinement, for example, that left him unable to properly mark the passage of time), but the fact that he can’t e.g. look up a birth certificate for himself suggests that whatever went so wrong for him, it happened very early.     …Though I suppose there’s the possibility that he’s not human, but rather a tree that manifested a quirk.  As documentary-worthy origins go, though, that feels less Inspiring True Story and more Educational Biopic About Rare Phenomenon.    

The Provisional Hero License Exam Arc (Chapters 98-121)

Chapter 99: 

Shouji’s room is shown, all but barren.  He says that he doesn’t care much about owning things, but knowing what we come to know about his history, it’s easy to wonder if he really doesn’t care about owning things or if this is rooted in a childhood in which it was believed that anything he touched would be polluted.  Not a situation that led to him being given much of his own, one suspects!

Chapter 103:

This chapter introduces Yokumiru Mera, from the HPSC, who gives an opening statement that has some very interesting ruthlessness lurking in its subtext.  Particularly relevant to our current topic is his comment that in the modern era, the time it takes to resolve a given incident is incredibly short, so the test that year will be prioritizing speed.  Prioritizing speed (wouldn’t want some other hero to get the metaphorical kill first, after all!) is a surefire way to guarantee that heroes are not taking the time to really examine all factors in a situation or make any attempts whatsoever at calm, considered de-escalation, but rather are just making snap judgements based on their biases and gut reactions.  Guess what group of people that’s going to disproportionately impact?        o Now, it’s notable that Mera says the test prioritizes speed, but the conclusion many others come to is that the test only pretends to do so; that actually, it prioritizes care and information gathering.  Indeed, we find a few chapters later that the actual priority is teamwork, as requested by police higher-ups—the idea is to fill in the gap left behind by All Might with hero squads that work well together.[5]   However, while the intention may be to gather those good at teamwork, it certainly doesn’t stop people like Shouto and Inasa from cruising through—and, in any case, whether the groups learn teamwork or not doesn’t take away from an HPSC rep telling them to their face that speed of incident resolution is one of the most important things to a modern hero and never following that up with any kind of amendment or clarification.

Chapter 107:

Introduces the HUC, or Help Us Company, professionals trained to act as victims in disaster rescue exercises.  Given that context—what they’re communicating to students training to understand what “victims” look and act like—it’s extremely worth examining what they, well, look like.

God, this is so Yikes.

And having asked that question, we find that the only people in this group that might not be baseline—the ones with short, childlike statures—are dressed to emphasize that stature.  The end effect is a crowd of “victims” with not a single heteromorphic representative.

Chapter 109:

Shiketsu’s class rep, Mora Nagamasa—the extremely hairy one—approaches Bakugou to extend an apology for Shishikura’s behavior during the exam.  It’s noticeable here that, having matured somewhat since Early Series Bakugou, and having been approached in downtime in a reasonable manner, Bakugou manages to refrain from coming up with any demeaning nicknames centered on Mora’s appearance.  Kirishima remarks internally on all the hair, but only internally; he’s much too polite to say anything out loud.

Chapter 110:

A big splashy introduction for the man ranked #3 in the Heroes Who Look Like Villains ranking, Gang Orca.  He’s at the test to play villain and is, just as noticeably as all the play-victims are baseline, a heteromorph.  At the time of his introduction, he’s ranked Number 10 in the Hero Rankings, but will be bumped out later on.  This does, however, make him the highest-ranked known heteromorph who doesn’t have a human face,[6] with the possible exception of Kamui Woods—who, like Shouji, covers it with a mask.

Gang Orca’s character sheet notes that, while he’s a popular guest at aquariums, his intimidating face and “stony personality” always result in weepy children.  He apparently finds this relatively upsetting (“lots of angst”) but, unlike Shouji or Kamui Woods, has not taken to wearing a mask, nor trying to tone down his personality on any level—to the contrary, Present Mic suggests much later on that he exaggerates it.

-----------------

Next time, I'll cover from the Shie Hassaikai arc through the end of Joint Training. Thanks for reading!

--------------------- FOOTNOTES ---------------------

[1] Initially.  He sticks to his guns long enough that he gets away with it in the end, though.

[2] The big tell is that Nedzu addresses Endeavor as Todoroki-kun rather than Todoroki-san or simply by his hero name, but his observation that Todoroki-kun has “matured” (literally in the Japanese, “become an adult”) doesn’t hurt, either.

[3] Kerokero neko and Uraraka neko.

[4] You can get further out there with this, but by the time you get to e.g. Shouto and Momo or Ojiro and Hagakure, the ice is definitely getting thinner on whether you’re seeing groundwork for future wedding bells or just reasonably close male/female friendship.  Your mileage may vary depending on how tightly attached your shipping goggles are or how cynical you are about shounen authors’ tendencies towards timeskip marriages.  Also, I can’t be bothered to dig up and list out the crushes or shipping patterns among the Class B kids. Koroiro likes the mushroom gal?

[5] Note that Mera phrases this as being merely a stopgap until they find the next All Might.  The HPSC is not so eager to change the methods they’ve come to rely on over the last thirty some-odd years!

[6] We don’t know enough for me to say for sure whether Wash is a heteromorph.

[blondebibliophiliac]

The Owl House Notes

I have watched TOH several times over the past year and a half, and I will never get over it. All the character development, the little pop culture references, the world development. Ugh. It's amazing. So here are some notes.

we all know that the Clawthorne family is the family that Evelyn, the witch that Philip and Caleb met, is from. I feel that it's only right that Hunter is an honorary Clawthorne, too. He's literally a clone of Caleb. Obviously the Clawthornes are the descendants of Evelyn and Caleb's relationship. So I feel it's only right. I know we've all accepted Darius as Hunter's dad/dad-figure, but it would be cool if he was included in the Clawthorne family, too.

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I love the found-family trope. As someone that had family problems growing up, I value the bonds that end up being stronger than familial bonds. Now, Luz basically has 2 moms plus a bonus parent (Raine) and 3 siblings (King, Hunter, and Vee), and I love that. If you haven't seen fanart of all of them, you're missing out. It's just amazing.

Speaking of their relationships, I love to see how they accept and even request physical affection. In the beginning, Eda and King are confused and almost repulsed by Luz's hugs. King quickly becomes more accepting of these hugs, even getting angry when Amity gets a hug from Luz before him, calling her a "swindler and a thief". But in the last episode, Eda runs to King and Luz to give them hugs and kisses before they play the Collector's "games". I wonder if physical affection was prevelant in the Boiling Isles because in the second episode Eda asks "What is this" when hugged by Luz. I think it is because Willow and Gus hug Luz when they show up to the Owl House. I think Eda just isn't used to physical affection, or maybe she isn't used to it from strangers.

Here's another thing I'm wondering. The Bat Queen states that she doesn't remember the witch that held her staff, but that she was the staff for a giant. You know who was giant? Papa Titan. What if her witch was Papa Titan? It would make sense, because he's been dead for hundreds of years, and the mind loses memories after so long. Also, she takes care of all the other palismen that were lost, including Flapjack, whose witch was Evelyn. If we can assume that the events of TOH take place in the late 2010's/early 2020s, then the age of these palismen makes sense. Anyway, I think that The Bat Queen could've been Papa Titan's palisman because there are no other signs of giant beings on the Boiling Isles or in the Demon Realm.

At some point, we catch a glimpse of the "recipe" for creating clones. If you didn't catch it, here it is: Galdorstone, Palistrom Wood, Stonesleeper Lungs, Bone of Ortet, and Selkidomus scales. This would partly explain why there's a shortage of Palistrom Wood, why the Galdorstones are so rare and so well hidden, and why Belos instructed Hunter to hunt down the Selkidomus in season 2. It also explains why the clone he attempted to possess in the final episode didn't work out. He likely didn't have all of those materials or didn't have enough to make a fully formed clone. When he initially tried to take over one of the clones, I was worried that there would be two Hunters walking around and that Belos would try to impersonate Hunter, which would have derailed all of their plans. The Bone of Ortet, by the way, is basically just a bone of the one you wish to clone.

I wish there could've been a longer season 3. Although I love the 3 episodes we were given, and I think they're perfect, I wish it could've been drawn out. I would've loved to see the gang in the human world more, to see the rebuilding process of the Isles, see them do a field trip to the human realm from the university. But, I'll take what we were given.

I love the random pop culture references we get. During "Eclipse Lake" we get a Dragon Ball reference and I found that extremely hilarious. In "For the Future", Caleb says "It's not like a swarm of ghosts will inexplicably appear if you say his name...I think", which gives us the second Harry Potter reference of the show (the first one appearing in the first episode where Luz is trying to fly on Owlbert and says "expecto"). It's just great. I love to see it.

I always have more thoughts about the show when I watch it. I need to start adding them more often.

