#sub world state: dark origin

[daughterofhighever-blog]

How did you sleep as Oren screamed?

I did not sleep - I clawed and fought in vain as Rendon Howe took my virtue, leaving me to weep with my blood and his spend staining my bed and thighs. He left me - living - to begin the slaughter in earnest, and with that single choice did doom himself and his house. I dried my tears and took up my sword - and I vowed that never again would I let anyone take from me as he had done.

[daughterofhighever-blog]

While Nathaniel had taken time to stand in the doorway and survey the path before them, Elissa watched him with a furrowed brow and pensive expression. Since the night her life was turned upside down, there had been only a little that caused her as much inner turmoil, conflict, and bouts of self-doubt as Nathaniel Howe. His very presence had, as dwarves would say, thrown a spanner in the works and knocked her off balance. She did not regret her decision to let Nathaniel go, nor in accepting him into their ranks upon his only somewhat surprising return - but her moods toward him vacillated wildly, and with irritating unpredictability. 

Hardly privy to his inner thoughts, she still would wager it frustrated herself even more than it likely did him.

‘Well? Or has your bravery run out so soon?'

His words were met with a huffing scoff as Elissa pushed off the wall she’d been leaning against, half a dozen steps above where he now stood.

“I’ve dealt with worse than ghosts and dead men in darker and deeper places than this, Howe. That hardly means the prospect of rooting out nests of ghouls and darkspawn from unmapped recesses in this ancient deathtrap of an undercroft makes me giddy”

One thing they likely could agree upon was the lack of ghosts - at least here in the bowels of the Howes’ ancestral fortress home. She’d seen far too much in her travels of late to discount the existence of such things in the world at large.  And besides, what haunted Elissa in the halls of the Vigil, she believed, was of an entirely different bent. Though as she caught Nathaniel’s profile just so out of the corner of her eye while walking past him, an involuntary shiver ran through her - a cold, sick feeling that pitted in her belly. He was too much an echo in that brief, half instant, of the figure that crept around the edges of her poorly buried fear. Ghosts often took many forms. Perhaps that bent wasn’t so entirely different after all. 

“Come on then - the sooner we can clear this stretch and get back to the others, the better. Maker knows what trouble Oghren and Anders might stumble into on their own.” When she spoke again, her voice was more tired and worn, while the wounds in her heart throbbed beneath their scars.

“Maybe we’ll even manage to put a few things to rest.”

Plotted starter for @daughterofhighever-blog | Nate & Elissa

The cellars of Vigil's Keep were far too narrow for his liking, but Nathaniel kept his grousing largely to himself. He was of no mind to bother anyone else and even to some end, being sent on this errand was an opportunity to clear his head of things that had been plaguing him since before he underwent the Joining ritual. Rarely had he ventured down into the basements of the castle while his family still resided within its halls. Nathaniel had full run of the Keep growing up, yet there never had been good enough reason to venture deep down into the lower levels where the dust threatened to overtake. The servants used to tease him, before he was old enough to brush such things off as hogwash, that the basements were haunted, that ghosts of the soldiers who died in wars past, or the apparitions of other young Howe children who were naughty and sent down to rot-

Naturally, they'd done much to deter him from investigating on his own for some years, until he wizened to the tall tales. By then, he had other places he preferred to seek refuge within. Such as the trophy room or the archery range out back…

Now, he stood at the door at the bottom of the steps leading into the first room and paused to contemplate his lot in life. For only the briefest of moments did Nathaniel wonder what his father would think, seeing him here and now as he was. A newly born Grey Warden venturing down into the cellars to prove a point. The Keep was not haunted and to think such was ridiculous. If any creatures from beyond the grave existed in the depths below, it was the remaining darkspawn who refused to go aground after the Blight, the very same they had been dealing with since he arrived.

Shaking the thoughts free, the fallen-noblemen broke the reverie and took a step forward. The fading, splintering wood groaned distressfully when he pushed against it with only a fraction of his weight. Immediately, his senses were assailed by a wall of musty and unmoving air from years of sitting untouched, from such little foot traffic. It opened up into a room that was longer than it was wide, in which the lighting was somehow both dim and severe at once. It was an effect achieved with low ceilings in an already cramped space, and the lack of natural sunlight. He stood in the threshold and took in the vision before him, as if waiting to see ghosts or specters of the past dance across his vision, giving some weight to the old stories that he knew were preposterous. Instead, he squinted in the darkness, making out the shapes of iron torches affixed to the supporting pillars, and reached for one to illuminate his path. Nathaniel cursed low under his breath and turned around to wait for Elissa. After all, she had volunteered to join him on this little incursion, perhaps to prove a point of her own.

"Well? Or has your bravery run out so soon?"

[eldragon-x-moved]

Tried my hand on making some Fakemon based on existing characters! To be specific, Mabel Pines, The Thing (1982), Homura Akemi, Amalthea (The Last Unicorn), and Bill Cipher in that order. Information about them under read more!

Carild - Fairy This childish Pokemon loves to play but can get caught up in its games and become reckless. It desires to bring joy to all and is bummed out when someone around it is unhappy. Some people believe that shooting stars are actually this Pokemon flying across the night sky and that it creates rainbows.

Impome - Ice/Dark This Pokemon was discovered by researchers in the arctic ice and originated from space. It seems to be closely related to Ditto and can perfectly imitate both people and Pokemon by coming in contact with them, though it always remains its ice-typing. It commonly takes the form of a scared Dog-Pokemon to garner sympathy, only to then cause problems. It takes an experienced trainer to handle an Impome. Its unruly behaviour may stem from homesickness, since this Pokemon usually becomes much friendlier under the right care.

Homurhyme - Psychic/Fire Scientists hypothesize that this Pokemon is a sub-species of the Gardevoir line that is related to Celebi. It attacks with fire whereas its psychic power is reserved for floating and traveling through time. This Pokemon is very protective of its trainer and will do anything to ensure their safety.

Raridash - Fairy/Water - Mythical Legend has it that this Mythical Pokemon was once the last Rapidash in the world after the population vanished into the ocean, and that it grieves for them. Many people admire this Pokemon for its beauty, and believe that spotting it in the foam of the ocean waves it rides will grant eternal youth.

Provistringe - Psychic/Fire - Ultra Beast This fun-loving Ultra Beast is the embodiment of chaos. It burns down planets it deems boring and parties across dimensions, wrecking everything in its path. It has appeared to humans in dreams throughout history and is surrounded by many legends. Some believe it to watch over the universe and worship it as a deity, others believe that the universe will fall apart if it enters our world. One prophecy states that Carild is able to stop its rampage, despite being much less powerful.

[cienie-isengardu]

Bi-Han and Shang Tsung - sidenotes

I’m not done with my research for any bits of Bi-Han & Shang Tsung’s relationship through the years, as I’m pretty sure the lore & game mechanics have much more to offer about those two characters. However, as I'm not a player myself, finding proper sources will take much more time and energy than previously needed, so in meanwhile I'm sharing my random observations and notes about Sub-Zero and Shang Tsung.

POWER and FREEDOM

Some time ago I made a post about reputation vs reality of Shang Tsung and Bi-Han's life situations - how despite being praised for being cunning and strong, both either fulfilled high expectations of their masters or would be killed/harshly punished for failure.

Thinking more about that, alternative timeline’s Shang Tsung and Bi-Han/Noob share an additional trait - patience to bid their time. Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is the best proof of Shang Tsung’s dedication to seize the power and with it, freeing himself from the servitude (enslavement) he was stuck in for centuries. Bi-Han as Noob Saibot also had his own goal of ascending to power and with that, getting out of control of others:

Mortal Kombat 9's BIO:

"Noob Saibot's origins are unknown, but he is likely a revenant: a fallen warrior resurrected by the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi to fulfill a dark objective. Noob has been assigned to aid Shao Kahn in his acquisition of Earthrealm. A faithful servant and a recent addition to the Brotherhood of Shadow, he will obey his master, Quan Chi, and complete his mission. But he is biding his time. Noob Saibot has a dark objective of his own.

Mortal Kombat 9's ENDING:

"Quan Chi should never have resurrected Noob Saibot. Nor should he have enhanced his power to defeat Shao Kahn. The revenant he created had broken free of his control. Noob had secretly formed an "understanding" with a cleric from the realm of Chaos and opened for him a portal to the Netherrealm. Shinnok, Quan Chi and the Brotherhood of Shadow were unprepared as the forces of Chaos overwhelmed them, leaving the Underworld severely weakened. Satisfied with his work, the cleric, Havik, returned to the realm of Chaos. Noob Saibot remained to seize control of the Netherrealm."

Mortal Kombat 11's BIO:

"Shadow of the Netherrealm. In life, Noob Saibot was known as Sub-Zero. Unjustly murdered by Scorpion, he was resurrected by Quan Chi and granted power over darkness, but as Quan Chi’s slave. Now, Quan Chi is dead. Noob Saibot is finally free to reclaim the honor that was stolen from him."

