#what if i get killed. it would kill me. mani isn't allowed to exist outside of moe for a reason.

[moe-broey]

The only thing that's stopping me from making one for Sharena is the fact that I think I hit a limit to how many blogs you can have??? Huh. Whoops! Also paranoid about deleting anything. So I'd just have to strip an existing one and tbh I don't know how committed I am to that. We'll see.

[i-am-a-bad-influence-writes]

Not Man, Nor Monster

Masterlist Word count: 1.5 k Halsin x Reader x Astarion (but he isn't really in it. just the dynamic) Read on AO3

Summary: You tried so hard, but in the end you couldn't stop Astarion's ascension. It weighs on you harder than you had imagined. Halsin helps you get through it.

Normally, camp is a place to unwind. A place where the outside world doesn't exist, except for those nights where the outside world infiltrates camp. Luckily, those nights are few and far between.   Tonight is a different situation. There are two empty tents. One is permanently empty, the other temporarily abandoned to find peace in nature. The one belongs to Astarion, the other to Tav. The rest of the group thought about going after either of them to try and talk this through, but Jaheira made the wise decision to let everything cool down before starting a conversation.  There's a blanket of tension and gloom thrown over the camp as everyone tries to dance around the subject at hand. Jaheira, Halsin, and Gale sit around the campfire, all three hopelessly lost while looking for something to talk about while a bottle of mermaid whiskey gets passed around in circles that seem to go a little too fast. Scratch and Honey, the owlbear Tav jokingly named after Halsin's favourite snack, scatter around but aren't playing as they usually do. It seems even the two of them can feel the tension. Scratch had to be called back multiple times while trying to go after Tav.  Gale finally breaks the silence: 'So what do we do now?' Jaheira shows a pained smile as the mermaid whiskey is passed to her. The bottle is almost empty by now.  'We drink and we wait,' she speaks. Halsin shivers. Quite the sight to see someone that big shiver.  'This doesn't feel right.' As if on que, a bloodcurdling scream is heard from the forest. It is loaded with regret, pain, and heartbreak. The scream goes through bone and marrow, sending a cold shiver down the spines of everyone at camp. Shadowheart comes running towards the campfire, panic in her eyes.  'I think someone should check up on them,' she hastily says, almost getting ready to run into the woods but Halsin gets up and nods to her. She looks defeated and maybe a little annoyed. Jaheira pats the spot on the ground where Halsin was sitting as he walks calmy towards the forest. 'But I-'  'It's better if he goes,' Jaheira interrupts, 'those two are inseparable.' Shadowheart knows it to be true but still looks hesitant as she sits down. Jaheira passes her the mermaid whiskey. She toys with the bottle for a second before finishing it off. 

'Tav, are you here?' Halsin doesn't have to ask, he is one with the forest and knows every creature there. He simply does it to be polite, to give Tav a chance to tell him to piss off if they so please. He finds them curled up and sobbing, laying in the middle of a small clearing. They look up at Halsin with big, red eyes. He hates the sight and would kill Astarion for doing this to Tav but they are more important than his murderous rage right now.  He sits down next to them and they lay their head in his lap. Halsin gently brushes his fingers through their hair, allowing them to let it all go, let everything slip out.  'He told me he'd make me his spawn, after everything we've been through. He tried to do to me what has been done to him. I should've never helped him with the ritual. I am so stupid.'  'No darling, you couldn't predict this. You see the good in everyone, that's what makes you so incredibly special. It is one of many reasons why I love you.'  'You know, that's the worst part. He told me he loved me before proposing to make me his spawn. How can someone be so incredibly cruel? He was healing and this just changed everything.'  'It pains me to see you like this. No one deserves that kind of treatment.'  'But I do. I am far too naïve to fight this fight. I shouldn't be leading a group of people into battle. I'm not strong enough. I make too many stupid decisions.' Halsin can feel as the pain and sadness Tav feels turns into rage and self-hatred. It's something he's never seen of them before. They're normally the sunshine smile at camp, the motivator, the helper. He must've been blind to forget they're a person with fears and insecurities too. Blinded in the light of their smile as to not see the shadows behind it.  'My heart, if not you then who? You are the only one in this camp without a clouded opinion. The only one who weighs every option evenly and thinks ahead. Sometimes I feel like you can see into the future.'  'Even so, I let someone with such a black heart cloud my judgement for so long. I can only be grateful that you saw through all of it. Not everyone at camp is as forgiving as you are.'  'My love, I am not forgiving in the slightest. I hold grudges until the end of time but you always see reason.'  'Halsin, please. I know you're trying to make it better, but I just want to wallow in my feelings until I can't feel anything anymore.'  'Are you sure?'  'No, but your words usually soothe me. Now they only piss me off. I don't want to hate you.' Their breath hitches in their throat as the sobs come up again. Halsin lays himself down in the grass and pats his chest. Tav takes the invitation and lays their head on his chest, curled into his body with his arm around them, holding them tight. It feels like a safety blanket, like a cloud numbing the feelings of before. The big feelings weighing on their chest seem to lose their weight as a spell of tiredness lifts over them. Surely, Halsin has something to do with it, as well as the protective spell they feel encasing them in their spot, but they don't mind. And slowly night becomes day. 

'They're not back yet,' Shadowheart asks Jaheira while they're both suiting up.  'No, and I doubt we'll head out today.' Jaheira can tell that, while she's trying to be respectful and loving, it annoys Shadowheart that Tav can't shove their feelings to the side in favour of the greater good. 'They'll be fine soon. They're strong but you have to realize that they've been playing the part of listening ear for weeks now. Maybe even months. They've listened to everyone's troubles and tried to fix them. Astarion was a real piece of work but even I could see he was starting to regain self-worth and love for life. Besides, they were together for some time. They did everything they could to make Astarion as comfortable and happy as possible and he still stabbed them in the back. That's not something you come back from easily.'  'What do you mean?'  'You did not hear what he proposed to her last night?'  'No, it is not my business.'  'You should make it your business,' Jaheira grumbles, 'he told them he loved them and he'd make them his spawn to love forever.'  'I see. It makes more sense now.' 

Morning light wakes Tav with a comforting thumping under their head. They open their eyes to see Halsin still peacefully sleeping. The protective spell he covered them with has long worn off and so has the sleeping spell he put on them. A smile spreads on their lips as they push themselves up to press the sweetest of kisses on his lips. They did not want his help yesterday but are more than glad he put them to sleep. Nothing they thought or said was rational yesterday.  'You are going to give me toothaches if you keep kissing me that sweetly.'  'I thought you liked sweet.'  'I never said I do not.' A content feeling flushes over Tav as they lose themselves in this moment. There is still good in the world.  'I've been dreaming,' Tav tells halsin, 'I dreamt about a world overgrown with lush greenery and people living in peace with each other and everything around them. There was no Astarion, no elder brain, no tadpoles. Just you and me sitting on the porch of a tiny house we built looking out onto a lake. Sometimes we would go out and roam, uncover the forests around us and finding new spots each and every time. And you told me you loved me every day and I said it back every time.' Halsin smiles and tightens his arm around Tav.  'That sounds like heaven.'  'I wish it were possible.'  'Maybe it is. Maybe we'll find a way after all of this is over.' They stay quiet for a while.  'I think we'll need to kill Astarion after all of this is over. I fear he might be worse than Cazador.'  'As much as I wish it were different, I think you are right, but we'll get there when we get there.'  'Deal.'  'Are you ready to return to camp?'  'Not yet. Let's just stay a little longer.' 

[bostrichidae]

screaming without the v.

so. guess who just watched my adventures with superman season 2.

AUUUUUUGUAUGHHGH (/POS????? I THINK??????)