[bropunzeling]

☕️ fav fantasy books/series and what makes them so good and so For Jess. bonus for thoughts on what makes a less good fantasy fall flat

oh Boy okay alright!!!!

fantasy series i love/are excellent/peak For Jess: radiant emperor duology by shelley parker-chan (point: is it fantasy or just historical-ish fiction with some supernatural elements? counterpoint: i fucking love it and this is my list). the lumatere chronicles by melina marchetta. the daevabad trilogy by s. a. chakraborty. queen's thief my beloved!!!!! piranesi aka one of the best novels i read in 2020. tortall series by tamora pierce (but protector of the small quartet is the best of them).

honorable mentions: the raven tower by ann leckie; sharon shinn's elemental blessings series isn't like, as sharp as the top tier, but i really enjoy every reread; earthsea (but mostly the ones about tenar); it feels like cheating to say discworld but again: my list; the divine cities by robert jackson bennett; the stravaganza books were not quote unquote good but they did change my brain chemistry when i was 13; goblin emperor books (but more witness for the dead bc u kno me, i love a murder mystery). lotr would be here except i read them all once as a 6th grader and have yet to return. i still need to read the oleander sword but the jasmine throne kicked ass.

ok what is the unifying factor here lol. strong world building is very important i think; a real sense of a distinct place and culture/mix of cultures rather than Generic Medieval European City. there was a really good post going around that was like, where does the food come from (aka have you thought about how all of this actually works?), and a lot of these series think about Where Does The Food Come From. differences in cultural norms among different groups within the world AND from the audience. plots strongly rooted in politics/the inherent people-ness of people rather than everything relying on magic (not to say i don't love me some magic/divine plaything stories!!!! but they hit so much harder when the conflict comes from a place of innate human foibles). a dash of wonder and the inexplicable. if an answer is needed, it fits in the schema of everything else, but you don't feel the author trying to answer literally everything (when an author is sweating to show their work u can tell imo). most of these have at least one set of people where i want to see them kiss on the mouth, but most of the time that is not the Point; the best fantasy for me treats romance as a subplot/b-plot where it informs the stakes but is not the stakes itself. and ur basics of a good book in general: good writing, good pacing, et cet er a!

what makes them fall flat? world building inconsistency; new magic springing up because well, the author NEEDED it (aka those moments when you can see the seams lol); when the romance is the a plot (sorry but romantasy = not for jesses!!!!!); i think also authors get tripped up both by not planning ahead enough AND planning ahead too much when doing series (if you get a deal for one than one book you should have more than one book's worth of material; however if you can’t change and move then you can be stifled! see ursula le guin revisiting the gendered magic of earthsea in tehanu years later, or tamora pierce going oh shit there are normies in tortall in protector of the small). also this is a ME thing but i fuckin hate purple or twee prose. fantasy does not mean break out the thesaurus.

sorry for the novel. im gonna think of like six more books as soon as i post this

[queensandkingsofattolia]

QT BONUS MATERIAL

This is a comprehensive list of all canon bonus material for The Queen’s Thief outside of the main books themselves as of June, 2019, and where you can find them. I put this list together a little while back for some of the QT Discord peeps so I figured I’d share it here as well! 

-------

Queen’s Thief Map - artist is Maxime Plasse, included at the beginning of each one of the 2017 edition books, and visible here and here: 

https://meganwhalenturner.tumblr.com/post/157663663120/artist-maxime-plasse

https://www.deviantart.com/maximeplasse/art/Queen-s-thief-map-671372989

NOTE: There is a also a secondary map showing a portion of the Mede Empire and detailing some of the journey undertaken in Thick As Thieves, but I was not able to find any official posting of it online. 

-------

Eddis - short story about kid Helen, published in the 2006 paperback of The King of Attolia, BARCODE: 9 780060 835798 50799 | ISBN: 978-0-06-083579-8

Thief! - short story about kid Gen, published in Disney Adventures magazine, August 2000, available on MWT’s website here: http://meganwhalenturner.org/books/bk_disney.html

Destruction - short story about events between The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, published in the 2011 paperback edition of A Conspiracy of Kings, BARCODE: 9 780061 870958 50799 | ISBN: 978-0-06-187095-8 

NOTE: Not sure where these next two fall in the chronological order of things in regards to the whole series and to each other, I just know they occur after the events of The King of Attolia, and pretty sure after A Conspiracy of Kings as well. 

Knife Dance - short story that I have 500 & ½ feelings about, published in the new 2017 paperback of The Queen of Attolia, BARCODE: 9 780062 642974 50999 | ISBN: 978-0-06-264297-4

Wineshop - short story that breaks my heart, published in the new 2017 paperback of The King of Attolia, BARCODE: 9 780062 642981 50999 | ISBN: 987-0-06-264298-11

[ghostlypawn]

okay im gonna type up my hadestown costume ideas bc why the heck not hope u enjoy x feel free to share yours/add on if you want.

note: in my production orpheus is female for Reasons (also hades could also be a girl i dont think it rly matter for what i suggest)

overall my vibes are more ~fantasy~ but still grounded in reality ??

Hades: honestly the vibes from the bway costume are great love it and the suit. especially the wall tattoo im stealing that. i do however want more red incorporated for like,, colour analysis reasons bc im a whore for colours that have meaning. have some photos for an idea (the last is my fave i think):

also with that i found this walking stick thing that feels quintessential hades so here that too (along with a cape that i think he should wear during his entrance bc parallels later ig?

overall: similar to the bway costume but more fantastical in a vampirey way?

Persephone: okay for the most part i was just seeing pretty dresses with florals and sticking them in her board. but they all have the same vibe which i still think i would like. also her colour is still green (complimentary colour to red). have some pictures:

and then at some point i got a GREAT idea. but i dont know how to implement it exactly yet. okay so similar to how broadway has a green and then black costume for the different acts; in the first act her skirt is more ballgown-y and poofy which should resemble flower petals in bloom (possibly more structured so its obvious unlike the more flowy dresses i showed although i think the ideas would still be seen with the skirts above) and then in act 2 the dress is much more slim-fitting against her body so it looks like the flower petals have wilted and are clinging to her body?? does that make sense?? i love it anyway.

overall: more fairy-queen whimsical vibes than broadway and a lot more emphasis on floral details.

Orpheus: okay i dont know why but i get major farmery/cottagecore vibes from orpheus like they just wanna vibe to music and forget about the real world?? so naturally i wanted to get those vibes. i wanted it to have similar vibes to bway with the white shirt and suspender type look so heres some pictures i found:

orpheus’ colour is that ochre yellow (similar colour family to persephone -> shared values). i liked the idea of the apron too (same as bway) but yknow,, cuter. i also wanted more details on the shirt so i liked the flowery embroidery details (on both the shirt and shoes) to really tie orpheus to the overworld. i did however want orpheus to have a cape when they go into the underworld bc i feel like thats what all fantasy adventurers do when they ~adventure~. so i was looking at capes until i found one that i think went with what i imagined for the dress.

the first cape is what i originally imagined but thought that it was almost too big and thick for orpheus so then i found the one on the right which i LOVE as its shorter and lighter and goes better with the dress underneath which is similar to the ones i showed at the beginning. (also there could be some analysis between hades and orpheus about how hades’ cloak covers his whole body as if hes hiding himself whilst orpheus’ still makes them look vulnerable especially as they both wear the cloak in the world theyre not familiar with.)

bonus costumes: the guitar!! i found some rly cute guitars which i love the idea of orpheus having a doodled guitar especially with motifs found within the show: 

pretty tree/floral/naturey designs !! you get what im putting down.

overall: cottagecore orpheus is what we deserve

Eurydice: okay eurydice was hardest all i knew is that her colour would be a dark purple (complimentary to yellow and similar to red). at first i was think more london eurydice with jeans or overalls because i knew i wanted her in trousers. but i thought this made her look too pedestrian in compared to the others (idk mayb that would work considering theyre gods and shes,, not?) i didnt entirely like it so went to the fantasy drawing board and found these (but pretend theyre shades of purple): 

i like that they like theyre made out of materials found on hand and just thrown together for warmth but they also look agile as hell which is good for eurydice imo as i see her as a lil pickpocket just tryna get by. so something similar to this. i think i would keep the act 2 worker outfit pretty much the same, especially if we remove any hints of colours (espc purple) to remove any identity similar to what bway does already.

also bonus accessories:

still boot wearing but more steampunky? possibly still with some natural elements but more about the moon/sun rather than flowers, i cant quite explain but to me they give of different meanings?? idk. also the CUTEST pouch that resembles a flower which would be the only thing resembling a flower. like she would associated orpheus with the flower but she also has this other association between money and a flower so its like theyre her two major conflicts and theyre assoicated with the flower idk man i think u understand what im getting at.

overall: steampunk/fantasy thief vibes

bonus prop for hermes simply because i love it and want you to see it:

flower/leaf umbrellas !! yknow like in way down?? its cute thats all (dont think they close tho but we can work it out its not as if im actually making them.

thank you for reading my accumulated thoughts and feelings if u got to the end i hope you enjoyed/liked my ideas n opened ur brain to endless potentials with this show. once again feel free to tell me anything u liked/would change/a whole new outlook wherever !! its interesting to see people think creatively !! i love it !!

(also as for set i feel like everyone now on my blog knows im an advocate of a great comet-esque interactive set where the set IS hermes bar/speakeasy thing)

[the-cashewpeia]

Good Night, My Love (Lancelot x Alice/MC)

Title: Good Night, My Love

Pairing: Lancelot x Alice/MC (Ikemen Revolution)

Additional Character(s): Jonah Clemence, Edgar Bright, and… someone (you'll know about them later)

Genre: Fluff + crack

Words count: 1777

Warning: -

Note: The conversation written in italic is a flashback that played in Lancelot's mind.

