#which means glutton and dragons i think

[eliphasgraham]

I want Senshi and my Brosca to be friends so bad. No I want him to be his father actually. He could have fixed him

[fizzyrodeo]

my ranking of the seven deadly sins' designs in terms of personal preference. WARNING: I am not nice to Asmodeus or Beelzebub. All simps and stans have been warned. 👇

1. Leviathan (Envy)

Rating: 8/10

I feel like the hate for her is kind of unfair, considering she's the first character we've gotten (or at least the first I've seen) that has two heads and despite being a conjoined demon she's quite cohesive while outlining the differences between her halves. I understand finding her design underwhelming, but before her there was Lucifer (who has the most basic design of them all) and then Beelzebub (whose only interesting feature are her lava bits) so I'm not sure why people are harsh on her like she's the first underwhelming one.

Anyway, I gave Levi an 8/10 because for the sins I don't typically like to fully judge until their demonic form is shown as well. I also feel like it would have been nice to see her be a bit bigger in her base form- not to the extent of Satan's size, but maybe a bit larger than Asmodeus or Mammon.

2. Satan (Wrath)

Rating: 10/10

Dare I say, this portrayal of Satan is kind of iconic. You can see the similarities between him and imp-kind, but he's not designed to just look like a giant imp (which is what most media does if it's not making him a sexy red human with horns). His size is what I'd expect it to be- really, it's nice to see a Sin that actually cares to stand out from its denizens in some way. Him basically being a giant dragon was a good choice.

Despite his rating being higher than Leviathan's, I didn't list him as first because I like looking at Leviathan more.

3. Belphegor (Sloth)

Rating: 4/10

I didn't really pay much attention to her when she was on screen, but her little details stood out to me. She only gets four points though, because not only was I unable to get a look at her full design but what I gauged from her outfit wasn't very impressive. Also, I'm not really that attached to the concept of her character. None of the sins really have roles except to maintain order within their rings I guess, but seemingly all Belphegor does is sleep.

Still, her unique details and coloring does count for something.

4. Mammon (Greed)

Rating: "eh."

Mammon goes right in the middle because I feel completely neutral on him. I know what the general consensus on his design is- too green, too patterned. But I personally can't really think of anything I'd change about him. Even knowing what a letdown his demon form is, it doesn't really impact me– I guess because by the time we got to his demon form being revealed, I was already desensitized.

5. Asmodeus (Lust)

Rating: 2/10

Definitely one of the most annoying designs in the show. I started skipping most of his scenes in S2 because I hate looking at him and his ugly-ass suits that do absolutely nothing for his figure. And as for the matter of his figure, he's just a big, disproportionately buff guy who was given the prototype design for Stolas' head. If Asmodeus wasn't built like a bird on steroids I'd probably like him better.

6. Beelzebub (Gluttony)

Rating: 3/10

Her design has some things I like– namely her ears and the lava hair (when it's under the lighting depicted). The problem is, it just doesn't give 'sin'. She fits in with her subjects too much (and no, I don't think that applies to Leviathan on the same scale).

Her outfits are really bad too. I mean, I get her basic outfit- she's a party girl- but it's basically Loona's regular outfit. She couldn't have had something a little more glam-rave? And the outfit she wore in 'Mastermind' is so random- it feels like she brought it at the last minute from a costume store, not like it's something she'd keep in her wardrobe.

The other issues with Beelzebub, from her not really embodying her sin (her and Mammon should have swapped) to her whole design feeling like another way to snub fat people out of the Vivzieverse (yes I know not all fat people are gluttonous and that gluttony doesn't just refer to food, but it's just so convenient that the embodiment of gluttony- whose whole thing is food- has a lava stomach and can't gain weight) make it really hard to like her overall.

7. Lucifer (Pride)

Rating: 1/10

He's just a disappointment. His outfit fits the circus theme Vivienne was going for, but it's negated by literally no one else in the show following that theme except Beelzebub and her crappy court costume. And personally? I would have made him look a little less angelic considering his current status, but I don't know enough about fallen angel lore (both irl and in the show) to debate if him looking so non-demonic makes sense or not.

The only reason he gets a single point is because he's still better than the absolute worst design in the show, which to me is Loona's demon form. Whoever cleared that needs to be banned from making executive decisions in this show.

[marwyn]

"We know that Dany is conscious of the weight that unhealthy relationships could leave" but DO we know that? And I don't mean this negatively, I don't think anyone in this series is "conscious" of that in that way. How would Dany define what's an "unhealthy relationship"? Certainly not using those words. I don't think Dany's personal trauma made her conscious of every relationship dynamic there is. She hasn't even fully unpacked that trauma like that. And she has not as of yet had any relationship that's not "unhealthy" so what would her model of one be? Criticism of how he writes the dothraki is as always valid, perhaps the most valid criticism of GRRM, I'm really just commenting on this specific bit of that ask because it seems like a completely unfair expectation to put on Dany, especially if it's because she herself is a victim.

Dany’s attitude toward relational power dynamics is definitely realistically conflicted due to her past experiences! In ACOK she bristles at the reminder that Illyrio sold her to Drogo in light of the good she was able to derive from their relationship (again, unsurprising given where she was coming from with Viserys) but accepts that it’s true, with some reservations:

“My brother and I were guests in Illyrio’s manse for half a year. If he meant to sell us, he could have done it then.” “He did sell you,” Ser Jorah said. “To Khal Drogo.” Dany flushed. He had the truth of it, but she did not like the sharpness with which he put it. “Illyrio protected us from the Usurper’s knives, and he believed in my brother’s cause.” “Illyrio believes in no cause but Illyrio. Gluttons are greedy men as a rule, and magisters are devious. Illyrio Mopatis is both. What do you truly know of him?” (ACOK, Daenerys III)

Of note is the fact that she had little trouble seeing through Illyrio and distrusting his motives at the beginning of AGOT but now seems to cling to the idea that he was at least somewhat altruistic in accordance with the positive spin she has been able to put on her experiences since. It’s only in ASOS as her campaign against slavery begins to takes shape that her anger over these experiences clearly begins to emerge:

“Better to come a beggar than a slaver,” Arstan said. “There speaks one who has been neither.” Dany’s nostrils flared. “Do you know what it is like to be sold, squire? I do. My brother sold me to Khal Drogo for the promise of a golden crown. Well, Drogo crowned him in gold, though not as he had wished, and I … my sun-and-stars made a queen of me, but if he had been a different man, it might have been much otherwise. Do you think I have forgotten how it felt to be afraid?” Whitebeard bowed his head. “Your Grace, I did not mean to give offense.” “Only lies offend me, never honest counsel.” Dany patted Arstan’s spotted hand to reassure him. “I have a dragon’s temper, that’s all. You must not let it frighten you.” (ASOS, Daenerys II)

Another signficant example, of course, is “a dragon is no slave” (ASOS, Daenerys III). She continues to express similar sentiments in ADWD but is discouraged by the “eloquent” arguments given by those in favor of slavery compared to her raw emotion (ADWD, Daenerys III), and the daunting tasks of governance in Meereen lead to her reluctant agreement to marry yet another slave owner in order to make a compromise that ultimately cedes too much power to her new husband and the slaving class at large. This false peace is disrupted when the metamorphosis of Drogo’s namesake into a frightening monster results in his feral appearance at the fighting pit and necessitates Dany’s reclaiming him, leading to their first flight together, which I believe represents a symbolic reclamation of her personal and sexual autonomy and politics of liberation. And yet she may continue to have fond feelings toward Drogo for the rest of her life; these books depict many purposefully complex situations that are well-nigh impossible for the characters to navigate 100% neatly

[chuckeroo777]

Dungeon Meshi Volume 8 Part 3

Welcome back! Let's finish up volume 8. We got some real juicy content, so let's get started.

Yes, I am using this in every post from now on. Why wouldn't I? It's perfect.

I mean, you saw his tall-man form. Was that the face of a happily married man? Yes.

So much to talk about here. First, who is the person at the top? Dandan is the only former party member not shown, but he seemed to be positively inclined to Laios.

Second, does the quaver indicate an active relationship? Honestly, it does not feel out of character for Laios to think he and Shuro have something deep. Shame it never goes well in any universe.

Also, I wonder how Chilchuck would classify his relationships if he included them here.

What's the story there? I'd guess the parents set up an arranged marriage or something, but you both left when you were pretty young. Please don't tell me Asivia actually managed to trick you into something.

There is so much to glean from this title page, but this bit intrigues me. Where is the royal grave? They aren't talking about the graveyard with the dryads, are they? Surely the graveyard in the castle town is for nobility, and the royalty interred somewhere within the castle? Granted, I don't know much about graveyards. Is this supposed to foreshadow post-canon events? Or is this just a joke about Senshi giving him the ol' birds and bees.

Also, Chilchuck's strongest relationship is with Laios, and I find that heartwarming.

:( She isn't lying. She has eaten rats. Back when she was a slave, she would eat anything she could catch.

Well, I think you're a good boy Laios.

See what I mean about them having a respectful relationship? As soon as Chilchuck expresses he isn't comfortable, Laios jumps in to do it instead.

Gluttons and Dragons!

If you were curious why Chilshi is so popular, here you go. The one piece of canon evidence.

Haha, get it? Cause she's gay? Bisexual actually, but that still falls under pride.

We went with Infidelity for the seventh sin, cause we really didn't want to watch Laios lust over the bicorn. Also, looks like someone else needs a lesson on stamens and pistols.

If good and evil are defined dubiously, then how the hell is that defined?

When your friend is being vague, so you out all of their secrets through the medium of interpretive self-insert fanfiction where you roleplay as their estranged wife.

Ha-HA! You fools thought he was a deadbeat dad, but all this stuff went down AFTER they left the nest! Also, oddly enough, the anime changed his confession in the griffon episode to say 'kids', so this joke won't hit as hard.

Plus, they're extremely merchandisable.

Laios may be a troll, but Chilchuck is the one trolling him.

Oh hey, here they are. I guess their first appearance isn't them dead in a nightmare. That's nice.

And that's it for volume 8! Join me next time as we look at Volume 9, which oddly is the only volume with six chapters, but they are some of my favorites, so oh boy!

[aventurineswife]

I noticed a lack of western-like dragons in hoyoverse games so I made a species and a reader for Hsr! Taking inspiration from Chromatic Dragons from DND the Chromatican’s (Yes I know I am very clever and smart) are a race that was made around the same time as their cousins the Vidyadhara, but something went wrong with their very conception, most speculating that the Aeon “Oroboro’s” had something to do with it.

A nomadic race of giant dragon people, standing at an average height of 7-8ft, they look as savage as the Vidyadhara look regal, scales cover most of their bodies, harder than most substances of the universe, their tails are thick and muscular used to batter enemies into submission or even as a shield. Their claws rip and tear into any would-be challengers who had the gall to challenge into something as “great as them”! Even a common foot soldier could rip into an IPC mech with little difficulty, and boy do the IPC loathe them.

For the Chromatican’s are a nomadic race of pirates and mercenaries, traveling the universe to do what they want to do. Hoarding wealth and dominating any being who dare think they’re better than them. They live how they want to live, and there is not a lot that could stop them otherwise.

