#valiant hero ending spoilers

[donamori]

Please indulge me to speak at length about Don Quixote (post Warp Express Intervello)

Unfortunately, this will be riddled with spoilers, however, I'm not necessarily making this post to make any real predictions. I'm mostly just collecting my thoughts, crafting some theories, and talking at length about my thoughts on the upcoming canto, their possible themes, and to gush and wail about my most favoritest sinner ever. If you've finished Murder on the Warp Train then feel free to continue

Alright, end of the most recent Intervello, it was revealed (much to my surprise at least) that Don Quixote, our pride and joy and ever most excellent knight-errant, is in fact a Bloodfiend. A bloodfiend who apparently has their true form suppressed by Rocinante, the shoes Don wears that are named after the steed Don Quixote rides upon in the book.

This new reveal has millions of possibilities forming in my head for the upcoming Canto and here's the gist of what I've kind of formed and gathered from what we know so far in the world of Limbus and Project Moon as a whole, what I personally know about Miguel De Cervantes and his works, and the general thematic ties that are now unfurling within my noggin that I'm trying to spool together in this nice little indulgent post.

Let's start with Miguel De Cervantes:

For those who may not know, Cervantes is the author of Don Quixote, born in 1547, died in 1616. A few important tidbits that I think will be important in the upcoming Canto-

Something that has been known for awhile is that Don's battle sprite does not list her name as Don Quixote but as Miguel. For awhile now I had been wondering if within Don Quixote's Canto we are going to receive some sort of reveal that Don Quixote is actually Miguel De Cervantes. Originally the basis of this theory I had was a quote from Cervantes about how "[he] would not exist without Don Quixote." (Something that was expanded upon in a lecture about Cervantes and Don Quixote that I found on youtube). In fact a large portion of that lecture, which I will link here, contributed to this idea I had built up in my head about the relationship between Miguel and Don.

What this essentially culminates to in my mind is that the Bloodfiend will reveal that they are Miguel, but for some reason or another, they "became" Don Quixote. So, in many loose adaptions of Don Quixote, this connection is typically made. In my personal favorite adaption, The Man of La Mancha, a musical about the book, they present the story of Don Quixote as a play for prisoners after Miguel Cervantes himself is arrested. And who is the man that plays Don? None other than Cervantes himself!

(you should really give it a watch, it's a lovely musical)

Now, within the book of Don Quixote itself, our titular hero sadly perishes at the end. He loses to the Knight of the Mirror (who is actually the Bachelor Sanson Carrasco, a man hired by Don's family to bring him home) and returns home. He then dies in his bed after renouncing the name of Don Quixote and all of his adventures. Saying with much seriousness that he is not Don Quixote, but Alonso Quijana. He leaves money to Sancho and his estate to his niece and then soon passes (after a heartfelt appeal from Sancho to return to adventuring together once more.)

After his death, the book ends with the author who is detailing Don Quixote's history writing this final paragraph-

"For me alone was Don Quixote born, and I for him; it was his to act, mine to write; we two together make but one, notwithstanding and in spite of that pretended Tordesillesque writer who has ventured or would venture with his great, coarse, ill-trimmed ostrich quill to write the achievements of my valiant knight... And I shall remain satisfied, and proud to have been the first who has ever enjoyed the fruit of his writings as fully as he could desire; for my desire has been no other than to deliver over to the detestation of mankind the false and foolish tales of the books of chivalry, which, thanks to that of my true Don Quixote, are even now tottering, and doubtless doomed to fall for ever. Farewell.”

I've paraphrased it a bit, but you get the gist. While the author detailing Don Quixote's history is a fictional author made up by Cervantes, I believe it is a cheeky way of Cervantes to insert himself in the story and express his true feelings here.

Now, with Cervantes and Donqui being one and the same I believe the strong thematic thread tying this all together is one of dreams. It's now known to us this whole time that Don Quixote is in fact, both dream and dreamer. The monster that Don Quixote is sleeps while they allow for their true self to live, ever dreaming. But now that Dream is Ending.

I think we're going to see the 'death' of Don Quixote and some sort of joining of Miguel and Don. I think Miguel wants to keep dreaming. They are a bloodfiend, a horrible monster, one of the more powerful beings that are mentioned in Project Moon's games. But i think that Miguel doesn't want that. I think that Miguel wants to be cured. Something that has never really been done for a bloodfiend, an impossible dream, perhaps?

I think in Don's Canto we're going to see what we see within the book. Miguel/Don's family trying to get him to come back, to stop him, to get him to give up on this silly dream of Knight-Errantry. And I believe Dante will finally be able to help Miguel take the first steps towards realizing this impossible dream.

Some small little thoughts that I've had that i think push this a bit further.

Don Quixote was written by Miguel when he was 50 while he was in prison.

I've been wondering now whether this cell we see Donqui in within her base ego was actually some sort of representation of this. Don Quixote was born while Miguel was locked away. This looming shadow of Rocinante keeping the Sangre De Sancho locked away within this small starry-eyed girl <3

Nothing that I really have any like, evidence for, but based on vibes I think representing the specific sort of Spaniard from this time period as some sort of high class vampire is excellent and really fits thematically as well.

Cervantes has a bunch of quotes about the nature of oneself and death (bloodfiends are undead). Some that I think are quite fitting are :

“A Man Without Honor is Worse than Dead.”

“Take my advice and live for a long, long time. Because the maddest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die.”

“I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose.”

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”

and finally, to conclude this,

“All I know is that while I’m asleep, I’m never afraid, and I have no hopes, no struggles, no glories — and bless the man who invented sleep, a cloak over all human thought, food that drives away hunger, water that banishes thirst, fire that heats up cold, chill that moderates passion, and, finally, universal currency with which all things can be bought, weight and balance that brings the shepherd and the king, the fool and the wise, to the same level. There’s only one bad thing about sleep, as far as I’ve ever heard, and that is that it resembles death, since there’s very little difference between a sleeping man and a corpse.”

If you read this whole thing, thank you for indulging me. I greatly appreciate it.

[littlejuicebox]

A Midwinter Carol / The OneShot

Pairing: Ascended Astarion x F!Reader/Tav

Story navigation: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Summary/Setting: Fifteen years post BG3 / You turned down Astarion's offer and went your own way after the ending of the game and you've just returned to BG. Astarion sees you again for the first time in 15 years and then has a surprise visitor that changes everything for him.

Rating/Warnings: M+ / Gore and Sexual Scenes / Spoilers for the game / Prob OOC Ascended Astarion

Word Count: 3K

Notes: This is 2/5 "Days of Star-mas!" "A Christmas Carol" but make it BG3 Ascended Astarion, of course!

I'm also entering this into the #BG3HolidayFluffle23 challenge under the prompt "new beginnings."

Click here to see my master list.

-----

Fifteen years. The Vampire Ascendent hadn’t seen you in fifteen years, since you’d rejected his offer to become his loyal consort for the final time.

You two couldn’t reconcile your differences. You’d wanted him to trust you, to believe that your love was stronger than any desire for power, that you could remain a mortal or become a true vampire like him and still remain loyal. You didn’t want to be a spawn. You’d considered his offer a great disrespect, and ultimately, his changed behavior had driven you away.

“You’re nothing like the man I fell in love with anymore. I don’t know who you are.”

