#vex brings life to the heroes

[virgils-muse]

I’m gonna start talking more about my Chonny’s Charming Chaos Compendium Hellenic Mythos AU here more because it’s been rotating around my brain. I have a couple of different variations of it so here we go!

Primordial Force Ver: Heart is Selene, Mind is Helios, Soul is either Gaia or Eos, Whole is Chaos. Yes I know that Selene/Helios/Eos aren’t technically considered primordials (they’re considered titans) but Primordial Force sounds better than Titan Force. A solar eclipse is the equivalent to The Shot. Heart/Selene is envious of Mind/Helios because he can shine his own light, while Selene’s light is only a reflection of Helios’s. Mind/Helios is envious of Soul/Gaia/Eos because he can foster living organisms, while Helios is obviously uninhabitable. Soul/Gaia/Eos is envious of Heart/Selene because he wants to be the source of artistic inspiration and appreciated like Selene is. Furthermore, Soul is really pissed at Heart and Mind for the whole eclipse thing because it could’ve blinded some of the earth’s humans, which Soul holds very dear to him. He threatens them, saying if this continues, he’ll give their titles of “Sun/Moon deity” to Apollo and Artemis. More chaos ensues.

Trojan War Ver: Heart takes the place of Hector, Mind takes the place of Achilles, Soul takes the place of Helen, and Whole takes the place of Zeus. Rather than the war starting because of Helen getting kidnapped/running off to Troy (the myth varies depending on who you ask), the war starts because both the Trojans (Heart/Hector) and the Achaeans (Mind/Achilles) want Helen’s favor, as she’s a daughter of Zeus and therefore very powerful and influential. Neither Heart nor Mind started or wanted to be in the war, but by the gods will they finish it. The equivalent to The Shot in this au is Hector killing Patroclus disguised as Achilles. Despite the war that rages on, Soul/Helen is keen on not being controlled by either side, and will end things by force if not listened to. After all, her creator is the king of the gods.

Judgement of Paris Ver: Unlike the other ones, this one is not directly putting HMSW into a Greek myth, but rather taking inspo off a Greek myth and running with it. So therefore, this au takes place in modern times, unlike the other ones which are set in Ancient Greece/Troy. Paris (Whole) is forced to live his life constantly suffering from the brutal arguing of Aphrodite (Heart), Athena (Mind), and Hera (Soul). Each of the three are fighting for control over Paris’s psyche, each of them trying to push Paris into doing their bidding, trying to convince him with argument fueled by pathos/logos/ethos. Idk I haven’t thought this one through much.

Lmk if there’s already existing Hellenic Mythology aus bc I’m not aware of any but I’d love to see some if there are! Also you totally wanna send me asks about these aus

[virgils-muse]

IT IS COMPLETE!! CCCC HELLENIC MYTHOLOGY FIC WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Reblogs are much appreciated hehe

[virgils-muse]

BAHAHADHW LITERALLYYYYY

You know when

[miraluscinia]

do you think you could make a list of which hero is who? sorry it’s just confusing

Yknow, i was planning on revealing them one at a time, but there's 18 characters and i feel like it's gonna take me some time to even begin drawing the next person, so why not reveal it now?

Here's a list of who is who, as well as a bit of info (this is a long one so brace yourselves);

The Architect = Grian

- as already revealed, Grian's power is psychokinesis (which is closely related to, but is not telekinesis). The first part of his poem, "Mind over matter", reveals this but there's more to it than that. His wings are also thought to be part of his powers, but whether or not that's true will be revealed in the actual story i'll write. The character introduction hinted at some things, but I'm not gonna point them out until much later.

(Since I haven't properly introduced the rest of the cast yet, I'll avoid mentioning their powers or any other info. You guys will just have to either wait for their introductions, or take a wild guess. I'll just give you guys some behind the scene of each alias and poem)

Vex = Scar

- I honestly had a hard time coming up with the alias for Scar. Eventually, I settled for Vex because some fans headcanon Scar as a vex hybrid, also because the name means "to bring trouble" or "to annoy by petty provocations", which is close to what I plan for Scar in this AU. Also, his poem "A silver tongue, a voice that sways" not only gives a nod to how he usually swindles people in the life series but it also hints at what his power is.

The Mechanic = Mumbo

- I mean... i think it's kinda obvious the person whose poem says "Where machines are present, his genius stands" is gonna be Mumbo. I think i could've thought of a better alias for Mumbo, but I just couldn't at the time, and I guess this has already stuck so... yeah, Mechanic it is for Mumbo.

Trapline = Impulse

- I haven't really watched Impulse that much so I didn't really know what power to give him. But then I watched one of his build and seek videos and I learned that he's good at redstone, so I decided to make his power have something to do with machines as well. And since we already have Mumbo as the tech guy, I just decided to have Impulse be the trap guy. Hence his poem, "A snare unseen, a trap well laid". The alias Trapline just sounded cool to me.

Scarlet Moon = Pearl

- I mean... i think the alias already gives it away. Anyways, Pearl's alias and power was one of the ones that came easy to me. I wanted her whole theme to still be tied to the moon so... Scarlet Moon it is. As for her powers, the first line of her poem, "Gravity bows to her lunar might", kinda gives it away.

Timekeeper = Bdubs

- I don't know much about Bdubs as well, nor have I watched any of his POV (i found the life series through martyn so i mainly watch his pov), but i've seen fanfics and fanart alike of him having a clock and his moss cloak thingy, so i decided to base his power on that. So the first line of his poem, "Time bends where flowers bloom", gives a nod to that, as well as hint at his powers. Bdubs' powers is one of the things I'm very proud of. His character in this AU is also one of the more complex characters. As for his alias, the public only knows about one part of his powers so I thought, "what would people call someone with that power?", and I came up with Timekeeper.

Blaze = Tango

- I actually feel bad for giving Tango a very basic alias, but i really can't think of anything else. I only really got interested in Tango during Double Life, cuz him with Jimmy is really wholesome. I noticed that fanon is that Tango is a blaze hybrid so I just took that and ran. I also loved his reaction in Double Life to the ranch burning, so the last part of his poem, "Heat and flame, in fury's daze", gives a nod to that as well as his powers. Honestly, most of the characters' poems hint at both their powers and something that reminds me of them.

Phantom = Etho

- Honestly, i don't really remember my exact thought process on why I chose Etho's alias and power to be what they are. I think it was literally because his skin is a character from Naruto, and so i guess I just thought, "Naruto... ninja... invisible, yes, yes." And i said i won't mention the characters' powers but actually, the first line of Etho's poem, "Invisible steps, shadows in tow", already gave it away. And there's more to his powers than that anyways, so I guess it's fine.

