#shadow protag adventures

[maxilsmaster]

au where eggman adopts sonic

now i know what you’re thinking, “there are already sonic villain aus out there”, but i’m here to tell you, this ain’t no sonic villain au! sonic is still a hero here! the difference is backstory.

the tl;dr is that eggman adopts sonic and tails but they’re not evil and he is, but he’s a good dad anyway

eggman finds little baby sonic (by baby, i mean somewhere in the 4-7 range) all alone on christmas island. the hedgehog doesn’t speak, when asked if he has a family all he does is shake is head, he’s quite obviously abandoned. so eggman adopts this little blue hedgehog! he learns sign language, teaches it to sonic, puts his kid in school, and overall is actually a really good parent. but there is one problem: he’s still evil. he still wants to conquer the planet. sonic disagrees with this. when he fails to convince his dad through words, he ends up taking action and destroying robots. eggdad is not pleased by this, but he supposes that it was inevitable that his kid might not turn out to be evil like him. he still continues his schemes of course, but sonic also continues to stop him. eggman does make sure to program his robots to not target sonic, too.

at some point, eggy creates metal to be an artificial brother for sonic. metal matches sonic’s speed, and is also mute. sonic is overjoyed at his new brother :)

and then he meets tails. the two immediately take a liking to each other, and sonic learns that tails’ situation is similar to how his own used to be. immediately sonic takes tails to eggy and demands he adopt the fox. eggdad accepts and now there are three brothers :)

at some point, sonic and tails arrive on angel island. sonic gets the emeralds punched out of him by knuckles, who has NOT met eggman and just doesn’t like intruders. when eggman learns about this, he’s pissed and steals the master emerald. after this whole situation is resolved, sonic tries to get eggman to adopt knuckles, but knux won’t allow it, so he’s an unofficial brother

at around 12 years old, sonic starts speaking verbally (though in periods of excitement or stress he’ll still go back to sign) (this is just how i headcanon sonic normally but it’s still relevant)

i have the plots written down for a lot of the games, so i’m gonna go through the mainline modern ones briefly

sonic adventure: eggman tries to keep chaos out of sonic’s way, fails miserably

sonic adventure 2 is a fun one! the beginning is mostly the same, eggman finds shadow, sonic gets arrested, etc, but then eggman finds out sonic got arrested and is PISSED, so he has shadow rescue sonic. sonic is pissed about the false arrest and fights shadow, shadow is forced to use chaos control to bring sonic to eggdad before the island explodes, and now sonic is with the dark story for the rest of the plot. eggdad brings sonic to space, tails, knux and amy follow, sonic learns shadow is technically his (uncle? second cousin once removed? it’s one of them, idk which), sonic is NOT launched off the ark bc eggy wouldn’t do that to his son. plot happens, shadow “dies”, and adventure 2 is done!

at some point, eggy finds shadow, and sonic and tails are aware of this. they don’t tell anyone shadow is alive though (and eggman doesn’t tell them about the androids)

sonic heroes happens bc metal thinks he’s better at being evil than eggman, now everyone knows shadow is alive yay, and also sonic and tails are immediately sus of this plan

rush happens too but i don’t know enough about rush to accurately change the plot, but i’m sure the plot changes at least a bit

we’re not gonna talk about 06 bc it gets retconned by itself

unleashed has shadow as the protag instead of sonic

colors is almost entirely unchanged except 1, yacker gets hypnotized in the one cutscene instead of tails, and 2, eggdad did his best to make the amusement park enjoyable for his kids :)

generations! hoo boy! eggman doesn’t get invited to the birthday party (it’s his birthday too) so he causes Issues! oh and shadow gens happens lol

lost world… oh boy. this one is traumatic for everyone involved. there’s less arguing involved, but sonic is still an impulsive dumbass (leading to tails getting kidnapped, which traumatizes sonic and eggdad) and eggy presumably falling to a fiery death (only sonic is around to see this). so sonic is having a Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day all around, and the zeti are also trying extra hard to kill him to spite eggface. luckily it all works out, except that therapy Will Be Required

forces is another fun one! for me ofc, not the characters. infinite betrays eggman early on, locking him up, then also defeats sonic, locking him up too. bc i am merciful, i am reducing the time the war takes down to one month (mainly bc really, that’s more than enough time for everything to go to shit). sonic and eggman are NOT tortured (bc that was just a weird translation thing), but more therapy will def be required. also rookie/gadget saves both sonic and eggman

at some point, eggdad creates sage. he does not intend for sage to become his daughter. but also sonic and tails both know sage from the start, which is relevant for this next bit

frontiers happens next, and really, the main issue is that sage Refuses To Properly Communicate With Sonic. eggy doesn’t want to put his kids in danger so he tells sage not to run any simulations where that happens. in the end though, sonic still has to get involved. and also now there is a Sister :)

tmosth also happens because i fucking love tmosth. the train is sentient which is why sonic gets knocked out

will add some links to character descs and stuff when i post more about this au (and i’ll also try to come up with a name while i do that)

[wizardbracket]

Round 3: Match 6 of 16

Why they deserve to be the ultimate wizard according to YOU:

Ged:

Vanquished (so far): Raistlin Majere, Marcia Overstrand

"Ged breaks your heart in a good way every book"

"Ged didn't become archmage and then quit to go herd goats to lost a poll bracket"

"Ged is a POC queer protag ... he's arguably one of the most powerful beings IN Earthsea and he learns wisdom above all else which tempers him"

“The mix of pride and wounds. The gentleness and power. The greatness and the goats. I love my boy so much.”

“He is simply a little wizard guy who goes on little wizard adventures and journeys of self-discovery.”

