#warhammer eats my brain now

[dorotheaart]

Tw blood

Aquila.

[chaoticbardlady99]

Yesterday I Felt like Dancing (Astarion x GN! Reader)

Synopsis: You have burnt both ends of the candle and haven’t been taking care of your mental health. Unable to get yourself out of bed, Astarion begins to worry about you…

Author note- I have been hardcore struggling with my mental health lately and writing my silly little fics has been the only thing pulling me along. I thought it might be therapeutic to write about my current feelings (I have ADHD, MDD, and GAD so it’s a party up in here). I hope you enjoy!

CW- Suicidal Ideation, symptoms of depression, brief outburst, mentions of mental health diagnosis and poor medical advice.

Title inspired by song “Into the Walls” by Griff.

*not my pic, could not tell you where I found it so I apologize in advance. If you think it might be your picture, please message me so I can give proper credit.

Your last day before backtracking from the Mountain Pass to the Goblin camp is a difficult one.

Not for the group as a whole- just you specifically.

Days before a Mindflayer kidnapped you, a healer back home had told you your brain was sick. You had been devastated- resigned to your miserable fate.

You had been struggling for years at that point with inconsistent motivation, exhaustion, nightmares, and irrational thoughts for months. You have been functional for the most part, but then an overpowering wave will hit you like Warhammer in the ribs and you are rendered useless until it passes.

The healer suggested sunlight, exercise, eating healthy, and spending time with friends to help your affliction when you hit rock bottom. You were wildly unimpressed with her. At the time, you preferred to self isolate so you stayed by yourself in the woods trying to find peace there. You would have to let her know that her “going out and enjoying the sun” message is not always wise- you may get a tadpole shoved in your head. You can’t be that mad though- the tadpole helped bring your pep back.

Anyway, you have been doing all of that for weeks now, you even felt great, but today? You could not have hit rock bottom harder even if you tried.

You woke up that morning unable to get yourself out of bed. It was a rest day so it wasn’t a big deal, but you also know that your companions are going to have things they need to talk to you about and favors they need you to take care of.

Gods you had tried to get up. You are grateful that your past self had the gumption to wash off and change into clean clothes last night, but your armor is still disgustingly sitting outside your tent and your hair is long and wild. You had wanted to braid it, but it all felt like too much work.

Everything feels like too much work right now- even staying awake- so you drift in and out of uncomfortable naps throughout the morning. No matter how many times you fall asleep, begging for relief from the painful brick wall sitting on your brain, it never leaves.

You can feel the midday breeze rustle your tent. You’ve been laying here for hours now. You are crying and you honestly aren’t sure why. You feel completely paralyzed by all the things you need to do to be ready for the Underdark.

You need to clean your armor, go over the Goblin Camp’s map with Wyll, find Gale a magical artifact, and probably comfort Lae’zel since she’s been branded a heretic- but you won’t. The shame and self loathing continues. You are a silly, worthless little human being.

Every person who knocks on your tent gets a simple, “I’m just not feeling well,” and then they walk away. You don’t know why it makes you more sad than appreciative. If you were in their shoes- you would be bending over backwards to make sure they had everything they needed and you wouldn’t let them feel alone. Then you resent yourself for feeling that way towards your companions- they don’t owe you anything and you were the one who chose to help them- you didn’t ask for anything in return. This is all your fault.

The only person who hadn’t come to visit you was Astarion- which hurt your heart just a little, enough that the numbness coursing thickly through your body wavered for a moment. You are quite smitten and he is obviously not. Another mistake to add to the swirling black hole your mind has fallen into.

You knew it was stupid to want his comfort and affections- you had merely slept together a little less than a week ago. Astarion has been quasi avoiding you ever since and when he does talk to you- he’s awkward. You constantly look for flying pigs- Astarion feeling awkward or being awkward is unheard of.

You have come to accept that you were just some tryst and obviously he hadn’t enjoyed it as much as he said he did.

Astarion isn’t to blame and the situation itself certainly didn’t contribute to the sudden lack of emotions. You knew that you were on the verge of a mental collapse sooner rather than later, but you had foolishly hoped you wouldn’t be alone through it. It feels less all consuming when you try to find a reason. It’s more comfortable to know than it is to give up and say, “my brain is fucked and there isn’t a damn thing I can do so I guess I’m stuck here.”

You are jolted out of your thoughts by another knock on your tent.

“I’m sick,” you say flatly.

“Ha- you act like that will deter me. I can’t even get sick, Darling.”

Before you even have time to register that Astarion is on the other side of your tent- he pushes his way through the flaps and stares down at you in confusion. And… concern?

Astarion steps inside and kneels down next to you- scanning you for evidence of illness or injury.

“I suppose I had been worried for nothing,” he smiles sweetly at you, “you are totally fine. Come on Darling, you have to get up and eat. Wyll is fumbling with that map.”

You look at him and begin to cry. Astarion’s face lights up with alarm.

“What- what did I do!?”

“Please don’t make me,” you sob, “I just want a break. I’m so tired. I want to lay in this bed forever and never leave, but there is so much to do and it’s paralyzing.”

You continue to cry and you cover yourself with the extra blanket- successfully hiding your face.

“Go away,” you whisper, “I need to be left alone.”

You say it, but you are far from meaning it. You want him to stay- to hold you- but he doesn’t want you so it will only make everything hurt worse once the numbness fades away.

You wait for several moments and then you hear him leave. Your silent cry turns into choked sobs and your body is shaking from the pain you are in. The numbness hurts. The numbness tells you that you shouldn’t be alive.

Maybe you shouldn’t be.

Everyone here would be able to figure it out on their own (eventually) and you would finally be free. Free of your uncomfortable brain, free of your ugly body- free of the expectations of others. You would no longer be holding them back like you are today- like you will again in the future.

You are sure they would temporarily grieve you, but that was the deal with this whole journey. You had all accepted that one of you or all of you could die at any moment. You will just put them in more danger by being here…

You shake the thought from your head, violently- your head is pounding from the growing tension headache and dehydration. The tears eventually stop and you just… well, lay in bed again. You stare blankly at a book over in the corner. You keep trying to convince yourself to get up and read the damn thing- do literally ANYTHING else than just stay here in your bedroll.

Instead, you fall asleep.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You wake up to someone knocking on your tent post. You grumble incoherently, covering your head and you hear your unexpected guest sit down next to you. The smell of food fills the tent and your stomach grumbles.

“You need to eat, my Dear,” Astarion says softly.

You are stunned to hear his voice grace your ears. You slowly pull the blanket down to just below your eyes and look at him. Astarion looks distressed, like he doesn’t want to be here. Why would he? You’re a nuisance.

You sit up gingerly and grab the bowl from him. You manage to give him a lopsided smile.

“Thanks. You don’t need to stay, I will be fine on my own,” you say apathetically, staring into the broth.

“I want to stay,” he says, “if you’ll have me.”

The expression on his face is unreadable, but he seems genuine. You nod, your lips pressed together tightly. You eat as much as you feel like while Astarion studies you.

Usually your anxiety is at an all time high (in maybe one of the better ways) when you are around Astarion- he gives you butterflies, butterflies, and even more butterflies. Usually your heart is racing in his presence, but right now you just feel empty.

“Where is your hairbrush?” Astarion asks.

You frown with confusion, “it’s in my bag, why?”

Astarion gets up and goes over to the bag- digging out a few items. He pulls out a lantern, your hairbrush, and a hair tie. Astarion comes over to you and sits down behind you. You feel him gather up the stray pieces of your hair and get to work.

Astarion runs his fingers through your scalp and your tangled hair- the feeling is soothing and it opens something inside of you. Your body shakes silently with sobs and you feel the worm behind your eyes wiggle as Astarion asks for access. You aren’t sure.

“I want to understand,” Astarion says, “please.”

His voice is so raw and desperate- you swallow thickly before allowing him to explore your current emotional state. The silence in the tent is palpable and you feel tense, uncomfortable even. No one has ever cared for you while you are in this state before.

You feel him continue his hairbrushing after he exits your mind. Astarion leaves soft kisses on your shoulder as he gently pulls apart every knot. It helps- you realize- to feel cared for. The numbness still hurts, you still hurt, but it’s nice to not feel so alone.

After Astarion is done brushing your hair, you feel his delicate fingers begin to intricately braid your hair. You wonder when he learned how to do hair.

“Leon’s daughter, Victoria, used to ask me to braid her hair all the time,” Astarion says in a bittersweet voice as if reading your mind, “I picked it up so that she would stop bugging me about it. She said and I quote, ‘you have the perfect braiding hands!’”

You smile to yourself tenderly, “That’s very kind of you, Star. I am sure she appreciated it as much as I appreciate it now.”

You feel Astarion’s hands falter at your words and you are unsure if you have upset him or not. A pregnant pause occurs before Astarion finally clears his throat and goes back to braiding your hair.

“I’m glad that I can help,” Astarion’s delicate, vulnerable words hang in the air, “I’ve… been worried about you today.”

You feel positively flustered and bad for making him feel that way.

“Oh you don’t need to worry about silly ole me! This happens sometimes” you make your voice chirpier than it needs to be, “This is actually the longest I’ve gone for a long time without this happening. I have theorized that the tadpole might help which is kinda cool- I think?”

You laugh awkwardly- desperate to ease his worry.

“How often does this happen?”

Shit. That was the winning question wasn’t it? Astarion will surely never see you as anything less than broken now.

“I’m not really sure,” your voice comes out in a whisper, “I usually always feel a bit of it all the time, but it’s manageable. I function very well regardless.”

“But this one isn’t manageable and evidently you aren’t functional right now.”

You sigh, “No, it isn’t and no, I’m not.”

“What changed?”

“Nothing,” you say, maybe too harshly, “that’s the part that drives me crazy. Yesterday was incredible- I was on top of the whole world, felt like dancing and screaming from the rooftops, but today!?”

You inhale and hold back the muted scream that wants to fill the air.

“Today,” you hiss, “I don’t even want to deal with any of this shit anymore. I’m so fucking tired. There is too much to fucking do and too many people depending on me. Then everyone gets irritated with me if I ask to push off their problems so I persevere through it despite knowing I’m getting bad again. I’m a giant stinking trash heap that everyone keeps adding more to.”

Astarion finishes braiding your hair and presses your back to his chest, pulling you into him. He puts his arms around your waist and settles his chin and face in between the crook of your neck.

“I just feel like such a nuisance all the time- no matter how hard I push myself to prove I’m not. Sometimes I think everyone would be better off if I just… went away.”

You both sit there quietly. At some point he had taken one of your hands in his and he was tracing shapes into the back of it with his thumb. Your omission still hangs heavily in the air.

“I wouldn’t be better off,” Astarion says hotly, “I’d be stuck with all these weirdos by myself. That would be truly miserable, Darling.”

You shake your head, a half smile on your face.

“And besides- you are not even close to a nuisance,” Astarion states, leaving a kiss on your cheek, “at least you aren’t in constant need of magical objects to eat or blood to drink. Oh and you don’t require a painstaking amount of searching to prevent you from literally burning everyone alive.

“Oh and did I forget to mention, we have not one, but two women who despise each other and follow hateful Goddesses which was a fun choice for whatever sick bastard twisted our fates this way.”

You laugh breathily, closing your eyes and letting the sound defrost some of your insides.

“What I’m saying is- I think you are the least of everyone’s ‘nuisances’, my Darling,” he says, squeezing you tighter to his chest, “despite how little you think of yourself. We ne- no, I want you to stay. I know everyone else would say the same, but I must emphasize that I would be horribly distraught if you disappeared. Hells I’d even pay to have you resurrected.”

You gasp playfully, your voice falling slightly flat, “You? The most frugal man I have ever met would pay 200 gold coins to ‘Strike thy name from the record’?”

Your impression of Withers gets Astarion to genuinely laugh- the sound vibrating in your chest. You lean into him and he guides you back to laying down. Astarion entangles his legs with yours as he holds you tightly- your faces are mere centimeters apart. You love the way Astarion smells- rosemary, bergamot, and brandy. You wish you could be wrapped up in him forever. You are still in pain- everything still hurts and feels too difficult, but right now it feels a little less heavy.

“I would throw bags of Gold Coins at that corpse out of revenge, my Dear,” he teases, “you couldn’t possibly think I would ever let you rest peacefully in your grave- I would be far too angry with you and unhappy without you to let that happen.”

You lay there and despite yourself, you lean forward and leave butterfly kisses along his cheeks with your lashes. Astarion scrunches up his nose reflexively and smiles at you. You plant a sweet, short kiss on his lips.

“Thank you Astarion- for everything.”

You close your eyes as he traces circles along your lower back. Your eyes begin to droop, and you fall asleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When you wake up the next morning- you are disappointed to find that you are all alone in your tent. The heavy numbness is still there and you sigh. At least last night made it more bearable.

You look on the side where Astarion had been sleeping and find a note with a bottle attached to it. You pick it up and begin to read.

Tav,

Astarion had asked me about herbs for some relief regarding mental discomforts. I unfortunately don’t know many, but this is a mixture of St. John’s Wort, Valerian Root, and Ashwagandha. Historically, I know these have been used to alleviate emotional and mental pain.

Astarion didn’t tell me why he was asking, but I deduced it was you pretty quickly when he began shooing everyone away from your tent this morning.

I hope this helps- we are all here if you need us. May Silvanus light your path as you navigate this difficult time.

-Halsin

You sit in your own stunned silence for what feels like hours. Halsin knows and he wants to help? Halsin doesn’t think you are screwed or a nuisance? The man barely even knows you!

You are a bit embarrassed, but you can’t help but laugh at the image of Astarion telling everyone to leave you alone.

You open the bottle and a pleasant, earthy smell fills the tent. You drink the mixture (that definitely does not taste anywhere near as pleasant as it smells) and you do feel a slight bit better. Your apathy feels even more tolerable now. You will have to thank Halsin.

You slowly rise from your tent and look around. Everything is packed up neatly in the corner- your clothes from the previous day are folded nicely and you notice all the holes are sewn up.

You jump when someone enters your tent abruptly- the midday sun warming your skin. You turn around and Astarion is smiling at you, but looks nervous.

“I cleaned off your armor and your weapons,” he says awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, “I also packed up your stuff- as you can see. We have to start leaving unfortunately, but I’ll help you get on your armor like I usually do- I might still need help with mine though, but I can ask someone else if it’s too much for you right now. Lae’zel and Karlach offered to pack up your tent. Wyll and Shadowheart figured out the map- Wyll is going to be our ‘fearless’ leader for the day. Gale has some food for you to snack on while we travel- which you will be eating, by the way.”

Astarion is looking at you with a vulnerable expression on his face. He plays nervously with the gold coin in his hands.

You can hardly believe what you are hearing.

“Did- did you do all this for me?” You say with disbelief.

You never thought Astarion was capable of smiling shyly until he had admitted to you that you had been his first thinking creature- you certainly never thought you’d see him become shy twice in your presence.

“I did and it wasn’t a nuisance so don’t even begin to worry about that,” He walks over to you, gently cradling your face in his hands, “I hope this is all okay.”

You smile- the first genuine feeling of happiness you’ve felt in the last 24 hours gently sparks in your chest as you stare up at him. You get up on your tiptoes and bridge the gap between your lips.

“Thank you Astarion, this is perfect- you are perfect,” you are crying tears of joy, “this is the kindest gesture anyone has ever made for me. So just, thank you.”

“Of course, Darling,” he says smiling in between kisses, “I won’t let you lose to yourself. We’ll get through this together from now on- no more hiding.”

And for once? You actually believe someone.

-if you guys like this, please let me know if you would want a part two written from Astarion’s perspective.

Update- I did the thing you silly geese

https://www.tumblr.com/chaoticbardlady99/735969926279528448/i-took-all-this-love-i-found-and-i-hope-that-its

Tag-list: @spacebarbarianweird @domainoflostsouls

[lemon-russ]

Not warhammer-

Kinda tiring when I tell people "yes I have these chronic conditions that do not go away and will continue to make me Not Good (tm)" and they are surprised or annoyed when I do not get better.

"You need more doctors" believe it or not this is me at my very most treated for the things currently ailing me, yes I know its been a couple weeks/ on and off for months, I ALSO wish I was more fun right now.