SPOILERS BELOW CUT

i love kara. i love the way her character was handled, i love her realistic mix of naivety and maturity beyond her years. i'll talk a bit more about her later.

the representation of krypton is beautiful. from kara's point of view, she sees the kryptonian empire as this utopian place where all was well in the world, but clark knows better. he's seen the truth of krypton from a mostly unbiased perspective, and could probably make the connections between krypton and similar empires on earth. he understands that the beauty of a so-called perfect world comes at a devastating price. of course kara didn't know about the destroyed planets due to her brainwashing, but even after she found out she denied it because krypton is perfect, because why would the planets have to get destroyed in the first place? why wouldn't they want to become part of this perfect world?

and clark. aurgh, clark. i stand by my belief that this is the best characterization of superman. his fear of hurting others, his fear of being a weapon, his constant fighting to protect the world from devastation and to unite all peoples within our nation even if the powers of that world reject him for existing. and when he became his worst fear, when his body became a weapon turned against earth, he still fought. he fought to protect his family, his friends, his home. he fought against himself, his origins, and everything he was supposed to be. by breaking free of brainiac's control, both kara and clark claimed their own identities. they separated themselves from their predecessors and ancestors, allowing the kryptonian empire to truly fall without the pillars of the next generation holding it up. i have so many fucking thoughts about the generational trauma of krypton but i won't get into that right now.

now back to kara and her relationship with brainiac. she was a sheltered, manipulated child, and her situation absolutely reeks of stockholm syndrome. she's aware that brainiac isn't her biological father, but he raised her. he saved her from that escape pod, she taught him to be strong. every time he called her weak, beat her, scolded her over small mistakes, he was only helping her get stronger! her father was never wrong, when he called her weak it's because it was true and he wanted to help her be a warrior!

right?

clark is an outside influence, a foreign entity, an unpredictable variable getting in the way of their relationship and helping her to open her eyes. but after everything, after brainiac is revealed to be the kryptonians' murderer, she still despairs when he dies. she feels sorrow for the man who nearly killed her cousin, who wiped out her people, who brainwashed her into acts of genocide. who raised her, who cherished her as a daughter, who shaped her into the warrior she is today. i think it will be fascinating to see how she copes with brainiac's death and her different environment in season 3, especially because we saw she kept part of her father abuser with her. she's a wonderful character they could never make me hate you kara from my adventures with superman. i think rät by penelope scott really works well for her and her life with brainiac, give it a listen if you haven't before.

other stuff i really liked about this season:

lois and sam, how their past together is revealed as their future together constantly shifts trajectories. two lanes diverged, amiright fellas... hahah... yeah. i love how lois still carries her father's lessons with her, even after everything he did. how yes, he was a shitty father, but he truly did care about keeping her safe. that he's a flawed character with problems of his own- and she acknowledges that, and recognizes why he does what he does. but still doesn't forgive him. this show is SO FUCKING GOOD at complicated relationships i swear

livewire and heatwave power couple? fuck yeah. monsieur mallah and the brain returning? hell yes. STEEL??? HELL FUCKING YES.

silas stone cameo and somewhat important role in the first half of the season, hopefully we'll see more of him soon... (hopefully we see victor. im a little bit not normal about victor stone. in a non simp way.)

kara and james is so cute... love me some healthy straight ships in my silly show about a himbo and his emotional support goblins. clois and jara double date RIGHT THIS INSTANT I DEMAND OF YOU

the alternate world where clark was raised on krypton... i kind of want to see more of that. like a short episode released independent from the storyline showing a bit more of kryptonian culture and what it would've been like to grow up there. i just think it'd be really neat

lex. calm down buddy. ur like 12. you don't need to go bald yet. sees season 3 first images LEX. PUT THE WEAVE BACK ON THIS INSTANT.

speaking of season 3... KON EL!!! HE'S ARRIVED!!! i'm actually tweaking out rn i need season 3 to be released. i need to know!!! fanfiction will only indulge my fantasies for so long.

clark and kara doing spiderman kisses with lois and jimmy thank you for coming to my ted talk.

cat grant is such a theater kid... she definitely played patty in a production of grease at some point.

if you've made it all the way to here then thank you for reading my essay(?) on why maws s2 is peak superhero media. and thanks for listening to me as i scream without the v anyways go watch this wonderful show

[monstersdownthepath]

Herald of Irori: The Old Man

CR 15

Lawful Neutral Medium Outsider

Inner Sea Gods, pg. 294

Yes, Lawful Neutral. I know, I know, he's not technically the Herald of a Good-aligned god, but I myself have trouble conceptualizing Irori as Evil-leaning, and Master Roshi the Old Man here is noted to only ever want to help and to motivate his students. Yes, one can take Irori's doctrine of self-perfection in a negative light (how many villains do you know fight just for the sake of fighting and becoming stronger?), and the Old Man can just as well choose to teach an evil student instead of a good one, but almost every piece of supplemental material about Irori signals that he leans towards Good, from his Monks and Paladins archetypes leaning Good, to his personal rules for Quivering Palm allowing a nonlethal option, to his divine servants stalking prey like a proper tiger only to bap them once with their paws and let their prey run off free... all the way to his Champions being restricted to Lawful Good. That last one's pretty convincing.

Anyway, onto the Old Man. Unlike most Heralds, the life of the Old Man before he became the Herald of Irori is basically nonexistent, with no hints as to who he was or if he even existed at all before Irori created him. He may simply be a divine construct born into existence by the Master of Masters, or he may have been the old master to Irori himself before he ascended. This isn't the only unusual bit about him: also unlike most Heralds, the Old Man freely wanders the world where Irori's faith is building, seeking out pupils to instruct in the ways of the Master of Masters. His teaching methods and even his entire personality changes depending on what his chosen pupil or pupils need the most, and while he's among mortals, he himself limits his powers to those of a mortal which his advanced age would suggest, so as not to discourage his limited students with his true superhuman might. This does come with a few drawbacks, but none he hasn't already considered; many times his mortal form has been beaten and even killed in pitched combat... though always to provide motivation to a student of significant promise.

Yes, he can pull the Mentor Occupational Hazard trope out on himself, and has done so many times in order to give a specific student a much-needed kick in the pants. As the Old Man reforms unharmed in Axis each time he dies as a mortal (dying in his true celestial shape is much harder to come back from), it's not even all that inconvenient for him. The only real pain he feels is if he looks upon the student he died for and sees a lack of improvement... which may prompt many spiritual or dream-based visits. The Old Man lives and breathes fulfilling every trope one expects of any old master in a martial arts movie in cycles lasting years at a time, something I find charming.

Of course, when I say every trope, I of course not only mean Old Master... but Awakening the Sleeping Giant for those moments when the Old Man shrugs off his mortal disguise and unveils fists that can dent steel.

I gave the Hand of the Inheritor a lot of guff for being an angel with Paladin class levels, but in truth I was mostly annoyed that he didn't get any of the good class abilities, or any class abilities which made him interesting to talk about at length. The Old Man is an immediate improvement in that regard, because instead of having some Monk abilities, he has all of them.

It made me laugh to see that the Hand of the Inheritor's heavy armored form and heavy steel shield actually gave him 32 AC, which is less AC than the simple robed Old Man, and that's because the Old Man--whom I will be referring to as TOM from now on--has +4 AC from being a Monk and can add his Wisdom modifier to it, bringing his AC up to a considerably more impressive 37 (with a TOUCH AC of 35). TOM has more AC than almost any other Herald! Killing the TOM as a mortal is a tough feat, but killing him in his true form? Hell, just hurting him is a mountain of a task. Even making it past his AC and his honestly impressive saves (+10/+20/+20 WITH Improved Evasion), he's got DR 10/Chaotic protecting him... and 30 Resistance to every element except Force. And if you DO damage him? That's what his 3/day Heal is for, just to spit in your eye.

And he's not just resilient, he's mobile. With Air Walk, Water Walk, and Dimension Door available to him 7/day and the ability to walk near as fast as a human can move at full sprint (80ft movespeed, and 30ft of both climb and swim), there's little one can do to escape from him once his ire is roused except, perhaps, tunneling away. Thankfully, he's still quite vulnerable to all manner of restraints, lacking both Freedom of Movement and, strangely, any ranks in Escape Artist... But to take advantage of that, you first have to survive him long enough for him to fail a save.

TOM has a frightening offense, as one can expect from a 16th level Monk stapled onto the resilient frame of a powerful Outsider. That staff of his is just for decoration; he doesn't use weapons at all unless he's giving his opponents a measure of mercy. While unarmed, he can throw out up to four unarmed strikes for 2d8+5 damage each... or he can perform a Flurry of Blows, sending out seven such attacks, plus one extra one if he spends one of his 18 Ki points, plus one more if he's used one of his 3 castings of Haste on himself for a grant total of a potential nine attacks. 2d8+5 for a single attack isn't special, but 18d8+45 (with the damage averaging out to around 140) with the ability to bypass 5 different types of Damage Reduction is likely to be enough to humble whatever beast pushed TOM into battle.

Against foes that have a ranged advantage against him, or if he has the ranged advantage against them, he can also flick flick up to four pebbles every round for a humiliating 1d3+5 damage. They're not even magic, they're literally just stones he can pick up off the ground and hurl with the force of a bullet, and he has as many of them as he needs.

Of course, like all Monks, his frightening offense is somewhat mitigated by the fact it's tied to attacks which decrease in accuracy as they're thrown out; he has no magical accuracy modifiers or even Weapon Focus, so a DM wanting to up his challenge a little bit can get away with giving him an Amulet of Mighty Fists or similar. His most accurate attack is a modest +20, but his least accurate attack is a pitiful +5, which at this level means his final blow is unlikely to actually hit any level-appropriate foes wearing modest medium armor. Unarmored or light-armored is far more likely, but his main prey are creatures hovering around the 10~12 Hit Dice range, which is where the party is going to be if they ever face TOM as a boss.