Unlike the Vidyahara they can reproduce but it is slow, so despite being so powerful they are usually few in number so they usually raid any place that has sufficient cloning technology. This usually means pissing off factions like the Genius Society, but they could give less than a fuck. Literally zero shits given. Even they are quite unpopular with most factions, especially with the individual “legends” the most notable of their kind.

A “hoarder of Memories” a purple Chromatican who killed and absorbed multiple Memokeepers, keeping their and any memories they collected for herself. Ironically this caused Fuli’s gaze to descend upon her.

“The Gluttonous Scourge” a red Chromatican who fancy’s to kill those affected by the Abundace, those who are gifted with Abundance will quickly find it robbed and eaten. Abundance attracts Predators afterall.

And the last notable Legend. “Destructions Ruin” a black Chromatican who is one of the longest living creatures said to be so ancient he saw multiple Aeon’s ascend. He loves to see others fall within time. He takes great pride and this, to know he outlasted others, to see kingdoms and civilizations fall within time, to see palaces grow into ruins before the ruins themselves crumble to dust! But it hates the Antimatter legion. He hates that they just destroy with force, that they don’t outlast things, that they don’t take any pride or artifacts from ruins! They are a threat to his ego and he hates it. Any chance to ruin their plans he will hop on without a second thought. Anyone who gets in his way be damned.

Now for the reader in this scenario, could be any color you want, just look up DND chromatic dragons and take a pick at which one you prefer. In this scenario let’s just pick red. This reader like to fight, to know that he is indeed on top. So he temporarily gos to the Astral Express. To travel to other places to find worthy opponents. Most notably they seek out Emanators to fight. Acheron, Herta, Jing Yuan(?) They know the trailblazer knows these people so they stick by them. Looking for any chance to prove their superiority…yet they are also incredibly aroused by strong people so in the chance they do get beaten? Oh boy…

The vibe is immaculate: savage elegance meets unapologetic dominance, layered with D&D dragon flavors, twisted into the wild grandeur of HSR's universe.

The Chromaticans feel like that missing puzzle piece in HSR’s cosmic menagerie—raw, elemental forces dressed in brute strength and violent legacy. Where the Vidyadhara are all grace and divinity, the Chromaticans are the fury of creation itself, shaped into terrifying nomadic dragons who treat the stars like a playground—and a battlefield. Their ship's hull is probably made of stripped Aeon relics and broken mech plating, polished with ego and blood.

Claws and muscle. Tails used as battering rams. IPC units trembling at the sight of them. Yes.

Their disdain for the "civilized" echoes a kind of wild, chaotic purity—they live and die how they want, and that alone makes them dangerous.

And the fact that each one’s a potential boss fight? Oof. It’s giving "narrative flavor meets universal threat."

The Legends? Absolute units.

The Hoarder of Memories is terrifying in the best possible way. Fuli’s eye on her? Chills.

The Gluttonous Scourge eating Abundance-infected individuals? Viscous poetry. The irony of consuming those granted “life eternal” is so deliciously cruel.

Destruction’s Ruin? I can HEAR his voice in my head—ancient, smug, echoing in some crumbled hall of a dead civilization. He doesn’t just kill—he watches. He remembers. He outlasts. A hater with historical flair.

Now Red Chromatican Reader?

He’s every competitive, testosterone-drenched rival character you’ve ever loved—but scaled, horned, and ready to square up with the stars.

Riding with the Astral Express not because he cares—but because it’s a convenient vehicle for violence.

He’s got his eye on the strongest—Acheron, Herta, Jing Yuan—not for their wisdom, not for their status, but because he wants to clash.

He treats every strong presence like a dare. Like a declaration. And when someone does get the better of him? Oh, he’s feral about it. He wants to fight again. He wants to get stronger. He wants to maybe flirt a little bit through gritted teeth while bleeding.

March, watching him square up with Acheron in a duel and get disarmed in two strikes: “...Is it weird that he looks happy? Like, really happy?”

Trailblazer: “No, that’s normal. That’s horny.”

He’s messy. He’s loud. He’s powerful. And he’s HOT.

[wildbeingwild]

LiveBlogging DunMeshi:

Ep 1 & 2 (anime)

So far i'm already so in love with everyone holy shit like, dang.

I'm probably affected because 1. i came in with a lot of expectations on it since there are people that recommended it to me and have talked very well about it and 2. i kinda sorta know some spoilers from things i've seen thru fanart and such so.

Anyways, I think i already have somewhat of a grasp in the main cast's personalities like.

(under the readmore cuz i'mma ramble about the characters for a hot second)

Laios is a practical guy that cares a lot about the team, he's an older brother thru and thru. You can see that in how he treats Marcille, trying to make the experience bearable to her despite her very vocally hating eating monsters, or how in chapter one one of the first things he does is tell them that he'll go alone and then, when they say they want to go in with him, he seriously asks them again to make sure.

From that second instance you can also see that he trusts them a lot, something that only gets reinforced during chapter 2 as he just passes his sword, arguably his most important tool in the deadly dungeon, to Chilchuck no questions asked.

And that scene after the mandrake with Marcille just outing herself and her insecurities and Laios comforting her and being understanding!!! I love Laios so much he's a cutiepie.

As with Marcille, she's so fucking cute too, her expressions are immaculate meme material (and that moment where she's hit in the forehead by her falling staff is gold) and, again with the same scene after the mandrake, she's so desperate to help her peers, she loves her team and it shows a lot, even before she outright said it (which would have been the catharsis of other animes' entire arcs or even premises).

(Also, maybe i'm biased because of how much Marcille x Falin i've seen in fanart, but i really love how she literally says "daisuki" lmao, in the manga translation i saw (i only read the first two chapters) she says "A mi también me gusta mucho Falin", which tled to eng would be "I also like Falin a lot" and just, them).

I was also pleasantly surprised by the carnivore plant scene, no pantyshots, no lewd angles, no nothing! That was cool (dang the bar is on the floor, but DunMeshi i think cleared it with a few metres spare).

And another thing, i'm so curious about how she mentions "Dying" a few times, same with the adventurers in ep2, but since the plot is about rescuing Falin i'll guess that second one is a mistl. So i'm really curious about what this means.

Chilchuk meanwhile i'm sure i haven't seen enough of, same with the others but especially with him (and Senshi obv) but so far my read on him is similar to the others, a very genuine person that takes a lot of pride in his specialty, especially because he's the only one standing between his party and deadly traps.

And Senshi, the one and only waifu of dunmeshi, if i were to sum him up i'd say "An older folk that's way too into monster cooking and is excited about others also taking interest" and, same as the rest, he's so very earnest and genuine about everything he does, and his moment with Chilchuck in ep2 is just *chef's kiss*

He's so far, together with Chilchuck, the one i'm most curious about, why has he studied dungeon cooking so much? We were told in ep1 that only criminals go down and eat monsters, so i wonder what's the deal with that? There's also a detail, a piece of dialogue i can't remember but that i was curious about...

Didn't think much of the worldbuilding, it's cool though, that the author went through and narrated the recipes almost in their entirety, it's very complete so far so i'm enjoying it a lot. I'm expecting it to get wilder though.

Also, love the name the translators put there "tragones y mazmorras", which tls to "gluttons and dungeons" and sounds so much like "dragones y mazmorras" which is "Dungeons and Dragons" in spanish, that's gold.

[cathy-plus-e]

all races in warhammer, simply explained by one of the hivemind of anons:

the empire: germany like, humans, poverty and sadness around, generally pretty chill, not racist, as long as you don't worship chaos they are chill, main god was also their first empeoer, and they currently own the (kinda?) eponymous warhammer.

brettonia: french "chivalrous" knights, arthurian like, pretty abusive and annoying, least advanced main civilisation, humans, used as human meatshields and gaslighted by the wood elves. worship someone who they think is a goddess by the name of the lady, but is actually just a wood elf.

dwarfs: like classical fantasy dwarves, just angrier, sadder, stronger and having two badass cultural things they do: the great book of grudges, which is a book of every wrong ever committed against the dwarfen kin, it could be something like the king of a faction betraying dwarfen trust, to paying a dwarf one less gold ingot on accident, both of these would get war declared on you by the high king of the dwarfs. worship the ancestor gods. forged one of the eponymous warhammers, which is the one wielded by the empire.

wood elves: isolationist, racist, dickheads, armies mainly made of tree people and actual wood elves, the wood elves themselves are also known as asrai. worship both sides of the elven pantheon.

lizardmen: lizard people, they could be dinosaurs, chameleons, frogs you name it. they worship long gone and possibly dead gods known as the great old ones, and would declare war on an entire race due to mishearing a single word said by a half dead, half asleep frog priest. very advanced and powerful, have a great plan, but nobody knows what that means. they are kinda like aztecs. speak a weird language. all their names are bad puns, like "tictactoe" or "kroak".

high elves: arrogant, annoyed, powerful, main reason world took so long to blow up elves, they created a vortex of the winds of magic that protects the world from the deamons and forces of chaos. they worship one side of the elven pantheon, and most of them are highly racist. their king is finubar the sea fairer, and he hardly ever does anything. also known as asrai, and in earlier editions as sea elves.

vampire counts: vampires and necromancers, using armies of undead and sometimes living warriors, they never flee, and they never die. the vampire counts are split into 6 bloodlines: von carsteins, lahmians, strigoi, necrachs, blood dragons and the jade vampires. they mainly worship either Nagash who was the first necromancer and created the first vampire, or whoever they worshipped in life.

dark elves: sadistic, sexual, slave keeping, murderous, chaos affiliated(but only sometimes?), angsty, edgy, incestual dark elves. led by a king whose name means malice in their language. they are rather advanced, having boats that used to be castles and still are. they worship one half of the elven pantheon and sometimes worship the chaos gods.

tomb kings: ancient egyptians, but got necromanced back to life, and decided that they needed to reclaim their long gone lands. they hate vampires, necromancers, and each other. worship the literal ancient Egyptian gods. highly advanced with floating magic technological pyramids.

fimir: forgotten children of the chaos gods, also known as bog deamons or swamp creatures, led by the brutish dimirach nobles and the female only majestic magically gifted mearghs. worship the chaos gods, despite the chaos gods not thinking about them in the last 2500 years(give or take).

vampire coast: VAMPIRE PIRATES

kislev: humans, fantasy russia, ride bear cavalry, worship four gods of the motherland, known as the shield of the old world by the members of the old world. live right next to the chaos wastes. filled with civil war, skaven plots, vampiric usurpation, and cults of chaos and the gods of the motherland. led by tzarina katarin bokkha(most of the time).

the moot: halflings, hobbits, but without the good traits, gluttonous, greedy, short, living underground, great cooks, immune to chaos corruption, used to be part of the empire but seceded and are now an indepent state but still part of the empire, in fact the elder of the halfings gets a vote whenever a new emepoer is elected by the elector counts. worship sigmar, just like the empire. immune to chaos. good friends wth ogres.

warriors of chaos: mortal champions of the chaos gods, brutal, unstoppable, filled with all from fallen scholars from imperial colleges of magic, all the way to the brutish norscan tribesmen. main weakness is infighting due to worshipping different chaos gods. when they finally unite to try to bring about the end times, they are led by the current everchosen, who is crowned by Be'lakor, the first deamon prince, the shadow master, and first everchosen.

chaos dwarfs: also known as the dawi zharr, speak a weird langauge, worship the chaos god hashut, keep greenskins as slaves, highly and extremely technologically advanced. created the black orcs.

greenskins: orcs, goblins, night goblins, black orcs, savage orcs, gnoblars and boglars, a large species, with larger armies, speak in cockney english accents, and have primitive culture, with savage orcs being the most primitive. worship their twin gods, gork god of "kombat and sneakiness" and mork, god of "sneakiness an' kombat".

ogre kingdoms: hungry, slightly smarter then greenskins, always hungry, pretty religious and devoted, immune to chaos. lead by Tradelord Greasus Tribestealer Drakecrush Gatecrasher Hoardmaster Goldtooth the Shockingly Obese. worship a meteor crater that turned sentient after they worshipped it so much.