"Hm. You sure have been sick a LOT, huh." (- my mother), Yeah I sure have been. On account of my illnesses. That you were there when the doctors diagnosed me for. With all the tests. Yes I sure am suffering the same conditions I have been for decades. Fine observation when you are annoyed I am not visiting you more often.

Only thing I love more than not eating solids, throwing up if I move too fast and internal ice picks to my brain is having to justify I do in fact feel these things to people who think most illnesses are resolved in a week ✨️

[acmetalman]

Absolute Shantae Universe (ideas)

This is my take on an Absolute Universe but with Shantae. Absolute Shantae: This version of Shantae is mostly the same as the original, But not only can she whip with her hair like the original, But she can rapidly grow it any length she wants, and she can use them like tendrils, and once she gets angry or stops holding back she can Shape shift without the use of her Belly Dances.

She's more faster, agile and durable than the OG Shantae, and can do much more stuff as well, Unlike the Original Shantae, Her dress is now Red Gold and White with many details, She still retains the Personalities of the OG and has a few personalities of her own.

Absolute Bolo: This Version of Bolo is far more different than the OG, He's 6,7, He's Extremely Buff and knows more Martial Arts than the OG, Like the OG, He also taught Shantae Martial Arts, and Unlike The OG, He's not the idiot like the Original Bolo is, He's Pretty Smart, and has won many awards from his inventions back in the day, But he only sticks to Gizmo's, Gadgets and Weapons,

Unlike the Original Bolo, Instead of a Flail he has a Morningstar Mace that can switch to Electric or Fire, or even both, He also made lots of guns too, but that's a story for another time.

However, His most Powerful weapon is The Greatsword An Ancient Sword that was built for slaying Monsters and other kinds of Evil, The More the user believes in himself The more powerful they and the Sword become, And like his OG Counter part, Bolo carries a lot of Determination within him.He wears a Light Blue Leather Coat With the Arms revealed to show off his muscles, Jeans, A White T Shirt with a Skull on it, Leather Long Gloves with Gauntlets on them and a Yellow Bandana with slight details on it.

He also came from a long line of Paladins, and has learned forging techniques from his parents

Also unlike the Original Bolo, he's not interested in hot ladies, Nor peeps on them like the og, Instead he focuses on his Weapons and gear, He's also a great helper (unlike the original) and is really skilled at handyman work, (again unlike the original) He's nearly the same as the original Bolo but isn't afraid to call out people, especially his friends if they ever treat him poorly, which has happened several times leaving Bolo to call them out for their bad behaviors.

This Bolo still cares for his friends and the people he loves, and puts others before himself.

(And Yes, He's based off Absolute Batman)

Absolute Sky: Now This Version of Sky is waaay more different than her OG Counterpart, She still has her love for birds, but is also a Pilot, She has her own plane The Wrench, Named after her pet bird from her childhood, This version of Sky isn't a Selfish Snobby woman like her OG Counterpart, she's Caring, Selfless and isn't afraid to fight, She still retains her Sisterly relationship with Shantae and is even nicer to this version of Bolo, And since she's a pilot She flies Shantae anywhere there's trouble.

She has the same colors as her OG counterpart, but wears mostly a pilot outfit you'd see out of the 1900s, Also she wields a Special Bow with many Bird engravings on it, which was built by Bolo himself.

And Last But Not Least...

Absolute Rottytops: This version of Rottytops is mostly the same, but wears more Punk Rock Clothes, She's also in a band with her brothers, Abner and Poe, "The Cadavers" they play mostly punk rock music, and they're music is rated highly by many, Unlike her OG Counterpart this version of Rotty has more Undead Magic, But she mostly uses her powers whenever she's lazy or daily nonsense.

She also wields a Warhammer that can create shockwaves or destroy pretty much anything, Again it was built by Bolo, This version of Rotty retains her Personalities from her OG Counter Part, Although she does not eat brains cause to her they taste bland, She mostly eats regular foods.

That's it for now if you guys got any suggestions on who should be Absolute, lemme know

See ya next time

[dryococelas01]

I don't have anyone else to really tag but sure!

3 ships: ooh, this is a hard one. I've never been a big shipper.

It's a largely meme ship but I do think it has interesting potential for exploration, so celestine and greyfax from warhammer. Though if we count anti ships I absolutely despise the Guilliman/Yvraine meme ship. Additionally I have a sortof antiship but also I entirely understand the ship for Trazyn/Orikan and Zandrekh/Oberyn, who are all the best boys in the universe. I just prefer the bitter intimate distaste for the first and the caring for grandpa feel of the second without making it romantic.

I have a fondness for Marika the Eternal and Rennala (Elden Ring), just because of all the weird shenanigans that ship implies. And especially the uh, spoiler reasons I won't mention.

I'm having to proper wrack my brain for this.

Oh of course! Vimes and Sybil from discworld. Just a genuinely loving couple that are both amazing people.

First ever ship: Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson, when I read it as a kid. One of the few ships where I accept no other partners for the two of them haha.

Last song: the song of Beren and Luthien by Clamavi de Profundis on YouTube (well originally by Tolkein but they recorded themselves singing it). I listened to it a while back and YouTube reccomended it to me again.

Last movie: weirdly enough, Hellboy. My dad wanted to rewatch it and I thought, what the hell, why not. It was alright, the effects were pretty cool, didn't watch it with a mind to analyse it though so don't have much to say about it.

Currently reading: random stuff I find online and I've started my reread of the stormlight archives. Currently on book 1, last I read it oathbreaker had recently come out, so that's the furthest I've got.

Love the series.

Just finished a little science book called taking flight by Lev Parikian, which is just a bunch of stuff about the evolution of flight in animals. It was a lot of stuff I'd already learnt in my zoology masters, but there was some new stuff and it was interesting enough. I'd say it would also be a read for interested non biologists, the author I think isn't a scientist, so if you're interested in flight maybe give it a shot.

Currently watching: nothing really to be honest. Always found it hard to connect with most movies and series. The medium doesn't usually speak to me. I have been sitting in the room while my brother watches Taskmaster, if that counts.

Currently consuming: also nothing (im about to sleep - its 7:20 in the morning haha), but the last thing I ate was a slice of a ginger cake I've made for the family. It's a nice and simple BBC recipe, nothing amazing but it works. Though you do need to modify it by adding like, triple the ginger and a bit of icing on top.

Currently craving: more ginger cake haha. More realistically, an unhealthy takeaway pizza. Haven't had one for a while, and sometimes you just need to eat trash. But also I'm now craving a good chicken tikka masala from this local curry place that's really good.

tag 9 people to get to know better

tagged by @fallowhearth & @wormbraind Wow i'm kinda honored never been tagged in one of these before

3 ships: Rachel & Taylor from Worm ofc. Shen Qingqiu & Liu Qingge from SVSSS. Kim Dokja & Yu Junghyeok from ORV. Charlotte & Anri from Hello Charlotte

First ever ship: Spike & Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My childhood OTP lol

Last song: Obsessed with Moonlight Magic by Ashnikko. Saw her in concert recently <3

Last movie: Think it was also Barbie lol. P decent

Currently reading: Finally finished reading Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint and my reread of Worm. Currently finishing up with the scarce few good wormfics before I start reading Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing

Currently watching: Heaven Official's Blessing donghua season 2 just came out - watching that & I'll be reading the book afterwards

Currently consuming: Hot & sour noodles, my go-to

Currently craving: Spicy curry or maybe sesame noodles or seaweed salad. Idk i'm indecisive

Tagging with great caution and fear: @krousenoelle @chaoticrushu @seroquelfan @tranz-regent @z1zb0mb @dryococelas01 @trans-queen-administrator @bronzethunder @thepariahcontinuum No pressure ofc

[micheswife]

The Warhammer and her soldier.

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

Pairing: Miche Zacharias x Marley Reader (Warhammer Titan)

One word: ANGST.

It also has some gore.

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

"The Warhammer titan is right in this room, Sir."

You seethed internally at those words. Unfortunately, there was nothing you could do. Willy was, after all, much more adept at playing politics. He was a born talker. His life was built upon his salesmanship. You were born in a privileged house, but Willy had undoubtedly brought prosperity and respect to your family. At present, you were both well in your thirties. But Willy had a family, and you didn't. The honourable man talking with your brother could easily guess the identity of the Warhammer if he racked his brain a little. It was you. You, without friends, without a husband or children. All because you were bound to your duty as a Tybur. With his eloquent words, he had managed to convince you to inherit the Warhammer titan nine years ago. Albeit against your will, you had gotten used to it. Fellow Eldians in Marley referred to you as the "Tybur Sister". You were the highly educated, beautiful, sophisticated maiden that people respected but barely knew.

You were a constant presence in the meetings, a witness to the discussions. However, Willy usually took care of everything to the point that your inputs were often deemed redundant. So you would observe the officials. After all, there was hardly anything else to do in a meeting.Today, some Paradisian gentlemen had come over to visit your brother. Now that they had discovered Marley’s dirty secret, your brother was hoping to avoid any violent confrontations. They were talking about politics with your brother. Well, Willy was only talking to the elderly man who ordered wine during tea hour. You could feel the boredom radiating off his guard, tired of their boss' jokes. The blond guard was only there for the food, just like you were for show.

"Sir?" You offered more tea as the soldier finished his cup.

"Yes." That was all he said, holding out his cup, which looked a little too small in his gigantic hands. No intonations of request or gratefulness. His behaviour irritated you. This man had no etiquette. He was resting his elbows on the table. He was eating loudly. His stubble needed shaving. Everything about him was pressing your buttons. You didn't sign up to deal with mannerless islanders when you agreed to take the Warhammer, but here you were, hosting a bunch of cavemen. At least that is what it seemed like in the beginning, but these people were smart as a whip. The oppression from your country had forced those islanders to innovate with the little resources they had.

But no matter how creative they were, you still couldn’t help wanting to get away from the discussion. It was such a mundane scene, especially with tons of files and documents strewn across the table. The mannerless, tone deaf guard was the only one that kept you distracted. By now, the two of you had reached an unspoken agreement. Every time he came close to finishing his snacks, he would glance at you and you’d bring him another serving. You wanted to see just how much he ate, after all, the man was huge. But before you both could finish your little game, Willy spoke up.

“Y/n, I would need some privacy with Mr. Pixis here. Would you please take care of Mr. Zacharius till then?”

“Yes, Willy. Follow me, please.” You gestured to him and left the room. You showed him around the grand mansion. He was the one to start speaking.

“So, I presume we are enemies.”

“If you have to talk, kindly choose a different, non-political topic, sir.” You responded, annoyed. Even after serving him that fine platter of food, he chose such an inappropriate topic.

“After your Beast titan crushed my legs, I don't think I am capable of your request.” He responded sternly.

“Excuse me?!”

He looked at you with raised eyebrows and tried to elaborate his point.

“Miss, you have no idea how painful -”

“Good sir, I am not requesting you to talk to me.” You seethed.

“Oh, I misunderstood. My apologies, I am not very competent with words.”

“Nor with your appearance.” You muttered to yourself, earning a smirk from the oaf.

“Maybe you could give me some tips. Also, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Miche Zacharius.” He responded with a smile, wanting to ease the tension.

"Alright. Let's begin with some etiquette lessons, it was a pain to see you holding a teacup like that."

"I hope you can meet Captain Levi then."

“Who’s that?” You asked.

“Just a grumpy, old man on our team. Miss, what do I call you?”

“Y/n Tybur.”

And that was all it took to ease your frustrations. As a Tybur, you grew up around significant people in the government. Miche was a breath of fresh air. With him, you were able to enjoy your surroundings without someone calling them insignificant. They were so beautiful. You had garments made of the finest silk, handed down to you by your mother; the purple orchid tree outside in full bloom; the exquisite bookshelf that housed your handwritten poetry; the ancient sewing machine that was your medium of escapism; the fireplace that kept you warm; and the lovely litter of your nephews and nieces - the only people in blissfully unaware of these grim circumstances. Everything around you was worth loving. It was a disgrace you had to hear words of deceit, malice and hatred for the most part of your life. But today was different because you had finally bonded with someone. You weren’t sure Willy would approve of your casual talk with this supposed enemy of your state, but you were just following his orders. Willy had asked you to take care of Miche, and you were doing exactly that.

Miche was not supposed to be your friend. But as time went by, you realized that he was an ordinary man tired of the war; a man forced to fight; to kill for the sake of his people back in Paradis. You both talked about so many unimportant things that day. Time had gone by fast and you didn’t realize when Willy was done speaking to Pixis. You almost felt bad when Pixis left with Miche, but to your delight, the pair returned the next week. And the week after that. The schedule was unchanged. Pixis would talk to your brother and leave Miche in your company. It was almost like two parents leaving their kids to play with each other. Every week, your connection deepened. Every week, you both laughed with each other. You taught him chess. You taught him how to dress and arrange flowers. He began bringing you gifts. You gave him handmade scented candles to take home. Every week, you both had something new to talk about. Every week, after you bid him goodbye, you would wonder about a ludicrous idea.

"Do you think we should lock people up?" You asked him one day.

Miche squinted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Like us, lock a Marleyan and Paradisian in a room for one hour every week."

Holding the same confused expression, he asked, "And what would that achieve?"

"Some peace, a semblance of understanding, or... friendship." The skepticism in his eyes indicated that you have broached an uncomfortable topic.

"No... I don't think so." He shook his head.

You couldn't think of any words to say. You had noticed his expression turning stern.

"I think it would be a bad idea." Miche emphasized.

"How so?"

"They would just end up like us, wouldn't they?" He said in a sad voice. It shocked you, but you couldn’t deny the reality.

"They would." You admitted.

"That's why it would be bad."

"Right."

It felt bad. You didn't want to hear the explanation of his inadequate answer because you knew it would ruin the sacred relation you both shared. If you squinted really hard, you could see that the little conversation had already burrowed a hole in your bond. The rest of your time went smoothly as he cleverly directed your attention away from that awkward snippet of interaction. Soon, it was time to go, but today your goodbyes had less enthusiasm. The pain you felt during those few minutes was still resounding in your heart. It was eating away at you, making you feel guilty about feeling hurt at a perfectly realistic comment. After all, you also wanted nothing more than some company to help you take your mind away from reality.

What else could you call it when two enemies talked about insignificant things every week? What else, other than "a complete waste of time"? But hearing it from him felt like daggers in your heart. He didn’t explicitly call the relation a “waste of time”, but that’s what you interpreted from it. Insecurity was a nasty devil. You felt like he didn't like you, or understand you. What you didn't comprehend was the pain he felt when he used those words to push you away. They were deliberate. He couldn't, under any circumstances, entertain the idea of making friends with a Marleyan. He did not have the liberty of placing his morals and desires above his duty towards the nation. He was a soldier, not a politician. He only followed orders from his superiors, he did not make the rules. So he pushed you away when he saw the opportunity, just like he had done with countless people in the past. He had been doing that ever since his first day in the survey corps. He did it with his parents, siblings, friends and a couple of women he fell in love with, one of them being you. He was just far too poor to afford the luxury of falling in love, so against all his desires, he deliberately pushed you away.

Miche was a hardened soldier, but he still had a warm heart. He had used crude words with you, but he had also made a promise. A vow to never forget about you or about the time you spent together. Alas! It was a little too late to make that declaration, but such grand gestures only come forward in face of adversities, during the final moments, don't they? During one meeting, Pixis jokingly revealed the news to you as you brought him a bottle of his regular wine.

“Ms. Tybur. You won’t have to worry about running out of this delicious wine after today.”

You gave him a weak smile before looking at Miche. As usual, you asked him to follow you out of the room. Neither of you spoke until you reached the library, your usual spot.

"We won't be meeting each other after this." Miche began the conversation with a heavy voice.

"Hmm."

"Did you know about this?" He asked.

"I did not. I wish I had known." You really did wish Willy had informed you earlier instead of finalizing the deal all of a sudden.

"You should have spoken to him." Miche's voice sounded desperate.

"What for?"

"For us." he answered in a low voice.

"Us? Are you a child or a 40 year old man?" You scoffed, trying to fight back the tears.

"I.... I am in love with you." He blurted out with a broken voice.

"I am glad."

"They don't plan..... on... on marrying you off, right?"

You laughed through the tears, letting them roll down your blushy cheek.

"No... I am a maiden till I die."

"Then I will always remember you."

