#since.. I figured out how to get her to be here on the overworld ^-^

[isa-ghost]

I had a dream that Phil joined another smp and we eneded up getting more q!Phil lore and now that I woke up I'm lamenting it's not real ;;;;

Bits I remember is him reaching the End with someone else through almost a glitch? Like they were leaving the nether just as a ghast tried exploding the portal and it took them theyre. But like Phil finds a message for him in there? With a green feather in it.

So he follows the message and finds a secret base in the Overworld where he runs into Chay and Lullah???? But as if theyd hatched and became proper players. And it seems fine cause it's Sunmin and Ama voicing them but Phil feels a bit wary (and theres a point where "Lullah" makes a joke in portuguese instead of spanish and Phil corrects her) so the vibes are that it's something mimicking them or straight up hallucinations.

And after he leaves we get revealed that he's still somewhat possesed by the Ender King???? As in the jerk figured out a way to do the more subtle possesion and just influencing Phil and making him forget chunks of time where he was more in control.

I was gonna get villain Phil in my dream and now i'll never know how it goes ;;;;;;

Holy shit that's sick??? Omg???

Allow me to take thos and run for a moment, imagine with me real quick:

My personal belief is that person he went to the Nether/End with was Fit or Etoiles. Or maybe Pierre. Those are largely the people he'd break shit with.

I fuck SO HARD with "Ender King never fully left Phil's body, he left a shred of himself in him Just In Case and it's undetectable (for now)."

I don't know why I'm so stuck on the green feather. Like... Who or what could that be? Idk why I'm so hooked on it, something about that is just so compelling but I've got nothing as to how to run with it. Though for him to find the feather with the message and then find the kids hatched,,, Idk, maybe Chayanne has feathery wings that are green (bc you KNOW Lullah's would be purple).

Also possibly fake Chayanne and Lullah ooouuuuhhhh... Consider: It IS them but that shred of Ender King is amplifying Phil's already usually easy-to-trigger paranoia. Not to mention we don't know how long after QSMP this is, the kids could have plenty of time to change and learn. It'd make sense that Lullah would want to carry on her memory of the Brazilians by learning Portuguese and even if not that, it's not unreasonable to say that During QSMP she could've picked up plenty of Portuguese things from the Brazilians themselves. It's just that Phil has never heard (or perhaps doesn't remember ;D) her making such references.

This is post-QSMP ending since you said it was a new SMP. This is post Death Family finale. As far as Phil knows, his kids are either dead, asleep forever, or hatched into crows back home in Hardcore. How could they have left there to hatch? It's too good to be true. He refuses to believe it's them (at first) because he doesn't want to get his hopes up. He doesn't want to reopen that wound, it's not even closed yet in the first place!

AND THE SPICE OF HIM STILL BEING PARTIALLY POSSESSED. THE KIDS NOT KNOWING YET AND HAVING TO REALIZE IN REAL TIME AND HAVE THE HORROR DAWN ON THEM. AUGH. Like when they see him for the first time, it's SO CLEAR he's doing TERRIBLE and not even just because of the partial possession.

He hasn't been readjusting well to being alone in Hardcore again. He's disheveled, he clearly hasn't been sleeping well, he's closed off, standoffish, a little cold. Not the warm, chill, smiley father still fresh in their minds. He's resistant to making new friendships on this new SMP because he hasn't overcome the pain of saying goodbye in QSMP and is he Hyperaware that eventually he'll have to say goodbye again here and he Does Not Want To. He is just Not doing well mentally and you can physically see it when you look at him.

The fucking spice of the kids not being around to be vigilant and catch that shred of EK sooner, the fact that Phil's been in such a bad state that EK has just been free to fester inside him. And you KNOW the kids would blame themselves for not being around to be vigilant.

Phil doesn't know EK is still hiding in his body yet, he doesn't Know what's festering inside of him, and it's actually hard to say if he'd do anything about it if he Did know because he's so depressed and hurt, he's still grieving. After all, in canon, Phil was very upfront with the kids post-possession that if anything ever happened to them again, he'd give up and just let EK take him.

But I bet you Chayanne and Lullah would remember him saying that as soon as they clock that there's a shred of EK lurking in their dad. And they'd be TERRIFIED that it's on the verge of becoming a reality.

Dude your dream is COOKING, even without me taking it and stretching it out like this. I'm going insane. /pos

[fell-court]

Today was largely spent in Ishgard, hanging out with friends and doing various things - I think we've all been pretty productive across the board today, which has been nice!

Just recently, I took these fun screenshots with @soothingmind (as Nimda) and @voidgearr (as new OC Arlecchino), being a trio of reapers ^-^ Zero was there as well in the first one, as you can see!~

Nimda and S'ria (@snow-system-wol) also took up positions for a snowy Samurai duel on the selfsame platform, though I think our queue popped before any blows could actually be dealt..

[goldenocie]

People gave me encouragement here’s more ideas about the Pokémon AU. This is a sorta long post but I’m just cooking

Alerion is dead. Like 100% dead. Team Aether is being ran by Soraza and the twins and it’s not going great. They know he was murdered but aren’t sure who did it. Fable, Enderian, and Netherum have all pointed fingers at one another but the police don’t have any leads.

Rae, Sherb, Athena, and Ari all left home to go on Pokémon adventures for varying different reasons and with different reactions from their parents.

Netherum and Soul could not be more proud of Athena and have given him Pokémon since he was little. They’re sad to see them go but they imagine great things for their little Prince. Any team Nether operants who see them out in the field are happy to lend a hand!

Rae left to go study Pokémon and the effects that psychic and dark type Pokémon have on the world around them. Enderian approves of his research but wishes he would stay home. Truth be told Rae knows there’s something dark going on in Team End but doesn’t know how to confront his mom on it.

Icarus ran away. They were always told the other teams were not to be trusted and the Overworld Foundation would help make a better future without them. However, after running into a former member of team end (Centross) who said some incriminating things about their father and having their life saved by the heir of team nether (Athena) they began to see through the cracks. Ic grabbed his Pokémon team and left in the middle of the night. Luckily they’re not alone as Ven saw them leave and realizing that he might get in trouble with his boss if his son dies…Ven decided to go with them. Ven does not know how to Pokémon battle…yet.

Ari set out to try to find out what happened with Alerion. Soraza gladly sent her on her way with multiple Pokémon and a lengthy tutorial. Ari knows something weird is going on with the other teams and what better way to find out than to befriend the children of their leaders? And she just happened to find one out in the wild traveling with a high clearance employee of the Overworld Foundation.

Might make comics or fics- idk. I figured I’d give bare bones ideas for now though lol

[tokiro07]

That reply I got on my last Zelda post made me realize that I was only thinking about the story elements for potential Zelda-led games and not the mechanics of those games. I touched on it a bit in my reply, but I wanted to dive a little bit deeper into it here

As in Echoes of Wisdom, the goal here is to find gameplay styles that de-emphasize direct combat or physical dexterity, though we don't need to completely eschew them either (even EoW Zelda throws boulders around, after all)

Skyward Sword: a common complaint with Skyward Sword was the lack of content in the sky, so I think revisiting that through Zelda herself would be a great idea. Getting to spend more time with the Loftwings would be fun too, so I'd like them to play an active role within the dungeons. To that end, I'm thinking something inspired by Team Ico's The Last Guardian would work well, with the goal being to guide and instruct the Loftwing to perform tasks, requiring the player to pay attention to its mannerisms in order to gain some semblance of control

Minish Cap: the shrinking mechanic in the original was already a game-spanning puzzle in and of itself, so revisiting that could work well for Wisdom gameplay. To differentiate it, though, I might recommend expanding it to include shrinking and growing other objects, maybe a little bit like Superliminal but on a smaller scale. Or Zelda could just be shrunk down the entire time and needs to figure out how to navigate the world around her

Four Swords/Adventures: FSA ended with Zelda talking about learning a lesson about teamwork and some such, so this could either be another co-op game where the players need to coordinate with each other, or one player would be given multiple characters to work with at once and need to keep track of them all, like the single player in Tri Force Heroes. Honestly, my problem with TFH was that it was clearly not designed for single player, so if they revisited that concept with that explicit intention, I think they could have something solid

Ocarina of Time: obviously this would be Sheik stealth game. Oracle of Seasons already had minor stealth segments, so if you expand that concept into something more akin to the classic Metal Gear games, being more focused on observation, reaction and improvization than pure memorization, I think you'd really have something

Link Between Worlds: again, the 2D/3D puzzles of the original were already exactly the kind of thing we're looking for, so if the developers felt in any way that they hadn't fully explored the concept, like giving Zelda the ability to actually perform actions in 2D rather than simply moving, I think it would be worth revisiting

Zelda 1/Adventure of Link: similar to my idea for Four Swords, I think this one would best focus on the dichotomy between the two co-existing Zeldas, so perhaps an It Takes Two approach with each character having unique abilities would be best. Again, this is a good opportunity for co-op, but I'd like it if they could be controlled simultaneously, like in FSA. Maybe something more like Mario & Luigi's overworld segments, where they're both moving at the same time and different buttons are assigned to each character to activate their unique abilities. We don't really know enough about either of these Zeldas to conjecture what powers they'd have, but if we go off of Zelda I being under a sleep curse, maybe something to do with stillness vs. motion? Like one can make things stop and the other can make things speed up? It would take some workshopping, but I see potential here

Twilight Princess: knowing so little about the Twilight Realm, I'm envisioning labyrinthian architecture, where pathfinding is the name of the game. Given the predilection for darkness, perhaps light-based puzzles would be in order

Wind Waker: this one has the best reason to expand into combat for sure since Tetra is a fighter, but coordinating with her crew to perform tasks either for puzzle-solving or combat would be a perfect way to incorporate her Wisdom into the gameplay. Maybe there would be naval battles where steering the ship in the right way or firing the cannons at the right time would help fend off enemies. Maybe on land, resource management of ammunition and other supplies would be something the player has to be mindful of, or Tetra can bring two or three of her crew along at a time like the Sages in TotK to use their abilities

Spirit Tracks: the Phantoms were already pretty much exactly what we're looking for, so I think just coming up with new Phantoms and level designs would be sufficient. Rearranging the Spirit Tracks themselves for more efficient navigation could also be fun, but I don't know if most fans want land development in their Zelda games

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom: I already said in my last post that the Ancient Power system in TotK would have worked as a Wisdom mechanic, so again, any enhancement or refinement therein should probably go to Zelda

If I were a professional, I'm sure I could come up with something a lot more workable than these high concepts, but my main goal with this thought exercise was just to see how the extant stories could be used to make new ones, and I definitely see a lot of areas of opportunity

Of these, I personally like the Skyward Sword idea best, I like what Last Guardian was going for and would really like to see the concept explored by other developers

