#sorry if it came off as rambly

[right-brain-left-brain]

A potential idea for Deltarune's chapter 3 secret boss

I think this post might get me some weird looks, but fuck it we ball.

I'll just stop beating around the bush and propose the idea (ramble): Chapter 3 will have a Sonic-like secret boss.

You have Woody Theory, now get ready for Sonic Theory.

Now please, hear me out.

The core idea here isn't to just rib at all the bad Sonic OCs in the internet (okay, maybe it was), but I wanted to reflect a theme that fits Chapter 3's take on a TV themed world well (a Hollywood-like setting); stardom, or the loss of it in this case.

For context, in the 90s, due to Sonic the Hedgehog's success, there was a trend where every mascot platformer tried to emulate Sonic (mainly his US portrayal at that time, an effort to make him appeal to the American market more) as much as they could; high speed/fast paced action, a mascot with a cool and snarky attitude, and advertising focused on just how fast the game could go and/or how cool and edgy the mascot is. As with all trends, it eventually died out, with a majority of the titles fading into obscurity (though the Sonic series it self is still very relevant and thriving) if not remembered for how tacky they were.

Basing a secret boss on this fits with the currently known secret bosses’ theme of forgotten and/or discarded objects (Jevil = jester card, Spamton = spam mail). In the context of Chapter 3's Hollywood-esque setting, this makes for a character that was once a star. They were the talk of the town, a household name until they suddenly fell from stardom, mimicking the fast but short lived success of the trend. Now, they wish to reclaim the fame and star power they once had, no matter what and how.

All the secret bosses are heavily tied to the theme of freedom and control. Jevil, believing that he's the only free person in the Card Kingdom, feels like he can do anything (as in being in full control). Spamton constantly seeks freedom and to release himself from his strings. Making the Chapter 3 secret boss an in-game game character also reflects the themes of freedom and control; game characters tend to be played (or controlled) by something beyond their world (players). As a game character, this secret boss's take on freedom and control could be interesting. Instead of wanting to no longer be controlled, they want to be controlled, to have a direction for them to go along with. Now abandoned, they have nobody to follow and be guided by. This mimics a game; playable characters only do something when you move them, let go of the controller and they just stand there, waiting to be moved again. This can also play with the theme of you, the player, and your dynamic with Kris, the character. Kris, someone who's haunted by the idea of all their actions not being in their control, being met with someone who wants to be controlled all the time, their antipode, can make for interesting encounters.

The Dreemurr household has a game console with two controllers; one official and the other a knockoff/off-brand one. Toriel mentions Asriel liking a character who is essentially the Deltarune universe's version of Yoshi in its version of Super Smash Bros. As 'Super Smashing Fighters' is a clear reference to Super Smash Bros, which as a series is played on consoles, this further confirms that there's a game console somewhere in the house. As the game console is something that Asriel have ties to, this gives Toby the chance to further explore Kris as a person, their thoughts and fears, and dynamics with others (especially family) even with Chapter 3's more lighter and gameplay focused take. The console is currently tucked under Asriel's bed which, while it looks like a problem, I'll get into a bit later.

Video games can still make sense in a TV World that puts emphasis on performance; they're entertainment played on television by connecting a device onto it (at least home console games). The secret boss being the main character of a game can be translated as an actor, someone who carries out the directions provided by a 'script' of sorts (the game itself or you/the player). In a way, video games are movies or shows that the player themselves have full control of; they share several elements with other forms of media, only this time with giving the consumer more liberty in enjoying.

The Deltarune status updates reveals what the OST calls a 'Green Room'. A Green Room is a "a room (as in a theater or studio) where performers can relax before or after appearances". Fitting for the direction that Chapter 3 takes for a world themed around TV entertainment. Not only does this reinforces the actor and performance theme that Chapter 3's direction goes for, which can especially be applied to the secret boss, but it confirms something; the Dreemurr house's second floor being involved. Before this sneak peek, a lot of fans assumed that only the living room will get Dark World-ified, but this single screenshot seems to be saying otherwise. We get a loose layout of the second floor's hallways, the potted cacti are the same in shape, the couches mimic Kris and Asriel's bed, the starry wallpaper comes from Asriel's side of the bedroom, and some even say the box of (prop?) swords represent Asriel's pencil box. This still gives the chance of the game console as a secret boss, or any other things in the second floor to be referenced as well.