For the first time in your life, you acted on your instinct. You gently wrapped your arms around his broad chest. His warm, calloused hand instinctively came to rest on your head. You didn't realize how touch starved you were until that moment. It was just an embrace, but the thought of someone walking in on you made you retract.

"I am sorry, locking doors is .."

"I know."

"I'll miss you..."

"In case this really is the last time we meet each other, can I get something to remember you?" His words were like honey. You wanted to hear more of them. You would forever remember those sweet words of praise, grief and even frustration. For a split second, you wondered how many of such beautiful words you would have heard had you lived a normal life. But the man speaking before you quickly brought you back to the present moment. He was gushing, pouring his heart out, crying for the tragedy that was his love story. He told you how the most he could ever give you was a promise to keep you in his heart. He begged you to do the same, to keep him in your memories. Perhaps, that interaction was the first step towards uniting the two nations, both oppressed in different ways. Perhaps, a decade later, Paradisians and Marleyans could unite. But now was not the time. So you bid him a bittersweet farewell with a heavy heart. You were glad to have experienced the sweetness of romance in your lonely life, and you made sure to tell him. All the repressed words and emotions raced to get out as you ran out of time. This time, you couldn't care less about saying the wrong thing. All you knew was that it needed to be said. But time waits for none, and your love was a victim of unfavourable circumstances. In the end, there were several things you couldn't tell him and it surprised you. You knew this man for a span of a few months and you already had so much to tell him. Perhaps that's what love felt like, at least in the initial phase. You, at the end of the day, did not have the luxury to experience love until it made you sick. You could never possibly understand how Willy had the audacity to argue with his wife. If you had a chance to build a future with Miche, you’d never act as ungrateful as your brother acted towards his wife.

A few days had passed since you had to seperate from Miche, and you had busied yourself with work. Occasionally, you'd steal a glance at your new pendant tucked into your blouse. Miche gave it to you before leaving. You were glad Willy was busy with work. He never told you about the conclusion of those meetings, but his demeanor had changed. Of course, his social charm was unfazed, but you knew it was fake. He would turn cold the moment he got away from the eyes of the officials and his supporters. The worst part of it all was his sudden mistreatment of Finne. She was your eldest niece, but still not old enough to understand her father's work. Unfortunately, Willy was pushing her to study old documents, as if his legacy was at stake. He didn't spare his wife either. You helped the two of them whenever you could, but even you couldn't match your brother's wits when it came to politics. You tried striking a conversation with Willy, desperate to understand the shift in his behaviour but he didn't give you a single answer, until one day.

It was on the night before his speech at the carnival, you knew something was awry when you heard your sister-in-law sobbing in the next room. The next day, Willy told you to use your Titan as and when you felt necessary. He had quite literally freed you from his control when he said that. You knew his speech could cause outrage, but you never anticipated that he would announce a war. You didn't anticipate that your world would come crashing down the very moment his speech ended. It all happened in a matter of seconds and you were stunned. One moment people were cheering, you felt the ground shaking and before you knew it, the Attack Titan had devoured your brother. You finally understood why Willy had liberated you from his order, but the damage was already done. You were supposed to transform when you felt the ground shaking, but your mind had gone blank. You couldn't even register your surroundings until the Attack titan had destroyed half of them. Finally, you took out your knife and slashed your hand. You had heard about Yeager's tenacious nature from the Marleyan army chief, so you decided to gamble your fate. Encasing yourself in the Hardening, you controlled your Titan like a puppet. It took a lot more energy from you, but the Marleyan army had trained you for endurance.

For most of the time, it was just you trying your best to fight the Attack titan. But then something caught your eye… Miche. He was ready to lead his soldiers into the fight. He was looking at your titan with utter contempt and determination. He wanted to kill you. If only he knew it was you controlling the Warhammer. During your time together, neither of you ever discussed your political alignments. You both knew that you were enemies, and you actively chose to ignore that elephant in the room. Deep down, you both knew that your first and only commitment was towards your nations, not each other. And so you decided to give that fight your everything. You felt a surge of anger pass through you when you saw a different group of Paradisian soldiers enter the battlefield. You knew they were his dear comrades, but this was a war, and there was no room for mercy. You came close to defeating the Attack titan several times. His fighting skills were still nowhere near the average Marleyan titan shifter. Had it not been for the other soldiers and their funny flying equipment, you would have killed this man a long time ago. You wondered why War Chief Zeke or Mr. Braun didn’t come to your rescue. You were fighting against a horde of soldiers and a titan all by yourself and you were running out of energy. Your titan became slower with time. Every time you got close to victory, someone would sweep in to save Yeager. What a brat!

You could have still crushed his nape had you not repeated Reiner’s mistake. You saw Eren’s clumsy way of fighting, and you underestimated him. You were finally able to corner him, but you asked him to say his last words instead of crushing him on the spot. Your overconfidence gave him enough time to think and spot your location. He detached you from your puppet and pulled you out of the earth, shocking everyone around him. You knew you needed rescuing now that he had captured you. Those devils would take you to their wretched island if Eren Yeager failed to devour you. You thought you were done for when the Jaw titan finally came to help you out, but he entered the fight with the worst approach possible. He jumped in without a second thought and one island devil took complete advantage of it. She chopped his legs off. Everything happened in a flash after that. Porco’s limbs were ripped off, and you were at Yeager’s mercy with no way out. You just wanted it all to end. You were so traumatized that you didn’t see Miche staring at you. His blue orbs were filled with sadness, and he was the only one that wasn’t fighting. He just kept looking at you, clutching to the brooch in his pocket. You only caught a glimpse of him when Eren used you to block himself from Porco’s claws. But that was it, because the next thing Eren did was abuse both you and Porco. You could have never predicted his next move. He thrust you inside the Jaw’s mouth to break your Hardening.

Miche wanted to turn around, he felt sick to his stomach. The pain you felt was excruciating. You knew Porco was begging you to do something, but there was no way you could. Every part of your body was being pushed inward and there was nothing you could do other than stare at the disgusting, open mouth of the Attack titan beneath you. Just when you assumed that the pain couldn’t get worse, you felt several jolts go through your body. Your Hardening had begun to crack. Miche looked at you with the same, shocked expression he had during his first encounter with the Beast titan. His eyes welled up when he heard another loud crack and before his tears could fall, your cocoon got crushed with a loud snap. That was it, you were gone. Your blood splattered across the Titan Shifters’ faces. Miche turned his back to the gruesome scene of murder to gather himself. A soldier couldn’t lose his composure during a war, but there was little he could do when his body refused to cooperate.

Eren’s mission was a success and everyone was celebrating on the way back home. Except for Miche. He hid himself in the room closest to the engine. It was secluded and the white noise helped drown the distracting cheers. He took out your brooch with trembling hands and just stared at it. It was an ornament with intricate details carved with utmost precision. The border was decorated with rubies, emeralds and sapphires. After having stared at the ornament for several minutes, Miche spotted a faint etching of a hammer. The same kind of hammer you were going to execute Yeager with. It was carefully hidden behind the dense floral motifs. Miche didn’t know how he was supposed to feel. Shameful? Because he didn’t spot it earlier and failed to help out his comrades. Idiotic? Because maybe you were trying to tell him something? Maybe he could have saved your life? Loved? Because you trusted him enough to reveal your identity? Or did you think he was so dense that he’d never be able to look through the details? Did you mean to embarrass him? Was he even supposed to feel anything if everything was over? Was his observation even significant? After all, Miche already knew that the Warhammer was from your family. He just didn't rack his brain enough to realize it was you.

"What is the meaning of this, Y/n?" He asked the iron wall before him, expecting some kind of ghost to appear before him. But nothing did. He had heard somewhere that Titan shifters never really died in the true sense. People believed that they simply stayed trapped inside whoever devoured them. Dead or not, it was clear that Miche had lost you. But you were never his to begin with. You did not belong to him; you belong to the state of Marley. All he could do now was stay true to his promise of keeping you in his memories.

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

I hope y'all enjoyed it 💕.

Tags: @gurlbye-1

[haldohange]

More brain rot/clowning/copium

Just my analysis and nothing more, I know with only 1 chapter left after what happened in chapter 138, this is about to seem delusional but hear me out if you want some Hange content or inspiration for Headcanon and copium for your psychotherapy

So I've put out a few theories already but one thing I keep coming back to is this tweet no matter what the new chapters keep throwing at us that "Hange is not coming back"

https://twitter.com/ShingekiKyojin/status/1227991506495008770

Translation here:

Now why does Isayama smile and say her name in a friendly respectable way? Why?!!!! Because he had plans to kill her off in 8 months? Or because this tweet was around the time we got chapter 126, a major Levihan chapter?

Anyway, fast forward many months after 132, I'm still thinking there are many details Isym purposefully made weird about Hange's fate.

Then I saw this on twitter today:

WTF!!! These parallels between the shoulder wound and eye wound...I never noticed. And although this Twitter post was jokingly pointing them out, it's not a wrong observation! And THEN I remembered this website made for Season 4 anime some time ago: https://vs.shingeki.tv/

It's a game of "enemy" or "opposites". Such as tea and coffee or dog and cat below:

BUTBUT One of the screen caps looks like this. The words say: Apple in japanese. So what is the question marks above Hanji? My guess is that since Apple is the fruit of sins and temptations in the bible, the opposite is likely Grapes (oh wow it's also Hanji's official color purple and she is often associated with wine in official arts). Aside from my tangent, wine or grapes represents the blood of Jesus. I'm not gonna explain more since I am not completely familiar with religious stories and symbols.

What could it be? sure, you can assume that Hange was the one to bring the Alliance together against the rumbling, but what if there's more.

Lastly, I thought back to the Beast Titan theory most of us Hanji stans had some form of hope in, and noticed that while the parallels between her and Xavier/Zeke were there...maybe that wasn't all to it.

As we know the patterns in personality of the 9 Titans are:

1. Attack: seeks freedom

2. Beast: Intelligence and curiosity

3. Colossal: doubts themselves

4. Jaw: self-sacrificing

5. Founding titan: seeks peace

Unfortunately there isn't enough about the cart, armor, female, and warhammer to find a commonality.

And then you think about Hange, who:

1. Obviously seeks freedom, for herself and others

2. 11/10 on intelligence

3. Doubted herself a great deal as the 14th commander, and we see this very often

4. Sacrificed herself in chapter 132 literally!

5. Brings together the two sides, welcomes them to the island and cooks them stew, let's them eat before she does while she did all the cooking (some Christian last dinner beliefs in here as well, along with the cross symbol she keeps bearing with her thunderspears, you can find out more if you dig in Tumblr or Twitter)

Bonus: check out my Helos and Hange parallel post too.

Bonus 2: credit to other posters, who bring up that her name in Greek means Life, and Hange and Change are similar words lmao ok maybe that's pushing it.

I read somewhere Isym wants an ending we could never have predicted, but if we look back the hints were always there. Can't find the source but either way, that is a reasonable expectation for any story teller's definition of a "good ending". Meaning not necessarily satisfying or happy but can be accepted despite it's unpopularity.

_____________________________________________

What if...just what if. I know Armin is also said to have the same qualities such as freedom and self doubt, intelligence as well...and self sacrifice in Shiganshina...

But just give this Hange theory a thought, and if the final twist proves me right even with with 0.01% chance, then this is my bragging right card (just in case). I am also preparing for the complete opposite ending, which is that her memory shard is never explained and her death was noble but rushed and mocked by Falco suddenly flying and literally having her name brought up twice after her death, and we never get any answers about her gender or backstory okay that's all the 🍞 #pain

[bagajewsky]

Runar "I-Eat-Huge-Space-Men-And-I'm-Also-Dragon-God" Targaryen belongs to @navsartyplace and Pod "Your-Local-Creepy-But-Nice-Alchemy-Teacher-And-I'm-Also-Mad-God" just Pod is my boy.

Just fast thing for my new bud and me, i love old man scrolling games, but never ever make much art about it, just ask stuff and gifts for pals, but now i wanna do more, even if warhammer is still 80% of my brain.

[argentdandelion]

Memories of the Surface

Chapter 2: “I’m Not a Hero."

Gerson looks back on his long life, his memories of the Surface, and all the friendships and trauma made under a world lit by the sun.

---

Clothes. Pretty fancy-looking things, too.

Gerson leaned over the big pine root: quite a tripping hazard. Strewn across it was a shirt, its thin material suggesting summer wear. Once, it would have been pretty fancy: the sort a successful merchant might have worn. But now, it was flimsy-looking, a little threadbare, a little faded.

Who would just leave a shirt like this out in the woods? Gerson thought, as he knelt to pick it up.

Dust trickled out from the collar. Gerson saw the hole in the shirt---a mere slit, right in the middle of the chest. As if it was stabbed just once...or over and over in the same spot...

Gerson let the shirt flutter to the ground. "Eh, wouldn't have fit me anyway, not with my shell."

Gerson trudged on.

--------

There's gotta be some meat somewhere...a deer somewhere...at least a big, juicy squirrel!

Gerson scanned the pine trees. Why are they all so scared to show up? It's not like there's a war against wild animals.

At least there wasn’t any wind chill in this late-autumn day.

I'm not gonna return to camp empty-handed. We need these supplies!

A thatched building stood in a clearing among the pines, beside a small brook.

Gerson smiled. Finally! An inn! But no smoke…?

Gerson slowly pushed the door open.

Is it the off-season for travelers? Or is the innkeeper a monster who loves the cold? Or did it...

...run out of business?

He scanned the interior. Dark. No candles, no torches...just the indirect light that drifted in from the opened doorway.

Gerson raised his warhammer---just a soldier's reflex. It had never served him right...but had never served him wrong, either.

The furniture laid on the ground haphazardly. Several chairs were broken. A few looked hacked apart. Some pine needles and dried clods of mud littered the doorway. Whoever entered last sure hadn't cared to wipe their feet.

But there might still be food somewhere. Gerson took a few wary steps inside, into the cold and quiet. It looked like the village nearby. Similar wooden furniture, similar brick fireplace, similar…

The nearby village had looked like it was empty for a while.

"Dead end." Gerson said. He turned around---

And saw the wall had a dent in it, and a slight smudge of dust, right at head height.

The dust pile. By the doorway, on the floor. But no human soldiers’ bootprints at all. Gerson sniffed. It didn't smell like monster dust either.

Something’s off.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

Gerson’s bullets stopped inches from the figure’s body.

Green with yellow eyes. Not a human.

The figure’s hands were up, his yellow eyes wide. It was a fish monster...no, amphibian. Gerson vaguely recalled they cared for the difference. “N-no n-need for th-that, friend.” The monster said, standing motionlessly.

The bullets winked out of existence, but Gerson didn’t quite lower his hammer.

"What’s your story?”

“I’m an innkeeper. Ouro’s my name.” the amphibian said. “I run...ran...this inn a few miles from the village.”

“And what's with this setup?”

"An idea of mine. If the place looks like it had already been looted and its owner dusted, no one will look too closely.”

“And the dust?”

“Just some wheat flour that had gone bad.”

Gerson stepped past Ouro and looked around. “You’ve seen any other monsters lately?” he asked.

“I haven’t seen any other monsters in...a while.” The innkeeper’s voice was creaky, like a door with a rusted-over hinge.

Gerson raised an eyebrow. No. Ouro’s voice wasn’t quite creaky. It felt disused, as if he had no reason to speak for a long time.

“Did anybody from the village show up?”

“Nobody came.” Ouro looked down. “Nobody.”

An image of the clothes in the woods flashed into Gerson’s mind. Gerson shook it off.

“A few humans took my mounts early on. I can’t get anywhere fast, so I hunkered down in the root cellar for...I don’t know how long. Are the humans gone?" The innkeeper still sounded a little strained, as if the stress had settled into his throat.

"The human army moved on ‘bout a month or so ago. Guess you’ll have to ask ol’ Prince Fluffybuns---ah, Asgore----if you want something more specific.”

“Then it should be safe,” Ouro said. “You...you think it’s safe, right?”

“Well, as safe as you can be.” Gerson shrugged. “And if you come with the monster army, at least you’ll have living shields!”

“The monster army...is it nearby?” Ouro asked.

“Yes. Not too far. We camped out early to fetch more supplies from the area.”

A big smile cracked across Ouro’s face. “If it’s supplies you want, I’ve got plenty! I was stockpiling it for any refugees from the village, but…well, there’s plenty for the soldiers!”