Maestro = Ren

- Ren's alias gave me a hard time cuz I couldn't think of something that sounds dramatic enough. I ended up going with Maestro since the word means "a master usually in an art", and since Ren gives such a theater kid vibe, I went with it. Now, I had a bit of trouble with his power, mainly because it's similar to another character's, but I evntually found a way to differentiate the two so it's all good now. I just love Ren and Martyn's dynamic in 3rd Life, and in any interaction they have honestly. Ren's entire poem gives a nod to his dramatic theater kid vibe, but the line "Illusions dance, a show so grand" hints at what I plan for his whole character to be in the AU. And it also parallels the other character with similar powers to Ren.

Fortress = Cleo

- Cleo was one of the harder persons to think of a power and alias for. So i went and looked through videos and fanfics alike to see what i can pick up, and I noticed that in most fanfics I read, Cleo is often depicted as a strong and reliable person, and I can get that vibe in the videos I've seen of them. What really solidified my decision for her power, though, is that one moment in Double Life where she tells Martyn that they're both survivors, and that really stuck to me. As for the alias, the word fortress already gives the impression of strong and formidable, so I went with that. It felt like a weird alias the first few times, but it eventually grew on me, and now I kinda like it. The first line of their poem, "Strong as stone, yet swift to mend", also hints at another part of their power.

Mirage = Martyn

- I love his and Ren's theater kids vibe, and it's one of the reasons why I made their powers to be so similar. The reason for Martyn's power and alias is mostly because he's well known for always sneaking around without being seen most of the time, and being able to get away unseen as well. It's also that one line from Skizz during Secret Life that really cemented the power and alias. Skizz was complementing Martyn's ability to sneak around unnoticed and commented, "I'm honestly only 50% certain that you're standing in front of me." Also, aside from the powers, Ren and Martyn's poems are also very similar in the first part. Whereas Ren's is "Illusions dance", Martyn's first line, "Illusions twist, reality bends", not only hints at what differentiates his powers from Ren, but also references how Martyn likes to gaslight people, especially during Secret Life.

Sanguine = Skizz

- Skizz's alias and power are ones I'm most proud of. Every character's powers mostly have more than one part to it, and Skizz's is one i really like. One part of his power, I got inspiration from a fanfic I read in AO3 called "Wake the Dead" by Kiki_the_kiwi. The other part, i got inspiration from the way I noticed Skizz usually becomes in the life series (which martyn also pointed out during his interview in the Imp & Skizz Podcast). The first line of Skizz's poem, "Blood and battle, strength reborn", references this. As for his alias, it took me a long time to pick. I wanted something that suited his power and his character, and I eventually ended up on Sanguine. While it's not the most cool-sounding name, its meaning actually suits Skizz's character in this AU. Sanguine has two meanings, the first being "someone who is cheery" and the other being "blood" or "bloodthirsty", so... you can probably guess why I chose this alias for Skizz, and it also suits the way his power works.

Fenrir = Joel

- Actually, Joel was the hardest to think of a power for because his chaotic nature in the life series doesn't really leave me with a solid idea. Eventually, I just stuck to his 3rd Life vibe, which involves wolves. Hence the alias Fenrir, which is some sort of wolf Norse god, I'm not really sure, I didn’t research it that much (i also just really like the name). As for his powers, the same with every other character's powers in this AU, there's more to it than the surface level. The last part of his poem, "Strength in the pack, yet prone to fall", hints at this.

Starstrike = Scott

- For Scott, i mostly stuck to the most common winner symbol for him, which is stars. His powers isn't as complicated as the others, and the last part of his poem, "A shield, a blade, a step so sure", hints at what he can do with his powers. As for his alias, I guess it just sounded cool to me. I wanted something that relates to his star theme, but also gives the impression of someone not to be messed with, so I went with Starstrike.

The Canary = Jimmy

- Honestly, do I even have to explain? Lol! Jimmy's powers also got inspiration from the same fic I got for Skizz, which is "Wake the Dead" by Kiki_the_kiwi on AO3 (you should really check it out). And his poem, "The first to fall when danger is near", also references his Canary Curse.

Quake = BigB

- i honestly didn't know much about BigB as well, but from what I remember of him, mostly in 3rd and Secret Life, he was mostly mining/digging underground while stuff happens on the surface. His poem, "A rumble deep, the earth obeys", kinda also hints at this, as well as reminds me of his backrooms shtick in Secret Life.

Flora = Gem

- I kinda feel bad, but I honestly gave up with Gem, since I know less about her than others members since she's still a bit new to the life series, and I didn't really watch any of her stuff before. But the vibe I got from her is that she's sweet, but also kinda dangerous. So i thought, the alias Flora sounds sweet, but since it refers to plants and the like, it could also mean danger since there are dangerous plants. Her powers, though, isn't what you would initially think. Like I said, there's more to the characters' powers than what is on the surface level. And Gem's poem, "Nature's strength in her entwines", not only hints at another part of her powers, but also references where I got the inspiration for her powers, which is a certain character from the anime/manga called "Bungou Stray Dogs".

Nightshade = Lizzie

- Lizzie's power was one of the easiest to think of, but of course, there's more to her powers. The name Nightshade is something I really like, and with it being a beautiful plant usually associated with darkness and mystery, I thought that it suits Lizzie well, especially in the AU. Her poem, "In darkness she dwells with deadly grace", further insinuates this.

Aaaand, that's all of them! Sorry for the long post, but I also wanted to share my thought process in picking the alias for each character. And while I don't want to reveal too much of their powers until they get properly introduced, i figured it's fine to touch on the behind the scenes of it for a bit.

What do you guys think? Also, for the anon who asked, I hope this clears things up! :)

[percyslist]

Vesper had been fussing all night, her cries ringing through the empty halls of the palace. Not wanting to disturb Vex, who had been sleeping peacefully next to him, Percy was the one to get up to care for their daughter. He’d always been a light sleeper anyways, and his wife needed the rest a whole lot more than he did.

In his half-awake haze, Percy barely remembered to fetch his glasses from his nightstand before he pulled himself from the warm comforts of his bed, careful not to wake Vex. He rushed through the hallways with stumbling feet, his vision still blurry from sleep. He opened the door to the nursery and winced as the noise of Vesper’s screaming got louder as he stepped into the room. “Come on now, little one,” he said as he scooped her into his arms.

He tried everything. He tried to give her the baby formula, hoping beyond all hope that she was just hungry. She wouldn’t take it.

“There’s one trait we share,” he told her. “Stubbornness. Though I had hoped that by some miracle, you’d be at least somewhat compliant.”

He rocked her back and forth, cooing soft assurances, but nothing he did seemed to appease his tiny daughter. He cringed again as her desperate shrieks continued, the sound piercing his ears.

“Well, fuck, Vesper,” he said, sitting on an armchair with her still crying in his arms, “I’m not sure what it is that you want from me.”