Mortal Kombat 11's ENDING:

"Kronika said I would lead the New Era's deadliest clan. But she made such promises to many. She could never keep them all. So I betrayed her, before she could betray me. When Kronika's sands fused with my shadows, my ambitions grew. Why be a ruler of mortals, when I could rule destiny itself? Mortals resisted, but could not stop, my blanketing history in cold, endless night. All is dark. All are shadows. I have had many names. Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds."

Furthermore, MK1’s Bi-Han fits this scheme too (although he lacks the patience), as for him power and freedom are tightly tied to each other, as one can’t exist without the other. Personally I think this is a very neat detail when it comes to those two characters, as they seem to operate on a similar mindset.

Additionally, MK11 and MK1 Shang Tsungs share the same key word: INFLUENCE.

MK11!Noob had RECOGNITION while MK1!Bi-Han has POWER,

however the BIO itself imply that this version of Bi-Han too wants recognition for himself and his clan:

Under his leadership, the Lin Kuei will come out of the shadows and fight for its place as one of Earthrealm's great nations

which is pretty shame NRS pick “power” for Sub-Zero's key word.

SELLERS

MK1’s Shang Tsung is stated to be skilled seller (though why, I have no idea):

"Shang Tsung grew up in Outworld's backwaters. Too lazy for hard labor and too shifty for honest work, he eked out a living selling quack cures and fake magic. Though his wares were useless, Shang Tsung's easy charm always closed the deal. Shang Tsung was resigned to to this hardscrabble life. But then one day a mysterious stranger came, promising to make Shang Tsung a powerful sorcerer. Though suspicious of the offer, it was one he couldn't refuse."

The old card game presented Sub-Zero to be the best seller out of three ninja characters:

Friendship With an amazing sales pitch, Sub-Zero convinces his befuddled opponent to purchase a Sub-Zero doll.

For comparison, below is Reptile and Scorpion cards

SIMILAR GEAR - sharp edged metal protection of fingers

MK11's Shang Tsung

MK11 Noob Saibot

Dark Sub-Zero (Order of Darkness)

MK1: Khaos Reigns - Noob Saibot

MK: Onslaught (comics & game)

MK1's ANIMALITY in which Noob Saibot is alligator and Shang Tsung a cobra. Thus spiritual animals of both are reptilian. (In contrast, Bi-Han as Sub-Zero has a mammoth as his spiritual animal).

At the same there are some vital differences between Shang Tsung and Bi-Han.

For one, Shang Tsung is openly interested into technology. Magic is his main domain, but he does not look down on technology and may even adapt it for his own plans. Perhaps in the cloning process itself. We have various timelines' intro dialogues and MK11's Krypt to support his interest:

MK1

Shang Tsung: Once you are dead, I'll study that armor at my leisure. Sektor: What does a sorcerer know of engineering?

MK11

Shang Tsung: Perhaps technology is superior to magic. Terminator: Magic is an artificial construct. Shang Tsung: You’re not from around here, are you?

MK11 Krypt*

Shang Tsung: Sorcery isn't my only vocation. I'm also an inventor. While a modest endeavor, this forge is my finest. It can transmute collected items into new items you might find more useful

[* quote taken from MK wiki]

In previous timelines, Bi-Han did not utilize technology

[...] The Sub-Zero you saw killed was my older brother. He was stubborn in many ways. Refused to utilize modern technology on his missions.

but he was capable of using it (as seen with Noob Saibot and Cyber Smoke). In new era, Bi-Han will praise Sektor's technological genius

[...] but trafficking in such strong magic would surely draw Liu Kang’s attention. Sektor advised me that we avoid detection by building our army using science, not sorcery. We’ve invested much time in this endeavor, and we are beginning to see results. Once again proving the depths of Sektor’s genius.

and won't mind Lin Kuei using technology to gain additional advantage, yet he himself won't use any power suit (as was seen during Khaos Reigns).

The second difference is based on how Titan Shang Tsung and Dark Sub-Zero "solved" the problem of reincarnated characters. As in, Dark Sub-Zero made others part of his clan (Lin Kuei blood) while Titan Shang Tsung treats them as his minions.

And the last difference that catched my attention is how Dark Sub-Zero from Invasion would refuse to yield, even when given a chance to surrender

In contrast, Shang Tsung from Invasion Season #7, tried to run away once his invasion has failed and life was in danger

which makes me think Bi-Han, at least in the oldest timelines, is much more reconciled with death than Shang Tsung who will do anything to stay alive (begging to be spared, for example). Which makes sense, as Sub-Zero was an assassin so being killed was a much more probable outcome for him, than for Shang Tsung who could hire people to do his dirty job for him.

[chronic-escapixt]

His Rose ~ Details

(Kai Parker x Bennett OC fanfiction)

content warnings/tags ~ Dark fiction, dom/sub dynamics, abuse, murder, childhood trauma (mentioned). Minors DNI

I don't claim ownership of The Vampire Diaries or its characters. All credits go to the rightful owner(s). I only own my original character(s).

K.P. Masterlist

This fanfiction is born from my dissatisfaction with the way Kai was criminally underutilized in the TVDU. Honestly, I found him annoying at first, but he grew on me as season 6 went on. Thru Chris Wood's charming performance, Kai stole the show for me. I'll never forgive the showrunners for a lot of things, including underutilizing Chris Wood in this role & not allowing this broken king to have a real redemption arc.

On the topic of the showrunners, I'll never forgive them for how they did Bonnie Bennett or the Bennetts in general with how they were limited to magical plot devices for everyone else's use without any appreciative focus on their power & how it could really benefit them. Even though I love Bonnie & Kai, my otp endgame for her has always been Bonenzo, but I also adore Klonnie ❤️.

My AU changed and added plenty of lore around his coven & certain events. The plot follows the life of Bonnie's younger sister, Rosalina "Rose" Bennett-Ruiz. I go on to describe her below, but I'd like to state that she acts as Kai's antithesis as an innocent, fledgling witch. She's also Bonnie's support system. I always hated how the show often ignored that Bonnie lacked family around her that were unconditionally there for her. Bonnie's mom left when she was small, she lost her grams in season 1, and her father was a non-factor in her life until he returned... just to get killed off in front of her.

I wrote Rose & Bonnie's dynamic keeping in mind everything I hate about older sibling/younger sibling dynamics, like the one between Buffy and Dawn in BTVS. Bonnie deserves family that consistently supports her, encourages her to prioritize her well-being, and actually tries to lessen the existing load on her shoulders.

Another thing I kept in mind when adding Rose to my TVD AU is not to have her replace or take away Bonnie’s space in the plot. Now, I do give her Bonnie's plotline of being sent to the prison world in season 6, but this is essential to the story, and the way Bonnie was treated that season made me so sad that I have no problem taking traumatic experiences from her (of which she has more than enough) and giving them to Rose.

Okay... if you made it through my rant, congrats. I also want to offer my inbox as a place where anyone can offer up requests, scenarios, ask questions, even if you want to roast my cruddy writing... my inbox is open.

🌹Rosalina "Rose" Bennett-Ruiz:🌹

Born: March 18th, 1994 (18yrs)

Gender: Female | Height: 5’1” | Hair color: Brown | Eye color: Hazel

Race/ethnicity: Black and Latino/Hispanic

Species: witch (Bennett)

Titles: Rosy (Kai), littlest witch (by Kol), kid (by Damon)

Characteristics:

Rose is a gentle and kind-hearted person, always looking for the good in people and situations. She can be a people pleaser and overall naive when dealing with people, often seeing the best in everyone and believing in second chances

Family is important to her, so bonding with Bonnie means a lot. Due to her naivety and weakness, she can be easily manipulated and taken advantage of. Like Bonnie she’s compassionate and tends to selflessly help others. But still with spells due to her insecurity & inexperience with magic

She enjoys singing, gardening (honing her nature-based magic, making potions & studying herbology), fashion (sewing & thifting) and cooking (food is her love language)

She has a strong aversion to blood & violence so spending time with vampires took a lot of getting used to

Trilingual: fluent in Spanish & Portuguese

Despite her demure demeanor and virginal innocence, with her stuffed animal collection, enduring love of cartoons and a lack of dating, she’s a hopeless romantic that harbors the hidden desire to submit herself to a powerful dominant

Background:

Family: Bonnie Bennett (half-sister), Jamie Ruiz (half-brother), Abby Bennett-Ruiz (mother), Matteo Ruiz (father 🕊️), Sheila Bennett (maternal gm🕊️)

Rose was raised in Summersville, North Carolina. She was a child model until 13 when her father tragically died. She was the captain of her high school majorette dance team. Her life drastically changed when Bonnie arrived on her doorstep.