And thank u @plumpblueberry for helping me with the beta read! ♡

❤❤❤❤❤

The chilly breeze of the night, a sign that winter was coming, somehow had been his companion since the last few days, as well as a teapot of the already cold tea. It was late at night and he was aware of that, even though he did not really care what time it was now. Maybe midnight? Or maybe past midnight? The King of Hearts did not have a concern about it as long as he could finish his task before the sun would rise.

A load of paperwork had been on his desk, his floor, and even on the sofa in his office that it must have been hard to find a spot to take a seat. Jonah was constantly complaining, mentioning about maintaining his health rather than working overtime when the others went to sleep. But Lancelot did not listen to him, like always actually, and walked back to his office after convincing the Queen that he would get more sleep that night.

He remembered that the Clemence's oldest son followed him until he reached his room's door, ensuring that Lancelot would really go to sleep this time, before bidding him a goodbye. The blond turned his heels at that time, to go back to work, when Jonah turned his head and caught him red-handed. The younger man scolded him and literally saw him entering his room, like a mother to her child.

"Lancelot?" The voice of his beloved reverberating in his mind, the time when he stepped in his room, he found her in her pajamas and waiting for him to come.

His exhaustion wore off as soon as he saw her brilliant smile and her dazzlingly beautiful figure. The weariness of the day could not even take her cheerful attitude away, even though she was running around the headquarter doing chores like she did almost everyday.

He flashed her a smile, before enveloping her smaller form in his arms, whispering sweet words of praises and adoration.

"You need to sleep." He pulled back, as those words left his mouth.

She smiled softly in response, "you won't join me?"

Lancelot averted his eyes, somehow felt unable to resist her charm, "I need to finish my work first."

Her smile dropped, before she put up another soft beam, but the King of Hearts could see it. She was sad, and he knew it. But he needed to work harder to make the world better, for her, for everyone. That was why he must push himself harder or else--

"But... Jonah and Edgar said that you worked too hard these days. You need to rest too, so you could work for the next day." Her voice almost sounded pleading, "um... I mean, please take a rest, okay?"

Lancelot stroked her silky hair, before heading towards the door, "I will, after I finished my work. You must go to sleep and don't worry about me." He painted a reassuring smile on his lips, hoping it could ease her worried mind. Without waiting for her reply, he left to do his said task.

It was late and the wind was getting colder by the minute. The tea was no longer satisfying his need for caffeine, and the urge to apologize to his lover was choking his throat. So he put his pen down and strode down the hallway in the direction of his room.

The light on his bedroom was surprisingly still turned on. What surprised him more was finding his beloved fell asleep on the couch, head bobbing up and down, and her soft breathing lulled him to the dream world.

A low chuckle left his lips, as he sat by her side and muttered lines of adoration as soft as possible. His hand reached out to move her hair from covering her delicate face, before another hum interrupted him.

"Lancelot?" Her voice hoarse and he could not stop a smile from forming.

"I'm sorry for making you wait." He stood up, before he lifted her smaller form in his arms, "shall we get to sleep?"

She answered with another hum, as he lowered her down on the soft mattress and pulled up the warm blanket. Lancelot could not even remember the last time he changed out of his uniform as fast as he did now, and before he realized, he was already on the bed with his lover enveloped in his hug. She nuzzled his chest, mumbling a sloppy bid of good night.

A happy smile formed on his face, as he pressed his lips on the crown of her head.

"Good night, my love...."

===============================

Bonus scene:

It was a peaceful morning after being embraced in each other's arms and warmth, when....

SLAM!

A loud sound startled Lancelot and Edgar, who was inside the King's office. Before them was a fuming Jonah, his steps almost loud enough for the soldiers in the Black Headquarter to hear.

"My King." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I apologize for interrupting your work, but I remember saying that you need a proper rest last night."

Lancelot nodded his head innocently, "You were and I was getting enough sleep last night, just like you said."

A playful chuckle interrupted the conversation of the most important officers in the Red Army, and it successfully caught their attention.

"My, my, Jonah. Are you changing jobs at the moment?" Edgar was grinning from ear to ear, as he tried to control his laugh.

The Queen of Hearts let out an annoyed scowl, like he always did when Edgar smuggled a bag of gummies to Lancelot, "You need to stop playing around and start focusing on our King's health!" He turned his head, facing the said King, "But your office's light was turned on the time when I was woken up in the middle of the night. I thought that you were still working on some reports."

Lancelot went silent for a moment. Well, he was planning on checking on his girlfriend, when the urge to sleep consumed his already tired body. Maybe he forgot to turn the lights off and tidied the documents on his desk before he went to his room.

"So I came here and called for you, but you did not reply. I thought you finally went to your room and I turned your lights off." Jonah continued his story, but the concerned look on his face remained the same.

"Ah, so it was you." Edgar's lips curved up to an amused smile.

"What did you mean by that?" Confusion was painted all over the fair Queen's face and before he asked for more explanation, the man before him already did it.

"From the window, I saw someone was sitting on King Lancelot's chair and opening some of the drawers to look for something. But King Lancelot did say that he was resting in his room, so I could conclude that it was you."

"Excuse you? I'm not that kind of subordinate!" He was ready to knock some sense in Edgar's head about what the admirable Queen of Hearts would never do to put a disgrace on Red Army's reputation, when the Jack's words struck his mind first.

"Wait, what did you say?" His eyes shot open in a shocked state, "someone in King Lancelot's room last night? They must be a thief! King Lancelot, we need to...."

That conversation about work and the King's health soon forgotten as the three most important people in the Red Army, well... mainly Jonah, were discussing about the said intruder. Somehow Lancelot could grasp what happened or who was the person they were talking about. But seeing his subordinates stubbornly continuing their conversation, he would let them do as they pleased.

===============================

What actually happened that night:

Not too long after Lancelot left his office that night, a blinding light of magic emerged from nowhere. When the light faded, a man in a dark hood appeared.

"Good ev-- oh?" His smile washed out from his face, as he realized that he was alone. It was uncommon for the King of Hearts to leave his office that early, as they would share a chat like any other silent night. Not like they made plans; the hooded man was not a man of promises though, but he could not say that surprises were not his cup of tea.

But... the crimson red carpet somehow felt different, maybe he changed it or asked someone to wash it? And the room... was it always that big?

Being alone in that familiar room for the first time made the man pay more attention to little things, as he would come and go in mere seconds, too short to notice these small details.

"Well, what a shame." The man let out a soft chuckle, as he walked slowly to the throne Lancelot used to sit. He eyed the furniture, whilst allowing his fingers to run on the soft material.

It was soft. Well, it was a chair specially made for the highest ranked person in the Red Army, after all.

The urge to just sit and relax won his mind and soon he found himself sighing when the pillowy sensation met his back. He could forget the aching feeling on his back while working. But now, when he was finally at ease, the uncomfortable sensation consumed his mind. Somehow it reminded him to take a rest sometimes, not only stand before his boss and wait for his orders.

"Hm... what do we have here?" Curious, the man took one of the documents on the desk, examining it for a while, before plopping his back on the soft material on the chair. He did not understand much, but of course that file was written about army things that Lancelot did.

As if that was not enough, he opened some of the drawers to find some stationery and another pile of documents. And... well, he did not expect to find a secret stash filled with sweets.

Humming to himself, he eased his position and thought about what he should do there. After all, it was such a waste to just go back to that dark tower and go back to work his fingers to the bone.

"Well, Lord Amon always does this." His fingers dancing on the table, as if he was moving some little yet delicate pawn. A second later, he pushed the air recklessly, but careful enough not to drop anything from the desk.

"Heh." A chuckle escaped his lips, but his enjoyment soon interrupted by someone calling for Lancelot's name. Quickly, he used his magic again to leave the room.

That was the time when Jonah entered the room to find no one was there.

[flimflamfranky]

Name: Nami Race: Sylph     Racial Traits: Mostly Human, Breeze-Kissed, Weather Savvy, Like the Wind Class: Rogue (Thief), Druid (Weather Domain) Key Moves/Abilities: Fast Hands (Rogue), Second-Story Work (Rogue), Use Magical Device (Rogue), Lightning Lord (Druid), Storm Burst (Druid) Key Spells: Pass without Trace, Read Weather, Know Direction, Alter Winds, Fog Cloud, Obscuring Mist, Call Lightning, Sleet Storm, Control Wind, Whirlwind, Storm of Vengence, Plane Shift Skills: Sleight of Hand, Persuasion, Sense Motive, Knowledge (Nature), Acrobatics, Perception Feats: Elemental Adept, Polearm Master, Investigator, Naturalist, Quick-Fingered

Third in line - the tangerine queen, Nami!

Nami was adopted as a baby and raised by retired solider of the Empire named Bellemere, along with her adopted sister. Despite her strange markings, she seemed mostly human, with a talent for reading the weather and magic.

