#therion wants to help

[ajdrawshq]

consciously projecting onto characters is fun! projecting things u arent even aware of onto characters and discovering those things in the process, however, is a whole other thing,

[aeniqmata]

Champions of the Continent Au where Therion is the Flamebearer's chosen for some reason. The grouchy boy is regarded as a savior for so long and he is really tired of people asking for his help, but the rest of the band that has started following him almost always accepts the quests for him, to the point where he is often thought of as the tag along and not actually the unwilling founder of the group.

[megoomy]

got a request for my vesperia berseria au designs and i do have character sheets for them so: everyone is free to draw these if they want! credit is nice but, well, these all heavily reference official tales designs so i dont want to take too much credit for them lol. you can also write about the au and take any amount of what we've come up with, i really don't care, it's all for fun.

UNDER THE CUT: a vague summary of the concept. warning for Profound Self Indulgence and Somewhat Half-Assed Worldbuilding (world...changing? world editing? whatever)

okay basically flynn and yuri met as kids in a village that basically serves as the lower quarter of the au, but after spending a few years together daemons attack the village and nearly everyone dies. yuri survives, but in the process he’s become a daemon. flynn also survives, but is deeply traumatized and gets picked up by the exorcists (conveniently too late to save anyone in typical form). neither knows the other survived. to make matters worse, flynns trauma causes some memory loss…he still definitely remembers that time in the village but its very fuzzy now and as he gets older that only gets worse. and like he thinks all those people died so hes not really trying to remember them.

flynn becomes an exorcist (some flavor of legate) and is going around eradicating daemons when he runs into yuri. he doesnt recognize yuri but yuri is pretty sure he recognizes flynn. but yuri isnt about to say that when flynn is trying to kill him LOL. the general arc is that yuri keeps slipping away and flynn keeps seeing more about him in his efforts to hunt him down, realizing that this strikingly handsome strangely familiar daemon is actually...very kind? takes care of children? helps people for no gain? and this calls into question everything that he thought he understood about the world which is quite troubling.

you can think of them as similar to velvet and eleanor. but I think when flynn joins yuri it's by choice, not because yuri's forced him to be a vessel or because flynn's a spy or anything like that. or at least, he's been thrown out by the abbey for one reason or another and joins yuri instead. (we've tossed around quite a few versions of this. we love playing in the space.)

we've bounced around ideas about the rest of the cast but i only have a sheet for estelle, who is a malak controlled by the abbey ala phi. assigned to flynn, ends up with yuri one way or another. i think rita sees that malaks are people and while she wants to coordinate with them to use their strength she doesn't like how they're treated as tools (the way she feels about blastia more or less).

if you're curious about why flynn and yuri have different fates, like, in terms of lore compliance. i think yuri seeing the thing he holds most dear, the community that cared for him, destroyed in an instant, would probably fill him with malevolence no matter what, especially depending on the circumstances. (like, if the abbey was manipulating things to create daemons or therions) yuri's like...a deeply conflicted character full of self loathing, so, being a daemon really suits him. i think that malevolence would only grow as he sees the world and the abbey for what it really is. unlike someone like rose, yuri NEVER feels unconflicted about Doing Murders.

flynn in canon is pretty conflicted himself of course but i see him as similar to eleanor who can sometimes produce malevolence but has a certain purity of heart that keeps them as pretty good vessel material. nowhere near someone like sorey or rose, and definitely wouldn't have had enough resonance pre-artorius' plot to see anything. also i think the brain trauma and being picked up by the abbey leads to him having very clear purpose and a black and white view for some time, so that helps. (look, let me be real with you, half of the impetus for this au was "it would be funny if flynn had like, religious trauma")

design notes not on the sheets: - yuri's daemonblighted skin is cooler to the touch than his regular skin. but he's a guy with cold hands regardless - i've got purple highlights in his eyes but i think of them as glinting purple in the light. like an animal i guess? - yuri's outfit is mostly inspired by his spirit gear in rays, aside from his normal game canon outfit. - estelle is pulling from a lot of different abbey associated characters but mostly her own design...i didn't want to give her something weird like A FUCKING COLLAR especially bc she's not given to A WEIRDO EXORCIST but i wanted some kind of symbol of captivity so i went instead for a golden mask. pulling from the common malak's gold mask/helmets and seres' mask. in canon a lot of estelle's arc is about being sheltered so i feel like covering her eyes feels, appropriate? idk. - i think yuri still gives estelle her nickname but she wouldn't start out as estellise so its more like yuri gives her a name - you may notice she has the flame of purification (does that have a different proper name? blanking on it) which kind of implies that she's connected to innominat. please don't ask me to elaborate on that point because i literally don't know yet. i think if i were to make her a normal elementally aligned malak she'd be water like her spirit gear in rays, but it feels like she should be Special just like how she's a child of the full moon in canon. we just, haven't really figured out, does the berseria cast still exist, are we replacing them, what would that look like, etc. sorry that stuff should be more important to the concept but we are simply playing with the dolls. teehee

[mandiemegatron]

ᗷIᖇTᕼᗪᗩY ᑕᖇᑌᗰᗷᒪE

𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒋𝒊 𝒙 𝒂𝒇𝒂𝒃 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

♡ 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅: 𝑴 18+ ONLY // 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒙, 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒚 𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒋𝒊 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 5 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒍 🤭

𝑨/𝑵: 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑶𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 !! 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒍 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒚-𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒆 @therion-woods 𝒘𝒉𝒐'𝒔 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝑯𝒂𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒇, 𝑴𝒓. 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 🤭🤭💖💖💖💖 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒆, 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝑺𝑶 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 !!! 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕!!! 💖💖💖💖💖💋💋💋💋💋 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒔.

3 am. The perfect time to bake.

Everyone on the Sunny was passed out, except for Sanji who remained in the Crows Nest for the night.

The perfect time.

Taking no time at all to gather everything you needed, you hummed a soft tune to yourself as you began the pie crust, beating the dough and smoothing it out before placing it in the dish. Pre-baking it took no time, the sweet smell of fresh pie crust filling the air.

It didn't take long for your apple crumble to finish, the bubbling, cinnamony smell encasing the entire kitchen. You were quick to take it out and let it sit aside, a small smile on your face as you literally sat in front of it and waited for it to cool.

Just after 4:30, you were able to cut yourself a slice, giving a soft content hum as you sniffed deeply into the slice, careful not to burn your nose.

You were so engrossed in your slice that you didn't see Sanji leaning on the doorframe, a small smile on his lips as he watched you place the small plate on the counter. You sat in front of it, hands clasped together in front of your chest as if you were making a wish.

Sanji’s eyes widened as he watched you pull a single, small birthday candle from your back pocket, sticking it on the slice before you lit it with a match you grabbed from one of the drawers. His heart sank as your eyes slid shut as you began singing to yourself, your voice quiet and almost sad as it carried softly over the kitchen.

He made sure to walk gently into the space, trying not to frighten you as he sat down at the island.

"... happy birthday... to me."

After a moment, you blew out the candle and gave a soft sigh through your nose, waiting for the wax to cool enough that you could pull the candle from your slice.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

You jumped, hand over your heart and eyes wide as you whipped around, giving your favourite cook a glare.

"Sanji, you fuck! You're too goddamn quiet, good lord."