Rose was 16 when she & Bonnie would finally meet. Bonnie and Elena came to Abby for help with a spell. Rose was shocked to find that she had an older sister as Abby never mentioned Bonnie or the life she left behind in Mystic Falls. She was even more surprised upon finding out about her magical bloodline and that supernatural creatures walked the earth. Unlike Grams, Abby never mentioned magic throughout Rose’s life and even went as far to suppress her magic with by binding it.

After Abby is turned by Damon, she decides to leave her family to gain control as a fledgling vampire. Rose moves to Mystic Falls with Bonnie where she learns magic from her.

Magic doesn’t come naturally to Rose. But she often helps Bonnie with powerful spells, offering herself as a conduit for channeling together.

Admittedly having a 50% accuracy rate with her own spells. Rose’s confidence & focus are hindered when chanting and spells drain her much quicker even when she tries channeling the energy around her. Despite this, Rose is determined to improve, valuing her one-on-one time with Bonnie and spending late nights on her own practicing & memorizing spells. She uses her magic for good and wants to prove herself as a capable witch.

She excels at herb studies. Often experiments with potions and creates charms using the herbs they grow in their garden.

Her role in the Mystic Falls gang is the “Bennett witch in training” or “the bringer of baked goods” (according to Damon), since she often supplies their gatherings with fresh pastries. Everyone underestimates her power, even Bonnie. She tries to keep Rose out of danger unless she can’t help it.

🔪Malachai "Kai" Parker:🔪

Born: May 9, 1972 (22yrs)

Gender: Male | Height: 6'0" | Hair color: Dark Brown | Eye color: Blue-gray

Race/ethnicity: white/non-Hispanic

Species: siphoner (Gemini Witch coven)

Titles: abomination, black sheep, the defective twin (his coven)

Characteristics:

Charismatic with a charming smile. Upon meeting him, his charisma operates as a façade to hide his lack of empathy and his sadistic tendencies

Can be hard to read but that’s because he struggles with expressing his emotions which stems from his abusive childhood. He’s cold and relatively unfeeling with people, but once he lets someone in, he’s fiercely loyal and protective.

He can be observant, calculating and manipulative to taking advantage of someone and get what he wants

He’s a sassy man, often comes back with quick quips and has a natural sense of humor (typically dark humor)

When he’s comfortable, he never shuts up, has no filter and sucks with certain social cues. After being alone for nearly his whole life, will talk anyone's ear off without realizing they are not willing to listen

Kai can siphon all of a witch’s magic without killing them. He controls how the process feels - at its worst, a fast searing burn to a slight tingle. Overtime, a witch will regenerate their magic

High libido!!- He’s starved for touch and affection (though he would never admit that he needs anyone). Sexual desires reflect his sadistic personality as he enjoys dominating another person through absolute control and pain infliction

He likes raunchy comedies and media with half-naked women such as Bay Watch and MTV videos. A major foodie with constant cravings for sweet and salty snacks. He prefers snacking throughout the day but when he does bother to cook, it’s really good

He is fluent in old Latin, often found in grimoires and other ancient texts. When he was young he’d get his hands on old grimoires and study them, all the time to himself allowing him to hone his knowledge of witchcraft and technique

Background:

The Parker family is the head of the Gemini coven. Its patriarch, Joshua Parker is the coven leader. Kai is the eldest child, being half an hour older than his fraternal twin, Josette. Unlike Jo, Kai was born without the ability to generate his own magic, instead siphoning magic from lingering spells, objects, or other witches. When he was young, he would naturally gravitate toward the magic of his sister, so Joshua quickly decided to physically isolate Kai from everyone for fear of his son's "defect" hurting others.

As fraternal twins born of the coven leader, Jo and Kai would be set to merge on their 22nd birthday, where the winner takes the other's magic and coven leadership and the loser dies and is absorbed into the other but with the risk of Kai's siphoning ability giving him an edge in the merge, Joshua and Viviane continued having kids until she birthed another set of twins that would merge instead.

Kai's upbringing was lonely, spending most of his time locked in his bedroom up in the attic. Following his father's lead, most of his family excluded and demonized him. As he grew, Kai learned to internalize the cruel labels they gave him. If they wanted a monster, they would get a monster and on his 22nd birthday, May 9th, 1994, he would finally act on his boiling rage and resentment toward his family, unleashing the hatred he accumulated through a lifetime of torment onto his siblings when Jo refused the merge. To protect the twins, she would relent to merge with him but the coven was waiting and with the help of Sheila Bennett they banished him to a prison world of complete isolation.

Each year that passed only added to his hunger for revenge, left with nothing to do but plan his escape and seizer of coven leadership. He grew to take pride in what he had done to his siblings and his status as a sociopath capable of killing anyone who gets in his way without remorse.

AU-Specific Lore:

Prison world Lore:

Prison worlds are created by Bennett blood sacrifice, meaning a Bennett must be bled to death so the gemini coven can channel her blood magic.

A prison world resets with the eclipse every 3 months.

Time works differently, so no one ages throughout their time there.

A prison world cannot create life so the only living inhabitants are those sent there or arrive via ascendant.

Kai is linked to his prison world so he can’t die. If something kills him, he’ll be out for a while depending on the damage but the magic will heal him back to life. Without Kai, the prison world falls apart so while he’s there, it sustains his life to sustain itself. Once he leaves, it ceases to exist.

The Ascendant - an ancient device created by the Gemini coven and a Bennett ancestor that only responds to a living Bennett’s blood magic. The ascendant is sensitive to magic in general, so even when the spell is done right, it will activate then fall apart. You only have one chance at the time of the eclipse to correctly do the spell, which Kai knows from experience because early on he tried collecting a vial of Bennett blood that he hunted down in a hospital and using Josette's magic he siphoned from a hidden dagger. Disappointment boiled over into rage when he did the spell beneath the eclipse, the ascendant disassembled, but he was not transported out.

The Gemini Coven Lair:

Exists as a interdimensional where the coven keeps ancient texts, grimoires, enchanted items (talismans, gems, ascendants, etc.), and materials for spells & potions

Infinite space that can be utilized by the coven leader: often includes a space for magic instruction, a library, spell casting, a gathering area for the coven, etc.

Accessed only by portal, which is summoned by a spell entrusted to high-ranking Gemini members

[daughterofhighever-blog]

"That's a fancy way of saying you're going to try to kill him, Sebastian," Carver said with a sharp edge. He may not have let Marion tell him what Anders had planned, but she had told him how angry Sebastian had been, and what threats he had made.

"The Commander is going to be your best hope of finding him, either way. Marion did say he had a plan, but I don't know him really, or how his mind works."

Heat gripped Carver's chest and he found himself wanting very much to be anywhere else but there at that moment. He strode past Sebastian towards the door gesturing further in the direction they'd originally come.

"Kitchens are down the hall that way, on the left. Or you can grab one of the serving boys in the grey and black liveries."

Pausing in the doorway, he half turned back to look at Sebastian out of the corner of his eye.

"Word of advice? Try not to let it slip just how much you might want to kill Anders on sight when you talk to her. There's history there."

Anger flashed through Sebastian's eyes. "He will face justice," he repeated as Carver stood in the doorway to the room, "whatever that may look like."

"I'm just trying to tell you - you're not the only one this is personal fo-"

Carver bit his tongue and made a clicking sound against his cheek as if chastising himself.  Something passed over his face, and for a moment he almost appeared sad.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but instead of speaking further, he turned his head away from Sebastian and walked off.

Children. Sebastian felt his throat tighten. For the children at the Gallows whom Hawke hopefully had saved, and for the ones in the Chantry who never had a chance. He wanted to look away from Carver, to close his eyes and spend a moment grieving them and thanking that at least some were spared a horrible death, but he wouldn't allow himself to avert his gaze. He swallowed and hardened his resolve. He was doing this for the children who had been in the Chantry that day, who had been in the homes and buildings near the Chantry and were caught in the explosion. Not all of them died. It might have been kinder to some who hadn't. He couldn't save them or change the pain of the ones who survived—nor of the adults—but he could at least try and bring the one who did it to justice.

The thought of justice and what it had warped into through, or because, or, Sebastian found he had to allow, despite, Anders, helped set his gaze to steel again. It refocused him away from how raw the loss still felt if he dwelled on it overlong. He didn't need the details of what happened at the Gallows. He wasn't sure he could bear it.

"Yet you eventually parted ways," Sebastian said. Did his voice sound hoarse or was that just because he felt it should? "Do you know where she went? Or where she was headed?" Do you know if the mage was with her? was his unspoken question.

"I," he began, before clenching his jaw as if fighting some innate block. Everything in his head was screaming against telling Sebastian the whole of the truth. That he wanted to kill Anders was as certain to Carver as the fact that Marion would die to protect him.

But he had already answered much the same questions when the Warden Commander had asked. That Sebastian would find out eventually was all but guaranteed.

"I got her... got them both out of Kirkwall and into Ferelden. After that, no I really don't know where they went. I wouldn't let her tell me."