Vesper, who couldn’t yet understand her father’s frustration, continued to cry. Percy was on the verge of tears himself. He wasn’t like Vex, who had taken to parenthood naturally, as if it was a natural next step after the years they’d spent adventuring. Sure, he’d taken care of his little siblings when they were children, but that had been years ago, when he’d been a child himself.

And now, here he was, a grown man who couldn’t figure out how to get his infant daughter to go back to sleep.

He didn’t know what else he could possibly do, so with a sigh, he began to sing. It was hardly a lullaby, but it was a song Percy’s parents had used when he and his siblings were too fussy in the night. Some nights, it was the only thing that got them to shut up. Over the years, as he got older, the song became a constant in his life. Even in his adulthood, after he lost one family member after another, he would hum the song under his breath when he needed the comfort it brought him.

As the beginning lyrics hit her ears, Vesper stopped her wailing and looked up at him with curious eyes, as if she could understand the meaning behind the simple melody. As if she recognized the words she didn’t know yet.

“Echo of the clock tower

Footstep in the alleyway

Sweep of the wind sifting the leaves”

Percy thought of his family often. They constantly flooded his thoughts, bringing both bad and good memories of every variety. He thought of his siblings, wondering what they would have given to have the chance of the life that Percy now did. He thought of his parents, hoping to any god that would listen that he wouldn’t have to lose his children as they did.

He thought of Vox Machina: heroes who had almost reached the status of gods, torn apart by the unforgiving hand of the Raven Queen. Percy thought of his wife, the mother of his child, the love and light of his life. Vex, the woman who had once told him that she didn’t know what she was without her brother, the only one that had stood at her side throughout it all.

He thought of Keyleth, who was now the wise and brave leader of her people, how she had cried into Percy’s shoulder after everything, muttering nonsense about how much she would give for the opportunity to hold her partner in her arms again.

He thought of Vax: not quite dead but just out of reach, unable to have the life he more than deserved, the life that for some reason, Percy got in his place.

Yet another ghost to haunt him, to remind him of his many shortcomings. Another raven to watch on from his windowsill.

Percy kept singing.

“Jeweler of the spider web

Connoisseur of autumn’s opulence

Blade of lightning harvesting the sky”

He thought of the Gods, of their cruelty and their indifference towards human affairs. When it came down to it, they cared for no one and nothing but themselves. He’d seen their selfishness firsthand.

“Keeper of the small gate

Choreographer of entrances and exits

Midnight whisper traveling the wires”

He thought of the Raven Queen, the stone-cold ruler over death and fate, the god that had pried away Percy’s chances of a normal life when he was nothing but a child.

“Seducer, healer,

Deity or thief?

I will see you soon enough”

Someday, he would be able to ask her why, face to face. He would be able to look her in the eye and demand to know why he got to live instead of his mother, his father, his siblings. He would demand to know why he got to live and Vax didn’t.

He would muster the courage to ask the questions he was too afraid to find the words for now.

Vesper had fallen asleep again, nestling into Percy’s chest. As he looked down at his young daughter, he could feel his anger evaporate, turning into a soft adoration of his child, an appreciation for the life he had gained in exchange for the one he had lost all those years ago. He had built a new branch of the family he had once considered lost to history, and for that opportunity, he was eternally grateful. But did the growth compensate for the destruction that had taken place, all those years ago?

Had the Raven Queen granted Percy new life in a way that made up for the ones she had taken so mercilessly? Was it worth it, now that he had Vex, now that he had Vesper? Would anyone ever be able to fill the empty chasms that had taken up residence in Percy’s soul since he had lost everything? Could anyone ever hope to replace his parents or his brothers and sisters? Could anyone ever bring back the man Percival de Rolo could have become, if he had not been consumed by vengeance at such an early age?

His thoughts turned to each sibling that he lost. In his head, he recited each of their names in a silent chant. A promise to remember.

Julius, Vesper, Oliver, Whitney, Ludwig.

Vax’ildan, he added, after a moment’s hesitation. Yes, they weren’t actually related, but for all intents and purposes, they were brothers. There was no other way to describe their relationship, in the years they’d known each other.

“You have taken everyone I have ever dared to call a brother,” he whispered, half to himself, half to the God he knew wasn’t listening. “But you will not take my friends, my wife, my daughter. Not in the way you took them. Not in the way you took him.”

In the shadow of the rainfall

In the brief violet darkening of a sunset

But until then I pray

Watch over him

Julius. Vesper. Oliver. Whitney. Ludwig. Vax’ildan.

Watch over him

As the mountain guards it’s covert ore

And the harsh falcon

It’s flightless young

“You had better protect him,” he continued, “Because if I get there, and I find him to be anything less than the absolute pain in the ass he was in life, you and I are going to have a real fucking problem.”

And with those final words to the wretched goddess of death, he let himself fall asleep again, his beloved daughter safely curled into his chest.

—

Vex awoke to an empty bed, which wasn’t entirely a rare occasion, so she didn’t think much of it. With a groan and a great effort, she sat upright and padded through the hallways to check on Vesper.

She froze with her hand on the doorknob when she heard the sound of Percy’s soft snores coming from the inside of the nursery. As carefully as she could, she cracked the door open and stepped inside.

Percy sat slumped on the armchair, mouth hanging open and glasses crooked on his nose, his arms wrapped around Vesper, who slept peacefully. Vex laughed softly to herself at the sight, about to close the door again when she caught a flutter of black somewhere in her periphery.

Her eyes followed the movement to the windowsill, where a raven sat, watching.

[fountainpenguin]

"Picture of your face in an invisible locket... I had a bad feeling. But we were dancin'... swaying as the room burned down." (x)

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New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 32 - “Starve (Etho, Scott)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

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I am once again bringing you scenes of Etho cuddling up to SnifferMyFeet while Sniff growls reminders that even though he has Joel's memories and misses being Boat Boys, he wants Etho to treat him as a separate person.

If I had a nickel for every chapter Etho's touched this man and thought of Joel, I would have 8 nickels. I'd have 40 cents. That's as much as 1/4 of our story. And that's terrible.

#smalletho - Etho once again working through his touch starvation and Boat Boys Issues™ Many references to Joel, but he doesn't appear. Large flashbacks of him and Etho in next week's chapter, though! <3

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

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This preview section jumps into shippy vibes- Proceed at own discretion.

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Etho - Fox

Status: Holding out a hand

Self-taught programmer, full-time hero

💙  🧡  💚

So, uh. That string tidying, huh? You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you want to do that with an endermite hybrid. They're the best in the business and they'll mock you the whole time you set up. Sniff's smug and giggly about it, too, as Etho pushes him down on the bed and hangs back to study him. He's really tattered the code on the bottoms of his bare feet. I mean, shoe code gets tattered too, but usually those soft parts of a skin design hurt more.

"You gonna use your mouth?" Sniff asks, eyeing him up.