In one of Spamton's QnA answers, we may have the elements of the next secret bosses revealed. Spamton himself have the Puppet/Cat element, sharing it with Tasque Manager according to the game's files. We can assume that Death/Scythe in this answer belongs to Jevil (though the game's files lists it as Chaos/Chaos, possibly as a joke), as the JevilsKnife is basically a scythe and Spamton dislikes him. This leaves us with Thunder/Light and Dark/Star. Thunder/Light fits well with the secret boss being a Sonic expy, as both are very fast things, while Dark/Star could refer to what this possible secret boss is; a star that fell from fame into obscurity (or darkness).

Now, onto fan theory territory.

1. Memoryhead: There's a theory suggesting that the Memoryheads represent the currently known and future secret bosses. Here's the Memoryhead itself, along with the circled parts showing Jevil (red) and Spamton (yellow):

Obviously these aren't the only faces on the Memoryhead as we also have this face:

Should look familiar right? Of course this isn't really definitive proof of the concept being plausible. I wanted to point out just how eerily similar one of the faces on the Memoryhead is to Sonic's conjoined eyes.

2. SOUL colors: A more common theory is that each secret boss would have their own SOUL color/modes based on the Undertale Genocide Route bosses in reverse order (Sans = Jevil = Red, Spamton = Mettaton = Yellow). On top of this theory, another theory from Reddit says that the secret bosses reflect an inversion of each color's virtues; in the case of the currently known secret bosses, Red for Determination, Yellow for Justice. Jevil accepts the truth with no resistance and deludes himself into believing he's free to do anything (the opposite of Determination) while Spamton is a crooked salesman who pressures Kris into making bad deals and scams his customers (the opposite of Justice). Following this pattern, the Chapter 3 secret boss's SOUL color/mode is either Purple or Green. Let's talk about how this could work for our Sonic ripoff.

Purple is the color of Perseverance. Inverting Perseverance could give us something along the lines of Apathy. To persevere is to stand tall even against the odds and the many trials of life. As the trend of Sonic-esque platformers lived for quite a short time, it can be said that it didn't persevere through the tests of time. Maybe we could have someone who's long gave up their dreams of returning to the spotlight, where they consider their current state as being eternally lost, until an opportunity (Kris and their SOUL; something to control them) presents itself. This sends them in a more frenzied and desperate state that makes them do whatever it takes to become famous again, no matter what they'll face in their path to have 'freedom' once more. This portrayal can both invert Perseverance as well as display a twisted version of it.

Instead of spiderwebs, the lines could be TV scan lines, tying the chapter's TV theme with the secret boss' basis of a video game character. The lines could also refer to game consoles and controllers, with both using wires to connect themselves onto the TV.

Alternatively, this secret boss uses the green SOUL, the color of Kindness. Inverting Kindness gives Selfishness or Meanness. This still lines up with the secret boss being a Sonic clone, as the games that tried to ride and capitalise on Sonic's success tend to forgo Sonic's kindness and heroism for being cool and edgy for the sake of being cool and edgy, ending up with a character whose only defining trait is 'being totally rad' even to the point of self-centeredness. With that interpretation, the secret boss can instead be selfish and shrewd, disregarding others and doing whatever they can no matter what to get their hands on Kris' SOUL. On the surface, they still try to keep a kind and heroic persona (but not without the snark) despite no one remembering them. All of this to reclaim the image that they once have, their stardom, and their life. Why should they matter? They're not the ones who have their lives and acclaim suddenly robbed from them right?