Sebastian's mouth pressed into a firm line. It would have been too easy if Carver had known, he supposed. Now he did allow his eyes to close, and exhaled audibly through his nose: a contained sound of frustration.

"I understand," he said, opening his eyes to look at Carver squarely once more, "your loyalty to your sister. But you have to know I intend to find him and bring him to justice for his actions."

[digitalgate02]

(Rough) Fact Checking on Rui & Ukkomon's statements in 02TB

Tbh I'm kinda concerned about people taking Rui's statements for granted and not realizing the movie is unclear what is legit and whatnot.

This is not Kizuna-like levels of screwed up, but this is still bugging me as i've been discussing about this movie with friends who managed to watch it before me, and once i watched it by myself i completely understood their thoughts and theories regarding the movie and the Rui & Ukkomon lore.

We still got no actual news of digital releases or EN subs (tho i believe fansubs might appear once the JP Blu-Ray/DVD is released in May) or any other country digital release (or Blu-Ray/DVD ones) so i can’t completely make a detailed lore busting post about Rui’s statements and what we know or were presented in the original Adventure’99, 02 and their extra materials like Drama CD and movies.

But i do remember tiny bits of the movie… And stuff said in the pre-release stream.

I’ll do my best here.

[WARNING FOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

The movie staff released a timeline for this movie, which indicates Rui met Ukkomon in February 29 1996 → I don’t think this is a contradiction, because if the Korean interview with SekiP is reliable (i mean, we can’t check what she said in JP, and the telephone game from JP to KR and to EN means something might have been lost in the process!), she said they changed a bit of the lore for this movie. Btw, the OG lore of Digimon Partnership count starts in 1995 and then it doubles year by year is still present in the movie, as there’s a scene where the current number of partnerships in the year of 2012, but the number stated is not exact since the movie takes place in February only. So of course the count wouldn’t be the full year number, which is 131,072 partnerships in total.

Rui and Ukkomon form a bond, and Ukkomon grants Rui the wish of having many friends, which he tells the 02 group that partnerships with digimon were the result of this wish → This is completely uncertain, and it is also doubted by the 02 kids in the movie. In Adv’99 and 02 we learn that there’s multiple sources for becoming a Chosen Child: Homeostasis (Adv Eight, possibly their predecessors); Holy Beasts (Daisuke, Miyako & Iori); unknown sources (Menoa, Meiko, Ken, Wallace, Worldwide Chosen, Dark Seed Children perhaps?)

Rui claims he’s the first person who was partnered with a digimon → Well, this is not wrong! Now, if he were claiming to be the first to have met or interacted with a digimon… He would’ve been wrong: The first human to get in touch with the Digital World and the digimon were actually two – Oikawa Yukio and Hida Hiroki (yes, Iori’s late dad), in the 1980s. Despite that, they never had digivices at all. Then in 1995 we possibly had a double digimon encounter happening: Wallace meeting Gummymon and Chocomon briefly ¹, and the Yagami siblings meeting a Koromon. This could mean Rui and Ukkomon were actually the fourth digimon encounter in the timeline. But what is correct is that he became Ukkomon’s partner first because he got the very first digivice in the world. Taichi and Hikari weren’t partnered with that same Koromon ², but they got their own partner digimon + digivices in 1999. And Wallace probably became Terriermon’s partner years after, possibly in 1996 and after Chocomon’s disappearance ³, or post-1996.

Rui claims Ukkomon is a special digimon because he can grant wishes → Okay, but i definitely remember the 02 Kids going like “sounds cool bro but we doubt it” when he said that. And the movie itself quite shows the opposite later: Ukkomon did not cure Rui’s father, and he was possibly manipulating everyone else like puppets (besides Rui’s parents i meant) – so what kind of digimon who can grant wishes is this?! He has no magical god-like powers at all! And his null lore (Bandai’s) profile points out that part of granting wishes are just rumors. But you know what said profile mentions too? That Ukkomon is able to hijack the opponents’ minds. It’s his species’ special move – Liar Dream – besides spinning like a beyblade to attack (Whirlpool Spin).

Rui claims he killed Ukkomon a long time ago → Also not totally true. Rui tried killing Ukkomon, but he couldn’t commit to it. He tried to destroy the digivice, which resulted in his injury in the right eye. Ukkomon did not… “die” apparently. Yes, he was melting, but one detail you might not know is that when a digimon dies, everything from their body, or their weapon is also erased too. Check Adv’99 death for Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon. The eye Ukkomon slapped into Rui’s face was still there after his “death” so this was the biggest hint for the audience. It was also implied in the Audio Drama #3 (released in the Japanese theaters, and soon in the BD/DVD deluxe box as bonus with the other two theater ones) – But it’s okay, he possibly never had a contact with another digimon or even a Chosen Child before meeting Daisuke & co, so we can’t blame him for believing he had killed Ukkomon.

In a flashback, Ukkomon tells Rui that he’s connected to something bigger → This might be the only legitimate truth he had told Rui, besides that Rui was the first person partnered with a digimon. Somehow, Ukkomon is connected to some god-tier entity because once BigUkkomon is destroyed, the digivices are not needed anymore. This part might be completely confusing for everyone else, but it’s not confirming Rui’s claims that the digimon partnerships were caused by Ukkomon, and yes the part of Ukkomon’s claims to be related to some higher up god-like entity.

The notes within the text:

To my biggest surprise… Wallace never mentions when his mother found the egg. But he definitely mentions when Chocomon disappears – 7 years before, which means 1995. I’ve seen many people think this movie goes against the canon in different ways… But now i’ve reached the conclusion that what Wallace meant is that he met Gummymon and Chocomon in the same year Chocomon disappeared in the flower field. Plus, Wallace is shown in those flashbacks as a 4 years old kid (stated in the Memorial Chronicle) and we know via a CD bonus card that Wallace’s age is 11 years old in 2002 (same as Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari and Ken) – so i guess if he had gotten the egg before 1995 he would’ve been too young to remember it (unless you opt for 1994, but i think this wouldn’t be possible…)

The Koromon who met Taichi and Hikari is implied to not be the same who was partnered with Taichi 4 years later in Adventure'99: the TV series Agumon knew Taichi’s name because of the data inserted on his egg by the Agents, which were also manufacturing the Crests and Digivices, according to Homeostasis’ analysis on the children from the Greymon vs Parrotmon fight.

Since Chocomon went missing, i suppose Wallace became partnered with Gummymon only, but if we go with Adv’99 and 02, the Chosen Children can evolve non-partnered digimon as well: Leomon mentions he only managed to evolve into SaberLeomon because of the Chosen Children’s digivices being used on him previously in the series, and in 02 we witnessed the Digimon Kaiser using his digivice to dark evolve Agumon into both SkullGreymon and MetalGreymon virus (the latter only when he created the Evil Spiral, of course).

[tilbageidanmark]

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS WEEK #204:

THE EXECUTIONER (1963) is a classic Spanish dark comedy. Naïve funeral worker Nino Manfredi meets the daughter of a state executioner. Both are social outcasts because of their dreaded associations with death, so they are pushed toward each other, to marry and start a family. In order to win the right for a new government apartment, meek Manfredi is being lured to take over his father-in-law's job, and the time eventually comes when he has to perform a gruesome killing by garroting his first 'customer'. (Screenshot Above). This is my second film this month with delightful old actor José Isbert (after 'The wheelchair'!), whose character of Amadeo carries the plot. 7/10.

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There were quiet a few opulent spectacles about the election of Popes recently (The two Popes, The young Pope, Amen, The Borgias, We have a Pope, and of course, Godfather 3). It's a genre that lends itself to magnificent production design and reverence to authority.

CONCLAVE adds a dramatic chapter to this sub-genre. It's a very well made thriller with an imposing cast of carpet-chewing male thespians, (Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow), with the addition of the beautiful Isabella Rossellini. It's a tense and riveting story, with a terrific score. It ends with a black-and-white power struggle between liberalism and conservatism, and an unexpected bombshell finale. 8/10.

(Don't watch the trailer). My second by Edward Berger (after 'Your Honor'. Now I want to see his 'All quiet on the western front').

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5 MORE LATVIAN ANIMATED MOVIES, 3 BY GINTS ZILBALODIS:

🍿 FLOW is a stunning adventure story about a solitary black cat who learns to live with others. It feels like The Age of Water in 'Myst', done in a striking visual style, lifelike animal movements and with a wordless, genuine heart. It's Latvia's submission to this year's Oscar, and I hope they win. I also hope that there will never be 'Flow2', and that the director Gints Zilbalodis never goes to work for Pixar, even if they offer him $10M. 9/10.

🍿 The young director, Gints Zilbalodis, tells in an interview that up until 'Flow' he had made all his movies alone, without any co-workers. His previous feature, the 2019 AWAY, was an impressive world-building experiment like 'La Planète sauvage' for the 21st century. A boy undertakes a mysterious journey through (another) Myst-like island, followed by an 'Iron Giant'-like creature that may or may not be unfriendly. Wordless, beautiful, highly creative, but without the emotional depth that 'Flow' employs. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes.

