#chapter 4 part 1

[inesvazquezart]

Just a few hours before the preoder starts at 22:22 p.m CEST !

Also it´s friday so it means a new chapter, CHAPTER 4 PART 1 of How to train your wyrm is available here 1st page below:

Probably not as convenient as to post all the chapters here, but don´t want to make it too easy for AI to feed on stuff. As a remimder it´s a low ress grey scale version, so color sprinkles are missing.

So if you do check it out, I´d love to hear what you think about it in the comments below!

[anisaanisa]

Makima reports directly to the chief cabinet secretary. Ordinary devil hunters aren't authorized to know which devils she has contracts with ☆

[the-aonuma-luca]

ANALYSIS OF TWO EMBERS CHAPTER 4 AND HOW IT HINTS TOWARDS GAME MECHANICS AND UPCOMING PART 2 STORY

This document is a compilation of random thoughts and discoveries found (not only) in chapter 4 of the Two Embers Part 1, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Vault of Knowledge & ascending someones spirit

One of the first vault scenes shows a lot of dead bodies of various sizes, there are children, teenagers and adults alike. All the bags seem to be branded with what looks to be either darkstone “brand” symbol originating from Hidden Forest or Vault of Knowledge one. They look pretty similar.

We then can see Lamed (Vault Elder) use darkstone on her head tablet to view the memories of Dusk Ember, possibly hinting on her being able to communicate through telepathy in a similar way too. It is unknown if all Elders or even all ancestors are able to perform telepathy or if it is exclusive just to Vault Elder and maybe Vault of Knowledge acolytes.

Dusk Ember is brought to the upper floors of Vault of Knowledge to have their memories recorded. For whom do they record all those memories? I don't know! Maybe for us Sky kids! Maybe they saw the end is near and wanted the next generation/civilization after them to know what the past was like. The memories seem to come from blue colored light motes that form into spiritual projections upon touching from individuals. It is possible that all those glitters we see in the current Vault of Knowledge are unused “memory motes” ready to record someone's memories.

We see memories flash around as they are recorded. From toymaker with young Dusk Ember to having fun with the manatee. The overlapping memory with real Dusk Ember could be just artistic choice but also yet another hint on them being Hopeful Steward.

The last memory we see is the manatee dying. A lot of people seem to hate this whole memory sequence. I personally see it as Lamed offering Dusk Ember a chance to say proper goodbye to their friend and also to offer this child some reassurance and be here for them when they need it the most, caringly patting their back as they cry. Nothing was forced, Dusk Ember went into this willingly.

After touching the spirit manatee while saying goodbye, we see it turn from blue to golden, possibly hinting to the spirit ascension we do in game. That also means this manatee has a chance to be reborn once the Light gets restored.

We see the manatee turn into a golden light mote. It could be because the whole memory is finished recording or it can be the manatees spirit itself. All of the other motes around glow golden too, was Dusk Ember able to ascend all of those? Or did they enter the floor of Vault of Knowledge where only finished memory motes are stored? Or something completely different maybe?

Dusk Ember body suddenly starts glowing just like a light creature and they pull the wooden moth toy from their chest and turn it into an actual butterfly that flies inside the mote. Could that butterfly be their manatee friend? Were they somehow able to make a “mini rebirth cycle” from their own light? We know mantas start as butterflies in their first form, does that mean manatees do too?

Shattering did not happen yet. We still see the diamond in one piece, half of it is peeking out from the ground at the bottom of this image.

The darkstone illness

The Last City uses a lot of darkstones for a lot of things and we saw some of them being directly used to drain light from light creatures, causing them to grow stones both on and under the skin and eventually die if exposed to it too much. Not only light creatures but also ancestors can be affected, growing it not only on their bodies but also masks (which could mean the masks are part of the ancestor bodies rather than accessory, they can grow facial hair from it too after all). Prolonged exposure or direct contact causes the condition to worsen. We saw the stones grow instantly on Resourceful Recluse right after knocking down the light extracting device.

“But we do see Elders using darkstones and they don't have any illness on them!” Well, of course we do. But Elders are not the same as ancestors are, they are closer to us Sky kids than to ancestors, both of us coming from the Megabird. And we do seem to be much more resistant to being affected by darkness and won't die that easily.

Maybe it is a special darkstone or there's some other magic behind it. We can see not all darkstones drain the light or not that much. Memory lanterns for example are powered by darkstones too and they don't actively drain light or cause harm. If you consider memories and everything we saw happen in the Vault of Knowledge in chapter four to be light substance, then yes it might to some degree "suck" light but it is unlikely. It still glows so it is not dead darkstone like that shard Dusk Ember picked up. And  both Lamed and Dusk Ember are light creatures as well.