“This man went to wizard school and beat up his own shadow”

Magnus Bane:

Vanquished (so far): Harry Dresden, Galadriel Higgins

"He hates YA plot nonsense so much but keeps getting dragged into it anyways ... he throws birthday parties for his cat (who is named Chairman Meow)

"GLITTER"

"Queer Indonesian wizard who has been aggressively bi since the 1800s and has no fucks left to give about anyone’s nonsense"

"Banned from Peru"

"My man invented the portal"

"Vote for bisexual legend cat manic glitter enjoyer magic man"

“He's a bisexual immortal wizard who ends up romancing a repressed gay demon hunter”

[allovertheplace-writing]

hi rosie!! its good to see your requests r open!! i would like to request some kazuha headcanons with a little kid reader, if possible, y'know, reader is a kid who's part of beidous crew, and they took a liking to kazuha ever since he became a part of that crew, and because of that, they always follow him around even when he leaves the boat to go on his own adventures and trips, y'know, just a fluff all around, i need a father figure in my life </3 thanks again, rosie! feel free to deny and remember to take care of yourself

Genshin Impact

Character(s): Kazuha

Genre: Fluff + Comfort

Type: Headcanon

Description: Father figure Kazuha? More likely than you think-

Warning(s): Gender-Neutral Reader, Child Reader, Familial, Minor Injuries(Scraped Hands)

Hi, hi, anon!! Thank you so, so much for sending this in it's literally so cute sslxndk (and the need for a father figure is very much felt-)

I hope you like it! Remember to take care of yourself too <33

You became his shadow for a short while, stepping in the shoe prints he left in the sand whenever he ventured from the Crux and bumping into the back of his legs when he stopped walking. Kazuha always knew you were following him so he'd purposely choose the safest paths - well, inherently safe paths. He hadn't thought you'd trip trying to catch up to him after getting distracted by a bird

He was by your side in an instant, however, reaching you before a tear even had the chance to fall. His hands were careful in holding your wrists and lifting your palms from the ground

"Hey...it's alright." The softness of his voice as he guided you to a nearby body of water soothed you and hushed your wails. He dipped a handkerchief in the cold water and dabbed it against your hands, washing the small pebbles and dirt from the throbbing scrapes

He carried you back after that, telling stories in an attempt to occupy your mind. Which worked to an extent. Tears still fell and the stinging of your skin remained present, but you were able to ask questions about each story without sobbing

After that, he began telling you stories to ease you into the gentle arms of sleep. Kazuha would visit every few nights and before, as well as after, his personal travels. Most of the time, the stories he told were made up, but he would still sprinkle some true events in every once in a while without telling you. Like how the protagonist in his Starborne Traveler tale played the zither with a man who followed the breezing wind and how another protag fled from his home to be free

Speaking of his travels...he always made sure to bring something back for you. Whether that was a flower he hand pressed or a book that could only be found in the region he went to. He'd bring back new bedtime stories too! Like this one about a group of new friends and three islands

During celebrations, he tends to be by your side or taking you ashore to experience it all. When it's the lantern rite, both him and Beidou head into Liyue city with you holding their hands between them! If it's a feast aboard the Crux, he'll eat near, and with, you and play some games as well

Over time, he genuinely feels like your caretaker; your father

[ladyluscinia]

Also though (because I contain multitudes) it's still so eminently absurd that The Izcourse developed around Izzy.

Like an antagonist who is one part cringefail middle manager from a workplace comedy, and one part losing leg of Edward's romance love triangle and so jealous about it, and one part aggressively unserious obstacle on Stede's "Who's this rich fuck?" pirate adventure, AND YET. That is who this fucking fandom latches onto as the embodiment of bigotry who must be taken seriously as a bad person (and can only be treated unseriously when being dunked upon... which on another level is serious again because bigotry).

I laugh every time I see the "OurGoodShadows is the new SuperWhoLock" because it reminds me the overlap between people who Izzy was too much for and people who earnestly enjoy also-Waititi-associated What We Do in the Shadows is huge. How. You're telling me they didn't melt down at Nandor's Marwa arc? They can handle all the protags being amoral vampires? There's not a huge flamewar going on right now over whether The Guide is unforgivable for snapping when they ignored her or if the house vamps deserve endless punishment for tricking her into thinking they cared???

It was all just vibes, wasn't it???

[magicstormfrostfire]

Here I am, so actually, your recent cross posting between sonic and hsr, got me thinking. The most wild dream I had last night; and sonic was a Nameless.

The thing was that it wasn’t like an AU but like in a far future. Where sonic keeps on adventuring on the Express. No one of his old friends around, but he was at peace, I believe he would make a very good nameless.

Now, it was a wild dream which I don’t recall very well, but I recon that.

Omg that ACTUALLY sounds like something Sonic would absolutely adore. Sailing through space in a train, visiting planets to save them from Stellaron disasters (and bad guys taking advtanage of the disasters) and learning about/meeting new people along the way.

The state of Belobog especially seems like something up Sonic's alley; Since Belobog used to be a lush, green planet 700 years ago, but turned into a snowy wasteland.

OMG OMG OMG OMG

ROUGE AND SHADOW BEING KAFKA AND BLADE.

DO YOU SEE the VISION.

Knuckles as Dan Heng and Amy as March 7th my brain is cooking things.

(Swap Dan Heng & Blade connection and Protag & Kafka connection so you can have Sonadow and Knuxouge, etc.)

[ariadnesweb]

Okay, so the thing with the members of the student council (except Nanami) are protags of a failed stock romance plot. Each is associated with an ideal: Saionji - Sense of Belonging (Friendship), buddy cop adventure Miki - Memory (Shining Things), fairytales Juri - Momentary Intimacy (Miracles), teen drama Touga - Success & Resolution (Power to Revolutionize), shoujo

These ideals are magnetic - characters & their associated pluses are hypnotized to stand & fight for them. (Not equivalent to their projections on Anthy. Owning the Rose Bride is a pretty direct symbol of power. These ideals are established through the duelist's methodology, and often are a key part in the duelist's defeat.) Saionji & direct relationships, Miki & Nobility, Juri & love, Touga & the ability to change.