Your words had stung, though he’d never admit it.

It had been an awful, messy, seething breakup, to be sure… and the Vampire Lord almost turned you against your will anyway. But at the time, Astarion’s soft spot for you had reigned supreme, and he still thought himself better than Cazador and above such things. So, against his own wishes, he’d let you go.

Last the Vampire Ascendent heard of your movements, you were somewhere along the Sword Coast, playing valiant hero once again. So, when he walked into Duke Ravengard’s Midwinter Gala with some pretty little thing on his arm that he’d picked up for the occasion and would likely drain of blood and dispose of later, he was flabbergasted to see you sitting at the high table. Right. Next. To. Wyll.

Fifteen years and it still felt like the greatest betrayal, as if you’d staked him through the heart in that moment. It took every ounce of The Vampire Lord’s control to not to turn into a cloud of smoke and break The Duke’s neck then and there. Oh, but how desperately he wanted to.

But he couldn’t risk such a spectacle… many of his dealings were hanging tenuously as it was, and creating a power vacuum in the city was just as bad for him as it would be for those against him. No, Wyll helped to maintain the balance… and generally tolerated Astarion with some level of old-ties respect. They had an agreement: the pale elf would keep his business private and primarily drink from criminals, and Wyll would turn a relatively blind eye. So no, as much as he wanted to, Astarion couldn’t afford such a loss of control.

The Vampire Ascendent watched as you walked about the room with Duke Ravengard, hanging on his arm like a prize and chatting with nobles and old contacts. Astarion’s date — what was their name again? — tried more than once to steal his attentions away, but resigned themselves to drinking heavily and dancing with several other guests. The Vampire Ascendant watched you join the dance floor with The Duke and his blood boiled at the sight; he even bent the stem of his golden goblet while witnessing the vile scene.

No. Absolutely not. This wouldn’t do. Astarion had to do something, had to interrupt whatever game this was. How dare you and Wyll disrespect him like this! So, he stood and abruptly crossed the dance floor, the other guests parting like the Red Sea before him in their shock. Lord Ancunin never made his way to the dance floor for anyone.

“May I interrupt and have this next dance?” The Vampire Ascendent’s voice is honeyed and saccharine as the music pauses and the band readies for their next ballad. Everyone around the room is clapping politely. A gentleman’s smile is plastered across the elf’s lips, but it doesn’t meet his eyes, as he extends his pale hand to you.

Wyll bristles and turns to look at you, and there’s a moment of silent communication between two sets of eyes that must know one another quite well, because Astarion cannot read their nearly-imperceptible movements. Finally, the Duke relents and passes your hand to the Vampire Lord.

“No funny business, Astarion. My men and I will be watching your every move.” The Duke warns through a benevolent-appearing smile, a warning hand clasped on the vampire’s tensed back, before locking eyes with you once more and then turning and walking toward the high table.

You smile at Astarion, as if it’s just the two of you back in the center of that clearing, draped in moonlight and barren to one another, all those years ago. “It’s good to see you, my old friend.”

Old friend? Old friend? The words make the Vampire Ascendent’s mouth practically fill with bile as he spins you about the room. He can feel the steady beating of your heart and smell that intoxicating, tempting bouquet of blood brimming beneath your skin that he’d never quite forgotten.

You two catch up, to some small extent, as you tell the Vampire Lord about your journeys along the Sword Coast and he tries to impress you with his growing influence and wealth, but before long the song is over and The Duke is, annoyingly, coming back to retrieve his prize. You smile so sweetly at Astarion before you depart that it almost hurts; no one else looks at him with that level of love and kindness… all he ever sees anymore are eyes filled with fear, mistrust, or hate.

“I hope you’re happy, Astarion. Truly. I’m glad to see you looking so well. Now go find the date you came with… they’re owed a dance, I believe.” You press a chaste kiss to his cheek, sending an electric shock through his numb heart. He almost gives into his urges and bites you right there, in front of everyone, claiming his love and his prize. But again, he lets you go, slipping through his fingers like sand through an hourglass as you meander back toward Wyll and continue the festivities.

Astarion can’t take any more of this. He goes to find his date, rips them away from whatever conversation they were having with whatever noble, and swiftly exits the party. Back at the Palace, the poor little thing is used for mindless sex and then for sustenance and then left to be disposed of by one of the staff with nary a thought. The Vampire Lord couldn’t even remember their name.

——-

A week rolls by, and gods what a terrible week it was. Astarion’s grip had weakened on the city after a few poor calls. In his pride, he’d never admit they were his fault, and instead he quickly blamed his advisors and sent them to the dungeons. Furthermore, the meeting he’d hosted today with several of the Guilds had practically blown up in his face as the Guild Leaders came to blows in the middle of the Great Hall. Mortal creatures could be so… overzealous. The entire ordeal was giving him a massive headache. If the Guild Leaders didn’t come to an agreement soon, he would lose his monopoly on the shipping industry.  

The Vampire Lord settles into his bed, alone, after downing several goblets of wine, but sleep does not come to him. He’s awake, staring at the ceiling, and all he can think about is you. Gods, he thought he’d moved past all this. But as he remembers your face, your nights together, the way your body felt on his… he feels his erection growing. Astarion is about to stick his hand inside his trousers to provide himself with some relief when a familiar, annoying voice travels through the room.

“I’ve been watching you, Astarion.”

Fucking Gale. The fucking God of Ambition. The Vampire Lord shoots up in bed and sees the silvery form of his former campmate standing at the foot of it.

“What in the hells, Gale! A God and still an absolute pervert, I see.”

The God ignores Astarion, moving to sit his ethereal form on the edge of the bed. The Vampire Lord wrinkles his nose and pulls his legs as far away from Gale as he can.

The God sighs, “Astarion, you’ve rejected my help before, and the strides you’ve made within the city are falling… it’s beginning to seem that you are headed down a path you are not going to be able to return from. A few more bad calls and you won’t come back from it. You are wasting your potential because you refuse to become the master of your own ambition rather than a slave to it. I’m beginning to wonder… is this what you truly want? I can see many lifetimes of yours, with many choices you’ve made along the way, and I’m sorry to tell you this lifetime seems to be the most miserable.”

Astarion scoffs. The fact that Gale is the only prior friend that keeps in touch with him, albeit for his own peculiar reasons, is a sad fact that the Vampire Lord refuses to acknowledge. He’d pushed everyone else away years ago. The only other person he ever saw was The Duke at obligatory balls, galas, and political events… and obviously the last time had been less than fulfilling. But loneliness resided deep in the Vampire Lord’s heart, hidden away from even his own acknowledgement, so although Gale had always been his least favorite, the pale elf still engaged in conversation.

“What do you mean by that? That you can see several of my lifetimes? I find it difficult to believe that this is the worst. Surely there is a lifetime in which I’m still under Cazador’s control.”

The God of Ambition considers this, and then turns and looks off into the distance, as if he’s examining something Astarion cannot see. “Hmm. Actually, there is only one lifetime in which that is still ongoing. So yes, that one may be the worst. I stand corrected, this is the second worst. You’re dead in more of them, a spawn in most of them… and your Tav, or some other version of Tav, is in several as a friend or a lover, to both the spawn and ascendant versions of you. You might be surprised to know that in more than one, you and I are coupled… it’s quite interesting.”

