#why does this guy wield so many weapons

[mobagewithweapons]

kokuyou is wielding a gun!

[thegreatestheaver]

reblog to slap her bald head

[blasphemousclaw]

Do you have any ideas on the Messmer / Fell God and Melina / Gloam-Eyed Queen links? Are these Demigods sort of reincarnations of those guys? Or their curses? Or sort of karmic comeback for Marika killing both? Or maybe one thing for one and another for the second one?

(I lean towards the third option *voice of a guy who can't shut up about Marika wanting her and her Erdtree to live forever and discovering she could not deceive fate after all*)

OHHH BOY was this a difficult and confusing topic… there are just SO many unexplained parts of Melina and Messmer’s lore that I feel like I still can’t make sense of how everything fits together, but I did come up with some connections that felt really compelling to me, and I think I agree with you on the third option!

starting with Melina, I’ve decided that I don’t think she’s the Gloam-Eyed Queen or an aspect of her, but rather that she and the GEQ are similar because they both have their own separate connections to Destined Death…

so the first thing I did was go through literally everything we know about her — Melina tells us that she was “born at the foot of the Erdtree,” and that her mother (Marika) gave her her “purpose,” which is the reason she lives, “burned and bodiless.” She finds out later that her purpose serves to aid in passing the thorns blocking the entrance to the Erdtree… basically, the purpose given to her by Marika is to burn the Erdtree!

Then, there’s the link between igniting the Giant’s Flame and seeking Destined Death…

“The one who walks alongside flame, Shall one day meet the road of Destined Death.” (Melina’s dialogue in her final cutscene; also in the Blade of Calling description)

“Flame” in this situation is represented by Melina — the kindling — and after the Giant’s Flame ignites, we’re transported to Farum Azula to confront Destined Death. Which means that Melina’s purpose as kindling is in some way intrinsically linked to Destined Death? don’t ask me how

Destined Death is also a part of Melina’s being: its power is sealed behind her eye, marked with a symbol that looks like a beast claw:

and if you do the Frenzied Flame ending, then the seal on Melina’s eye will fade and her eye will open, revealing a violet iris:

I think that Melina’s Destined Death eyeball was sealed with a beast claw symbol because Maliketh was the sole keeper of the Rune of Death; only he and those loyal to him can use its power… and Melina is certainly not someone Maliketh or the Two Fingers would trust with Destined Death. And, the reason why the claw symbol fades and Melina’s violet eye opens in the FF ending is because it’s the only ending where she’s still alive after Maliketh is killed and Destined Death is unbound.

I still can’t say for sure why Melina has an inherent ability to wield Destined Death, but my best guess is that it’s tied to her purpose being a sort of “hard reset” on the Golden Order… burning the Erdtree and unbinding Destined Death. I get the sense that Melina is very much like, “engineered” by Marika in order to fulfill her specific purpose… I think the fact that she’s even guiding us in the first place was Marika’s plan, because Marika also makes Hewg forge us a god-slaying weapon; she WANTS us to get inside the Erdtree and beat up the Elden Beastie! Melina even has some dialogue where she acknowledges that she’s following her mother’s plans, but she’s not just following them out of obligation, she really does believe in what she’s doing for her own reasons:

“There is something I'd like to say. My purpose was given to me by my mother. But now, I act of my own volition. I have set my heart upon the world that I would have. Regardless of my mother's designs. I won't allow anyone to speak ill of that. Not even you.”

“I have long observed the Lands Between. This world is in dire need of repair... and Death...indiscriminate... Are you prepared... To commit a cardinal sin?”

back to Destined Death… I think there’s some connection between violet eyes and wielders of Destined Death, because in addition to Melina, obviously the Gloam-Eyed Queen had purple eyes, but so do Maliketh and Blaidd:

Maliketh is the keeper of Destined Death, but Blaidd also wields Destined Death as a “Baleful Shadow” manifested by the Two Fingers!

if this link between purple eyes and Destined Death is intentional, then the fact that Melina has this in common with Maliketh and Blaidd as well as with the GEQ makes it less likely to me that Melina is literally the GEQ, and more likely that this is just a trait they all share. Overall, I just got the sense that Melina was so strongly tied to Marika and her plans and has enough of a unique identity that I don’t think it adds all that much for her to ALSO have been the GEQ who was killed and brought back? but that’s just my opinion!

Now all that was confusing enough, but then I got to MESSMER… man… I am still so deeply confused about how Messmer’s fire and the Base Serpent interact (and what the Base Serpent even IS, for that matter). The “fire” and “serpent” concepts combine within Messmer, which makes his fire magic behave in a serpentine way, which made me think, well, does that mean that the Base Serpent and Messmer’s flame are part of the same curse? but then I decided that no, they have to be separate concepts within Messmer’s body, because the Base Serpent is “shorn of light,” and fire famously gives off light. who knew! Also, the serpent is said to be “eating away” at Messmer’s kindling… which makes it seem like maybe Messmer’s vision of fire is the reason why the Base Serpent targets him in the first place? because it’s a thing of darkness that eats light? maybe?

“The kindling that burned inside Messmer the Impaler. A dark thing, eaten away at by a wicked serpent. Burns the sealing tree said to be found at the old Rauh ruins.” (Messmer’s Kindling)

Messmer’s kindling burns the sealing tree, and it can’t burn the Erdtree. I think that the sealing tree, and the thorns entrapping Enir-Ilim, are supposed to be like, manifested from the Scadutree:

“The caster wounds their own flesh using impenetrable thorns grown from the Scadutree, which then sprout from the earth.” (Impenetrable Thorns)

The Scadutree is able to manifest shadowy, impenetrable thorns, so I think it’s fair to assume that the ones sealing Enir-Ilim are tied to the Scadutree. Essentially that means that Messmer’s kindling can burn the Scadutree, or at least some aspect of the Scadutree… which would make sense, because his sister Melina is kindling for the Erdtree, and the Scadutree is the Erdtree’s “shadow.”

“Messmer, much like his younger sister, bore a vision of fire.” (Messmer’s Kindling)

the description specifically compares Messmer’s kindling to Melina’s, so I think we are supposed to see them as kind of a duality! We have the Erdtree, golden, symbolic of Order, and then we have its shadow, the twisted Scadutree:

“The Scadutree is the shadow of the Erdtree. Born of dark notions that bear no sense of Order, that twist and bend its stalk, rendering it brittle.” (Remembrance of the Shadow Sunflower)

it almost seems like each sibling reflects the tree their kindling burns… Melina being gold, Order, light, and grace, with a purpose given to her by Marika herself; Messmer being graceless, choked of light, a twisted thing that bears no sense of Order, someone burdened by his curses who Marika tried to save, but ultimately couldn’t.

(my son who has every disease)

Now to come back to your original question yes I know none of that even answered it I would say the Scadutree is kind of characterized as the inevitable “consequence” of the Erdtree:

“Miquella the Kind spoke of the beginning. The seduction. And the betrayal. An affair from which Gold arose. And so too was Shadow born.” (DLC story trailer)

“Incantation originating from Scadutree avatars. Creates a hail of golden projectiles which are fired toward foes after a brief delay. This incantation channels the force of the Scadutree's power, and its gold is accompanied by shadow.” (Land of Shadow)

I kind of see the Scadutree as being representative of what falls outside of Marika’s Golden Order, the lands and people that don’t get to bask within the Erdtree’s golden light… like in the Shadow Lands, you’ve got the Crucible, the hornsent, and “all manner of death” washing up on the shores, “only to be suppressed” (the Golden Order famously being without Destined Death)… it’s like all the dregs of the Golden Order exist here. no wonder Messmer’s soldiers feel abandoned the longer they spend in this place without word from Marika:

“Sorcery of those who abandoned the practice of incantations after devout faith rewarded them with only despair. […] The image of the twisted Scadutree is an edict: Denounce their ways. Do them harm. For they have abandoned us.” (Impenetrable Thorns)

Basically, I think if something in Messmer’s being is meant to reflect the Scadutree, all this characterization of the Scadutree points to Messmer’s curses as being something karmic that Marika manifested, like you said… maybe Marika’s creation of the Scadutree and all it represents was “the original sin,” and Messmer is the one who suffers for it??

Finally, I think this is where the Fell God could come in… Melina can kindle the Giant’s Flame in order to burn the Erdtree… Messmer is also kindling… his flame could originate from the Fell God because the trait of red hair is explicitly linked to the Fell God. (why doesn’t Melina have red hair then?? don’t ask me why) Maybe their kindling abilities both originate from the Fell God, but Messmer’s was forced upon him as a curse, and Melina’s was Marika later using that same power for a purpose? Marika originally intended to kill the Fell God, but discovered she couldn’t:

“Tricksome shield made from white stone depicting a malformed one-eyed god. The barrel of a firearm pokes through the open mouth. Once worshipped by the giants, this evil deity is believed to have been slain by Queen Marika.” (One-eyed Shield)

“The Fire Giant is a survivor of the War against the Giants. Upon realizing the flames of their forge would never die, Queen Marika marked him with a curse. "O trifling giant, mayest thou tend thy flame for eternity."” (Remembrance of the Fire Giant)

Presumably, Marika was afraid of the Giant’s Flame’s ability to burn the Erdtree, so she tried to suppress it! But maybe, as a result, what she suppressed ended up manifesting inside her own son! With Melina, I guess she had a change of heart later on, and realized that burning the Erdtree could be a good thing??? did she know she would be imprisoned inside the Erdtree by the Greater Will??? was Melina meant to be some kind of failsafe??? DON’T ASK ME I DON’T KNOW

IN CONCLUSION… I don’t think Melina is the Gloam-Eyed Queen. I think she and Messmer are meant to reflect the Erdtree and Scadutree respectively, with the Erdtree being Gold/Order, and the Scadutree being Shadow/Disorder, a “consequence” of the Erdtree’s creation that exists outside of its grace. Melina and Messmer both inherited a “vision of fire,” perhaps from the Fell God… but Messmer’s flame could have been a result of that “consequence” of Marika’s actions, and Melina’s flame is something that Marika makes use of in the future! Messmer tried to reject his flame and it made him suffer, but Melina is at peace with her flame and accepts it. I wonder if this is representative of Marika’s early years of suppressing aspects of life and death (the Fell God of fire being one of those aspects, maybe?), but coming to accept change later on, helping us become Elden Lord in a world that has natural death again?

Is any of this like, verifiably true? absolutely not… with these two, I don’t think you CAN make any solid conclusions since there’s so much about them that just isn’t explained… I’m just trying to pull together disparate strings of lore into something that makes some kind of thematic sense lol

this became about WAY more than your initial question… SORRY

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

XD @flurraz that's brilliant- clothing montage at the Carmine Compound!!!!

but it’s just Clara and Odette holding various weapons up next to Vaggie while their new adopted little sister scowls at her reflection and repeatedly says “NO” to the even more scowling reflection of their mom behind her

Vaggie: “Yeah no. I’m not wielding that.”

Clara: “It has spikes!”

Odette: “And hand protection.”

Clara: “And SPIKES.”

Vaggie: “Great, I could stab myself while swinging it around.”

Carmilla: “Only if you are terrible at it.”

Vaggie: (glaring) “Well I already know I’m not terrible with my spear, so I’m sticking with that.”

Carmilla: (Glowers) (goes back to pretending to check weapon schematics)

Odette: (ticks off failure on clipboard) “Sticking... or skewering?”

Vaggie: “Ha ha, very funny.”

Odette: (ticks off another point for herself on a little odette vs sisters score board)  

Clara: (rummaging in crate) “This isn’t funny and you guys shouldn’t be laughing.” (holds up new weapon) “Now THIS goes with your hair.”

Vaggie: “You’re kidding.”

Clara: “No kiddo, you’re kidding yourself if you think the long-ass shaft of a spear makes sense with a do that lovely and flowing.”

Vaggie: “What the fuck does that-”

Odette: “She’s right.” (makes new score board clara vs vaggie with one point to clara)

Clara: “No wonder you had trouble sparring with mom. Like, more that you would’ve had normally.”

Vaggie: “I haven’t been in a real fight in years okay!”

Carmilla: “It shows.”

Vaggie: “I’m. Working on it. I was one of that asshole’s best Exorcists once, I can-”

Carmilla: “Be better than that, hopefully.”

Vaggie: “Thanks.” (GLARES)

Clara: “All I’m saying is- no point fighting against yourself too, right? How hard did you have to focus to keep the stupid butt end from tangling in your hair?”

Vaggie: “I’m NOT cutting it.”

Clara: “Who’s asking?” (dangles weapon enticingly) “Look! Your new best friend!”

Vaggie: “A gun.”

Clara: “I know I know- you like sharp things and staby stuff, but look!”

Clara: (twirls gun dramatically)

Clara: “It has a knife on iiiiiit~”

Odette: “It would also not interfere with your hair.”

Vaggie: “I don’t know shit about guns.”

