#just need supernatural on in the background and we've got it all

[eternaljohnlock]

I'm not often confident in my life decisions but whatever I did to end up sitting in a massive gay symphonic band, playing a doctor who piece and reading johnlock fanfiction during breaks, during the year of our lord 2025, must have been right

[dualityvn]

Okay I'm over the moon with the new update!!! I've played as much of it as possible but with how many options you put especially with the nsfw it didn't fit in my time yet. I'm writing this from work anyway lol.

First of all: THE DESIGNS!!! I thought I'd drop my hat with how good they looked especially with the few new poses!!! Tenebris still looks a good mix of cute and "scary" and Keith — his face is really sweet, that's all I'm saying with my name intact. I love how your art now has cleaner, thinner lines and a more lively shading(don't get me wrong I loved it always but it's just noticeable that you improved, especially with seeing Keith standing next to Melissa(? I'm at the moment praying I got the name right) who still has the old art style). The backgrounds seem interesting? They look amazing and very fitting for the game!!! It's just a little weird for them, especially the forest to not be colourful but it just takes getting used to. Now,:

DAY 5 SPOILERS

I really love how the story went forward, I like that seemingly the fae are more up our ass for some reason maybe besides hanging with the boys. The glitchy effects and those eyes? Perfect! Scared the living spirit out of me at first so it works well. I'm a little confused about us being able to sense Keith's thoughts but like only in one rout? Like I'm not sure how that's possible or why that didn't happen with Tenebris or maybe I just skipped something accidentally, but oh lord that was so nice!!! To kinda know what Keith is thinking?? Chef's kiss. I feel like in those thoughts more was shown of what we've seen here on the blog kinda? Especially when in that moment before having s-x(does tumblr have an issue with these words? Idk) he was worried we'd leave in the morning. Some of these small things really said more about his character. Although the nsfw scenes were ofc hot, I did enjoy more so how especially some of them gave a bit lore actually intimacy? Especially with before and after some small moments were just so sweet. (Ofc out of players curiosity I let my MC snoop a bit in some rounds and Keith's dairy? Damn it's sweet but holy f—, Tenebris's lil box is just kinda sweet/sad but it was such a nice little detail) The non nsfw routes actually struck me a little more this time tho. Tenebris being afraid of thunder is of course something I remembered from here but it's still adorable. Seeing him actually be a little more open and cuddly is always welcome, and the fact he purrs is still my favourite. With Keith's moments again I feel it's more of what we know from here put into the game, like how his parents don't see him much because of how raising them was, him trying to mold into an "easier" person and make up for the "trouble" of being around them. It honestly broke my heart a little cus I just would've wanted to hug him and tell him he's worth having supernatural beings wanting us dead(I'm happy we got to comfort him!!!). And I was quite shocked they killed that thing, from both of them, Keith a little more but still. I'm not quite sure about their reactions afterwards since both confused me a little but I'm sure I'll understand with time or from here. Keith's eyes getting red was sure something that surprised me but it's an interesting part. I did not all understand Tenebris's end, the getting sick? I guess stress can do that but asking us what we are and being scared? What the hell did he see/what happened?? I'm so intrigued with this story!

All together I'm really happy the boys are getting more comfortable/open and the story progress always has me on the edge, I loved the update for sure!!!(This doesn't necessarily need a reply, I just wanted to point out what I liked[and maybe gush about it] a little)

Hope you rest a lot after this!! Take care Nightmare ❤️🍒

Aaaa, this was a delight to read. Thank you so much! I'm very happy you enjoyed this update!!

Sensing Keith’s thoughts is something that happens because of a combination of narrative convenience and the general chaos of Date 5 as a whole.

And yes, the endings will become a little more clear in the next update.

[cookiedoughmeagain]

Inspired by @ariadne83's comment on a post by @the-idjits-randomness , I started writing a Supernatural/Haven crossover, in which Dean Winchester and Duke Crocker exchange "rare materials of questionable origin".

Thanks both for the inspiration! :)

I'm not entirely sure where it's going, but this is what I have so far:

(refers to some season two Haven plot but isn't intended to tie in exactly)

-

After a couple of rings the recording kicked in, “This is Dean's other, other cell…”

Pacing around the galley, Duke swore under his breath through the rest of the message, “Damn it dude, where are you? I need my stuff back.” Technically it was Seth’s stuff, but this was all the more reason why Duke needed it back; he wasn’t supposed to have given it away in the first place. Having vented his irritation he gave voice to an undercurrent of concern and in a slightly softer tone added, “I hope that job in Florida went ok. Call me!”

He drummed his fingers on the counter while he thought about what he was they were facing with this current Trouble, what he'd leant to Dean, and whether he had anything else that might help instead.

He was just turning away to go and rummage through one of the lesser-used sections of the hold when the phone buzzed against the wooden surface.

“Calm down, I've got your stuff. We're on the road to Maine now, be about ten hours or so.”

“Thanks man,” said Duke with feeling. “We've got some crazy, I don't know … zombie ghosts going on. I'm hoping that gizmo will at least help track them or something. How'd it go in Florida?”

“Badly. We wouldn't’ve made it out at all if it wasn't for your … what'd you call it? Rougarou detector?”

“That thing has been way more useful than it looks. Stick around for a while and you can thank the inventor yourself; he’s due back in town next week. You’re all in one piece then?”

“Yeah, just about. Sam’s sleeping off a broken arm. How’s Haven?”

“Oh, you know - still Haven. My ex-wife turned up last week. Well my current wife, technically.”

There was a pause during which Duke listened to the background rumble of the Impala. Then Dean’s surprise came through as he asked, “You have a wife?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Well I know you mostly stay in one place these days, but you’re basically a hunter. How many hunters you know have wives? Or any kind of serious relationship?”

“Didn’t you try it for a while?”

“Yeah well look how that worked out. Case in point.”

“Anyway this wasn’t even like that. It was a job as much as it was anything else. We were conning someone in Singapore and managed to accidentally con each other into marriage in the process. A very short-lived marriage. She’s only here now because she thinks I’m planning some scheme that she wants in on. I’m trying to get her out of town.”

“Take her on a zombie ghost chase with your rougarou detector, that oughta do it.”

Duke laughed. “Yeah perhaps I will.”

“I’ll call you when I get into town.”

“Thanks. It’s burger night at the Gull tomorrow,” Duke added.

“I'll take three,” said Dean with feeling and was about to hang up when he added, “Oh we're running low on Holy Oil - think you could get hold of any more?”

“Not by tomorrow, but I'll ask around.”

“Cheers man.”

-

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 13/05

@garnetduodecim asked: I always assumed jack spent the first 4 hours in the troll session, before destroying prospit, destroying Aradiabots, there were A LOT of them.

Maybe one of the Aradiabots got in a lucky shot, and was able to tag him with a weaker, non-God Tier variant of her freeze ability. That'd certainly at least delay him.

@morganwick asked: So, you were talking about Aradia "injuring" Vriska (post/704357246751113217) and comparing Vriska to a fairy godmother character (post/722100305374986240)?

@manorinthewoods asked: Serendipity Gospels is by Tamsyn Muir??? Really? Um, that's… hoo. That was one of the fanfics that I didn't end up liking. Might need to revisit that. Side note: 'Doc Scratch's School for Supernaturally Gifted Adolescents' feels more like something Locked Tomb-esque to me. So that's really… ah. ~LOSS (3/5/24)

I do wonder how similar the Gospels are to TLT's writing style.

Actually, can anyone confirm at what point the fic will be safe to read? I could just wait until I'm reading panels from after its publication date, but if I can check it out before, I will.

@abysswarlock asked: Ooh I’ve had this hypothesis for a while now but you just said something that made me lock in my guess that your classpect is Prince of Doom

The classpect wheel continues to turn!

I'm married to Doom for at least one of my 'sonas, but my Class is still up in the air, since we know even less about them than aspects.

@manorinthewoods asked: As a sort of Part 2 to that sylladex comment - how do you think the Sylladex works? Do you think that Homestuck will go into more detail about Sylladices, or do you think they'll fade into the background as different aspects of the magic system come to the fore? ~LOSS (24/4/24)

I think the latter is a lot more likely. Most aspects (lol) of Homestuck's magic system are there to serve the story first and foremost. As much as I'd love the comic to turn into a treatise on Sburb deeplore, it really doesn't feel like something Hussie would be interested in doing.

The story won't really suffer without, say, a detailed explanation of every facet of alchemy - I just really like speculating, because I'm all about shit like that.

@heliotropopause asked: What are your thoughts on Homestuck's translation convention(s)? As an example, take page 2251, line "Arrivederci, Megido.": Is she writing in something close enough to Earth English to scan as such to the reader, no translation necessary? Is Vriska saying a word in Troll Italian, which gets translated to Earth Italian? Is she expressing a sentiment in her usual language that's best translated as the word "arrivederci" as it's used in English? Has Doc Scratch secretly been translating all cross-species communication we've seen so far?

Vriska's arrivederci seems diegetic to me. If we inherited English from Alternia, it makes sense that some of our other languages might come from there too.

tl;dr: Troll Italy is real 🇮🇹

Anonymous asked: im not one to dip my toes into The Vriscourse but this one piece of analysis i really liked is that vriska is jealous of tavros, that hes had a much easier life compared to her and that hes allowed to be more of a wimp while she has to be the toughest fuck alive or else shell die

It's only one piece of the Vriska-Tavros puzzle, but it's an important one. She'll refuse to acknowledge it to the end, though, because the idea of being jealous of Tavros is disgusting to her.

@obscureaeguran asked: Are there any current theories of yours that you want to be wrong about?

Confident as I am in my Vriska death theory, I don't actually want to be right.

I really like Vriska's character, and I want to see her grow past the worldview that's preventing her from finding peace. I just don't think that's likely, given her current trajectory.

Anonymous asked: 'In what universe are 13-year-olds the people most qualified to make universes?' well per the beta version of homestuck (when hussie wanted to make the whole thing in flash before deciding against it) they were all going to be 10 instead, i think this is the much better option!

How young can we go, anyway?

AU where the Homestuck Babies aren't sent to Earth at all, and just start playing immediately.

@manorinthewoods asked: Have you played Deltarune? ~LOSS (9/4/24)

I have! I was actually replaying it on day one of the liveblog - hence the several references I made to it at the time. That feels forever ago, now.

@bladekindeyewear asked: Jade changed pretty drastically as a person after her dreamself died, if you think about it— demanding Feferi stop using her quirk in chat, standing up to the trolls for the first time, getting angry, to such an extent that Karkat was so surprised that it turned his opinion of her around completely in a single conversation. Even forcing a password system to keep talks linear instead of using cloud visions to do everything out of order. This doesn’t just feel to me like dream Jade being a “different individual”, it also feels like a metaphorical confrontation between her NEW self and her OLD self…

I think it's both.

Jade's been through a lot in the last couple of hours, and she really isn't the same girl who died on Prospit.

Being an oracle of Skaia's visions led to disaster. They showed her that John's Dream Self would awaken, leading her to believe she was finally going to meet him, but neglected to mention that she'd die the moment he opened his eyes - or that Prospit would die alongside her.

As a result, the new Jade seems to have made a decision to completely reject all prophetic information. She'll supply the minimum possible intel to her past self, and no more.

It's clear her Dream Self's death was a catalyst for a pretty dramatic shift in her worldview. She's angry - at the trolls, at herself, and at the world that betrayed her trust. She's tired of being jerked around, and her tumultuous emotions are making her rather testy. Basically, she's sick of all the bullshit, and she won't take it from anyone anymore.

Jadesprite has experienced the same catalyst, and has also come to mistrust the clouds, but for different reasons.

Jade rejects prophecies, in part, because she doesn't want to be deceived - but Jadesprite rejects them out of sheer hopelessness. She just doesn't care anymore.

They both have the same trauma, but they're dealing with it in very different ways - and at this point, I really do consider them to be different people.

And then on a metaphorical level, Jadesprite represents the 'silly', absent-minded childhood self that got Jade into this mess.

I think this taunt from Karkat hit very, very close to home for her, and I'm sure she associates the traits he described with her idyllic days on Prospit. It's part of why Dream Jade is such a perfect target for her fury.

@spyril4132 asked: i beg to differ on the entry item similarities only applying to prospit. iirc, rose shatters a bottle, and dave hatches an egg; both involve breaking open some sort of "shell", and neither are associated with a larger object, which could be seen as similar types of items. (while jade does break a piñata, she does so by shooting it, not by splitting it apart)

It's true that Rose and Dave's object's have some physical similarities, but John and Jade are both summoning the same tree, which feels like a much stronger connection.

Rose and Dave's entry cards also summoned auxiliary items, but they were different - a cabinet and bird, respectively. From where I'm sitting, the link between the two Prospit items does seem unique.

@skelekingfeddy asked: what herptiles would sally and sahlee have as their consorts? i feel like a monitor lizard would fit for one of them…maybe losas has like, turtle or tortoise consorts, what with their long-livedness and the wise sagely vibe and all.

I was thinking pretty much the same thing for Sahlee. Let's say they're Galápagos tortoises, because the Sage gives me Oogway vibes.

For Sally's Consorts, I'm going to get really funky and say they're a type of pterosaur.