Deamons of chaos: the true children of chaos, unstoppable, immortal, spending their time fighting for attention from their god. the three most powerful types, are in ascending order: deamon princes, exalted greater deamons, and deamon kings(we have only seen two of these).

grand cathay: maic asia, led by the celestial dragon emperor and his 9 children, but there is also the monkey king, who is in league with the skaven and obviously sun wukong. worship the celestial dragon emperor.

araby: arabians, they have djinn, flying carpets and sultans. most important one was the golden magus for appearing in two different things with consistent characterisation.

kurgans: mutated, powerful, important, insanely strong, chosen of chaos, known for sometimes disobeying their gods and showing kindness. worship chaos.

skaven: funyy rat people, backstabbing and manipulation are hardcoded and second nature for them, their entire society is based off of warpstone, they smoke it, snort it, eat it, build buildings with it, make weapons and armour of it, use it to become stronger, cast magic with it, make nukes our of it, make vechiles out of it, sacrifice it, and would kill for it. worship the great horned rat, the fifth chaos god.

I love this ask

Thank you so much dear anon!

It sounds interesting! I'm curious- Is it a game? A movie? A series? 👁️👁️✨

I find completely adorable that the British called me a Kurgan lmao

[pellelavellan]

The Journals of Pelle Lavellan

14 Justinian, 9:34 Dragon

I'm scared my secret might get out. I don't know what to do. People can't find out. I'm supposed to get married to Finni in the autumn. I know that she knows my secret, but nobody else does. And for good reason too. I'd never live it down. It would be social suicide. What would my parents say? Or worse, Mallas' dad? I know he's not my dad but he really does like make sure I don't forget how much he doesn't like me.

Anyways, Faris scared me today in the woods. Jumped right out of the bushes and shouted at me so loud. I was so scared I fell over. But then he did something weird. He just like...he was just leaning over me with his hands on the grass on both sides of my head staring at me. I don't know why I thought he was going to beat me up, but I just had a bad feeling so I held my breath and waited for it.

He asked me to breathe, and cursed before telling me he wasn't going to hurt me and how jumpy I was. I guess he's right, I could stand to be a bit braver but fuck what was I supposed to think when he came out of the bushes shouting and pinning him to the ground?

He let me sit up, but he was still staring at me and I didn't know why. Because I'm a glutton for punishment I asked him why he'd even pinned me to the ground in the first place if he wasn't trying to hurt me or if there wasn't someone else hiding in the bushes waiting to do something embarrassing to me. He didn't answer me of course, he just gave me another shove and told me not to get any funny ideas.

That was the first instance I started to worry that he knew something. What funny ideas could I possibly get? Okay--a lot. I'm a teenage boy and some guy I've been crushing on just pinned me down and made direct eye contact with me. OF COURSE my mind was going all kinds of places that I would absolutely keep to myself. Faris is too old for me anyways , he's older than Nara, and she's four years older than me.

He's cute sure...and muscular, and cocky, and loud, and really good at sparring he always wins. Sure I like to watch him--for science. But I'm just looking right? What's wrong with watching? I can't believe I'm trying to justify having a crush on one of the hunters to a piece of paper right now. That's kind of weird of me, but I guess it feels like I'm talking to someone that can't answer or tell me how weird I am. Paper's a good listener, I wonder if paper ever feels a way about always being told people's deepest thoughts and just having to keep it a secret?

That doesn't really matter. Anyways, he put his hands back next to my head after he shoved and he accused me of liking him. I denied it of course. He doubled down, 'you're not a fighter Sibs, you don't have any good reason to watch me with the amount of attention that you do.' I wasn't giving in though. I told him I didn't like him, might have even told him to fuck off. What was I supposed to say? Yes, I think about you a lot and I like you a lot? I'm not that stupid.Or I didn't think so because he decided to challenge that answer.

I still can't believe this happened even writing about it, but he leaned down and kissed me, and my stupid fucking ass kissed him back. He laughed at me, not in a nice way, in that mean way people do when they've caught you in a lie and they're going to gloat about it. And he did. It was awful, like all the things that seemed so cool about him were suddenly gone and he was just mean. I don't think I've ever changed my mind about someone so fast. My face got so hot I felt someone was holding a lit match to me and passing it over my cheeks.

As if it couldn't get any worse he asked me 'Are you sure about that?' I'd really had enough of it. I had two options, wrestle him to set myself free or cry, which I was about ready to do but I'd be damned if I cried in front of him because he fucking sucked. So I pounded on his chest until he backed off and I ran home, ignored my mother when she called my name when I walked past her with the sour face I probably had on, and crawled under the covers and hid from the world.

She tried to talk to me. I told her I wasn't feeling well so she advised me to get some rest, said she was always willing to talk if I wanted to. It's been a few hours now. I didn't talk her. I didn't even really talk to Nara when she came home and asked me what was wrong as I'm sure my mum told her I was acting strange.

I haven't really talked to anyone actually all day. I only got up to make dinner for everyone and eat with them, then I went back to bed. I don't want to talk about it really. Telling people would mean I would have to explain things I'm not ready to talk about, not yet. And fuck, if I told anyone what would Faris do to me? I don't wanna think about that either.

I think I hate him. I hate him so much.

[dragmaballs]

About Aloisia

Aloisia Kallista Erkengard is a half-dragon bratty braggart whose current goal in life is to acquire henchmen. Unfortunately, she sucks at everything and is very dumb.

...but if you take her at her word, she's a creature of great power.

She's also probably older than 19 at this point (she doesn't know for sure), she just thinks the Jared meme is very funny.

...Really, that's all you need to know. The rest can be inferred from just talking to her or reading her posts. This is just here to document it, or provide information for the curious.

[ Find me elsewhere in the RP sphere at @in-inertia. ]

—

TTRPG Background

Okay, I do need to clear something up—Aloisia isn't actually a DnD character. She's only made with DnD concepts in mind in the most abstract ways possible, and she's not from any of the DnD settings.

Aloisia is a half-dragon from my own setting, Oikos, the Archipelago of the Ancients. You know, like the yogurt. Which...incidentally, is the setting of my TTRPG campaign On the Horizon. Those familiar with OTH, namely my players, might recognize there's a bit of a time difference between that campaign and the modern day. OTH is set on the eve of WWI. Which means Aloisia is from...after the campaign's end. At least, she's from a possible future for the campaign.

As I said, OTH isn't a DnD campaign (and there's neither Sorcerers nor a Charisma stat in OTH) but...shh! The setting is viable for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, so long as you can be flexible with your lore and make some changes to the spell lists (e.g. adjusting revival spells to only work on someone with Gentle Repose active on them, to mimic the lore mechanics).

I framed things the way I did because saying she's a Sorcerer is a lot more convenient than calling her an Enchanter and having to explain what that means.

—

Backstory

Left without a family at a young age, she was discovered by her "adoptive" "mother" Celestine Erkengard when digging through her trash for food. Celestine was a college student at the time, and didn't have the desire or readiness to raise a child of…approximately eight to ten years, but she took her in because there was no alternative.

I'll actually draw Celestine eventually. She still lives with Celestine, who takes care of her despite her being clearly capable of fending for herself. Celestine is still a single mother, despite now being in her early 30s, and part of that is because Aloisia slept with her most recent boyfriend. That's a good introduction to the kind of person Aloisia is. Aloisia is an irritable little tyrant, an annoying brat, and a gluttonous, greedy braggart who has nothing to actually show for all of her boasting. She acts like she's much smarter, stronger, wealthier, and overall more impressive than she actually is. The funny thing is, she does have some innate potential—her draconic blood allows her to be a very potent sorcerer. She just…hasn't actually done anything with that potential.

She doesn't know much about dragons, beyond that they're supposed to be deific creatures revered by all. And if she's basically a demigod, then people should be lining up to serve her. She learned pretty quick that asserting that to Celestine would get her a smack upside the head, but other people are surely to be less likely to react poorly.

—

More will come as I figure out more!

[amxrany]

!! WHITE RABBIT FESTIVAL EVENT SPOILERS !!

Summary of the Second Update (Part 3):

Silver also bought souvenirs for the rest of Diasomnia, specifically bookmarks. He bought Malleus a bookmark with dried mondo grass flower attached to it, since it reminds him of a dragon (a perfect gift for Malleus) but he also thinks that the elegant purple flowers fit him as well. For Lilia and Sebek, Deuce decided to help him out on this one; so they got bookmarks with dried foxglove and blackberries respectively (I LOVE YOU WHOEVER WROTE OUT EACH SOUVENIR YOU SAVED MY LIFE) which made Silver smile 😭💞 (Silver definitely deserves this spot in the event the narrative has been mean to him lately *glances at chapter 7*)

I would also like to add that in Silver's home screen lines, he also bought matching gloves for him and Sebek like ugh these two cannot stop thinking about each other and they always match subconsciously too 🙄 /j

Okay going back, Grim is pretty much hungry but they ran out of money to buy snacks. So Deuce suggests them to buy fruit and berry seeds since they increase in quantity once they're planted and cared for very well, and Grim being a glutton actually bought the seeds 💀. And now Deuce feels bad for Yuu since they'll have to help Grim plant and grow the seeds

Now, the group is in a glasses store, where Grim asks Yuu to try one of them on, and so they did. They tried on the black glasses in which Epel said they looked like an artist while Silver said that the glasses fit them

While going to Mama Spade's work stall, the group decided to get some snacks, and one of the more iconic foods they have is called Baked Jacket Potatoes (pretty much similar to a baked potato), so yeah the group gets curious and wants to try it out and then Grim out here wanting to eat everything from the menu. Yuu actually tries to make baked potatoes in various flavors and Grim pretty much being hungry took the group's leftovers 😭

Previous: Part 2

Next: Part 4

Gonna stop here for now since it's already evening and the translations aren't complete yet but don't worry I will continue tomorrow

[haissitall]

Season 2 of DSMP as a wonder tale

So I’ve read Morphology of the Tale and Historical Roots of the Wonder Tale by Propp and thought, hey, why not analyse DSMP S2 as one would analyse a wonder tale based on the theories of this author? The results are under the cut.

Disclaimer: Read this through an ironic lens. I know that season 2 was (probably) not intended to be a wonder tale. However, connecting dots which weren’t meant to be connected is my passion.