Clara: “What’s to know? Point and shoot. AND it’s got more reach than a spear! Which is good ‘cause you’re hair might be long, but the rest of you?” (rests elbow on vaggie’s shoulder) “Rest of you kinda comes up short.”

Vaggie: (grinding her teeth) “THANKS.”

Odette: (ticks another point for clara)

Clara: “Wait- You’ll take it!?”

Vaggie: “No.”

Odette: (ticks another failure) “Why not.”

Vaggie: "Oh wow I don't know maybe because-"

Vaggie: (ticks off reason on hand) “With a spear I have to choose every skewering I do and it’s a lot harder to miss and stick the wrong person. Even if I throw it it's only gonna go so far or through so many people. A bullet can go anywhere once it’s loose. If your aim is off by a centimeter that little thing goes wide. Maybe don't give the gun to the woman with a missing eye??? Definitely not when there are moving targets and things around she ISN'T supposed to shoot?"

Clara: "Oh riiiiight." (looks from gun to vaggie's eyepatch) "Huh."

Carmilla: (not looking up) "You were very accurate during our little play fight."

Odette: "I confirm. I've watched the security footage. I'm sure you could compensate."

Vaggie: "Well I'm not. I’m trying to protect my girlfriend and our friends and kill angels. I'm not not in this fight to ACCIDENTALLY kill someone.”

Carmilla: (smiles)

Clara: “Uh-huh. You like being close enough to catch all that blood splatter, don’t you.”

Vaggie: “…it’s just a perk.”

Carmilla: (smiles wider)

Clara: “Ew.”

Odette: “Impractical.” (adds ‘deranged’ to list of new sister’s traits, right under ‘gay’) “Mother, tell her she’s being weird.”

Carmilla: “I fight people with ballet, I’m afraid the toe of judgement I’m balanced upon is rather precarious.”

Vaggie: (SMIRKS) “Pretty badass though.”

Carmilla: “I know.”

Clara: “OH-!”

Clara: (disassembles gun) (chucks it) (claps hands) “I GOT IT!”

Vaggie: “What now.”

Odette: “Nothing good, statistically.”

Clara: “MOM! Mom- maybe she needs- You know!” (GRINNING EVILLY) “If the shoe fits….?”

Carmilla: “….Hmm.”

Vaggie: “What.”

Carmilla: (standing up and prowling around vaggie thoughtfully)

Vaggie: “…seriously, what?”

Carmilla: “Would you spin, please.”

Vaggie: (gracefully turns) “You know what I look like, miss Carmine.” (glares at clara) “There’s not much of me to look at anyway.”

Clara: “There’s enough, don’t worry~”

Vaggie: (rolls eye) “Wow. Such praise.”

Carmilla: “Can you stand on one leg without falling, or does the loss of your eye-”

Vaggie: “That’s more distance and depth and stuff.” (tucks one leg) “I’ve figured it out, kinda.”

Odette: “Yes? Constant assessment of changes in size and angle of objects?”

Vaggie: “You got it.”

Odette: “Seems rather strenuous for daily life.”

Clara: “Aww you get headaches or shit?”

Vaggie: “More like just tired. Keeping things in the same place when I can manage it helps a lot. Or it does when no one’s moving the lobby chairs around and then LEAVING them messed up like that anyway, for ME to clean up…”

Clara: “Or stumble into?”

Vaggie: “Whichever comes first.”

Clara: "Ow."

Odette: “So tidiness helps.”

Vaggie: “Yep.”

Odette: “Noted.” (notes it)

Carmilla: “Well you certainly are steady. Excellent posture.”

Carmilla: (leans in)

Vaggie: (leans back to maintain distance) (still on one leg)“Don’t forget confused and slowly losing patience, ma’am.”

Carmilla: “Mm? What? Oh sorry.” (leans back)

Carmilla: “You are a dancer, aren’t you.”

Odette: “...Oh no.”

Clara: “Oh YESSSSS.”

Vaggie: “Yes? Why the- why the fuck is she hiding behind her clip board-”

Odette: “I don’t want to relive my trauma.”

Clara: “I DO!”

Vaggie: “What the fuck does that have to do with me!?”

Clara: “Everything~”

Odette: “It’s about to be YOUR trauma.”

Vaggie: “What does THAT m-”

Clara: “Welcome to the family!”

Vaggie: “I- wh- why’re you making it sound like a THREAT!?”

Carmilla: “Our family is a threat. Now.” (taps heavenly steel ballet slippers together so they chime) “Can you stand en pointe?”

Vaggie: “….”

Vaggie: “….oh HELL no-”

Carmilla: “You already use your training as a dancer in battle. Weaponizing it fully is merely the next step.”

Clara: “Heheh. Step.”

Odette: (marks a point for mom)

Vaggie: “En pointe?” (clutching her spear) “THIS IS THE ONLY POINT I NEED!”

Carmilla: “Clara, fetch the practice slippers.”

Clara: (salutes) “Yes mom!”

Vaggie: “CLARA WAIT!”

Odette: “May mother have mercy on you.” (follows clara towards door)

Vaggie: “NO HEY- pendejo- WHY ARE YOU LEAVING TOO???”

Odette: “I will oversee the rest of the weapon loading. Also, I do not want to witness this, and am escaping.”

Carmilla: (sighs) “Dancing is a passion that is not always passed down from mother to child…”

Odette: “Not willingly anyway. Much like trauma.”

Clara: (out of sight) “I liked my trauma!”

Vaggie: “I’ve already got some, I don’t need more!”

Carmilla: “But you do not have your order of weapons yet. It will take half an hour to finish bringing out stock, checking each weapon for readiness, and crating them up again. Plenty of time for a little… assessment.”

Vaggie: (folds wings around herself) (backs away) “I’ve- dancing’s just a hobby, I’m, not even that good-”

Carmilla: “Your lies are terrible. Your form is perfect.”

Vaggie: “I’ve only danced for FUN!”

Carmilla: “And is not battle fun for you? The rush, the deadly interplay of partners you know so briefly and so intimately, to move in response and shape their own movements with yours?”

Vaggie: “…. I also like stabbing people!”

Carmilla: “Choreography for a spear. An interesting challenge.”

Vaggie: “Is this part of the deal for getting weapons from you, or-”

Carmilla: “Yes.”

Vaggie: “-en la madre…. fiiiiine.”

Carmilla: “You will submit to a small rehearsal?”

Vaggie: “Whatever.”

Carmilla: “Good. Now tuck those wings away.”

Vaggie: “Won’t I do better with-”

Carmilla: “You are more used to moving without them now, they're very nearly throwing off your balance. That, on top of your long hair, we do not have time to contend with.”

Vaggie: “But-”

Carmilla: “Fight without wings and keep them in reserve or cut your hair. Your choice.”

Vaggie: “…I guess.. keeping them as a surprise makes sense…”

Carmilla: “And you like having long hair, I know.”

Vaggie: “It’s whooshy.”

Carmilla: “Regardless, you will also at least be tying it back.”

Vaggie: (glowering) “Yes mom.”

Carmilla: “….”

Vaggie: “…”

Vaggie: “Ma’am I said ma’am.”

Carmilla: “I’m sure you did.” (turning away) (hiding smile) "Now. What always comes first?"

Vaggie: (sighing) (resigned) "Stretches..."

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for Jan behind the cut; "Superboys Switch". (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Maybe even the same age, he thinks, and then forces himself not to think about it.

( they’re less than a day old, and they look THIS old. how many years is that? how much of a childhood did they lose? how much– )

Jon forces himself not to think about it.

“I really don’t think not committing murder is being a stick in the mud,” he says, and the kid snorts and then floats up a couple feet into the air, half-tucking their feet under themself as they do. Jon–frowns, for a second. That looks . . . something about how they’re flying looks a little off, for some reason. Like–different from how it looks when Dad and Aunt Kara do it, and different from how it feels when he does it. 

Then again, the kid’s two seconds into flying, so it’s kind of ridiculous of him to assume they’d do it exactly right straight off the bat. 

“Being a stick in the mud is just, like, a vibe, dude,” the kid informs him matter-of-factly, then floats over towards Jay and peers over his shoulder at the screen, then immediately looks bored by whatever’s on it and looks around the lab instead. They still sound nothing like Jon would expect someone made in a lab to sound, and his gut twists a little. 

But also, whatever’s on that screen already made Damian suggest committing multiple murders, and the kid just looks bored about it, one way or the other, so . . . 

So Jon doesn’t know how he feels about that, exactly. A kid who doesn’t sound like they came from a lab and doesn’t act like they came from a lab, but also doesn’t seem even slightly concerned by whatever made Damian seriously consider committing murder again and did not make Jay dissuade him from said consideration. 

It definitely makes him want to get said kid the hell out of this miserable excuse for a basement, though. 

“Just–you guys figure out the theoretical arson, I’ll figure out what to do about the staff, alright?” he says, sighing again. He can probably toss them all in a transport vehicle or two and then just carry those straight to the police while Damian and Jay watch the kid, he figures. Which isn’t great for a “you should send these people to jail” thing, admittedly, so maybe he should actually call the League and see who’s available to help Jay strip the data for damning evidence while removing any damning DNA or anything like that. Or, like, whatever they need right now. 

“I still consider what to do about the staff a fairly simple equation,” Damian mutters under his breath as the kid turns upside-down in the air behind him and peers at the heavy hood of his cape and the sword slung across his back. It’s a sakabato–a reverse blade katana, he means–and the reason that Jon is under pain of kryptonite not allowed to tell Batman anything about anime, like . . . literally ever. It just looks like a normal katana visually, though, especially when it’s sheathed, so he’s not sure why the kid looks so puzzled about– 

“Why’s your sword sharpened on the wrong side?” the kid asks, frowning in bemusement, and Damian pauses. 

Jon pauses, because Damian’s sakabato sheath is lead-lined. Mostly so he has a quick supply of lead in emergencies these days and less because he doesn’t want Jon to know what’s in it, but it’s definitely still lead-lined. There’s no way the kid could’ve seen through it, so how . . . ? 

“It allows the weapon to be used nonlethally,” Damian replies, watching the kid with a neutral expression that screams “suspicion” on a Bat. “As well as making the decision to slay a foe a more deliberate choice, as the weapon must be wielded backwards to cut.” 

“Doesn’t that mean the sharp side’s always pointing towards you?” the kid says, wrinkling their nose. “And like, isn’t it way harder using it backwards, if you gotta?” 

“Yes,” Damian says. “That is the point. The weapon is a handicap meant to keep me from inflicting a mortal wound any way but deliberately, and also to make that wound harder to inflict even once I choose to.” 

“. . . that is so badass, oh my god,” the kid mutters under their breath. 

Jon is still concerned about how the kid found out about Damian’s sword being a sakabato, since if Cadmus had told him he’d think they’d have at least had theories for why it was a thing, but also is now significantly less optimistic about his chances of ending up the kid’s favorite. 

Yeah, he should’ve absolutely told Batman about anime when he was still young enough to get away with it being an “accidental” slip of the tongue and embarrassed Damian out of ever using the damn thing in the field. Like, ever.

[petrii-dish]

More Mira Pokémon! (starring guest Isabeau)

And I actually have my essay on why i chose each Pokémon this time. It's under the cut with some closeups. eeee

Okay! Essay time!! Pokédex entries are in red! Here I go!!

Mira's starter is her Ampharos! It spends most of the game as a Flaaffy, evolving into Ampharos when Mira beats the King (and mega-evolving when she beats him in Act 5) 

  Every single Pokédex entry for Ampharos highlights it acting "as a beacon for lost people" (Gold). This mirrors Mira's (ha) role as the Change God's 'chosen', the very existence of which serves to give hope to the people of Vaugarde that they are actually going to be saved from the King. 

Mira understands the need for a (fake) chosen, but can't really accept herself as being worthy of the role. Because of this, her Flaaffy doesn't evolve into Ampharos until she confronts and defeats the King as her role demands of her, in spite of her own feelings on it. 

Also, Dormont has sheep!! And Mareep and Flaaffy match Mira's silhouette (clouds...!) 

Eevee (Sylveon!!) is a Pokémon that I see Mira receiving when she enters the House of Change. I had a lot of ideas about what Pokémon might live in and around the House, or might be seen as symbols of Change, and Eevee is one that I think fits pretty well! (also Castform, Ditto and Vivillion! Maybe Togepi as well?) 

A lot of Sylveon's Pokédex entries balance it between being a soothing ("It sends a soothing aura from its ribbonlike feelers[…]" (X, Omega Ruby)) and empathetic (?) ("[…] this touch enables it to read its Trainer's feelings" (Ultra Moon)) Pokémon, while also being a pretty merciless and efficient attacker ("[…] its piercing moves aim straight for its opponents' weak spots." (Violet)). I think this mirrors Mira's (hehe) in-battle skill set pretty well, as well as the dichotomy (?) (big word? am I using that right?) between being both scissors and paper types.  