Throughout the course of the three dueling rounds, we see these ideals/obsessions twisted to their natural conclusions. Saionji: Vain Arrogance, Insecurity, Blindness - Relationships as power games. Miki & Kozue: Self-centeredness, Territoriality, impulsive vanity - relationships as an aesthetic. Juri: Despair, mutual self-destruction, grief - an ideal as a limiting force. Touga: Frailty, Cycles of Violence, Dishonesty - an ideal as a misunderstanding.

Nanami finishes the main trio of herself-Utena-Anthy. (Akio exists as the shadow of these three characters.) Respectively, they represent the ideas of Cruelty, Identity, and social customs.

Nanami's tied to the idea of cruelty since her actions towards their cat. To justify it, she must prove the world was too cruel to do otherwise. So she engages in acts of cruelty and pettiness, often interrupted by her own innocence in the matter (her childish schemes, her short-sighted relationship with Tsuwabuki, her awareness of her relationship with Touga). Nanami's last duel ends with her confronted by the entirety of her idea of cruelty - and thus abandoning it, quietly and stoically. (Her stock plot is Gothic Horror, btw)

Utena's tied to the ideal of Identity in much the same way the other duelists - Her ideal of her own Pure Self is taken to its natural conclusion. It is short-sighted, and easily flattered, and easily erased by smarter & more powerful forces. Mikage represents this ideal to its logical extreme, being a hypocritical tool that is blind to basic facts about the family he involved himself with. Akio almost erases Utena's own spirit. For the better, Anthy wakes Utena to the reality of their relationship with Akio, and Utena quickly redefines herself against Akio's lies. Her ideal of 'Identity, even when the world tries to crush it out of you' forms the rock of Anthy's own ideals as she walks out of Ohtori.

Anthy's ideals on social customs are the bedrock every person in Ohtori plays hot potatoe with. She is the Rose Bride, so every 'Prince' must seek for her. She is the Rose Bride, so every 'Princess' must envy her. She is the promiscuous witch, so every action she takes must be to seduce and betray. Except she is Akio's bride, and a complete extension of his authority. Anthy wears the dress that signifies her role, that signals the extravegant theatrics from which the story is to be told. She manipulates the Duelists to act to their cues, accordingly encroaching on what they assume is their due. Love letters, snails & pianos, roses & kisses - Anthy hands the appropriate props for the stage. Everything has an order and a place - the winning Prince & Bride, and everyone else idolizing the pairing.

It's not something that can serve Himemiya Anthy, outside the gates of Ohtori.

[timelessxmemories]

Everything I have written down for The Valley Of Stars as of right now, May 27th, 2024.

Name:

Valley of Stars Genre: 

RPG / Adventure Protagonist: 

A Victorian player. Light & Dusk.

Timeline: 

1867 - ????.

Basis:

The player from the year 1867 picks up a stopwatch of some sorts, they think nothing of it and puts it around their neck as a necklace. They head home and decide to go to sleep. They wake up the next morning in what seems to be a field full of stars and clouds and such. The player looks around, confused until a being walks out from the shadows, introducing himself as The Entity. Throughout the whole game, the player must travel through the Valley of Stars with The Entity. The Entity is the players guide throughout the whole game. The Entity is a being that appears to be some sort of Biblical Accurate Angel. He gives the player a power of sorts every time they level up. They are a light mage with holy magic. The player must find their way through the valley in order to get back to their home, along the way they meet two other beings who join their party. Once again, both of them are some sort of biblical accurate angels. One of which is named Light and has fire magic, while the other is named Dusk who has ghost magic. The player, Light and Dusk all become the best of friends, there would be some interactions you can do with them to get your friendship level up. In the beginning of the game you will be able to choose your own personality, gender and your looks. Dusk's personality is harsh and strict while Light's personality is bubbly and energetic.

Light & Dusk both have human forms! They're both in the same situation as the player! But they've been stuck in this one area for 12 years now, of course, as soon as they arrived they turned into these beings, but the player didn't. They ask The Entity why this is but he refuses to tell them for their own 'protection'. The player's goal is not only to escape, but also to help Light and Dusk become human again! 

— — — — — — — — — —

THE ENTITY:

Name: The Entity

Aliases: The Watcher, The Protector, The Guardian.

Reasons: The Watcher: He watches over all that live in the Valley of Stars. || The Protector: He protects all that live in the Valley of Stars. || The Guardian: He’s known as The Guardian due to his protective and very fatherly nature, children of the stars tend to look up to him and love to listen to his stories.

Protag or Antag?: Neither. He’s a guide for the player.

Personality: The Entity is a very intelligent and well-balanced being. He’s rather unknown and mysterious. He’s very skilled and a very stoic young man. Some say he was once a human as well, but something had happened. Maybe the same thing happened to him as it happened to Light and Dusk. He’s also very fatherly and incredibly protective over everyone he watches. He’s also known as The Watcher for the sole reason of him watching over all that live in The Valley of Stars.

Appearance: A man with four large fluffy starred wings that seem to glow brightly. He has a purely white suit with gold and purple trimming. His eyes are covered with a black blindfold at all times. Nobody has ever seen his eyes. Not even once. Everywhere he walks he leaves behind a trail of stars that follow behind him. However, without the blindfold his eyes are a bright golden colour with violet pupils. He’s a very tall young man, looks to be around the age 35, but is really over hundreds upon hundreds of years old. Very broad and rather comforting to be around. His voice is a soft and warm voice that could remind you of a fireplace on a cold winter's night. He also has a wooden cane that he walks with, which is laced with vines and black roses. When he taps the cane on the ground he can make a field of stars appear in front of your very eyes. These stars will form words. This is how he writes. Sometimes while you’re outside and if you look up to the sky you may see words forming in some kind of hand-writing written in gold bright stars. He can also use these stars to create new life. Whether it be animals or humans. He also has a white cape laced with black trimming.

Gender: Male

Species: Unknown.

