#well it is dark fantasy lol

[morgana96]

I'm just gonna use this bingo card to reply to bad takes about Dawntrail from now on.

[tragicotps]

"I have also enjoyed what you did with mrs. Coulter, cause I’m a big fan of His dark materials. I read those books growing up and then getting to see the show, that is something so totally different from this. With the fantasy, the war on God and all that kind of thing. I mean, how do you go between projects like this and would you like to do that again on that kind of large scale?" (x)

[purgaytorysupremacy]

oh nuts. a life experience has given me a new layer of perspective on Cas's homosexual declaration of love to Dean.

recently I had occasion to tell a person I had feelings for them knowing full well they didn't feel even a twinge of the same thing for me. while the whole thing was a decidedly unpleasant experience, I kept laughing at myself internally bc I didn't want to say "the happiness is just in saying it" like fucking Castiel over here. (we don't need to talk about it, it's fine.) (I am happier having said it and it's kind of bullshit, but I digress.)

because the thing is, the happiness isn't in just saying it, right? the happiness is in the having. I made a whole TikTok "proving" that the Empty didn't come for Cas when he confessed his love, but rather when he realized Dean loved him back. even for Cas, the happiness was in the having, not in the saying, however brief it was.

and I've always been one of those people who rolled their eyes at the whole concept. why would the happiness be in just being, in just saying it, if it's right there in front of you to have. and then it hit me like a tonne of bricks (as I was washing my kitchen counters).

Cas really didn't think he could have Dean.

at all. in any capacity. he really, truly, and honestly felt to the depths of himself that Dean did not have any twinge of similar feelings, that this really was a Hail Mary shot-in-the-dark. and I think me, personally, really didn't understand that about Cas. that his belief in his love being unrequited was that unshakable.

something else I've been pondering is how audiences have so much more empathy for fictional characters who share traits that IRL they find objectionable and unappealing. but the thing is about fictional characters is that we follow them around in their most private, vulnerable moments. we see Dean mourning Cas when he dies, literally killing himself because he can't live without him, but it's so easy to forget that we're the omniscient ones here.

Cas never knew.

Dean's whole thing was pushing him away, keeping him at arm's length, making it seem like whatever heroic thing he does for Cas he'd do for anyone. he downplays how important it is for Dean to share the Deancave with him, to show him his favourite movies, share his favourite songs. he acts like the things Cas does for him don't mean that much to hide how much they do mean. he uses "we" whenever he even gets in the vicinity of expressing a feeling. "We were worried." "We're glad you're back." "We needed a win." "You're our brother." The audience knew the difference. We saw how he'd clench his jaw or swallow hard or make a face that said "God, I'm being such an idiot". Because we saw him in those little moments. We got to see the cracks in the mask.

but Cas never knew.

the self-hating angel of Thursday was never going to think it was all a way for Dean to protect himself. obviously, that's the delicious tragedy of it all, but what I think I realized at the end of all that is Cas confessing his love to a Dean who didn't love him back wouldn't have worked. Because the happiness really is in the having. If happiness was just in saying it, then The Empty would have come before Cas even finished getting the words out of his mouth.

so Cas's plan wouldn't have worked if Dean didn't love him back.

this is just me yapping on about my own nonsense, but I do think it's really interesting. there's contentment in "just saying it". there's freedom and relief and an unburdening. I think one can argue that it makes being happy in the being easier. there is certainly some joy in telling a person you think that highly of them. but true happiness?

nah.

true happiness is always going to only be in the having. Cas didn't understand the difference until he experienced it, and by then, it was too late.

[myreia]

✦ D A R K K N I G H T

Abyssal magic comes effortlessly to her, and therein lies in the danger. Too much grief, too much rage, too much love. Forces bent on tearing her apart from the inside out. Her aether twists around her blade, setting the runes alight, unrefined magic pulsating in the palm of her hand. When she reaches into the abyss, she feels a strange serenity, content with the knowledge her enemies will certainly fall. The question remains as to whether she herself will be left standing at the end. —level 90 compendium

[fantomette22]

OK WAIT NOW I GOTTA ASK

I wanna know your favs, your blorbos, your special little guys for each of the following:

Kingdom Hearts (I think I know already but in all of the games over all….)

Dark Souls (Now that you played and enjoyed it 😈)

Final Fantasy 7 (I genuinely don’t know for this one)

Dark Souls 2 (I have a hunch…but….)

OK!

KH : Of course dear Brain is my fav <3 Really obscure secondary character of the freaking gacha mobile game XD

But also well I really like the main characters of course aka Sora, Riku & Kairi. But of course all the other big trios (yeah the Disney charac too!). Really like Lauriam & Elrena as well. Really young Xehanort too 🥺😭 (I see vision Nomura! I understand why it's your fav now! Really it's like... he's the same as baby sephiroth I SWEAR!)

