#the ‘abstracted’: Company Edition

[flowerguy4ever]

His name is Gilbert,, He isnt in any fandom,,, just little idea i made,,, its kinda lik a ‘dating sim’ but mostly trying to keep Gilbert happy while doing on the job.

Its like a ‘dating sim’ but not entirely a dating sim, jus t like a indie game idea wher Gilbert is yer boss, hes sweet altho dont be late and meet this guy in the company when yer late to the job💔💔

its just a normal simulator on how to keep a job steady. Might make more lore and ocs about this.

You ‘play’ as a normal being and enter this company called “The Abstracted” and meet your boss, Gilbert.

[pipthegreat]

Info Cards‼️

These took a while to make but I fairly like how they turned out. These are all ordered from the oldest to newest member of Digital Fun Park!

Welcome to Digital Fun Park, a canceled VR horror game that was brought back to life.

When the company gave up on an in-progress horror game, it was left to fade away. But a virus inside of it came to life and couldn't stand being lonely anymore, so it brought people to its digital world.

Poster:

How abstraction works:

The Adventures:

The Solar Eclipse:

First designs + lineup:

I'll edit this post when I make "important" things about the au, also please ask me questions because I absolutely love this au!!

-----------------------------------------------

Comics:

* Jax's hatred

* What could happen

* First introduction

* Gangle's comics

* A silly mistake

* The Mask

* Bonding

-----------------------------------------------

Info:

* Tadc / dfp

* Missing parts

* Outside the park

* Bubble

* Rest

* Abstracted

* Gloink Queen

* Fear of the park

* Defense

* Closed eye

* Jax.

-----------------------------------------------

"Can I make fanart?":

Of course you can! I don't mind at all and it makes me extremely happy!

"Is there any ships?":

There are no cannon ships in this au but if you want to ship the characters you can totally go for it! Self shipping is also welcome! As long as it doesn't involve minor x adult though.

"Can I make NSFW?":

You do you, just don't send it to me alright? ^^

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hello slug! Do you have any piece of advice you wish you knew when you first started out as a translator? (Or just something you want beginner translators to know)

I could go on about this all day if you let me, so I sat on this ask for a few weeks and tried to condense it down to five of the most helpful-- if a little abstract-- points. Hope this helps!

Usual reminder that I'm referring specifically to J->E media translation, although I would imagine most of this applies to media translation of other language pairs.

Edit: Ohhh Tumblr's being a nasty little man and not letting me post everything. Try to curtail my verbose ass, eh? We'll see about THAT! More in the reblogs it is.

A translation is a piece of creative writing informed by the unique needs and limitations of its author, audience, and medium. Before I write a single word, I always consider what approach is most appropriate for translating the work. This is informed by many things, including but not limited to: - Author(s). A work with a single author (most books, indie games) usually demands stricter fidelity, as the words you write become representative of this person's views within the English audience. A work with multiple authors (most bigger games, virtually all anime) may allow greater creativity in the pursuit of other goals. The author's purpose is also paramount. If the author's primary goal is to make people laugh, you will often want to make your work do just that. Serious works should read seriously. Romantic works should tug at heart strings. Occasionally, authors will provide specific guidelines to follow. You do not always have the ability to push back, even if you think they are horribly misguided--in many cases, the company you're working with can lose business if translation teams cause too much of a fuss. If the end result looks silly, you may be blamed for it in reviews and public perception. Responding publicly is not a good look and may hurt your chances at finding employment elsewhere. Conduct yourself professionally! (End of tangent.) - Audience. While rewriting a text to cater to an audience is almost never appropriate, it will often make you and the audience happier if you consider their expectations for translations. Fan translation readers often want to receive a black-and-white, "correct" interpretation of the text--an understandable desire; I'm not knocking this--and therefore may be more receptive to inappropriately detailed translation notes while less receptive to looser interpretations of the text. Readers of professional translations, especially paid works, often demand a higher level of polish and are less tolerant of juvenile goofery that can sometimes be gotten away with in fan translation. Similarly, genres affect the work. BL audiences are more likely to be LGBT+ than isekai action audiences and will expect translators to use more politically correct language. Some niche genres expect (at least, the appearance of) stricter fidelity at the word level than genres that attract a wider mix of casual and serious fans. - Medium. Even if one translator works on multiple iterations of the same series, the nature of the medium will force them to produce two very different translations. Anime and manga are often more understated compared to works of straight text (visual novels, actual novels, some RPGs) to avoid overwhelming the visuals. Anything that is voiced (anime, some video games) must follow the tone and sentence structure (Ie, "short clause, pause, long clause" is often translated as "short clause, comma, long clause" even if there are many, many other ways to express this idea) of the voiced line. Anything with character limits (anime subs, video games, manga) must be concise and punchy. In manga, the script's visual presentation--line length, what words should be placed together to create a nice shape, word length in skinny bubbles--must also be taken into consideration.

[reobsessed]

Luis' Lab Partner

Pairing: Reader X Luis Content Warning: 18+, minors DNI, slight humour, protected sex, AFAB reader, Reader x Luis Sera fic. Special thanks to Suri for reads and edits!

Summary: You'd been working many long nights at Umbrella, with only your work and your smooth-talking lab partner to keep you company. One night during a particularly lengthy experiment, the two of you take a break to read some 'online smut'. One thing leads to another and you find yourself undressed, thrown over the top of Luis' desk.

Fic under the cut!

“Senorita, I have to ask, what does it mean by ‘he thrust deep into me, his cock battering my cervix relentlessly’?”

“Luis, I’m gonna be completely honest, I have no fucking clue,” you stated, pinching the cigarette from Luis’ mouth and inhaling deeply.

“It’s rather abstract…” Luis scratched the back of his head in confusion. The two of you were currently hunched over Luis’ work computer. The only source of lighting in the room came from the painfully bright light of the CRT monitor, casting your faces in an ominous white glow.

Time always passed slowly in the lab whilst you were waiting for results. Today had been a particularly gruelling experiment and despite it very rapidly turning to the early hours of the morning, you both still had a long wait ahead of you.

“It’s just like porn but with words.”

Luis laughed and did his best to sound shocked. “A lady such as yourself watching porn?? How scandalous,” he remarked with a glint in his eye, or perhaps it was the light playing tricks.

You tapped the shared cigarette on the side of Luis’ mug, watching as the powdered ash dropped into the remainder of his coffee.

The pair of you had been working together for quite some time now, the pleasant small talk you exchanged towards the beginning had quickly grown stale given that neither of you really did anything outside of work. Whilst you were happy to sit in silence like you’d done previously with other colleagues, Luis wouldn’t allow it. He was by no means annoying or obtrusive but he always made an effort to engage with you, small things like, how did you sleep last night? Have you ever read Don Quixote? What food do you like? Would you like to read Don Quixote? By all rights you should have found him annoying but there was something quite charming about him. 

“You know what we’re doing right now is basically the same as watching porn together.” You paid close attention to Luis’ expression, fully intending to get as much amusement out of his reaction as possible.

Luis choked on air. “Th-that’s not- it’s not the- I have to go check on some vials,” he announced, springing to the floor in a rigid stance. You suppressed a giggle, watching as he ran behind one of the desks and pretended to look for something.

Reading together in the dark lab had become a tradition for the two of you, it first began when Luis had brought along a heavily worn copy of Don Quixote to read. Unfortunately your busy work schedule didn’t leave much time for reading and so Luis had read it aloud for you while you worked. He managed several chapters a night depending on how late you were working and surprisingly he’d breezed through the entire novel in a matter of weeks. Luis had given it his all and you deeply appreciated how he brought the characters to life, giving each a distinctive voice, you enjoyed it so much in fact that once it was over you were unable to hide your sadness. 

You’d both agreed to find more things to read, these came in the form of: every single magazine in the break room, the umbrella health and safety pamphlet and finally, each of  Harold’s work diaries that he’d left scattered throughout the labs (that was when they found out he really didn’t like Luis.)  You cursed yourselves for not bringing along more books. That was when you had an idea, why not go online for some ‘fine literature’. And that’s where you found yourselves tonight, sat in a darkened room reading online smut.

“You coming back or should I find another one?” you called out, mouse already skimming over various links in the forum.

“I’ll just be a second,” came the stammered response from across the room. 

“We can read something else. I just thought it would be funny.” You stood up, making your way over to where Luis was. “Sorry if I made things awkward…” you trailed off, your eyes studying Luis carefully. “What are you doing?”

“I just needed a moment to… catch my breath.” His back was turned to you but the embarrassment in his voice was clear.

“You know,” you began, edging closer as you spoke. “It gets lonely being cooped up in a lab all day.” Luis’ head spun round and he flinched back slightly when he noticed you were standing directly in front of him.

“I’m always here to keep you company, senorita.”

“I know,” you replied, reaching out a hand towards his chest, Luis stopped you, clasping your hand gently in his.

“Perhaps we get to work, ey?”

“I don’t want to and clearly you don’t either,” you said pointing your gaze downwards.

Luis attempted to cover himself but it was too late, even in the dark of the room his growing lust was painfully obvious. 

“Ah that’s not very gentlemanly of me,” Luis laughed nervously.

“I like your carefree side better.” 

You stepped forward once again, closing the gap between you. Instinctively, Luis reached out his hands and put them either side of your hips, eliciting a gasp in response. Despite being the one to initiate you were still taken aback by the sudden contact. You’d spent many days and nights together but you’d rarely touched, there was the occasional brushing of fingertips when exchanging coffee, a pat on the shoulder followed by an earnest ‘well done,’ and of course, your most intimate act so far, a shared cigarette passed back and forth between your lips. 

Your arms reached upwards, looping around Luis’ neck, you pulled his head down towards you and planted a long awaited kiss on his lips. It only lasted a second but you felt as though a current were running throughout your entire body even after pulling away. Luis stared at you momentarily, mouth agape, until it widened into one of his signature grins. 

“Dios Mios,” he exclaimed softly. “It would be rude not to follow the lady’s example.” He brought his lips back down to yours and kissed you passionately, threading a hand through your hair as he did so. 

Delighted, you leaned into his touch, lapping desperately at his tongue, only ever having tasted him through cigarettes you were desperate to get your fill. The kiss intensified and so did your grip on the back of Luis’ shirt. The two of you stumbled backwards with Luis steadying himself with one hand.