Gerson scratched at his goatee. “Hmm….you got any meat?”

“Plenty! I’ll give it for free! Anything for some company!”

The innkeeper scrambled to open the backroom and into the root cellar, his thick boots scuffling on the floor. He returned so loaded with dried meats he looked like a cart that had learned how to stand up.

Gerson blinked. That’s...a lot of jerky.

Ouro clutched two tankards and one stained recipe paper in one hand, with all the skill of a monster with a lifetime of serving tables. He sat on a stool that creaked slightly under his weight and set the tankards and recipe down.

"I figure you all are thirsty, too, but I couldn't carry the kegs. I guess you'll have to bring back some soldiers for that,” Ouro said, his voice settling down. “I did fill a few tankards for us, though."

“What’s this stuff?” Gerson asked, inspecting the greenish liquid inside his portion.

“Crab apple cider. It collect the crab apples myself from the stream nearby, and it’s the inn’s specialty---other than jerky. But I should warn you, it’s an acquired---” Gerson choked it down---and his eyes bugged out. “Taste.”

Gerson smacked his lips. “It sure is.”

“Sorry if there are seeds. I made the last batch in a hurry. And, um...sorry for scaring you earlier.” the innkeeper said sheepishly. Gerson shrugged. "Eh. A little caution goes a long way these days."

“A toast,” Ouro said, raising up his mug. “To what?”

Ouro looked firmly at Gerson. “That the humans have had enough dust-shed for a lifetime.” The amphibian’s face started to crumble, but he patched it back up with a big smile. “That, whatever happens...monsters will live in peace.”

“A toast,” Gerson asserted. “To the brawn and brains of monsterkind’s hungry soldiers!”

The innkeeper slowly tipped the tankard to his lips.

His gills flicked up. “Human.”

Something trembled---no, wavered, no, moved---inside Gerson’s SOUL. A human. A human coming----

“Hide!” the innkeeper hissed.

“Where?” The inn’s interior. Too open. Too exposed.

“Fireplace!” the innkeeper shoved Gerson forward. The turtle soldier slipped into the ashes before he even registered the act. He scrunched up his eyes against the cold ashes.

The human moved quietly----must be lightly armored, with fine shoes.

Light, rapid footsteps on the inn’s wooden floors, and then----

“W-want some jerky?” the innkeeper said.

What the----?

“That’s a mighty fine eating knife. Looks like you’re the kind of person who loves chewy meat.” An awkward pause stretched after the innkeeper’s words. The human...must be wielding a knife. Or a dagger. Gerson thought. He’s warning me. “Yes, I know humans carry about knives for eating. My inn’s had human patrons, after all.”

With that kind of voice, with his eyes facing away...Gerson couldn’t tell if the human was male or female. But it didn’t matter. They killed monsters just the same.

Ouro’s standing right there. But why isn’t the human attacking?

"What's that?" the human said, like a command.

Gerson stiffened.

“A novelty log holder,” Ouro said smoothly. “I purchased it on a whim when I was younger and more...prosperous.”

The silence stretched on. Gerson’s skin prickled, as if he was being watched. He fought the urge to shudder.

“How much?” What?! Gerson thought.

“Two silver each.” the innkeeper replied.

Each…?

With a faint clink, the human handed over two silver coins. Gerson heard the innkeeper’s pack rustling as he fished out something---probably a piece of jerky. But he didn’t hear eating noises.

Did they believe that lie? That I’m just a ‘novelty log holder’? Gerson thought.

“Another.” the human said.

“Oh, sure,” the innkeeper replied, with more rustling.

“Another.” the human said flatly.

“A jerky lover, I see.” More rustling.

“Another.” “Another.” “Another.” Another...

“You would have loved this place at its p-peak,” Ouro said.“L-lots of jerky lovers. Lots of humans with n-nice eating knives, just like you.” A lot more rustling----he must be lifting out a big mound of jerky.

A pause. The impatient tap of fingers on the table, and the faint sound of more jerky being set on the table, of the innkeeper scrabbling on the table’s wood surface.

“I-it’s n-nice to see there are still h-humans who love p-patronizing monster businesses,” Ouro said. “B-because...it’s just that good. They’re s-sure worth...k-keeping around.”

Gerson grimaced. How did the human get so much money?!

“I’m...I’m fresh out. B-but if you come back later, I’ll….”

A muffled grunt split the air. The human exhaled---and sounded disappointed.

Gerson scrunched up his eyes harder. Can...can anyone hear me? If there’s someone out there...please help.

The innkeeper started panting. “I-I c-can sell you more---”

The human snorted dismissively---and hit again. There was another muffled grunt.

He heard it loudly in his mind..only attack if you outnumber a human three to one.

The clink of coins falling off the table.

You useless Prince Fluffybuns! Get over here! Gerson shouted in his mind.

The scud of boots steadying themselves on piles of silver coins.

Only attack if you outnumber a human three to one.

The faint sound of piles of jerky falling to the floor.

Harrold, I know you’re a cowardly bunny, but I need you! Gerson pleaded in his mind.

A huge whump as a body hit the floor.

Anyone! Please help! Gerson begged in his mind.

A crackle as weight pressed down on...on something.

Only attack if you outnumber a human three to one. If you don’t….

“You want mercy, monster?” the human stated quietly.

If you don’t….you’re dust.

The sudden crack, like hot stones splintering.

Sssshooow.

Gerson didn’t hear if the human what the human said next. But it didn’t matter. He heard the faint clank of an eating knife (or dagger) getting tucked into its sheath, the clink of many, many coins, and the rustle of dozens of monsters’ worth of jerky.

And, finally, the sound of the human’s footsteps faded away.

Gerson rubbed the ashes away from his face and did not even look at his hands. The sun was setting now. It was starting...to get dark. Darker. Yet darker.

The inn had real monster dust now: coarse like ashes. It smelled like rain upon the earth...but slightly decayed. And the innkeeper’s clothes laid there, like the stabbed-through merchant’s, like...so many others.

He never said anything. Never revealed me. Never cried out. The thoughts ran through the turtle’s mind.

His eyes...dry. His throat...dry. His mind...still as the forest ouside. But not relaxed. If only he cried out...if only he stopped trying to muffle his pain...I’d save him on reflex.

And die.

Gerson took a stiff drink of the sour crab apple cider and quaffed it down, his throat fluttering.

Feet turned around. An idle hand grasped the recipe on the cracked-apart table. And the door was sealed, leaving the newly-made tomb in its darkness.

--------

The human child was pointing an odd weapon at him. Trying to threaten him. What a figure they made, hands just coated in monster dust.

“Try it, kiddo! I know you can’t here.” I may not know why. But I don’t need to.

The human looked at the old shopkeeper for a moment. Their fingers twitched. And they...stopped. Their hard eyes grew puzzled. Their jovial, not-quite-right smile became an outright frown.

“Eh? Fight you?” Gerson looked aside. “Nah, I'm not a hero.”

He stared straight at the human’s determined brown eyes. “But I know there's someone out there...someone who'll never give up trying to do the right thing, no matter what.”

Someone bright and brave and strong. Someone who carried the burden of everyone’s hopes and dreams, and became all the stronger. Someone who had the strength to be the hero...he never could be.

“Someone...who will strike you down.”

And, finally, the sound of the human’s footsteps faded away.

Gerson unhooked the shop’s landline phone. He still looked at the doorway as it rang.

“Undyne. The human just passed by my shop.”

---

Author’s Notes

The innkeeper's name was suggested by DistanceSeventeen.

The clothes belonged to a character who made an appearance in "Merchant of Death", a side-story in the same continuity.

This work was inspired by the theme of modern human-monster relations in my previous posts:"Things Anti-Monster Politicians Could Do"and "Undertale: The Perils of Being Literally Not Human".

[gotmilk5101520]

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Watch Episode 21 Party Monster (Part 1)

“Party Monster”? This sounds like Claire’s type of party. Then again, Jim’s not here so...

“Okay. We wait until he’s asleep”

“I use my Shadow Staff to get us in”

“And i ever so gently remove the ring from his finger” “Hold up there, Mr. Storyteller”

“Do changelings even sleep?”

“Good point, Tobes. New plan”

“We spike his coffee with extra strength cold medicine”

“I use the Shadow Staff”

“And i bring my Warhammer in case that doesn’t knock him out”

“And i ever so gently...” “Wait”

“What if he’s not alone? His office was guarded last time”

“Chaka!”

“Okay, fine”

“We spike the coffee”

“Shadow Staff”

“I use my Warhammer to take out his goons”

“Then, i ever so gently remove the ring”

“But what if it doesn’t come off?”

“Why would it not come off?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s glued on, or he added a few pounds”

“Why would it be glued on, you dingus?”

“You said be ready for every precaution”

“He’s waking up!”

“Oh, how is he waking up? This isn’t even really happening!”

“Cut off his hand!”

“What?” “Use your sword. Hurry! Do it!”

“No, i’m not gonna cut-”

“Do it! Do it! Before it’s too late!”

“Stop! Stop! Stop!”

“If you chop his hand off, you chop your mom’s hand off too, remember?” This whole beginning bit is 1 minute, and it uses 40 images. And for what? For this scene to reveal that there is one brain cell and it switches between these three, and also the reason why this is 2 parts? Yeah, it was worth it.

“You sure you don’t wanna come?”

“Sorry. Parents are on a weekend trip”

“So Mary and Darc are coming over for girls night”

“Just keeping up appearances”

“You know what i mean” Yeah, that’s what it’s like to have friends, who don’t know what’s going on. Something Jim and Toby don’t have.

“Ooh, girls?”

“I love a good pillow fight” We don’t do pillow fights. Then again i’ve never been to a sleep over, or a girls night out.

“I had it with you”

“Fudgeknuckle” What an odd way to say crap.

“I told you. Not me scruff!” NotEnrique’s scruff getting grabbed count: 2

“And don’t ever ask me to do the favor of letting you see your brother again!”

“Fine!”

“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you”

*Cries in Troll*

Wait how do trolls have services? How do they have a phone?

“What about a magical super magnet?”

“Oh! Definitely got one of those!”

“Doesn’t work great. Just grabs snails” So it’s a Snail Magnet?

“So where do we find the right tool?”

“I know just the place!”

“Are you ready, young wards”

“To embark with me on the greatest adventure?”

“Oh, yeah!”

“Where? Where?”

“The adventure of reading!”

“Hours upon hours of research awaits you”

“Avante!” He got them in the first half not gonna lie.

“My brother spent centuries”

“curating our kind’s most exotic collection”

“of scrolls, tomes and texts”

”If the answer is anywhere, it’s here”

“I didn’t know you have a brother”

“Had a brother”

“Dictatious Maximus Galadrigal”

“These books are all that i have left of him”

“If he were here to see me now...” “Quit telling everyone i’m dead!” “Sometimes, i can still hear his voice”

“Uh... Gotta go”

“Just leaving”

“Hey, wingman. What’s-” “Fine”

”Bye”

This is how i am when i want to leave.

“Don’t touch me scruff!” Wait is that “Turned down for what?”

Hey, Claire. Remember that one time you thought Jim had a party at your house? Well, here it is.

“Don’t eat that!”

“Phone tasty” Claire is not making a phone count for herself.

Hey guys, look. Claire just came out of the closet! Yeah terrible i’m leaving now.

“3 meals a day”

“8 glasses of water”

“8 minutes of sleep” Remember kids, always have 8 minutes of sleep.

“Maddrux the Many triumphed in the battle of Doomscavern”

“defeating his greatest enemy”

“Himself” Yeah... little did we know about that.

“Spit that out, now!”

Just eat the lightbulb, like Draal did, no one will notice.

“Round and round it goes“

“Who ya smooch?”

“Nobody knows!”

“Now, that’s gross. Then again monster fucking is one of her kink” “You read my list did you?” “All 101 of your favorite kinks? Yep”

And, there goes the door again.

“Aaarrrgghh!”

“Finally someone sane”

“I’m glad you’re here”

“Uh, yes”

“Is that Glug?”

“Aaarrrgghh! Seriously?” Yeah, he won’t help. Now if Draal were here- No never mind. Okay if Vendel was- Nah he won’t help either.

“I’ve never seen him like this”

“Give the big lug a break”

“Even he needs to blow off some steam”

“Aaarrrgghh! Aaarrrgghh! Aaarrrgghh! Aaarrrgghh!”

*Burps in Troll*

“Oh, yeah!”

“A lotta steam apparently” Wait, this implies NotEnrique noticed the Creeper’s Sun. So how come Claire didn’t see?

“So, what do you do?”

“Oh. The strong silent type. I see”

“Say, what does a girl got to do to get that mask off?” What an odd way to say- Never mind.

Do You Wanna Build A Snowtroll?

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!” If you listen closely you can hear the steam coming out of her ears.

To be continued.

Part 2

[botslayer]

Fantasy and Scifi “Racism,” an opinion piece:

This whole thing is gonna be a slurry of politics, hot takes, nerd shit, some pictures to make it not a snooze fest on the eyes, and me asking the lot of ya to consider both sides of an argument. If you have a problem with any of that, please leave. All that said, let's get on with it: Let’s take three gentlemen for an example. One is from Poland. One is from Angola, one is from South Korea. What does that tell us about them? We can infer averages. For example, The average Polish man’s height is about five feet, ten and a half inches, so the Polish gentleman’s height might be in that ballpark. A very well known Korean dish is Kimchi, so it is moderately safe to assume the Korean man has, at some point, eaten it. Two of Angola’s largest provinces happen to be “Moxico” and “Cuandocubango” and one of it’s most populated is called “Huambo” So it would be a moderately safe bet to assume the man from Angola is from one of those areas. Their countries/continents of origin don’t directly tell us much though. Hell, we could be dealing with a Polish little person, a Korean who has bafflingly never had kimchi and an Angolan from Lunda Sul. We also don’t know about their outlooks, their lives, mental conditions they might have. Hell, we may not know what race these guys are. There’s a slim chance the Angolan Gentleman is Chinese (1.4% of the country’s population) Or that the Polish guy is ethnically German. We just don’t know. What we do know for a fact is that they’re all human men. They have (most likely) similar psychology, anatomy, dietary need to not starve to death or dehydrate, etc. And that’s about it. Now let’s take a sample from three fictional species off the top of my head: Starting with a Furon from Destroy all humans.

Now, Furons are pretty much universally shorter and physically weaker than humans, so it is safe to assume our single Furon has these qualities. He's also likely a psychic as that's a common attribute of his people. Also common would be the perception of humans as cattle, his possession of advanced force field technology is also pretty much a guarantee. Outliers exist and all that but something worth mentioning: This Furon is a Furon. In other news: The sky is blue, yeah? The problem is though: The Furons are very much not humans. And there aren't too many "races" in that equation, either. Just the populace of the Furon Homeworld. It's also worth noting that we don't actually know what Furons eat, their water intake any of that. We know only so many details but with just those, it's obvious that Furons and humans are too damn different. For species two, let's look at Mind Flayers from DnD.

Mind Flayers, otherwise known as "Illithids," are generally humanoid creatures born through a process known as "Ceramorphosis." See, Illithids are anatomically asexual, as in, they self inseminate and produce eggs from their mouths. They put the eggs in with an entity called "The Elder brain" which is a conglomerate of other Illithid brains, the tadpoles eat one another or get eaten by the brain for about ten years before being selected and implanted into a sentient creature (Humans, elves, etc) From there, the tadpole eats the brain of that creature, replacing it with its own and slowly altering their anatomy until you get a malevolent microcthulhu with potent psychic powers and the need to eat one entire human-level brain every month. Mindflayers start their lives as parasites that literally consume your entire sense of self and mutate you into an unrecognizable husk with a cephalopod for a face. And they have the gall to consider humans lesser? How bloody dare... an entirely separate species of sentient creatures come to that conclusion. For our last example, let's talk about a species from a setting best described as Technomystical: The Skakdi from Bionicle.