1. THE BEGINNING

The tale begins with the introduction of the hero (Tommy) and his home (L’manburg and its’ inhabitants). Tommy goes out (a function of absentation, he leaves his home) and goes against an interdiction, a rule of. Uh. Not burning other people’s houses. Which, coincidentally, is exactly what the villain lurking in the shadows, Dream, needs. Dream applies trickery with the purpose of kidnapping Tommy. What happens is, quote, “He [the villain] demands or lures out his victim. Sometimes this form is a consequence of a deceptive contract.” As we all remember, the contract is exactly what took place.

This leads to Dream taking Tommy with him, or a departure.

2. THE EXILE

Here we have to talk a bit about Historical Roots. Propp suggests that the root of such a tale lies in the ritual of initiation, which in itself is based on the idea that the initiated goes through death, being in the world of the dead and returning, resurrecting, being born anew. Such rituals were practiced in secret, children were taken to a small hut, usually in the woods, and had to go through some trials, sometimes purely ceremonial, sometimes actually quite cruel, to make them believe that they are going through death. After such a ritual they were meant to become adults and receive some kind of magic powers, usually connected to the powers of talking/luring/becoming like the animals. In fairytales it is represented by the hero encountering some kind of a small structure and meeting a character, a donor, who puts the hero through some kind of a trial (sometimes just giving them a question and waiting for the correct answer) and, after that, giving the hero a magical object/entity/ability, the helper. But, as the rituals became more and more obsolete, people’s opinions of them started to change, they stopped seeing them as necessary, as good. Thus the witch in the hut becomes stricktly evil, a hostile donor, the trial with fire - burning in the stove, and the children are meant to escape and punish her.

With all that said, let’s look at the exile and its attributes.

1) Dream takes Tommy on a long journey by water. Only Ghostbur, a dead man, can come with him. It is obviously meant to represent that Tommy starts crossing the line between the world of the dead and the living. The forest is replaced by an ocean, not an unusual occurance in tales. 2) They settle on a shore. Tommy is not completely in the land of the dead yet - he is at the entrance. Dream only guards this land. 3) As the first order of business, Dream builds a small dirt hut. Nuff said. 4) Dream tortures Tommy, positioning himself as a hostile donor who wants to destroy the hero. So far Dream played both the role of The Villain and The (hostile) Donor (guardian of the land of the dead), which, while unusual in the actual fairytales, is possible. 5) Dream wears a mask. Clear indication of this being picked up from a ritual. 6) Dream turns into a woman (mamacita). While it is a weird episode, with the help of The Historical Roots it is easy to explain - sometimes men who performed the ritual dressed as women. 7) Tommy goes through temporary insanity (doubting if he sees Tubbo or not) - another aspect of this stage sometimes seen in tales, connected to the mental distress children went through because of the violence and/or drugs during the ritual. 8) Dream gifts him a trident. Sadly, only temporarily. It would’ve been a perfect fit if Tommy kept it - a magic method of flying, something a donor like Dream gifts/is stolen from very often in tales. 9) Tommy “dies”. At the end of the exile Tommy actually performs a ritual, metaphorical death by jumping of off the pillar into the water. It is worthy to note that everyone thinks he is actually dead after that, which we will see come into play later. 10) Tommy leaves dirty, in rags. Usually it happens when a character returns to the land of the living, but here it can be considered as a metaphor of learning how to turn into an animal and escape Dream via such means. Quote: “In a tale, it is hard to distinguish between a dirty and an animal-like character.” Tommy, of course, calls himself a racoon. It is possible to assume that Dream somehow gave him this ability unknowingly, by giving him/making him wear dirty clothes, although there is no proof of this in the text. 11) Tommy has difficulty talking about the exile. A hero not being able to talk, especially about what happened in the magical forest, is a common occurance in tales, connected to the secrecy of the rituals. 12) Dream chases Tommy. Not immediately, but there definetely is an element of the chase. Usually this trope happens closer to the end of the tale, but it is possible to see it this early too.

3. TECHNOBLADE

We turn our gaze to Historical Roots again. Besides the witch’s hut, there is another structure a hero can see in the woods - a big house. Its attributes are usually: large size, riches/a lot of food inside, no one is home at the moment, is inhabited by men (usually several who are like brothers to each other), a secret basement. Propp explains this as reminiscent of men’s houses, somewhere where men usually lived as brothers after the ritual described above. They were still in this forbidden territory, not quite “alive”, only doing hunting. The newcomers were to serve the rest of men at first.

Now let’s look at the encounter.

1) Tommy finds Techno’s house empty. Inside, he sees riches, particularly food. He proceeds to hide there. 2) Tommy finds golden apples and golden blocks. Gold always indicates things from the beyond, and sometimes it indicates the object the hero searches for. 3) Technoblade is half-man half-pig. Being an animal/having animalistic traits is very common for all inhabitants of the land of the dead, the owners of the big house included (in some tales they are bears, for example). 4) Technoblade finds Tommy and asks to serve him for a certain amount of time. A classic trope, where Techno is clearly The Donor asking for a favor in return to which the hero should get The Helper. 5) After Tommy agrees, Techno shows him the secret basement. In tales, the basement usually contains one or both of these things: a magical object (The Helper) and dead, dismembered bodies (think Bluebeard). In our case, it’s both: the magic armour which Tommy shortly gets and the skulls. The skulls are, of course, of the people Techno’s killed, and, since he big house’s inhabitants in certain cases can be associated with cannibalism (and since Techno is a pig, a gluttonous animal), he’s probably eaten his victims as well. That’s why Tommy is so horrified when he sees them. 6) Techno hides Tommy from Dream chasing him. In this case he takes on the role of the Helper. We can also make an assumption that he grants Tommy invisibility (another very common fairytale gift). Now, was the armor Tommy got from the basement making him invisible? There is no proof in the text, but it seems logical. 7) Tommy performs Techno’s tasks, all very fairytale-like. Get him a pack of wolves, get him lost magical objects. 8) In gratitude, Techno gives the final gift - the magical axe, fulfilling his duty as The Grateful Donor. 9) Tommy returns home invisible, unrecognisable, everyone thinks that he is dead. This completely fits the trope which stems from the original meaning of the ritual - the initiated died and returned a new person. Him being invisible means him still belonging to the world of the dead.

4. TWO PHASES

This is the point where we start facing complications. After Tommy runs away from Dream and seemingly returns home, the cycle begins anew - Tommy’s home gets destroyed, he gets helpers, has to seek Dream out etc. The fairytale having two “phases” is not uncommon. Propp: “Development from Villany or Lacking to Wedding or any other resolution can be called a tale. The resolution can be <...> escape from a pursuer. Such a development can be called an act (a phase). Each new Villainy, each new Lacking creates a new phase. One tale can have several phases. <...> One phase can follow another, but they can intertwine as well, the first phase can halt, a new phase gets inserted.” I presume that this is what we’re dealing with here. While there is not a lot of connecting tissue between the phases in our fairytale, there is proof that they are parts of the whole. For example, a tale can be considered whole if “a magical object, received in the first phase, gets used in the second”, which, in our case, is the axe.

So let’s look at how the second phase begins.

1) Tommy gets accused of something he hasn’t done. In tales the second phase usually begins with the hero being unrecognised while a false hero claims the reward. Here we see a very different form, but the motif of a certain substitution and of the hero having to prove himself again is still here. 2) Dream is, again, the Villain, tricking Tubbo into giving away a magic object, the discs. The discs are seemingly a talisman, providing the city of L’Manburg with protection. Without them, the city is open for an attack.

5. THE DRAGON

The dragon, according to Propp, is a very complex character with a lot of meanings. Firstly, it needs to be said that the dragon can be any animal. Usually it is, of course, a serpent, but in a lot of cases it is a fish or something else. So, the dragon is someone who swallows, thus, in come cases, taking the hero to the land of the dead in his belly or having the land of the dead right inside of him. Inside, the hero can find riches/magical objects. This is, again, connected to the initiation ritual, with the hut sometimes being seen as an animal, swallowing the initiated. As the public opinion about such rituals changed, the dragon morphed: a good guy who gratiously spits you out > you have to make him spit you out > having to cut your way out > someone else cutting you out > just killing him with the threat of swallowing being only a threat. The dragon has a lot of attributes, sometimes all of them at the same time. The dragon is associated with water (he’s a fish or controls the rivers or the rain etc), with mountains (caves), fire (breathes fire, guards a river of fire) and being able to fly. The dragon sometimes has a lot of heads, multiplying his ability to swallow.

With this said, let’s look at who destroys L’Manburg.

- Technoblade can fire rockets. He wears red. He has a golden crown and an intrinsic connection to gold with his simularity to a piglin (gold, according to Propp, is a metal of the sun, of fire). In addition to that, Propp has an example of a fairytale where the serpent turns into a giant pig. Also, let’s not forget that Techno can float while firing rockets. - Philza has a flying element to him. - Dream has a connection to water (took Tommy to exile by water), has a connection to the land of the dead (see exile), and mountains (first met Techno on the cliff near the sea, again, water). In the first season, Wilbur called him a lizard. Later you will, of course, see that Dream has even more simularities with the dragon.

But who is the dragon? The answer is simple: all of them are part of the same creature. Three heads of one body, all representing certain aspects of the dragon. Usually the dragon is a hybrid between a serpent and a bird, but here we see an addition of a pig. I don’t see why not.

6. THE SECOND JOURNEY

After an act of villainy (the destruction of L’Manburg), thus, another exile, Tommy has to embark on another journey to the beyond to prove himself. Now he has more of a purpose, he has to search for the magical disks, a very fairytale motivation, and, supposedly, slay the dragon as revenge. Tubbo also somehow plays into all of this. I would say that Tubbo is very close to being The Princess. Dream doesn’t kidnap Tubbo, but he later holds him hostage and threatens his life. It is not accidental that the season ends with Tommy and Tubbo sitting on the bench together - not like Tubbo was the second main character; Tubbo is Tommy’s prize along with the discs.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. With typical for the second phase swifteness, we go through:

1) Tommy getting a crossbow from Ghostbur. Ghostbur is a classic Donor, he is the grateful dead realtive, a very common trope for Donors. 2) Tommy acquires Punz as his Helper by bribing him.

7. THE FINAL BATTLE

During the final, we see all the previous elements, repeating in perfect harmony.

1) Tommy has to get to Dream by boat. See getting to the place of the exile. He’s returning to the land of the dead. 2) He has to have a magical object, a compass, to lead him there. Dream again becomes a Hostile Donor when giving it to Tommy. 3) Dream is on the giant mountain, guarding the entrance to where the discs, the searched object, are. A classic place for a dragon to be. 4) Tommy uses the axe and the crossbow to fight Dream, utilizing his Helpers. 5) However, he wins with neither: Dream leads him to the cave deep underground. I would suggest that this can be interpreted as dragon Dream swallowing him. 6) Inside Tommy finds himself deeper in the afterlife. Here he sees the disks on the golden blocks (remember what gold means? the beyond and the searched object) and dead animals, Henry and Friend, just in case you still haven’t realised that this place is where the dead go. 7) Only the third (three - a magic number in tales) Helper, Punz, cuts Tommy out of the beast’s belly in complete compliance to tales’ canon. Usually the one to win is not even the hero, but his helpers. However, the helpers act on the hero’s will, are continuations of him and his virtues, are him in a way. 8) Tommy hears dead Wilbur afterwards. Why? Because Tommy himself just returned from the land of the dead, of course. 9) Tommy slayed the dragon, got the searched objects and Tubbo. And they lived happily every after. Or, at least, in this fairytale.