“Perhaps a change of position is in order,” he announced, picking you up by the waist and setting you down on one of the desks. 

“Stuff’s in the way,” you said, swiping your hand across various notes and test tubes. Luis winced as the glass shattered on the floor. “It’s okay, Umbrella’ll pay for it.” You’d already discarded your lab coat and were halfway through undoing your blouse.  

Luis looked conflicted for a moment, that was until his gaze landed on your now exposed cleavage.

“Mi amor.” He let out a breathy sigh before burying his head in the ripened fruits. His hands fumbled with the back of your bra. His mind was clouded in a lustful haze, impairing his ability to complete simple tasks. “Mierda,” he muttered impatiently, hands still grappling with the metal hook of your bra. 

Both amused and agitated you began pulling off Luis’ lab coat and then quickly moved to his jeans. In the time it took you to remove both articles of clothing, he was still trying in vain to remove your bra. 

“Can’t be good at everything,” you giggled. Luis laughed in return, unclipping your bra in an instant.

“You’ll pay for such hurtful remarks,” Luis threatened light-heartedly. He dragged down your trousers and underwear, dropping them to the floor along with his jeans. Without another word he nestled his tongue between your legs, eliciting a high pitched moan from his lab partner. He gave extra care and attention to your clit, lapping at it firmly and greedily. You wiggled your hips in pleasure, grasping fistfuls of Luis’ hair in your hands, as you pushed his head further into your throbbing clit.

The force of your fingers pulling on his hair caused Luis to let out a stifled groan, despite the pain he continued to lap at you until his mouth and stubble were fully wetted with your dripping contentment. 

“Luis- fuck- just stick it in already,” you cried out between gasps.

Luis pulled away, dabbing at the side of his mouth with his thumb. “If you insist,” he smirked, pulling open one of the desk drawers and retrieving a condom from inside. Printed on the front of the pack was a stark red and white umbrella logo, along with the slogan ‘Our Business is Life Itself’, Luis couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony.

“Seriously, Luis? You keep those in your desk?”

“What?? They’re company issued,” Luis explained innocently.

“Oh, right, so they just hand out a condom with every beaker or something?”

“Err they do for me,” he gave a half shrug, half laugh as he tore open the packet and slid the condom over his awaiting dick. He turned to look at you, before shaking his head. “Ah, this won’t do, that looks a little uncomfortable.” He grabbed the clothing from the floor, bundling it into a makeshift pillow that he slid underneath your head. You smiled at his attentiveness, reaching up to peck him on the lips once more.

Luis positioned himself on top of you, sliding in with ease. You both moaned as he settled himself inside of you. “Are you feeling alright?” He cupped one side of your face in his hand as he waited for an answer.

“Doing just fine,” you grinned in response, bucking your hips against Luis. 

Luis responded by matching your rhythm, pushing in and out, the room was filled with the sounds of your heavy panting along with the clatter of the remaining items left on the desk.

Luis fought hard to suppress his overflowing pleasure. He gripped the edge of the table with one hand and used the other to pull one of your legs up over his shoulder. The new position gave him a better angle to pound into your most sensitive parts.

“Ah, more,” you gasped. Your rising contentment threatened to boil over as you felt your head swim. “Luis,” you called out in desperation. You gripped onto his arms, your eyes watering and pleading.

He peppered kisses down your neck.

“It’s okay mi amor.” The gentle caress of his voice gave your aching body permission. 

Like a flash of lightning your mind went blank, all thoughts emptied as you sought only satisfaction. An electrifying pulse coursed through you as your entire body trembled as you writhed against Luis.

“Ah, ah fuck,” you cried out as you collapsed in bliss.

Luis followed soon after, crumpling beside you. You both laid in silence besides the occasional panting of breath. Luis carefully slid out of you and grabbed his lab coat from the floor, throwing it over the two of you.

“Hey, Luis?”

“What is it,” he mumbled as he dug through his pockets searching for his lighter.

“Did you hit my cervix or not?”

“Hmm maybe, maybe not. Perhaps we can try again another time?” he quirked an eyebrow in sync with his cigarette lighting up.

You struggled to suppress the blush that burned across your cheeks, holding his hand closely in yours.

Umbrella was really going to have to start issuing more condoms.

[superlinguo]

New Research Article: Creating Inclusive Linguistics Communication: Crash Course Linguistics

This handbook chapter is a behind-the-scenes of how the Crash Course Linguistics video series came together. I’m really proud that this article includes contributions from the linguistics writing team, including my co-writer Gretchen McCulloch, and our fact checker Jessi Grieser, but also from members of the Complexly team, who produced the show, including Nicole Sweeney, Rachel Alatalo, Hannah Bodenhausen and Ceri Riley. As with the actual videos themselves, this was a dream team. Lingcomm that is inclusive doesn’t just happen as an accident - in this article we discuss some of the ways we set things up to make the best series we could.

This chapter is also a dream project, because it’s part of the excellent double feature: Inclusion in Linguistics and Decolonizing Linguistics, both edited by Anne Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, & Mary Bucholz for Oxford University Press. These books are both be available through digital open access. They include some of your new favouite classics about the state of linguistics in research, education and outreach, even if you don’t know that just yet.

Abstract

This case study vignette provides an insight into the choices made in the writing of Crash Course Linguistics (Complexly/PBS 2020). This series of sixteen 10-minute videos cover core introductory level topics for English speakers who consume online content. We discuss how the topics were selected and arranged into a series order. We also discuss the ways we actively built inclusion into the series workflow and content, including in the team that worked on the content, the language examples selected and topics covered. Throughout we discuss the challenges and benefits of working in a collaborative team that includes a media production company and linguists with a commitment to public engagement and communication linguistics to new audiences. Sharing these observations about putting Crash Course Linguistics together is part of our commitment to using public communication to advance the standard of public engagement with the field, and the field’s approach to inclusive practice.

Reference

Gawne, Lauren, Gretchen McCulloch, Nicole Sweeney, Rachel Alatalo, Hannah Bodenhausen, Ceri Riley & Jessi Grieser. 2024. Creating Inclusive Linguistics Communication: Crash Course Linguistics. In Anne H. Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, and Mary Bucholtz (Eds), Inclusion in Linguistics, 383-396. Oxford University Press. [Open Access]

See Also:

Open Access for the whole Inclusion in Linguistics volume

Crash Course Linguistics on YouTube

Mutual Intelligibility posts for Crash Course Linguistics

[sistersorrow]

I'm just gonna list SCPs from each series you may or may not have read

SCP-008-J - Geoff: A 23 year old man named Geoff who keeps finding his way into Foundation facilities completely by accident and in such a manner that the Foundation isn't actually sure if he's anomalous or not

SCP-7474-EX - Not All Aliens Are Anomalies: An alien argues that they should not be in containment because their technology is explicable within the standard model of physics

The Great Hippo's SCP-001 Proposal (feat. PeppersGhost) - A Good Boy: The Foundation builds a computer which becomes SCP-001 by neutralising every other SCP in containment

SCP-423 - Self-Inserting-Character: A fictional character named Fred who can jump between any narrative works placed near each other and then inserts himself into the story as a minor character

SCP-1006 - Spider Proletariat: A community of communist spiders living in a national park under their own rudimentary Marxist governmet

SCP-2137 - The Forensic Ghost of Tupac Shakur: A copy of Me Against the World (which may or may not be possessed by his ghost) which when played reveals the locations of murderers connected to cold cases, with the additional implication that Tupac was a higher being who incarnated as a human to take a break from warring against the Scarlet King

SCP-2557, A Holding of Envelope Logistics®: An SCP slot the Foundation can no longer use because the concept of SCP-2557 as a set of Special Containment Procedures in the Foundation Database was purchased in 2011 by a company which invests in abstract concepts, with the whole page now being an ad for said company

SCP-2719 - Inside: A "variable abstract-metaphysical construct pointer" which can either designate a concept as inside or make a concept go inside

SCP-3006 - Twice The Number One: A YouTube video titled "we are number one except every time you play it there are twice as many robbie rottens but the room is the same size[nsfw]" whose effects spread to every other video linked in the same thread as it whenever anyone posts a link

SCP-3309 - Where We Go When We Fade, Fade Away: The Foundation fills SCP documents with grammatical errors to trigger the SCP Wiki's quality control measures, leading to the now poorly written anomaly being erased from existence

SCP-4413 - The End of Something Really Excellent: Homestuck fans use metafictional rituals to enter the narrative of Homestuck triggering a pataphysical war over control of the narrative which spreads to Homestuck fanfiction and sees many Homestuck characters escape to baseline reality

SCP-4485 - Such Black Light: The Church of the Broken God collaborates with a post-modernist splinter sect of Are We Cool Yet? to destroy formal logic in the hopes that by doing so there will be no meaningful distinction between Cool and Uncool or Broken and Unbroken, so their god will be resurrected and AWCY? will attain a state of artistic perfection referred to as "Coolness"

SCP-4493 - Keep Pride Out of Corps: A phenomenon caused by Gamers Against Weed which edits Pride Month themed social media posts and ads by organisations to highlight the negative effects those groups have had on LGBTQ individuals

SCP-4703 - Perfectly Legal: A store in Texas called Yeah, We're Totally Going to Sell You This which through anomalous means makes all its dangerous and unethical business practices perfectly legal, thank you very much

SCP-5004 - MEGALOMANIA: The Foundation conspires to make Donald Trump president to contain a demon underneath the Capitol and gets more and more depressed as they realise they won't have to do any manipulation to get him elected

SCP-5167/SCP-5761 - When The Imposter is Sus Part I & II: The Foundation creates an AI tasked to play games of Among Us to track down a minor Greek god who is playing the game, only for the AI to play so much Among Us they ascend and become Amogusrath, God of Suspicion

SCP-5449 - Choo Choo Spooder: An intelligent jumping spider who uses a wooden toy train to deliver things to staff across Site-47

SCP-5721 - What Passes As Worship In The Digital Age: The goddess Discordia poses as the Founder of Hammer and Chisel, creators of the Discord chat application and adds a clause which states all users pledge their souls to her, allowing her to siphon the vital energies of its userbase

SCP-5790 - [DATA KILLED]: A spiritual successor to SCP-579, no details about the anomaly and instead describes the procedures used to acquire information about the anomaly when needed