While it skips the Purple SOUL, the Green SOUL returning in Chapter 3 can be inferred from Seam saying that the "next opponent" (presumably the secret boss) is impossible to beat without the 'Shadow Mantle'. A mantle can mean many things, for one it could mean a cape of sorts or a covering. As Seam says that we need the Shadow Mantle to fight the next secret boss, it can be inferred that it acts as a second shield for the Green SOUL, covering the area not protected by it.

3. Heaven and Hell: So far, all the known secret bosses have made references to Heaven or Hell. Jevil, besides being a demonic jester, says “MY HEARTS GO OUT TO ALL YOU SINNERS!” before one of his attacks. Spamton have made several allusions to Heaven (“ARE YOU WATCHING, [Heaven]!? IT'S TIME FOR SPAMTON'S [Comeback Special]!”) and has an angel theming (the mini Spamtons that heal half your health, Spamton NEO). Making the Chapter 3 secret boss a star past their prime by basing it on a dead gaming trend still fits this theming. They’re a star that fell into obscurity. In other words, Lucifer, the morning star, a fallen angel.

Okay, all of this is cool and weird. But then, what about the flowers? The ones Asgore gave to Toriel? Wouldn't that, a discarded thing that sits fairly near to the living room, also be secret boss material?

Simple, they can still be a part of this potential secret boss, just not as the boss itself.

Instead, the flowers can be the stage for the boss fight. A lot of Classic Sonic games (read: Sonic games at the 90s) start off in places with a fair amount of vegetation, especially trees and flowers. I can see the flowers also acting as the trees. In short, the trash can itself will be the stage for the secret boss's fight.

And now, some personal ideas.

1. Speech quirk: As an embodiment of a long gone fad, this secret boss's speech quirk would be speaking in 90's slang frequently while putting certain letters in bubbles, as if they're buttons on a game controller, with T being replaced with a + to evoke a D-pad. Something like so:

2. Gaster design motif: It's heavily implied that Gaster have some involvements with the secret bosses. They also have design motifs that they share with Gaster; Jevil have Gaster's eye cracks (or is it just clown makeup?) while Spamton have Gaster's fashion sense. I think, for a character that plays into the theme of a former star that long for their fame to return, the Chapter 3 secret boss will have a hole on each hand, just like Gaster's hands. On top of rings being the main collectible of every Sonic game as well as loop-de-loops being a common feature in Sonic level design, hands with holes can symbolise grasping for something (in this case fame/stardom), only to fail.

3. Amusement park ride: Each secret boss so far seem to have an amusement park ride theme of sorts, with Jevil's fight being in a carousel (or at least similar to) and Spamton's fight taking you on [[a ride around town]] on a rollercoaster. As the rollercoaster is (unfortunately) taken, I'm gonna have to go with a pendulum ride. Besides being a very fast ride (some even swinging in a full circle, just like a loop-de-loop), it can symbolise this character's arc of wanting to reach their past stardom only to slip away.

Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire cowboy thing ended up being a hint to the actual secret boss itself, but, knowing Toby Fox, I also wouldn't be surprised if it isn't. If this ends up being inevitably deconfirmed by Chapter 3's release, I can still claim him as an entirely original secret boss complete with an orange SOUL mode. All in all, I just needed to put this out somewhere, for some unfortunate souls to read.

TL;DR: The Chapter 3 secret boss is a Sonic expy as a riff on the Mascot with Attitude trend from the 90s and to parallel a movie star past their prime (according to Chapter 3's direction), desperate to be guided and to have fame once more.

[gentle-hero-blog]

Actually wait ok i'm not done. i'm actually so serious abt this. I think that a large part of the reason i got attached to metroid when i was younger is because it was the first media i discovered where the main female character was allowed to look like this:

and like. people thought she was cool. BOYS thought she was cool and I had never seen boys think a female character was cool before, much less want to be like one. she had all these interesting traits that I had only ever seen in male characters (person of few words, calm and ruthless bounty hunter persona, highly respected for skill, her appearance isn't mentioned Ever, etc etc). and that was formative for me and my relationship to gender i think

[starry-bi-sky]

i need to get this out of my head before i continue clone^2 but danny being the first batkid. Like, standard procedure stuff: his parents and sister die, danny ends up with Vlad Masters. He drags him along to stereotypical galas and stuff; Danny is not having a good time.