(Sylveon also uses it's ribbons to use piercing moves!! It's both scissors and paper! To me!) And. It has little bows on it.) 

Other Pokédex entries talk about "Sylveon vanquishing a dreadful dragon Pokémon" (Shield) "that are many times larger than itself" (Ultra Sun). And I don't know about you. But this reminds me of the King. For (Primal) Dialga reasons, but also because he's pretty dreadful tbh. 

Chingling is here because! Ding-ding! 

I don't really have many supporting Pokédex entries for Chingling. Just look at the little guy. Besides Mira liking things that go ding-ding when she walks ("Each time it hops, it makes a ringing sound[…]" (Pearl)), Chingling's rope also visually matches her own rope / belt.  

I wanted some of Mira's Pokémon to non-fully evolved. Non-fully evolved Pokémon aren’t necessarily young versions of their evolved counterparts, they're fully realised Pokémon with their own personalities and behaviours. Just because there is a capacity for change doesn't mean they need to! And well. The same applies to Mira, of course. 

Escavalier isn't here because I didn't want to draw it again (complicated...). But it's also on the team! Honestly, I added Escavalier because Mira's team so far was too cutesy and I wanted her to pack some real heat. Escavalier's her rapier! She needs a cool sword (lance)!! And no other weapon-like or wielding Pokémon fit the job description. Or had French names.  

(Escavalier's names are all a combination of escargot and cavalier! Mira's surname is literally Chevalier??) 

As a Pokémon, Escavalier isn't too notable for anything other than (being a pain to draw) how it evolved- by stealing Shelmet's hat. Originally I thought that Escavalier would start as a Karrablast that would evolve when the House was attacked by the King, which would need Mira to prepare to defeat him. But. He doesn’t have a Shelmet or an Accelgor. 

But! Escavalier is very brave! And Mira does so many brave things while unmedicated?? And, and, like Sylveon, it has an equal focus on defence and offense. ...Honestly, Escavalier is probably the weakest match for Mira on this team but I'm not going to change my mind. It's my Mira Pokémon team interpretation and I get to drive.

Ponyta's Pokédex entries all talk about how it starts out pretty weak ("Ponyta is very weak at birth. It can barely stand up.[…]" (Ruby / Sapphire)) but quickly grows stronger as it runs about- either with other Ponyta ("[…] As it races around with others of its kind, […]" (Sword)) or after its parent (read: mentor figure. read: euphrasie) ("[…] This Pokémon becomes stronger by stumbling and falling to keep up with its parent" (Ruby / Sapphire)).   

Mira's pre-game journey gives her the strength and allies she needs to confront the King, even as she compares herself to better options that don't exist. She kind of fails to see that she's become "a world-class jumper" saviour (Crystal).  

I chose the Galar Ponyta over the Kanto variant as it's a healer like Mira! ("It's small horn hides a healing power. […] any slight wound you have will be healed" (Sword)) And it's silhouette matches hers a lot better. 

And finally, Plusle! Plusle's here not only because I think Mira needs the support (PLEASE give her back her meds), but because Mira herself is the support (the heart) that glues together the party. Plusle is by design a team-player that performs better with the right allies, both through ability and move-set (I'm very sorry but no-one else has any Pokémon with the Minus ability. Big oversight tbh). And one of the very first things Mira did on her journey was try to get a helping hand with the defenders. 

I decided very early on that Mira needed to have a Pika-clone, and that this Pika-clone could not, in any circumstance, actually be Pikachu (or Pichu). Mira bears the unwelcome mantle of being the Change God's (fake) chosen, the main character, the leader (sorta?) of the saviours. She isn't comfortable fitting into the role but tries to force it anyway.  

(Every region there's a Pokémon that, if sometimes only superficially, resembles series mascot Pikachu (and often acts as an early-game replacement for Pikachu) that are unofficially dubbed Pika-clones. They're kind of made fun of a little bit, but I adore them.) 

I kind of considered trying to give Mira a Mimikyu or Morpeko (other Pika-clones tend to have more biology focused Pokédex entries rather than personality ones? Meaning most of their personality come from depictions in media, like with Dedenne. But that's just a hungry little guy)? But Plusle won out quite handily. And. Well. Some other cringe-fail losers got those two anyway. 

And that's my essay! I'm dedicating it to my 750 loops/act 2 Siffrin who I kept waking up to repeatedly check different dialogues and also the three people who said they might want to read this. Which honestly made my day?? And made me realise that it was a bit silly to be anxious about sharing this! When! The whole point is that it's for fun!!

(By the way, if you enter act 3 without ever reading the secret library book on shields the game just makes up that you did actually read it and continues as normal. And also the memory of fishing maxes out at +80 attack :/ ) 

[ineffable-suffering]

The Curious Incident of The Flaming Sword in Good Omens

Just like so many other Good Omens red herrings, hints and *Aziraphale voice* clues, the question of 'What the fuck ist the deal with Aziraphale's flaming sword' has been absolutely tormenting my mind ever since S1 dropped all those years ago.

And while many of my other questions about S2 (like 'What the fuck is the deal with the Eccles cakes' or 'Who the fuck made the Gabriel statue') remain unanswered and could, possibly, just not matter at all and I should just get the fuck over them– the unsolved case of Aziraphale's flaming sword in S1 has always seemed like a weirdly important blind spot to me.

So, in an attempt to finally solve this knot in my brain, I made a timeline for the bloody Flaming Sword because what else would I spend my Friday evening on. Here goes nothing, I thought:

Aziraphale gets issued the sword by Heaven to guard the Garden of Eden in 4004 BC, and gives it away to the humans.

God asks him about it right after they humans have left Eden, Aziraphale lies to her and before even finishing speaking, God just loggs off and doesn't seem to care anymore.

The sword seems to be lost for the next 6000 years to follow and, once again, no one really cares.

The first time we see it again is when the International Express Man delivers it to War in the present day.

The next time we see it after that, is when Pepper effectively kicks war in the shin, makes her drop the sword and proceeds to anihilate her with it.

Brian and Wensleydale do the same to Famine and Pollution.

Aziraphale then wields the sword once more, despite never having to really use it (but hey, it looks capital-B Badass).

Lastly, our Holy Delivery Guy then picks up the sword together with the other (now deceased?) Horsmen's artefacts and they once again vanish.

Needless to say, I found myself nothing the wiser after making this timeline. It seemed completely useless. I still had no idea why the sword even existed and why they kept making such a big fucking fuss about it all throughout Season 1. So, I decided to make another list, this time with all the random ass questions I had about this random ass sword:

Why was it issued to Aziraphale in the first place? Since when does an angel need a random flaming weapon to protect two (2) humans that are already being guarded by a hundred-meter-high wall, when he could very well just miracle away any and every threat to both himself and them?

Was he given the sword to defend himself against demons? If so, why would they give him a burning blade instead of, for example, a Supersoaker full of Holy Water? (Sure, I'm fairly certain Supersoakers hadn't been invented yet, but you catch my drift)

Is the sword actually burning with hellfire? If so, it would a) still be a pretty useless weapon against demons, but also b) possibly explain why Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale were able to kill or at least temporarily get rid of three of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (who, be they whatever they actually are, surely count as some sort of immortal entities just like angels and demons do)

Did the sword actually kill War, Pollution and Famine? After all, the World as we knew it did get reinstated by Adam again once they managed to stop Armageddon. Does that mean that the three Horsemen were revived again too? Unless Season 2 takes place in a war-less, pollution-less and famine-less world, they must have somehow made their return (or never really died in the first place)

Where. The Fuck. Is. The Sword. Now? And why does it bother me so much???????

Alas, just like so many other questions, these too seemed to remain unsolved. And since the fucking sword didn't make a comeback in S2, I guessed that it probably just wasn't more than ... well, a randomly flaming, randomly misplaced, randomly unexplained Flaming Sword.

Nothing more than a plot device.

Hmm, right. A ... plot device.

Hang on. (And that's when it finally hit me.)

It's a fucking plot device.

Most authors and consumers of media are familiar with the use of plot devices in story telling. However, I personally had only every seen characters be used as such, to merely bring an important point across or further underline or advance a story's or main character's development or plot.

It wasn't until I was about to simply give up because I couldn't see my way out of the seemingly unlimited sword-related questions anymore, that I realized: There are no answers to those questions. Just like there are no deeper meanings to any other plot devices. Their sole purpose it so shine some light onto another, more important thing, story or character.

And in this case, that character is Aziraphale. Or more so Aziraphale's choices and his relationship with and belief in God and Heaven. The Flaming Sword (or more so Aziraphale's giving-away of it) is the first way of showing us that Aziraphale:

doesn't always aka pretty much never obey God's will (even all the way back in The Beginning),

will lie to God about disobeying Her

and possibly, just like Crowley joked about, was the one who by trying to do a Good Thing, accidentally gave away something that would later somehow become a literal War weapon, lmao

It also tells us that:

God apparently doesn't always care or cast them out of Heaven when an angel actively disobeys and lies to Her. Or, for all we know, Aziraphale giving the sword away and not admitting to it was somehow part of Her Ineffable Plan anyway.

Heaven is apparently absolutely useless at keeping track of its very few ethereal belongings. That's what you get for outsourcing work, you capitalists.

Right at The End, the sword returns to its owner who had it right in The Beginning too: Aziraphale. And not just that: It actually ends up saving the humans. For the second time. First all the way back in Eden, when it was just Adam and Eve. And now, 6000 years later, at what would have been the end of the World. Very poetic, *wipes away tear*

So yeah, there you go. That's the big revelation I have come to. Would I have preferred to uncover yet another sneaky Gaimanian easter egg just so I could wave it in your face like some sort of a puzzle solved at a scavenger hunt?

Sure.

But hey, sometimes flaming sword plot devices are just that. And I'll make my peace (or War?) with it.

[maopll]

Hello! Welcome to Tumblr!

Could I request Malleus, Leona, Silver and Jamil with an s/o who's got the ability to create anything from nothing?

TWST BOYS WITH AN S/O WHO CAN CREATE ANYTHING !

a/n: its actually a really nice request I never thought our shrimpy would be a momo yaorozu kinnie

characters: malleus, jamil, leona, silver

warning: a wee bit suggestive ????

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦

Malleus Draconia

you didnt think that he would get to know about your special abilities like this. when you two were in the lab and people were running short of ingredients and you suddenly pulled out twice the amount of that ingredient necessary for the experiment

he was interested about your peculiar magic

how can a human's child be able to wield magic ?

you told him how this was something only your family had but you never used it and just started using it after coming to a place which uses magic

since you can create anything can you create gargoyles ?

no, of course you can't and you won't. ramshackle dorm was finally in a decent state, and you can't afford s gargoyle to trample your hard work in cleaning the place

the fact that this magic didn't even need any conditions to perform made it a very powerful and useful magic

you remembered malleus's request so maybe in the future when you two live together then you might try creating gargoyles in his castle

Jamil Viper

you can do WHAT

he was flabbergasted

he didn't think you would possess magic much less be able to create anything out of nothing

he was really interested and wanted to hear how you got it from so you told him everything dating from when your grandparents first got this as a blessing

he thought it was a really unique ability but didn't mind you being a little different than normal humans you were still you

will ask you to create many things and wait something struck him

is that how you were able to decorate your dorm within a day ???

Leona Kingscholar

he was like "oh wow so cool you have magi– no wait what"

he was half asleep and half awake when you finally came out that you have magic

Well, that's pretty cool cause his herbivore knows how to use magic so they will be the perfect match for him when he will rule

he was feeling interested so to keep him up why don't you try creating something right infront of him

okay you can create stuff from your hands, from your legs cool. wait what are you opening your shirt—

oh you can summon from your chest too. only big things got it

Well he had one hell of a show when you demonstrated him and he is definitely awake

it was a very interesting ability he must say

Silver

you two were cuddling in the middle of the night when you decided to tell him the secret you've been hiding

you told him. no reply

you shouted at him then he finally decided to say "I heard you the first time"

so like give an answer mister ??

he said its pretty cool bit can it summon weapons. ofc it does so now he is even invested because if you have something to protect yourself and others with you're invincible

now he asked a very genuine question after he remembered one of your favourite pastimes you had when you were a kid and that was pillow fortress

so can you summon a bunch of pillow ? so that you two can make a fortress ?

he asked very normaly but with the way your brain processed the request made you find it very cute

you guys spent the rest of the night inside the fortress

he was very chill about it actually

[austenwazright]

Yeah we don't know a lot but here's what we do know:

Sarcean and Anharion were into each other for a long time

Sarcean was an important member of the Sun Court

When in the parade he makes a snark commentary about how the Sun Court wins may be celebrated in the light but are all won in the dark (shady

Sarcean and the Lady had a one night stand

Sarcean and Visander also had a one night stand

The first time that Sarcean and the Lady met she's talking about the Dark General in third person but like let's be honest for a second here how many pale hot white guys with long dark heir in dark armour do you think there were walking around the Sun Palace?? Bet you she was playing dumb

When Sarcean was called back to the palace by the Lady there was mentions of a mob, I myself am very pro mob

In that same scene when she accuses him he says something like "is that what you were told?", well if that line doesn't make you believe that there's more to it I don't know what will

He wanted to be trapped and he's loyal to those who help him, but apparently his plan to getting out was being helped, bet he made it thinking anharion would be the one to do it

There's a collar that in theory takes alway anharion/james free will, even tho we were in his mind when it went on and it didn't go completely blank we have to assume it does something, what does it do??