Astarion cringes at the thought of being in a relationship with Gale, but chooses to move past the thought and acknowledge the only bit of information he actually cared about, “My Tav is in several of them?”

“Of course. Would you like to see it? Let me take you on a little journey.” Gale holds his hand out the Vampire Lord, and Astarion cannot help but feel the pull of intrigue. Gods… at least this would guarantee a more interesting night than one with his hand spent down his own pants.

The pale elf sighs and extends his hand to the God of Ambition, and just as their fingers brush, he feels himself enveloped in the warmth of the Weave. Light spirals around the two beings and then suddenly, Astarion and Gale are standing outside a tomb. The Vampire Lord hears himself screaming from inside the tomb and feels the panic and shame rising within his own body. This is from his own past, when Cazador locked him up for a year.

“Why the hells have you brought me here, Gale? This isn’t what I asked to see!”

“No… but I thought it might serve as a reminder of where you came from. You seem to have forgotten… and subject others to similar fates and tortures, nowadays.”

Astarion hears the begging and pleading, the scratching on the inside of the tomb, and his gut churns again at the memory. How something that happened years ago, that he’d shoved deep in his mind never to acknowledge again, could still rip such a reaction from an all-powerful Vampire Ascendent, he did not know. The elf felt himself shaking as he was flooded with the emotion of the memory. Had he really turned into an exact replica of his former master? Hadn’t he wanted to be better than Cazador?

“Had enough? Okay, onto the next one.” Gale snaps his fingers, and both beings are pulled through the Weave.

Suddenly they’re standing in The Duke’s parlor room… the vampire had seen the room just a time or two before, during some business negotiation or another. Then he sees you, bursting through the door with one hand on your swollen belly. Gods above and below, were you carrying Wyll’s seed in this one? The thought made his skin crawl and his stomach churn in disgust.

“Hurry, my love! We need to place the presents here for the others.”

Astarion’s eyebrows crinkle as he listens to the voice responding to you from down the hallway, joined in by the giggles of what is clearly a child. “We’re coming, darling. This little imp is just slowing me down a bit!”

And then he sees himself coming through the door with a silver-haired, giggling toddler wrapped around his leg… but it’s not himself. Pink skin, beating heart, a few more years on his face. Mortal… but how?

Mortal Astarion is carrying a bundle of presents that he places on the coffee table in the center of the parlor. The child grins and puts a hand drawn card on top of the small pile of gifts. The card reads: ‘For Uncle Wyll, Auntie Euphemia, and the Ravengard Twins. Love, the Ancunins.”

Astarion feels his pulse thrumming in his ears as the scene plays out. Mortal Astarion envelops you in his arms and plants a kiss on your cheek, before bending down and placing a kiss on your pregnant stomach.

“Let’s go and join the others, shall we? Auntie Shadowheart and Auntie Lae’zel have a gift for you, my little love!” The mortal pale elf cheers, bending down to pick up the drooling toddler.

“Yay, daddy! Go!” The little babe cheers, clapping uncoordinated hands together, causing both this version of you and his mortal self to giggle in adoration. He watches as you take this version of him by the hand and exit the parlor, headed towards a clamor of conversation filled with several familiar voices. The Vampire Lord tries to follow the little family, desperate to see how the scene continues, but he’s ripped from the scene and thrown back into the Weave with Gale.

“I wasn’t finished!” The Ascendent Vampire shouts in frustration, running his hands through curled hair.

Gale simply sighs and shakes his head at Astarion, before settling onto another scene entirely.

In this one, you are a vampire. Not a vampire spawn, a true vampire. Astarion watches as you don your dress, unabashedly taking in the familiar curves of your body before they’re covered up, and then turns to see himself entering through the bedchamber door.

“My treasure, we’ve done it! We’ve secured educational and apprenticeship programs for the orphans from the Guilds as a show of good faith for our support and protection.”

Your vampire self runs to this better version of Ascendant Astarion, enveloping him in a shockingly passionate kiss. It was enough to make even the Vampire Lord’s skin run hot as he imagined what it would feel like to have you on him like that again.

“I’ve just put on my clothes, my love.” You murmur, voice coy, as you slowly drop your shoulder out of the gown and focus on your Astarion. “But perhaps you won’t mind helping me back out of them… I think that announcement is cause for a bit of… celebration.”

The scene quickly devolves into something overwhelmingly hot and heavy. The Vampire Lord feels himself tingle with desire as he watches everything unfold. Just as the other version of Astarion is about to plunge himself into the vampire version of Tav, the Weave swirls around Gale and Astarion once more.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The Vampire Lord hisses as he glares at The God of Ambition.

“I know… steamy, right?” Gale responds, with a small chuckle. “Onto our final scene… this one is your… unfortunate future, if you continue down your same path, I’m afraid.”

The Vampire Ascendent soon sets his eyes on possibly the most gut-wrenching scene he could ever imagine. There you are, standing before him, holding a stake that’s driven straight through his heart. Blood pools around the wound. He’s trying to reach for you, to touch your face, to choke out something he cannot say. And then he’s gone, slumped on the floor, as you hold him in your arms and let out a bloodcurdling wail.  

The crying goes on forever. Your body is wracking with sobs as you turn the corpse onto its back and throw yourself over it, almost desperate to have his body close to yours. After what feels like an eternity, your trembling hands come to his face, and you plant a surprisingly tender kiss on his lips. Astarion notices, with some level of shock, bleeding wounds along your arms and neck. Some bites, some blade slashes… had he really been the one to do that to you?

“I really loved you, you know, Astarion… I wish it hadn’t come to this. How dare you kill The Duke and throw the city into upheaval! My city! Our city!

There was nothing between Wyll and me. Just two old friends, catching up… I’d wanted to be back home, I’d fled from my city for fifteen years after what happened between us. Wyll offered me a soft place to land and a kind transition back into society.

I was sure everything would be okay after all this time. That we could at least talk. It had been fifteen years! But you didn’t come to speak to me, you ignored my scrolls, and then—why?!”

The sobbing returned, and you were slamming shaking fists into the corpse version of himself over and over and over and over.

The Vampire Lord sucked in a breath and turned back to the God, “I’ve seen enough, Gale! Take me home right now.”

“As you wish.” The God of Ambition murmurs, and with a snap of his fingers, Astarion is back in his bed in the Palace.

“So?” Gale asks, lifting himself from where he is still sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I need to talk to Tav… I need to speak with her. Tomorrow.” The Vampire Lord murmurs, his head still reeling from everything he saw. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. What would he even say to you, after all this time?

“I would agree. It's far past time for you to pursue a new beginning, Astarion." The God responds as the Weave starts to swirl around him in bright flares of azure, “Oh... and Astarion? I know we were once friends, if you could really call us that… but don’t think this little show and tell was for free. I’ll be asking something of you, when the time comes.”

The Vampire Lord nods. Of course. It could never be that simple, could it? And just like that, Gale disappears in a spray of light, and Astarion is left alone once more.

No. It could never be that simple. The only simple truth in Astarion’s life was this: you were and would always be his saving grace.

——-

Story navigation: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

[ifuckingloveryoshu]

I said Id keep all murder on the warp express spoilers till 8/31 but. *BIG Spoilers FOR MURDER ON THE WARP TRAIN EXPRESS AND DISTORTION DETECTIVE*

I originally just wanted to make a horny post but here we are now, Don post. And keep in mind, all of this is speculation all hearsay and I have not read Don's book.

