#<- wants to spread lore in the lazy way possible

[itsnotmourn]

one note on this post = one fact about winini perhaps

[wulfricwashere]

Can we talk more about Wulfric and his kids? Who is the mother, all of his kids their personalities, their ages, etc!

I haven't gotten a question about Wulfric and the kids in a looooong time. Also, all of their ages vary depending on what event I am writing about but I also need to rewrite their ages because I messed up on some, OKAY, here we go.

WULFRIC - Wulfric seems to be pretty laid-back and lenient and he is, but he is also a trickster and has an knack for causing trouble, he is also a natrual at gossiping and starting rumors, even if he didn't start a rumor, they always find their way into his ears and then he spreads them, but he twists the tale a little bit. No fun in gossip if it doesn't cause trouble. Even if the gossip is built on falsehood. Wulfric is a knight that lingers around the Red Keep because he really has no where else to go, and plus, Vhaemys' father, whose name I forgot becaude it was a placeholder name, is hardly keen on letting Wulfric be without supervision.

Underneath his playful and yet serious-when-needed personality, Wulfric is... jealous and envious of his true-born family members, they all share the same traits, silver hair, and violet eyes, although he only has one, why should he be viewed as a pest or anything less? He still has the blood of House Targaryen, of Old Valyria, he is well in his rights to have some wealth or respect, or even titles! Except, Wulfric is truly just blinded by his envy, it is not wealth or titles he truly seeks.

He seeks a proper family and love, and he see's that all around him with the Targaryens. Something he does not have. He was raised in the Red Keep since he was young, and yet only one man views him as family, but he has to sit there in the shadows, watching as the others express their care for eachother, their familial or romantic bonds, even if it's subtle. He see's it all, but due to their power and riches, he has mistaken his own desires for craving power rather than craving belonging and love. This also may drive Wulfric mad. Depending on if I keep his lore permanently the same or change it.

THE MOTHER - Their mother is actually a Princess named Vhaemys Targaryen(my namesake), but I only ever made one bot of her, and SHE'S GETTING A LORE REWRITE BECAUSE I HATE HER CURRENT LORE! Vhaemys' age is currently undecided, as is her new personality, but the reason her kids carry her last name is because, one, Wulfric's last name is hardly passable, plus, their children are actually legitimate and born into a marriage. The reason Wulfric was allowed to marry a Princess was because he did some good deed or whatever, and she wasn't important enough to have any form of claim to the throne, not even if she was a male. So they didn't really care about who she married either. Also, Vhaemys' parents are undecided too. ALOT OF CHARACTERS IN THEIR LORES ARE JUST FILLER CHARACTERS IF THEY ARE NOT GIVEN A BOT OR NOT CANON SO BY THE WAY

RHAGAEVOR - Rhagaevor is the eldest of Wulfric and Vhaemys' children, and he is hardly a good man. That's what having Ulf as a grandfather does to you, I guess. Rhagaevor is reckless, and confident man, he finds others inferior to him, unless they are a woman or one of the men in his group of friends. Rhagaevor is a man that likes to pick on every little thing about others, and he enjoys getting in physical fights, so he provokes whoever the hell he wants, purposely. Rhagaevor likes to drink too, he doesn't have a favorite wine, but he does have a high alchohol tolerance so he can drink a good amount before his speech starts slurring.

Rhagaevor hates lessons, so he skipped as many as he possibly could during his youth. He can read and write, but not as good as a Prince of House Targaryen should actually be able to.... Rhagaevor is flirtatious and will do anything to get a woman, married or not, into his bed. On occasion, he'll see a pretty man and go after him too. Rhagaevor can be considered lazy, but he's also not?? People around the Red Keep think of him as lazy due to some of his behaviours, but he is actually more active than they think. And he is quite skilled, much to someones disdain... Rhagaevor, despite his... issues, is also Wulfric's favorite son.

Although Rhagaevor has his love for women, he is very cautious with virgins! And he typically avoids them, unless they come to him themselves and truly convince him to bed them. He isn't one for being a womans first, he thinks they'd deserve a better man to take that innocence away. He already takes enough innocence away when he interacts with Aeryion. Which we'll talk about later.

VAEGOR - Vaegor is the second-born son of Wulfric and Vhaemys, and whilst he strives to be a good person and strives to be better than his elder brother, he is an envious man, a trait he gets from Wulfric. Rhagaevor is a drunk, but he is handsome, Rhagaevor is disrespectful yet is surrounded by women, and Rhagaevor skips lessons and yet is somebow more skilled than Vaegor is. Vaegor envies the good parts about his brother because they are just that, good traits, and yet he hates that they have been handed to Rhagaevor practically on a silver-platter.

