#there's more duality too in the entire situation

[vickyvicarious]

"I entered; 'Pardon this intrusion,' said I, 'I am a traveller in want of a little rest; you would greatly oblige me, if you would allow me to remain a few minutes before the fire.'

I'm still thinking about this. Creature's first words being 'pardon my intrusion' is so - almost painfully on the nose. Not only does it speak to his status as an Other from all human society, but the polite sophistication of the greeting demonstrates his desire to mimic and join it as much as possible. His first words are an apology, seemingly anything but confident - and yet he says them as he is entering or possibly already inside the room. He will try to take what he wants, and as time goes by his actions increasingly contrast the nobler sentiments he espouses (at least in regards to Victor/those around him).

[thewertsearch]

@manorinthewoods asked: Vriska and Eridan have now killed one person each. Tavros and Feferi's respective moons have been destroyed; as such, they cannot be revived via dream selves or the moon-crypt slabs. What do you think will happen now? ~LOSS (18/5/24) @manorinthewoods asked: Welcome to Murderstuck, aka Homestuck's version of Canaan House. Who do you think's going to survive this? ~LOSS (22/5/24) Anonymous asked: tavros and feferi are D----EAD! do you think they'll stay dead? you've already stated your opinion that there are death flags like crazy all over vriska, so do you think anyone else will die? if so, who? Anonymous asked: Now that the bodies have started to hit the floor, what's your prediction for who's gonna survive to meet the humans?

I'm actually doing to do something a little different this time, and analyze the situation primarily from an author's perspective, rather than an in-universe one. I had a lot of fun doing that with yesterday's Kanaya post, so I want to try it again.

Let's enumerate the remaining trolls, in ascending order of how likely I think they are to kick the bucket (😳) during Murderstuck.

There's no chance whatsoever that Sollux will die. His Doom prophecy is fulfilled, and if he were to die a third time, it would break his long-established duality theme. Plus, he'd have predicted it, and would have been complaining about it since Hivebent. He's fine.

Death flag score: 0/10.

We just got Aradia back. She's not even involved in Murderstuck, seemingly travelling to the Furthest Ring after being resurrected, so none of the murderers can touch her anyway.

Aradia is a powerful time manipulator who can freeze even the most dangerous enemies. It would take a lot more than Eridan and Gamzee to defeat someone who can stalemate Perfect Jack, and I predict that she'll survive the rest of the Act with ease.

Plus, killing her again so soon would feel really cheap. Been there, done that.

Death flag score = 0.5/10

Karkat and Terezi are too important to die.

This doesn't always guarantee a character's survival - A Song of Ice and Fire comes to mind - but ASOIAF kind of proves my point, doesn't it? Martin can throw all the Red Weddings he likes at us, but everyone still kind of knows that the really important characters aren't going to die until their arcs are complete. If A Dream of Spring ever actually comes out, Daenerys will still be around, and you can take that to the bank.

So no, I don't think Karkat and Terezi will be going anywhere. Now that Kanaya appears to be dead, they're undeniably the most important trolls remaining, alongside Vriska. And we'll get to Vriska.

Death flag score: 1/10.

I know it's weird to predict that an already deceased character won't die, but I wrote an entire post last night about why I believe this to be the case.

tl;dr: it doesn't make narrative sense for Kanaya to stay dead.

Death flag score: 2/10.

Now, we're onto the characters who I think might actually die.

Gamzee's still alive at the end of the countdown, so he'll at least survive the next couple of hours.

Certainly, his position seems rather precarious. His stated intent to wipe out the entire Veil will make him a lot of enemies very quickly - and based on the image above, he clearly gets into some sort of trouble. That scratch almost looks like it could be the work of Jack's sword.

However, I have a hard time believing the Most Important Character In Homestuck is going to die less than halfway through Homestuck. He's been saying all sorts of cryptic nonsense lately, and he strikes me as someone whose role in the story will expand even more than it already has. Gamzee is the one character on this list we know will stay relevant for the entire comic.

I don't think he's going to achieve his murder mission, of course. I think he'll probably be 'defeated' somehow, and expelled from the Veil by the surviving trolls, only to pop up again sometime later. There's still a chance that he'll be killed - but if he is, I'm 100% sure that he'll return in some form. Gamzeesprite would be even worse than Calsprite, in my opinion.

Death flag score: 3/10.

Yes, I still believe Vriska will die - but I don't know if she'll die in Murderstuck.

Scratch positioned her as someone who will perpetuate a monumental, large-scale mistake, and I don't think there's anything she could do on the Veil that fits the bill.

However, Vriska is more imaginative than I am. She could easily pull a trick out from up her sleeve that I didn't see coming - some terrible, horrible idea that earns all of Scratch's foreshadowing in one fell swoop. Vriska is known for her Incidents, and you never know when the next one is on the horizon.

Death flag score: 4/10.

There's not a lot tying Equius and Nepeta to the Veil, is there?

They don't have strong relationships any of the remaining trolls, and even among the B-team, they've barely had any prominence since we've left Alternia. Killing one or both of them would up the stakes of Murderstuck without introducing the narrative issues that, say, a dead Karkat would cause.

Plus, if one of them dies, then the other would immediately gain an incredibly strong motivation, and become a more prominent character overnight. I already like Nepeta - but a heartbroken, vengeful Nepeta hunting Eridan down across time and space? That's a fucking arc.

They could also both die, and return to the story from another direction. It hasn't escaped my notice that almost all the 'important' trolls are Prospit Dreamers, and the two Furthest Ring explorers are Derse girls. I've been wondering for a while now if the solution to the Veil's bloated cast is to split the trolls back into the Red and Blue Teams, with the Red Team joining the kids outside the session, and the Blue Team joining Aradia in the Ring for some secondary mission. I guess that implies Tavros will be resurrected, but there do seem to be hints that that might happen.

I don't want either of these two to die, but... well, killing them would raise a lot of interesting possibilities.

Death flag score (both of them together): 6/10

Death flag score (one of them) : 7.5/10.

Eridan is screwed.

Neither the story nor the trolls can allow him to ally with Jack and lead him to the Veil, and they'll do anything they can to stop him. I don't think anyone's inclined to show him mercy, either - Kanaya and Feferi were very popular.

I don't really see any way out for him. He has no allies, he can't Hopesplode everyone at once, and he's never shown himself to be particularly resourceful. I think if there's one troll practically guaranteed to be Murderstucked, it's him.

Death flag score: 9/10.

[theeoriginals]

klaus or elijah (your choice) x former flame!reader 👀

all i want | elijah mikaelson

+ Ohhh I loved your cat and mouse one! Could you please make a calm housewife/mom of the friend group type of girl and Elijah falling for her in a kind of best friend to lovers situation? Idk I just think it would fit cause elijah’s very family oriented and I see him falling for a dear old time friend too? Idk so uhm yeah. Feel free to refuse ofc!

elijah mikaelson x vampire!reader (no y/n)

author's notes; combining these requests :) hope that's ok!!

warnings; vague references to past violence but nothing insane. exes to friends to lovers, just plotless fluff, with an extra side of fluff. yes elijah is extremely charming, yes he can't make eye contact with a pretty girl. duality of man.

It’s an unspoken thing, what lingers between them still. Unspoken in the sense that they don’t talk about it, but everyone else does. 

It always shocks people to learn that the oldest vampires on Earth are ridiculous, catty gossips. Elijah doesn’t know why it’s such a surprise. Living as long as they all have, you’ve got to keep things interesting, otherwise immortality becomes mind-numbing. He supposes that it just doesn’t measure up to their reputation for being ruthless animals, which isn’t unfounded. It’s just not the only thing they could be classified as. 

Ruthless monsters that defend each other to the death at the end of the day, no matter how many times they’ve stabbed each other in the backs, certainly. Childish gossips that like to start rumors and rewrite history when they get a little bored, definitely. The two identifiers can coexist, and very much do.

And this thing, this unspoken thing that is unspoken for a multitude of reasons but none more so than the simple fact that even as long as they’ve known each other it’s still fragile, and something could break it with ease, is only unspoken to Elijah. 

His brothers and sisters, however, like to do nothing but talk about it. 

“Well, she’s almost here,” Rebekah rolls her eyes, but it’s just for the fact that her older brother is going to be a lovesick idiot the entire time the girl is here, and it really takes away from Rebekah’s own quality time with her. “No wonder Elijah’s been bumbling around like a fool all day.” 

Klaus chuckles, and the two of them dutifully ignore the glare their brother sends them. “Do you think she sent him a letter to announce her arrival? Elijah always loves things like that,” 

Rebekah’s blue eyes light up. “Oh, yes! I wonder if she sprayed it with her perfume– us ladies used to do that with a suitor back in the day,” She fans a hand towards her face, closing her eyes at the small breeze it creates. “They don’t text or call, of course, it takes all of the personality out of it. And god knows Elijah’s all personality,” 

Klaus laughs again, and the two finally glance across the room to where Elijah’s leaning against a wall, glaring at them with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“I hate you both,” He says, earning another round of laughter from them. “And stop going through my things, Rebekah. Those letters are none of your business.” 

The blonde girl pushes her lips out in a pout. “But I get so bored, Elijah. You can’t be mad at me for entertaining myself,” 

“I fear he just hates fun, dear sister,” Klaus says, feigning a wistful tone. “He doesn’t approve of my methods of entertainment either.” 

“That’s because your methods of entertainment always end in a bloodbath,” Elijah says accusingly, earning a shrug from the hybrid. “You’re both immature. A thousand years old, still acting like children.” 