Role: The Entity’s role in the story is to guide and lead the player when they will need help. The Entity also appears in a few cutscenes (dream sequences) here and there to tell the player more snippets of lore relating to the story and himself. The further you go into the game the more you learn about who he is and who Light and Dusk truly are. Sometimes during night time sequences while you’re wandering around freely, you may be able to find The Entity in the middle of a field full of multi-coloured roses. From there you will be able to approach him and talk to him, entering into a cutscene where the player and The Entity will sit down on a log that The Entity formed with his cane. He will stare up at the dark sky for a while before finally speaking up. His first line would be: “Ah, my little starlight.. I see you’ve come to visit me.. Thank you.” He will then stare right ahead and then ask “What can I do for you, my little starlight?”, you will then get the option to ask him a set of 4 questions which each have a separate reply for them.

Question #1: “Do you always come out here at night?”

Reply #1: “I do. I come out here and admire the stars. I watch over you all to make sure you're safe."

Question #2: "Why do they call you The Entity?"

Reply #2: "I'm sorry, little starlight.. I cannot answer that question."

Question #3: "Why do you always carry a cane with you?"

Reply #3: "Ah, good question. I use it to write in the skies. I use it to create and destroy. But I can never destroy. It would hurt too much."

Question #4: "Why do you only appear in my dreams?"

Reply #4: "I prefer appearing in dreams over being there in real time. It's easier for me to travel from dream to dream."

After you finish asking him all four questions you'll then get two different options you may choose from.

Option #1: "I wish to return back to the valley."

Option #2: "I wish to stay a little longer."

Option #1 sequence: You will return to the spawn point in the valley and wake up the next morning to continue progressing in the game. This will also lead you to a screen asking if you would like to save your file.

Option #2 sequence: You will stay there sitting on the log for a little while longer with The Entity, there will be a short little cutscene where the player's character will be sitting there with The Entity, a soft tone of music will play in the background, at the end of the cutscene the player's character will end up falling asleep on The Entity's shoulder, The Entity will then smile and the cutscene will end. You will then wake up in the valley once more in your bed and you will then be given the option to save your file.

Quotes: "Hello, my little starlight." , "The stars are very bright tonight. I wonder if she's watching." , "Can't fall. But I can't fly either.." , "You are so very important to them." , "They can't know what I am. Neither can she." , "The storm is coming.. Be wary.. Be careful..”

> Open main menu

> When "new game" selected, prompt to name input.

> When player name is typed and "continue" has been selected, prompt to select personality traits. (Up to 3.)

[Selecting personality traits will determine what selections you can make for dialogue and/or action inputs.]

>If player stays on the personality selection screen for 1hr +, The Entity will have secret dialogue: "Would you like some help?" , "Tick, tick, tick, goes the big round clock.." , "Is everything okay over there? Are you in need of some assistance?" , "*sigh* Take your time. I have all the time in the universe.."

>When player enters name:

If name is entered as: G-Man, The Entity will have dialogue: "Ah.. my old friend, G'.. I haven't heard that name in what seems like forever.. I'm glad you're here, G'.”

[crqstalite]

rook update: her name is sabine, elf (because i cant fight the urge i love playing as one lol) , rogue, thinking maybe lords of fortune or shadow dragons … purple hawkey because i never played a fully humorous protag in DA.

self-serving, bit of an ass, definitely brushes off the important things for adventure + money of course (“good deeds don’t go about payin’ the bills, varric”). someone’s gonna try and teach her about the power of friendship LOL

i literally can’t decide who i want her with though i feel like every companion cooks in their own way so far SOB. i just know solas is gonna hate her as much as he did marzie lol

[imakemywings]

A+ Library: "Every Heart a Doorway" by Seanan McGuire

The reviews continue! Although this may be the last one for a while; I recently added about thirty new books to my TBR thanks to a library rec list, so I'll have to dig through some of those. However, I will say that so far, this has been my favorite of my ace/aro book list.

"A+ Library" is my bit where I review books with asexual and/or aromantic characters.

Previous review: The Bruising of Qilwa

The description of this book is:

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter. No matter the cost.

The character: Nancy Whitman, asexual

Verdict: Thumbs up!

The Asexual Rep This one falls somewhere between Loveless, which is all about the protag's identity, and The Bruising of Qilwa, which hardly touches on it at all. Protagonist Nancy is a self-declared asexual, something she states in such terms when her roommate nudges her about maybe wanting to have sex with a cute boy at the school. Obviously Nancy feels something for Kade, but she does privately think to herself as they grow closer that it might be complicated when her interest in physical intimacy doesn't go beyond kissing (however, she does have fun with a good flirt). However, romance is not a part of this book, and although Nancy might occasionally contemplate the idea that she has a crush on Kade, this story isn't about that.

Nancy, like many of the teens and young adults in this book, feels out of place in our world. That was what drew her to her fantasy realm (The Halls of the Dead) in the first place, and her time there only exacerbated the feeling when she did return to our world. I think this makes her, as a protagonist, particularly suited to an asexual story. As an asexual, I've often felt strange and out of place in a very sexual world, and I can understand, particularly as a teen or young adult, the allure of a world where you don't feel that way.

But within the school and among her peers, Nancy's asexuality is never what makes her odd.

The Rest This book obviously hit a nostalgia chord for me, because surprise surprise! I loved books about young girls falling into fantasy worlds and having crazy adventures well beyond their maturity levels growing up. This book made me think of every one of those stories I read growing up (Hello Alice, and May Bird, and Lucy, and Alyss, and Milo, and all the rest) and it felt like such a love letter both to those stories and to the children who cherished them growing up. I remember being a kid who wanted so badly to have an adventure like that. So I found it completely understandable that all of the characters in this book are desperate to get back to their fantasy realms. The one thing that unites them more than any other is the understanding that any of them would give anything to go back.

Growing up, I was always a little disappointed when the isekai protag returned home, but it was the way those stories always ended. Coming up the front steps of the childhood home, at once familiar yet now grown distant, a light on in the bedroom lit by parents still awaiting the child's return, and a deep breath as the protagonist steps back into their old life, now armed with new knowledge and maturity. But as a kid, I never thought that much about what happened after that moment.

