#while they still have the same purpose of fighting the blight

[thewardenisonthecase]

I will say. Yes, as a grey warden truther, I'm very satisfied with how they were portrayed in game. I think there was a balance of these are the guys who've saved the world 5 times show some goddamn respect and they're a shady order who has too many secrets and who will do the worst things for the sake of the greater good (a end justify the means thing)

however. why does NO ONE mention that its very much established at the end of Inquisition AND trespasser that the order is going through, lowkey, a civil war. At the very least, there's a schism about what the order is going to do in the future, with the northern and southern grey wardens having different ideas.

I really wish they would have adressed this because I need to know what happened. Like Blackwall, if he's a warden, will say there's been a lot of discussions at Weisshaupt. Did they ever come to an agreement? Did the southern grey wardens break away from the order and are acting of their own accord (kinda like the chantry v. imperial chantry)?

I have to know

[nadas-dirthalen]

just want to say again that bioware did an amazing job with the inquisitor's missives. it's impossible to nail the voice of every single inquisitor that has ever existed in the last 10 years, but if you go over the actual events described in the missives, they are perfect.

they fit just as well for celene being kept as empress, gaspard ruling alone, or briala using gaspard to rule. they impact the divine no matter who you chose as divine because val royeaux falls to the same anti-emperor/empress rebels. ferelden/orlais tensions are kept high throughout, with the inquisitor acting (again!) as the sole peacekeeper between them.

oh, and the dwarves? orzammar is mentioned throughout, has its own storyline, and survives the final blight. the avvar? good news! the chasind/avvar are recruited as the inquisition's allies, and negotiate a temporary peace with ferelden, and are responsible for most of the inquisition's resources/food in the late game!

the entire series of missives is filled with constant callbacks to da:o, and even goes out of its way to say that the events of da:o are why the blight is shaped like it is in the south. the blight left behind seeds of itself, which makes sense, because all along, the blight has been the evanuris' weapon controlled through their archdemons, and elgar'nan/ghilan'nain would know that june's recent death was due to the hero of ferelden. the evanuris are family (however you decide to interpret that) despite their disagreements; of course both remaining evanuris are spiteful enough to re-enact origins just to hurt the people of thedas that much more.

i constantly see posts saying the inquisitor has no role, no purpose, in veilguard.

to me, they're wrong.

the inquisitor's role is holding all of southern thedas together as solas' failed ritual threatens to tear it all apart. everything they worked for, together. everything they did, everything they feared losing once, together. whether you headcanon that as an incredibly angry and upset inquisitor seeing the last of the good parts of solas' efforts destroyed, or you romanced solas and your inquisitor is fighting to preserve what remains of their relationship with solas while rook works on freeing him... the inquisitor is doing something, and on just as grand of a scale as rook.

and there is no one else who could do it but them. the only person that both orlais and ferelden will listen to equally is the inquisitor.

they are not going through da:tv to free solas. that has to be done by someone that solas doesn't expect, doesn't know (and no, he does not expect/know rook; they continually surprise him in ways not even the inquisitor surprised him).

the inquisitor is holding the world together so that there is anything at all left in the south to rebuild, and the instant they have a free moment, they charge into minrathous as the very last (and perhaps most vital) piece of rook's entire plan. something rook kept carefully concealed the entire time.

you know.

the pawn who was subtly moved all the way across the board, despite the fact that solas was looking for it the whole time.

that isn't rook being stupid, or mindless. that is rook, morrigan, and the inquisitor being incredibly smart.

don't believe me? still want to cry "but the art book" about it? go look for the page where it says that trying to reason with solas too early led to the game ending prematurely, with rook dead.

[lavendarr00]

ADAIA "ROOK" THORNE | GREY WARDEN | SLAYER

Adaia (ah-die-ya) is my Grey Warden and my youngest Rook at 21 years old. She's special to me because she's actually the secret child of my HOF and Alistair. (I had to do it haha) My Tabris HOF and Alistair fell in love during DAO and spilt when he became king but they maintained their secret love affair resulting in Adaia. She has a serious/stoic personality, romances Davrin, and is closest with Harding & Lucanis.

Ramblings about Adaia under the fold (some end game datv spoilers) 😊

Tabris went to be with Leliana in the chantry while she was pregnant and gave birth there. Tabris couldn't return with Alistair's child and her duty to the Wardens and Ferelden lead to her leaving Adaia with the Chantry for adoption. She named Adaia after her mother. The only other people that know about Adaia's parentage are Alistair, Zevran & Morrigan (though I feel like Solas somehow finds out). Alistair has never met Adaia but got to see her once with the help of Leliana while visiting Orlais (Tabris gave him permission). Adaia does not know who her parents really are. Leliana naturally keeps tabs on her and in the rare opportunity she gets in contact with Tabris she shares what Adaia's been up to and what she's like. Morrigan does not reveal her parentage when they meet in Veilguard but a knowing smile would flit across her face when interacting with and observing her.

Details about her origin aside, Adaia's personality is more serious/stoic like her mother but her dad is Alistair so... yeah she has her moments 😆 Her upbringing was more or less uneventful but that pushed her to seek a higher purpose in life as a teen which eventually lead her to joining the Wardens. In truth, the decision to join the order was impulsive and she often regrets joining but at the end of day is dedicated to fighting the blight and saving lives. She struggles with feeling like she needs to be useful to be of value and can have a temper. She takes life too seriously which makes rolling with the punches hard for her. She gives surprisingly good advice and shows a lot of grace to those she cares about but will never give herself that same grace. Not very self aware in that area.

In Veilgaurd, she romances Davrin & her bestie is Lucanis so just like her mother she falls in love wither her fellow Warden and is best friends with an Antivan Crow 😆 She's also close with Harding since they are both from the South and are "salt of the earth" type folks. She, Harding, and Varric quickly became like a little family while hunting Solas. Adaia takes Varric's death especially hard. He really was a mentor to her and got a lot of comfort and reassurance from him. His "it will all work out" like mentality was something she needed especially after being basically kicked out of the Wardens. She's mature of course, but still young and learned a lot from Varric. To his surprise, Varric came to really appreciate and cherish the role he took in Adaia's life even though it was brief.

Post Veilguard, Adaia & Davrin work with the remaining Wardens to research what of the blight is left and how recent events have effected it (and go visit the griffons of course). We learn from the Inquisitor that the south has basically been wiped off the map from the double blight but of course we don't have specifics. No clue what Bioware has in store for Rook post Veilguard so I'm going to write my own thing until then haha

My HC: Alistair is alive, got married, and has a child (young - no older than 10) so Adaia is free of the potential responsibility of the crown. My HOF was not idle during the double blight. She survives but gets serious injuries meaning she can no longer fight. Before the double blight she was researching the calling so she decides to take that back up again and travels to the Anderfels where the remaining wardens are based. She and Adaia meet. Adaia has no idea of her connection to her but Tabris knows right away. She keeps that to herself as she and Adaia get to know each other. Both are heroes that have ended blights so they had a lot to talk about. Tabris helped Adaia out a lot actually with processing lingering regrets and grief from events in Veilguard (Harding's death especially). And Tabris got to spend time with her daughter for the first time since Adaia was only months old. It was very healing for both of them. After some time Tabris gets the courage to tell Adaia who she is. She doesn't expect Adaia to believe her and if anything expects anger from her. Adaia doesn't take it well but not entirely bad either. Mostly shocked and speechless and needed some space to think about it. But within the week Adaia & Tabris are connected to the hip. Davrin thinks Adaia's parentage is hilarious. Of course Rook would be the daughter of the legendary Hero of Fereldan & King Alistair! It explains so much 😆

And that's Adaia! 🤍

[tohwitchesduels]

WILD CARD OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 53: Amity Blight vs Viney

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Viney:

Viney specializes in both Beast-Keeping magic and Healing Magic. She doesn't show spells of other kinds. For the purposes of this tournament, I allow Viney to have a powerset established by MoringMark's comics due to him fleshing out her capabilities in the "A Hint of Blue" comic storyline and his comics being beloved by the fan base.

Viney and Amity never really interacted with one another directly but both of them have mutual friends in Willow, Luz, Gus, and Hunter, so overall they're on friendly terms. However, both of them are to an extent competition freaks going all out, bloodthirsty hands down. Viney is not giving up her spot and will fight anyone that will come her way (she's especially rolled up as she's pretty much the weakest of the finalist and it does bug her a bit).

Viney is an absolutely fierce and intimidating competitor who will stop at nothing to win. She can get even more ruthless and petty when facing her friends claiming them to be traitors. Her magic is also quite impressive if not prodigious. The girl is absolutely skilled and at times quite chaotic. Viney's in it to win. She can be however a bit hasty in her approach. Viney has plenty of physical strength to back up her punch.

Viney does possess a Palisman and is quite a proficient flyer. With her fighting spirit, she is capable to rush at her opponents furiously and knock them out with her physical strength. However, at the same time, she gets tunnel vision due to this and her attack can still be blocked knocking her out in the process.

Quick Heal - Viney is capable of very quickly healing wounds of hers or others (only available during Battle Royale when it comes to other people, no way she's healing her opponents unless it's after the battle but that's debatable due to her personality). According to Viney, the only scars she has are emotional making her quite a proficient healer who can leave the battle without a single scratch on her.

Healing Shield - Viney is capable of creating a shield-shaped hand to block any attacks coming her way. From simple bullets to even raging streams.

Medical Knowledge - Viney has enough experience to come up with remedies on the fly while also understanding both the strong and weak spots of the body of any witch/demon, meaning Viney knows where it hurts the most and you bet she will use that knowledge to her advantage.

Griffin Companion - Viney can summon Puddles to aid her in battles. Puddles can at times be wilder even than Viney herself, but Viney is still his master and he listens to her commands. Puddles is both strong and smart, a large griffin that can give Viney's opponent just as much of a hard time and is even more fierce than Viney, dealing huge damage. Also much like other griffins he probably possesses spider breath, which Viney can use to attack her opponents with an army of crawling spiders. Viney can ride him naturally.