8. THE CONCLUSION

There is none. Make of this mess what you will.

It is interesting, however, that season 2 so heavily foreshadowed: Dream standing between the lands of the dead and the living (driving the boat, guarding the cave, later - conducting the train and literally resurrecting people); Tommy dying and being ressurected.

Tommy’s prison visit is a perfect miniature of the initiation/the tale actually. 1) The Prison stands on water, but to get there you have to get into a small house on the land. You have to go through the portal, wait, and then get through it again - a very magic-esque procedure. 2) The Prison is massive, much like all the castles in the beyond. 3) The guard has to let you inside. The guard is not human. The guard wears a golden crown. 4) You have to go through trials to get inside, including the trial by water (swimming through the tube) and fire (walking through lava). 5) In the end, Tommy dies, gets resurrected and walks out. Everyone looks at him differently now. The only thing in this which doesn’t fit the unsual tale format, is that Tommy gets nothing out of this. No rewards, no money, no princess :(

Cheers, thanks for reading! uwu

[namesareweird579]

Ochre is an interesting character based on the fact that he's not interesting. I think about how the books treat him compared to the other false dod, his personality, his tribe his role in the story, and most importantly, his lost potential.

The design:

Let's start off with Ochre's design. Ochre is a dark grayish brown, with a darker grayish brown topside, a dark peach stomach and wings, and gray horns. Compared to other dragons, Ochre uses dull, unappealing colors in his character design in order to make him stand out less compared to more vibrant characters in a way by using these dull colors to describe him it in a way has the opposite effect makes him stand out compared to the more vibrant characters. Additionally, by using these colors, it allows him to parallel Clay as Clay is a character who's way more warm and inviting than Ochre. By being a parallel it to Clay, it allows him to be a foil to him and thus the dod as a whole and their relationships with each other.

The personality:

Ochre is gluttonous, apathetic, and incapable of thinking anyone but himself, especially when it comes to food. Compared to the other false dragonets of destiny, he's generally less aggressive than Flame and Viper, less Cowardly than Squid, and less kind than Fatespeaker. As a result, Ochre just kind of appears to be there. However, as you look into his personality, you find yourself wondering why he's like this? For the other false dod, you get hints or answers for why they are the way they are, Flame and Viper are lashing out over being taken away from their parents and want to go home, Squid as the son of the leader of the Talons of Peace was sheltered and unprepared to deal with Morrowseer and the volcano and Fatespeaker is coping with the fact that she has nobody in her life who supports her so she copes by telling herself that these dragons that are being so horrible to her are actually her friends. What about Ochre? There's no hint as to why he's so apathetic, and he's portrayed as gluttonous because he's a mudwing, and it's easy to just portray them as gluttonous. It's hard for Ochre to properly be a character when it's not explained why he is the way he is. Additionally, while the false dod(except Fatespeaker) are portrayed as horrible, there's scenes in the story that show they aren't completely unreedemable and that they were suffering too, Squid being sent into the skywing kingdom, Viper yelling at Fatespeaker about how she could've still been with her parents before brutally dying, and Flame crying in his mother's arms. What does Ochre get? Being beat up by Flame? Maybe, but the plot doesn't really linger on it, and you don't see Starflight feeling bad for Ochre like he does for Squid and later Viper. Starflight forgetting Ochre in the volcano? Once again not really since the book doesn't make Ochre seem to care. It feels a little unfair that Ochre doesn't get a chance to be vulnerable like the other false dod and it makes him harder to connect with him, you don't get to see more than his surface level traits and thus he'll always be seen as an Apathetic glutton, as a result it forces you to look way deeper to see Ochre as an interesting character, luckily for Ochre due to the tribe he's from there is a plothole in his story.

Being a mudwing:

Ochre is a mudwing. The most notable thing about mudwings is their society, where they're raised by their sibs. The oldest mudwing who hatches is the bigwings and takes care of the other sibs. From the little we know about mudwings, the sib groups do everything together, and from what we see, mudwings seem to be a little lost without their bigwings. Now, back to Ochre, the only family member he's mentioned to have is his mom, who doesn't seem to care about him. Ochre is never mentioned to have any sibs, which means that for all his life, he potentially had no one who ever really cared about him as a result it could've molded him into the apathetic character he is now. Additionally, besides eating a lot, Ochre never seems to get to experience the life of a mudwing. We're unaware of how Ochre could potentially react if he had mudwingish life (like Clay getting excited about mud and learning that he was just trying to help the other dragonets hatch). It makes me wonder if Ochre was in the mud kingdom if it would give him the chance to explore other parts of himself and highlight more potential character traits. Additionally, if Ochre does have sibs, if he meets them, it could demonstrate his dynamic with other dragons he doesn't potentially loathe.

What does he even do?:

When we first meet Ochre, he's scrapping with the other false dod (though in the graphic novel he's seen eating a pig). Later, he's seen being ill after eating rotten food on the nightwing inland. In book 4, when he's introduced, he talks about food and comments on how Starflight is quieter than Fatespeaker, then he tries to kill Starflight with the rest of the false dod, then he gets himself and Flame captured by nightwings. Later, when Morrowseer leads Starflight and the false dod to the skywing outpost, where he makes a comment about how'd never go a month without eating. Then, when they get to the outposts, Ochre is visibly afraid of going to the outposts. When he does, he starts to eat the food there. Afterward, he does nothing to convince Morrowseer to keep Squid. Later, when Morrowseer brings the group back to the nightwing island Flame and Ochre spar until Ochre wails not wanting to fight anymore. Afterwards, when Viper falls into the lava, Starflight tries to get him to save Viper, but he refuses to budge and grumbles about not being born on the brightest night before going off to get food. Ochre then appears again to go to the rainforest. In book 5, Ochre sits in the rainforest eating fruit, until he begrudgingly leads Sunny and Tsunami to the talons of peace camp, and that's his last physical appearance, but he does get indirectly mentioned in book 9. That's Ochre's relevancy. Ochre doesn't do anything to move the plot along besides heading to the talons of peace camp. Something I found interesting was Ochre being convinced to go to the camp, previous instances of his character make me think that he'd sit there gorging messily on fruit until Sunny and Tsunami went away, but he didn't. Why is that? Could it perhaps be a semblance of hope? That his life could change for the better? (I know it's because they needed Sunny to get to the ToP and plot's gotta plot, and he was the most convenient but shush) In a way it also shows that even if he's actually terrible at and he wasn't doing it to be a hero and mostly because he felt like he had to but it shows that he can do good and he can make atleast okay decisions. Something I noticed that Ochre's the only false dod to not appear in arc 2 (besides Viper because of well, uh y'know), which makes you wonder what happened to him? Could he have possibly grown as a character since then? Unfortunately, we may never know...

How he's treated:

From reading the books, I get the impression the books really don't want you like him, no redeeming qualities, no moment of vulnerability, the only good thing he does is bogged down by the fact he was unpleasant the whole time he was doing it, not appearing in arc 2, and finally everything single character having a negative opinion on him, even Sunny. If your whole cast of characters doesn't like this character, then it's pretty hard to like said character. It seems a little unfair that this mediocre character is kinda treated like dirt. Even some of the most hated and/or evil characters or had someone who saw them at least somewhat positively. (Coral found Whirlpool endearing, Sunny mourned Kestrel when she died, Foeslayer loved Arctic even when he was horrible to her, Burn had a decent relationship with Oasis, Qibli wanted Cobra's attention for years no matter how horrible she was to him, Snowfall feels a little bad for Tundra in the beginning when Narwhal dies, etc) Nobody sees Ochre positively so it makes sense that Ochre is seen in a negative light all the time. In a way, it makes me kinda like him out of spite for that. It makes me want to see him as a deeper character.

(Bonus) How might I rewrite him?:

I feel like Ochre's foundation is good, he can start out the same way, but what would change is that he's slightly nicer to Fatespeaker. In this rewrite, he would have sibs that he was taken away from at a young age, and as a result, it stops him from being able to forming relationships with other dragons, Fatespeaker being nice to him makes him uncomfortable because he doesn't know how to express that he wants to be friends with her too, and that he wants to form a genuine relationship with her, cause what if he loses her? What would change is after his fight with Flame when Fatespeaker tells Morrowseer, Ochre should stop fighting, something resonates with him, and when he sees Viper falls into the lava, he still hesitates when Starflight tries to get him to save Viper but upon seeing how distressed she is goes to rescue her, but to his shock he's not actually fire proof and violently burns his talons fishing her out, afterwards he collapses on the ground in pain as Fatespeaker goes to check on Viper (Ochre's story doesn't change if Viper survives the lava or not but let's say for fun she does). Starflight and Fatespeaker lead Viper and Ochre to the nightwing medical place (I forgot what it was called) and see the state Flame's in, Starflight makes a comment about how Flame won't survive without the brightsting cactus and Viper makes fun of him. While the rest of the plot is happening with Starflight and Fatespeaker, Ochre, Viper, and Flame are stuck talking about their lives, and they spend the entire time arguing, then Ochre complains about being hungry. Starflight and Fatespeaker come back to take Flame to the rainforest, Viper and Ochre demand to go, but Starflight suggests that they shouldn't go as that would make them more suspicious but promises to come back for them. Starflight also mentions that they should try to distract Morrowseer if they can. They want to argue, but Viper is in too much pain to argue more and begrudgingly agrees. In the meantime, Viper and Ochre bicker with each other until Viper makes a comment on about her parents and comments on how Ochre would never understand, Ochre pauses for a bit which surprises Viper and decides to tell her about his sibs and how much he missed them and that he wants to see them again, Viper mentions that she wanted to see her parents again is very vague about it, not being in the mood to be emotional with Ochre. Eventually, Morrowseer comes storming into the medical den, and Viper and Ochre have to do their best, being critically injured and dying impression, Morrowseer comments about how useless they are in this state and how he has to get the stunted sandwing and the other mudwing. He tries to dispose of them but gets interrupted before and storms off. Afterward, Viper and Ochre start to feel a small shake, and then it feels like the room around them is falling apart, and then they both realize that the volcano is erupting. Ochre runs off, feeling his talons burn every time he does, then he pauses and turns around to see Viper struggling to follow him. Ochre pauses and thinks to himself before begrudgingly walking up to her and lifting her on his back. She hisses and tells him she doesn't need saving but doesn't try to get off him. He flies off trying to find Starflight and Fatespeaker when he sees a group of terrified nightwings running into a tunnel. Ochre heads towards them and sees Starflight, who express extreme remorse for not being able to find them in time, Ochre doesn't respond, and Viper hisses that it's better than dealing with Morrowseer, Starflight then tells them to just head into the tunnel and that he'll explain everything later, before heading into the tunnel Viper and Ochre take a glance at Sunny and Clay. Upon entering into the rainforest, Viper and Ochre get knocked out before waking up in the medical hut

In book five, Ochre, Viper, and Flame sit in the medical hut for most of the book. Viper hates being pampered by the rainwings, Flame is more withdrawn, while Ochre is living the good life gorging on fruits. Eventually, Starflight and Fatespeaker joined them, but Starflight's mostly unconscious, Despite this, the other false dod are not thrilled to hear that the prophecy is fake. They are a little amused that Morrowseer is dead, though. Everyonce in a while, Clay comes to check up on them, and Ochre is a bit enamored with Clay. Clay seems to be everything he's not, and he reflects on how horrible he's been to the others, especially Fatespeaker. He doesn't quite know where to start, so he offers Fatespeaker a piece of fruit when she's waiting for Starflight to wake, Viper taunts him for having to make the grand sacrifice of giving up one piece of fruit. The rest of book five plays out the way it does in the original, but when the dod needs to get the ToP, Ochre willingly volunteers this time, he still doesn't believe in the prophecy but he wants to do right by someone, he's not sure who though. The trip to the ToP stays the same, the only thing changing that he doesn't eat anything because it hurts his talons to do so. When Ochre gets back to the ToP, He decides to stay and awkwardly wishes Sunny and Tsunami good luck. And that would be the end of Ochre in arc 1. Eventually, I imagine Viper goes back to the ToP and gets reunited with her parents. In arc 2, Ochre would make a cameo in book nine, where he would be in the mud kingdom where Turtle briefly confuses him for Clay, he would be sitting with his sibs with a smile on his face.