"In a shocking turn of events, the programmer has tools for fixing loose code. They're in the other room." Etho takes Sniff's wrists and pins them above his head for a second, then takes his ankles and stretches them out. Classic textbook pose for the work, even though they'll probably move to the carpet for obvious reasons before they start; he doesn't need weak pixels dropped all over his bed. "Stay," he commands, and Sniff sticks out his tongue and double flips him off without moving his arms. So Etho can't be mad.

But he does lean over, sliding one hand beneath Sniff's cheek, easing it behind his head. He curls it back around and lifts it just enough to scrape his palm across Sniff's brow, beneath his floppy dark brown hair. It's thick and feels like swamp plants in his hands. He still smells like well-treated water. Chlorine. Like one of Gluon's hotel builds with the fancy pools. Or the waterpark server. Never did find out why. Etho breathes against him without pulling back. Despite the wet scents, Sniff's warm soul's like fresh-baked bread against his hand.

"Oh my goodness… You're so pretty. You are so pretty…"

The metaphorical light fades from Sniff's mismatched eyes. Etho pulls back, waiting for a pinch or slap. Sniff turns his face away. Only his Joel side's visible at this angle as he squirms. "Get your eyes checked, Eefo… I saw my reflection when I got my water. I'm stitched together with hand-me-down parts. You don't mean that."

"What if I do, though?" He crouches lower by the bed, bringing a hovering thumb to Sniff's scalp. Sniff glances at him, then away. So Etho breaks that barrier. Slowly, the thick part of his hand eases down to touch Sniff's head. Sniff scrunches up his eyes again, giving the faintest little nod. Etho holds very still a few seconds (Sniff's pixels are so loose on his skin, which was the whole point of this cleaning project anyway) before he speaks again. "I'm sorry you can't see that yet. Body issues are tough; I've got issues too. Sometimes my fox traits get away from me… Been thinking about modding out, but it takes centuries of paperwork." His next stroke of hand (a circle on his head) is firmer, sharper, and Sniff mutters something under his breath as his cheeks freckle up with blue again. Cute. "If it were legal, I'd probably just unthread. I'd miss the bullet paths, but you make vex life look so easy. So good." He draws his hand around in one last loop, then eases it down Sniff's cheek (on his Grian side) to his neck. "Hey, take a closer look next time you're out. There's a lot of interesting people out there. Some wear faces that aren't even humanoid. Have you met MumboDrone or iCam? … And you know, it's just a skin."

Sniff putters his lips, staring towards the ceiling. His fingers lift, dancing across the backs of Etho's knuckles. "You just want me to stay late again. Gods, you're so lonely… Listen, fella- I know my strings are a wreck. I was an endermite before a vex; be pretty messed up if I couldn't tell. I'll let you clean me up, but I'm not playing sleepover. You can't make me."

"Mmhm." Oh man, I want to press my head on yours. He really wants to, noses brushing, hair tufts scraping, but he refrains, you know. He's kneeling, balanced on his heels, and Sniff's saying 'Yes' to the hand but looking unsure. So he won't. "Stay as long as you want to. Just let me clean your code and then you can leave. I promise I won't be mad."

"You smell like bread dough…"

"Yeah? My code wouldn't taste too good right now. Squeaky clean."

"Oh, that's too bad." Absentminded. Distracted. Etho eases back his fingers.

"Are you okay?"

Sniff clicks into focus again and then swishes up, sitting on the bed instead of lying down. "Yeah, thanks. I'm good, actually. The water helped."

"All right. I'll be right back with the cleaning stuff." He leaves without another touch, pausing only to switch off the portal still glowing in the corner. He leaves the desk lantern glowing like it is. It's fun, in the dark. The light's so low, it's like a fox's den in here.

The nice thing about being a programmer? He has no end of scrapers and combs to choose from. He pays the living room a visit to get the tray from the coding desk's drawer and some rolled-up pieces of carpet (ignoring the less than subtle smirks Beef and Pause give him as he strolls by). Etho brings the whole tray to his room and sits on the bed with Sniff, just talking to him and explaining how effective these tools are for different things. Sniff seems to recognize a lot of them, which is no surprise, honestly. Since Joel doesn't do logouts, he has a whole cleaning routine. It takes him forever.

"You know," Sniff says, digging through the tray, "using combs is cheating, actually. I can do the cleaning with my teeth still attached. I bet foxes can too. I mean, it's code work; all the code-eating species can do it." He flicks his gaze to Etho, who kneels across from him, tail waving in the air. Etho doesn't answer, so Sniff goes on. "You know what's fun? 'mite bundles."

"'mite bundles,'" Etho repeats. "Like… Endermites inside a bundle? Is that fun? That's a new one to me." Where is he going with this?

"Yeah, it's when you put endermites in with some of your supplies and go out on adventures. When you want your supplies, you have to dump everything on the ground and try to use your stuff without getting bit. If you get bit, you have to send your coords to server chat. Easy way to get killed, so you'd better not. You can play it in Between, too. Pig has an endermite living in his studio. For every time it bites him, he has to keep his weapons in a chest for an hour when he gets home. It means I can do whatever I want to him, really. Usually he just runs. Sometimes we duke it out bare-fisted. Have you ever seen him with a black eye and a tooth knocked out? Just me, I guess- It probably doesn't carry when he leaves the server. He looks so goofy when he smiles; I'm chuffed to bits with that. Gods, you wouldn't believe the bruise he left on me this one time he pushed me off an end ship. He smirked about it for days, no joke. No, actually. Can't believe his head even fit outside the server."

Etho smirks back, hidden in the mask and hidden by his fingertips. His chin rests against his hand. "What'd you do to him? You didn't let him get away with that, did you?"

"Hell no! I picked up a shulker and I slammed him on the head with it. I bet you didn't even know you can peel 'em off the wall- they're so clingy. What'd he do then? I think he put down a bed and blew himself up trying to get me with it. Oh, he's so lame. I like him so much."

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

[virgils-muse]

I don’t think Bownes is Gluttonous by any means but we’re going with that

Thetis and Calliope are probs Wrath and sloth

Persephone is wrath (and pride maybe)

new cjrp Game

what deadly sin are they? if not one what mix?

[xdxenon]

As both a gamer and someone who has constantly been comparing his life with that of Lego ninja people for the past year, I am so excited that ninjago is being released in fortnite. And the fact that they have General Vex being the enemy and no one seems to know who he is, is giving me a bit of an ego. While I do wish it were garmadon or morro, or someone more interesting, it’s still amazing to see ninjago finally get some recognition from the main stream.

Any time I finish watching a show or anime, demon slayer, the office, especially attack on titan, as it just ended, there’s a huge fanbase with art, memes, and everything, and all of it has hundreds of thousands if not millions of likes and views. But the actual hardcore ninjago fanbase is really small compared to others imo. And I wish that wasn’t the case. Hopefully this is a first step in bringing ninjago back into the spotlight, like what happened when the movie was released.