Sanji simply gave you a wide grin and winked before clearing his throat as he asked again, a little harder this time,

"Why... didn't you say anything?"

You chewed your bottom lip as he spoke, crossing your arms tightly over your chest before giving a heavy sigh. You shrugged, struggling to find the words until you finally murmured,

"I didn't want to be a bother."

Sanji was up in a flash, your face cradled in his soft, warm palms. His eye watched you with a reverence you'd never seen before, your heart pounding in your chest as you stared back up at him.

"You are never a bother, my darling."

Tears pricked the corner of your eyes as you bit out,

"Says you."

Sanji couldn't help but laugh softly, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead, the tip of your nose and then each cheek.

"Yes, says me. And that's all that matters, right?"

When you didn't respond, one of his hands went to your waist and his fingers gently dug in, giving you a quick tickle as he almost demanded with a laugh,

"Right?!"

You laughed in agreement, swatting away his hand before wrapping your own up around his neck, your fingers dancing with the ends of his hair. You were quiet for a moment, your lips pursed slightly to the side as you looked up at him. He said nothing, simply staring down at you with a loving expression.

It was a few moments before you finally spoke, pulling him closer as you buried your face into the space between his neck, your words muffled by his skin.

"I suppose you're right..."

Sanji hummed softly, his arms wrapping around you tightly, keeping you to him. His cheek rested on the side of your head as he murmured by your ear,

"Of course I'm right."

He pressed a hot kiss to your temple before continuing,

"You are never a bother. You have done nothing but light up this ship since you joined us and I'm not about to let you insult the love of my life."

You couldn't help but give a watery giggle, sniffling softly as you pulled away from him just enough to bring a hand up and wipe away the tears that threatened to spill. Sanji cooed at you gently at the sight, one of his hands returning to cup your cheek as he pulled you into a kiss.

A pressed a few butterfly kisses to your lips, his thumb brushing away any stray tears. Your hands clutched around the front of his shirt, not caring that the soft material would be wrinkled and ruined by your tight fingers.

When he pulled back to gaze down at you, your cheeks were bright red and a warmth flowed over your entire body, your heart racing in your chest like a war drum.

"... I love you, Sanji."

The chef grinned down at you, little hearts dancing around his head as he nearly moaned out,

"I love you, Ashe."

He pulled you into a hot kiss, his tongue teasing over your bitten bottom lip before your own tangled with his. His hand moved to grip your ass, pulling you up and seating you on the island counter as he grinds his clothed erection into your warmth.

"Please tell me I can make love to you tonight," he whispers in your ear when he pulls away to breathe, his hands aching to pull at your clothing but he stills as you giggle, grinning up at him.

"Can I have my pie first?"

His eyebrow shoots up in surprise and he's quick to grab your slice, taking a small piece with the small spoon and holding it out to you with a loving grin.

"Of course you can, my love."

Your face burns at the intimacy. While he's done this before, it felt differently with him feeding you your own creation. You took the bite and hummed softly as the apple crumble melted in your mouth, a pleased expression on your face.

Sanji took a bite of his own, an almost orgasmic sound leaving him at the taste. "Oh Ashe, this is phenomenal. How absolutely delicious!"

He presses a quick kiss to your lips before feeding you another bite. "My sweet, precious little baker," he murmurs with a coo and you finish off the slice.

He puts the dish in the sink and turns back to you, gently pulling you from the island to drag you to the small room in the back, fit with a single sized bed and a small bedside table. Franky had put it in at Sanji's wishes, believing the lie of "Sometimes I have to be up stupid early and don't want to deal with the idiots snoring," that the chef gave the shipwright.

You knew the real reason, grinning into the rough kiss Sanji pulled you into the second he had you caged on the bed. A shaky moan left you as his hands undressed you, his fingertips caressing every inch of you that he could. When you were finally naked under him, he threw his own shirt off to the side, grinning down at you as shaky hands undid his belt.

He stilled your hands, both your faces bright red as he murmured down to you,

"Let me love you first, my darling Ashe," his words nearly begged out, his hands moving from yours to grip at your plush thighs. He pressed desperate kisses to your inner thighs, a low groan rumbling in his chest as he took in your glistening arousal. His tongue danced over your skin, slowly moving closer to your aching cunt and your head threw back as the tip of his tongue barely brushed over your clit. You inhale a sharp breath as his mouth suddenly descends, his lips sucking harshly around your clit as his tongue spells your name over it.

"O-oh, gods, Sanji-"

His fingers dig into your thighs as he devours you, his tongue moving down to press into your soaked cunt, the wet, squelching sounds filling the small room. One of your hands tangled into his blonde hair, trying to tug his face closer as he eats you like a 5 star meal.

In a flash, he's suddenly desperate, his motions sucking and slobbering over your fluttering warmth, his tongue pressing in and out of you before sucking your clit again, one hand leaving your thighs to press two rough fingers into your tight cunt.

You moan too loudly accidently, eyes rolling back as his fingertips press against that wonderful, spongy spot over and over until you're babbling his name, begging him not to stop as you suddenly gush and squirt all over his face. He growls into your clit as he licks and licks, his fingers not stopping their onslaught as your juices shoot up his forearm. You squirt over and over, almost sobbing at the wonderful feeling. Sanji absolutely knew what he was doing.

He can't help but moan when he pulls away, looking down at you with a wide, feverish eye. His hand, forearm and chest are soaked with your essence, thin trails of your juices slowly dancing down his skin and hitting the wooden floor almost silently.

"I'm gonna make you do that on my cock," he whispers harshly, his dry hand leaving you to wipe over his face. He moans lightly as he licks you off his hand, his eye rolling to the sky at the taste. "You taste so fucking good, my darling," he somehow gets out, his chest heaving as he finally rips his belt and pants off, as well as his boxers.

Your face falls into a desperate expression, your mouth falling open with your tongue out of your lips with a low moan. "Please let me taste you first, Sanji," you beg, suddenly in a heat for him to face fuck you. He's quick to grasp your hair, pulling you to your knees and suddenly you're on him, your tongue flat against the underside of his cock, trailing the whole length before teasing over the slit, his mushroom tip twitching as whimpers and groans fall from him above.

"O-oh, oh angel, Ashe please-"

He chokes on his words as you pull him into your mouth, sucking and slurping over his tip before slowly taking him in, bobbing your head in a slow rhythm until your nose hits his short, curly pubes. He twitches in your mouth and you moan around him, eyes snapping up to see his excited but wary expression, his fingers tightening in your hair as he slowly takes over control.

Your eyes fall shut as you relax your jaw, letting him set the pace and trying to keep your breathing as even as possible. It was immediately difficult, your hands moving to grip his thighs in an almost panic as he fucks your mouth, loud groaning and giggly sighs leaving Sanji as he races towards the edge. He suddenly pulls away with a soft grunt, moving down to capture you in a demanding kiss before he shoves you onto your back, caging over you as he wretches your hips towards his.

You both moan as his cock slides over your soaked folds, his hips stuttering as your cunt tries to suck him in. His head fell forward as he finally slid into you in one go, your moans echoing off each other as your hands gripped at his shoulders.

