#rya quote

[thefamilyofgerald]

DUN DUN!!! This blog is run by a friend group of teens lmao. We just wanted a blog for the all of us to post dumb shit. More under the cut.

ROLL CALL!!! :

- Aspen (they/it/xe/any other neos)

- Rya (any pronouns, including neos and xenos)

- Re (any pronouns EXCEPT masculine pronouns)

- Lalla (they/them)

- Noah (any pronouns)

-Mani (she/her)

TAGGING:

#(insertname) speaks - self-explanatory, that person made the post

#(insertname) quote - something one of us or multiple of us has said

#quotebook -record keeping of things we said

#incorrect quotes - we shoved our names into an incorrect quotes generator for shits and giggles

#gerald reblogs - again, self-explanatory, just reblogs

Interests list and DNI list will be added onto here soon.

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, how would a dinner night with Queen Marika’s family go? What dishes does each demigod bring, what antics do they pull throughout the night, and who’s being forced to sit at the kid’s table?

*The room is silent save for the picking of food and the ticking of the clock. Marika sits at the head of the table, eye bloodshot and heavilly bagged as she waits, WAITS, for something to happen*

Radagon: ...So... Radahn... how's you latest campaign going?

Radahn: ...Where's Godfrey? I was told Godfrey would be here.

Radagon, putting his head in his hands: Son, I'm trying here.

Rykard: Sorry, dad, I don't think he can hear you over the sound of the fucking divorce papers.

Zoryas, a baby at the moment: Bleh! *clangs spoon against bowlk, wanting more pudding*

Rykard: One moment-

*Ranni takes the opportunity to scoop up baby Zoryas and cuddles her. Zoryas yawns and goes to sleep in Ranni's arms*

Tanith: How are you better at that than me, sister-in-law?

Ranni, look Radagon dead in the eye: MY mother showed me how. She's a good mother

Leonard, the horse, next to Radahn: Neigh!

Radahn: Good point, well made Leonard!

Miquella, at the kids table int he corner: Guys, can we please come to the main table? This plastic chair is hurting my ass.

Malenia, sitting with him in a chair that's comically too small: My legs are getting cramped.

Radahn: OBEY MY RESTRAINING ORDER YOU LITTLE CREEP!

Mohg, from his seat: MINE TOO!

Miquella: I SAID I WAS SORRY!

Messmer: THIS IS THE FAMILY YOU ABANDONED ME FOR, MOTHER?!'

Marika, her concentration finally breaking: I ABANDON A LOT OF FAMILY MEMBERS, MESSMER! YOU AREN'T SPECIAL

Godwyn, as the fight continues: One dinner. I'd like one dinner-

Melina: It's a fools hope, brother.

Morgott: ...Where is father, though?

Melina: I think he said something about catching the main course-

*the doors burst open. Godfrey, bare chested, carries two giant goats over either shoulder. Nepheli is beside him, also carrying a goat*

Godfrey: WE BRING THE MAIN COURSE!

Nepheli: FRESHLY SUPLEXED THIS MORNING!

Radahn: WOOOOOO!

Melina: There they are.

[disciplinedselfrya]

Some thoughts

It’s…difficult to be alive sometimes. Truly difficult.

It’s even more difficult to evolve.

And fighting is not as easy as it seems.

And life is not quite as Pinterest makes it seem.

And between having faith and being confident come your thoughts and your overthinking habits. And between wanting to be happy and wanting to accomplish everything you burn out and lose yourself.

And when everything is happening at once, how can you go on? How can you always “love the fight”?

Well you can’t. The fight, especially when you’re not sure what its purpose is, consumes you. Your energy, your passion, your all.

And somewhere between your lowest moments and your highest ones it’s just the never-ending faith that it will get better. Once. After a month, a week or maybe a year. But it will happen.

[asklesbianonceler]

for the character ask meme—Rykard! I’m always very curious to hear people’s takes on him.

I do love Rykard! Maybe one of my favorite war criminals in Elden Ring and also one of my favorite characters to be unserious about.