I believe Fanbases make or break a show and the ninjago one is amazing. Thats the main reason I’m still a huge fan. My Hero Academia for example, I might of considered watching a while ago, but the fanbase is just so weird for the most part, that I probably will never watch it. I just hope that ninjago continues to gain traction and as the fanbase grows, so too will the show, and the community.

[burr-ell]

@meiloorun-notthefruit replied to your post “yeah, hot take, if you haven't watched the first...”:

Wait if anybody wants to respond to this i have never watched c1 and i am having the time of my life with this week's episode, what is an example of the group actually mad? im curious

​Sorry it took me a minute to respond to this! There's a pretty good writeup of the issue on r/HobbyDrama (though it does have one or two minor errors), but I'll give you the short(er) answer.

So originally, Vox Machina actually had eight members: Percy, Grog, Scanlan, Pike, Vax, Vex, Keyleth, and Tiberius Stormwind, a dragonborn sorcerer played by Orion Acaba, another voice actor who'd done work on video games and anime with the rest of the cast. For a variety of reasons, Orion rather quickly developed a nasty case of Main Character Syndrome, and frequently did things that genuinely angered the cast. A couple notable examples:

When the party fought and defeated K'Varn, a beholder, in 1x11, Orion had Tiberius exit the fight for a plan to rally a group of mindflayers to their cause (which failed), and eventually returned, landed the final killing blow on K'Varn, and generally acted like an ass about it, leading to Marisha demanding to know why he was being so rude and unpleasant.

In Vasselheim in 1x16, in order to escape from a trap, Vex had to fire a nearly-impossible shot and rolled a 35, meaning it was guaranteed to happen and was going to be an incredible moment for her, and Orion had Tiberius insert himself to "help" using Telekinesis. The entire cast yelled at him indiscriminately for it, and while Matt was able to thread the needle live on stream, the atmosphere was generally very tense.

The nadir of them all, 1x27. This one's a twofer:

I don't know if you've watched TLOVM, but the Briarwood arc had just begun at this point, and all the party really knew about the Briarwoods was that at least one of them was a vampire. (I can't remember if they knew Delilah was a human necromancer by this point.) So Tiberius goes on a HUGE shopping trip to buy—among other things—every mirror he can in Emon, and the conclusion most people have drawn, quite reasonably, is that he intended to use them to make a massive light array to just drench Whitestone in sunlight and fry all the vampires. He also tries to write his family in his hometown of Draconia to bring the Draconian army into Whitestone to take care of things for them. Both of those things are frustrating to watch in the moment, but especially so when you realize that they're attempts to essentially speedrun Percy's entire arc and make Tiberius the hero. This and the other things he was doing already took up a ton of solo time, and Travis (known hater of shopping) eventually snapped "how about you get nothing else, and we move on?"

Then, the grandaddy of them all: while the party was discussing what to do and Vex was formulating a plan, Orion announced out of bumfuck nowhere that "Tiberius is getting a half-chub". Every single person at the table was appalled, and you can feel the change in the air if you watch the scene. Travis and Taliesin are both visibly furious; Sam, Marisha, Liam, and Matt are completely taken aback; and Laura looks incredibly uncomfortable. Tiberius had never established this aspect of his character at all the way Scanlan did, and after everything else there was very little patience anyone was going to grant him.

These are just isolated moments; Orion had overall behaved rather unpleasantly on-air and did a lot of metagaming (the reason he left the K'Varn fight was that he knew what beholders were and thought Matt was out to get him), and Matt once explicitly said after Orion left that he used to cheat on his dice rolls. Going from episode 27 to 28 is such a palpable shift in tone and atmosphere, and it's unsurprising that two episodes later they would announce Orion's permanent departure.

So yeah—if you've watched those scenes, you have a much better metric for what the cast's genuine anger is actually like.

[virgils-muse]

I wanna promote my fic/au because I crave attention and validation. Anyways, reblogs are very much appreciated!

What is the au in question?: A Chonny’s Charming Chaos Compendium alternate universe where HMSW take the place of different Hellenic (Greek) gods called The Primordial Forces AU. I made this because I love CCCC and I’m also a Hellenic Polytheist who’s obsessed with Greco-Roman classic literature.

What’s the au about?: As I said previously, HMSW take the place of different Hellenic deities. Heart is Selene, the deity who pulls the moon with her chariot across the night sky. Mind is Helios, the deity who pulls the sun with her chariot across the day sky. Soul is Eos, the deity who opens the gates of dawn each morning. Whole is Chaos, essentially the personification of the fabric of the universe and the entropy that existed prior to the creation of anything. Of course, CCCC’s usual turmoil arises between the siblings, and when tensions reach their worst, Selene causes a solar eclipse (the equivalent of Heart shooting at Mind in this au). Eos, in an attempt to avenge the wrongs that his sibling have committed against eachother, goes to extreme lengths.

How many fics will you write for this au?: As of right now, I am planning on have three fics. The first one (and currently the only one that is up) recounts Selene’s perspective in a typical narrative format. The second one recounts Helios’s perspective in a play format. The third one will recount Eos’s perspective in an epic poem format. I may make more fics but as of right now that is the plan.

Why should I read these fics?: Although of course these fics do not accurately portray Hellenic Mythology, as that is obviously not the point of them, I can say that they’ve been crafted with great effort to reference actual mythology and beliefs of that time period. For example, in the opening of the first chapter of “The Selene Acoustic,” I used the format of actual Homeric prayer. I also reference the actual cult followings (or lack thereof) of these deities as well. And I don’t just use Percy Jackson or Madeleine Miller’s retellings as my source. I’ve read The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, The Aeneid (which yes, I know it’s Roman not Greek) by Virgil, Theogony by Hesiod, Metamorphoses (yes again I know that’s Roman) by Ovid, The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles, The Oresteia by Aeschylus, Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides, as well as several essays and articles pertaining to these subjects. And I’m not saying this to brag or say “look at me I’m so smart”. I’m saying this because I want you to know that I’ve made this fic with such care and attention to detail. I do my research into these deities mythology, their worship, their epithets, their role in domestic life, their festivals, everything!

Anyways, here’s the link to “The Selene Acoustic” third chapter came out today, you should def read it if any of this stuff interests you.