His pace was relentless, pulling squeaking and high pitched whines from you as his thick cock slid in and out, right from the tip to his groin, one of his hands gripping your hip so tight you began to bruise.

"I-I'm so-so sorry-sorry, my love-, fuck-, you-you're so tight, god-"

His words stuttered with his thrusts, an almost manic look on his blushing, fucked out face as he drank in you falling apart under him - because of him.

"Cum for me, cum for me, cum for me," he begged over and over, feeling himself twitch as he reached the edge. He felt you gush around him as you sobbed out his name, his cock spurting and filling you, slipping out of your tight hole as he fucked his seed out of you. He slowed as overwhelming overstimulation consumed him, his whimpers light and breathless.

He leaned over you and captured your lips into a passionate but gentle kiss, his hands slowly roaming your soft skin almost as if apologizing for the past while. You melted into his touch, smiling into the kiss as your own hands gently traced over his toned chest.

"Happy birthday, my love," he murmured against your lips, his hips giving a slight twitch into you as you pulsed around him.

"Thank you, Sanji," you barely replied, eyes crossing slightly as his hips started moving again. Slowly, his cock hardened again, filling you and sliding over your gummy, soaking walls that sucked him in desperately.

"You're not goin' to be able to walk tomorrow," he breathed out with a chuckle, snapping his cock into you.

"Worth it."

[eros-vigilante]

issues w/ the octopath fandom, racism, and ableism

whats from the source

octopath does some racist bs quite frequently.

cotc (the mobile gacha) has an entire storyline filled with anti-indigenous and racist tropes.

the mainline octopath games have yet to design a traveler with curly hair, and frequently whitewashes the tan and dark-skinned characters in official artwork (compare these with the real ones; here's partitios official cotc splash art). ochette's hair especially is straight-as-a-ruler and silver. also worth considering eye colors. partitio is sad because his concept art had only one design where he's white and a couple even had dreadlocks, and yet his splash art refuses to match his sprite colors.

the beastlings... i'm white and have done more research on the tropes in cotc since i play it more, so while i did have thoughts of my own while playing, here is a better post i found that lists off all the bad choices about them.

also worth mentioning kaldena. one of the few dark-skinned characters in the game is a villain (and also has straight silver hair). other people have also broken down what choices in temenos' story around this were bad better than i could. i can't find a post with a quick search so if you want to reblog this to talk about it i will reblog/link it.

ableism. while i am a big fan of the autism-coding in the franchise, it's still true that there are a lot of jokes made in the games at the expense of osvald and cyrus (moreso cyrus). it's setting accurate for people to be mean to autistic people, but you're still supposed to laugh at "i guess cyrus isn't actually that smart!" which pushes the idea that autism affects intelligence and maturity. i think overall the autism representation is great (pspsps my essay) but it's definitely the source of some awful shit i've had to read people say about cyrus and osvald.

edit 1: friend reminded me of something i forgot that i only learned after talking to it about it a while ago: therion's story is actually really really weird in how it tries to frame cornelia and especially heathcote as helping therion when what they did is enslave him.

whats from the fandom

fanart whitewashing. there is a lot of fanart of therion and partitio with pale skin tones. there is fanart of olberic and ochette with significantly lighter/barely tan skin tones. i'm not going to find any to link because harassment and arguing is not the point of this post, but if you've looked through fanart you've seen it.

here's their skin tones blended. even with the highlights included, they're not white. i get it, their splash art is very ambiguous from the colorism, so if you weren't using the sprites: here's your new references.

ableism directed at cyrus and osvald. i've seen people complain about osvald's personality writing and then cite ptsd and autism symptoms, so many people call cyrus stupid, an idiot, or imply he is not mature. people assume/default hc that he is bad at adult activies. he is a thirty year old professor. it is his job to be mature, good with children, smart, etc. this is infantalization of an autistic character. it's a default assumption that the autistic man is below-average at adult functions.

infantalization of ochette. there are hcs and portrayals of ochette to be far less responsible and mature than she is in canon. she is the protector of her island, it is a theme of her story that she was forced to grow up more mature than everyone else. yes, she is funny, cheerful, energetic, but some fandom portrayals of her reduce her to just that, like she's a puppy. always being irresponsible, impulsive, etc. this matches to her dynamic with castti going from the sweet found family of their crossed path into "castti is the mother who needs to rein in this wild child"- and also consider how it looks to portray the only (consistently portrayed as) dark-skinned character as wild when she is responsible and mature in her story. similarly to cyrus, people tend to default to hcs that she would be bad at normal adult activities just because she has 'childish' traits.

what do you want me to do about it

eyedrop skintones from sprites or go darker for the guys who aren't white. consider changing their hair up, like using the concept art design for partitio. drawing characters of color differently from canon doesn't solve the racism in the game industry, but it is good practice for drawing poc and representing them more accurately.

don't... insult the autistic characters. there are things cyrus is canonically bad at that have nothing to do with his autism, like singing, but don't act like he's bad at everything that's not part of his interests. real people act how osvald does due to trauma. neither of them are two-dimensional in personality, they're written with nuance and a range of emotions outside of Being Autistic.

respect ochette more. are you portraying her as only silly or the savior of her home, or both? would someone who hasn't played ot2 know that ochette has overcome challenges based on your portrayal of her, or would they think she's a comedy relief?

learn about racism. learning about what kind of racist tropes are common in media and games helps a lot with recognizing it in other places, like the beastlings or kaldena. and most of all, learning about racist stereotypes and tropes makes you less likely to perpetuate them unintentionally.

putting the cotc racism essay down here so i can say that it has spoilers for Bestower of Power if you're a cotc player. it's different from the post i linked at the start; way more focused on just the anti-indig stereotypes in the villain's design.

the last thing i want to say is oh my god i love talking about this stuff so much. if you are confused about ANYTHING i talked about or want to talk about it more, or add your own experiences, or ask for recommendations, i love that shit. i made this because i believe most people who are really active in this fandom don't do this kind of stuff maliciously, and would benefit from just having a chance to talk about it. for some reason i am very into explaining/taking apart bigoted language, where it comes from, what it means etc. Please

[2manyflannels]

I think its easy to miscontexualize the Alfyn/Therion dynamic as “I can fix him” and “I can make him worse” and then they do. I don’t personally see it as much as necessarily “fixing” as accepting someone for who they are and unconditionally supporting them. They don’t fix what is broken, they can’t, it’s been much to long and some scars will never heal. What they do for each other is comfort and help each other grow the other parts of themselves and they better themselves for it. I don’t think Alfyn sees Therion as someone who needs to be fixed and Therion doesn’t want to see himself as someone’s charity case. Their love is based on support and acceptance in my mind !