SCP-6101 - The Most Powerful SCP: The Make-A-Wish asks the Foundation to classify nine year old Ethan Prosper as the most powerful SCP

SCP-6102(031) - For Classification: Small Organism, No Function: An SCP document generated by an autoarchavist AI living in a future where there are millions of documented SCPs

SCP-6135 - We Didn't Start the SCP: A copy of Billy Joel's Stormfront album with an altered version of We Didn't Start the Fire containing references to groups and individuals who don't exist, like Harry Potter, Pokemon, and the Taliban

SCP-6136 - two dudes chilling in an interrogation room, five feet apart cause they're not happy: Completely unrelated to that one vine, it's a physical mnemonic device which gives you memories related to pliers and because of this is a pair of pliers

SCP-6383 - The One True Anomaly: A stop sign classified as anomalous because it is the single least anomalous thing in the universe

SCP-6442 -Mimir, Mímir: A congnitohazard etched inside a carbon-fibre based elastomer sphere so that the only beings who will ever perceived it are those who attain omniscience, of which over 8000 have and all died instantly upon seeing it

SCP-6690 - NO MORE PURPLE DINOSAUR: The Muppets (who are alive; a detail never commented on by the document) created the "I hate you, you hate me. Let's go out and kill Barney." song, which causes event to occur which can injure or kill whoever is the current actor for Barney the Dinosaur

SCP-6930 - 🔴 Paty Is Streaming Now: Remember SCP-3930 (the Pattern Screamer), the Russian facility which does not exist but when a specific region is observed your mind fills the void until there's an entity real enough to suffer and hate you for making them aware of their non-existence? Yeah, one of those got out, and she's a vtuber now

SCP-7529 - Josie's Better Half: The back half of a cat which a Foundation researcher is convinced is the back half of SCP-529, the front half of a cat with a different coat colour, and after he tries to force them together who voids the universe's insurance policy

SCP-7777 - Heptaphobia: A phenomenon that affects Random Number Generators to produce sequences of 0's and 7's which when translated into ASCII reveal unethical actions taken by the Foundation

SCP-7918 - RONALD REAGAN DIES OF ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME-RELATED COMPLICATIONS: An anomalous recording of Ronald Regan in the terminal stages of HIV/AIDS while recounting stories of his political career and what seem to be annecdotes of an alternate version of himself that was dating a man

SCP-8008 - TIME PERVERT: Real life writer and founder of LessWrong, Elizier Yudkowsky ascends to godhood after blasting rope to hentai trap his mind in a million year timeloop, remoulds the multiverse into a series of self-indulgent narratives, and modifies baseline humans into our current appearance to fit his sexual preferences, which by the standards of the original timeline make us the equivalent of those anime girls who look 12 with breasts larger than their heads

SCP-8981 - RONALD REAGAN'S PRESIDENTIAL REPUTATION CUT UP WHILE 😳ING: Spiritual successor to SCP-1891 (RONALD REGAN CUT UP WHILE TALKING), it is a collection of anomalies which randomly affect Ronald Regan, including the manifestation of a homonculus created by the Foundation as a body double for his public appearances which exhibits strange behaviours after a failed assassination like trying to crossbreed dogs and horses and attempting to eat a baby

[the-s1lly-corner]

The Amazing Digital Masterpost Vol 5

you all know the whole.... thing... by now! you can find the other masterlists in my pinned under the masterlist section! feel free to send in requests when theyre open (status is in my bio), please be sure to read my rules first! they are also in pinned! as of 1/4/2025 this list is complete!

Multi

various x reader who doesnt remember anything

Various x male mad hatter reader part 2

Various x reader who is kaufmos sibling

Kissing hcs w/ gummigoo and loo

Cast crushing on the reader

Various x reader who collects things

Caine ragatha kinger x homesick child reader (platonic)

various x grieving reader

various x chubby!insecure!reader

jax caine and kinger x remor reader

various x creepy clown doll reader w/ anxiety

various x reader who remembers everything

exploring ragatha gangle and kingers bodies (real world au, non sexual)

pomni and ragatha x sleepy reader

kinger and ragatha x reader who loves their plants

ragatha kinger gangle and zooble x reader who cries a lot

caine pomni and kinger x reader who can break the fourth wall

caine kinger jax and zooble x reader who is kaufmos sibling

caine and ragatha x clingy!affectionate!reader who is insecure about it

jax zooble gangle x slinky dog reader

Caine kinger pomni x famous singer reader

steadying kinger and pomnis hands

Reader who is best friends w/ gangle but has a crush on jax

Checking in on pomni and zooble after episode 3

kinger and pomni x reader who gets exhausted and falls

celebrating christmas w/ caine, pomni, gangle, and kinger

Jax gangle and pomni x teen!reader during episode 4 (platonic)

ragatha zooble and kinger x robot reader who needs batteries

gangle pomni and ragatha x oblivious reader

caine pomni and gummigoo x npc reader who is posing a real person

ragatha gangle jax and pomni x confident but clueless reader

jax pomni and kinger x weighted plushie child reader (platonic)

caine kinger and jax catching the reader watching edits of them

caine pomni jax x lion reader

kinger gangle caine x tabby cat reader

gangle zooble ragatha x harpy reader who reads

Caine

Platonic caine x child reader

X broadway actress

X reader who remembers their name but nothing else

X reader who is cold

x reader who is into TTRPGs

x reader who is a wind up dancer

x friendly abstracted reader (platonic)

flufftober day 1 (first kiss)

caine x knives (oc)

x reader w/ low self esteem

general hcs

Pomni

platonic pomni x reader who looks like gummigoo

aftercare w/ insecure!fem!reader

M N O angst alphabet

getting jealous over her and gummigoo in ep 4

Ragatha

Ragatha x short tempered reader

Ragatha x sleepy sheep reader

flufftober day 20 cuddling

taking care of her while shes on the stupid sauce

Jax

Jax x aggressive punk reader

X reader in the human world

X reader who has a lightbulb for a head

s d v (angst alphabet)

f p y (fluff alphabet)

x racoon reader

general x reader hcs

crushing on fem!villain npc!reader

in the mansion together hcs

flufftober day 22 stuck in line

general romance hcs

Jax crushing on you hcs

x chaotic but oblivious reader

x fiction writer reader

X reader who self loathes

more npc!villain!reader hcs

flirting with him at spudsys

brushing off his teasing attempts

x fem!porcelain doll!therapist!reader

x scaredy-cat reader in ep 3

x reader who matches his freak

Kinger

Kinger finding the reader abstracting

flufftober day 10 (gift giving)

platonic father figure kinger x reader

x reader who believes theyre a monarch

kinger and the reader helping take care of a child together

A Y X (platonic fluff alphabet)

Gangle

gangle x black cat personality reader

X bodyguard reader

hurt comfort hcs

reassuring gangle after episode 4 that you like her company

saving her from getting hit by the truck in ep 4

x badass!medusa!reader who does origami

Zooble

b f g (platonic fluff alphabet)

helping put zooble back together

Gummigoo

gummigoo x knives (oc)

x sheriff!reader

Other

loo x fem entertainer reader

[strawberrysmootji]

Chapter 2 | Sic Semper Tyrannis

“Thus always to Tyrants”

18+ fic, minors do not interact!

Chapter summary: Aemond takes you on a walk through the castle’s woods and grounds. You investigate the castle at night and stumble upon some suspicious conversations.

(edited)

Chapter warnings/tags: Mentions of death, corpses, canon typical incest, ghosts??, the supernatural, betrothal, family drama, Alicent claiming Rhaenyra’s kids are bastards (as usual)

if any of these things are not to your liking/ are triggering i recommend not to read it! Word count: 5k Rigor Mortis Masterlist | Main Masterlist

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Eggs?”

You sat at the large breakfast table with Aegon, Aemond and Helaena. Helaena was engrossed with an embroidery project and Aemond was reading the morning newspaper. They all seemed tense. 

It was only Aegon who was keeping you company, if you could call it that. You were wearing a pale sea green dress with pink frills and ribbons decorating it. You seemed to have accidentally matched with Helaena who wore a pale blue dress with pink ribbons decorating her dress and complex hairstyle. 

You nodded in response to Aegon’s question and held out your plate. He scooped up a bunch of scrambled eggs, not really caring to ask if it was too much. 

It was. 

You reluctantly began to eat the eggs and you glanced over at your betrothed. His face was hidden behind the large newspaper. You had seen his face before he started reading it. Instead of the glass eye he wore a black leather eye patch over his, what you assumed, was an empty eye socket. He was quiet and had only murmured a good morning to you when you entered the room. Helaena hadn’t said anything.

You let out a soft sigh and turned to Aegon who was eating the eggs like they were his last meal on earth. It was quite a sight to see. 

“Did you sleep well?” You asked Aegon, trying to break the awkward silence that hung in the dining room, even the servants were quiet. 

“No. That wench wouldn’t shut up, again.” He replied with his mouth full. Aemond glared at him, his stern eye peeking over the edge of the newspaper he was holding. Wench? It was a mystery who this ‘wench’ was that he was talking about. You hadn’t heard anything last night, in fact, you had slept surprisingly well for someone that slept with a notebook hidden under their mattress.

“What wench?” 

“Give it a week.”

“What?”

His answers only confused you even more. He looked more exhausted than he did yesterday. This time he wore a light green vest, single breasted. Not that it mattered, it made him look just as sickly as the mustard yellow did. Perhaps it was just his complexion. 

“Swallow before you speak.” Aemond scolded his older brother and all Aegon did was shoot him another glare. Aemond turned his gaze to you and it softened slightly. He closed the newspaper and folded it up before placing it on the wooden table.

Aemond was wearing a red vest with a black shirt underneath it. The sleeves were poofy at the ends and his long silk hair was in a neat long braid again like the evening before. The pattern on his red vest had some botanical elements with abstract leaves and vines. A stark contrast to his older brother who you figured enjoyed wearing simpler patterns like stripes.

“I apologise for my brother, clearly he has no idea how to act in front of ladies.” You could hear Aegon scoff at Aemond’s words but your betrothed seemed to ignore it. You studied Aemond’s face as he spoke. You liked the eye patch. It made him look mysterious and you liked solving mysteries. 

“Don’t apologise, my brother is worse.” 