@sparten4ever92 asked: The HS version of Megalovania is slept on way too much, the Vriska guitar adds so much to it that the UT version just doesn't have. @sanctferum asked: Finally, MeGaLoVania by Toby Fox (feat. Joren "Tensei" deBruin on guitar)! Would you say that Tavros had an…unpleasant chronological progression? (btw I do love the bit of Spider's Claw that plays during the Vriska segment, which is (obviously) unique to this Megalovania) also, the audiovisual style of homestuck flashes is just really cool imo @mimescantscream asked: You have no idea how long we've waited for the Megalovania

This version of Megalovania was a great choice for Aradia's finest hour - or at least, her finest hour so far.

It's moments like this which are why I decided to stop listening to the albums in advance. If I hadn't first heard Aradia's Megalovania in this flash, it wouldn't have hit the way it did.

@elkian asked: MEGALOVANIA TIME BAYBEEEE! Also, let's go back to that theory you had about Aradia getting more alive, because you NAILED it. @iris-in-the-dark-world asked: i am so excited to see aradia again and finally as herself :33<

She's fucking BACK, baby!

Seeing Aradia smiling for real after all this time is genuinely heartwarming - and with her time-stop attack, she's almost unkillable. It'd take some absolute nonsense to take Aradia out of the picture again, and I think she'll be sticking around for a long time. Hopefully forever.

@grippingtraverse asked: notice any similarities during megalovania between aradia vs. jack & sans vs. player? 0u0

The best I can come up with is that Aradia and Frisk are both time travelers whose signature color is red.

Or maybe Jack is the Frisk analogue, since he's the one wiping out all life in the session, and Aradia is the last foe he faces.

@captorations asked: please consider, with this new information about aradia, what it could mean for her literary descendant dulcie septimus. please also keep considering this as you continue and see more of aradia. i am very normal about both of these characters

Ooh, they do have similar vibes, don't they? They're both doomed, they're strongly associated with death, and they both have a cheerful side that comes out when you don't expect it to.

@duorogue asked: "You have to give Nepeta some credit. The literal first thing she did after this traumatic murder was log into Trollian and report on Jack’s activities." To be fair to her, when I have a bad nightmare the first thing I do is log onto discord

nepeta hopping on mic at 2am to complain about the hat man (the hat man is doc scratch)

@absinthe-and-alabaster asked: when the writ keeper was introduced as fifth exile you mentioned that it was a little fucked up how the king was the only prospitian that was preserved - i just wanted to remind you that no, he wasn't ! on page 1974 we see all the other prospitians that were exiled with the white queen on her ship (including ms paint!) WQ just left them to go wander the desert

I'd actually forgotten about that. So much happened during the Act 4 ending that it completely slipped my mind. I even missed Ms. Paint!

Anonymous asked: Hey, as you noticed, the Dave Coin Split is a plot hole. We've never seen the timeline split because of someone's choice before. Compare to John flying to the seventh gate, there weren't two timelines based on his choice, the timeline only changed because Dave came back from the original timeline and changed it. And of course, like you said in the tags, Terezi shouldn't have been able to communicate with Doomed Dave, including to tell him the result of the FL1P. Have you noticed any other plot holes or things that don't seem to make sense?

While I see what you're saying, it might not necessarily be a plot hole! Certainly the Dave Coin Timeline was created in a different manner to Davesprite's - but that might just mean there are multiple ways to split a timeline, or that there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled for a decision to spawn one.

Because of things like that, it's hard to tell whether something's actually a plot hole, or if it'll eventually make sense in light of later reveals.

This is particularly true for aspects of the plot involving time travel, like the one you just described. Like, remember before I learned about Doomed Timelines, when I thought Davesprite broke Homestuck's predestination rules?

Anonymous asked: You said "God Tiering is just another way to inhabit your Dream Self," so do you think the things that Dream Selves can do (such as Jade growing extra arms) can be done by God Tiers?

I never really thought about that!

I think it's definitely possible. God Tier bodies can fly the same way that Dream Selves can, so other powers might transfer, too. Maybe the only reason Vriska, Aradia and John aren't shapeshifters is because Jade hasn't taught them to how to dream up extra limbs.

She might be one of the only Dream Selves who've learned how to shapeshift this fluidly. Logging thousands of hours on Prospit has its perks!

[vyladerz]

British people...interesting concept.

Hey so I actually ended up taking about a month long break from watching Supernatural. I'm kind of glad I did because I've never been more excited to return. Especially remembering there are alternate realties now to explore in Supernatural (My favorite trope in fiction). Plus I'm ready to move on from the British Men of Letters storyline.

-Jack Kline. I am so happy to meet him finally, honestly his introduction has given me hope for next season. I actually knew about him before I even watched the show because of an edit I saw in 2023. Nothing else to say other than god knows there needs to be a new character introduced after losing so many this season.

-The psychic kid episode titled "American Nightmare" surprised the hell out of me in such a good way. This show hasn't discussed anything to do with the psychic children since season 2 so this was something I never expected them to revisit, especially this far along. The way Sam clicked so well with the psychic girl made my heart melt. His earnest attempt to help her, ugh it was like I was watching season 2 again. I'm not saying it's character regression but rather it's the show remembering the core of what makes up Sam Winchester. Also, he admitted he was psychic! Out loud! In season 12! I would have preferred the focus just go back to psychic abilities this season then the BMOL plotline but I know it was just a far fetched dream. Also shoutout to Sam and Dean as priests again what a sweet throwback episode.

-Sam and Dean are finally on the same page for an entire season! What made this season feel worth it is seeing the brothers have each other's backs and are facing everything together. It's a shame that they're put into the background for what seems like the entirety of this season.

-Jay Z and Beyoncé. I didn't realize how long it took to get consistent buddy duo episodes between Castiel and Crowley. It's a good thing we got them before they shot them out back yk (I'm bitter).

-Mary Winchester. Okay I have a whole page written out for her separately but what I'll say for now is that she is much more complex than I think some fans give her credit for. With that said, I still side with Dean and Sam regarding their feelings towards her even if I understand where she's coming from. I don't downright hate her and I honestly think her coming back was a great choice even if the show fumbled with pacing her arc out a bit. Also side note, does she know about Adam? Does this show know about Adam?? We've gone through this show with only one mention of Adam in like season 6 and it's really sad but funny to me.

I think that's all. Major spoilers next.

-Everyone is fucking dead. Eileen, Rowena, Crowley, Castiel, and hey even Mick gets a mention here as a foul character death. I have no clue what the next seasons are going to be like with all these deaths. I guess this is a clean slate? I'm aware this show always had this issue but with the deaths of two major characters I'm found questioning even more so how they're going to pull the next seasons off.

-Mick along with all the other British Men of Letters death's I saw coming from a mile away. I think it was still an unbelievably dumb decision because it really meant the whole BMOL plotline was for nothing with no development. That's as much as I'm willing to say about them, next!

-Rowena kind of surprised me because I didn't think she was an option as far as killing off characters go. I'm not really bummed just more so confused because I really have no clue what will happen going forward. She still had her witch healing abilities right?

-Crowley's death was not his. It was so unlike him to strike out like that. I was so upset watching a character like Crowley lose his spark overtime. I'm not too surprised since the parts that made him human were never embraced within the show. I will miss seeing Mark Shepard's name in the intro title card though :')

-Eileen's gruesome death had me leaving the room in frustration cause I had completely fallen for her. I THOUGHT HER AND SAM WERE ENDGAME! I don't know why I thought she was immune from this "killing every interesting character" trope. I'm so disappointed, this felt similar to when Charlie died why do they keeping doing the women of Supernatural like this??

-Castiel. I need to make a separate post for Cas cause his arc and death this season will haunt me. I didn't cry during his death scene but a few nights after I found myself tearing up over him. His storyline towards the end of his life was so sad I don't have any fancier words to describe it, it was just sad. Seeing Dean's reaction as well really moved me and it's totally not because this show has made me a big ol mush of sensitivity.

Anyway my one month Supernatural break is over and I'm actually hyped to start the next season despite these faults listed. I know from this point forward it's going to be all or nothing. From what I've seen it gets lore heavy, though I could be wrong. I mean when has tackling dimensions in storytelling ever been easy. Oh yeah my favorite episodes were, Regarding Dean and Who We Are.

[fear-of-mirr0rs-and-reflections]

well. created a 2nd DA oc (don't worry: Dolly's still here), and they're quite the interesting lil fellow.

( @that-darn-clown just in case you wanna hear about My Other Lil Guy )

Yarrow Norman:

could Not be more different from Dolly personality wise.

they/them (tolerates he/him pre-WKM because. y'know. 1920s and all that. they prefer just they/them, though).

autistic and nonverbal (can speak very few words, and most are just things like "hello/goodbye," "please/thank you/you're welcome," "yes/no/maybe," "me/you/them," words that communicate basic needs ("food/drink/help"/etc), and a few names, such as their own, and, later on, "Damien." that's about it, though). primarily communicates through sign language and writing.

transneutral and nonbinary. also intersex.

aroace and queer.

just very timid and anxious. big people pleaser. just wants to be nice to everyone (most of the time, so long as said people aren't being assholes).

medium/moderate support needs, but generally tries to like...suppress it? if that's the right word? mostly because they want to still have autonomy (they were infantilized to hell and back as a child, and they pretty much swore that they'd never let something like that happen to them again). problem is that they basically force themselves to mask as much as possible, so they are just...constantly on edge and tired.

both loves their job and hates it (being a lawyer's overwhelming).

Damien's probably the only person they feel 100% comfortable being themself around. Actor is...a close second. (pre-WKM, at least)

the only member of their family they keep in contact with is their mother.

so uh...they can see ghosts/other supernatural entities and somewhat communicate with them. and has been able to since they were little. essentially, they are a medium...kinda.

it is due to This Reason that, as much as they care about Actor, they do not like going into The Manor. The Entity (Reflection) scares them :(

WKM was...not a great time. for multiple reasons. we've got: Surrounded By People They Don't Know, A Stressful Situation, One Of Their Friends Is Dead, They Can See Said Dead Friend's Ghost, They Can See A Thing (< The Entity), and that's not counting everything else.

they're pretty much living through a horror story that walks the thin line between Psychological and Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror like a fucking tightrope. and they try to keep a smile through it all!! (i mean. they've been smiling through horrible stuff all their life. it's...basically all they know)

unlike Dolly, who is Dog Coded, Yarrow is Mouse Coded!

anyway, have a meme:

Dolly, looking just kinda annoyed while Actor and Dark fistfight in the background: The Horrors persist, but so do I 🙄😒

Yarrow, going through some Eldritch Horror Shit, smiling but clearly on the edge of a fucking breakdown: I'm perfectly fine why do you ask? lol😁👍

[savrenim]

watched the first 30 minutes of the new live action ATLA bc I was Curious and they have already committed three different mortal sins that I can't Not Rant about, spoilers for the first 30 minutes below the cut

1. They rearranged the order of storytelling to open with the Fire Nation attacking the Air Nomads.

And I'm not.... totally sure why? Like, my guess is either "we need to make an immediate dramatic hook for the people who have never seen ATLA before!" or "we need to explain the background for the people who have never seen ATLA before!" But the truth is, people never saw ATLA before it came out, and they were perfectly fine catching on to learning about what happened to the Air Nomads and the geopolitical state of the world in media res!! That is not an excuse!

By opening with The Attack On The Air Nomads, not only do they rob the audience of getting to do my favorite thing throughout, which is the ability to piece together backstory via being told details as the story goes on, but it also..... vastly undermines the impact that That Attack Happening is going to have later in the story. Instead of piecing together tragedy from 100-year-old ruins and getting the moment of "oh god" and imagining it, we're shown it directly upfront onscreen, which not only to me comes across as unnecessary and gratuitous violence, but it means that every time in the story that The Air Nomads Are All Dead is going to come up, instead of it being this weighty thing that we can only imagine that each small detail adds even more to that weight, the payoff was all upfront. We've seen it, there's nothing to imagine, any detail they give us is not adding to our understanding of the tragedy and increasing the tragedy to us at all, it's just a reference to the opening scene.

2. STATUS!!!!!

So 'Status' is a concept that I rant about a lot and am highly sensitive to in writing, probably bc in the gay theater camp day camps the first thing you need to teach your 8-year-olds in improv workshop is How To Respect Status if you want to have at all a reasonable adventure game; otherwise you have kids interrupting the king's big dramatic speech and hence Undermining The King's Authority and the adventure game falls apart but also so you don't get trapped in scenes where you've got two characters yelling back and forth "well I'm [this thing] so you should respect me!!" and the complete lack of respect between them totally undermines what both of them are saying and the fiction falls apart. I kind of joke but not really that I stopped watching Supernatural in like. season 8?? 9?? because there was some episode with Greek Gods and you got to the finale of the episode and Zeus was going "dO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??? I'M ZEUS. I'M A GOD. PUNY MORTAL" and Sam and Dean went "dO YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE??? WE'RE THE WINCHESTERS. WE TOOK DOWN SATAN AND ALSO SATAN'S MORE EVIL OLDER COUSIN. PUNY MONSTER OF THE WEEK" and I went "by day three of camp my nightmare 8-year-olds can do Status better than this. Why am I even watching this?"

In the first scene, the live-action ATLA severely undermines the status of the Fire Nation and Fire Lord and then continuous to do so throughout the entire opening.