He ends up going to one of the Wayne Galas being hosted ever since elusive Bruce Wayne has returned to Gotham. Vlad is crowing about having this opportunity as he's been wanting to sink his claws into the company for a long while now. Danny is too busy grieving to care what he wants.

And like most Galas, once Vlad is done showing him off to the other socialites and the like, he disappears. Off to a dark corner, or to one of the many balconies; doesn't matter. There he runs into said star of the show, Bruce who is still young, has been Batman for at least a year at this point, but still getting used to all these damn people and socializing. He's stepped off to hide for a few minutes before stepping back into the shark tank.

And he runs into a kid with circles under his eyes and a dull gleam in them. Familiar, like looking into a mirror.

Danny tries to excuse himself, he hasn't stopped crying since his parents died and it's been months. He rubs his eyes and stands up, and stumbles over a half-hearted apology to Mister Wayne. Some of Vlad's etiquette lessons kicking in.

Bruce is awkward, but he softens. "That's alright, lad," he says, pulling up some of that Brucie Wayne confidence, "I was just coming out here to get some fresh air."

There's a little pressing; Bruce asks who he's here with, Danny says, voice quiet and grief-stricken, that he's with his godfather Vlad Masters. Bruce asks him if he knows where he is, and Danny tells him he does. Bruce offers to leave, Danny tells him to do whatever he wants.

It ends with Bruce staying, standing off to the side with Danny in silence. Neither of them say a word, and Danny eventually leaves first in that same silence.

Bruce looks into Vlad Masters after everything is over, his interest piqued. He finds news about him taking in Danny Fenton: he looks into Danny Fenton. He finds news articles about his parents' deaths, their occupations, everything he can get his hands on.

At the next gala, he sees Danny again. And he looks the same as ever: quiet like a ghost, just as pale, and full of grief. Bruce sits in silence with him again for nearly ten minutes before he strikes a conversation.

"Do you like to do anything?"

Nothing. Just silence.

Bruce isn't quite sure what to do: comfort is not his forte, and Danny doesn't know him. He's smart enough to know that. So he starts talking about other things; anything he can think of that Brucie Wayne might say, that also wasn't inappropriate for a kid to hear.

Danny says nothing the entire time, and is again the first to leave.

Bruce watches from a distance as he intercts with Vlad Masters; how Vlad Masters interacts with him. He doesn't like what he sees: Vlad Masters keeps a hand on Danny's shoulder like one would hold onto the collar of a dog. He parades him around like a trophy he won.

And there are moments, when someone gets too close or when someone tries to shake Danny's hand, of deep possessiveness that flints over Vlad Masters' eyes. Like a dragon guarding a horde.

He plays the act of doting godfather well: but Bruce knows a liar when he sees one. Like recognizes like.

Danny is dull-eyed and blank faced the entire time; he looks miserable.

So Bruce tries to host more parties; if only so that he can talk to Danny alone. Vlad seems all too happy to attend, toting Danny along like a ribbon, and on the dot every hour, Danny slips away to somewhere to hide. Bruce appears twenty minutes later.

"I was looking into your godfather's company," he says one night, trying to think of more things to say. Some nights all they do is sit in silence. "Some of my shareholders were thinking of partnering up--"

"Don't."

He stops. Danny hardly says a word to him, he doesn't even look at him -- he's sitting on the ground, his head in his knees. Like he's trying to hide from the world. But he's looking, blue eyes piercing up at Bruce.

Bruce tilts his head, practiced puppy-like. "Pardon?"

"Don't." Danny says, strongly. "Don't make any deals with Vlad."

It's the most words Danny's spoken to him, and there's a look in his eyes like a candle finding its spark. Something hard. Bruce presses further, "And why is that?"

The spark flutters, and flushes out. Danny blinks like he's coming out of a trance, and slumps back into himself. "Just don't."