I might redesign and just redo my self insert oc for one if Bloodfeinds have a thing with masks and if the Pinky Finger has blood feinds? Its only heavy spectulation on my end given the scrapes and blood on the finer from Ryoshu's art. Unrelated but the mask make me thing about Jojo and the Pillar Men. Uhh, more speculation actually, maybe all Kindred in their culture, take the mantel of another role or face? For Don, its the valiant hero. With blood being part of their image, their goal is extending their influnce.

Go further, maybe the Mask and Rocinante can be related in the roles they want to play. The Barber was mentioned and I heard the original Don took the shaving thing used to collect hair from the barber and used it as a hat. I'm thinking for Casstti at least, the technology of that mask after getting enough blood would make him look all human.

From Distortion Detective Chapters 41 and 42 before they axed the series, here we have:

For context: Moses is talking to an older Bloodfeind in this fancy hotel because she wants Moses to murder her. For one, yeah they do feed on human but their not overtly evil? It's a hidden evil but tame for City standards. Elena was just a big exception but popular enough to give the whole species a bad reputation.

From Distortion Detective, we get the information that Bloodfeinds like keeping their numbers low.

There honestly must be cultural diffrences between blood feind populations of diffrent Districts. Don might actually be an Elder.

Also, it's not a new plot point with a bloodfeind who doesn't conciously know their a blood feind.

So does the Distortion inside bloodfeinds have to be awaken? I have no idea, but Rocinante seems to be Don's anchor.

When we meet another Bloodfeind, perhaps an elder one, it doesn't seem in the norm for Bloodfeinds in general to do giant blood bag and conversion things. This is a very hopeful reading of what can easily get retconed but my guess is Elder Bloodfeinds just drink a little bit and then normally let their victims go. But again, we never found out if this person was reliable or not because Project Moon discontinued Distortion Detective. Elena is an outliar among bloodfeinds and Casstti is put into a warp train as a blood feind, in an enviornment that gives as much blood as you want.

Wherever Casstti's from, he was running away to make his own 'kingdom' because where hes from was awful. He had no idea how the Warp Train would opperate. None of this was planned, everything was incidental.

My theory on the events: Cassetti hides in the freightcar to escape wherever he is from and hes been hiding there eversince to get enough blood to make his mask so he can blend in with the City residents, hide his bloodfeind features, maybe fuse with his mask. But, the bus woke him up and maybe he was spotted by the multi-armed fixers where he feels compelled to make Sasha a Kindred after her helplessness. Then our gang comes and fights him. Yeah. So many things to look forward to. And if the connection of the Barber in Don's story, a one off thing, Cassetti might be coming from P Corp. Two things i've just seen from Lob Corp's Shelter from the 27th of March and the Library Of Ruina Wiki:

We're off for a ride next Canto, that is certain. Thank you to anyone who decides to read this. If anyone else would love to build off this or correct me, that would be heavily appreciated.

[rainbowcarousels]

I wanted to do a seperate post because of people who don't want Rebirth spoilers but the fact that the three friends in LOVELESS really look like the 'children of man' that the Cetra explain the story of Jenova with fascinates me.

As does the fact that the Cetra here kind of look like the Sephiroth clones.

The Cetra spirits tell that humanity were afraid and envied them, likely stoked by the Jenova influence and they fought and died together until they started to fight and die between themselves. They were 'forsaken by fate, abandoned to unquenchable anger and unbearable grief, condemned and driven forth powerless to forestall the coming of our end'. We even see some of the battles between the Cetra, humanity and Jenova play out.

The actual retelling of Jenova's coming is here:

"Long ago, a wound marred the northern lands and to mend it did many venture forth, only to be met with disaster. A deciever that stole the faces of the dead - of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers lost. With their voices did it sow the seeds of discord among our people, among the children of man. For the planet did we lay down our lives in battle, and in death, returned to her embrace. Yet our adversary did not. Could not. Thus did it fall into a deep slumber. And in the long silence of its sleep, it was given the name 'Jenova'. Heed well our warning of that which is to come: the reunion. When our adversary's scattered malignancy shall converge to plague the planet once once more. It has been our sacred duty to protect our planet against any who would threaten it. They who came from without were one such threat. The Gi, who with bitter prayer forged the black materia. So foul was the orb's magic that we knew at once it must be hidden, that none might ever weild its terrible power. The black materia shall summon the destroyer of worlds. The meteor shall fall, sundering the skies and shattering the earth. All life shall perish."

There's a lot of key terms there that link through to LOVELESS and this is just another reason why I think LOVELESS is based on something from the era in which Jenova invaded. It provides a lot of interesting background, I guess I had never considered there were in fact full blown battles in the Jenova Take Over vol. one, but it makes total sense there would be. It really adds to the whole 'history doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme' vibe of the entire R-verse.

Finally, there is the version of LOVELESS - or rather, the excerpts, it's clear we're only seeing snippets of a larger story - that we see in Rebirth is known as the G edition. Again, the wording shifts and changes but the core narrative remains the same.

When the end of days is come The Goddess alights from heav'ns above 'Pon those Her blessing She doth bestow True happiness but they shall know To claim Her boon, a valiant three Sally forth, heroes they would be One's life cut short, another slain Naught but a prisoner doth remain Bereft of his wings, he falls from grace Yet venerated is he in Her embrace Now, through the cruel world hath forsaken us all Will our hero ne'ertheless stand tall?

[kiroonsmoon]

Hi Moon!

Mind telling me about your newest rebornverse ocs OvO

This kinda turned into a masterpost ngl. That’s because even the ones you know have changed a lot. The ones you know feel like different characters compared to now so I think some reintroductions are in order too ^^

13.5 spoilers + big oc post below.

Stella “Fate” Aquila (she/her - 16 years old): Interceptor of Forgiveness and the Paragon of Fairytaleverse. Her host is Alain. She’s a fae from a whole another world. She got caught in a dimension portal and was saved by Variya if she agreed to become an interceptor. She had little clue about pokemon when she first arrived but quickly grew. Unknown to her, she’s meant to stop the damages done and left over renegade data by Lucifer after he reset the world. She suffers from visions of renegade but uses these to help her. She can speak to fairy type pokemon.

— important links —

Fate’s Reference Sheet

Why is Fate’s trait ‘Forgiveness’?

Lucifer Nash (he/him - 12 years old): Interceptor of Absolution and Renegade of the Fairytaleverse. His host is Axel. Coming from Aryith and a decesendent of ancient dragon tamers, he was killed by a Sawsbuck when running away from home and picked up as soul by Variya. He is very knowledgeable in dragon type pokemon and runs a dragon sandstorm team. Eventually comes to regret his actions in renegade. Creating Angel, a virus in Zeight, he resets the world and deletes himself. Despite it having not shown up in generations he has the ability to speak to dragon types like his old ancestors could.