However, when she was still young, her village was invaded and taken over by a rogue branch of the Thieves Guild, killing Nami’s mother in the process. To free her village, Nami agreed to work for the Guild and became a skilled thief. Though she initially joined Luffy’s crew to steal from them, they helped her free her village and afterward she permanently joined to adventure, steal, and learn about her magic of her own accord.

Nami’s goal in this AU is a bit different from her cannon one. Instead of wanting to map the world, she wants to explore and learn about the different planes that surround the material plane they live in. She essentially wants to create a map of how these planes interact with other, which would be the first of its kind.

Nami is a sylph, a descendant of humans and air elementals. She appears mostly human outside of her ears and markings, so she was unaware of her ancestry or powers for a long time. Her race gives her an affinity for air and weather, ranging from predicting the weather, to bending it to her will.

She’s also the first (but not the last) multi-classer. She starts out as a rogue, due to her backstory, but she starts going down a more druidic path as she learns more about her powers and ancestry. This also helps her with her goal of learning about the planes, as they fall under the natural realm that druids draw from.

Some details about her many abilities:

Breeze-Kissed allows her to summon and command swirling winds to protect or attack. Weather Savvy makes her so in-tuned with the weather that she can accurately predict it. Like the Wind makes her faster due to her air ancestry.

Rogue abilities: Fast Hands means she can quickly disarm traps, open locks, use objects, or steal; Second Story Work can climb quickly (kind of boring); Use Magical Device means she can use any magical item regardless of race or class requirements.

Druid abilities: Storm Burst creates a 30ft storm, hurting and inhibiting anyone within it; Lightning Lord allows her to call lightning (outside of spell-casting)

Most of her spells are pretty self-explanatory but Storm of Vengeance is interesting. It summons a storm cloud that immediately deafens any creature in it (if they don’t resist it). Different affects occur in you stay within the storm, such as: acid rain, lightning bolts, hail, and violent rain that reduces sight and movement. It’s a rad as heck spell.

And bonus note: Usopp still makes her cool staffs, but theyre not the source of her powers. She does use them to channel her powers though. 

[natecross]

                                A House of Horrors Playlist for - WASTELAND RP

   tw: songs/lyrics may contain graphic descriptors, profanity and triggering material

Aurelia Zaher : Violently Happy - Bjork “Violently happy, Come calm me down, Before I get into trouble, I tip-toe down to the shore, Stand by the ocean, Make it roar at me, And I roar back.”

Ayden Cross :  Eminem ft. Rihanna : The Monster  “I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed, Get along with the voices, inside of my head, You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath, And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy…”

Bryce Edwards : Broken Machine - Nothing But Thieves “Take a human heart, Add some vanity, Authenticity, And put them all together, Do whatever to your broken machine.” Carter Evelyn Hawthorne : Where Is My Mind - Pixies “With your feet in the air and your head on the ground, Try this trick and spin it, yeah, Your head will collapse, But there's nothing in it, And you'll ask yourself, Where is my mind.”

Carver Bernard :  Mad World - Gary Jules “And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad, The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had, I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take, When people run in circles it's a very very, Mad world.”

Charlotte Hall :  Open Wounds - Skillet “Doesn’t matter what I do, Nothing’s gonna change, I’m never good enough, And you can’t stop me from falling apart, Cause my self-destruction is all your fault!”

Christian Shaw :   Everybody Knows That You’re Insane - Queens of the Stone Age “You want to know why you feel so hollow?  Because you are.  You're missing out? Well if you say so.  Then you're missing out.”

Daniel Tseng : Rapture - Hurt  “Till your rapture falls to pieces, Find in me the room to breathe, Simple things are suffering, And I would, destroy your god, Because you’re born again, Until you’re worn again”

Dascha Valentine : Delirium - Lacuna Coil “Insane obsession is growing faster there's no medication, It's hard to realise lost in confusion I hear the silence is screaming aloud inside, Delirium.”

Deacon Hughes :  Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones “I look inside myself and see my heart is black, I see my red door, I must have it painted black, Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts, It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black.”

Delsin Rhodes : The Kill (Bury Me) - 30 Seconds To Mars “I tried to be someone else, But nothing seemed to change, I know now, this is who I really am inside, I've finally found myself, Fighting for a chance, I know now, this is who I really am, Come, break me down, Bury me, bury me.”

Dresden Spencer :  Climbing Up the Walls - Radiohead “I am the key to the lock in your house, That keeps your toys in the basement, And if you get too far inside, You'll only see my reflection.”

Elijah Gray : Down with the Sickness - Disturbed “Looking at my own reflection, When suddenly it changes, Violently it changes, There is no turning back now, You’ve woken up the demon in me, Get up, come on get down with the sickness.”

Eloise “Ellie” Finnegan : Once - Pearl Jam “Once upon a time I could control myself, once upon a time I could lose myself, oh try and mimic..what’s insane, I am in it…where do I stand.”

Ezekiel Bishop : Dr. Dre ft. Eminem - I need a Doctor “I demand you remember who you are, It was you, who believed in me [...], You saved my life, now maybe its my turn to save yours, But I can never repay you, what you did for me is way more, But I ain't giving up faith and you ain't giving up on me, Get up, I'm dying, I need you, come back for fuck's sake.”

Ezra Burk-Ackerman : Barrel of a Gun - Depeche Mode “This twisted, tortured mess, This bed of sinfulness, Who's longing for some rest, And feeling numbWhat do you expect of me?, What is it you want?, Whatever you've planned for me, I'm not the one.”

Friday Knight :  Brain Damage - Pink Floyd  “The lunatic is in my head. You raise the blade, you make the change. You re-arrange me ‘til I’m sane.”

Helaine Murali : Sister Moon - Sting “Sister moon will be my guide, In your blue blue shadows I would hide, All good people asleep tonight, I'm all by myself in your silver light.”

Ines “Patty” Mercado : Disturbia - Rihanna “It's a thief in the night, To come and grab you, It can creep up inside you, And consume you, A disease of the mind, It can control you, It's too close for comfort.”

Isaia Luko : Disturbed - Asylum “Judgment from the immortal sin, That had enveloped me completely, Punishment for the immoral crime, The debt was never paid, completely.”

Jae Macleod : Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne “One person conditioned to rule and control, The media sells it and you live the role, Mental wounds still screaming, Driving me insane, I’m going off the rails on a crazy train”

Leon Taylor : I am Hell (Sonata in C#) - Machine Head ”I am death, Arms held outstretched, I am hell, Born this mortal shell, I am wrath, Take this bloodbath, God sent me to kill you”

Maite Mata : Lithium - Evanesence “Darling, I forgive you after all. Anything is better than to be alone. And in the end I guess I had to fall. Always find my place among the ashes.”

Max Price : Hearts/Wires - Deftones “Cut through, This razor wire, And died on your heart, Writhe to the end, Break through, Collect the wires, And writhe in your heart, Writhe 'till the end.”

Milah Chou : Imaginary - Evanescence “Don't say I'm out of touch, With this rampant chaos your reality, I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge, The nightmare I built my own world to escape.”

Nathaniel Cross :  Korn - Coming Undone “Choke choke again, I thought my demons were my friends, Getting me in the end, They're out to get me, Since I was young, I've tasted sorrow on my tongue, And this sweet sugar gun, Does not protect me.”

Naomi Harper :  Losing My Religion - Tori Amos “Every whisper, Of every waking hour,I'm, choosing my confessions, Trying to keep an eye on you, Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, Oh no, I've said too much.”

Nora Judd :  Shine on you Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd ”You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon. Shine on you crazy diamond. Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light. Shine on you crazy diamond.”

Samson Gray : Sanitarium - Metallica “Sleep, my friend, and you will see, The dream is my reality, They keep me locked up in this cage, Can’t they see it’s why my brain says rage.”

Roman Alza : Psychosocial - Slipknot “The soul is not so vibrant, The reckoning - The sickening, Packaging subversion, Pseudo sacrosanct perversion, But where the temple fell, The secrets have gone mad, This is nothing new, but when we killed it all, The hate was all we had.”

Rowdy Wilkins : Pyscho - Puddle of Mudd “When everything was like a loaded gun, Ready to go off at any minute, Yeah you know we’re gonna win again, Maybe I’m the one, Maybe I’m the one who is the schizophrenic psycho.”

Violet Clarke : Control - Halsey “I'm bigger than my body, I'm colder than this home I'm meaner than my demons, I'm bigger than these bones, And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me", I can't help this awful energy, God damn right, you should be scared of me, Who is in control?”

Wesley Kelley : Behind Blue Eyes - Limp Bizkit “No one knows what it's like, To be the bad man To be the sad man, Behind blue eyes, No one knows what it's like, To be hated, To be fated, To telling only lies, But my dreams, They aren't as empty, As my conscience seems to be.”

Zoe Bishop : My Delirium - Ladyhawke “Hey! you’re playing with my delirium, And the longer I wait the harder I’m gonna fall, Stop! playing with my delirium, Coz I’m outta my head and outta my self control.”