For those who don't know what that species is, The Piraka from the 2006 toyline are all examples of Skakdi. Now, Skakdi look, and they are, absolutely brutal. For example, the species was beset by an army of large and lethal creatures called "Zyglak" after becoming what they are today, the lot of them being mutants. The Zyglak were completely wiped out. Skakdi are savage in the best of ways. They aren't just beasts, they're berserkers with the powers of the elements, however, it does require two of them to activate such powers. Thing is though, they're all like that. The entire species has been mutated from what it once was into a legion that knows little else other than slaughter and subjugation of others... Generally speaking, at least. The problem with all three of these species, or "Races" (As I do NOT prefer to call it), and in fact most species from almost all settings is that they're a monolith. Illithids, for example, generally all follow the same societal structure, living in large groups wherever they can under the "guidance" (as in "Hivemind link") of elder brains, some strike out on their own, but for the most part, they live under elder brains, no matter where in the world they are. There aren't competing Illithid Nations or sub-species with things that makes them distinctly Korean or Aztec inspired unless the DM adds those things. And even then, when settings do that, say, Warhammer, there are some groups that are a national proxy (The Empire is Germany, Bretonnia is France, etc) and then some proxies are just an entire species. (See the Lizard Men, who went from Native American-coded to Aztec over the course of some years.) Adding to these things is a slight elephant in the room. Alignment systems. See, humans in games like DnD can be anything from neutral evil to chaotic good, true neutral to lawful evil, etc. But then some species are stuck as inherently good or evil or inherently lawful or chaotic. The problem with saying that about a sentient species is that it smacks a bit of actual, real racism/racist ideas. The idea that this group of beings that just lives differently to the rest of us is inherently almost anything is clearly bad, right? Well... Maybe if we didn't do that IRL, that would feel more genuine. The hell am I on about?

We, as humans, understand that other species of everything from primates to insects are naturally more aggressive, more gentle, more poisonous, more endowed with certain senses, etc. All except for other groups of humans. Because save for pigments of skin, general height, and elements of culture, pretty much all human groups are the same.  That said: Point me to the the race of humans more naturally endowed with psychic powers. Or the human race that can only go on by implanting itself in other humans and slowly making people lose their minds until only they take over said body. 

I can show you examples of animals doing the whole “Eating you from the inside out” thing. But not humans. Hell, even cannibals have to get a cut off of ya first. But that’s just how beings like Mind Flayers operate. I can show you examples of more aggressive insectoid life vs ones that just want to be left alone. Generally speaking, a wasp is more aggressive than a ladybug. But that’s because they evolved differently to one another. Like Mind Flayers have from elves. Or like Furons have from Blisk. Or like The Skakdi had from Matoran, even before being mutants. Does that make them (wasps) “Evil” though? Well... No. The problem is that wasps took on the various scary attributes they did because that was the hand nature played for them. A wasp does not choose to start life by eating it’s way out of a living tarantula and then spending the rest of it angrily defending whatever it considers to be it’s “territory” only to lay another one of its kind into another tarantula, that’s just what the little bastards do without thinking because that’s how they adapted to the world. I would say though that Furons are evil. They view an entire species they consider intelligent (Even “Loosely”) as cattle to harvest DNA from and otherwise use as playthings, killing them en masse just for shits and giggles. Mindflayers, I would say much the same of unless they willingly find violent/genuinely harmful examples of intelligent life that will do the world no good and then eat only them. But no, these freaks bred an entire species of creatures to have massive brains and be super passive just to make eating their brains easier. That’s pretty damn evil.

(Pictured above, an Oortling from Forgotten Realms 2e) Creatures like the Krill from Seth Macfarlane’s “The Orville” believe all other sentient species are lesser than them. The galaxy is for them and them alone to conquer and do with as they please. Such is the Will of their god Avis. They started stabbing a human head live in front of other Krill in an episode as part of their religious practices. But then the species has some nuance. This fundamentalism and extremism is how they cope with being so damn small in the face of an uncaring, unfeeling void. So are the Krill evil? No. They’re afraid. 

Coming back to the Skakdi, They started out as relatively peaceful until a creature from the Makuta species showed up and mutated the lot of them into the magabadasses they are now. All of them now have, fighting skill equal to, if not greater than most Toa, and even elemental powers. But they aren’t all evil. They’re just aggressive, angry, and furthermore, also probably hurting. A peaceful existence was just taken from these poor bastards, all they know now is conflict with one another. So are the Skakdi evil? No. Some of them might be but it ain’t because they’re Skakdi. 

See, Skakdi and Krill are important things to remember here because they, while still being monolithic as cultures, have a little more depth than just the myriad ways in which they’re evil bastards.  But Mind Flayers? Not really. Not unless the DM adds that. Furons? I mean... Sometimes they become friends or mate with humans but not usually. And what of the big old elephant in the room? The Orcs of D&D? Orcs as a species were recently described as only having limited capacities for things like empathy... If raised outside the violent and chaotic madness that is living with other orcs.

This is the thing that sparked this post, so I will now, at the near end, address it specifically: People find the wording here to be reminiscent of things actual racist propaganda and ideas perpetuated about pretty much specifically black people as I understand it. Which, I genuinely wouldn’t know. I never really grew up around that stuff and I do my best to avoid racists/racism in my day-to-day. But to me? This just makes a depressing kind of sense. The species that evolved/was made or whatever to be this big, hulking set of warrior badasses. has a limited ability to understand what it is to be the other guy. Seems legit. Especially when you remember that even if Orcs are just another group of primates, they aren’t human and would likely have psychological differences to humans. 

This is a baby chimpanzee. Look at it. It’s cute. You want one, don’t you? Well... That’s not advised, honestly. Chimps can be fucking monsters. Don’t know what I mean? A. I’m surprised. B. Just google “Chimpanzee attacks” if you have the stomach for it. Not all Chimps will do it, but chimps can and do, do it. Some Chimps hunt monkeys for food in their territory. It’s royally fucked up, but its a thing they do. And you know how different human DNA is to theirs? About 1%. I personally don’t see anything wrong with saying “An entire species is evil” in any setting other than that being shallow as fuck. I also personally don’t see anything wrong with suggesting that a species has limited empathy because honestly...? Just look at nature and even humans. Fantasy and Scifi often entertain the idea of “What if we are not the only living things smart/naturally equipped enough to build a society?”  But the sad reality is if we weren’t? Most other species wouldn’t act a damn thing like humans, most other species probably wouldn’t give a shit about us, and a large number, even if they can and do act like us in some ways, will not in all ways.  So, to bring this ramble to something resembling a conclusive point: Fantasy/Scifi “Racism” (As in just being prejudiced, although it should just be Xenophobia, IMO) is way more understandable and even more easily believable than the real thing because we stopped talking humans the second we brought in the crazy dudes with octopus heads. Or who are just naturally, by virtue of their species (not “race”) psychic. And even if it was just between groups that didn’t exist, nature proves that it would most definitely happen.  But those are just my thoughts, anybody wanna weigh in? I’m all ears. 

[orkzrul3]

nasha's journal #1

Today is going to be good I think it's been A little under three years since I have set off on my own Venturing from settlement to settlement. As of currently I'm staying in the step right inn Located in the Port City of Briar Glen. I was feeling a little tired today as I could not sleep great the night before .So for my workout today I only did 100 push-ups 100 sit-ups and 100 squats Instead of my regular 250 Of each.

Then I went downstairs And had breakfast 12 pancakes with all the usual dressings like always. After a hearty meal I usually like to Take a walk down by the pier and look at all the passing ships. After a time I had decided to go down to the shopping district And Look at the plate Armor on display in the blacksmith It is polished to a mirror shine and I can see my orcish features in the steel. Steel so well Smithed that nary Bastard Sword or arrow and all of the land of Azrael Could Pierce its exterior

But alas 1500 gold pieces is far too Expensive. I'd wager to bet if I were the best adventurer in In the city It would take me an entire year so that kind of coin. Just as that thought crossed my mind I had realized that I was getting hungry. So I had decided to stop back in to where I was staying to eat lunch They they were serving mutton so I Ordered the largest Leg They had.

After that it was around 3 p.m. so I had Decided to Go up to my room And pray for Thor's blessing. After that it was about 3:30 And My throat was getting dry So I had decided to go downstairs and quench my thirst at The bar. It was Quite busy at the inn People were bustling about enjoying late lunches and early dinners; I walked up to the bartender a man by the name of Gregory And requested the strongest drink he had.

And for any Tips on where I could find Work he kindly directed me to the job board across the room from the bar.

Just then An Athletically built Elven woman had walked Up to the bar and I ordered a cold glass of water She then proceeded to drink it like a shot. I said I “Wow...I like your style ,my name is Nasha What is yours?” She said her name was Astra And explained that she was also a woman of the cloth Who worshiped Helm

Just then we Had both noticed a rabbit Folk Who seemed to be very hyperactively Hopping around the Inn bothering many of the patrons. Just then I approached her which Seemed to make her nervous. Although she was very interested in my Winged helm. Which I was gifted by The clergy of my temple When I had set off on my adventure. In addition to my Warhammer Which I had learned that I had a natural ability with from an early age. She was Wielding a Quarterstaff And as she was presenting it a sharp blade of ice formed at one end And I stepped back a little bit in Surprise.

All three Of us had seen a job posted by the golden Covenant which entailed going to the town of Farwater A small fishing Village Which Had been experiencing Bandit attacks for one reason or another and doing away with said Ne'er-do-wells.

Just then the guild leader of the golden Covenant Walked into The very same inn that We were staying at her name was Hollan A stunningly tall and Incredibly muscular Breathtakingly beautiful half-orc Woman Adorned in shiny golden plate armor. And Tado had the Brilliant idea Of bothering her while she was enjoying a drink at the bar. I quickly stopped this and Barely manage to get out a very shaky apology.

Hollan asked If we were interested in the job I said yes again Very shakily My voice trembling with every word. That feeling was a very strange mix of desire and intimidation Something which I had never Felt before. I decided it would be preferable to Hide myself behind Astra To save myself at least a tiny bit of embarrassment and leave with A shred of my dignity intact.

And so we Headed out And Took a wagon provided by the golden covenant about a day and a half during which time we made light conversation and got to know each other eventually made it to The town of farwater proper. As soon as we did however we were accosted by a Duo of Bandits Although Astra punched one of them out and I had scared the other one off.

When we got there The streets were completely empty the marketplace that was usually bustling with activity was Barron and cold breeze blew in and took a tumble weed with it which is weird because We are nowhere near The Crimson desert.

All three of us had decided to take different routes Astra had decided to shout And call out for a residents. Tado Had thought it wise to Go from house to house wrapping on every door. As for me I decided It might be a wise idea to Check out the town hall.

As I proceed very cautiously I saw a small face peeking out of one of the windows Just Then tado Thought it might be a good idea to Ram The door full speed with her staff Although she stopped short and the door opened to reveal a Halfling Woman by the name of Vaora Hillbough Who was the mayor of the town.

Her voice was shaky and she was reluctant to give us information she said that Bandits were Ram sacking The Village and they must have been looking for something in one of the shipments but she Did not have the foggiest idea of what. We explained we were with the golden Covenant and she opened up almost immediately she said that the bandits were holed up in a cave a little ways from town And that we should head there if we wanted to put a stop to them Vaora Said that anything we needed they'd be happy to give us. Tado asked if there was any candy the closest thing this town had was fish on a stick tado being Vegetarian of course turned It down Although Astra and I, Took two of them out of politeness.

As soon as I took a bite though I threw up a little bit in my mouth Although our elf companion seemed to be enjoying hers and asked if I was going to finish mine I handed it to her and then we set off.

Singing old folk songs about Dungeons And the dragons that could sometimes be found inside of them as we walked. Just As we had finished singing the one about how scary the Demogorgon is we made it to farwater cave. We hear faint voices from inside Astra almost announces our presence but before she can I put my hand in front of her mouth and put a stop to it. And then Tado as an actually brilliant idea And she stomps her foot faster and louder than I have seen anything of her kind do before so it was so loud in fact that it created a thunderous boom which bounced through the Narrow Chamber Of The Cave entrance and took out at least three of the bandits.

Before I enter the cave I also have a moderately smart idea The pendant around my neck begins to Glow and a thick sphere of fog emanates from it. as all three of us cautiously enter we are then confronted by An additional Trio of Marauders. Several events happen in quick succession first Tado Used her druidic magic to freeze the water in the Mist into ice freezing the criminals in place. Secondly Astra used Powerful fists to a dispatch one of them in a singular blow

Sensing what was about to happen the evil-doers tempted to free themselves from their icy prison but were unsuccessful.

Thirdly I Bashed Brains using my beautiful boisterous Wonderful Warhammer. And Finally Tado cast ice knife As these Blades of cold and frost sunk in to the Flesh of this Bandit and then exploded outwards viscera flew everywhere and flecks of blood got in Todo's Soft brown fur and as I gazed into her eyes the only thing I witnessed was Pure unfiltered Delight.

As we move through the cave we heard sounds of Someone searching for something faster and faster Their motion is getting more and more frantic and panicked as the three of us moved closer. Hold up my shield as we Very deliberately move through An area with several bedrolls. We make it down another narrow passageway to the final chamber of farwater Cave.

What We find in this room is the Bandit chief she is a man very frantic in his mannerisms and action he looks incredibly focused on finding whatever he's trying to fight and I walk out to him and say "looking for something”? Understandably he gets quite frightened by my presence From there Astra Scoops him up and puts him under her arm key is thrashing and trying to escape very desperately I say listen either way can kill you right now or if you can tell us what's going on here and we can bring you back to the golden Covenant for Hollan to deal with. So he explains he's looking for an orb Some “kind of magic” he says He explains that She is worried that they are going to get his family also she would not explain who They were exactly.

Just then Astra finds that there is a secret compartment under one of the chests. she opens it To find an orb it Floats inside of container glows blue And Sparks a bit. Just then we hear the clatter of two sets of bony fish walking toward us two skeletons with evil grimaces and glowing green eyes Paralyzed us with some kind of poison darts Slaughtered the Bandit Chief In Cold Blood and make off with the orb.

So currently I am sitting paralyzed In between a very Punchy elf and a sort of bloodthirsty rabbit And I don't know where the rest of my day is going to go from here guess I'll find out soon enough.

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 117 Poll Results

The chapter poll closed with 1325  responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

RATE THE CHAPTER 1,235 responses

Isayama continues to please. In fact, “Judgment” is the highest rated chapter this year with 62.3% selecting the highest possible rating. In recent month, only chapter 112 scored higher.

Honestly, just incredible

Excellent Chapter although it did favor the action over plot continuation. I really just want information rather than awesome action. I'll just have to do my waiting but the action is very enjoyable.

Finally a great action chapter which does a good job showcasing Erens new abilities.

Fuck yeah, Shiganshina3.0 with an entirely new field of play. Excited to see how the new teams play out.

It was nice to have another action-heavy chapter after being without one for so long. The only downside is they feel way too short.

god I love this manga so damn much

Seeing Marley invade Paradis with those planes is absolutely chilling. It's a whole new era for the Walldians

We're in the Endgame now

GIVE ME NEXT CHAPTER

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,292 responses

With 30% of the vote, the moment when Eren reacts to Reiner’s attempt to eat him takes the top place for favorite moment. Following up with half as many votes is Zeke’s arrival as he displays his big brother complex. In third came Eren’s defensive use of the Warhammer Titan’s power.

The most memorable moment was definitely Eren's scream of sheer determination and will to live as he was ripping Reiner's jaw apart, in a complete rejection of the self-loathing and fatalistic mindset his old nemesis was seemingly trying to push onto him.

It was nice to see eren harnessing his titan abilities and proving that he is a strong character

Eren ripping half of Reiner’s face off was neat

Reiner vs Eren was very repetitive and shonen typical and just there to show how 'badass' Eren had become. Besides, the Marleyans are getting too much screentime at this point. The only cool thing was Zeke's entrance.

I loved the fight and zeke's onii-chan part uwu

I thought it was neat that it was confirmed that the Shifters' Titans have brains that control the Titan, rather than the Shifter controlling it themselves. I still want to know more about the Titan Chemistry Research Department, and all of the in-universe info about how Shifters interface with their Titans.

Onii-chan saves the day.

When Pieck took Gabi in her mouth? 👌👏 And that cannon?? 😍😍😍😍 And when she finished putting on the cannon and stood up in all her majesty I just straight up died. I also loved seeing Eren use the War Hammer to make back spikes, that was so neat.

WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER’S MVP? 1,288 responses

With lots of characters joining the fight this chapter, who was the MVP? The overwhelming majority at 62% think Eren fighting off three titans on his own earned him the title.  Pieck was also a popular choice, at 16%.  Magath rounded out the top three at 8.9%

EREN MVP WON ALONE AGAINST 3 TITANS

Magath is a great leader. We need to see more of him.