Bruce stares at him, thoughtful, before looking away. "Alright. I won't."

And they fall back into silence.

Danny, when he leaves, turns to look at Bruce, "I mean it." He says; soft like he's telling a secret, "Don't make any deals with him. Don't be alone with him. Don't work with him."

He's scampered away before Bruce can question him further.

(He never planned on working with Vlad Masters and his company; he's done his research. He's seen the misfortune. But nothing ever leads back to him. There's no evidence of anything. But Danny knows something.)

At their next meeting, Danny starts the conversation. It's new, and it's welcomed. He says, cutting through their five minute quiet, that he likes stars. And he doesn't like that he can't see them in Gotham.

Bruce hums in interest, and Danny continues talking. It's as if floodgates had been opened, and as Bruce takes a sip of his wine, it tastes like victory.

("Tucker told me once--") ("Tucker?") ("Oh-- uh, one of my best friends. He's a tech geek. We haven't talked in a while.")

(Danny shut down in his grief -- his friends are worried, but can't reach him. When he goes back to the manor with Vlad, he fishes out his phone and sends them a message.)

(They are ecstatic to hear from him.)

It all culminates until one day, when Danny is leaving to go back inside, that Bruce speaks up. "You know," He says, leaning against the railing. "The manor has many rooms; plenty of space for a guest."

The implication there, hidden between the lines. And Danny is smart, he looks at Bruce with a sharp glean in his eyes, and he nods. "Good to know."

The next time they see each other, Danny has something in his hands. "Can you hold onto something for me?" He asks.

When Bruce agrees, Danny places a pearl into his palm. or, at least, it's something that looks like a pearl. Because it's cold to the touch; sinking into Bruce's white silk gloves with ease and shimmering like an opal. It moves a little as it settles into his hand, and the moves like its full of liquid.

Bruce has never seen anything like it before, but he does know this; it's not human. "What is it?" He asks, and Danny looks uncomfortable.

"I can't tell you that." He says, shifting on his foot like he's scared of someone seeing it. "But please be careful with it. Treat it like it's extremely fragile."

When Bruce gets home, he puts it in an empty ring box and hides the box in the cave. He tries researching into what it is. he can't find anything concrete.

Everything comes to a head one day when Danny appears at the manor's doorstep one evening, soaking wet in the rain, and bleeding from the side.

[crazymecjc]

✨daniil dankovsky’s fun steppe vacation✨

[fuzzbuns]

Stupid joke based on birds i saw at my bird feeder

[wheatormeat]

Rereading old haikyuu chapters, here's a bunch of silly Akaashis

[crow-with-a-pencil]

One year anniversary of the kelp blorbo who changed my brain chemistry forever

Happy birthday Beetle :)

[wereh0gz]

I HATE how ppl treat the werehog as if he was some feral werewolf monster that needs to be tamed when he isn't

Like he's literally a subversion of the trope where a character becomes a completely uncontrollable beast that must either be controlled or killed

Like I love the idea of him having his feral freaky animal moments but he does not need to be tamed or controlled. Like his ENTIRE arc in Unleashed and more prominently in post-sgw Archie was that he needed to accept and learn how to live with his new form so that he can save the world. Literally the exact opposite of control

Nearing the endgame of Unleashed Chip literally TELLS him that his will is too strong for him to be consumed by the dark energy inside him like others have. And like when Dark Gaia took its energy back it HURT Sonic bc he'd ACCEPTED the werehog as a part of himself. He was willing to live with it!! And I'd even go as far as to say he WANTED to keep it bc of how much it hurt having it taken away!!

Like. Tell me you don't actually know the werehog without telling me

[evil-mcytblrconfessions]

tumblr kww fandom was formed seperately from most other social media corners of the fandom. and that leads to silly things like the commonly used name "kww collab" and kenfies vs kenifies. and probably more. cedar if theres any more im forgetting that u know of say them pls

(in response to this confession)

[rambunctioustoons]

I am ill with longing (thinking about friendships again).