[turtlemagnum]

i saw this post going around about undertale character height comparisons using overworld sprites, which is all well and good but i think that might not be the full story? it mildly contradicted what i saw in the battle sprites, which is a bit off so here's my take on it. note: im not good enough at math nor do i have the patience to do pixel measurements, so i'm gonna do something we in the biz like to call "eyeballing" and "rough estimation", if anybody wants to make this scientific feel free to add!

now, if you look at the below sprites, you'll see that undyne is about as tall at the top of her head as asgore's horns reach their top. if she got up on her toes, she could probably put her chin on the top of both asgore and toriel's heads, since they're roughly the same height. alphys and sans are the shortest here, at about the same height; which matches up with their overworld sprite. their overworld sprites are also roughly the same height as all the child characters, so i'd say they're both roughly 4 feet tall judging based off of loose proportions and how tall kids tend to be. if we take this roughly 4 feet tall figure to its logical limit, since toriel, asgore and papyrus are all about the same height and are roughly 1.8x the size of the short people, that'd make them roughly 6 and a half to 7 feet tall. since undyne is roughly 2x their size (sans and alphys are roughly eye level with her hips), i'd say she's roughly 8 or so feet tall

it's also worth noting that asgore looks like he might be a bit hunched over, so maybe if he straightened out his posture he'd be about as tall as undyne. the same goes for alphys, though i feel like she'd be more chest height. this is, of course, speculation, but i really like the idea of alphys getting startled and straightening out her back and she gains like a foot in height.

now, why did i make this post? in short, i love it when people draw undyne as really tall and wish more people would do it, and also i get kinda annoyed whenever people draw toriel as like half the damn size as asgore. both of them are built like goddamn refrigerators, and while i'm not gonna tell you how to draw, i am absolutely going to silently judge you and then probably move on with my life the second i scroll past. also, again, if you draw undyne as tall and buff i love you forever

[grailknightmonty]

strange dreams, the feeling of being unknown

(an in-character lore piece for the Mianite RPG)

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

It's been a month since I've been like truly awake. Aurelia can't explain it, and neither can I. It’s like I’m not here at all, or that I’m not strong enough to exist on the same plane as everyone else. But it's not weakness, nor is it some kind of exhaustion.

It’s just a weight unlike anything I’ve felt before. Jumping in and out of reality mentally, but thank god, not physically.

I’ve returned somewhat to being a hermit, being away from everyone else as much as I can. I don’t really understand what’s keeping me away, but maybe I don’t want to know.

The other guardians can't know what’s been going on. If the legion finds out, I don’t imagine Dianite will be very forgiving with how I’ve become. I mean- I don’t know if they miss me. I don’t want my friends to worry, so I’ve told Aurelia to not tell anyone.

When she went to Nibiru, I just told her to say that I was getting some rest, working on things when I got the chance.

And I don’t think I want them to know.

The thing is, I haven’t dreamed like this in a long time.

But they always start the same.

I’m back home on Astrakhiens. A quiet hum develops through the reeds, lacugrove trees and lilypads, accompanied by a ripple that runs across the surface of the lake. I’m drawn to the reflection of the ender nebula on the water’s surface more than I remember being before, the acquiescent oranges and violet hues dancing across my field of vision, interrupted only by luminescent particles which shine with the same sparkle as the stars in the sky.

Sunflowers my mom had planted the last time she visited me prior to the final stages of the portal experiments still grow in that small patch. The only breed that can grow in End, she had told me, the only breed that could survive the cold of the Void without the sun which had gave it its name.

My old house stands as it always has, a certain surface-of-the-sea like glisten to the smaragdant roof tiles above walls of flavolite, vines from lost time crawling down the corners, tucked kindly away between tree bark. As I turn my head to peer through the lilac stained glass though, the figure inside isn’t me.

The person standing in my house, tinkering with my things isn’t me.

His hair resembles the void as if it were set ablaze, wisps of violet and orange flame flickering off his body with every movement. He’s draped in robes of cerulean, gold and white, engraved with a foreign runic language. The claws on his feet dig deep into the moss on the flooring I never made an attempt to repair. While I cannot see myself, or am sure if I’m even there, I can feel the glass heating up as he approaches the windows.

The closer I get, the less familiar I feel to myself, and I see a face, not my face, appear like a mirage in between gold plated framing.

I don’t remember enough to describe what looked back at me.

What’s more interesting is how the foliage behind me changes as well.

This time, I’m back in the overworld in a flattened limestone cove overlooking the sea on a set of smooth stone stairs. Behind me sits a lighthouse made of copper and maroon wood, at its base sitting a humble stone and spruce home with red windows. A soft sea breeze blows, a subtle clicking awakening the lights throughout the building. Something about this particular structure does not feel inviting. I occasionally can spot a fox and turtle wandering about the red carpet inside, but the doors are never unlocked, despite there being no indication of redstone that would keep it closed.

Most times instead, I am inclined to follow the pathway around the intentionally crafted coastline, adorned with glowing copper ore, which leads me into a winding river laden ravine, cliffsides climbing high into the sky. The farther down this ravine I walk, the more reminiscent of home it starts to feel.

At some point, I reach a house buried deep into the side of the mountain, adorned by peculiar stone walls, and green bamboo tile roofs. It appears desolate, as if no one has lived in it for years. The animal pen to just to the right is inhabited by only two chickens, who for reasons I can’t explain seem spry as ever, as if they were just born.

I have no idea who this home belonged to, but I am always inclined to step inside, only to be met by an open floor, full of dusty chests and half crafted tools, enchantments and redstone scattered about the ground left unfinished- as if their owner had left in a hurry, and without finding a resolution that i think they maybe have had desired. Laments of a time long gone are inscribed into the walls broken by what appears to be unsystematic explosions, creating craters without specific intent.

Within moments of exploring the interiors, dusting off surfaces, the walls of the house seem to close in on me, slowly gaining in rapidity and I am forced to burst through stained and mossy oak doors which had once been rusted copper only moments before.

Stumbling into the woods with empty hands.

I am met by what appears to be overgrown farmland. Unlike the place before, there is not a single animal to be found. What might have been a pool before with a diving board hundreds of meters into the sky is the only thing that looks even remotely normal- the water clear as it can be, a small assortment of tropical fish making its home amongst the rough edged coral and cobblestone at its floor. Above me, runs a network of haphazardly placed dirt and stone bridges connecting three main buildings I think; all together forming the shape of a lightning bolt if someone looked at it from the sky.

The first few times I had this dream, I used to think the thick overgrowth that I find myself sinking into, as if gravity suddenly took a stronger hold of me was comprised of grass, flowers, the kind of thing that grows if you leave your lawn unkempt for long enough.

But it was this past night that I realized it was sunflowers. Stems, leaves, shoots and flowers both fully blossomed and dead petals littering the ground beneath my feet.

Nothing but sunflowers.

It’s then when I look up towards the sky, expecting storm clouds stretching towards the horizon to be the cause of a sudden onset darkness that had blocked the sky, the only light now coming from a lava feature across from the main house, netherrack spilling out of the crackled obsidian portal that sat at its center adorned by just the slightest bit of nether foliage.

Instead I am met by the soft glow of stars, the gentle hum of the void and the enigmatic glow of a forming ender nebula coming over the edge of the world.

The ground beneath me shifts into something like a cerulean ocean set on fire, glowing with abstract patterns of aqua and cyan, my footsteps leaving ripples across it. The water itself is shallow, I don’t sink, I don’t swim, I just simply stand on its surface.

I feel inclined to keep going, as I walk across a barren nothing for what feels like hours. Eventually, a face appears in the sky- A pair of pearlescent eyes, surrounded by a multicolor iridescent nebula, ever shifting. A symbol not unlike to the one on that appeared on the back of my shirt manifests above her head between curls, and one by one purple eyes appear across their cheeks.

Never once has the face spoken to me, but always waits till I get close, offers his hand-

And I wake up again.

[omegawizardposting]

Since I've been playing it again lately, here are my criticisms of Tears of the Kingdom:

The events of Breath of the Wild are almost never mentioned. None of the Sheikah tech remains, either on the surface or below ground. The Divine Beasts are simply gone. TotK, therefore, ends up feeling less like a sequel to BotW and more like a second pass, like what they wanted BotW to be originally.

Adding onto the above point, why do some characters seem to have completely forgotten Link? Characters like Hestu and Bolson have no idea who Link is. Link, the Champion of Hyrule. Link, who defeated Ganon and freed Princess Zelda. Link, inarguably the most famous person in Hyrule, second only to its literal ruler.

The Depths are pretty boring. There are some points of interest, like boss rematches and the Master Kohga storyline, but there's not a whole lot to do down there.

Speaking of the Depths, why are they so goddamn big? Did they really need to be the same size as the overworld? Did every Shrine have to connect to a Light Root? Sky exploration was a major part of the game's advertising, and yet there's even less to do up there, because they make up such a miniscule portion of the map. The resources dedicated to the Depths should have gone to fleshing out the overworld and sky.

Ultrahand can be pretty janky and could have benefited from a bit more tweaking.

Quick selecting items, weapons, and shields becomes a massive chore once your inventory starts filling out.

You can't put Zonai devices back in your inventory once they're out.

As cool as it is to have the Sages running around with you, I have lost count of how many times they've gotten in my way or I've accidentally activated their ability while trying to pick up an item.

We still cannot summon our horses to us. They didn't even give us the ancient horse gear. I think they wanted Zonai vehicles to solve that issue, but honestly, horses are easier to control and oftentimes move quicker than Zonai vehicles, so I still found myself relying on them almost exclusively in the overworld.

This is an unpopular opinion, but that crazy face Ganondorf makes that everyone loves? It looks bad, man. It looks really bad. They needed to put it back in the oven, because it was NOT done cooking.

They gave Sidon a fiance. More specifically, they gave him a fiance who is supposedly his childhood friend but who is never mentioned in BotW. She was slapped into TotK to give Sidon a little arc about having faith in others and not being afraid to lose them like he lost his sister, but I feel like Yonah was originally meant to be a sister figure to him. He even outright states that he views her as a sister. I don't know why they made her his fiance and then had him get down on one knee and give Link a ring. Like, come on.

Where the fuck is Kass?

"Demon king? Secret stone?"

While I like the story in theory, it also needed some serious tweaking, but going into detail would take up way too much of my precious little time on this earth.

[noperopesaredope]

Persephone Retelling Idea

So I was watching a video essay on Lore Olympus and its flaws, and there was a part where the video creator talked about how, in Persephone retellings, Demeter is always villainized whilst Hades is glorified. I thought about this for a bit, and realized two things:

1) The most likely reason we want Persephone and Hades’ relationship to be mutually loving is because we hate the idea of a girl being kidnapped and forced into an unwanted marriage for the rest of eternity whilst her loving mother watches on helplessly. That’s why we make up versions where Persephone isn’t suffering: because it’s horrifying otherwise.