The initial scene is some random Earth Kingdom spy running away with Fire Nation plans to attack the Earth Kingdom and getting captured and dragged before Fire Lord Sozin (to be?? monologued at by Fire Lord Sozin of 'HAH you fell into my TRAP, those plans were FAKE, we're attacking the AIR NOMADS' which is just. dumb. kill the spy, don't monologue at him and kill him, but also why the fuck are you letting an Earthbender spy into your presence in the first place???????) which besides the aforementioned letting?? an earthbender spy??? into his presence in the first place????? He:

is not wearing particularly fancier clothes than the other people around him; like, they're okay, but the 'total desaturation of all colors including/especially in the clothing' aesthetic that Netflix has going makes it not look very royal. that shit should have been BRIGHT red or 10x fancier to make up for the fact that it wasn't Bright Red

they are STANDING IN THE THRONE ROOM and INSTEAD OF BEING BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF FLAMES he's just STANDING DOWN THERE on the SAME LEVEL AS EVERYONE ELSE????? WHY ARE YOU EVEN IN THE THRONE ROOM IF THE FIRE LORD IS???? NOT ON THE THRONE?????? JUST STANDING AROUND???? THE FIRE LORD DOES NOT JUST STAND AROUND WHERE IS THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE OFFICE????????????

and then beyond the absolute idiocy and letting a nobody no-name spy into his presence like that and dramatically revealing battle plans fucking idiot deserves to be assassinated for letting a spy earthbender get within three feet of him that's just extremely bad royal security, Sozin personally Murders this Random Spy. with his own firebending hands.

One of the whole things that makes ~the Fire Lord~ so terrifying is the sheer amount of weight around The Institution Of The Fire Lord, the courts and the backstabbing nobles of the fire nation, both the extreme imperial politics and complications there but also the almost deification of the office itself. The Fire Lord is untouchable, I forget if it's fanon or canon that they've got a 'descended directly from Agni / divine right' thing going but if it's fanon at least canon has those vibes, and one of the biggest aspects of the finale of the whole show is the combination of Azula's meltdown making it so that even though she was 'Fire Lady' she.... wasn't particularly scarier because in panicking and banishing everyone she'd totally undermined her own power structure, but also realizing that Ozai was Actually Just Some Dude Who Sure Was Pretty Good At Firebending And A Really Shit Person And Terrifying For What He'd Done With His Power but he wasn't a god, he wasn't impossible to defeat, when push came to shove he was just a firebender and as such his power could be stripped.

Fire Lord Sozin standing on the same level as his advisors and a random earthbender spy, and then doing things with his own hands, instead of, you know, sitting on that throne behind that wall of fire while this scene was happening if this scene really needed to happen in the first place, totally undermines that sort of deification level of status that the Fire Lord is supposed to have. Sozin becomes an Evil Scary Murderer Villain, sure, but what proceeds to be established about his character is. Nothing to set him apart from "a particularly skilled Firebender." Hell not even that, as nothing ever demonstrates that he's substantially more skilled than the firebending soldiers around him!!!!!!!

And it undermines the severity of the threat of the whole Fire Nation to undermine the status of the Fire Lord and hence the Thing That Makes The Next Fire Lord So Scary. hnnnnnnnnnng.

3. Every single character keeps giving extremely stilted monologues about how they're feeling?

It just feels like Bad Writing. And it also kind of feels like incorrect characterizatons? Big "he would NOT say that" mood but also just, like. Aang giving a three minute monologue purely to Appa about how he never asked for the responsibility of being the Avatar, he just wants to be like other kids, that just feels. So Cookie Cutter. So "gotta check off our refusing the call so our protagonist is Relatable!" and also just he would not say that.

This doesn't quite bother me as much as the other ones because it doesn't feel like a fundamental undermining of the narrative and/or the setting but it is Highly Annoying.

anyways defs not worth the watch. 30 minutes of my life Wasted. some of the costumes are kind of nice tho so might go back for the costume refs.

[kohakurin8]

~ Dissecting Kimetsu no Yaiba ~

Kyōjurō Rengoku, Dragonball, & The Tale of The Monkey King

I'm sure you can already tell where this is going based on the title, but this is actually a post that I've wanted to make for a while now and just... couldn't find the words to put it in. Eventually, I just realized that the words probably won't come to me until I start writing them, so here I am!

Let's talk about a relatively obvious reference made within Kimetsu no Yaiba that a surprising amount of people completely missed. That is, the fact that the Hashira Rengoku is an uncanny, undeniable reference to the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, from a very famous Chinese folktale -- Journey to the West!

Fun Fact: Dragonball was originally a loveletter to Journey to the West, with Goku originally being a direct reference to Sun Wukong as well!

Haha, that fun fact may seem random but it actually plays a big role in what I'm about to say.

See, I'm no expert on Journey to the West, but thanks to the widespread popularity of Dragonball and the Shounen genre, you really don't need to be in order to understand the relevance and significance of Sun Wukong!

It's pretty well known that Dragonball was essentially the progenitor of the Shounen genre, and before it got into Dragonball Z with all of the aliens and galactic drama, the series actually focused on Martial Arts and its relationship with the mystical forces of the world. Of course, this means it's not at all surprising for Goku to be a reference to Sun Wukong since Journey to the West essentially defined the Martial Arts Movie genre of Eastern Asia.

You see where I'm going with this yet? 😏

Yes, Sun Wukong defined the Martial Arts Movie protagonist, and through him Goku defined the Shounen protagonist.

Sure, not every Shounen protagonist rides through the sky on a cloud like our beloved Saiyan Hero or the Monkey King, but there are still plenty of other shared character traits that became staples. An astounding, almost insatiable appetite; unyielding willpower; enough love for friends and family to move mountains; almost inhuman courage and heroics; supernatural power to rival even the gods -- basically anything that makes you think of a Shounen protagonist is a trait originally beheld by Sun Wukong.

So now that we've done the background knowledge, let's shift our focus to Rengoku specifically.

I know what you're going to say. "But Rin, if Sun Wukong is in every Shounen protagonist we've ever drooled and cried over, what makes Rengoku so special?"

And to that I say sit down and have some patience, I'm getting to that!

Rengoku is special because he somehow masterfully represents all of the things that Sun Wukong was known for while avoiding the bland and boring tropes yet somehow simultaneously expressed everything you love about classic Shounen.

He has a razor-sharp wit and instinct, smoothly hidden beneath playful, charming, and almost clown-like behavior. His bright personality, warm kindness, and furious power remind one of the sun itself -- something that Sun Wukong was widely representative of.

Delightfully eccentric and quirky. A blazing glory that touches and warms hearts until he's etched into their very soul, shaping viewers into brave warriors the same way he shapes Tanjiro Kamado into one himself.

Kyōjurō Rengoku is a flawless loveletter to everything that ever was, and ever will be, The Monkey King.

[inversionimpulse]

Yumemi, appearing out of thin air: Hey, so, I need you to answer a question for me.

Yumemi: Stop screaming at me- No, actually, you're right, this needs some background first. So I lost my job and my tenure and got laughed out of acad... you were there for all that, you don't need me to tell you about it. Anyway, I went back in time about... fifty-ish years probably, and I found this secret paradise of supernatural beings.

Yumemi: Only, get this, the person in charge of it was one of my students! Sometime in the future she's going to get tossed back in time thousands of years and she's going to become this really sexy evil youkai mastermind.

Yumemi: So I need to know if it's still a breach of professional ethics to date her.

Yumemi: Yes, I know you fired me and I'm not a professor anymore. I was there for that. But obviously once I bring her back here and she proves that magic is real and that I was right all along and you were fools to call me mad, you'll reinstate me.

Yumemi: Oh, well, it's no use doing -that-. I already cut the wires on the silent alarm so we could have a proper private conversation. Security's not coming, Dean.

Yumemi: Look, just answer the question and I'll be out of your hair-

Yumemi: Oh, -now- it's "Where have you been, Okazaki?" "We've been worried!" "Are you okay?" "Are you the one behind the theft of that ICBM?" "You're an internationally-wanted criminal!" Well, okay, firstly, her name is Mimi, not "that ICBM." Secondly, for your information, yes, I did take Mimi. Do you know anyone else with the skills to pull that off? Didn't think so.

Yumemi: What? No, I don't have her anymore. I gave her to a twelve-year-old as a present.

Yumemi: Look, stop dodging the question.

Yumemi: I need to know if it's a breach of professional ethics bang one of my students if it's a future version of her from the past who's hundreds of times my age and rules a small province of folkloric monsters.

Yumemi: It's a simple yes-or-no question, Dean.

[ladylilithprime]

Luck And Marriage Are What You Make Of Them

Series: Fluffy Faerie Tales

Fandom: Supernatural

Word Count: 5204

Pairing: Sastimmy/Jamstiel (Jimmy Novak/Sam Winchester/Castiel), background Donna Hanscum/Amelia Novak, background Kevin Tran/Channing Ngo

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags/Warnings: Half-Fae Sam Winchester, Jimmy and Castiel Are Twins, Selkie Jack Kline, Sam Winchester Is Jack Kline's Adopted Father, Brief Allusions to Canon-Typical Violence, References to Past Events, Autistic Cas and Jimmy, V-Shaped Polyamorous Wedding, Trans Woman Amelia, Selkie Donna Hanscum, Oh Gods The Tags On This Fic Are Insane

Summary: A V-shaped polyamorous wedding was bound to have some quirks and peculiarities to it. This is even more true when two of the three are magically created twins and their soon-to-be husband is a prince of one Realm and a king of another. They've got this, though-- not even rain can slow them down.

For: @fluffyfebruary challenge!

Prompt: Day 26: Rain

Read on AO3

ISN'T IT A bad omen to have rain on your wedding day?" Charlene Novak asked nervously, glancing out at where the curtain of gray drizzle was coming down beyond the edges of the pavilion. The fact that there even was a pavilion felt like a stroke of luck considering the wedding was being held outside on a beach and the venue hadn't changed despite the weather forecast.

"Considering the season, the location, and the guest list, Mom, the rain was explicitly planned for," Jimmy told her with a wry little smile for her and Michael. He was apparently the twin designated to meet them, as he was wearing board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that Charlene had never seen before and Cas was nowhere to be seen. As if somehow reading her mind, he added, "Cas is in the dressing room tent helping Sam with his hair. Charlie's supposed to come get me when they're done and it's time to get dressed."

"Oh, is Charlie your Best Man?" Charlene asked, trying not to think too closely about the bad luck associated with seeing your bride before the wedding. None of them were brides, after all, and that was honestly the part Charlene was having the easiest time wrapping her head around about it all.

"She's certainly our best something," Jimmy said after a moment's hesitation. Right, Charlie was the name of their female coworker. "I'll make sure to introduce you when she comes out. She'll be able to help you navigate the rest of the guests. Nobody should start anything, but we've got a lot of powerful people and volatile personalities under one waterproofed canvas roof."

"And a promise to behave and keep any extra-familial drama to themselves is only gonna last until an hour into the reception," a slender redhead in a pale blue wrap dress said as she seemed to materialize at Jimmy's elbow. Charlene jumped, but Jimmy didn't even seem fazed. "I heard my name. Hi, I'm Charlie Bradbury, human hacker and barista extraordinaire."

"Michael Novak, and my wife, Charlene," Michael spoke up on automatic as he usually did when they attended events together. Charlene noticed the way Charlie narrowed her eyes, but Michael was apparently distracted by-- "Would you be the one to ask about the... car?"

"That's Sam's niece, Baby," Charlie said, which didn't make a whole lot of sense. The car was the faerie's niece? Surely she meant the car belonged to his niece, not-- "Yes, she's a sentient car, it's a long story, and she's very nice to people who treat her like a person despite her shape. She's actually one of the reasons the wedding is being held outside since she's the flower girl and DJ." While Charlene was attempting to process that, Charlie turned to Jimmy. "Cas is just about done and wants your help with the ribbons, and then you both need to get gowned up."

"Going," Jimmy nodded, then looked back at Charlene. "Stay close to Charlie, keep Dad out of trouble, and Cas and I will both come say hi afterwards."

And then he was gone, leaving Charlene blinking and Michael humphing quietly. Charlie just smiled brightly and gestured around the pavilion interior at the slowly assembling guests. "Anyone in particular you'd like to be introduced to or would you rather find your seats and save introductions for the reception?"

"How about just giving us an overview of who's who for the time being?" Charlene suggested when Michael kept silent.

"As you like," Charlie chirped, rocking on her heels in the sand. She spun around slowly, eyes tracking over the crowd, then nodded to herself and began pointing out different people. "Well, Baby's Dad is Sam's older brother, he goes by Dean these days and is acting as Sam's Best Man." The man she pointed to was dressed in jeans and a blue button down shirt under a leather jacket. He might have looked completely normal if not for the pointed ears and long blonde hair that had been braided back into something resembling a mohawk. Next to him was another pointy-eared blonde man wearing a cloak in a darker blue, and a blonde woman with long blonde curls wearing a silver and blue diadem. "He's talking to their younger brother, who goes by Adam, and their mother, the Cerulean Princess... she'll probably say to call her Mary, but it's best to wait for her to tell you which of her nicknames to use."

"Princess?" Charlene repeated faintly, scrambling to remember if Jimmy or Cas had said anything about that in their phone calls or letters and coming up blank. "Does that make Sam and his brothers princes?"