Sarceans power is in theory control and death, and he used it the meanest way possible, or so we're told, but the Light did win and the winner always gets to write hystory so we don't actually know what's true and what isn't

He did kill everyone in the Sun Court but Visander and the Lady, even tho we don't know hes motive (I'm assuming he has one) it's still kinda drastic don't you think?

He can make weapons and use the mark but we never saw him wielding the shadows (he may be able, but also he may not be

Will has no acess to his power but he gets things done cause he's smart and charismatic, even tho they paint the dark king as someone who could only gets things done when controlling people I bet part of his powers came from those qualities as well, we've seen Will using the mark, it drains him, he couldn't possibly control everyone all the time

Sinclair presents the mark as a ceremony, as a reward, when it would be easier to just brand people by force what maybe tells us that it has to be willing

Anharion was the one to say "I will always find you" maybe the obsession goes both ways???? Besides james remember the feel of him and, as far as he let us know, it's not like bad

Now its just an hypothesis but sarcean may only be able to use his powers through objects (and yes I'm putting the reborns and the returners as objects to make a point sue me), that's the reason of the mark, and the cup, and the collar. I mean why make a fucking cup that turns people to shadow if you could just do it yk (here comes in the acceptance again, people have to be willing to drink), and like maybe, just maybe, the collar also allows james/anharion to use his magic (as in sarcean's) in a more weaponized way??? As in he can use it without draining himself, kinda borrowing it

We also know sarcean's fine as fuck, so far that has been very relevant to the plot since he fucked basically anyone of the old world we know by name

Something I keep forgetting is Will is Sarcean but hey Sarcean is also Will, and even tho we don't know a lot about the former we just spent two books in Will's head, that being said maybe Sarcean killed the whole Sun Court as some king of vengeance for someone he loved/was loyal too, that's like a super Will move

I'm gonna put this in bold letters here so no one forgets: SARCEAN IS WILL, WE'RE READING ABOUT THE SAME PERSON

"I cannot come when I'm called to fight so I'll birth a child"- or however that one goes it's been a while and I don't recor the exact words hahaha- why can't she come??? Like she can't or does she just doesn't want to?? I mean she's clearly able to send someone, she can make the returners, why not return herself??? I'm thinking that it's bad, maybe you lose part of yourself? I mean Visander didn't seen to loose anything (besides the obvious mental blow and all) so WHYYY can't she return??? The only reasonable explanation is that there's a bigger catch then we imagine

Sarcean canonicaly did no wrong, yeah, that's a big thing we know now!!!!! I just need context I just need all the context and I need it rn

More will be added

[level2janitor]

The Tactiquest Tank

Play tactiquest here!

one of the big things i wanted to do when laying out my design goals for tactiquest was have more nonmagic classes than magic ones, and because this is a combat game, that mostly meant a whole bunch of classes that are good at fighting in a way that doesn't involve magic.

which is kinda trickier than it sounds. there's a lot more ways to do magic than to whack people with swords, and every combat class has to serve a distinct purpose, otherwise you just wonder why it's there when we have the regular fighter already. they need to fill totally different gameplay and thematic roles.

one of the more obvious ones is the tank! almost every D&D-type game that has a Fighter class in it has this expectation that if you're the big heavy-armor guy, your job is to take hits for your more fragile allies. but there's a lot of variance in whether your class actually gives you built-in tools to tank - drawing attacks towards yourself, punishing enemies for attacking anyone but you, and stopping enemies from just running past you to attack your friends.

for Tactiquest, the regular fighter class does have a couple options for tanking, but they're not specialized in it - because there's a whole different class that fills that role instead, to such an extent it feels completely different to play.

the end result was the Vanguard:

tanking abilities: two big ones: allies next to you benefit from your armor if you're wearing any, and any time an ally near you is attacked you can run over and get hit instead (with a small action cost). other perks you can take help you impede ranged attacks, make it hard for enemies to get past you, help you get into melee, and make you more durable so you can better withstand all the hits you're tanking.

low damage: instead of specific weapon/armor proficiencies, you have "equip slots", which weapons and armor take up. the vanguard has many equip slots and could in theory wear very little armor to instead wield a huge weapon, but the class mechanics very much incentivize wearing armor because of your Protection ability spreading your armor benefits out to adjacent allies, which is wasted if you have no armor. that and the fact you'll be getting hit so often you really want some kind of armor.

i didn't want vanguards to go around dealing a ton of damage because that'd be stepping on the other weapon-users' toes too much. they're defensive first and foremost. so they get fewer damage abilities than those classes, and the damaging abilities they do have (like Violent Impact, Shield Smash and Punishing Strike) mostly reinforce their tank role.

no taunts: a common thread in certain tank classes is the "taunt", where you impose a condition on an enemy that forces them to run up and melee-attack you. they're usually criticized for being very "video-gamey" (as in they feel artificial and forced), because they usually are. i don't tend to like them and i think there's better ways to make tanks fun to play.

overall i'm really happy with how the class turned out and it's been really well received in testing. they feel very active even though their abilities are mostly passive or reactions, which is a good sign.

[typicalarkhamknight]

MK11 intros

warning: sexually implied, curse words, violence mentioned.

Doing a little Mortal kombat writing heheh.. also this is just fanfiction, not canon lol. You can drop Y/N ocs suggestions if you like!

character: Y/N is another Lin Kuei of the clan. Well, a samurai Lin Kuei. Before he were born, a Lin Kuei ninja married a female samurai from japan. The mother d!ed in childbirth, so the father used her katana as his own weapon, to serve Lin Kuei and to protect his son. When he fell in battle, the young Y/N inherited the blade. Kuai Liang raised Y/N as his own son, making him a better warrior fit to be the first Lin Kuei samurai in history. Y/N also has a deep connection with the katana, he always hears his mother's voice while wielding the blade. He has cryomancer abilties.. just not the same as everyone in his clan. Without his mother's katana, he can't do cryomancing abilities. When he does, the katana inherits cryomancing abilties, can be turned into a frost weapon much like Kuai Liang's frost sword in MKX. (He and Takeda also had a friendly rivalry. Like a resemblance of Sub-Zero vs Scorpion, but kombat kids).

PART 1.

CASSIE CAGE

Cassie Cage: I know you're useless without that magical sword of yours.

Y/N: (Smirked cockily) For me, it is quite the opposite.

Cassie Cage: Well run it, B*tch.

—

Y/N: Has anyone ever tell you you're a great leader?

Cassie Cage: (Chuckles) Well am I?

Y/N: No.

—

Cassie Cage: Aren't you the guy who's heart's supposed to be.. "cold"?

Y/N: Yet my heart burns when I see you.

Cassie Cage: Oh get a load of this guy..

—

Y/N: I seek Takeda Takahashi for a rematch with him.

Cassie Cage: Aw, couldn't you just spar with me instead?

Y/N: Later, woman.

—

Cassie Cage: Say hi to your mom for me!

Y/N: She says hi, mother. (The katana glows and makes a noise of appreciation)

Cassie Cage: Aw..

—

Y/N: You're father is getting a wrong idea of us, Cassandra.

Cassie Cage: Oh. Wait— so who are we, exactly?

Y/N: That's a question you must answer.

—

Y/N: Your mother told me about bob.

Cassie Cage: Ugh. First, tell her it's Dylan. And second, why do you care?

Y/N: I can treat you better..

JOHNNY CAGE

Johnny Cage: Are you sure you and Cassie aren't.. keeping a secret from us? (Raised brow and smirked)

Y/N: You've kept many of your porn tapes secret.

Johnny Cage: Ah. (nodded) Soooo.. does that mean you have a secret with her too?

—

Y/N: Look.. whatever you think it was, it's NOT what you think, Mr Cage.

Johnny Cage: You two are like Harry and Sally, brings a tear in my eye.

Y/N: ... Fucking cold winds of hell.

—

Johnny Cage: Marry Cassie and be hollywood royalty.

Y/N: I love the offer, but I don't need becoming "royalty" to prove I am the greatest.

Johnny Cage: Just trust me bro.

—

Y/N: Making new movies, Mr. Cage?

Johnny Cage: When I'm done with the sequel.. you, my friend, are V.I.P.

Y/N: That isn't so bad..

—

Johnny Cage: Y'know you remind me of Sonya. (Chuckles) you got her grumpiness.

Y/N: Is that good or bad..?

Johnny Cage: Well friend.. you tell me.

—

Y/N: Earthrealm's mightiest champion.

Johnny Cage: Mini-Blueberry ice.

Y/N: Another disgrace.

—

Johnny Cage: Tell your mom I said hi.

Y/N: He says hi, mother. (Katana glows a bit of energy, just not the same energy with Cassie)

Johnny Cage: Ah, she loves me.

SONYA BLADE

Sonya Blade: Johnny's having theories about you.

Y/N: And all of them aren't true.

Sonya Blade: I'll find out.

—

Y/N: You're the mother I never had.

Sonya Blade: I don't mind adopting a grown man.

Y/N: I know that meant "recruiting more young blood".

—

Sonya Blade: You fight your mother in your dreams?

Y/N: It is called "training".

Sonya Blade: Sounds like she and I are the same.

—

Y/N: You know, I have never felt so intimidated by a woman before..

Sonya Blade: Maybe because you haven't met one until now.

Y/N: A deservedly low blow, Mrs Blade.

—

Sonya Blade: You have potential of being a part of Special Forces.

Y/N: I belong to the Lin Kuei, they're my family.

Sonya Blade: Special Forces will be your family when you suck it up.

—

Y/N: Let me tell you, I've never had any mutual connections with your daughter.

Sonya Blade: She spends time with you more than she did with others, including her friends!

Y/N: To be fair, I AM far more superior than them.

—

Sonya Blade: Kuai Liang didn't teach you hard enough.

Y/N: What makes you think you're better than him?

Sonya Blade: Here's your first lesson, Y/N.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 109

Matt: "I-I am ... scared." Yup. Great start, guys.

Where we going with this, Sam? Oh! It's these guys again. Go off Liam and Tal! I love these skits. Even if Taliesin is practically just playing himself ... XD ... wow, Liam ... that's some GENUINELY crazy overacting you're doing there, mate ... a new companion? Wait ... yeah, that's right, Ashley and Laura ain't here ... oh yeah, that's the stuff. Perfect ... and GODS DAMN Ash, I like that look on you A LOT ... AND THAT LAUGH ... LOL ...

Yeah ... wow ... O.O

Matron dice with LITTLE GOLD THREADS in them? SWEET!!! O.O I want some ...

Zathuda's stretched fleshy face ... thanks for THAT reminder, Matthew ...

Okay, then ... morning ... have they been eaten by the dragon in the night? No ... he's just comfy, like a happy kitty ... awwwwwww ... :3

He's waking up ... okay ... is this gonna be interesting? Ooof ... well that's ... nice ... all right then, moment of truth? Awww ... oh, he likes her ... yeah, that's the stuff ... okay, then ... oh, a little keepsake? That's so cute ... :3 Does it have family? DOES it? Hmmmmm ... no, do not do the fake scaring it off thing ... that never ends well ...

"Go, spread your legs!" XD ... yeah, I had a feeling that was gonna come back tohaunt us, but not THAT soon ...

And he's OFF ... okay, then ...

Ashton (to Fearne): "Fuck, you're weird." (affectionate)

Nans Morri, creepy shit like always ...

Wow ... they really DID do the nasty ... Braius, you salty dawg ... and apparently they were VERY LOUD ... yeah, you've all got VERY DIRTY MINDS and you should all be ashemed ... XD

A tally of favours? Oh, why does that make me all kinds of nervous? O.O

Wait, Travis forgot to roll for Chetney's overnight survival? Is he about to die on the spot?

Oh yeah, the time dilation ...

Was that a Galaxy Quest Thermian joke, Marisha?

"A fickle bitch"? Wow, so Nana really ISN'T a fan of the Matron ... this should be interesting ...

Laudna likes rattails? Hmmm ... oh, Laudna REALLY likes rattails ... lovely ...

Birdy! Awww ... time for goodbye, then ... and Olly too ... really hope this isn't a BIG googbye ...

Yay! Hugs! Always good ...

The Sorrowlord's sword? Okay ... is this Orym's speed or maybe another Craven Edge style situation like the last one?

"Beer bongage"? Hmmmmm?

Oh, give it to Fearne? Yeah, that might work better ... or at least hold onto it in case somebody else might make use of it in the coming madness ...