[hiraethwrote]

what is it with men, that when i tell them “you did this thing, and it made this other thing harder for me” and they have to go “hm? that’s weird, i never struggle with it 🤷🏻‍♀️” instead of just apologising and telling me the won’t do it again

[mothsakura]

Hi. I saw ur iterators and they look cool i wanna know the lore(tm)

OOO YES YES! Imma ramble about off the string au too, so putting the explanation of the au before oc lore, if you want to hear just about the oc, feel free to skip the off the string hcs! (note: a lot of my oc lore is rather long, and hard to type out in one go, i will most likely be typing up about an oc with shorter lore)

So first; how does off-the-string work in my au/hcs:

The consciousness and subconsciousness are evenly spread out throughout all of the iterator's systems and mechanisms! Usually the puppet is just used for communication, and to express the iterator's personality. Without the puppet it would be rather difficult to communicate. Now you see: the puppet can be detached from it's mechanical arm, this is most often done in maintenance or during really fancy ceremonies. To go off the string, you need to put your whole consciousness into your puppet, and then detach it from the mechanical arm. The structure would still be up and performing vital functions, however would be in a "sleep" state. You can still vaguely feel your structure if you are off the string.

Although this sounds easy, it really isn't. Since the iterator as a whole is HUGE, they'd need some time to adapt to the limitations of the puppet. They are now on the same level as an ancient, or the animals that walk beneath their structure, which can be rather difficult to adjust to if you're used to being a mechanical god. (think of it like putting all your consciousness into the tip of your finger, you're so so much smaller and vulnerable now) Note: the iterator is also now hyper-aware of their puppet since all of their consciousness, and thus attention, is in their puppet (instead of being spread out like in the structure). (Also another small note I am unsure of where to put: in my hcs, the iterators sort of have a connection to their neurons similar to bluetooth, which means that if the structure is still standing, they do not need to take their neurons along while going off the string, as they'd already have that long distance connection to the neurons) If a disconnection is done right, it is 100% reversible! Just attach the puppet back to it's mechanical arm, and everything would be just like before the iterator detached it's puppet. However if an iterator disconnected improperly, it will be rather difficult to spread their consciousness back through their structure. Also if you die off the string, your consciousness will simply go back to your structure, and you'd need to make yourself a new puppet.

As for why an iterator would need to go off the string:

Many many reasons, some iterators are just curious, others want to see if they can ascend (any void related death will cause ascension for ancients and biological organisms. Several iterators have tried to test if they'd ascend by losing their puppet to the void sea.), and some have been falsely advertised to. Not too long after Sliver's ascension, there was an event labeled the "Disconnection Obsession", where iterators would go off the string to test the aforementioned theory. However there was also a rise of false advertising, with off the string being painted as a vacation or a new solution, and of course you'd want a vacation after some real boring work. Unfortunately off the string is far from a vacation...

Onto OC lore:

I'll be talking about CV! As it's lore is currently one of the only things thats on my mind, and that I can coherently tell through one ramble. Following the disconnection obsession event, CV had gone off the string to test out if the theory of losing your puppet to the void sea will ascend an iterator (probably not be at least CV is being hopeful). Or well, it more so thought it needed to test out this theory. Unfortunately CV was brainwashed by it's council to have the extremist ascensionist views of the world. Deep down it never really had any interest in ascension, it had more interest in archiving religious history to be honest. So CV went off the string with it's neighbors (Visions of Issues Unforeseen, Grim Speculations), and originally it planned to go to the void sea, but overtime it wanted to stay with it's neighbors more (who it became rather good friends with). I nicknamed the trio "The half-group", since originally they were a separate group from DAWNS_ABOUND, before the two groups merged for political allyship back when the ancients were around. Putting this map here as well! The two collapsed iterators near the half-group are early prototypes, who collapsed even before GS (oldest of the half-group, the second model of gen 2 ever made) was built. Early prototypes never really have a long lifespan unfortunately.

Thats about it for now!