"It does, and Sam will be wearing his official circlet for the wedding, but none of them really like to draw attention to their rank here in the mortal realm," Charlie told her with a shrug. She swiveled and pointed to a serious-looking dark-haired man who might have been normal except that he was dressed a lot like the faerie princess. "That's Sam's dad, the Cerulean Knight, also known as Saint John the Divine. Yeah, that John. He's human but left the mortal realms with Mary after his bestie was killed for political reasons and earned his immortality in the fae realms. And the guy he's talking to is the current reincarnation of that bestie. I think he said his name this time around is Chuck, and he really does prefer that to the whole 'Christ' thing."

"You're kidding," Charlene said weakly, staring at the nervous-looking man with curly hair wearing jeans and a tie-dye t-shirt under what looked like a borrowed royal blue and white choir stole. He looked more like somebody's stoner cousin than Christ the Lord returned to Earth.

"Nnnope," Charlie said, sounding far more gleeful than Charlene felt was warranted. "And lookee there, that's the Archangel Gabriel joining them... but I understand you've met him once before already."

"Never seen any of them before," Michael grunted from beside Charlene.

She managed something vaguely strangled in response, too preoccupied with seeing the angel from the church casually walking up to her sons' fiance's father and his friend and joining the conversation. Whatever he said had the... Christ... smacking his forehead with an exasperated expression as the serious expression on Sam's father's face split into a mischievous smirk that made him look a lot like his eldest son despite the human ears.

"Looks like Gabe just told Chuck that Lucy's arrived," Charlene heard Charlie say as if from a distance. "That's Lucifer, by the way, but his reputation is heavily exaggerated, and he's perfectly charming but he likes to make bets and he's almost worse about contracts than Sam's Unseelie cousins. Oh, if you see a faerie girl who looks like she's part plant, that's Bloddewyn, she brought all the flowers. If she talks to you, just be polite and don't use her name." There was a pause, and then Charlie added in a sympathetic tone, "Too much? Want me to show you to your seats?"

"That might be best," Charlene said faintly. It was too late to turn around and run away, she reminded herself. And she wasn't going to let the upending of her faith or the presence of the literal Devil keep her from seeing her little boys get married.

"This way, then," Charlie said. Charlene fumbled for Michael's arm, feeling a wave of relief when he caught her hand and wrapped it around his bicep before leading her to follow Charlie over to a couple of chairs on the right side of the flower-and-ribbon decorated platform at one end of the pavilion. "You're seated next to Kevin Tran and his wife Channing. They're dragons."

 

WAS IT REALLY wise to leave our parents with Charlie?" Cas asked Jimmy when he stepped into the tent, letting the flap fall closed behind him.

"Eh, probably not," Jimmy admitted with a shrug. "She won't traumatize them too much, though. We made her promise to back off if she noticed Mom dissociating."

"Hard to believe all those years of us being visibly autistic and we never noticed Mom's symptoms," Cas shook his head and beckoned Jimmy over. "Here, help me pin this evenly."

"If she hasn't figured it out by now, it probably won't make a difference for her to know," Sam murmured, holding still as Jimmy and Cas carefully fitted the pins through metal, hair and cloth on either side of his head. "Aside from possibly making her feel worse for what happened when you were four."

Jimmy had to admit that was the more likely outcome. Given the research he and Cas had been doing, they knew that a lot of women from previous generations never got officially diagnosed even after they realized it because the default standard for diagnosis was young boys. Jimmy didn't know exactly how his Irish Catholic mother was raised by their grandparents given that she wasn't on speaking terms with them, but it was entirely likely that it had never even occurred to her that she might be autistic at all, even when struggling to figure out how to help her sons manage their own sensory overloads.

"Charlie was going to put them over by Kevin and Channing, right?" Cas confirmed, glancing up at Jimmy. "If they can get over them being dragons, then those two will probably be the safest people on our side of the aisle. Especially if they're the only ones of the family who came."

"Cousin Anna's out there," Jimmy said with a half-shoulder shrug. "I saw her talking to Donna and Amelia."

That had certainly been an unexpected romance at the time, even if it made perfect sense now. Sheriff Donna Hanscum had stepped up to be foster mom to ten-year-old Matt Pike when he was rescued from his real estate developer father, but she wasn't keen on being a single parent. Amelia, meanwhile, wasn't exactly naturally maternal for all she was willing to give birth now that Sam's magic had given her the right parts, but with Donna there to pick up the maternal slack Amelia was able to relax and just enjoy being able to rub it in the faces of her old bullies that they couldn't say she wasn't a real woman.

A minor commotion from beyond the tent flaps made all three of them start, but only Cas and Jimmy turned when the flap lifted and a brunette woman with black eyes and small curling horns nestled in her hair poked her head in. "Lucy's here."

"Thanks, Ruby," Sam sighed, closing his eyes. "Keep an eye on things and let me know if it looks like I need to remind him that he promised not to start shit with Chuck or Gabe until the reception is well underway."

"Will do, boss," the she-demon saluted and ducked back out.

"We'd better get dressed now so there's less time for Lucifer to forget his promise," Jimmy sighed, letting his hands drop from where he had been absently stimming on one of Sam's small silver-wrapped braids and stepping back to admire his and Cas's soon-to-be husband.

Sam had let most of his glamours drop for the occasion, aside from adjusting the length of his hair to be down to his knees. Cas had done an amazing job styling the chestnut brown waves with braids and beads and silver wires and chains and blue ribbons while still letting most of it hang free beneath the sheer fabric of the veil pinned at two points to the ends of the delicate silver filigree circlet set with blue opals that Sam wore to denote his princely status. In contrast to the marvel of his hair, his wedding outfit was almost plain in comparison, having chosen to wear the white ruffled blouse he had bought on impulse months before with a set of black slit-sided silk harem pants with silver-embroidered cuffs and a blue and silver scarf tied around his waist like a belt. The lack of glamours meant that the expansive array of tattoos and runic wards were on display, visible as shadows beneath the white fabric and clearly defined by the open V of his shirt and peeking out from the slit sides in his pants that ran from ankle to waist. He looked understated but royal and thoroughly edible, making Jimmy think briefly of their plans for after the wedding reception.

"Getting dressed will happen faster without staring at our gorgeous husband-to-be," Cas pointed out, tossing a pile of white cotton jersey knit fabric at Jimmy, snapping him out of his daydream. He stuck his tongue out at his brother as Sam laughed softly, shaking the white cloth out to reveal part one of his own wedding attire.

The white V-necked maxi dress with the ankle length full skirt was not what most people would think of when they thought "wedding dress", but it was soft and light and sleeveless, which made it the perfect garment to go beneath the custom-tailored blue and silver alicorn hide jackets that Sam had gifted them the night they had gotten engaged. Jimmy shrugged out of the shirt he'd been wearing to greet their parents and pulled the dress over his head, then shimmied out of his shorts and tossed them towards the duffel bag in the corner. "Hair?"

"Grab some mousse and tousel it," Cas directed, half-muffled by his own dress. "We've got circlets of our own to put on during the ceremony, so we don't want to be too pristine."

"Got it." Jimmy accepted the spray bottle of mousse Sam passed him, passing it to Cas when he had a decent peak on his fingers, and working it through his hair before fluffing it up a bit. Sam passed him a wet wipe to clean the product off his hands, then helped him into his jacket before turning and helping Cas as well.

"You both look wonderful," he said, looking back and forth between them with a soft smile that didn't even try to disguise the banked heat in his eyes. "If I wasn't so eager to finally be able to call you my husbands, I'd be stealing you away to the Summer Palace already."

"Wedding and reception first--" Cas started, lips twitching upwards in a tiny smirk.

"Honeymoon after," Jimmy finished with a matching smirk. "Now let's go get married."

 

THE CHATTER AROUND the pavilion quieted when the pristinely polished glossy black 1967 Chevy Impala with a bouquet of blue roses and gardenias tied to her front grill with blue and silver ribbons revved her engine pointedly. The radio dial swiveled and then the volume rose, fading in to the soft chimes and flowing winds and strings of Holst's "Venus, the Bringer of Peace". Anyone not already in their seats or equivalent positions quickly found their way to them, and Chuck took his place at the front on the platform festooned in English ivy, white honeysuckle, and wisteria. Gone for the moment was the nervousness and uncertainty, a calm settling over him that made it far easier to believe he was Christ returned to Earth. He extended his hands, and the gathered wedding guests turned to look down the aisle.

With Baby already in position at the front on the left, the first one down the aisle was a spotted seal in a blue satin bowtie, the compromise for Jack not having to wear a suit like a human. He carried two black velvet drawstring bags in his mouth as he made his way through the sand and up the shallow ramp to the right of the platform until he could sit up, head high and eyes bright and attentive. A couple of cameras clicked, but he politely pretended not to notice as he kept his eyes fixed on the tent. Dean and Charlie came next, Charlie walking calmly and gracefully through the sand on Dean's arm. They stopped at the front of the platform and faced each other, performed a complicated ritual handshake, and separated to their respective sides with appropriately attentive expressions.

The next to make their way down the aisle, coming from the back of either side among the guests, were a tall man with carefully styled dark hair in a black suit with a dark blue silk button down shirt and the top two buttons left undone coming from the left, and from the right a well-muscled man in leather armor embellished with gold knotwork motifs with his blonde hair and beard braided and ornamented, a metal hammer hung from his belt. They stared at each other for a moment, and then the blonde man offered his arm and the brunette accepted with a playful smirk that seemed to bode trouble. Whatever mischief was thought up, nothing happened in the walk down the aisle under Chuck's slightly wary gaze, and they separated at the front with polite bows before taking their places, the brunette next to a studiously blank-faced Dean, the blonde next to a quietly snickering Charlie.

Eyes swiveled back to the rear as the tent flap opened and Sam emerged, drawing a few soft gasps from the people who had never seen him so unglamoured before. The intricate warding runes tattooed across his skin in blue had been accented with black to make them stand out all the more in the brief flashes of skin as he glided over the sand down the aisle. The sheer blue and silver fabric pinned drapingly over his long and elaborately braided hair was the wrong color for a traditionally Western human bridal veil, but the symbolism was there. He even carried a bouquet of blue irises, white chrysanthemums, myrtle, alyssum maritimum, and fern. He did not ascend the platform like the others, stopping at the base and turning to look back the way he had come.

Like magnets, the eyes of the assembled guests followed his lead and the tent flap lifted again to allow Cas and Jimmy to emerge together. With their identical clothes and matching solemn expressions it was nearly impossible to tell the twins apart, the hands closest to each other hidden by the bouquet of gloxinias, orange blossoms, forget-me-nots, blue violets, and ivy. Hardly any skin could be seen beneath the white dresses and blue and silver jackets, but it hardly needed to be as their skirts flowed and swished against their legs as they walked. Several people murmured in awe as they recognized the materials or motifs of the jackets, and when they reached the platform they halted as one beside Sam, who turned with them to face Chuck.

To the far left, Baby turned the volume of the music slowly down until her radio clicked off, leaving only the sounds of the rain, the crashing waves, and the calls of the sea birds and nearby kelpies in the wetlands. With all eyes on him now, Chuck cleared his throat and looked out at the assembled guests.

"Gathered friends and family," he said, his clear tenor voice carrying to all corners of the pavilion. "We come together to celebrate the joining of these three true hearts in marriage most eternal." A few people chuckled at the emphasis, and he paused to let them get it out before continuing, "Who stands as family of heart and home?"

"I, Cer of the Summer Court, stand for Seren, as his brother by blood," Dean announced. "By the grace of our shared father and mother, he is my family of heart and home."

"Do you give your brother to be married to his chosen partners?" Chuck asked.

"I do," Dean nodded shortly.

"I, Thor of Asgard, stand for John Castiel and James Constantine, as their brother by choice," the blonde man in armor intoned, drawing a few gasps from the right side of the assembly. "By the grace of the apples of Idunn's garden, they are my family of heart and home."

"Do you give your brothers to be married to their chosen partner?" Chuck asked him, receiving a beaming smile along with Thor's nod and "I do". "And who stands as family of blood and battle?"

"I, Lucifer Morningstar, stand for Samael, as his brother in rulership," the dark-haired man drawled, smirking slightly when Chuck shot him a look. "By the blood and battle through which he claimed his throne of one of the Nine Realms of Tartarus, so do I claim him as my family."

"Do you give him to be married to his chosen partners?" Chuck asked, just a little warily.

"Oh yes, I very much do," Lucifer purred. Guests nearest the platform caught Sam rolling his eyes, and Chuck looked very much like he wanted to do the same.

Luckily, Charlie took her cue to speak. "I, Charlie Bradbury, stand for Cas and Jimmy, as their sister in service. Through the blood and burns and the battles against awful customers, they are my brothers."

"Do you give your brothers to be married to their chosen partner?" Chuck asked her, flinching slightly when she grinned toothily.

"Absofuckinglutely I do!"

More laughter and some further eyerolls, but everyone seemed to have been prepared by Lucifer's deviation and settled down quickly.

"Seren, Samael, Sam Winchester," Chuck intoned, settling the crowd further to pay attention, "do you come of your own free will to be married?"

"I do," Sam said firmly and promptly.

"Whom do you come to marry?"

"These men beside me."

"John Castiel and James Constantine, Cas and Jimmy, do you come of your own free will to be married?"

"We do," the twins chorused in perfect unison.

"Whom do you come to marry?"

"This man beside us."

"Sam, Cas, Jimmy, please ascend and take your places before me," Chuck invited.