Couple of other possibilities:

Potency Maybe the darkstones used for absorbing light are more potent (stronger) than the ones used in weapons. Just like you have different kinds of radiation or different qualities of gold. Something like that. There are darkstone powered lamplights everywhere in the Last City and so are up in the Eden castle as well. They glow much less than stones used for batteries. They might still drain a person's light, but at a much slower rate. Bright glowing darkstones used as batteries are encased in pieces of metal for safe handling. They are probably hot or harmful to be near when the case is opened (will drain someone's light) or maybe both. 

Size The stones used for light absorption are noticeably larger than the small gems in the weapons. Tsadi (Wasteland Elder) obviously has a bigger one in his even bigger spear but maybe it is just "equal to his size", maybe if he was big as a regular ancestor or wasn't a light creature (or both), the stone on his spear would be deadly to him too.

The "chosen ones" We don't know when exactly the Elders got their darkstones. It could be during the darkstone era, it could be during the fire era, who knows. Maybe their darkstones are not the same darkstones used anywhere else. Don't forget they were always Elders, they were tasked by the Megabird to guide little Alef the Chosen One. Maybe the Megabird gifted them those stones, either from the beginning or later. It lowkey reminds me of visions and delusions from Genshin Impact. If a god gazes upon you, you obtain vision that grants you elemental powers. It does not harm you. But those who are not lucky enough can use delusions, artificially created visions that work the same, but they rapidly drain your life force. Vision holders are more (but not completely) resistant to delusions.

Artificially created (ties to chosen ones) Humans are able to simulate certain conditions with modern technology to create synthetic diamonds. Maybe originally the darkstones were harmless once charged with light, just like the unrefined darkstones in Prairie peaks are. Unrefined darkstones also glow unlike the completely dead ones. The industrial boom quickly made darkstone ore scarce, so the ancestors might have figured out how to make synthetic darkstone (they were also experimenting on and possibly trying to create synthetic light creatures too as seen in Treasure reef) but with downside of it being "radioactive" and deadly.

The candle

I don't care what others say, this scene was absolutely beautiful. Not only was it homage to exchanging light with strangers in game, it was also a reference to the very first Sky related picture TGC shared on social media!

The Megabird reference is there too! Look at the shape light from the candle makes between people!

But what are they even doing with all those candles? Bringing comfort? Maybe! But to me personally it looks like they are about to perform a long forgotten ritual. Which one? Well, it comes from very old concept art but it recently made its way to the game in the mural that we can find where? In the forgotten temple of all places! The same temple Dusk Ember learned about candle making! Just look at the bottom of this mural! The movie even zoomed on it during the first chapter!

It very much looks like this “flame bringing” ritual from old concept art. Maybe the people will try to bring the flame back on the sacred mountain and restore the light? Maybe the lack of sun in Last City is because the Megabird is very weak now because no light flows to them?

The candles also slightly glow in the dark because they are made out of light motes. Just a neat detail.

The final scene

I'm really surprised that from all the various theories, no one really caught the same thing I saw right away. I looked at the colors and how each part is visibly a different color and just knew something is fishy about it. Something that TGC is hinting at us. As the nebula kept going further and further away, it hit me.

Can you see it? No? What if I crank up the brightness and contrast a bit then?

Still nothing? Let me sketch over it for you what I see then.

Crazy, huh? It also reminded me of this scene from one of the trailers. I'm positive we will still see a clash between Dusk and Dawn Ember in part 2 considering how open ended part 1 was.

But how am I so sure this scene portrays the Two Embers and not just some random kids? Because if you zoom really close, you can see the resemblance between those two.

Okay but what ties this scene to what was hinted in nebula? Well, outside of the basic observations of ingame murals to make connections, we can see both Dawn Ember (Alef) and The Ruler (Resh) having three points coming out of their masks. Besides that, both Alef and Resh wear the same piece of fabric as Stargazer had. It is way more obvious when I change color temperature to match each other.

Versus non color edited Dusk Ember in two different lightings.

In conclusion, while a lot of people were disappointed we did not get to see any more of Resh, I think we will see it in part 2. That the second part will not be just about Alef as a child but will show the whole growing up from Prince to King, from the Prophecy to the Shattering.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

quick question- I was a bit confused in some dialogue during book 1 lol 😭😭 It’s during the later chapters when riddle has collared both ace and deuce after they’ve challenged him for his seat. More specifically, the part where yuu calls riddle out for his behavior (rightfully so) and he responds by insulting them and their parents I believe?

The confusion stems from aceyuu shippers (just wanted to clarify I’m not self shipping lmao) where they say ace ends up punching riddle because he’s explicitly defending yuu’s honor or whatever but i also see other people (non-shippers) who say ace punched riddle because he insulted ace and/or deuce’s parents? Im not quite sure which one it is and went back in the actual game to check but i feel like the wording of riddle’s insults is a bit vague? Idk, maybe im just being a bit of a dum dum and can’t properly comprehend the scene even though it’s quite simple. I feel like it’s also just because i see a lot of people saying different stuff and just wanted to hear your thoughts on it if that’s okay?