Their faces twist in offense in unison, and Elijah distantly thinks that even though they’re not even fully related, let alone the same age even in their vampiric years, they were twins put on this Earth to terrorize him and ensure that he never knew peace. 

Before they can begin their outcries of dramatized offense, and Elijah can continue to lightheartedly mock them, a voice comes from the hall, echoing fondly. 

“Must you two always tease your brother?” The smile is obvious in her voice as she walks into the room, and the three of them snap their gazes towards the woman in surprise. “He’s a delicate soul, you know. His poor heart can’t handle too many jokes,” 

Elijah recovers quickly, rolling his eyes, though he can’t (and won’t) stop the smile from growing on his face as she meets Rebekah for a hug. “Oh, wonderful. That’s just what they need. Encouragement.” 

She chuckles at his poorly-feigned exasperation, and the sound settles in his ears like a morning dove’s song. She releases Rebekah from the hug and leans down to where Klaus is stretched out in a chair with his feet kicked up on the table, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

Glancing around at the vaulted ceilings of the compound, she sighs wistfully. “I can’t believe this place looks the same as when you bought it,” She shakes her head in slight disbelief. 

Klaus shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest. “When we first returned, there was some… cleaning up to do, but it’s maintained its shape wonderfully.” 

If she catches onto his double entendre, she doesn’t say anything, just nods in understanding. That’s something Elijah has always liked about her– she lets things go unsaid. She’s always had the ability to connect with him and his siblings in a way that most others can’t, and even when Elijah is at his worst, she’s been that olive branch that he can grab onto to bring him back to himself. Always so understanding and level. It’s a wonder that she still associates with any of them, given their penchant for chaos. 

Finally, she turns her attention onto him, and in its entirety he feels breathless. Even after decades of knowing one another, it’s never gotten easier to hide his ardor for her. He knows she can still read him as easily as she could thirty years ago, too.

“Elijah,” She says his name better than he’s ever heard it, with a tilt to her head and a fondness in her voice that makes him feel more alive than anything else he’s found in his centuries on this planet. 

She crosses the room to where he’s at, because he froze in his spot as soon as he heard her voice, and wraps her arms around him like she’s never been more relieved to see him. 

It’s another thing he’s always liked about her. She’s never stopped loving him. He knows that. Lives with it everyday. 

Regrets a lot of things, too. 

He says her name back as gently as he can, like she’ll break in his arms. He wonders if she thinks of all the times she has broken in his arms, and then he tells himself there’s no way she’s forgotten it, because he hasn’t. And that is something that is theirs and theirs alone. 

She pulls away and he misses her touch the moment she goes because it feels rarer and rarer with each day that passes. Every time she leaves, he fears it’s the last time he’ll see her. 

He doesn’t want to ruin her visit with these thoughts. Even though he knows she’d offer him endless comfort, he doesn’t want her to worry about him for a second. 

She turns to face them, clapping her hands together with a smile. “Well, then. What’s first on the agenda?” 

────── 

Something that comes with living as long as Elijah has is learning that some things about yourself you’ll just never be able to change. Such things like being a vampire in itself, having a firm hand when it comes to doing business with people. He’s been told he’s somewhat of a snake, and he’s well aware of his silver tongued ways, and it’s something he knows he can’t change, and hasn’t ever wanted to. 

One thing that has yet to fall under that category of acceptance is his jealousy. 

In his defense, he’s never jealous when he thinks he should be. He’s never been jealous of his siblings, spare for a few embarrassing months spent around the doppelgängers, but Elijah has never had to envy someone for something they had because if he wanted it that bad, he could just take it. 

But this. This he knows is jealousy, pure and unbridled, and nauseating, if he’s feeling that correctly. 

This is the jealousy that he’s seen destroy entire regimes. This is the jealousy that has driven his family to madness at times. 

And of course, she’s at the center of it all. Of course she is. There would be no other way he could feel this so strongly if she was not involved in it somehow. 

She’s the source of a lot of jealousy, he knows. He’s jealous of the carefree relationships his siblings get to have with her because they don’t have to be burdened with the feelings of the past that are most definitely still there. They don’t have to worry if they looked at her lips for too long, or if they held her a little too gentle to be considered entirely friendly. They don’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing, stepping past that line they so carefully drew in the sand for everyone’s sake. 

These are the consequences of his actions, he knows. It doesn’t make it any easier to deal with, though. It might make it worse. 

Watching his siblings drink freely as the band played on was nothing unfamiliar. Patrons had long since joined in on the fun, and he’s sure there’s a crowd outside looking in on the celebration of unknown origins. 

At the center of it all, she is there, standing on a table with a crowd of adoring admirers surrounding her as she swayed and moved to the music. He would swear there’s a light shining on her, just for her, projecting her shadow above everyone like some sort of angel. He thinks she has every right to be worshiped. 

And the reason he’s so maddeningly, bitingly jealous is because he is the reason that he’s not the one dancing with her. He can’t be the one to dance with her, and he can’t be the one that makes her laugh like she is because he’s the one that said they shouldn’t be together. He is the one who broke her heart, and he doesn’t deserve an ounce of the kindness she still shows. 

So all he can do is sip his drink at the bar and watch as she pulls his sister, sweet, dangerous, devastatingly insecure Rebekah, up onto the table with her and shares her spotlight with her. Making his sister light up like she does with no one else. Earning another round of cheers from Klaus and Kol as they watch on, demanding another round of drinks for everyone in an odd show of generosity. 

She brings out the best in his siblings. In him. 

It makes him burn bright inside. Boiling, hot to the touch. He knows then and there that there’s a reason he’s seen something as trivial as jealousy take down the most powerful of men. Love is such a dangerous thing to get involved in in the first place, but finding someone, finding the woman who makes you feel like you could conquer the world is something else entirely. It bypasses dangerous and heads straight into fatal. 

Because she makes you feel like you could conquer the whole world, but the second you lose her, it all means nothing. You’ll tear it all down if it means she won’t be there, too. 

And the worst part of it all is the only reason he feels like this is because he is the one that ruined it. Blamed his family, blamed his parents, blamed everything else but his own fears for the reason they couldn’t be together. The distance, the timing. Whatever he could grasp, he pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to her on a silver platter, served with a distant coldness he’d long since perfect, and never wanted to use on her in the first place. 

He had so much time under his belt, but he was such a child. So helpless it bordered on criminal, all because he fell in love and he didn’t know what to do with it. 

It’s embarrassing more than anything else. 

He hasn’t taken his eyes off of her since she started dancing. Hadn’t stopped listening since he heard her first laugh. Didn’t want to miss a single second, just in case. 

For the first time all night, he blinked and turned his head away from her and threw the rest of his drink back like it was water. 

He could allow himself a bit more wallowing. Just a bit. 

────── 

“Well, Rebekah’s safe in bed. I even got her in pajamas, believe it or not,” Her voice carries even in its whisper, and he looks up from his lap as she enters the small living space, hands clasped in front of her as she takes a seat in the chair beside him. “Original vampire or not, I doubt she’ll feel very good in the morning.” 

Elijah hummed, thinking of his dear sister and how even if she’d healed a thousand times over, she’d still find a way to complain. He adored it. 

“What about you?” 

He raises a brow, lips twisting confusedly. “What about me?” 

She gestures towards his slightly slumped form on the couch pointedly. He follows her direction, looking at his rumpled suit, and the white button up he’d undone the top four buttons off, at least. He feels momentarily embarrassed at his state of disarray but he simply huffs out a laugh, lifting his gaze to meet hers again. 

“I’m a mess,” He shrugs, earning a quiet laugh out of her. “But I don’t think that has anything to do with our drinking tonight.” 

“I can’t disagree, unfortunately,” 

He hides the way his grin threatens to split his face behind his face, rubbing along his scruffy jawline as he looks at her. The longer he lingers, the more she avoids his gaze. 

“What?” 

He shakes his head. 

“Elijah,” She intones, such a familiar adoration in her voice that it nearly makes him sick. He doesn’t deserve it. “You’ve been so quiet tonight. What’s on your mind?” 

“You,” 

Her eyes widen in shock at his quick, candid answer, and he has to hide his own surprise at how quick the word had shot out of his mouth. 

“Me? What about me?” 

“Everything,” He sighs, shifting his long legs so he could turn towards her and give her his full attention. “I’ve missed you.” 

“Oh,” She breathes out, looking slightly bashful. “Well, I always miss you. I wouldn’t ever leave if I didn’t–” 

She stops herself, covering her mouth with her hand as a sheepish look crosses her face. He knows she wants him to move past her slip up, but he doesn’t. Can’t. 

“If you didn’t, what?” He leans forward, looking at her imploringly. “Why do you stay away so long?” 

She takes a moment to collect herself, picking at the skin around her nails half-heartedly, like it’s not really bothering her, she just doesn’t want to be so open right now. He’d feel worse about pushing her if he didn’t feel like his heart was leaping out of his throat. 

“Well, I didn’t think you wanted me around that much,” She says quietly, gesturing towards him. 

He rears back like she’s slapped him. 

“How could you ever think such a thing?” He whispers her name, a distant veil of horror laced in his tone. Fear, really. 

“You said,” She says, face furrowing in confusion. “All those years ago– you said that there was no reason for me to stay here with you in New Orleans. So, I– I left. And I travel all the time until I come back here for as long as you’ll let me.” 

Elijah feels something gripping his chest and it feels remarkably like his heart is breaking. 

His voice breaks on her name and he leans forward again, reaching into her space to grab her hands in his. Allowing himself this piece of her that he simply doesn’t deserve. 

“I never,” He stops, breathing out harshly. “I never wanted you to leave. I just–” 

He stops again, squeezes her hands, and then steels himself because this is the least he owes her. 