Tl;dr: I like him because so little is said about his character that I like to speculate why and how that affects him

Fans of Squid and Ochre from the false DoD. Tell me why that is your opinion /gen

I miss Viper.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Hello! If you don't mind me asking, are you planning on watching House of the Dragon? I'm personally unsure about it. I was cautiously optimistic about it since D&D are not involved, but the recent casting news have been ugh disappointing imo. What do you think?

Hey anon! Sorry to say I kind of mind you asking because my inbox is still closed (to everyone except my secret Santas, which is why the ask page is accessible at all), but then I realized it’s possible if you’re on the mobile app only, you haven’t seen said note in my askbox, or my FAQ, or anything of the sort. And with older metas of mine being reblogged recently, it’s possible you may be confused. (I hope you’re on mobile only and not just ignoring my requests.) So I wanted to inform you of that... but also, y’know, I kind of wanted to make a post about the HotD cast anyway? And this ask is as good a prompt as any... so, you’re lucky, but please don’t push your luck. ;)

So, straight up: I currently have no plans to watch House of the Dragon. HBO is not getting any of my goddamn money, I don’t trust like that. And hunting down illegal livestreaming sites is a pain in the ass and I regret ever doing it for GoT, as well as regretting getting drunk every weekend enough to dampen my senses to ever tolerate that show. Yeah it’s different showrunners and writers, I know. It’s still (mostly) the same executives at HBO and even if the pervert producer is gone (or is he?), you know they still just want to sell sex and violence and dragons to an audience that thinks fantasy is for geeks.

Also, considering that Fire & Blood’s story of Dance of the Dragons has very little actual narrative or dialogue, and the historical record is deliberately untrustworthy, that gives them pretty much full rein to do whatever they like with the story and characterization and words without even being slightly obliged to GRRM at all. Furthermore, since the story is wholly political with virtually none of the magical side of ASOIAF (excepting dragons), and honestly does not have much in the way of themes or depth that main ASOIAF or even D&E has, I think it will be very hard for an adaptation to show even those brief sparks of quality that used to make me wistful GoT couldn’t be that good all the time and eventually just made me frustrated and depressed. Note I do like the history and characters of the Dance despite myself, despite its many many many textual issues, but I don’t need to see an adaptation, I have a very visual imagination. I don’t watch a lot of television to begin with, I don’t see why I should start again with this.

However, I’m not going to avoid spoilers or discussion, and I’ll probably follow the show the tumblr way, through gifsets and video clips and people bitching on their blogs etc. If, somehow, by some miracle of good screenwriting and acting, the show manages to transcend its source material, I’m sure I will be informed. And then, if and only if then, I may try watching. (Without, of course, giving HBO any of my goddamn money.) We shall see.

(Though I certainly don’t know why anyone in Targ standom would ever watch a Dance adaptation considering almost every Targaryen and everyone else in the story is terrible except Helaena and the kids, and considering how the story ends, unless y’all are gluttons for punishment? (I do not comprehend hatewatching, sorry.) It’ll probably be fun at first to see the adventures of those “precious silver douchebags” (to borrow a friend’s tag), but eventually rocks fall, everyone dies, including the girlboss you know you’ll hope the story will be changed enough that she succeeds. Just letting you know now, she won’t.)

That said. I’ve been following the casting news and I think the hate/fear/wild screaming is entirely overblown. Yeah, I know, but wait, just listen. On Friday I officially welcomed @naomimakesart to the “favorite character is now played by an actor who looks nothing like most fanart and is mostly known for wildly different roles” club. I still remember that day in September 2009 when my brother texted me “yarp”... and that right there is the thing. Yeah. Rory McCann looks very little like most pre-GoT Sandor fanart... but many fans grew to love him anyway. (There are some who never did, of course. And yeah the character went off the rails by the end, but truly, who didn’t. Having seen his audition, having spoken to him and heard him wistfully talk about book scenes he loved, I’m convinced if Rory had only been given Sandor’s actual scenes and such, he would’ve killed it. Sigh. Deep, deep sigh.)

And Rory isn’t the only one. Neither of the actors for Jaime and Cersei were considered “beautiful” enough at first. I recall very clearly people bitching about Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (about his nose particularly?) because they had wanted Tarzan-era Travis Fimmel to be Jaime. (Seeing people bitch because current-Fimmel isn’t playing Daemon made me laugh out loud for both BEYONCE?! meme -type “why would you ever cast him omg he doesn’t fit my headcanon Daemon at all”, and amazing amounts of fandom flashbacks.) Lena Headey was “too square-jawed”, “too mean-looking” (since at the beginning you should never be able to guess she’s evil), “too dark-complected”, “too mannish”, not at all attractive enough. (Tricia Helfer was the most common “but I wanted” for Cersei, btw.) And of course “they don’t remotely look like twins, ugh!” Note, there’s receipts for all of this, none of it is made up. (Unfortunately.) Those two actors are just the ones whose casting wank I recall most clearly, particularly because oh how the turn tables.

Also. You know, there’s a post with Matt Smith and Mark Simonetti’s TWOIAF Daemon going around with shrieks of horror... and I’m finding it maddening in a “am I crazy? am I  the crazy one???” way, because Matt looks like the painting. Their features are not that dissimilar.

Same deepset eyes. Same cheekbones of doom. Same thin lips. Same protruding chin. Same high forehead. Same invsible eyebrows ffs. Matt has a squarer jaw, and a longer more rectangular face, and a wider nose, but considering that Daemon’s features are not described in the text, and this is the only official ASOIAF artwork that shows Daemon’s face straight on, I can for sure see why he was probably shortlisted to begin with. And that’s not even getting into to his role in The Crown, which I’ve heard is very well played with politics and palace intrigue... and if you doubt Smith can play seductive/roguish and/or evil (depending on how you LARP as a Westeros historian), or look good with long hair... well. I do not want to watch the movie, but this trailer is disturbingly enlightening.

And as for Rhaenyra... y’all know this show is starting at the beginning of the story, right? When she’s a teenager? Not a voluptuous MILF? Yeah, Emma D’Arcy doesn’t look like a Magali Villeneueve painting (though who does, good lord), but you know who she does look remarkably like? Harry Lloyd.

Same jawline. Same nose. Same thin lips. Same sharp cheekbones. Notably, same kind of sharp cheekbones and deep-set eyes as Matt Smith. HBO evidently has a concept of a “Targaryen look” that’s a little bit quirkier than supermodel-Greek statue-gods on earth, yeah, fine. But it’s consistent, and they look like family, and that-- that is good casting.

And yeah, in a few months to a year or so, you’ll see them in costume and wigs and makeup, you’ll see them in motion and speaking lines, and go Oh. That’s different. Never mind. And while people will make fanart of the show depictions of the characters and those will probalby get popular, they’ll also keep doing fanart of their pre-show headcanons, and those too will be popular. (God knows when I draw or visualize book!Sandor, Rory does not come to mind, lol.) Either way, there’s no reason to panic. We’ll live.

(Though will we live well? Got to wait on the writing and showrunning for that, alas.)

[philosophicalparadox]

Dark Headcannons for the Demon Bois, part 1: predatory and dietary habits that are horrifying

You know what, I'm in a hard place right now so I'm going to try to elevate my mood by writing horror HC's because I desperately need to unclutter my brain so here it goes:

Mephisto/Samael

Is a viper, and functions as one.

Is venomous, and has highly hematoxic and mildly neurotoxic venom that causes massive internal bleeding and a sense of drunkenness. Kills humans in about 15 minutes up to two hours, depending on metabolism and level of invenomation. He has limited control of the amount of venom produced since he has no hollow fangs and doesn't inject the venom directly. Kissing him can turn into a kiss of death very quickly if he wants it to or if you're careless.

He uses camoflauge. His entire wardrobe is a bizarre form of blending in by standing out. Predators usually try to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. He takes advantage of this assumption by being very noticeable, giving his human onlookers a false sense of security. No predator would willingly draw that much attention to themselves, right? Again it's like a hyena - let all the prey know you're there and let them think they're prepared, and then wait for one to drop their guard and attack them from behind.

Alternately, bait them with a lure. Sex is a go-to and tried and true method for this. I suspect he takes a certain pride in eating succubi. They are after all usually the ones to be doing the eating.

Also viperish are his self defense mechanisms, but thats a post for another day

He is designed to be a Human predator, fundamentally. Humans are a prey species that requires a certain amount of specialization, so not many demons actually eat them except opportunistically. Samael is not one of them. His physiology and psyche are designed to prey on humans and human-like things. That being said, humans alone aren't terribly high a energy food source, and for a big demon, that is a big problem. That combined with the Vatican means most of what he eats prey wise are other demons. And half demons.

Samael in mythology was known for eating children. I suspect that the reason Samael has no or very few Nephilim is because he kills and devours them all, in effect re-absorbing any of his transferred power. It is too dangerous to have more than one of himself after all.

Many of his self defense mechanisms are also viperish but thats a post for another day.

Unlike Amaimon, Samael can not eat or digest carrion. He can manage to choke down something a human would get sick from but only because he has a few centuries of antibodies at least.

Amaimon

Kinda already did this but Amaimon is basically a hyena and a komodo dragon combined. He will gladly eat bones and rotten corpses. Including perhaps Naberius and other kin of Rot.

When hunting, Amaimon is a truly terrifying persistence predator. He isn't "fast" in long chases but he is strong and has a lot of stamina. He also has the sense of smell to track for a long long ways.

Being reptilian, Amaimon has an enormous appetite but a slow metabolism. He can go days between meals and then binge on whatever is there.

Amaimon is not venomous - he hardly needs to be, preferring to crush and maim prey to slow it down - but he DOES have intensely caustic stomach acid, which he can regurgitate to severely burn attackers or well armoured prey alike.