But if your AC is too high, he can always just make it lower. He's a 16th level Monk, so TOM can throw out 16 Stunning Fists every day, potentially locking down a single target for the entire battle if he just keeps combo-hitting them and they keep failing the DC 28 Fortitude save. While he lacks the power to fully paralyze a target, he can also swap out the stun for fatigue (which turns to exhaustion if the victim is hit twice), a 1d6+1 round stagger, or permanent blindness or deafness. Every single option benefits him as much as the stun does, with exhaustion robbing foes of their damage, staggering severely limiting their options for at least 2 rounds, blindness making him much harder to hit (and cast spells at), and deafness being extremely damaging to spellcasters, Bards, and teammates relying on coordinating with one another.

The fun icing on the cake, though, is that he doesn't need to actually do damage. He's got a feat suite of nonlethal options to disarm, disable, debilitate, and humiliate anyone who tries attacking him: Improved Disarm to throw your weapons aside, Trip to throw you off your balance, and Grapple to just throw you, with the seldom-seen Greater Grapple waiting in the wings to let him wrestle with superhuman speed and proficiency... or just Stunning Fist the snot out of anyone he's got in a headlock.

In a one-on-one fight against similarly powerful foes, TOM is almost unbeatable due to his long list of options to demean and debuff his enemies, and even full parties can struggle against his towering stats and staggering damage... unless, of course, you have some method of staggering him, or simply continuously step out of his reach. A nine attack flurry with a menagerie of debuffs attached is quite scary, but he's a Medium creature with Medium reach; he's insanely fast--especially with Haste--and incredibly mobile through almost every terrain, but his speed means nothing if you just keep moving 10ft back and denying him his Full-Attack. This isn't a reliable tactic, mind, and eventually you WILL lose (his Regen 15 will outpace your single attacks) unless you do something to hold him still or debuff him; he has high saves and 26 SR, but no immunity to paralysis, negative levels, death effects, or mind-affecting effects, so if luck is on your side, you may yet prevail.

Say, what's the average saving throw for a 10th~12th-level caster's most powerful spell? 24? ... Okay, maybe you'll need a lot of luck on your side. But it's still possible!

You can read more about him here.

[buckybarnesss]

Where did this idea that Chris Argent is the one Argent who cares about the code come from? He's just as bad as his wife, who wants to murder Scott for existing.

I feel like I have a completely different understanding of this that everyone else does. I like him BECAUSE he's a weak-willed jellyfish of a man. He follows orders, there's not much kindness left in him and it's only directed at his daughter. He's a liar who enjoys tormenting teenagers - he was willing to kill Derek and Scott even though he knew they hadn't killed anyone.

The entire point of the Argents is this corrupt family structure. "Women are leaders" they say, as they lie and gaslight Allison. "We don't kill innocents" they say, while shooting Derek and Scott for being outside at night.

How many times did they get it wrong and kill humans? We'll never know because of course they would just cover up the evidence. They were taking potshots at Scott and Derek and didn't even know WHO they were shooting at.

Literally none of them follow the code. They manipulated Allison into setting it aside. The code is bullshit.

"Chris would never torture innocents" bro what show were you watching, you think he didn't know Kate was sexually assaulting and electrocuting Derek?? He didn't seem that fucking surprised to see Erica and Boyd in his goddamn murder basement.

I feel like I am going crazy!!

you are so right.

what do i think of chris argent?

chris argent is compelling to me because he's not really that good of a person. he has deluded himself into thinking he is.

the indoctrination amongst hunters runs very, very deep. especially with the argents. he never fully becomes deprogrammed. gerard argent deeply damaged both of his children and that is the point. there is no happy ending for the argent family.

kate was gerard's golden child because kate was full tilt sociopathic and enjoyed killing. chris was the lesser of the two in gerard's eyes. we know that while chris did gerard's biding he hadn't been in contact with allison since she was three years old at the time of kate's "death". that tells you chris knew his father's influence was dangerous and corrupting. yet he still let it happen and watched allison be manipulated by his father and become like kate.

three children ended up in his murder and torture basement and the only one i can see him not fully knowing about is stiles because that was gerard's little game. he knew about erica and boyd, he knew what was being done to them and he allowed it. they hadn't done anything to anyone and again they were children. the same age as his daughter. her own classmates. trussed up in his basement.

his intimidates stiles, scott, jackson and derek more than once. people who hadn't done anything wrong. scott, jackson and stiles are all children.

chris also knew full well who and what kate was. he was in denial about it and ignored it. chris isn't a stupid man and i thought it was pretty clear throughout season 1 he had suspicions about kate so he's not even surprised when confronted about it code breaker. he's just disappointed.

he clings to the code because it gives him cover. it gives him a convenient excuse. he can wrap himself up in the code and declare himself a good hunter, not like the others, not like his father and sister when he is. the code is his self-delusion.

he changes because allison died and his code becomes the memory of his daughter. his shitty family and his lack of backbone led down a path that eventually led to her death.

yes allison's decision that night was her own but it was also reckless. why was the archer on the ground? why wasn't she high up like she'd been wise enough to do in frayed or in alpha pact? allison was desperate not only to save lydia but also to prove herself good and make up for her mistakes.

and even when he begins to change it's often conditional.

chris is an interesting character. i like him a lot actually but he's a fucked up person who makes many questionable decisions thought-out the series. he only looks good because gerard and kate are more terrible.

[starflungwaddledee]

Ok so I read awtdy au stuff in order according to a link you made and it gave me so many questions.

Like when exactly did they swap in the new timeline? Because it can’t be from their beginnings as Meta wouldn’t be sealed for the being too powerful like Galacta was so unless you can give another reason for the sealing then Meta shouldn’t be sealed if it was at that time. And other times have other complications due to be not being swapped from the beginning.

I know Gooey’s definitely dead because come on we know how Galacta’s been raising Kirby and while I am mildly displeased at Galacta causing the death of what I consider a very interesting character I know it definitely happens.

I know Necrodeus’s ambush on Kirby in the original time line definitely is a surprise for Galacta when it happens in the altered one as there is absolutely no reason for him to know it happens because why would he. He wasn’t summoned during the events of the game and who would know it that ambush happens? Marx definitely doesn’t know because come on why would he. Bandana dee probably know about from what Kirby told him during the original but as during the ambush no one was with Kirby; Bandana dee wouldn’t know what exactly happened like the exact when or where.

Does Stardream and other Ancient made stuff know of the timeline altering? Because I personally find it kinda weird if they don’t remember and that Galacta doesn’t use this chance to get another wish for something.

I hope that Galacta since he is more ruthless doesn’t kill Kracko after Kirby fights him. Because the Kracko has a kid named Kracko Jr. I am kinda finding some humor in that Galacta, the guy with a attack that has heart shape on it, is so heartless. Anyways I have liked the story.

okay, this is a pretty long ask with a lot of questions; i'll answer what i can! to start with, here's a basic timeline breakdown which will hopefully help:

the rest will be mostly text answers with one little drawing at the end!

when did they swap? how did meta knight get sealed?

during the events of the haltmann invasion. there is a little bit of wifflewaffle 'what's canon' here, but we adjusted the canon ending of robobot a tiny bit to allow galacta knight to appear (as he does in Meta Knightmare Returns) and for him to defeat meta knight and make a wish on star dream. galacta knight wished for them to trade places; for meta knight to go into the crystal and for himself to be sent to popstar to enjoy meta knight's life. he did this to ensure his own escape and also to make meta knight suffer. strength, power, or being 'the greatest warrior in the galaxy' didn't factor into this in any way; the crystal is a magical prison and doesn't care who it's holding.

is ____ character dead?

probably. sorry. this is not a lighthearted AU and galacta knight purposefully seeks out and eliminates kirby's allies in order to isolate him. there is a happy "everybody lives" ending, but if the (mostly temporary) existence of all this character death or the absence of your specific faves for any reason upsets you, then you do not need to read this au! gooey in particular was actually already asked after in the comments section of this post! <- (cw: lying and psychological manipulation)

what about (events in non-mainline games)?

this au is dreamland four centric (+ magolor) and tends to follow the mainline games more than others. none the less, in response to Mass Attack in particular: this occurs right before galacta knight's entry point. so there's a chance that it would have been over before he even got there

would galacta knight know about (event)?