“You deserved more than to be stuck here with my family,” He starts slowly. “I never– I never wanted you to leave. Every time you walk out of those doors, I want to chase you down and make you stay. You have to believe me when I say that I only ever wanted you to be happy, and you wouldn’t have found that stuck here in the mess we had made back then.” 

There’s a poignant silence that settles as she processes his words, and he holds the ragged breath that builds in his chest when she begins to drag her thumbs along the backs of his hands, smoothing at the skin there. Ever so gentle. 

“All I’ve ever wanted was to be here with you and your family,” She says, shaking her head like she’s scolding him, even though her tone is anything but. “Being here makes me happier than any place I’ve traveled to. And I’m– I’m truly grateful that you had my best interest in mind, Elijah, but you have to understand,” 

She trails off and an incredulous laugh leaves her lips as she smiles at him. “I’ve loved you my entire life. And my heart used to break every day knowing that I’d only have a short time with you. When I turned, I was so– I was so happy because I suddenly had the rest of time to be with you. And you… you broke my heart, Elijah. You truly did,” 

She presses her thumbs into his skin firmly, just a pressure point to punctuate her words. “But I have never stopped loving you. And every time I walked out of those doors and left you behind, my heart broke again. You wouldn’t have ever had to make me stay. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” 

Elijah’s breath stalls in his chest, and lets it out slowly, shakily. There’s a distant string of hope he lets himself pull on, just this once. Because she let him. 

He meets her gaze and smiles softly, just for her. “Will you stay, then? I’m– I’m asking you, truly. Will you stay?” 

She nods before he even finishes speaking and laughs quietly, the sound just for him. “Of course I will, Elijah. I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” 

“Forever,” 

“Forever, then. I’ll stay forever.” 

[yanderes-galore]

Can I ask for a yandere platonic injustice Superman and Batman with vigilante reader that doesn't want to be part of any sides

Sure! I'll talk a little about them :) This could go for either platonic or romantic but it leaned more towards platonic for you. Only their motive would change if they were romantic. This felt too tame for me but this was mostly me commenting on generally how things could go.

Yandere! Platonic! Superman vs Yandere! Platonic! Batman

(INJUSTICE)

Pairing: Platonic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective yanderes, Violence, Manipulation, Stalking implied, Kidnapping, Murder mention.

This is not the first time these two have been pitched against one another.

I do think this is one of the more intense times they've fought.

Both Batman and Superman are stubborn with their beliefs.

They both would want to protect their darling from the evil of the world but in different ways.

They're stubborn and oblivious to the pain they cause you.

In a way they're more alike than you'd think, just one's a god among men due to his powers.

I feel in any other world, Superman would be the one trying to be considerate.

Not in this one.

I feel what makes this worse is you're a vigilante who isn't on either side.

A neutral party if you will.

Which to them simply won't do.

In this universe these two are under the belief that they're the right side.

The fact you want nothing to do with either of them is frustrating.

It makes you an unknown party, a possible threat if the other side gets their hands on you.

You hate them both for your own reasons.

Maybe you see their argument as stupid or are upset at the destruction of Metropolis.

Either way you don't want to deal with them.

It'll only lead to more pointless fighting.

Despite how you see the situation the two sides keep a close eye on you.

I don't doubt you'll encounter other "heroes" talking to you to convince you of a certain side.

Yet you say you don't agree on Superman's dictator-like views or Batman's no kill rule.

Or something along the lines of that.

You keep saying you want nothing to do with them, that there must be a better way than all of this.

I wouldn't put it past either of them to talk to you in person to convince you or just straight up kidnap you.

Superman would be the one to murder, Batman still would not.

Their messages to you are mostly the same, that they're in the right, but it never convinces you.

What may hurt even more is you've probably met with both of them before.

It hurts to see Superman so corrupt when he was so nice before.

Batman's just grown more paranoid and delusional since you last met him and it concerns you.

You hate that they've changed, so you try to distance yourself from them.

Yet they can't handle that.

In terms of how they see you, in this concept they probably see you as an apprentice or kid, maybe even just a friend they want to be a good influence to since this is platonic.

Now that the League has been torn, they are fighting for who gets to continue associating with you, among other things.

They both would be the type who'd want to lock you away from "the evil of this world".

Batman tries to keep to his traditional ways, hiding you from Superman and caring for you like he's done before.

Superman is more aggressive than Batman, being the one who'd murder thousands if it meant he had you.

Superman believes he has to kill in order to protect you.

He needs to cleanse this world because he doesn't wish to lose you.

A fear of losing you is another trait they share.

A lot of this rivalry shows the duality of Batman and Superman.

They're very similar, it just depends on who would go further to achieve their goals.

Batman would hide you in darkness and ignore your pleas because he feels going off the grid will protect you.

He understands you'll hate him at first, but he's trying to preserve you.

Superman would lock you away but not entirely feel he has to hide you.

Any threat that would try to take you away from him would probably end up dead.

Superman doesn't mind the sight of blood if it means protecting the people he loves.

Both of them have lost people they care about.

They both want the same if not similar things for you... they want you safe and under their care.

If only they could agree with one another.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello~ I don't know if someone has already ask this but I'll just ask anyway. What made you so interested in Jade? I'm not saying it's a bad thing or anything of the sort. I'm just very intrigued.

Also to feed into your J-word brain rot I present to you this, but picture Jade. Lol I saved this photo as hot damn Sebastain.

Hello, hello!! ^^ I’ve made a post before that explains my interest in Jade, but if I’m being entirely honest 💦 it’s all over the place and difficult to read because of how often I go all caps and keyboard smashing. I’ll try to summarize my thoughts here in a way that’s more digestible and calm.

I love many of the little details about his face: the shape of his eyes, the curve of his mouth, how his brows are arched, etc. I also have a visceral, near animalistic urge to tug on that black bit of hair he has sprouting out...

His manner of dress also resonates with me! Jade is usually well covered and in formal attire, and I think that makes it more exciting on the instances when he dresses down (whether that be going without his gloves or choosing something more casual to wear).

His intelligence. I've always preferred characters who rely on their smarts over their strength to achieve their goals, and Jade fits the bill. One particular example is how his UM is limited in scope and usage, so he has to carefully plan and strategize about how and when he casts it. It's nice that Jade can also loosen up and use his cunning not necessarily for nefarious deeds, but just to tease others.

He plays support and he plays it well. I also have a tendency to like "helper" characters (butlers, bodyguards, knights, etc.), which is another archetype that Jade slots into. He is highly competent as a vice dorm leader, personal assistant, and right-hand man (eel?) to Azul. Plus, Jade knows when and how to play to his strengths (especially when it comes to deception and disarming others) and adapt to any situation he is placed in. Jade has even earned the approval of the notoriously hard to please Vil!

He keeps you guessing, and you'll still never even see it coming. I think it's interesting that he appears more docile than Floyd, yet Azul warns his peers that Jade is the more dangerous twin since Jade won't telegraph his schemes or bad moods (unlike Floyd). I 100% agree with Azul; not knowing what Jade has in store or when it will hit you is much scarier--but also much more thrilling in a way, haha...

Similar to the last point but much more specific; I love Love LOVE those moments when he's smiling while saying the most horrendous things (the infamous "what I'd do to anyone that betrays me" line lives rent free in my head). I also adore it when Jade is lying to your face and overacting (like when he pretends he got dust in his eye in book 4). He's so dramatic while lying his heart out, it makes me giggle.

Jade works with many of the tropes I like to go for when I want comfort. Househusband/domestic life stuff, butler looking after you, etc. I have a habit of overworking and forgetting to take care of my needs, so it's easier for me to remember if I pretend like Jade's the one doing the self-care for me.

I appreciate that he appreciates nature. I don't get to touch much grass (not that I don't go outside, it's that there isn't much grass in the area I live in)... so I get very excited whenever I get to just enjoy nature in its purest form, taking in that fresh air. It makes me feel like we're kindred spirits.

The duality of eel. Overall, I'd say that the reason I like Jade so much is because he can be many things which typically run contradictory to one another. I think that makes for a fun character that keeps me on my toes ^^

NOT YOU USING “J WORD” TOO… 💀 It’s spreading… just like a bunch of spores…

Aaaah, it’s Sebastian!! It’s been years and years since I read Black Butler (I think I stopped around the Blue Cult arc?). He’s still just as effortlessly elegant as I remember him being… I guess that’s par for the course for one hell of a butler, huh?

Here, lemme just… *crudely draws on him* THERE WE GO, THE J WORD SSR FOR AN EVENT WHERE WE VISIT THE LAND OF CRIMSON LONG :>

Thank you for your question and the rot fuel 🥰

[paperclipninja]

I can't believe I forgot one of the most significant moments (imo) when I was mulling over duality etc here, and that is when Crowley goes up to Heaven to try and figure out what's going on. Actually, it's more than just multiple layers of truth. Yes there are a couple of truths at play, but as an audience we are given SO much information in this scene that it's almost hard to take it all in so I'm going to try and lay it out.

Here is what we learn in the whole scene:

Crowley knows that Muriel is a scrivener, including that they're 37th class. How?? Up until Crowley tricking Muriel into taking him to Heaven, there'd been no conversation about their angelic status

Crowley has a solid understanding of the way Heaven works and how to get around it (bees/once you're in, that they never change passwords etc)

Crowley has access to high level files

Saraqael seems to have a fondness? towards Crowley and allows him to view the trial, let's him know what happened and tells Muriel off but also not really

We get all the info about Gabriel and what happened

That Heaven wipes memories when demoting angels

When the alarm goes off because Aziraphale uses his halo, Crowley declares 'let's get back there' and directs Saraqael, 'you too' and they follow without question (though Crowley's original plan may have been to go and get Heavenly reinforcement but still, interesting the way he takes control and they just listen)

So the overarching duality in this scene - yes it is hilarious, the way Crowley gets Muriel to take him to Heaven in the first place and of course this whole situation:

but it's also an incredible act of love.