I just feel like you really understand both the story and characters in that regard haha

P.S. your posts r genuinely very informative and helpful especially for people like me who kinda have no media literacy (not in a negative way!!) pls keep up the good work you’re rlly great at it <333

Hmmm, I see 🤔

Before I get to responding to this question, I want to preface this with a few disclaimers! Firstly, I do not mean to invalidate or detract from Ace x Yuu shippers or anyone who may interpret their relationship as romantic. You should ship what you like and have fun doing it. My reply aims to be more objective, but that should NOT impede on your enjoyment or whatever it is you choose to ship. Secondly, for those who don’t ship Ace x Yuu, I will be discussing the pairing later on in this post, so please keep this in mind.

Let's first look at how the game and how it depicts the scene. This occurs in 1-22, shortly after Riddle collars Ace and Deuce in their duel for the dorm leader seat. With his victory secured, Riddle begins to gloat about how this is proof that he is "the most correct". At this point, Yuu/the player character is granted two dialogue options:

If you choose "But that's not right!", Riddle replies with, "I am the one who decides what is wrong and right! What sort of pitiful education have you received, that you cannot follow such simple rules?"

If you choose "You can't just use rules to do whatever you please!", then Riddle replies with, "If there were no penalties, no one would follow the rules. I have to wonder what sort of pitiful education left you unable to comprehend so simple a concept."

However, no matter which dialogue option you choose, Riddle continues on to say, "Clearly, you were born to parents with no great magical capability. And as a result... You lack even the basic education necessary to attend a school such as this. It's quite sad."

Deuce becomes upset after hearing this--but before he is able to act, Ace is already on his feet and manages to deck his dorm leader in the face.

Based on the fact that Riddle seems to react to something that Yuu says, the framing here implies that the "you" Riddle is using refers to them specifically. As you can see above, both Ace and Deuce take offense to what Riddle says, but it is Ace that acts preemptively and attacks Riddle for his rudeness. This is what Ace x Yuu shippers will point to as a defining moment in their relationship (though, to be clear, this scene can definitely also be interpreted as platonic!!).

… Buuut it’s not completely clear that Riddle is explicitly directing any and all insults towards Yuu and Yuu alone, even if Yuu was the one to prompt his tirade. Due to the visual novel style format of the game, we have limited assets to base our interpretations off of, so going by the game alone may not be entirely accurate to what is happening in this scene. For example, we don't know how the characters are oriented relative to one another. It's possible that Riddle responds to Yuu's dialogue and then turns away to berate Yuu, Ace, and Deuce for their stupidity, since all three of them are, in his eyes, rule-breakers. We simply cannot tell due to the constraints of a visual novel. Let’s consult the manga adaptation and see how that presents 1-22.

In the Episode of Heartslabyul, the framing of the panels centers Riddle and Adeuce; Yuuken is not involved whatsoever. (On a prior page, all Yuuken remarks on is how fast Riddle is able to cast his spell; Yuuken has no lines similar to game!Yuu’s earlierdialogue options.) Riddle stands imposing over his opponents and rants at Ace and Deuce about their lack of an education. You can see that it really strikes a nerve with Deuce (whom we learned used to be a delinquent prior to NRC). This still results in Yuu punching Riddle.

The manga seems to imply that Riddle is not insulting Yuu, but rather Adeuce. This makes sense to me, given that though all of them are rebels to Heartslabyul’s strict rules, Adeuce are the two who most directly challenge his authority.

You can see in a close-up panel that Deuce is gritting his teeth and trying to hold himself back from going at Riddle. The text in that panel involves the mention of parents who cannot use magic—which just so happens to be true of Deuce’s mother. The same mother that he worked so hard to make proud of, the mother he turned over a new leaf for. But again, it’s Ace that gets the hit in. Why is that?

Let’s check out our final source, the first volume of the light novel. On pages 319 and 320:

Riddle very clearly states “And as for you two.” This clearly refers to the fallen Ace and Deuce. He then unleashes his barrage of insults at them. Again, not at Yuu, but at Ace and Deuce. The text even goes on to remind us that Deuce would be especially rattled by Riddle’s words because of how he had come to NRC for the sake of his mom. In this version, we see our Yuu (Yuuya) being more involved by trying to keep Deuce from lashing out. Like in the game, however, Ace still gets in that punch on his dorm leader.