Favorite thing: I love that, despite being one of the easiest characters to confidently call evil, and becoming that willingly, he still has a heart for his family. Expecting Tannith to leave him and seemingly being understanding if that were to happen, offering her what he felt was a kindness to ease her suffering when he became the serpent, that she refused. And still being close to Ranni and trusted enough to be privvy to the night of black knives. I genuinely think he's fascinating all around even tho he is an evil freak. I'm always fascinated by a character who takes research to an absolutely vile route as well, and knowing he was in the Realm of Shadow for those reasons makes him even cooler to me.

Also his little legs.

Least favorite:

That I needed to respec to use the sword meant to make his fight easy. I thought for some reason I was the only person who couldn't do the easy mechanic.

Wish he didn't torture albinaurics, they've been through enough shit, but his character really is "guy who does torture" so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Brotp:

Rykard and Ghiza. Me and my wife do a bit where they're two fucked up dudes trying to pull at the club.

OTP:

I love that Tannith is a monsterfucker. I love them. But I think most Rykard ships are good. We know he can pull. He was a horn dog.

NOTP:

Guys I'm trying to have a notp. I have them for other Elden Ring characters I promise. Are there Rykard rarepairs I haven't seen? Show me.

Headcanon:

I like to think he has a nice relationship with Rya even though it is not textually supported. I'm in love with EmmaWard's art of them.

Unpopular opinion:

is it unpopular to say Rykard lays eggs? He does. It's the truth.

Quote:

So he only has the two... But his last words being "No one will hold me captive" is genuinely a good summary of what being a blasphemer means to him as well as the lore, where it is just being free of the ruling belief system and unrestrained by its laws. Giving himself to the serpent was the most powerful form of freedom he could find from the erdtree. Similar to Ranni shedding her flesh to unbind herself from the golden order and greater will.

Song:

Please 😭 I can't come up with this shit on the fly. Pre-Snake/ Young Rykard I feel like we need some sleezy shit. Can I say there's probably something by Electric Six or Viagra Boys that works?

Favorite pic:

more like the reveal of it but when he first turns and you see his slightly less defined face waking up for the first time in the cutscene. That shit is good.

[vassalor]

Here some questions and answers about DS/ER mc (also roleplay) character.

Q#1: What her name? Where is she from?

Her name is Krysia and from Vinheim. She was exiled from her homecountry because of her dark magic.

Q#2: What her relationship with Nito?

Nito was her mentor about dark magic, especially necromancy and Nito use her as a vessel to communicate with others (as he did not have the ability to speak)

Q#3: How did she end up in the Lands Between?

For diplomatic purposes. As she is considered as the "vessel of Nito" she came to Land Between to represent him.

Q#4What she like personaly wise?

Kinda jaded because of her traumatic childhood, but still retains kindness for those whom she cares. She have a cryptic sense of humor and have a "not take anyone shit" mentality toward idiots. Her darkest part of her personality on the other hand completely disregard her own value and view of life, she consider herself as a tool of Nito rather than a human. This view mellowed down after she met Rya and Nepheli and later Morgott.

Q#5Did she really married to Morgott?

Yes. They married not long before she killed Maliketh. Morgott like a grumpy grandpa, but also love her.

Q#6 Why she hate Marika?

She consider her as a fake god who create unnecesary chaos.

Q#7 She have motto/quote?

Yes. "Peoples only equal in death."

For other things, we use a unique roleplay set which mix both the Dark Souls and Elden Ring universes.

[miriel-pastorofvows]

Gods, Family and Lineage

The first demigods were The Elden Lord Godfrey and his offspring, the golden lineage.

The Gods and Demigods of the Lands Between hold complex relationships, frequently changing loyalties. To better understand these relationships, we can start by looking at the family tree. As a definitive chronology is hard to be certain of, I have instead chosen to format these images in the way which I believe best illustrates the connections.

(Beware - some spoilers and speculation ahead)

Rennala and Radagon

Married here at the Church of Vows at the end of the Second Liurnian War, Rennala and Radagon appear to have brought about three demigods - Radahn, the Starscourge; Ranni, the Witch; and Rykard, the Blasphemous. While Radahn and Ranni have no known offspring, Radahn appears to have sired at least one child after offering himself to the vile Serpent God. 