Muscle Growth - power-up which came from MoringMark's comic. Viney can enhance her muscle to enhance her own strength to a superhuman level when attacking her opponents. (I will not post screenshots of Mark's comics but I will leave parts of the comics where he demonstrated this ability so you can support HIS art).

Equipment attack - power-up which came from MoringMark's comic. Thanks to her medical knowledge, Viney can throw medical equipment at her opponents using this or get her hands on a weapon of said equipment.

The comics of Moringmark in question

Link to more of Viney's capabilities here

Amity Blight:

Amity Blight naturally specializes in Abomination Magic the most, but she does so capacity in knowing spells of other tracks like Plants and Illusion, but it's very limited.

I will mention Amity's moves just by name to not make this post too cramped, and in the title, there's a link to Amity's main character profile debunking all her moves.

Amity and Viney never really interacted with one another on-screen, but both of them have mutual friends in the form of Hexsquad, so they themselves are on friendly terms. Granted, both of them can be a bit of competition freaks and go all out and bloodthirsty during this battle. In the end, Viney is the only thing that currently stands between Amity's battle with Luz, and they promised to each other that they would get to fight in the finals and Amity absolutely intends to keep this promise and will crush anyone who will try to take hat away.

Amity is a very skilled, talented, cool-headed, and pragmatic fighter. Hardly does she lose composure when battling even strong opponents, displaying plenty of agility and athleticism (as shown in her battle with Hunter and Grom, which is also given considering she was a former captain of the grudgby team at Hexside), and can be both a powerhouse using plenty of strength or a mastermind coming up with tricks on the fly while outsmarting her opponents with her skillset. Very dangerous, and even more so once she puts more passion into her battle. Hardly there are any weak spots or flaws in her battling style, but she can still be overpowered. Abomination Magic in particular feels to be weaker than Construction Magic for example, and it can be rendered useless when dealing in an environment with no mud. Granted Amity holds abomination goo with her so at most, she's going to be weakened. Amity is capable of controlling any slime or mud she comes in contact with.

Amity does wield a Palisman named Ghost and according to herself, she's a "safe flyer". This means she's overall pretty proficient and skilled in her flying capabilities, but at the same time, it means she's not a real aerial ace like Luz or Hunter for example. She's skilled enough to not easily fall off by herself, but as proven in her battles with Hunter (both EL and TTT), she's not fast enough to necessarily avoid being hit in midair. Granted she can still be faster than average and have better reflexes than average, but still not enough to beat some real aerial aces. She is proficient in staff-wielding, being capable of using it to enhance her own spells.

Light Spell

Projection Spell

Voice Change - Amity is capable of briefly changing her voice to sound whoever she wants like to sound. Her real voice however can still be heard through, but it could be used as a brief distraction during Battle Royale or maybe to mess up some verbal spells of other casters (like beast-keepers, though it's hard to tell if it would actually work, or Alador's Abomatons as proven in Reaching Out).

Oath Spell

Thorn Bolt

Shield Spell

Barrier Spell

Fire Ball

Abomination Golem

Abomination Bullet

Abomination Block

Abomination Shield

Abomination Slide

Abomination Root Attack

Abomination Arms

Giant Abomination Arm

Abomination Lasso

Abomination Bind

Abomination Bubble

Abomination Blade

Abomination Gauntlet

Abomination Wave

Abomination Construct

Abomination Multiple Hands

Abomination Tendrils

Abomination Hand Block

Abomination Arm Attack

Abomination Arm Stream

Abomination Hand Wave

Return to Masterpost

[queenaeducan]

as i mentioned i beat the murals last night and i have so many thoughts. many i think may take a while to sift through and get to where i want them but. for now.

solas wanted to KILL the mages in his personal quest. the circumstances are not the same (he did agree, however reluctantly, where they did not ask), but the result- a spirit of wisdom turned to violent pride- are the same. how much does solas let himself feel about the regrets in the murals? how much has he let himself process? does his anger in this quest reflect the anger he feels towards mythal?

it also does a lot to contextualise his feelings re: cole's personal quest. i've said before that when you put cole's pq in the context of what happened to wisdom (and others before it), solas's behaviour makes sense. but like. idk, i know ppl will fault solas for anything but being against this considering what happened to him it makes perfect sense he's opposed to the idea (especially when varric is going off of nothing but his gut and his own preconceived ideas of what a person ought to be).

what does the game want us to believe about mythal?

- the one we see in the murals is the one who put into motion many of the problems we see in the world today, even if solas is complicit/outright guilty of carrying them out for her.

- the fragment we meet in morrigan is "older and wiser" but still gives kind of uh. unsatisfactory answers to my elf rook about why she didn't help (oh she did, just here and there. i wish my rook could have been angrier about that. my rook, who frees slaves, and has seen solas free slaves, meanwhile flemythal... helped end a couple blights? thanks, but. that's not specifically an elf problem). she calls you her children in a way i felt kind of patronising. which makes sense, but it's a very. undesired benevolence, i suppose. but i felt like the game wanted us to think this mythal was Good(tm) and that i'd want to keep her around despite having little reason to want to root for her at that point. she also doesn't mention spirits and their part in all this at all, just physical elves.

- the mythal we meet at the secret area morrigan opens is just. an evanuris. thoroughly. this is the mythal that decided the best option to a conflict between elgar'nan and falon'din was to let two other elves die for it. if you tell her you don't need gods she calls you a child and fights you. you can get her on her side by being honest and saying you think she was wrong, which is nice i guess.

- i guess i'm saying we don't get a super satisfactory answer on why she was a charismatic and better than the rest. we see she had vallaslin even in ancient times (felassan) but no mention of that comes up anywhere. so i guess it's up to me to decide why solas is so easily and constantly persuaded to give up his very nature to do what he did.

ultimately i thought the relationship, despite not having a lot of ground for why it became so deep in the first place, was very interesting and problematic (positive). it parallels so nicely with briala and celene, and contrasts well with solas and the herald (or if you're me, solas and the thora cadash AND solas and ian). i don't know how much of the former comparison is on purpose as far as datv is concerned, but i do think it makes everything more compelling so i am running with it.

another criticism is that the rebels were just dropped in favour of the gods. disappointing! especially since the game makes a point of recommitting the future of the elves to solas's motivation in the convo with morrigan. like only 3 of the statues had memories? i wish that there had been an alternate set of murals for each, or something. the memories we have paint solas in mixed lights (sacrificing spirits, killing an agent) but most of the codices we receive have him in a positive to neutral light. i wish the game were more interested in exploring his dynamic with felassan, who calls him "old friend," and other rebels. it would have better served the "mirror" they're trying to make rook into to show solas building connections with rebels as you are with your team. show him loving the people he got killed, the same way i think you will be able to get your companions killed (if the pre-game comparisons to me2's suicide mission are any comparison).

anyway. i'm not even done with the first quest of act 2 god help me.

[poor-ciceros-voring-again]

So I've been jotting down ideas the past few days about diseases and hygiene in Tamriel, and I've decided these ideas expand into Healers and even as far as Necromancy.

*Just for reference while reading this, I personally believe there is a very fine line between accepted restoration magic and Necromancy. Flesh magic in particular is blurred along the edge between those two.

According to the book Skin Blights by Any Other Name, the people of Tamriel, at least some of them, have knowledge that proper frequent bathing, clean clothes, and only eating quality food will lessen the chance of diseases. So I decided to take this and run with it. I personally believe that this was taken to heart and it's fairly common to be clean and well groomed. I also think that larger cities, especially ones such as Solitude, Whiterun, the Imperial City, etc make use of proper sewage disposal to lower the risks of disease and also to keep the city/streets clean.

Regarding the last point, I think common areas such as bath houses and public outhouses are common in large cities as well.

I believe masking is also a fairly commonly practiced way to fight outbreaks and general illnesses. They might not necessarily know what causes certain diseases, but they know they DO consider it to be a type of miasma. I believe this practice was adopted from the Redguards in the Alik'r Desert, who use a type of masking to protect themselves during sandstorms (Excerpt from Alik'r Survival for Outsiders).

There was a major resurgence after Red Mountain erupted in the 4th era and every day masking is now common in still inhabited parts of Morrowind and Solstheim, especially in parts where ash from Red Mountain is common.

I believe masking was made common among most groups of Necromancers fairly early on due to the belief that diseases from the undead were miasmic in nature(plus it helped keep gross smells at bay via herbs/flowers/etc), this eventually lead to what I would compare to plague doctor masks being created. I think you can recognize a lot of necromancer groups based on their mask design of choice. Some aren't in a group and choose one for more aesthetic purposes. (Example: my OC Karasu is a necromancer and a Nightingale who follows Nocturnal. His mask of choice is a raven.)

On a similar note, I think gloves became common use when dealing with injuries, surgeries, or blood for general sanitary purposes not long after cleanliness started to become more important to the general population.

At one point in time I believe the Dwemer were able to create microscopes (based on some of their other machines) and by extension discover bacteria and other things, however a lot of this knowledge was lost when they disappeared.

The school of restoration isn't as powerful as the games make it out to be. I believe that health potions act more as pain medication with an added bonus of encouraging cells to regenerate or completely regrow, same with healing spells.

Cure disease potions and spells can cure a variety of very common illnesses, but it depends on the severity of the illness. Some diseases need specific treatments due to natural resistances.

Praying to cure diseases doesn't always work, and it doesn't work for every disease. I believe diseases like various forms of vampirism and lycanthropy are mainly cured this way.

Natural disease resistance only effects specific diseases and ailments, mainly ones that are specific to the region where they live or lifestyles they lead. (ie Bosmer, especially those who follow the Green Pact, are naturally more resistant and sometimes even immune to diseases such as Cannibal's Prion)

Healing spells can close small cuts and wounds relatively easily, but it can only assist so much when it comes to big gashes and other major wounds.

I believe surgeons would exist and play a major part alongside Healers and Alchemists when it comes to major wounds.