[a-very-humanyes]

warning: oc ramble, and cringe ocs

man, why do my ocs exist. I have four ocs that are the same character, we got the Falkors. Falkor (original), Falkor Kora Falls (villain), Falkor ThaCat (inspo for og), and Falkor Falcon (if they are a hermitsona). They live very different lives. Falkor looks for a way to bring back her dead species, dies, meets a god, kills said god, becomes a god. Kora was raised in a lab, ate her arm in the same lab, escaped and adopted a raccoon. ThaCat went though this whole identity crisis about being my whole Minecraft character. Then Falcon was forced in the death games known as my offbrand traffic life. And all the falkors are dragons

that’s not even talking about the gods ocs. We got Saya, the god of death, time, and illusion. They basically adopt Falkor, but tried to eat her since death has its hunger. Yeelen is the god of light, life, and trust. Saya and Yeelen are married. There’s Sukaro, who is joy, fun, and mischief. Kanu is the god of love, gossip, and art. He is married to Masiki, who herself is the goddess of masks, sadness, and forgery. Then there’s Joli, the widower god, he is the god of fight, fire, and determination.

then there’s all the ocs I made for background characters, and Amari. Amari is Kora’s son, he is a raccoon who was originally an oc for the amazing digital circus. There’s the vex trio, Greg, Reg, and Meg, they’re goons at a lab called ConVex. Yes I made a hermitcraft reference as the lab name. Then there’s Symon Waati and Simon. Symon and Simon have nothing to do with each other. Symon runs a coffee shop. Simon is a self centered scientist. There is February… just a nurse I made based off a color palette. There’s Lucy Lapis, a school coach. Poi Son Karp was originally a spider-man oc, but now he just bites and gives people toxic blood, he’s an illegal vigilante. Then there’s Rodrick and Randy, legally heroes. There’s Oliver, he’s a gunmaker and a villain. Antonio (Big Blue Toni), he’s a crime boss with contacts to anyone and everyone, just anything you need he got it. Also his lackeys, Frank and Lin. Frank and Lin are twins.

lastly we got some honorable mentions, Tasuma a fire dragon. Galasi, a space dragon. Motu, Falkor’s brother. Koklo, Falkor’s sister.

OH WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT CATGOO FARMER JUICE, AND MANTHAR. Okay so Catgoo isn’t really a person, they’re a cat made of goo, like a clear gelatinous goo. And Catgoo tastes like salt and grapes if you eat some of its goo. Then Manthar is just my Pokémon character, they like grass types and dragons. Catgoo is my anch character that turned into something else. So my Anch character is a ghost, but Catgoo is a cat made of goo. Farmer Juice is my stardew character, I’ve actually made a blog for them, called @farmer-juice-the-confused-fae

if you read this long… ask me if you wanna know more about the characters. They all mostly have lore.

[aresonist]

i loove the hotguy mask design,, do u have any lore like about the bad things that happened to him in his past?

this au is generally just my little scar angst pile and is just really messy cause its made via me listening to emo tiktok audios and walking in a circle and was made like 2 days ago and i havent like explored it good good and its probably not good story wise but like i said so far its my scar angst pile and i dont imagine myself actually working on this other than random thoughts durning the day BUT! miserable things that have maybe happened to scar in that au!:

-his bestest friend (cub) went missing at some point! reappeared as a villain and is basically an empty vessel for vexes and vey much not in control of himself and also tries to get him to accept vexes! leaves him very miserable everytime they see eachother

-i imagine like heroes generally dont know eachothers identities unless they tell eachother its like a trust thing, by a thing government might know. But the way scar found out mumbos identity was bc mumbo got really fucking hurt durning a mission they were on together and has this couple days coma and scar just refused to leave his side, he ofc felt bad about it but cmon its his friend!!! when mumbo woke up he offered to show him his face too but mumbo refused

-when mumbo left the whole hero gig scar was DEVASTATED, he gave him a big big hug and cried a little and they also made a deal that scar wont go out of his way to look for him for safety reasons or whatever (and also the fact that mumbo didnt want him to find out that hes gonna be joining their villain kind of friend)

-he works at a cafe to give him something normal to do when hes off duty, since he doesnt really have many non hero work friends and even if he did that friendship would be a hard time bc of the whole hero thing so working there when he has the time is his little escape and also a place where he meets grian! a very loyal customer who very quickly becomes one of his best friends even if they dont hang out much besides grians coming to the cafe. so imagine his suprise when his good pal grian brings in his other good pal mumbo and he has to act normal and not like he missed the man, its a very minor thing but HE MISSED THE MAN!!!

-when he finds out mumbo quit to become a villain he is quite distraught but hes deffo more distraught when he gets some crystal/bomb/whatever magic thing blown up in his face while trying to take it away from his kind of friend villain, and he technically dies? but vexes do keep following him in an attempt to join them and not very surprisingly saving his life is a pretty good offer when hes not really concious, now in this moment i am not sure whenever they villains just leave him after checking to make sure hes still alive and clicking an emergency button on his communicator or he, now under hre control of the vex attacks them or hes dead when they check all of those seem fun in one way or another

anyway theres a bit more?? but as you can see its all tangled in my head and most content was generated from me hearing music and going what if scar bad things happen

[bluzh]

From this day on, when I think of Vex'ahlia, Champion of Pelor, the soundtrack will always be Long Live by Taylor Swift.

Vax and Vex codes for eternity, oh boy.

I said remember this moment

In the back of my mind

The time we stood with our shaking hands

The crowds in stands went wild

We were the kings and the queens

And they read off our names

The night you danced like you knew our lives

Would never be the same

You held your head like a hero

On a history book page

It was the end of a decade

But the start of an age

Long live the walls we crashed through

All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

I was screaming, long live all the magic we made

And bring on all the pretenders

One day, we will be remembered

I said, remember this feeling

I passed the pictures around

Of all the years that we stood there

On the side-lines wishing for right now

We are the kings and the queens

You traded your baseball cap for a crown

When they gave us our trophies

And we held them up for our town

And the cynics were outraged

Screaming, "This is absurd"

'Cause for a moment, a band of thieves

In ripped up jeans got to rule the world

Long live the walls we crashed through

All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

I was screaming, long live all the magic we made

And bring on all the pretenders

I'm not afraid

Long live all the mountains we moved

I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you

I was screaming, long live that look on your face

And bring on all the pretenders

One day, we will be remembered

Hold on to spinning around

Confetti falls to the ground

May these memories break our fall

Will you take a moment?

And Promise me this

That you'll stand by me forever

But if, God forbid, fate should step in

And force us into a goodbye

If you have children some day

When they point to the pictures

Please tell ‘em my name

Tell them how the crowds went wild

Tell them how I hope they shine

Long live the walls we crashed through

I had the time of my life, with you

Long, long live the walls we crashed through

All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

I was screaming, long live all the magic we made

I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you

And bring on all the pretenders

I'm not afraid

Singing, long live all the mountains we moved

Long, long live that look on your face

And bring on all the pretenders

One day, we will be remembered

"You held your head like a hero on a history book page" - yes, u did Darling

[rominadrawsart]

REWRITE + CHANGES

After looking back at my past 3 posts about my spin off, I changed some things so we shall being now.