BONUS TRACK [ x ] ( for nicola )

[archiveofolives]

#FantasyNovember: Top 5 Favourite Fantasy Characters (a meme 😳)

lol ladies and gentlemen (and those who have yet to make up your minds), may i present my favorite emoji, the ovo. i legit have no idea what it’s called but it represents my mood so keenly

anyway YEAH @logarithmicpanda tagged me (i’m tagging you all especially @foxyrebelle but tag me back so i can read!) more than 24h ago but traffic has been horrendous of late and work has been worky so i’m just now getting to this. i won’t go with my default answers bc panda did this with books and accepting the challenge, imma do the same so in no particular order:

1. jean tannen from the gentlemen bastards sequence by scott lynch. i just really love that he’s the point man?? like that’s probably not even the right term for it but in inception, jgl is the point man of the team and like literally he makes leo’s plans work and that’s jean for me. he’s the brawn, he’s the backup, he’s the sounding wall, and the best part is he wiggles that he’s the protector and that was actually the first thing that i really loved about him bc i love those archetypes, on top of the fact that he’s fat and big and soft and HE READS and i also love that he’s technically not the main character?? it’s the whole feeling that non-main characters don’t get as much love so w/e (i went into the sequence with locke in my mind bc of gen and locke cole from ff6 but jean just won me over)

2. sophos from the queen’s thief series by megan whalen turner. i’m just gonna paste smth from tvtropes which i wholeheartedly agree with. it’s under the trope took a level in badass: “In the fourth book, Sophos doesn’t take a level in badass, he takes several. Then he rips them to pieces with his bare hands, gnaws on them, and uses them as fuel with which to fire even more badass.” which i wholeheartedly agree with. i’d always had my eye on him since the first book bc he was presented as this insignificant, reluctant (i have a really huge soft spot for reluctant characters) tag along and then LO AND BEHOLD HE’S ACTUALLY HELLA IMPORTANT and the journey that he took from book 1 to book 4 is just 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼. like i would always love gen, my champion whiner, but sophos’ development–from this meek nobody to a calculating risk-taker with too much heart than he knows what to do with (and i love that he didn’t come through unscathed but he totally rose to the occasion, man!)–is just smth else entirely

3. jesper fahey from six of crows and crooked kingdom by leigh bardugo. it’s actually a toss up between him and nina zenik (whose kevin wada art is also my aesthetic goddamn) but i think i liked him more consistently throughout the books? but i never really adored him as much as i adored nina but ANYWAY YEAH HIM. i really liked that he was a character with a LOT of obvious flaws but then he keeps trying to make up for them and that makes him endearing to me? also i appreciate his choice of weapon, his brand of humor (he has some of my more loved lines), i do agree that he is attractive AND i’m totally into his ship with wylan. what do they call it, wysper? it had better be wysper. people might be wondering why my favorite character isn’t wylan but the thing is that he’s already a bit like sophos to me? and i want someone different.

4. lee scoresby from his dark materials by philip pullman. YEAH I CAN LIKE SOMEONE WITH UNQUESTIONABLE MORALS altho that may not entirely be the case with lee, actually. HENIWAY, iorek was actually my first favorite character in hdm! purely on account of the fact that he’s a talking bear BUT i fell in love with lee’s charm, his swag, his sharpness and i just love that he’s this warm-hearted old cowboy who has an airship (and the only one who does! and the story of how he started flying is also the beeest) and loves lyra and supports her and he just makes me want to be a better person. like the perfect response to not all men is “yeah, lee scoresby wouldn’t.”

5. remus lupin from harry potter by j.k. rowling. LOL true story: while i was trying to come up with this list, i was supposed to end with jonathan strange from jonathan strange and mr. norrell which i’d read ages ago but i don’t read much fantasy these days until i remembered that hp is fantasy XD anyway, legit the first thing i loved about remus was the fact that he was so Done. like he was this old guy (i thought he was old bc of his hair) who just wanted to sleep but then these meddling kids came in and then the dementors so that leaves him no choice but to get up and do all the work around here bc who else would? but then i realized that this wasn’t a guy i’d heard much about (funny story, i know there’s a guy named lupin somewhere in the hp series but remember how inattentive i am to details?) which instantly made him refreshing and interesting to me bc i felt like he was someone i could properly get to know, finally? kinda weird. but yeah, it started from there and then everything followed through; i liked that he was a competent wizard and a good teacher and the mystery behind his illness was definitely another bonus until i learned that he was a werewolf and not just any werewolf but like, the werewolf everyone’s talking about? and that was disappointing but more towards myself and how predictable i’ve become even to myself -_- a lot of my favorite characters have smth to do with wolves see :|||

special mention goes to cloud strife WHO IS MY SON and loki who is a piece of shit i’ve encountered in many forms so i didn’t want to put him up there bc of that lol

[rcsettastone]

INTRODUCTION I.

D R .  E L É N A  P A V I A (  r o s e t t a  s t o n e  )

a gold snake curled around orange fruit. cat-eye sunglasses and a large hat that obscures one eye. the shadows of trees. your hair pulled back in a neat bun. low tide. black dresses with expensive earrings. old books with scribbles in the margins. a collection of sea shells. empty wine bottles and only one glass. raising your argument, not your voice. handwritten letters. an unknown silhouette behind a curtain. white silk nightgowns. standing in the sea to look at the moon. red wine and messy hair. twirling a pendant in your fingers. dancing on a beach. calls from unlisted numbers. hushed conversations. knowing what it is to have something taken from you.

age: thirty-one

sexuality: heterosexual (?)*

gender: cisgender female

allegiance & role: cambra historian & translator

a brief history: eléna is born to late-stage parents in southern spain on an andalusian horse ranch. while she loves both her parents, her father in particular - a large man with loud charisma - is her hero. at a wedding held on their ranch, a then-child eléna meets the man that would eventually become her Benefactor after she takes a cryptex from his room to play with. he in turn takes an interest in her due to her intellect and curiousity, and over the years checks in on her and the pavia family with increasing frequency. he sends her various puzzles, mental games, and monetary or material gains to her parents. simultaneously, eléna becomes increasingly aware of her father’s problems with alcoholism & gambling.

as she grows older, she aids her father in hiding some of the severity of his debts from her mother -- but as a result, their relationship begins to decay. at age 15, eléna is told by her benefactor that if she can achieve the exemplary marks he sets out of her, he will fund her attending university - transportation & accommodation included. after matching and exceeding what he wanted from her, eléna chooses to attend university in barcelona away from the family/life she has grown disenchanted with (read: her father). during this time, she sends back money given to her as an allowance by her benefactor to pay for her father’s continuing (albeit lesser) debts. she throws herself into schooling to the point of reckless obsession. with no friends or allies around her aside from the benefactor, she foregoes her health or any semblance of a personal life in order to please him and prove her worth. for a time, this single-minded recklessness proves effective, but is similarly efficient in draining her of energy and ability. with time, she begins to buckle under the weight of what she has pursued, developing insomnia and risking failure in at least one class. while it is never confirmed to her if the subsequent opportunity was brought to her by the benefactor, she cheats on a final exam after a classmate approaches her with concerns - and eventually the key to the examination. after graduation, she is given opportunities unsuited for someone as young and inexperienced as her due singularly to her connection to the benefactor. she has her daughter at (age undecided) -- the father is not in the picture, and does not play a role in their lives. nonetheless, due to the increasing financial aid of her sponsor to facilitate a proper home and childcare for her daughter, her career flourishes. with the birth of clio and an increasingly strained relationship, her father swears off drinking and gambling, and eléna ceases sending money back home.

having been sent to a dig in cairo, eléna at one point leaves her daughter with her parents in andalusia. upon coming home, she finds her father fallen victim to his old vices. but this time the ensuing argument reveals far deeper sins. in his inebriation and remorse, her father expresses her late birth was due to the full life he had lived prior to becoming a father and moving to the countryside -- - he was once a criminal and renowned thief. the only reason he had left this life behind was at the behest of her mother, and so they had purchased land far away from cities and temptation. the things he taught her and the childish games she had once played - learning to pick a pocket, the extensive treasure hunts, how to cheat at cards and never get caught - all made sense. 

she walks while her father begs forgiveness on his knees. he pleads for her to forget what he’s said, feign ignorance, go back to secrets. instead, she leaves with her daughter tucked into her arm, swearing he will never see her or his granddaughter ever again. 

eléna currently still receives money every month from her benefactor, which has increased substantially since her university days -- an unspoken seal to keep her quiet. it is enough to allow her to outright buy a large apartment in barcelona and far more luxuries than her cambra salary should allow. while she protests when he asks when he asks for another thievery, she has yet to not bring back what he requires. while he has never touched her inappropriately, eléna fears that and much more from him, should she fully refuse to participate in his charade any longer. she has been mulling over stealing a piece from ialis to sell illegally herself - only to finally accrue enough money and opportunity to remove herself from the control of her benefactor forever.  

fun facts:

putting this in the fact section as i’m unsure if i’ll make it canon yet, but my current thought (and the next big blow eléna couldn’t see coming) is that her father knew her ‘benefactor’ before they even met. something along the lines of he and his crew once stole art from the benefactor’s black market team/gang, and he’s been somewhat complicit - albeit full of anguish - in her being used by her sponsor.

her daughter clio is named after the grecian muse of history. haven’t fully decided on her age, but i’m thinking most likely 4 or 5. loves her more than anything, but does not talk about her with colleagues.

she loves to dance, and is exceptionally good -- but her adoration and skills only improve when she’s drunk. consider her the real life woman dancing in red dress emoji.

she has ABSIT OMEN tattooed on her outer right thumb/palm. it’s a latin phrase meaning “let an omen be absent.”

if that last fact didn’t clue you in, she’s surprisingly superstitious. she got her tattoo in that specific location as if it might prevent harm from the archaic, arcane things she touches.

lapsed roman catholic; spiritual. 

she smokes, but only when on location for a dig. she refuses to pick up a cigarette back in spain, lest she carry some of the fumes around her daughter.

film photography is a big hobby of eléna’s. she has two cameras with her on ialis.

catch her doing yoga and/or meditation every morning, because she believes in the link between physical and spiritual/mental wellness.

like the history nerd she is, she has a cat named artemisia, affectionately known as mishy.

she has the uncannily quick hands - aka part of the reason she’s been able to successfully steal and smuggle out the various artifacts and objects over the years

your resident card queen - any game you’ve got, she’s the reigning champ

plots / connections under the cut !