— important links —

Hero Farrell (they/them - 18-19 years old): Interceptor of Acceptance (paragon) OR Denial (renegade). Their host is Aevis. Hero is an old Gurafan Volunteer and in fact, they were seen as the person who could’ve saved them all. The Archetype gave them the power of ‘debug’ they can do anything you can with debug, provided they have the energy. This didn’t come without consequences as they became HOH and much much physically weaker. Their power was also unstable. They were to be put into a simulation so they could safely explore their powers. However, Variya saw they were being trained to become a mass weapon. So she tampered with Hero’s pod, leading them to get shocked to death. Later, Variya would use Hero’s soul to replace Aevis. Unfortunately, Hero has no memories of their death and believes Aevium to be the simulation. Not apart of Fairytaleverse unlike everyone else. They vibe alone.

— important links —

Hero’s reference(s)

Hero’s beliefs on life

Altair “Calamity” Aquila (he/him - 32-33 years old): Fate’s older brother and also a fae from the same world. He came to Aevium purposefully in order to look for Fate once he learned what happened to her. He typically uses his illusion magic to hide his fae features from the public. He ran into Clear and Kieran who promised to help him find and save Fate as long as he helped them. Unfortunately he was played and as of the end of karma files he’s been captured alongside Mosely and Reigna. His wings were torn off too, in order to stop him from being able to fight off his former companions. He doesn’t appear in Renegade of the Fairytaleverse. Also, like Fate, he can speak to fairy type pokemon.

— important links —

Sylvester (he/she - unknown age, appears to be in his 30s): A servant of Nymeria and Vitus, created a bit after Kanon. Sylvester was found with Hazuki after the battle under Hiyoshi. However, he had no memories of the events and evacuated Storm 9 with Hazuki and Thomas Sr. Sylvester stayed with Hazuki afterwards, becoming a personal butler to the Blakeory’s. First met in Blacksteeple castle, having also been a victim of Xen’s kidnapping. Though, she’s also apart of the early appearance scene with Hazuki and Lavender. She’s has a Gardevior in Fairytaleverse’s renegade but in Paragon it becomes a Iron Valiant.

— important links —

Sylvester’s Ref

Servant Sylvester (chapter 14)

Rosemary Marsh (they/them - 28 years): Rosemary is the leader of Darchlight Village. They were born in Alamissa Urben and was apart of the friend group with Damien, Alex, Adam, Ryland, Karen and Aurora. However they moved at 13. Their parents are actually the couple who took in Crescent. So they have some history with her, which in turn had gotten them interested in the group upon learning she attacked them from Sylvester. They become the Grass Reserve leader after Flora’s arrest too. They also become the Gym Leader in Fairytaleverse Renegade. Given their role and their relationships with other characters they’re the most aware that something is wrong….In renegade they have a Amonguss and in paragon they have a Brute Bonnet.

— important links —

Aurora Vale (she/her - 28 years old): Aurora is a high ranking Deathwing of Xen with a big love for bird pokemon. She is often put into leadership roles, such as leading the Akuwa abduction. She also often takes it upon herself to help struggling members like Shanon and Eli. Nastasia asked for her help during chapter 14 as well. Which ended awkwardly….as Aurora is childhood friends with the Sashila gang….In renegade she has a Delibird but in paragon she has an Iron Bundle.

— important links —

Aurora’s Family Tree

Angel (its/it - appearance of a 13 year old): Angel is the virus that was created by Lucifer that infects Zeight. It holds all the data of renegade and is protecting it until it’s time. Angel has a secret rift form for when it is attacked. It’s very existence is the major reason for there being so many inconsistencies within Fairytaleverse. It cannot leave Zeight usually, though it can speak to Fate from it and give her visions. In rare cases it can appear when things get especially fucky within the timeline. It’s goal is to guide Fate onto paragon and keep it like that. Angel doesn’t appear in renegade and in paragon Angel replaces Nancy as the administrator.

— important links —

GENERAL FAIRYTALEVERSE LORE.

Fairytaleverse’s Concept.

Fairytaleverse’s interceptors + official saying

Fate and Calamity’s original world

Fae Culture Context (names)

[creepercraftguy]

OMORI - Voice Actor Headcanons.

While I haven’t exactly finished this game yet, I am close enough to the end and have met basically all the characters, so I think it’s time I got around to doing my good ol’ series of VA headcanons for a game that either doesn’t have one, or doesn’t have an English Dub.

This time we’re doing Omori, a game I started playing at the beginning of this year and have fallen in love with very very quickly. I’ve been through a very painful time of my life recently and this game helped me work through it letting me know that it doesn’t matter how I grieve, just that any way I can is correct. 

And the way the characters work together in the game is also incredible, and I was eagerly awaiting to get to the point that I’m at so I could do a VA headcanons section for this. So before we get started, let me once again go two things.

This is NOT CANON. These are HEADCANONS and are unofficial. It’s just a hypothetical situation. If the characters were voiced, this is who I imagine would voice them.

Every major character in the games is included here, so there are HEAVY SPOILERS for the game’s main storylines. DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED THE GAME OR DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED.

Without further ado, let’s get into this.

Omori/Sunny - MILES LUNA

Also Voiced:

Jeane Arc (RWBY)

Migas Garza (gen:LOCK)

David (Camp Camp)

Cliffjumper (Transformers: War for Cybertron)

Kel - JOHNNY YOUNG BOSCH

Also Voiced:

Yu Narukami (Persona 4)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

Hajime Hinata (Danganronpa 2)

Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Izaya Orihara (Durarara)

Aubrey - MAE WHITMAN

Also Voiced:

Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Amity Blight (The Owl House)

Tinker Bell (Tinker Bell series)

Yuffie Kisaragi (Kingdom Hearts)

Batgirl (DC Super Hero Girls)

Hero - KYLE HEBERT

Also Voiced:

Son Gohan (Dragon Ball)

Fatgum (My Hero Academia)

Kaito Momota (Danganronpa V3)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

Kamina (Gurren Lagann)

Basil - JUSTIN BRINER

Also Voiced:

Izuku Midoriya/Deku (My Hero Academia)

Ryota Mitarai (Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy)

Clanne (Fire Emblem Engage)

Alfonso San Valiante (Garo)

Mikaela Hyakuya (Seraph of the End)

Mari - AMANDA WINN LEE

Also Voiced:

Yukiko Amagi (Persona 4)

Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Magnolia Arch (Bravely Second: End Layer)

Yoshino Haruzawa (Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked)

Heather Mason (Silent Hill HD Collection)

Kim/Berly - ERIKA LINDBECK

Also Voiced: 

Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Celica (Fire Emblem)

Milady (Soul Hackers 2)

Cheelai (Dragon Ball)

Jessie (Final Fantasy 7 Remake)

Vance/Van - CRAWFORD WILSON

Also Voiced:

Beat (The World Ends With You)

Jet (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Sagi (Baten Kaitos Original)

Robin/Dick Grayson (Batman: The Brave and the Bold)

Angel - GRIFFIN BURNS

Also Voiced:

Tartaglia/Childe (Genshin Impact)

Cyril (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Kaito Kid (Detective Conan)

Doppio (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)

Muichiro Tokito (Demon Slayer)

Mikal/Mikhael/The Maverick - ARIN HANSON

Also Voiced:

Snaggleback (The Owl House)

X (Omega Strikers)

Scott (Monster Prom)

Gateux (Mighty Magiswords)

Mancubus Bloodtooth (Borderlands 3)

Charlene - ASHELY BISKI

Also Voiced:

Layla (Genshin Impact)

Minato Shishiuchi (PuraOre! Pride of Orange)

Amy (Project “Gemini”)

Juliet (The Nutty Boy)

Captain Spaceboy - YURI LOWENTHAL

Also Voiced: 

Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)

Yosuke Hanamura (Persona 4)

Suzaku Kururugi (Code Geass)

Marth (Fire Emblem)

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (multiple)

Pluto - PATRICK SEITZ (who else?)