Okay, so… The game, manga, and light novels are different iterations of the same base story. Based on which you consume, you could walk away with an entirely different understanding of the scene in question. The game, being the most interactive medium with a self-insert main character, a gacha game which makes $$$ from endearing the characters to us, has the set-up which is most conducive for yumeshipping and thus making the player feel beloved and important in 1-22. This is obvious if you also consider that many fanservicey lines from other parts of the game (such as Ace wanting to sleep in Yuu’s room) being left out of the manga. It's also entirely possible that Riddle first reacts to what Yuu says, and THEN shifts his attention to address the group rather than just Yuu. The manga, with a more standoffish and level-headed Yuu, doesn’t speak up like game!Yuu does, so Riddle instead directly insults Ace and Deuce. The light novel, which features a timid and non-confrontational Yuu, is focused on deescalating the situation. And, like the manga, the light novel is NOT interactive and so it doesn’t need to concern itself with making the player feel special. Riddle isn’t mandated to acknowledge Yuu; he can instead be mad at Ace and Deuce all he likes.

If we were to combine information from across the game, manga, and light novel to decipher what is “truly” happening, here’s how I see it!

The light novel contains a scene exclusive to it on pages 176 and 177. As Ace is making himself comfortable at Ramshackle, he formally apologizes to Yuuya for being mean to him in the prologue. Ace explains that his meanness was because he thought that Yuuya had bullied his way to be admitted to NRC under special circumstances. “[…] the rest of us had to work our butts off to get in, and you just sorta walked in.” He proclaims that this was unfair, so it annoyed him.

This makes a lot of sense for Ace’s character. In book 7 of the main story, he expresses that he is insecure about being an ordinary mage and that he hadn’t even developed his UM yet. (Coincidentally, he has a Chat where he praises the Queen of Hearts for having no special magic but still being able to make it big—perhaps because her circumstances remind Ace of himself?) He calls himself lame and pathetic, someone who is always looking for an excuse to take the easy way out. This is in spite of the bravado he puts on and how he often brags about being better or smarter than Deuce (most notably in book 5). If we believe the light novel dialogue, Ace worked hard to get invited to NRC. He has pride in earning this, and he has something to prove while he is there. Recall that his older brother is an alumnus of the school, and that his own father is a magicless human. Ace canonically has a good relationship with both of these family members and often bonds with them through little things like card trick competitions. When Riddle insults Ace's background... he is also insulting Ace's brother and father. He is also insulting all the effort Ace put forth to get into NRC in the first place. Ace would of course lose it--especially when he has been the primary victim of Riddle's rage for most of book 1. He's the first to be collared, the one who had to apologize and attempted to make an apology tart (which got rejected). Bro's fed UP having to bend the knee to a tyrant and sick of watching everyone else do the same. The punch that comes out of it seems to me like the result of all Ace's pent-up frustrations, as well as his own fury at Riddle speaking ill of him and his family.

While Ace is unquestionably willing to ride or die for Yuu in books 4 (he takes a long public transit route from the Queendom to Sage's Island after receiving a SOS text from them) and 6 (he tries to protect his friends from Ferrymen)... I think book 1's a bit too early for him to be SO loyal to Yuu that he'd get this angry on their behalf and sock Riddle. (Book 1 takes place during the first week of school; Ace seems to have only known Yuu for a few days at this point + hasn't really hung out with them besides sleeping over at Ramshackle since he's not allowed back at Heartslabyul.) His punch definitely feels fueled by a bunch of other things rather than being extremely motivated to defend Yuu's honor. I think maybe a case could be made for the game specifically, since that's the only version where Yuu is potentially addressed rather than Ace and Deuce being addressed. However, this does take some extrapolation. You'd have to assume that Ace is actually very attached to Yuu this early on or pair it with the idea that Ace is sensitive about magicless humans in general being discriminated against because of his own father being magicless (ie Ace was insulted by proxy, even if Riddle might have aimed the comments at Yuu). Not sure if the latter argument holds up very well though, considering that Ace himself did discriminate against Yuu in the prologue because they lacked magic. Likewise, he doesn't get mad for Fellow and Gidel in Playful Land when they share about being looked down on for not being magically inclined. But hey, maybe that was just Ace being in denial and acting contrary in order to cope with his own complicated feelings on the topic. He’s been known to behave like this anyway, acting cocky despite having no UM and denying that Yuu would go home (even though we later find out he deeply does not wish for this to happen).

