#uncovering fables

[pellucid-constellations]

Fable - Consequence

Pairing: Azriel x Reader

Summary: Azriel understands how it feels to regret; he understands it most as he holds you and he prays.

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings: Angst, injury, violence, this has a lot of grief in Azriel's pov but also subtle pov shifts and memories

a/n: This is part of a mini-series with one part left <3 I've honestly been using this series as a way to explore angst and loss in depth so thank you all for being addicted to angst. Last part coming soon (but also considering doing an alt ending too). Thank you for reading ily!!

Series Masterlist (all parts ♡)

~~

Azriel was digging. His hands were raw and specked with blood, and it took him a moment, but he was faintly aware that his throat felt raw as well. He was digging and he was screaming. 

The rubble of the cliff was unforgiving. Sharp rocks and misshapen twigs caught his skin and he pushed and pushed and pushed. His shadows had escaped him, weaving their way through the debris, slinking into the crevices Azriel so viscerally despised. 

He had to get you out. 

The bond was still there—still glowing in his chest. 

Every morsel of time you had spent with him this past year was on a painful loop in his mind, reminding him of the progress you’d made, of the life that had settled back in your eyes. You were so perfect, had always been so perfect, and Azriel was hoping you’d find that truth in an existence without your wings. 

He thought you might’ve been close. 

But then you’d discovered what had been kept from you. You’d learned that he and the others knew where your remaining attackers were, and they hadn’t told you. 

There had been a plethora of reasons. 

For Rhysand, it was your continued safety in the face of the uprising camp. He was a leader, which meant keeping information from you to ensure what you could not. For Cassian, well—he was pissed off. Cassian wanted to kill the men himself, and it had been a battle with the rest of the circle to keep him tame. And Azriel. Azriel knew what the life returning to your eyes would mean in the face of such news. He knew it that first day in Rhysand’s office when the spies made them privy to that first bit of information, and he knew it when the weekly meetings began, his informants closing in on the vile men’s location. 

So, he knew, with all certainty, that if you knew about these men, you would have gone after them. And then you did. 

You had never been the most sly at eavesdropping, so Azriel knew you were listening in the second your unsteady gait closed in on the High Lord’s office door. He let you listen, and then he confronted you when you were preparing to leave. It had been a few months of you walking on your own, but he still caught the way your right foot fell too quickly in front of your left as you skirted around your room. 

He had begged you. Gods, had he begged you to stay. To calm. To allow other people to take the lead on this. He had promised you would still have the final blow, but Azriel knew this had never been about your attackers simply dying. This had been about something else entirely. 

Was it worth it now, he wondered, as your once broken body—now healed with time—was slowly uncovered by Azriel’s bleeding hands? 

His throat stopped aching for a moment, a momentary reprieve as a sob soothed the ripping pain in his vocal cords. Some rendition of your name left his lips, slipping past the screams and the sobs that punctuated the guilt within him. He had been caught off guard, rendered unable to reach you when you needed him most. And he had had to watch you fall. 

Eventually, the rubble cleared enough for him to pull you onto his legs. His shadows blocked his view of your body, but they were whispering to him. You were alive, they told him—alive but hurt hurt hurt. He couldn't parse out exactly what was broken about you, but his shadows had never been calm in the face of your danger. 

That should have been a sign to him. He should have been protecting you far sooner. 

“Y/n?” Azriel croaked once more, his hands, still ruined, brushing along your face. “You’re okay. You’re fine,” he whispered to no one, his forehead coming down to meet yours. 

The scene was reminiscent of one he was quick to push from his mind, the blood and loss you had experienced in such a similar fashion something he wished not to relive. 

His body was shaking, he realized. Adrenaline and fear wracked him, turning his nerves into live wires that would spark at the touch. Azriel watched the subtle rise and fall of your chest as you lay against him, cursing his inability to command his shadows to bring you home. Faebane still influenced the power in his veins. His shadows remained, if only for you, but he had less pull over them. 

Azriel held you close and he prayed. 

You would be fine. You had to be fine. He had a lifetime more of taking care of you, even if only peripherally, even if you never knew what you truly meant to him. Azriel had set that fate in motion from the moment he chose to believe you about the camps—from the moment your wings had been torn from you and your existence felt less than. 

He knew you had been struggling with that. That the delicate furrow of your brow each time you passed a reflective surface was not a simple coincidence. 

It was his fault. You were his mate, and this had happened to you while he was off living in some fallacy. 

Azriel tugged you closer, watching the world go by through the small feats of movement on your face. 

You had told him once, about a month ago, that life was different now. You had said that it made less sense, that you were trying to make meaning of things that had once come naturally, been intuitive. Azriel had chalked that up to your inability to fly; it was difficult, he presumed, to conceptualize such a thing being taken away. 

But now Azriel realized what you meant. Breathing did not feel intuitive. How he positioned his body beneath yours did not feel natural. He did not know how to move, how to care for you, how to make this better. He kept passing over your face and body with his hands, but life felt different now—between an hour ago and now. 

He had feared you would never return from the dark abyss that consumed you when you first lost your wings, but then you had healed and coped. 

He had gotten too comfortable with the idea of you being okay. 

He had foolishly believed that nothing bad would ever happen to you again. Not now. Not with the magnitude of what you meant to him. 

You let out a small cough. Azriel’s breath sputtered. 

“Angel?” he called, his gaze scouring every inch of you. His thumb rubbed along your hairline. “Tell me if you can hear me.” 

A long pause punctuated the air between you. Your eyes fluttered but did not open. 

“Please. Please, please,” Azriel pleaded, tears unknowingly falling from his cheeks and scattering on your skin. 

He only needed a few moments. Rhys would come. He knew he would.

Right? 

“This isn’t s-supposed to happen like this,” Azriel cried, his touch imprinted along your body. “I needed more time. I was supposed to tell you. I was supposed to—” 

Azriel’s shadows were becoming frantic, swatting at his head and twisting along his dim siphons. Do something, they seethed into his ear, save her. 

To an onlooker, Azriel would seem as though he were talking to no one as he stressed, “I can’t. I don’t know how. I don’t… I can’t…” 

Azriel heaved you up into his arms as he stood. He was desperate, clinging to the thread that was growing fainter and fainter within him as he began taking steps to nowhere. He kept talking to his shadows, shouting to them when he knew that wasn’t necessary. 

“Help me then!” he demanded, tucking your head into his shoulder as he kept an unsteady pace. “Take her, at least. Help her.” 

As much as his shadows had an affinity for you, they would not take such large action without a direct command from their master. Azriel remembered his wings then. He had been refraining from using them for so long, not wanting their presence to deter your healing. They had been glued to his back for the better half of a year, and so he had forgotten them. 

He was unpracticed as he unfurled them and shot into the sky, eyes racing down to your figure to catch any change in your expression as he went. There was still nothing, no indication that you were present in the living world other than the dim feeling of you within him. Azriel had the fleeting thought that he might be sick. 

He pressed on. 

“What, do I look weird?”

Azriel’s chest panged as another memory flooded him. 

“No, of course not,” he had assured, brow furrowed at the obscene thought. 

“You can tell me if I do. I’m trying out a new wardrobe now that… you know. And Mor’s always been a bit flashy.” 

The dress was impressive, to say the least, a clear product of Mor’s eye. But it wasn’t the dress that made Azriel take a second look. He had seen you in much gaudier attire; the blue and white was saintly compared to what you wore in Hewn City.

To be frank, it was your posture that first caught his eye. You held yourself taller than normal as if a weight had been lifted. He hadn’t seen you with your shoulders pulled back since you lost your wings, and if it was the result of this damn dress he was going to kiss the ground Mor walked on. 

“I think you look beautiful,” Azriel candidly replied. 

You had blinked and looked away, giving Azriel some sarcastic remark that held no bite. Azriel gazed down at you in his arms and he regretted. He regretted so many things, but with the memories of the time after—of the time after you had been solidified as his—he regretted wasting so much time. He regretted ignoring the pull to you, being so quick to sign it off as familiar love. He regretted chasing after women he couldn’t have, didn’t even really want, and making you a spectator to his ridiculous failures. 

You had always been so forgiving of it all. 

“I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you,” Azriel spoke into the wind. He could feel tendrils of his power licking at his fingertips. A little bit longer and he could reach Rhysand. “Even if you never want to see me again.” His lips were salty as he spoke. “I’ll—” 

His next promise was lost behind the whisper in his head, a fleeting echo of Rhysand’s voice like an answered prayer. Azriel searched for the inkling of power within him and surged it forward, creating a beacon with his mind. Azriel was weak, but there was enough. 

He landed in the snowy dirt with a resounding thud. He viewed the world through watery, unseeing eyes as his High Lord usurped his vision. It was only a beat before Rhysand was there. Azriel watched as he took an unsteady breath in, taking in your form as Azriel held you close, and then steadying himself with outstretched hands. 

Something inside of Azriel tensed. 

Rhysand only shook his head, an argument clear in his eyes, his hands motioning for you to be transferred over. But Azriel’s jaw was quivering and there was no way he could let go of you. Not if it was going to be the last time. Not if the last time he felt the bond you were anywhere but his arms. 

“I can’t,” Azriel whispered, and even though it wasn’t the safest means of travel, Rhysand’s defeated breath was followed by a hand on Azriel’s shoulder. 

This was familiar. 

Back in the House—back with you broken in his arms. Only you weren’t bleeding, not as you were the first time. He hadn’t taken stock of your injuries, too overcome with the shock of trying to get you out. He had grabbed you and ran and nothing else was clear in his mind. 

“She looks stable,” a voice noted with urgency from across the room. Azriel looked up to find Feyre rounding a chair to meet where he was standing, you still firmly in his arms. 

She had been hesitant last time, Azriel remembered. Someone had thrown up and the room had been in chaos. 

“What happened?” Rhysand urged, catching Azriel’s eyeline as Feyre maneuvered herself around Azriel’s tight grip. “A healer is coming. You need to tell me what happened, Azriel.” 

Azriel figured he was still in shock. Feyre attempted to tug you from his grip and he snapped at her, a nasty look shot in her direction and a wing coming around to push her away. Azriel’s shadows disapproved, weaving around your midsection and the disruption of your skin along your head. 

You were bleeding, he realized. 

Azriel choked on nothing. 

“Azriel,” Rhysand tried again. “I’m not even sure where you both are coming from. You left with no explanation.” 

“Just look,” Azriel gritted out, eyes unable to leave you. 

And Azriel knew that with his power still dimmed from faebane Rhysand would see everything. He couldn’t put up the barriers that guarded the important, private moments of his life, and those moments were front of mind as you lay in his arms. 