Surgeons are magic users who focus on the school of Flesh Sculpting, which I believe blurs the lines between Restoration and Necromancy.

Most of the best Surgeons are those who have studied Necromancy or practice it currently (or previously). If currently, its mainly the ones who believe you can practice necromancy in an ethical and humane way.

God, I have more but I didn't know I'd already typed so much and my hands are starting to hurt. I might share more later

@unsettlingcreature

[chloepleasestopdying]

There’s like a hundred fics I won’t write. Here are some of them:

Criminal Minds crossover, either version; version A, where the FBI gets called in when Max and Victoria get kidnapped and the FBI team have to find them. Max believes that Chloe is dead because she was shot before she was kidnapped but the FBI find her in the graveyard on the edge of death and Max gets shot herself in a standoff with Jefferson.

Version B, where the FBI get called in after a what they believe is a murder spree. Max and Chloe kill a pair of cops and conveniently the dash cam is missing. The FBI slowly uncovers the fact that the Arcadia Bay police are trying to cover up the Prescott’s mess and the girls were just defending themselves.

Both of these are a bit too dark for my tastes, so they won’t be written.

The Wilds crossover; basically Max and Chloe are part of the original experiment due to their past friendship and falling out. I like the idea of Chloe struggling with being the oldest girl there and also trying to stay mad at Max. I’m still crushed about The Wilds being canceled so I won’t be writing this.

The ‘Max and Rachel death match’ AU. Essentially this AU involves Chloe and Max meeting up the summer before Max comes to Blackwell and making up enough that they begin dating. Chloe and Rachel have been an on and off thing for years and had a huge blowout fight, which is the reason Chloe was in Seattle in the first place, but Max (not knowing the full context of what happened) says that Rachel is Chloe’s friend and tells her it’s fine that they make up. Rachel, having a host of issues going on, reacts really badly to possibly loosing Chloe and tries to cheat with Chloe. This ends up blowing up in her face. Max and Rachel then kinda have this low key kind of war for a while before Rachel owns up to her mistakes and apologizes. Not going to write this one because I feel bad about making Rachel a bad guy and I don’t think I could write her struggling in that way well enough to justify it.

‘Baby trap’ AU. Max is coming off a really toxic relationship with Warren when she meets up with Chloe again in their early twenties. They both acknowledge that there is something between them but due to their issues (Max’s toxic relationship and Chloe’s resent struggles with addiction) want to move slow. However this is quickly fucked up by the fact that Max discovered she’s pregnant due to a purposely pieced condom by Warren. This AU is much fluffier than it sounds, as Chloe quickly steps up as being a ‘dad’. I won’t be writing this AU for a similar reason as above, I’d feel bad about making Warren out to be a bad guy. Plus a don’t actually like babies.

The ‘Ryan is Ryan’ AU where Ryan Lucan is also Ryan Caulfield due to time travel shenanigans. I was never able to make this one work very well but the basic idea is that Ryan Lucan has time related powers too but more uncontrollable than Max’s and got stuck in the past when trying to save Gabe. He was unable to travel back to his own time and started a family in the past with Max’s mother. He has come to believe that messing with time is extremely dangerous but when he learns that Max and Chloe are in Haven Springs around the same time that Gabe dies he decides to act. I never got this idea to work despite my liking of it so I won’t be writing it anytime soon.

DAO AU, not to be confused with the DAI AU. Max is mage who gets taken to the tower later in life compared to most while Chloe is something of a modified Ash Warrior. William bred and trained mabari and Chloe has somewhat continued that tradition with something of a tempest flare. Her special interest is in different Kaddis’s and her desire is to expand the war paint, not just to humans but also the effects. Her quest for finding a recipe for a warpaint that prevents the Blight almost kills her— luckily she’s found by the last Gray Wardens in the kingdom who just so happen to include her old friend Max, who got taken along with Surana when Duncan was visiting the tower. Not going to write this one due to it being similar to the DAI AU.

[whisperingwisterias]

Barefoot Gen and the Suffering of War

While many of the anime shows and films we have watched have depicted brutality, struggling societies, pain, and death, none have done so quite to the extent that Barefoot Gen has. Barefoot Gen does not shy away from showing us the harsh realities of war and really reminds us how much everyone is affected by government decisions.

To start off with, Barefoot Gen is pretty clear in its criticism of the Japanese government and how it has handled and continues to handle the war. The people of Japan are obviously starving: getting the bare minimum of rations to live off of, fighting over food, and hoarding what they do have even when people worse off than them are suffering. It’s also especially hard for families like Gen’s, who have to prioritize who to feed, like Gen’s pregnant mother. Gen makes a comment asking why the war is still going on if Japan’s surrender is inevitable and close, and his father doesn’t hesitate to criticize those in power who are ignoring the plights of the people to continue fighting. Gen’s mother asks the same question later in the movie when she hears the news that Japan has finally surrendered—why now? Why did it take the deaths and irrevocable suffering of thousands of people for them to stop? Why couldn’t they have given up before things came to this? Why did it take not one but two devastating bombings for them to finally give in?

The anime is also very graphic in how much people suffered because of the government’s decision to keep fighting. During the actual dropping of the bomb, the film goes through a montage of people melting from the explosion. Children, families, mothers with children, people at home, people at school, people in public transport; people just out trying to live their lives as best as they could are senselessly subjected to an excruciating death. The film also shows that there were people who still lived after being disfigured by the bomb, walking around with their skin half melted off of their bones. And even after all that death the damage didn’t stop there; the chemicals from the bomb poisoned the rain and their insides, leaving people unable to drink water, sick, and dying even after the initial blast. There were so many sick and wounded that the makeshift hospitals couldn’t provide medical care to everyone and only helped people who seemed like they had a chance of making it. Gen also comments on the fact that there are so many dead bodies that those cleaning them up just treat them like bags of trash, like they had never lived once at all. And even of the survivors of the bomb, those who were most injured by it often lived in rot and were begrudgingly taken care of by their relatives, often seen as a blight upon society.

And yet, with all of this pain and destruction, Barefoot Gen showed us how people still found a way to keep living and continue finding joy. Although Gen and Ryuta originally helped Seiji for money, through their help they gave him a new purpose in life, helping him realize that his life isn’t over just because his injuries make it harder for him to do certain things, and reminding his family that his injuries don’t make him a lost cause. Gen and his mother also are able to find family again, first in Tomoko, who brightened up their lives even for the short time that she was in it, and in Ryuta, who was so similar to the brother that gen had lost. At the end of the film, Gen and Ryuta also find wheat sprouting again, even after others had been speculating that it would take decades for that to happen. Although life is still hard and tragedies still happen, happiness can still be found, and destruction can be rebuilt again.

[voidsentprinces]

I enjoy Jullus. Here is a character who joined the Garlean Military to protect his lands from what he was taught was the "Savages" coming to drag his friends and families away. He stuck to his guns and stood fast against rumors of Zenos's death and being possessed by the Ascians. He keeps to his values even though they are clearly flawed because that is what his family needs. And then, Zenos kills the Emperor and the Capital is razed with his family inside it. He is drenched in the colour palette of the expansion, despair. But, there is a sliver of hope, word has it the Emperor's voice can still be heard on the radiowaves. There is something still worth fighting for, he can fight against the monsters who are overrunning the capital, he can serve Garlemald and the memory of his family against the invading Savages who have finally arrived on his doorstep.

He pushes himself in the roll of a soldier, who is ignorant of the Eorzeans. But Alisaie and Alphinaud both show us how greatly they've grown. By trying to break through his indoctronation. They are the perfect candidates to break through to Jullus but they are not just bright and kind individuals. But they might also been the same age as his siblings were before their untimely demise. They carry with them, a want to aid and a hope that someday they'll break through. And slowly, overtime, going to do chore after chore. We slowly learn of Jullus and what he had gone through.

We are the Warrior of Light, the daemon who wiped out the Praetorium and many Castrums, the nightmare that haunts his fellow soldiers. But still, he sees how the people in other provinces gather around us as a legend of hope and light through the dark. And dark through radiant blight. He confides in us, warms to us, gets to know us and the twins. But he still clings harshly to his sunk cost fallacy. He still wants to do right by his nation and his family's memory. So he reluctantly arms the Twins collars and prepares for a suicidal attack on Camp Broken Glass. Only to learn that no reinforcement is coming. There is no one else to defend the nation of Garlemald. Just his skeleton crew of the remaining 1st Legion. And so, he surrenders as his own Legatus uses his blood to strengthen the remaining chain of what remains of Garlemald.

He comes face to face with Zenos and fosters his grief and rage at the Prince who caused him so much pain and suffering. And in return, he is met by apathy and indifference and a question, that had Zenos had a good reason for throwing Jullus' and so many others' lives in turmoil, if it would of justified it all? Jullus is confronted by this and sees that the atrocities were without purpose only the boredom of a man seeking to reach the Warrior of Light for a duel. It is absurd and yet it clears Jullus's mind, his last act as a soldier for the Empire is to exile the prince and denounce the Royal Family more or less. He then follows Alphinaud and Alisaie's example and turns his focus to build a brighter future for Garlemald. Welcoming their help and our aid in the coming conflict. And when we bring another exile who is closed off from the world in Zero who is beginning to open up, he offers her the same kindness and understanding as the Twins gave him. He then continues their mission by trying to convince the old rigid remaining Garlean council to see that they cannot remain closed off from the world. Something that Vrtra rekindles by opening trade with the fallen Empire now budding independent nation.

I look forward to see what they so with Garlemald. This Empire founded to sow misery and chaos by Emet-Selch's design. Now having to bear responsibility for the past sins while kindling good alliances where they can to make what little amends they can. Since they're now burnt to the wick.

Side observation: In a way, Haurchefant's hot chocolate gesture is repeated throughout the MSQ. First the cup of cocoa is given to us, then Alphinaud picks up the torch in finding a way to use it to look forward to the conflict with Nidhogg and Estinien, then we give the Garleans a cup of warm soup and a hearty song, and then Jullus offers up Buuz to Zero. Zero then offers her own power to Golbez to turn the Thirteenth around and return it to as it was before.