I definitely think that many of the game-exclusive lines and content are there as fanservice for the players, who are encouraged to project or to self-insert as Yuu. Ace in particular is one of the characters who gets a ton of this kind of yumejoshi bait-y stuff. Everyone has it to some extent, but Ace is one of the rare few who has several pretty overt instances in the main story (whereas most other characters have their fanservice content relegated to voice lines and maybe some events). On top of this scene (which could potentially read as "Ace defending Yuu's honor"), we have: multiple instances of Ace offering to share a room/bed with Yuu (once in book 1, again in book 3), he has shared his number with Yuu and invites them to call him if they "miss him", Ace's entire book 7 dream revolving around a reality in which Yuu is able to freely traverse between Twisted Wonderland and their original world (furthermore, he is the ONLY dreamer we have seen in which Yuu is involved in the dream), etc. Ace is also known to frequently tease Yuu, and, on top of having several voice lines inviting them to hang out, is actually shown hanging out with them and caring about them in various vignettes and events. For example, he has movie nights with Yuu (Idia's Labwear vignettes), asks for their opinion on whether or not he looks the part to woo the Ghost Bride, rides roller coasters with them in Playful Land while previously complaining that his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t, and worries for where Yuu might be (Endless Halloween Night). With this abundance of Ace and Yuu content, I can see why people that have the shipping goggles on--and even those who don't--might interpret early scenes as Ace acting out for Yuu's sake, be it romantically or platonically. More objectively speaking and when considering the manga + light novel though, I don't think I personally read 1-22 that way. I enjoy Ace as a character and I support Ace x Yuu shippers, but the evidence and context suggests that he's venting other frustrations to me.

Again though, this is just my interpretation. Feel free to use this information however you’d like and come to your own conclusion.

[redstrawbluestraw]

SORRY FOR THE DELAY BUT HERE IS PART 4!!!

Previous part / Next part

No special notes for this one other than I’m really sorry for the parts that felt rushed. I was honestly starting to lose motivation to this one halfway through and wanted to scrap it, but I really wanted to put something out there. Also I wanna get better at backgrounds, so big apologies for how weird those may look. Hopefully they’ll improve as the comic goes on! Thank you again for reading!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I hope to work on *all* of these ideas eventually; this poll is to see what excites people the most!

[codthefishgod]

Yet again stole (/j) a funny idea for some Faroff fanart from my buddy @filletedfennysnake

Screenshot for context:

There's probably a pretty high chance that Tobias does know what cows look like, but it's a lot funnier to imagine he doesn't SO

We're all going to agree to ignore the weird proportions on some of these panels LMAOOO I'm by no means experienced at making comics (do hope to make them someday, but who knows when that'll happen) nor do I practice anatomy as much as I probably should 💀

@lennonrook for the fanart! ^^ (and obviously thank you @filletedfennysnake for letting me borrow your idea for the second time, you're a saint :'] )

[callimara]

oh yea, Wildward chapter 4 (PART 1) is out btw

"Two lies and a truth." PART 1

[deteyshipper713]

After constant persistence, Petey let some of the cops help him feed the puppies. The cops went to grab the bottles, heated them at a safe temperature, and, as promised, Petey let them hold and feed two of them. They were so happy that they kept awing at the little ones. Quietly, of course.

“Just don’t get so distracted that you end up feeding them too quickly,” Petey scolded.

“We won’t,” they all said together.

“By the way,” Petey tried to say as nonchalantly as he could. “Do any of you know what mission Dogman is doing right now?”

“No, sorry,” they all answered.

One of them looked up at Petey, “Oh! It’s no new villain or anything dangerous like that so don’t worry about his safety.”

Petey looked shocked by that remark. He turned away angrily while still gently holding and feeding the puppy in his arm. “I’m not worried! I just want to know if he is doing any messy missions today. And if he is, please tell him to clean himself up before running home. After all, I’m doing most of the housework now that Lil Petey is in more CatKid clubs and 80-HD is off doing his own things now.”

“Okay,” the cop who asked plainly said as he went back to admiring the puppies with the others.

“Aaaawwwwwww,” they all said.

Petey just rolled his eyes.

[kinwoven]

⇽ PREVIOUS | NEXT ⇾

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

all the fanarts of yuu and grim supporting ace through his um awakening as well as ace casting his UM as of late has been making me go crazy 🥹 theyre all so tender and all so beautiful we're getting fed.

And them finally giving us a clearer picture of ace's insecurities is just so?? The build up and the pressure and then the internal monologue where everything comes crashing down when hes forced to face just how weak he is. I really liked that this part of him has finally been explored by the devs waaah.

I also really love how he parallels yuu in a way, the both of them being this "ordinary" person, the both of them lacking the power to protect those whom they care for. Usually yuu takes a step back and the story focuses more on the dynamic of the boys with each other and letting the yuu kinda be like this player self insert but as if late the story seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on yuu's importance and impact on ace which feels like something twst or games in general wouldnt normally do? Because it feels like it makes a chara particularly close to a neutral character and potentially being unfair for other charas duo that others may like idk how to explain it

Im kinda curious as to your thoughts on this, or more specifically ace and yuu's dynamic over the course of the story from their first meeting up to now. Cuz yuu feels like a person or place where ace turns to for reassurance and protection/comfort in a way, like their very existence gives him courage to push forward

[More about Ace’s UM here!]

d hi issgusJkaja I-I haven’t been scrolling on socials the last few weeks so I had the chance to see much fan art (other than what friends have shown me) 😭 but I’m sure it’s very tasty content!!