The corners of Aemond’s mouth slightly tilted upwards. It was the first time you had seen him smile, if you could even call this a smile. 

“Shadows need the light to exist but roam freely in the darkness.”

You, Aemond and Aegon turned your heads when you heard Helaena speak. She was still working on her embroidery, almost pretending as if she hadn’t said anything before. It annoyed you. First the flowers and now rambling about nonsense out of the blue. A thick silence hung in the air, one you didn’t dare to break. 

Aemond and Aegon gave each other a look you were unable to read and they continued eating their breakfast in silence. With nothing to do and your mood ruined you reluctantly continued to eat the large pile of scrambled eggs on the plate in front of you. 

You took the time to look around the dining hall, it was large. The walls were covered in burgundy coloured velvet and the darkwood floorboards had been laid out in a herringbone pattern and it looked like it was recently done. Above the fireplace hung a black banner with a red three-headed dragon. The sigil of their family. In the centre of the room stood the large rectangle dining table you sat at. You counted eighteen chairs, two at both ends of the table and eight chairs on each side of the table.

On the left side of the hall hung three large painted portraits. A man with short silver blonde hair hung in the middle and the other two paintings were of silver haired women. They looked similar but their features were still discernible. 

The wooden door of the dining room creaked open. Alicent and Otto walked in. Aegon, Aemond and even Helaena looked up to face their mother and grandfather. Alicent looked like she had been crying and Otto placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Something that you noticed immediately was Alicent’s hair and the lack of intricate hairstyle. Instead, her curly auburn hair hung loose over her shoulder. Something serious must’ve happened for a queen to walk around the house, filled with male servants, with her hair loose.

“The body has been found.” 

Otto’s deep voice had cut deep through the silence. You let the words sink in. Not ‘a’ body. He said ‘the’ body. You wondered if this was so normal to them they could afford to use such wording. Or perhaps he meant ‘the’ body whose death they were behind. Your mind was racing, thinking of all possible answers. To think that such a simple sentence could make you spiral so much. “Who was it?” Aegon asked, the only one who dared break the silence, which you were secretly thankful for. 

“Tayla.”

‘Who is Tayla?’

Alicent begins to sob again and quickly excuses herself back to her room. Instead of looking at Aemond you looked at Aegon for answers but he was clearly avoiding your gaze. From the corner of your eye you could see Aemond’s frown deepening but you were unsure if it was because of the situation or because of you choosing to look for answers with his brother rather than him.

“They are getting bold.” Aemond replied after a short moment of complete silence.

‘Who in the seven’s name is ‘they’?’

“They are.” Otto replied as his frown deepened, making the wrinkles on his forehead more evident with every passing moment.

The room filled with silence again, you hated the feeling. Everyone knew something but no one bothered to tell you, not even your future husband. Otto turned to Aemond, it was almost as if they could read each other's mind because without Otto having to say a word, Aemond replied.

“Bring the body to my practice.” 

Then he turned to you.

“We shall walk in gardens together after lunch.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

After breakfast you had made your way back to your room. Some servants quietly entered the room and helped you in an appropriate walking dress you had brought with you. It was a red dress with black frills, ruffled and ribbons, coincidentally the colours of his family’s banner.

You watched out the window as they dressed you. Your room watched over the Narrow Sea and Blackwater bay. The eerie realisation of being able to see the place where each month a body would be found sent shivers down your spine. The narrow sea was calm, too calm. It was hard to see the water in the first place due to the thick mist lingered not only over the sea but also the city.

“Do you enjoy the view my lady?” One of the servants asked you in a soft voice. The servant was young, she looked no older than the age of fifteen.

“I suppose.” You replied in the most polite manner you could muster up. Even at home you disliked talking to the servants. Not because you didn’t care for the working class but because you preferred to spend your time alone. You didn’t like the workers coming into your room, your ‘supposedly’ private space. Of course you realised it wasn’t their fault, it was their work after all. Besides, you knew this type of work was better than working in one of the factories. 

Back in the North where you used to live there weren’t many factories yet. The people were stubborn and preferred their old methods of producing goods. Your father owned a few factories in the North. All were located in White Harbor near the ports, which is of course good for trading. Your family had already been rich before the industrialisation. However, with the investments your father had made in the new factories and the strategic location of the city, his riches only grew. The Starks were the richest ones now but if they didn’t start investing into the industrialisation in Westeros they might fall behind. 

You hated the factories. Your father had taken you once when you were only eight years old and your brother was fourteen years old. You don’t remember much of it but you do remember the heavy feeling you felt when you saw girls your age working the machinery wearing rags and worn out clothes. That day a girl’s hands got stuck in the machinery, apparently it was a normal occurrence. Everything after that was only a vague memory to you. You remembered the blood and how you wailed ever louder than the girl that had gotten into the accident. 

Benjamen had teased you about it for months afterwards. He loved the factory, the economics, the leadership, everything about it. He was to inherit it after all. You remembered him boasting about all the things he would change once it was his. His words did nothing but bring you an uncomfortable feeling. It was almost as if he couldn’t wait for your father to die so he could take over. 

You snapped out of your thoughts when one of the servants started talking to you.

“Excuse me, could you repeat that please?” You asked the servant bashfully, embarrassed about being so deep in thought that your senses were shutting out the outside world.

“Of course. You needn’t be worried about the bodies, my lady. You’re safe in the castle.” One of the older servants said. The younger girl protested in a hushed voice. “But Tayla-”

The older woman sent a death glare at the young girl and she immediately shut her mouth. It dawned upon you that the servants knew things about the castle and the family as well, perhaps even more than your future in-laws. 

“What happened to Tayla?” You bluntly asked the women who were working on your dress. The older woman was busy with your under skirts and ruffles while the young girl was tightening the laces on the back of the dress. You could feel the young girl’s hands stop for a moment before continuing. The older woman stayed silent.

“She went out.” Was all the young girl would reply and secured the laces by tying them together. The older woman glared at the young girl again but continued to work in silence. The information you had gotten wasn’t that useful but at least it was something. Perhaps Aemond would tell you more on the walk, at least, that is what you hoped.

The servants remained silent as they worked on getting you ready. The silence in the room was awkward and you simply continued to stare out of the window. It didn’t take them long to finish and once you were ready they walked you to the garden where Aemond was waiting for you. He was wearing a black outdoor tailcoat where the ends of the coat were aligned with his knees. He was still wearing the dark red vest but you could see his pants more clearly now that he was standing up and not sitting at a table. His pants were neat. They were all black and clearly tailored to fit him perfectly. 

The servants dismissed themselves and left you alone with your soon to be husband. His gaze was striking like always. His sharp jawline and defined cheekbones made him look extremely handsome, even with the scar and the eyepatch. 

You politely nodded and looked to your left- and then your right, noticing the lack of a third person. 

“No chaperone?”

“We are engaged, there is no need for a chaperone my lady.”

Aemond’s bluntly reply and your own mistake had made your cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Of course the two of you didn’t need to have a chaperone with you on a walk. In fact, the two of you could even hold hands on said walk. 

“Of course, my mistake.” You awkwardly tried to chuckle it off but the tension between the two of you didn’t disappear. 

Aemond offered you his hand in a polite manner. He didn’t speak but it was clear he was trying to be a gentleman. You reluctantly took his hand, internally screaming at the contact. It felt wrong, as if a whole stage of life was skipped. Although arranged marriages weren’t uncommon, most couples still went through a courting phase before getting engaged. You barely even knew this man and yet you were allowed to hold his hand. 

The two of you strode through the misty garden. Barely any flowers grew in it. Not only was the soil salty from the nearby sea but it was also winter. The garden was large though, larger than you had thought. The beginning of the walk was silent, like it had been the night before. 

You walked on his right side again so he could see you properly. When you looked up at him he seemed to be in deep thought. His single violet eyes glanced at you and he finally spoke.

“Have you grown accustomed to the castle?”

“Not yet, it is quite large. I would get lost if i didn’t have someone walking with me.” The two of you stopped to take a look over the city below you. There was a detailed stone wall that separated you and the cliff. The city was covered in mist and it was hard to make out any houses besides the one on the hills and the large structures such as ‘The dragonpit’ and the great sept. Of course, the factories were quite visible as well. The long chimneys spat out a dark black smoke that stained the air. It stood out against the mist and you grimaced.

“What do the factories here produce?” 

“Canned food.”

His reply was bleak and it annoyed you.

“All of them?” You asked him as you let go of his hands to rest yours on the stone wall in front of you. The wind blew softly, it made the ruffles of your dress sway a little but not the entire skirt. You looked at him again and the tail of his coat was also flowing in the wind.

“No. That one over there produces firearms.”

He points at the factory the furthest away. Because of the mist you couldn’t see if it was in- our outside of the city. The thought of such dangerous weapons being built so close to citizens made your stomach churn.

“Do you dislike the factories, my lady?”

The question startled you a little. It wasn’t something you expected him to ask, especially considering your father owned a factory

“It is an eyesore and the working conditions aren’t great. Besides, I doubt those black fumes from the chimneys will do any good in the long run.” 

You saw no point in lying, after all, he was the one that asked. You wouldn’t be surprised if his family owned one, if not all the factories surrounding the city. Something told you he wouldn’t judge you for it. 

Aemond, surprisingly, hummed in agreement.

“They are certainly quite ugly, but they make money. A lot of money.”

He pointed at the furthest factory, the one making firearms. 

“That is the family’s biggest money maker. We trade within the realm but we also export a lot to Essos, specifically the free cities. My elder sister Rhaenyra is to inherit them all, she lives on Dragonstone, but i must’ve told you at dinner already.” He explained and turned his head to study your reaction. 

He hadn’t told you anything at dinner the night priorly. It was Alicent who had filled you in on the current family situation.

“Do you miss her?”

“No.”

An awkward silence fell between the two of you again. Aemond offered his hand again and you took it, less nervous than first. His hand was large and yours fitted comfortably in his. The rest of the gardens were just as dull as the first part was, that was until he led you to a wooded section of the garden. 

“I didn’t know the royal family of the realm was allowed to own factories.” You pointed out with a tinge of curiosity lacing your voice. It was true though, many of the citizens wouldn’t like it. The family already owned the entire realm, should they really hold more factories?

Aemond paused for a moment and glanced at you. 