[simlit]

Chosen of the Sun | | forest // eighty-eight

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TAYUIN: That must be the witch’s house there. Right where Therion’s map told us it would be. SARAYN: No defenses or traps that I can discern. Odd. EIRA: If she’s as strong as they make her out to be, what need has she for defenses? In any case, we’re playing right into her hand. TAYUIN: Then we’d best be sure to play well. SARAYN: Remember our agreement, Faerie. TAYUIN: I haven’t forgotten. TAYUIN: Hello? Madame Witch? WITCH: Well, well, if it isn’t more of you trial brats stumbling into my den. Let me guess, that friend of yours met a sticky end? Terribly sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t do resurrections. EIRA: Not necessary. We have a guy for that. WITCH: Oh? Then please, regale me. Is it my services you seek, or a fight? TAYUIN: I’ve come to make a deal. WITCH: A deal? TAYUIN: Lift his curse and I’ll pay whatever you want. WITCH: Oh darling, I don’t deal in those terms. However, color me intrigued. You seem quite determined, and I do love a good show. Let’s see, shall we have a comedy or a tragedy? TAYUIN: Then state your terms. WITCH: Hm. Very well. I do have this small matter… perhaps you could help me. A quest of sorts that needs doing. I’m a very busy woman, not to mention, terribly delicate. You three, however, seem strong and capable. WITCH: You see, deep in the wood there is an enchanted sword. It once belonged to a wandering knight. I offered to help him for a price, but those sorts are so noble and full of pride. All I asked for was his prized possession, but he was very unwilling to part with it. So much so that with his dying breath he swore I’d never get it. WITCH: Go into the forest and find the knight’s sword. Bring it back to me and I will consider the price paid. TAYUIN: It can’t be that simple.   WITCH: That depends entirely on your success. Do you accept the conditions, or not? TAYUIN: We accept. WITCH: Wonderful. Then do be on your way. You have until sundown.

[fulgurbugs]

Oh hey I hope you don’t mind me asking, this is purely out of curiosity but if you had to picture other duopath runs which characters would you pick and why? :)

Therion & Tressa are such a good combo I’m curious about which other traveler combinations would work well

hm thinking about which ones would be fun…. i think i can think of some that’d be fun

ship ones obvi would be funny, so alfyn/therion Primrose/Haanit, Olberic/Cyrus etc, also i think all of those combos are pretty good and can cover each other, i think Alfyn/Therion probably has the easiest time of it (due to access to steal for equipment and then concoct is just really good) and olberic/cyrus probably has the hardest time of it? i think thats purely because cyrus is frail and might take some investment to make sure he’s not dying every 2 seconds. then again, olberic as a duo is pretty good since he always has incite access. basically cyrus needs saving grace asap i think

Prim/haanit i think mayyybe more middle of the road? you do always get sealticge but its more of a whole thing with just two party members instead of 4, but haanit can hit the big damage and having dancer prim she’s probably easier to minmax damage potential on since you can lion dance her etc… if you run one of them as thief you can probably do some kind of armor corrosive lion dance setup and let haanit just hit the double digit thousands

i think one of the things that would be difficult about both haanit/prim and olberic/cyrus is definitely the lack of path action to acquire npc items, you get literally soooooo much shit out of it it’s super helpful lol.

other ones i think would be fun

Alfyn/Ophilia: healerpath run. while you won’t have to rely on item healing (like i did for the majority of duopath), i think this one would be a fun like, find your damage method one. plus, these two are the ones who usually sit back as supports (at least in their base class roles), but push when push comes to shove- sorry you guys gotta do all the hard work of killing these guys on top of the healing. also the stretch between their ch3s and ch4s would be miserable for them sorry you two

Therion/Primrose: the two traumatized ones with loner streaks, that’s right we’re putting bff bracelets on you and forcing you to work together. i think these two have a kind of kinship friendship that they don’t quite share with any of the others, so they get along quite well, even though i think i’d find it hard to stick them together permanently without the glue of the rest of the party. but as a duopath, i think they could still be pretty fun, and i want primrose to have some help stabbing those guys. gameplay wise, having therion would be a huge benefit for path action reasons, plus thief is like. imo one of the best subclasses paired with anything so i think any duopath he’s in gets some added benefit.

Olberic/Tressa: i always liked their dynamic, as the oldest member and the youngest member they might have an almost parental kind of relationship, and something abt tressa’s plucky enthusiasm and Olberics more stoic, seasoned nature is always fun to me. Tressa is another items-getter path action (though slightly less good than steal, you’ll likely rack up enough money grinding that prices are trivial) which is a help, and merchant is extremely good in duopath due to hired help being one of the best damage options for any character who might not be able to set up huge numbers. olberic however, can set up huge numbers, which means that i think this duo would be super duper set in the damage department.

ophilia/cyrus: i think this is the one i’d do if i really wanted pain, because these two have no hp and will die. this is like, the challenge mode option, because one of the things about duopath is you’re going to be taking a lot of damage on your two characters where you would have that spread across your party. so this duo would require some interesting strategizing to raise those hp stats, figure out how to tank, and then, on top of that, how to dish out the big numbers. while magic is *good* ive always found that when you’re trying to hit big on breaks, you’re better off going for brand or aeber big hits. as well, you get no items path action to work with for them. as for the dynamic, they’re both friendly and agreeable so i think there’d be not much conflict between them, but i think you could have some fun especially by the end if they start to draw the galdera connections between them…

[viridiave]

forced myself into a state where i can actually indulge in 8path for exactly a day and I'll probably fuck back right into the void after this. but hey. hey. if you have octopath 2.

play the update. play the update, it's like god - we were meant to love and fear it

my full notes (live reaction reenactment) on the update under the cut, SPOILERS AHEAD!

NOBLE TEAM

IT'S FUCKING REAL

I STILL CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT'S REAL

HHHUH

THEIR SPRITES ARE LOWER RES BUT IT'S NOT STOPPING THEM

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THEY HAVE COMBO MOVES

WHAT

WHAT IN THE MOTHER OF FUCKING GOD IS THIS

FUCK EVERY POLL YOU'VE EVER SEEN ABOUT THE ORSTERRA CREW VS SOLISTIA CREW AIN'T NOBODY IS FUCKING SAFE

THEY CAN BOOST??????? HELLO???? FUCKING EXCUSE ME?????

god fucking of course Olberic has motherfucking BOLSTER DEFENSE

OPHILIA??? COUNTERS???? ELEMENTAL AND FUCKING PHYSICAL??? SINCE WHEN

OPHILIA AND ALFYN TAG-TEAM FUAOSJAKSAKSKA THEY HAVE MOTHERFUCKIGN COMBO MOVES????

OH MY GOD TRESSA AND OLBERIC TOO

MY ASS IS DEAD IT'S SO DEAD

NO OF COURSE HOLY SHIT OF FUCKING COURSE TRESSA ALSO HAS MOTHERFUCKING HIRED HELP AKJKAS

ophilia's buff rotation is interesting. i can't tell if she's going right-side down or if she's actively prioritizing certain members

WAIT THEY HAVE NEW VOICE LINES

HOLY FUCK????

i NEED to see the battle AI. show me the specs Square Enix I fucking beg you.

ALFYN'S CONCOCTS ARE SO MEAN OH MY GOD

CASTTI CAN DO FIVE AT ONCE BUT IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER TO ALFYN

why did i try and face them with Noble Team members too

well okay i guess. i guess we'd just be straight-up dead if i didn't have castti teme and partitio here jesus Hikari's carrying damage

too bad i never use him as DPS

WH

TRESSA

TRESSA NO WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU INCREASE DEFENSE WHEN YOU GET BROKEN

TRESSA WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU'LL BUY MY FUCKING WEAPONS

WHA

WAIT YOU DIDN'T EVEN GIVE ME MONEY FOR IT I HAVE TO BUY IT BACK FROM YOU

Therion was a bad influence on her lmao

AND OLBERIC'S NOT WEAK TO STAVES RIP

WHY IS TRESSA WEAK TO STAVES

my ass is so fucking cooked

WH

THEY HAVE FUCKING JOB CHANGES?????