Yeeeah, I was waiting on the devs to finally get around to addressing Ace’s insecurities. in book 5, we had a brief mention of being being shocked Deuce got his UM before he did, then he was out of commission in book 6, and finally early in book 7 he deflected from the idea of Yuu going back to their original world. Suffice it to say, they addressed both the UM and the Yuu issues so well; it was really heart wrenching to see Ace in denial in his own dream and then struggling with his self confidence in Riddle’s dream. No more cocky attitude and brazenness, ahahah… only vulnerability 😈

Yuu is the one to calm him down when he’s panicking. The one giving him encouragement, the one holding his hand/shoulders (you get an option for this), the one talking him through this overwhelming feeling. That’s so powerful… It says a lot about their bond with their friend.

I love that Ace gets his moment. The first NRC student we met is the final one to get his unique magic—a magic he is able to take hold of, despite his doubts, thanks to Yuu’s reassurance and coaching. The first encounter was the domino that led up to this. First enemies, then friends. Through thick and thin, trials and tribulations, together until the bitter end. And when you think about it, they’re similar in their insecurities too. Worried that they’re not enough, that they’re ordinary, that they don’t contribute as much as they should, that they can’t protect the people they care about. It’s a great parallel, and that really slots in nicely with Twst’s recurring themes and imagery of characters mirroring each other.

Mmm… I think I understand what you’re getting at? Because Yuu is a self-insert type of character, you’re saying it is odd that Ace specifically has been getting a lot of screen time and bonding with Yuu compared to what the other characters get with Yuu. And that it’s giving Ace stans (and yumes) more fanservice than stans of other characters, so it may feel a little unfair? If I’m understanding you correctly 😅

I think that’s kind of hard to judge, honestly. Ace got like zero involvement in book 6 and was not that important for the latter half of book 5. One could argue all this attention in book 7 is just making up for what he didn’t have in prior books. You could also say that it makes sense for Ace to get more of the spotlight given his importance in the prologue, how “the guy that begins it all also ends it all”, and his well-established relationship with Yuu. To go even further, some might point out that other characters like Malleus get this “special treatment” too. Yuu barely gets any time to bond with the OB boys one-on-one, but they get to be Malleus’s secret buddy for most of the main story (even if they technically only physically meet around 5 times total). I don’t take issue with how Ace was handled; this was a long time coming and he deserved it. It’s not like other characters didn’t also get their moments in other parts of the game or events or what have you 🤷‍♀️

While I definitely think Yuu’s friendship is very precious to Ace, I wouldn’t go so far as to say “Yuu feels like a person or place where Ace turns to for reassurance and protection/comfort in a way, like [Yuu’s] very existence gives [Ace] courage to push forward.” I think that’s stretching it a bit. Maybe it’s somewhat true for book 7, since Ace centers his happiness around Yuu’s presence and seizes the courage to charge in with his newly acquired UM after Yuu cheers him on. However, I never got the sense that Ace thought of them as a source of comfort and courage prior to book 7. For a large part of the main story I just got the sense he was a misbehaved idiot with a heart of gold.

Ace bullies Yuu at first and then becomes a reluctant ally when their interests align (ie not getting expelled) in the prologue. Yuu grants him temporary housing in book 1 and supports him as he tries to earn his way back into the dorm and then even as he resists Riddle’s rule. Ace goes pretty far to defend his own stance, but arguably also Yuu’s honor, as I believe he rushes in to punch his dorm leader when he insults Yuu’s lack of education. He joins the investigation but doesn’t really help much in book 2. The he assists in fulfilling Azul’s deal to save Ramshackle and the anemone’d students in book 3. There’s also the infamous scene where he jokes about sleeping in the same room together. He is gone for most of book 4, but makes a long and tedious trip back (with Deuce) to address Yuu’s SOS message. Ace is a VDC/SDC participant and has that whole dilemma with Deuce getting bis UM before he does. In book 6, he is knocked out fighting Ferrymen and tearfully reunites with his friends at the end of the book. Early in 7, he is quick to dismiss the idea of Yuu going back to their world—and then this culminates in his own dream and his actions in Riddle’s, which I already discussed earlier. A lot of other small moments occur as well, showing Ace eating with Yuu, going to class with Yuu, etc.