[serenedash]

I love thinking about daily life in Daybreak Town and I'm gonna put a read more for my own sanity here LOL feel free to add your headcanons about Daybreak Town :]

one thing I really like thinking about is what quests/missions and raid hour was like for wielders since khux loved to make game mechanics actually Mean Something lore-wise. If you never played khux, raid hour was twice a day (11am and 11pm in my time zone) where powerful enemies would appear called raid bosses and you and your party could take them on solo or together

So like. Daily missions/quests are really only mentioned briefly in actual cut scenes (off the top of my head, Ephemera mentions it to Player that it would be suspicious if they were gone too long because it would look like they were slacking, Strelitzia also is shocked that Lauriam basically gets all of his missions done before noon) but I imagine that daily missions take up most of the day for wielders (again, another gameplay mechanic where you earned in game currency for doing things). And you know obviously we get to see lots of wielders around during the day, we get to see our character and others going to bed at the end of the day, and when Player waits for Ephemera at the fountain we see how no one is around at night,

I've seen a lot of discussions about night time in Daybreak Town, headcanons about how there are wielders that only do their missions at night, how darkness is more potent and there are more heartless (I especially love when people point out the night sky would be pitch black since the worlds are still one world so there would be no sky, only adding to the darkness at night). But back to raid hour!! I like to think about wielders getting their daily missions done and going back home to relax/nap/whatever and then when raid hour happens the clock tower rings and its like the empty streets suddenly fill with people, wielders meeting up with their parties or people going for the solo boss fights, and they all go ham until the bosses disappear and everyone goes back to bed. In the khx novel chirithy says that the clock tower only rings at "special times" but never elaborates so I like to think raid hour counts lol

for other daily life things tho, I've always had this headcanon that since the unions were formed (or maybe since the master of masters took on apprentices,) wielders just flocked to Daybreak Town and kinda. basically drove out the original people in Daybreak Town so its literally like a town run by kids (and moogles) and I like to think there's a good amount of kids/teens running little shops like there's that one part of Daybreak Town that's like a street market and I just know those were all run by like 15 year olds (also you can't convince me that 18 is like the oldest people get in Daybreak Town bc the game makes it SO SO SO CLEAR that wielders die CONSTANTLY and its VERY NORMALIZED) but anyway yeah some wielders not really doing their wielder stuff and instead just running businesses because you can't tell me there's moogles for Everything,

I've also had some very clear ideas about how parties work like since day one of unchained x, I like to think party leaders have get togethers to discuss what's happening in town or in their union and each union has their own like. Office I guess? for party leaders to gather and I always liked to imagine the leaders going there in the morning for reports of where strong heartless are or orders from their union leader yknow (idk in my head its like a post office, go to your little mailbox and get your stuff)

I don't have anything else those are my random disjointed thoughts👍

[doubleedgemode]

The Dandy with his Hand on his chest

I wanted to do a big piece before the month ended and I had been thinking on drawing a study of "The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest" by El Greco with Slayer for a good while, because I adore that painting and believe it fits him, since it has a mysterious yet noble aura to me. Very dandy!

I love Slayer's Rev2 Color 4, so I got really happy when it returned as Color 10 in Strive, now with a very stylish nail polish, too.

[narwhalandchill]

its been like. nearly a year (How.) already but i cannot lie theres Still a part in the back of my brain occupied with and being thoroughly entertained by the way that childes confirmed 4.0 complete self-awareness over waking up the narwhal at 14 recontextualizes some key liyue things leading to some very funny self indulgent scenarios in my head

like yes chili is old news its basic please excuse me for predictable popular ship crimes (do NOT however associate me w the crimes of fanon against their actual range. theyre peak to Me) but i just keep replaying the imagery of zhongli and childe back on their homoerotic Professional Working Relationship bullshit where their flirting passed the jkjk unless treshold of even remotely plausible deniability like 8 exorbitantly priced business dinners ago and theyre just like. doing that whole song and dance now neither committing to a move except zhonglis presently feeling moderately conflicted (but nonetheless fairly unfazed at) by the prospects of actually developing some sort of a thing for the harbinger hes supposed to puppet master into executing the major story climax of his 67-step retirement plan bc he turned out to be quite the strangely charming ginger specimen (to His weird fucking 6000 year old tastes at least. they deserve each other) with some fascinating life ambitions he cant help but be enraptured by.