🍿 His 2014 FOLLOWERS was more like a loud sketch. A boy who runs away from school, joins an escaped prisoner.

🍿 ELECTRICIAN’S DAY (2018), an original story about an ordinary day at a mental hospital, which started with a power outage. Disgusting visuals and sound effects. 8/10.

🍿 There must be an active animation scene over there. BIRTH (2009) is my second animation by Signe Baumane (after her genial, and better, 'Rocks in my pocket'). A clueless pregnant teen must learn about giving birth. Supported by (and done in similar style to) Bill Plimpton. [*Female Director*]

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SYMBOL (2009) is a truly-weird surrealist fantasy by a popular Japanese comedian. It tells two separate stories that have no connection to each other at all. In the main one, the comedian, dressed in a colorful polka-dot pajamas, wakes up in a giant, empty white room, not sure how and why he got there. Hundreds of tiny angel dicks sprout out of walls, and every time he touches one, a certain object drops into the room (?) from a hidden door. [I remember the documentary about Nasubi ("Eggplant"), a contestant in a Japanese game show who was left (naked) in a similar room for a whole year, so this must be common theme on TV over there.]

The second unrelated story is about a Mexican Lucha libre wrestler named Escargot Man, it is told in Spanish, and done in a realistic style. The combination between the two is crazily 'different', but in the end the whole premise doesn't work at all.

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2 FILMS ABOUT CANNIBAL FAMILIES:

🍿 "...We know what to do, but we do not do!..."

Talking about bizarro!

SLACK BAY (2016), my second film from French director Bruno Dumont (after Léa Seydoux 'France'). Placed at the gorgeous, half-empty Bretagne of 120 years ago. A vacationing family of inbred industrialists (including half-witted Juliette Binoche) meet a clan of ugly mussel-gatherers, who indulges in cannibalism [Basically, they're 'eating the rich']. Then the visiting hermaphrodite daughter falls in love with the coarse elder son of the fishermen, and all hell breaks loose. There are also a couple of policemen who look like Hergé's Thompson and Thompson investigating the disappearances of all the previous visitors, and everybody keeps tumbling down all the time in various ridiculous ways. And towards the end, people start elevating and float up in the sky. It's a really absurd class war fable.

(Unfortunately I could only watch it without subtitles, so I must have missed a lot, but that's okay.)

🍿 "What was this before it was leftovers?..."

For me, Bob Balaban will always be François Truffaut's translator in 'Close Encounter of the third kind'. But he came from a distinguished family and himself had an impressive career as a creator. PARENTS (1989) was his debut feature, and is more of a Lynchian atmospheric suburban nightmare than a black comedy horror flick. Maybe it's because of the score by Lynch collaborator, Angelo Badalamenti's. Maybe it's because the ambiguity which is told from a young boy's point of view. But it's strange and disturbing, and definitely not for vegetarians like me. Randy Quaid's creepiest performance.

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DAAAAAALÍ! (2023), my first film by Quentin Dupieux is a fake surrealist meta-biography of the eccentric painter, played here by four different actors with exaggerated mannerism and an odd accent. A framing Buñuelian plot about a miscast journalist who tries repeatedly to score an interview with him, but she doesn't have any insights to interest him, or us. It has 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes, but I found it woefully unsatisfactory: Dalí deserved so much better.

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LEONARDO DA VINCI is the new, 4-hour PBS documentary by Ken Burns, his first non-American subject. Exploring the life and legacy of the most celebrated Renaissance Man who ever lived. Using an extensive overview of his many notebooks, scientific inventions, his search for knowledge and artistic journey, it's a visually fascinating trip, while being explained by a group talking heads (and blabbering heads alike). Still the topic is too captivating to spoil. Recommended. 7/10.

“…On a page dedicated to an 1,800-year-old Euclidean geometry problem, he trailed off: “It was time to eat. Et cetera”, he wrote, “because the soup is getting cold”. It was among his last notebook entries…”

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"Yes, I can see now..."

I need some sweetness in my life, so I turned again to Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS. Extremely sentimental, defiantly romantic with a final scene that made Einstein cry and that James Agee called "the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid". 9/10. Re-watch ♻️.

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2 PORTUGUESE SHORTS BY AKI KAURISMÄKI:

I've seen 13 of Aki Kaurismäki features. I need to watch the rest of his work:

🍿 "Sopa 1,80..." TAVERN MAN (2012), a lonely innkeeper is preparing lonely soup and waiting at a lonely bus station with a lonely bouquet of flowers.

🍿 BICO (2004), a poetic postcard from one of them half-abandoned, half-empty mountain Portuguese villages close to the Spanish border. 10/10.

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VAL LEWTON X 2:

🍿 VAL LEWTON: THE MAN IN THE SHADOW (2007) is a fair Martin Scorsese tribute to the legendary producer, responsible for a slate of terror/horror B-movies at RKO Studios during the 40's.

🍿 "Drink your milk!"

THE SEVENTH VICTIM, my 3rd horror film produced by Lewton, a story of a young woman discovering a Greenwich Village satanist cult. I understand that he was a "Producer-Auteur" and that his atmospheric mood pieces contained symbolic "underpinnings about sexuality, colonialism, power", but they are just not for me. The devil worshipers of Rosemary's Baby were more of my thing. But, Oh boy; That Bureau of Missing Persons surely was busy!

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ADVENTURES IN PERCEPTION is a Dutch introduction to M. C. Escher's art. It's a terrible documentary, which is not helped by the dissonant modernist score, and the fact that this copy was of low-resolution. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1971. 1/10.

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I've seen a bunch of documentaries about The Newport music festivals, both the jazz and folk varieties. 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' was masterful, and the Dylan ‘Don’t look back’ stood out. But this unfocused 1967 FESTIVAL was terrible, in spite of the rich lineup of dozens of folk, blues, gospel and bluegrass artists. Shoddy editing, very little exciting music and boring snippets of random people expressing their uninteresting opinions. 'Maggie's Farm', and a few seconds with Mimi & Richard Fariña, were the only worthy numbers. The crowd were 100% all white. 2/10.

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Re-watch ♻️: The ZAZ posse, Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, made some great spoof comedies (Airplane!, The Naked Gun movies, Hot shots, Police squad!, etc), and some not so-great straight comedies, like RUTHLESS PEOPLE (1986). "They were entirely different kinds of movies" and I forgot how forgettable this one was. It gets 1 point from me for the Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady' use, and 1 for credit animation by Sally Cruikshank, but that's about all. So, 2/10.

"Hey! It's Enrico Palazzo!" RIP, Jim Abraham.

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SOME SHORTS:

🍿 CARS WITHOUT A HOME (1959) a quirky, jazzy mockumentary about abandoned cars in Czechoslovakia.

🍿 In MOTHERLAND (2022), a young Korean adoptee raised in America, returns to Korea to search for her birth mother. It's one of many movies about the Korean diaspora. (Via). [*Female Director*]

🍿 While waiting for her new Oscar picked film 'Arzé', I took in Mira Shaib's 2021 STILL ❤ BEIRUT. It covers some of the responses to the giant chemical explosion that devastated the city, and caused a national trauma, but wasn't very good. [*Female Director*]

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This cute story by one Jameela Jamil got me curious enough to check out a television show called THE GOOD PLACE. One episode of "smart" fantasy, "creative", all inclusive and bright. But so so glib, shallow pop culture trying to appear deep. After two minutes of the second episode, I had enough.

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(ALL MY FILM REVIEWS - HERE).

[randomdelusionalgirl]

What is AOTTMNT?

AOTTMNT- referring to 'Adventures Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'- is a TMNT original iteration made by me. It contains the main characters and some of the sub characters of the other TMNT iterations, but designed in a different way.

Summary: The Hamato Clan is a legendary hero clan that defeated the world's greatest threat, The Spirit of Darkness, a long time ago. And now in New York, 2024, this is the story of the Hamato Quadraplets- the Hamato Clan's newest generation- growing up from immature teenage ninja mutants to legendary heroes who save the world from another great threat.

More explanations about the iteration

-The Hamato Clan is a turtle mutant clan that was chosen as The Spirit of Light's decendant and was given part of The Spirit of Light's power. Thanks to that, they are able to transform between mutant form and human form.

-Human form shields them from getting chased, hunted, abused, or experimented by humans. Mutant forms are way stronger and more useful than human form, enabling them to deal with remnants of The Spirit of Darkness.

-Every member of the clan gains a power called 'Spirital Powers', though when they gain those powers isn't specifically stated. Yoshi(=Splinter) already gained his at a young age, but the quadraplets haven't yet.