The entire season establishes unmistakably that Crowley has some very real trauma from his experience of being in Heaven as Aziraphale and cast into the hellfire, highlighted through his reactions to JimGabriel. Not to mention his history with Heaven and all that.

So in trying to come up with a solution to the demons attacking the bookshop, knowing that Heaven no longer have any real interest in helping Aziraphale, he willingly goes up there, the place he has made his feelings about very clear, to try and find some answers.

Yes this is a demonstration of Crowley's love for Aziraphale but it's also a demonstration of his love of humans and humanity. He puts aside his own feelings, takes a real risk (because he couldn't have known how any of the senior angels might respond to him being there...could he? Or what if the Metatron had seen him there? That's another pondering for another day...) and goes to the one place he has outright said he doesn't want to go back to, just to try and find a way to protect the humans and help Aziraphale.

THIS, to me, is the entire crux of where this is all heading. It's exactly the same reason Aziraphale gets in that lift. At the end of the day, Crowley and Aziraphale love humanity and want to protect it, even if it means risking themselves.

The multiple truths of this scene actually create a distraction I think. The humour of Crowley's outfit and little prancy toes make us think this is a light and funny moment, while we're also delighted by his subversion of Heavens 'rules' and processes and the revelations about Gabriel. It is both funny and informative. It does give us hints about Crowley's past while moving the current story forward.

But I think it's easy to miss the actions here, and that is that Crowley, who was cast out of Heaven, witnessed the ease with which they continue to cast angels into hellfire, saw the callousness of the Supreme Archangel as he condemned his best friend to no longer exist, put aside all he's witnessed and experienced because of love.

This is a love story. The love story of an angel and a demon, yes, but the love story of two entities, hereditary enemies, who fall in love with humanity and whose love for one another will give them the strength to protect it. At least, that's my take on it anyway :)

[theoraclenextdoor]

Pick a Pile: A Message from the Universe

breathe in, breathe out and pick a picture that resonates with you. please take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. there is love in all of these messages. the tone here is gentle, like an older sibling, best friend, or parent scolding and motivating you at the same time. :)

pile 1 -> pile 2 -> pile 3

Did this resonate with you? If you’re reading this before Friday, October 13th: I’m doing a housewarming tarot game, to celebrate settling into my new blog space! I’ll be doing 3-cards spreads for five people! Want more details?

©️2023 cancersstellium. all rights reserved.

Pile 1

(crystals: black onyx and clear quartz | bottom of deck: six of cups. nostalgia isn’t just about longing or reminiscing about old times. it’s remembering too)

Maybe you feel like in your past there is a lack of a sense of justice. Maybe you didn’t get your due, that person didn’t get their punishment. But it’s coming. Karma cannot be dealt when your “peace” depends on it. The moment you stop worrying about their karma will be the moment that they receive it. Focus on your energy instead. There’s this beautiful, chaotic energy within you waiting, like a volcano waiting to erupt. There’s a reunion coming your way, later this month. Whether that’s with an another person, a part of your self, with the divine is left to be revealed. Whatever it may be: stay open to it, stay grateful, stay blessed. The major arcanum sun here is 6, The Lovers. There’s a duality here. One that requires love, faith, and sometimes a choice to leap blindly. It’s the roses with the thorns; it’s fire and water, a place for both exist; it’s want versus need versus true desire. Lean into this time. Breathe into this time. All of your relationships will be tested. All of your relationships will be challenged. All of your relationships will be upgraded. Trust the journey. Trust the process.

may resonate with: those born in december; cheetos, specifically the hot ones; animal lovers? something about cheetahs?

Pile 2

(crystal: pyrite | bottom of deck: temperance. peace and inner knowing)

Your’s reads more like a story and less like a message. There’s a wish here, a desire. And it seems like now is an auspicious time to get it. “So why haven’t I?” You ask. You planted the seed a while ago and you’re wondering why it hasn’t grown. You’re wondering if you just need to give it time, if you should pull it up and replant it, or just give up on it entirely. Perhaps you can’t see it, but there’s a sense of grief from the Universe in this, a “Why don’t you trust Me?” sense of exasperation. Rushing only results in poorer quality and things like this, can’t be rushed. Just know that all will be revealed in due time. But there’s a compassion here, for your struggle and an understanding that we use time as a measurement. I expect you’ll see some light shed on the situation very soon. The major arcanum sum here is 10, The Wheel of Fortune. There are higher forces at work here. Step aside. (Imagine a “road at work” sign here.) Be patient. Even. More. Patient.

may resonate with: leo suns + leo 1H placements, dolphin(s?) fans, hard workers, “just send me a sign”

Pile 3

(crystal: amethyst | bottom of deck: ace of wands reversed. you’re in your own way. lack of imagination. lack of creativity.)

“When the ‘why’ is strong, the ‘how’ is easy.” Meaning: when the reason behind something is clear, the how it comes about requires little effort on your part. Why are so obsessed with ‘how’ this will happen? Why are you so sure that because you cannot see a solution there must not be one? I ask this with love because I see all the major influences here. There’s a wholeness, there’s beauty, there’s great and beautiful change. The only obstacle in your path is you. And that’s okay! That’s something you can change. In order to get out of your own way, all you need to do is look inward. You already know what you want. Go back to what you knew just before it got complicated. Therein lies your answer. Maybe it felt scary but it’s not, just look one more time. Maybe it feels like the ground is shifting beneath your feet, but what is it that you’re standing on? Have you truly looked? Look again. You’ve come so far, you’ve changed so much. I see a reason to celebrate at the end of this. Feminine energy here. Being, creating, dancing, receiving. The major arcanum sum here is 4, The Emperor. Masculine energy. All it takes is a little organization, a little logic but not the “real world” kind.

may resonate with: “i just feel so alone”, aladdin, wedding tiktoks, jenga, uno (like the card game)

[rockybloo]

Feel like dropping a Beanstalked funfact before I go to take my daily nap so here is one about Jack's Slayer mode. This at some point becomes me rambling about fairy tales again so it's a long one:

Jack's Slayer mode exists because I grew up loving the trope of protagonists in anime that had an alternate side to them. I think one of my first encounters with such was watching Yugioh as a kid with Yugi and Yami Yugi...though that's like...a more positive spin on it. STILL - I loved how there was that switch up between a nice and innocent face to someone who was more skilled and experienced.

Then you got me getting into Inuyasha and his entire full demon mode he entered under specific circumstances, and then Ichigo's whole thing with his hollow self, and Maka's temporarily going insane during her battle with Crona. All of which are instances of protagonists becoming more antagonistic (or just losing some chill).

All a lot less wholesome than the Yugioh example (and all are things I got into when I was older)

BASICALLY - That switch being flipped in a character you typically see as the good guy, doing some wild ass shit just STUCK with me forever. It's very cliche and many kids these days would call it edgy but I adore how corny it is.

For Jack specifically, I felt like he'd be the best character for such a trope because Jack and the Beanstalk is a very interesting fairy tale to me. It's my favorite and I think one big reason (aside from how cool a gigantic beanstalk is) is the fact Jack isn't explicitly a good guy. He def can be depending on the story you are reading (especially one meant to be read to children) but some old retellings lack that moralization for him.

And that's something that has led to a very large amount of fairy tale adaptions featuring their own beanstalk Jacks that are viewed as the bad guy or are more mischievous than a Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood.

TO BE FAIR the fella kind of just breaks into someone's house, steals their shit, leaves and cuts the beanstalk down, killing the giant in the process.

It helps ease the "illegality" of Jack's actions that the giant is typically a giant maneater with his whole "I'll grind your bones to make my bread" shtick. But many choose to just look past the cannibalism (or non-cannibalism since giants aren't really humans) to point at Jack and go "Hey that's actually really fucked up man"

Growing older, I def can see that perspective and understand it more than younger me who grew up with a more moralized version of the story where Jack was depicted as a little kid instead of a young adult (or straight up grown man).

So I always grew up with a bias towards a good guy Jack.

CIRCLING BACK AROUND TO MY FAV TROPE - Jack was the best OC for it because of the duality to the character he was based off of. His default personality is the Jack I grew up used to imagining: A wholesome guy just trying to do his best in a situation he very much didn't fully understand and winded up doing something drastic just because he didn't know what else to do.

And his "cool and edgy" personality was the Jack that would purposely cut down a beanstalk to kill a giant in cold blood.

Over the years of working on Beanstalked, Jack's Slayer mode became a lot more dynamic and wasn't just tied to him being angry. It shifted to something that triggered when he felt adrenaline and winded up being a peek into the emotions he'd bottle up and push down because Jack, at his core, just wants to make people happy. And some emotions make that a bit more difficult.

But it basically is just my way of having my cake and eating it too. I wanted a nice and sweet farm boy but I also wanted one who wouldn't hesitate if placed in the right (or wrong) situation.

[venus-is-thinking]

Deciphering the DRDT Character Playlist

Hello DRDT community! @accirax and I took a look at the official character song playlist [remade version bc it got deleted or privated] and decided to take our own shot at figuring out whose is whose and what it means. It's pretty late, but we have at least some sort of a guess with reasoning for every song!