1. Everything you need to now

The place takes place on planet Earth but with new modern technology. In a town called Porkbelly, every kind of scientists made new and old animals and hybrids were successfully created and released in wild or on display. Larger dinosaurs are used for public transport or to carry heavy items. Owning one of the dinosaurs is legal but selling them in the black market or physically abusing them is illegal. The main characters AKA Victorious 4 ( Johnny, Dukey, Susan and Mary) with they're new power will try and save the town from any danger. They're powers come from a necklace with a small crystal on front (comes in different colors depending on the element). It is rare to someone being a dual type rather than solo.

2. Characters

The list of characters who own these necklaces:

Johnny (Lighting and Fire)

Sissy (Lighting)

Bling Bling Bling (Eugene) (Light)

Brain Freezer (Ice)

The reason why Susan and Mary don't have them is because they are working with other scientists in another sanctuary to bring extinction animals back to life or help to create hybrids.

With that being said now it's time for the characters based personalities ( WARNING, those who are not mentioned relatively stay the same):

Johnny ( More like his season 1 personality but with more mature side, Blitzo Helluva Boss, Darius Camp Cretaceous)

Susan (Vaggie Hazbin Hotel)

Mary (Charlie Morningstar Hazbin Hotel, Millie Helluva Boss)

Zizrar (Angel Dust Hazbin Hotel)

Brain Freezer ( Foolscap Dinosaur King, Fizzarolli Helluva Boss, Kenji Camp Cretaceous)

The list of characters who are either heros or villains:

Johnny (hero)

Dukey (hero)

Susan (hero)

Mary (hero)

Bling Bling Boy (Eugene) (anti hero)

Tupi (hero)

Blitz (hero)

Edna (hero)

River (hero)

Ember (hero)

Vex (enemy)

Devil (enemy)

Silver (frenemy)

Mr Mittens (enemy)

Wacko (enemy)

Dark Vegan (enemy)

Zizrar (enemy later rival)

Brain Freezer (enemy later anti hero)

Mr Black and Mr White (hero)

The general (hero)

Sissy (hero,love interest)

Gil Nextdoor (hero)

3. Theme

The main themes in this spin off will be:

History - characters will learn more about the Earth's history from scratch and how this magnificent creatures ruled this world

Trust - there will be some of Johnny's foes who will try to work with Johnny, although he wouldn't trust them, he will most likely do it just for his family's sake and learn more about teamwork

Love - love doesn't come from just kiss or hugs, it comes in all different forms, shapes and sizes and self love is one fo them though the characters will have a hard time understanding and earning it

4. Changes

Yes the moment you been looking for. There were some changes after looking back at my past 3 posts. Those are:

Susan and Mary no longer have powers, it's because of them still working as scientists in they're lab or in a sanctuary helping other scientists working on new creatures and hybrids

While originally the spin off was going to take place in a similar planet like Earth, now canonically it is on Earth but in more alternative version of it and the city

Originally dinosaurs were supposed to either be on display or in the wild, now they are used as public transport, display or still roam freely in the wild

Johnny and others will try to protect the elemental orbs from villains but there will be sometimes that they still just battle they're foes or interact with them in general without going after the orbs.

Devil doesn't have siblings

Silver is still traumatized after the incident with Apex predators and with humans because of physical abuse. She has little to no trust in them

Vex is trained to be a weapon and was used for military purposes, but he hasn't worked for the general ever

Dukey was trained as a bodyguard for Johnny

Bling Bling Boy and Gil work as weapon creators

Brain Freezer used to be inmute to ice, although he can resist colder temperatures and heavy snow storms, he can still get imprisoned by his own element

As for dinosaurs there will be mixture of inaccurate and accurate (either they're designs ect.)

Accurate dinosaurs

Velociraptor

Carnotaurus

Atrociraptor

Spinosaurus

Torvosaurus

Allosaurus

Ceratosaurus

Stegosaurus

Triceratops

Diabloceratops

Parasaurolophus

Edmontosaurus

Cryolophosaurus

Artic Troodontid

Nanuqsaurus

Yutryannus

Lythronax (might have spelled it wrong)

Iguanodon

Pachyrinosaurus

Apatosaurus

Camarasaurus

Diplodocus

Imperobator

Austroraptor

Utahraptor

Dakotaraptor

Baryonyx

Concavenator

Suchominus

Icthyovenator

Microraptor

Sinosauroptheyx

Deinochirus

Celophysis

Eoraptor

Herrasaurus

Dilophosaurus

Acrocanothosaurus

Irritator

Inaccurate dinosaurs

Tyranosaurus Rex

Moros Interpedus

Ankylosaurus

Gojirasaurus

Therizinosaurus

Giganotosaurus

Pyroraptor

Atrociraptor (Dominion)

Reptiles

Pteranodon (accurate)

Dimorphodon (inaccurate)

Plesiosaur (accurate)

Mosasaur (accurate)

Quetzalcoatlus (accurate)

Hatzegopteryx (accurate)

Kronasaurus (accurate)

Sarchosuchus (accurate)

Deinosuchus (accurate)

Bonus

My spin off is to try and make this show better and likeable then before (not saying it was bad) and improve characters writing unlike in the show. Sometimes there will be from action and funny moments to emotional and traumatizing moments (much like Helluva Boss)

The spin off includes strong language, major gore and topics such as PTSD, depression and such.

Inspirations: Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, Dinosaur King, Starters

That's all for today! Stay tuned for more content!❄️🦖

[orchid-151]

Is mason always so suspicious of others?

(I spent an hour doing a long text post and it just didn't save the draft 😭 now I have to remember everything I said or typed out... Going to try and save this as a draft a little bit at a time until I've got it all typed out again...)

Considering what he has went through... I'm surprised he doesn't have a magic spell to the locate her whenever she's out and about...

You kind of know the backstory already, but for those who don't know there are big spoilers that are going to be put here... so let's try this again... Also before you read any of this if you have not read the comic please read it... you'll get a lot more information by reading it then you would by reading this... This is meant to be a quick summary 😅

To start off before the comic he's meant to be meek and frightened of pillagers... But after meeting Orchid and getting to know her, and getting a second chance at being her brother... He knows that she can possibly get into dangerous situations, and anybody that brings that around his sister is considered a threat...

First off when he saved her he didn't realize she was an Illager. But after she offered to take him back to his village he decided to try and ask her a few questions getting to know her some...

After finding out she was actually in a worse shape than she showed, he tried to patch her up after she fainted which led to an awkward situation...

Eventually they made it to his village and he offered her a chance to stay at his house for the night to rest. She refused saying he was going to get in trouble for doing that but he was able to convince her in the end to go to his house... Just to rest...

Only for them to get caught by one of the villagers that decided to stay out that night, Mason tried to convince him that it was just his sister he was taking home while Orchid quietly recited a spell to change her appearance for a moment...

So after making her rest at his house then dealing with heroes that were coming to the village and meeting one of the Vex that watches over her, the Vex offers him a chance to know her more...