Rhysand sifted through them as he entered Azriel’s mind, but they were unavoidable. Rhysand passed the moment Azriel discovered you were mates, the first time he saw you out of your room after the incident, the first time you ate a full meal, when you fell asleep on his shoulder and didn’t look at him with distrust after you woke in his arms; Rhysand felt the overwhelming emotions that accompanied each of those moments and he pressed on. 

He pressed on even as Azriel’s mind pushed forward memories of before. They were each tainted with regret and longing and Rhysand could see the parts Azriel highlighted. The blush on his face when you spoke to him; the urge to press closer to you as you sat on the couch after dinner; the light feeling in his chest as you laughed over coffee in that ridiculously small teahouse. 

Azriel wished he could stop. He swallowed—hard—and attempted to quell the onslaught of memories that wouldn’t stop, but it was impossible as he stared down at you and continued to regret. 

Finally, mercifully, Rhysand reached Azriel’s memory of just an hour before. He saw the way you packed on weapons in haste and the futile attempts Azriel made to get you to stay. He watched Azriel winnow you through his shadows and the near-instantaneous ambush that was waiting for you at the camp. They had gone after Azriel, pushing you closer and closer to the cliff’s edge as you tried to get to him. 

He felt Azriel’s panic—watched the cliff disintegrate with you along with it. One last cruel lesson from the men of Illyira; women should not have wings, should not have independence. 

Rhysand removed himself from Azriel’s mind, eyes flickering over you now. 

“Do you still feel her?” he asked.

Azriel gave a short nod of his head, his cheeks glistening in the faelight of the room. 

“Good. That’s good.” 

From the depths of your mind, you could hear it all. You couldn’t register the words or the happenings of the space, but you knew you were somewhere. It felt safe. 

There was pressure on your face at times, low murmuring that your brain was working overtime trying to interpret, and there were aches in your body that you weren’t sure of the origin. Wading through the confusion was one broad feeling that rose above the rest. 

A tug at your chest, just below your heart, pulling you closer and closer to the sounds and the discomfort. 

Someone was asking you for something but you couldn’t make out what. 

You wanted to give in to the pull at your ribs. You knew it would bring more pain, but it was enticing and spelled every good thing you could conjure up in your muddled mind.

You must have made a sound, or moved, or made some indication that you were fighting for consciousness because the voices became louder, more direct. You were moved slightly, pain radiating at the motion, and several apologies followed. 

You tested the path to your eyelids, blinking once and then twice to get used to the light assaulting your retinas. It wasn’t bright, you noted, but everything felt like too much. It felt like too much to be working this hard, but you needed to see something. You weren’t sure what it was, but you needed to before… 

“Y/n?” 

Your eyes slid towards the voice. 

Azriel. 

Your senses knew him before you did, tugging you toward his presence. Only—only this time something felt different. His hands kept your face steady as you fought past the pain to get a better view of him. You needed to see before… 

Something shifted. Aligned. The pull in your chest sprung to life. 

In your delirium, the muscles in your mouth twitched into a smile. 

“Angel?” Azriel called. He tapped a hand against your cheek, thumb brushing the upturn of your mouth.

This felt final. You took in the deepest breath you could manage. 

“My mate,” you whispered. 

You caught the shaking of Azriel’s chin before your eyes closed once more. The answer you wanted was just there, and the world made more sense as you chased the exhaustion that lingered ahead of you. 

You forgot about your wings. You forgot about the cliff, the men, the months of healing that hurt. 

The peace that blanketed your face was not comforting to Azriel. Panic seized him instead. You were bleeding, yes, but not like last time. He didn’t know where you were hurt the most and you only stayed awake long enough to whisper those two words. 

His life was slipping away. 

This was not supposed to work this way. 

With dread threaded through his fingers, Azriel’s trembling touch moved across every inch of your face. “Yes,” he choked out, nodding to your closed eyes. “Yes, I am yours. And you are mine so you have to stay awake.” 

He had moved to a couch, leaning over your figure. “We can… we can fix all of this.” Azriel moved his touch down to your chest, hand pressed to the plane. “You worked so hard to get here. You—life is different now but I’m here and I can help you make sense of it.” 

Across the room, Rhysand stood with his hand over his mouth, feeling like an intruder in a moment that might not last. Feyre had fled the room in a desperate search for the healer. 

“Okay?” Azriel asked. When you didn’t answer Azriel squeezed his eyes shut, his forehead coming to rest on your chest. This was somehow worse than the first time—more calm, more final. 

The door opened, smacking against the back wall with a resounding bang that Azriel could not hear. He was pulled away from you, just as he was the first time, only this time he was not covered in blood or confused or desperate for answers. 

He had answers. 

He had you. 

Well, in some ways—in the ways that mattered. 

“I forgive you, you know,” you told him, thumb pressing into the page edge.

Azriel turned from his mission report, brows lowering over his eyes. “What?” 

You kept your thumb on your page as you closed your book. “I know you blame yourself. I want you to know that I forgive you. That it’s not even your fault to begin with.” 

“Y/n—” 

“No, I’m serious,” you moved to your knees on the loveseat you shared with him, giving this conversation your full attention. “I made decisions that day. I knew you would have come with me if I told the truth. I chose to lie.” 

Azriel abandoned his work on the end table, turning his body to face you fully. “Yes, but I made you feel that you should lie. I put my inconsequential desires over you. You—Y/n, you have experienced loss because of the choice I made. I always go with you. That’s my job—to protect you.”

“I don’t think they were inconsequential,” you whispered. 

“What?” he said again. 

You flitted your gaze between his eyes. The fire behind you was strong, reflecting orange on your skin. “You wanted to be in love. To be loved. I don’t think that’s inconsequential.”  Azriel held your stare, chest caving in a way you couldn’t understand. “No,” he replied. “I suppose it’s not.”

[blueiscoool]

Egyptologists Clash Over ‘Underground City’ Beneath Pyramids

Claims that an “underground city” exists beneath ancient Egyptian pyramids have caused a row among experts.

Researchers from Italy say they have uncovered giant vertical shafts wrapped in “spiral staircases” under the Khafre pyramid.

They said on Sunday that they found a limestone platform with two chambers and channels that resemble pipelines for a water system more than 2,100 feet below the pyramid, with underground pathways leading even deeper into the earth.

But the claims – which have not been published or independently peer-reviewed – were labelled “false” and “exaggerated” by fellow Egyptologists.

Researchers claim they have discovered eight cylinder-shaped structures below the Khafre - Khafre Project.

Prof Corrado Malanga and his team from the University of Pisa used radar pulses to create high-resolution images deep into the ground, similar to how sonar radar maps the ocean.

In a statement, he said: “When we magnify the images [in the future], we will reveal that beneath it lies what can only be described as a true underground city.”

The scientists have also said there is “an entire hidden world of many structures’’ and that “the Pyramid of Khafre might conceal undiscovered secrets, notably the fabled Hall of Records”.

The Hall of Records, a concept popularised in ancient Egyptian lore, is believed to be an ancient library beneath the Great Pyramid or the Sphinx, with vast amounts of information about the ancient civilisation.

Prof Lawrence Conyers, a radar expert at the University of Denver who focuses on archaeology, told the Daily Mail it was not possible for the technology to penetrate that deeply into the ground.

He said the idea that it proves an underground city existed is “a huge exaggeration”.

But he said it was conceivable small structures, such as shafts and chambers, may be present from before the pyramids were built.

He highlighted how “the Mayans and other peoples in ancient Mesoamerica often built pyramids on top of the entrances to caves or caverns that had ceremonial significance to them”.

The work by Prof Malanga and fellow researchers Filippo Biondi and Armando Mei was previously discussed during a briefing in Italy last week.

The project’s spokesman, Nicole Ciccolo, shared a video on Saturday of the trio discussing the findings that are yet to be published in a scientific journal.

Tomographic images could indicate internal artificial structures under the pyramid - Khafre Project.

The team focused on the Khafre pyramid, which, along with Khufu and Menkaure pyramids, make up the three in the Giza complex.

The pyramids are thought to have been built some 4,500 years ago and sit on the west bank of the Nile river in northern Egypt.

The vertical shafts identified below the ground were about 33 to 39 feet in diameter, located at a depth of at least 2,130 feet, the researchers said, adding that they may support the pyramid, which needs “a strong foundation, otherwise it may sink”.

The team showed an image created by using the pulses which they claim includes “a complex, luminous structure with distinct vibrations” they believe is “an actual underground city”.

“The existence of vast chambers beneath the earth’s surface, comparable in size to the pyramids themselves, have a remarkably strong correlation between the legendary Halls of Amenti,” Ms Ciccolo said.

A 3D model displays the structures inside the central part of the Pyramid of Khafre - Khafre Project.

Prof Malanga and Mr Biondi published a separate peer-reviewed paper in October 2022 in the scientific journal Remote Sensing, which found hidden rooms and ramps inside Khafre, along with evidence of a thermal anomaly near the pyramid’s base.

The new study used similar technology but with extra help from satellites orbiting Earth.

Radar signals from two satellites about 420 miles above Earth were directed into the Khafre pyramid.

The experts then monitor how they bounce back and convert the signals into sound waves, which allows them to “see” through the solid stone and map out underground structures in 3D.

Prof Malanga claimed the results had been “completely consistent” and using two satellites ruled out the chance of “misinterpretation”.

By Michael Searles.

View of the ancient crypt inside the Great step pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara. Cairo.

[all-things-are-nothing-to-me]

Left to right. First row.

1. The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell.

In a joyous and perverse intermingling of fable, myth, heterotopian vision, and pocket wisdom, The Faggots & Their Friends tell us stories of the 70s gay countercultures and offer us strategies and wisdom for our own time living Between Revolutions. These pages sketch a different shape to time and offer instructions for living within it. This story, like our own, plays out in liminal time. Not the time of revolution, and not after-the-revolution, the story occurs between revolutions. Being between revolutions: being enmeshed in slow entropy, in abandoned spaces, in lives forged without recourse to “winning” or “after.” The faggots feel this disintegration, and live best when empires are falling.

2. Be Gay, Do Crime by The Mary Nardini Gang.

Among the discordant chorus of anons who penned the defining texts of the queer anarchist network Bash Back!, none was more fervent in its glorification of criminal desire, decadent hedonism, and social undoing than the Milwaulkee-based Mary Nardini Gang. Their fiery “Towards the Queerest Insurrection” still circulates as an integral manifesto of riotous queerness, while the “Criminal Intimacy” and “Whore Theory” have made their more subterranean way into innumerable conversations and correspondences.

Ten years later, the secretive group supplements these collected writings with a subtle retrospective. Carefully unlocking the hidden layers of their theses on insurrection, they face up to what they got wrong, concede that the world ended somewhere between the Greek insurrection of 2008 and now, and insist upon the vital task of ushering new worlds into being as we live amid the decomposition and cataclysmic death throes of the old one. To their theses on insurrection, they prepend a new arcana tooled for opening onto the queerest of outsides.