[tinkerbitch69]

Ok I wanna share my rook and the stupid long backstory I came up with for her ^^

Meet Elaine Aldwir! Veil Jumper Rogue

BACKSTORY

Worldstate details here: https://dragonagekeep.com/en_US/iss/?worldState=030001010110000200115&_gl=1*ikptws*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTQzOTA1MTQ5LjE3MzU3Mjk2MzA.*_ga_2KBD0JQHLQ*MTczNTcyOTYyOS4xLjEuMTczNTcyOTY0Mi4wLjAuMA..

Born under a different name, in the year 9:25 Dragon to an elven servant of the Howe family and an exiled Dalish apostate living in Amaranthine alienage, Elaine’s early years were dominated by the fear and chaos caused by the fifth blight. Eager to isolate their daughter from the worst of it, the young Elaine rarely left vigil’s keep where she was alone even among the other servants, unable to figure out when she felt so strongly from the boy around her. An accident of birth sadly common in Ferelden led mistaken assignment of the male gender which would only be rectified by herself many, many years later.

Yet there was undeniably bright spot amid a childhood of isolation and discrimination. Elaine grow up on tales of the Hero Of Ferelden passed along by travellers and merchants that entered the keep. The young elven mage who sacrificed herself to slay the archdemon become more than hero of her country but a personal one of Elaine’s. Her example taught Elaine to always try to do as much good as she can, no matter the personal cost. A lesson she carried with her throughout her life.

Sadly when one crisis had abated, another was not far behind. The darkspawn civil war erupted within Elaine’s very home. Hidden away in a secret cellar, she survived the onslaught unleashed by The Withered unscathed yet talking darkspawn would plague her dreams for many years to come and her mother perished in the chaos and her father injured. Taking on some of father’s duties around the keep to help out, she had a chance to meet the new warden commander of ferelden, A no-nonsense Orlesian dwarf by the name of Reva Kader who instilled in her a strong sense of duty to those around her and respect for her comrades in arms at the vigil. Other notable connections she made in these days were meeting the oft missed prodigal son Nathaniel Howe who taught her archery and basic survival skills as a favour to her father, should she need them to escape, as well as fhe dalish apostate velanna. Though she would often deride the young girl who so eagerly followed her about, Elaine could sense in her the same quiet pain as her mother held and that would stick with her for many years to come.

Years later when the mage rebellion broke out, Elaine chose to fight for the mages, remembering the plight her mother faced evading the watchful eyes of the templars. Despite the protestations of her father, who was secretly always glad she was not born a mage herself, Elaine ran away from home, surviving off the land using the advice of Nathaniel and making her way to lake calenhad to join up with the rebellious fereldan circle. Though hesitant to place a child of twelve on the frontlines of a struggle that was not her own, Elaine found purpose as a lyrium mule for the burgeoning resistance movement, smuggling the processed substance from orzammar straight to where it was most needed escaping the notice of renegade templars due to her young age. It was during this time that she first met mages who had supposedly changed their gender at some point in their past. While still too nervous to ask herself and often not spending enough time with them to have an opportunity, Elaine found the concept profoundly appealing and it spurred many questions within herself she would struggle to come to terms with for many more years.

She continued in this way until the disaster of the divine conclave intensified the conflict tenfold. Unable to support the mages decision to ally with the venatori and becoming disillusioned with such a divisive fight in the face of the existential threat of the breach, Elaine left the rebellion along with a contingent of mages to join up with the inquisition at haven. Only 15 at the time and despite lying about her age, her conscripting officer saw right through her and refused to assign her to any serious fighting or danger. Finding work as a scout, Elaine helped to map some of the relatively calmer parts of ferelden in the early days of the organisations history. During this time she first met and worked with Scout Harding and very quickly developed a crush on her, though she was too nervous and unsure of herself at the time to act on it.

As the Inquisition grew, Elaine had a chance to see the wider world beyond Ferelden’s borders, travelling to where she was most needed and learning the skills of a scout and a ranger from experienced soldiers originating from all walks of life. Among her fellow soldiers were many dalish elves and for the first time in her life she had a chance to learn more of her mother’s culture that she was so devastated to leave behind. Although not all showed her kindness or were open to discussing their culture with a city elf, she made many lifelong friends among her dalish compatriots. It was during this time, that she gained her vallaslin, choosing the mark of dirthamen to represent her role in the inquisition, discovering the long buried secrets of thedas. Despite all this she was often only on the periphery of the inquisition’s operations due to her youth and inexperience. She fondly remembers the one time she went to skyhold, amid the celebrations and reorganizing following corypheus’ defeat. She even caught a glimpse of the inquisitor.

Three years later, following a rather depressing stint as little more than a local bureaucrat after the crisis of the breach was abated, the inquisition was abruptly disbanded. Now out of a job, Elaine reached out to the warden commander of Amaranthine to try and get back in contact with her father only to discover he had been killed in a demon attack while she was off fighting demons with the inquisition elsewhere. Dejected and lost, it was only amidst this emotional turmoil that Elaine finally accepted herself for who she really was. Through apothecary contacts she made during her time in the inquisition she acquired a supply of feminizing poultices and treatments to finally allow her to become her true self.

Around the same time, her dalish friends were discussing the many revelations the inquisition had unearthed regarding elven history. All of which had piqued their interest yet amid all the chaos the inquisition was involved in, none of them found the time to pursue any of these leads further. They mentioned that a group of dalish up north had founded a new group of volunteer explorers and archaeologists to find more hints of their newly unearthed past in arlathan forest. It seemed many elven contingents of former inquisition agents were heading north to join their numbers and provide their knowledge and expertise. When her friends revealed they were thinking of doing so themselves, Elaine jumped at the chance to discover more about the lost culture of her mother that they now shared.

Upon arriving in Arlathan, some of Elaine’s friends from Clan Morlyn introduced her to Strife, the leader of the veil jumpers. Elaine immediately formed a close bond with old elf over their shared background of being city elves who made their own way to the dalish rather than being born into it. His gruff, taciturn personality also reminded Elaine of Reva Kader, who she had never stopped admiring as a leader. She swiftly fit in among the veil jumpers unlike any where else she had been in her life. through strife she met the mage irelin and her girlfriend Bellara, who became fast friends after bonding on several expeditions. Elaine finally felt like she had found a stable home in the veil jumpers but that was not to last.

Following a particularly disastrous expedition to find a map that could help the jumpers navigate the dangers of the forest with more ease, Elaine returned with a decimated team and empty hands. Unashamed of her choice to prioritise the lives of her fellow jumpers over the artifact, she was furious to learn strife disapproved of her actions and a heated argument followed, despite Irelin’s best attempt to mediate the situation. Storming out of camp rather than submit to strife’s further remonstrances. Elaine was shocked to see a familiar face seated round the campfire. Scout Harding had found the veil jumpers. After some catching up and introducing her companion, Famous Author Varric Tethras, Harding explained they were on the trail of the dread wolf himself and were looking for assistance wherever they could find it. When she overheard strife yelling about how she could never be trusted in an expedition again, that she completely misunderstood what the veil jumpers were about, she jumped at the chance to leave with them. Concincing Varric to let her join his team after explaining how she get into this mess with Strife.

On the road back to Minrathous, Elaine had a chance to listen to Varric’s tales around the campfire and play chess against him to pass the time, earning merciless teasing from both him and Harding for her overuse of the rook piece. She instantly struck up a bond with the old dwarf, finding in him an unexpected mentor figure. When Varric mentioned off hand his old friend Maevaris Tilani, a figure Elaine had heard much about, she confided in Varric about her gender identity. When she mentioned how she still struggled to feel like herself most days. He gifted his old shaving mirror, which she did not take too well at first, but after he told her to look into it and how he saw a hero staring back, it became one of her most cherished possessions. Even more so when Varric insisted on a stop over in Kirkwall so Elaine might visit The Black Emporium and use its mirrror of transformation. During their travels, the bond only increased as they found their way into many scrapes with both venatori cultists and agents of the dread wolf but through it all, the thing that stuck with the newly christened rook was that despite all the years that passed in between, her old flame for Scout Harding had not diminished at all…

BONUS: INQUISITOR

& SCREENSHOT GALLERY!!!

[crimeronan]

I'm so curious about how the disaster trio in the princess!luz au first slept in the same bed together. Like how did this occur. Was it on accident or on purpose? What triggered it? Is it because they're all exhausted and the second bed is too far away? Was Luz or Hunter the cause, like injury or sickness and the other two doesn't want to leave and Amity is convinced it's okay to stay? The People(me) Want To Know.

And I can't imagine this scenario in any way without Amity being a flustered, tightly wound mess. Cause like seeing people in their sleepwear about to go to bed is an underrated form of intimacy I think. Plus Luz and Hunter are Weird but they make her feel like the weird one for feeling out of place with how casual they are about this.

GOD this is a good question. and there are So Many Ways that this could go down. my biggest instinct is that the first time it happens is a complete accident, but How that happens could be. so many ways

i'm not gonna count this as Official Canon (TM), just to leave room for if i end up wanting to write a different relationship trajectory

but CURRENTLY the scenario i'm softest for is:

amity is avoiding her roommates in the library, which has become habitual for her bc she barely tolerates them (think her dynamic with boscha back at hexside). it's late. hunter is in the library with luz & upon seeing amity, is very exasperatedly like. you cannot keep sleeping here blight. someone's gonna kill you

after some testy back-and-forth he's like Look. luz is about to go to bed, i'm on duty watching over her, literally just come sleep on the floor. you know luz would not let me murder you while you're sleeping.