There is some speculation about who the mother could be; some think his consort, Tanith, as she is referred to as Rya’s mother. However, this could be purely an adoptive status. Another theory points towards a woman known as Daedicar. This woman is mentioned only in passing, but it is stated that she gave birth to “a myriad of grotesque children“. It is important to note that this is only a rumour, and we have no solid proof here.

Marika and Godfrey

Some time before our own Queen was married to Radagon, the “Eternal” Queen Marika waged war against the Giants of the North, and afterwards granted Godfrey the title of Elden Lord, the first of this rank. Together, they had 3 children - the cursed Omen Twins, Morgott and Mohg; and Godwyn the Golden. These children of Godfrey were the first of the Golden Lineage, which continues to this day. The youngest of this lineage is Godrick, the Grafted, but other ancestors include Godefroy, who seems to have been the first to discover the power of Grafting. It is currently unclear who, if anyone, Godwyn had his children with...

Marika and Radagon

This leads us into perhaps the most contentious branch of this family tree; the dual-identity of Marika/Radagon, and the children they had together. Whether the two were once separate beings, or their children were born of  parthenogenesis, it is unclear. However, this is far from where the strangeness ends...

Firstly, the cursed Empyrean twins. Miquella the Unalloyed and Malenia, Goddess of Rot are the most well-known children of the pair. Both were afflicted with curses from birth; Miquella lived eternally as a child, and Malenia was afflicted by the Scarlet Rot. Seeking to end their curses, Miquella worked alongside his father to develop and grow the Golden Order. Once he saw that it held no cure for their afflictions, he instead turned to more drastic measures. Both the Unalloyed Gold and the Haligtree appear to have been attempts to remove the curses from the pair, but these methods went against the orthodox of the Golden Order and the sanctity of the Erdtree.

Malenia does not appear to have given birth willingly or intentionally, but it appears that the blooms of her scarlet rot have given life to at least five children, who do not seem to have inherited (or grown into) the Demigod status: Millicent, Polyanna, Maureen, Amy and Mary. They, along with the Scarlet Rot, are a topic for another day...

Finally, Melina. I am not the first to propose this idea, but I understand that it may be something new for some people, so I will do my best to explain the reasoning here. Firstly, we have some simple statements from Melina herself in which she claims Marika to be her mother: “Me, I'm searching for my purpose given to me by my mother inside the Erdtree long ago, for the reason that I yet live, burned and bodyless.” This quote directly references the fact that Melina’s mother is inside the Erdtree, which we know to be occupied only by Marika/Radagon and the Elden Beast. We also know that Melina can recite the “spoken echoes” of Marika, and she also makes reference to her “mother’s designs” later in the game. I believe that this is enough evidence to cement Melina as the daughter of Marika.

Being the daughter of Marika does not prove her to be the daughter of Radagon however, and here we must begin to speculate. The first, and most visually appealing idea, refers to the three types of butterfly found across the Lands Between. These are the Aeonian, Nascent, and Smoldering variants. The first has a clear connection to Malenia; the name refers to a region blighted by Malenia and her rot, the butterfly appears rotten itself, and it is often found around areas afflicted with rot, but also within the Haligtree.  The second may not be immediately obvious, but the connection is solidified when we look to the item description: “This butterfly appears as if it's just emerged from its cocoon for its entire life“. This makes clear reference to Miquella, who put himself in a cocoon to try and advance his cursed life to adulthood.

This leaves only the Smoldering Butterfly. This cannot refer to either of the other gods, but it also does not appear to have any connection to Ranni, the other Empyrean child. The description also doesn’t give us much to go off, though it does mention that the butterfly serves as “kindling”. Various items in the game make reference to a “Kindling Maiden”, and we know that titles like this hold much importance in the world of Elden Ring - enough so that Fromsoft have corrected and altered the descriptions of various items to provide a more cohesive picture. This could, at the end of the day, just be a coincidence - but I think it is unlikely.

The identity of this “Kindling Maiden” is all but confirmed to be Melina, who (from her earlier quote) we know was burned and is now bodyless. This leaves us with three butterflies, each linked to a powerful being in the Lands Between. The fact that two of them are siblings, and all three of them have the same mother, points a finger at the three of them being more closely related that it may first seem.