We used a combination of Genius lyrics, the vocaloid lyrics wiki, and google translation of Japanese lyrics in the YouTube description to get a decently functional interpretation of every song. Our theory goes through the songs in the order they show up on the playlist (we're pretty positive it isn't kill order), which means our confidence varies heavily from song to song. With that being said, let's go!

Diamond is Unbreakable by Yunno Kago: Ace Markey

This song does not have many lyrics, so a lot of our guess is based on vibes (though it gives much more than some other songs). The rock instrumental with more yell-based vocals feels like it suits Ace though, and I feel safe to say that Ace has had a breakdown (and may have many more in the future).

Sing Along by Sturgill Simpson: Teruko Tawaki

This song fits Teruko quite well. It has an edgier sound to it, but it isn't completely uncaring if you look at the lyrics.

I can't go on living alone now that you're gone You done me wrong, so here's your song

It reminds me of the scene where she plays with the cacti. She clearly misses Xander (and possibly others in her past), but that obviously doesn't stop her from feeling betrayed by them either.

There are a lot of lyrics about bitterness too (ex. "words can stab as deep as night," "bitter air and the winds of spite"), which reflect how Teruko has been treating the rest of the cast in Chapter 2. It's a duality of caring too much and acknowledging the harshness of the world, which encapsulates Teruko's character quite well.

RUNAWAY by half alive: Hu Jing

Not gonna lie, we were struggling on this one. This song is pretty much entirely predictive of a character arc that Hu might have later on. We're predicting this based on Hu's secret quote, which is basically the only reason we gave this song to her: "I want to pay for what I've done. But even then, I still want to live."

This implies that she has not paid for "what [she's] done," which probably relates to her secret. I know a lot of people think she might be the hopeless child, but I'm far more partial to the theory that Hu is the one who poisoned her competition. If she hasn't paid for it, it's possible she feels like she ran away, from the situation which could open the door for her handling those feelings later on.

cartoons by Louie Zong: Rose Lacroix

This entire song is about drawing and thought processes, which both relate to Rose's character pretty strongly. The recurring lyric of "it's all just cartoons in [her] head" makes me think of her photographic memory, which takes real life and permanently stores it in her mind.

There are also lyrics like "feeling every day the same" and "trying to make that old deadline" that strongly relate to her background with the Spurling Foundation. She feels like she's just watching the rest of her life go by as a corporate slave, and those feelings are wrapped up in a light and airy song, matching Rose's demeanor.

asymptotic by Louie Zong: Charles Cuevas

This is a silly little nerd love song. As a CharWhit shipper, I definitely think that there's a strong chance that this relates to Charles' feelings about Whit, calling him a "cutie face in x-y space" and other such things. It's pretty simple, but it's true that, romantic or not, a lot of Charles' character arc thus far has revolved around his relationship with Whit and realizing that he does enjoy spending time with his classmates.

However, notably, there's also the lyric "I'll forget," which made me start thinking about Charles' past he forgot about.

Asymptotic, obliquely Here's the point of this speech As close as we could ever get, you'll be just out of reach

This reads to me as being about Charles' memories or the older brother he doesn't remember losing. As close as he can get to remembering or understanding what happened through things like the secrets motive, it won't be the same as actually returning to that past or remembering it in full. Maybe that's reading into things a little too hard, but I think the interpretation is there to be read.

A Mistaken Belief of Love by Niru Kajitsu: Eden Tobisa

I'll be direct: this relates to our theories about how Eden is the Chapter 2 killer. I'm a particular proponent of the interpretation that Eden didn't believe Arei when she said she wanted to be friends and decided she wanted to escape back to her old life, to the girl she kissed. I'm not going to go into that Eden theory now, but @/1moreff-creator and @/thebadjoe have a great thread going back and forth which goes over a lot of what I personally believe to be true.

If you assume that Eden is the killer and wanted to be Arei's friend but gave up on the possibility when Arei snapped at her, the lyrics start to make sense. "Then I'll kill you at our rendezvous" would clearly relate to Eden summoning Arei to the playground just to kill her. "I just wanted to mistakenly believe that you loved me" relates to Eden's feelings towards Arei and the rest of the class, but that "mistaken belief" was shattered, causing her to kill.

Shunran by John/TOOBOE: Arei Nageishi

This song chronicles Arei's entire character arc, from prologue to death. It starts out much more aggressive and unfriendly, saying things like "I won't pay attention to small fry" and "I become angry easily." However, there's a recurring lyric that shows how she actually feels.

They say that praying to be loved is a sin. It has such a sweet scent.

Arei desperately wants to be loved, for people to be nice to her, but she's learned over the course of her life that she couldn't have that. Still, she can't help but want to be loved, so even when she knows that David is a manipulator, she still listens to his words. Even when she knows she's been awful to Eden, she swears she'll do anything to prove to Eden that she's serious, that she really does want to be her friend.

I pledged a ceasefire. My personality peeled off and fell because I have the courage to accept disappointment

As the song progresses, that desperate desire to be loved creeps its way into the actions the singer takes as well. Arei was willing to put aside her meanness she learned as a defense and try to stop the fighting, try to become friends, because she's strong enough to try even if she might fail. Through it all, all she wants is to be loved.

Yesman by Niru Kajitsu and Hachiya Nanashi: Nico Hakobyan

This song has a lot of lyrics relating to how the singer expresses scorn or insults. We know that this is a focal point of Nico's struggles with communication: they don't know what comes across as hostile or helpful.

However, as the song progresses, it gets more purposefully aggressive. There's a particular set of lines that seem to relate to how Nico interacts with Ace. They can tell Ace that they hate him, directly, and no one even blames them.

You could say that and you're still just a kid. How amazing!

This, in my mind, relates to Nico saying that they'll kill Ace (and clearly meaning it), but Hu still babies them. They can get away with all kinds of things.

There's no reason for me to turn back now, huh? I was caught in my own trap

Nico then, realizing that they can get away with a lot, goes after Ace, trying to literally kill him. They were caught, though, explaining the second lyric here.

The song also has a prominent lyric: "I'm an introvert, just waiting." There are variations on this, but I think it gets across the core idea: Nico is quiet, but they're still a part of the story the whole time, waiting for an opportunity to get their way.

Undead Enemy by Suzumu and Giga P: David Chiem

This song hinges around David's false persona of smiles and motivation and his true self who hates everything and everyone.

For whatever reason, he put on a mask symbolizing The leading role he had yearned for in the past.

Here, David is choosing to put on that motivational speaker persona.

And, from the next day onward, The unhappy boy's smile did not falter, He was even loved by someone

David then keeps up that happy and inspirational self, without fail, so that the world will love and accept him as the Ultimate they expect him to be.

However, the lyrics are filled with more hateful lines that sound more like him in Episode 11.

Slander and criticize, and then, I won't need anyone else. Just leave me alone

I act spitefully in disgust and force a smile

While he pretends to be happy and good, he knows himself to be much worse. This song focuses on those true colors.

Drawing Pins by Nothing but Thieves: Levi Fontana

Levi is a very pensive character. The main line of the song is "tell me what you did it for, 'cause I can't figure it out." That could relate to Levi's apparent struggles to understand others and what the "correct" thing to do in social situations is, like when he asks others how to handle the situation with Ace. I also like the interpretation that he could be talking to himself, wondering why he did what he did in the past. (Whatever mysterious past Levi has, it's clear that he did some things he's not thrilled about, and he seems to have a lot of feelings surrounding it.)

What do I have to do To be loved, loved by you

I'm personally not an AceVi shipper, but this line would definitely relate to Ace. Levi messed up in the first trial, threatening Ace, but in Chapter 2, he's trying to make up for it. Nothing he seems to do works, though, so he's at a loss as to what he could possibly do to make it up to him.

Hi-Fi Evolution Theory by Keu Studio: Veronika Grebenshchikova

Disclaimer, we had to put this song through google translate, so our lyrics might not be entirely correct.

Given that, though, I'm pretty confident this song must be Veronika's. There are a lot of lyrics that indicate her, but the most important ones surround what we've most recently learned about her: she can't stand boredom and will do just about anything for fun.

But is it selfish to have fun?

The one who laughs last is the winner

Even though Veronika knows that enjoying the killing game or possibly even working against the group's best interests in it is stupid at best and evil at worst, she'll still do it as long as it keeps her entertained. If she's selfish, she's selfish; she'll do it either way.

tip toes by half alive: Min Jeung

This song heavily ties into Min's outlook which she explains in her bonus episode. The lyrics mention a "need to be known," or a "pride" that's "screaming." She internalized a core need to become an Ultimate to keep her going forward and to preserve her hope.

She does want to change her behavior, though.

My future will listen to me, Listen to me, listen to me

Min is trying desperately to find a life for herself now that she's become an Ultimate. She wants to learn how to live after she's achieved the goal that her entire life has centered around. This song is her searching for the life that she wants to live in spite of her previous experience.

The song also sounds sort of desperate with its repetition of "listen to me" and the overall vibe of the instrumental. This fits in with Min's increasing desperation as she realizes, at the end of the first trial, that she won't have a future to figure out anymore.

Polygonal by fallstay (ふぁるすてぃ): Xander Matthews

This one was also put through google translate, so apologies for any mistranslations!

This song makes sense for Xander if you consider his clear survivor's guilt, visible through both his bonus episode and his secret quote, which is, in the most literal way possible, the dictionary definition of survivor's guilt. It mentions a "life full of mistakes" and describes other similar thoughts.

I'm dizzy and it hurts so much that I feel like throwing up

The urge to scream and someone's loud sobbing

That's my pain

These all feel like ways Xander interprets his past, which is his pain. We already know that Teruko accidentally running into him and hitting his eye hurt so badly he passed out, which is a step beyond "dizzy." Someone could be sobbing about his past; maybe it's even him. The things in his past that haunt him are what shape who he is and his actions, and that's what this song is about.