-Besides humans, non-human beings live on Earth, too. They mainly call themselves 'Yokai' or 'Other Species'. There are many other species like Ghosts, Witches, Superhuman, Mutants and stuff- it's just that humans don't know their existence. Some of those Other Species even live between humans either with the help of disguise or thanks to their appearances already resembling a human's, but no one has noticed yet.

Or have they?

Masterpost

[daughterofhighever-blog]

Any relief at not being immediately recognized was short lived, as the sound of Cullen’s recognition and stuttered words reached her ears - just as she was getting ready to nod her head in quiet thanks and turn away. Instead she gave a bit of a heavy sigh and let her shoulders sink lightly. A dozen different thoughts and strategies races through her mind in the time it took her to blink, glancing about the courtyard as if assessing it for tactical positions and possible escape routes. It wasn’t always a deliberately conscious habit, but any experienced fighter would likely recognize the action on some level. It was simply what one did in every place one went, when living that sort of life.

Hakkon barked, and Elissa gave a sharp whistle and a firm command. The dog whimpered just a bit and cocked its head, before flattening his ears and sinking down to lay on the ground in a sternal position. Standing straight, she resigned herself to her blown cover and looked Cullen in the face.

She was taken aback, though any surprise in her eyes was muted and passed quickly. The last time she’d seen him, he was young; wounded and angry, but still just barely more than a boy. Now? Maker’s breath, he looked tired - hollow eyed and hardened beyond his years. "No need for apologies - I've not been a Lady for many years, Ser...'Rutherford', yes?" she said, letting her eyes flicker around them yet again to see if anyone else had noticed the two of them. Her… aggressive and deadly response against the Order in Amaranthine after the discovery of their spies among her ranks had ensured that 'Elissa Cousland' was not a name spoken of very favorably among Templars anywhere in Thedas. The sooner she could conduct her business here and leave, the better.

'...you're dressed rather incognito.'

Reaching across her chest, she pulled the edge of her cloak aside just enough to reveal to just him, the sigil on her breastplate - the distinctive double headed griffon unique to the vestments of any given region’s Warden Commander. Incognito yes, but for certain, she was on Warden business. "By design, I'm afraid. I am here on a matter of recruitment if you must know - and I'd hoped to keep my visit discreet... Might I count on your aid in that regard?"

Even if Cullen hadn't been assigned patrol duty he'd still be out, laboring away for threats while his mind never stopped twisting and rolling. Kirkwall had become a haven for chaos over the years and Meredith's right hand didn't know who or what he actually believed anymore. His hatred for mages had dulled over time, replaced with caution and distrust, but he no longer saw them all as evil, not like his teenage self once had after the tower's fall. He was a man grown now, someone who could form his own opinions and realize that not all of one people were bad. It was a lesson harshly taught after years of rutting out the bad eggs of the order.

It was a haunting realization to realize that the establishment he had once believed in was filled with bile and corruption. Men and women who used their power to hurt, ensnare, assault and kill. It disgusted him deep down, and the guilt he felt was as heavy as the armor he wore. He wasn't blameless, he was just as guilty, and the complicit were said to be the worst sinners. All he could really hope was that Andraste would forgive him should lifeblood ever drip from him permanently, and the way Kirkwall was going... death didn't seem such a strange possibility.

Following his usual path, he glares down at the murky waters surrounding Kirkwall, filthy and disgusting unlike the bountiful rivers and lakes near his homeland. His thoughts were far away now, far from the Champion who he admired, or Meredith who he once admired, who now frightened him, or the mages whose power still send shudders down his spine and yet the idea of another mage being struck down under false accusations haunts him. Nothing was what once was, he wasn't the same person, and so he patrols, lyrium feeding his brain and falsehood of surefooted steps bringing him on his path.

He never thought his stoic guard would be put off by a rather strong Ferelden canine. Eyes the color of honey, wide, and yet his lips are curved into a pleasant smile, gently running an armored finger along the top of the beast's head as the old creature greeted him more warmly than most did in Kirkwall. It was refreshing, and the sight of the mabari made a homesick man long for the thick forests of Ferelden even more. A laugh in his tone, forgetting his templar severity for a moment, he's quick to brush off the apology, glancing down at the woman for merely a moment before a far off memory itched his brain. He couldn't place it, her voice, her eyes, they were familiar and yet he couldn't recall, and rather than making a scene, he clears his throat. Propriety returning as his posture straightens up.

"No need to apologize. He is a strong warrior of a dog. You should be proud of him." The pin of her cloak catches his eye, and for a second he nearly stumbles over his words, memories locking together like a puzzle once realization swept in. "My lady..." He begins, not exactly sure how he should address her. Even if she wasn't a Cousland, she was the famed hero of his homeland, and someone he had met during his darkest day.

"I... I apologize for not recognizing you right away you're... you're dressed rather incognito."

[canmom]

Animation Night 179: Unicorn Wars

Hey everyone! Real brief blurb tonight because I talked about Alberto Vázquez last week - tonight I'm going to be re-running Unicorn Wars since last week it was way too late for people to attend!

Unicorn Wars could be roughly described as Apocalypse Now with teddy bears. We encounter a world in which a militaristic country of teddies is locked in a revanchist forever-war against the unicorns who now occupy the Magic Forest. It is a conflict in part religious in nature: the bears are convinced that whoever drinks the blood of the last unicorn will enter into a transcendant state of being.

Our story concerns a fresh batch of recruits, sent on a mission that none of them know is sacrificial. Led by a sergeant who has no idea what he's in for and a reserved priest, they set out with grenades and bows and arrows to find out what became of a lost unit.

Our main characters are a pair of brothers, Azulín and Gordi, or Bluey and Tubby as the English sub renders it. Both of them are deeply screwed up by their parents separation and their mothers' death; Azulín in particular, who took more after their father, has a determination to prove himself at whatever cost, and a contemptuous, bullying relationship to his brother.

But we also encountere the rest of the doomed bears and there are some real characters. The bear culture is a fascinating blend of cute fluffy signifiers and militaristic ones, joined into one nihilistically eugenic competition for status. There's a real fascination in the animation with the physicality of the bears' bodies, the way they squish around, messy scenes of eating, and of course a great deal of gore. You see quite a bit of teddybear pp.

Naturally the mission goes south fast. A lurid trip on colourful bugs brings the first casualties - a fantastic blast of psychedelia - but the teddies are also completely unprepared for fighting the unicorns. Or their willingness to murder each other. In the end, Azulín and Gordi are the only survivors, surviving off the land - and then things really take a turn.

Of the unicorns, we learn much less. One unicorn, María, is something of a deuteragonist - desperately searching for her missing sibling, she finds an old church, where the apes of the forest worship a strange, morphing fleshy entity. We do not immediately see what becomes of this - but María ends up falling afoul of the two surviving bears. Azulín attacks Maria while Gordi can only watch; Azulín hits María multiple times but is ultimately pierced by a young unicorn and cast into the river, leaving María alone with Gordi. (In contrast, in the original short, the Gordi analogue kills the Azulín analogue after they kill a unicorn.)

Azulín, horribly injured, washes up back at the main teddybear base, where the military higherups attempt to make a figurehead of him - completely failing to anticipate his capacity to turn their own forces against them and stage a coup. Where the previous command was simply using the war as a way to stay in power, vengeful Azulín is a true zealot and mobilises the full teddybear army against the unicorns. Meanwhile, Gordi has managed to forge an unlikely friendship with the unicorn María who he has nursed back to health after Bluey's attack.

Vázquez is no stranger to blending cute imagery and extremely dark themes. In contrast to Psiconautas, which felt like a story of the forlorn hope of escape against the bleakness of the world, Unicorn Wars seems more bleak and nihilistic. You know none of this is going to end well; the ending pushes it into a direction of alchemical synthesis, and we'll talk about it when we get there in the film.

Unicorn Wars generally looks amazing, vividly coloured and elegantly blending 2D and 3D animation. And well, there's a reason for that: like I Lost My Body, which shared many of the same animators, this is an all-Blender production, using Grease Pencil for 2D animation, and a very inventive process for the unicorns where the 3D render is converted to a 2D grease pencil drawing which can be further edited by the anmiators. The result is that the unicorns get the sense of life that comes from the slightly imperfections 2D animation, and yet the precise perspective of 3D animation. It's a fantastic showcase of what Blender's 2D-in-3D can enable, and it honestly just makes me really happy to see from a tech-art perspective.

In short, Unicorn Wars is an intense, bleak and also very funny film, I loved it. If you have a reasonable threshold for gore, I hope you'll come to see it with me!

Also check out this cool pixel art of Azulín I found in the gif picker, by @none-dc. (He's such a little shit and this captures it so well.)

Animation Night 179 will be going live now at twitch.tv/canmom, going live now with the film to start in about half an hour (21:50 UK time) - hope to see you there!