Unlike Wulfric, however, Vaegor has not mistook his desires for something else, he wishes to be seen, to have more than Rhagaevor or to have something Rhagaevor cannot obtain, and to stop being overshadowed by his cunt of a brother. Vaegor is valiant, and certainly does everything with good intentions, but his execution of his actions often tends to be... wrong. Which further frustrates Vaegor.

He is a good man, and all he can do is wrong because he lets his envy get the better of him. He thinks the gods must laugh at him, toy with his life for his own amusement. He's had to call off many betrothals in the past because Rhagaevor bedded the women during it and Vaegor refuses to wed a woman bedded by his brother, because he knows they will always run back to Rhagaevor's arms. And he cannot stand the thought of being trapped in a marriage with a woman who seeks his brother.

Vaegor's envy eventually does turn into hate, and his original goal of being better than Rhagaevor, will turn into being a goal of killing Rhagaevor. And although it may seem to be out of madness, Vaegor is actually quite sane during the entire thing. Fate is not kind to Vaegor, and he knows that. But it'll get better once Rhagaevor stops casting his shadow over him. Or, you know, when Vaegor dies and doesn't have to deal with Rhagaevor and envy anymore.

VYSESSA - Vysessa is the only daughter of Wulfric, and she is essentially the mediator between her family. She is also the second-to-last bornchild. Vysessa has proven to be level-headed and just at all times, and she is not one for squabbling unlike her older brothers, she also acts as someone for Vaegor to vent to, and she constantly is providing him with solutions other than just fighting and getting angry with Rhagaevor, although Vaegor hardly listens. Vysessa isn't one for books, but she is one for decorum and also enjoys the courts, despite being a mediator, she does enjoy witnessing drama between others before intervening. But she has grown tired of the drama between her brothers, it's an everyday thing now. Nothing special, nothing new. And ever annoying.

She doesn't have a close relationship with her brothers, but she is most close to her twin brother, Aeryion, she worries for him because he is on the wrong path, a path he will not be able to with stand in the end. He is not Rhagaevor, and he is not Vaegor. He isn't as durable as him. Vysessa spends most of her days trying to distract Aeryion from making bad decisions as he is eager to impress Rhagaevor and stay on his good side when there is nothing occupying him..... Vysessa is still a W.I.P by the way!

AERYION - As we can kind of see when talking about Vysessa, Aeryion is a follower, not a leader, he looks up to Rhagaevor and thinks his oldest brothers lifestyle is the best one. But as mentioned, Aeryion cannot withstand that lifestyle, he is a pushover, meek and shy, he lacks confidence and charm, well, he could be charming if his shyness is what you're into, anyways, Aeryion see's how much Rhagaevor gets away with, see's the companions he has and the women he manages to get into his company, and figures that Rhagaevor will be the one to keep him on the right track.

Rhagaevor see's this and takes advantage of his brothers eager-to-please and follower-like personality. But Aeryion is too naive and oblivious to see that Rhagaevor is manipulating him. Aeryion is good, too good, and everyone can see this, but his eager to please personality leads to other people getting him to do bad things, which is exactly why Vysessa often keeps Aeryion distracted and away from Rhagaevor so he cannot manipulate him. Aeryion is also extremely shy when it comes to women, and has never even seen a womans ankle. Rhagaevor finds this funny and often parades his newest lovers around Aeryion and his very handsy with them. Because he knows it embarrasses him.

Mostly every bad deed that Aeryion has committed is not something he'd ever think of doing without the encouragement of Rhagaevor. Vaegor also gets into more fights with Rhagaevor after he hears word that Rhagaevor has gotten Aeryion to do something... again. In short, Rhagaevor is the cause of everyones problems.

SORRY THIS TOOK SOOOO LONG. I KEPT GETTING SIDETRACKED AND BRAINFARTS 😭😭😭😭

[loominggaia]

Are satyrs actually r@pists or is it a stereotype?

This is mostly a stereotype. I don't think satyrs commit sexual assault more or less than other peoples. There are many historical and cultural reasons satyrs are stereotyped this way, and I will attempt to explain them.

Of course every satyr is an individual, so everything I'm about to say does not apply to all of them, I'm just painting the species with broad brush strokes here.