2) It would be so much more interesting to see a retelling of the myth that portrays Demeter and Persephone’s relationship as healthy and loving, then exploring their shared grief over being forcibly separated from each other 6 months a year. That would be fascinating to me, and focus on the love and loss between a mother and daughter. It could be bittersweet and beautiful.

That’s when I ended up writing this comment (then putting it in a Google Doc for later):

I have an idea for a Persephone Myth retelling that I think would be pretty fun without really villainizing anyone (besides maybe Zeus because I hate him? But he's like, not even really in it, so there's that). It mainly focuses on Persephone and Demeter, and is slightly based on my relationship with my mom as I've started getting ready for college (particularly as an autistic young adult who needs supports to function). It also later takes the idea of the Dread Queen Persephone as she girlbosses her way into a true goddess. 

Basically, Persephone is a young adult goddess (still hundreds of years old) who has a great relationship with her mother, but is still trying to figure herself out, and slightly wants to leave the nest. She isn't quite sure how to be independent in the big wide world, and she's a bit nervous. So for now, she likes to spend her time talking with her nymph friends about life and stuff. 

Meanwhile, in the underworld, Thanatos is...busy...with a situation, so Hades is forced to temporarily take over the role of death, a job he is very reluctant to do. Why doesn't some other underworld person take care of it? Because shut up. So, Hades takes the list of people he needs to take down (to the undERWORLD THAT IS!!! *Airhorn noises*) and just kinda comes out of the earth, snatches people out of their bodies, and dips, taking them along with him. Unfortunately, one of the Fates "misspelled" a name, so instead of taking Persebhone (or maybe Kora, because Persephone’s name might be Kore for the first half), he accidently ends up taking Persephone, not realizing who she is since he really needs to get out more often. 

So Persephone finds herself in the underworld after Hades abruptly dropped her off there and went to his palace. She goes to the trial place where souls are typically tried, and the judges are surprised when they realize that she is an immortal god. They assume she got lost or something trying to visit Hades, so they send her over to his palace. She sits in the waiting room for a bit, where they are serving out underworld pomegranates as refreshments. Persephone doesn't know about the rules of the underworld, so she eats one. Dun dun dun. Then she has a meeting with Hades, who is confused until she starts explaining that she really isn't supposed to be here and why. He understandably panics at this, aware that Demeter will definitely kill him. 

Meanwhile, Demeter is having a panic attack, because she doesn't know where her daughter is. The other gods are trying to comfort her, but nothing is working, and in this arc of the story, during the parts where we see what's happening in the overworld, we will explore themes of mental health, depression, and what it is like to have a missing child. The other gods will also be having a sort of mystery thing where they try to find the missing goddess. 

Meanwhile AGAIN, Hades is trying to figure out how to contact the other gods to sort things out, but the exit to the underworld is blocked or something (basically, no one can leave rn), and he can't communicate with the other gods. They are kinda trapped rn. So he tries his best to keep Persephone calm and comfortable because NOTHING IS WRONG AT ALL- (he does break the truth to her once he realizes it really will be a few months until he can contact the others, but at first he will pretend that things are mostly fine) 

Persephone herself is feeling very overwhelmed in this crazy new place, and is more than a little stressed out. But as time goes by, Persephone finds that she really likes it in the underworld, and can find some type of beauty in it. She also discovers new parts of herself with each person she meets. But this first arc mainly explores her trying to find a place in the world without that type of support that Demeter gave her, and wondering how her growing desire to stay in the underworld will affect her relationship with her mother. 

Eventually, we get a beautiful reunion between the two, but tragically discover that Persephone eating the pomegranate seeds have permanently tied her to the underworld. So then they need to figure things out about how to live independently from each other as Persephone starts living in the underworld officially and growing into a potentially badass Dread Queen of the Underworld, Demeter tries to cope with Empty Nest Syndrome (I actually love the idea of exploring a character in her changing situation), and Hades tries to get used to living with another person and also secretly attempts to handle his new guilt complex over accidentally trapping Persephone in the Underworld.

I have a lot more ideas, but that's the basic premise.

Hades and Persephone's dynamic will be so much fun. It isn't quite romantic so much as it is besties or something (I'm gonna make them slightly close in age, since Demeter is the 2nd oldest out of the siblings, and Hades is the 4th. Zeus was also pretty young when he freed his siblings. So Hades would be a bit young around the time Persephone is born. Not super young, but young enough to seem more like an older brother or something). They are so socially awkward that they end up becoming basically friends. Since Persephone basically lives here now, Hades wants to at least make her feel comfortable and welcome, so he hangs out with her sometimes, and eventually even invites her to start helping him out with underworld stuff. They just work together well and get along pretty great in all honesty.

Persephone and Demeter's relationship would be the main focus of the story, as well as Persephone's coming-of-age. Demeter, as I mentioned above, is a mother who is dealing with grief from her child going missing, and later deals with the pieces of trauma that come with that (which she will refuse to acknowledge at first), then dealing with Empty Nest Syndrome as she has a bit of a personal crisis over that, possibly even a bit of a mid life crisis. Then she needs to deal with the realization of how happy Persephone is as she becomes an independent adult. I love the idea of working with this woman as she goes through this nonsense. She’s dealing with a lot. I love this version of her that I have in my head.

Persephone is also conflicted and unsure of herself as she begins to develop mild independence anxiety during the first arc, and her own little identity crisis during the arc after she and Demeter (temporarily) reunite.

Basically, young adult leaves for college for the first time as she and her mom both have mental breakdowns, while the young adult's cool new roommate and accidental kidnapper tries to learn social skills in the background. It's fun (and low-key funny in certain ways).

That's my idea. Yeah.

Hopefully healthier than Lore Olympus.

--------

So, I may or may not make a small webcomic using this idea. The art style will likely be simple because not only is said art style still in the works with no fully fleshed out, overcomplicated character designs, but I want it to be relatively easy to work on and write with ease. May make this, may not. Hopefully it could be fun though, since I love Greek Mythology, and I find retellings of it to be fascinating and fun. Tell me what ya’ll think of this concept, and if it sounds interesting.

[chain-draws-stuff]

EndKing!Steve

Chapter 9

a talk with a friend

Narrator pov:

After τέλος managed to convince Steve to continue planning his revenge against his friends, still continuing to further manipulate Steve and the rest of themortald down at the overworld..

Below the mountains were the portal and a few people down deep in the forest far from the infested portal...they decided to stay here for the night. Sleeping the night away till the sun rose from its beauty rest. The zombies and skeletons were burning, enderman were teleporting away from the road, creepers de-spawning and so did the spiders. The ray of sunlight beamed through the window hitting Shaws face, waking him up in the process but he was annoyed by it. He woke up the other 3 and waited in the car.

AFTER A BIT OF WAITING

(I didn't want to write what happened next after the wait so let's just skip towards the road)

After that heck of a wait for the morning sun to rise, we got to the road heading home

Arnetta pov:

I was looking for tiny boy for quite a while now...I haven't seen him since the last 2 days, I remembered that they went to another adventure with Chris and Austin (sigh) I went back to the gym as usual completing all of my daily exercises. I saw Shaw's car passed by Chris and Austin were at the back of the car...I wonder what they got into this time...once I was finished with my daily routines I headed back to my house going upstairs heading to bed

(Wow that was fast)

It was now 2:56 AM and I'm still not asleep, every time my eyes felt heavy I always see a glimpse of purple in my vision but I couldn't see it very clearly since my eyes were heavy and my vision was hella blurry. Every time I blink once my vision becomes more and more blurry to the point I finally fell asleep but...I opened my eyes to see myself floating in a black empty void space with nothing in it. The place felt cold, my body was shaking my jacket wasn't doing anything to keep me warm. I began to see a figure at the distance glowing blue hue to my eyes. It begat to fly away, off towards the never ending horizon beyond...

Arnetta:hey wait!

I shouted to the glowing figure, as I began floating my way to them. As I got closer to the floating figure I reached out my hand but the blue figure faded into thin air...

I woke up from the nightmare I had last night but...why did it felt so real? I touched my arms and it was cold, real cold, was the dream real? No it's just a dream! It's not real! I was almost at my breaking point but I took a deep breath along with the lines of

Arnetta: ok...calm down Arnetta, everything is going tk be ok...just calm down...breathe in (inhale), breathe out (exhale)...calm...

I calmed down for a bit and went downstairs heading to the kitchen to get something to eat

After Arnetta finished eating ofc she had to go check on what happend to Chris and Austin yesterday

Narrator pov:

Once Arnetta was finished eating she went outside to get some fresh air and headed to Chris and Austins house, while walking Arnetta felt something was off...it was like she was being stalked...watching her very move but shrugged it off and thinking it was Katie planing to pounce on her at any moment.

Arnetta: Katie I know that's you, stop trying to scare me it's not gonna work...

No answer...

....

....

....

....

....

....

....

Still no response...Arnetta was starting to get anxious about her surroundings, then she starts running towards the street not looking back because on how scared she was...and finally...she got to Chris and Austins house and the odd feeling of being watched was gone. Arnetta nocked on the door and was greeted by Austin

Austin: oh! Hey Arnetta :D

Austin says with a smile on his face. He always does this and it was normal to see him smile but its always hard to keep up with his energy, Chris never allowed Austin to drink coffee why? It's just going to be more 10× harder for Chris to control his energy.

Arnetta: Austin! Where's Chris?

She asked as Austin replied with a

Austin: oh wait give me a second- *closes door*

Arnetta:....

Chris: what is it- oh... hey Arnetta whats up?

Chris and Arnetta are good friends and she was the only one Chris trusted to share his secrets with...and the only one who knew that Chris had a huge crush on Steve

Arnetta: hey Chris uhh can I come in? Sorry for not telling you hehe...

Arnetta only showed her true colors to Chris well sometimes she shows it to Steve. Once Chris let her in while talking Austin headed outside and G.U.I.D.O? There with Shaw trying to figure out what happened from the last few days.

Chris: soo...what are you here for?

Arnetta: I wanted to tell you something...

Chris: what is it?

Chris asked and Arnetta went to the living room followed by Chris as Arnetta explained why.

(Insert explanation bc I'm lazy again...)

Chris: dang...when did this happen?

Arnetta: since last night, a lot of strange things happened when I was on the way here...has anything weird or odd happened to you guys?

Chris: well yeah, and I think I was the only one who felt it when I was down at my lab one of my potions fell...but no one was around, we went to the end potal to help Shaw with an investigation...but it felt like we were being watched...then I got transported to an empty blank world...and...(mumbled words :] )

Arnetta: what was that?