The three of them stepped up onto the platform, revealing that all three were barefoot. Sam crossed left and handed off his bouquet to Dean, who made a face at him but took it with a surprising amount of care and delicacy... until one noticed the way he glanced surreptitiously towards the watching guests, particularly one woman with long golden hair that seemed threaded with vines. Meanwhile, Cas and Jimmy handed their bouquet off to Charlie, revealing the silver spinning dragon ring on Jimmy's left thumb and a flash of black tooled and braided leather around Cas's right wrist. Those hands found each other and clasped tight as they turned to face Sam before Chuck.

"Sam, Cas, Jimmy," Chuck began, looking between them. "You come before this assembly, before your families and friends, to join yourselves to each other and unite your families into one. Have you prepared your vows?"

"We have," the three of them said.

"Begin."

To the audible surprise around the pavilion, Cas and Jimmy promptly turned to each other and, their hands still clasped, raised their free hands in fists and bounced them three times before Jimmy's hand went flat while Cas threw out a sideways V. They high-fived over their clasped hands as their guests laughed, then turned back to face a grinning Sam.

"Sam," Cas croaked, then cleared his throat and began again more strongly. "Sam. I looked into your eyes and the world opened before me. I took your hand and gave over my heart. You warmed a chill in my soul that I was unaware of, and every day with you renews that warmth more effectively even than your Dragon's Breath Chai." Several people laughed, Charlie the loudest from that reminder of their first meeting. "I cannot give you my heart, because you already have it and I know it is safe in your care. Instead, I give you the rest of my life, however long that may be, in hopes that I will bring you love and happiness. I promise to support you in your troubles, rejoice with you in your joys, comfort you in your sorrows. Your family will be my family, your children will be my children. From this day forward until we cease to exist, I am yours, and I accept you as mine."

"Way to be a hard act to follow, bro," Jimmy muttered deliberately loudly to the added laughter of the guests, surreptitiously squeezing his twin's hand.

"John Castiel Novak," Sam stated, smiling as his tone softened. "Cas. The first time I heard you speak, I knew what a gift your every word would be. You knew what I was and you were unafraid. You gave me your name and trusted that I would not misuse that knowledge. You took my hand and I felt the light of your soul. I knew then that I would willingly give you anything you asked of me that was within my power to give, and that has only become more true the longer I have known you. Your kindness and compassion, your strength and determination, your bravery and resilience... all of this and more makes loving you more than just easy. It was inevitable. And it doesn't hurt that you have a way with my hair that would take me magic to replicate," he added with a wink and an illustrative toss of his head, making Cas laugh almost too softly to be heard beneath the laughter from the guests. "I will be your sword and your shield. I will be your guide, your friend, your partner, and your lover. Every day I will strive to accept and embrace you exactly as you are. From this day forward until we cease to exist, I am yours, and I accept you as mine."

"My turn to take a swing at this now, no pressure," Jimmy joked, winking at Sam when he laughed along with the crowd. "Sam, Seren, my shining North Star... when I first met you, all I was looking for was a chance to keep my brother safe. I knew that chance wouldn't come without a price and I thought I was ready to pay it, even with my own life." He looked up, meeting Sam's eyes as he said, "Then we found you, and you showed me that my life wasn't a price to pay, but a gift to give, and it's a gift I will always choose to give to you. I will support you as your partner as I have served you as your employee. I will listen to you, offering advice when asked and accepting advice when given. I will tend your wounds, from iron to alicorns, and always kiss them better. I will provide for you and all of our children, current and future, to the best of my ability. I will remind you that your life, too, is a gift to be treasured, and I will accept that gift every day. From this day forward until we cease to exist, I am yours, and I accept you as mine."

"Dayum," someone, probably Gabriel, muttered, prompting a small smattering of laughter as Sam surreptitiously lifted a hand to swipe at his eyes.

"Pretty sure you knocked it out of the park," he said, voice thick with emotion. He swallowed, cleared his throat, and swallowed again. "Jimmy... James Constantine Novak... even before I first held your hand and felt the light of your soul touch mine, I knew your determination and drive to protect those most precious to you. You were afraid and you still bravely stood your ground, keeping up a smile the whole time... despite provocation."

"I said I was sorry!" Charlie huffed in mock-annoyance, prompting more laughter.

"And I forgave you," Jimmy teased back.

"More quickly than many would in your place," Sam chuckled. His laughter faded as he went on, "It made me wonder how such a brave, bright soul could so readily see himself as an imperfect shadow. Jimmy, it was so very easy to fall in love with you, your adaptability, wisdom, and wit... the same compassion and resilience in your twin applied in your own way. Convincing you that I love you was less easy, even knowing I can't lie. Fortunately for me, you were willing to be persuaded," he smirked as Jimmy ducked his head with a blush. "You deserve to be treasured for yourself, and I promise to not only treasure you for all our days and nights, but to remind you when times get hard that you are worth whatever effort is involved. I will stand at your side to protect you and your loved ones, care for your illnesses and injuries, and hold you through joys and sorrows, big and small. From this day forward until we cease to exist, I am yours, and I accept you as mine."

"Good thing I skipped the eyeliner," Jimmy chuckled, taking his own turn to wipe his eyes with the back of his free hand.

"Sam, Cas, Jimmy?" Chuck broke in gently. "Do you three accept the vows which have been given to you?"

"We do," they answered, not quite in perfect unison. No one seemed surprised or inclined to call them on it, and Chuck turned to beckon Jack forward.

"Sam, as a prince of the Summer Court and a King of one of the Nine Realms of Tartarus, your spouses will be your royal consorts," Chuck said as Jack scooted forward and stretched up to pass over the velvet bags in his mouth. "Cas, Jimmy, do you accept these roles?"

"We do," the twins nodded, kneeling at Chuck's direction, Cas going down to his right knee, Jimmy to his left.

"Cas, Jimmy... receive these crowns of mithril silver and Tartaran obsidian as symbols of your places at my side," Sam intoned, drawing both intricately twisted silver and black circlets from their bags. He fumbled his grip a little until he held one in each hand, carefully lowering them onto the twin heads of dark curls. "I crown you both as my consorts at the same time, so that it will be known that you are equal in my heart and you both stand as my partners in all things, from here unto the end of our days."

"Clasp hands with your husbands and accept the bond between your souls as you have accepted the bond between your hearts," Chuck directed him, and Sam eagerly reached out, his left hand to Jimmy and his right hand to Cas. Golden ribbons of light sprang up around their hands, drawing surprised noises from the various humans in the crowd, before settling into a ring of golden runes around their respective wrists that slowly faded into black. Sam helped Cas and Jimmy to their feet, beaming happily as Chuck pronounced, "Bonded together in marriage of sound minds, loving hearts, and immortal souls, from this day forward are your lives entwined together. By Lady Magic and the Light of the Universe... I pronounce you husbands." He pressed his hands together and bowed. "Namasté."

Baby honked her horn happily as Jack barked in joy. The radio crackled until the triumphant strains of Freddy Mercury singing the chorus to "We Are The Champions" rolled out over the cheering assembly as Sam, Cas, and Jimmy came together in a threeway embrace. If this was the rest of their lives, it was off to a fantastic start.

Notes:

Sam's bouquet:

Iris (faith, hope, wisdom, valor)

White chrysanthemum (truth)

Myrtle (love, Hebrew emblem of marriage)

Alyssum maritimum (immortal love)

Fern (magic, fascination, confidence and shelter)

Cas and Jimmy's bouquets:

Gloxinia (love at first sight)

Orange blossoms (innocence, eternal love, marriage, and fruitfulness)

Blue violets (faithfulness)

Forget-Me-Nots (true love, memories)

Ivy (wedded love, fidelity)

Baby's bouquet:

Blue roses (attaining the impossible, mystery)

Gardenia (good luck)

Lily-of-the-valley (sweetness, humility, returning happiness)

Ivy (fidelity, endurance)

Platform decoration:

Ivy (wedded love, fidelity)

Honeysuckle (devoted affection, bonds of love)

Wisteria (welcoming)

[softpine]

thank you guys for indulging me, you literally changed my whole mood 💖

@morrigan-sims mac absolutely counts :P i forget how long it's been since you guys have seen him, because he's always running around in the background being a nuisance while i'm trying to set up scenes fjskjds but anyway, thank you sooo much for sharing!! the supernatural elements are definitely my favorite too, i try to keep them balanced because i know they're not for everyone, but i find them so interesting to explore.

steviiiie my girl stevie. i don't pick favorites but she does have a special place in my heart (unfortunately for her, that means i pass a lot of my own issues onto her lmao but what else is writing for?) to answer your question: the dream she had as a kid was just a regular "wishful thinking" type dream, nothing prophetic! but if stevie got the chance, she absolutely would go comfort her younger self. she needed the hug :(

ahh i remember that anon about coco, that's so cool that you guessed that!!

thank you so much for this message, for always giving the best feedback, for being soooo awesome, all that great stuff :') 💖💗

@titoro woahhh i know exactly what post you're talking about and that's so long ago, thank you for being here 🥺💖💖💖 i'm so thankful that you would go out of your way to keep reading, and i hope YOU know how appreciated you are 💗

omg same, i have to rein myself in otherwise i would give you 293293029 alternate universe finns 😭 and that's awesome, my favorite thing is giving characters enough depth where you can be angry at them and also understand them and wish things were different! thank you so much for reading 💖💖

@rebouks WHAT i had no idea you read frozen pines before you joined, that's so cool 🥺 you inspire me constantly so you have no idea how much it means that i inspired you a little bit too. and i'm so happy that's the message you took away; i used to get embarrassed over how much i cared about my silly little NOT LITTLE sim story, but there's no reason for anyone to be embarrassed over anything they care about and have put so much love into creating. i have a lot of pride in what i've created and i hope you do too 💖 thank you so much for sharing, this made me so happy to hear 💗

godddd this is so sweet, thank you so so much for taking the time to share this with me (it's not too much, it's juuust right haha) 💖 these are some of my favorite scenes i've ever worked on, so i'm really glad you like them!! it's rare that i ever look at one of my own posts and wouldn't change anything, but that's how i feel about jada & alisa's confrontation, like it literally jumped out of my brain and onto the screen exactly how i pictured it. it makes me crazyyy 🥴 i just recently re-read the stevie + truck driver story and the funny thing is, i have no memory of whatever "daddy issues tiktok trend" i was angry about, but i'm glad i wrote it. you're not alone in it being a little too relatable lol. NYC griffin!!! i miss him :( he was probably the happiest version of finn we've seen yet. at the very least, he was the version with the most freedom. "i will love you in every life" literallyyy 😭 and he WAS the catalyst for asa and finn's real kiss omg. asa would've taken way longer to confess his feelings were it not for NYC griffin. pour one out for him!! sjksjd thank you soooo much for this lovely message 💖💖

ahhh that's a huge compliment, thank you 🥺💖

@bitchyybabyy400 omg if i was an outsider and casper/talon's kiss was the first thing i saw, i'd back out soooo fast (i'm really sensitive to second-hand embarrassment fjksjds) so i applaud you for sticking around :') and an IDEA BOOK that's so cool !!!! i'm legit honored, thank you so so much 💗💗 huge congrats on testing out of that class!!

@moonfromearth ooh this is super interesting, i'm always curious to know which posts "hooked" new readers!! it's amazing to hear that each characters' personality comes through even though you don't know who they are. and you even read the short story!! that's so cool, thank you!! 💖

awww yes selvadorada!! i need to speed things up so we can get back there faster lmao. this is so sweet, thank you 💗

@kanakomimura ohh man yeah, the labor scene made me emotional too ;-; and of course the breakup scene, i'm still pleased i was able to shock people with something we all knew was coming. thank you so much for sharing, this means a lot 💖

I MISS HIM SO MUCHHH. soon.....

@hedgehogs-and-songbirds thank you!! i ended up building a compost bin which took me all afternoon, but was pretty fun sjfksjd and i miss that era sooo much, it's why i'm always doing flashbacks and remaking their teen sims because i miss them 🥺 but it's been fun to try new things too! i'm so happy you're still around 💖💖

[finalgirlminamurray]

realized recently that this year marks the 20th anniversary of house of wax (2005), a film i only watched because it was all over slasherfucker tumblr a few years ago and this was the main source of horror fandom i was really able to find on tumblr when i was getting into horror movies. it's kind of a cult classic for people nostalgic for that era of horror but honestly it's not a good movie. i used to think people were way too generous to it but i'm willing to concede that it has some good ideas and a fantastic final setpiece that's probably the main thing people remember about it. otherwise i think it's about half an hour too long and has a few too many characters, and the first act is a slog for sure.

(i do wish they'd kept the rumored working title of "wax house, baby!" or something like that. i have also seen house of wax (1953) which is a lot of fun but i agree waxhouse '05 doesn't really feel like a remake of that film, or of mystery of the wax museum, the film waxhouse '53 was remaking in turn but which i still need to see. it very often gets compared to tourist trap but shamefully i also still need to see that one. i don't think it's meant as a remake of that one either though. i think it can be its own thing; "wax museum with real dead bodies" was enough of a horror trope on its own at that point)

i'd say with the themes the film was clearly going for there's just enough there to see a better movie hiding behind the one we got, even an actually good one. but it would have to be completely different and not marketable enough as a teen slasher to ever get made. at least not in 2005 by dark castle entertainment. still i can totally see why this captured the imagination of its fandom; we've got fucked-up family dynamics, we've got cool art murders, we've got two ready-made tumblr sexyman slashers for the price of one. i'll fully admit to being a lot more interested in the southern gothic horror-drama story some people were writing out of this than the film itself. i suppose this along with jared padalecki's presence is something it has in common with the tv series supernatural

(i don't hate the movie, not really. you gotta love a 2000s slasher film that uses whatever happened to baby jane in a way that actually seems connected to the themes of the movie and not just a random choice for a classic campy movie to play in the background of a theater scene. this film's villains would have good reason to each see themselves as both blanche AND jane)

[marashi96art]

Questions for the fanfic writers about Leon S. Kennedy's lack of background story: How do you deal with it?