Duskhunger ... wow ... and it LIGHTS UP WITH BLACK FLAMES?!!! Awesome ... O.O ... it's considered a "LEGENDARY FAE WEAPON"?!!! Oh yeah, no DEFINITELY hold onto THAT then, Fearne ...

Could Ashton wield it? Well THAT'S an interesting possibility ... well, we'll see ...

Ottohan's sword? Oh gods ... here we go, then ... definitely put THAT horrible shit on the "soul suck list" ...

I'm sorry .... HOW MANY times have you lost your wee halfling member, Orym? O.O

Chanting begins ... "EAT THE HARP!!! EAT THE HARP!!!" Dorian: "I yield to peer pressure IMMEDIATELY!!!"

So here we go, then ... Dorian is now going to ABSORB THE HARP ... this should be interesting ... goodbye Harp of Valour, then ... and this is a FIRST TIME interacting with the Harness for Dorian ... oh boy ... this is gonna be QUITE the crash course for the boy ...

A PERMANENT ADVANTAGE on Performance checks? Oh that is SWEET!!! The rest of it's very impressive too, but THAT is properly AWESOME for the Bard ...

Nana: "When all is said and done, I'd love to take a look at that." Braius: "At the Harness or Dorian?" Nana: "YESSSSS!!!"

Holy shit ... that is some FREAKY fucking power the Fatestitcher's got ... jump through, guys! Do it quick! Oh ... yeah, okay, wait for it to actually CLARIFY first, then ...

And Braius is up for maybe doing THAT again ... yeah ... O.O

Through the portal, then ... back to Vasselheim!

So ... things are TENSE in the city right now ... hmmmm ...

Off to the Duskmeadow, then ... okay ...

Marisha's overwhelmingly comprehensive notes ... I mean that could take A WHILE to find THAT particular piece of information ... Travis: "Your handwriting is UNREASONABLY legible." Marisha: "Really?" Travis: "Yeah. I can read it." Taliesin: "It's like a FONT."

Oooooh ... THIS lady looks pretty awesome ...

Well THIS is a seriously GOTHIC monolith of a temple, definitely ... sounds like JUST THE PLACE for their requirments ... The Raven's Crest ... cool ...

Dorian: "Seems a little on the nose ..."

Oh ... so they're already expected? That's ... maybe a little disconcerting ... O.O

What, so NOW you guys are trying to work out your plan? Isn't it a little LATE for that, now?

Wow ... you guys really don't know WHAT you're doing right now and IT REALLY SHOWS ...

Now THIS is more like it ... yeah, this is REALLY PRETTY ... I could get used to a place like THIS ...

Going UP then? Yeah, I agree with Imogen, that's a surprise.

Pate HAD TO make the place echo "DICK!!!" didn't he?

Laudna's nervous about how she looks ... that's actually ADORABLE ... XD

Marisha: "Saviour of the realm, can't knock on the door!" LOL

Yeah ... that is a BIG KNOCKER ...

A kaleidoscope? Oh, that is BEAUTIFUL ... O.O

Three figures? Oh, is it those old women again? Yup ... looks like it is ... and they REALLY ARE expected ...

Monocle of True Essence? Hmmmmm ... yeah, this place is SERIOUSLY powered up ... Arcana check? Hmmmm ... Dirty 20? Nice ... so this is all basically INTRINSICALLY integrated into the structure itself ...

Another big pool of blood? Whoa ... like back when Vex did his whole thing back in Campaign 1 ... that's ... great ... O.O

Laudna STRIPS OFF on the spot and just skips right over ... yeah, I mean what else did we expect?

Oh boy, this is gonna be interesting ... oh, it's COLD? Great ... So who's going in, then? Aside from Laudna?

Yeah, of course Imogen follows her ... Dorian casts Unending Breathe? Smart ... but maybe not really necessary ... Chetney's going in ... Hunter's Bane? Interesting ... this blood is CELESTIAL? Crazy shit ... and now he's BREATHING OUT as he goes down. As is Ashton ...

Okay, so looks like EVERYBODY'S going in, then ... although Orym is SERIOUSLY debating it ... awwww ... Braius is being supportive right now ... that's quite sweet ...

Orym CUTS HIS HAND and adds the blood to the pool? Blimey ... so they're going in too, then ...

Fearne's the last holdout? Hmmmm ... oh my gods she TASTES IT ... O.O ... Matt: "It's very bloody." NO SHIT!!!

So everybody's in, then ... now what?

Does this mean EVERYBODY has to drown in order to transition through this? To DIE a little? Wow ...

And then there's Dorian ... who doesn't NEED to breathe right now ... NOW what does he do? He lets go and breaks the spell ... oh fuck ... O.O

And now everybody's just DROWNING in this shit ... and NOW it warms up? Comforting? Familiar? Oh, that's unsettling ... and now finally they've touched down somewhere ... somewhere OUT of the blood now ... okay, then ...

A "spiderweb of gold"? Oh, yeah, we know what THAT is ...

It's feathers? Of course it is ...

Yup, here she is. The Matron of Ravens.

Time for a break? Yup ... that's about right ...

WHY are they here? Is this a test? Is she suspicious? What's up? Meanwhile Laudna seems unusually ... starstruck ...

Crap ... did she just drop the Arch Heart in the shit? O.O ... oh dear ... yeah, Laudna's just digging a hole for herself right now ... I have NO IDEA where this is gonna go, but I don't think ANY way is GOOD ...

The "natural arrogance of mortal life"? Hmmmm ... okay, so ... it sounds like she's NOT ACTUALLY INTERESTED in helping them ... is she panning on just LETTING THIS HAPPEN?

Hey now ... chill out, Ash ... and Fearne, too! Come on guys, don't antagonise the SUPREMELY SCARY GODDESS OF DEATH!!! O.O

Ashton: "Don't think I don't know how small I am." The Matron: "Very." Ashton: "You're not the first to remind me."

Invoking Liliana? Hmmmm ... now Opal? Oh man ... and she looks SO BAD ... O.O ... and this is THE FIRST TIME Fearne or Orym have seen her like this ... ouch ...

Vespin Chloras? Oof ...

Prove themselves worthy? HOW?!!! How could ANYONE truly prove something like that?

Imogen gives it a go anyway ... bigging everybody up ... once again, she proves that if ANYBODY could really be considered their leader it's HER ... more so because I really don't think she wants it AT ALL ...

The Matron: "And what of you?" Imogen: "Me? I have a storm inside of me, and I can't wait to let it out."

The vision of Opal ATTACKS Fearne as she approaches it? Fuck ... and it HURTS ... O.O

ROLL INITIATIVE?!!! WHAT?!!!

Matt LEAVES THE TABLE ... oh, a Battlemap ... great ... and it is FUCKING WEIRD and all kinds of abstract ... that is a TRIPPY setup ...

Braius is up first, then ... and he goes for Liliana ... taking a swing with Poison Pen ... yeah, she just floats away and his misses ... oh, that one hits, though ... with Divine Smite at Level 2? Oof ... and SHINING Smite? Wow ... that's new ... sounds like this is gonna be A LOT of dice ... IT IS!!! 39 points of damage, and attack rolls against her have advantage for an entire minute? Cool ...

Dorian is OFFENDED so he just goes straight for Opal ... attacks with his father's sword ... only 8 points of damage, but 11 on a second, then arms his Lute, with the little blade ... and POKES her ... another 5 points? Okay, then ... and she doesn't respond AT ALL ... that's unsettling ...

Laudna Banes ALL THREE OF THEM ... O.O ... wow ... then she heads toward the Thread of Fate ... interesting ...

Liliana floats up, giving Braius an attack of opportunity, only for her to Shield and foil him ... then she dumps a ton of purple lightning on EVERYBODY!!! Ouch ... and now they're all IN THE AIR!!! Not good ... O.O ... so only Orym and Chetney are still on the ground ... crap!

Opal's going for Chetney, then ... Hexblade's Curse? And she CRITS it ... 12 and then 16 points of Piercing damage ... ow!

Chetney WOLFS OUT and starts swiping at her with his claws ... two just miss, and the third is just DEFLECTED by her magical armour ... WOW!!! She just OWNED his arse there ...

Orym Hexes Opal before trying to disarm her ... oh nice, he is ON IT right now ... one knife gone, plus 22 points of damage ... second one gone too ... Goading attack now ... 22 points ... and NOW SHE'S A HORRIFIC SPIDER CREATURE ... gods, that's just LOVELY ...

Fearne bamfs Mister out, then casts Aura of Life on herself ...

Vespin Chloras casts Time Stop? HOLY FUCK!!! That's not good AT ALL!!! I saw what that shit did in Honour Among Thieves! And now there's THREE OF HIM?!!! Great ... Con saves across the board, then ... that's a FUCKTON of Necrotic damage, thank fuck for Fearne's quick thinking ...

Ashton Rages just to see what happens ... yeah, he's too high up for much of any effect ... but he COULD hit Liliana ... he holds his actin to coordinate with Imogen ...

... who casts Fly on herself, then turns herself INTO LIGHTNING before floating down towards her mother ... before blasting Vespin? Hmmmm ... interesting choice ... he fails his save, so that's 4 D8 of Lightning damange! 23 points! POW!!!

Meanwhile Ashton chucks his hammer through a portal to materialise just in front of Liliana ... AND IT HITS!!! She's still Shielded, though ... crap ... so it just passes through another portal and THIS TIME it hits her! Okay ... 22 points of damage! Which breaks her concentration and EVERYBODY DROPS!!!

Laudna casts Featherfall on everybody to prevent them from being PUMMELLED when they hit the ground ... phew! Meanwhile Dorian grabs hold of her as he drops, pulling her down but not all the way so now he's still 30 feet in the air ...

Braius charges Opal, pulls an Ensnaring Strike on her with his black balls ... plus a Divine Smite ... 21 points of damage, and now she is comprehensively RESTRAINED!!! He batters her again, with another Divine Smite, inflicting a further 45 points of damage! Holy shit!

Dorian give Imogen Bardic Inspiration, then casts Thunderwave on Liliana ... she's battered down towards the ground, while he flies as close to Imogen as he safely can in her present form ...

Laudna summons her Hound of Ill Omen and sends it towards Chloras ... then she chucks a blazing purple Fireball at his face ... BOOM!!! That's 36 points of damage! Ouch! Then she tells her dog to "Sic him!" and the phantom pooch starts to maul him for 13 more points of piercing damage!

Liliana Psychic Lances Dorian, and he fails his save ... but Imogen succeeds hers ... 36 pointsd of Psychic damage? OH MY GODS it's a miracle his head doesn't explode in mid air ... O.O ...

Opal rematerialises her blades? Are you kidding me? Now she tries to attack Chetney, but he's still entangling her, and she's slowed from the poison of Braius' barbs ... almost none of it hits until she finally CRITS at the last ... 8 points of piercing damage thanks to his wolf form soaking most of it up ... and now she seems to be snapping out of her trance? WHAT?!!!

Chetney Inflicts Wounds on her ... that's 19 points of Necrotic damage! Opal is SERIOUSLY MESSED UP right now ...

Orym flanks Opal and attacks, dealing another 14 points ... and that's it! HDYWTDT!!! Laura: "You punched the highlights out of her hair!" The corpse starts to sink before RED HANDS reach up to drag it down into the blood pool ... O.O ... that's just UNSETTLING ... then Orym Misty Steps up to Chloras and BARELY CATCHES HIMSELF before dropping into a TERRIFYING BOTTOMLESS DROP directly under him that nobody saw ... Goading Attack! 17 points of damage and he TANKS his wisdom save, which is SWEET!!! Next hit is another 12 points, and he is now looking REALLY FUCKED UP.

Fearne Flame Strikes Chloras at 4th Level, hitting him with 17 points ot Fire damage together with 16 points of Radiant, the latter of which is a good deal MORE effective ... then Mister chucks flaming shit at him, but misses ... nuts!

Chloras blasts a bolt of black Lightning at Chetney and Braius ... that's A LOT of dice ... O.O ... 51 points of Lightning damage, but thanks to Braius' proximity Chet only takes HALF ... then he flicks an ember at Laudna, inflicting 40 points of Radiant damage? OUCH!!!

Ashton goes to greytone as he continues to Rage and CHARGES Chloras ... barely catching himself to avoid dropping into the pit too ...

Imogen blasts her mother with a Lightning bolt ... only for her to make her save, meaning she only takes half of 22 damage ... meanwhile Imogen pulls some fancy flying to avoid getting into range of a response ... then she quickens a spell to blast a 7th Level bolt at Chloras ... oh boy ... he FAILS his save, so it's FULL FORCE ... that's A LOT of dice, Laura ... 43 points of Lightning damage, and he is now SERIOUSLY CRISPY ...

Braius rushes for Chloras, using Misty Step to get into melee, taking a swing with his balls ... Divine Smite means it's 34 points of damage on the first, the second is a duplicate, but that's DESTROYED ...