OH MY GOD SCHOLAR OPHILIA IS CANON

THEY HAVE NEW MOVES I'M DEAD I'M SO FUCKING DEADDDDD

WAIT

HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE

HUNTER ALFYN

I FEEL UNREASONABLY FUCKINGVALIDATED AKSJAKSAKSKAS

oh god what are Tressa and Olberic

hOLD UP ALFYN AND HIS ARROWS WAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT THE HELLLLL

oh.

oh my god.

w. warmaster olberic

wARMASTER OLBERIC IS REAL

….NOOOOOOOO I'M SO FUCKING DEAD WARMASTER OLBERIC IS REAL IT'S OVER IT'S SO OVER I'M DEADDDDD TO HIMMMMM

sidenote: i'm writing all of this after the fact, trying VERY hard to recreate my real-time reactions. and uh. this. this made me get up from my fucking chair and scream into a pillow so loud people thought i was getting anal

I didn't

oh. wait. if. if he's real.

and Tressa's on the field.

there she is. the motherfucker herself.

RUNELORD FUCKING TRESSA

I WAS DEAD BEFORE NOW I'M IN MOTHERFUCKING SUPER HELL. THERE WAS NEVER A CHANCE

NO OH GOD HERE IT COMES TRANSFER FUCKING RUNE

WE'RE PAYING FOR OUR HUBIRS WITH BLOOD AND THE SCREAMS OF THE DAMNED

…WAIT HOLY SHIT ALFYN AND OPHILIA ARE IN THE RED

THERE'S A CHANCE

THERE'S A CHANCEEE

HIKARI'S POPPING THE FUCK OFF

oh my god of course Brand's Blade is a 1 hit KO move

i'm scared. i don't want him to wreak havoc on me i need to keep fucking breaking him -

ALFYN'S DOWN

HE WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS ONE THAT'S GOOD

OPHILIA DOWWWWWNNNNNN

ALRIGHT JUST. TIME FOR THE 2 GOD MODE TRAVELERS I GUESS

god it'd be so mean if i saved Olberic for last. but he put that on himself he has motherfucking Physical Prowess as a passive

oh no Temenos is the only thing that can kill him huh.

OF COURSE HE GOES FOR THE FUCKING MAGE EVERY TIME

WH

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THE RUNES BYPASS SIDESTEP???? THEY'RE ELEMENTAL NOW????

H E L L

OH SHIT TRESSA'S IN THE RED THERE'S A FUCKING CHANCE

TRESSA'S DOWN

alright 4 travelers at full health with sidestep and defense buffs out the ass. we'll be good we'll be good we can weather olberic. thank you Prayer for Plenty

THIS FEELS MEAN I REGRET IT NOW LMAO

THAT DIDN'T KILL HIM

oh no his full buffs

WAIT NO HIRED HELP BEASTLINGS. JUST ONE MORE

FUCK YEEEEE

w

what

wha wha what the fuck wai

w-wait

hu

H H U H

OPHILIA YOU WERE DEAD HOW THE FUCK DID YOU REVIVE EVERYONE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?????

WAS THAT JUST PHASE 1???

NO

NOOOOO WE'RE SO DEAD

oh wait they're changing back

…oh no. they're more dangerous like this somehow

WAIT

WHAT'S HAPPENING HUH

WHY DID HE CHALLENGE HIKARI WHAT

WAIT WHY IS IT ONLY THEM

HOW LONG DOES THIS FUCKING LAST FOR?????

they're just in a cycle of countering and evading jesus

oh ok that answers tha -

TR

TRESSA

TRESSA WHAT THE F U C K

TRESSA GIVE ME MY FUCKING MONEY BACK WHAT THE FUCK??? WHAT THE FUCK

HIRED HELP BEASTLINGS WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD BREAK THEM THAT'S SO MEAN

oh my god i'm dead

TRESSA WHAT THE FUCKA SKAJSAKS SHE CALLED OVER THE FUCKING??? ROGUE CREW??? HOW

WHAT

WHY

WAIT

WAIT SHIT I'M JUST DEAD

…i need to lie down

ROGUE TEAM

okay rogue crew what do you have for me

i'm so scared oh my god

GOD

WAIT

THERION YOU SON OF A BITCH GIVE ME BACK MY ITEMS

THEY HAVE INCIDENTAL ATTACK???? FUCK OFFFFF

LINDE'S HERE

…OH FUCK LINDE'S HERE

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN CYRUS CAN LOCK HIS FUCKING WEAKNESSES

god of course he's DPS in this fight. cyrus is just. too much man

of course Cyrus is weak to Swords. and Daggers apparently

WA

WAIT WHAT

PRIMROSE???

FUCKING HELL

WELL OK PRIMROSE SAID HAPPY PRIDE MONTH SHE JUST ALLURED THRONE

O WAIT POG PRIMROSE AND THERION COMBO

SO

OH THERE IT IS CYRUS AND H'AAN COMBO!!!

…WHY ARE THEY BOTH SO BUSTED

did

did Cyrus just. give me a weakness.

what

what the fuck

AY YO WHAT THE FUCK

yeah ok i'm dead.

i'll. i'll try again later i need to see how Noble Team plays out till the end

ALRIGHT WE'RE BACK IN THERE WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME ROGUE CREW

FUCK I FORGOT THIS WAS THE FIGHT WHERE CASTTI'S USELESS

oh my god they're cooking. i feel so unsafe. Therion is even more of a little bitch than usual

ALRIGHT GOD GUESS I'LL FUCK MYSELF WE'RE DEAD IKE 5 MINUTES IN LMAOOOO

MOTHERFUCKER I FORGOT H'AANIT HAS FUCKING PATIENCE

you know what Temenos doesn't need. Salt the Wound. why the hell did I put that on him

HOW LONG DOES ALLURE LAST FOR JESUS

oh my god Ochette. Ochette's Beastly Claws are NASTY damage woah. I need to make her do that more often

WELL ALRIGHT CYRUS IF YOU'RE GONNA BE A BITCH LIKE THAT

i wonder if they had to get chris niosi back for this role or if they just. had all these extra voice lines lying around

still not over the sprite quality being so drastically different lmao

hired help Beastlings save me. save me Hired Help Beastlings

O-OH. OH NOOO…

DAMN WHY CAN'T I HAVE THIS MUCH LUCK WITH BEWILDERING GRACE???

sidestep is saving my ass right now

I love that Primrose keeps piling her buffs onto H'aanit Square Enix said happy pride

HUH

MERCHANT THERION IS REAL LMAO

…OH NO DIVINE WIND

HE JUST STOLE OUR FUCKING LICENSES AKSJAS FUCK YOU THERION

AH THERE HE IS AKSJASK SORCEROR CYRUS - WAIT WE WERE ACTUALLY INTIMIDATED BY THIS STEPHEN STRANGE LOOKING TWINK LMAO

UNFORTUNATE

STARSEER PRIMROSE OF COURSEEEEE

AND THERE'S WARRIOR H'AAN JUST TO ROUND IT OUT

GANG'S ALL HERE SQUARE ENIX HAS SPOKEN

i could say i'm surviving but. the reality is that all 11 of my plums are GONE

alright Grail of Life don't fail me now

GOD OF COURSE SHE'D TARGET PARTITIO WHO HAS THE FUCKING DIFFUSE

alright time to stall

AAAAA THERION'S DOWN THANK FUCK

AIGHT SEE YA PRIM

CYRUS DOWN. STAY DOWN.