Dedicated to their friends among the dead, this pocket edition is a necromantic mirror, an encrypted message to old loves, and an invitation to those finding these words for the first time.

3. The Criminal Child by Jean Genet.

“As for me, I have chosen: I will be on the side of crime. And I will help the children, not to win back access to your houses, your factories, your schools, your laws, and sacraments, but to destroy them.”

So reads this new clandestine translation of a previously censored and unavailable text by Jean Genet. “The Criminal Child” is a critical engagement with the French youth prisons, a reflection on Genet’s formative years within them, a document of hostility towards society and its benevolent reformers, and – as argued by the anonymous afterword – an initiatory magical system.

5. Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture by Arthur Evans.

This radical faerie classic, first published in 1978 by Fag Rag Press, uncovers the hidden mythic link between homosexuality and paganism in an elegy for the world of sex and magic vanquished by Christian civilization. From Joan of Arc to the Cathars and the underground worshippers of Diana, the author shows how every upwelling of gender transgression and sexual freedom was targeted by the authorities for total and often violent repression or appropriation. The concluding manifesto calls for pagan reconnection with the living world, the creation of armed anarchist cells, and the destruction of industrial civilization.

Left to right. Row 2.

1. What is Gender Nihilism? A Reader.

A collection gathering readings for discussions on an end to gender: not the proliferation or liberation of gender, but its catastrophic cancellation. The reader brings together writings as old as 1883 and as recent as 2015, juxtaposing nihilist, radical feminist, queer, trans, anticolonial, communizing and insurrectionary approaches with other unclassifiable textual/existential disruptions. Many of the readings are out of print or have only appeared online or in zine form, and include: Adrienne Rich, Monique Wittig, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, A.R. Stone, Paul B. Preciado, the entities known as Radicalesbians, Gender Mutiny, Baedan, Ehn Nothing, Laboria Cuboniks and, as always, Anonymous. Also includes “My Preferred Gender Pronoun is Negation,” “Gender Nihilism” by Aidan Rowe, and the gender nihilism anti-manifesto that inspired the collection.

2. Baedan 1 – journal of queer nihilism.

3. Baedan 2 – a queer journal of heresy.

If the first issue of Baedan was a knife thrust wildly in the dark, the second is an effort to examine our enemies in a new light; enemies who bear scars yet endure. In a sense, this issue follows through our initial attack and pushes beyond our own horrors at the consequences of words. We write at a time when everything which seemed slightly possible two years ago has borne its rotten fruit; when queer recuperation has become more powerful and accepted than ever, while the fetish for technology has reached an unprecedented frenzy; when so many efforts at subversion languish under the tyranny of cybernetic identity and aesthetics (even our own etymologies have become identities!); when friends turn away out of fear of the unknown, turn toward all the comforts and certainties of the past (identity politics, traditionalism, religious morality, activism, et al). The old enemies rear their heads and the terrain is as bleak as ever. And yet we take seriously that adage: “There’s no need to fear or hope, but only to look for new weapons.”

4. Baedan 3 – journal of queer time travel.

Bædan: journal of queer time travel marks a further attempt to pose and to flesh out a queer critique of civilization. Queer not only in the sense of coming from those outside and disruptive of the Family, but also in the sense of a critique weirder than its more orthodox cousins. We imagine the Bædan project as an effort to pose the critique of civilization otherwise, to begin from another place. In this issue (and beyond…) we have conjured a strange bestiary of thinking, trying to unearth and trace the tradition of anti-civilization thought in the literature of queerness and in queerness as immanent critique.

*I couldn't find this one online*

[galedekarios]

the splendours of waterdeep

Gale: I hail from Waterdeep, the City of Splendours.

we've all heard gale introduce himself and there's a certain pride that colours his voice. but what exactly are waterdeep's splendours?

1. general noteworthy things about waterdeep

i) waterdeep is one of the cleanest cities in the realms

this is not only achieved by having many of waterdeep's buildings and facilities connected to a sewer system, but also through waterdeep's dungsweeper's guild. the members of the guild make their rounds through the city, sweeping streets, collecting trash, litter and refuse.

this service is paid for by taxes.

ii) waterdeep's water system

waterdeep boasts an extensive water system that enables the city to have free access to clean water. this free access comes in many forms: fountains, wells and bath houses. some establishment even have their own access to fresh water in form of tap water "with the turn of a knob", as volo puts it in his chapbook about the city.

iii) waterdeep, city of light

waterdeep possesses many signs and street lamps that are lit with continual flame spells:

hundreds of driftglobes also illuminate the city each night:

A driftglobe was a small glass orb that magically floated in the air and emitted light.

in addition to these magical means, so called lamplighters keep the streets lit - with the exception of the field ward and more dangerous areas of the dock ward.

iv) waterdeep and literacy

waterdeep is one of the most literate cities in the realms.

the font of knowledge is a temple to oghma, god of the domain of knowledge, in waterdeep. priests of oghma "valued, preserved, shared, sought, created, or uncovered knowledge and learning. [x]" the priests there offer free instructions and lessons in reading to everyone. the temple has a library, known as "the great library".

the city has many publishing houses and printing presses. books and chapbooks (short books containing various topics from memoirs to romances, politics, etc.) are popular, as are small and large paper advertisements that dot the streets and alleys. broadsheets are popular too in the city:

A broadsheet, also known as a short scroll, was a short, printed document which usually contained tabloid-style news or political rants. They were common in Waterdeep, where they were sold by broadcriers on the main streets.

some of these broadsheets popular in waterdeep are [x]:

The Vigilant Citizen, which was one of the most reputable broadsheets in the city.

The Blue Unicorn, which reported paranormal events such as haunted mansions or undead hiding among the nobility.

The Daily Luck, a sheet aimed at gamblers.

Horkle's Gossip Cauldron, whose style of writing was said to be profane and blunt to the point of rudeness.

The Mocking Minstrel, one of the most read broadsheets in the city, known for its caustic and sarcastic tone.

The North Wind, which focused on nobility gossip and fashion.

The Merchant's Friend

Halivar's Broadsheet

restaurants and other establishments in waterdeep often have printed menus that are placed outside, as well as handed out to those who choose to eat there.

2. the griffon cavalry

"Waterdeep doesn’t have the fabled flying ships of Halruaa, but it does deploy an aerial defense force. Brave warriors of the City Guard light out from the Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, riding fearsome griffons that have been bred and trained for that purpose. Each of the riders is equipped with a ring of feather falling — not merely to prevent death from mishap, but to allow them to perform stunning feats of aerial acrobatics. In both martial displays and in real battles against flying threats such as manticores, harpies, and outlaw wizards, the griffon riders actually leap off their mounts into the open air! For a breath-stealing moment, they fall like stones, closing in on their targets at incredible speed. Their opponents rarely see the griffon riders. When they are past the danger, the free-falling riders then suddenly halt in the air, drifting like feathers until their griffon companions swoop in and they regain their saddles. Working in concert with one another in this fashion, members of the Griffon Cavalry can rapidly eliminate any threat to the city — and even catch the body of the offender before it hits the rooftops below. Riders of the Griffon Cavalry are trained to stay above the rooftops, not because they fear crashing into towers and weather vanes, but because the smell of so much horseflesh in the streets below can sometimes drive their griffons into a frenzy."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

3. the walking statues

"Over a century ago, just one of these eight behemoth statues stood visible at the northern foot of Mount Waterdeep, on a bluff called Gull Leap. Ninety feet tall, it resembled a bald human staring out to sea. Later events (discussed below) caused it to be transformed into the statue known today as the Sahuagin Humbled. When the Spellplague gripped Waterdeep in 1385 DR, six more walking statues suddenly appeared in the city, wandering to wreak havoc even as the Sahuagin Humbled remained motionless. The authorities and citizens of Waterdeep succeeded in stopping three of these new statues, breaking the Swordmaiden and the Hawk Man, and sinking the God Catcher into the street up to its waist. Then all the statues mysteriously stopped their rampage just as quickly as they had begun it. Tsarra Chaadren, the Blackstaff at the time, couldn’t command them to return to their former hiding places on the Ethereal Plane. Consequently, the city repaired itself and built up around them. Much later, in 1479 DR, the eighth statue — the Griffon — merged from the Ethereal Plane to defend Ahghairon’s Tower against intrusion. It roosted there for a time before flying to its current position near Peaktop Aerie on Mount Waterdeep. Once more, this activity seemed to be outside the Blackstaff’s control. Thankfully, all the walking statues have been dormant for well over a decade now, serving only as beautiful, cyclopean reminders of Waterdeep’s might."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

the walking statues are:

the god catcher

the griffon

the sahuagin humbled

the great drunkard

the lady dreaming

the honorable knight

the hawk man

the sword maiden

below you'll find more lore and backstory about these walking statues of waterdeep:

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

edited to improve format and added text descriptions of the statues for easier reading:

the great drunkard

This walking statue stopped its rampage as it approached the Market, then fell backward and sat upon a building. When it settled, its arms fell limp at its sides and its head tilted forward onto its chest, giving the impression that it had fallen asleep. The statue’s huge stone battleaxe still stands nearby, its haft angled upright and its blade half buried in the cobbles. The rubble of the crushed building was long ago rebuilt into a broad stone stair (with railings and a ramp that drunkards are often rolled down) that ascends from the cobbles to the statue’s lap. That lap now holds a two-story tavern also built from the rubble, called Gralkyn’s Tankard. The unconscious pose of the statue and the tavern in its lap made the name of the Great Drunkard a natural fit.

the god catcher

This is perhaps the most famous walking statue in the city, thanks to its dramatic pose, its nearness to the Market, and the self-evident magic of its existence. The statue is of a well-muscled but impassive male human with its left leg sunk to the hip in the street, the result of a spell cast by the Blackstaff at the time of its rampage. Its left hand and right foot press against the ground as if it is trying to pull itself out. Its right arm is raised skyward, and above its open palm floats a sphere of stone. Its gaze looks up toward the sphere, and the pattern of bird droppings around its eyes gives it the appearance of weeping. All about the statue, climbing up its chest and on its knee and shoulders, is a tenement that carries the name “the God Catcher.” The tenement’s landlord is Aundra Blackcloak, an unsociable sorcerer who is rarely seen in the city except when she alights from the door carved in the floating sphere, which serves as her home. On the rare occasions when she wants to meet with city folk (typically to purchase odd substances for magical purposes), she appears unannounced on balconies or rooftops after dark. Her dealings are polite, though, and she pays fair coin. She never confides in anyone or talks about her own doings — and if anyone but she has ever seen the inside of her spherical home, they’ve said nothing publicly about it.