Dorian's just spinning vaguely in the air because his head is still FUCKED ... ow ... so he just drifts into one of the Threads of Fate ... and it SHOCKS HIM WITH MEMORY?!!! Intriguing ... oh my gods is that an Opal infodump? O.O Fascinating!

Laudna assumes her Form of Dread, this time mirroring the Matron as she looks up at her visage and addresses her directly ... casting Spirit of Death in the form of a mirror? Whoa ... what even IS THIS right now? Can this even DO ANYTHING?!!!

ALL THE THREADS shudder at once ... whoa ... O.O

That makes her drop her Bane, but she sends the Spirit to attack Chloras, slashing at him with a reapiing scythe ... ooooooooooh ... O.O ... 10 points of Necrotic damage! Finally the Hound mauls him again, but doesn't inflict any real damage ...

Liliana tries to reason with Imogen ... "Do you trust me?" Oh hell, Imogen ... DO NOT believe this is real ... Power Word Stun? SHIT!!! Yeah, now Imogen is OUT OF IT for the rest of the turn ...

Chetney slashes as Chloras, inflicting 20 points of slashing damage on him, and that's the HDYWTDT!!! Yeah, Chet just OPENS HIM, finishing him with a witty burn ...

Orym Hexes Liliana, runs up towards her and jumps up to try and close some range, using Seedling to whip at her with Windblade ... Goading attack! 25 points of damage! Second hit is fouled by a Shield, but he gets a Nat20 on the next, another Goading attack, with 34 points of damage this time. And THIS ONE finishes her? Wow ... that's it, then ... fight's done ...

Suddenly the Matron's there with them again ... okay ... maybe they've won her respect now?

Oh shit yeah, I'm right, that WAS a test ...

Holy shit, she really IS in league with the Arch Heart! O.O Does this make her a threat? An ally? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!!!

SHE'S TAKING HER MASK OFF?!!! O.O

The Matron: "Welcome to the conundrum."

Oh! Vax! Great Matt, just rip our hearts out why don't you ...

So ... does she REALLY just want to be put out of her own misery right now? Does she really just want to DIE?

There's a cetain sense in what she's saying but it still feels awful nihilistic ...

Okay ... it sounds like maybe she's seeking someone to take her place, to succeed her in the workso she can just obtain this "peace" she speaks of, which her predecessor achieved ...

Oh yeah, give us info, Matron ... spill on Predathos, anything you can tell us about that thing would be really helpful ...

Why am I starting to feel like she might be looking at Laudna as a possible heir? Maybe it's just me, but ... I mean, she WOULD be a perfect choice for this. The more she speaks about herself, the more it feels like they're somewhat alike ...

Ooooooooh ... yeah, a boon from the Matron, that would be helpful too ... wait ... is she offering up HER MASK?!!! O.O Wait, she's giving it to BRAIUS? That's interesting ...

"At the right time, someone will wear it and call ..." Hmmm ...

Good point! What DOES happen to Vax if she's destroyed? This is REALLY IMPORTANT to our sanity, Matthew!

Dorian: "When was the last time you were suprised?" Yeah, OF COURSE it's Vax again ...

Orym: "Do you ever miss your mortality?" The Matron: "Every moment." Oof ...

Destroying the Malleus Key would free Vax? Yeah, I figured something like that would do it ... a Luxon? There's a Luxon powering that thing? Of fucking course there is ...

Oh NOW she's addressing Laudna's ... unique condition? Interesting ... a SILVER thread? Oh, that's interesting ... the thread CONNECTS HER TO IMOGEN?!!! Shut up! And the rest of them too? Okay, then ...

Does this SERIOUSLY mean that Laudna could COME BACK TO LIFE if they actually succeed in this? The Matron: "Anything's possible." AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! I swear, the internet is gonna EXPLODE after THIS ONE ...

And that's it, then ... just like that she's giving them the boot ... back through that unpleasantness ... and they're back in the temple again ...

Yeah, they're all just a load of gory messes right now ...

And THAT'S IT ... yeah, about right.

I swear, I used O.O A HELL OF A LOT this session ... that was VERY MUCH how I was feeling the whole time, I swear to the gods ... that was an EXHAUSTING episode ...

[arx-aru]

look i don't care i refuse to buy that Malenia's second phase is "the rot god" and not her. it's totally still her. and i think there's more than sufficient textual evidence to make that case

1: Most importantly, the wings: other rot creatures, barring her knights(resolutely sworn to her), don't have them--and wings are referenced again and again as her thing. Her having wings upon apotheosis can't read as anything besides Malenia. The game flat-out says "wings symbolize Malenia." If the Goddess of Rot isn't her, then her most prominent feature upon achieving apotheosis should not be wings; rather, if she were overtaken by a "rot god," she would have the (hypothesized)scorpion features to match. But she doesn't.

2: The Scorpion Stinger does not say that there's a pre-existing rot god. It only says that there is a sealed outer god in the shape of a scorpion, the stinger of which is "glistening with scarlet rot." It does not say that said god is the god of scarlet rot--just that a dagger fashioned from it has scarlet rot on it. There's not even any reason to believe scarlet rot was the original "venom" of the thing, nor that the dagger still functions like a stinger(how would it?).

3: Literally just her presentation. If the second phase is her having given in, then why would she strike a heroic pose? Why would the game present her like that? Surely, if she were "defeated" and "overcome," her body language would reflect that. We can contrast this transformation with the second phase of Morgott, Radagon, or Godfrey--the game is deliberately portraying her second phase differently from others. It is more likely, in fact, that the presentation is heroic because it is meant to be. Her apotheosis, defending the Haligtree, is a moment of triumph.

this isn't what defeat looks like.

4: Cleaning up a few glaring counterarguments:

Her dialogue in the second phase is actively malicious as opposed to the first phase's calm and composed reiteration of her identity as seen by others? Yes, she's mean during her second phase because you forced her to sacrifice the humanity she valued. Because you invaded her home, killed her people, and--if you defeat her--rob her corpse to the point of collecting her very body parts to use and wield as weapons. You even take her hair. Of course she's acting "unhinged," the game forces you to be the bad guy if you play through the Haligtree content, and a very very twisted one at that.

Her followers that view her as the Goddess of Rot as opposed to the Blade of Miquella are presented as creepy and gross? The key is that they're presented this way on the surface; in reality, they are no different from followers of other religions in the Lands Between. Prayers and tithes are par for the course. The Servants of Rot literally baptize themselves--so what if they in so doing choose to grow rot on their bodies? That's their choice.

The theming is weird? Definitely! The scarlet rot is decidedly messy to analyze on a Doylist level because it serves as metaphor for many different concepts. Usually, it's disability--and so it is certainly easy to view the Goddess of Rot as Malenia having given in to the apathy that comes with disability... but it can also be interpreted as her accepting something of an identity in her disability and struggles. As her being okay with being differently abled and choosing to take on a world that'll view her as grotesque in spite of it.

Also, the scarlet rot at times isn't used to refer to disability--often it serves to strip away the pleasant fantasy veneer of the setting's other parties--it is a deliberately visually grotesque presentation of the standard of the Lands Between. Her apotheosis in that figurative lens, then, is her overcoming her bias to accept an identity she was groomed to loathe (as it violates Marika's worldview). But yeah it's muddy, on a Doylist level. I still believe it's an equally correct Watsonian interpretation, though, and that it can have valid and positive readings.

The Outer God plotlines would make this reading too easy? I choose not to care about this. She had an offscreen anime metaphorical battle in her head with the mean outer gods and beat them with lasers and the power of love and miquella on her side. there's no reason to think Marika's inability to overcome the outer gods is indicative of it being impossible. Ranni's questline proves this, and her master plan was so disrespectful to the outer gods' presumed power level and intelligence that u have to love it

in conclusion: rot me mommy

anyway. curious what others think. i probably missed plenty of stuff

[the-forests-blessing]

Chapter 4

Lukas was woken far too early in the morning with an oncoming chill. The world around him was still dark as dawn was still a few hours away, yet he found himself restless and the prospect of sleep beyond him.

     Turning on the bedside lamp, he rises from his bed with a horrid ache in his knees, pulling the large king size duvet along with him and wrapping it around his shoulders as he approaches the windows to look out upon Beacon’s dark, wet territory once more. Of course. More rain. Lukas looks out past the windows, facing the reflection of his exhaustion against the glassy, rained upon surface. After last night, he’s been left with nothing but a stuffy nose, a painful cough, as well as the many swarming memories from the evening prior, circulating like phantoms within his mind that made it incredibly hard to sleep during the night.

    When his thoughts did eventually settle, he finally found the ability to take a break from pondering the memories of his strange encounter in the forest, shifting focus to the group of people who Dewey found to come and rescue him. Lousy rescue party; by no means Dewey’s fault of course. But seriously, the first guy he saw got in his face and yelled at him! …Although that does seem on par with most of what BeaconTown has going on. Lukas glares outside thinking about him. Is BeaconTown purposefully raising its citizens to be venomous? To snarl and bite at those with such sharp words in an effort to be, what, intimidating? To be so hostile and unfriendly to those unfamiliar and new to this strange city. When was it instilled that being ignorant to one's surroundings is a crime?

     Lukas never expected to land himself free falling into a pitfall. He never went into the forest with the intention of having to be escorted out of it, caked in mud, drenched in filthy rain water like some sort of escaped convict. At least that Jack fellow showed a crumb of sympathy towards him. Alas, even that small hint of understanding was shattered when the bearded man growled a warning not to trespass into the forest again. Since when has a forest been private property? For authorized personnel only? What kind of asinine rule is that? It’s just another one of BeaconTown’s ‘features’ that Lukas can only scoff and shake his head at. 

     There was one thing that stood out to him as he walked amongst the group of heavily armed strangers. Too tired to dwell on the thoughts the night before, he finds himself now compelled to linger on them, shifting through the files of his mind until he’s finding two and sticking them together. The gear those people wore. The arrow baskets, as well as the scabbards at their hips. These were the same people that had been dining at the café the day he made it into town. And what Jack said last night supported this assumption, because they were once again found at the coffee shop, the place where the scruffy man admitted to having his daily cup of tea at. 

     Lukas is confident with his presumption. The people Dewey retrieved for him yesterday must be the hunters Radar warned him about. There’s no doubt in his mind. 

     This group wore a fairly different selection of armor as compared to what the town’s guards wore. The guards were decked out in full iron armor. Within the shadows of the forest, drenched in rain, and his vision skewered by exhaustion, he didn’t get a full clear view of what the hunter's wore, only the weapons they wielded. Are the hunters the “authorized personnel” that the signs grant access to to venture into these woods? If so, then why? 

     What’s keeping townspeople from entering the forest?

     Lukas stares upon the tree line once again, finding it to officially be one of his new daily rituals. He wonders… if it’s that thing he saw yesterday. Or well, barely saw. He only got a glimpse of it before it used its magic to toss Lukas off to the safety of a moss patch before vanishing completely. The Allay too. The precious little thing disappeared before Lukas even had the chance to utter out a thank you to them both for saving him. 

     The author closes his eyes, drawing in a deep, stuffy breath. In his mind, he envisions it. The hole and all of the packed, slippery, and inescapable dirt which kept him stuck. The Allay itself looked unreal to him as it descended down like an angel from the Aether, coming to whisk him away from an early grave. Lukas has searched the world for one of these creatures. Even almost got himself into some trouble with a group of pillagers, just to try and sneak a peek at what they were holding captive at their outpost. He’s read that the Allay is a creature heavily sought out amongst magic users and that Pillager’s have over harvested them to power up their fellow Evoker’s by converting them into devilish little Vexes. The spirit itself being a being of pure magic, tales of their numbers declining over decades as they were trapped and tethered to those who wished to harness their magic for evil.  

     The creatures are critically endangered, so much so that when Lukas saw this one, a free one, he felt a glimmer of hope shine inside him as bright and positively blue as the Allay itself. It seemed so shy, yet so friendly too. Lukas’ heart yearns to learn more about it and what its life in the forest must be like. What’s keeping it protected whilst a world of power hungry poachers and magic stealers want nothing more than to snuff it out of existence. 

     How is it able to live so freely? Was that creature, the one it brought to aid in Lukas’ escape from the hole, a friend of the Allay’s? Perhaps an owner? Lukas isn’t quite sure on the matter. He’s not even confident that that big, shadowy shape was human. He’s never seen eyes glow anything like that before, making him antsy to learn of the entity’s purpose. 

     Maybe… Maybe he’ll return to that part of the forest. Even though it took awhile for the Allay to arrive, it came to the sound of Lukas’ desperate calls for help. Gosh, what would he even do when he gets to that point? He wonders how long the allay would sit still for questions. Clearly the little creature understood his words, or else he feels he may have had to suffer an excruciatingly embarrassing rescue from the search party. Creators, how Lukas would have hated that. He shakes his head, tossing out the thought as he turns away from the window.