(luz, helpfully, in the background: That Is True.)

on some level amity recognizes that this is hunter's tsundere-ass way of saying he's concerned for her wellbeing & also she really Doesn't want to get attacked for falling asleep in public. so she's like Fine. Whatever.

luz invites her to share the bed bc luz has no sense of normal boundaries or weird behavior. amity is like UM UH UM & luz is like OR NOT. SORRY!

amity sleeps for like four hours curled up like a cat on luz's carpet, spending the whole time very pointedly Not looking at luz or thinking about her or thinking about sharing a bed with her, because obviously she doesn't wanna do that, shut up. & then she wakes up n can Tell that hunter is dead tired. like borderline falling over.

so naturally she, in her tsundere-ass way, is like look. i'm not gonna make a habit of this and if you try to make me make a habit of this then i'll kill you. but if you sleep off the rest of your shift, i'll stay up and look after luz. you know i wouldn't let anything happen to her i'm not an idiot.

normally hunter would put up a fight about this but luz is shifting restlessly under her blankets like she's having bad dreams, so he's like.

.......okay.

bc if amity takes over then he can climb into bed with luz and gently nudge her awake and then hold her back to sleep.

which does of course make amity tomato-flustered and very quickly look away from them like. I Do Not Know What To Do With Expressions Of Intimacy Platonic Or Otherwise. I'm Gonna Die Here

i still gotta work out the exact logistics of luz's inner guard but i DO know that there's a small handful of people who are also tasked with guarding her, all under hunter's command. so when one of them shows up at the end of hunter's scheduled shift, amity is like great. i can get some more shut-eye.

i do not want to go back to my roommates. or get stabbed in the library. or sleep on the hard-ass floor. what if i just kinda......

and then she creeps onto the foot of the mattress like "i'm gonna catnap for 15 minutes and then stop committing treason. i know she said i could sleep on the bed but this is definitely still treason somehow"

then. it is not 15 minutes.

in conclusion. theyre stupid.

[blade-of-the-crow]

Hey! I decided to make a short angsty fanfic for Davrin and Wardenrook!

Hope you enjoy a little snippet 🥹(not beta’d wanted to get this out quickly!)

What happens when after all they've sacrificed a simple life with their half-bird half-cat kid just isn't in the cards for our heroes 🥺

PART 1

It’s been nearly 5 years since the fight against the blighted elven gods, or as Bellara liked to explain it, a fight with several little wars.

Thedas has more or less moved on, she’s not back to normal and will never be the same as it was but in some way we are stronger for it.

Tevinter has a ruler that has begun to repair the damage its legacy has left on the world and the elves are slowly being recognized as people in their own right and not beings whose sole purpose is to live as slaves, and as for the Wardens, well the Wardens are figuring out what their purpose is now that the last archdemon has been slayed.

Since the fall of Elgar’nan the strength of the blight in Thedas has diminished greatly and with the help of the remaining wardens who volunteered, the South is finally starting to see the promise of one day hosting life again.

After the final battle the Veilguard went its separate ways. Neve stayed in Tevinter, Lucanis and Bellara returned home to help rebuild their organizations, Emmrich and Manfred returned to the Necropolis and Taash went to live with Harding’s ma who was in one of the first convoys from Southern Thedas fleeing the blight.

As for a certain Warden power couple Rook and Davrin decided to make their dreams of a quiet life with their half-bird, half-cat kid together a reality. Everything was finally coming together until two months ago.

“Hey Rook!” I hear a familiar voice call out my name as I am trying to hack through a blight tendril blocking what should be a doorway according to old blue prints.

About a year ago what was left of Warden leadership decided now might be a good idea to see if Weisshaupt could be taken back. With the darkspawn gone and the gods dead the blight's hold over the fortress wasn’t what it once was. I offered my assistance a couple months ago and came up here while Davrin decided to stay behind in Arlathan with Eldrin and the griffons.

“Yea?!” I called out.

“The first Warden wants to see you in her office!”

“Alright!” I called out as I sheathed my blade. “But give me a hand it’s easier to jump down this pit then it will be jumping up.”

I reached my hand up and felt a firm grasp take hold and lift me out.

“Damn Thorne skimping out on rations?” The man is taller than I am so I have to crane my neck to see who it was. I sigh when I realize who they sent to fetch me.

“And here I thought your ass was among the names of the fallen who had not been identified yet.”

“Bloody hell who knew you grew into such a bitter bitch.” He laughed “I guess you’re still upset about how I ratted you out to the higher ups back then huh.”

“Oh wait was that before or after I found you balls deep in a fresh twenty-year-old recruit.” I scowl at him.

Ashton Anderson, a fellow warden who I had the foolish notion to choose as my first love. We met shortly after our joining. It was a whirlwind romance that lasted way longer than it should have. My punishment for my actions with the horde wouldn’t have been so severe if not for him whispering shit into the First Warden’s ear about how my ‘reckless’ actions were a result of a broken heart and that I was not fit for anything other than a junior warden position. Turns out there was a promotion in the works and that the two names brought forth were ours. He used his position as my unfaithful ex-boyfriend as leverage.

‘Son of a bitch.’

“Okay I see you’re still upset about that.” He had the nerve to look sheepish and turn his head away.

“Actually what you did was probably the best thing for me. It led me to where and who I belong with so if you don’t mind I’ll be going.” I said as I stalked off.

Never had I imagined I’d run into him but to be honest it was a good thing. If it was anyone else I might not have been able to breeze past that comment about my weight so easily. I am able to hide my appearance under warm clothes and heavy make up, but how frail I am underneath is another thing entirely.

I get lost in my thoughts and before I know it I am in front of the First Wardens office. I take a moment to compose myself not knowing what laid behind those doors. I knock and a moment later a familiar voice calls out in response.

“Come in.” I push inside the door and find the first warden and her partner.

“Rook” Evka greets with a nod as she gets up from her seat behind her desk and walks over to where her husband was standing.

“Evka, Antoine.” I nod “What’s up, someone told me that you guys needed to see me.”

“Oui, thank you for coming so quickly.” Antoine replies as he gestures to the chair in front of the desk. “Please have a seat.”

“Uh oh.” I joke “Why does it feel like I’m being brought before a jury.” I say trying to make light of the situation.

“Rook.” Evka shakes her head. “I think you know exactly why you are here.” She admonishes gently.

I sigh. “How long have you guys known?” I asked not looking directly at them.

“Antoine knew as soon as you arrived.” Evka said as she sat down next to me and placed a warm hand on my knee. “I clued in a few weeks later, when you started getting turned around getting to the mess hall, a route you knew like the back of your head. I asked Antoine after to make sure I wasn’t making a bigger deal of it in my head. You taking longer each day to get ready in the morning was another obvious clue.”

“I can’t hide anything from you guys it seems.” I respond after a lengthy pause.

“You’re right. I hear it. I hear my calling.”

[robotnik-mun]

Robotnik Army Writeup

Boy, just when you thought it couldn’t get any geekier!

Yeah, I had this thought on my mind for a while, and finally decided to just get it over with. As it says, this is basically detailed writeup of Robotnik’s army for a Sonic setting that takes bits and pieces of everything... which basically means “SatAM/Archie With Extra Steps”. It really serves no higher purpose beyond amusement, and since I’m never going to do anything with any of this I figured I’d share.

Be forewarned this was all pretty spur of the moment and sloppy.

Anyway... on with the show. Hope ya’ll get something out of this.

Forces of the Robotnik Empire

From the time of its founding to the time of its present, the machine legions of the Robotnik Empire have terrorized and dominated the planet in the name of its founder Doctor Robotnik. The armies of Robotropolis come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, and it is the largest collective of military robots to have ever been assembled in all the history of Mobius. Only the drone divisions of GUN come close, and even that is paltry compared to the sheer number and variety of robotic killing machines created and deployed by the Robotnik Empire.

The armies of Robotnik are near numberless. Standard units are churned out on assembly lines by automated factories, ready to fight and kill in Robotnik’s name upon activation. No matter how many are destroyed, there will always be more in the waiting to take its place. Mindless, fearless and unquestioningly loyal, the greatest danger of Robotnik’s machines isn’t their armaments of strength- it is the fact that there is absolutely nothing that they will not do when ordered, and once they start nothing short of destruction will halt them. There is no room for empathy, pity or doubt. There is only Robotnik and his will.

Assembled here is a small dossier of the various lines that comprise Robotropolis�� war machine. Over the years the variety and scope of Robotnik’s armies have expanded and adapted to reflect the ever-changing face of war, from the conquest of the empire’s early years to the Freedom Fighter insurgencies that continue to plague it, as well as renewed aggression from the United Federation and GUN. Even as the fortunes and size of his empire waxes and wanes, one thing is certain- Robotnik’s imagination is as endless as it is depraved, and there will never be an end to the new and terrible machines he creates to blight the world he despises so thoroughly.

SWATbots

The SWATbot line is a venerable one that dates back to the Great War, when then-Warlord Julian Kintobor created the first SWATBots (then known as “Peace Bots”) to replenish the depleted ranks of the Kingdom of Acorn’s military and workforce. The first SWATbots were deployed purely in a support capacity, before eventually supplanting Mobian soldiers entirely to become the bulk of the Kingdom of Acorn’s military. These robotic soldiers would be crucial in turning the tide against the seemingly unstoppable military machine of Overland, delivering victory for the Kingdom and her allies in the Great War. That same army would then be used by Julian, now styling himself as Ivo Robotnik, to conquer the Kingdom of Acorn from within and then enable Robotnik’s first wave of conquest afterward.

The SWATBot is the workhorse of the Robotnik Empire. In all corners of the empire they can be found, in every facility and factory. The Mark-1 SWATBot model forms the backbone of Robotnik’s military, serving as the standard rank-and-file infantry. Standard SWATBots are designed as something of a jack of all trades, having moderate strength in multiple areas while not truly excelling at any of them. SWATbots are at their most dangerous when in groups, but even a lone SWATbot can be a lethal adversary, for while they represent the most standard of Robotnik’s soldiers they are still stronger and more durable than most organics and come equipped with built-in lasers and armor. There’s a reason that SWATbots were able to bring the once unstoppable armies of the Overland to its knees, and fighting SWATBots without weapons or special abilities is often a death sentence.