Arnetta raised an eyebrow at Chris

Chris: I...almost made a deal with the devil...

Chris says as Arnetta was left shoked and surprised

Arnetta: YOU ALMOST WHAT?!

Arnetta screams at Chris for making such a dumb decision. Making a deal with the devil? Who would have thought that Chris would do such a thing...even though he sometimes made a deal with Mesa...

Arnetta: Chris, listen dude, first of all I get it your smart your coolant your strong, but...not as strong as me. And secondly....WHY IN THE F-CK YWOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!

Arnetta scolds Chris of making such an idiotic move. As the talk goes on it became calmer and more quiet...then....

!!!CRASH!!!

End of chapter 9...

First chapter/previous/next

Hope you guys like this chapter! While Arnetta and Chris will have to go and get some therapy! Because of this chapter :'D have a good day/noon/night! :D

[vees-strangeworld-omniverse]

THE ARGONIAN MYTHOS: a basic overview pt 1- in the beginning, the three gods & airplane religions

(NOTE: description copy-pasted from DA where i normally post my works. any context that is missing here on tumblr can be found on my DA [linked here and on pinned post] )

[and an additional note: i'm not a particularly religious person and their may be some bias, so please feel free to scream at me in tags or whatever if i accidentally make a genuinely offensive remark]

So…

Argonus now officially has religion and mythology to it. I mean, I've been worldbuilding on the actual fauna and the elkinets themselves for a while. What better way to expand upon this universe than to give out the mythos they believe and worship? I think it’s time for it. And oh dear lord, it is LOOOOOOONG!!! Why? Because I wanted to get rid of some of the major myths which most mythologies/religions have, plus it’s really fun to worldbuild an entire mythos...

So, without further ado, here’s [PT1] the mythos in its entirety (or at least the somewhat “basics” of it…),

IN THE VERY BEGINNING…

So, like all other mythologies, there’s a story about how the world and universe was created. Our planet argonus is no exception here, having the creation of the planet, sun and moon.

Once up many, many, many eras ago, argonus started off as nothing more than a smooth, round pebble floating in the pitch black void. Then, all of a sudden, the pebble started to form and shape the mountains, valleys and hills, and cracks began to form, releasing out all of the water and lava on that planet. From the cracks, two beings appeared: out of the lava came a bright, blazing crow named duzliv (The sun), and from the waters came a blue, swirling owl named magmor (the moon).

From there, the two birds immediately got to work, dumping some of their feathers onto the planet. The shaft and veins of the feathers became the trees and shrubs, and the fluffy afterfeather became the grass and flowers. It wasn't just feathers that shaped life on the planet, either. On every single feathers were mites, fleas and ticks. Those tiny, insignificant creatures would become all of the fauna of the planet: wolves, deer, birds, fish, and snakes. The mites that came from duzliv became the beings of the day while the ones from magmor became the creatures of the night. The only animals absent where the aeronoids (don't worry, they’re coming soon).

Once argonus had all of the life it needed, magmor and duzliv took a well-deserved break, before figuring out what to do next. Since they had all of these newly-created beings, they needed a way to control them all. Not only that, but they needed a place for the animal’s souls once they died.

It was duzliv who suggested they have children. Magmor, whilst not too keen on creating more life, knew that their children will have their parent’s god-like abilities. So, the owl and the crow had three children, and each of them controlled a specific role: one for the sky and the newly-created afterlife, one for the ground and the life that lived on it, and one for the waterways and the underworld. It would be here that this is where we meet the three major deities….

THE THREE BIG GODS OF ARGONUS

(and their worshipers)

After laying her eggs, all three of them hatch out, and immediately go to work, fulfilling their roles on argonus. The three gods, all of which had the head of a bird that fairly represented them, went along as as followed:

OGRIN:

the first and strongest of the children to hatch. He’s represented as an white airliner with the head of a brown-colored eagle or hawk (commonly the former), and he’s the sort of zeus analog. He not only is in control of the weather, but he’s also in control of “Aethorna”, the heavenly places where all the “good souls” go.

Aethorna is held up by clouds that only the souls of the deceased can see. This afterlife looks similar to the overworld of argonus, except that all plants grow lush green all year around, and the stars are visible regardless of daylight or not. The souls don't just include elkinets, but also all the animals as well.

Ogrin himself is a rather happy, carefree person who absolutely loves to eat, party and drink. However, like all other deities, if he's angry he often creates havoc in the forms of tornados, lightning and floods. He’s also often a total casanova, and like Zeus he goes after various beings to make sweet, sweet love too and have children with. These beings were often either other deities, mythical creatures or even just a regular elkinet. However on rare occasions during thunderstorms ogrin will accidentally (or purposely) strike an animal which will create a monstrous being, either the animal itself turning into one or later giving birth to the beast.

DHETOS:

Dhetos was the second to hatch out of the clutch. Depicted as a green or camo prop aircraft with the head of a chicken, she’s the land goddess that's in control of the overworld as well as the ground and the life that lives there (both of air, land and sea). She lives in a lush land under the mountains (often just called dheto’s land) where you can find any animal living there in peace.

Dhetos is a more stern person that takes her job seriously. She not only is capable of controlling the plants and animals around her, but can also create lifeforms of her own. This not only includes normal animals, but also the beasts and monsters that roam the planet. While she is commonly praised for the upkeep of creating new life, she’s also capable of taking it as well. As such, it’s not uncommon for stories to have the hero call upon her to take care of a dangerous beast the hero themselves are incapable of defeating.

Dhetos, despite being an all-serious person, does have a soft side when it comes to cooking and music. If one can please her with their music or food, then she’ll let them into her home.

XORTAN:

The final child to hatch, Xortan is depicted as a black seaplane with the head of a waterfowl (Most commonly a mallard or some kind of duck), and is the god of all waterways as well as the Underabyss, which is essentially the argonian version of hell or the underworld. This underabyss is located in only the deepest, darkest pits of the ocean, where all of the “bad souls” would go.

[tumblr edit: in much of the mythos, xortan is often depicted as a "regular' aircraft with webbed/lobed feet, though in modern times he'll also be depicted as a true seaplane. regardless, he always has a waterfowl head]

Despite being the ruler of the underworld, xortan himselfs is not a horrible tourture-loving person, or at least in most versions. In his satchel he carries all of the destinies and fates of every soul presently on the planet, which are often in the shape of gemstones or orbs. What he does with the orbs once the soul has died will be the outcome. For example, if he destroys the rob, that soul goes to aethorna. Another outcome for one’s soul is for the orb to be tossed onto land so one can be reborn as an animal (note: not always Xortan’s doing, sometimes it’s Dhetos that’s in control of reincarnation). Reincarnation, in argonus, is often likened to purgatory, except it give the soul another chance to end up in aethorna. However, he can also come up with unique punishments for each and every person that has done things too horribly to be given second chances.

Xortan as a person is somewhere in between that of dhetos and ogrin. He’s not a super carefree person, but not a super serious one at that. If anything, he’s depicted as a rather apathetic but reasonable person.

While all elkinets believe in these three gods and most of the big mythos surrounding them, who they choose to worship can depend. In this case, there are five major “religions” on argonus. Here are these religion, in order by popularity/commonness:

Ogrinism:

one of the most popular of the religions, it has its roots in Ben Ital in eastern eroon, were it spread and became a mainstay in most of eroon, l’russ and the planet’s western/orthidox culture.

considered the christianinty of argonus, ogrinism is the worshiping of ogrin himself, and is very similar to christianity: above-cloud afterlife god good, below-earth underworld god bad. Therefore, you worship Ogrin so you have the chance to go to aethorna and avoid Xortan as much as possible. Dhetos, on the other hand, is more of a neutral character that’s neither 100% good nor 100% bad, but just does what she needs to do. Ogrinism has two major version: Light and Solid.

Light ogrinism:

the most common and widespread version, is the idea the ogrin, whilst a powerful being, is a flawed character. he makes frequent mistakes; sometimes he recognizes it almost immediately, othertimes he only realizes it later either on his own or whenever his sibling point it out. light ogrinist still sees Xortan as an important person when it comes to death and were the souls go. Thus, while nobody likes him, the light ogrinists still respect him for the job he does. in some stories, Xortan has even helped his brother out in fixing the mistakes he has made.

airplanes that are into light ogrinism tend to understand that everyone is flawed, but as long as one is able to fix the mistakes and let ogrin into their lives, they'll let said flaws and mistakes go by. they give some care to the animals, as they know that they could be the souls of the ones who messed up and must retry life. They believe that the most common animals are often wild animals like deer and bears, as well as common pets like stunnits, dogs and cats. They believe that most major crimes like murder, arson and buglury are sins. However, like mentioned, you can still end up in aethorna if you change your ways and let ogrin in your life. Even if he doesn't let you in, he’ll still have his brother reincarnate you to give you a second chance.

Solid ogrinism:

on the other hand, solid ogrinism is the older, more extremist version of ogrinism. here, ogrin is viewed as "flawless, perfect and all-knowing". instead of being viewed as being no better than a mortal, he is instead viewed as the idealistic being to look up to. And of course, because of this, anyone who DOESN'T follow that path is considered "unholy" and "a heathen". not surprisingly, in solid ogrinism Xortan is 100% bad guy, and all who ends up in the underabyss are all sinners that 100% deserved it.

What is considered a sin varies depending on the era and who you ask. A common joke/theme [in modern times] is “anything can be a sin if you try hard enough”, which can range from something major to something so small and trivial. The more common sins are some of the same as what we would expect from our world’s conservitive extremists: abortion, premarital sex, anything NOT heterosexual (gay marrage and such), and basically all other religion that aint ogrinism. Many have even claimed that things like veganism and animal right/welfare are against the religion because, of course, even just being reincarnated as an animal means you sinned, and therefore animal right/veganism is just giving sinners what they want. Solid ogrinist also believe that all sinner that get reincarnated turn into livestock and any other animals that are killed for their body parts. Solid ogrinism is often what gives the entire religion as a whole a bad reputation, which may also be the reason why few elkinets are solid ogrinist in modern times.

Omnyism:

while ogrinism is often touted as the most popular, omnism comes very close second, having almost the same amount of people if not possibly more due to how widespread it is. It is primarily practiced in most of northest amerigia, nylus and sonias (excluding l’russ). It’s believed to be the first religion, as it encopasess all three aspects of the argonian afterlife, that is aethorna, reincarnation and the underabyss.