Due to his diet of dead things and life in the soil, Amaimon is a carrier of some pretty nasty bacteria in both his mouth and his innards. His saliva and fecal matter are biohazards to most humans.

Lucifer

Lucifer is a quintessential omnivore, akin to a bear or a skunk. Fruit, root vegetables, greens, and opportunistic protein.

Due to his body being in a constant disarray and the status of his intestines being dubious at any given time, Lucifer prefers simple protein sources - fish, legumes, rabbit, chicken - because they're easier to digest.

Also due to his bodily issues, he is one of few among his siblings that really couldn't survive without cooked food. Especially meat. Anything that makes digestion harder is something he can, and has to, live without.

Lucifer does not lack predatory instincts, but he has to be in a real state of desperation to act on them impulsively. That said, he functions perfectly well on his own in a solitary survival situation and has no reason to be remorseful about what he has to kill for his food. Or how he has to kill it.

Which brings me to an interesting point - tool use. Lucifer is fascinated by mechanical things and likes to create and build and do things with his hands. As a result, if he does hunt for prey, in a situation demanding it, he does so with traps and tricks and weapons of his own making.

Egyn

Egyn is very shark like and as such is mostly a carnivore, eating a lot of fish and bivalves - but he also LOVES fatty meats like beef and pork.

He thinks humans taste disgusting and they're too bony anyway, but he will bite if he is scared.

Egyn prefers soft foods that smell good. His sense of smell is his strongest sense, so if doesnt have an appealing odor he won't touch it.

Also has a slow metabolism but is not really as gluttonous as Amaimon.

Iblis

A firecracker that, like Lucifer, prefers food cooked.

Also an omnivore that likes carbs and proteins. High metabolism demands them.

Is not nearly as picky as Egyn or Lucifer but absolutely and passionately hates mushrooms or any other earthy tasting or bitter food.

Astaroth

Has the slowest metabolism of them all and rarely ever needs to eat. When he does, he greatly prefers to either leech (parasitic) or scavenge.

Leeching is done by way of mycellial contact. He is a very, very sneaky and silent predator that consumes the energy of his victims slowly and steadily, often knocking them unconscious with spores, or failing that, poisoning them with toxic mycelium themselves.

Despite the above, Astaroth rarely ever kills his victims. If he does so it's by accident (anaphylaxis) and he makes sure to "use" as much of their body as he can.

Whoo hoo that is a long post. Sorry for the Wall O Text but these ideas (most of which can be found in Savages as well) need to be freed unto the world.

[burningthemidnightcityoil]

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Eeyup. More Problem Sleuth.

This time isn’t so much as dissecting every little thing that pops out of that comic; I’m gonna break down the characters.

So let’s start.

PROBLEM SLEUTH

Rude; He even has a Meter telling him that his Politeness sucks.

His main stat is basically Charisma, but he is an impolite asshole apparently. But his “Diplomacy” is just him pulling out a can of kick ass. His first outing as actually being a Diplomat... and he cheats..

All, but one, of his Alter Egos is Female. Take that as you will.

And his God Ego is apparently a Goddess of Prostitution.

His favored candy is Candy Corn. Which has inspired many toward favoring the ill-gotten Halloween snack.

His Halloween special is basically him as a Vampire, with High Speed. I suppose he subscribes to the Sexy Vampire trope gig, cos actual Dracula does not have Charisma.

Good with one-liners and puns; though as we see with Frankenstein PI, it falls short at times.

Characteristically, he’s more related to Weasels; but he aligned himself with Elves and never shifted back.

He likes Knives

He gathered his team up by acting like a fool and swearing at them... and it worked.

His natural association with Angels or Angelic Beings, sexy bits, as well as dedicating himself to a narrative role of being a Noir Detective; puts him as a Hope Player.

His pension for Theft, Cheating, and having a Crew; possibly makes him a Rogue.

ACE DICK

Rude. No no, worse than Sleuth. Like, this dude punches people in the face as a Greeting to establish dominance.

His main Stat is basically Strength.

... And his Auto-Parry is to just take the full front force of the force by the force of his entire front.

And apparently his God Ego is the Devil? Likely, it has to do with all that indulgences and violence he partakes in.

He likes Chilli peppers enough to consider them precious cargo.

... There’s no telling if his Halloween gig is an actual Zombie, or it was just convenient for him to play Zombie, being an actual Zombie at the time. At least we know he likes Gummy Worms.

His imagination sucks, but that doesn’t mean he’s not creative. He puts what he has to use, and he’s appears to be very good with finances.

Of course his imagination sucks, he’s the Down to Earth guy.

But he’s also unbelievably gluttonous, and likely morally inept. Consider the fact that he hired Whores to come to his place of business to give him a good time.

Out of the entire Crew, AD suffers the most. He suffers a Salsa based transformation, he becomes a Zombie, he fuckin Dies, he has an entire life made by Death (don’t ask) which promptly falls apart in the worst way possible, he treats being assaulted by tentacles exactly how you expect if you got assaulted by tentacles, This dude is the “Reality Ensues” guy.

He’s the only one who figures out, why not just fuck up a guy when he’s in his fort? It doesn’t work, but its a good start. Points for trying.

All his Alter Egos that aren’t just copies of him, are Gay. Take that as you will.

The Dude fathered the Homestuck equivalent of both Batman and the Antichrist. That is a Horrifyingly bad or outrageously fantastic DC comic in the making.

Lots of fanfic gives his dude a dirty mouth. While the mouth might literally be dirty, Sleuth swears more than AD.

He has an attack that’s about eating / swallowing things, and he does use this against people (like Kingpin).

His association with the Physical, Feasting, disgusting sexy bits, being the least creative and kinda boring guy, but being outrageously physically powerful; Puts him as a Void Player.

On the ropes on which class he is.

PICKLE INSPECTOR

Exceedingly Polite. Second most polite guy here. The dude will play a game with Sugar Cubes as dice for hours, in fear of being rude.

His main Stat of Imagination is an odd one to deal with... but I equate it with Intelligence. Cos frankly, holding an image in your mind in such detail and logical deduction (consider his imaginary office), would put him firmly on the Intelligence path.

His Auto-Parry is him getting distracted. He-He gets distracted, in a life threatening situation. How on earth--

His Alter Egos are all honestly just him. In fact, half the Comic is about his Future / Past copies. His Gentleman Ego is apparently both more physically active, and more akin to ogling ladies. So that’s probably as far away from PI as your gonna get.

PI technically has 2 Godly Egos, but in this case, I’m counting one God Ego. And its Death, the Ultimate Reality. The other isn’t merely a God, but a fucking GODHEAD. That’s like, Deep Lore levels of holy shit. You’re getting into CHIM and Zero Summing. Game Over dude.

He likes movie Frankenstein’s Monster it seems, and he has an outrageous Strength stat as Frankenstein’s Monster. Which is odd, cos you think he’d be more in line with the Good Doctor instead. Hm...

If he needs help, he just asks.

He can’t solve Sudoku, don’t let him fool you.

PI seems to favor all sorts of candy.

Apparently, him being very Tall is prophecy worthy.

Most fanfics or roleplays give him a stutter. There’s no evidence of this in the comic itself, but interpretations are free to interpret.

He has an attack that’s all about staring at people.

Aspect wise, its very difficult to say what he is. Death is a Doom thing, but PI is very imaginative, which would put him somewhere in Mind-Hope-Breath-Life-Light. Considering he basically makes up the universe too, that’s Space and Time to consider. But if we break a few things down... He’s all about staring or seeing things or people. His Future / Past selves all come in various Primary or RGB colors. His imagination is Sight-Based, he imagines stories or objects, and his Godhead is merely the eternal Watcher. He’s probably a Light Player, as Light can travel Space, illuminating objects, whilst also defying time (Faster than the Speed of Light fucks Time up a lot). But his pension for Creation, his association with the Entire Universe, would likely make him a Space Player too. So more thinking and breakdown required.

Class wise... Hm... Well, he’s probably a Sylph; which in Homestuck case, makes PI the first Sylph ever. His character is associated with an entire environment, the imaginary realm, his fairy association is with Elves, and he literally makes things.

HYSTERICAL DAME

She seems nice enough, but boy she’s heavy on the old fashioned slang.

It seems that Alter Egos are very simple. They don’t have stats, or auto parries, and they share their Alter Egos with the Heroes Themselves.

Consider, however, HD’s case. All but one of Sleuth’s Alter Egos are female; which means instead that those Alter Egos are likely all Dame’s.

Which means that the Semidemonde Goddess is Dame’s Godly Ego, not Sleuth’s. Sleuth might not have one, it could just be his Sepulchritude and title as Arbiter.

HD should have her own stat, with associated candy.

She does appear to be ESSENTIAL. Cos she doesn’t die, she just gets knocked out.

This lady introduced the Lipstick Chainsaw.

HD is a very protective sort, and her first instinct is to provide aid.

But, she also has her own BERSERK RAGE (The Hysteria Meter). She’s like Dragon Ball Z’s Chichi in a sense.

Next to that, she’s a helluva a leader. She commands the Whores to serve as her Army (Which parallels the Goddesss’ own Angel army), and is the first on the attack toward Kingpin (Only when under Sleuth’s direct line does she actually fear him). She’ll even frisk MK’s corpse.

Physically Powerful; she can hold a lot of guns, one of which is the fuckin Hair Pin Machine Gun.

... So basically, PS made a lady who could and will kick his ass.

Rage Player. No questions asked. Only Rage Players have Berserk Modes.

Class wise, its a little difficult. But considering she bulks folks up when she meets him, I’d call her a Maid.

MADE OF RAAAAAAGE

NERVOUS BROAD

Literally, the Nicest. The nicest lady ever. of all time.

Her Nerves are on stage here. Be it merely being Nervous... or having fuckin Nerves of Steel.

And her case of the Vapors is her pulling out a god damn Flame thrower.

Teddy Bear. Knife. Commence Virtuous Mission.

This lady is armed to the teeth, and she’s one of the kindest characters here.

If Godhead Pickle Inspector is a reference to Acalokitesvara (”Holder of the Lotus” or “Lord Who Regards”), that probably means that Nervous Broad is Guanyin. ... The Goddess of Mercy.

She has seen everything that has come to pass and will come to pass, all at once, while falling into a Black Hole.

She can use the ASPECT CORSET to alter her height and proportions, and not suffer any ill effects afterwards.

Aspect for NB is like PI. Its difficult to discern, and I need to research more before I can determine exactly what her aspect is... Though the alteration of physical proportions likely turns her to Space.

She’s probably a Seer, thanks to that Event Horizon. 

Possibly more in the future...