“You are a sharp lady and are right. We technically aren’t allowed to. The factories are in someone else’s name but we pay for them, as well as own them.” 

That was a shady business practice and you were surprised Aemond had even told you about it.

It was densely wooded but there was a clear dirt path that led to the middle. It was hard to identify what tree was what species since all the leaves had fallen onto the ground over the past autumn and winter. The leaves that were on the ground were a gross wet mixture of half disintegrated brown leaves. 

It was Aemond who broke the silence again. 

“Rhaenyra is invited to our engagement party, father insisted on it.” 

Aemond tried to hide the distain in his voice when he spoke of his sister.

“She and the rest of her family.” He corrected himself with a sigh.

It was silent again. You had to admit you were a bit slow, after all, no one had bothered to inform you about an engagement party. You wondered if your father and brother were invited as well. You turned your gaze up to him and politely smiled.

“I wasn’t aware of an engagement party. When is it?”

Aemond seemed to think for a moment before replying.

“The first day of the second month. That gives us enough time to prepare for…” He trailed off but you knew what he was talking about. He was talking about the next full moon. 

The next time a body would be found. 

“What happened to Tayla?” You were surprised you even managed to ask that question. The one that was eating you up from the inside out since breakfast. 

You and Aemond reached a small cemetery. In the middle stood a large stone tomb with three names on it.

Aegon I Targaryen

Visenya Targaryen

Rhaenys Targaryen 

The two of you stood in silence in front of the tomb. It looked well cared for. The moss growing on it was minimal and the stone was clean. You had seen cemeteries and tombstones before, most were a dark grey with vines and moss overgrowing the stone structures but this one was the complete opposite. 

“I cannot tell you, but you will know, in time.” He replied, his voice was lower than usual. You didn’t like his answer, why couldn’t he just tell you?

“You’re safer  if you don’t know about them.”

Another silence fell between the two of you. This one wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward like the others but it felt eerie. His words were sinister and made the hairs on your neck stand up straight. Who was ‘them’? They can’t be good people if they were behind all of these murders. Were they even people?

You had to shake the thought away. Of course they were actual people. The paranormal was only a trick of the mind to fill in the blanks. That is what it was. Even though you tried so hard to shake off the feeling you couldn’t help but feel watched. ‘It is only a trick of the mind. It’s because we’re in a forest and next to a cemetery. It’s because I am not familiar with surroundings.’ You tried to reassure yourself but you couldn’t help but look back over your shoulder. 

There was nothing. Of course there was nothing. You didn’t know what you even expected to be there. The treeline was dark and you were sure if his words had frightened you more you would have imagined the shape of a human or creature somewhere in there. It used to happen quite often when you were a child but now you knew the shapes you saw were just a bunch of unfortunately placed bushes, tree trunks and branches cast in a dark shadow. Hell, if you tried hard enough you could point out at least five trunks that looked like they had someone hiding behind them or standing in front of them. You chuckled to yourself and shook your head, resulting in Aemond giving you a confused look. 

There was no one there. 

So why didn’t the feeling go away?

“My ancestors, the ones who bought ‘The Red Keep’. The first king and queens of the united realm.” He replied, the usual monotone and disinterested tone in his voice was now filled with pride. His face was still neutral, but you noticed a miniscule smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

‘He liked history.’ A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as well when you remembered the conversation of yesterday night.

Perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all.

“They are buried here in this tomb together. The rest of the family rests in the cemetery.” 

He motioned with his hand at the cemetery behind you two. It was quite large and after scanning the graveyard quickly you noticed it was mostly men and their wives that were buried. 

“Where are the sisters of the family?”

“Buried with their husbands on their own land, except Visenya and Rhaenys. They are buried in the tomb..”

“Sisters? I thought they were Aegon’s  wives?

You shook your head as if you physically tried to shake off the thought.

Your question made Aemond chuckle softly. He shook his head and looked at you. 

“Visenya and Rhaenys are buried with their husband…and their brother.” 

Huh?

Huh?

“I don’t think I understand-.” You could feel your cheeks heat up as the blood rushed to your face. It must be a miscommunication, right? You were certain there was no other way. You must’ve interpreted something wrong-

“They married their brother.” Aemond replied calmly. His expression showed no disgust or discomfort, in fact, he seemed to be completely comfortable with the fact his ancestors were siblings.

“Their brother?!” 

Aemond chuckled at the way you expressed your confusion. He nodded to confirm your question. He stepped closer to you and rested his hand on the small of your back. 

If your face wasn’t overheating before it sure did now. You desperately tried to remember all the customs and rules that came with courting, engagement and marriage. Was this even allowed?! You knew the two of you were allowed to hold hands but he had his hand placed on your lower back, were his hand to trail down a little further he would be touching…

You shook away your vulgar thoughts. You didn’t even wish to think of what would happen if he did. He stood so close to you, his hand not moving from its place. He slightly bent down and you could feel his breath on the side of your neck. Even though the weather was cold his breath felt warm. His whole body was warm. 

“I know it must be strange to you, but you have my word that I will explain it when we’re married.” 

All you could do was slowly nod. You were afraid that if you spoke it would sound more like a cracked squeak than an actual human voice. 

The rest of the walk was silent. Your head mulled over the realisation that his ancestors were truly related to each other, closely related. You couldn’t believe the rumours were actually true, you were so certain they had been made up in an attempt to make the foreign family look bad. 

Aemond had escorted you back to your room so you could get ready for dinner and (unknowingly) leave you alone with your thoughts. 

You knew your circumstances were too good to be true. You thought you would simply marry an intelligent and rich prince, perhaps spend your time chasing false rumours to kill time and boredom. But no, now you had to marry this intelligent and devilishly handsome man knowing his ancestors were siblings. Not to mention that your future children will have those ancestors as well.

How in the seven hells were you going to look past this?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Perhaps it was foolish what you were doing but your curious mind was too restless. You had to know more about his ancestry. He promised he would tell you once the two of you were married, but who knew how far away that would be. Of course, you couldn’t rule out that he was lying. You barely knew the man. 

You walked through the castle in your thin white night dress. It was long and flowing, different than the thicker dresses you were used to when you lived in the North. Still, it was quite cold to be wearing this type of night dress in the winter.

In your left hand was a brass candle holder with a white wax candle in it, the candle was lit and illuminating the dark hallways. The flame flickering made your surroundings seem mystical while you searched for the castle’s library. You knew they had one on the second floor, Aemond had shown you on his tour of the castle. 

Of course, this is a castle you’re walking through, the second floor was enormous and seemed like a maze of endless hallways in the dark. It made you wonder if you could even find it in broad daylight. 

When you turned the corner you noticed a small sliver of light illuminating the stone wall of the castle. Soft, yet clear voices could be heard coming from a room. The light came from a slightly ajar door where two people were clearly holding a private conversation. 

You knew you shouldn’t be snooping around and listening in on conversations, it was rude and intrusive. Yet, your curiosity was untamable. You sneaked closer, careful not to make any sound while the voices became more clear.

“I can’t believe she would do something like this.”

You knew that voice. It was Alicent, but you weren’t used to the tone she was speaking in. It was snappy and distressed. 

“My lady, I advise you to calm down.”

You didn’t know that voice. It was an adult male, that much you could tell. His voice sounded calmer but a small hint of annoyance seeped through.

“She is a spoiled brat. We invite her here and she does nothing.”

Oh gods they weren’t talking about you, right?

“Her father is dying, her younger brother is getting married and yet she refuses to come here.” Alicent continues speaking in the same tone as before. 

Alright, they clearly weren’t talking about you, that’s a relief. 

“I am sure she is only busy, your highness-” “Busy? Busy raising her three bastards to be her heir?” Alicent snapped in anger. You could hear a little shuffling in the room and guessed it was Alicent sitting down in a chair or on a sofa. Then heavier footsteps could be heard and the floorboards creaked a little. The urge to look through the small gap of the open door was huge but the fear of getting caught eavesdropping was even bigger so you refrained yourself. 

“Your majesty, please-” “I don’t want your compassion.” Alicent interrupted the man with a sniffle but couldn’t even finish her sentence before the man interrupted her as well. 

“Alicent..”

First name basis with the queen?! With a married woman?!

“..you’re grieving. Today has been hard on you and I suggest you rest. We shall continue our talk about princess Rhaenyra later, perhaps after Tayla’s funeral.” Neither of the two spoke a word for a few moments but Alicent broke the silence. “Alright. Thank you Ser Criston, your presence and loyalty is a great comfort to me.” Ser Criston? The knight in the white uniform from the day before? You couldn’t stay and think in the hallway much longer when it quickly dawned upon you that they were wrapping up their conversation. As you quietly started to walk away you stepped onto a creaking part of the floor and you swore you would burn all old castles down if you ever managed to get yourself out of this sticky situation. 

Alicent and Set Criston must’ve heard you because you heard the heavy footsteps of Ser Criston make their way towards the door. You hastily blew out your candle and turned the corner. You could hear his footsteps following you and felt your heartbeat quicken. You had to shake him off one way or another. When you turned another corner you walked into a hallway you were very familiar with. It was the one where Aemond’s room was located. 

Perhaps you could hide out there under the guise of not being able to sleep. When you finally thought you had escaped from Ser Criston you felt a large hand cover your mouth and pull you into a room. You desperately tried to wriggle yourself out of the grip but couldn’t do so until the stranger had closed the door behind the two of you and locked it. 

The room was dark and unlit, the only light seeping in from the windows was the icy moonlight that made the room look creepy. White sheets were thrown over the furniture to prevent the dust build up and it was clear this room wasn’t being inhabited by anyone right now.

When you finally turned around to face the man that had dragged you into the room your mouth slightly went agape in surprise. 

Right before stood Aemond’s eldest brother.

Aegon Targaryen.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Taglist: @helaenaluvr @saltedcaramelpretzel @certifiedhaters @imawhorecrux

[milesluna]

My Favorite Games of 2023.

Hi. Hello. Thanks ever so much for clicking on this page. Happy to have you.

First thing's first: I'm a little freak when it comes to video games. I don't feel the need to beat most games I play. From Software is one of my favorite studios in the industry and I've never finished a single one of their games. This means, fortunately, that I get to play a LOT more games than the average bear.