     Well, there’s no doubt in his mind now. He is destined to stay in BeaconTown for what the forest has to offer, and for the mystery’s he’s fated to solve. He’s never been one to play detective, but after his years spent with the Rangers, training himself up to take on his profession in biomes studies within a world of monsters, hidden temples, strongholds, the Nether as well as the End… Well, there’s bound to be a mystery to encounter and answers to discover. 

     For today though, Lukas thinks he’s just going to stay in bed and replenish the hearts he may have lost during yesterday's harrowing escapade. Maybe then tomorrow, he can wake up early and tackle the new day headfirst; starting with the forest.

     The morning sun breaches the far off distant hills of the horizon, bathing the author's room in early morning light. The warmth tickles his face, easing him to awake fully and embrace the new day. A day without rain and, from the looks of it, not a single cloud in the sky! With such an early morning brings the cloudy fog descending upon the landscape instead. As he wipes the sleep from his eyes, he's able to see just tips of the mighty pines that await him as they still slumber under their foggy blanket. Lukas couldn't be more enthusiastic for a new day. He rushes through his room, shoving his pants on and tugging his sweater down, then his jacket following suit. He decides that perhaps it would be better to approach the forest and its residents with a formal, familiar outfit rather than making his second appearance in something as eye-catching as his adventure fit. After going through the wash and drying process yesterday, his clothes are fresh and clean like new! Except for the stray Dewey hairs that attempt to cling to him in secret. 

     “You stay here today, okay?” Lukas points a stern finger at Dewey, the ocelot hunched low and most definitely irritable with the way he thrashes his tail. “I’m sorry, but it’s for your own good. There’s no telling what I may encounter out there, but one thing is for sure-” He approaches the ocelot now, kneeling down and gives Dewey a soft affectionate scratch beneath his chin. “I promise I will watch my step. I’m not going to get myself trapped like that again. So embarrassing…”

     Wandering out the back door of BeacInn, Lukas is sure to look left and right for anyone before stepping out and quickly making his way to the gap in the wall. Before stepping through the wide opening, he casts his gaze further down the dark alley, noticing smaller blocks of wall missing the further it goes down. Not a lot of people must come back here, he imagines, or else these holes would have probably been patched up by now. …I wonder if those hunters are aware of this. Lukas’ brows knit at the thought. Always watching. Lukas does another look around, this time really taking in the surroundings of this secluded back alley, searching for any dark corners that could be harboring nosy hunters. 

     Coast looks clear. Lukas lingers no longer, quickly hopping down the hole and escaping into the grass. He’s quite pleased with himself as he makes his way across the foggy grass field. He’s got his own secret passage to leave and enter through, keeping his presence in town even more on the down low with him not having to exit through the main gates. Those guards would probably make each day absolutely insufferable with their snarky attitudes. That, and he’s got a feeling gossip isn’t a foreign subject here in BeaconTown. Someone would definitely mention his return to the forest to one of those hunters. 

     Thankfully, it’s not one of Lukas’ main concerns as of now. Instead, he continues walking through the dew coated grass stalks until he pauses as he reaches the desolate tree line. His eyes descend from the fog covered tops, wandering lower and lower until he's gazing upon those again. Hands on his hips, he takes a long, scrutinizing look at the same warning signs before glancing up and down the tree line to find that these things are plastered quite literally all over the place! How obnoxious. All these signs speak of danger, and yet the only present danger Lukas is aware of in these woods is the traps the sign posters themselves laid out. Lukas rolls his eyes and steps forward, doing his best to trespass as much as he pleases.

     Just the same as before, the forest brings music to his ears with the life that thrives within its coniferous sanctuary. Birds chirp freely, the different sounds of their twitters perking Lukas’ own ocelot ears with interest, yet he relents. He’s driven with determination, fueled with inspiration as he quickly navigates through the woodland once more. His internal compass proves just as reliable as ever, because he’s pursuing the same path from before. What once took him nearly thirty minutes to get to with all that stopping and note taking, now takes him ten at most.

     When he reaches it, Lukas walks up the downed tree with ease, arms out to uphold his balance and keeping a firm eye on where his footing lands against the twisted bark. At the end, he hops off and takes a look back at the path he came from. From atop this slope, he can see down into the first forest layer, looking upon the tops of the bushes and ferns, even seeing the widespread expanse of some ivy coating the forest floor, all with plenty of moss to go around. So green… so lush… “So peaceful,” Lukas breathes with admiration. 

     “Too bad no ones allowed in to appreciate it…” He mutters as he turns away. It’s a real tragedy that something as beautiful as this ancient woodland is forbidden from entering. The trees here didn’t spend hundreds of years growing and witnessing the world change around it just for it to be outcasted and put ‘off limits’. It looks so lonely whenever he gazes upon the tree line from his window, even knowing the plants and animals are flourishing, that it’s something that humanity should be able to love and appreciate inside and out. 

     He casts his gaze upwards, smiling softly at the sunbeams that spill in through the dense branches, blanketing the evergreens in an elegant glow. It almost looks as though the light filtering through the trees is guiding him deeper. Despite how horribly his first time in the forest went, he feels confident now more than ever to truly take on what this lonely woodland has to offer. The day is young and his spirits are high. He has plenty of time to look for that allay and its shadowed friend. 

     Lukas continues to make his way deeper in. Even though the fog at the beginning of his makeshift trail has lifted slightly, he finds himself approaching another dense fog layer that piques all of his interests. He quickly checks his watch, noting the time he’s spent so far. Without distractions taking up his time, it took him approximately thirty-four minutes to arrive at the next layer of the forest, this being the layer where it happened. 

     Lukas’ expression strengthens with determination. He grasps his satchels strap, giving it a quick adjustment before as he draws in a deep, motivating breath. Teal eyes flash, confronting the new forest layer with newfound resilience. He is not going to fail this time. Whatever comes next, he can handle it. 

     Lukas enters the fog with not a single look back. 

     The forest surrounding him has since darkened back into something that resembles the woods at nightfall. Lukas looks back behind him and, incredibly, notices that the dense fog layer has returned to the forest behind him. His blond brows furrow, his mind spawning all sorts of questions no amount of his own ecological experience could answer. In an effort to test the waters, he walks back through the fog, passing through the low hanging cloud and again, once on the other side, all is normal; With its bright cloudless sky and the lavish colors of forest green. Lukas blinks with amazement. “It’s like… It's almost like a portal.” He says before turning and rushing back into the fog, returning to the dark side once more. 

     “ Amazing… but how is this possible?” Lukas mutters against his drawn up finger. He’s never really understood the magical workings of portals. How Nether portal’s work is completely out of his network of knowledge, but it would make for a fine study session some day. Especially now more than ever, his curiosity regarding the portal subject has peaked! It feels like he’s entered a new world! How he completely missed this the first time is beyond him. 

     Lukas looks upon the trail ahead. Well, not exactly a trail, but he’s going to be using it as one from this point forward. Leaving the foggy rift behind, Lukas treads down the now much darkened path. The forest floor here stays grassy and full of plant life just as the previous trail did except the lush green has transformed into something like dark nightly blue. Lukas’ heart races with exhilaration taking it all in. His wandering gaze shifts from the shadowy silhouettes of the surrounding trees, up to the sky where he expects to see bright orange light filtering through the branches, except only now, that blue fog snuffs the most of the sun’s power, making the most of the light that wanders in through the trees more of this blue eerie glow. 

     Lukas… hardly knows where to begin with all of this. His mind leading up to this point was swarmed by the allays presence, and yet he finds himself void of all thoughts regarding the mystical fairy creature. Lukas finds a nice spot to kneel beside a massive conifer, reaching forward to gently cusp the leaves of a bush. The leaves are ovoid in shape with the tip being the pointy. The veins of the plant shimmer with this incredible luminescent blue glow that steals Lukas’ breath away. He tilts the leaf, watching the glow shift with his movements. “This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” he utters breathlessly. 

     He stands now, turning and really taking in his nightly blue surroundings. “How does something as incredible as this exist with absolutely zero documentation?” He says out loud for no one to hear, let alone answer. For the first time in his life, Lukas is in complete awe. And, at a complete and total loss of what surrounds him, he’s got absolutely no idea where to even begin his research! For now, Lukas kneels back down, grasps a single leaf stalk with one hand and gently pulls on it with the other. The leaf snaps off the tiny branch with little effort. To Lukas’ dismay though, the light that flows through the leaf's veins immediately dims and, to Lukas’ further shock, turns back into just an ordinary leaf. 

     Lukas quickly plops down onto the earth beneath him. His heart is racing with discovery as he rushes to rummage through his bag, searching for his notebook that he pulls out, opens, then hesitates. He stares down at the pages… A slow mental process and then he’s snapping that journal shut and searching his belongings further, then pulls out a nice, completely fresh and new journal. The journal is expensive, one he’s been saving special since he bought it. Its binding is black leather with gold accents; the journal itself even looks special when it’s compared to everything else he’s carried along with him. 

     Opening it up, he skips the first few pages that he’ll leave for an extensive forest summary. The first thing he writes at the very top of his new page is “Beacon’s Forest” , finishing it off with a sharp underline right beneath it. For a little while, he describes his encounter with this shrub. What the plant looks like in comparison to normal bushes, then goes into further detail of the shimmering leaves, as well as the way the leaf itself seemed to lose all the life flowing inside it the moment Lukas tore it off its branch. Lukas frowns as he writes about it, glancing to where he’s laid the dim leaf on the blank page beside his writing, ridden with guilt for what he’d done. Alas, it is for study purposes. It’s not like he knew the leaf was going to lose all of its elegance the moment he took it off the branch. He simply sighs, closing the leaf safely in his journal and continues on his way. 

     As much as he’d like to explore his surroundings, he knows he must focus on the path ahead. He cannot allow himself to fall into another pit like that again, so he keeps his gaze lowered to the forest floor, searching for any suspicious leaf clusters whilst stopping occasionally to look around and peek back behind him, doing his best to remember his path through the dense, dark woodland. The fear of getting lost does keep him on a bit of an edge, beginning to get more and more anxious the more time he spends here in this part of the woods. Without the sun giving him a clear time of day, all he can do is rely on his watch. It’s still morning though, so there’s plenty of time for him to find his way around as the day goes on. 

     For now though… His heart is drawn to finally initiate some sort of contact. To really let the forest know of his presence. Raising a hand up to the side of his mouth, he calls out a loud, “hello?” before letting his hand drop and all goes still. Just the same as yesterday, whenever he isn’t moving and crunching the undergrowth beneath his feet, there are no other sounds to be heard. The forest is completely still, almost as if it were void of life. Lukas draws in a deep breath then sighs heavily, weighing his options. He could stay here and keep calling for… someone's attention, or he could continue to dive deeper into the woods, although that puts him at higher risk of getting lost. 

     Lukas nips his bottom lip, looking back one last time before he continues forward once again. I might regret doing this, he thinks with a sigh. If only Dewey were here to keep his head screwed on straight, maybe Lukas wouldn’t be more inclined to make possibly bad decisions. Oh how he wishes there was a forest map back in town. Anything to help guide him through these woods! Except there isn’t, so Lukas continues onward until…

     He steps into a small clearing. The blue fog lay heavy beyond the trees on the other side, making the more distant trees seem ghostly in appearance. Lukas scratches gently at his cheek in thought, glancing around until he decides now might be a good time to officially settle down and take a snack break. That, and there’s more documentation to be had here. In fact, he has loads of information to write! 

     Lukas settles right beneath a grand spruce just at the edge of the clearing. In this circular in shape patch, there’s mostly grass growing. A grazing area for animals, if there are any that actually live here. The author settles his back against the bark of the tree, takes his satchel off and fishes his notebook out from its confines, as well as a little woven brown sack. He lays his palm out beneath the sack as he shakes it, fresh sweet berries falling from its opening into his hand. A healthy snack to keep a healthy mind. He munches on the sweet little berries as he opens his notebook and begins his note taking. He gets so invested in his work, he doesn’t at all notice the little presence floating behind him, watching over his shoulder as he writes. 

     His tapping quill hesitates as it’s suddenly washed over with a strange blue glow. Lukas’ eyes widened with surprise, the blond lifting his quill, twisting it around and examining it with genuine confusion. “What the–?” He mutters, then in the corner of his eye, he catches movement. Lukas jolts to the left, nearly falling over in his spot, shocked to meet eye-to-eye with those curious little white irises once more. The Allay flinches back in return, both seemingly startled by each other. Lukas’ heart picks up speed immediately. “I-It’s you!” He says almost breathlessly. 

     Lukas scrambles hurriedly to pick himself back up. “S-sorry, sorry I just–” he shakes his head, “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.” The Allay itself flutters a bit closer, but stays at a comfortable distance as Lukas regains his composure. “ Wow… You’ve no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment, I–” Lukas begins reaching in his bag once more and almost immediately the Allay makes a panicked noise and rushes back into the trees. Lukas’ heart nearly stops. “N-no wait!” Immediate panic. He quickly glances down, then snatches his hand right back out of his bag. “L-look it's okay! You’re okay, here-” he grabs his bag, shifting onto his knees and shakes the satchel, dumping all of his belongings out onto the grass below. 