Omnyist worship all three of the gods, because to them they are all important and vital to their ways of life. All three of them not only give you land, food, water and all other natural resources, but they also tend to choose how you spend your afterlife depending on what you did wrong in your living years. Examples for each god include the following:

-Dhetos: the goddess dhetos was in charge of reincarnation in this religion, and people were reborn into animals that she saw fit for what they did in life. People would often be reincarnated because they committed a crime against the natural world. Examples of said crimes include things like wasting resources (commonly food), bringing unnecessary harm to animals, destroying land for pure greed, ect. However, not all the time was a complete punishment; sometimes she’d take pity on certain individuals and reincarnate them into animals close to home like pets. In many of these stories, these people were often forced to do the crimes and in reality were actually good people.

-Ogrin: not surprisingly, if you were a very good person, it was ogrin who’d take your soul in. This is most commonly relegated to people who proved themselves to be worthy of a good ending. The gods can tell whether you’re genuine or just acting good, so simply just doing good things isn't enough. You need to show kindness, great leadership, compassion, empathy, and basically show that you are a good plane all around. If you succeed, ogrin will let you in into aethorna.

-xortan: if you ended up on xortan’s doorstep, you’ve obviously messed up in life. And by mess up, you REALLY did. Elkinets who ended up in the underabyss have done nothing but the most horrible of things, like murder, warcrimes, genocide, ect. However, people who weren't good nor bad also would go to the underabyss, and they can appease him by singing a song, giving him food/goods, or just making him a little happy. However, often this is just to make sure he’ll send you to aethorna, as xortan already knows you’re not guilty of anything and he just wants you to humor him.

When it comes to the hatred of non-ogrinistic religions, solid ogrinist sometimes consider omnyism the one true exceptions to this rule, since omyist do technically still worship ogrin and therefore are at least “on the right track”.

Dhetosism:

Dhetosism is the third most common religion on argonus. It is commonly worshiped throughout southest amerigia, astra and the amerigia-navaloon gulf.

Dhetosism, as the name would suggest, is the worship of the land goddess Dhetos. It is often confused for omnyism, mainly because of the similar beliefs for one’s outcome in the afterlife. Here, the goodest of elkinets go to aethorna and the worst of elkinets go to the underabyss. However, only the worst and best of people go to their respective places. The people who weren't those two extremes? Well, they’re in Dhetos’s hands [paws] now.

Like omyism, dhetos is the one in control of reincarnations, and not just that but is their ruler once reincarnated. Here, dhetosist believe that one starts their life as an elkinet, but when they pass on they begin the process of reincarnation after reincarnation. They go through several cycles of rebirth until eventually they become that very best/worst being and end up in aethorna or the underabyss. Every time they die and have to be reborn, they end up in Dheto’s land for a bit, often no more than a day.

Sometimes the souls get to choose what animal they get reborn as, others believe it’s up to Dhetos and her helpers to choose what animal one becomes. In either case, all animals are under the ruling wings of the bird-headed goddess, and must worship and respect her. Dhetotists believe that worshiping her while one’s still an elkinet gives them a headstart in the reincarnation process by being on her good side, and thus possibly being allowed to choose what animal they become. It’s often cited that, whether by your choice or Dhetos’s, the good (but not best) planes get to become wild birds so they still fly like they could when they were elkinets. Meanwhile the bad (but not worst) will get reincarnated into aquatic animals like fish and leeches.

It’s a common misconception that all dhetotists are vegetarian or vegan since to them, most if not all animals are the souls of elkinets. While true to some extent, whether dhetosist eat meat or not depends on the ability to obtain more plants than animals for food (aka where they’re living).

In places that make it difficult or impossible to grow or obtain sufficient amounts of plants, for example, dhetotists will still eat animals for food with the exception of birds. However, if they DO live in areas where they can gather/grow enough plants to sustain themselves, then they will avoid meat with the exception of certain holidays as well as scenarios where it’s unavoidable. In any case, all dhetotist will refuse to kill and eat any wild birds since those are the souls of good people on the path to reaching aethorna. They are, however, allowed to use poultry birds for their eggs since it’s a common belief throughout the argonian mythos that a life doesn't start until the egg hatches (though nowadays some dhetotist will also refuse to consume eggs or milk if they can).

A key thing people forget, particularly some of the more troublesome humans, is that simply going vegan isn't gonna appease dhetos (because like said, dhetotist do eat meat a whole lot). It is, instead, just simple common courtesy towards the reincarnated souls to abstain from meat whenever possible, allowing the soul a chance of dying from more natural causes. As a matter of fact, it’s considered an even worse crime against dhetos to go vegan for nothing more than personal gain and superiority (I can name a few of them on twitter and a certain former tiktok user). Dhetotist believe that if you’re horrible towards your own kind, you’re most likely horrible towards the animals you’re so called “protecting”.

Xortanism:

A much smaller religion, xortanism’s origins come from the islands of the indus island ocean, including the indus islands themselves.

Given that the underabyss is set in the deepest of oceans, it would make sense that in islands surrounded by water they’d worship the underabyss god himself. More accurately, though, xortanist believe that everybody is pre-destined to end up in the underabyss, as very few can really get up to aethornia. That is, unless you’re an animal, in which case ogrin will more than likely accept you in. Thus, instead of appeasing ogrin, they instead focus on xortan and making sure that he instead, give them that second chance in the form of rebirth so that they have a higher chance of going to aethorna when they die again.

It’s not just any animal that the elkinets get reincarnated as, though. Specifically, it’s the waterfowl or galliformes that xortanist believe to be the souls of the reincarnated. A Lot of people think that xortanist sacrifice these birds species just to get them to aethornia quicker, however that isn't true. Instead, the elkinets have a specific bird called the “rebirther”, as well as a male to make sure. They believe that, If a member of the village dies, the first chick to hatch from the rebirther is the soul of the deceased. Once the chick grows up, they get sent to the families of the deceased, where they are treated just like family, and are kept from being killed for food.

[tumblr edit: this act of avian rebirth is commonly done by the native villages of the indus islands. with xortanist outside of the indus island (and especially in first-world countries) it is not unheard of for the disease's family to be given a waterfowl-shaped object, such as a plushie, statue or figurine.]

This is also the only version where xortan doesn't have the head of a duck, but rather it's that of the xortan goose (aka xortan swan), a species of swan native to guinea centura.

Nullinism:

nullinism is a rather new kind of religion that’s particularly become evident in groups affected by religious extremism. It’s kinda unclear where or when it originates, but some suggest it comes from south n’gola from elkinet that have become exiled from their villages.

Nullinism can often be likened to agnosticism or sometimes atheisms, in that no one god is truly responsible for your outcome after death, and you're in control of your own destiny. It’s the opposite of omnyism, and that you don't worship any god, rather you go about life the best way possible and see what happens afterwards. After all, you don't know what happens until you’re dead. Most often, nullinist believe that life is nothing but a constant cycle of death and rebirth, until you eventually end up on either Ogrin’s or Xortan's doorstep. All that the gods do is make sure the planet is functioning so life can continue.

Although humans tend to call it the argonian version of atheism, it’s not actually that since, unlike atheism, they still do believe in the afterlife, just not in the ways others see it.

join me on pt2, were we discuss other facets of the argonian mythos..

[cathartes-aura-shitposting]

THE ARGONIAN MYTHOS: a basic overview pt 1- in the beginning, the three gods & airplane religions

(NOTE: description copy-pasted from DA where i normally post my works. any context that is missing here on tumblr can be found on my DA [linked here and on pinned post] )

[and an additional note: i'm not a particularly religious person and their may be some bias, so please feel free to scream at me in tags or whatever if i accidentally make a genuinely offensive remark]

So…

Argonus now officially has religion and mythology to it. I mean, I've been worldbuilding on the actual fauna and the elkinets themselves for a while. What better way to expand upon this universe than to give out the mythos they believe and worship? I think it’s time for it. And oh dear lord, it is LOOOOOOONG!!! Why? Because I wanted to get rid of some of the major myths which most mythologies/religions have, plus it’s really fun to worldbuild an entire mythos...

So, without further ado, here’s [PT1] the mythos in its entirety (or at least the somewhat “basics” of it…),

IN THE VERY BEGINNING…

So, like all other mythologies, there’s a story about how the world and universe was created. Our planet argonus is no exception here, having the creation of the planet, sun and moon.

Once up many, many, many eras ago, argonus started off as nothing more than a smooth, round pebble floating in the pitch black void. Then, all of a sudden, the pebble started to form and shape the mountains, valleys and hills, and cracks began to form, releasing out all of the water and lava on that planet. From the cracks, two beings appeared: out of the lava came a bright, blazing crow named duzliv (The sun), and from the waters came a blue, swirling owl named magmor (the moon).

From there, the two birds immediately got to work, dumping some of their feathers onto the planet. The shaft and veins of the feathers became the trees and shrubs, and the fluffy afterfeather became the grass and flowers. It wasn't just feathers that shaped life on the planet, either. On every single feathers were mites, fleas and ticks. Those tiny, insignificant creatures would become all of the fauna of the planet: wolves, deer, birds, fish, and snakes. The mites that came from duzliv became the beings of the day while the ones from magmor became the creatures of the night. The only animals absent where the aeronoids (don't worry, they’re coming soon).

Once argonus had all of the life it needed, magmor and duzliv took a well-deserved break, before figuring out what to do next. Since they had all of these newly-created beings, they needed a way to control them all. Not only that, but they needed a place for the animal’s souls once they died.

It was duzliv who suggested they have children. Magmor, whilst not too keen on creating more life, knew that their children will have their parent’s god-like abilities. So, the owl and the crow had three children, and each of them controlled a specific role: one for the sky and the newly-created afterlife, one for the ground and the life that lived on it, and one for the waterways and the underworld. It would be here that this is where we meet the three major deities….

THE THREE BIG GODS OF ARGONUS

(and their worshipers)

After laying her eggs, all three of them hatch out, and immediately go to work, fulfilling their roles on argonus. The three gods, all of which had the head of a bird that fairly represented them, went along as as followed:

OGRIN:

the first and strongest of the children to hatch. He’s represented as an white airliner with the head of a brown-colored eagle or hawk (commonly the former), and he’s the sort of zeus analog. He not only is in control of the weather, but he’s also in control of “Aethorna”, the heavenly places where all the “good souls” go.

Aethorna is held up by clouds that only the souls of the deceased can see. This afterlife looks similar to the overworld of argonus, except that all plants grow lush green all year around, and the stars are visible regardless of daylight or not. The souls don't just include elkinets, but also all the animals as well.

Ogrin himself is a rather happy, carefree person who absolutely loves to eat, party and drink. However, like all other deities, if he's angry he often creates havoc in the forms of tornados, lightning and floods. He’s also often a total casanova, and like Zeus he goes after various beings to make sweet, sweet love too and have children with. These beings were often either other deities, mythical creatures or even just a regular elkinet. However on rare occasions during thunderstorms ogrin will accidentally (or purposely) strike an animal which will create a monstrous being, either the animal itself turning into one or later giving birth to the beast.