The other key piece of evidence I will be using to make this case hinges on the identity of the Gloam-Eyed Queen. This woman rose to power, alongside her Godskin cult, during (or possibly just after) the Age of the Erdtree. The Incantation “Black Flame Ritual” declares that she was “an Empyrean chosen by the Fingers“, which strongly implies she was a child of either Marika or Radagon. We know of most of these children, and none of them appear to fit the description; the only daughters are Malenia, who was afflicted by rot, and Ranni, who we can find atop the Divine Tower of Liurnia, slain but not burned. This means that, barring the technicalities of the ambiguous gender of Miquella/St Trina (a topic for another time), there must be at least one daughter of either Marika or Radagon who we do not know about.

There may be some subtle hints throughout the game, but the additional scene granted at the end of the Frenzied Flame ending if Melina is still alive provides a clear view of her second eye; an eye coloured as a gloam sky. If you prefer textual evidence, it is said that it was the Gloam-Eyed Queen who fought Maliketh in an attempt to steal Destined Death, and once it is unleashed, Melina tells you that Destined Death is exactly what she will return to you.

I’m not really sure how to close this off - if you read this, or even just the trees themselves, then I hope you enjoyed. I’m open to new ideas, as we all should be, and so I welcome debate and discussion below. I understand that the idea of Melina being the daughter of Radagon and Marika is not universally accepted, but I believe we have been given a lot of evidence to support it so far.

Next, I plan to discuss the demigods in more detail, including their families and their roles in the wider plot of Elden Ring. 

[thunderjawsandlightning]

After listening to the GAIA Cast deep-dives and making up the transcripts for them, it's really obvious in hindsight how many hints get dropped through specific phrasing choices by Narrative Director Ben McCaw regarding certain topics, and I am currently losing my mind at all the hints and character parallels that are in the Jan. 30 Playstation Blog about Call of the Mountain (CotM). link

---

During "GAIA Cast EP. 6: Uncovering the Carja Civil War" [transcript by me here], Ben McCaw and Lead Quest Designer Tim Stobo talk about the divide in the tribe as an interesting tipping point to come into from both a narrative and world perspective. One of the things that particularly caught my interest is the following quote by Ben:

"And one of the things that’s important, like in any civil war, it’s like families have been torn apart, right?  It’s one tribe that’s been cut in two and some family members wound up on each side."

This is talking about some more specific instances in sidequests in which we see "the good, the bad, and the ugly" kinds of people within the two halves of the Carja, but the emphasis on seeing how the tribal divide impacts all different sorts of people is another detail that they continue to discuss. It's not just the Shadow Carja refugees in need of food and medicine, and supplies being smuggled by Sun Carja by robbing the richer upper class, but regular everyday civilians like Atral and Elida who are torn apart by the conflict (in a very Romeo and Juliet type fashion).

Which is why I find it especially interesting in the character teaser/ introductions of this most recent blog post, the topic of the divided tribe and divided families in CotM, and the impacts of actions taken during the Red Raids is again brought to our attention:

Guerrilla’s Studio Narrative Director, Ben McCaw, offered us further insight: “Ryas ended up on the wrong side for the right reasons. His family was torn apart, and ultimately, he was incarcerated. This is the story of how he tries to come back from that.”

**HZD and HFW spoilers and further discussion under the cut.

Digging into the topic of families divided and torn apart, we see its most obvious wound in the royal family, and the opposing forces of Jiran vs. his sons Kadaman and Avad, and later, Avad and his half-brother Itamen. In these two opposing relationships, we get to see and explore facets of the complications of the father-son relationship: the father against his sons, and the sons against the legacy of their father.

Morally and ideologically, we know that Kadaman and Avad care for their people and their tribe, in speaking out against the Mad Sun-King's edicts, and paying some kind of price for it. In Kadaman's case, it's his life; for Avad, the faith of the people and the fear of becoming like his father are burdens he will never be able to escape. Where family and fatherhood are meant to be examples of protection and guidance, this bond is warped beyond recognition in regards to Jiran and his sons.