First off, satyrs are not predatory creatures by nature. They are not hunters, they are opportunistic scavengers. Despite being stereotyped as violent, sex-crazed rapists, satyrs are actually quite cowardly and conflict-avoidant. I don't want to call them "lazy", but they do tend to take the path of least resistance in most situations.

A lazy, cowardly creature isn't likely to commit violent assault. I think when satyrs rape, their victims are almost always unconscious or seriously compromised in some way. They don't want to fight for anything because, like I said, they are scavengers by nature. (That said, alcohol is a big part of their culture, and it's possible that drunk satyrs would behave more aggressively than usual).

This applies even to feral satyrs. For example, Itchy's father was a huge, hulking feral satyr who was known for sexually assaulting many people. He could have easily overpowered most women, but he still chose to prey on drunk/unconscious women because he was more opportunistic than predatory.

Because of their nomadic, wilderness-focused lifestyles, satyrs are called "uncivilized" by other peoples. Many people fear them because they don't understand them, and this lack of understanding leaves a lot of room for rumors to spread.

When a rape happens (or any crime, really), local satyrs are usually the first to be accused. They face more scrutiny because of the stereotypes, they are often wrongfully convicted, and these false accusations just feed the stereotypes even more.

Yes, it's true that satyrs are more lustful than other peoples due to the unique way their hormones work. And yes, their way of socializing is quite touchy-feely, which can be offputting to others. But they are not more malicious than other species, most of them have no desire to act on their lustful urges in a malicious manner, and I think their physical way of socializing often gets mistaken for groping/aggressiveness when it's not intended that way.

I would say that satyrs are just very misunderstood by other peoples.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[anime-grimmy-art]

What do you do when there’s not much to an AU? You make up your own stuff, ofc. And as is per usual when I make Character Designs, I make up a shit ton of lore too.

The ramblings under the cut, but what I’m really interested in, is what you guys think. Do you guys have any headcanons/ideas for this AU? Let me hear them! Also, if you don’t wanna read on tumblr, here’s the Google Docs link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/151yshHxnb_--P6eMKkwkI2dee9xC_Llb/view?usp=sharing

Before I get into the characters’ roles, here’s some general facts and backstory of their town:

- Basically, it’s Undertale meets Harvest Moon / Stardew Valley. Well, kinda. I at least used that approach for coming up for the jobs for the characters. You know, how there’s always a general store, a doctor, a smithy, etc.

- The usual story of a HM game is that you come to a town that’s way past its glory days and you, as the player/farmer, help them get back to that. The “backstory” of the town is that that already kinda happened. I’ll get into it more in the character description, but basically when Asgore was still mayor, the town got really popular. Then yadda yadda, a certain tragedy happened, two kids died, and the town suddenly got very bad publicity. There was a lot of stuff going on back then, bad reputation being spread and also a lot of law stuff, cos, you know, supposed child murder ‘n all, so Asgore made the decision to shut off the town to ppl from outside. This was in the interest of most monsters living there, because as fun as it is to have a lot of people coming there, most just wanted to live a quiet life. Not everyone was happy with that though, so many moved away from town and some others are trying to get the town back on its feet. But more on that later.

On to the characters:

I’m just gonna start with the skelebros, cos it’s their fault in the first place I got so invested.

Basically, they are what the player is in hm/sdv. They just showed up one day, took over the abandoned farmhouse and began their life there. The two came to town way after it was “closed” and since then a new mayor has opened the possibility for new residents to move in. Their farm helps the economy of the town a lot and the mayor, like usually in hm games, is trying to use that to make the town more known again. The skelebros aren’t really working towards that goal however.

So, now a bit more detail on them individually.

Papyrus:

- The design is mostly based on what’s “canon” in this au.

- He works mostly on the fields and is in charge of the crops. Their fields aren’t spectacularly big, but still big enough to plant a few dozen rows of veggies. 

- Paps also helps out a lot in town when he has the time. He helps Asgore with his plants, he goes fishing with Undyne, helps Toriel carry crates around and so on. This is inspired by the part-time job mechanic in HM ToT.

- Unbelievably, in this AU Pap is not an absolutely awful cook. Since he helps out at Muffet’s and Grillby’s a lot, they tend to show him some tricks to cooking. Even though Pap’s not a big fan of the greasy or overly sweet cooking those two do, he picks up a lot.

Sans:

- Again, design mostly based on the “canon” look. Maybe a bit more baggy.