JEWEL OF THE NILE. ( open to : cambra ) a coworker that has become what might be the only deep friendship eléna has with someone from cambra! to the level that they’ve actually met or at least know of her daughter uwu. basically gimme someone 

ROMANCING THE STONE. ( open to : taha & local guides ) a previous fling that was had while on location on another dig. they definitely did not imagine they would run into each other again -- bonus points if they don’t even know they’re both archaeologists/involved in the same field. how they are now is completely up for discussion!

THE MUMMY. ( open to : big bois ) i mean, look. i’m not gonna lie to you here. do i want the rick to eléna’s evelyn? absolutely. that’s pretty much all i gotta say about this.

RETURN OF THE MUMMY. ( open to : silly bois ) did you think i wasn’t gonna mention the jonathan to her evie? incomprehensible. give me the looser, more-fun potentially brother-like figure

SCORPION KING. ( open to : all ) eléna is complex, particularly when you start looking at her extracurricular thievery, but she is still a soft, quiet woman. you see a figure standing in the shallows at night looking at the moon? that’s her. this muse sees these sides of her and for one reason or another grows rather protective over miss moon-gazer

NATIONAL TREASURE. ( open to : preferably younger ) she is Cambra’s Official Mom, but this individual is someone she particularly looks after or checks up on -- could definitely be in taha too!

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. ( open to : all ) okay so this is kind of dependent on plot drops/how the game develops, but please give me someone to... break rules with her. cambra or taha, when eléna starts noticing something Else is going on on ialis island, her interest is going to extend far beyond 

TEMPLE OF DOOM. ( open to : all ) angsty exes, in short. this might work better with cambra, but could also work with someone else with the right plotting. we could go any direction with this, but my guess would be eléna ended the relationship due to her inability to become emotionally vulnerable/getting Scared of her Feelings

THE LAST CRUSADE. ( open to : all ) the current flirtation. walking to town together, or coincidentally bumping into one another at the main square and smiling from across the way. sitting too close. unnecessary compliments. wondering how long the tension is going to last.

SKULL ISLAND. ( open to : cambra ) a longtime coworker that is curious/suspicious/concerned over how the good dr. pavia always seems to keep herself at arm’s length from everyone... and nobody seems to know all that much about her

JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH ( open to : all ) someone as superstitious as eléna that can bond with her when the Strange Happenings start to occur on the island

* you may note there is a question mark next to eléna’s sexuality..... WELL. while her muse gives me tragically hetero vibes, every time i try and play that out it.... never works out the few times i try and do it. so. honestly don’t consider the door fully shut for any plots just bc your muse is nb or female, i just may need to think it over more!!!

wanted threads: drunk dancing by the fire, eventual skinny-dipping, getting trapped somewhere like the caves or a spontaneously collapsed pit, ur muse is getting in a fight with a local over a misunderstanding borne by the language disconnect and eléna comes in and smooths things over, stealing a book or notes from the taha camp

[wizardysseus]

hey, saw you wondering about the new bonus material for queen's thief: in the new editions (with the new covers) every book has a new short story or other bonus content at the end. there's a really good one called "the knife dance" which involves juggling knives that i think is at the end of king of attolia?? might have been conspiracy of kings. i read them in my friend's copies. anyway they're good and might be available online if not now then at some point.

ahhhhh thank you

i know there were short stories in the paperback editions, like the one where helen meets the gods, because i’ve read that. but now there are New New editions bc mwt loves killing her fans and having them be dead

more excuses to get the library copies even though i own them, i guess!!

[kingdoms-of-fate]

Kalithan

Setting

Mordeadus - homebrew

Country

Kalithan

Race

Human,vampires Note: Vampires are playable in this setting.

Terrain

Vast rolling fields, thick blood birch forests Note: Blood birch appears to look like regular birch except instead of white and black bark, they have red and black bark and a deep red blood sap.

Vampire clan - The Kalithan

They are a clan of slick talking vampires who run a large scale thief guild across the continent with many sub thief guilds under their wing

Patient and smooth but very greedy, they come off as charismatic and charming.

Vampire Abilties

Counts as undead vs turning They do not eat or drink Immune to poison/disease No CON bonus to hit points D12 hit points per level Damage resistance 1/blunt per 4 class levels Vampires cannot be healed with healing spells and instead ,regenerate 1 point of damage a day per level Healing/holy deal double damage Sunlight deals D6 damage per round. Note: Because vampires are overpowered compared to someone playing a human, consider awarding less XP to vampires per encounter.

Blood Pools

Each vampire has a blood pool which they use to live and grant themselves abilities. If a vampire's blood pool reaches 0, they die and turn to dust. Every day a vampire loses 1 blood point automatically. Every vampire has a number of blood points in their pool with a maximum number of 10 plus 2 per class level. To gain 1 point in the blood pool vampires must drink blood from a human, draining 1 CON point from their victim per blood point which the human can regenerate at a rate of 1 CON a day. If the victim reaches 0 CON, they die.

The Kalithan Specific Vampire Abilities

To create a Kalithan vampire, a human must be drained of blood, given 1 Kalithan blood point and then have a 500 gold piece gem destroyed in their honor.

Kalithans get plus 2 DEX and CHA and minus 2 CON and STR.

Anyone who becomes a Kalithan vampire loses all previous classes and replaces them with thief levels.

Using 1 blood point heals 1 hit points per class level Using 2 blood points can increase open locks, diplomacy, pickpocket, move silently, set traps, hide, climb or tumble by 2 for the Kalithan's remaining blood pool in rounds. Using 2 blood points can increase their DEX or CHA by 2 for rounds equal to their remaining blood pool.

Clan Culture

The Kalithan group together in clans called guilds. They love treasure, gold,jewelry, magic items anything of value and will con, cheat and steal their way to get it.

They will always try to get the better bargain in a deal, get the highest percentage of a treasure and are not above stealing from their own friends.

Within the clan is the vampire who owns the most treasure who is at the highest station with every member being one enormous haul away from ruling the nation.

Kalithans will use their charisma to get close to someone and then take what they want from them when their guard is down.

The clans strongest vice is smoking tobacco gathered and harvested from the farms. No vampire is ever caught without a pouch of tobacco because it is bad manners to not end a deal or conversation with a smoke.

Settlements

The plains are sprawling with failing cities and towns of run down building and beggars. Out in the country, the region is dotted with a numerous small ranches and farms with the people more well-off.

The forests tend to be wild with few inhabitants except for a few logging villages that exist on the border.

Architecture Style

Kalithan vampires

Each guild lives within a villa built in the center of each city. The villa is built of polished white stone and blood birch with dark red clay tile roofs.

The insides tend to be a maze of false tunnels, hidden rooms and doors with many halls lined with traps keeping intruders at bay.

Secret tunnels run behind walls used for peeping on guests through holes cut into paintings. Secret doors are hidden behind bookcases and cupboards leading to a system of tunnels that run to the sewers in the city.

Human

The people build with blood birch leaving the bark on the wood for texture and design.

The rooftops are made of dark brown clay towers with the poorest using straw tied into bundles.

Clothing Style

Kalithan vampires

They wear leather tunics and leggings often with vests and caps. Leather belts holstering knives and daggers run across their arms, legs and chest and most have a pipe placed in an open loop on their tunic.

Humans

Both women and men tend to wear dark colored dyed leather tunics and leggings of browns, blacks and maroon.

To cover for the cold, they wear black furred cloaks held closed by leather strips knotted through loops. Very few wear dresses.

Every human citizen of Kalithan is required to wear a blood birch bead necklace or bracelets. The blood birch jewelry is crafted by the Kalithan vampires and have their guild crest scratched into the beads. This is a symbolic sign of being owned, the necklaces being collars, the bracelets akin to shackles.

If any citizen is found to not be wearing their beads ,they are stripped and flogged with a second offense being death by hanging. If any non citizen is found wearing beads, they are killed outright.

If any sub-thief guild, more on these in issues, finds someone who is not a Kalithan citizen wearing the beads, they are tortured and killed with their head being sent back to the Kalithan guild whom the beads belonged to.

Religion

There is no central religion.