The legacy of the father and the shadow it leaves behind, in both a metaphorical and cultural sense, in one that Avad and Itamen each have to grapple with in the uncertain stage of a ceasefire and afterwards. Metaphorically, they each have their own battles in stepping out from under their father's shadow: Avad as the King of the people and proving his will not become his father's son, and Itamen as a child figurehead for the will of others fuelled by ambition and blind faith. They are pitted against each other as symbols of the divine right to rule, and the cultural aspect of the Sun-Faith -- and the interpretation of Sun's divine will manifested through the power of the rightful king -- continues to perpetuate the intra-tribal divide.

---

Back again to the divide of family, I think it reasonable to assume that differences in faith and ideology to be one of the simplest explanations of families picking and choosing sides. In the Liberation comics, we are told of Urid and Ryas, each highly skilled and formidable in their own right, fighting in direct opposition to each other and in direct support to the ruling figures of each faction. Clearly, their loyalty to the governing powers of each faction is fuelled by something stronger even than the bond of family, and I can think of few other motivators stronger than religious faith and a code of honour to serve those whom you pledge yourself to.

“Having fought for the Shadow Carja, Ryas’ relationship with [new allies] is at best adversarial. He needs to make inroads and amends if he hopes to be accepted.”

"At best adversarial" indicates a potential rivalry with allies known to Ryas, or full-on confrontations to be had with other characters who know of him and his reputation. Given our introduction to Hami, the reluctant soldier charged with escorting Ryas, there is already animosity from within their shared tribe, even with the degrees of separation and association and/or participation with the Raids.

Either way, there looks to be some very interesting tribal conflicts permeating the relationships during CotM, which brings me to the next intriguing thing: the hope of acceptance from these new characters.

Acceptance despite past deeds and choices feels phrased like a kind of welcoming back into the fold, a return of sorts from ostracization or exile. There seems to be a preexisting bond that is under strain if the goal is simply acceptance, rather than "to be trusted".

"Making inroads and making amends" has absolute implied meanings of repairing broken bonds. But a broken bond with who? Given the precedent of reuniting estranged brothers in 'The Queen's Gambit' sidequest, Avad and Itamen show there is hope for rekindling and repairing the fraternal bond. Given this information, the most obvious candidate so far to whom Ryas would be repairing broken bonds with is his own brother, Urid.

---

So, we have the history of brother against brother, and the future hope of reuniting and reconciling said brothers. But what about the hints that "players will [...] be reunited with familiar [characters], though [Ryas'] past has affected these relationships"? Who else is familiar enough from HZD or HFW for us to anticipate seeing in CotM? With all of the promotional imagery of standing between the Sundom and Sacred Lands, I will focusing on potential Carja character appearances, since I feel there may be little in the way of Nora appearances given their cultural reluctance to venture near metal ruins that we will likely be exploring as Ryas.

Given their multiple mentions in Ep 6 of GAIA Cast, Uthid and Vanasha seem likely candidates to make an appearance. Vanasha's reconnaissance abilities and connection to Marad could provide some early intel as to what kind of situation we're heading into, and Uthid's switch in loyalty due to his honour code is an early seed to be planted for the legitimacy of Avad's mercy and willingness to make amends with a former Shadow Carja. As merely a captain, it is not likely that Uthid will have had any interaction with Ryas during the flight to Sunfall, but it presents an interesting common ground for these two weathered soldiers and their levels of involvement .

(Personally, I hope that Warden Janeva makes a brief appearance if for nothing else than to see what their assessment is for Ryas' character and his release from Sunstone Rock.)

And speaking of Sunstone Rock, there's the most obvious character to - hopefully - make an appearance: Nil.

---

Nil as a character is steeped in mystery, with his cryptic eloquence making it difficult to pin down much about his past. However, there are several parallels that draw him and Ryas along correspondent narrative threads that I find too interesting to leave alone.

For starters, an easy comparison of these two is their particular set of skills as hunters and fighters:

"As a master climber, hunter, and explorer, Ryas offers the perfect viewpoint of the sweeping vistas and dangerous wilds of Horizon.”

A significant feature of CotM appears to be climbing, and as we know from the Liberation comics, Ryas's brother Urid is the best climber in the Sundom. Nil is clearly an accomplished climber himself; the climb to the top of the Mesa during the "Cause for Concern - Farewell" quest is a long one with lots of jumping from handhold to handhold and creeping along ledges.