the griffon

The walking statue called the Griffon is shaped like the beast for which it is named. Though it stands on all four legs, its back is fully twenty feet off the ground, making it a mount fit for a storm giant. Although it has shown itself to be capable of flight, with the granite feathers of its wings spreading like a bird’s, the Griffon now merely stands in a regal pose near Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, looking to the southeast over the Dock Ward. Newcomers sometimes assume it to be a monument to Waterdeep’s Griffon Cavalry, but Waterdavians know better.

the sahuagin humbled

For years, the only visible walking statue of Waterdeep was known simply as “the walking statue.” It stood at the foot of Mount Waterdeep near the head of Julthoon Street. Then, after its critical role in defending the city against an invasion of sahuagin in 1370 DR, Khelben Blackstaff reshaped the statue into a sahuagin. It now bows low toward the House of Heroes on bended knee — a gesture of obeisance to the city, and an acknowledgment of the sacrifice of all who fought for the city in that war.

the lady dreaming

This fair lady caused much chaos when she was active. The statue has the appearance of a female elf, whose hair and clothing appeared to flow naturally as it walked through the city during the Spellplague. When the walking statues stopped, this one toppled onto its side, taking on the appearance of a titanic sculpture of a noble lady asleep in her garden.

the honorable knight

The Honorable Knight is a statue of a male warrior in plate armor with a shield and longsword. When the walking statues stopped, it bowed to those opposing it, straightened, sheathed its sword, and doffed its shield, setting it point down on the ground and upright by its side. It then ceased motion in this position, facing southwest toward the harbor, and looking for all the world like a castle guard standing at ease. The pose it assumed led to its naming, and it is viewed with respect by the citizens of the southerly wards.

the hawk man

This statue looks like a winged, hawk-headed being, and thus locals call it the Hawk Man. I can reveal that in fact it bears much resemblance to an aarakocra, one of the bird-people said to live in the Star Mounts in the High Forest. The statue’s wings are folded tightly against its back and have never unfurled, leaving its flight capability uncertain. It was brought low during its rampage across the city, and now it tilts decidedly toward the northeast due to a missing right foot — long ago broken up for building rubble, along with its right arm. Its left arm is extended out toward the north, palm forward as if in a gesture to say, “Stop.” The body has been hollowed out and turned into a tower shared by several wealthy tenants, which is officially known as Sparaunt Tower after its owner. The statue’s left hand extends over a courtyard to the north, wherein lies the entrance of a tunnel carved through the arm. Visitors and residents can ring a bell in the courtyard, whereupon a door guard acknowledges the ringer and lowers a rope ladder for tenants and expected guests (or a rope chair that is drawn up for guests who are infirm or laden with heavy items).

the sword maiden

This statue appears virtually identical to the Honorable Knight, except for its female form and open-faced helm. It was felled during the Spellplague after causing much chaos and slaughter. The residents of Waterdeep’s North Ward funneled much of their frustrated and dismayed reaction to its rampage into dismantling the statue, parts of which can now be found all over the North Ward, either incorporated into buildings or as bits of freestanding sculpture. The head of the Swordmaiden sits in a stand of tall trees in the center of the block of the North Ward bounded by Hassantyr’s Street, Tarsar’s Street, Whaelgond Way, and Ussilbran Street. The center of its jaw and mouth have been replaced by a door, which leads into the shop known as Thort’s Findings. Undevvur Thort is a wizened ex-adventurer who leans on a cane (which some locals insist is more than just a cane). He lives in the small shop, whose many levels, staircases, and landings fill the hollowed-out interior of the head, and which is crammed with oddments sold to Thort by adventurers and other travelers. These items bear little placards in Thort’s beautiful, flowing handwriting that identify them (or at least provide speculation as to their origin and purpose). Nobles and wealthy merchants who desire props for themed revels often rent some of Thort’s wares as decoration — and many sages, alchemists, and wizards visit him regularly in search of potentially useful items.

[valy-gc]

Game Idea - now a novel

Well... originally a dating sim game idea that will be a novel because I don't have any programmation skills nor the money to pay some developpers, but I like it and got lots of ideas for it so let's just share it.

If you want to make a OC and/or your MC from it, then have fun, I would love it ^-^ (list of existing ones at the end ^^)

It's a dating sim, mix between "Twisted Wonderland" and "Obey me!"

This is mostly ideas thrown like this in a messy way. But you can now read the novel version here:

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 -All other chapters will only be on the other plateforms, always free to read

whole on my Tapas, Toyhouse, Ao3 or wattpad

I also introduce all the characters on Toyhouse, UnVale or Deviantart and regularly post here on tumblr about it

And to not have to search through my tumblr, you can find every single infos about Scriptoria, on my Toyhouse as well.

everything under the cut

As a new student at Fablewood Academy, you are mysteriously invited after stumbling upon an ancient storybook. Among peers who resonate with legendary characters from fables and folklore, you stand apart—unable to resonate with any historical figure. Instead, you uncover a profound connection to the mysterious Writers.

Navigating the competitive dorm dynamics and building relationships with students and teachers, you begin to unravel the secrets of Scriptoria, the world of stories. With your unique bond to the Writers, you hold the key to saving it from an ancient force threatening to rewrite history itself.

~~~~

World

"Scriptoria" A magical world shaped by the memories and writings of the legendary Writers, who recorded the lives and deeds of its inhabitants.

~~~~

The Writers :

The authors of fairytales we knows, they are called the "writers" not because they have wrote the tales (since it's supposed to be all real stories in this world) but because they were keeper of memories, noting everything that was happening in the world, which permitted the actual characters to knows all about the stories.

The Writers and Their Origins

Connection to Their Stories and Cultures:

Jean de La Fontaine (Beastman from Beasthaven): La Fontaine, a fox beastman, had a knack for observing the social structures of Beasthaven’s vibrant and diverse communities.

Hans Christian Andersen (Mer from the Seafoam Dominion): Andersen was a merman with a melancholic streak, deeply inspired by the beauty and sorrow of the sea. His ability to capture fleeting emotions and weave them into poetic tales was unparalleled.

The Grimm Brothers (Goblins from Myrcadawn): Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were goblin-faes, an unexpected yet fitting revelation. The magic of the Writers kept their mischief in check, channeling their keen wit and curiosity into recording humanity's most primal fears and hopes. Their goblin heritage explains the darker, more visceral tone of their collected tales.

Charles Perrault (Human from Austreim): Perrault was a human writer from the cobblestone streets of Austreim. Known for his elegance and refinement, he focused on moralistic tales that resonated with high society while still appealing to common folk. His work emphasized transformation and perseverance, ideals he believed could bridge social divides.

An so many more… In short, every single race and country had one or multiple Writers.

The Omniscience of the Writers

The Writers weren’t ordinary historians—they were endowed with a unique form of magic called Storysense.

Storysense Explained: Writers could sense when someone was destined for a life-altering story—one that would leave a profound impact on their world and become a tale told for generations.

When they encountered such an individual, their magic activated instinctively, drawing them to observe and record the person’s journey.

This connection allowed them to witness events in real-time, ensuring no detail was missed.

The Rule of Non-Intervention: Writers were forbidden from interfering in the stories they recorded. Their role was to document, not shape, the fates of those they observed.

Consequences of Breaking the Rule: If a Writer intervened, their Storysense could fracture, leaving them unable to detect new stories. Worse, they might accidentally unravel the tale they were meant to preserve, altering history itself. (e.g. Helping Cinderella to escape her abusing family would prevent her from meeting her prince and she would not become the Great queen Austreim had known)

The Role of the Writers’ Magic

Memory-Keeping: The Writers’ magic extended beyond mere observation. They could project their memories into enchanted quills or scrolls, creating flawless records of events. These documents became powerful artifacts that resonated with the essence of the stories they contained.

The Grand Archive: All Writers’ works were stored in a magical repository known as the Grand Archive. The archive it a living entity, capable of organizing itself and occasionally revealing forgotten tales to those in need of their wisdom.

The Grand Archive’s real position is unknown and is hidden in its own pocket dimension. This dimension open slightly for the Resonance Ceremony.

The Writers’ Legacy

Unique Perspectives: Each Writer brought their cultural background and personal perspective to their work, enriching the world of Scriptoria with a tapestry of diverse stories.

La Fontaine’s fables emphasized cleverness and morality.

Andersen’s tales highlighted emotion and transformation.

The Grimms’ stories embraced the primal, magical forces of nature and humanity.

Perrault’s narratives bridged the elegance of court life with the struggles of common folk.

~~~~

Locations

Austreim: Inspired by European fairytales (Germany, France, Scandinavia). A realm of picturesque forests, cobblestone towns, and grand castles. Home to tales like "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood."

Beasthaven: A country inspired by La Fontaine’s animal fables. Predominantly inhabited by beastmen. Features different biomes in different part of the land, from lush forests and rolling meadows to savannah or thundra. The country is known for their lively markets in every biome.

Seafoam Dominion: An underwater kingdom of mermen and aquatic fae. Draws inspiration from Andersen's stories. Has shimmering underwater cities and shores dotted with mythical artifacts.

Ebony Sands: Inspired by African folktales such as "The Man Who Never Lied." A sun-drenched land of deserts, savannahs, river deltas and ancient temples.

Celestial Plains: Based on East Asian folktales, blending Chinese, korean, Japanese stories among others. Features rolling hills of bamboo, cherry blossoms, and mystical shrines guarded by spirits.

Myrcadawn: A borderland filled with ancient ruins, magical storms, and creatures from forgotten tales. Mostly inhabited by faes.

~~~~

"Fablewood Academy" An all-boy institution dedicated to preserving the legacy of the writers and their stories. Located at the heart of Scriptoria, blending all cultural styles. Where the Writers’ legacies are studied and the world's future is shaped.

~~~~

The Resonance Ceremony

When a student enters the school, they undergo a Resonance Ceremony, a deeply symbolic ritual that determines their connection to an Historical Character (a character from fairytales and myths).

Ceremony Description:

The Setting: The ceremony takes place in a grand, mystical chamber called the Hall of Echoes, a circular room lined with glowing murals of countless legendary figures. In the center, on the ground like a pond, is the Ethereal Mirror, which shimmers like water and reflects not the student’s image, but fragments of their potential resonance.

The Ritual:

The student steps up to the mirror, guided by a faculty member.

The mirror reacts to their essence, glowing brighter as it identifies the Historical Character whose moral compass and essence most closely align with the student’s.

The chosen figure materializes as a spectral image above the mirror, accompanied by a brief vision of their story, morals, and defining characteristics.

The student receives an Artefact Sigil, a magical mark on their hand, symbolizing their connection. The sigil also acts as a key to their dormitory.

Outcomes:

The character determines the student’s dorm assignment. Dorms represent shared principles or traits rather than region or story type, which creates unique diversity within each house.

The student begins to develop their Legacy Arte, influenced by their resonance.

~~~~

Dorm Names & Founders

Astraquartz (Inspired by Cinderella, Charles Perrault): Represents perseverance, humility, and transformation.