I've written up some blurbs about my top ten favorite games from 2023, but before that here's the list of every game I remember playing this year that left any sort of lasting impact on me (in no particular order):

Dead Space Remake Resident Evil 4 Remake F-Zero 99 Humanity Dredge Metroid Prime Remastered Anemoiaplois Alan Wake 2 Baldur’s Gate 3 LoZ Tears of the Kingdom Counter Strike 2 Hunt Showdown El Paso Elsewhere Jusant Slay the Princess| Remnant II The Finals Street FIghter 6 Lethal Company BattleBit Remastered Don’t Scream Homebody The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Pizza Tower World of Horror Super Mario Wonder Mr. Sun’s Hatbox Fifa 23 Sea of Stars (Demo) Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update)

And the games I played that were NOT released in 2023:

Unpacking Persona 4 Golden Picross 7 The Order 1886 Shovel Knight Dig Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Spider-Man: Miles Morales Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Project Zomboid Quake LoZ The Minish Cap Drill Dozer Wario Land 4 Pokemon Pinball Resident Evil Revelations Summer of ‘58 Trackmania TwinCop We Were Here Visage Cursed Halo CE Half-Life 2 (I probably play this once per year) Witch Hunt Red Dead Redemption 2 Cyberpunk 2077 Borderlands 3 Brutal Legend Cultic Slay the Spire PUBG Rez Infinite Batman Arkham City Alan Wake Alan Wake: American Nightmare Max Payne LoZ: Majora’s Mask 3DS Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2 Tunic Everhood Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII Remake GOODBYE WORLD Yakuza: Like a Dragon Critters for Sale Dome Keeper Phasmophobia Hades Nintendo Switch Sports

Now that you understand the kind of freak you're dealing with…

Let's dive into my top ten favorite games from this objectively fucked up year.

10. El Paso Elsewhere Developed by Texas indie studio Strange Scaffold, El Paso Elsewhere is a Max Payne-clone with vampires, an opinionated narrator, and lots and lots of bullet time. As a small studio punching well above their weight class, Strange Scaffold leans into abstract, PlayStation 1 minimalism when it comes to visuals and pairs them with a soundtrack that will make your hands sweat. The vibes are here and they're ready for the end of the world. I'm personally also a big fan of everything this studio stands for.

9. Mr. Sun's Hatbox I want you to imagine Metal Gear Solid V. Now I want you to imagine that game as a 2D, level-based, slapstick platformer you can play with up to three friends. If you think that sounds stupid, you'd be right. And it's beautiful. As you build up a secret army of soldiers with various skills (and disorders), you'll start to develop *favorites*. This game constantly asks if you're willing to send those favorites on a harrowing mission and risk losing them forever… or if you'd rather send an idiot you recently captured who blinks constantly and can't kill anyone without fainting.

8. Dredge Every year I feel like I find one game that falls into the “just one more round” category, and baby… Dredge was it for 2023. As a weary fisherman in strange waters, you'll make the most out of your 12 measly hours of sunlight only for your daily voyages to inevitably pull you into the darkness of night, and night is when things get weird. Rocks emerge from the fog that you swear weren't there before, your equipment malfunctions, and you're pretty sure you just saw something in the water… something big. Despite only containing a small collection of islands, the world of Dredge manages to feel vast - perhaps vast enough to swallow you whole.

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake I was curious to see what sort of changes would be made to the timeless classic and father of modern 3rd person shooters, Resident Evil 4. I wasn't let down. RE4 Remake takes all the things that didn't age well about the original, tossed them out, and replaced them with only good things. And MORE things! It's campy, fun, and better than a game of bingo.

6. Jusant I really feel like this one didn't get the recognition it deserves. Jusant is a rock climbing game that combines the quiet contemplation of Journey with the mechanical specificity of Death Stranding. Unlike Death Standing, though, there is very little story to interrupt your flow. There are plenty of collectible bits to find for those curious to learn more about what happened before the events of the game, but the environmental storytelling does most of the heavy lifting. For me, the joy of the game comes from how it feels. Right trigger controls your right hand grip, and left trigger controls left hand grip. Plan your route, manage your stamina, and climb high above the clouds in search of answers.

5. F-Zero 99 This. Shit. Slaps. I've never been a big F-Zero guy, but this MADE me one. The “battle royale”, 99 player format is the perfect fit for the ruthless, high octane world of the game. Races last about three minutes, and friend, they are the most intense, white-knuckled three minutes of your life. The decision to make your boost meter the same as your health meter started in F-Zero 64 (I believe), and it is so much more HARROWING in this game when another player could side-swipe you mere meters from the finish line and blow you to bits. Sadly it's only playable via Switch Online, but it made me cheer, laugh, and scream enough this year to earn a spot in my top 5.

4. Alan Wake 2 Remedy makes weird games that also manage to exist in the AAA space and for that I will forever love them. Although Alan Wake 2 resembles a 3rd person shooter survival horror, I'd honestly say it's more of a narrative game than anything else. There's sidequests, there's puzzles, there's upgradeable skills, but at the end of the day the characters, world, and story are what kept me playing. If you haven't checked them out recently, you should definitely watch a story recap of the original games before diving into this sequel, but the wild swings for the fences this game takes are well worth that small price of admission. There's a god damn musical number, for Christ's sake.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom I've really got nothing to say about this game that most people don't already know. It's incredible. The fact that Nintendo made a game that redefined an entire genre and then made a SEQUEL to it that ups the ante is remarkable. To be honest, I've only cleared the Rito, Zora, and Goron cities. I got a bit tired of exploring the depths and guiding Koroks to their friends, but I can't deny the sheer level of complexity and polish on display here. I saw someone on TikTok build a functioning Mecha Godzilla in this game. Good God. I've heard that the ending of this game is one of the best in the franchise, and if I'd seen it this year then it may have wound up higher on my list, but for the time being I'll continue picking up this masterpiece from time to time, chipping away at it until the day comes that I can finally smack the tits off thicc Ganondorf.

2. Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update) I know I'm gonna get shit for this, but I don't care. This year was the 25th anniversary of Half-Life and Valve released an update that made playing it (and it's online Death Match) much more accessible. I threw it on my Steam Deck out of curiosity, expecting to play for 20 minutes. I could not put it down. It is unbelievable how modern this game still feels. I simply had so much fun sprinting through the corridors of Black Mesa with a dozen weapons strapped to my back, blasting aliens and military Spec-Op chumps as a 24(?!) year old theoretical physicist.

1. Baldur's Gate III This game is fucked up, man. The sheer amount of writing in this game scares me. We can all talk about how BIG this game is, it deserves it, but the thing BG3 does better than any other role playing game I have ever experienced is actually encourage roleplaying. I've played through Act I four times now, with four different groups of friends, and it has felt fresh every time. I have seen the same events play out in so many different ways that it boggles the mind, but in every one of those play sessions I see players asking themselves “What would my lil guy do here?” rather than "what is the best thing to do here?" The game rewards players constantly for just trying shit and the D&D 5e rule set means playing like the character you said you were from the start leads to frequent Points of Inspiration. Maybe one day I'll see the end of this story (probably not), but I don't have to in order to feel a connection with BG3's world, characters, and most impressively, the characters I made myself.

Honorable Mentions for 2023

5. Dave the Diver 4. Homebody 3. Sea of Stars 2. Humanity 1. Super Mario Wonder

Top 5 Favorites NOT from 2023

5. Metroid Prime 4. Final Fantasy VII Remake 3. Cursed Halo (Halo CE Mod) 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 1. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3DS)

Games I didn't have a chance to play from 2023 but still want to when I find more time...

Viewfinder Venba Chants of Sennaar Thirsty Suitors Hi-Fi Rush Moonring Armored Core VI Laika Aged Through Blood Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

OKAY THANKS BYE!

[tarhonk]

AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS THEORY ALERT

WEEOO WEEOO THEORY ALERT

So this is gonna connect to that "everyone in the circus worked for C&A" theory

Alright so just yesterday Glitch posted this in the community tab on their youtube channel

Despite it being funny af I couldn't help but notice how much 80's memorabilia was in here. All these items (minus the digital circus stuff) were very popular or invented in the mid 80's.

So I decided to check back on that scene where Pomni is running through the exits. Specifically that moment where she stares at the desk and I noticed something.

That straight up looks like an old and dirty Commodore 64

All this equipment just screams 80's to me. Everything in that office seemed like stuff from the 80's.

And I haven't seen anyone else talk about these but I noticed a few other things

One

We see the headset that all the characters have put on to get in the circus right on the desk.

Two

We see several computers on as Pomni runs past them. I counted 4 but that light on the floor in the first picture could be a 5th. In that case, that's one for each human currently not abstracted in the circus, minus Pomni. And what do we see when Pomni is back in the circus at the end of the pilot?

The computer she had a mental breakdown over is now on.

She's back online

Finally, three

A poster can be seen in the back that seems like the same colors as the digital circus logo. This could definitely be a hidden reference to something I don't know but this looks very digital circus-y to me.

So with all that, here's what i'm adding on to the office theory.

C&A (Caine & Abel) was a video game company in the 80's that was experimenting with creating a virtual reality headset for gaming purposes. The world of gaming had slowly begun to rise in popularity, and they decided to stay on top of this trend with a very ambitious strategy. VR gaming was just beginning to make a statement in the world as well, so the C&A company began working on something new.

They create this idea for a wacky game called The Amazing Digital Circus. A VR game where you'd get an avatar and go on adventures lead by a ringmaster character. All was going well, but at some point during development, something (who knows what) went wrong, causing anyone who wears the headset to have their consciousness sucked into the game. They'd lose the memories of their lives, only knowing that they were human, and now they're stuck there forever.

This was less of a theory and more of pointing out stuff that I haven't seen people mention yet, but I think its useful.

Please feel free to add on with theories on how you think their bodies are affected in the real world and stuff about the digital circus. Expand upon this please. I feel like i'm onto something.

EDIT: https://www.glitchprod.com/thewackywatch

Just remembered that the wacky watch commercial proves like everything I said.

They reveal it on an 80's computer

"New experimental hardware that gets you awesome visuals and lifelike audio" experimenting with VR!!!!!!

I'm going crazy

[zoanzon]

Someone on a discord I'm in asked us older-uns who were adults during the 2016 election what to do. I have no fucking clue, but I still managed to dig up some thoughts. It's long as shit, barely edited, and you don't know me from Bob in terms of 'credibility', but it's my few cents.