Nil's hunting ability is such that he sees bandits as a more satisfying challenge than hunting machines, even the more deadly combat machines that have emerged in the recent years; stating "They don't get that look in their eyes." (Devil's Thirst Bandit Camp conversation). Ryas' reputation precedes him, as Hami and Kavad -- the Carja escort soldiers -- comment that "everyone says Ryas is a good shot" (CotM State of Play reveal trailer), so clearly his ability with a bow is notable enough to be wary about.

Thirdly, being well-traveled and adept at exploring the world and its metal ruins in search of information is a quality we see in few others. Most other tribes have superstitions concerning the Old World ruins, and so avoid them; or are more pragmatic about its use for profit, as seen with Oseram delvers. We see Nil unafraid to venture into these ruined places, going so far to say "[those] lonely places where people once were, now just a hole cut in the world?  Chances are, I was there before. " (Gatelands Bandit Camp conversation)

---

Jon Gonzalez, the Narrative Director during HZD, emphasized Nil's significance as a representation of the effects of war, and clarified that there are elements of his quest narrative that are acts of atonement, of trying his best to balance the wrongs he's committed with a new motivation.

There is a kind of retribution in Nil's brand of atonement in that he hunts those who prey on those even weaker. Even if his claimed motivation is purely to sate his bloodlust, there is still some act of good done through it (Although his descriptions of racing heart, ringing in the ears, and the feeling of a "call to arms from inner desires" all point to chasing adrenaline highs). His acts of atonement are done in an echo of the presumed kinds of actions he took during the raids, of participating in the preying on those with less power. Instead of continuing that path, now he hunts those who would do the same.

"And I think that there are a couple of characters that also highlight really unique aspects of some of the tribes in really idiosyncratic ways. I think that Nil, [...] who seems to have become kind of a fan favorite, the kind of way that he has this kind of unique, sociopathic kind of approach to killing, but the way that that's connected to the lore of the Carja. The way that the Carja were preying on other tribes, and [...] the Red Raids and all of that, the thing [...] is this is a guy who's sort of a monster but knows that he was a monster – and to the best of his ability, kind of regrets it and has tried to atone. "

- Writing Horizon Zero Dawn - Jon Gonzalez interview link

The phrasing about Ryas "ending up on the wrong side for the right reasons" also seems to echo Aloy's impression of Nil upon the conclusion of their first bandit camp raid:

And when asked about a favourite backstory element or quest moment, Ben's comment about how intertwined Nil's questline and story is with the Red Raids and the civil war also seem to be more than just a passing anecdote.

ALOY:  So you hunt [bandits] down to help others?

NIL: No, no - for sport.  I can’t wait for wars anymore: life’s too short and the thrill of death too sharp.  If you kill a tribesman, there’ll be retribution; hunt a boar, they complain if you waste the meat.  But bandits? They’re vicious.  They always put up a fight.  And no one cares if you kill them.

ALOY: I…guess you’re doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

NIL: I’m doing what I love.  And what could be wrong with that?

- After completing Devil's Thirst Bandit Camp (HZD)

Tracing his quest path through the game takes you all over the map, although he will only join you for 3 of the 6 bandit camps in the overworld. He is clearly a skilled hunter and tracker to comment on "the surprised splashes [of blood] and scrabbles in the dirt" when next he sees Aloy. The two camps he is always present at seem to hold some significance too. Obviously, he's present at the Devil's Thirst camp on the outskirts of Nora land to start his questline, but the Nora were some of the most affected; he begins his journey of atonement there. The Gatelands camp -- on the Sundom side of the border between it and the Sacred Lands -- is where we learn of his stay at Sunstone Rock, with additional dialogue with him if you've made a stop by the prison and talked with Warden Janeva beforehand. Nil specifically waits for Aloy there; a border between two worlds, a step a little more into the world he is from.

"… if you really pay attention to what’s going on with Nil in those raids on bandit camps, his story is kind of interwoven with the Carja civil war and the Red Raids quite a lot, and he has a very, of course, unique and kind of homicidal insight into all that stuff. So I mean that’s something that I really enjoyed, because if you trace Nil’s paths through the game, a lot of it does in fact involve the events surrounding the civil war."