Scarletfang (Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, Grimm Brothers): Represents courage and cunning.

Everswell (Inspired by The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen): Represents sacrifice and curiosity.

Mousetrail (Inspired by The Lion and the Mouse, La Fontaine): Represents cleverness and loyalty.

Obsidianspire (Inspired by Mamad in "The Man Who Never Lied", unknown Writer (African tale)): Represents honesty and wisdom.

Verdance (Inspired by "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter", Minamoto no Shitagō): Represents grace and adaptability.

~~~~

Resonance Dynamics

Living By Their Resonance: Students are expected to uphold the values and morals of their Resonance Character. Deviating too far from these principles leads to a Resonance Crisis, where the bond becomes unstable.

Resonance Crises: In a crisis, a student’s personality and abilities are warped by the unresolved conflict. They might embody the antithesisof their Historical Character, becoming a distorted, corrupted version of their story’s ideals.

Example: A student resonating with The Happy Prince may hoard wealth selfishly, spiraling into greed, causing their Legacy Arte to malfunction.

Resolution: To restore balance, the student must confront their choices and find a way to realign with their character’s core principles, often with the help of peers or the protagonist.

The Nature of Resonance

Resonance is not a rigid set of rules that dictate a person’s every thought or action. Instead, it represents a core essence—a reflection of the Resonance Character’s archetype, personality, and values. When a student resonates with a character, it means they share a similar foundation, but they are free to interpret and act on that foundation in their own unique way.

Core Principles of Resonance

Guiding Influence, Not Control: The Resonance doesn't force someone to behave exactly like their historical counterpart. Instead, it provides a general blueprint of traits, preferences, and tendencies that align with the character’s essence.

Example: Coach Garrick’s Resonance with the Big Bad Wolf doesn’t mean he must terrorize pigs—it means he shares the wolf’s gruff, bold, and predatory nature. How he channels those traits is entirely up to him. For Garrick, they manifest as a tough love coaching style.

Freedom to Choose Actions: While Resonance shapes a student's instincts and inclinations, their choices define their character. They can act in harmony with their Resonance without being confined to it.

Example: Elric, resonating with Cinderella's Stepmother, naturally enjoys luxury and attention. However, he can choose to respect others while enjoying these things, rather than mistreating them like the original stepmother did. If he strays too far—say, by shunning luxury entirely—it might destabilize his Resonance, but small acts of kindness wouldn’t harm it.

Resonance Crisis Is About Extremes: A Resonance Crisis occurs when a student goes against their core nature to an extreme degree, causing an inner conflict. This doesn’t happen because of minor deviations but because of a deep misalignment.

Example: If Elric started wearing rags and actively rejecting his love of luxury, his Resonance would destabilize. But respecting servants or treating them kindly, while still enjoying the finer things, would maintain balance.

Here are clear, narrative-driven examples to help clarify how Resonance works without feeling restrictive:

Garrick “Grizz” Wolfin (Big Bad Wolf): Garrick’s Resonance gives him traits like gruffness, strength, and an intimidating aura. He embodies the archetype of the wolf, but how he uses those traits is his choice. He could easily become a bully, but instead, he channels his gruff demeanor into being a demanding yet caring PE teacher. His choices define him, not the wolf.

Elric Briarthorne (Cinderella’s Stepmother): Elric shares the stepmother’s love for luxury, beauty, and a touch of laziness. However, he is not bound to repeat her cruelty. Elric can enjoy being pampered and commanding attention without mistreating others. If he rejects his natural affinity for elegance entirely, he risks a Resonance Crisis, but respecting a servant while maintaining his love for luxury keeps him in balance.

~~~~

Resonance Crisis: The Fractured Legacy

What Happens?

When a mage’s bond with their Resonance Character destabilizes, their Artefact Sigil fractures, and their inner conflict manifests as a dangerous, externalized force called a Fractured Legacy. The Fractured Legacy represents the mage's core identity spiraling out of control, with tangible consequences for the individual and their surroundings.

Mechanics of a Resonance Crisis

Stages of the Crisis:

Warning Phase: The Artefact Sigil dims or cracks subtly, signaling instability. The mage exhibits heightened emotional extremes or behaviors contrary to their Resonance Character.

Example: A Cinderella Resonance becoming tyrannical and dismissive, echoing the stepmother’s cruelty.

Threshold Event: A traumatic or critical moment causes the bond to fully destabilize. The mage’s Artefact Sigil shatters, triggering the Crisis.

Transformation:

The mage transforms into an Echoed Antithesis of their Resonance Character—a distorted, exaggerated version of their worst traits.

Example: A Little Red Riding Hood Resonance becomes a wolf-like beast, embodying predation and fear instead of courage.

The environment around them twists to reflect their turmoil—spreading corruption, illusions, or chaotic phenomena tied to the Resonance.

Manifestation:

The Fractured Legacy takes a physical or semi-physical form—either merging with the student or manifesting as external entities they must face.

Example: The transformed mage might summon spectral versions of antagonists, or their minions, from their Resonance Character’s tale, or their surroundings could morph into a warped, nightmarish version of their story.

Consequences

Prolonged Crisis states can cause lasting damage to the mage—mental, physical, or magical.

If unresolved, the bond with their Resonance Character could sever entirely, leaving them vulnerable to permanent loss of their Arte and magical abilities.

Resolving a Resonance Crisis

Core Resolution:

The mage must confront the internal conflict driving their instability.

Example: A Happy Prince Resonance consumed by greed might need to realize that hoarding wealth doesn’t bring joy or fulfill their true essence.

This confrontation often requires the help of others, especially the protagonist, who serves as a mediator or guide.

Reformation:

The Artefact Sigil repairs itself, often evolving into a stronger form, symbolizing the student’s personal growth.

The Legacy Arte might gain new abilities tied to the lessons learned during the Crisis.

Designing the Fractured Legacy

Visuals:

The Crisis should have a haunting yet poetic visual style that reflects the student’s Resonance Character.

Example: A Cinderella Resonance would look more like a deformed version of the stepmother or the stepsisters, surrounded by jagged shards of broken glass and spectral pumpkin monsters.

Themes:

Each Crisis explores the darker side of the Resonance Character’s traits.

Example: A Little Mermaid Resonance, consumed by jealousy, might suffocate others in waves of magical water, symbolizing their suppressed longing for acceptance.

Combat Dynamics in Resonance Crises

Fractured Legacy Boss Fights:

The mage undergoing the Crisis transforms into a formidable, story-inspired boss.

Example: A Big Bad Wolf Resonance could manifest as a towering wolf-like monster with powerful wind attacks, symbolic of their huffing and puffing.

Emotional Mechanics:

Incorporate dialogue or cutscenes mid-fight to remind players this isn’t just a battle—it’s an attempt to reach someone in pain.

Example: As the protagonist deals damage, the Fractured Legacy might shout distorted lines from their tale or reveal their inner turmoil through flashes of memory.

Combat Objective:

The goal isn’t necessarily to defeat the character in a traditional sense but to weaken their Fractured Legacy enough to restore clarity.

Player Options in Combat

Artefact Sigil Powers:

The characters used can use their own Legacy Arte abilities, which align with their Resonance Characters, to counteract the Fractured Legacy’s powers.

Example: A character resonating with the Little Mermaid might summon tidal waves to neutralize a fire-based Fractured Legacy attack.

Special Techniques:

Introduce a Breakthrough Strike mechanic where players can charge a special attack tied to the Resonance Character of the opponent.

Example: Against a Red Riding Hood Resonance, a teammate resonating with the Woodsman could unleash an axe-cleaving move that counters the wolf-like powers.

Group Synergy:

Peers with similar values or with a character from the same story to the Resonance Character in Crisis might deal bonus damage or have abilities to calm the Crisis state.

Emotional Impact of Combat

Hitting Hard With Purpose:

The protagonist struggles with the morality of fighting a friend or peer. Dialogue options or animations could reflect hesitation and determination.

Example: “I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t let you destroy yourself!”

Each successful attack might shatter parts of the Fractured Legacy’s appearance, revealing glimpses of the real student underneath.

Dynamic Reactions:

As the player weakens the Fractured Legacy, they could start to show signs of clarity—stammering, pleading, or showing flashes of regret mid-battle.

Example: A Cinderella Resonance Crisis might sob, “Why am I acting like this? This isn’t me!” as their Fractured Legacy starts to crumble.

~~~~

Legacy Arte

Each Legacy Arte is tied to the unique essence of the resonated Historical Character. These are not static powers—they grow and evolve as the student’s connection deepens. It can be an offensive or defensive ability, a practical one for everyday or even a constant unseen ability (enhancing strenght, magic powers or anything else)

For example:

A student resonating with Princess Kaguya might have an Arte called Moonlit Grace, allowing them to summon moonlight to shield themselves and others. As they grow, the Arte might evolve into Celestial Radiance, granting healing and offense.

~~~~

Artefact Sigil

The Artefact Sigil serves as both a resonance stabilizer and a channel for magic, directly tied to the student's connection with their Resonance Character. It appears on the student's hand during the Resonance Ceremony.

Key Features of the Artefact Sigil

Appearance:

A glowing, dynamic symbol or glyph that reflects the essence of the Resonance Character. Its design evolves as the bond deepens, becoming more intricate and vibrant.

Example:

Astraquartz: A delicate glass slipper.

Scarletfang: A bold wolf’s paw print, with thorny vines wrapping around it.

Everswell: A flowing wave, centered with a small pearl-like dot.

Mousetrail: A small mouse.

Obsidianspire: A tall spire with rays of light radiating from its top.

Verdance: A crescent moon embraced by bamboo leaves.

Functionality:

Magic Channeling: The Sigil channels the student’s magic, focusing and amplifying their spells. It glows or pulses during use, with colors and intensity varying based on the magic type.

Legacy Arte Activation: The Artefact Sigil is the key to unlocking and evolving Legacy Arte abilities. As the student grows, the Sigil adapts to better support these powers.

Resonance Stabilization: The Sigil detects and moderates Resonance Crises. If a student strays too far from their Resonance Character’s core ideals, the Sigil dims or cracks slightly, serving as a warning. It also emits calming energy to help realign the connection.

Personal Connection: The Sigil is an inseparable part of the student, growing and changing with them. This deep connection makes magic feel more instinctive and intimate, as it’s literally a part of their body.

~~~~~~~~

Lore Tie-In

Origins: The Artefact Sigil was created by the Writers, using fragments of their own memories as the foundation. This ensures that every Sigil is a direct link to the archives of Scriptoria.

The Resonance Bond: The Sigil embodies the merging of the student’s essence with their Resonance Character. Its visible state reflects the health of this bond, making it both a tool and a representation of their inner journey.