I was so happy to see Zeke! And that phrase, ahh!

Hugs for Reiner. Poor guy can never win a fight :( And love Pieck for being the MVP, as usual!

porco did nothing wrong shout out to my boy porco

Eren is collecting Titans like they're limited edition Pokemon cards

It's time to stop confusing Gabi with Eren. Gabi proved to be actually smart.

Magath is the MVP of this chapter and anyone who says otherwise is delusional.

My wife Pieck was very cute and smug.

Zeke's arrival was so sick. Oni-chan

Not gonna lie this chapter was fire af. Kinda surprised about Magath being a legend, but it may have been a mistake for him to not kill Eren.

Zeke showing up at the end was hype.

PIECK AND PORKY ARE THE BEST.

the mvp award should go to the jeagerists for getting themselves killed in the stupidest way ever

WHICH JAIL CELL EXPRESSION WAS THE CUTEST? 1,290 responses

Our quick glance at the 104th was enough to know they are alive and well for now. We wanted a fun way to ask about their stunned expressions at the noises they assumed to be the rumbling. Mikasa’s was declared cutest with 27.4%, Armin was second with 23.1%, and 16.9% didn’t want to play along.

"Which jail cell expression was the cutest?"What?

GET MY FUCKIN SONS ARMIN AND MIKASA OUT OF THE FREAKING JAIL THAT SHIT JAEGERISTS PUT THEM.

I hope Onyankopon will rescue everyone in jail.

Just get Falco and the prisoners out of there, they'll get titanized/crushed

WHICH EREN VS. REINER FIGHT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE SO FAR? 1,288 responses

Reiner and Eren’s practice fight in training has served useful, as they’ve fought as titans no less than four times now.  36.9% selected the fight from last chapter as their favorite bout, with 26.9% choosing their first rumble.  23.4% loved the recently animated Shiganshina fight the most, and only 12.8% chose the brief Marley exchange of blows.

Anime-onlies and manga readers collectively screaming about Eren vs Reiner in Shiganshina... You've got to wonder if this was planned somehow.

Eren vs. Reiner identical non-productive fights are getting boring.

I Want More Eren Vs Other Shifters

Reiner VS. Eren 4.0 is now a thing ladies and gents. But we now have a new fighter which is big bro Jaeger.

Eren vs. Reiner in a fearsome battle in the middle of Shinganshina that culminates in Reiner seemingly gaining the upper hand before his head is blown off by an outside force. Am I talking about the most recent manga chapter, or the most recent anime episode? You decide ;)

It's about time Eren's and Reiner's fight ends. Give us a conclusion, Isayama

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT REINER ORCHESTRATING ANOTHER ATTACK ON SHIGANSHINA? 1,288 responses

Although about 50% of respondents thought it was at least somewhat understandable that Reiner brought the fight to Shiganshina again, a good chunk of votes trended toward pretty neutral or unsure about whether Reiner is a hypocrite or not.

He sincerely believes Eren is miserable BECAUSE he's projecting his own emotions onto Eren but also needs to consume the Founder as Magath mentioned

He wants to do something right because the only thing hes good at is getting his ass whooped.

Honestly, all I can say about Reiner is that his isna big hypocrite.

Reiner should win a battle in his life, please Isayama.

He's definitely projecting, but lowkey if he eats Eren he finally gets to die, because they'll give the Founder to another Warrior.

People should really stop assuming that just because Reiner & Co. are deserving  of sympathy, they are right. Downtrodden as they are, if they win they'll still destroy Paradis without a second thought, and all the blatherings about stopping the 100 years cycle of violence, are just that, and justifications after the fact.

I thoguht Reiner would kick Eren's ass but whatever

Reiner should really give up fighting Eren... he always loses. Unless he likes getting his arse kicked, I don’t know why everyone just lets them fight over and over again.

REINER DON'T GO DOWN THE PATH OF ZEKE PLEASE

WHY DO YOU THINK EREN CHOSE TO FIGHT, RATHER THAN LISTEN TO YELENA AND GET AWAY? 1,285 responses

Yelena wanted Eren to run, Eren wanted to fight.  But why?  38.4% think he’s trying to protect those in the building, 25.8% think he believes running to be pointless, and 16.8% thought he just wanted to fight his best sparring partner, Reiner, once again.

"Until my enemies are destroyed," remember?

All of the above

He doesn't care what she thinks. Eren will do what Eren wants

He feels confident enough in his ability to shut that shit down by himself. He's also visibly pissed at Reiner for messing up with his plans by pushing for this surprise attack and wants to end him personally.

He's fought him three times already, might as well just fight him a fourth time.

I think it's both that it's pointless to run and he wants to protect those in the building. For the former, he knows Marley will just keep on persisting and will do everything they can to find him, so escaping is pointless. As for the latter, he cares about his close friends that are still inside and thus doesn't want them to get hurt, so for their safety, he wants to be the one to take on Marley by himself.

If you don't fight, you don't win.

I think this chapter proved that Yelena wasn't the one who "manipulated" Eren like some people claimed first, because he refused her order and choose to fight instead of "run away" or "trusting her plan".

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GABI REVEALING THE ROYAL ZEKERET™ TO MAGATH? 1,289 responses

The Marleyan forces have finally zeroed in on what the true Zekerets are, all thanks to Gabi.  52.2% of readers forgot that Gabi was aware of the royal blood situation, and 22% didn’t expect it to come together this way but liked how it ended up.

Forgot she heard it, if this is what all her buildup has been leading too... 🤢

Honestly thought Pieck figured it out in chapter 116 with her line of questioning so I assumed they already knew or at least had their own doubts about the use of the FT Power but this makes sense as well.

I'd forgotten about it. But I think this confirm the fact she was here during EMA conversation will also be important

I kinda expected her to do so, but still I am glad she did it !!!

She has now served her role as a plot device. Please go permanently off-screen now.

Miscalculation brought back

MAGATH SAYS HE WANTS TO END THE HUNDRED YEARS OF RESENTMENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK HIS INTENTION IS? 1,277 responses

General Magath is the leader of the enemy forces, but seems to have good intentions in mind.  What’s his true goal?  The large majority of respondents, at 45.6% think he wants to wipe out the Eldians on Paradis.  21.7% think he wants to liberate Eldians, and trailing that at 20.4% is the idea that all he wants is the Founding Titan.

Chances are he's wants to wipe them out, he seems to care about the ones under his command, but he seems loyal to Marley first.

He just wants to end the war, he is a good man

Can't know for sure. He is sympathetic to his comrades but Marley has always pushed for more power so that may continue their imperialistic goals. I highly doubt Magath will make a complete 180 and will begin giving countries their own autonomy. Most likely, he will use the FT to further this effort in accumulating resources. No one should wield the power of FT. Too strong!

He wants to liberate Eldians AND annihilate Paradis

He probably wants to change Marley's policies and stop with the imperialism + Eldians-as-weapons, but he also seems willing to use Paradis as a scapegoat so far so I'm rooting against him.

He wants to protect Marley and introduce reforms. It’s noble in theory but I’m wondering if he was manipulated by Willy as per of a larger plan. He’s inspired by the Helos legend but he knows that it’s a lie. He has sympathy for Eldians in his own country but whether he wants to save all Eldians remains to be seen.

I think he wants to destroy the Eldians on Paradis but he also wants to persuade the higher ups in Marley to treat the Eldians more humanely

No clue. He doesn't seem like a genocidal maniac, but I don't think he'll allow Paradis to get off that easily.

Is it too optimistic to hope that he wants to change Marley's ways and to bring peace?

Why is "wiping out all Eldians" an option when he said he wanted to bring marleyans to the wars instead of the Eldians? I'm not completely sure about his intentions with Paradis but it's clear he cares for Eldians and he's ready to do anything to save Eldians and his own country.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PIECK’S NEW WEAPON? 1,279 responses

The Cart titan has been said to be versatile, and we’ve seen many upgrades and attachments, with this chapter being the biggest of them all.  Most of respondents, at 53.6% thought it was super awesome.

...How did they put it on so quickly?

Further cemented the Cart's place in my heart as best titan

I worry about Pieck. She is intelligent, fast and dangerous with her new weapon. That why Zeke may try to eliminate her fast.

I'm not into guns or gunfights so I don't really care.

Bitches love cannons

It’s a very powerful weapon but it requires time to reload. That a considerable weakness.

It's beautiful

so creepy i had a nightmare about it

PEW!

BIG DICK ENERGY

REINER DOESN’T HAVE FACIAL HAIR IN TITAN FORM. YOUR OPINION? 1,291 responses

Isayama pls!! It’s impossible to know why Reiner’s beard keeps disappearing. It could be a quirk of his titan biology or perhaps the Golden Week crunch meant cutting a few corners. Either way, only 8.7% where glad about the omission.

reiner's facial hair come back pls

WHO BEST REPRESENTS HELOS, “THE HERO WHO WILL SAVE THE WORLD”? 1,282 responses

Helos was a hollow statue, but will there be a hero for the current generation?  32.2% don’t believe so, but 35.5% think Eren will fulfill that role in the story.  12.3% think Reiner will become that hero to the world, and 10.8% feel it’s Magath.

Armin, mark my words

It's between Magath and Reiner. Magath because it has been nailed on him since he was mentioned, and Reiner because he's a half-Marleyan who wants to put an end to Eren's genocidal ways

Erwin/Levi...doesn't matter they're dead/dying, at this point I feel like they were the only ones capable to save the world. I'd say the 104th too but then, look where they are too.....

Heck, going by what's happening I have a sneaky feeling it's gonna be Falco.

Most likely Armin. Him being a "hero saving humanity" was foreshadowed already in RTS

I think resemblance between Helos and Levi isn't incidental.

Helos was proven to be fake, seems they indicate there will be no real hero

Honestly? Fuck it. Nicolo. I'm all-in on this.

Jean the Stallion

I don't know who, but not one of those three that's for sure... Historia? Where are you, our queen?

My Boi Reiner is super awesome here! He shows signs of becoming the new Helos!

Helos was a fake. There was no true Helos. It was just a story, so saying another Helos will save them makes no sense as Helos was just a facade in the first place.

EREN’S EXPRESSION AS REINER ATTEMPTED TO EAT HIM WAS INTENSE, BUT IT ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE’VE SEEN THIS. WHICH PANEL DO YOU THINK BEST CAPTURES EREN'S TENACITY? 1,286 responses

Based on the overall results, it appears that Eren’s expressions seem to get more and more intense as the series unfolds. Over half of the fandom feels that his most recent expression of resolve has been the one that best captures his tenacity. At a distant second, his expression as he transformed in the basement at the festival takes second place.

EREN IS A GOD

God, I want to punch Eren in his shitty smug face so hard.

Eren's defiant glare cleansed my skin, reaped my crops and impregnated me with 13 babies!

Finally we see Eren having a different expression, showing more of a human side we have been missing lately

I’m gay for eren

God, I'm just dying to see Eren's endgame.

Love Eren! He's awesome! The best hands down! And I can't wait to get inside his head! I know it'll make me love him more! Lol

IS EREN’S EXPRESSION AS REINER TRIES TO “PUT HIM TO SLEEP” TO END HIS SUFFERING EVIDENCE THAT EREN OPPOSES ZEKE’S EUTHANASIA PLAN? 1,282 responses

Almost 40% of respondents believe that Isayama’s placement of these panels was a deliberate way for him to clue us in on Eren’s opposition to Zeke’s plan. 27% don’t want to trust the panel placement just yet and feel it could very well be misleading. 21% feel that he’s simply showing his determination to see the plan through at all costs.

I'm not sure but it was really freaking cool

Eren's determination to fight, win and live!

He is mad because he is fighting to save his friends and future generations. So yes.

didnt notice this before, but yes this is a good theory

I don't even know how these two thing could be related lmao. He just wants to finish the fight so he can proceed with his plan. He can't do that by being eaten by the enemy

Eren didn't hear Reiner's words, so we can't say

Zeke's euthanasia plan requires Eren regardless of the ideals behind it.

I think whatever Eren's plan is, he is determined to do whatever it takes to not die before accomplishing it

It's pretty obvious he wants to unleash the Rumbling on the world. Idk why this is even a question.

I don't think it has anything to do with eren's thoughts on zeke's plan and more to do with his anger at reiner and marley

I feel like people may be looking too deep into this somehow

I actually didn't think of that! Now that you mention it, it's possible.

It's pretty obvious without this that Eren completely opposes Zeke's euthanasia. What I think is more interesting to think about is Reiner's previous question about what Eren "gets" from living any longer: what exactly pushes him to go to such lengths for whatever goal he has now? His country? His friends? His freedom? His family? All of those?

WHAT IS REINER'S MAIN REASON FOR WANTING TO EAT EREN? 1,285 responses

Eren isn’t the only one who’s attempted to eat more shifters, and this time he’s on the receiving end. Did Reiner purely want to eat Eren for tactical purposes, or does he truly want to save Eren from the curse of a cruel life? Most readers at about 60% think Reiner’s just projecting his own thoughts and worldview onto Eren.

All the options above I think. Reiner thinks he knows Eren, but he clearly forgot one important thing: Eren is stubborn and once he's in his rage mode, he will never back down!

Both C and D.  He truly thinks Eren is in misery, BECAUSE he's projecting. Can't have one without the other.

Eating Eren is just a part of Marley's plan but I think it's the revenge that motivates him.

He has nothing left except his role as a warrior fighting for Marley. And he is determined to fulfill this role to the very end

I think he may be projecting his own misery into Eren but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it so he automatically assumes that Eren is in misery. Or it could be that he believes all shifters are going through the same thing he is and are suffering

He just wants to have his job done: eat Eren, become a hero and die.

WHAT WILL EREN GET "FROM LIVING ANY LONGER"? 1,282 responses

When Reiner attempted to end Eren’s life, Eren fought back against the idea his life holds nothing but pain.  What is the light at the end of the tunnel for him?  37.6% believe he’ll end up saving his people on Paradis, and 23.7% expanding that to saving the world.  17.9% think Reiner is right and he’ll only find more pain, and only 8.8% think Eren will go on to destroy the world.

Become Lelouch

Bring his 4D chess plan that somehow liberates the Eldians in a way that's different from what Zeke, the Yaegerists, the other Paradis military members and Magath are planning.

destroying the world to free Eldia from the oppression and probably to build a "future" for Historia and the child, which means to be the only ruling race

He'll save at least his friends, and hopefully help to save the world. by destroying its current foundation, and that includes the Eldians of Paradis

Eren just wants to catch 'em all... JK. He'll put an end to the curse of Ymir - Eldians will no longer be able to turn into titans.

He will destroy the world, cause this is probably his thinking of freedom for the eldians on paradis, but it will give more sacrifices and victims and more pain for others, like Connie who actually suffers, cause Sasha dies, because of Eren's selfishness.

A beautiful wife and their newborn baby

Eren wants to save the Eldians in Marley and Paradis

He will save his friends and future generations of Eldians. Eren doesn't care about himself, he cares about others.

Weird combination of protecting Paradis, those he holds dear and being willing to destroy the world for it.

I really hope world peace and a life in harmony without the titan curse although I'm scared it won't have a happy ending.

F R E E D O M

WHAT EMOTION DO YOU THINK BEST DESCRIBES EREN’S EXPRESSION WHEN ZEKE APPEARS? 1,285 responses

Onii-chan is here, but how does Eren feel about that?  So many interpretations from the same panel!  The most popular answer at 36.3% was astonishment, followed closely by worry, and then relief.

He actually called himself onii-chan

Realization that everyone who drank the wine is screwed

A complex mix of all the above

Surprised, I think he didn't expect Zeke to be there cause of Levi

He somehow feel relieved because he was lacking stamina, but at the same time I think he worries of lives of his friends and people who will end up as titans, if Zeke screams.

Mixed feelings. Relieved that he is saved, but sad because he's ultimately going to betray such a great onii-chan

i kept staring at this panel bc it's been so long since we've seen such a vivid expression on eren's face; it's kind of hopeful too?