This book does a marvelous job of exploring that. What it means for kids who have been through this, what it's like trying to resume an old life, and most of all, what it's like when you weren't ready to leave your fantasy realm behind. Each child went somewhere different, so they all have different stories to tell, but they all refer to those places as "home." 

I would have gladly read an entire book that focused exclusively on the emotional fallout of their return and the struggle to reintegrate into a world they had chosen to abandon, which made  the turn halfway through the book to a mystery feel slightly jarring in terms of genre shift. Nevertheless, the heightened stakes do give our former fantasy child protags a chance to shine, by using the skills they picked up on their adventures and proving that actually, sometimes they're exactly the people you want in a pinch.

I enjoyed the prose a lot; it's poetic without being clunky and very vivid, particularly in emotional terms.

Every Heart is the first in a ten book series, but it's also self-contained, so if you finish this one and feel satisfied, there's no requirement to read the others. I do plan to go on with the others though, because I found this one so delightful.

[goldensunset]

impressions of the opening movie:

•idk why i was expecting the one from the original black and white to play lol. of course they made a new one

•the original one really took me off guard bc it absolutely honed in on n at the beginning and all the dramatic coronation stuff. i mean he’s like The central character of course but you’d think they’d first draw you in with yippee fun pokémon adventure protagonist children fun creatures! and *then* switch to the antagonistic stuff. but no they made it clear right off the bat that this time they were gonna focus on a serious story. they put the fun stuff after that almost as if they were two separate movies

•that is to say, in black and white 2, it’s interesting that this time they’ve switched to more of the classic style of introducing our protags and starters with fun music and yippee!!! then the villain reveal etc. very tonally different from the original

•i like nate and rosa’s design a lot :) nate having a visor that shows the top of his hair makes him look a lot cooler than hilbert imo. otherwise they look quite similar. rosa’s like completely different from hilda but they’re both adorable. oh man it’s gonna be hard remembering that this protag is different from before and that’s actually so sad…

•kyurem doesn’t have the air that its components/children/whatever you call em do but it’s trying its best

•glad reshi and zek are still in this tho. kinda cool like comic book style art in here? neat

•and the swords of justice!

•neo team plasma looks really cool. i mean i think i like the og grunt uniform better actually but both are great. ghetsis isn’t in this vid but i know what he looks like in this game and it’s a huge improvement from last time

•shadow triad is still in this? hype

•i forgot colress was in this i was just expecting n and ghetsis again. right right it’s a new story and all that

•and a new rival hugh. right. i’m glad cheren and bianca are still in the story

•some evil yet cool music

[nirikeehan]

Thalia & Garrett Hawke - “I’ve got you!” from PUT THEM IN SITUATIONS XD Shenanigans

HEYO thank you for this prompt. I've always been curious about the Hawke you meet in the default Inquisition world state because for so long I believed he was just A Guy and not the protag of the previous game. So here's an attempt to capture that character as I saw him then.

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 1776

---

“Where did that damned Inquisitor go?” Hawke asked Varric. They sat in the shadow of a tumbledown stone tower, which seemed untouched since the time of the Second Blight. They were taking a break, Hawke had thought, for lunch. Only once he and Varric and the large Qunari had unwrapped their meager rations of stale bread and hard cheese, Lady Thalia Trevelyan was nowhere to be found. 

The Iron Bull lounged against a stone wall, taking a hearty sip of their precious canteen water. “Saw her go out that way.” He pointed. “Something about wanting to find out where that ladder we found near the canyon went.” 

“Bloody hell,” Hawke groused. “It’s the hottest part of the day. And there’s quillbacks and varghests about, not to mention darkspawn, bandits and the Venatori. And the girl goes off on her own?”

Varric chuckled from where he sat beside by the burnt out shell of an ancient ballista. “You didn’t have to come out here with us, Hawke. We have it all well in hand.” 

Hawke ground his teeth, biting back his response — that he’d seen Lady Thalia picking her current field team back at Griffon Wing Keep. He’d been aghast that she found it perfectly acceptable to head out into the simmering heat with his best friend, a Qunari spy, and a boy who couldn’t be a day over sixteen. (“It’s a bit more complicated than that with Cole,” Varric said unhelpfully when Hawke had complained.) 

Varric aside, Garrett Hawke didn’t trust the others as far as he could throw them, and so he’d heard himself volunteer to replace Cole, who’d been stymied by tying his own shoelaces after he’d shaken roughly an inch of sand from his boot. Now that Hawke had reported the enemy was gathering at Adamant Fortress, he’d needed something to keep him useful to the Inquisition in the mean time. Low-level mercenary work might have once felt beneath the Champion of Kirkwall, but these days, beggars could not be choosers. 

And the Inquisitor herself seemed like she needed all the help she could get. 

Hawke sighed, using his staff to leverage himself to his feet. He was regretting the layers of leather and metal he’d worn out to this Maker-forsaken corner of Thedas. He’d thought he was accustomed to warm climes after the years he’d spent in Kirkwall, but the boiling temperatures of the Western Approach were on another level entirely. “I suppose I’ll look for her.”  

“Don’t go making it sound like such a sacrifice,” Varric cracked. “Thalia’s fine. She just gets curious, is all.” 

He felt a pang of annoyance that Varric would act like he had a better read on anyone in their company than Hawke did. That had been a joint task, those years ago. And there had been a time when Hawke himself had delighted in the unknown, the adventure that might lie around every corner. Maker’s teeth, what’s happened to me?

“She’s young,” Hawke pointed out. “Maybe too young to be running an operation like this one.” 

“Yeah, maybe,” Varric conceded, chewing on a crust of bread. “But she’s got the energy for it. Not like us world-weary assholes.” 

Hawke trudged away, under the archway of the ruined tower, and out into the blinding orange sands. A scorching wind hit his face, ruffling his dark hair and getting grit under his beard. He stifled another sigh and wrapped the linen scarf he’d bought from a vendor at the keep around his face. He’d oft wondered why nomads in this part of the world dressed so, but soon the need for loose-fitting yet constant shade had become inescapable. 