~~~~

Scriptos Currency System

Coins (for smaller transactions):

1 Scripto:Copper coin

5 Scriptos: Bronze coin

10 Scriptos:Silver coin

50 Scriptos:Gold coin

Bills (for larger transactions):

100 Scriptos

200 Scriptos

500 Scriptos

1,000 Scriptos

10,000 Scriptos

Design Details

Coins:

Each coin feature an emblem of a quill or an open book to symbolize creativity and storytelling.

The coins shimmer faintly or show shifting patterns when exposed to light.

Bills:

The bills have holographic text or illustrations that animate briefly (e.g., a bird flying off a quill or ink drops forming a picture).

They feature famous Scriptoria figures, mostly the Writers, with each having different possible figures. -the 100 could feature Pu Songling or D. O. Fagunwa, -200 feature Don Juan Manuel, Alexander Pushkin or Giovanni Francesco Straparola -500 feature Charles Perrault, the brother Grimm or La Fontaine, -1000 feature Al-Jahiz, Hans Christian Andersen or Valmiki, -10 000 feature Joseph Jacobs or Alexander Afanasyev …)

The bills and coins are waterproof. Coin will not get rusty if used by merpeoples.

Practical Conversion

1 Scripto = 0.01 USD

100 Scriptos = 1 USD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maps

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Classes taught, teachers and staff:

Lorecraft: Liora Scheh, Dremir Knossroot

Fairmagic: Ozwell Puzzlereign, Nymor Vellmare

Mythic Combat: Thorne Evenshade, Solmar Ignivox

Alchemy & Potionmaking: Neige Snowveil, Roselin Hearthcourt Cardemil

Transformation Arts: Hans Wilderkin

Astronomy & Prophecy: Beaumont Nocturne

Musical Resonance: Lino Minuet

Beastcraft: Swan Ellisar, Grogar Talebone

Tactician’s Lab: Malvyn Frostthorn

Magic Application and Arte Development: Lucan Galehart

Ancient Curses : Mordain Grimm, Onno Marrel

Runic Engineering : Aldric Fenwick

PE: Garrick “Grizz” Wolfin, Bellarox Craghide

Flying Arts: Zephyr Gale, Einar Lysveit

Aquatic Mastery : Merrick Tideborn, Semyon Morozin

Art: Caspar Dorne

Maths: Mikhail Sabirsky, Neryssa Hollowthorn

Other staff members:

Headmage: Solon Arclight

Ethics and Resonance Guidance Counselor: Anton Silkthorn

Nurse: Eamon Wellspring

Shopkeeper: Percival Trinket

Chef Cook: Goldor Hearthstone

Keeper of the Grand Archive and librarian: Dorian Ashthorn

Farm Manager: Rustan Featherstone

Are in relationship: Solon x Liora Swan x Beaumont x Lino Merrick x Malvyn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Classes and Seats :

First Years

1-A 05 – Tsuki Laito 1-A 09 – Rune Spindlewick 1-A ?? – MC 1-B 02 – Hatterick Marchhare 1-B 04 – Lyricis Farahdein 1-B 07 – Imperius Wovengale 1-C 08 – Elric Briarthorne 1-C 10 – Archer Verdain 1-D 02 – Kadar Serpenscale 2-D 07 – Ren Chisora 1-E 01 – Imran Frosham

Second Years

2-A 06 – Marinus Tideshade 2-A 08 – Minwoo Kinsei 2-B 06 – Tressari Manarah 2-B 08 – Cygnus Downwood 2-B 11 – Noel D'Orveil 2-C 03 – Porcus Huffsbrick 2-C 05 – Thatcher Squeakefield 2-D 03 – Mahdi Alclaris 2-D 17 – Éponine D’Orveil 2-E 04 – Caspian Willorun

Third Years

3-A 02 – Faylen Charmwright 3-A 16 – Khamari Duneshade 3-B 03 – Lupin Vardred 3-B 04 – Ambrosine Forrant 3-D 07 – Chester Marroway 3-D 15 – Jin Haruto 3-E 05 – Lazlo Quickstride

Fourth Years

4-A / 4-B / 4-C 02 – Gael Lumespring 4-D 08 / 4-E /

Fifth Years

Intership

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MCs:

@iylenne - Betty

@whynotread4fun - Ravi Connor

OCs:

@another-twisted-wonderland-fan - Nova Escher

@uruubu - Zarachios A. Salubelair

@kaltain-1 - Jihyuk Kwon

[dailyadventureprompts]

Deity: Boccob, the God of Magic for Magic's Sake

Artsource

It is strange (especially for those who view their relationship with the gods as transactional) that one might offer up prayers to a figure known widely by the epithet " The Uncaring". Why perform oath and ritual for a being that will not intercede on your behalf? Or grant you good favour in exchange for your sacrifices? Those that study the words of Boccob understand they have no need to beg for miracles when they have magic at their command.

Known to commoners as a god of magic, foresight, and balance, Boccob is not so much a deity as he was a great teacher, a philosopher-sage who's now ancient treatise on magic and council on it's use are as much an object of faith for many as a more ordinary god's scripture. In instructing his students how to be wizards, Boccob taught his students how to be good wizards, and these lessons form the ironshod foundations of innumerable magical traditions practised to this day.

Central to Boccob's teachings was the idea that magic was a path that must be walked to gain greater understanding, and that an adherent of this path should study, experience, and witness as much of its wonders as possible in order to become better arcanists, leading to the adoption of the open and unjudging eye as his symbol. Boccob himself followed this path to the outer planes and beyond, never to be seen again, leading many to credit Boccob with being the first mortal to climb the fabled infinite staircase, or perhaps even its architect.

Adventure Hooks:

Millennia after his (literal or figurative) ascension, a scroll containing hitherto unseen passages of Boccob's writings have been discovered in a crumbling library, setting off a disastrous chain of events as jealous archmages scrabble for the text like seagulls after a frenchfry. Their clashes are frequent, leaving the surrounding area scattered with hastily summoned servitors and all manner of misfired magic. Perhaps if the party is quick and clever they could sneak in and take the text for themselves, learning its wisdom or using it as a bargaining chip with one of these powerful spellslingers.

If it’s one thing Boccob’s Acolytes like almost as much as uncovering the arcane secrets of the universe, it’s proving their intellectual superiority by hiding their findings behind inscrutable riddles and logic games, the way The Uncaring did for his first pupils. Ledoran’s Labynthical Libram is an infamous example of this practice, a spellbook containing all manner of useful rituals and genuinely brilliant insights hidden behind a gauntlet of ciphers, mazes, and "gotcha" enchantments. Any self styled master of the arcane is likely to have a copy on their shelves, meaning that' it's only a quick looting spree away from ending up in the party's possession.

If "a wizard did it" is the answer to the age old question of "how?", "because they were listening to Boccob?" is the answer to the inevitable follow up of "why". Arcane crossbreeds, inexplicable puzzle dungeons, magical items amounting to bad jokes with bodycounts, all of these are created by The Uncaring's followers as a means of testing and expanding their abilities.

More of my adventures involving Boccob and his followers can be found HERE

Lets get into some philosophy...

While Ioun promotes the study of arcana for the sake of furthering knowledge, Mystra maintains and obscures the secrets of the weave, and Corellon glories in the wonders spellcraft might create , Boccob focuses on the pursuit of magical ability as a means and end of its own.

To Boccob, " I want to learn magic so I can be great/help people/make life easier" is a false start, because it ties the acquisition and understanding of magic to an external metric, encouraging the practitioner to take shortcuts with the magic to achieve their worldly desires.

Greatness, beneficence, and ease of living are but some of the infinite virtues that follow from being a great mage. Indeed, a reoccuring theme in Boccobian writing (especially in the ensuing literature made by his followers) is the idea of the Panexplicatic endstate of magic, where the perfect mage (and the body of wisdom they represent) has an answer for all things, specifically a magical awnser.

While some followers have taken this to mean that a mage's pursuit should always be towards omnipotence (Vecna's grasping eye motif can be seen as a direct response to Boccob's unjudging one) the largely more accepted thought is that arcanists should specifically dream small, creating a self sufficient life for themselves withdrawn from the world while focusing on the inward path towards enlightenment. That's why you'll so often find wizards at the top of spires in remote areas, interacting only with their apprentices or whatever travellers have gone far afield to seek them out for magical guidance.

This leads into one of the main critiques of Boccobian thought, which is that it alienates the practitioner from the world at large, not only focusing on magic to the exclusion of all else but also contextualizing magic as something that exists only to help the practitioner along their individual path, other people and consequences be damned. A hedgemage living a simple life in the forest may seem like they're hurting no one when they create a tree that grows a full crop of apples every day so they don't need to worry about stocking their larder... but what happens to the local ecosystem when these everladen trees start cross pollinating with others, to say nothing of the drain/disruption to nearby laylines and how such magic might have downstream consequences. To take a completely different tack with the same problem, the poor in the village nearby might LOVE to have a bottomless supply of apples, but the Boccobian adherent would say that because they haven't devoted the years of study required to create the tree, they're not entitled to its fruits.

Titles: The Uncaring, the Master of all Magics, Archmage of the Infinite

Symbols: An eye in a pentagram, often crowned with a crescent arc.

Signs: Light through a cracked open door, stars that seem longer than they should be, the appearance of inexplicable magical text.

Worshippers: Sorcerers, wizards, and any with an access to magic innate or otherwise. Adherents usually worship in private practice but occasionally band together into temples or schools.

[hadesisqueer]

Maria seeing everything in Uncovered and The Lost Fable without context was hilarious. She was just a retired Huntress who wanted to help these kids fight a Sphinx that was attacking their train. Now a hot giant naked blue lady is telling them a story and now she knows that the gods and magic are real and days later she steals an airship from the Atlas Military so they can get a magical relic to Atlas. Out of retirement for good.

[ira-hydrangea]

Twisted Sugar Realm Masterlist

You can find your journey progress here along with some other notes. If you forget something, feel free to ask me in inbox.

The journey to Sugarveil Haven is not an easy one. Only after passing the several trials from the other kingdom will a traveler be granted entry into the kingdom. However, for those who succeed, Sugarveil Haven offers not just answers but the possibility to change the fate of the realms

Whenever it be through uncovering the truth behind the Chosen Cookie or learning how to combat the rising darkness threatening to consume all. It is a place where secrets are revealed, but only to those brave enough to face the challenges set before them.

Prologue {How The story Begin}

The Crystal Shards {Explanation}

The Bestowal of Crystal Shards to 7 Protectors {World building}

Crimson Tartland

A kingdom of strict order and absolute law, where every citizen must follow the Crimson Court’s unyielding rules. The land is adorned with dark berry tarts and thorny crimson roses, symbolizing both beauty and punishment. Those who defy the laws risk being judged by the Crimson Judge and his enforcers, with no chance for mercy.