[evolutionsvoid]

If one has read through my previous entries on Slimes, you should know by now that they are an incredibly adaptable and versatile species. Though they are just a heart and a pseudobody, their special signals and incredible slime allow them to create a variety of shapes and forms. From sticky Flayers who cover themselves in adhesive goo and bone shards, to volatile Fire Slimes that secrete flammable liquids and use gathered flint to light it all aflame! It is no surprise that this species has thrived and spread for so long! However, at times this versatility can lead to some issues. Like any other beast, Slimes are susceptible to parasites, disease and the ravages of time. Horrible things that can mess with their minds and hijack their signals. When a Slime is struck by one of these terrible fates, you either wish for a speedy recovery or a merciful death. Cruel as it sounds, things can become a real problem when these illnesses choose to linger. Be it parasite or virus, one can take over the form of a Slime and turn them into something even worse. I have written about Slime Dragons before, and how those abominations come to be. To quickly recap, Slime colonies tend to have buried networks of elder hearts that aid in reproduction and knowledge transfer. Slimes can physically connect to these networks to share nutrients, information or transfer their young. In most cases, these networks get along just fine, but age can start to wear on the oldest of hearts. As the decades pass by, an elder heart may start to degrade and fail. Most cases end with these dying organs being put of their misery and absorbed, but there are rare instances where the network is too late in realizing this weakness. In extreme cases, a fading heart may start to produce a "rotted signal," a droning message that is simple and infectious. Slimes use signals generated by their hearts to control their goo and communicate with others. They can share signals with one another without a problem, but rotted signals are not so kind. Due to their nature, these signals are capable of overwriting the signals of other Slimes and causing their hearts to pump out the same infectious message. All Slimes who come in contact with an infected heart or pseudobody will be hijacked and added to the collective. Slime Dragons are beasts that can result from a rotted signal taking over, but they are only one outcome for this dire situation. You see, a rotted signal is not just gibberish or useless noise, it often is a normal message that a Slime would use that has become corrupted. For Slime Dragons, the signal that births them is the same signal Slimes use when they are hungry or look to feed. It is a blaring message to consume that takes them over and creates this gluttonous monstrosity. So that means a different signal can lead to a different outcome, which is where the Slime's versatility takes a cruel turn. For each type of rotted signal, their is a corresponding abomination that is born from it, and each is specially equipped to bring a whole lot of misery and destruction. The diseased amalgamation I wish to write about today is known as the Mind Sink. While it is a network that has succumbed to an infection like a Slime Dragon, it is quite different from those slithering, hungering brutes. Their congealed and hardening slime will form skittering legs, and a bizarre frame. While its outside has grown dark and thickened by the corrupted fusion of so many Slimes, within this brittle cage will form a gooey writhing core. Here is where the infested hearts lie, and from there comes a multitude of flailing tendrils and snaring tentacles. I imagine it is a freaky sight to behold, and one I have thankfully never witnessed! The Mind Sink is one of these abominations I am most disturbed by, as it hungers for something more than flesh! The signal that becomes corrupted is the one Slimes will use to transfer knowledge to one another. It is a message that kind of says "can I copy your notes?" which the other Slime will agree to and they will share their information. When it grows foul, though, this message does not ask for permission. Rather, it becomes more of theft than a collaboration, as the infested Slimes mindlessly drain the information out of the victim. Slimes that are caught by these serpentine limbs will immediately be linked to the corrupted network and they will begin to draw out all their knowledge. In moments, the Slime will be emptied of all their information and thoughts, and will instead start to pump out the rotted signal. They will be pulled into the core and will join their infested brethren, ready to seek out the next victim. I know some may think that it is a rough process for the Slimes, and to that I must make a correction. It is a rough process for everyone, because the Mind Sink does not just prey on its own. 

It has been thought that the signals from a Slime's heart shares some similarities with the signals our brains create. While that is a whole field of study and wondering I am not well versed in, I can say that Mind Sink has given us a bit of confirmation on that. Mind Sinks not only hunger for the knowledge of their fellow Slimes, but they will target other creatures as well. Doesn't matter if it is man, beast or thinking plant, if it has a brain or a similar organ, it wants inside. Non-Slimes who are seized by a Mind Sink's arms will be entangled and immobilized in its grip. Coils of slime will pin their limbs in a cocoon, and slithering tendrils will seek out the source of the victim's thoughts. They somehow have a way of pinpointing the location of the brain and, once they do, they find the quickest way to access it. The point of entry is usually a facial orifice, be it nose, mouth, ears or eyes. They will burrow to the brain and the corrupted goop will make physical contact. From there, it will hijack the signals and quickly learn how to manipulate the organ, giving it access to their memories, knowledge and life experiences. With the mental feast now ready, the Mind Sink will say "I will have everything!" and start to drain. So far it has not been found if there is any order to what it consumes first, or if there is any logic behind it. Like a whirlpool, it just sucks in whatever it can. The mind will be siphoned away by this hungering mass, and the victim is quite powerless to do anything about it. When your brain is taken over by a gooey monstrosity, you aren't exactly in the right state of mind to fight back. Due to the difference between Slimes and species like us, the brain draining process takes much longer. Think of it like trying to transcribe an entire book in a language you don't understand. Yeah, you can do it by just copying the symbols, but it will take you longer. It appears that it takes a few minutes for a fleshy or plant-based victim to be fully emptied, and then they will simply be tossed aside. Those that fall to this awful fate will not have much of a mind left. Memories will be gone, any knowledge or skills they had will be wiped out and their own thoughts will be a scrambled mess due to the brutal takeover their brain experienced. Most become comatose, while some may flop around like a fish and babble nonsense. It is a truly horrible thing, and a cure or remedy has yet to be found. �� Due to how much longer it takes to fully feed off a victim, one can be saved from the grasp of a Mind Sink before they are truly lost. If one can sever the tendril that holds the prisoner and cut them off from the network, the slime will collapse in a useless heap. The connection with their brain will end and so will the drain. It should be noted that freeing a victim from a hungering tendril is just the first step, because the Mind Sink has a dozen more and it will be eager to reclaim its prize. Best to grab them the second they are let go and run as fast as you can! Severing this link before the mind can be fully consumed is certainly a good thing, but damages will still occur. It depends on how long they were being fed on, as that decides how much was removed from the brain. Those that were held for only a few moments won't notice too much of a difference after they have rested and recovered, but some things will certainly be lost. Probably a handful of distant memories and mental tidbits were taken, but they won't notice their absence right away. Those fed upon for longer will have patchy memory loss, temporary issues with physical functions and scattered thoughts. It will be like someone took the book of their life and ripped out random pages. Thankfully, the book will mostly remain, so that means recovery is possible. Physical therapy will be required for any functions that were damaged by the hijacking, and the mind will need some help too. Not only will they need to relearn lost skills and forgotten memories, but their mind will need to recoup as well. Meditation, therapy and other calming activities are needed to help them stabilize their thoughts and reorganize their scattered mental archives. Recovery is not the fastest thing, but time and patience will help heal the wounds and fill the gaps torn in their heads. No doubt now that it has become obvious that Mind Sinks are incredibly dangerous and need to be exterminated whenever they rise. These are diseased amalgamations that will cause untold damage and tragedy as long as they are alive, and there does not seem to be any peaceful way to resolve their rampage. Like Slime Dragons, the way to bring down these monstrosities is to target the original heart that is creating the rotted signal. That is where the signal is originating from, and the other hearts are merely mimicking it. Kill the source and the others will soon fall silent, causing the fusion to fall apart. When it perishes, all the other Slimes are set free, but they won't be the same as they were before they were assimilated. All the knowledge they had was taken by the Mind Sink, and where all that information goes is quite random. As far as we know, all that it absorbs is held in a condensed mess of noise and thoughts that is shared by all the consumed hearts. Its mind eating abilities may make it seem like it can take memories and knowledge then use them against their foes, but that isn't the case. They do not weaponize what they take, they don't even seem to pay the stolen information any mind. Their own mind is like a garbage can, and anything they get their tendrils on is just chucked inside without a second thought. They don't want to use it or interpret it, they just want it. So with all this knowledge shoved into one mangled ball of mental energy, there is no telling what belongs to who or who belongs to what! When the Mind Sink is terminated, all that knowledge is fractured and dumped randomly into the freed hearts. The Slimes who emerge from the collapsed amalgamation will have a stew of memories and thoughts that are not their own. Some will be completely different from before, while some will be fumbling with the fractured mess they have been given. Not only will they be mixed up with their own selves, but there can also be a whole bunch of information that was stolen from non-Slimes that is now stuck in them! Some may be in bits and pieces, while some Slimes can have whole chunks of a person's life inside them! There is a tale that has gone around about a monster slayer going out to kill a rampaging Mind Sink. He failed to defeat the beast and was consumed by it, but eventually someone brought it down. What was brought back to his family was an empty shell, and they cared for him in this comatose state. The family prayed that one day he would get better, that somehow his mind and faculties would return. One morning, his wife heard someone walking around the house and his voice started to call for her. Believing that a miracle had been granted, she rushed to him only to find him still in his bed and still in a coma. What walked in to greet her in her husband's voice was a Slime, who had somehow wound up with a big chunk of his memories and personality. I personally don't think this story is true, because the ending to this tale has several different versions. Some say she took the Slime as a replacement for her husband, while others say she killed it in horror on the spot. I have heard some say that the Slime returned all the memories to the comatose husband and he was cured, but that one is certainly fake. It would be nice if that could happen, but Slimes are incapable of putting things into our heads like that. Our minds are like colorful sandpaintings, and the Mind Sink just reached in and yanked out handfuls of it. Can you just take those fistfuls and put them back so easily? I say that about returning memories and how that is impossible, but then I remember that there is an exception to that: the Slimes themselves. While they can come out all scrambled, it is possible for the Slimes to rearrange themselves back into facsimiles of their old selves. Slimes can already transfer stuff to one another, so they could puzzle out what parts belong to who and then sort them out. I have no clue how you can tell if a memory is yours or not, but then again, I don't have the ability to copy and share my brain (I wish I did, though! It would make teaching so much easier)! So Slimes can return what was lost between them, but they will still wind up with pieces of non-Slime information. What they do with this is unknown and up to who wields it, but some believe that Slimes have gained portions of their knowledge by recovering stolen thoughts from a Mind Sink. Supposedly an ancient Mind Sink fed upon human settlements and was finally slain, and the Slimes that emerged claimed all the knowledge and skills of its victims. Could it have happened? Maybe. Do I believe it? No, because I do not like the light it paints Slimes in. The theory is essentially saying they stole all their knowledge and wisdom from others, and proposes that they couldn't have come across this any other way. Seems more like it is derogatory towards Slimes than it is trying to learn more about them. Doesn't help that the people I have met who believe this theory have all kind of been jerks towards Slimes. After all this talk about Mind Sinks and their horrific abilities, I bet some think that I can offer tips on how to kill one. In truth, I got nothing. Take out the original rotted heart and the rest falls apart. How do you do that? Not really my department there. I am a researcher not a warrior, and I personally don't want to be anywhere near one of these things. As someone who has spent years learning and seeking knowledge, the concept of a brain-sucking monster is absolutely terrifying to me. All my experiences, all my work drained away in minutes, reducing me to a mindless vegetable! No thank you! I like my thoughts right where they are, and I got enough of a scatter brain already! The only way I want to share my knowledge is through my writings and teachings! Read my life's work, don't yank it out of my skull! Speaking of that, I better watch my tongue. Enough talk about a mind-wiping monster and Eucella might hire one and sic it on me. It would be way easier to chop up my writings and sell a book if I was brainless idiot! Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian - You know I read these, right? This is not helping your case in the slightest. And also you might want to drop the "if" and change the "was" on the brainless idiot part.     - Eucella - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slimes, Slimes, I love Slimes!