Since the time of its initial development the SWATbot line has expanded considerably. There now exist multiple, specialized variations of the original SWATbot chassis, and the Mark-1 model shows no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. They are a constant within the empire, and whatever challenges arise? There is no doubt there will be a new, improved SWATbot model to meet it. 

Troopers

The skull-faced Troopers were developed in the early years of the Robotnik Empire, being created specifically for the various “Pacification Campaigns” that arose after the empire had secured its grip over the former Kingdom of Acorn and Overland. With these territories now firmly in Robotnik’s iron grasp, the nascent tyrant turned his attention outward to the other nations of Mobius, seeking to expand the scope of the “Pax Robotnika”. It swiftly became apparrent to Robotnik that waging a war of conquest and expansion was going to be a different matter entirely from the relatively defensive position fought in the Great War. A pressing need for specialized first strike units arose, and thus was born the Trooper line.

Troopers are the specialized assault force of the Robotnik Empire, designed to hit hard and fast in the first wave of attacks, shattering enemy formations and fortifications with overwhelming firepower before allowing the SWATBots to swarm in and deliver the killing blow. In addition to serving as the empire’s shock troops, Troopers also see capacity as occupiers of newly conquered territories and as overseers in labor camps and prisons. While SWATBots are programmed to be emotionless and mindless soldiers, Troopers by contrast are programmed to exhibit personalities... and those personalities are uniformly that of a gleefully sadistic bully.

Whether it is out in the field of battle or patrolling the streets of a conquered city, Troopers will heap endless amounts of abuse and cruelty on anyone they can find. This is done as a form of psychological warfare in conjunction with their skull-like visages... a SWATBot will simply kill you, but a Trooper may very well shoot off a limb and then laugh about it.

Troopers are usually found in the outer territories of the Robotnik Empire, either working as enforcers in the cities where organics are permitted to live or patrolling the borders of the empire making sure nobody can escape. Ruthless taskmasters and programmed for cruelty, all who deal with the Troopers quickly learn to despise them. 

Combots

Combots are among the elite units of the Robotnik Empire, designed to be bigger, stronger and most importantly smarter than SWATBot or Trooper units. Combots, as their names would indicate, are designed as the Robotnik Empire’s own elite commandos. The Combots were developed in the later years of the Robotnik Empire, in response to the rising successes of the various Freedom Fighter groups that formed in opposition to Robotnik. The Combot chassis was derived from both the SWATbot and Trooper chassis, combining the best traits of both before being further modified to suit Robotnik’s need for elite soldiers.

Combots possess advanced “Dummy” AI that gives them considerable tactical insight and adaptability without granting them the capacity for ‘true’ free will. Designed for deep deployment in enemy territory, Combots typically operate as specialized units and usually only see mass deployment as security for the empire’s most important installations. Physically imposing and with a versatile number of built-in weapons, the Combots most dangerous tool is a built invisibility cloak that obscures them from view. While their heavy metallic frames don’t do much for their stealth, being able to turn invisible still grants them a tremendous, deadly advantage, especially when their tactical AI gives them the insight to compensate for said heavy metal frames.

The Combot stealth cloak is an upgraded version of the stealth cloaks used by the Newtralizer Badnik models, which was first utilized in a prototype stealth assault robot deployed in the Jungle Zone. While the prototype was destroyed by Sonic and Tails, its performance was deemed acceptable enough that it would go on to be utilized for the future Combot line.

The Combots do possess one notable flaw- while they are not truly sentient, they none the less have developed superior view of themselves compared to ‘inferior, outdated’ SWATbot and Trooper units. This arrogance often leads Combots to treat other units as being more disposable, and while dissention in the ranks is impossible, it does lead to unacceptable losses and wastefulness.

P.A.W.N.s

The P.A.W.N. (Power Assault Warfare and Nullification) line was created to serve as Robotnik’s super-heavy units, comparable to bipedal tanks. These towering monstrosities are among the toughest and most dangerous machines to be fielded within the Robotnik Empire’s armies. PAWNS are subdivided into three specialized models- the Gun Pawn, the Shield Pawn, and the Bomb Pawn, with a fourth model known as the Guardian Pawn being an upgrade of the Gun Pawn. Where PAWNS go the earth shakes, quite literally.

Gun Pawns are the most commonly encountered pawns, serving as mobile heavy artillery units. They are armed with a staggering three heavy plasma cannons in addition to missile launchers. Very few things can stand up to them or their weapons, and they attack with overwhelming force until nothing is left standing.

Shield Pawns by contrast exist as living barriers, absorbing heavy fire against their reinforced frames before getting close and demolishing targets with their heavy fists. Few sights are more terrifying than that of a Shield Pawn lumbering forward impassively, refusing to fall even under sustained heavy fire. Disturbingly, they are the most likely to be encountered within Robotropolis itself, often camouflaged as literal walls within the city.

Finally, there are the Bomb Pawns. Bomb Pawns are anti-fortification specialists, enormous grenade launchers on legs designed to waltz across the battlefield, blowing apart armored vehicles and heavy fortifications alike. Even worse they contain a high powered thermal explosive payload in their bodies, and with their thick armor they are more than capable of shrugging off enemy fire long enough to deliver said payload.

Guardian Pawns are the rarest of the PAWN series. They are improved, elite variants of the Gun Pawns, with upgraded weaponry and built in force shields. As their name would indicate, Guardian Pawns are used almost exlusively in a defensive capacity, guarding the most important facilities in the Robotnik Empire, even defending Citadel Robotnik itself. Rarely they are sent out to attack due to the difficulty in making them, but their success rate is nothing to sneeze at. Rumor has it that entire armies have been destroyed by Guardian Pawns.

Stealthbots

The terror of the skies. Stealthbots are the ultimate air combat drones, and the undisputed masters of the Robotnik Empire’s airspace. Much like the groundbound Combots, Stealthbots are not only armed to the teeth but also in possession of similarly advanced Dummy AI that grants them tactical supremacy in the air. And that’s without getting into the stealth systems that grant them their name. Stealthbots are infamous for seemingly appearing out of thin air before diving in, destroying targets and then vanishing away from sight. Even more horrifyingly, Stealthbots have been known to engage in a degree of psychological warfare- one favorite tactic is to periodically strafe the same target at a specific time again and again, letting stress slowly build-up before going in for the kill.

Besides the standard Stealthbot units, there are also the aptly name “Death Pods”. Death Pods are upgraded Stealthbots, designed to be smaller, more maneuverable and equipped with even more firepower. While Stealthbots proper are designed for air-to-air combat and to act as bombers, Death Pods are an attempt to bridge the gap and create the ultimate air-to-ground combat drone, a machine that is just as capable of eliminating ground based targets as it is the air. So far the Death Pods have seen limited deployment, but thier successes paint a grim picture for the enemies of the Robotnik Empire.

Badniks

Badniks rank along with Swatbots as the most numerous and widespread of Robotnik’s forces, and a potent symbol of his need to subjugate and twist all aspects of life on Mobius towards his own demented ends. Officially known as B.A.D.s (Biologically Augmented Drones), Badniks are as much an assault against the environment as they are against Mobius’ people. Badniks unlike other machines within the empire are powered by Mobinis who serve as both organic batteries and as a kind of wetware CPU all in once. Whereas SWATBots represent standardized military machines, Badniks are far more specialized by comparison, and are designed to operate for long periods of time without supervision in the many wilderness areas of Mobius.

Technically speaking the Badniks are the oldest line of Robotnik’s military machines, predating even the SWATbots. The Badniks were first devised before the Great War, back when Robotnik was still known as Dr. Julian Kintobor. Using misappropriated funds and resources, Julian labored in secret researching the potential of organic lifeforms to serve as a power source of machines. His way of making endangered species ‘worth protecting’, in his own words. Once that barrier was broken, Julian swiftly realized the military applications and with the aid of his assistant (and future chief scientist) Dr. Grimer he swiftly built the first Badnik prototypes. When Julian later became the Kingdom of Acorn’s Warlord, he built his Badnik army in secret even as he was built his SWATBot army in public, and when the day of the Coup arrived great swarms of Badniks surged forth to assist their SWATbot brethern in conquering the Kingdom of Acorn.

Usually modeled after Mobius’ wildlife, Badniks serve as a reflection of Robotnik’s disdain of the natural world and his need to declare that there is nothing in it that he can’t ‘improve’ upon. Fittingly, Badniks tend to act like an invasive species, deployed into the wild areas of Mobius to capture more Mobinis to be utilized as battery fodder before raiding settlements and attacking military installations. Badniks require comparatively little upkeep and can be stationed for many months without need of repairs. They are created to strip the world of respite from Robotnik’s tyranny and to choke the life out of the wilderness, making sure nobody can escape his grasp. Worse than that, Badniks are also used to attack enemy crops and farmlands, despoiling lands to deny them use by Robotnik’s enemies. They form an integral part of the artifical ‘eco system’ of the empire’s cities, hiding and lurking in shadows like ambush predators waiting for prey driven to them by SWATbots and troopers.

The sheer variety of Badniks is nothing short of astounding. Even more powerful Badnik models known as Prime Badniks (AKA “Super Badniks”) act as field commanders for the regular models, which are collecively known as the Badnik Horde.

Eggrobos

Modeled after the Eggman himself, Eggrobos are a special class of machine that serve as the administrators and officer corps of the Robotnik Empire. The Eggrobo line first emerged during the Angel Island Assault. In the aftermath of the infamous Death Egg crash landing upon Angel Island, Robotnik swiftly realized he would need more than mere techbots if he was going to get the mighty Death Egg up and running fast enough for his needs. The Eggrobos were conceived of as machines that would serve the duel purpose of security for the Death Egg as well as high intelligence technicians needed to conduct repairs at the rate Robotnik needed.