He doubled back the way the party had come, using the prints in the sand to guide him. Four sets of tracks approached, already fading into the rippled dunes. Only one fresher set led away, the side approximately that of a young woman’s boot. Hawke noted they were headed in the direction of the wide canyon, likely proving Iron Bull right. 

Why must the girl climb every ladder she sees? Hawke wondered as he marched. It was a near compulsion, it seemed to him. Maker help them if there was no ladder, but only a ruined wall, or tower, or statue, or even a peculiarly shaped tree. Up she went, climbing with gusto and abandon, on the most rickety of structures, beaming down at the party with a lady-like wave. At least the Tevinter mage and the dour Grey Warden had the sense to tell her she was being foolhardy. Varric seemed oddly endeared and far too indulgent, the way he’d gotten with Merrill back in Kirkwall. Some to think of it, there was a bit of Merrill’s bright spirit in Lady Thalia. As well as her recklessness. But more than that, she reminded Hawke of someone else. Someone he tried not to think of for too long. Dwelling on the past, he’d learned, didn’t wake the dead. 

He reached the lip of the canyon, where the soft sand gave way to hard rock and Thalia’s footprints disappeared. He had to rely on memory from here on out.

Hawke found the ladder jutting from an outcropping of rock, leading to a splintery scaffolding well above his head. “Lady Thalia?” he called impatiently. “Are you up there?”

“Ser Hawke?” floated the girl’s faint voice on the wind. “Is that you?”

Hawke grabbed a rung and began to climb. “You know, I’m not technically a ser. I was never knighted.” 

No, the Champion of Kirkwall had been everything except officially recognized for his accomplishments. Every authority figure in the blasted city came to him for aid, but it was Varric who saw to it that he had lasting recognition. For all the good that had done him. 

Hawke climbed to the top of the ladder, where a rickety scaffolding straddled the space between two cliff faces. Another ladder led down into the crevice, which led to a sudden drop off into the gargantuan gorge they’d been skirting all day. Thalia stood near the edge gazing out on the blighted landscape. The Western Approach had never quite recovered from the Second Blight, that much was clear. Ominous smoke clouds drifted overhead at odd parts of the day, and some areas were still scorched black. 

Thalia gazed upon one such speck in the landscape now, the hot breeze pulling back the strands of auburn hair that fell into her face. Hawke climbed down carefully, frowning at the uneven quality of the structure. “Have you found anything interesting?” 

“Oh, loads. A mosaic piece under that scaffolding, for starters. And do you see the mark of the Blight, over on the other side of the canyon? It’s a living piece of history, right there.” 

“I’m not sure about the living part.” Hawke had seen a lot out here in the Approach, and couldn’t shake how most of it was dead. Bleached white bones of those long deceased. Abandoned remnants of mines, quarries, outposts, forts. At first Hawke wasn’t sure that Serault fellow was even truly alive, behind the obscuring mask. “But I’m… glad you’re getting something out of it.”

He couldn’t bring himself to scold her, although he wanted to. But he had no right; she was not a troublesome sibling, strayed too far from home. Hawke strode up behind Lady Thalia, and tried to see the landscape as she saw it, scowling when he failed miserably. 

“So,” Thalia said, turning to him. “What do you need?”

“Need? Ah, nothing.” He crossed his arms and avoided her gaze. 

The young woman frowned. “You came all this way… and you don’t need anything?” 

Hawke shrugged. “Is it a crime to wonder if you’d be all right by yourself?”

“Are you worried about me, Ser Hawke?” Her voice was light and teasing, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Something flickered inside Hawke; a lightness he hadn’t felt in so long he’d forgotten himself capable. 

“Listen,” he said gruffly. “With the position you’re in, we can’t afford to lose you.”

“I appreciate that.” The way she said it made him suspect she was merely being polite.

An awkward silence stretched, during which Hawke struggled to come up with something else to say. Instead, he thought of Bethany, her bright smile and cheeky demeanor, that damn bandana she always wore around her neck. There was too much of her memory wound up in his perception of this girl, he was beginning to see it now. But who could blame him, when in reality they seemed so much alike. 

Thalia looked away first, down the chasm that stretched out before them. “Hey— hang on, do you see that?” 

“What?” Hawke peered over the side, to where Thalia was pointing, and a cold trickle of dread wound its way down his spine. On an outcropping of rock, twenty or so feet down, was a pile of skeletons. All of a sudden, he wondered what the scaffolding, the ladders, this entire strange little establishment in the middle of nowhere meant, in the past or in the present. “Maker have mercy.” 

“I need to get down there,” Thalia said with impressive resolve. “I need to see how recent this was. Maybe there’s something there that can tell us who these people were.” 

“Thalia, I wouldn’t.” The side of the cliff had nothing in the way of footholds. The outcropping itself seemed narrow and unsteady, and beyond it was a drop that would surely kill anyone. 

But she was already pacing the space, looking for a way to climb down. “I think if I just braced myself like this—”

She planted her boot against the rock, but lost purchase and slid out from under her. In horror, Hawke watched her fall. Without thinking, he reached out into the open air, seized her arm. She let out a yelp, but stopped short, banging against the cliff face. Hawke jerked with the weight of her momentum, but seized the wall for support. “Hold on. Hold on, I’ve got you.” 

It took a few harrowing moments to rebalance themselves, but Hawke managed to drag Thalia back over the edge. She stumbled against him, panting, trousers torn and knees bloody. Hawke grabbed her shoulders to steady her. “Thanks,” she muttered, clinging to him and catching her breath. 

“See what I told you?” Hawke demanded. “You’ve got to be more careful.”

“You don’t have to be so self-righteous about it,” Thalia retorted. “Who do you think you are, my father?” 

Hawke opened his mouth, but words failed him, so he closed it. That wasn’t a can of worms he wanted to open. Not now, not ever. 