DHETOS:

Dhetos was the second to hatch out of the clutch. Depicted as a green or camo prop aircraft with the head of a chicken, she’s the land goddess that's in control of the overworld as well as the ground and the life that lives there (both of air, land and sea). She lives in a lush land under the mountains (often just called dheto’s land) where you can find any animal living there in peace.

Dhetos is a more stern person that takes her job seriously. She not only is capable of controlling the plants and animals around her, but can also create lifeforms of her own. This not only includes normal animals, but also the beasts and monsters that roam the planet. While she is commonly praised for the upkeep of creating new life, she’s also capable of taking it as well. As such, it’s not uncommon for stories to have the hero call upon her to take care of a dangerous beast the hero themselves are incapable of defeating.

Dhetos, despite being an all-serious person, does have a soft side when it comes to cooking and music. If one can please her with their music or food, then she’ll let them into her home.

XORTAN:

The final child to hatch, Xortan is depicted as a black seaplane with the head of a waterfowl (Most commonly a mallard or some kind of duck), and is the god of all waterways as well as the Underabyss, which is essentially the argonian version of hell or the underworld. This underabyss is located in only the deepest, darkest pits of the ocean, where all of the “bad souls” would go.

[tumblr edit: in much of the mythos, xortan is often depicted as a "regular' aircraft with webbed/lobed feet, though in modern times he'll also be depicted as a true seaplane. regardless, he always has a waterfowl head]

Despite being the ruler of the underworld, xortan himselfs is not a horrible tourture-loving person, or at least in most versions. In his satchel he carries all of the destinies and fates of every soul presently on the planet, which are often in the shape of gemstones or orbs. What he does with the orbs once the soul has died will be the outcome. For example, if he destroys the rob, that soul goes to aethorna. Another outcome for one’s soul is for the orb to be tossed onto land so one can be reborn as an animal (note: not always Xortan’s doing, sometimes it’s Dhetos that’s in control of reincarnation). Reincarnation, in argonus, is often likened to purgatory, except it give the soul another chance to end up in aethorna. However, he can also come up with unique punishments for each and every person that has done things too horribly to be given second chances.

Xortan as a person is somewhere in between that of dhetos and ogrin. He’s not a super carefree person, but not a super serious one at that. If anything, he’s depicted as a rather apathetic but reasonable person.

While all elkinets believe in these three gods and most of the big mythos surrounding them, who they choose to worship can depend. In this case, there are five major “religions” on argonus. Here are these religion, in order by popularity/commonness:

Ogrinism:

one of the most popular of the religions, it has its roots in Ben Ital in eastern eroon, were it spread and became a mainstay in most of eroon, l’russ and the planet’s western/orthidox culture.

considered the christianinty of argonus, ogrinism is the worshiping of ogrin himself, and is very similar to christianity: above-cloud afterlife god good, below-earth underworld god bad. Therefore, you worship Ogrin so you have the chance to go to aethorna and avoid Xortan as much as possible. Dhetos, on the other hand, is more of a neutral character that’s neither 100% good nor 100% bad, but just does what she needs to do. Ogrinism has two major version: Light and Solid.

Light ogrinism:

the most common and widespread version, is the idea the ogrin, whilst a powerful being, is a flawed character. he makes frequent mistakes; sometimes he recognizes it almost immediately, othertimes he only realizes it later either on his own or whenever his sibling point it out. light ogrinist still sees Xortan as an important person when it comes to death and were the souls go. Thus, while nobody likes him, the light ogrinists still respect him for the job he does. in some stories, Xortan has even helped his brother out in fixing the mistakes he has made.

airplanes that are into light ogrinism tend to understand that everyone is flawed, but as long as one is able to fix the mistakes and let ogrin into their lives, they'll let said flaws and mistakes go by. they give some care to the animals, as they know that they could be the souls of the ones who messed up and must retry life. They believe that the most common animals are often wild animals like deer and bears, as well as common pets like stunnits, dogs and cats. They believe that most major crimes like murder, arson and buglury are sins. However, like mentioned, you can still end up in aethorna if you change your ways and let ogrin in your life. Even if he doesn't let you in, he’ll still have his brother reincarnate you to give you a second chance.

Solid ogrinism:

on the other hand, solid ogrinism is the older, more extremist version of ogrinism. here, ogrin is viewed as "flawless, perfect and all-knowing". instead of being viewed as being no better than a mortal, he is instead viewed as the idealistic being to look up to. And of course, because of this, anyone who DOESN'T follow that path is considered "unholy" and "a heathen". not surprisingly, in solid ogrinism Xortan is 100% bad guy, and all who ends up in the underabyss are all sinners that 100% deserved it.

What is considered a sin varies depending on the era and who you ask. A common joke/theme [in modern times] is “anything can be a sin if you try hard enough”, which can range from something major to something so small and trivial. The more common sins are some of the same as what we would expect from our world’s conservitive extremists: abortion, premarital sex, anything NOT heterosexual (gay marrage and such), and basically all other religion that aint ogrinism. Many have even claimed that things like veganism and animal right/welfare are against the religion because, of course, even just being reincarnated as an animal means you sinned, and therefore animal right/veganism is just giving sinners what they want. Solid ogrinist also believe that all sinner that get reincarnated turn into livestock and any other animals that are killed for their body parts. Solid ogrinism is often what gives the entire religion as a whole a bad reputation, which may also be the reason why few elkinets are solid ogrinist in modern times.

Omnyism:

while ogrinism is often touted as the most popular, omnism comes very close second, having almost the same amount of people if not possibly more due to how widespread it is. It is primarily practiced in most of northest amerigia, nylus and sonias (excluding l’russ). It’s believed to be the first religion, as it encopasess all three aspects of the argonian afterlife, that is aethorna, reincarnation and the underabyss.

Omnyist worship all three of the gods, because to them they are all important and vital to their ways of life. All three of them not only give you land, food, water and all other natural resources, but they also tend to choose how you spend your afterlife depending on what you did wrong in your living years. Examples for each god include the following:

-Dhetos: the goddess dhetos was in charge of reincarnation in this religion, and people were reborn into animals that she saw fit for what they did in life. People would often be reincarnated because they committed a crime against the natural world. Examples of said crimes include things like wasting resources (commonly food), bringing unnecessary harm to animals, destroying land for pure greed, ect. However, not all the time was a complete punishment; sometimes she’d take pity on certain individuals and reincarnate them into animals close to home like pets. In many of these stories, these people were often forced to do the crimes and in reality were actually good people.

-Ogrin: not surprisingly, if you were a very good person, it was ogrin who’d take your soul in. This is most commonly relegated to people who proved themselves to be worthy of a good ending. The gods can tell whether you’re genuine or just acting good, so simply just doing good things isn't enough. You need to show kindness, great leadership, compassion, empathy, and basically show that you are a good plane all around. If you succeed, ogrin will let you in into aethorna.

-xortan: if you ended up on xortan’s doorstep, you’ve obviously messed up in life. And by mess up, you REALLY did. Elkinets who ended up in the underabyss have done nothing but the most horrible of things, like murder, warcrimes, genocide, ect. However, people who weren't good nor bad also would go to the underabyss, and they can appease him by singing a song, giving him food/goods, or just making him a little happy. However, often this is just to make sure he’ll send you to aethorna, as xortan already knows you’re not guilty of anything and he just wants you to humor him.

When it comes to the hatred of non-ogrinistic religions, solid ogrinist sometimes consider omnyism the one true exceptions to this rule, since omyist do technically still worship ogrin and therefore are at least “on the right track”.

Dhetosism:

Dhetosism is the third most common religion on argonus. It is commonly worshiped throughout southest amerigia, astra and the amerigia-navaloon gulf.

Dhetosism, as the name would suggest, is the worship of the land goddess Dhetos. It is often confused for omnyism, mainly because of the similar beliefs for one’s outcome in the afterlife. Here, the goodest of elkinets go to aethorna and the worst of elkinets go to the underabyss. However, only the worst and best of people go to their respective places. The people who weren't those two extremes? Well, they’re in Dhetos’s hands [paws] now.

Like omyism, dhetos is the one in control of reincarnations, and not just that but is their ruler once reincarnated. Here, dhetosist believe that one starts their life as an elkinet, but when they pass on they begin the process of reincarnation after reincarnation. They go through several cycles of rebirth until eventually they become that very best/worst being and end up in aethorna or the underabyss. Every time they die and have to be reborn, they end up in Dheto’s land for a bit, often no more than a day.

Sometimes the souls get to choose what animal they get reborn as, others believe it’s up to Dhetos and her helpers to choose what animal one becomes. In either case, all animals are under the ruling wings of the bird-headed goddess, and must worship and respect her. Dhetotists believe that worshiping her while one’s still an elkinet gives them a headstart in the reincarnation process by being on her good side, and thus possibly being allowed to choose what animal they become. It’s often cited that, whether by your choice or Dhetos’s, the good (but not best) planes get to become wild birds so they still fly like they could when they were elkinets. Meanwhile the bad (but not worst) will get reincarnated into aquatic animals like fish and leeches.

It’s a common misconception that all dhetotists are vegetarian or vegan since to them, most if not all animals are the souls of elkinets. While true to some extent, whether dhetosist eat meat or not depends on the ability to obtain more plants than animals for food (aka where they’re living).

In places that make it difficult or impossible to grow or obtain sufficient amounts of plants, for example, dhetotists will still eat animals for food with the exception of birds. However, if they DO live in areas where they can gather/grow enough plants to sustain themselves, then they will avoid meat with the exception of certain holidays as well as scenarios where it’s unavoidable. In any case, all dhetotist will refuse to kill and eat any wild birds since those are the souls of good people on the path to reaching aethorna. They are, however, allowed to use poultry birds for their eggs since it’s a common belief throughout the argonian mythos that a life doesn't start until the egg hatches (though nowadays some dhetotist will also refuse to consume eggs or milk if they can).

A key thing people forget, particularly some of the more troublesome humans, is that simply going vegan isn't gonna appease dhetos (because like said, dhetotist do eat meat a whole lot). It is, instead, just simple common courtesy towards the reincarnated souls to abstain from meat whenever possible, allowing the soul a chance of dying from more natural causes. As a matter of fact, it’s considered an even worse crime against dhetos to go vegan for nothing more than personal gain and superiority (I can name a few of them on twitter and a certain former tiktok user). Dhetotist believe that if you’re horrible towards your own kind, you’re most likely horrible towards the animals you’re so called “protecting”.

Xortanism:

A much smaller religion, xortanism’s origins come from the islands of the indus island ocean, including the indus islands themselves.