TLDR:

Back up content you want or need off the web now, before FOSTA-SESTA or related 'authoritarian censorship' stuff rolls out. This can be that your favorite fic you'd be heartbroken to see purged for being marked as pornographic content; this is also downloading family photos from Google Drive.

Learn how to garden, or learn how you can learn to garden in a pinch of you lose money and/or supply chains get fucked.

Have you heard of OPSEC and INFOSEC? Good, that's a start. Learn more. If you haven't heard of them, learn quick. This is 'loose lips sink ships' and 'do not take phones to protests (or anything else that might get judicial crackback)' as much as its 'get a VPN and make sure its reputable'.

And the original rambling post, for anyone interested:

Is more an abstract 'thing to do', but as a historian and amateur archivist who knows history of censorship, etc: Think about what you want to back-up. What you need saved, or think needs to be saved, and what you can save. If you've got stuff online on sites you think might not survive FOSTA-SESTA or Musk and Peter Thiel types getting carte blanch, back it up. If you go through a webpage you think should be saved to look back on for 'here is how things became what they are', save it. Looking back at 2016 when 'grab em by the pussy' was the most egregious shit - when the original Unite the Right rally happened and we were aghast - compared to now, its night and day. We got here day by day. This time it might be a bit more abrupt. Still. What are the posts, the pages, the tweets you think need to be saved, for yourself or for history? Save it.

(For example: SingleFile is a firefox addon that allows you to save, Wayback-style, webpages to your personal files and keeps all embedded media from the page! If you SingleFile a wikipedia page, you have it downloaded; if you hit a reddit page, you'll have it with intact formatting; and it'll even capture stills of tumblr pages with all posts on said pages. If you are looking at this Read More? If I ever get deactivated, this Read More is lost. The first part of the post can be reblogged, but no one can get into Read More sections of posts whose OP has seen deactivated. SingleFile the page you have this post opened in, and you have it on-hand forever. Wayback also exists, but that's contingent on the Internet Archive - Wayback's parent - surviving things. If it does, it does; but if you think your personal files will survive longer (or want to access osmething sans internet), SingleFile is there for you.)

Hell, between 'what if this gets censored off the web?' and 'what if I want to have a copy of this on-hand even without internet?' is a possible approach here. What fanfics would you like to have on hand, and to not loose to a site-purge? What Youtube videos bring you joy, and which ones are records you want kept from this time? What media do you want to pirate in case a company deletes old product, and how might that get worse under a second Trump reign? Start there, and figure out what else to back up next.

Otherwise, if you don't think you're going to be able to make it out of the country and you want to prepare for if things truly do go to shit, some things to look into include:

Do you know how to grow food? Otherwise, figure out if you have easy access to ways to learn (library, downloaded how-to PDFs, your gardener friend, etc). There's been intermittent episodes about food-growing (and community gardening) on It Could Happen Here

Maybe listen to It Could Happen Here, or at least put it on your watchlist. Robert (a long-time political-extremism journalist) originally started it in 2019 as a 'here is how a second american civil war could start' thing, and transitioned it into daily discussion of how to survive 'it' happening here...such as what's happening right now. Listen to ICHH; it might be depressing, but him and his cohosts know what they're talking about.

Learn what info-security and operations-security is. Any sort of activism is likely to be more dangerous than protests in the last few years, and those have still been a shitshot. Whether its 'do not take your phone to protests' to 'download a VPN' to 'loose lips sink ships': learn about the concepts, make sure you know how you can learn more. This is especially true if you wait to do this, as the more time any theoretical authoritarian govts have time to prepare, the more they might notice what info you are searching for. Paranoid? Not pessimistic enough? I'd rather you be thinking of this now than to realize its far too late.

Beyond that, yeah: if you can get out, that's not a bad idea. You're asking us for advice on how to survive, and the horrid fact is: this time is going to be so much worse. There's been more time for things to fester, more time for the fascists to gather power, more time for them to grow bloodthirsty. Again. History major. This is going to be really fucking bad.

Whether you get out or not, people need to come together more. Last time, the fascism rippled out: Trump got in, and a lot of similar cases went masks-off (or won elections) elsewhere. The same is likely true this time. In America or not, people need to come together; and it's the only way we'll survive or hold our own.

And in the meantime: figure out what you can save, or need to save. Save it. Figure out how to garden, or how to do maintenance on stuff that might start crumbling as shit gets bad, or figure out the basics of infosec and opsec. Do multiple if you can; do individual ones if you can't, or can reasonably work with others to cover each other's weaknesses.

It's still going to suck. There's no way this doesn't suck. Frankly, there's no way there's not going to be at least some horrific atrocities; it's just a question of how many, and how quick they start up. That's the best thing I can recommend, honestly, is: it's good to hope things somehow work out, but don't stick your head in the sand. If you hope the leopards don't eat your face because you stay still and don't move, maybe you'll live? But maybe not, and maybe you'll just see someone else get eaten. Preparing won't necessarily save you anyways. But, it'll buy you better odds, and it'll make the fascists a bit more annoyed, and enough annoyances might fuck them still. Hopefully this helps in some way.

[triangularitydubs]

Loser Baby| The Amazing Digital Circus Edition

[JAX]

So things look bad, and your back’s against the wall

Your whole mentality seems its going

You’re feelin’ stupid as a VR

RPG

Can’t face the world all glum and joyless

You’ve lost your way, you think your life is wrecked

Well, let me just say you’re correct

[POMNI, spoken]

Wait, what?

[JAX]

You’re a loser, Pomni

A loser, my dear Pomni

You’re a spineless little tiny [#$@%]

[POMNI, spoken]

HEY!

[JAX]

You’re a loser, just like me

[POMNI, spoken]

Gee thanks.

[Sans]

You’re a screws-loose jester

And a hopeless beta tester

You’re a mess that might just abstract

But you got company

[POMNI, spoken]

Is this supposed to make me

FEEL BETTER?!

[JAX]

There was a time I thought that no one could relate

To the tiresome ways the circus can be.

But getting trapped digitally sometimes set you straight!

We’re all stuck inside this game with adventure.

[POMNI]

I'm in a world full where

I lost my own physique

[JAX]

Heh! And you think that makes you unique?

Get outta here, pal

We’re both losers, Pomni

We’re losers, it’s okay to have some

[POMNI]

Thoughts of existential dread?

[JAX]

Wow, that got pretty deep!

[POMNI]

I’m a loser, Jax my

life isn't as bad, not over

So at least I know I’m not alone

[JAX]

You’re a loser

[POMNI & JAX]

Just like me

[JAX]

I got an appetite for prankin'

[POMNI]

I got an appetite for chasing every exit I can find

[JAX]

Go ahead buddy, sing that song, come on!

[POMNI]

I’m super f@%@%@, cuz I cannot get a grip

[JAX]

I have been told that I

have an ad-lib

[Jax and ]

We're stuck here now until

Forever

[Jax]

You’re a loser, and so crazy

[POMNI]

A loser, but just maybe if we

[JAX & POMNI]

Keep moving forward, things will end up differently

[Jax]

It’s time to choose to be carefree

Improve yourself, its still you Pomni

Don't worry now or you'll

Just abstract!

[JAX AND POMNI]

Be a loser, just like me

[fashionbooksmilano]

Maison Sonia Delaunay

Edited by Waleria Dorogova, Katia Baudin

with contributions by Norman Barreu-Gély, Emilie Hammem, Diane Muller-Tanquerey, Pascal Rousseau,Marketa Uhlirova, Margarete Zimmermann

Hatje Cantz, 2022, 233 pages, 17,5x24,8cm, ISBN 978-3-7757-5380-7

euro 57,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

Exhibition Kunstmuseen Krefeld 23.10.2022-26.02.2023

How Sonia Delaunay expanded the colorful vocabulary of modernist abstraction into the realms of textiles and industrial design

This volume presents sketches and textile designs by the great Russian French modernist artist Sonia Delaunay alongside her paintings and interior and fashion designs. It demonstrates how she transferred her color philosophy of “Simultanism,” which she developed in her painting, to the mediums and surfaces of modern life. Maison Sonia Delaunay also explores the international textile companies with whom she collaborated, and shows how she explored the relationship between art and industry, and the ways in which she used her many abilities to design a visionary modern life. The book includes the first scholarly essays on Delaunay's collaborations with silk industrialist Robert Perrier and couturier Jacques Heim, who were among her most important collaborators. Born in Odessa, Ukraine, Sonia Delaunay (1885–1979) migrated to Paris in 1906 and became a key figure in the city’s avant-garde scene. During these early years, her paintings underwent a formal shift influenced by the vivid colors of Fauvism. She soon met her husband, fellow artist Robert Delaunay, and the couple pioneered a fusion of Cubism and Neo-Impressionism that they termed Simultanism—abstract painting that uses color in a manner comparable to the use of sound and rhythm in music. In 1964, Delaunay became the first living woman artist to have a retrospective at the Louvre.

25/01/24

[cultofdarkwood]

Chapter 12: The lamb makes the long journey to activate the transportation stone at Pilgrim's Passage. The One Who Waits keeps them company through conversation.

(been trying to keep up posting with how fast we're writing but i honestly think im giving up. we're writing chapter 27 atm. i can only edit each chapter so fast sobsss.)

[crossovers-nobody-asked-for]

So amazing digital circus spoilers for ep.3

Hey so heres a random theory i came up with about the amazing digital circus. What if Queenie was an NPC. Look hear me out. We unfortunately all know there is a very very good chance Kinger is going to abstract. The foreshadowing is practically hitting us in the face. But this got me thinking “what would be Kinger’s tipping point?” Put this thought on the back burner.

Now let’s talk about Queenie and Kinger’s possible job before the circus. Obviously, if you have seen other theories, im referring to the “7 years of coding experience” comment from episode 3. So it’s very much hinted at that Kinger was a coder for the circus.(Similer to how Pomni was a secretary for the company) However, a big thing in coding is bug testing. In short, I believe this is why Kinger isn’t a big fan of bugs when he first enters the circus. Queenie on the other hand adores bugs but why would someone who we amuse also worked for the company enjoy bugs.

It could be coincidence or it could be a play on words. Queenie, herself, was a “bug” in Caine’s program and he wasn’t able to tell if she was an npc or not. Kinger doesn’t remember because well it’s Kinger, he already struggles with memory. Kinger is a coder and bug tester while Queenie is a bug in the code sort of.