A majority of the behaviors I recall are either Ace and Yuu casually hanging out or Ace rushing to protect them from something, be it insults or physical/magical blows. It’s not a ton of Ace overtly depending on Yuu. I don’t even think I could find any implications of him depending on Yuu in his dialogue or through more subtle cues. He certainly gets emotional when Yuu is involved, but this by itself doesn’t necessarily mean he looks to them for reassurance. Ace has always been pretty guarded, even expositing that no one at NRC would offer you a helping hand as late as Lilia’s farewell party. It’s only when we get to late book 7 that Ace starts changing his tune.

[charmfamily]

CORVUS CROSSING: A CHARM FAMILY STORY. CHAPTER I "BOY, YOU'LL BE A MAN REAL SOON." PART XX POINT V.

[The thunderstorm that has been brewing for the last few hours at last breaks and picks up in its intensity. The much-too-close-for-comfort booming clap rattles the windows and the stones of the dorm building as lightning streaks across the sky.]

[hanzajesthanza]

the training montage in crossroads re-ignited a headcanon i had of geralt waking up and doing gymnastics, performing kickflips and mid-air spins around on a fencepost outside an hour before sunrise to ‘limber up,’ and bleary-eyed dandelion wrapping himself up in a blanket to be like "heyyy... what the hell are you doing 💖"

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

Onyx Storm

— Ending Theory #1 —

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

Question/Theory (1): There is a new Venin, who is it? I believe this to be Garrick Tavis because of the following:

"And now that my Sage has another sibling he can use against me...I'm screwed. I glance past Berwyn, past Sgaeyl and the venin, to my new brother and the unconscious dragon lying in the valley beyond the canyon, guarded by seven wyvern. How could he do this? Choose this after watching me stumble and fall over the last five months. How could he willingly walk the path l've fought like hell to leave? He's the last person I ever would have expected to turn, and yet here we are. I can't let Sgaeyl die. Can’t leave him to stumble down the same path I did." — Xaden Riorson, Chapter 65.

The 1st confirming of a “new Venin brother” passage which shows us that:

This is a male identifying character hence “he”.

The terminology is “new brother” meaning it is not someone such as Bodhi Durran, as in Chapter 58 —“Theophanie glances at Brennan, then Bodhi. "I didn't ask for either of you to attend." "I thought you requested brothers? Next time be more specific about who's invited," I suggest.” — he is already addressed as such.

Someone who has seen Xaden fighting not to channel because they know he is Venin (this limits us to a small group of people) & someone Xaden trusts (an even smaller group of people now) and who has been with them for the past 5 months (at the very least; presumably making it someone on the front lines and Quest Squad).

And someone Xaden “cannot leave” (like a best friend).

Adding onto it are these quotes from Imogen Cardulo & their chapters information as a whole, showing that:

"I notice the circles beneath his beautiful eyes, the unusual pallor of his complexion. He's exhausted, and for the first time in my life, I don't care that he's seeing me at my weakest, because he's right there, too. My chin tips in a nod. "All right." He moves quickly to the step beneath us, kicking something out of the way and gathering both of us into his arms. I lock mine around Quinn so she doesn't slip as we're lifted off the floor, and the landing beneath us loses its color. "Let's get you out of here." — Imogen Cardulo, Chapter 63.

Garrick is burnt out at best, and at worst already channeling (it is dark in the first scene; the circles beneath his eyes could have been Venin veins; while this is unlikely, as she does still call his eyes “beautiful”… Imogen is noted to struggle to meet anyone’s eyes in the following passages, so it’s possible she doesn’t note it while already in this state of shock).

There is also the possibility that “the landing beneath us loses its color” was not all due to other dark wielders; it may have already been Garrick as well.

Rebecca takes the seemingly unnecessary time to point out Garrick “kicking something out of the way” only she very rarely puts something pointless in her writing (& while I’m unsure of what it would mean, there is potential that it is hinting at something) & along the same note; the tense of Garrick’s phrasing is “you” not “us” (this may hint that he knows he will not be leaving this battle).

Finally, it’s worth noting that in this passage Garrick has just lost another friend (another one of the rebellion) making him not only wracked with grief but even more desperate to save Imogen (as the last book showed that mixture is rather dangerous when it comes to creating Venin).

& as he next states: "It's still not enough." Garrick's head hangs as he stands. "I can't..." & the following:

"Where are you going?" I shout at Garrick's back. "I can't walk again. Even if I made it to Aretia, I'd never be strong enough to get back," he calls over his shoulder. "So, I'd better find some fucking way to do something."

He is going out alone, to find a way to do something, dare I say anything. That is the last known sighting of him.

Not to mention that Chradh has made 0 appearances (making it feasible for him to be the “unconscious dragon” in reference).

And that he is powerless at this point. Yet, he is also one of the few riders who could possibly get to Riorson in time (let alone be helpful in the following “mysterious” & presumably chaotic 12 hours that then follow).