Given that the underabyss is set in the deepest of oceans, it would make sense that in islands surrounded by water they’d worship the underabyss god himself. More accurately, though, xortanist believe that everybody is pre-destined to end up in the underabyss, as very few can really get up to aethornia. That is, unless you’re an animal, in which case ogrin will more than likely accept you in. Thus, instead of appeasing ogrin, they instead focus on xortan and making sure that he instead, give them that second chance in the form of rebirth so that they have a higher chance of going to aethorna when they die again.

It’s not just any animal that the elkinets get reincarnated as, though. Specifically, it’s the waterfowl or galliformes that xortanist believe to be the souls of the reincarnated. A Lot of people think that xortanist sacrifice these birds species just to get them to aethornia quicker, however that isn't true. Instead, the elkinets have a specific bird called the “rebirther”, as well as a male to make sure. They believe that, If a member of the village dies, the first chick to hatch from the rebirther is the soul of the deceased. Once the chick grows up, they get sent to the families of the deceased, where they are treated just like family, and are kept from being killed for food.

[tumblr edit: this act of avian rebirth is commonly done by the native villages of the indus islands. with xortanist outside of the indus island (and especially in first-world countries) it is not unheard of for the disease's family to be given a waterfowl-shaped object, such as a plushie, statue or figurine.]

This is also the only version where xortan doesn't have the head of a duck, but rather it's that of the xortan goose (aka xortan swan), a species of swan native to guinea centura.

Nullinism:

nullinism is a rather new kind of religion that’s particularly become evident in groups affected by religious extremism. It’s kinda unclear where or when it originates, but some suggest it comes from south n’gola from elkinet that have become exiled from their villages.

Nullinism can often be likened to agnosticism or sometimes atheisms, in that no one god is truly responsible for your outcome after death, and you're in control of your own destiny. It’s the opposite of omnyism, and that you don't worship any god, rather you go about life the best way possible and see what happens afterwards. After all, you don't know what happens until you’re dead. Most often, nullinist believe that life is nothing but a constant cycle of death and rebirth, until you eventually end up on either Ogrin’s or Xortan's doorstep. All that the gods do is make sure the planet is functioning so life can continue.

Although humans tend to call it the argonian version of atheism, it’s not actually that since, unlike atheism, they still do believe in the afterlife, just not in the ways others see it.

join me on pt2, were we discuss other facets of the argonian mythos..

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Midnight Gaming: The Legend of Wario Flow

So I played The Legend of Zelda and Warios Woods on NES, checked socials later to find.... Xbox are laying off 650 employees...*sigh*

Theres really not much I can say about this other than its shit, the gaming industry is shit and that all the recent layoffs will straight up kill anyones desire to pursue game development as a career. So i'll just link the article and include a couple of dracula flow bits to brighten this post up.

"Picked up a transistor down at SoCal, she had a license for that concealed carry, thotty was packin a dirty harry bitchstick, she walkin funny with that big iron by her hip. Shorty pulled a gock on me, I gave her nuts a bizarre adventure, running a dempsey roll on her sack, i'm like pussy on them yarns. Went Fist of the North Star on them balls, left her cumming troughs for a month.

We out here huffing boyass, gettin fucked up on turdghosts, got shit on my mind. Bro barely got hair on that ass, feels like i'm frenching Homer J, Simpson, going full tootsie pop on that Elmer Fudd. I'm out here chasing bussy like tom and jerry, running 90 over the speed limit on that roadkill ass. I'm clapping these cheeks like the 2011 tohoku earthquake. I'm beyond balls deep, my lower abdomen is just straight up colonising his rectal cavity, got me running a 100-meter dash on that backyard gash. I'm in deep shit in that manhole, his grandkids wont be shitting for a week."

Alright thats enough of that, lets talk about games.

So i've been partial to the Zelda series with Ocarina being my first, then Wind Waker followed by Twilight Princess, skipped Skyward and played some Breath of the wild. So last nights session looked to be a good time to try the first game out and try to play it proper.

So firsts thing first. How many kids when they first played this missed out on the cave on the first screen, ran around without a sword and died to the enemies? I'm genuinly curious because I can imagine that being more than zero.

The sword blast you start off with at full health, its definitely useful as an early ranged attack but you end up losing it as soon as you take damage which you will because it seems like nearly every enemy in the overworld attack with projectiles, and it does get real irritating from getting to one side of the map to the next just to get to where you need to go, you will take a hit or two along the way.

Now you can block the projectiles but that requires facing them and not using any item otherwise you take damage and i've ended up eating hits I figure should've been blocked.

I managed to find and beat two of the first dungeons but had trouble finding the 3rd. I instead found both the penultimate and the final dungeon instead and did not have the skills nor abilities to beat those early on. The thing about figuring out where you need to go, its usually hidden in some cave with an old man telling you something cryptic. I know this seems moot since you can just look it up online but I dont think thats a valid form of criticism, like yeah I can look up where I need to go but shouldnt I rely on the game itself to lead me subtly to where I need to progress?

Well it didnt seem to matter since I started to debate doing that since running around the overworld, trying to find that 3rd dungeon while constantly getting shot at, hering that damn theme over and over that while it is iconic, just starts to become real grating after a while, ended up leaving me with a headache.

I did not want be negative to this game but after a while, I just said forget it and switched to something else. The last 1st party game released for the NES, Warios Woods.

Its a strange idea for puzzle game, starring Toad facing off against Wario by clearing colored mobs using same colored bombs. And the controls can be a bit... finicky? You can pick up mobs and bombs or even kick them forward, if your not carrying anything you can run up a line of mobs/bombs to climb over them. Every so often birdo(who is also here for reasons) is switched out for wario who will spawn more mobs and bring the ceiling further down before leaving. I was able to make progress in game A to Round 20 before I stopped, in some cases if I end up picking up the wrong thing, it becomes a hassle to reorient myself while bombs keep raining down.

Switched to game B and made it to Round 20 again tho for Game B you can occasionally face a boss who will usually just spawn mobs and change location with you needing to clear a line above or below them to damage them. I decided to tap out when I got past midnight and fulfilled my quota.

You know? Why was Wario briefly associated with bombs? Between this game and Bomberman GB/Wario Blast, its the only time we got a glimpse at Wario during his Unabomber arc before he eventually became the microgame ceo we know him now. Food for thought I suppose.

Thank you for reading Midnight Gaming. Feel free to leave feedback or game suggestions. Anons are currently on. See you tomorrow.

[vltra-mayhem]

VLTRA MAYHEM DEVLOG MARCH-APRIL-MAY...

*Hello there! Apologies for the wait, I have been trying to figure out how to open my drafts since I usually write them down separately across days, but I see now that I should not do that to avoid leaving you all in the dark for too long. On top of that, the game's progress had been put on a TINY break due to the main developer going on a vacation. But now that she is back, we can continue on!

*Anywho! Vltra Mayhem has been going pretty well! I have been given a lot more information to share with you all today, so I hope you are all ready!

*To start off simple, let's start with the battle system.

*There's a lot to say about it, but I'm allowed to talk about some stuff that is already fully implemented! Such as the Bullet Hell Battle System which has been seen in games such as "Undertale" and "Deltarune".

*The plugin used to emulate that kind of battle system is called "Synrecs Understriker Plugin" since the game is made in "RPG Maker MV".

*The devs are very happy with these things! It's a struggle trying to get everything you want exactly how you want it with the limits RPG maker brings and the non-exsistant ability to code.

*On top of that the battle UI has been changed ALOT, The screenshots above do not display it, but it currently looks like this:

*It's pretty neat looking, if I do say so myself. The Pulse Meter also known as the "HP Bar" and The Sanity Meter also known as the "MP Bar" both displayed neatly in the boxes at the bottom. *As you can see the bar on the side that's The Spirit Bar but more widely known as the "Team TP Bar"

*Moving away from the Battle System, let's talk a bit about the overworld a little! *Something that Pandora (The lead developer) tries her best to do is make the overworld as fun and interesting to go through as possible by adding a lot of NPCs and such, all with unique and silly dialog! Here are a few:

*That's all :), It's not, but we can't show ALL of it! Where would be the fun in THAT. *Anyway, Aside from NPCs there's being put a lot of work in the tile sets and the environment of each map, for example the… The demo area's map is supposed to feel very sweet, calm and homey, and they seem to do their best to success in that! *So far the demo is just about 60/50% done it seems, and they can't wait to share it with you all! *Another thing, so I, was informed to inform you all about is the fact that Vltra Mayhem is looking for PIXEL ARTISTS to help create stunning imagery for the game such as tile sets and more! A couple more applications are open, so please feel free to check the application link below! * Application link! *That's about all I've got to show! I hope you enjoyed, and we hope to see you at the end of June to share more! Enjoy your month of Pride, by the way!

[cherubim-of-vvkastel]

💭 + well since you so politely asked me about Eret, I'll return the favor and ask about Foolish. What was he like before coming to the DSMP? How much does he remember? Does he regret what he's done? What was he like before he meet Eret? Before the Wither Cult? (also hello i'm quietly sneaking into your box :>)

// Oml you've been so friendly since the day I first posted. I'm gonna cry - literally, the main reason I'm shaking off my newbie jitters!!! Hello, hello, glad to be here <3 Also sorry for late reply, I've been at work!

Additional info for context: I headcanoned Foolish as going by any pronouns but referring to himself with zie/hir if ever talking in the third person - but that's a whole 'nother set of headcanons for another post, haha. If you see those neos in here, that's why!

Foolish is one of my muses that I seem to love bullying, in all honesty. How I picture his story going is incredibly tragic, and it would take me ages to get to the blood and bones of what he was like before DSMP. A long while ago, I wrote a cute little soulmates fanfic that touched on how Foolish acted, so I'll keep things similarly brief (unless, of course, you wanted to hear every detail I can muster up :P).

Foolish is immortal in every sense of the word. I've always seen Totems as ageless — able to grow and never stop until their lives were traded for others. It's touched upon in c!Foolish's lore where totem children are expected to die for their parents — he just happened to be one of the few who made it well past adulthood and is now perfectly capable of maintaining and protecting himself. Seeing as he can live for centuries, he's gone through several shifts in his behaviors. From quiet and curious about the ever-changing Overworld to restless and bold, he's had time to figure out how he feels and what he deems right and wrong. 

There was a long period during this self-discovery stage when he was known as the "Totem of Death." Quick to anger, baring rows of sharp shark-like teeth, demolishing cities as if they meant nothing, and carrying a torrential downpour wherever he walked like an ominous cloud. He had no regard for life nor the sanctity of nature. His sole purpose was to control what he deemed beneath him — little bugs that could be squashed if he so pleased (a sentiment that zie still holds into the SMP but far more concealed). Everything he loved was bound to dissolve in time, and he saw no purpose in trying if they would turn to dust in the end.