Government

The Kalithans rule over the people as dictators. The guilds together form one massive guild that stretches across the entire nation with their sub-factions extending to every nation on the continent. The richest guild has the height of power, ruling over the nation while the other guilds each have control of their city and surrounding lands.

The Kalithans keep the riches of their guild deep below their villas hidden in the maze of tunnels and guarded by legions of undead and beasts with no human ever allowed to see the extent of their wealth.

Penny pinching, the Kalithans rarely spend their money to improve the quality of life for the humans instead rather having them live destitute in squalor than spend a copper to raise the standards of living.

Being a thief guild, they have no reason to steal as they only need to collect taxes to obtain the people's gold and treasure. However, they do tax everything, having the highest tax rates on the entire continent.

The Kalithan clans squeeze as much as they can from the people to the point of almost collapse, letting the citizen keep just enough to buy clothing and food and repair their shelters.

Anyone who lies about their wealth or hides it is punishes severely with beatings, whippings and even being skinned alive. This has created a local saying, “Better to eat the dirt then have no teeth.”

Economy

The nation has few exports except for some small crafts traded independently by small business, merchants and tobacco.

The main import is stolen treasure gathered by the 100s of sub-guilds throughout the continent. The main resource the nation produces is steer hide and tobacco. The ranches and farms employ most of the unskilled labor and it is what keeps the peasants from going completely broke and homeless.

The steer ranches provide the people of Kalithan with most of their protein and clothing material and the tobacco farms the main crops.

These two industries are under the protection of the Kalithans, being one of the few things the vampires put money into, hiring troops of Glongia mercenaries, they pay them to keep an eye on the ranches and farms looking for theft and poachers, having full authority to punish those caught in the act.

Issues

Sub-clans

As the Kalithan branched their influence to other nations, they either allied themselves or killed rival thief guilds. As a result, now the Kalithans are the only thief guild on the continent with others always being sub-guilds.

A sub-guild, usually being human, must pay a tithe to exist or be wiped out.

The sub guild is the lightning rod, the fall guy in the region they exist. The Kalithan, having no wish to start a war - a government finding out their citizens are losing half their wealth to a foreign thief guild who is also the heads of states would lead to a lot of wars very quickly - never run a sub-guild themselves instead staying far away, keeping their hands clean.

The only proof the Kalithan run these sub-guilds are humans who have confessed or shipments of gold sent to Kalithan that have been intercepted.

Some sub-guilds do become greedy or have grown tired of foreign powers controlling their black market and sometimes guild wars do break out. In cases like that the Kalithan will hire Glongia mercenaries to wipe out the leadership or request other sub-guilds take over.

The average foot thief just getting their lock picks dirty will know their guild is the tip of the iceberg, but rarely ask how far it goes, knowing the things in the dark should stay there.

Blood Gremlins

There is a vampire race of gremlins that feed off of blood to survive.

They live in swarms and will drink anything with blood, humans, animals and even vampires, becoming like locusts devouring anything they can come across.

The swarms are created by fat queen imps who can lay dozens of eggs a day with each eggs only taking a week to hatch. Killing a queen does not ensure the death of the swarm, once one queen is dead, a new one will form within days from the survivors. Not much is known how this occurs but most wizards tend to agree it is the magical nature of the creatures with some sort of hive connection that alerts the swarm a new queen is needed.

Dangerous to the villages, farms and ranches, sometimes swarms can grow to such sizes even the cities and vampires fear their numbers. Wihtin the citie,s they are like vermin and constantly hunted down. The gremlins mostly feed on the rats but do often feed on the sleeping as well, even making their way into the villas.

On the countryside, they live in giant dirt mounds similar to red ant hills with even a slight disturbance of the nest bringing out the entire swarm.

Travelers have been known to have been attacked at night on the roadside and entire cattle herds have been wiped out.

To deal with the threat, the Kalithan do what they never do and offer rewards, from imp heads making a few copper, destroyed nests dozens to 100s of gold and queen sacs making platinum. The Kalithans  even hire Glongia mercenaries battalions to sweep the forests and plains regularly, destroying nests and having kill teams search the sewers daily. Still despite the efforts, the blood gremlin infestations seems to be growing, suggesting something more than breeding is causing them to appear.

No one knows how or where the blood gremlins started, but everyone does agree they are spreading with nests now being found on the borders of the Vierillim, Allvien, Lycanthrope forest and the Storm Plains. If not stopped, it is reasonable to assume the blood gremlins could sweep across the continents, eventually wiping out entire ecosystems even civilizations.

[swanqueensalad]

what are your favorite books?

omg i have soooooooo many so let’s just do a few off the top of my head 

currently reading: the winternight trilogy by katherine arden (russian folklore + fantasy) and they’re fucking gorgeous! 

i just finished the queens of innis lear by tessa gratton (king lear as a fantasy, focusing on the daughters who are all woc, written by a lesbian) which is honestly one of my all time faves forever 

and a random selection of books that are v meaningful to me: the book thief by marcus zusak, all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr, how i live now by meg rosoff, jane eyre, the hunger games 

(plus bonus books that i read when i was young and probably formed who i am: harry potter, a series of unfortunate events, his dark materials) 

[houstonlocalus-blog]

Cold Water: The Best of The Week

Stephanie Rice. Photo: The Voice

  Well, we survived a near miss of bad weather last week just proving that we’re well into summer. This week brings in performances from Joan Jett, punk legends Chron Gen and Houston’s Stephanie Rice while locals like Cool Moon and Moth Wings will fill in the gaps. Houston, this is how to navigate the next seven days.

  Wednesday you can begin at Discovery Green for their Party on The Plaza series. This edition will feature a headlining performance from Houston’s Fat Tony, who never disappoints when he performs. His latest drop, Drive-Thru, just proves he’s not slowing down anytime soon. The high energy indie rock of Houston’s Young Mammals will get things started for the all ages free show that gets going at 5 pm. As a bonus, a local radio station is sponsoring the event, and should get to hear two of the city’s best artists that they never support.

  Joan Jett. Photo: Creative Artists Agency

  Of course you could roll back the clock out in Sugarland at Smart Financial Centre when Boston brings their arena rock to town. Sure, bands like Boston caused rock to go into a formulaic place in the seventies, but with jams like “More Than A Feeling” and “Peace of Mind,” they were the better of the arena rock groups. Joan Jett and The Blackhearts will be on as direct support and openers, and should get things going with tons of energy. Jett is a real treat to see perform and will turn back the clock like she’s in her twenties again. The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $35 and $99.50.

  Over at White Oak Music Hall upstairs, Richie Ramone will bring his punk sounds to life. Known for his five year run as a drummer for Ramones, Richie’s solo stuff is pretty strong. The last time he came he performed his album Cellophane with plenty of energy and vigor. The high energy sounds of Houston’s Killer Hearts will be on as direct support while the leather punk of The Velostacks will go on beforehand. The Guilloteens will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $10 and $11.

  Walter’s will bring in the legendary punk of UK’s Chron Gen. The early eighties third generation UK punks have been going strong for a good while, and their shows are that of legend. Their latest release from last year, This Is The Age, sounds as fresh as ever, too. LA based nineties emo punks The Generators will be on as direct support while the street punk of East LA’s Corrupted Youth will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $12 and $15.

  Hot Flash Heat Wave. Photo: Terrorbird PR

  Over at Satellite Bar, the psych infused dream pop of San Francisco’s Hot Flash Heat Wave will be here to perform. Here in support of their dreamy new release Soaked, this four-piece makes songs that are worth checking out. The alt electro sounds of LA’s Inner Wave will be on as direct support while the indie pop of Houston’s Mind Shrine will open things up on the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $8.50 and $10, unless you’re under 21 when there will be an additional two dollar surcharge, which is an idiotic practice that’s as antiquated as the notion itself.

  On Thursday you can start off at The Secret Group when Andy Huggins headlines a set. Huggins, one of the original Outlaw Comics, has been proving that he’s still a force in comedy. Last year he dropped the album Inspired By True Events, and it sounds like this show will feature more new material. Heavy hitter Barry Laminack will be the feature act for the show that has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $5 and $10.

  Tee Vee. Photo: Jason A Smith Photography

  Over at Rudyard’s you can get down to the indie pop of Austin’s Missing Pages. Playing songs from their latest Demo, this four piece sounds like an act you should make it our for. The dream pop of LA’s Winter will be on as direct support while the electro pop of Houston’s Tee Vee will go on beforehand. Cleen Teens will open the 21 & up show with doors at 8 pm and tickets for $8.

  Upstairs at White Oak Music Hall, the guys from Deep Cuts will be kicking their tour off with a hometown show. Of course, as we’ve seen these guys mature into a stronger band, they’ve become more complex and their latest single “Take Me Back” proves that they’re growing for the better. The highly energetic rock of Roky Moon & Bolt will be on hand as direct support while French Kids (formerly known as Young Girls) will open things up and bring their last album Party Blood to life.  The all ages show has doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.

  At Avant Garden you can get as weird as you want when Mockingbird Brother starts the beginning of their tour. The brainchild of mad man Chris Dunaway, it’s definitely something you should go see, and the Help You Out (Demo) is pretty legit as well. Bernie Pink will also be on the bill as well as the tour, and their new release Fiesta Elementary is about as psych heavy as psych gets.  The 21 & up show gets going around 11 pm and it’s Free.