Spitfire (05 Version) by The Prodigy: J Rosales

This one has like one lyric. The vibes fit J though, and I don't really know who else's it would be or what other song would be hers, so it stays.

desk rotation by RQ laji-2: Arturo Giles

I'm not gonna lie. This is an instrumental. We have no idea what it means. This was process of elimination. I don't know what other song Arturo's would be so he gets this one.

(In all seriousness, you COULD give this one to Hu because it's music and she's a musician, give Arei the more hopeful RUNAWAY and give Arturo Shunran. The beginning of Shunran fits him decently, but I think the interpretation sort of falls apart in the middle of the song, at least given what I know about his character, and I think it fits Arei much better.

After we read some other theories, too, we think there's a viable shuffle that goes like this:

desk rotation: Hu (musical connection) tip toes: Arturo (generally prideful, future emphasis contrasting with his secret forcing him to think about the past) asymptotic: Min (abstracted to apply to the life she wants to seek out, math works as Ultimate Student) RUNAWAY: Charles (relating to him "running" from his past memories, positive growth arc)

While I still like our initial interpretations for Charles asymptotic and Min tip toes, I like the handling of RUNAWAY and desk rotation better with this one.)

For whatever it's worth, I also think there's a slight possibility that desk rotation is a placeholder song. It's a complete instrumental (all other songs have at least SOME lyrics), so it wouldn't be too insane to me if they had a song that they decided was just too spoiler-y to be released to the public. In that case, I think it's possible desk rotation will one day be replaced with a different song. Realistically, though, it's probably just here and we have to figure out what the hell it means.

Good Grief by Bastille: Whit Young

Whit obviously lost his mother at some point, who he clearly idolizes. You can see the glowing way he talks about her in the laundry room with Teruko and Charles, and his secret quote is literally "We tend to idolize the dead." He loves his mother, but given his secret, it's clear that she is dead.

This song is about grief. Whit represses a lot of his emotions, so I expect he hasn't yet felt his grief in full and hasn't processed it. He has, however, made it very clear that he struggles with loneliness, and that has a lot to do with his loss. I think that, over the course of the story, he's going to have to actually process grief and experience sadness. While it's possible that'll just be due to the feelings he has surrounding his mother, given that he's in a killing game, I think that he'll have to confront personal loss again to have this arc.

Regrettably, I think that that'll probably come in the form of Charles dying, likely as a Chapter 3 victim. Others have theorized on that, but suffice it to say that, narratively and based on hints they've dropped, I think it's probably true ( :( ). Whit, as he clearly cares about Charles, would then be confronted with grief again. He'd have to endure it and learn to deal with the loss.

On the plus side, I'd expect he'd be likely to survive afterwards.

[bucketsofmonsters]

Do you think a dragon riders clothing should be realistic in writing? This is something that came up with friends, and i got curious on a writer perspective since i am not one. I have a masters on filmography and a tesis on the world history of fantasy movies/series BUT i do not understand much of writing. The duality came from this: some of the friends said it should be realistic, comparing it to bikers gears. It should protect the rider. And some said that it depends on the fantasy setting of the world the rider is in. If he can use magic as protection instead and so on. For me, in movies and series, it all depends on something called suspencion of disbelief. If you are able to make the watcher think "well, it makes sense" or not question the outfit AT ALL, then you can make the rider wear a bikini and it doesn't matter. But my other friends said it was different for writing (they are also not writers) and this has been BUGGING ME because i have no idea if it really is different. So i decided to ask directly to some of my favourite fantasy writers.

See, the thing is that I think it is in fact different in writing for one key reason, no clothes have to be described at all. In film these riders have to be wearing something, or else that too would mean something lol, like why are they naked. In writing, you can just,, not describe the clothes and have the readers fill in the blanks themselves, or mention them in passing, mention a color or how they feel against the skin or a fabric and nothing else. Every thing that is mentioned is intentional, and most importantly could just as easily not be mentioned. I don’t think it need to be fully realistic all the time, there are plenty of situations I can think of where non realistic clothes would work perfectly well, but I think there should be more intention there if it is mentioned at all, simply for the fact that it could be avoided entirely.

[felixcloud6288]

PMMM episode 9-12 recap

Mami's story is about how being a Magical Girl is tragic. Sayaka's story is about what happens when a Magical Girl cannot handle the despair of their life. Homura's story is about clinging to hope even in a hopeless situation.

Prior to this point, the Magical Girl system was presented as flawed and broken. Girls are chosen to protect the world from witches and in exchange, they are granted a wish to fulfill some great desire of theirs.

However, being a Magical Girl is an ultimately thankless job fraught with peril both from witches and other Magical Girls of dubious morals.

But with the reveal that Magical girls are just juvenile witches, we learn that the system is neither flawed nor broken. It is working exactly as intended. And now the mask comes off.

If I had prior knowledge of the series, it would be more appropriate to include episode 9 in the previous recap because episodes 5-9 are a whole arc to themselves. But I guess that's what happens when you do blind discussions.

Sayaka and Kyouko's arc is focused on the duality of hope and despair. Both made a wish to bring hope to someone only for that wish to bring them despair. And they had opposite reactions to it. Kyouko decided to shut herself away and live only for herself while Sayaka doubled down and continued to let herself be hurt in some vain attempt to say her life has meaning.

If I were to make an allegory to any real world aspects, Sayaka and Kyouko's story is about suicidal depression and episode 9 is when it reaches that point where the victim has decided to go through with it.

Kyouko's entire strategy to save Sayaka essentially boiled down to bringing the people who care about her together to help Sayaka recover from her heartbreak and sorrow. But when that fails because everything has become too much for Sayaka to handle, Kyouko chooses to stay by Sayaka to the end so that she won't die alone and think she wasn't loved.

With each episode, Kyubey becomes more and more open about how the entire system is intended to exploit girls rather than help them. And he ultimately intends to abandon humanity to be destroyed by the witches created by this system when he has everything he needs.

It's kind of like a corporation coming in saying it will boost the local economy so you should let it do as it pleases. And over time, it drives out the local population because people start moving in to work there, land is torn down to make more room for the corporation, and the soil, air, and water become polluted because the corporation controls the system and can do what it wants.

But all the money goes to the executives and when there's no more value to be had, the corporation abandons the area leaving behind destroyed land and a destroyed community that will now die because of what the corporation did.

Kyubey's remarks that his species calls emotions a mental illness just adds even further to the exploitative nature of the system. The system is meant to target beings who by his definition would be more vulnerable.

And his method of only giving half-truths or withholding information unless explicitly asked is an aspect of this exploitation. He's deliberately presenting things in a way that preys upon human vulnerabilities. He even admits that his species studied humans and found that young girls going through puberty were the ideal targets and then catered the system specifically to target them.

Kinda like how games with gacha elements are designed to exploit people with gambling addictions.

And since the power that is made from a magical girl becoming a witch is tied to her role on fate, Kyubey is really only interested in targeting people born into high positions or with great skill. Basically, Kyubey is propping up those who exist because of survivorship bias.

I'd wondered why he didn't just go to some war-torn nation and offer a contract to every girl about to die, and I guess it's because they would offer so little power that Kyubey deemed them worthless.

Meanwhile, girls from prosperous nations have far more potential to have an impact on the world, so Kyubey hangs around nations like Japan where he can look for big potential targets while also getting some decent secondary targets.

Anyway, I'm going to move onto Homura. I got really into talking about episode 10 and how it recontextualizes the entire series so I'm going to focus more on episodes 11 and 12.

Everything Homura is doing is to save Madoka. At first, she wanted to restart when she met her so they could fight side-by-side. But then she discovered the truth of the system and fought to save Madoka from her fated death or transformation after the walpurgis night.

And since hope and despair exist together, the more Homura fought to save Madoka, the more aggressively Kyubey tried to make Madoka a magical girl. With each new timeline formed, Madoka's potential grew because every timeline tied back to her.

Homura's story is about her fighting against the despair that comes with being a magical girl. She tries to cling to hope in a situation that is hopeless. Each time she fails to save Madoka, she tries again, only for the next attempt to become even more difficult than the last one. She always managed to push back the inevitable, but in the end, she always lost.

And at the end of this story, Homura still never achieved her goal. She never managed to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl, and it ultimately resulted in Madoka vanishing from existence. This should be the moment of ultimate despair for Homura where all her efforts come to nothing.

Madoka struggles with feeling inadequate. She initially wanted a rather tautological wish. She was going to become a magical girl by wishing to be a magical girl. She thought being a magical girl would give her the chance to help others, make the world better, and ensure her life mattered in some way. And her wish ultimately is an extension of that. She wished to be helpful to all magical girls who ever did and would exist by becoming the hope that drives them and chases away despair.

In the new world Madoka created, Mami, Kyouko, and Sayaka still became magical girls; and Sayaka still despaired over how her wish turned out. But instead of becoming a witch - a being that represents despair - Madoka took Sayaka from the world and showed her what happened to Kyousuke because of her wish.

Madoka showed Sayaka that her life mattered in some way.

Homura's wish and desires ultimately can never come true. But instead of giving into despair as she would in the old system, she's been given a new hope and purpose. Madoka became the very embodiment of hope thanks to Homura's efforts. And as the only person who will ever remember Madoka, Homura is now able to start the next phase of her life where Madoka's words echo in her ears and she shows that Madoka's life matters.

Homura should try spreading Madoka's name around as the patron saint of magical girls. Madoka is literally the goddess of hope who protects magical girls in this new universe.

back

[loquarocoeur]

Hey lovely! I’m back w another anon, at this point I’ll put an emoji so you know it’s the same person saying hi bc I’m not sending this on my blog name but ashshsjsh.