He did pause to consider other immortals, or those who had centuries to live — gods, deities, children born to rule, such as Eret herself. I like to think it was more of a curiosity that rose when Foolish befriended Eret all those centuries ago. He was swimming in red while she watched on with milky white eyes. Call it admiration and mutual companionship, but Foolish did become somewhat of a guard-dog to Eret all that time ago. If anyone spoke out of turn to her, lightning struck, and he was first to snarl that they treat her with respect. If anyone got too friendly, he was a looming threat behind her, bristling and poised to protect whom he deemed his only friend. 

Somewhere along the line, the Wither Cult grew, creating too much carnage for Foolish to feel safe with Eret leaving his sight. Sure, she could protect herself, but Foolish is nothing if not worrying over those he dares to hold dear. It's unclear what their last straw was, but zie and her eventually raised the cult to ashes; thus marking the beginning of Foolish's mellowing out. Traveling with someone with a taste for beauty led to Foolish beginning to find more time to stop and smell the roses. He began to take up hobbies of artwork, relishing in how art was timeless and he didn't need to worry about it crumbling when he could immortalize it through such a delicate process.

Somewhere along the line, the two separated, though Foolish would hardly sit around and mope. He met others, creating... well, his own version of a cult if you tilted your head and squinted to read. Villages he used to destroy began to offer up wealth in turn for protection or monuments built by a demigod. Building was so much easier than massacring the innocent. It held more beauty — it was soothing. With an eternity to hone his skills, Foolish was soon creating structures inconceivable to the average person with a smile and a much happier stance.

Of course, he kept this attitude when he came to the DSMP. It's a conscious choice, as I've always seen Foolish as the type to record his own history. It's all along the walls of his Summer Home, written in tattered tomes deep within his temple, expressed through the sculptures and paintings littering his halls. He remembers everyone who's meant something to him, their lives — if they've been revived, then where they are now, who they are now — zie even takes the time to tend to their portraits hidden in his horde of wealth as if careful hands didn't already protect them.

Sometimes he has brushes with his anger and resentment towards mortals, calling them ants under his shoes or warning them not to piss him off. Sometimes, he laughs off his knowing looks — playing it off as if he doesn't know something is wrong or as if you had duped him. He's smarter than he gets credit for; it's hard to tell when he's genuinely ignorant of something or if he's putting up a front not to pressure information from those who might never be ready to share.

That's why when he meets up again with people like Eret, Foolish insists they know each other. He brings up details that he vividly remembers despite the confusion... and then drops it—laughing and agreeing that he must be confused, too. Maybe they should get some rest. And then he never mentions it again. His memories are very much intact (rereading your own experiences repeatedly makes recall so much easier), and his feelings are still very much real... but he knows he doesn't have the luxury of connection. He will never last in another's mind for as long as they do his... and he's okay with that.

Does he regret what he's done? To an extent. He doesn't remember the faces of those he's hurt, nor does he try to recall those events with anything more than gritted teeth and a hard chuckle. He has grown and changed. He sees no beauty in morality, but rather in the immortality he can craft. It gives him everything he was missing back when he was wild and reckless. Besides... he can atone for what he's done by being a good person now. He can sacrifice for mortals, and he can offer a gentle thumb to rub against their cheeks in times of need. It's sort of like during Sam's Warden Arc, where everyone felt like they were turning their backs on Sam, blaming him for every wrong they could possibly get their hands on— Foolish was the only one to remind him that he wasn't alone. 

"Don't bear this burden alone, Sam."

"I'm here for you, friend."

Foolish has worn many faces: Totem of Death, Demigod of the Sky and the Sea, and Totem of Undying, yet none of them will ever be entirely accurate. He's grown too accustomed to being what is needed in the fleeting time he enjoys with companions and their lives. Foolish will always cherish the past, but he's come to adore the present just as much.

Did I ramble a lot more than I thought I would? Yes. But THEN AGAIN, it's been literal months since I've gotten to ramble senselessly about my goofy goober. It turns out that I have no sense of what the word "brief" means....

[accordingtopluto]

Random thoughts of the day.

Anyone ever have to abandon your accounts because of a hacker? This gal did! Oh well. Been meaning to switch over to my AccordingToPluto brand for a while now and go in a different direction for my social medias, mainly to focus on my original creative works and posting my kittens in as many places I feel comfortable posting to.

I guess another thing that has been on my mind is just how many indie games I have in my backlog. Like, I have two games from the creators of the Anodyne games in my backlog, still need to finish Here Comes Niko, and LOTS of RPGs, like Furquest and Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, to get around to. And who coulda guessed that Everhood was gonna get a sequel!? That news caught me VERY off-guard, though I definitely am gonna play the shit out of it once it comes out if it lives up to the awesomeness of game one.

Speaking of games, did anyone feel caught off-guard when both Super Mario Wonder and Mario RPG Remake were slated to be released this year? Firstly, a 2D Mario was inevitable, though I could never have guessed the fever dream that we are getting in October! Like, who's first thought for a 2D Mario made by Nintendo in-house would include four playable Yoshis, a friggin' elephant form taken right out of the Shantae series, and the fact that we are in a brand new kingdom that exports friggin' flowers that alter reality itself into a drug trip version of itself. Talk about chaotic, but I like it. Second, how and why is Super Mario RPG getting remade for Switch? I mean, I am damn happy about it, since it is super overlooked by Nintendo themselves lately. However, it seems kinda random at the same time. I literally had to watch both trailers for the aforementioned games over a dozen times just to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating it. Oh yeah, did I mention Peach is getting her own game for the first time in forever and Dark Moon is getting what seems to be a ground-up remake that both release in 2024? As a Mario fan, ya girl is hecka hyped to say the least.

While we're on the topic of Mario games, is anyone so sick of people hating on Color Splash and Origami King for not being like games one and two of the Paper Mario series? Like, I can sorta understand Color Splash's hate due to how similar it is to Sticker Star, but I can see past its comparisons and enjoy it as its own thing. Origami King, on the other hand, I just can't understand the hate. Like, I understand the ring battle system can be irritating, but I can see what they were going for in making the strategy about puzzle-solving rather than basic RPG mechanics given that that is what the current trilogy does best at. Hell, even the Paper Machos kinda follow this sort of thing, as you have to figure out their locations and attack patterns in a sort of puzzle-y sort of way that Zelda does. If I had my way, though, I would reserve the puzzle system exclusively for the boss battles, as that's where the system shines brightest in my opinion. And can we talk about how gorgeous the overworld is!? Like, it is so pretty and well-thought out to be both accessible and rewarding for those that are completionist types. There is something satisfying about filling holes with confetti and finding those origami Toads every which way. A big criticism towards Origami King is the fact that they find the paper focus distracting and the whole origami plot hard to take seriously. My counterpoint is that one should focus on the characters only in the world they are in and take into consideration how and why they fear and do the things they do. Like, imagine if you were a papercraft character in a world of arts and crafts. You would definitely fear being forcibly folded into a shape you can't undo on your own and would DEFINITELY fear something that could damage your paper body easily, like a hole punch or scissors. Likewise, if you were brought to life by origami with full awareness of the art of the fold and the rules that come with it, I can imagine how pissed off I would be if someone seemingly and thoughtlessly scribbled on me. Hell, I'd be pissed off if someone wrote on my three dimensional meat sack of a body without permission. To further defend King Olly and Olivia, Olly was never made aware of his purpose and probably felt lost and confused as hell. Think like an AI left without a dedicated directive. Meanwhile, Olivia was created with very clear motive and such, so of course she would be much clearer headed and positive. Final thought on the game is its soundtrack. OMG, one of my favorite and most listened to OSTs since Everhood found me. Easily in my top three Mario OSTs, right next to the Galaxy duology and Super Paper Mario.

Last thought of the day. Who else thinks that a Venusian colony makes far more sense than a Martian one? Think about it, Mars has a third less gravity, is energy poor, has toxic soil that can leave a crew very ill, and lacks a strong atmosphere to protect herself from the solar wind and cosmic rays. Yeah, Venus has few of these problems, at least if you stay about 34 miles up. The temperatures are hot, but very survivable, the thick atmosphere levels out to 1 bar (one Earth atmosphere at sea level), and the gravity is the closest to Earth's at between 89 and 92% of our blue rock's. Aside from that, fixing Venus for a land colony just takes a series of mirrors to block most of the Sun's rays, which will freeze the atmosphere after a few centuries, and leave us with a pure nitrogen atmosphere about 3 bar thick. After that, we just find a few water rich asteroids and comets to send Venus' way and eventually fertilize it with cyanobacteria to make the air breathable. Any excess CO2 we don't want, we can cut it from the surface and let it accrete into a satellite around Venus for later use, such as fluffing up the Martian atmosphere. The tech needed for this to work is not even that far off. Even if we don't terraform Venus, we can still have large cloud cities with thick, acid resistant material filled with Earth air. I say Earth air, as Venus' atmosphere is so thick that air from our planet actually would allow something to be buoyant in the clouds, kinda like a boat in the ocean. The thick air also would make any repairs much easier to do, as it would make the hole leak at a far slower pace than helium on Earth does. Add in Venus' regular proximity to the Blue Marble being much more common than Mars and you have a recipe for a perfect colony among the Venusian clouds. Of course, having a lunar base already stable on our Moon would definitely speed things along in either case.

That's all I have for today. Take care and be safe.

Good ol' Avery C., September 3, 2023/

[lulu-the-warden]

Lucy the enderman

I'm surprised I don't have an enderman character yet. This is Lucy and I decided to draw her in the style of a creature I have called a ry'el.

Lucy is a bit smaller than your average enderman; standing at 2.5 blocks. She lived in the End until one day she stumbled upon where a human had been killed by the Enderdragon. Among the stuff they had in their inventory was a conduit. Lucy mistook the conduit for a piece of cheese and ate it. The conduit open inside her and became lodged in her chest.

Lucy left the End to try and figure out how to get the conduit out of her chest. Once in the Overworld, she began to feel different. The conduit lodged inside her made it hard to teleport; now she can only teleport about 7 blocks at a time. It also made it impossible for her to talk...she can't make any noises aside from a wheeze or huff here and there.

The biggest change she noticed was the rain no longer hurt...in fact, no water hurt her! She could swim underwater for particularly long periods of time thanks to the conduit. She grabbed the trident from a drowned, fixed it up, and enchanted it with loyalty 3. Lucy uses the trident to hit fleeing enemies now that she can't really teleport.

She also has beef against evokers and vexes because they killed her cat during a raid.

Lucy is askable, but the responses may be odd since she can't speak. She'll do her best, though.