H'AAN LEFT ALRIGHT COME AND FUCK ME UP PHASE 3

what

what the fuck

i get ophilia and the aelfric thing but what the fuck happened here

NO FUCKING WAY THERION JUST STOLE OUR EX MOVES

GODDAMNIT TEMENOS IS USELESS NOW

GODDAMNIT TEMENOS IS EVEN MORE USELESS NOW AKSJA PRIMROSE STOP TAKING HIM

oh my god what do you mean H'aanit can also Provoke all

LINDE PHYSICAL PURSUIT I'M IN HELL

and Cyrus has. delayed attacks.

…good thing i never lasted long enough to figure out if that thing 1-hit KOs JESUS

[incorrectoctopathtravelerquotes]

Therion: Everytime I hear someone talking about updog, I’m torn between not wanting to fall for it and wanting to help them complete their joke.

Alfyn: Okay, but what is updog? 

Primrose: Updog is a long sausage in a bun, often served with ketchup, mustard, onions, and/or relish.

Tressa: Not, that’s a hot dog. An updog is when a new version or patch of an application is released.  

Cyrus: No, that’s an update. You’re thinking of the fourth largest city in Sweden. 

Ophilia: Surely, that’s Uppsala, where’s updog is the giant spider in Harry Potter. 

Therion: That’s Aragog. Updog is a symbol conventionally used for an arbitrarily small number in analysis proofs. 

Tressa: You’re thinking of epsilon. Updog is an upward-moving air current. 

Primrose: No, that’s an updraft. An updog is the modern version of a henway. 

Alfyn: What’s a henway?? 

Therion: Oh, about five pounds.

[body-diversity-for-solista]

Hi, I just found your blog and got a little overexcited about the possibilities. Sorry if this is a lot, I just like going on about ideas I have and I don't expect you to do all of them, if anything please just think of these as suggestions / inspiration for if you want to draw any of them. :)

Younger characters (i.e. Tressa, Agnea, Crick) with acne? (Or older characters too, I just would like to see more characters in fiction with acne because it feels like they're always drawn with perfect skin.)

Alfyn with scarring on his face/hands (Castti has scarring from the poison rain, why not have Alfyn have scarring from the illness he had as a kid)?

Therion with a wheelchair/cane/other means of helping him get around? I find it a little hard to believe that he has NO lasting damage from that fall, I imagine it's not impossible for his legs to have gotten messed up or for him to have been partially paralysed.

Ort if he had to leave the Sanctum Knights post-story (even temporarily) due to injuries -- scarred maybe, and/or using a cane or wheelchair? It bothers me that he was the only survivor and was hit full force near the end there, and the game didn't go back to him after the fight, you just find out later if you go to the cathedral that "oh actually he's fine now."

Thank you so much for the requests! I don’t remember exactly what symptoms Alfyn’s disease was said to cause besides coughing blood, so I just made up some marks I thought looked cool.

I 100% agree with your point about Therion, it makes sense that he would have been permanently injured in some way from his fall. But also Ort absolutely deserved a recovery period or at least acknowledgement of his injuries. (I love how before the boss fight Temenos is all “😱! I’ll come back for you, just stay alive until then!” and then the chapter just ends. like oh yeah. totally forgot about that guy.)

[sly-s-n0nfusion]

Octopath fandom I need your help

Does anybody remember this super old fanart of the travelers at the bottom with their arms raised ready to catch Therion as he’s falling

It had a white background and this is the only hint I have because I had it as my chat background

If someone finds it and/or the artists please tell me 🥺 it’s so good I wanted to make a fanart of it

[moqi2004]

Octopath Traveler Shipping in a nutshell

Add your own in the replies/tags cause I might have missed a few.

Ophilia/Cyrus - Ophilia could hold up a sign and Cyrus still wouldn't get the memo that she loves him

Ophilia/Primrose - What if you were holy and a master of light and I was out for revenge and a master of darkness... And we were both girls...

Ophilia/Therion - I don't believe I deserve you but you're the light of my life and yet we're so different and yet you see me for the good I can't take all these positive emotions

Cyrus/Olberic - D I L F S

Cyrus/Therion - These shippers are strong members of the "fuck Darius club", and also really like twinks

Cyrus/Odette - School shenanigan friends reuniting with each other years after their time at school together ended and then realising they were in love all along

Tressa/Therion - I could fix him! Oh wait shit I made him worse

Tressa/Ali - Rivals to lovers is the best trope

Tressa/Noa - omg her tales opened her eyes omg it's like a Disney movie-

Tressa/Ali/Noa - Sheltered princess gets to see the world thanks to her two chaotic merchants. Now they're getting married

Olberic/Erhardt - Obsessed with their story and omg the tragedy... But the truth is simply D I L F S

Primrose/Alfyn - Lost noble with tragic past meets kind as fuck cinnamon roll and now her heart has been thawed

Primrose/H'aanit - Fem and butch lesbian power couple who can and will kill you

Primrose/Yusufa - Yusufa's death was tragic and there are many who wondered what might have been if she lived

Alfyn/Therion - I know I cannot fix him but I can see he is great and I can help him to love who he is and become the best him he can be... Also with fans very proudly in the "Fuck Darius club"

Alfyn/Zeph - Childhood friends to lovers is the best trope.

Cyrus/Alfyn - book smart/street smart brainy dumbasses that come from different monetary backgrounds and kiss

Cecily/Olberic - You want big strong man to lift Cecily up

Cecily/Odette - You want big strong woman to lift Cecily up

Darius/Therion - A member of the Darius Support club. Believes he is misunderstood and simply needs several years of therapy.

Darius/Miguel - Whether you ship them ironically or unironically, you have no idea whether they'd fix eachother or make eachother worse.

H'aanit/Olberic - These two stoic people with scars over their hearts coming together to hold hands. The power couple who can and will kill you if you mess with anything they care about.

Simeon/Mattias - Gaslighting Gatekeeping Girlbosses stay winning :)

[calidrisminuta]

Botany of Orsterra (From CotC)

The list of foods and cuisines is proving really useful in my writing, so I thought I'd do the same with the plantlife of CotC's Orsterra, too. I'm missing quite a few because I can't review certain Traveller Stories, but I've got a few from notes and the like, and there's a fair bit from NPC dialogue in the various towns.

This is very much a work in progress!

There isn't as much as I thought there would be, since I was only wanting to include Orsterran-specific plants, rather than generic ones like roses or pine trees, unless a specific variety is mentioned in the story.

I haven't checked the memoirs yet either, but I'll be adding to this post every time I find some (or I find Traveller Stories to review on youtube), so thank goodness for the ability to edit here!