-- GAIA Cast Ep. 6 - Uncovering the Carja Civil War

Janeva's opinion on those kept within the prison and those who are released also vary significantly. The sidequest "Sunstone Rock" charges us with fulfilling the bounty on the 3 escapees, the Rock's most dangerous criminals. Janeva's assertion that the prisoners would have eventually found death are a stark contrast to the quiet surprise when Aloy asks after Nil, and the turn his path took when he left. And as we see again with Ryas, Sunstone Rock holds significance for those who are released from the prison to go forth on a turning point on their personal journey.

"[...] there’s a couple other characters that are associated with Sunstone Rock, including Nil. So if you talk to Nil enough, you’ll find out that he was actually imprisoned in Sunstone Rock at one point. And there’s also a character, an important character actually, that was imprisoned at Sunstone Rock that we are going to learn more about in the future."

---

It feels significant that Ben teases an upcoming character from Sunstone Rock that will be a person of importance in learning more about the world. What can we learn from Ryas' position in a recent, bloody history of tribal conflicts? What new point of view can we experience as someone deeply involved with the old power that split the Carja, and his reaction to the changes in the state of the world now?

All of these exciting questions aside, the biggest mystery of them all at the moment is Ryas' identity: is he at all related to any characters that we have met during the games? With his face deliberately concealed with a cowl in all of the promotional art, there must be some clearly identifiable feature that reveals something about his lineage, presumably a family we already know and recognizable by their Carja eye markings. There are few things as satisfying as a face reveal with deep narrative impact, and I think there is something other than just VR marketing to keep the protagonist 'blank slate', so to speak.

And we have a precedent for an impactful face reveal with satisfying emotional-narrative payoff: Nil's reveal to Aloy after winning the final Gauntlet race. It's a reunion after parting in circumstances of uncertainty; a reconciliation with actions and attitudes of the past and a display of healing and contentedness in themselves in the present. And in this reunion, Nil displays an almost parental affection in how he talks about the other Tenakth racers and refers to them as children.

---

Horizon is, in a way, the story of parents and their children, and coming to terms with what is left behind for the children.

We see it in Rost and Aloy and his willingness to do anything to protect her; we see it in Lis and Aloy and the power of hope, of wishing the world to be better for those who come after.

We see it with Jiran and Avad, of the legacy of the father and the challenges of the son to step out from that shadow.

The phrasing "family torn apart" makes me think there is more than just the fraternal bond to come back to and resolve. With the emphasis and importance on the father-son relationship in Carja culture, it feels like a reasonable conclusion that there will be some exploration of that paternal relationship in regards to Ryas.

Nil has shown tremendous personal growth in his ventures into the Forbidden West. He has found a healthy outlet for his adrenaline rushes in racing, and a kind of healing from the atrocities of his past in the acceptance of group that he explicitly refers to as children -- and children from an tribe that were explicitly wronged during the Red Raids.

What better parallel than to have a father finding healing and acceptance from his son who what also harmed and wronged by the Red Raids?

[krastbannert]

What is something you've written you're especially proud of? Could be a whole fic or a chapter or a sentence, or just like a random joke or something.

Chapter 2 of Brave Soldier Girl is, I think, one of my personal favorite things I've ever written. I can't explain it, it just...as I was thinking about this ask, it just popped into my head, and something about it feels special.

Sunrise, my lone Tron fic, is also something I'm really proud of.

And...honestly, the short stories I've written for my original world. They're all so short, 1000 words or less, just little flash pieces, but I honestly think those few thousands words have some of the best of my writing. I love them, so much, and I'm immensely proud of those little things.

Also, I really like this quote that I'm planning on sticking in my original work at some point:

Murray: Rya, why was there an explosion next to my ship? Rya: Well, per definition, that was not technically an explosion. Murray: Then what was it? Rya: ...a very rapid, very intense exothermic reaction.  Murray: Rya, that’s the definition of an explosion. Rya: ...oh.

(I'm so funny.)

[oflostinfound]

✏️

Send in ✏️ and I’ll use this (improved) incorrect quote generator featuring both our muses!

Eath: I only have 6 weeks left to live. Rya: Oh my god, really?! Eath: It's just a guesstimate based on the choices I've made.