i really like the attention to detail you thought about on whether he is or isn't summoned or present in certain in-game timelines! however for the sake of this au, there is a headcanon in place that galacta knight exists atemporally and outside of time, and has done for longer than many people can fathom. he can see and interact with events from timelines and dimensions to his liking; he was inhibited on doing this by being trapped in the crystal this is implied a little in the ending of the another dimension fight comic, where he tells meta knight "to watch". from within the crystal, meta knight can see all of this new timeline unfolding, because the crystal is turning him into an atemporal being as well. there is also a specific connection between him and galacta knight at play, but rest assured; galacta knight is simply obsessed with meta knight's timeline and if he had arrived before necrodeus's ambush he would most certainly have been expecting it and would probably have just not let kirby take a nap that day.

what about what other characters know?

bandee knows what he's experienced first hand, and what kirby's told him. so sure, he'd know about necrodeus- and other adventures before his time- second hand from kirby. marx (who is not present in base awtdy au) is also caught up by the "here's the new rules of the universe! this guy was always here!" that occurs when galacta knight assumes meta knight's place. however, he is capable of noticing that meta knight is missing because meta knight is part of galactic nova's timeline, and so he can put two and two together. if the wish had removed anyone else, marx would not have been able to tell. he is however very smart and extremely attentive, and does have ways to notice other shit happening; which is how he clues in during the clockwork heart variant of this au.

galacta knight heart motifs vs heartlessness

not really a question but yeah, it's delicious isn't it? this is why i love him as an eldritch, unfathomably relentless and unstoppable villain lmao. i actually find the version of him we have created in our heads so compelling and interesting; we have bucketloads of characterisation for him if anyone's ever interested!

wouldn't galacta knight try to get another wish?

have never said he is not trying to do this

does stardream or any other ancient made stuff know about the timeline altering?

the answers to this are important actually and tie into our headcanons for the wishing stars and how they work. stardream knows because it powered the wish. galactic nova does not know because the wish was not made by her; also she just doesn't care. several other ancient artifacts don't know, but have the means to figure it out. some definitely remember better times, though:

[leonawriter]

One of my favourite ideas with regards to Ryoji is this sort of... thing where he can just exist outside of time somehow, because of how short a time he's allowed to exist in reality.

(massive spoilers for P3 onward past this point, obviously, if you haven't already gone through the game.)

[EDIT: I've cleaned it up a bit and edited and put it on AO3. So, if you want like... an entire extra scene plus some, go here.]

Which is great in theory, but a bit more complicated if you wanna put it into practice, other than going "well, he's here because... oh, a wizard did it." There are possibilities and plausibles, but they're frankly limited if you have (like me) a logical mind and a need for something to suspend your disbelief.

Except then I had a thought - Ryoji is also known as Death, or Thanatos. He takes on that role at the climax, even. So, I started thinking along those lines, and wound up with-

Ryoji the psychopomp. Ryoji, the grim reaper.

Not "the Reaper" as in the one that roams dungeons (he exists during P3 and is implied by design to be connected somehow to Tatsuya Sudou, anyway).

More like, that it's a case of "Life gave her creations to Death, no matter what they both knew would happen the moment he touched them."

Minato (or Kotone) dies on the school rooftop, and there he is, able to talk to them, and they're able to tell him that everything worked out, that everything will work out. Their spirit lingers at the Door, and they talk like it's passing notes in class.

A young girl finds herself on the receiving end of unwanted advances, and then she's somewhere strange, confronted with uncomfortable and unwanted truths, and then- then, there's a boy in a yellow scarf wanting to know all of the things that she loved about her life. At first it's strange, and more than a bit hard to think of things for this weird guy who she's never met before, but the more she talks the more she realises that she really did have things she treasured.

He thanks her for telling him, and as she makes her peace with the fact that this is it, he tells her that he'll keep them in his heart now, too.

Wakaba Isshikki knows about the cognitive realm - a little too much, perhaps, but not enough to stop. Enough, perhaps, to see the shadow of a boy following her for a day or two. Enough to feel as though she's already living on borrowed time, when she feels that surely she knows what's happening, and she simply... doesn't care.

She's a little wispy, still, when he leads what's left of her toward the Sea of Souls where she now belongs. He's concerned, and rightly so, about what that means. Wakaba's more worried about the kids.

(A few people don't get Ryoji. Those unhappy few get the floating mask of Death and a series of coffins to tell them that their time has come. For some it's because even in death they have no humility, and for others still it's simply easier, that way. Easier to not be Ryoji wile dealing with it, even if it would have been easier still to simply walk away and let them find their own way to the Sea.

But Kunikazu Okumura had sent so many his way, that it was only right that Death came to meet him personally.

"I didn't even get to finish my speech," the man said, blubbering after the towering figure that Death made.

You had a daughter, Death reminded him, and he was silent the rest of the way.)

Goro Akechi comes to, and the first thing he sees is a bright yellow scarf.

The first thing he does is swear, because boys with slicked-back hair wearing yellow scarves aren't supposed to exist when you're dead. The second thing he does is look around, and realise that you aren't really supposed to exist in a sea of stars and sit on nothing when you're alive, either.

"Please tell me this isn't the afterlife," he says, mostly because although he figured it could be worse - he could have found himself in hell, or surrounded by all of the people he'd killed over the years, all of the ones who had every reason to make his afterlife hell if it wasn't already - it could definitely be better.

"It is and it isn't," comes the cryptic answer. "Usually it is, more or less. Each of those lights represents a soul, after all." And there were so many of them. "But you're a special case! You're both dead and not dead right now, which, usually that doesn't happen? People can almost die but not actually die, but they aren't usually both at the same time, I mean."

"Maruki," Akechi practically spits out. "In that case, I'm surprised you're not inundated right now."

Blue eyes - far too blue to be human, they almost remind him of Morgana, and he was neither human nor a cat, apparently - duck down, glancing away.

"I felt what happened. Everyone caught up in a lie, completely oblivious... if the one controlling that power had wanted to bring ruin, then..." But he shakes his head, bringing himself out of his own thoughts. "It's a good thing that didn't happen, really! And- you're wrong, by the way."

"What?"

"Like I said, you're a special case. I've been able to talk to a lot of people, but I've never been able to ask anyone to send a message back before!"

"Back?" For a moment, Akechi is reduced to parroting back words. Surely they mean something, but the obvious meaning is impossible, and he can't think of anything else. "Who would someone like you even want to send a message to, anyway?"

"Would you believe me if I said they were old enemies, who were also old friends? But, I guess you've had a few of those yourself, right?"

"What would you even know about me?"

Akechi got a lopsided, bittersweet smile in return.

"I've been following you for a lot longer than I think we'd both have liked," come the words that send a shiver down his spine as instincts and senses that were rusty from disuse told him what that meant even as his more conscious mind shied away from the idea of it. "But I hope that after this, we won't be able to talk again for a long, long time."

Something tells Akechi that he's both in no danger whatsoever, and also that he really shouldn't refuse. He expects to be on a strict deadline (ha, dead) but time moves differently here, and apparently they have exactly as much time as they need. No more, and not a second less.

When he opens his eyes again, he can remember everything-

Someone really wanted you to live, Ryoji had said, with a teasing smile, and bright eyes.

It makes him feel small. It makes him feel indebted - to Akira, to Ryoji, in ways that he can't even begin to examine or think of how to repay. It makes him want to give it all back, so that he doesn't have to deal with it, but that would be purely theoretical and besides, he has promises to keep.

First, a debt to Akira, something that to Akechi feels like barely a drop in the ocean and that hopefully Akira and his friends will feel the correct amount of gratitude for.

Secondly-

"Hello- yes, this is Goro Akechi speaking. Is this Mitsuru Kirijo-san? I have a message to pass on to you. Are the names Ryoji Mochizuki and Minato Arisato familiar to you, at all?"

[brambletakato]

Des(cole And/Or mond)

uhh,, ruh oh (prequel spoilers)

To be honest like 50% of my brainrot comes from both my campaign Des and the backstory for such which is VERY far removed from canon, but that doesn't mean I'm NOT insane about this man looking at him from the canon PL angle. Like I don't really know where to start?? Uhh

I think he's literally the perfect guy to analyze psychologically. Leon is a fucking nightmare to try and figure out, meanwhile Des has so many interesting twists and turns and themes to interpret (even if his character slightly gets a bit off-balanced in Eternal Diva)

Descole presents himself as calculative, cunning, smug, mysterious, and strong-willed. Within a presence, he keeps up his persona with an honestly charming dramatic flair that nobody asked for, which is already on the chart for what makes a character a viable blorbo for me

But when you take a look of who he was, who wanted to be, and who he could be, he quickly becomes such a morally complicated character.

Like really quickly I'm going to get this out of the way; I have a MASSIVE pet peeve to those that say Descole did nothing wrong. He did do a lot of fucked up shit, and I'm not excusing any of that. Removing the responsibility of his consequences would make his character bland imo. He's not morally purely black or white, but he's in a dark gray zone where, while he had a strict no-kill rule, he still inflicted harm on the people in his way and the homes they resided in. He isn't afraid to dabble into even human experimentation if it means to get to his goals, even if he has the greater good in interest.