FF7: Well I kinda love all the main party of course <3 Zack too and lil Marlene. Hm but more precisely? hm Idk I guess Cloud and Tifa & Aerith especially? (That remind me how I keep forgetting to post some shitpost XD about how our best girls can cause bi awakening lmao but it's more like a joke I guess x) maybe...)

Dark Souls : Solaire, Fair lady & Kirk (really like them!) Sieglinde and Siegmeyer, Andre & ya know the kinder npcs, Artorias & co (with Sif, Ciaran, Hawkeye...Elisabeth), The dark moon knightess & Priscilla & Gwyndolin

DS2: Shanalotte of course, Shalquoir a bit too XD ALVA AND ZULLIE MY BELOVED, mostly all the "good" npcs in Majula (Rosabeth etc), Alsanna & Ivory king <3 all the squad of brume tower too

[randomnameless]

Everytime I see your Pat lolcalization posts, I can't help but think if this is him overcompensating for voicing the character of n*zi germany in the first seasons of the hetalia anime.

I can't say and I'd rather not say anything about Pat's intent or own agenda or whatever -

But the interesting "lolcalisation changes" and direction give to VAs really seem to favour a certain reading of the events happening in FE16 and to this day, I still can't understand how that managed to be released without getting at least some flak.

Sure Fates' lolcalisation is a tough nut to beat and nothing comes quite close to what happened to Fates to FE16/Nopes, and yet I wish I am joking when I say nearly 80% of the lines involving Supreme Leader and/or Rhea/the CoS should be double checked, because "Dany expy bringing a revolution" has to fit in the story that is FE16, and that's talking about the washed down version of Dany some people have and not the one who uses violence for the greater good, until she starts to realise that the "greater good" is as solid as smoke and runs away from the - well-intentioned ! - mess she created.

Again, I don't think anything was malicious with the lolcalisation Fodlan got, is it just a case of misunderstanding the game and slapping archetypes and "trendy notions" to make this "strange" game sell like hotcakes in your home market?

Or is it another case of "think of the children Susan" where Susan sure as hell can't endorse a character presented as the heroine sprout disgusting things and advocate for imperialism 101 so the heroine is now rewritten?

Or is it the lolcalisation team - after looking at the jp script - try to make the general idea of "you must feel bad for this character" somehow work, because they thought no one would seriously want to walk with her and feel any sort of sad uwus for the "you have pointy ears, you cannot rule over humans" red emperor? So they modified the script and directed the VA accordingly ?

IDK, but I think if you've been long enough on this blog you know my stance on localisation and lolcalisation but this discrepency between the two versions (or at least two audios) really took me by surprise when the game was released in 2019 lol

[swiftcast-selene]

Day 13: Color

"for someone who likes to blend in, you sure are wearing a lot of colours." "ah, but i didn't tell you what i'm blending in with!"

[belladonnaprice]

.

[worldofpamyst]

Species of Pamyst - Elves, Part 3: Moonkissed

What if dark elves were about spiders for more than just vibes?

Once upon a time, the infamous Ilumara were known in Pholodelas as the Moonkissed Elves in honor of the goddess Elpispes, patron deity of the deep elves and the moons. The descendants of Auvantéara driven into The Gloom by the War of the Giants, the Ilumara were thought to have been tricked by a wicked spider goddess known only as the Mother of Shadows into breaking L’ancien Accord and becoming her mortal slaves until being freed by Elpispes, the goddess of hope and illusion, and Sham, the god of luck and greed, with a bargain known as The Masquerade. With this new agreement, the Ilumara were granted a taste of the immense telepathic powers their conqueror possessed and the means to survive without The Mother’s foul influence by allowing them to feast upon the monsters and moss of The Gloom. This accord granted unprecedented freedom to the formerly enslaved elves, who quickly splintered to find new lives. As most Ilumara with an interest in the surface world were Daughters of the Song, most land-walkers only knew the friendliest and most faithful of Elpispes’ followers.

This romantic reputation was shattered by the outbreak of the Dark Insurgency, when a despotic empire of Ilumara sworn to the Mother of Shadows known as The Clutch launched a surprise war of eradication on the surface world during the midst of the Quincentennial War. The brutality and treachery displayed by the mightiest Ilumaran society shocked Pholodelas and forever stained the rose-tinted view of those now dubbed the Dark Elves even as countless rebellions fought alongside the surface against the darkness. In the centuries since, Ilumara are still often looked upon with a degree of suspicion due to their telepathic natures and complex, borderline incomprehensible honor code that frightens the paranoid and illinformed. Though they can and do find success just about anywhere in Pholodelas, a significant portion are most at ease in The Conglomerate or so-called Low Crown member-states of the Sixty Crowns Coalition where their talents are more properly appreciated. Ilumara are famously friends with Dwarves dating back to the times even before the Dark Insurgency, leading them to be among the most technologically savvy of Pholodelasian Elves and a welcome sight in Dwarven guildhalls.