Also Voiced:

Dio Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)

Franky (One Piece)

Endeavour (My Hero Academia)

Ragna the Bloodegdge (Blazblue series)

Sweetheart - ASHLEY TISDALE

Also Voiced:

Candace Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

Stealth Elf (Skylanders)

Sabrina Spellman (Sabrina: The Teenage Witch)

Camille Leon (Kim Possible)

Mr Jawsum - SUNGWON CHO

Also Voiced:

Kage (Ousama Ranking)

Tesso (Lost Judgement)

Vaseraga (Granblue Fantasy Versus)

Mustard (Pokemon: Twilight Wings)

Holst Sigeswald Goneril (Fire Emblem: Three Hopes)

Hungry Humphrey - IAN SINCLAIR

Also Voiced:

Brook (One Piece)

Whis (Dragon Ball)

Dandy (Space Dandy)

Yomotsu Hirasaka (Future Diary)

Mezo Shoji/Tentacole (My Hero Academia)

Molly - NATALIE HOOVER

Also Voiced:

Sonia Nevermind (Danganronpa 2)

Tomoyo Daidouji (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Yamada (New Game!)

Elizabetta X (Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun)

Eru Aharen (Aharen is Indecipherable)

Marina - DINA SHERMAN

Also Voiced: 

Yachiru Kusajishi (Bleach)

Diona (Genshin Impact)

Ara (Elsword)

Ayame Oguni (Rurouni Kenshin)

Carbine (Biker Mice from Mars)

Medusa - XANTHE HUYNH

Also Voiced:

Haru Okumura (Persona 5)

Marianne Von Edmund (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Ui Hirasawa (K-On)

Hanayo Koizumi (Love Live)

Kanon Tachibana (NEO: The World Ends With You)

Doughie- JESSICA DICOCO

Also Voiced:

Flame Princess (Adventure Time)

Lynn Loud/Lucy Loud (The Loud House)

Giffany (Gravity Falls)

Turner (Craig of the Creek)

Yukika Saegusa (Fate/Stay Night)

Biscuit - RICO FAJARDO

Also Voiced: 

Mirio Togata/Lemillion (My Hero Academia)

Daryun (The Heroic Legend of Arslan)

Kyosuke Munakata (Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy)

Leon Luis (Garo)

Fu (Dragon Ball)

[heartgirl2020]

Inktober 2023 - Prompt 14: Castle

"Mama! Papa! Come here! Look! I made a sandcastle for you and Uncle Charles!"

And here, we have a character that I’ve been dying to draw for as long as I can remember! Everyone, say hello to Charles Jr., a Henry x Ellie fanchild created by the amazing @cyborg-charles-blog! For those who don't know, this user has an AU centered around the idea of Triple Threat coinciding with Valiant Hero, which later ends with Henry and Ellie having a son and naming him after his late uncle, Charles Calvin (sorry for the potential spoiler). You can find the original comic related to this AU here!

https://www.deviantart.com/mimistarlish/art/If-Triple-Threat-But-Valiant-Hero-Ending-862313212

After looking back at some of their artwork, I remembered how much I loved this AU back in 2021, which led to me choosing Charles Jr. for the 14th prompt, "Castle!" In this drawing, a 6-year-old Charles Jr. is at the beach and has just finished building a sandcastle for his parents, Henry and Ellie, as well as for his late Uncle Charles. I'm very pleased with how this one came out, and I'll definitely make a sequel to this drawing soon. It might even become a drawing for one of the Inktober prompts! Who knows?

Enjoy! 😊💜

[keptalivebymagic]

Thoughts on Holly Black's Valiant

Spoilers below, obviously.

I love that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling where he doesn't turn into a human at the end. But, just like Tithe, it feels like there isn't a tonne of a connection between the two leads to warrant a romance. Ravus saying that Val has carried his heart for a long time is a beautiful sentiment but there's little justification for it in the text.

Lolli

I feel like the text didn't really acknowledge that she straight up killed a cat. There was a single moment of shock but not long after Val tells Ruth something about Lolli being alright for the most part, and Val doesn't really think about the cat thing at all.

Was the cat thing just meant to make me feel less bad when Dave later on assaults her? Because that would be nuts. Was it just meant to highlight how bad an influence Never was on Lolli and Val and the boys? Maybe, but jesus christ.

Val's Growth

I love how Val went from being a self-admitted "sidekick" friend to being the hero for herself and for Ravus. Holly Black is really great at making sure her female protagonists have agency and that they shape their own stories (a notion that should be more of a given in YA fiction than it is), and I appreciate it.

Changes in the 2020 edition

As with Tithe, there's some changes between the original edition (published 2005) and the new edition. I didn't do a thorough read of the 2020 version but I flipped through and looked for some of the stuff I thought might be changed, and I found a couple things.

In the OG edition:

Ruth calls Val a "butch type" who should be better with pain. In the 2020 version, she just calls Val a wuss.

Val's lacrosse captain, Jennifer, calls Ruth a "lesbo". This, and some other bits in the ensuing conflict between Val and Jennifer, are edited out.

Dave is described as having "Asian" eyes when Val first meets him and Lolli.

I imagine there's other stuff too but I didn't feel like doing a second read of the 2020 book after having just finished the 2005 book. I'm sure others have more to add.

Other thoughts

I chuckled at Val considering going to NYU for college. Is it that easy to get into NYU?? Or was it easier in 2005? I'm not sure if Val was said to be a good student in the book but she did miss a month of her senior year so it struck me as amusing that she seemed confident about NYU being an option.

That's all for now. Maybe I'll come up with more things later.

[neonscandal]

⚠️ Spoiler warning, next time you see this emoji, there’s an implied spoiler through chapter 367.

I keep thinking about Izuku "Indomitable Spirit" Midoriya who grew up with an undeterred urge to help people, save people.. even before he ever developed a quirk. His eyes tripled in size the first time he saw All Might on television, just barely a toddler. He learned how to work the computer just to replay clips on days All Might's feats didn't make the news cycle (though they were few and far between). He found his voice and told his mother confidently that he wanted to be a hero. He donned costumes and played "heroes" with his mom because there weren't villains in his mind, just people who needed to be saved.

He never thought he'd find someone who shared as fervently in this dream but he can remember the day he met Katsuki Bakugo, or "Kacchan" just as vividly as the first time All Might flashed upon the screen. Kacchan was a real life hero. He was loud where Izuku could only mutter and had a lion's heart even when Izuku was resigned to cower. He'd even taken on upperclassmen once when Izuku could only look on from behind a tree. If Izuku was going to be #1, then he'd have Kacchan at his side or, perhaps more likely, vice versa. Who knew who came up with the idea first. One thing for certain, he would follow Kacchan to the ends of the earth and Kacchan would carve that path forward one way or another.