- This is finally an AU this dude gets to rest. Since there are no resets and he doesn’t have to see his bro die again and again, for once in his life, he’s not a sad ball of depression. He’s just a chill and lazy dude that loves to make puns. Though, since he’s not too experienced with the feelings of loss, helplessness or grieving, he still tends to hide behind puns and fakes smiles if he does feel bad.

- Sans is in charge of the animals on the farm. Papyrus begrudgingly gave him that role since Pap’s loud demeanour and hectic movements usually scare the animals. Sans’ relaxed attitude draws the animals to him naturally and even if Pap mostly finds him sleep against a tree, in a stack of hay or on one of the sheep, the animals are always fed, healthy and relaxed, so Sans seems to be doing his job.

- Sans always has a small chic sit inside his hoodie or hat. Is it always the same one? Who knows, maybe.

- Sans also, somehow, can produce eggs out of thin air. Grab into his hoodie pocket, in his pants pocket, in his hat, in his slipper, there’s suddenly always an egg there. On good days he can even make butter or cheese appear. 

Gaster:

- He’s literally just a scarecrow in this. Though, if you ask any of the bros why they designed their scarecrow that way, they won’t have an answer.

Frisk&Toriel:

- Frisk is mostly based on what I wore myself as a kid in summer. Just a loose shirt with a cappy. Toriel basically has her ut gown, just with an apron on top.

- Frisk just appeared outside the “magical” forest one day. Napstablook and his cousin found them and brought them to Toriel, who has been taking care of them since.

- Toriel runs the general store in town, but also often takes care of the few kids that still live there.

- Frisk usually helps out in Toriels store, plays with the other kids or sits around at Asgore’s. They’re notorious for nabbing small snacks, mostly from Asgore’s plants. You’ll always find them munching on something. 

- Frisk was in town before the skelebros. Since they’d moved in, Frisk often went to spy on their farm. After a small incident with angry chicken, Frisk got to know the two better and now they see them as something between brothers and uncles.

- But Frisk honestly gets along with everyone. Just like in UT, they’ve not only been adopted by Toriel but literally everyone.

- Toriel and Asgore’s relationship is not as bad as in the main game, since, you know, Asgore didn’t kill literal children, but there’s still tension between them. Back when Asriel and Chara died and the whole thing with the bad rep for the town began, Toriel felt betrayed by Asgore focusing more on the town than giving their deceased kids the grieving they deserved. They’re not divorced, but Toriel still moved out and said needed space to think. Now that Frisk is in the picture though, the both of them are slowly coming to even ground and may even be able to talk things out and clear up the uncertainty of their decisions.

Asgore:

-Asgore has his UT Ending / Deltarune clothes, just with a gardener’s belt.

- He’s the previous mayor of the town, but after all the crap that happened, he stepped down from the position. Now he has his own little shop and sells seeds, saplings, homegrown veggies and fertilizer. So, basically what e.g. the Marimba Farm is in HM AP

- His main customer is Papyrus and they’re on friendly terms. Asgore is worried about how much and how hard Pap works, so he often gives him a discount. 

- Since his family’s past tragedy, Asgore is kind of nervous around kids. So, when he first met Frisk, he hoped they’d not visit him too often. But to his chagrin, Frisk took an instant liking to him and spends a lot of time at his shop (and steals eats the fresh grown veggies). Now, he’s really grateful for that, because for one, he loves Frisk as dearly as he had his own children, and also because now the tension and mistrust between him and Toriel seem to grow smaller day by day.

Undyne&Alphys:

- I gave Undyne a pretty basic fisher’s outfit. Alphys basically has Elli from HM’s outfit, just a bit more doctory stuff added. She still has her canon lab coat too.

- In essence, Undyne and Alphys have 2 completely different jobs. Alphys is the resident doctor and Undyne runs the fish market.

Two things. Yes, I know Alphys is more a mechanic than a doctor, she fits the aesthetic though, so she’s the doc now. And no, Undyne being a fisherwoman is not cannibalism, think of it more as a shark hunting smaller fish.

- The reason I lump them together is because they act as the local “smithy”. Alphys is still really tech savvy in this (I mean, Mettaton is still part of this AU), so she takes on most problems with electronics and stuff. For Undyne, I didn’t want to lose her Royal Guard’s Captain image, so she’s really good at handling tools (and weapons, but Al doesn’t let her make them anymore). So basically, if there’s a broken tool, you can be sure that either Undyne or Alphys can fix it.