The asks and your responses on the spanking shit have me wanting to send this ask that I’ve been thinking about, but like. After the end of ‘pushing buttons’ I rlly enjoyed the bit where charles was almost insecure, and max responded the way he did so beautifully about how he loves charles the most bc he’s charles and what about it him he finds so loving and hot and how he was mentioning Charles’s pleasure too and that just. Really made me want to have a fic perhaps on the doms pleasure a bit. Not entirely but if you’d want to I’d love for you to get into charles head and thoughts a bit. It’s hard to explain what I mean because I’m being vague bc I’m embarrassed enough typing this as is lmfao but I hope you kinda get what I mean here? How you were talking about charles headspace in the other ask and everything I just got very Inchrested

I just love this verse and the way you write and maybe I die everytime I see another blog post of yours about some smutty shit! Maybe!

- 🦢 (I’ll make myself the swan emoji anon bc why the fuck not. Hi it’s me I sent the asks like max speaking Italian for maybe one line perfectly and made the suggestion about the ‘monza fic having the hotel tifosi chanting. Idk I just wanted to lyk it was me ahahshsjjs)

Okay hi, hello, I'm here with my thoughts now and absolutely YES, prepare for an essay:

Like idk, I've been meaning and trying to get into Charles' head a bit more since forever, but it is just quite hard nailing him down, he's just a very complex character nowadays with that duality between his 'dom persona' I guess and then absolute golden retriever, head over heels, bend over backwards, and jump when Max says jump sweetheart he is outside of that headspace

It's just there's just so many things from Charles' perspective to think of, you know, specifically talking about sex scenes now:

Like, okay, first of all, he's just a man, Max barely needs to take off his shirt. Like he's absolutely insatiable, he goes insane for a glimpse of Max's stomach, the only time he won't even try to start anything in the shower is if he got an orgasm five minutes ago, so obviously there's the aspect that he just thinks Max is fucking hot, just looking at Max does it for him, and also men are men, it feels good getting their dicks wet I guess

But then there's also obviously the thing that we don't talk about enough in fandom and that's that doms like being dominant just as much as subs like being submissive

And you know it's hard to nail it down and elucidate it, because we don't have enough examples for it, because (and this is also totally fine of course) fandom is just usually very focused on the perspective of more submissive people for probably many reasons which we won't get into rn, but the point is like you have to make this shit up as you go, there's not a script and an easy how-to like there is for writing submissive perspectives because we've all read thousands of those of course

Because like obviously Max technically has as much if not more control over the situation as Charles does with safewords and all, but Charles obviously LIKES being or feeling in control

There's kind of this underlying societal belief that we often get where it's just perceived as inherently bad when someone wants or likes to be in control or in a position of power, which is why I feel we hear the dom perspective waaay less than the sub one, because ironically, the doms are too shy to speak up I guess lol

But you know Charles obviously likes that he can tell Max what to do and he does it, he likes how Max, just as a person, is quite dominant in the way he behaves, he's not a follower, when someone says sit down Max asks why, and he's no different with Charles when they're just them and there's no dom/subness going on, but he likes how when they're in that space and Charles says sit down Max sits the fuck down

And then I think the thing I always emphasized most is how Charles just gets off on seeing Max feel good, like he gets off on making Max feel so good he loses all function, and that comes back to Charles having just as much of a praise kink as Max, but he doesn't need Max to tell him he's doing good, he needs to see it

And then it's just how do I fit all this in and consolidate it with the way that of course, Charles is far from quiet or reserved during sex, he won't shut up actually, but there's these times when, from Max's perspective, you have no idea what's going on in his head, because he has this talent for just turning his face blank

And don't think I as the author somehow know any more than you do when it comes to Max's perspective like guys idk either, I was just there

But yes, I do hope to elaborate on it a bit more in the future🥰❤️❤️❤️

[paraliveimaginesblog]

Duality [Yuto Inukai] [NSFW]

You didn’t know at first that you were tempting fate.

Your frustrations from that day were coming out on Yuto, attacking him despite his attempts to soothe you. It was an entirely unfair situation but the way he tried to smooth things over made you even more upset. He should be cursing back and telling you that he doesn’t deserve to be treated that way! Why was he so damn understanding?! How could you even be mad and faulting him for that? You were so fucking frustrated you just wanted to scream, and you could tell you were setting Yuto on edge.

“Yu-Yuto…!”

You let out a gasp as your face is pushed down hard into the pillow in front of you, so quick you’re seeing stars. The action was clear, don’t raise your head up again, but you tried to subtly look behind you at the man who was fucking you so hard you could feel the soreness already. Blood-red eyes meet yours and you let out a squeal as your ass is slapped hard, Hancho’s fingers digging into your hip as his pace grew even more relentless.

You had already been denied orgasm countless times, fucked from your couch to your bedroom until you could barely walk. That didn’t matter to him, this was your punishment which meant you didn’t get a say. You weren’t complaining exactly, not resisting the rough sex you knew you’d deserve. The gentle sex, the loving, romantic sex, that was all for your sweet Yuto. The side of you that wanted to be bruised and bitten, that was where Hancho truly shined.

You can feel the imprint of his teeth marks in your shoulder but your entire body is an overload of sensations, so you’re sure there’s more bites you’ll find later. Your hips are sore from his tight grip but he refused to lighten up, not when you had to repent for how you treated Yuto. You had whined out your apology, begged him to forgive you, but he refused to accept your weak cries.

“You think twice before arguing next time, won’t you?” Hancho hissed out, pulling you back up by your hair; it felt good and he knew it did, probably the only reason he had brought you up the way. The other thing you never did with Hancho was kiss but you’re tempted now as he pulled you into a more upright position, strong arms wrapped around you.

“I want my Yuto back, to apologize…” You panted, licking your lips. He stared at you hard before pushing you back down on the bed, hand running along your back and pressing gently against your spine; he had you completely splayed out on the bed, legs spread as wide as they could go as your stomach hit the blankets. You feel him come, the wetness between your legs leaking out.

You’re tired, exhausted actually, eyes sliding shut for a few brief moments until you feel a sudden weight flop beside you on the bed. You’re too tired to see if it’s your boyfriend or your punisher but you wait, and wait, and wait, until finally you’re woken up by gentle kisses to your temple.

“Hey there… did I…” Yuto seemed a little hesitant to ask but you were relieved to see him back; you tried to keep the grimace off your face as you turned over to face him, arms opened to show you wanted his affection. His eyes lit up at that, happy that the fight was over, likely having no idea what kind of lesson you were just taught.

“I’m sorry, Yuto, I didn’t mean to take my anger out on you.” You brushed some of his hair from his face, caressing the soft cheeks you loved to kiss so much. “You didn’t deserve it.”

“A-ah… I know you didn’t mean it and you were just upset… still, it did make me sad too…”

“I’m sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”

“No-nothing! Fights happen with couples, right? It’s not problem…”

“I’ll make you some breakfast tomorrow before work then.” You were slow with your movements, nose brushing against his briefly before you leaned in closer to press your lips against his; they moved in unison, a warm, passionate kiss shared between two people who loved each other dearly.

“…I would like that, thank you.”

Now, all you had to do was actually be able to walk tomorrow.

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

So... I remembered the "Eden"/ Fused Duo concept art you posted.... What's their deal about...?

(AKA got any ideas for them?)

I do, in fact, have ideas!

A bit about Eden:

In short, Eden is the perfect fusion of Edda and Aven - essentially a step up from Summum's situation. They are that "perfect being" so to speak. They have access to the same types of attacks as Summum, and then some, plus the various attacks of the Duo. They can separate at will as well, so they aren't always around in person. But whenever the Duo merges now, they are Eden.

As a person, Eden is very much a blend of Edda and Aven's best traits. Technically their worst traits are in there too, but Eden has remarkable self control in regards to not letting those out. They're very calm, rather softspoken, and quick-witted among other things, as well as incredibly gentle.

Physically, they've got the advantages of both the Duo too, especially in Aven's agility and durability, with Edda's speed and shielding. Granted, they don't exactly need it much, but they do have it.

I should also note, Eden isn't a product of absorbing Summum. Eden forms near the end of fighting him. The entire fight is this rising tide of Edda and Aven working together better and better, more smoothly and seamlessly to the point they're almost one entity. When Summum casts his megaflare, the light clears just in time for him to see Eden rocketing towards him and turning a very similar energy to his own right back on him. The absorption meter fills up...very quickly.

When they go to confront THEM, they go in confidently, and - unlike the rest of us - can actually understand THEM. As a result, THEIR comments on the whole event change a little. Eden tries to avoid attacking at first, simply trying to speak with THEM. Even when THEY ready their spear, Eden remains still. When THEY decide they've had enough, and throw THEIR spear? It lands squarely in Eden's chest, and they absorb it. Seconds later a fan of those same spears appears in front of Eden, flying straight towards THEM. THEY THEMSELVES begin to unmake in a world-shattering shriek of an angry false god. Eden stands there, absorbing all of the energy leaking away from THEM, until at last they absorb THEM directly. But the energy is tame. It is now settled, controlled.

One of the first things Eden does is regurgitate Summum, who is... perplexed, to say the least. The second thing they do is send a wave of deep sleep over the world, putting all the Starfolk into a slumber. The third is to unchain the Starfolks' stolen sapience, letting it fly back to them and resituate itself while they rest. With that taken care of, they start putting the various Starfolk they've absorbed back into the world, including the transcendent entities who, now that polarity isn't a problem, have started balancing out a little bit more easily. They mostly retain their previous forms, just without any of the internal struggle. Yin-Yang also settles into their consolidated form (at least, I think Yin-Yang is the one that briefly gives us a glimpse of their green form. That might be Duality.)