As his classmates began developing their quirks, his excitement never faltered. Even when things began to change between them, subtly. Not Kacchan. He just burned brighter with his quirk, one befitting someone who would one day be a top pro hero. Izuku set arbitrary dates that his quirk would develop by. Days that would pass without fanfare, not even a hint of a burgeoning power. His friends' interest waned as they moved on to hone their own quirks, leaving him behind. He protected the embers of this forlorn wish until a doctor finally and definitively told him otherwise.

Questions about whether he could still be a hero were met with his mother's tears or whispers and sneers from his classmates. Worse yet, was the realization that he couldn't accompany Kacchan to the top anymore though he still tried to be brave like him from time to time. Even in the face of his bullying, Izuku would play a game. "What Would Kacchan Do?", though Kacchan never really caught on. The chasm between them grew and grew.

Kacchan cultivated new friends, new followers and Izuku withdrew into his notes with the faintest hope that, someday soon, his quirk would arrive and set things right between them. After being publicly shamed for still wanting to darken the hallways of UA, whatever remnant of hope was extinguished by the shadow of his idol, All Might, on a rooftop having just been told to take a nosedive. It was enough to finally shelve the desire that he'd pursued ceaselessly since he was just a kid in an All Might onesie.

Growing up without a quirk, he never thought to put time or energy into working out or beefing up. His quirk would supply more than enough power, whatever it was. Moreover, his brain was his greatest muscle, he knew that. But knowing no greater power was coming, no greater purpose, his body finally felt just as worthless as the name he'd "earned". Without a future in mind, he started home and tripped upon a villain attack. The same villain who'd had him in his clutches moments ago. One he'd likely enabled to escape because that's just his worthless luck. Discovering, worse yet, the person struggling against this villain was Kacchan, alone. Seeing no heroes leaping forward and the pained look on Kacchan's face, his worthless body catapulted itself into the fray. Because that's the hero he'd always been. One who may waver when he spoke but who would stand up to bullies anyway, shaking fists and all.

The complete 180 that followed took him by surprise but if All Might, his idol, could see him for his valiant actions, then maybe he could still be a hero. It was strenuous but he threw himself into it. So much so that he was constantly at risk of injury and exhaustion, doubling up on the workout plan. Izuku struggled to keep up with all the spinning plates that would get him into UA but he obsessed realizing that the gap that he never thought would close was now perfectly within sight. He knew that now, he'd stand shoulder to shoulder with Kacchan if he had One for All.

Things progressed quickly, like, so quickly his limbs might've blown off but he didn't give it much thought as he entered UA alongside Kacchan. Afterall, he was so far behind, he had to do whatever it took to catch up. Bones will mend. His classmates had ten years to master their quirk, he'd had a few cautious days and things were finally falling into place as they had once planned. Even if he did have to keep some things secret. He was met with Kacchan's persisting animosity without a means to explain but knew it would be worth it when they're standing at the top. Together. All Might assured him this secrecy, that which kept him alienated from his mother, his classmates, his other teachers, from Kacchan... it's what's best.

His first brush with villains doesn't fit into the "heroes" game he was used to playing. Homicidal bloodlust toward someone who stands for Peace and justice, it didn't make sense. Moreso, they infiltrated sanctified space, shaking the collective confidence of his community. He bore witness to their villainous ruthlessness and, in recovering from that assault (and countless others), reconciled the fact that he needed to understand hero society beyond the theoretical way of a fanboy while being pressured to make a statement. Make an impression. Plagued to be someone worthy of All Might's power while never quite being worthy of the truth of it. All while trying to overcome his worthlessness.

He sacrificed self and limb countless times, thinking martyrdom was the only way to measure up to the might of All Might. Bearing the burden of his unknown power as it continued to grow like a dark cloud above him. Eking the truth out of All Might while wondering why he didn't deserve the whole truth in the first place. Shackled by his need to imitate All Might while also shouldering the weight of his idolatry as the reality of All Might fell further from his idealization. Chasing after a pipedream without fully understanding the complexity of it. Slowly, he found that the more he extricated himself from All Might, the more he found himself. He realized his place as a link in a chain, fated but found his own path even as the secrecy of it drew him further from the people he loved.

One thing that remained constant, even as he evolved as a hero in training - he could never bring himself to stop looking to Kacchan. Yet the traction he found as he came into his own only drove Kacchan further away where he thought they’d finally stand together. Kacchan was a cynosure that continued to push him away which came to a head when All Might was driven into retirement.

⚠️ It was a reckoning that brought a forced intimacy, a secret borne of necessity. It bred a more honest rivalry that, at times, still felt like kids competing on a playground. Before he could truly enjoy this shift in dynamic, the unavoidable bulls eye that goes hand in hand with being an OFA holder fell squarely upon his shoulders at Kacchan's expense. He learned all too well that it was too dangerous to keep anyone close which further espoused the idea that he had to be a martyr to keep everyone else safe. He thought the only way forward was alone.

He became acquainted with the shadows, helping civilians as the world around him became unrecognizable. Worked himself bloody while being condemned by those he saved. Not a stranger to being a pariah, it wore on his spirit, the pain he endured if only to spare others. Evenso, he tried to reason and rehabilitate the villains he came across. He believed that there was a better way even in the face of abject evil. He'd seen the thin line between villain and hero time and time again and knew that change was possible, even if he had to die for it. Even after he was betrayed, he still found it in his heart and made a path forward for others to forgive, to welcome.

Resolute to finish the final act in the All For One vs One For All saga, a tapestry of manipulation and lives stolen, he took to the battlefield with Kacchan at his side. Finally. But, if Izuku's life had taught him anything, it was that things seldom went according to plan. So when he finally arrives to the floating cage, having been sidetracked (and perhaps influenced) by the wanton heart of Toga Himiko... this is the boy who sees his person, the other half of his dream laying in a pool of his own blood. Right next to the All Might trading card they'd both coveted and, in an unlikely turn of events, received at the same time, cementing their friendship.

It's enough to make him forsake his resolve and question what transgressions can truly be forgiven.

This is more or less an answer to this post and a roundabout apology to @dekuchannnn for assuming the worst on this post because of course it won't end like that.. probably.