Anyway, without further ado, the list:

M = Medicinal B = Botanical E = Edible

Various: Blue Hydrangea {Master of Fame}, Crimson Devilbloom (M) {Ashlan's Tale} A presently illegal medicinal herb, and no-one knows where it grows, although it's been studied in Atlasdam so it may originate there. Thanks to @hazelgatoya for that one! Also, thanks to @theynanigans again for finding the mention in Isla's letters, too: "Day 361: Crimson Devilbloom - "The sickly secretions of that plant cause thinking to take meow-mentous ef-fur-t."

Theatropolis: Lapisleaf (B) {Eunice’s Tale}. Contains a pigment that creates a vivid blue, used in painting. (Edited to add) According to Isla: “When the nectar of these flowers is mixed with pigment, it changes into a striking blue colour. This was a closely guarded secret among painters of old, but researchers eventually discovered this characteristic fur the whole world to know.”

Theatroshroom (E) {??Can’t remember where this one came from??} Apparently, they're very tasty. Edited to add - they're from Adelle's Tale. Thank you, @theynanigans!

Atlasdam: None mentioned.

Rippletide: None mentioned.

Grandport: Quatrait blooms (NPC Woman from Quaragosa) (E) Apparently this can be stewed with fish to create a tasty dish.

Emberglow: Embershrooms (E), used in a variety of dishes. Frostfern (M) {Miles’ Tale}, a compound for a remedy used by the Knights Ardante. Snow Crystals (B) {Sofia’s Tale}, Grace Mushrooms (M) {Rodion’s Tale}, the spores of which are used in a remedy. Cave Mint (M) (E) {Shelby’s Tale}. Shelby's favourite herb, and apparently it can be brewed into a tasty tea. More info from Isla's Letters again: "Day 286: Cave Mint - "Do you know which herb can grow in even the darkest caves, and is useful as an ingredient in both food and medicine? Why, it's cave mint, of course! Hmm… I think next time I have afternoon tea with my cait fur-ends, I'll use cave mint to make tea." Thanks to Theynanigans for finding this!

Frostlands: Züsbaum (E), Per one of Isla’s letters, it grows in the Frostlands and its leaves have a sweet flavour. A tea made from them has a taste distinct from sugar. Many monsters love them, so picking the leaves is a monumental challenge, but many say it is worth the risk.

Also from the Frostlands: Snowstalks (B), a plant that grows in the plains near Emberglow. By soaking cloth in their sap, it can be used to make clothes that are warmer and better against cold conditions. Soaking cloth in the sap of Snowstalks makes it very soft, and will keep people dry. It’s also Lulu’s favourite.

Cathedral of Tytos: None mentioned.

Cragspear: Adorablooms (B) {Main Story}, Apple Blossoms (M) (B) {Therion’s Tale} Spoilers for Therion's Tale, but IIRC Apple Blossom was used in a perfume that helped to control/charm people. Might have different properties in Orsterra.

Valore: White Grape Blossoms (B) {Main Story} A flower sold in Valore, and of great significance to Bargello. Has no medicinal properties that we know of. Wyrmwood (M) {Millard's Tale}, a plant that grows around Valore, and is used in medicine.

Also Valore: Vermiliweed Blossom (B) Features in the main story. "A flower that flourishes in the Woodlands. Contrary to its adorable appearance, it is poisonous and used to hunt wild boars."

Sufrataljah: Drizzleshrooms (M) {Soleil’s Tale}, King Cactus Meat (M) {Soleil’s Tale} Both used in remedies. Drizzleshrooms were boiled with something by a Sunshade tribe to create a remedy, and King Cactus meat is bitter but can bring down Desert Fever.

Victors Hollow: None mentioned.

Sunshade: None mentioned.

Shepherds Rock: Nothing in the area is poisonous, according to Merrit's Tale. Antidock grass grows in the Highlands, and is medicinal (used to make antidotes for poisons.) Also known as Noxroot in other areas of Orsterra. Ephemera is a plant with distinct leaf patterns and purple flowers, and the use is medicinal. (powder from the stems can be used in first aid, and it can be dissolved in hot water to make a cold remedy.) Info again from the wonderful @hazelgatoya!

Flamesgrace: None mentioned.

Berecain: None mentioned.

I’cirlo: Panacea Herb (M) (E) {Former Edoras Ambassador}

Clearbrook: Bellflower (M) {Rita’s Tale} Possibly contains different properties in Orsterra, but I need to review Rita's Tale to see if anything different is mentioned. From Isla's Letters: "Day 312: Bellflower - "Have you ever seen an herb with bell-shaped petals blooming by the riverside? Its characteristics change slightly depending where it grows, so only ex-purr-ienced botanists can identify them!" Credit to Theynanigans!

Redleaf Grass (M). {Penny's Tale} Has bright red leaves, and grows along the rivers in Clearbrook. Waterweed (M) {Rita's Tale, but also mentioned in Hayes' Tale}. Grows along the Clearbrook Traverse, and has bright blue petals. Used in medicinal salves. Isla's letter mentions it as well, as something to use if you get hurt. Laurel Seed Oil (M) {Rita's Tale}. Alfyn uses it to take the scent of tallow away from his salve. "Laurel leaves have a pain relieving compound, and the oil made from their seeds can cool down feverish patches," Rita says.

Donescu: None mentioned.

Edit: From Largo's Traveller Story, we have Blue Poppy (B), a flower that is highly attractive to monsters, Slumbersage (M), a plant with a sedative nature, and Sungrass (B), a plant that Shaggy Meeps like to graze on.  From Isla’s letters: Slumbersage is purr-fect for making medicine to help people sleep, but it’s difficult to get the dosage correct, so don’t try without an apothecary present.

SPOILERS! Edit 2, from Miza's Journal in Bestower of All Ch.5: Marisnows (B), Rosettes (B), Scarletseeds (B).

Arte Shrooms (M), from Dorothea’s Traveller Story. When processed, they are both the cause and cure of an illness in Shepherds Rock. They are both tasteless and odourless.

From Cornelia’s Traveler Story: Snowrosea (M), found in the depths of the Cave of Laments. Can be used as a remedy for Frostlung when infused into a tea. Stilldrop (M), "a powerful herb that grows near the village of Stillsnow. A small dose has the power to cure all sorts of illnesses, but frequent use can lead to a condition similar to Frostlung." It has a sweet scent.

River Beans (E) Phaseolus Lunatus - Lima beans!

From Lemaire's Traveler Story: Phantom Flowers. (B) They grow on the North Theatropolis Plains, and appear a dull grey colour until it rains, when they gain a sheen similar to that of a rainbow.

From Ogen's Traveler Story: Mugwort. An actual plant with many uses, from culinary to medicinal.

[spitblaze]

thoughts continue to percolate on Jobswap AU

So, as aforementioned, Therion is a surgeon apothecary who lost faith in himself and his profession after losing a patient who had some significance to him after a preventable accident and then being accosted by the family in his grief. He gave up the whole thing for several years, living in relative isolation close to Bolderfall. Until one day, when a desperate woman shows up at the door and begs for his help. She had heard he was an apothecary with knife skills, and sought him out immediately. Her younger sister, she says, has a giant growth on her neck, and if it doesn't come off soon, it's going to kill her. Other apothecaries have tried, but they all said it was impossible, that it was too difficult to remove it without damaging her wind pipe or major arteries. Or something. Idk. The point is that this situation is really dire and this kid reminds him of the patient he lost so he pulls the scalpel out 'one last time' to save her. She lives, and he remembers why he took up the mantle to start- the purpose of the apothecary. Doing this, he takes his journey.