So about the lighter morals of him, he still has a string of humanity in him. He isn't completely lost to corruption unlike Leon, but he isn't completely recovered like Layton. He still sets off on a self-destructive path to revenge, but he only allows himself to get set ablaze (in his pov, not in the outsider's perspective).

A friend said that he's still the little boy that ultimately wants his family back, whether that's his parents or his wife and daughter, and that AAAUGHHRHRA OUUUUGH :((( RGRR :CCCCCC

Speaking of, Desmond. Desmond was never meant to exist.

In his eyes, it would only be Hershel Bronev that died, and whatever comes later would be the host of his vengeance. But Desmond was soon given a meaning, a light elsewhere, tender hands and a fond gaze that said that they loved him. Suddenly he was somebody else. He was somebody else that started putting down books, that started to wish for something other than revenge.

And the fact that, even if once, he was a man that has felt what hope is like fucking KILLS ME... Sometimes I wonder if he even felt fearful of the thought when he realized he was starting to focus less on revenge. Suddenly, there was somebody that he was starting to care about, somebody that was there for him emotionally and physically, somebody that he so dearly wanted to lean on their shoulder and ask if everything will be okay. And the only time he felt that was with his previous family. The ones that were taken away.

He's almost shy to feel that sense of longing again, like a neglected dog feeling a gentle hand brush their head for the first time. It's intoxicating. It's fearful. It's so, so comforting. He wants more. But he is scared of being hurt again. Scared of losing somebody again. He's scared. Scared, fearful. It's all that controlled him. Fear and hate.

But he still tries, despite everything he sees, there's a part of him that still wanted to live, to experience, to love. There's a part of him that wants to break out of such a wretched life and to start anew, to finally lay rest of his woes. And he does, for a little while.

And the worst part was that he was right in the end. They too would be ripped away. And there was no more hope, no more Sycamore.

I'm an extreme advocate that Descole has existed for longer, not right after the death of his wife and daughter. He existed ever since his parents were kidnapped, ever since he lost Theodore. Descole never had a name, but he was there in concept. He was only put at the full front in full blast when he had truly lost everything.

This also means he can never be fully Desmond again by the end of Azran Legacy, if at all. He can never fully be Descole either, because there's nothing he can fuel on. He's just nothing. He's an empty husk. He says that a new adventure awaits, but what is there really? There is no point, no promise. He is aimless from then on. Perhaps his adventure is to find a purpose once more.

This is also why I REALLY want him to return in NWOS one day. Maybe his search for a purpose leads him right back to the person that was there when his life crumbled for the first time; Layton. Maybe despite his fear of loss, he still internally wants something to cling onto, because an aimless life would probably drive him to insanity or extreme biting mental torment. Or maybe he feels indebted to Layton in some way? Perhaps for his betrayal, perhaps for hiding their relation, perhaps for everything he has done.

He still did terrible things. Would Layton even accept him back into his life, especially after all of that? He is deserving to nobody. Eventually the consequences of what he has done will catch up in a terrible mental form. I really think that his self-esteem has been low, but it would ESPECIALLY plummet after everything.

(ahem uhh. side note if flora comes back in nwos, the two should come as a package deal and des should be the cool uncle that unofficially adopted her from layton, i think these two would benefit each-other in both a character and a psychological way COUGH COUGH also we need flora fencing COUGH COUGH)

I can ramble so much about the other little things like his thoughts about his parents (especially his mother), raymond, the brief and scary visit of familiar warmth when he was getting comfortable with the bostonius gang, etc etc but this post would be so god damn long

anyway so he's more-so a special interest than a hyperfixa--//dragged away

[thefirstknife]

i love how lightfalls story will continue in Deep and the rest of the year and it's a great move

ut god i WISH they had that idea for Witch Queen. I NEED to know how the Lucent Hive are developing, there's so much we don't know, andi would love to see how they're developing on like a cultural level.

My biggest disappointment with Witch Queen year is that after the dlc & risen the Lucent Brood are basically treated as regular hive that we can kill with no problem's and like nothing is exploring them anymore

I know its not the case but it felt like Bungie was building to this like:

"Are the Hive brutal and reprehensible to us? Yes. Will they change their behavior with the Light? No. Do they still deserve to be treated as sentient ppl with Intrinsic 'humanity' even tho they arent as sympathetic like the Fallen or Cabal? Yes. Does that make them good guys? Do we have the right to kill Ghosts just because they made the crime of "choosing the wrong side" etc etc

And like make us realize everything is more gray. and make us ask questions about assumptions we had, are Ghosts allowed Autonomy? Do.we have an inherent deserving of the light etc

and then Bungie dropped it in a bin and never brought it up ever again not even in flavor text or lore tabs

Agreed 100%

Witch Queen was an absolute banger of a campaign that I consider pretty much flawless, but when it comes to the whole year of Destiny last year, a lot of it ended up falling flat. There are so many interesting things raised in the campaign, but they were never explored. It didn't truly feel like "Witch Queen year" since pretty much all most significant bits of the Witch Queen were not explored.

Most importantly the Lucent Hive. Even in Risen, they were kind of background. They were literally attacking Earth directly and killing Guardians, but outside of getting rid of a few pockets of them, they've not been mentioned outside of that? Are they still attacking Earth? Do they still try to get a fort on the Moon? Are they only listening to Immaru or are there other aspects of their leadership? What about Lucent Hive who decide to go their own way? We know they exist so what's up with them?

What about Immaru and Savathun in general? We've not tried capturing him or investigating more into what Savathun knew, how she constructed the Throne World, how she utilised Light, her connections to the Witness and the Fleet... Obviously this might get picked up when she's rezed again, but I feel like a lot of it would've been important in the aftermath of the campaign. We got minor tidbits when Osiris woke up, but that just raised more questions; Savathun knew some WILD shit and we never investigated it.

We'll see how this continuation of Lightfall's story will go next season. I'm hoping for a quest that deals with some of the aftermath of the campaign and gives us insight into how time progresses in-universe; have the characters learned anything new in the past three months? Osiris will be present so we might get some new insight into Strand or the Veil or the portal the Witness opened.

Obviously, that's best case scenario. We have no clue what the quest will be like and I don't want to overhype myself and expect some incredibly long mission with 4 lore books, but the general gist of adding more campaign content throughout the year is really good. In hindsight, I would've loved if we got that each year. Campaigns are fine as is to me, but adding more content throughout the year that's directly connected to the campaign (instead of seasons) would've been a real benefit to pretty much every year so far. I really like the idea of the expansion YEAR dealing with the expansion reveals and information for the whole year in a more direct way that isn't tied to seasons.

[carefulfears]

Thoughts on the X Files Revelations episode and what it brought to the mulder x scully relationship?

okay i just rewatched this one so y'all are gonna get some exhausted bullet-point rambles from me <3 much love

1/

the first thing that i noticed while rewatching is that when mulder and scully are speaking with "saint owen" in the attic, mulder is standing with them and engaged in the conversation until it turns to scully's personal religion.

when owen points out her cross necklace, mulder turns to face the wall while they discuss it, only barely peeking back for his smartass church joke.

this almost reminds me of the way he tends to freeze and avert from loss (his mother's hospital room in herrenvolk, scully in the ICU in redux ii, emily's coffin, the little girl's body in paper hearts, etc); he often tries to avoid realities that he isn't prepared for, as though he's surprised and bowled over every time.

in this moment here with owen, he's being avoidant and catty, but it similarly appears that scully's faith is something he's taken aback by, even just in evasion.

2/

after owen is killed, scully begins the autopsy, and mulder continues his comedy routine/bible lecture.

when scully says that she believes in miracles, she believes that god's hand can be witnessed, mulder asks, "even if science can't explain them?"

this is really the core conflict of episodes like this, that center around faith or religion. neither of them know how to move forward outside of their roles, and so much of scully's position depends on only adhering to what science can prove. it's what she's told him so many times over the years in response to his own theories, and both of them waver in the loss of that absolutism.

a couple of episodes earlier, in nisei, she told him that believing is the easy part, that she needs proof, and he had responded, "you think believing is easy?"

part of what makes faith-centered cases difficult for them both is that mulder doesn't have it, and believing is easy for scully.

mulder spends his whole life wanting to believe in something that would allow the kind of comfort people find in faith. it isn't easy for him. it's hard to always be seeking.

he needs proof in order to believe too, but scully has her beliefs without the science that she holds him to, without the burden.

later, in gethsemane, she tells him that proving extraterrestrial life is not her dying wish. and he asks, what if you could prove the existence of god? wouldn't you try, like i try?

she says no. that god can't be proven or disproven, and it doesn't matter to her.

in revelations, he shuts down her claims of faith, and doesn't consider her point of view. when he leaves on another bad joke, the pause that she takes before returning to her work is so telling. this isn't how they interact with each other. something is different, with this case, with this topic.

the look on her face and the way she squares her jaw is almost of someone who's ashamed/afraid to speak up, who's biting her tongue. this isn't what she does, with him, either. and it has a different connotation on rewatch, with the things she says later in the series about authority.