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (Pink Carnation #5) Author: Lauren Willig Genres: romance, historical, Regency romance, adventure Content/Trigger Warnings: period-accurate misogyny, depictions of mental health issues, depictions of period-accurate mental health treatments, references to childhood neglect Summary (from publisher’s website): After years abroad, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, has returned to England to avenge the murder of his mentor. To uncover the murderer’s identity, he must infiltrate the infamous, secret Hellfire Club. But the Duke has no idea that an even more difficult challenge awaits him-in a mistaken, romantic-minded young lady. Charlotte Lansdowne wistfully remembers the Robert of her childhood as a valiant hero among men. Too aware of his own flaws, Robert tries to dissuade Charlotte from her delusions, even as he finds himself drawn to her. When Charlotte takes up a bit of espionage-investigating a plot to kidnap the King-Robert soon realizes that she is more than the perfect partner in crime. Caught in a dangerous game full of deadly spies and secret rites, Robert and Charlotte must work together to reveal the villain…and confront their true love. Buy Here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-temptation-of-the-night-jasmine-lauren-willig/11098348 Spoiler-Free Review: Thus far in the course of my reread of this series, I’ve generally compared my previous experience of the book from when I first read it, to my current experience as I’ve read it now 10-plus years down the line. And so far, what’s happened is that the book in question has either lived up to my memory of it, or (as in the case of the previous two books, but especially in the case of the Deception of the Emerald Ring) failed to live up to that experience. But in the case of this book, I’m going to have to say that my current experience of it actually exceeds my previous experience. I remember being entertained by Charlotte and Robert’s romance, but not liking it as much as Letty and Geoffrey’s. Now, though, I think I might actually like Charlotte and Robert’s romance more than Letty and Geoffrey’s, mostly because I thoroughly enjoyed ups and downs of their dynamic - in particular, the way Charlotte deals with her disillusionment regarding Robert, and how they resolve that in the end. It was clearly painful, but I really enjoyed how Charlotte negotiated that pain and came out all the stronger for it at the end. As for Robert, I found him interesting because he was so different from the previous four male leads. The way he thinks of the nobility and their habits and pursuits are very different from the way Richard, Miles, Geoffrey, and Lord Vaughn think about it, and it was really rather refreshing to get another perspective on that whole thing. His own concerns regarding the relationship he has with his family and his title are also interesting to read about, mostly because of how conflicted he is about both. Speaking of family, I realize that in today’s online climate, the whole thing about Robert and Charlotte being cousins may lead to some rather...LOUD displays of scandalized horror from certain quarters. So to make things clear: it’s laid out in the first chapter that Charlotte and Robert are VERY distantly related, so their romance is rather like two people from a small town occupied by a handful of families getting together and settling down. Secondly, such marriages were common amongst the nobility from many cultures around the world as a means of consolidating and holding on to money, property, and power. Hell, in many cases the consanguinity would be MUCH closer than the very distant relationship Charlotte and Robert have, with first cousins oftentimes being viewed as acceptable for such marriages. It might not be right, but the fact remains that such marriages were practiced in the past, they were practiced during the Regency, and continue to be practiced today. (If you’re interested in how such marriages can go awry across the generations, then look into the Habsburgs, whose family tree - and the consequent health concerns - make for morbidly fascinating reading.) Additionally, this book dips into something that not of novels set during the Regency look at: King George II’s mental health. I won’t get into that too much because of spoilers, but suffice to say that there’s a reason why this specific period in time is so often called the “Regency”, and George II’s mental health had much to do with it. This novel also gives readers a glimpse into how mental health conditions were treated, and it puts into perspective just how VERY far we’ve come in the 21st century when it comes to mental health treatment. Makes me damn thankful too. So overall, this reread was a lovely ride - one that I think is better than the previous novels thus far, and ranks higher than Deception of the Emerald Ring, which was my favorite up until this point. Here’s to hoping the next one’s not so bad - though I’m also setting my expectations low because it takes place in British-occupied India. Rating: five jasmine flowers

[ofsvnlightt]

Was that [SARAH DREW]? Oh no no, that was just [KEYLETH], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [CRITICAL ROLE]. They are [54 / LOOKS 26] years old, use [SHE/HER], and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

spoilers for campaign 1 below

this is going to be a looong one (like my other cr intros....possibly longer i think?) (sorry) so if you’re just looking for the washington stuff, it’s at the bottom

keyleth is a character from critical role’s first campaign

she’s played by the lovely marisha ray!

she is a half-elf, and does have slightly pointed ears despite whatever magic brought her here --

 she is a little socially awkward, and often rambles. do not underestimate her though. while she was that much more so before and even during her time with vox machina, she is much more mature now. aside from being a powerful druid, she is the leader of her people, the air ashari, one of four tribes that looks over the veils of their corresponding elemental planes. there’s the air, earth, fire, and water ashari, scattered across exandria. 

her home, zephrah, and terrah (earth ashari) are located on tal’dorei; pyrah, where the fire ashari are located is on issylra; and vesrah, the water ashari, are near the Hespet Archipelago in the ozmit sea, near marquet. 

each of the tribes are sequestered away from civilization, so keyleth had a pretty sheltered upbringing. she was raised with a deep love of nature and the elemental magics. as a young girl, she had a knack for air manipulation and beast shaping abilities. the headmaster at the time, her father, noticed this, and her childhood was quickly stripped away and replaced with spell memorization and other teachings. as she got older, the next step on this path is to embark on and complete her aramente - visiting the other tribes and completing a trial at each one, gaining the respect of the other headmasters, and returning home to become the leader of her own tribe. she is on this journey because years ago, her mother not only didn’t complete it, but never returned, presumed dead.

as keyleth went off, on her own for the first time, she arrives in stilben, meditating on what the aramente means: proving yourself a strong warrior, a valiant protector, and a wise and compassionate leader. she wonders if she can even do this or if she’s worthy of such labels, or eventually the title of voice of the tempest

here, in stillben, keyleth meets a set of twins, and later begins travelling around and taking jobs with a few other strangers. 

this will later become the group known as the shits vox machina

this group consists of 7 members: her, a druid vax’ildan, a half elven rogue vex’ahlia, a half-elven ranger percy, a human gunslinger scanlan, a gnome bard pike, a gnome cleric and grog, a goliath barbarian

SPOILERS START HERE. c1 went from 2015-17, so it’s been over 7 years since it ended, but you know, just in case ;))

events from the campaign will go here

hidden washington info!

How long has your character been in washington: newly arrived Job: unemployed/hero?  Where has your character been pulled from in their fandom: episode 51 of campaign 3 Has magic affected your character: nope! she still has all her memories and druid abilities. also as stated at the beginning of this long post, she does still have her half elven ears. she was not turned human but the magic of dc.  Anything else? keyleth is from campaign 1, but cameos (a few times actually) in campaign 3. that's where i'm taking her from. (< link to the exact moment!)

vox machina has split up and been retired for a while now, everyone going their separate ways. out of all of them, keyleth probably with the most responsibility. being the leader of her people, the air ashari, she in concerned as to why and how she got here. especially considering how she left things during the solstice.

to explain her age: because she’s a level 20 druid, she has timeless body (which she got at level 18) which causes her to age 1 year for every 10. so while campaign three takes place about 30ish years after c1 - making keyleth 54 - she looks only 26.

[the-greatest-plan]

So I finally finished my animatic!

[swanno-arts]

BASED ON THIS POST I MADE ON MY MAIN

VALIANT HERO ALTERNATE ENDING BUT I CANT BRING MYSELF TO FINISH IT BC I HAVE NO STYLUS AND MY HEART HURTS

[nuuneyraegon]

you guys ever think about the fact that the only time we ever see or hear charles lose his cool is when he’s up against the glass of the escape pod to ensure henry’s safety?

good pilots have to be able to remain calm under pressure. that’s how they’re clear-headed enough to make life-or-death decisions if anything goes wrong. if a passenger hears a pilot freaking out, they’re going to panic too, so the people they look to for reassurance and safety HAVE to stay composed no matter how they’re actually feeling inside.

charles is doing the same thing with henry, probably. he’s forcing himself to stay calm once they reestablish contact, because that’s what he has to do. it’s what he’s been trained to do. i imagine he knows he’s going to die, but his first priority, like any good pilot, is the safety and security of the people he’s looking after.

and if that means continuing to talk to henry as calmly and reassuringly as he can no matter the circumstances, that’s what he’s going to do.

[zosonils]

hello henry stickmin fandom

[snzical]

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