After seeing a few of the major events in her life and seeing the struggles she went through, the awakens to find his village being burned and pillaged... Buy one Pillager...

After getting to know her, seeing this only enrages him, and after a battle with the Pillager he's offered a chance to go back and actually be her adopted brother...

Now here's your spoiler: his memories and soul was sent back in time and put into the body of a child zombie villager... Who is then cured by Father Syrus. And from that point on, Mason vows to keep Orchid safe and hopes that she no longer has to suffer like she did before... So he doesn't understand that he might go overboard sometimes...

[talenlee]

Decima Vex Story Spotlight 5 — The Time Spinners

Time is running out, until there’s more infinite time ahead of them. The heroes of the Decima Vex are drawing nearer and nearer to running out of options. A family is reunited but now knows more than they ever did about how bad their dad is. A believer who held the group together through its worst moments has to confront that her religious leader, her god, and her imperial father-figure is a bad person, and needs to be stopped.

And they’re trapped in a time and a place that makes that impossible.

Decima Vex is a custom magic set created by Talen Lee. It’s composed of 187 cards, with 71 commons, 60 uncommons, 41 rares, and 15 mythic rares. Decima Vex is a custom Magic: The Gathering set, with at least one card spoiled a day, on Cohost, Kind.Social, and the r/custommagic subreddit.

WOTC Employees: This post in full presents unsolicited custom Magic: The Gathering card designs, which I understand current employee practices forbid you from looking at unsolicited. You shouldn’t be here!

goals

At this point, the revelation of the Time Loops is made explicit. The heroes are presented with evidence that the Ghostlands has not existed for ten years, that the lost decade is a lie and that their memories have been messed with. The Trezi are aware of it, and have used their magical technology to preserve a constant, endless sequence through the Time Loop.

Express the Trezi character; they are fluid and freely adapting (red), understand that an overall structure of their life supports their existence (white), and believe that everything they do can be part of a sequence of choices (blue). The Trezi are as direct a counterpart to the Emperor’s philosophy as possible.

Show the Trezi capitalising on a change in the loop: the appearance of Niamh and Kraivh IV has introduced new entities into the loop and give them an opportunity to act outside it. Arista and her entanglement in the Great Design gives them proof they can affect the outside world. Pip shows them that planeswalkers are existing in two places at once. These are all important to the final days of the Ghostlands.

Add a sense of doom to the story; the Ghostlands is approaching a reset, and they don’t know if the reset will include Niamh and Kraivh IV; will they be smothly incorporated into what the Ghostlands are, or will they be destroyed when it resets again?

Show everyone who can understand the time loops growing uneasy. Goji, the Cazastan leaders, Morn, the Trezi including Finn, and even Yrtyr should have some inkling that something is about to happen.

characters

Calciryx is less of a person and more of a thing. The thing about the Calciryx that’s relevant is that it is clearly an immensely complicated machine that could not possibly be made within the timeframe of the Necrocalypse. It’s simply too big, too complicated, and too alien. It is also weathered and ancient in places – because it has been through the loops directly. Treat it as a horror that defends the Trezi lands, a thing that scares off even Tsaian.

Rokhlin is a Trezi storyteller, someone who finds new people and brings them in, helps them make augments if they want them – and if they do not want them, she talks to them about their story. She spends much of the early parts of each loop finding people she has met last time, and tells them the truth: they are stuck in a loop and need to act as best that they can.

Tryn is a planeswalker that is familiar to Kraivh IV. Somehow, she can tell there’s some point of commonality – because Tryn was Seth Logann, the Thronegard from the Imperial Palace. Kraivh IV asks about her, and she defers them, because she hasn’t seen Kraivh IV since she was a child – and doesn’t realise the adult meeting her is the same person. Pip is the one who ties this together – recognising that Tryn followed her heart, and Kraivh IV remembers Seth as being deeply sad about something. This should be treated very positively and sweetly – run past sensitivity readers, avoid unconsciously transphobic language. There’s no need for it, and Kraivh IV has met three trans people at this point. The suppression of the Empire kept Tryn in her old identity, and without it she was able to chase her truth, which is as a magi-tech cowgirl whose spurs go jingle jangle.

Achrox is a Deflection Agent; a dragon that patrols the skies of the Trezi that does not as much want to fight as it wants to ensure fighting is directed away. It will even open pathways and transport people to ‘better fights.’ Achrox is smart but a lot more like a Very Smart Dog than a person who wants to get into a negotiation about philosophy.

R3-P34T is an eye level Trezi character – they are extremely skilled and seasoned about the time loops, but they’re also very emotionally free. Particularly, they view everything bad happening in the Ghostlands as being The Emperor’s Choice, and therefore, everything that fails to defeat them and the Trezi is ‘the old man’ and to be dismissed as such. The story position of R3-P34T is flexible; you can use them as a foil, a friend, or a mix, depending on what you need in the space.

Omnex is the grand project of the Trezi. Part of the city, Metroplex Style, Omnex takes to the sky when it is determined they have a way out of the loops, that they can cure the Ghostlands (in the next bit). As it is she looks like a very large statue.

Finn is the Emperor’s brother, trapped inside the Ghostlands, in the machine at the heart of the Empire. He keeps trying to remember his identity, or why the machine – with its two sets of controls – is important. The thing that resets the Ghostlands is when he, using the memory machine, loops his own memory back and remembers who caused the Ghostlands and why he is there – meaning remembering his own name. The room he’s in is not the machine doing it – the Ghostlands resets in response to the trauma of the memory, because the Ghostlands is itself a ghost. But Finn is standing in the machine used to create the Ghostlands rip, which needs two controllers linked by blood (hence the Emperor using his own brother, and leaving him behind in it, and why it’s important to have brought Kraivh IV into this space).

scenes

With Kaius calmed, Klava and Kolvy resolve to travel with their sister and protect her.

The Volja encountered, and having made friends with them, the hero group – Pip, Kraivh IV, Niamh, Kolvy and Klava – make their way away, further into the Ghostlands, to find the people who the Volja rumoured knew even more about the nature of the Ghostlands.

There is a conflict between the boundaries of Volja and Trezi territory – Tsaian and Calciryx briefly clash, before Calciryx drives Tsaian off. Tsaian is a thing of beliefs and dreams, and Calciryx is cold and unfeeling metal.

The heroes flee from the encounter and eventually find their way to the Trezi fortress, floating in a bubble of strange time. From here, they must come to understand the Trezi, uncover the information above, and maybe even go on quests with Rokhlan to rebuild people’s memories.

In this they learn the time loop is about to reset faster than normal.

Kraivh needs to meet with Finn; she has had other encounters with people that show her to trust her memory of people. It’s this connection to the empire, the privileges she has that she needs to turn to other ends; to recognise the empire itself needs to go.

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