     “Look, I’ve got nothing here to hurt you.” He reassures desperately, and feels ultimate relief when he sees the precious little creature peek back out from behind a tree, studying him for a few moments before slowly drawing itself out of its hiding spot. Lukas’ smile widens so much, it dares to ache. “I promise. It’s just my books and other useless belongings,” he chuckles, lighthearted and hopeful for the timid Allay’s trust. The little spirit comes closer, making the situation all the more unbelievable for our novelist to wrap his head around, especially as the Allay gets close enough to poke around curiously at his belongings. 

     He can feel his heart pounding in his chest. Ever so slowly, Lukas reaches for his journal. “I’m just going to grab my journal, okay?” He reassures the little spirit as it flick’s its eyes with uncertainty back at the human. His hand is trembling as he picks up the journal. “I’m sorry for scaring you, I really didn’t mean to,” he speaks softly, as kind as his natural voice can project. “I was just going to grab this,” he flashes the front cover of the new journal to the Allay, “it's one of my journals, I use it to write and document things.” He lays it in his lap and opens the book to a new page, then carefully picks up his quill which lay at his side. “You’re welcome to look through what I have,” he offers. The Allay trills lightly in response, then looks back down at his belongings, the sound so graceful to his human ears. 

     Lukas immediately marks a new page dedicated to the Allay and, with no knowledge of how much time the creature will bless him with its presence, he quickly begins illustrating the spirit itself. His eyes flick between the creature and back to the page he’s drawing in. The Allay seems pretty interested in what he’s brought along with him. Its little blue hands… paws… nubs(?) pick up one of Dewey’s mouse toys. Lukas chuckles softly, adoring the visual. “That’s a toy for my ocelot, Dewey. He really likes to play with those since I won’t let him play with the real thing.” 

     The allay gives the little toy a shake, its eyes widened big when it hears the sound of the rattle inside. The spirit does a happy little twist and makes something of a happy chirp, giving the mouse toy plenty more shakes. Lukas cannot believe what he’s witnessing. His smile is unmatched. “Do you like it?” He asks, and the Allay does another little twist, its eyes closing happily with a nod. Lukas just blinks, completely awestruck. “Wow… You really understand me. I– I can hardly believe it.” He watches the creature for a few more moments before looking back at his sketch. He continues drawing and allows the Allay to go through more of his belongings, glancing up again to find the creature burying its head into his bag of sweet berries. 

     The Allay pulls out one of the berries and Lukas can’t help but cover his mouth with a gentle laugh. The Allay is so small, the berry is massive in comparison to its little hands. “Those are sweet berries. They’re one of my favorite snacks to have while I do my hikes. You should try it… if you can.” 

     The Allay holds the berry up to its face, Lukas watching, gripping his quill with anticipation and– a small portion of the berry disappears against the Allay’s mouth? He wasn't so sure, but it was most definitely eaten. Lukas tilts his head, attempting to see how the creature eats but there’s… nothing. The berry is simply brought up and little chunks disappear when it's briefly pulled away. Lukas is stumped. He doesn’t see a mouth on this thing, so how does this work exactly? “Do you like it?” He asks. 

     The spirit nods happily, making another pleased sound that has Lukas relaxing all the tension he’d gathered in the moment. “Good..” Lukas smiles softly and returns to his sketching. “You know, one of the reasons I came out here today was to say thank you.” The Allay perks up from the berry it munches on and looks at Lukas from where it floats in front of him. “For the other day I mean. I could have died down there had you not gotten the help I needed to get out.” Lukas sighs, feeling so relieved to see the Allay close its eyes in what he can only guess is acknowledgment for his gratitude. 

     “I have to ask though… Who was it that you brought to come help me? I wanted to give it my thanks too.” Lukas’ eyes widened when the Allay suddenly dropped the berry into the grass, its body and wings perked up in a look of shock. The man isn’t sure what to make of this reaction. His brows knit with worry, tilting his head. “What’s wrong?” He asks. “That is okay, isn’t it?” For the first time in the short span Lukas has known this Allay, he finally sees the little spirit make an expression he can only truly define as uncertain. Its eyes look worrisome and it turns its head around the clearing frantically. 

     He watches the Allay curiously before he too begins looking into the shadows of the trees surrounding him. The fog still lay heavy in the forest beyond, its density bringing forth an eerie atmosphere Lukas can only now realize is truly haunting. He looks back at the Allay, speaking in a hushed voice, “would you be able to guide me?” The question makes the little spirit’s attention return to Lukas, searching his eyes. “Please?” He leans in just a bit, hope sparkling in the eyes that reflect the Allay’s moonlight blue aura. The creature lingers on him for a few seconds and for some reason, Lukas feels as though every fragment of his soul is being deeply observed. He feels the light of the Allay touch him, gracing him with a calming chill that makes his tense muscles relax and his pounding heart gradually soften.

     Lukas opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, the Allay flutters away from him, then accepts his request with a curt nod. Lukas can’t help the immediate smile that blesses his features, emitting a heavy sigh of relief. “Awesome,” he says breathlessly and begins to quickly collect his belongings, shoving them back in his bag. The Allay watches him closely before it draws its attention down to the berry on the ground and quickly swoops in and snatches it up with happy chime.

     The author wraps the strap of his satchel over his shoulder and stands, feeling more and more confident. “Thank you so much,” he says as he now begins following the Allay that zips around the clearing, making its way across the empty grass patch. “I was beginning to worry I’d get lost, but with you here I feel so much safer. The fog is pretty creepy, I’ll admit, but kind of calming too. It reminds me of the Soul Sand Valley’s out in the Nether,” he explains, “except I haven’t been shot at by skeletons or blasted by ghasts. I take it you’ve probably never been to the Nether, but let me tell you, those Soul Sand Valley’s are no joke.” The Allay doesn’t respond, instead focusing on its path ahead of him. Lukas scratches awkwardly at the back of his head. “Well, nothing about the Nether is a joke. Extremely dangerous. All of it. I never ever want to go back there.” 

     The blond and his temporary companion continue forth into the fog. Very quickly the shapes, as well as the shadows of their bodies disappear into the dense blanket of low clouds. Lukas continues to speak to the Allay of his Nether travels, but his gentle voice fades along with him as he gets further and further, tempting a massive presence out of hiding, stepping out of shadows of the clearing Lukas and the Allay had shared. A heavy step, then another, following the two unaware souls into the mist.

[p-receh]

I'm very curious for 2, 7, and 12 :]

Would love to hear your hcs!

Alright! Which character btw? How about Boboiboy as a starter? 😅

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

The fact that he's ambidextrous is really really amazing as a character. Not only he wields two weapons but also can constantly switching between right and left handed side in the midst of a battle.

And I be honest, the fact that Monsta keep that movie 1 white hairline glitch as canon is what people called a "Serendipity" or happy accident. Another serendipity glitch in animation media for me is the iconic nose touch scene from httyd 1.

Who knew this bug could become his sole identity? It doesn't lesser his image but it does made 10x better as the result of a genetic mark within generations. Thus it creates "the Butterfly Effect" in designing Amato and adult Tok Aba.

In sense, Oboi become a shonen character since child with that look lol

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I don't follow much with what happened to Boboiboy's fandom recently, still making me a headache whenever I visit, but I always appreciate when fandom united to correct blatant hoaxs. It's often surprised me.

Oh and memes lol. Screenshot memes whenever new episode arrived is a never not entertaining cus it was usually flooded in my timeline. 🤣

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Since I only made headcanon for elementals, I think it's not fair that the real main protagonist has not yet get his headcanon. My bad :p

Oboi may or may not able to make a clear communication with Amato after all these years and I have two scenarios:

If Tok Aba still alive, Oboi might be more comfortable and more open to Tok Aba about his daily life rather than Amato. He still talks to him, but struggles to keep up a simple conversation from both ways, and eventually Oboi starts to make excuses to end it by "Helping Atok at his shop".

If no. 1 doesn't happens, Oboi might a bit cold to Amato at first. He try so hard to avoid any conversations with him and just focus on continuing the Kokotiam Shop as an escape route.

One of my questions regarding him, "How does he remember every events during split/fusion/3rd tier?" My deduction to this headcannon is this: firstly after he wakes up all memories will be blur due to his dizziness in the aftermath. He might remember some of it but his brain is not yet fully capable to comprehend all of it quickly. Then, all those event will be shown during his sleep. It sometimes disturbing his sleeping schedule and wakes up abruptly in the middle of night from a lucid dream.

Idk why, but between Audio sensory, Visual sensory and Action sensory Learning technique. Oboi is the person who learn and solve problems by practice it in real time. He may not the guy who absorb a quick information, but when he tried to think about it, he implements his thoughts by action such as moving hands or walks around. (I onced very obsessed with psychology especially with self learning types during my high school days but now I forgot most of them lol)

He has a hidden fanatic side of him all over the news as a hero with the evidence of all his photos from movie 1. He might eventually remove them when he gets older. He doesn't want to admit his embarrassment with his obsession publicly lol. (Of course he treasure it somewhere )

I forgot where's the source of it, but I read a post that Oboi once tried to cut his white stroke hair but it grew back. He never knew why but he eventually let it be afterwards. Maybe he wears that hat not only as a gift from his dad but also to cover his white hair? Idk :-\

That's maybe all headcanons I got so far. I guess I'll admit I might need to dig for more Boboiboy magazines and older post of his social media ones. There's still so many trivias that I missed throughout my life. :(

[mllemaenad]

I think I need a break from Fallout 76. I swore I was going to get through it, and Tessa and I have been making good progress. My biggest complaint up until now is that they won't let you have Sofia and Beckett active at camp at the same time. I'm sure this is a resourcing issue, but Fallout 76 is such a lonely game. I get that you're supposed to play with friends, but unless you have a dedicated role playing group (and while I am sure such things exist, I do not get the impression that they are the majority) that's companionship for the player, not the character. I think Tessa, who did a lot of her growing up in a vault, would love a tiny community of her own.

But I have just slogged through Steel Dawn, trying to justify to myself why Tessa, who loves books and writes poetry and runs down the road to help out Lane and his Responders with food runs or package deliveries every day, would even be there. That's immediately followed by Steel Reign and ... I just can't. Not right now. There is no option to tell the Brotherhood to go the fuck back to California and leave us alone.

The entire first part of the quest line was "these idiots mislaid a bunch of dangerous weapons and are now complaining about other people in the region having the dangerous weapons". You know who I don't think is qualified to have dangerous weapons? The Brotherhood of Steel.

While I appreciate that "dangerous super mutant attacks", which seem to be part two and presumably have something to do with the dodgy scientist guy who showed up earlier, constitute a serious problem ... I am struggling to believe that Tessa would work with them on it. They would also kill Grahm! And Gail! Those are her friends. There are so many other people who could help deal with this, but that's not how the story goes.

So I'm going to give Fallout: London a try. It seems to be the hot new thing at the moment, and I am curious. Mods can be something of a mixed bag, and I'm hesitant to be very critical even when I don't like them, because the labour involved in some of these things ... I can just about do some simple patching in xEdit. So, you know, not really my place to criticise. But I've been trying to mod Bethesda games since Morrowind, and the worst you can say is "Why the hell did I install this? Was I drunk?" and scour it from your game.

But I have (so far) enjoyed Sim Settlements 2 and Tales from the Commonwealth. I did not take to Depravity and Outcasts and Remnants, for several reasons although the ... thing ... with Preston was the last straw (Except that they allowed you to pause your search after going through Kellogg's flat. I do not want to install that mod again ... but I sometimes think ... just for that one feature ... Emily could have a bath and a nap before tearing off again.).

Thank heavens for Mod Organiser 2. I can swap this thing in and leave Emily's load order intact.

I have named my girl Hannah, and since the premise is that you wake up in a lab with no memory of who you are or how you got there, I am going to learn about her as I go.

Initial impressions:

Wait. Is that Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy performing unethical experiments? That's ... something. Tortured by no less than two Doctor Whos.

Radshrews are terrifying. Little mice creatures should not be this hard to deal with. Admittedly with Hannah's fists since the game seems to be allergic to starter weapons.

This is not quite fair, as some guy kindly handed her a pocket knife once she crawled out of the train crash. But we are now fighting raiders with a pocket knife, and it is only slightly easier to deal with.

While Churchill is adorable, and we are keeping him, I do question his previous human's judgement. Hannah is a lost amnesiac wearing the rags she picked off the last raider she killed and wielding a pocket knife she does not know how to use. What on earth made him think she could care for a dog?

Now we need to go talk to some people called "the Thamesfolk" so Hannah can stop taking 30% more damage (Why? Just why? She can be one-shot killed by a bloatfly looking at her funny). We are about to find out how London feels about mutants, I think!