Backstory + Crimson Court

The 5 Cookies of Crimson Court

Prologue

Chapter {1} {2}

Cinnamon Dune

A vast desert kingdom where golden cinnamon sands swirl under an eternal, sunlit sky. Ruled by a merchant-king, this realm thrives on trade, treasure, and fate, where fortunes can change as quickly as the shifting dunes. However, behind its wealth and charm, ancient secrets and long-buried curses lurk beneath the sands.

Backstory

Molasses Abyss

A dark, enigmatic kingdom submerged in the depths of a midnight-hued sea of molasses. Those who dare enter must navigate its eerie, ever-changing labyrinth of syrupy tides, ruled by a cunning sovereign who thrives in mystery and secrets. It is said that nothing enters Molasses Abyss without being rewritten by its depths—including fate itself.

Backstory

Gilded Sugar Oasis

A kingdom of opulence and grandeur, where golden rivers of honey flow through palatial gardens. It is a paradise of luxury, ruled by a benevolent yet extravagant ruler who believes happiness is best found in riches and indulgence. Yet, the land’s golden façade hides a delicate balance—too much excess, and even the sweetest dreams can turn bitter.

Backstory

Crystallized Belle

A breathtaking realm of shimmering sugar-crystal formations, where light refracts into dazzling colors. The kingdom is a place of perfection and beauty, ruled by a sovereign who seeks to sculpt a flawless utopia. However, beneath its ethereal glow, some whisper that those who cannot meet its high standards simply... disappear.

Backstory

Candied Circuit

A mechanized metropolis of endless gears, where electricity crackles through neon-lit sugar roads. In this futuristic kingdom, progress and invention never stop, ruled by a genius leader who seeks to push the limits of technology. But with each innovation comes sacrifices, and some wonder if this ever-moving city is truly alive or merely running on pre-programmed perfection.

Backstory

Eclipsed Sugar Hollow

A twilight kingdom veiled in eternal dusk, where the stars glisten like powdered sugar against the indigo sky. Magic and mystery intertwine in this realm, ruled by an enigmatic sovereign whose powers are whispered to be as ancient as the land itself. Though it appears serene, many fear that something powerful slumbers within the Hollow—waiting to awaken.

Backstory

The Sugarveil Haven

The final sanctuary hidden deep within the Twisted Sugar Realm, shrouded in a mystical veil that only the worthy may pass through. Said to be the purest and most sacred land, this kingdom is the heart of ancient magic, where the Chosen Cookie bestowed the fabled Crystal Shards. However, one cannot reach Sugarveil Haven easily—only those who have overcome the trials of the other kingdoms may set foot within its hallowed grounds.

Backstory

[uchudishe]

Everyone crossover Bug Fables and Hollow Knight because both games are about bugs.

You know what? Bug Fables and Darkest Dungeon crossover, because both are RPGs with turn-based fights about a strange bunch having an extreme tourism in funny places for money, fame and personal reasons, while uncovering something they rather don't know. You can't stop the train.

So, beehold. Vi of Darkest Fables. Or Bug Dungeons. If you think they looks slightly like Highwayman's Affliction and Virtue images - yes, yes they are.

And yeah, they look different, because someone tried to replicate DD's style in different ways and failed miserably.

[thedemonofcat]

Long ago, the witchers vanished from the world, their fate shrouded in mystery. Yet, legend holds that when a monster strikes, a witcher will return.

Julian Pankratz, better known as Jaskier, had never ventured beyond his home in Lettenhove. Born frail and often ill, the young Viscount was fiercely sheltered by his parents, confined to their sprawling manor.

One fateful night, Jaskier begins having vivid, unexplainable dreams. In them, he walks toward a crumbling stone keep, its ancient walls steeped in foreboding. Wandering its halls, he discovers he is in Kaer Morhen, the fabled stronghold of the witchers. There, he narrowly escapes a monstrous attack, saved at the last moment by a witcher named Geralt.

Each night, the dream repeats, plunging Jaskier into Kaer Morhen and into peril, only to be rescued by Geralt. As the visions grow more vivid, Jaskier becomes consumed by a single question during his waking hours: what truly happened to the witchers? Determined, he resolves to uncover the truth.

[milchig-de]

What's mine is yours; only ours

Pairing: Scaramouche/Wanderer x Reader (as Traveller)

Warnings: None!

Summary: You give the Wanderer, formerly Scaramouche a name. It's yours!

Notes: Aw man i have such big feelings about my name, it really meant a lot to me to give Wanderer his name. I gave him mine and it just... I know he's just a guy in a game but idk. it really touched me i guess. i wrote this when the main quest for this just came out but i only now found it again, polished it and gave it an acceptable ending. also i have like. no idea how to insert y/n without it being like. sorta bad so forgive me 😔

"You want to share your name with me? Huh. Not a bad choice."

You smile at him. His heart picked up speed. How was it, Scaramouche? wondered, that you could make him feel such odd things so suddenly?

"Are you sure about your choice?"

"Yes, I think this will fit."

This name, your name, will fit him?

There had been many unpleasant encounters between you and him, and now that he had his memories again, he could truly grasp the severity of those encounters and the current situation. The entire time you've known who he was, what he was. And even though he was your enemy, someone you must have hated, the person who tried to kill you, you still found it in yourself to help him.

When you saw him that time at the bazaar, you could have easily walked away, just pretending it never happened; after all, you were the only one who knew about it. Even with the fable Nahida had stored away, she wouldn't have been able to uncover who he was. He didn't even remember himself.

You could have left him in idiotic unawareness, you could have left him to simply live his life in an agonizing lie. Yet you chose to. present the truth to him and Nahida.

You had certainly earned his utmost respect.

And even now you were still willing to go to lengths for him that would have not been necessary. Offering a part of yourself up to him? After all he had done? Amazing. Not only that, now you were telling him it was a name befitting of him; a name you yourself had carved into the shape it is today, and to now bestow it onto him... He felt quite honored. Perhaps you also wanted him to be like you, to grow into a better person of himself. Or maybe it was an incentive to push himself harder, so he could make something of himself. The future was his to choose, and he'd make sure he made the right choice this time.

He wasn't very good at expressing himself yet, so he hoped all of these emotions shone through his words in a way you could understand.

Your eyes twinkled in understanding. Perhaps you had known his thoughts all along. Maybe one day, the Wanderer would also come to understand your thoughts on this decision.

For now though, only one thing was left to do for him.

"I accept it."

And with this, yours and [Y/N]'s path separated; though you're sure you'd be seeing each other again very soon.

[catslilypad]

We're Cats on a Lilypad Studios. A solo run indie studio based in regional Australia and we make visual novels!

We aim to bring you rich and vibrant worlds, characters and narratives with a focus on fantasy, romance, and adventure.

(and cats)

See what we're working on!

GAMES

The Inn Between

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: XianJin Publisher - Two and a Half Studios

A modern fantasy BL visual novel following Myka Riley, a young barista with a mystery on his hands.

He has no memory of his past, a sketch book full of creatures only he can see and a nightmare he can't shake.

A phone call from a stranger changes the course of his life as he's directed to a mystical inn on the outskirts of town.

A story of gods, demons and a world beyond anything Myka could have imagined as he seeks his past.

🏮Three love interests 🏮Incredible soundtrack + art 🏮Catboy, goatman, roommate! 🏮Free NSFW patch

Our full common route is now available in beta on our Patreon!

Heart Agency

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: 6nii9

A model, an actor and an idol get assigned to a reluctant composer and brother of the agency head.

There's no punchline, there IS Heart Agency however, our BL idol visual novel in development.

A modern day BL visual novel about a composer from a famous family who isn't so keen on fame himself.

Not only are his parents world renown performers, they also own their own talent agency, which Adrian Heart is now compelled to work at.

Becoming the reluctant manager to one of three elite talents Adrian has his work cut out for him. All while maintaining his anonymity.

🎬 Three Love Interests 🎬 Original Soundtrack 🎬 Gorgeous art 🎬 All your favourite Idol themes

Heart Agency is getting a completely revamped demo via our Patreon!

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi

The Moonflower...is dying...

Play as Nika Skylar, a royal alchemist with an aversion to nobility as he uncovers a century long plot, investigates a murder AND rescues a sacred and rare fae flower.

When a once a century festival is attacked, High Alchemist Nika Skylar is forced to take matters into his own hands. Accompanied by a mysterious stranger who ignites his very soul, he has one night to save not only the kingdom but the rarest and most powerful entity in the world.

The fabled Moonflower.

🌸 56 thousand words with multiple endings 🌸 Gorgeous CG 🌸 Bonus Chibi 🌸 Alchemy Minigame 🌸 Catboy

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi Key Art: Fuyuure

One year after the disastrous Moonfaire all seems well in Ashmire.

But what of our fated fae?

While memories of the event are hazy to all others Captain Thane has remained vigilant, waiting for the promised return of their felinis alchemist.

With the arrival of a voiceless fox perhaps his wait is at an end?

🌘 Continue the love story of Skylar and Ender 🌘 New locations 🌘 New characters 🌘 Gorgeous art and breathtaking backgrounds

🍑Additional Patreon exclusive NSFW ending

ARTBOOKS and BUNDLES

The Art Collection Volume 1

Every month our patrons vote to decide our monthly illustrations themes and characters Illustrated by Mizu Yukiiro.

These votes include theme, SFW character and NSFW character.

A collection of select past patreon illustration and promotional artworks can be purchased in the Artbook Volume 1 on itch.io.

The Art and Lore of Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Delver into deeper into the world of Moonflower with the art and lore of Moonflower!

This book covers all the details of the game, from character concepts, to extended lore and even a comprehensive endings guide.

BL LOVERS BUNDLE

Steam

Three games, two developers!

Immerse yourself in three captivating stories: The Divine Speaker, an 18+ fantasy visual novel; Moonflower, a mystery fantasy visual novel; and start;again, a hilarious (yet somewhat heartbreaking) mystery visual novel.

And the best part? You can get all three games at a discounted price! Already own one or two of the games? No problem! Pay only for the games you don't have yet and still receive the bundle discount. Don't miss out on this fantastic deal!

If you'd like to follow along in real time and see other things from us as well our discord and twitter are the best places to find the studio, chat, and also see what other devs are working on as we collaborate or share.

You can find all of our links and socials on our Linktree

Find Us:

Twitter

Tumblr

Discord

TikTok

Instagram

BlueSky

Support us on our Patreon for multigame updates, exclusive illustration and more:

Patreon

Buy our merch, such a Keychains, prints and Dakimakura on Ko-Fi:

Ko-f

As well as making games, I also sometimes get to play them!

Catch me on Youtube playing games and sometimes singing!