I've been haunted by this problem for MONTHS and I needed to spit it out. I feel like Tumblr is a better place for long text and reasoned discussion, and most importantly: fanfic writers.

It's long and I sincerely look forward to your opinions. Even though I only draw Cleon, I didn't mention any ship in this post so I won't add ship-related tags here; if you're gonna list examples based on your ship, please respect each other.

So hear me out:

The best part and the worst part about Leon S. Kennedy is that HE DOESN'T HAVE A BACKGROUND STORY and a CONSISTENT characteristic development...and it's driving me insane.

The benefit of it is that I can shape his past into whoever I want to fit my stories. But it brings out a bigger problem: the development is solely depending on my understanding & knowledge of character design. He's pretty much a blank sheet of paper, except he's extremely famous, and I don't want to stray too far away from the canon info that we've got on him(and get "canceled" for OOC).

(I don't actually write stories into fics, but I DO write short scripts for my art when they are intended to be a series. I guess the prep work to start anything is the same: write it down in words, then expand the idea.)

I love AUs and I'm more interested in sci-fi/fantasy than modern/zombie-apocalypse kinda thing. But when I wanted to dig deep into their backgrounds, to start world-building, there's NOTHING for me. It's so frustrating.

For example, I'm currently working on a Monster Hunter AU based on the RE4R DLC Hero Outfit, which basically is the whole RE gang running around in the woods hunting supernatural creatures. (Not just CAPCOM's MH series but with the general mythical creatures, werewolves .etc)

And they have a Hunter's Guild, different tribes and clans, you know the drill. Since the setting was in a fantasy world, their surnames have caused me great pain from the start.

The easiest one is Redfield. It can be interpreted as "fertile land" or "battleground", and from these I immediately have quite a few visual ideas of how they'd look like, and what they'd do for a living. Chambers, Valentine, and Oliveira are "OK", but the surname Kennedy doesn't fit in ANYWHERE.

(Yes, I googled. It's Irish; but let's be honest, our first impression was a certain American political family.)

Then I read this article that shares a similar concern: Is Resident Evil 4’s Leon S. Kennedy Italian? An investigation

It pretty much sums up the most common FANDOM theories of Leon's background info. But all of them are still just, headcanons.

The more I try to dig in, the lack of this crucial element--a character's canon background story--is really blocking me to create things I enjoy. Even though I've been drawing him for almost 50 pieces of fan art, I still don't know what he's actually like. I can only imagine his personality by referencing other fictional characters/actors whom I think share a resemblance. (I have a soft spot for Keanu Reeves, Faramir from TLOR, and Sanji from One Piece. But that's another story for another time.)

Of course, I'm aware of the fact that, instead of spending this huge amount of time to rewrite a fictional character I don't own, I can create my own OCs and build everything from scratch. But that's not the point. I only started playing video games in 2019 when I bought a Nintendo Switch; and my first-ever, modern game experience was Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The whole game-wise fandom and RE series are pretty new to me. But I've been in fandoms of books/movies/TV shows for over a decade. It shocked me that Resident Evil, this world-popular series has almost 30 years of history but non of the main characters have a consistent background that follows through the in-game timeline. There're huge gaps between the games even if we add all of the movies in it. How did that work? How do you get to know them? How do you get attached enough to write your own fan story?

In conclusion, I don't think I like Leon S. Kennedy, cuz he remains a mystery. Instead, I just combine all of the good qualities of other characters I like, create my version of Leon Kennedy, and hopefully pray that when he reappears in a new RE work, I didn't do him wrong.

[nerdythebard]

#47: Kassandra [Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]

(Art Credit: Sabin Lalancette)

---

This one comes to us as an anonymous request. I was given a choice between this character and Gideon Nav (whom I might still do, I'll put it on the back burner). While Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is not my favourite instalment of the series, I have to admit Kassandra, the Eagle-Bearing Mercenary is a pretty amazing character. I have a feeling I would be able to make each protagonist of Assassin's Creed into a unique build. Would you like to see it? Let me know!

Next Time: When Hope is gone... undo this Lock... and send me forth... on a moonlit Walk. Release Restraint Level: Z E R O

Grab some wine, polish your trusty spear, and let's see what we need to roam the Greek islands as the invincible mercenary:

Lean Mean War Machine: Kassandra is a mercenary, climbing up the sell-sword ranks and being the single driving force able to decide the outcome of the Peloponnesian War.

Bird's Eye View: Kassandra is arguably the first user of the Eagle Vision; in her case that sixth sense is pretty literal, as she's able to project her sight onto her pet eagle, Ikaros.

Ancient Bloodline: (SPOILERS) Through her father, Pythagoras, Kassandra has an unusually high concentration of the Isu DNA, essentially making her a living demigod and giving her access to some supernatural powers.

---

I feel like I've been using this particular race way too often, especially when building gods, but tell me a better option for a demigod than an aasimar. Using the rules reprinted in Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse, we get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Strength and Constitution respectively), resistance to both necrotic and radiant damage, 60 feet of Darkvision, ability to use the Light cantrip, the ability to speak Common and another language of our choice, and the Healing Hands feature; once per long rest we can use our action to heal a creature by [a number of d4s equal to our proficiency bonus] Hit Points.

We're lucky when it comes to backgrounds, too, as Kassandra is quite literally a Mercenary Veteran. We gain proficiency in Athletics and Persuasion to better haggle for our rewards, proficiency with one type of gaming set and land vehicles, and we get the Mercenary Life feature; we are able to identify particularly renowned mercenaries and their adventuring companies, as well as get a feel of where the best place to drink and ask for a job could be.

ABILITY SCORES

We'll start this off traditionally, by putting Strength first in priority order. Dexterity will be next, we are no stranger to armour and can easily climb and swim in it. Follow that up with Constitution... I mean, just look at Kassandra; she is RIPPED.

Charisma will be next, because that Hellenic hottie has got it going on (I'll stop now). Wisdom is a little on the lower end, and we're gonna dump Intelligence; we've all seen Kassandra getting absolutely bored and defeated by Sokrates.

CLASS

Level 1 - Fighter: We're starting by getting some good old-fashioned combat capabilities. Fighters get d10 as their Hit Dice, [10 + our Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. The game offers a lot of different armour and weapon types, so you can get pretty much anything; I'm gonna go with a half-plate armour, a shortsword, a spear, a bow, and no shield. Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to pick two class skills from the list (Animal Handling and Survival).

Fighters get to choose their Fighting Style first. Since Kassandra's proficient in ranged, melee, and stealthy combat, we once again have multiple choice here. However, since Kassandra is able to move and swim so easily in full armour, we're gonna pick the Mariner style; if we're not wearing heavy armour or a shield, our climbing and swimming speed equals our ground speed, and we get a +1 to our AC.

We also get Second Wind. Once per short or long rest, we can use our bonus action to regain [1d10 + our Fighter level] Hit Points.

Level 2 - Fighter: With Action Surge, we're granted one additional Action during our turn in combat. We can do this once per a short or long rest.

Level 3 - Fighter: At this level, we get a racial ability called Celestial Revelation. Once per long rest, as a bonus action, we can unleash our divine heritage and transform for up to 1 minute. For our Revelation, we're gonna pick Radiant Consumption: celestial light pours from our eyes and mouth. We shed bright light in a 10-foot radius (and dim light in another 10) and at the end of each of our turns, each creature within 10 feet of us suffers [our proficiency bonus] radiant damage. Until the transformation ends, during each of our turns, we can also deal the same amount of radiant damage to one weapon or spell attack.

We also get to pick our subclass; our Martial Archetype. Kassandra is a born Spartan, and eventually the most successful mercenary, so we're going with the Battle Master archetype. As a Student of War, we gain proficiency with one type of artisan's tools of our choice (perhaps Woodcarver's, to help us craft our own arrows). We also exhibit Combat Superiority, which takes for of a pool of Superiority Dice (starting with four d8s) we can use to fuel our Battle Master abilities.

Battle Masters manipulate the battlefield through the use of Manoeuvres. We start with three manoeuvres from the available list:

Evasive Footwork: When we move, we can spend one Superiority Die and add the result to our AC until we stop moving, potentially saving us from attacks of opportunity.

Lunging Attack: When we make a melee weapon attack, we can spend one Superiority Die to increase our reach by 5 feet. If we hit the target, we add the SD result to our damage roll.

Pushing Attack: When we make a weapon attack, we can spend one Superiority Die to attempt to push a creature away. We add the SD result to our damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 15 feet away from us. Now, while a leg doesn't necessary count as a weapon, I feel we can all allow the push itself to be flavoured as

Level 4 - Fighter: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. Let's put one point into Strength and one into Wisdom.

Level 5 - Fighter: We get Extra Attack. During our turn in combat, we can now attack twice instead of once in a single Attack action.

Level 6 - Fighter: Another ASI. This time, we're putting two points into Wisdom, as we're preparing to multiclass into...

Level 7 - Ranger: We got a solid combat base, now time to become one with the land. Multiclassing into Ranger gives us some proficiencies that we already have but also lets us pick one class skill; let's grab Perception. Instead of the initial Ranger feat (Favoured Enemy), we're gonna grab the version from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, called Favoured Foe: whenever we hit a creature with an attack roll, we can mark that enemy as our favourite target for 1 minute or until we lose concentration. The first time on each subsequent turn that we hit our favourite target, we can increase damage dealt to it by 1d4 (it increases as we level up). We can use this feature a number of times equal to our proficiency bonus, and we regain all uses after a long rest.

We're also gonna use Tasha's optional feature, Deft Explorer, to replace the original one. We start with the Canny benefit: we gain two languages of our choice, and we can choose one skill we're proficient in and double our proficiency bonus when using it. Let's pick Perception.

Level 8 - Ranger: We get to pick another Fighting Style. This time, however, we can focus on our bow skills and pick the Archery style; our ranged weapons get a +2 bonus to their attack rolls.

Rangers also get Spellcasting, and that is a good explanation for all the supernatural abilities granted to Kassandra by the Spear of Leonidas. Wisdom is our casting ability, and we don't know any cantrips or rituals. Rangers know a fixed amount of spells, and we start with two 1st-level ones: Absorb Elements and Searing Smite.

Level 9 - Ranger: With Primeval Awareness, we can use our action (and spend one spell slot) to meditate and gain layout of the land. For 1 minute per spell slot level, we can sense the presence of the following creature types within 1 mile radius: aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. We don't learn the creatures' exact location or number.

At this level, we also get to pick our second subclass; our Ranger Archetype. We can finally get our Ikaros by picking the Beast Master archetype. The Ranger's Companion feature lets us choose a beast companion that is no larger than Medium and has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. Luckily for us, an eagle meets those conditions. The beast is loyal to us, has its own initiative, can be ordered to Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Hide; basically, it has all the properties of a familiar, except for the ability that lets us see and hear through its senses.

We also get another 1st-level spell (Fog Cloud).

Level 10 - Ranger: Halfway through the build, and we get another ASI. Let's bump up our Constitution by two points for some better Hit Points.

Level 11 - Fighter: Jumping back for some more combat improvement, we get our Battle Master upgrade. First of all, we gain another Superiority Die (for the total of four). We also get to Know Your Enemy. If we spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with another creature outside of combat, we can learn certain information about it. We know if the creature is our equal, superior, or inferior in regard to two of the following characteristics:

Strength score

Dexterity score

Constitution score

Armour Class

Current Hit Points

Total Class Levels (if any)

Total Fighter Levels (if any)

Additionally, we learn two more manoeuvres:

Parry: When we get damaged by a melee attack, we can use our reaction and spend one Superiority Die to reduce the damage by [SD result + our Dexterity modifier].

Riposte: When a creature misses us with an attack, we can use our reaction and spend one Superiority Die to make a melee weapon attack against our attacker; on a successful hit, we add the SD result to our damage roll.

Level 12 - Fighter: Time for another ASI. Let's boost our Strength by two points, to the absolute maximum.

Level 13 - Fighter: We become Indomitable. Once per long rest, we can re-roll a saving throw that we fail. We have to use the new result, even if it's worse than the original one.

Level 14 - Ranger: We come back into Ranger for the rest of the build. Normally Rangers would get the Extra Attack feature, but we already have that from our Fighter levels and they unfortunately do not stack. Although, it is around this level that a Fighter would get his Extra Attack upgrade (to let him attack three times instead of twice), so if I was the DM, I would allow it.

We also unlock 2nd-level spells. Let's get Beast Sense to finally see through our eagle companion's eyes.

Level 15 - Ranger: We don't get any new spells here, but we get upgrades for some of our previous features: from our Deft Explorer, we get the Roving benefit; our walking speed increases by 5, and we get matching climbing and swimming speed.