[ryathenaughtykitsune]

❝ So I realised I never asked you this, but... ❞ Law leans over, his eyes unreadable but intense. Clearly, he must be considering something important; a matter of life or death. Or of love and war. His breath hits Rya's skin just barely. Like a tiger, he pounces, his question burning with passion. ❝ Who's your favourite philosopher? ❞

He had her attention clearly as he got up close and personal, his eyes caught hers and she felt her heart thump uncomfortably. What was he going to ask? Did he want to know a personal thing? Having him this close was making her heart do flip flops...up until that question.

An internal groan happened as he asked what her favorite philospher was. Weren't those the people that contemplated what life was all about? "Damn it Law, and here I thought it was highly important. I'm not sure but a quote i once heard was this." She sighed and gave the pirate captain a look of quiet frustration.

“Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself.” She stated after thinking it over. "Figures that once someone is fed up with how they are struggling enough that once they take that power for themselves to make their lives better, that is in essence a freedom isn't it. To choose how you live your life?"

[thefamilyofgerald]

Rya: Life is too short to send fake power outage nudes

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Elden Ring is a Comedy Part 1

*Liurnia of the Lakes*

Rya: Oh, Mr. Big Strong Tarnished! I was robbed by another of your kind and if you could go get it back it would be so amazing of you! But... could you oppose another of your own kind?

The Tarnished: Sure.

-Later-

The Tarnished: Yo, can I have the girl's necklace back.

Blackguard: Sure, just gimme some money so I can keep myself fed. Kinda feel bad about robbing her anyway.

Tarnished: Nah, I get it.

Blackguard: Thanks bro. Want some prawns?

Tarnished: Hell yeah.

-Later-

Tarnished: Yo, I got your necklace back.

Rya: OMG, you're so cool and edgy going out and killing another Tarnished like that you must be super hardcore and stuff you should totally join my mom's emo band!

[disciplinedselfrya]

There's a slight difference between - consistency and perfection - not giving a f*ck and thinking you are superior - always doing your best and being burnt out One is good, the other is not. One means leveling up, the other doesn't. Be aware of the difference.

[heavenlyborne]

✏️

Eᴠᴇɴ Mᴏʀᴇ Iɴᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ Qᴜᴏᴛᴇs Gᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀ!

Rya: We just ate. Why are you making pancakes? Shalria: For the dogs. Rya: Why are you making pancakes for the dogs? Shalria: They don't know how. 

(For that little extra fun, there’s more!)

Shalria: *nudges Rya at 3am* Pretty fucked up that we depict the moon as a girl and the sun as a boy. They're just floating rocks in space. Rya? Wake up, Rya! Listen! They're sexless! Rya: The sun isn't a rock, go back to sleep.

[esther-dot]

Can y'all stop being so dishonest and cuting quotes ? "He missed his true brothers: little Rickon, bright eyes shining as he begged for a sweet; Robb, his rival and best friend and constant companion; Bran, stubborn and curious, always wanting to follow and join in whatever Jon and Robb were doing. He missed the girls too, even Sansa, who never called him anything but “my half brother” since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant. And Arya… he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful. Arya never seemed to fit, no more than he had… yet she could always make Jon smile. He would give anything to be with her now, to muss up her hair once more and watch her make a face, to hear her finish a sentence with him. - Jon III, A Game of Thrones

The emphasis is on Jonarya.

@minitafan look what you’ve done to my most devoted follower! 😂

Anon, why are you stalking us? To make yourself angry? You’re willfully misinterpreting what we say so your messages just make no sense to me. That post wasn’t minimizing Jon’s love for Arya, it was simply pointing out that Jon missed Sansa which undermines the popular narrative in your fandom that she was a horrible bully who he hated. That’s all. 🤷🏻‍♀️ That doesn’t detract from all the times Jon mentions Arya, that he missed her the most of all his siblings, no one disputes that. Personally, I enjoy how much Jon loves Arya. She is his closest sibling, they adore each other, I love that!

There’s plenty of shit that goes on in the fandom to be annoyed with (the way y’all can’t stop sending rude anons for starters), but getting mad because someone posted the relevant quote from the books to prove a point is silly.

As for romantic Jon@rya, I’ve made myself clear (link).

[meditateineverystate-blog]

Meditation day 31 - bored, at the arcade, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

www.meditateineverystate.com