In that, we can also presume a few things from Chapter 66:

"Official numbers are four riders, their dragons, and three elders murdered in the valley in what we're estimating is the last few hours," Weilsen says. "And we still have five riders missing—four now," he adds, looking at me. His mouth tenses. "But after that display, we all know Riorson did this. I bet the other three are already dead." — Weilson, Chapter 66.

While we do not know who the (now) four riders are (aside from obviously Xaden) it does show that it is primarily dragon riders that are missing (again upping the odds of one in three being Garrick).

“The last few hours” meaning this all occured after Violet “went missing” and the “new Venin brother” went with—well—whomever they went with… possibly making a bigger spectacle, then the one earlier (and being that one in reference instead).

Again, as stated; Garrick also has the powers thanks to his second signet (which was specifically introduced in this book) to assist in the spread of said “display” and desecrations all across the battlefield (even if they are most likely Xaden) he is the signet match for any and all… he and Xaden very well could’ve gone to find the other “traitors” using Garrick’s teleportation & Xaden’s inntinsic skills, thus seemingly killing the three “elders”.

Finally, these last portions to the point:

"Do you know where he is?" Brennan asks me softly once the other rider is fully out of earshot. "Riorson? You heard what Weilsen said. We have dead dragons and riders and missing eggs, and if you've seen Riorson, I need to know, Violet." "I..." Words fail me. Why can't I think? "I don't know." I raise my hands to my mouth, and a piece of parchment in my front pocket catches on my arm, then falls. Brennan catches it. "Cardulo?" He lifts his eyes to Imogen. "I haven't seen him since yesterday," she says, her voice low, almost monotone. "Lieutenant Tavis?" "Among the missing," Brennan answers gently, then glances my way and does a double take. "Holy shit, Violet." "What?" I lower my arms. Garrick is missing, too? Who else makes up the four riders Weilsen mentioned? "Your finger," Imogen says, then stares at the ground. — Chapter 66.

Imogen has not seen XADEN since yesterday, she does not specify upon Garrick. …If she had seen him, she would have good reason to keep it a secret (as if she already didn’t for Xaden alone; though she definitely would’ve been more inclined to help with his favor)… and while she does ask (which leads me to believe she does not know for certain) I think it is a pointed question not of “please let him be alive” and more of “please let me be wrong” with whatever she does know. & again this would add to her completely numb/in-shock heartbroken can’t-look-a-soul-in-the-eye nature here; as she loves Garrick! So, if he turned she would also be joining the “heartbroken wives” club (that I have a feeling Violet and Cat will be forming in the next book… along with the likely subsection of “dissapointed/disgruntled mothers” for Sgaeyl; cause hell hath no fury like a woman blessed by Dunne, and seeking revenge to rescue her lover from himself). And as we all obviously know Imogen does know something! (She didn’t have to look first to tell Violet to check her finger) like I said she can’t look her (or anyone) in the eyes (not until Violet asks that darn right single question “What did you do?”). And while Brennan doesn’t seem shocked to see her (Imogen) she very well may have been among the missing riders (seeing as Violet sneaking in to find her prior to Brennan seems unlikely & difficult under the current discourse).

*edit* as I’m re-reading this Chapter 11 prologue from Iron Flame felt enough like foreshadowing to add it onto here:

"Garrick has always been my best friend. His father was my father's aide, which in a way makes him my Dain, except trustworthy. After Liam, Bodhi was and still is the closest thing I have to a brother, perpetually tagging along a step behind. —Recovered Correspondence of Lieutenant Xaden Riorson to Cadet Violet Sorrengail"

[earthmoonz]

WIFEY. | EPISODE TEN (10.5) [ACT TWO]

start / previous / next

[needle drop]

Rita’s visit had left Max numb. It was as if no matter what they did, they were destined to suffer under the hand of fate. So much of their life had been devoted to staying upright in the face of the unimaginable. It never mattered that they rarely understood why their world was so often knocked off its axis, as long as they played along, all would fall into place. But it was tiring, constantly rebuilding and playing catch up to what everyone else always seemed to know. 

Perhaps it was time to stop playing altogether and invent something in a language only they understood.

(transcript below)

[IPHONE]

(SIMONE): Do you know when you’ll be home, love?

(JORDAN): things r shit rn, but it’s gonna be ok boo, i promise. love ya lots x

1 MISSED CALL FROM: CLEO

(CLEO): Max, I just heard about the bar! I’m so sorry! Let me know what you need!

[NEWS ALERT]: Victor Feng: ‘The Spice District fire is a tragedy, but it further proves that San Myshuno is in a state of neglect.’

[DIALOGUE]

(MAX): …prick.

[beatsheetromanroy]

fellas does the past ever come back to haunt you. literally.