Chapters two and three are mostly unrelated, basically chapters of Black Jack. Therion goes from town to town, sometimes charging ridiculous amounts of money for surgery, sometimes performing completely free of charge. He saves whoever he can, and those who abuse his abilities for their own gain find themselves with karmic retribution. Throughout the whole thing, though, there's the undercurrent of something worse happening. Another surgeon like him, traveling and charging ridiculous fees. He's a miracle worker, they say- he provides entire new organs when old ones fail, pulls people back from the very brink of death. But when his patients can't pay up, they mysteriously disappear...

Chapter four. Therion meets Darius. Fellow apothecary, wealthy fellow, personal doctor to the Ciannos. He has a proposal for Therion- they go into business, establish their own practice, charge out the nose and turn away all who don't pay. They both have reputations- Therion is the Beast Apothecary, a medic who works so fast and so precise it's almost inhuman, not afraid to use unorthodox methods to achieve his results. Darius is the Miracle Apothecary, a man who can seemingly bring people back from the brink of death with tools and materials nobody else has. The two of them together could do whatever they want, and who would stop them? Therion declines- he prefers the freedom of traveling where he pleases and doing as he wishes. A partnership would complicate things, and put him on more of a leash than he'd like. Besides, he's heard...rumors about what happens to his patients that don't pay up. Darius threatens him and leaves, and Therion investigates later on. Maybe follows some goons from the home of someone who hasn't paid, maybe scopes out Darius's 'hideout' by putting together information given to him by locals. Either way, he gets in, and discovers that Darius has been kidnapping the patients who don't pay up and harvesting their blood and tissue and organs. Horrifying! He fucking kills Darius. Darius tries to give him that 'you're no better than me' schtick but it doesnt work because he's regained his faith! In himself! In his profession! And I'm American so in my head it's a whole criticism of the for-profit healthcare industry!!! FUCK you Darius

Because I like it when stories cross over and it isn't actually a game trying to make sure you can complete all the stories in whatever order you want, Darius is also a major player in Alfyn's story! Alfyn lost his parents to the plague that swept through Clearbrook as a child. He survived thanks to a traveling apothecary, but he had nowhere to go after that ('but what about zeph' idk shh dont worry about it), and ended up turning to a life of petty theft after hitching a ride to Saintsbridge. He joins up with a group of thieves called the Red Hoods, as their newest and youngest member. They're all pretty cool people, somewhere between Robin Hood and Ye Olde Mutual Aid Organization. They look out for themselves and the little guy, steal from the rich, give to the poor, skim a bit off the top.

These guys are his best friends for years, he hones his skills as a thief, learned how the world works and how to help, basically everything he knows he learned from the Red Hoods. All is well until six years before present day, when Alfyn is fifteen. The Red Hoods plan a heist on the Ciannos, a crime family that's been terrorizing locals and hoarding money. Alfyn is briefly held up by helping a kid do something, look for their cat or whatever but makes it to the meeting point in time to see that they were lured into a trap. He peeks from behind a doorway, seeing a red-haired figure laugh about how gullible they were, how trusting and naive they all were for trusting each other. All of his friends are beaten and bloodied, some already dead. One sees him from the doorway and tells him to run, to get out while he still can. To keep the Red Hoods alive. Unable to act, Alfyn flees, only barely evading becoming a victim himself.

Years later he's still saddled with grief and survivor's guilt, thinking that if he had just said no to the kid who asked for help, if he had just taken a different route, if he had just been there to scout ahead, if, if, if. He's carried on the name of the Red Hoods as a one-man gang, unable to bring himself to allow anyone else into his heart that he could just lose in an instant again. He leaves calling cards after robbing the wealthy and unjust blind and redistributing it among the lower class. He does this until he happens to redistribute the wealth from the one family he shouldn't have- the Ravuses. From here it's basically Therion's story, except with Alfyn. You know how it goes. Get the Dragonstones and we'll remove the Blackmail Bracelet.

The end of his story coincides with Therion's story (also thematically appropriate bc im incapable of not giving them a slow burn romance) when they finally confront Darius. Darius comments on how the 'little coward thief' or whatever finally grew a spine, and how he can meet his end like the rest of his little friends. No longer afraid, Alfyn loudly declares that as long as he's alive, the Red Hoods will never die, and in a moment of solidarity, the rest of the party declares that they too are Red Hoods. Its very touching and inspirational and worthy of some Toby Fox music and then they beat the everloving shit out of Darius.

I am aware there are several holes in this story. And to that I say: Don't Worry About It.

[these-detestable-hands]

Slightly long post about parents in octopath 1 and 2. Or, the lack of parents for certain characters. I'm sick and tired and didn't double check any wiki pages for this so idk if any of it is incorrect

For most of the travelers, we know the deal with their parents. The only ones who we don't really hear about are Cyrus, Olberic, Therion, Castti and Osvald.

With Olberic and Therion, you can make an educated guess as to what happened to their parents (Olberic's died during the fall of Hornburg and Therion's are likely also dead)

And then I'm left wondering about the other three.

With Cyrus, we know almost nothing about his life pre story. He worked with Odette 10 years ago but that raises more questions because he was 20???? But just with the main story, you're left wondering if he has family and how they reacted to the pedo rumors. Did they think they were true? Did they see him off when he left Atlasdam?

I think Cyrus should be studied more cause. Man. His story is also very impersonal. Everyone deals with old friends/enemies or has something else deeply personal at stake and then there's Cyrus who did all that basically because he was bored. His story honestly would've worked a little better if he was maybe 10-15 years older but that's another discussion entirely.

Anyway, enough pretending like this post was supposed to be centered around Cyrus, I only mentioned him cause I needed to double check in my head if any ot1 travelers didn't really mention their parents in their stories. Realistically, he just doesn't talk to them very much and the pedo rumors put a strain on their relationship so he decided to just not think about it.

CASTTI AND OSVALD TIME.

Did Castti's parents know any of what was going on? Did they know she traveled Solistia and helped people?? Did they live in Healeaks? Were they apothecaries as well??? But more importantly, did Castti ever even remember them? One interpretation of her story is that because she only went to places she visited with Eir's apothecaries, she only remembers stuff related to them and her brain just never really went "oh crap I had a life outside of my work and buddies".

I think the most realistic answer is probably that she doesn't talk to them :c

Osvald.

Ok listen I don't really have a lot of complex thoughts on this one, mostly just copy pasted from Cyrus but with bigger stuff like "did they believe he killed Rita and Elena?"

LISTEN I need Elena to have grandparents. It's unlikely Rita's parents are alive because sheesh we all saw what happened to Alpates but Osvald is literally just some guy.

How did they react when he went to prison? Would they want to talk to him again after his story? If they disliked him, would they at least still love their granddaughter?? Please just give Elena grandparents who will spoil and take care of her, she deserves to have living family other than Osvald.