This chapter really illustrated how well Isayama can draw facial expressions to convey the characters thoughts

God Eren you're so sexy when your facial expressions are ambiguous

ZEKE'S APPEARANCE IS A SIGN TO EREN THAT LEVI MAY HAVE BEEN DEFEATED. DO YOU THINK EREN CARES? 1,286 responses

Eren and Zeke planned to meet up here, but that would have to mean Zeke escaping Levi, likely in a brutal way.  Now that that’s happened, does Eren have regrets?  55.8% feel he cares about Levi to some degree, 27.1% feel that Eren cares about his mentor a lot, and only 14.2% don’t think Eren cares about the manlet one bit.

He cares, but it was a calculated risk like all the others he's been taking lately. I think he's still shocked that Zeke made it there though.

From where I stand on Eren’s decisions, I think he cares. But I feel like since we don’t know what his plan is yet, we can’t really fully answer this

Hard to tell, since he’s been treating his friends like shit, why would he care more about his mentor?

He knew what could happen to Levi and his men during Zeke's escape but he still agreed on a meeting time and place with his bro, not to mention the Jeagerists openly called him their "biggest threat" and were ready to finish him off. So Eren's definitely accepted the possibility of Levi becoming a casualty.

I don’t think Eren really cares about Levi, I think he’s worried about Zeke turning the Shiganshina people into Titans.

I think he still cares but tries to numb it all down and not care anymore. so he might be fooling himself, deluding himself...I think he did the same with his friends. Thinking that there's a higher goal and that it's all worth shedding your friends aside for it - I think he might be trying to convince himself of that.

In this situation there is no time for him to care about Levi.

ZEKE IS NOW CLOSE ENOUGH TO TITANIZE THOSE INFECTED BY THE WINE. DO YOU THINK HE'LL DO IT? 1,285 responses

It was nice knowing you, Pixis. Now that Zeke has joined the battle within the walls of Shiganshina, it’s not looking good for anyone with a red or black cloth tied around their arm. More than 80% of respondents believe that those who drank the Zekejuice will soon be turned into titans, while only 19% choose to remain hopeful about their fates.

I would say Zeke titanizing everyone who drank the wine is inevitable, but the fact that Falco ingested the wine keeps being brought up. Zeke isn't aware. I feel like he has to know about Falco's state before any decisions are made. Whether that helps or not, we'll find out. After all, Zeke was shown to be close to Colt, who's Falco's big bro. Big brother feelings resonate with Zeke. It's a 50/50 chance imo.

Yeah, with Zeke joining the fray and all those soldiers that ingested his spinal fluid locked up, I expect Zeke will scream and turn Falco + all, if not most, of the spinal fluid-infected Paradis soldiers into Pure Titans next chapter. From there, Zeke will give Eren the Pure Titans needed to attack Marley's forces in Shingashina right now.

IS THIS THE FINAL BATTLE? 1,282 responses

Now that the fight has started, how many think it’s the last brawl?  About ⅔ at 66.2% think the story will continue, whereas ⅓ at 33.8% think the story will end when this battle does.

Honestly this better not be the final battle. Marley vs Paradis is too black and white, I need a large commentary on the human condition

This really does feel like the final multi-titan battle. It might not technically be the final fight, but this feels like the RtS of the post-Marley arc. It's the climactic battle we've been building towards

People can say whatever they want, but everything indicates to me that Eren will become the last antagonist for the final war against the whole world.

This specific fight may not be the final battle but I have a feeling there are more to follow right here. Poetic really, that the series began in Shiganshina and will end there.

WHAT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,289 responses

117’s come and gone, on to 118!  The most popular answer, at about 30% want to see this fight continue more than anything else.  23.3% would like an update about Levi and Hange, 16.2% want the 104th in action, and 11.7% are at the altar of Annie.

please god either of the blonde best girls would be nice.

Armin and Annie joining the battle

I want to see what happened with Hange and Levi and also information on Historia. I also kind of hope to see Eren double cross Zeke.

Eren's plan, Levi, Armin being the genius he is , Annie, Mikasa fighting

Erwin. There is nothing I want more and idc how unreachable my dream is.

Continuation of the battle, and maybe Armin using his titan power to jail protect everyone in the jail cell. If Eren could partially titanise to protect himself, Armin and Mikasa from canon ball fire back in the first arc, Armin could do the same!

Bertolt. More Bertolt.

Some scene where Eren or someone reflects on all those lost, because honestly, it's my only chance of seeing Mina in the main story one more time.

I'd love to see all of them (except Floch), but in the context of what's going on right now, I think it'd be cool to see Annie join the fight just because it's been so long she's been in that crystal, and with practically every Titan in Shingashina right now (not to mention the recent Annie teasing), she's the only one absent from the fight, and I want to see her participate. I also expect to see Zeke using his scream next chapter, because it just feels like the perfect opportunity for us readers to see the Founding Titan in action again.

Floch, 104th, Annie, Yelena, Zeke, Eren, (no levi dont care about him)

I want Mikasa to shine, and I want to see Historia again

WHERE IS MY FUCKING EREN FLASHBACK YAMS, I NEED THE SAUCE PLD

I'm sick of Eren and I don't care what happens to him.  I want to know what happened to Levi.

All of the above, but fuck floch

I'm expecting Zeke will scream next chapter, and Falco will be the among the ones that will turn into a Pure Titan

Is it too much to ask for all of it?

Onyankopon FREE MY SONS AND DAUGHTER. FREE ARMIN AT LEAST.

AT THIS POINT, AROUND WHICH CHAPTER DO YOU EXPECT THE MANGA WILL CONCLUDE?

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?

Overall..pretty amazing chapter...just want to know the aftermath of zeke's arrival at this point.

Zeke is best boi and I needed that onii-chan panel in my life. My depression is cured.

Greatest Titan Battle yet!!! And Eren is easily the best character in Attack on Titan and one of the best manga protagonists ever!!!

Zeke loves eren and I think its so sweet, eren be gentle with him!

I want to see reiner getting his "revenge" over bertholdt's death , since we know that bertholdt was an important person in reiners life

FLOCH! Where is my lover? I don't have the power. On my side forever. Oooh Missing my Floch Lover!

It been a while since Isayama didn't shine with his drawing specially. The facial expressions and symbolism between some panels are so powerfull meaning and puts us in struggle to decoding it for a bit. One of the most deepest one (for me) was yelena saying "you're different from others Eren, you're special".

I do not foresee a great future for Eren as facial surgeon.

Marley and the warriors is so hypocritical. Porco's line really go to me because they attacked Paradis multiple times first. Hope  eren beats their ass.

This chapter was okay but I’m getting bored of Eren vs Reiner. Also, I would really like to see the 104th out of that damn cell and I would also like to never have to lay my eyes in Zeke or Floch ever again.

Intense and amazing in many ways, Marley FTW

Pieke and Gabi made me feel for them more than I expected.

In need of an update on Historia. Looking forward how Zeke and Eren fight together. Will they actually kill the warriors? Will those who are in the cell break free and come to stop the battle or join in? Did the Yeagerists manage to get their hands on Levi and Hanji??

THE GATE GUARDS DID NOTHING WRONG I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING - I WILL SCREAM THIS FROM THE HEAVENS. JUSTICE FOR THE GATE GUARDS

Isayama has gotten very good at action scenes hot damn

I guess Reiner was right with saying that Eren is the most unreliable person who's entrusted with the coordinates and the power of the founding titan, because it could be possible that Eren will use this power for the bad.

I think 104th will escape and Chad style Dab on Marley and pop their airships to end up losing Connie and then get 99999x Thunderspears to create their own rumbling because Eren didn't have the coordinate after all.

Now we need Wack a Mole Eren

I was really hoping porco would eject out of the jaw titan when he was skewered, and retransform only to get nearly killed by Eren either impaling him or using him as a meatshield against Magath.

Where's mah boi Levi and Hanji at?

we were blessed with so much eren this chapter and i’d like to thank not only god but also jesus

Pieck has the biggest dick in the city. Take that Eren's WHT spears.

I really like how the Attack Titan screams so loudly it causes Gabi and Colt to resort to shutting their ears. Pretty sick xD

I sad-cringed at the "oni-chan" comment so much man. Poor Zeke

I think it was a well written battle in the sense that there was still a good amount of tension because Eren wasn't just effortlessly slaughtering the warriors. Instead he defiantly held his ground while outnumbered, outgunned and surrounded which imo showcases his strengths - tenacity and willpower - best of all.

I want all 9 titans to come together in an epic all-out brawl! Please make it happen Isayama!

If Pieck and Zeke don't engage in an Artillery duel next chapter, I'll be sorely disappointed.

This is just the begining of beautiful friendship - 104th and Marleyans. You shall see the truth soon ;)

When I finished the chapter I started crying because of what Reiner said while he was trying to eat Eren. In my opinion, Reiner has been such an accurate depiction of suicidal ideation that it's scary. It's just really painful to see, but I'm glad it's done so well and I really commemorate Isayama for treating it respectfully. I suppose I hope Reiner gets to see the kids again before he dies. At least... give him one last smile before he has to say goodbye.

I am most looking forward to see if Mikasa joins the fight or not, we still don't know what she thinks about Eren now!! And I want to know what Armin figured out, and I really want to know where the FUCK Historia is, and I really really want to know what happened to Levi and Hange. In that order.

Very good and well rounded, comedic moments were funny and not forced, Fights looked great as expected. Unique twist seeing new anti titan weaponry but enjoyable to see it being used.

This chapter really illustrated how well Isayama can draw facial expressions to convey the characters thoughts

It was an artistically beautiful chapter, as has been the norm recently, and I am so excited to see more.

It's so cathartic to see Eren finally let loose again

Magnificent, but seriously when is Annie coming back

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,236 responses

This chart changes ever so slightly from month-to-month.  While Tumblr is up a few percentage points, Reddit continues to bring nearly half of all respondents. Thank you again to everyone who participated, regardless of what platform you are on!

[worstfruit]

GOBLINS

Ok-- this setting focuses on a small continet, a bit smaller in width than australia, but longer (think the stretched greenland we see on globes). To the north, past a mountain range that crosses the land, lay and endless expanse of pete bogs and moors and thick, thonry shrub forests: here live the greenskins and barbaric humans of lore: free creatures and beasts and even men, who pay no mind to the settled empire that exists just south. Focusing on one of these races, I will be talking about my favourite! The goblins (sometimes called the ‘Moors Goblin’ bc i published this on dnd beyond so i could use it as a homebrew race). I’ve borrowed a lot from Warhammer and 40k but as I work on world building I hope to separate these fuckers from both dnd and warhammer.

What differentiates your Moors Goblin from their more classic fantasy cousins is primarily their culture and disdain for sunlight (ok since writing more...unsure if i want them to be light sensitive!! will have to stew on this). Even Moors Goblins who live outside of cave networks don't see too much direct sunlight due to the cloudy and rainy climate of the northern highlands, and so they're prone to sunburn and blindness during prolonged exposure. Likewise, dryer climates greatly weaken their immune system, and so they rarely travel far enough south to mingle much with other races. The Moors Goblin is unique in that their genetic makeup is closely linked to that of fungus, making them incredibly hard to kill despite some of their more glaring weaknesses. They bleed viscous, green blood, thick with spores that, when the time is right, allow for the birth and growth of new goblins. While they do possess many organs similar to most mammals, like cold blooded reptiles, Moor Goblins can survive seemingly impossible amounts of tissue loss and internal damage, as their green bodies generate oxygen through photosynthesis and their central nervous system operates as a networked inlaid along their vascular lines. For this reason, many tribes take to the belief that it is actually impossible to kill them without the aid of fire or acid, and will chant some iteration of 'no burial mound can hold me' as a warsong. Even if a goblin is crushed beyond recognition, a new goblin may soon crawl from the dirt below the sight of his death due to the spores released upon his body's destruction.

Your typical cave Goblin may not know how to swim very well or see all too well in the sunlight, though some tribes do make a living off fishing the river ways in which they reside or travelling large, flat plain lands during daylight hours. Your average Goblin lives a simple lifestyle with a group of their own, and while some clans may be open to trading and friendly relations with other native races such as orcs or humans, Goblins are known for being isolationists and rather...tricky. They've had many altercations with more southerly dwarves and wood elves(? -- unsure if ill use elves in this manner as ive yet to expand on them). If asking any Dwarf about them, you'll likely hear that they are all cutthroats and petty thieves (largely in part due to land disputes within the mountains), whereas an Empire Elf would likely have little to no experience with them whatsoever.

In general, the world does not know too much about Moors Goblins and the inner workings of their society, as the race enjoys keeping to itself, and for the most part, other, more dominant races tend to likewise keep away from goblin controlled regions.

Older Goblins hold no higher rank in society, though they are allowed more relaxed roles due to their age and resulting feebleness. What does elevate their standing is their outward apperance: namely height and scars. A goblin tends to form welts, pockmarks, bumps, or discolorations after being wounded. Goblins who don’t see much warfare or even friendly sparring tend to be smooth, and as a result, assumed inexperienced, whereas more seasoned goblins tend to be more disfigured or even missing limbs (this implies that they have reached the age and status to breed, though sometimes old goblins may be smooth skinned, and young goblins with a rough early start may appear older than they are). Though more muscular goblins may bully their way through the nest, this doesn’t affect their social rank, though muscle build tends to correlate with height, and height a prized trait within Goblin society. The tallest Goblin is the defacto leader, but this tends to lead more diminutive individuals to ‘augment’ their height through unnatural means (stilts, hats, and even magic). The chieftain of a tribe often wears some sort of elaborate mask made of animal bone that helps to augment his height, and also represent the clan's culture through color, symbol, etc. If a tall goblin is entirely smooth, he must rely on his wits and magic knowhow to gain a reputation worthy of leading. If a very muscular but short and scarred goblin arises, he may fight for the title-- though this is rare. It seems instinctual for these creatures to flock to the tallest.

The Moors Goblin generally has very large ears, useful for detecting sonic frequencies within the earth.

They tend to have more angular facial features, larger noses and chins, hollow cheeks, and large, eyes with yellow sclera and slit pupils. Irises vary in color, from those ranging normal to humans, as well as rarer shades of red, purple, black, or even white. Goblin eyesight is exceptional in the dark, making them adept at living underground and scavenging for food at night, but making them poor day time hunters. Their sense of smell is keen like that of a dog, helping tunnelers to seek out anything from fungal food sources to rare minerals and dangerous sulfur deposits. Claws are large and thick on both hands and feet, and the front teeth are sharp, with pronounced incisors and canines and a set of flat, crushing molars at the back of the jaw.

Cutting open a goblin will reveal a startling lack of any apparent major organs! They possess spider-like booklungs, a network of bladder like muscles that have thousands of little capillary rivulets expending from within and connect the tissue to itselve. Cutting into muscle reveals a sort of crystalline pattern, made of a meat like, gooey substance similar to the consistency of what inside an aloe leaf. These fluids range from a watery, yellowish-green, to more viscous forest greens and even dark browns. Although any surgeons in this world would not be able to discern this easily, the goblin does posses a CNS, it is simply spread through the entire body. Likewise, there is no apparent heart organ, but it seems that electrical impulses force a reflective twitch from this network of innards that compels the goblin body forward. The closest thing to a brain can be found along what resembles a spinal column, where more obvious veins stem from to attach to the eyes, booklungs, and multiple small stomach like sacks. Their skeletal system is composed of a highly resilient and flexible cartilage made of keratin, similar to beetle shells. The goblin’s capacity to heal is astounding and quicker than that of your average mammal, though their springy ‘bones’ and soft flesh do make for easy wounding. Some older, stronger goblins develop a thick callous and scar tissue that makes for excellent, natural armor, and is sought after as a source of leather by some dwarvish tribes. 

Eating goblin meat is ill advised, however. It appears to be toxic to pink skins, and no known predator relies on these creatures as a food source.

For this reason, as well as their reproductive nature, goblins are seen as a plague amongst some northerly dwelling empire races. Cut one down, multiple eventually appear. Many have learned to burn goblin bodies rather than cutting up their remains; the more green blood spilled, the more likely they are to return from the earth! Infant goblins can be surprisingly strong and viscous towards perceived threats, and in a great number, they can do a lot of damage.

To an outsider, it may appear that all Moors Goblins are male. In reality, there is only one sex, or rather, in goblin terms, there is no sex or /really/ gender. Moors Goblins have no native terms for 'he' or 'she', though in Common they are typically just referred to as male due to their physical features. Moors Goblins have no need for more telling indicators such as breasts, but do coexist with races that do recognize a binary sex and gender, so they are somewhat familiar with the concept and may navigate it according to their preferences, if they have any. Many are fine with just being labeled an it, a they, or a he/she, though some more involved with humans may chose a set of pronouns.