[wizardbracket]

Round 2: Match 11 of 32

Why they deserve to be the ultimate wizard according to YOU:

Ged:

Vanquished (so far): Raistlin Majere

"Ged breaks your heart in a good way every book"

"Ged didn't become archmage and then quit to go herd goats to lost a poll bracket"

"Ged is a POC queer protag ... he's arguably one of the most powerful beings IN Earthsea and he learns wisdom above all else which tempers him"

“The mix of pride and wounds. The gentleness and power. The greatness and the goats. I love my boy so much.”

“He is simply a little wizard guy who goes on little wizard adventures and journeys of self-discovery.”

“This man went to wizard school and beat up his own shadow”

Marcia:

Vanquished (so far): Alther Mella

"every day. EVERY DAY! i think about that paragraph in either darke or fyre that was like 'yeah she was a really weird kid"

"vote marcia she's the coolest bitch everrrrrr"

“It's her literal title: She is The ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Other qualifying factors: She wears purple python skin boots. She's also impatient and scares people with her presence easily (without meaning to). A true HIBC.”

“She's the ExtraOrdinary Wizard in the book series, which means she's the Wizard In Charge!  Trains the main character, fantastic at magic, has purple crocodile boots, I went as her once for halloween. 10/10 excellent wizard“

[hxhhasmysoul]

So after reading ur Killua and Gojou post and some of ur other JJK and/or JJK stuff. I find ur post (which I think u mentioned in ur Killua and Gojou post, which is why I hunted for it. I was curious) where u talk about and/or where Leorio and Gojou is compared (for some reason). And in the tags of that post I think u mentioned how people compare Killua and Megumi. And how, that is also (kind of) insulting to Killua.

Which, I have seen some stuff comparing them (though, I don't remember them too well, and I don't think I read them too carefully. But remember just being like, huh? to them. Because I was kind of surprised people were comparing them (they don't even really look like. At least Killua and Gojou share some physical traits. Though they still look pretty different), but I wasn't too bugged by it.

But after finding out a bit more about Megumi and JJK, I am kind of like, yeaahhhh, I am not sure I super like the comparison anymore. I don't hate it, but I am not sure I like it too much either anymore (nothing against Megumi btw, I am just not that big of a fan of the comparison between Killua and him anymore. Killua, for one, is way more of a strategist and/or planner when it comes to fights and other stuff imo. Though, I get that is partially because of the point of Megumi's character, and Megumi's own issues. And them just being different characters. There are other reasons why I find the comparison off between them though). Got anything to say like ur Killua and Gojou post? If u don't, that is cool too.

Same as with the Gojou comparison, Killua shares really little with Megumi. Neither has great childhood but in very different ways. Megumi gets neglected and passed from carer to carer while Killua gets smothered with toxic love and attention.

Megumi is tired of people, he doesn't seek them out, though he wants to be sought out... like he's that annoying friend XD. Killua wants friends, he wants to be with people even if his social battery is low. But he will seek them out, not isolate himself.

Megumi has low emotional intelligence, he creates images of what people are like in his head, like he did with Tsumiki. While Killua's is really good at observing what people are really about, his emotional intelligence is really high.

Megumi likes reading and nothing else much, okay, not fair he's obsessed with developing some kind of value system for himself. Killua likes adventures and skateboarding and video games.

Their powers actually reflect that in a sense, Megumi's allow him to hide in the shadow and spend time with his imagination, Killua's powers reflect his suffering and his need to run - first run from then run towards when he goes through a transformation.

Megumi can be moody and detached but he's not sad and melancholic like so many fics portray him. He's actually pretty sharp and mean. He finds himself intellectually superior from others. He seems to have this attitude that he's more mature than his peers, he really isn't though.

Killua can also be arrogant but in much more bratty way. He's very much a kid. He can be loud and petty. He can also be soft and caring. He also gets emoboyed in fics a lot.

I think people can't help themselves and compare characters, look for patterns. I personally don't feel the need. In shounen there is this pattern of plucky protag and the moody/broody other (friend, antagonist, rival ...) but it's very superficial in my opinion and reading too much into it is really an exercise in ignoring most of the character to force a comparison. These kinds of comparisons annoy me because they are so reductive. They don't care about the story and the characters.

[plural-swag-competition]

Going to list names of all the entries that had more than one submission. Let us know if any others should go to vote before we figure out the bracket. This does include some that are already being voted on for inclusion. These will be copy/pasted directly from submissions to minimize how much typing we have to do.

Note that we're more worried about a system existing due to the "evil alter" trope than we are about systems that happen to be antagonists and have done bad things. As part of one of the submissions said:

made funnier by the fact that it's one evil guy... and one even eviler guy. the "but wait ! there's more !" of bad guys

This is also a chance to let us know if we counted a system two different times in this. The Red vs Blue ones in particular is what we're worried about mistaking here. We do not want to accidentally put a system into the bracket twice.

Shallan Davar/Veil/Radiant - The Stormlight Archive

Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama - Mob Psycho 100

Yugi Mutou & Atem - Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Moon Knight System (Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lochley) - Moon Knight Marvel Comics

Frisk/Chara - Undertale

Raphael Hamato - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Paper (+ EP) - Inanimate Insanity

Greed/Ling - Fullmetal Alchemist

Harrier Du Bois - Disco Elysium

Sunny/Omori - OMORI

Arthur Lester / John Doe - Malevolent Podcast

Link (Green, Red, Blue, Vio, and I personally include Shadow in this, though he wasn't split, he was mirrored!) - The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures

Sora/Roxas/Ventus/Vanitas - Kingdom Hearts

ENA - ENA

Uendo Toneido (Uendo & Patches & Kisegawa & Owen) - Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Blitzwing - Transformers: Animated

dr alto clef - SCP wiki

Leonard Church - Red vs Blue

Cassie O'Pia - Psychonauts 2

Bruce banner/hulk/joe fixit/devil hulk - Marvel comics

Link/Deku Butler’s Son/Darmani III/Mikau/Fierce Deity - LoZ Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Hojo Emu, Tensai Gamer M, Parado (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) (Body name Hojo Emu) - Kamen Rider Ex-Aid

The Warrior of Light - Final Fantasy XIV

c!ranboo - DSMP/Dream SMP

Yellow Guy - Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

toko fukawa/genocider syo - Danganronpa

Madeline & Mirrorline!!!! - Celeste

Darcy Wu - Amphibia

Sakaki Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, Yuuri - Body is Sakaki Yuya (technically this is one vote for the anime and one for the manga, but we're counting it as two) - Yugioh Arc-V

Jaden Yuki/Haou Jaden/Yubel - Bodyname Jaden Yuki - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Malik Ishtar (x2) - Yu-Gi-Oh!