While the Death Egg’s final destruction would occur despite the best efforts of the Eggrobos and Robotnik himself, Robotnik none the less saw the potential of the series. Eggrobos are designed more for intelligence than they are pure combat, though they are far from defenseless. Armed with heavy plasma cannons and high powered jet backs, they are surprisingly dangerous for “brain bots”. The Eggrobos have since gone on to become an all purpose command class of machine, ranking behind Prime Badniks but otherwise serving as Robotnik’s proxies within the empire. Eggrobos are subsequently subdivided by programming- warfare, research, intelligence and even medically inclined models exist.

Their bulky bodies designed to house high processing powered AI and powerful communication tools, the robotic soldiers of the empire become notably more dangerous when Eggrobos are present, especially ones programmed for military operations.

E-Series

Building upon the technologies that went into the Eggrobos, the E (”Eliminator”) series were created to serve as the elite assassins and infiltrators. The E-Series was first devised when the Robotnik Empire, weakened by repeated Freedom Fighter insurgencies, found it beset from the outside by the re-invigorated forces of GUN. Building upon Great War era information provided by surviving remnants of its sister nation of Overland, the United Federation re-structured GUN’s tactics and technologies with an eye towards taking the fight to Robotnik after a decade slow retreat in the face of Robotropolis’ encroachment into the Federation. Devising a new war doctrine built upon picemeal tactics and a robot army of their own to challenge Robotnik’s, the United Federation took advantage of Robotnik’s weakness to chip away at his borders and liberate captured territories.

Faced with an existential threat now capable of fighting on par with him in addition to the domestic troubles brought on by the Freedom Fighters, Robotnik swiftly realized he would need machines capable of getting into the heart of enemy operations and then cutting that heart out. Thus was born the E-Series, lethally intelligent and relentless assassins building on the best of the Badnik technology. First deployed in the Station Square Front, Robotnik has repeatedly upgraded the initial E-100 series and even created variant models. While the original E-100s were powerful, there was a disturbing trend towards rampancy in their AI- units Gamma, Sigma and Omega all eventually turned against their core programming. Since then Robotnik has tried to find a proper balance in the AI to retain the lethal potential of the E-100s while ensuring zero chance of future betrayal. While not quite the stuff of their predecessors, the current E-Series remain among the most ruthlessly efficient and lethal machines within the empire, elite assassins and terror machines par excellence.

While the E-Series was initially conceived of as assasins, Robotnik has explored other avenues with the line, deviating from the base mold to create more specialized variants. The E-500 series was an attempt to create a more standardized sniper variant, while the subsequent E-1000 series was an attempt to mass produce the E-Series while trying to retain as much of its effectiveness as possible. The E-2000s deviated even further from the base mold, serving as a mobile weapon platform for an experimental heavy laser cannon. While devastatingly powerful, the E-2000s have seen only limited deployment due to faults within the cannon, notably its long charge time.

Metallix

In many ways the Metallix series represent the cream of the crop of the Robotnik Empire’s various war machines, as well as being indicative of Robotnik’s deeply warped mindset. The Metallix are killing machines in every sense of the word, and ones built in the image of Robotnik’s most hated enemies. The oldest and most infamous of the Metallix series proper is Metal Sonic, Robotnik’s second-in-command own personal attack dog. While originally designed to mimic Sonic, the Metallix series has since expanded to act as mirrors for all of the major Freedom Fighters and assorted heroes who have bedeviled the doctor and stymied his ambitions. It is even joked that the surest sign you’ve ‘made it’ in the war against Robotnik is when a Metallix pops up in your image. The Metallix are no laughing matter though- by deign of being designed to counter specific and very powerful Mobians, they are easily the most lethal of Robotnik’s forces. Where the Metallix go, only death follows... especially when the Metallix in question is Metal Sonic.

The Metallix have their origins in the Pseudo-Sonic Badnik, which can be considered a prototype for the entire Metallix Line. Robotnik had long hoped to build a high-speed robot capable of countering Sonic the Hedgehog. After forays into various “Speed Bots”, Robotnik finally refined the technology to create the Mobini powered Pseudo-Sonic, a machine designed to not only kill Sonic specifically but to also besmirch his reputation. While Pseudo-Sonic was defeated, the proof of the concept would eventually lead to the creation of the first ‘true’ Metallix- Metal Sonic, first deployed in the Little Planet Raid. Since that time Sonic has only been able to just barely keep his metal doppelganger at bay, and Robotnik has gone on to expand the scope of the Metallix Series to create more like Metal Sonic. The Metallix have since gone on to become the true elite of the Empire, few in number but deadly beyond measure.

There has been at least one attempt to mass produce the success of Metal Sonic. The most prominent attempt was made by Robotnik’s chief scientist Dr. Grimer, who converted the old Special Zone Fortress to become an automated factory churning out Metal Sonic drones, with an ‘Emperor Metallix’ guiding everything. The project ended in catastrophic failure and the near usurpation of Robotnik by the Emperor Metallix, and since that time there have been no further attempts to ‘standardize’ the Metallix.

Infiltrators

Designed to mimic organic life, the Infiltrators (also known as Auto-Automatons) are the premier spies of the Robotnik Empire. The Infiltrator line was first developed in response to the various hidden sanctuaries that sprang up within the boundaries of the Robotnik Empire that would then go on to become hotbeds of organized military resistance. Initial models were based upon pre-existing Mobians who served as templates after being captured by Robotnik. Initial research was carried out on an island facility that doubled as a labor camp, but progress was stymied when the prison was infiltrated and destroyed by a young Sonic the Hedgehog (with the help of Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel). While the original facility was lost, Robotnik was able to escape with the research and several captives, and successfully created the first units in a separate facility.

Since that time the Infiltrator series has only become more refined. The need for pre-existing organic templates is now a thing of the past as Mobian identities are crafted wholesale, and the technology has advanced to the point where the Infiltrators can mimic organic behaviors such as eating without giving away their true, mechanical nature. The main production facility for the Infiltrators is the best kept secret in the Empire. More insidiously, some Infiltrators are being deployed with fabricated memories and no knowledge of their true origin, acting as sleeper agents.

Misc Robots

Beyond the standardized units and the elite models deployed en-masse by the Robotnik Empire, there are also the countless non-standardized units that proliferate Robotnik’s domain. Mission-specific war machines, experimental units, even machines built on a whim to satisfy Robotnik’s curiosity... all these and more can be found in the Robotnik Empire, ever ready for the opportunity to inflict just a bit more misery on whatever unfortunate organics they come across.

These non-standardized units vary wildly in terms of design, armaments and intelligence. Some are attached to deployments of SWATbots and the like as part of official military operations, while others still are simply wandering menaces that attack anybody unfortunate enough to come across them. This is done both to draw out Freedom Fighters and to torment the organic communities that remain within the Empire. Either the Freedom Fighters will blow their cover or the communities will be destroyed by inches. And if said communities fight back? Then, having broken the law, the community will be culled by Robotnik and the survivors Roboticized as a message to the others.

Any of these outcomes are acceptable to Robotnik, and the sheer unfairness of it is a source of endless, sadistic amusement to the Eggman.

[starleska]

girl i am just SO curious since we have the same type and all abt your thoughts on Cagney Carnation from Cuphead 👀

oh hell yes!!! thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about the deranged flower again 😳💖💖💖 i adore Cagney Carnation. who doesn't?? such a captivating design - one part mob boss, one part flower, one part monstrous abomination with some very sexy teeth 🙈🙈 Cuphead is one of those franchises i have a tonne of f/os from: Cagney Carnation, Chef Saltbaker, Werner Werman, King Dice, Baroness Von Bon Bon...and doubtless the next time i revisit the fandom someone else's wonderful fanart will tip me into fixation for another character 😂 but Cagney is special...i totally get why we all went feral for him 😂💖 he's yet another instalment in the 'characters with long supernumerary appendages who could easily rip us apart' roster...the incredible strength, his silly little dance, and how absolutely badass his final form is, it's no wonder he's so beloved!! easily one of the best and most iconic fights in the whole game with a banging song, and so many fun details. i went back and S-ranked him recently and felt on top of the world 🙈

listen, i am down so bad it's not funny 😂 Cuphead really does lend itself to so much creativity and fandom fun...feels very much like Don't Hug Me I'm Scared in that way. whether folks are drawing him as a grumpy lil flower, an Eldritch abomination or a handsome gijinka, there's no version of him i don't like;;; OH!!! have you heard Man on the Internet's lyric cover of Floral Fury? he'll forever be my headcanon voice for Cagney (until we get an official one, of course 😉). for now, all we have to go off of is his laugh, which is...um...🥴 i even made a little Cuphead OC to ship with him!! their name's Aster, and they're a star from Hilda Berg's moon phase 🥰 it's been a while since i made them, and i'd love to revisit the universe and make more OCs...i think everyone should try their hand at making one for Cuphead selfship purposes, it's great 🙈 i am still devastated that we didn't get him in the previous 'season' of The Cuphead Show. Netflix fuckery continues to blight us, but i'm still holding out hope!! did you know that storyboard artist Karl Hadrika shared a still from a current 'lost episode' of the show, showing Cagney with his tommy gun? 👀 i'm still very hopeful that bc The Cuphead Show is so staggeringly popular that we will get another season...but until then, we gotta sit tight and gush about Cagney amongst ourselves 🥺💖

[lizzybeeee]

I feel like another reason for Sten being much less 'intense' then the qunari we see in the future games is because, technically, when we meet him he's Tal-Vashoth.

He's lost his sword/soul, he's failed his mission from the Arishok, and his karatam (fellow soldiers) are all dead. On top of that, the realization that he's lost asala leads to him killing an entire farmhold, (not just the men, but the women and children too!) - literally proving to himself that without the Qun he is lawless and savage, just as he was taught his entire life. Alistair talks about how Sten is regretful of what happened, but that his "regret is the not the same as it is to us" - which I agree with! He's more regretful at his loss of composure/purpose more so than the death of the farmers.

He's stuck in this limbo of being loyal to the Qun, because he genuinely believes in it, while also being confronted with the idea that according to his beliefs he is nothing - his soul is dust. He had come to terms with the idea of dying in that cage because he was less than nothing and he could see no way of making his way in the world without the purpose of the Qun.