Moors Goblin society is collectivist at its core; this may be confusing to outsiders however as Goblins are extremely easily distracted by anything they might consider valuable–– be it shiny, aromatic, tasty, dangerous, or just large and heavy. While this kleptomaniacal behavior may seem individualistic on the surface, Goblins operate similar to a termite or ant mound, or even beehives in that they collect food and goods to add to a collective hoard. It’s an animalistic sort of instinctual partnership a Goblin has with their clan, wherein they gather and fight as a collective, for the collective good, in exchange for food and protection. It could be looked at as a primitive form of taxation, but don’t let their demeanor fool you. Many aspects of Goblin society differ so greatly from human culture that it would be easy to mistake the creatures as mere beasts.

Their written language only exists in pictographs and simplistic glyphs, though someone unlearned in their ways may not be able to decode their cave scrawlings. If something must be written for delivery, Goblins utilize clay tablets (much like ancient Sumerians) and rarely take part in record keeping or history. Only the immediate now, and the looming future, really concern the Goblin folk. Oral tradition is common though mostly for religious purposes, and the orator role seems to be taken by older Goblins who have survived wars and skirmishes to tell the tale. In spite of this, Goblins are highly intelligent; though they lack long attention spans and tend towards the hyperactive and impulsive (and greedy) nature, they are adept magic users as well as rogues, druids, rangers, barbarians, and fighters, even bards, and a few exceptional individuals often leave their home to pursue training with other races. Goblin clerics, wizards, monks, and paladins are almost nonexistent, though it is certainly possible for exceptional individuals to arise and take on these roles...just, unheard of. Medicine men are often looked at as Shamans and revered as mystics. If a Moors Goblin has the capacity to learn, or the natural ability to use magic, he will often become a Shaman; as such many 'Shaman' are either sorcerers or clerics, though goblins do not differentiate between the two much, aside from designating some shaman as healers and others as battlemages. Healer shaman are typically alchemists and herbalists.

Religion is not at the center of Goblin culture, though it does play a significant enough role that it merits mentioning. A Goblin may worship any number of deities from a polytheistic pantheon of old, elemental gods; they take their beliefs from oral traditions passed on from generation to generation. Mining and tunneling act as the fulcrum for many folk lore and urban legends, using cautionary tales of careless tunneling practices and unearthing unspeakable evils of the deep. Mentors will often tell these tales to their charges to keep them in line, mostly. As creatures composed of plantlike matter, Moors Goblins tend to feel a kinship with the earth, moss, lichen, and the sort. Shaman, like clerics, draw their powers from the elements and deities who represent them, and on occasion may use their abilities to aid in battles, though primarily reserve them for healing and supplementing their oral tradition.

Goblins will pair bond with one or multiple partners throughout their lifespan, though a coupling for the sake of childbearing is useless in their society. A single goblin may have multiple litters of children in a lifetime, depending on anything from the availability of food to a need for more goblins in a clan. The collective cares for newborns, with a little focus on the biological parent as authoritative figures, though many young goblins may bond with a particular elder and chose to spend more time around them. Many older goblins may mentor or teach younger ones in their trade if they take an interest, though rarely is a goblin forced into a role. It varies among tribes, but is generally a very organic process where any given goblin simply does whatever he is good at. This is how names are given: first names are mostly what matter and are derived from telling characteristics that arise as the goblin child ages. Surnames exist as well, however, and are assigned later once a trade is selected or perhaps a deed done that awards merit. This helps differentiate goblins with more common names, from seperate tribes, or from a proud lineage: fore example, let’s say two Dweezles exist in the same clan for whatever reason. One may become a hunter, the other may become a bard of some sort. The hunter may be named Dweezle Lantz whereas the bard may be called Dweezle the Yox, or in common, Dweezle the Merry. (I am using a very bastardized patois as a basis for a lot of goblin names simply bc i like the idea of Goblle being derived from Orc lowspeak, which I base off a very bastardized French! For no reason other than shits and giggles).

Goblins are often 'born' as twins or triplets, though the mortality rate is somewhat high due to disease and accidents. Goblins share a distant ancestry with that of fungus, and as such their reproduction involves a gestation stage wherein the parent blood lets beneath mushroom caps in a central breeding chamber within the cave networks he may inhabit. From here the spore-filled fluid takes to the dirt and develops into fetuses, which gather further nutrients from the rich soils and the other fungal and plant life found in the cave floor. It continues to grow until a full formed Goblin baby is ready to crawl free from the earth. Infants will possess exemplary motor skills once unearthed and instinctively know to crawl towards older goblins and the scent of food. 

Your typical Moors Goblin dwelling is found around the base of a mountain, rolling hills, or within the nooks and crags of a cliff. The tunnels are narrow and warren like but lead to a number of different caverns, both natural and goblin-made, that are much more open. The central chamber has many interconnecting tunnels and can range from large to massive in size. The larger the tribe, the larger the atrium. Often, tribes will seek out pre-existing caverns to make as their atrium, which is similar to a plaza or the town centre of a human village. Here, cave paintings and banners decorate the walls, Shamans will set up shop to offer medical aid or entertainment and education in story telling, the chieftain will make his rounds or sit atop a central throne and hear reports from foot soldiers or settle disputes amongst tribe members, and children will run about and practice battle or play. Beneath the atrium lies the food storage, and below there lies the brood.  If a cave network has lava, blacksmiths and cooks may conduct their business around these pockets of magma, but will otherwise carry on outside the tunnels. Individual goblins may seek out and dig their own rooms for sleep, though many will seek others to sleep in piles. Goblins live both within these tunnels and on the surface around the outside of the area. They guard the territory around the mine for miles, sending out patrols of hunters equipped with war horns and using wolves as watchdogs to alert them to intruders.

The Moors Goblin spoken language is quick and sharp on the tongue, spoken in fast fragments meant to quickly convey information. Moors Goblins of old were purported to operate as a literal hivemind, not needing verbal language to communicate with one another, though the modern Moors Goblin has lost this telekinetic ability. The influence of such can be seen in how they work in groups. Pheremone signals and bodily gestures (such as ear twitches or stance) carry nonverbal information throughout the entire brood; attacking one goblin in or near their mound can result in a full fledged, hive-wide retaliation. For this reason it is highly advised to isolate enemy Goblins, or to use crowd control measures when dealing with multiples.

Goblins will align themselves with orcs and humans in times of war, making them an intimidating force to be reckoned with. Even a single tribe can be difficult to battle, though, as they attack in droves and rely on their sheer numbers to viciously bring down any enemy. Shamans and bards will aid a fight using berserker elixirs and spells, AOE heals and buffs/debuffs, and providing chants that both invigorate their soldiers and deter the enemy. Bards typically play animal bladders fixed with a series of tubes, much like the real world bagpipes, war drums, or brass oboe-like instruments that sound off a deep resonance (similar to a didgeridoo). Hunters and rangers will lead a charge on wolves or other tamed beasts, while the chieftain leads the foot soldiers. Tribes at war have a high turnover rate for their leaders.

When teamed with orcs, it is common for goblins to serve as a replacement for pack animals, even during hunts, however it should be noted that goblin slavery is not a common practice among the northern orc tribes and seems to be a willing symbiotic relationship between both races.

The Goblin diet consists of local fauna and flora that is relatively easy to hunt or gather. Goblins don’t participate in much agriculture aside from a few species of mushroom and various moss or lichen, and do not partake in domestication or cattle rearing of any sort, though a variety of rats, bats, small reptiles, amphibians, and insects coexist alongside the Goblin people in a similar manner to humans and domestic dog and cats. Granted, these creatures are also often on the menu. Many rangers will capture wolves and ride them to hunt, as well, though this is less common for goblin groups that live deep within cave systems.

Due to the lack of sunlight, Goblins get their vitamin D through both photosynthesis of available, diffused light and a hearty diet of fatty meats and protein based foods, supplementing it with small rocks and precious gems, nuts, berries, roots, grasses, and leafy greens. Some minerals may actually imbue a Goblin spell caster with certain heightened abilities for a short while, ranging from increased sensory capabilities to hallucinogenic effects. Contrary to popular beliefs, Goblins do eat a number of root vegetables and fruits, gathered and bartered from surrounding forests and towns. Shamans enjoy brewing powerful elixirs and even moonshine that aid in battle or serve as poison to coat their weapons in.

Relationships with other races are mostly dependent on trade, though due to border conflicts, Goblins have an adversarial relationship towards Dwarves. The Goblin’s inclination towards stealing and eating gemstone and ore, as well as collapsed tunnels and collisions have put the two races at odds with each other.

Many tribes align themselves with Barbaric human clans or nomadic tribes of neighboring orcs, and will fight or even live alongside these different races in relative harmony.

i think that’s it for now!!!!

[jakey-beefed-it]

D&D asks... 2 5 6 10 19 21 25 30 34 Sorry there are so many, I’m just just starved for D&D at the moment.

Well. Shit. If I can help even slightly, I will. o7

2. Your favorite character that someone else has played 

A good long while ago, back in 4th edition d&d, my friend Brian rolled up Sarin, a pretty kick-ass proper elf of the sort that you very rarely see people take on. He was an ‘eladrin’, basically 4e’s High Elf only if anything more so because they were literally from the feywild and had some innate magic beyond what you usually get as the standard sort of sylvan-themed ‘Elf’ race in d&d. 

Sarin was a fighter who used his innate magic (basically short-ranged teleportation) for excellent tactical advantage. He had a really cool backstory where he had fled the Winter Court of the fae for various reasons (mostly political) and had to make his way in the regular mundane world. Over the course of the seven or eight levels we played that game for, he slowly became less ‘cold’ (womp womp) and alien, forging friendships with his chosen band of motley mortals

Mostly calling him out specifically because of the really good job Brian did on characterizing him as a very different sort of being who through his friendships gradually learned to find a place in the mundane world. Anyone who knows Brian (his social awkwardness manifests as ‘aloofness’ to most people) knows this character was just... perfect for him.

5. Favorite NPC. 

I’ve been trying to avoid posting about anything from my current games in these posts because I don’t want to be seen like, taking sides/picking favorites and whatnot. But this category seems pretty safe, so I can go ahead and pick an NPC from the Goblin Squad game-

Sumi, the like nine year old Adventure Kid, daughter of a caravan owner (and his extremely cool barbarian wife) the group befriended. Sumi is bright, curious, mischievous, brave, and often hilarious. The whole group loves the shit out of that kid, even though she is often worryingly stabby. She’s gonna be a hell of an adventurer when she grows up. Smart money is on something vaguely rascally, rogue or bard, though she also shows lots of curiosity toward magic. 

6. Favorite death (monster, player character, NPC, etc). 

In a limited series Exalted game I ran over one summer between years of college, my friend Jon played a rogueish character named Davire who solved most problems through fast talking, and those he could not solve with talking he generally solved with knives thrown from a safe distance away. 

The time came to do a critical hand-off to an NPC villain; the party would hand over a terrifyingly powerful Artifact of Doom and in exchange the villain would return their loved one(s). Davire, the fast-talking oh-so-clever why-solve-a-problem-with-the-direct-approach-when-other-ways-are-more-fun guy, walked over with said artifact and killed the villain with it.

Not by activating it. It was a 30 pound or so hunk of metal (series of interlocking rings you could manipulate into various positions for effect) and he just... he just brained the dude with it. Effectively a crit, with complete surprise, and then burned lots of resources to ramp up the damage after the fact with a combination of magic he had devised (and spent xp to develop) like five sessions prior (of a ten session arc) because his plan all along was to take his ‘i never solve anything with violence that can be solved with conversation and certainly not at point blank range’ character and surprise the baddie by just fucking clocking him with the goddamn thing. That was his plan for the entire back half of the story.

There was, of course, a Bigger Bad, and he actually ended up giving his life most heroically to stop him Forever (actually using said ultra-powerful artifact at the cost of his own life) and that was seriously cool too but honestly when he just straight-up merc’d my underboss with Surprise Combo He’d Been Planning For Weeks I was fucking delighted. 

10. Your favorite enemy and the enemy you hate the most. 

@kingerblogs‘ goblins are literally always a goddamn hoot. Absolute favorites, even the ones who aren’t the Very Special goblin Boy who my barbarian effectively adopted (despite the fact that he is very likely a full-grown goblin), Skabb. 

I have a love/hate with mind flayers. Love because they’re great villains and full of potential horror both cosmic and just plain visceral, hate because augh they want to eat your brain!

19. Do you or your party have any dice superstitions? 

Can’t speak for others but oh dear god yes. It doesn’t really come up in d&d anymore given that I play online and we use bots to randomly generate a number in the correct range rather than physical dice. But I can definitely point to my Warhammer habits as an example- a die consistently rolls low? Put it in ‘time out’ and don’t roll it again that game. Putting your dice away or setting them out to be rolled before a game? Set them with the highest face up, to ‘train’ them that that is the desired roll. 

21. Have you ever regretted something your character has done? 

Oh sure, lots. The one that comes to mind right now though is the time when Altanin accidentally burned down half the city they were trying to save from a cult that wanted to burn it down.

So the cult had these barrels of fantasy napalm stored in strategic sites all over town, and we had found exactly one of said sites, and were fighting the resident cultists. One of them jumped down into a tunnel (they were using the sewers and such to move around unseen) to escape us, and Altanin (who was raging) had a fun thought- would it not be the height of irony if this guy got blown up by his own WMD? So Altanin hoisted the barrel above his head, and then hurled it down into the tunnel to fry the bastard. Full-on donkey kong style.

The guy burned to a crisp all right, but the fire did not stay contained to the little escape tunnel and instead spread to the rest of the warehouse we were in, and then a few other nearby buildings before we were able to slay the living flame elementals that were spreading the blaze. 

Thing is, the other cultists were stationed throughout the city, awaiting the signal to blow shit up. About half of them saw this fire, went ‘well, it’s early, it’s not time for the coordinated assault’ and held off. The other half went ‘oh shit we’re starting early?’ and blew up their fantasy napalm. 

So it could have been worse, in that if we hadn’t done anything they would’ve just set off coordinated detonations and burned the whole city down like an hour later. But yeah it was... not Altanin’s finest moment.

25. What have your players done that you never could have planned for? 

No examples are springing to mind so let me just say that sometimes it feels like half the shit my players do takes me by complete surprise. Often for the worse (why... why would you do that?), often for the better. 

30. Are your players diplomatic or murder hobos? 

My players tend to solve all manner of problems through cleverness or persuasiveness that I have planned as combat encounters. This delights me. 

34. Do you tend pick weapons/spells for being useful or for flavor?  

Flavor is slightly more important to me, but usually I can convince a DM (and as a DM, I am amenable to) that they’re not mutually exclusive and let me ‘re-flavor’ a spell or power or weapon or whatever to be both effective AND thematic to the character.

[wirsinddieranters]

My thoughts from the chapter:

As far as we could tell, Floch stupidly didn’t check the back room and Falco is likely still laying naked in the sink.

Eren’s babbling about Bert taking over Armin’s brain doesn’t make a lick of sense- Armin doesn’t have Bert’s memories, and every time Armin says ‘let’s talk!’ he SAID IT TO Bertholdt. Armin also seemed to have a minor crush on Annie ala ‘When did you start looking at me like that, Armin?’

Zeke probably knows jack shit about titans; no more than any other Marleyan. Eren says he learned Marleyans know little of titans in the end and Eren stupidly seems to think Ackermans are Eldian; despite titan powers not working on them and despite Levi being unaffected by Zeke’s wine. Eren is an idiot as always, and the Marley Titan Biology Research Society is still kept from us.

Eren’s got a dead look in his eyes and constantly blabbers about being ‘Free’ in the same way that the Reiss family possessed by Fritz would get a wild look in their eyes and scream about not going over the fence/wall. It wasn’t there prior to eating the Warhammer. The Warhammer is now controlling him; no other reason he should be expressionless even when being punched so hard his nose gets broken.

Floch’s a moron who doesn’t seem to understand the two main people he’s siding with are anti-Eldian like the Marleyan soldiers, or anti-Paradis/Pro-Marleyan Eldian like Zeke seems to blatantly be.