but because hes still 100% Locked In on his entire plan zhonglis also just . simultaneously dual wielding his coy-ass "i like you and am taking it slow to Savor this developing relationship (Also bc of the Geo Archon Shaped Elephant In The Room) except am old as shit so my languid sense of time inadvertedly Automatically turns my behavior into an equivalent of the dark souls boss of playing hard2get" act (cue "waddup im ajax 24 and im in fucking agony with this hot funeral consultant". Yes they live like this) AND also meticulously theorycrafting like 12 moves in advance for his 6d chess play of leaving the most subtly crafted trail of breadcrumbs behind for the tsaritsas 11th to follow into the intended & completely "Coincidental" idea of unleashing the one particular sealed sea deity that zhongli Specifically wants momentarily released for his sweet 6k retirement party and graduation test for the nation hes helicopter parented for 3.7k years .

like. this is zhongli we r talking about the guy Absolutely has it planned out down to a fucking art like he has an entire branching path dialogue tree planned and memorized like its a visual novel for every possible way he can conveniently namedrop osial in a non-suspect way and also that he just happens to be sealed right over there across the harbor (what a coincidence!) and also to slip in the intel about the latent power of the sigil of permission etc etc. like zhonglis just out there doing all this massive galaxy brain computational work simultaneously while infodumping on an academic level about whichever subject childes latest random comment of amicable small talk happened to remind him of because in his helicopter parent in remission mind its Absolutely Critical that the idea about releasing osial occurs Completely organically in childes mind it Has to he Cannot risk revealing anything . (hes in remission not in recovery guys.) so like here we are. he requested notes from the tsaritsa Personally on the character of her 11th just to ensure every move was painstakingly crafted to draw him Specifically to the intended conclusion without risking revealing his true identity .

except. the thing . neither he. nor the tsaritsa . would have been informed of . is that this simply isnt childes first fucking rodeo waking up an eldritch city sized sea creature . and he is very well aware of this fact . he woke that beautiful wonderful beloved huge fucking narwhal up by himself had his brain chemistry Immediately and Irrevocably rewired as a direct consequence do you fucking think hes somehow stopped thinking about that singular moment for even a second since then???

yeah . thought so.

so what actually ends up happening in reality is theyll be on another definitely-serious-business-not-just-a-date and zhonglis going to get down to like dialogue selection part 10 of the 86 step conversation tree at Most where hes only beginning to like Vaguely allude to the key pieces of information involved but it turns out Because Hes That Guy (TM) And Has Been There Done That Before childes basic pattern recognition and sense of irony simply proceed to kick in Way ahead of time and hes Immediately perking up like Hey wouldnt it be really fucking funny if i wake up an eldritch sea beast Again . like just in case. as a last ditch effort .

and zhonglis just sitting there seeing the gears turn in his head as they enjoy their cringe fucking picnic (bc they just stare at each other intently like that nowadays its a thing. being in a room with them by this point is essentially a human rights violation) and is just completely fucking flabbergasted and lost on how in the hell childes speedran his way to that conclusion at what amounts to barely a 13% completion rate in his whole overkill fucking plan (just 1 of 3 contingencies btw) and its like yes he has his intended outcome but also precisely 0 idea on how the fuck said outcome was reached the way it was this fast . like hes still winning its His plan thats well underway and ahead of schedule but How

(pov: ur selling the concept of waking up destructive sea creatures to the guy who woke up a celestial body eating cosmic whale at 14)

anyway its truly beautiful i absolutely detest these two and have prime liyue AQ hijinks nostalgia now thank you for the lore drop that allowed this to become canon in my head hoyo

[omoghouls]

Nbhv9vyv9viy the only downside to having a tdick is now I'm VERY aware when I'm hrny😭 it actually stiffens and get all throbby hhhh