After that, Eden sorta... collapses onto the floor for a bit. They're fine, just kinda tired, and also processing everything that just happened. Plus, you know, adapting to the amount of power they now have snoozing inside them. There's more for them to do, but for the time being? They go up to Summum, flop on him, and take a nap.

Summum is more than happy to oblige.

Side note: I'm not 100% happy with Eden's design, particularly after some reconsideration of the in-game design patterns, so they may be getting an update of some kind. For sake of a full form? The design is accurate, I think. But for a more canonically-grounded form, I'm not settled yet.

[archive-of-the-lost]

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @lady-of-endless

𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧

Your ideal match is…Levi Ackerman!

♡ Levi loves your duality. He first saw your kind and respectful demeanor, but didn't think much of you until he witnessed you standing up for yourself against someone twice your size. That impressed him, to say the least. He can't help but admire a woman with a strong character. Your warm and affectionate personality also balances out his coldness and grumpiness well, almost like a golden retriever x black cat dynamic. Almost. Mainly because you don't seem to have enough energy to be considered a golden retriever type of person. Which is good, because then he wouldn't find you exhausting, as he appreciates peaceful and quiet times.

♡ Oh, you love challenges? Great, because getting Levi to date you is the ultimate challenge. 😭 He'd rather pine for you his entire life than make a particularly big move. The most you'll get from him are occasional compliments and little gifts here and there. He also scolds you when he thinks you're not taking care of yourself well enough, but he does that to a lot of people so you won't notice anything peculiar about it until you realize he only does that to people he cares about. You'll definitely have to be the one confessing first.

♡ Levi also has trouble being vulnerable with others due to his upbringing. But he's quite the hypocrite, because he'll wait patiently for you to open up to him after something terrible happens and then get frustrated when you tough it out in front of him. It's easier to make people open up to him if he's vulnerable first, but who's going to tell him that. Perhaps the both of you could learn to trust each other enough and be comfortable with relying on each other. With time.

♡ He tends to show his affection through acts of service and quality time, which may be less showy methods compared to the way you like to show your love. But there's something endearing in the way he invites you to dinner for your first date with him, and the meal is made by him instead of cooks at a restaurant. As you take your first bite, he peers at you expectantly, waiting for your reaction. Don't tease him with your thoughtful expression too much, he's secretly nervous.

♡ He isn't used to words of love or clingy touches, so it takes him a while to get used to your flirtations. He's also completely inexperienced in the love department, never even had a crush until you, so it isn't too hard for you to pull some fun reactions out of him. Besides the slight blush on his face, he also shuffles his legs a little and won't look you in the eye as you lean closer (how cute).

♡ Levi also finds working out to be a good coping mechanism for working through his emotions, so he understands (part of) the reason why you like to work out. As long as it's not him you're mad at, he'll offer to work out or even spar with you a little, if you want to, to decompress together. But if you'd rather do it alone, that's fine too.

♡ He would have a certain fascination for flowers, as they were quite rare in the city he grew up in where sunlight didn't reach. His first gift to you after you both started dating was a flower, a red carnation to be exact. He had been paying attention to what you like before dating, to make sure that you would like his gift. As your relationship becomes more serious, he'll plant some flowers in a pot for the both of you to take care of. Something that grows to symbolize your connection.

𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚

Your ideal match is…Mirio Togata!

♡ Your whole general personality is appealing to Mirio. He loves how you're kind, warm and affectionate, and finds it really easy to get along with you. But the way you can snap to being cold and intimidating when the situation calls for it lowkey makes his heart flutter. Even when he's serious, he still doesn't look anywhere close to intimidating, so he has a special appreciation for how ruthless you can look when standing up for yourself and others.

♡ Mirio also likes your mostly calming presence, as it balances out his cheerful and energetic demeanor nicely. Compared to him, he's always going to find you pretty chill even on your louder/more chaotic days. He likes your chaotic side too! It's nice to be able to goof around with you, especially if he succeeds in making you laugh. His sense of humor would likely appeal to your liking for chaos.

♡ Mirio would like to think he's good at processing his emotions and confiding in others when needed, but he neglects himself sometimes when he gets swept up in being strong because he's a hero. So the both of you have some problems with bottling up emotions and toughing it out in front of others. Which is why he really appreciates you being a good listener and emphasizer. There are times when he feels doubt or despair at something going wrong during a mission, in which he'll hesitate a little before telling you about it if you're willing to listen. He just needs to get it off his chest, and he's glad that you're here to comfort him. Even heroes need to be helped sometimes. Of course, he'll always offer a listening ear for your troubles as well.

♡ Speaking of help, since you work in the medical field, you'll find yourself having to patch him up a lot. He often comes home with cuts and scratches, smiling nervously and trying to reassure you that he's fine. Okay, okay, he's not fine. At least his pain tolerance is stronger!

♡ Mirio seems like such a loving person, he doesn't have a main giving or receiving love language. Love is love. In all forms. But anyway, he loves how you're a big romantic, as he is one as well. He's always happy when you hug him and tell him he's done a good job today, like the golden retriever boyfriend that he is. Unfortunately for you, he might not understand your teasing sometimes, because he can be quite dense. But that's rather cute in of itself, isn't it?

♡ He likes taking you to a somewhat fancy dinner on special occasions. You get an excuse to dress up nicely and honestly, he likes having an excuse to do the same. He'll show up with a bouquet of flowers for you and compliment your perfume every time, though he'll have trouble telling you what it actually smells like. He saves face by telling you he likes it because you're the one wearing it.

♡ He loves dancing! And he's open to doing any kind of dance with you. Whether it be slow-dancing in the kitchen, bopping at a rave, or ad libbing during a school dance in a way that makes you laugh, he's okay with anything. His number one priority when with you is making you smile, nothing else matters as much.

Note: Your matches ended up being quite different from each other, haha. I hope you enjoy the variety. They both bring something only they can bring to the table in their relationship with you.

[dailycharacteroption]

Half-Elf Double Scion (Vigilante Archetype; Half-Elf)

(art by Yutaan)

We’ve discussed it repeatedly on the blog, but being a half-elf, stuck between two worlds, comes with some baggage that most societies, be they human or elven, are not equipped to answer. Too long-lived to grow up alongside humans, and too short-lived to not outpace their elven peers. In many cases, half-elves often feel like they are caught between two worlds.

Whether it is on purpose or a side effect, today’s entry focuses entirely on that duality! I present the half-elf double scion!

Sometimes, when such a half-elf feels such conflicting feelings and otherness, their solution is to divide their heritages into two distinct halves and identities, and use them to act as a vigilante. Typically, their social identity is the same as the majority population of their home city, all the better to blend in. However, their vigilante identity, achieved not just with concealing their faces but using cosmetic prosthesis to reshape their ears and body proportions, is used to let them act as the other part of their identity, a ethereal and whimsical elf among humans, or perhaps a brash and direct human among elves.

Of course, their exact goals in doing so may vary, as some may be heroes writing wrongs in a way they feel the native ancestry they share will not, or as villains indulging in vices their contemporary identity wouldn’t allow.

Either way, these vigilantes demonstrate an interesting take on the double identity aspect of the class.

The dual identities of these vigilantes play more into their dual heritage than they do aspects of their personality, so not only are they adept at pretending to be wholly human or elvish with their disguise, but their morality does not have to shift when they switch.

In lieu of any other abilities, these vigilantes gain access to special vigilante talents. Some, for example, train with elvish weapons to better secure the illusion of being elvish in their vigilante identity, treating them as more familiar and being especially skilled with one of them.

Drawing upon the graceful confidence of elves an the bold confidence of humans, these warriors can strike for their foes weaknesses with unerring skill every now and again.

Finally, some learn to move with surprising agility, moving a bit further while still keeping their guard up.

While this archetype does claim that you can go both ways, it does seem like all three of the special talents associated with it are geared towards pretending to be an elf, but then, they’re optional. Honestly the one consistent ability is really there mostly for flavor and maybe the occasional time when you use disguise to pretend to be either an elf or human. That being said, these talents are begging to be used with a weapon with a large crit range, such as… oh, say… and elven curve blade or similar weapon, as well as having surprising mobility on the battlefield, weaving between foes and striking them down.

There’s a lot of interesting places you can take this archetype. For some, it may be a way for a character to get in touch with the other half of their heritage that they simply do not have access to where they live. This can of course lead to situations where their persona might lean into stereotypes that one ancestry has about the other, but maybe that’s part of the character’s storyline? Finding out more about their heritage.

In the elven city of Svosa, the Brute is the name given to a human man that is supposedly in hiding around the city, baying at the moon like a deranged wolf, attacking corrupt elements with sudden viciousness and brutality, and generally seeming frightening and more trouble than any good he does. If only they knew that he wasn’t a human at all, not entirely, anyway.

Freed from their tomb, the millenia-old elven mummy Veshia, who bears uncommon, mythic power, has been unleashed. Putting a stop to them requires knowledge of the magic that sealed them away the first time, which luckily is known to a half-elven scholar named Mishri. Those that balk at dragging a mild-mannered scholar along on such a dangerous quest need not worry, however, for she hides a surprising secret: a double identity as the Masked Blade!

Brakkos is well-known for it’s dueling scene, but a recent newcomer has been creating something of an upset. This masked elf has appeared practicing the art of the curve blade, making a fool of many. Those that have searched for the true identity of this upstart have found nothing among the sparse elven population.