Mike/Chester/Vito/Svetlana/Manitoba/Mal - Total Drama

Peter Nureyev - The Penumbra Podcast

Epsilon - Red vs Blue

Ford Cruller - Psychonauts

Goldia die Heilige/Fleta/Harpae/Lisette - Pocket Mirror

Akira Kurusu / Ren Amamiya / Joker (honestly we're just gonna count this one as "wildcards" because the more recent protags from this series are all equally plural, but we know that Joker would win a popularity contest of them.) - Persona

the sunken - Oxenfree

Edward Teach - Our Flag Means Death

Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde - Monster High

Mikoto Kayano - Milgram

Patrick and Rey Sprigs - Megaman Starforce

the Legion system (David Haller and headmates) - Marvel/X-Men Comics

Triad/Luornu Durgo - LoS Legion of Superheroes Post-Zero Hour run/1993-2003 run

Vyncent “Virion” Sol - Just Roll With It: Prime Defenders

Diavolo and Dopplio (though the second literally said "NOT Diavolo" so. Hm) - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

One-One - Infinity Train

Alluka and Nanika Zoldyck - Hunter x Hunter

Calliope/Caliborn - Homestuck

Gray Reverse - Helios: Rising Heroes

Raiden Ei/Raiden Shogun - Genshin Impact

Sylvie Ashling and Dr. Beefton - Epithet Erased

Kris and the SOUL - Deltarune

Hajime Hinata/Izuru Kamukura - Super Dangan Ronpa 2

BMO - Adventure Time

[summertimemusician]

*is rereading the Four Swords Adventures Manga again to refresh self after replaying Pocket Mirror (RPG Maker Game)*

*Almost drops coffee* Oh holy Hylia. Enjel and Shadow could talk.

Created by the person who's basically the main antagonist? Check.

Fifth secret part out of a protagonist split into four? Check.

Is forced to follow after the protagonist in shadow/reflection like fashion and hates every second of it to the point they're willing to lie and manipulate to take their place? Check.

Wants that specifically because they're jealous and never were love or wanted in their life, so they desperately want someone, anyone to look at them like they're worth something, no matter what they have to do for it desperately craving the love they've seen someone else get even if it's not real because they've just taken over/are pretending to be that person? Check.

Dies tragically due to shattering? Sometimes only getting the care they've wanted through that death after being swayed into not fulfilling their original purpose and returning to the protagonist? Triple check.

That or it's the sleep deprivation making me see parallels between two artificial beings created from the shadow of the protagonist and has a strong association with mirrors.

... Now I want a Zelda/Linked Universe Pocket Mirror Au, with Four/Four Swords Link as the protagonist (or Green as the protag) and Shadow in Enjel's role, or maybe Lisette's (though I feel Blue or Vio would be better for Lisette), Vaati can be the Pumpkin King he's dramatic enough for it, though I dunno which colors would best fit Fleta and Harpae. Maybe Link's Father or Dot made the deal this run around? I can absolutely see Shadow describing Four as "Mr.Goody Two Shoes" through a mirror, or any of the endings being played out by them.

[sumbier0]

You're someone, although not finished, is a GREAT mspfa thats actuallly not related to homestuck, just its own story. And I quite enjoyed it so I will talk about it.

A short description: You're someone. Literally. And with that someone you go and discover the world, meeting friends along the way. And of course, the someone slowly discuverse themselves... A lot chaos ensues with awesome worldbuilding!

Before I go into spoiler territory, I NEED to gush about how pretty panels get as you go along!! The colors and shading!!! Its so simple yet so neat!! Just look at this:

[Credit of course goes to the author of this mspfa, Kingarthur_I]

!!!!!!Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!

Okay now I'm gonna talk about more specific things. First off, the world as a whole! We slowly learn more about it along with our protagonist,which I personslly quite enjoyed - we piece everything together, and little snippets of knowledge get always fun. And that world - eveyrhting in it is made of light... although it gets complicated. Anyhow, even people are made fro light! But as I said, it gets more complicated.

Theres actually a different world, an antithesis to our "lightverse". Darkverse, where everyhting is made out of dark matter. And we actually meet someone from there early on in the adventure: Hex! [Love this critter] Dark matter is way more chaotic, and takes on apprioparately more chaotic froms than light - for example, fire.

And thats just core bits of this adventures world!

Anyhow, I also enjoyed all characters and their dynamics! Hex and Simplex friendship is so important to me, friends no matter what :]

Our protag also later meets Hail and all their interactions are very funky. Myriad and Hail were friends long ago, but one of them left to a 4th dimensional world [ekhem Hail]. Hes just chilling until protag comes in and noe Hails just having fun showing him around. And getting suprised at how quickly protag is grasping new stuff. Hey I didnt even mention earlier, but at that point protag is named hedron. And can warp space.

The "reveal" [nudge to?] Hex being a dark matter being was neat, very subtle. You just assume at first that his head is shown like that becUsw of his helmets shadow. But then you see simplex [another on with a helmet] and go: wait. They are nit like that. By the time I think there was some mention of dark matter so you connect the dots and wait to see what Hex can do then.

The 4th dimensional place if also fun! Theres also some invisible guy that gave Hedron an interesting offer later [no I wont elaborate] :]

I would maybe say more about the 'ending' part of the comic, but they arent finished so I dont think I will hehe.

Each new place intruduced to us is interesting! Pacing of the story is great! All characters are absolute highlight ! Once again I reccomend this fanadventure with all my heart :]