3/

in conversation at the motel, things haven't changed. mulder is still a laugh-factory, dismissing any explanation with religious connotations. scully is still watching him and learning from him, as she has been since day one.

when she finally just snaps and asks, "how is it that you're willing to go out on a limb whenever you see a light in the sky, but you're unwilling to accept the possibility of a miracle?"

he responds instantly, "i wait for a miracle every day. but what i've seen here has only tested my patience, not my faith."

he waits for a miracle every day. it wasn't that long ago that we saw him weep in a church.

"well, what about what i've seen?"

what about what she's seen? what about what she believes? what about her experience?

4/

in the end, mulder's being a sweetie, bringing her coat and asking if she's okay. it worries him when she's not being logical. when she's acting like him.

he says it, in all souls, another faith-based role reversal: "i’ve never seen you more vulnerable or susceptible or more easily manipulated and it scares me because i don’t know why."

i hate to see people call him hypocritical for this; they both do it. they adhere to their roles so strictly, and there's something uneasy for them that comes with watching the other stray from what they find solidity in, whether that's belief or rationalism.

this scene captures the intent of the script so well, it is sad. this is a sad episode. she's watching him and learning from him and she knows that she cannot share this experience she's having with him.

5/

in one of the series' most affecting scenes, scully goes to confession for the first time in years. not to confess, but to confide. the language in this scene is so specific and emotional, as she tells the priest that normally she can talk to her friend about things but she cannot talk to him about this.

that's such an isolating place to be in, for your closest person and your most pressing struggle to be so at odds.

she tells the priest that she believes she saw things that helped her to save a life, but she wonders if she even saw them at all, because her partner didn't see them. he didn't believe. and usually he believes in everything.

that's such an isolating place to be in, for your hopeful seeker to turn a blind eye.

this isn't the last time that scully will be in this position, so alone in what she experiences, wondering if it's even real if mulder doesn't see it too.

and this scene sets the tone for so much of her character, as she confesses that she is afraid. that maybe god is speaking, and no one is listening.

i know this one is less thought-out than usual, if there's anything here y'all want to chat more about/go into deeper just shoot me an ask. kisses.

scully in this episode is something i've dabbled around with a bit in my writing before here.

[saintsenara]

the scrunchie minor characters general | 4.5k words

the scrunchie was in padma patil’s hair the day the second war began. the ravenclaw girls were watching the third task from the back row of the stands, sipping surreptitiously from a flask of toffee-flavoured vodka morag had procured from somewhere.

they were cackling when there was a flash of blue light, and a portkey deposited two twisted figures on the ground.

that was the last moment they had before the world changed, padma realised later.

nobody would have let hermione granger borrow the scrunchie. but that's fine, because this story isn't about her at all.

this piece was written for week four of @ladiesofhpfest, which focuses on background beauties [you can find the masterlist of the week's fics here].

the theme this week allowed me to think about one of my favourite topics: what must it have been like to be peripheral to the drama which surrounded harry, but without ever knowing for certain what was going on?

author's notes under the cut

the genre conventions of the harry potter series - whether the children’s literature of the early books or the folkloric pastiche of the later ones - requires harry to, essentially, act alone. he has a few loyal retainers, but his character archetype requires him to take huge burdens onto his shoulders. when you add in the fact that he’s not a particularly sociable teenage boy, that he’s not hugely observant of incidental detail, that he’s considered to be a celebrity, and that a huge amount of his social interaction outside of ron and hermione is with adults whose relationship with their other charges has to be more hands-off, you realise that the rest of his year must have spent their schooldays trying to work out what was happening from a whirl of gossip and rumour [and, above all, from a whirl of gossip and rumour the slytherins have a vested interest in providing].

here, we have five minor characters - lisa turpin, padma patil, parvati patil, hannah abbott, and sally-anne perks - attempting to do just that.

their perspective on harry and his exploits ended up being slightly more critical than i had initially expected. padma, for example, thinks that he’s a dick, and the ravenclaws [who do seem to be more slytherin-aligned in canon, even if this is unintentional on jkr’s part] all take a line canonically only permitted to snape: that harry likes being famous; that he is allowed to get away with breaking school rules; and that his participation in the triwizard tournament is favouritism on dumbledore’s part and completely unfair.

furthermore, from this outside perspective, i realised how sincerely unbelievable harry’s story about what happened in the triwizard maze must have sounded. padma thinks that harry killed cedric diggory - although whether by accident or not she can’t say - and even parvati is wavering.

this led to something i don’t think is appreciated enough within the canon text, owing - again - to the genre confines of the series: how many people contribute to harry’s victory, and how brave characters other than the trio-plus-neville-luna-and-ginny end up being. i liked writing padma coming to her own decision about whether to believe him or the ministry; parvati being so bolshy; susan bones fucking loathing alecto carrow; and the hufflepuff girls [who, like everyone in that house, don’t get described in exciting ways very often] being phenomenally brave as battle begins.

but, of course, these girls’ lives exist independently from harry’s. i liked looking at their concerns, from the trivial - who fancies whom [and parvati and padma’s dynamic on this topic is 100% how i was with my sisters - I'm parvati] - to the serious - how the war touches everyone’s family, how muggleborns have to lie to their parents and separate themselves from the world of their birth, how you cope with knowing everyone you love might die, and what on earth you do with your hair in a battle.

the scrunchie - a character in its own right, as is the woman who made it - has your back, babies.

[on the reference to hermione in the summary: i’m always struck in canon by the fact that hermione has no other friends besides harry and ron - even her relationship with ginny is quite tenuous, they don’t hang out in half-blood prince when hermione falls out with ron, for example. again, this is for genre reasons, but it’s also implied in the text to be because hermione - who is so extremely not-like-other-girls-coded it hurts - isn’t a particularly easy person to get along with. from the perspective of someone who was once a teen girl, i can only imagine that she was quite lonely, as the complex ecosystem of the other girls in the castle remained closed off to her.]

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 29: Under

looking like they just won a game show. Enjoy that Corolla, kids!!

Latla whistles for an orca that comes to save her and Rip with its ginormous tongue (another event Chikara will be describing to his therapist someday). We see down it's throat to assure us that, yes, this is a living biological whale and not a secret base disguised as a whale. Very likely to be an UMA, especially since it has too many eyes. I'll bet Latla really hates how it smells inside the mouth.

She tells Fuuko to save her questions for Rip, who definitely isn't gonna die from the hole Andy put straight through his heart, which raises some questions.

And then Fuuko finally says what we've all been wanting to say:

Right? Her hair is a really cute detail. Obviously, the meta reason is that it covers her up, but it also expands the range of her ability.

Plus, it's probably hard to find a way to cut it. Lasers? Chewing it off?

Andy says that his regeneration is coming back, so Rip's ability must have been deactivated. He didn't say Rip is dead though, and Latla said he won't die, either. What's up with that?

Andy reviews how the team worked together and allowed him to take out Rip with his Crimson Bullet. The team decides to keep Chikara's existence a secret from the Union (which I'm really surprised Tatiana agreed to??) and he can decide if he wants to join after a week of normal life.

The week passes instantly, and we see Andy and Fuuko waiting outside of Chikara's school.

I need to get this off my chest. Chikara's friend has big crazy eye vibes. Is this child OK? Too much caffeine? Extra neurotypical? Supposed to be American? Possible UMA This might be a me problem.

Or maybe this kid has Unmove too, bc looking at him chills me to my very soul. Aright, enough about the kid (for now). I'm watching him, though.

And chibi Rip shows up! He still has on the Blade Runner artifact, and he doesn't even have a scar from where Andy shot him.

Rip's got his hands in his pockets and is hardly even looking at them while he talks. He even starts to say that he'd come bearing gifts! It's like he has no idea why they might still be mad at him, and he let all his defenses down.

But both Fuuko and Andy let him know right away that the fight's not over.

Just standing outside the school, punching children.

Rip is so unlike the other characters we've met.

"You're mad at me for stabbing the girl, right?" <- Yes, duh. It almost sounds like he's talking himself through it. "Why are they mad at me? Oh maybe this reason..."

Did he not expect them to be mad? Well, no, not really, because he's not mad, so in his mind, they shouldn't be either.

Next, he minimizes the fact that Fuuko could've died. Saying "my bad" is for when you accidentally stepped on someone's shoe, not when you attacked them and their friends.