Level 16 - Ranger: Our subclass grants us Exceptional Training. On any of our turns, when our eagle companion doesn't attack anyone, we can use a bonus action to command the eagle to take the Dash, Disengage, or Help action on their turn. In addition, the eagle's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming immunities and resistances.

For this level's spell, we're actually going to match our eagle and grab the Magic Weapon spell.

Level 17 - Ranger: Last ASI of the build, and we're going to put two more points into Constitution for some better late-game durability.

We also get the Land's Stride feature; whenever we move through a non-magical difficult terrain, we take no movement penalty. We can also move through non-magical plants without slowing down or taking damage from things like thorns, spines, etc. In addition, we have an advantage on saving throws against plant spells that would restrict our movement, such as the Entangle spell.

Level 18 - Ranger: We don't get anything new here class-wise, but we do unlock 3rd-level spells. We're gonna enhance our weapon strikes with Elemental Weapon.

Level 19 - Ranger: We learn to Hide in Plain Sight. We spend 1 minute to create a camouflage that gives us a +10 bonus to Stealth checks as long as we don't move or take any actions. We also get another upgrade to Deft Explorer; with the Tireless benefit, we can use our action to gain [1d8 + our Wisdom modifier] Temporary Hit Points a number of times equal to our proficiency bonus per long rest. Additionally, if we suffer from exhaustion, it decreases by 1 after we finish a short rest.

Level 20 - Ranger: Our capstone is Ranger 11, which gives us a subclass upgrade. With Bestial Fury, our eagle companion gains its own Extra Attack feature, allowing it to attack twice during a single Attack action. For our final spell of the build, we're gonna get Conjure Barrage.

---

And that's the mighty Kassandra, the earliest known proto-Assassin of the entire Assassin's Creed series. Let's see if I did her justice:

We're combat-oriented character, with proficiencies in all possible armour and weaponry, good mobility, some spells to enhance our damage-dealing options, and a very good scouting option thanks to our pet eagle.

Our AC (with half-plate) is 18, we have a +2 to our Initiative and the average Hit Points of 179.

For a Battle Master Fighter, we don't have a lot of manoeuvres or Superiority Dice to fuel them with. Our Wisdom score is not the best, and we keep the negative Intelligence modifier. We also don't have that many skills we're proficient in.

---

That was fun. Not as straight-forward as I thought it's gonna be, but I enjoyed making this one. Let me know what you think, what else do you wish to see, or simply tell me how's your day been. I'll see you next time, lovelies!

-Nerdy out!

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #214

Today on Fate and Phantasms we've got a special deal for you! Play one servant build, get two free! That's right, today we're building the Valkyries, Ortlinde, Hildr, and Thrud! They help bring warriors to their proper afterlife, so of course they're Grave Clerics. Also, they're Echo Knight Fighters. They know their way around a spear, and there's more than one of them.

Check out their build breakdown below the cut, or their character sheet over here!

Next up: *Insert Mr. Freeze-tier puns here*

Race and Background

The Valkyries are kinda robotic, but it's more a roleplay thing than mechanical. I'm pretty sure they still need to sleep and all that. They also come from the gods, so Protector Aasimar fits a bit better. You get +1 Wisdom and +2 Charisma, as well as Darkvision to spot warriors at night, Celestial Resistance against radiant and necrotic damage, the Light cantrip to guide all those humans around and make your spear glowy, and Healing Hands to help pick someone up when it isn't their time yet.

You work with the gods, that's an Acolyte. This gives you proficiency with Religion. The gods are your coworkers, it's just polite to know their birthdays. You would get insight, but we can get that later, so pick up Investigation now to help pick out bodies on the battlefield.

Ability Scores

Your Wisdom should be super high, you figure people's character out so fast it's almost supernatural. After that is Strength, then Constitution, then Dexterity. You're synonymous with badass warriors, your physical stats have to be solid. Your Intelligence is a bit lower than it should be, but you keep mistaking Scathach for Skadi, so I guess that makes sense. Finally, dump Charisma. You're kinda robotic, y'know? Flat deliveries.

Class Levels

Cleric 1: First level clerics get proficiencies, like Wisdom and Charisma saves, plus History since you're kind of immortal, and Insight to tell when a warrior is Valhalla material. You also learn Spells which you cast and prepare using your Wisdom. Seeing as you're chiefly occupied with the deaths of mortals, being Grave clerics shouldn't be too far out of left field. You enter the Circle of Mortality, helping you keep warriors out of Valhalla if it's not their time by healing as much HP as possible to creatures with 0 HP. You also learn Spare the Dying, to stabilize creatures at 0 HP. You also get that spell with an extra 30' of range, and you can cast it as a bonus action. On top of that, your Eyes of the Grave let you sense undead within 60' of you for the round as an action. You can do this Wisdom modifier times per long rest. Ugh, hate those guys. Why are they bothering with eternal combat here when there's plenty of eternal combat in the afterlife to get to? Ok, but spells. Let's focus on those a bit. You can use Guidance to guide your allies, giving one creature an extra 1d4 on their next ability check. Alternatively, you can Toll the Dead or create a Sacred Flame for combat. The former is effectively your regular attack until we get levels in fighter, and the latter is more Valkyrie-y. Those are just cantrips, though. For first level spells, you get Bane, the anti-Guidance, and False Life for free. Though let's be honest, if a cleric wanted to heal someone they probably could just heal them properly. Since Clerics can pick spells every long rest your exact list isn't important, but check out Bless for better guidance, Inflict Wounds for a solid thwapping on an enemy, and Protection from Evil and Good and Sanctuary to offer the god's protections.

Cleric 2: Second level clerics can Channel Divinity once per short rest, in one of two flavors. Turn Undead forces a wisdom save on nearby undead as an action. If they fail, they have to run away until they take damage or a minute passes. You can also carve a Path to the Grave onto a target as an action, giving them vulnerability to the next attack they get hit by. That doubles the incoming damage, which is huge. I know upstanding warriors are more your speed, but it wouldn't hurt to hang out with rogues either.

Cleric 3: For your second level spells, you get Gentle Repose and Ray of Enfeeblement for free. You should also pick up Locate Object to help track down legendary swords (and the people wielding them), and Spiritual Weapon for your first summon. I mean, Valkyries are kind of constructs, so you could probably swing one as your summoned weapon here. Either way, it lets you use your bonus action to create a floating weapon and then attack with it. Then, each turn for up to a minute after casting you can use your bonus action to move the weapon 20' and make another attack. It's gonna be a while til we get Extra Attack, so this'll make up for it.

Fighter 1: Bouncing over to fighter gives you proficiency with martial weapons and shields, plus the Protection fighting style, so now you can spend your reaction to enforce disadvantage on a creature attacking one of your allies next to you, as long as you're wielding a shield. You can also spend your bonus action on a Second Wind once per short rest to heal yourself.

Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge once per short rest for an extra action in a single turn. Simple, but effective.

Fighter 3: Spiritual weapons are nice, but only having two Valkyries? That's rookie numbers. Let's bump that up with Echo Knight. You can spend your bonus action to Manifest Echo, creating a doppelganger within 15' of you. It's basically the same as you, but it only has 1 HP, and has to stay within 30' of you or it goes poof. You can swap places as a bonus action, and all attacks you make can be made from the echo's space. You can also Unleash Incarnation Constitution Modifier times per long rest, with your echo adding an extra attack to your attack action.

Fighter 4: For our first Ability Score Improvement, we're going to make you a bit more Resilient in Constitution. This gives you proficiency with Constitution saves, as well as rounds out your score for more unleashing that incarnation & health. Remember, HP gets added retroactively, so that's an extra 7 health now.

Fighter 5: Fifth level fighters get an Extra Attack, so now you can attack twice in a turn without any nonsense from spells or echoes. But with nonsense from spells and echoes, you can attack three times with your first action, three times with your second, and then one more with your bonus action for good measure. Monks, eat your heart out.

Fighter 6: One last fighter level to pick up another ASI. Use this one to make your Strength score good, so more of those attacks hit.

Cleric 4: The ASI train doesn't stop just yet! Use this one to make your Strength even better. You also learn the unearthed cantrip Virtue, which gives a creature 1d4+your wisdom modifier in temporary HP for a round. I mostly picked it up for the name, I won't lie.

Cleric 5: At fifth level, your Turn Undead becomes Destroy Undead, instantly killing any undead creature of CR 1/2 or lower if they fail the save. You also learn third level spells, like Revivify and Vampiric Touch which you get for free. You can also use Sending to sync up with other valkyries, or Spirit Guardians and/or Spirit Shroud for more Valkyries. They both follow you around, but the former deals damage to creatures as they get close, and the latter adds damage and a slowing effect to your attacks.

Cleric 6: At sixth level you can channel divinity twice per rest, and you become a Sentinel at Death's Door. Wisdom Modifier times per long rest you can spend a reaction to negate a critical hit. The target still gets hit, but damage isn't doubled, and any other effects won't happen either.

Cleric 7: Seventh level clerics get fourth level spells. Blight is just a big smack, and Death Ward is your guts skill. Try not to die in the first place, but this'll keep you up for one more hit. You can also pick up Guardian of Faith to plop a valkyrie down somewhere you need guarded, or you can Locate Creature to locate... a creature. Use it to find good warriors. One more thing, pick up Banishment for your NP. Force a charisma save on a creature, if they fail they get shunted to another dimension. If they're from another dimension, this'll be permanent after a minute.

Cleric 8: Use this ASI to become a War Caster so you can cast spells while wielding a spear and shield. You also get advantage on concentration checks and can use cantrips for attacks of opportunity. (This also meshes with your Echo pretty well, so you can shoot cantrips around a corner if you need to.) Destroy Undead hits CR 1 creatures now, and instead of good cantrips we're instead gonna pick up Blessed Strikes. Thanks to Tasha's once per round you can deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage when you hit a creature with a weapon or cantrip.

Cleric 9: Ninth level clerics, fifth level spells. You get Antilife Shell and Raise Dead for free. Bring back your allies, and protect them while they get their bearings. You can also Hallow an area to make it more like home, turn your spear into a Holy Weapon for more radiant damage and to make it explode on command, Summon Celestial to bring down a proper valkyrie, and Legend Lore to figure out more about the warriors you're dragging around. There's a lot of fifth level spells Valkyrie likes.

Cleric 10: Let's get a little godly. First you learn Thaumaturgy for your cantrip. Be loud, slam doors, light candles, get dramatic with it. You also get Divine Intervention. Once per day you can ask god to help you with your problems. There's a 1/10 chance they'll listen, but if they do you have to wait a full week before doing it again.

Cleric 11: Destroy Undead hits CR 2 now, and you get sixth level spells. Unfortunately, clerics don't get Tasha's Otherworldly Guise. Fortunately, they do get Otherworldly Form, the UA equivalent. +2 AC, damage and status resistances, flight, all that good stuff's still there. Also, check out Planar Ally for a long-term valkyrie helping out.

Cleric 12: Use your last ASI to bump up your Constitution for more Incarnations and more HP.

Cleric 13: Seventh level spells! Grab Conjure Celestial to get a valkyrie for cheap, and Plane Shift so you can finally lead your warriors to Valhalla personally. Or launch an enemy into the nine hells. Either or.

Your last level makes Destroy Undead hit CR 3 creatures. Not flashy, but it's nice.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

With yourself, your spiritual you, your echo you, and another summoned valkyrie on the field, you can cover a ton of ground at once. Most of those extras still use your actions so it's not a huge increase to the action economy, but it does give you way more coverage than any other build we've done so far.

Path to the Grave was scary on Sanson and King Hassan, but you take it to a whole new level. Sanson's setup was fiddly, and Hassan only had regular attacks to use it with. You have seventh level spell slots. First action to curse, action surge to slap on a seventh level Inflict Wounds for an average of 100 damage, and be on your merry way.

When you summon a valkyrie, they aren't going anywhere until the spell ends. With a good constitution score, advantage on your concentration saves, and proficiency with said saves, you're all set to cast whatever spells you want.

Cons:

Your wisdom is only a 16, so your spells aren't really that strong. Meaning it'll be pretty easy to wiff that big Inflict Wounds and waste the slot completely. It's safer to stick to buffs, healing, and summons.

Despite wanting to be on the front lines to protect your allies and get in damage, your AC isn't that great. Even calling your outfits medium armor is a stretch, and you do not have the dexterity to go around in light armor. It's a good thing you can take hits well, because you will.

Being everywhere at once means you'll have way too many options for your Reactions. If you don't use them for opportunity attacks, it's like you aren't covering those areas, but then you won't be using them to protect your allies with your shield... there's a lot going on.

[genshin-impact-updates]

Developer Insight #4: Character Stories (I) - "Vigilant Yaksha" Xiao (Part I)

Greetings, Travelers!

It's been almost five whole months since Genshin Impact went live, and the time seems to have flown by! We do hope you're all enjoying a smooth journey through Teyvat. Since the game's release, we have received a great deal of feedback and suggestions from Travelers and we've systematically recorded each one for the developers. We deeply appreciate all the time, energy, and passion everyone puts in to these suggestions.

In the midst of this, many of you have expressed an interest in learning more about how some of Genshin Impact's characters are created. As it happens, one character who has received an especially high amount of attention is Xiao, who has now entered the live game with the release of Version 1.3, "All That Glitters." So, for this issue, we've invited colleagues from the Creative Concept & Writing, Concept Art, and Animation departments to explain a bit about the thought process behind everyone's favorite Vigilant Yaksha.