Then along comes the Warden who gives him a chance to find a sliver of purpose again: to fight the blight.

The blight/darkspawn is a threat to all, even the Qun, so it doesn't conflict with his beliefs. It's also responsible for the death of his karatam - and in his fade prison we can see that he has a strong camaraderie with his fellow soldiers - so on a personal level he's invested in seeing them destroyed. Sten is, according to the Qun, lawless and chaotic, so why not die with a blade in his hand, even if its not his soul?

Sten's more open to hearing/conversing with the rest of the party because:

1) They're fighting together - He needs to know how to work with them and they are not trained as the Qun trains warriors. He comments in a lot of his banter about the fighting styles/techniques of those he's with.

2) He is Tal-Vashoth - For the time he is without asala, at least. At this point in time he's come to terms with the fact that his death is only delayed - that he will die from the darkspawn or the Qun if he returns to Par Vollen. So why not talk with these people who he's traveling with? What can he lose from it? Most of his conversations are not him attempting to convert others to the Qun, but his attempts to understand how one lives without it.

3) He is someone who needs a strong sense of purpose to function (thanks to growing up under the Qun) and the Warden provides that purpose.

While he's initially distant/critical with those in the party, with time he becomes open to conversing with them outside of arguments/criticism - even joking or teasing them! He's still loyal to the Qun, but he's willing to speak/listen to the perspectives of others because what does he have to lose? He even asks questions/converses with the Warden about the differences between the Qun and life outside of it - even though he doesn't agree, that's way more than the Arishok was willing to do in DA2. He's trying to understand how someone can live without the Qun because it simply does not compute, but he's faced with the reality that somehow people do live without it.

When he is no longer Tal-Vashoth (if you help him locate asala) he maintains the respectful camaraderie/friendship(?) with the Warden - calling them an 'Ashkaari' which is basically 'an enlightened one' when they return his blade. Not to mention how he calls them 'Kadan' and promises to not look for them on the battlefield of the 'eventual' invasion of the Qun in southern Thedas (RIP Qunari War story thread). It comes across to me, at least, that he rationalizes/reconciles his time as a Tal-Vashoth by associating the Warden with the Qun - which is both a sign of massive respect and pure copium lmao.

He says he's 'complete' when he gets asala back and it makes me feel a little sad every time! How much has the Qun shaped/warped his sense of identity that he's unable to see all he accomplished without it? :(

Anyway, this turned into a rant about how I love Sten as a character and how complex and well he was written - top tier writing, 10/10 <3

Something very dear to me in DAO, when it comes to Sten and then Qun is that, unlike the next games, it doesn't feel like the Qun is portrayed in that much of a negative of a light?

Sure, some of its issues are still adressed. Sten will ask 'how are you a woman if you fight' to leliana, morrigan, wynne and a female warden, and it highlights the gender roles in the Qun, but considering that if you play as a female warden you get ask/told again and again that there aren't a lot of wardens or that people are surprised you're a warrior (cof cof howe mentioning its unusual that bryce would train a female cousland as a warrior cof cof) i don't have much complaints with that. it is what it is. And at least, you can stand up to Sten when he says those things.

I think the only time i was like 'ok that is fucked' was when Sten brought up how the Qun treats its mages, because even when he talked about how everyone under the Qun has a role, he doesn't talk in a way that makes you feel like this is some sort of extremely bad and rigid thing. In fact, Sten makes the argument that its better because then people don't have to spend their life trying to fit in into something they're not (and lowkey, Wynne expressed similar sentiments when she talks about that it's better to embrace the role/destiny that the Maker gave you than fighting against it).

But what really drives home to me about home to me is that, at some point, Alistair asks the Warden how they feel about the other companions and when talking about Sten, there's a possbility for Alistair to say that, in the way Sten talks about the Qun, it doesn't feel as vile as the chantry makes it out. And you gotta keep in mind that Alistair spent a good portion of his life living in the chantry, so for him to say that, for me, is a big deal on how the Qun is portrayed through Sten.

I think about this a lot because I honestly was like wow, besides a few things, the Qun seems lowkey to be pretty good until we got to DAI and there was the whole thing with re-education, and hunting tal-vashoth (which, its adressed in DAO, but i feel like they were much more subtle about it). Like heck, even in DA2, I don't think the Qun itself is portrayed that badly, because 1) the Arishok doesn't do shit to Kirkwall until he's provocked like 3 different times and 2) Kirkwall is a shithole, so when he talks about the city, he lowkey makes sense.

Idk. I really liked how the qun was handled in DAO because of Sten and his perspective, and then in DAI and DATV I was just going 'yikes' most of the time.

[honestlyhalfweirdo]

I’ve always wanted to make my own AU from some fandom I’m in, and I think I can finally make it. Or rather half of it, because I’ve got inspired by this post from @drabbles-of-writing and I thought I would put my own spin on it. I also got little inspiration from anime Bungou Stray Dogs. 

It’s still a sketchy idea and work in progress but if you’re interested, I wrote down below some short information about world building, Belos’ role and Hunter’s arc (Because I focused on the bad side here)

Belos' role:

- this is fantasy mafia AU so magic and creatures stays the same as in canon

- the story changes during time of Savage Ages, because Belos fails to get publicity as in original. But his idea gets picked up by some witches. Wanting to put stop to this lawless time they create government, later known as Main Coven. The heads of the nine covens are the one ruling. In general coven's system is the same as in canon, the only diffrence is that there is no emperor but a group of people

- attitude towards wild witches is slighty lighter, cause they're not sentenced to petrification but simply locked up

- that doesn't please Belos, who sees that his original plan is beginning to fall apart. He can't see any other way but to follow more violent path. He creates his Mafia and becomes Godfather

- Belos lives a double life: as the head of the mafia and as one of the respected and well-liked teachers in Potions Coven. He would use fake name Francis xD. While as a mafia Head he would conduct illegal activities and hunt for palismans, as a teacher from Hexside School he would build his reputation ( rose through the ranks until eventually gaining power)

- Eda's and Lilith's story is the same as canon, but the one who sold Lilith the curse scroll is mafia. Thanks to that Belos finds about incident with Eda. When Lilith gets promoted to Main Coven, he forces her to cooperate through blackmail. At the same time as a Francis, he "catches" her working with mafia and shows sympathy for her, gaining her trust. He promises to help her cure Eda (He gives her a stronger version of potions Eda uses in canon)

- Belos is still after the Portal. For this purpose he kidnaps Luz and uses her to negotiate with Eda: Portal for human. Eda agrees to this exchange and Luz manages to destroy the Portal. Shortly after Main Coven arrives on the scene, having been informed earlier about Eda's location by anonymous source. Belos retreats, while Eda fights the Coven protecting Luz. She uses all her power and transforms into Owl Beast and Coven captures her and locks away until her trial

- Lilith fears for her sister and opposes the Main Coven. Together with Eda, Luz and King, they run home (the same as in canon). Lilith loses her position and is replaced by satisfied Belos

- Apart from Belos/Francis, Hexside school is also being watched by other members of the mafia, who are looking for students’ data, materials or even potential recruits for the organization

-The Blight Family would be in partnership with the Mafia and would make weapons for them

- Main Coven would have suspicions about the existence of a criminal group

- When Eda meets Raine after helping their group escape, she tells them about her suspicions that the Coven has been corrupted by the Mafia. Raine promises her that they will look into it further and will inform her about anything. During their investigation, they are detected and captured by the mafia

- there probably would be some characters deaths in this AU

Hunter’s arc:

- there would be a rumor between mafia members: Godfather Belos has a deal with Titan himself and has Death by his side, making him immortal.  Only those who befriend Death or eliminate it will be able to kill Belos

- Hunter is  said Death and people call him Golden Death. He’s the head of the assasins. Under the order of Belos he’s hididng his face under mask to make sure no one knows his true identity

- Belos told him that his parents belonged to some small gang. One day there was a fight between them and the other gang. The only one surviving from his gang was Hunter, whose parents hid him safe. That fight happened on Belos teritory, so he got involed and when he found Hunter, he took him under his wing and started training him to become his personal weapon

- Belos is strict with Hunter.  Hunter fights really hard for his approval (same as canon I guess). Belos led him down a dark path, making his psyche much worse than canon.

- Kikimora would be trying to prove that Hunter doesn’t deserve his position. Their relationship at the beggining would be enemies on the same side. They would usually tease each other, while sabotaging the tasks of one another. (I wanted their relationship to develop into one where they start to respect the other one. Not friends, but they finally acknowledge other strength)

- first meeting with Luz would be like in canon: Luz and Eda cross paths with Golden Death during his mission to kill the Selkidomus (No, he wouldn’t make them kill for him). They would try to fight him a little and eventually would lose him in tunels of a cave (saving Selkidomus at the same time...or would they?)

- second meeting: Hunter goes to Latissa to report back after the mission, but loses his mask on the way. While searching for it, he spots Luz lurking near the mafia headquarters. He decides to speak to her as Hunter.  He learns that Kikimora has kidnapped some of the palismans from the school grounds, unknowingly taking Luz with her. She has attacked Kikimora, forcing her to stall her mission. Hunter decides to help Luz (to annoy Kikimora) and forms a friendship with her. After freeing palismans she invites him to the Owl House

- at first Hunter starts meeting with Luz only for information, but fastly learns that he actually enjoys time spent with her and others from the Owl House. He’s starting to have doubts about his life until now

- Eda would be suspecting Hunter of belonging to mafia, but she would be discreet about it.

- Amity would openly be hostile to Hunter and wouldn’t trust him.

- on the other side Hunter would also have Belos and Kikimora on his back, since he wouldn’t tell them about his little plan. I wanted to give him some challenge in juggling his two identities

So for now this is my base for this AU. If you have any remarks, asks or ideas for this, I will happily hear from you :DD I’m not a writer and I’m sure there are a lot of plot holes xd

But seriously I just wanted to draw some cool poses and Hunter in waistcoat lol XD