  On Friday you can check out some funny over at The Secret Group when Houston’s Rich Williams hosts the Joke Riot Show. Becoming a tradition in this town, Williams has hosted a July 4th weekend show for several years now, and all have done pretty solid since he began. Sets from Brad Gray, Nathaniel Potts, Eric Green, Tressa Eleby, Ryan McGhee and more will be on hand with a set from Rich as well as others. DJ Geux Ro will get the all ages show started with doors at 6:30 pm and tickets between $20 and $40.

  Over at Numbers you can get down with the troupe from Dem Damn Dames for their Big Damn Burlesque Birthday. Celebrating seven years of burlesque and PRIDE, the troupe will all be on hand while special guests like the infamous BOB will be on hand to make you laugh and turn you on. The 18 & up show includes entry into the always fun Classic Numbers that takes place after the show. The doors are at 7 pm and tickets run between $15 and $35, the latter being a VIP premium seated option.

  Cool Moon. Photo: Jay Littleton

  Upstairs at White Oak Music Hall, Houston’s Cool Moon will celebrate their album release. That record, Postparty Depression is pretty amazing, and full of indie rock goodness alongside the band’s energetic presence.  The tongue in cheek indie rock of Houston’s Get A Life will be on as direct support while the alt shoegaze of Brooklyn’s Hypoluxo will perform beforehand.  The pop hooked indie rock of Houston’s Rose Ette will also perform and a DJ set from Jazz Radio will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.

  The REACH Project from Houston Ballet will perform two very limited shows starting Friday at the Margaret Alkek Williams Dance Lab.  Benefiting the Houston Ballet’s X3 program, the program features performances that you’ll never see again.  With dancers like Connor Walsh, Shu Kinouchi, Melody Walsh and more, I can attest to the magic that these performances bring. The all ages shows run Friday and Saturday, both with doors at 8 pm and tickets for $20.

  Downstairs at White Oak Music Hall, the Countercoven Midsummer Night Magic Promenade will take place featuring a headlining performance from Austin’s Sailor Poon.  Just like any other prom, minus the exclusionary practices of jock culture, the event will feature plenty of the Countercoven goodness but all dressed up.  A photo booth, plenty of tunes to dance to while dressed to the nines, and songs from Sailor Poon’s latest release Yeast Pigeon from last year will all be on hand.  The night will be capped by crowning of king and queen for the all ages event that’s $12 per person, or $20 per couple with doors at 8 pm.

  EL LAGO. Photo: Bayou City Photography

  Over at 215 Grove Street, Houston’s Birthday Club will kick off their tour with a party in celebration of it all. After dropping their EP Lighten Up last year, the pop rock four piece went out and did some touring. Now they’re set to do it all again, and will kick it all off in warehouse party fashion. The indie rock of Galveston’s EL LAGO will be on as direct support while Holly Halls will go on beforehand. Austin’s Ether Wave will be on hand to bring their visual esthetic to the show, while varying DJ sets will get the nights started as well as perform throughout the evening for the all ages show with doors at 9 pm and a pay what you want cover.

  Continental Club will have the dark wave electro pop of Houston’s The Thief and The Architect over on full display. Their electronic sounds can be heard here, but their live shows are definitely a trip to catch. Austin’s Kingdom of Suicide Lovers will be on as direct support, though not to be outdone, the epic insanity of Cornish Game Hen will go on prior, and blow you away with sounds from their latest, Museum Piece should remind you of a more post punk version of Devo. The Genzales will open the 21 & up show with doors at 9:30 and a $10 cover.

  Black Kite. Photo: Daniel Jackson

  Saturday you could make your way over to House of Blues for their annual Local Brews Local Grooves show. Alongside over fifty breweries, twenty of which are local, and rare releases as well as pub food are thirteen performances from local acts. A headlining set from Houston’s Colonial Blue featuring Stephanie Rice will finish things off. Of course, Rice has recently become more of a household name after getting on NBC’s The Voice and capturing the hearts of everyone who saw her perform. There will also be sets from Fox Parlor, Black Kite, Genesis Blu, Alex Riddle, Space Villains* and more. The 21 & up show has doors at 3 pm and a $15 ticket or ticket packages that range between $25 and $95 with tastings and food included.

  A little later on you could make it over to the green room at Warehouse Live to hear new songs from Houston punks Dead To The World. Debuting some new music that will follow up 2015’s War, these guys are full of energy to match their sing-a-long style of punk. The punk of Feels Like Murder will go on before while Bottom of The Food Chain will go on prior. DJ Mohawk Steve will get the night started with doors at 7 pm and a $10 cover for the all ages show.  

  MyDolls. Photo: F. Carter Smith

  14 Pews will host the legendary Houston punk of MyDolls. Part of the 14 Pews Film Academy series, this show will feature film, a performance from the band, and a silent auction. As for the band, I’d guess if you didn’t know who they were, then you’d have no idea that they are one of the most revolutionary bands in music, with a female fronted punk sound that lead to much of the progressive leanings that punk embodies today. Their latest album It’s Too Hot For Revolution proves that they aren’t slowing down anytime soon, and shows why they were such a force when they began almost forty years ago. The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets for $25.

  Upstairs at White Oak Music Hall, the electro jams of Children of Pop will celebrate the release of their new 7”, Poids/Entude En Cours.  The tracks are both pretty progressed and dig further into the rabbit hole that Chase DeMaster has created within the CoP brand. The show is also a return from tour show for the group. Pearl Crush will be on as direct support while the DJ grooves of Kona FM will get the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover started off.  

  Brand New Hearts. Photo: Jeff Senske

  Rudyard’s will help you get your rock on, when Slow Future swings by to perform. Playing a rock heavier indie rock, their debut release First EP is pretty solid and filled with riffs for days. The blues rock of Waco’s Jeremiah Jackson will be on as direct support while the tightest band in Houston, Brand New Hearts will bring their hook heavy riffs on as openers. The 21 & up show has doors at 9 pm and an $8 cover.

  On Sunday you can head to Summer Street for the Summer Street Arts Festival. The all day affair will feature two stages of music from DJ Damon Allen, Perseph One, and tons more. The art on hand will be from the likes of HoneyBones, Natalia Victoria, and many many more. There’s also tons of vendors, eats, and a lot more with more information here. Things start around noon and run until 10 pm for the Free and all ages fest.

  Later on at Walter’s, you can roll through to benefit Cameron Cares Inc at the Covers for Cameron show. Rome Hero Foxes as Joyce Manor and Four Letter Language as The Front Bottoms will headline while Fellow as Turnover will go on before. Phantompains as Title Fight, Town Destroyer as Citizen, and War Stories as Seahaven will get things started for the all ages benefit with doors at 7 pm and a pay what you can cover. A shirt and backpack are available with a $30 donation as well.

  Diana Ross. Photo: Live Nation

  Smart Financial Centre will host the legendary sounds of Diana Ross. While the Detroit native is touring in support of her hits, do I really need to sell you on seeing her? With hits like “I’m Coming Out,” “Endless Love,” and “Upside Down.” this feels like a no brainer. And of course, this isn’t mentioning her hits with The Supremes like “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Baby Love” to name a few. The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $67 and $127.

  Monday you can head to Walter’s for a Free show when Moth Wings return from a small hiatus to headline the downtown venue. Last year’s Fi/M from Moth Wings proved that they weren’t kids anymore, offering a more adult sound to match their energy heavy live shows. The emo core of Talking Forever will be on hand as direct support while the alt indie sounds of Donna Hayward will go on prior. The punk of No Love Less will also perform and a set from Fight Me as well as the punk of Substance, and Shalva, with an opening set from Trembler.  The all ages show has doors at 6 pm.

  Over at House of Blues you can swing by to catch Steve Earle and The Dukes bring their roots rock to life. Earle has derailed for so long with political causes that some might forget of his musical prowess. But with his latest album So You Wanna Be An Outlaw from this year proves he hasn’t stopped bringing his best foot forward with his music. The Mastersons will be on as direct support and openers for the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $30 and $45.

  Santana. Photo: Creative Artists Agency

  Out in Sugarland, Santana will rock the walls of Smart Financial Centre. Santana is possibly one of the most groundbreaking artists of rock, and the fact that he’s not getting any younger means this might be one of your last chances to see him perform. His latest, last year’s Santana IV is as revolutionary as his early works, and with hits like “Black Magic Woman” and “Corazon Espinado,” he’s an artist you shouldn’t miss. The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $69.50 and $175.

  On Tuesday the annual 4th of July festivities will take place at Buffalo Bayou for Freedom Over Texas. Music from DNCE and Hunter Hayes, the US Air Force Band of The West, and tons of fireworks will get going for the family friendly affair. The gates are at 4 pm and tickets are between $8 and $10 with kids under 5 being Free.

  That’s about all that’s happening around town this week. Please remember that this is a holiday weekend, meaning that cops are out in full force, so drinking and driving is not a smart move. A safe ride home is just an app away, and drinking like an adult is in everyone’s best interests.

Cold Water: The Best of The Week this is a repost