1. The Vigilant Yaksha Is Born: A Character Woven From Cultural Symbolism

Hello everyone, my name is Zhongyuan from the Creative Concept & Writing department of miHoYo.

The first part of the process when designing characters for Genshin Impact is to pin down who the character is at their core. In this step, we need to establish the features that set this character apart from other characters. Besides ensuring that this character will make a strong impression on people, these features are used to evaluate what this character's position in the world of Genshin Impact will be. Characters are not just lumps of rock that we can place anywhere we want in the environment; they are autonomous individuals, each one with a complex set of past, present, and future interactions with the world of Teyvat. Their core features, then, represent their initial points of contact with the world. They are the guiding principles behind all the character's actions and how they live their life.

Xiao was one of the first Liyue characters we came up with. He began with our colleague CiCi's proposal for a young warrior character, which everyone involved in the character evaluation process approved of. The Art team envisaged him as a young man of great beauty, while colleagues in Creative Concept & Writing hoped to position him as a beautiful adeptus. Both sides were on the same page, and thus Xiao became our very first character planned with the identity of "mighty and illuminated adeptus."

Although this is somewhat tangential, I'd like to take a moment here to give a little more detail on the adepti in the Genshin Impact universe, given that so many players have expressed an interest in this topic. The adepti are based on the idea of demigod-like "immortals" (仙人 xianren) in Daoism, and are referred to by the honorific title "sanyan wuxian" (三眼五显), literally "three eyes and five manifestations" (but localized in English as "mighty and illuminated"). The adepti are classed as non-human, based on the notion that "All who have nine orifices can achieve immortality through self-discipline," a line uttered by the "Monkey King" Sun Wukong in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West. This means that animals are also capable of achieving adeptus status. However, humans have a higher purpose than adepti in the world of Teyvat, so for this reason, only those of non-human status can be referred to as "adepti" in Liyue. The "three eyes" part of the adepti's title refers to the "third eye" possessed by those with the ability to manipulate elemental energy, which for humans takes the form of a Vision. For adepti such as Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper, the human understanding is that they must have an "inner eye" that serves the same purpose as a Vision. Xiao, however, typically appears in a human form, so he dutifully wears a Vision to comply with the expected norm.

After the character's fundamentals are established, the next step is to design their Constellation and refine their cultural background.

Outside of Genshin Impact, the term "sanyan wuxian" can be traced back to ancient Chinese texts and also appears in supernatural fiction from the Late Imperial period (c. 1368–1911 CE). In both cases, it typically describes the Daoist deity Huaguang Tianwang (华光天王, "Heavenly King of Radiant Light"), also known as Ma Lingguan (马灵官, "Numinous Official Ma"). Huaguang Tianwang is a well-known guardian deity, who appears in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the South, in which he has an altercation with Sun Wukong. Research into folk culture also shows there is precedent to connect deities known as Wuxian (五显, "Five manifestations" or "Five Named Xian") with a group of malevolent deities known as Wutong (五通, "Five Powers" or "Five Named Tong"), which includes the one-legged, people-eating, mountain-dwelling demons known as Shanxiao (山魈, "mountain demon").

So, at the most hidden but fundamental level of this character's core, we decided on the name Xiao (魈) and the identity of a guardian-adeptus. The name Xiao is used to hide his past, but also embodies this character at the innermost part of his soul. It is the starting point for all further character development and cultural embellishments.

Another dimension of Xiao's design was that he wields an Anemo Vision and has a fleet-footed and agile combat style that includes the unique ability to propel himself through the air. To stay true to this, we decided to design his Constellation and skills around the idea of the yaksha in Buddhism. This meant we were conflating ideas from different sources; nevertheless, the yaksha had become a well-established figure in Chinese folk legends by at least the end of the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). The yaksha element ended up being a crucial part of Xiao's design that really helped us flesh him out in terms of his image.

The two archetypal stories of "guardian yaksha" and "numinous official's redemption" both involve a malevolent spirit on a path towards goodness, which was consistent with the general direction of Xiao's character core. Furthermore, his physical agility matched very well with another term for yaksha in Chinese, "Swift and nimble spirit" (捷疾鬼 jieji gui). Through further development of the yaksha concept, we arrived at the decision that the other fundamental aspect of Xiao's identity would be his role as a guardian yaksha in service of a monarch, or in this case, an archon.

One detail is particularly worth mentioning here. There is a well-known group of guardian yakshas in some Buddhist denominations known as the Twelve Heavenly Generals. All but one of them correspond to different animals in the Chinese zodiac, while Mekhila, who would otherwise correspond to the rooster, is instead associated with a bird deity, the golden-winged Garuda, a figure from various Indian religions. The story goes that this golden-winged bird deity was a fearsome predator who ate only evil dragons, until one day the dragon poison he had consumed became too much for him to bear, and he burned to death, leaving only a crystal heart behind. This story seemed to resonate with aspects of Xiao's character. Furthermore, the Chinese name Jinchi Peng Wang Niao (金翅鹏王鸟, "Golden Winged Great Peng") embodies a history of evolution — it represents a convergence between Garuda and the Peng, a Chinese mythological bird, showing that some adaptation occurred in the process of his adoption into Chinese religion. After much consideration, we decided to use the Golden Winged Great Peng as the basis for Xiao's Constellation. In English, Xiao's Constellation has been localized as "Alatus Nemeseos," in reference to the bird deity and Xiao's role as the nemesis of evil.

Finally, we conducted an overall review of Xiao's character profile. During this process, we noticed that Xiao's origins were very complex: Some aspects of his identity were based on folk legends while others drew on religious stories. From mountain demon, to Daoist deity, to guardian yaksha, to mythological bird, this was a uniquely rich character formed from the convergence and refashioning of many ideas in one place. More importantly, all these elements were consistent with each other at the narrative layer, creating a strong and cohesive impression of who this character is and adding clear, nuanced substance to his story. This degree of complexity gave Xiao just the depth and appeal that we were hoping for with this character: we hoped to create something entirely new through the convergence and fusion of various cultural elements, and we hope that the end result, Xiao, possesses the power, aesthetic value, and maturity to become a true cultural icon.

The next step was shaping the character's personality and behavior.

After close consultation with Concept Art colleagues, Creative Concept & Writing further fine-tuned the details of this character's content. To pick one example, we all felt that the distinctive image of a young warrior was an important one that we wanted to keep. This begged the question: if Xiao is a warrior, who or what is he waging war against? We quickly got to thinking about a war between the gods. (See section 2 of this article for how Concept Art developed the mask design based on this idea.) One of the basic rules of the Genshin Impact world is that gods cannot be completely destroyed — even if a god's physical form is destroyed, its will and power live on. The remnants and the wrath of the defeated god will remain in the world, waiting for opportunities to cause chaos. To keep Liyue safe from this threat, somebody has to go and keep them at bay.

The decision to release Xiao at Lantern Rite was to tie in with the Chinese custom of driving away evil spirits at the new year, since Xiao's role in Liyue is that of a protector in precisely this capacity.

During festivals, people offer up incense and pray to the adepti for their protection.

But they do not pray to Xiao.

For Xiao is no lucky star that promises fame and fortune — he is a demon-hunting yaksha.

After the lantern lights of Liyue have faded, the thankless battle to protect the city goes on unseen. It is an endless battle, and there can be no victor.

The Traveler's first impression of Xiao is most likely to be of a silent and brooding individual, a courageous and competent fighter, and someone who harbors great suffering. This suffering comes from within Xiao himself. One aspect is that the years of intense, never-ending battle against the remnants of defeated gods have led to him resigning himself to the fact that fighting is all he is good at. The other aspect is that the remnants have a negative effect on him, while the constant killing places a karmic burden on him, causing him mental and spiritual anguish.

This inner suffering is present in the design of his skills: when Xiao uses "Bane of All Evil," he dons his mask, which continually enhances his combat abilities but also continually drains his health. This demonstrates the great suffering he must endure as a consequence of using this power.

After the Traveler has spent some time with Xiao, perhaps they can sense that deep down, Xiao has a gentler side. Xiao is by no means a cruel and callous individual, he is simply reticent to show his emotions to others.

Xiao always keeps his distance from the hustle and bustle of human society. This is not because he doesn't care about humanity, but is due to his role as a protector. He must wage war against dark forces out of sight of humans, and endure a suffering that is incomprehensible to them. Despite this, he does not despise humanity. Humans are the foundation of his millennia-old contract with Rex Lapis, and the reason he silently fights to protect every living soul in Liyue.

The player's first offer to Xiao is to go to the Lantern Rite together to experience the atmosphere. Xiao instinctively refuses requests of this nature— not because he dislikes the idea, but out of avoidance. For Xiao, who has lived for millennia, the human world is a brilliant but fleeting flash of light; a wisp of cloud floating by; a firework on the horizon. And as the one tasked with defending this flurry of activity, he is like a caged beast circling the fire of a stove: fearful, but also full of curiosity. Having watched from a distance for so long, he would not know how to join in with the crowd even if he tried.

The lanterns rise up into the night sky, as if to shine along with the stars. Xiao watches this beautiful sight alone from a mountaintop, and just like anyone else, he senses the sentiment behind them, and he understands that the reason people craft these beautiful things is to remember those who fought alongside him in the past. As one who lived through the events of the past and remembers it all, he is, of course, able to appreciate the well-wishes that the lanterns represent. He understands kindness and gratitude, but doesn't know how to interact with ordinary people, nor does he know what his place is among all the excitement and noise. This lonely state of existence is the source of his melancholy. It has caused time to stand still, leading to him still having a very young mentality even to this day.

During the main Liyue questline, Xiao came to the Traveler's rescue in their moment of peril. In Version 1.3 "All That Glitters," we invite Travelers once again to experience a story that provides a glimpse into Xiao's seldom-shown gentle nature, as well as the trust, hidden deep within his heart, that he places in you.

2. A Young Adeptus: Detail-Based Design

Hello everyone, this is D and SS from the Genshin Impact Art team. We worked on the concept art for Xiao.

After the initial brief, we produced a first draft of Xiao's design based on the young warrior concept. As you can see, Xiao's expression in this version is far from the stern one he wears today. He has a gentler temperament and he is smiling. In this sense, he captures a more traditional notion of what a Daoist immortal (or in Genshin Impact terms, an adeptus) might look like. After more discussion with Creative Concept & Writing colleagues and taking more of his back story into account, we decided on the green version.

Xiao is an adeptus who protects Liyue, and in the course of his long battle against the remnants of defeated gods all over Liyue, he has become poisoned by their nefarious energy. Based on this background, Xiao's upper body uses white and green, which represent the adepti and correlate to his Anemo Vision. For his lower body, we used darker colors to represent the dark, malevolent power that exists inside him.

Based on these same principles, we gave him dark hair with highlights, and also created some interplay between light and dark in his attack animations. The darkness represents the destructive power of fierce battle, while the fragments and orbs of light that he gives off come from the fact that he is an adeptus.

Xiao may have the appearance of a young man, but his true age is something over two thousand years.

Fortunately, people do not tend to underestimate him on the basis of his appearance — one only needs to spend a short time with Xiao to recognize that he is not someone to be trifled with.

Xiao is a man of few words. He is highly dangerous, and has the most piercing gaze you've ever seen.

Given Xiao's true age and his identity as an adeptus, we decided to give him some jade jewelry to bring a sense of longevity and mystery. Accordingly, his legs, wrists, and shoulders feature decorative jade as well as various other objects bearing simple motifs. Meanwhile, to match his young appearance with striking good looks, we tailored his clothing (especially on the upper body) using a more modern design, displaying his vibrancy and agility.

On the one hand, Xiao is an immortal adeptus, while on the other hand, he is a young warrior. This is a great variance in image, and it posed a significant challenge for us from an art perspective. Traditionally, an immortal is imagined as a scholarly figure dressed in long, flowing robes with wide sleeves, who is fairly reserved in the movements of their hands and feet. But Xiao, as a master of the dance-like art of polearm combat and a fleet-footed yaksha, required clothing that offers both protection and freedom of movement. Furthermore, we also knew that there were strict limits on any flowing parts of his outfit due to the risk of clipping they would create after 3D modeling.

So we made Xiao's garments close-fitting and short-sleeved, put some light gauntlets on his wrists, and added some religious paraphernalia such as a censer and a vajra. Meanwhile, his streamers and the breechcloths around his waist are decorated with a cloud motif to add a sense of antiquity. In this way, we achieved a union between practicality and ethereality.

"Bane of All Evil" — the four words that sum up what Xiao has experienced over the past millennia, according to Liyue's rulers who know the truth about him.

In the design of Xiao's mask, we referenced aspects of the masks traditionally used in exorcism rituals as part of Nuo (傩) folk religion.

The main colors used in these masks are black, blue, and gold, the eyes are bright but not flamboyant, and in general the masks look solemn but also mysterious. The sinister-looking bulging eyes, fangs, and horns instill fear in the viewer. The eye in the center of the forehead represents omniscience and the flame motifs make it all the more imposing, the intent being to cause all onlookers to cower in fear.

Xiao's release coincides with the ancient festival of Lantern Rite. We would like to use this historic occasion as a chance to send our best wishes to everyone — here's to deliverance from the ills that plague the real world as well as those that face us in the world of Teyvat. To fans of Xiao reading this, we hope you feel that learning a little about the design ethos gave you the chance to better understand and connect with this character.

(Continued in Part 2)