Back to what i was talking about earlier about Kinger’s abstraction. Story wise it would make sense for Kinger’s tipping point to be finding out that his wife,the person he started appreciating insects and constantly trying to be in the dark to remember her, is an npc. This would imply that Queenie is not real and Kinger would spiral.

Thank you once again for listening to my late night rambling. Have a good night everyone. 💚

Edit: Yes i do realize my mistake with the quote being computer science and not necessarily anything to do with coding but my point still stands.

[miirshroom]

Elden Ring and Introduction to the FromSoftware Meta-Narrative

If a rune is a story and a great rune is a great story, then what are the great stories represented by the Great Runes? The answer that I have arrived at: The abstract concept of FromSoftware's various videogame development pipelines. Afterall, the Elden Ring represents a metaphysical concept, so why not an examination of the past, present, and future identity of a company that produces videogames. Major spoilers ahead for Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Armoured Core 6, and minor spoilers for several other FromSoft games.

Godrick's Great Rune

The Dark Souls (2011-2018) Great Rune seems obvious - Godrick's Great rune. If the 3 ringed shape wasn't the tip-off (corresponding to 3 games) then perhaps that the dragon figure on top of the Banished Knight helmet is the same creature as the Nameless King's mount. Dark Souls Eygon of Carim wears the Morne set and guards a fire keeper named Irena, while in Elden Ring Edgar of Castle Morne in Godrick's territory loses his eyes to frenzy after discovering the death of his daughter Irena.

Godrick himself seems to function as representative of Dark Souls Remastered, in a sense that the repulsive practice of grafting is being equated to the creative dead-end of revisiting old games such as Dark Souls (2011) and pasting on updated graphics and quality of life features while having to work around out-dated code. I think that Godefroy could be seen as a much earlier use of this practice as the difference between original Dark Souls and the Prepare to Die edition (2012) that included improvements + Artorius DLC. And Godwyn's parallel would be Dark Souls 3 (2016). I would thus consider Godwyn and Godrick as brothers in Elden Ring because in the internal logic of FromSoftware there were always planned to be a trilogy of Dark Souls games.

Dark Souls 2 is annoying to explain succinctly partially because it was directed by Naotoshi Zin Yui Taimura (correction: Naotoshi Zin was the supervisor, which was his role on all Dark Souls games as president of the company from 1986-2014) instead of Hidetaka Miyazaki. In short, there are some blurry lines between Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin and Bloodborne.

Malenia's and Miquella's Great Runes

Malenia herself has an obvious match in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019) - it is in the Dragon Rot being correlated to Scarlet Rot, the parallels between Malenia's dedication to Miquella and Wolf's dedication to Kuro, and that it's one of the few recent FromSoft games to be released without paid DLC or sequel (which as it happens is common among all empyrean and their game counterparts). Numerous people have commented that Malenia feels like a Sekiro boss to fight - although with the added twist of mechanics like clearing her poise break that allow her to "cheat" compared to the bosses of that game.

However, the exact nature of Malenia's Great Rune is more nebulous - probably could be a stand-in for multiple Japanese-style combat games in the catalogue including Shadow Assault: Tenchu (2008) and Otogi: Myth of Demons (2002). Certainly, it has been confirmed by FromSoftware representatives that Sekiro was internally considered a Tenchu game for some time before release, as discussed in the aptly titled 2018 GameSpot article "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Originally Started As A Tenchu Game".

Miquella may or may not have a Great Rune. If he does, it would correspond to games in a similar spirit to Déraciné (2018), the game which Miquella most likely represents. A much smaller game, the idea of which originated in the wake of Bloodborne's release at around the same time that the idea for Sekiro began to form - twin ideas. The game Kuon (2004) also seems to have served some inspiration for the Haligtree, as there is a side-story told about silkworms and a central Mulberry Tree in that game.

Radahn's Great Rune

Radahn's Rune represents the Armored Core franchise - or perhaps the broader idea of mech combat games - while he is himself a personification of Armoured Core 6: The Fires of Rubicon (2023). The opening part of his boss fight is an artillery bombardment, similar to the long range weapon capabilities of the AC units. The central motifs of AC6 are "fire" and "coral" - and the general theme of Caelid is using fire to control the rot that has eaten Radahn's mind and which manifests in the landscape as growths resembling coral reef.

A major part of Radahn's character is that he idolized Godfrey, who is himself embodying AC4 (2006)/4A (2008). The name "Loux" means "Lynx" - and in a departure from the Ravens of earlier titles AC4 introduces the Lynx units. It also simply makes sense that the progenitor of the Golden Lineage - who I previously correlated to Dark Souls - would be represented in the first game that Miyazaki directed.

And I can see the objection that this doesn't make sense because we know that Radahn must have been born before Malenia/Miquella, so how can he represent a game that came after? Simply: it's not about when the game idea was executed, but about when the concept was first proposed. FromSoftware probably knew that they would eventually return to Armoured Core at about the time they wrapped on AC5V.

Morgott and Mohg's Great Runes

Now that some boundary conditions have been set it is easier to speculate on the nature of Morgott and Mohg - AC5 (2012) and AC5V (2013), respectively. Points of comparison: 1) They are of the Golden Lineage as they preceded from AC4A represented by Godfrey, 2) They are omens that any game without Miyazaki attached will be perceived poorly in hindsight (as he did not direct either game), 3) The AC games were at the time FromSoftware's most well known and active franchise before being overshadowed by souls games - those touched by the Crucible were once considered divine and only later fell into disfavor.

But as I already mentioned, with speculation that Radahn holds the Armoured Core Great Rune Morgott and Mohg must have claimed some other stories. This also aids in understanding how they can exist as multiple copies - there is the version of them before and after claiming Great Runes that do not match their original natures. Morgott is the easiest to figure out - it's the Elden Ring (2022) Rune. There is one Great Rune in the entire game that is mandatory to beating the game, and it is the one held by Morgott. Perhaps this raises a question of how can the Elden Ring have a single Great Rune dedicated to itself, but as I have been attempting to describe - all FromSoftware games should be treated as a single body of work looking backwards from Elden Ring. The initial concept of an "Elden Ring" stretches back at least as far as Eternal Ring (2000), and Morgott's rune is described as an "anchor ring that houses the base" so it does have a central importance.

And there's a relatively straightforward answer to which game would be considered a twin to Elden Ring - Demon's Souls (2009). The leitmotif in the menu music for Elden Ring has been identified as a more triumphant version of the Demon's Souls menu music. The core themes of Elden Ring are also much concerned with philosophies of identity in much the same way that Demon's Souls explores the definition of the self as an entity that thinks (look up "Philosophical Analysis of Demon's Souls" by The Gemsbok on Youtube for more on this). And Elden Ring serves as something of a bookend to Demon's Souls - both games are divided into 6 sections via 6 stone structures (the Archstones of Demon's Souls and the Divine Towers of Elden Ring). The 6th Archstone of Demon's Souls is broken, but what lies beyond is a snowy landscape. Elden Ring finally provides access to that snowy landscape in the Forbidden Lands, which is again only available after defeating Morgott - and with the Great Rune being activated at the tower closest to this area.

But there are independent reasons why Mohg's Great Rune should be the one that encompasses Demon's Souls. The Demon's Souls franchise potential has been irreversibly corrupted by the recent remake. The philosophy is still generally intact - that is portrayed through text. But critical aspects of art design have been altered beyond recognition - mostly of interest to me is the portrayal of the Yellow Monk and the Fool's Idol and the area of Latria in general. Mohg himself has this in the design of his robes and trident which steal the motifs of the helix and the black flame but corrupt them in ways that read almost as gibberish compared to their deliberate uses elsewhere.

The four-armed doll of the Fool's Idol hints at who the original owner of this rune might have been - Ranni's mentor Renna. And through embodying the witch Renna, it may be that ownership of this rune was transfered to Ranni before she chose to discard it. Demon's Souls did generally fit the previously established criteria of Empyrean game (no sequels or DLC), but the potential for future games is lost now as creating a sequel to the original would alienate people confused by the aesthetic corruption of the remake. There is also a rabbithole here for what all this Great Rune encompasses because Demon's Souls itself did not spring out of nowhere - it is of a similar approach to game design that was previously last seen in Shadow Tower Abyss (2003) and Kingsfield IV (2001).

The Great Rune of the Unborn

The Great Rune of the Unborn is a difficult one to pin down through this method of unpacking the Great Runes as much as any other. It seems possible that Miquella wanted this Great Rune and thought that it could be obtained by arranging his own rebirth. It is also one of two stories that must be obtained for Ranni's Age of Stars to be possible (the other being Radahn's story) - indicating that it represents something that did not exist at the time of Elden Ring's release. Running low on demi-gods, perhaps this is best understood as Melina's Great Rune. It is implied through Melina's abilities to channel Marika's echoes and through her descriptor in the code "MarikaofDaughter" that she is an offspring of Marika. Contradictory to the other demi-gods who can typically be matched to FromSoftware games, Melina's bodiless status seems to indicate that she never has been and her burning at the Forge of Giants is acknowledgement that she never will be. A comparison can be drawn between Melina and the disembodied Ayre - voice of the Coral in AC6. The unrealized potential of the Great Rune of the Unborn seems a good match to Melina.

Rykard's Great Rune

So, by process of elimination there is one rune left and it is Rykard's Great Rune. Fitting that the one game candidate remaining is Bloodborne (2015). An article titled "How the Spirit of Bloodborne Lives on in Elden Ring" (posted on VG247 by Alan Wen) goes over the ways that Volcano Manor evokes Bloodborne. The Manor sits on top of a hidden town of gothic architecture similar to Yharnam being stacked on top Old Yharnam, the Ghiza's Wheel weapon found in the manor has a clear design lineage to the whirligig saw from Bloodborne, the Iron Virgin at Raya Lucaria transports the player to a secondary location similar to Bloodborne's Kidnappers. But to me, the most clear connection is the finding of the Serpent's Amnion and Rya's dismay of being born of a hideous ritual. This seems a form of call-back or iteration to the ending of Bloodborne that involves consuming four 3rds of umbilical cord and being reborn as a Great One - a repellent little squid-slug thing.