[daughterofhighever-blog]

Castle Cousland - Spring, 9:28 Dragon

[for @icewolfcaptain ]

The night air was delicious and light - Ferelden had come into the end of winter; with warm, sun kissed days and crisply chill, windy nights. The beating of bodhran drums, the whistles of tin flutes, and the bright and bouncing vocal harmonies all floated into the air and on the wind as the post-hunt celebration drew on.

The tables at the head, and along the sides of Highever's castle hall were laden with stews and seethings, dumplings, roasts, and even fish pies - perhaps not the same as the more well known variety in Starkhaven, but unique in its flavor, and a pleasantly delightful effort nonetheless. It was a celebration unique to this country - most other 'civilized' nations, and certainly the Chantry, marked of note the sun-driven holy days of the year - not the moon's. But in Ferelden, when warm days were precious, the the season of new life even more so - the first days of spring were some of the best.

This year was a bit more colorful and vibrant than perhaps may have been usual... The Couslands were hosting a guest of import, and Bryce had never been one to skimp when it came to matters of hospitality. The laws and mores of guest rights and hospitality were woven deep into the fabric of Ferelden - since days uncounted long before the land had even been called 'Ferelden'. It was something they undoubtedly still shared with their more "rustic" cousins.

'Ferelden is but one foul day away from reversion to pagan barbarism.' Or so said the Empress of Orlais, when advising her most recent Ambassador to Denerim.

Elissa waited at the head table with her mother - a few flowers braided loosely into her dark hair, in a coat and dress of differing shades of blue and trimmed with gold. In both her hands she held a two handled cup, carved and inlaid with images and icons of wolves and laurels. Her eyes flickered about the end of the room as the other attendants and servants milled about, but they were always drawn back to where her father stood, conversing with her brother and their guest of honor...

Thane Isolfr of Skjeggestad...

She was not ashamed to admit her fascination had taken a firm hold of her since being informed of her father's plans to host the Avvar leader and a few of his companions to discuss trade and passage through the lands he controlled in the Frostbacks. With how much she'd been in the castle's library, reading and studying what knowledge they had on the Avvar - Aldous had wryly commented that the Teyrn ought to 'invite barbarians to sup more often'.

"I don't know why his Lordship wastes his time with so much extra frivolity - They're just Avvar after all... you could impress them with huts made of anything better than mud, shit, and twigs..."

The sneering condescension in Arl Howe's voice to the left of her sent an unpleasant shudder down Elissa's back. She whipped her head around with an openly indignant expression and had opened her mouth to speak, but Eleanor reached out to grab and squeeze her arm.

The elder Lady Cousland then looked at the good Arl and arched a brow - her voice was superficially sweet, but her look was cold and sharp.

"Speak of your own guests in your own hall however you wish, Rendon - But you will keep a civil tongue in your mouth while you're here in ours."

There was a darkness that passed over Howe's expression before he forced a smile and inclined his head deferentially.

"Of course - as your Ladyship commands."

Elissa sighed and shook her head trying to clear away the sour feeling being around her father's friend often caused. There was distraction enough, and her expression was more relaxed as her father and Fergus finally approached with their guest.

"... would like to introduce you to the rest of my family. My wife, Eleanor... and my daughter, Elissa."

A warm smile spread across her face, the corners of it reaching up to her glittering blue eyes. She took a step forward, and lifting the cup with both hands, she offered it to him in, and with, the traditional greeting.

"Ver heill ok sæll, Thane... Welcome to my father's hall."

[daibolik-lovers-encyclopedia]

Races of Daibolik Lovers

Demons World's Hierarchy

Highest<————In order from ————>lowest

Superior Demon Races: Ancestor, Vampire (Bat), Vibora (Snake), Wolves (Wolf) and Adler (Eagle).

Inferior Demon Races: Ghoul (Crow), and other numerous different inferior races not named.

Note

Please note that things they are able to do with their natural abilities and magic are two different things.

Also before you say it, witches are not a race and as far as I am aware are not mentioned.

Ancestors (Originators, Founders, or First Blood Clan):

Intro -

They are the ancestor race of all the demon kinds in the Demon World.

Though they don’t directly rule over the other races, as they have their own kings/queens, they are the highest in social hierarchy, giving them some power over others.

Abilities -

Possessing all the basic racial skills of the four superior demonic sub-races (Vampire, Vibora, Wolves and Adler), but they don't possess their weaknesses.

-Transform into bats, snakes, wolves, and eagles.

-Summon familiar’s(bats, snakes, wolves, and Eagles)

-High strength, smell, hearing, speed, and regenerative abilities.

-Teleportation

-“Read” consciousness/thoughts through mementos/objects

In the general prologue of Dark Fate, this is how Carla and Shin find Lord Burais Castle through “reading” Menaes thoughts connected to her pendant, in search of her after her death.

-Highest Magic Ability

Weaknesses -

-Decapitation is the only way to kill them, however, if their body is too damaged to heal fast enough, it can be life-threatening, even if not directly.

-All Abilities are weakened during a Full Moon

-They are susceptible to Endzit

Endzit is a sickness that only First Bloods can get but Karlheinz fears it may spread in the future to other races.

Food Source -

No direct information is stated but judging from their descendants it’s assumed that Blood can nourish them. Note that this is not definite.

And though there is no evidence that it’s beneficial, it’s shown that they can enjoy eating human food.

Cultural Traditions -

In BLOODY BOUQUET Drama CD "The Secret Behind a Demon World's Wedding Reception ~Vampires' Hospitality~", they reveal wedding/celebration traditions of the First Bloods.

-Weddings lasts three days and three nights in total

-They congratulate the bride and groom through a ‘never-ending’ banquet

-During those three days and nights, one must never have an empty plate. Once something has been eaten, it will immediately be replaced by a fresh batch

-Though the banquet itself does end after three days it is meant to symbolize that the marriage itself is a “never ending” celebration of the persons bond.

-One of their traditional dishes is called the Founder’s special ‘Four Species Pudding’. They mince and combine wolf, snake, eagle and bat meat, bake it all together, then pour a special sauce on top. It signifies the eternal bond with those four bloodlines.

Other -

-All Abilities are Heighten During a Lunar Eclipse

Vampires (Bat clan):

Intro -

One of the four sub-races under the Ancestors, and second in the social hierarchy of the demon world.

Abilities -

-High strength, speed, regenerative abilities, increased vision, sense of smell, and hearing

-Transform into bats

-Teleportation

-Summon familiar’s(bats)

-Average to High magic ability

Weaknesses -

-Pureblood vampires can only die by having their heads cut off, however, if their body is too damaged to heal fast enough, it can be life-threatening, even if not directly.

-Silver

-Their vision diminishes in sunlight

-All powers are weakened during a lunar eclipse

Food Source -

They can eat human food, but it doesn't nourish them; blood is their main source of food.

And though it is stated that it is not beneficial for them to, it’s shown that they can enjoy eating human food.

Other -

- During a full moon, pureblood vampires can fly

Impure Vampires (Bat clan):

Intro -

Impure vampires are similar to pureblood vampires, except that they were turned, meaning they weren't born as a vampire.

Abilities -

-High strength, speed, and regenerative abilities, increased vision, smell and hearing(not to the same degree as a pureblood vampire)

-Teleportation

Weakness -

-While they do have some of the same abilities are pure blood vampires they do not have them to the same degree making them weaker

-They have no ability for magic

Karlheinz grants some to the Mukamis, such as protective barrier and bat familiars.

-They cannot summon/control familiars

-Silver

Food source -

All human food nourishes them, but blood is still their main food source.

Other -

-During a full moon, pureblood vampires can fly

-Unlike the pureblood vampires, they see perfectly in the sunlight.

Vibora (Snake clan):

Intro -

N/A

Abilities-

-Transform into snakes

Weaknesses -

N/A

Food source -

N/A

Other -

There isn't much known about this race, but we do know that they were allies of the vampire race.

Wolves (Wolf clan)

*No information yet*

Adler (Eagle clan)

*No information yet*

Ghouls (Crow clan):

Intro -

Ghouls are humans that have stayed in the demon world for to long, or they are the children of two humans that are already ghouls. Ghouls are compared to humans and used as slaves by other demons races (Ancestor, Vampire, Vibora, Wolves and Adler).

Abilities -

-Transform into crows

-They possess no ability for magic

Weaknesses -

N/A

Food sources -

N/A

Other -

-They have a vary long life span (it is unknown if they are immortal).

-Ghouls are humans that have stayed in the demon world for to long, more specifically have breathed in Miasma for to long. Ghouls can also have ghoul children.

-In the manga Younge Blood, it’s hinted that ghouls are prone to going “feral”. Where they are overwhelmed by bloodlust, hunting for higher rank demons to kill, and eating there flesh. In hopes of gaining their magic ability.

-One clear physical attributes of a ghoul is black Sclera.

Note: All races suck blood, but only for the vampires is blood the main source of food.

Trivia:

-Vibora in Spanish (vìbora) means viper; Adler in German means eagle.

-All demons race are inspired by animals, except for the ancestors (because they are all demons races in one being).