Physically, Moonkissed Elves tend to have darker skin tones that vary between shades of purple, grey, or deep blue, often contrasted by stark white hair. Their skin often turns somewhat translucent in old age, sometimes even becoming nearly fully transparent in their final years. They have four eyes consisting of two standard humanoid eyes and two slightly smaller eyes just above them, granting them considerable visual acuity even in the depths of The Gloom. Unlike all other Elves, the Ilumara do not possess vocal cords and do not verbally communicate except with their telepathy. Their limbs are also slightly longer than other Elves, increasing their resemblance to spiders even further, and females are notably larger than the males.

If you want to use the Ilumara in your DND games, they are reflected mechanically below - minding once again that Pamyst species are a fair bit more powerful than PHB offerings!

Age. Ilumara are the second-longest lived elves, regularly living three-quarters of a millenia.

Size. Ilumara are generally tall, but females are notably larger than males. Male Ilumara average 6 feet whilst females average 8 feet. Your size is Medium.

Name. Ilumara have three names: their familial name, their public name, and their true name. Their familial name is what their friends and family call them growing up while their public name is how they allow themselves to be addressed by most other people. An Ilumara’s true name is known only to them and those they trust most deeply, typically decided on once they have come of age. Knowledge of your true name can be dangerous because of Ilumaran honor codes and old magics that can exploit the power of a soul’s true name, so keeping it closely guarded is important. Consider both your true and public names.

Improved Darkvision. Your Darkvision has a range of 120 feet. Additionally, you can see in full color in the dark.

Telepathic. As natural telepaths and telekinetics, Ilumara have powerful psionic abilities. You have 30 feet of telepathy, and do not need to share a language with the target to communicate intent. Complex ideas, however, require a shared language.

Ilumara cannot physically speak, merely projecting telepathic messages outward to communicate. For the purposes of verbal components in spells and the effects of Silence, your telepathy counts as speech. 

Psionic Sorcery. Additionally, Ilumara psionics can be used for utility or offense. You learn the Mage Hand cantrip, and for you, the hand is invisible and can be controlled as a bonus action. At 3rd level, you learn the spell Dissonant Whispers. At 5th level, you also learn the spell Detect Thoughts. You can cast each of these spells once without expending a spell slot, and must complete a long rest to do so again. You cast these spells with your choice of Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom, deciding which stat to use at 1st level.

Bonus Languages. You are natively fluent in Mentalese, and also learn how to read, write, and sign Silavarin (Dwarven). Silavarin are unaffected by Moonkissed telepathy and thus cannot “hear” them speak otherwise, leading to the development of a shared sign language between the cultures.

Suggested bonuses: +2 CHA, +1 INT

[gu6chan]

99% just my autism speaking here but something ive been noticing lately that im sorta kinda 😶 about is when ppl are like "I think you'll like this" but not bc they ACTUALLY think you'll like it, rather they just got into it and want you to also get into it so "I think you'll like this" is a nice personal hook. i love chill stuff as much as any other person ofc but given i don't divulge that EVER, what makes you think my berserk reading, made in abyss watching, drakengard playing ass would like YURU CAMP????

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread

Court of the Undying Seasons

NA high fantasy

demigirl volunteers to be taken by the vampires instead of her friend intending to kill them for revenge, but quickly learns that’ll be impossible unless she becomes one

she has to get through her training to become a vampire or live as a human thrall, and quickly gets swept up in their world - and discovers a string of murders that could have dire consequences for them all

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 5: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

The winning option of yesterday's poll was that the adventurer should choose a suspicious egg as his gift ….

"He carefully plucks the egg from the gift pile, wrapping it in spare fabric and tucking it away inside a small wooden box within his backpack for safety. Not really wanting to stick around and get accidentally pulled into scary underground tunnels or something, he shakily bids the Well Creature farewell, and continues on through the forest, just following whatever he can find that looks vaguely like a path.. He makes an occasional stop to pick up a cool rock, harvest berries, or let the cat play in the grass, but mostly just wanders aimlessly, lost in daydreams and contemplations of how his New Fun Life Of Spontaneous Adventure is going so far......

Eventually, the forest tapers off into a more open area of land, hosting what seems like a humble little village. By this point, it's nearly nightfall, which reminds him that he's actually quite afraid of the dark, so he scrambles about town for a moment until finally finding the local Inn. After nervously stumbling inside, he rents the cheapest room available, then sits alone, snacking on some free leftover food scraps and plain water. It's been a tiring day, but in the spirit of becoming an adventurer and pushing himself to have as many experiences as possible, he figures he could hang around downstairs a little longer, perhaps get one more thing done before bed -- What should he do?"

[skeletaldomains]

do you know how hard it is to enjoy several books/movies/shows/games that i cannot in good faith recommend to people bc of their content lmao

all i can say is give them a try if you want.... but also watch out and heed the content warnings/disclaimers bc theyre definitely not for everyone

[depresseddepot]

the hollow places by t kingfisher was fucking terrifying

[dress-up-tataru]

maybe final fantasy is bad

[monsterslament]

ugh i wanna talk about ocs but i dont even know where to start