Exclusive dev streams sometime? (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Youtube Twitch Ko-Fi Twitter Tumblr Discord

[hero-of-the-twlight]

Call it now—the Zelda fandom will cherish Tears of the Kingdom within five years. I refuse to let anyone, especially YouTubers, sour my passion for this series! Tears of the Kingdom did more for me than I could ever put in a post—it’s a personal journey, not just a game. And calling it 'bad' is laughable when it’s clearly a work of art.

What blows me away is how it captures the feeling of an ancient, looping myth—a fairy tale whispered across generations. The Zonai lore, Zelda’s time-bending sacrifice, the Light Dragon’s mournful flight… it all feels like uncovering a lost legend. The Depths aren’t just a map layer; they’re the underworld of fables, a shadowy counterpoint to Hyrule’s light. And the sky islands? Pure storybook magic—like floating remnants of a god’s abandoned playground.

Even Ganondorf isn’t just a villain here; he’s the archetypal evil king from a fireside tale, oozing malice and grandeur. And Zelda’s arc? Heartbreaking in the way only myths can be—where love and duty twist into something timeless. The way the game plays with cycles (of ruin, rebirth, and Recall itself) makes it feel like you’re not just playing a legend… you’re living one.

So no, I won’t pretend this game is anything less than extraordinary. Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo weaving myth into mechanics, and history will remember it as the masterpiece it is.

[milbroom]

Milbroom’s Latest Fic Recs‼️🌙

There’s been a brilliant influx of The Worst Witch content over on TikTok recently, but sometimes works in progress on ao3 don’t get enough recognition!

Really loving these two over the last month. Go hop over to keep writers motivated!

“Fable” by @alchcmys

Mildred returns to Cackle’s, bruised and broken, after disappearing mysteriously last year. Strange cults, witching history and threats to the academy are being uncovered, leaving Constance to get to the bottom of what happened to her most infamous pupil.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64902649/chapters/166823095

“When the World Ends” by @ verathorn

The Last of Us inspired au paired with The Worst Witch, 1998!! Cackles academy is boarded off from the outside world with a dark twist—the girls are trained into soldiers, and Constance is doing everything she can (albeit it shakily) to protect those around her.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65128189/chapters/167501533

[lostinhistory]

Heritage News of the Week

Discoveries!

Archaeologists have uncovered two large piles of iron flakes on North Carolina's Hatteras Island that they say are evidence of a 16th-century "Lost Colony" of English settlers who disappeared in 1587. But some experts are unconvinced and say more evidence is needed.

Archaeologists unearth Ireland’s first intact Roman pot at Drumanagh Iron Age site

Archaeologists recently uncovered what is thought to be the first complete Roman pot found on Irish soil in a stunning discovery on the east coast of Ireland.

Mysterious 1,600-year-old Roman-era burial unearthed in Delbrück-Bentfeld, Germany

The discovery, made during a months-long excavation led by the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association, includes the cremated remains of a presumed Germanic warrior who may have once served in the Roman military.

One Roman soldier had enormous feet, 2,000-year-old waterlogged leather shoe reveals

A surprisingly large leather shoe has been found at Magna, a Roman fort in northern England.

Researchers say they’ve found Captain Cook’s long-lost ship ‘Endeavour’

Australian maritime scientists say a wreck off the coast of Rhode Island is that of the fabled vessel.

Symbol of eternal loyalty found on rare medieval sword in the Netherlands

Found in March 2024 during routine dredging work in the Korte Linschoten River, the sword features a rare “endless knot” motif engraved on its blade—a powerful emblem tied to Viking and early Germanic traditions, representing unbreakable bonds, protection, and spiritual unity.

Roman-era 'fast food' discovered in ancient trash heap on Mallorca

Songbird bones found in a Roman-era trash pit on Mallorca suggests they were a tasty tweet.

‘A wonderful mystery to be solved’: search begins in Dorset for ‘the Mother of all tanks’

Lost for over a century, discovery of wartime letter has rekindled interest in unlocking the secret of the world’s first prototype tank

'Extraordinary' sarcophagus discovered in Israel shows carving of Dionysus beating Hercules in a drinking contest

A 1,700-year-old Roman sarcophagus depicting a legendary drinking contest has been discovered in Israel.

Intricate design revealed on 1100-year-old gold-inlaid ritual spear from Japan’s Island of the Gods

Discovered in 1954 but only recently scanned with high-resolution X-ray CT and X-ray fluorescence technology, the 30.5 cm-long spear had been sealed inside a gilt bronze sheath and found under a boulder on Okinoshima

Ottoman-era burial found in Israel may violate Islamic tradition

The unusual grave of a Bedouin woman who may have been buried with her son was found in southern Israel.

1800-year-old rare Roman glass diatreta with gladiator scene unearthed in Doclea, Montenegro

During recent excavations of the city’s western necropolis at Koshturnica, archaeologists uncovered the richly furnished tomb of a high-status Roman woman, dating back approximately 1800 years.

Ancient Roman villa—one of the largest in Gaul—turns up in France

The site was first identified in the 19th century, but the structure's scale is only just coming to light.

16th-century shipwreck discovered at record depth off French Mediterranean coast

The deepest shipwreck ever documented in French territorial waters has been found over 2,500 meters below the surface.

1,000-year-old Viking Age hoard has a pendant that may be a cross or Thor's hammer

A metal detectorist in Germany has unearthed an Early Middle Ages hoard that contains 200 artifacts, including a pendant that may be a cross or an unfinished Thor's hammer.

Museums

Beginning January 1, 2026, major French museums—including the Louvre and the Château de Versailles—will charge non-European Union visitors €30 (about $35), up from €22 ($25). The new pricing, described as a “differential tariff,” marks a sharp turn in France’s long-professed commitment to universal access to culture. It’s also triggered a domino effect: the policy will soon be tested at other top tourist destinations.

Smithsonian Institution subtly announces it will challenge Trump’s ‘firing’ of National Portrait Gallery director

On Monday, the Smithsonian Institution released its first statement since President Donald Trump said he fired National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet. In its statement, the institution affirmed that it is an “independent entity.” While the statement did not name Sajet nor call out Trump directly, it stated, “All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board. Lonnie G. Bunch, the Secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian.”

Director of National Portrait Gallery resigns after Trump’s effort to fire her

Kim Sajet’s departure comes after the Smithsonian Institute rebuffed the president’s attempt to fire her over DEI.

UK’s largest education union joins calls for boycott of Science Museum over controversial funding

The sponsorship deals between London’s Science Museum and oil giant BP and Adani Green Energy have been put into sharp focus after the UK’s largest education union backed a boycott of the cultural institution.

Museum's plea after couple break crystal-covered chair

An Italian museum has called on patrons to "respect art" after a couple was filmed breaking a chair covered in hundreds of glittering crystals.

Repatriation

Victor Higgins’s oil painting Aspens (c. 1932) and Joseph Henry Sharp’s portrait Oklahoma Cheyenne aka Indian Boy in Full Dress (c. 1915) were stolen in March 1985 from the institution, which was “primarily a public library at the time with a museum on the second floor,” according to a press release from the FBI.

Heritage at risk

Peru’s government has abandoned a plan that reduced the size of a protected area around the country’s ancient Nazca Lines, after criticism the change made them vulnerable to the impact of informal mining operations.

As war rages in Gaza, archaeological looting in the West Bank has spiked

Looting of archaeological sites is a common consequence of armed conflict—and the Israel-Hamas war that started in October 2023 is no exception. Two Palestinian researchers have announced evidence of a severe uptick in such looting in the first 9 months of the war, uncovering 157 new “looting pits” and several large plots of bulldozed land in the West Bank as the war has cratered the economy.

In Syria’s desert, Palmyra fights for its life

Years after war and the Islamic State group tore through the ancient site and modern town, the survival of both now rests on whether water, trees and people can return

UK department of culture faces cuts following government spending review

Announced yesterday by chancellor Rachel Reeves, the review states that total expenditure at the DCMS will be reduced by 1.4% in coming years

National Park signage encourages the public to help erase negative stories at its sites

The Department of the Interior is requiring the National Park Service to post signage at all sites across the country by June 13, asking visitors to offer feedback on any information that they feel portrays American history and landscapes in a negative light.

Donald Trump’s cultural revolution

The difference between this revolution and those in Germany, China, or Iran, is not of kind, but of degree, and only so far.

Odds and ends

Art conservation is usually thought of as a specialized practice that happens behind closed doors — tucked away in museum basements or labs — not something you’d associate with pop-up events or community gatherings. But after the devastating January wildfires tore through parts of Southern California, that image is getting an inspiring shake-up through free art conservation clinics designed to help people save and restore the things they love.

French antiques fraudsters found guilty of Versailles chair scam

Two French antiques experts have been convicted of forging historic chairs that they claimed had once belonged to French royals such as Marie Antoinette.

A map, a myth and a pre-Incan lagoon: the man who brought water back to a drought-ridden town

When historian Galo Ramón uncovered a long-forgotten pre-Incan water system in Ecuador, he set about restoring it, and helped transform the landscape and livelihoods

'There was a real gutsiness about them': How the heiresses dubbed the 'dollar princesses' brought US flair to the UK

The rich, glamorous, American women of the gilded age who married into the English aristocracy faced some challenges – but they were resilient, formidable characters.

‘Dragon prince’ dinosaur may be missing link in T. rex evolution

Newly described fossils point to ancient movement between Asia and North America

How scientists confirmed the existence of 200-million-year-old species thought to be extinct

Biologists have confirmed the existence of a 200-million-year-old species of egg-laying mammal that has been assumed to be extinct.

Okay so this is not heritage but we could all use some good news so let's appreciate and enjoy the rediscovery of the long-beaked echidna

[sleepybunnysnail]

Sneak peak of my idea for a third life fic. This is my first fic but this is about the first meeting of bigb and martyn. They are both still kids during this and I did in fact turn Martyns dramatics up to a hundred.

In a village where everyone knew everyone, where new faces were as rare as a blue moon, how had Martyn never seen him before?

It’s like he just appeared out of nowhere, like a rumor among the villagers or some sort of spirit. A forgotten fable that had taken shape beneath the oak. An enigma that shows itself out of nowhere only to disappear again the next day.

Maybe he wasn’t new at all?

Maybe he had always been here, lingering at the edges of Martyn’s vision, slipping through the cracks of memory like a fever dream.

A boy with dark eyes that stare into your soul, uncovering you layer by layer like he was peeling an onion. A child who was never quite noticed, never quite seen?

Or worse, maybe he wasn’t supposed to be seen at all?

A tale told in hushed voices by the firelight of travelers who strayed too far into the woods found things nobody would ever want to find, things that looked human but weren’t. Figures that sat beneath trees, monologuing to something unseen to a mere human like him, waiting for some poor fool to stumble upon them.

Was this one of them? Maybe if Martyn blinked, he’d be gone, like mist in the morning sun.

…

Nope, he’s still there.