-In official websites the Tsukinami and Kino are intentionally wrongly classified as "vampires" to avoid spoilers (Tsukinami are ancestors and Kino is an unknown race).

[daughterofhighever-blog]

(@wywardprince)

Elissa had been in the middle of opening her mouth to speak when Sebastian's joke caught her off guard. Her brows knit, and she closed and opened her mouth twice before dissolving into a very sudden fit of giggles. She pressed the back of her hand more firmly against her mouth this time, trying and failing to stop her growing laughter. At a certain point, she started laughing at herself as much as his self-deprecating quip.

It didn't take long for her to compose herself again, but she still had to wipe at her eyes. When was the last time she'd laughed like that? She couldn't immediately recall. "We've met once before, you know - in Kirkwall. I was ten. No... eleven. Dumar had just been installed as Viscount, and it was the first time I'd ever left Ferelden. I remember you laughed when I scolded Duke Prosper de Montfort of all people for insulting Fereldans as..." Elissa paused, concentrating on the distant memory. "Hvað var það sem hann sagði nákvæmlega? Ah yes - 'alcoholic, barbarian dog-lords', I believe."

Another little titter, and she murmured with obviously imitating affectation in her voice of her younger self. "At least we're not Orlesian."

One corner of his mouth twitched upward in a cousin of a smile. With a past like his, he could only imagine where such a story might go. Would it be some joke about his rakish past, where he knew no boundaries about himself and partook whenever and wherever of whatever he could? Would it be some sly comment about going from that into the Chantry for years? Or perhaps how he ultimately couldn't keep to his oath there, either (nevermind that Elthina had never actually let him take the oath; he'd wager most people didn't know that part). Had she heard of the escapades with Hawke for those handful of years? Or, seeing as how she was a Cousland, some political teasing about how his soft cousin Goran had sat the throne in his absence while he dithered about even considering getting it back?

He pressed all those thoughts to the side, acknowledging them, but then moving past them. Tried to, anyway. If he told himself enough times, perhaps he really could.

"Hm, I think I know how this joke goes. A rogue, a Chantry brother, and a prince all walk into a pub. The bartender looks up and says, 'Good to see you again, Sebastian!'" he said, the half-smile still perched lightly across his lips.

[lore-of-mobius]

Metal Sonic Is Sonic Roboticized Debunked

There is a hypothesis that Metal Sonic is Sonic Roboticized and sent back in time from a Bad Future, I am going to be arguing why this is not the case

In Sonic Triple Trouble it is stated that Metal is a "handmade ultimate robot," built by Dr. Eggman. We also know that Sonic Triple Trouble is canon thanks to Sonic Superstars and Tailstube.

In Knuckles' Chaotix Manual it tells us that Metal is "a Sonic-shaped robot created by Dr. Robotnik." It also tells us that "the main and sub CPUs were recovered from the body that was destroyed in a previous confrontation with Sonic."

In the Roboticized Sonic Hypothesis it is argued that Eggman can't build or rebuild Metal Sonic and the best he can do is Mecha Sonic. However, this confirms not only can Eggman build Metal Sonic, but he can rebuild him as well. Knuckles' Chaotix is also canon according to both the Encyclo-speed-ia and Tailstube. Some people have claimed there are multiple and as well as rebuilt Metal Sonics in Sonic Rivals, however I have not checked to see if that is true. If it is this further proves the point that Eggman can build Metal Sonic.

Finally once again in the Encyclo-speed-ia on page 35 it outright states that Metal Sonic is "Dr. Eggman's answer to nature's perfect hero, and that Metal's main CPU is a LIPS A.I.EGGMANA, run by three Dr. Eggman custom chips." Once again confirming Metal was built by Dr. Eggman.

There is also the main issue that roboticization is canon to the games and only exists in non canon spin-offs. The closest we get to roboticization is possible cyborgs such as what we see with Tails in Sonic Lost World, and maybe Rusty Rose from Sonic Prime. But still not roboticization. Some may argue that robotomies from the Sonic Forces promotions is roboticization. However, this is just Eggman's basic trick of putting animals into Badniks.

The closest we got to canon roboticization was from Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood containing it. However, Sonic Chronicles was removed from the canon as stated in the Encyclo-speed-ia under the section about the origin of the Gizoids.

It's also noteworthy that even in material where roboticization does exist such as the Archie Comics, there does exist a roboticized Sonic. But even in the Archie Comics, Roboticized Sonic and Metal Sonic are 2 separate characters.

[mask131]

Egyptian mythology: Off a chaotic start

A good way to understand the nature of Egyptian mythology is to take a look at its various creation myths.

Egyptian mythology was created by uniting, fusing and cumulating rites, beliefs, legends and theologies coming from different sub-realm, city-states and history eras, and trying to stitch them together into a cohesive whole. Terry Pratchett beautifully summed it up in his book “Pyramids”: the Egyptians never threw away a god, just in case he could be useful later, and so they piled on gods and myths and stories and rites, even though they contradicted each other. 

The creation myths of Egypt work in a similar way. Egypt didn’t have one, but several “religious centers”, specific cities with each their own pantheon of local gods, each their own set of legends and beliefs, each their own take on religion. If you think the myth-variations of the Greek city-states were complex, oh boy, get ready, because compared to the Egyptians, the Greeks are a piece of cake. Each of those major religious center had its own creation myth, that by default entered in conflict with each other, and yet co-existed in the people’s mind and religious practices. 

The most famous and widespread of those creation myths, the one people are most aware of today, is actually the creation myth of the city of Heliopolis (in the original Egyptian, “Iunu”). The Heliopolis theogony was based around a group of gods known as the Ennead (”pesedjet” in Egyptian), nine deities forming a family through whose genealogy the world was created. A reason this creation myth became so popular is because it is very similar to the way the Greek cosmogony work. According to this myth, in the beginning there was just the Nun, the primordial ocean, the endless dark and lifeless waters. From these waters a mound appeared, and on it appeared the primordial, creator-god Atum (later identified and fused with Ra). Atum, the All-Deity, then gave birth (either through masturbation or by sneezing/spitting) to the deities Shu and Tefnut, the air and th humidity, who mated together to give birth to Nut and Geb, the sky and the earth, who in turn had four children - Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. (A variation of the myth includes “Horus” as the fifth child, but that’s... a complicated business). So far so good.

But then, you have to confront and compare the Ennead of Heliopolis with another group of gods supposedly responsible for the creation of the world. The Ogdoad of Hermopolis (in Egyptian, “Khemenu”). According to the cosmogony of Hermopolis, before the world existed there were eight deities, four primordial couples each the manifestation of one of the pre-creation elements: Nun and Naunet (primordial waters), Amun and Amaunet (the primordial air or the hidden/secret power), Kuk and Kauket (primordial darkness), Huh and Hauhet (shapelessness or infinity). These eight abstract deities suddenly joined together, gathering their power and essence, and in a great explosion of energy they created the world. From this point forward the texts disagree and split into two traditions. Everybody agrees from one of the first created things the sun arose - but for one group the sun was hatched from an egg placed by the god Thot on a mound coming out of the waters ; while for another group the sun arose from a blooming lotus flower (which was a manifestation of the god Nefertem). 

These are however but two of the numerous cosmogonies of Egypt. Beyond these two stories of groups of gods creating the world, either through their family tree or a cosmic gang-bang, there are also several Egyptian cosmogonies which rather present one lonely creator-god who manifested or shaped the world one way or another. In Memphis for example (Inebu-hedj in Egyptian), it was thought that the world, the gods, the elements and every living being were created by the god Ptah, who conceived all of them in his mind/heart as ideas, and then made them exist by pronouncing their name out loud. This tradition is similar and yet opposing the one of Elephantine, where the primordial creator-god is called “Khnum” and is said to have shaped and modeled physicaly the world, the gods and every living things out of clay. Hopefully, the Egyptian themselves tried to link together and unite those conflicting theogonies into one more cohesive ensemble: for example the Memphis creation myth evolved to include the Ennead, by claiming that Ptah was the secret power behind the manifestation of Atum and the formation of his descendants (Ptah was notably identified with the mound that came out of the Nun before Atum appeared). Another “tie-in” cosmogony would be the one of Thebes (in Egyptian “Waset”): the city had taken as a patron-god the deity Amun, and as it rose into power as a new religious capital/religious center, it took “away” from the Ogdoad ensemble Amun, and claimed that he was creater, vaster and older than the other Ogdoad members. According to the Thebes belief, Amun was THE primordial power and creating force of the universe - while he was part of the Ogdoad, he had created it around him, AND he also was the one who created the Ennead. 

The list could go on and on, but these are the five most common and brought up creation myths when it comes to Ancient Egypt, and they perfectly show how, despite each legend contradicting the others, they still were worked on so that they could eventually be tied and linked together into a vaguely cohesive mythology (if you can close your eyes on minor and secondary unlogical details).