Next, he removes himself further from responsibility by blaming Fuuko for jumping in front of Chikara. It's still his knife that he threw! And besides, if she hadn't stepped in and the knife had killed Chikara, would he still not understand why they're mad at him?

But Andy has him by the collar right now, and as far as we know, Rip is unarmed. He has no idea what they'll do next. He tries to smooth things over by apologizing to Fuuko. "How's the wound? All right, I hope?"

The apology catches Fuuko off guard: "Huh? Uh, yeah. Mr. Ni- Err... I mean, a nice doctor patched me up."

"Ah, Gotcha! Good to hear! Sorry about that!" What?? Is it really so easy for Rip to just flipflop friends and enemies all the time like that?

And since he feels that he's smoothed everything over with Fuuko, Rip continues explaining why he's come.

I think this is the 4th artifact we've seen: Apocalypse, Nyoi Kinko Staff, Blade Runner, and this gun, which causes terrible visions the first time it's held.

Rip says that the image is of God. If that's true, then this is a damn terrifying God. There's also these fire beings doing most of the work while God just looms there.

But there's more! Rip says that the goal of his group is to rule the world in the years prior to the end of the world. Very Mad Max of him.

Then he adds something cryptic:

He finally gives a name to the Negator Hunters: UNDER

I'm a little concerned about putting Rip in charge of deciding what's fair...

He again offers Fuuko and Andy spots in Under, but they decline. He leaves, and poor Chikara walks up in time to hear the end of their conversation.

Masterpost

[berryitalive]

1 x 1 Roleplay Plots inspired by songs by Everything Everything

So this definitely isn't a roleplay blog itself (I have no idea how rp Tumblr functions and I prefer to use Discord for it.)

Recently I have been trying to reignite my love for roleplaying and because of that it has given me reason to write out different scenarios! Since my favorite band is Everything Everything I figured I would draw inspo from them!

Album: Raw Data Feel

Bad Friday -Theme: Supernatural-

[Muse A] wakes up on a Sunday morning with a killer headache and little memory of the days before. When they enter the bathroom and cut the lights on, they see their reflection covered in blood. In a panic, they search for any wounds they may have but find none. This wasn’t their blood. Flashes of the night before, of them running in the woods to escape whatever beast was after them, suddenly flooded their mind. How had they managed to escape whatever creature was chasing them? [Muse A] looks at their phone for any clue of what happened over the weekend, only to find a blurry picture of [Muse B] in some kind of mid-transformation. What was their best friend doing in this picture? Why was the last thing they could remember was leaving the nightclub with [Muse B] after ‘last call’?

Metroland Is Burning - Theme: Apocalyptic/Supernatural-

[Muse A] and [Muse B] were subjects in a government science lab deep underground, originally they were supposed to be the answer to adapting to the changing climate…or so they were told. The lab offered 25 grand to each person to allow themselves to be injected with ‘Serum K’. They were the only two participants in this experiment before things outside of the lab went wrong. After 6 months of overnight studies and invasive tests, a county-killing asteroid hits Earth around midnight, wiping out many of the scientists that lived in the area. [Muses] heard the explosion before the lights went off in the facility. After locating each other, their belongings and a map of the lab, they make their way out of the underground building. As they reach the surface the first thing they see is Six Flags on fire. Everything is quiet, no one is looking for survivors. And to make things worse the material in the asteroid seems to cause the serum in their bodies to change their dna. Why was there no warning about the asteroid? What is this serum doing to [Muses]?

Album: Get To Heaven

Distant Past - Plot Theme: Modern Fantasy/Adventure

[Muse A] is magic royalty from an era that is all but seemingly forgotten. Days before their wedding, they get pushed through a portal to the future where there is no magic in use but instead a modern time filled with cell phones, electric vehicles and whatever the fuck Tinder is. [Muse B] seems to think [A] is their date and approaches them. [A] just wants to find their way back to their era and because [B] is clearly of ‘lower class’, it is now their responsibility to help the royal pain. (I realize world wise this is basically Onward by Pixar)

Regret - Plot Theme: Fantasy/Action

The city is on curfew due to an arsonist running loose. Several buildings and trees have caught fire in the past few days. [Muse A]’s face is in the papers as the main suspect and the authorities are searching high and low for them. [Muse B] the leading detective spots [Muse A] in a dark, hooded cloak and against their better judgment begins a chase after them. [B] manages to corner [A] in an alleyway. [A] removes the hood that was previously covering their head to reveal a set of dragon horns.

Album: A Fever Dream

Desire - Plot Theme: Fantasy/Drama

[Muse A] has been raised to hate vampires. To only see them as blood-sucking, human-destroying monsters. When [A] became an adult, they left home to train to become a monster hunter.  [A]’s only mission is to purify the world of vampire’s existence and make humanity safer. After training with the League of Slayers, [A] returns home to begin their solo hunting career with their best friend [Muse B] by their side. Things look great for [A]! However…[B] is a vampire and now has to protect their secret from [A]. Will [A’s] desire to put an end to the vampire race be stronger than their love for their friend [B]?

[pinkskunksleepy]

I finished Umineko no Naku Koro ni for the first time today. Going to write my thoughts about it below. Expect what comes of having reached the end and judge for yourself whether or not it's the right time for you to proceed.

I'm a little surprised at how early R07 spills this when it's basically the entire core of the story. I understand Van Dine's 1st, but this isn't a clue, this is just stating the point. Which makes the whole thing really interesting to me, someone who finished the story for the first time in 2023, looking back on how things were a decade ago(and what remains of then today).

I'll say it unambiguously: that Sayo is one yet many, to me, feels like it should have been obvious as early as when Shannon breaks the mirror in Turn. That in the past(fortunately this seems to be less the case nowadays), there were people who got through Requiem without putting it together is just... I can't understand it. I can understand not getting it as early as the mirror, but getting that far and then feeling cheated by what Beato is? Not trying to understand the whole, feeling as though something was taken from you because Beato wasn't a person as you wanted her to be? I can't understand it.

In general, I feel this way about a lot of the complaints about Requiem and Twilight. Were people of that time not paying attention? Did they just not care? That people complained when the solution was not only gone through by Will and Clair, forced into the light of day by Bernkastel, confirmed by Ange, and then put aside by Ange... Unironically kind of a bigger mystery than any of the Game Masters put forward.

I feel this way about the endings, too. To be honest, I thought the choice Ange would have to make would be reading the Book of Single Truth or not reading it, and I'm kind of bothered that she had to read it. Not that that isn't the point, but... I didn't want to know if that was necessarily the truth. I can understand wanting to solve the games. I didn't need to know what the truth was supposed to be, the truth with not one but two clearly decoy killers sacrificing themselves to keep out of sight.

But that being said, I don't think I could have made the choice Ange does in the Magic ending. I didn't and probably won't read the Trick ending, but that said, I also don't think I'm capable of creating new happiness in that way. When I read Higurashi, the fantasy I could relate to having was Satoko being saved and saving herself before she had to grow up under even more abuse. In Umineko, the best I can manage is to become an illusion like Beato(pre-chick Beato), to disappear with nothing but my own internal world to hold onto as I fade into oblivion. If I were Ange, I would have jumped, and while I couldn't and can't let myself steer the story in that direction after so much, that's where I'm at.

I guess it's partly because I think the illusions are really interesting. An "illusion," even outside the context of Umineko, retains its identity through a lack of information. Illusions, unlike pretty much anything else, cannot be solidified through filling in gaps. Even lies can become strengthened with more information. So Umineko's illusions, people-but-not-quite, literary-devices-but-not-quite, are really interesting to me as emergent phenomena.

So Beato, as an illusion, as something which is essentially just a collection of largely unrelated phenomena(Kinzo's memory of Castiglioni, the Witch of the Wood, the Second Master, Kuwadorian Beatrice), stands out. Her whole existence is based on a lack of information about what she is, and yet she uses it to try to reveal herself. "Kill me in my legend" could just as well be understood as "know me in my story, and let the illusion return to illusions."

Erika and(to a lesser extent) Bernkastel are so effective because they offer a resolution which allows for the illusion to be dispelled without knowing the heart. Bernkastel is also just mean for its own sake, which makes it a bit different for her. I have a feeling that if the groundwork were different, she would have tried to use fantasy as the grounds to hurt Ange instead of mystery. But Erika is just Like That(TM). It's "truth" or nothin, baby.

Umineko's truth concept is really interesting, too. Future truths supersede past ones. Truth only exists as such if it's agreed upon by relevant parties. But then... without love, the truth cannot be seen? It's an interesting, murky dichotomy between truths and the truth. I'm not fully sure it's even dichotomous. But there is some kind of distinction between the truth of October fifth and sixth, 1986 being "Kyrie and Rudolf shot everyone except Eva, Battler, and maybe Beato, who survived(again maybe except Beato) to leave the island" and the truth of those days being "the Ushiromiyas had their faults(they really, really had them) but they were also people capable of wanting a future where Ange could live a worthwhile life." Is the difference just love? I'm not sure.

That said, I have plenty of other thoughts about Umineko. I don't like when R07 repurposes my past life events for Maria's life but files off the serial numbers, for example(I get it's relevant to his prior work experience, but have mercy). Eva is the character of all time. But I guess I just want to keep this to larger concepts. I read for most of today, so I'm tired and don't really want to write more. But I'm really glad I finished Umineko. I want to try to be like Ange in the Magic ending. I don't want to promise that to myself though, because I think it would hurt too much if I failed.

[jmalegni]

Cyberpunk Edgerunners

Never thought that we would be watching something that I have actually seen before, pretty awesome.

Edgerunners is quite the heavy show, themes of addiction, class divide, crime, dystopian levels of capitalism, and family. I will begin with the addiction that is rampant in Night City. Whether it's drugs, sex, or cybernetic implants, it seems everybody in the city has some kind of horrible vice. They know it is not good for them but they continue doing it because they either need them to survive or they are the only source of "happiness" in this world. David's death is the best example of this, he adopts more and more cybernetics to keep up with the crew and to survive, but no matter how many he gets it ends up killing him in the end, just like addiction in the real world it starts with one but you need more and more until it eats up your entire life.

The reason David felt like he needed to start getting cybernetics is because of a brutal level of capitalism that Night City is built on. Every single thing is commodified to the point that first responders will leave you to die if you haven't purchased the right package from them. And that is exactly what happens, David's mother dies and he is left with all the burden of catching up on all kinds of expenses while his only family just died. For Christ's sake she was cremated in a vending machine and spit out like a can of soda. The point here is that David felt like he had nowhere to go in his current life and when an opportunity to improve his life through crime, he took it. If he never would have lost his mother and they weren't behind on their payments, I would like to think it is unlikely he would have accepted Lucy's offer.

Crime is also just as frequent as addiction in this city. The police seem to be just exist for show or to serve the corpos. Like I said earlier, it is the nature of the city to push those at the bottom to living a life outside of the law, and with so many of these people, it has gotten to the point where it is pretty much accepted as a part of life for all. It's commentary on police corruption and societal systems that don't focus on providing avenues for stable lives for those who aren't as well of as others, i.e. education, rehabilitation, or general financial aid.

The divide between the corporations and everyone else is very stark in the world of Cyberpunk. It is what feeds this ever hungry capitalism that pushes so many people to addiction and crime. And no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to legitimately ascend to the status of corpo from where someone like David is. His mother pretty much devoted her entire life to work, to the system to try to generate enough money to get David through a nice school that would allow him to legitimately reach the top floor of Arasaka Tower. But it is impossible, those at the top have made it that way. That's why there isn't some grand plot to fight the system and bring Night City to it's full potential. Instead Lucy wants to escape. Escape as far as possible and that place is the Moon, not Antarctica, the Moon.

The last thing I will talk about is how important family is in Edgerunners. David starts by losing everything, but finds a new family in the crew. Maine adopts a father like figure, teaching David and supporting him until the end. Even though they commit all kinds of horrible violence an incredibly strong bond is formed with many of the members. David finds actual happiness when with the crew and appreciates the connections, willing to give his own life for them multiple times. I am sure he loved his mother, but it was different from what he gets from the connection with the crew.

Alright, that's it from me, awesome anime,. and I can't believe we only have one more left.

Also I am glad at least Falco survived

[fractoluminescence]

To pick up on our earlier conversation: Why do you think the Gotei don't have more infrastructure in the Living World? Is it some kind of company policy? Does it seem gauche, because they're supposed to be ~transient ghosts? Did it not occur to them? Are they concerned the Seireitei will lose its cultural capital if it allows for ghost flight out into the Living World suburbs? ARE there exceptions (other than Urahara's)? I would love to hear your thoughts/HCs! :)

Sorry for the answering delay! I'm too lazy to look for the post again, so hopefully I won't be repeating myself too much lol

[SPOILER WARNING FOR TYBW (MANGA)]

It seems unlikely to me that the Soul Society would have anyone stationed in the World of the Living in the long term. That, or they haven't updated their outposts in ages, because if there is anywhere they should be settling, it'd be in areas with lots of Hollows. We know Karakura is one of these areas, and has likely been so for a while since there were Quincies in the area (since they are a fairly traditional family from what we see in the Anything But the Rain flashback, I'd assume they wouldn't be moving all the time, but I may be wrong). We don't know exactly where the Visored and co. were right after they left, nor when Kisuke set up shop in Karakura, so that's a pretty vague lead as well.

All in all, my personal headcanon is that too many Soul Reapers would start deserting if allowed to stay in the World of the Living for too long, since Soul Society's government is shitty, the culture seemingly (at least to me) somewhat dead(1) at the present time and you can't leave the Gotei without dying, being locked up or retiring (which we don't know the conditions for. I'd assume one would have to live to an old age, and either start having trouble fighting or be given another position that is more discreet but still makes you work, so that they can continue exploiting you while appointing someone new, getting more overall labour).

[(1) Dead as in, it isn't very dynamic, with traditions being either strict or forgotten. Any cultural elements that new Soul Reapers could bring in from the Rukongai are, in my head, crushed before they are able to spread or become popular because of the influence of the nobles that control Seireitei, effectively cutting people off from their culture/traditions, but not necessarily allowing them to connect with the culture of nobles since I doubt the latter frequent former Rukongai citizens outside of their jobs.]

I doubt it didn't occur to them - then again, they have such trouble being flexible and accepting new ideas that it's possible that they had the idea a long time ago but never put it in practice. It's easier to control a population if you stop them from seeing how nice other places are, so maybe the Gotei would have wanted to have more outposts for a long time but Central 46 blocked them from ever enacting that.

Not exactly an exception like Urahara, but I'm thinking of London from Burn the Witch when it comes to Seireitei having some kind of contact with the Living World. It's stated that they know each other, but it seems to be mostly through rumours (one of the characters stated that they heard that over in the East dragons get killed indiscriminately or something of the kind, which to me is about Soul Society not trusting stuff they don't understand, hinting at an existence but very vague connection between the two beyond just a coincidence in the name).

My first theory is that maybe dragons and Hollows used to be spread out evenly but then the presence of one destroyed the other and they ended up becoming more common in different regions (as in, either dragons kill Hollows or Hollows kill dragons, and thus where there are dragons Hollows are rarer and vice versa), and that while the Eastern and Western branches of Soul Society worked together at first, they eventually got distance due to not working in the same region of the world.

My second theory is that perhaps instead people always had higher spiritual pressure around Japan for some reason, and so Hollows always gathered there, while dragons were native to Europe, and that at some point in History both branches of Soul Society heard of each other and planned on teaming up, but then eventually drifted apart for some reason - perhaps, again, because of physical distance, or maybe due to some disagreement.

My third theory is that dragons were only able to thrive due to an absence of Hollows. Since Quincy speak German culture-wise, perhaps there were a lot in Europe before all the conflicts with Soul Society and that they took out Hollows so much that dragons were able to thrive and eventually either the dragons overpowered the Hollows on their own, or there are maybe still many Quincy there that take out the Hollows but were too far from all the conflicts to be wiped out by Soul Society (after all, we know they missed a family of Quincy or two in their extermination, so(2)).

My last theory is that perhaps Reverse London used to be an afterlife of some kind, and that Soul Society and them either had a disagreement or separated in some way - perhaps one became closer to the Living World and the other further, and that led to the two becoming two completely different dimensions with nothing to do with each other. One would thus have become a 'complete' afterlife, while the other would have drifted into a place for the Living to gather, or is perhaps some kind of limbo. It would explain the name 'Western Branch of Soul Society', since they would indeed be one half of Soul Society that just took a different path from the Eastern one.

[(2) I actually expect there to be quite the number of Quincy families left, not only in the Living World, but also in Soul Society. I don't know how Soul Society could possibly have tracked down Quincy that didn't want to get involved in the conflict (I assume there were many - fighting common Hollows isn't really as risky as fighting Soul Reapers after all, and Yhwach isn't exactly a kind leader one would generally want to follow), nor why Quincy wouldn't go to Soul Society when they die. Perhaps the ones who went to Soul Society then got recruited to Yhwach's army, but I don't see how that would work exactly, and I still stand by many of them probably not wanting to get involved in the conflict. So it would make sense for there to be Quincy hanging out in Soul Society somewhere trying not to get noticed so Soul Reapers are not sent to take them down.]

Anyway, these are my thoughts. I hope you'll find them interesting :)