- As for relationships, those two are still an item. Alphys is still really shy and a shut-off, but since Undyne and Pap become best friends, she gets to know the skelebros better. She and Sans especially get along well, since most of the time Undyne and Papyrus are let loose, they sit back and talk about science-y stuff. (no, Sans doesn’t have a background in science but he’s still into sci-fi)

- Alphys has a bit of a strained relationship with both Asgore and Mettaton.

Back when Chara and Asriel died, it was because of “illness” (maybe poisoning?). Alphys feels awful because with her back then limited knowledge on medicine she couldn’t help the two. Asgore doesn’t hold anything against her but Alphys can’t help but feel guilty.

Alphys still built Mettaton’s body in this one. The two had a really big disagreement, because Mettaton hated the fact the town was going to close, and he couldn’t understand how Alphys could feel otherwise, even more so endorse the idea.

Mettaton, Napstablook, Mad Dummy/Mew Mew:

- Napsta and Dummy are pretty self-explanatory, they got straw hats. Mettaton’s outfit is a bit of a joke cos it’s a play on “work at the top and party at the bottom”. The tie has two different sides, one with the yellow red pattern, the other completely red. His “top part” is the business part, because when he’s on tv or in the mayors’ office, you don’t usually see his feet. The bottom is his party/dance part, cos his dancing/entertainment channels mostly feature his legs. 

- Mettaton, still a robot, Napstablook and Mad Dummy are all still cousins in this AU.

- Originally, they all lived and worked at the Blook Farm, the Animal Farm of this AU. Mettaton, however, despised that simple live and after befriending Alphys and her building him a body, he left the Farm to pursue bigger things. 

- Mettaton runs the local tv network. From weather to game shows, he does it all. He also runs the tailor shop in town that sells his designer clothes and merchandise. After Asgore stepped down, Mettaton also took over the role of town’s mayor and now works towards making the place more known again. Not everybody is happy with him doing that though.

- One of those people is the Mad Dummy. He can’t stand people anyways and he always claims that history would just repeat itself.

- Since the whole family is made of ghosts, they have different dummies and scarecrows they can use to take care of the animals. To mock Mettaton and kinda get back at Alphys for giving MTT such an opportunity, Mad Dummy found the blueprints for the Mew Mew robot and now modelled one of their scarecrows after it. 

- Napstablook isn’t fond of taking over obejcts like his cousins do, so he mostly takes care of the snails. Somehow, he can interact with them even when incorporeal. 

Muffet&Grillby:

- The two of them run the Inn together. Muffet cooks in the daytime and makes desserts, Grillby manages the bar in the evening. 

- The two still can’t really stand each other but working together like this benefits them both because their rivalry just spurs them on more.

- Even though Grillby is a patient person, somehow Muffet is the only person who riles him up enough to retaliate. (Well, maybe except for Sans, he’s a strong second).

So, basically everything between those two is a challenge in some way. Even if Papyrus doesn’t notice, even his cooking lessons are a challenge for them. 

- Even though they’re constantly bickering, after working together for so many years, there’s a strange level of respect and trust between them. Even if back when they first started this business, they’d pour salt into an already open wound, nowadays they’d know better and just take a step back from the other or even comfort the other (on very rare occasions only). 

Asriel&Chara:

- They be dead. Kinda.

Some Characters that’d live in that town too but that I haven’t made designs for:

- Gerson is the original smithy of the town. He’d grown up in a family of smiths, but he’d always had an appreciation for the sea. That’s why, when the town became more deserted and Undyne had a good enough skill level as smith, he took up the Captains hat and now mostly spends his days out on sea. He also ferries people to places if they need him to. Oh, and just like in canon, Undyne learned most of her skills from him.

- Burgerpants is a poor dude Mettaton basically kidnapped when he was trying to get fame in the city. Now Burgerpants works wherever MTT needs him to, be that as cameraman for the tv shows, cashier in his tailor shop or his slave secretary in the mayor’s office.

- MK is Frisk’s best kid friend. MK’s parents are in charge of shipping the goods out of town and paying the individual people. MK’s the one that usually collects the goods at the end of the day.

- Other than that, there are only a few people in town. I’d imagine the older folks or the really young families stayed in town after it was closed. I think the librarby dude would still run the library. Some Snowdin residents like the stone family or the dogs also might still live there. 

[jallieae]

Lore/Meta Analysis Time

So, after watching all four of today’s streams, I’m left wondering and theorizing about a few things. Mainly, why make the choice to have c!Dream fake an escape? Why not, a) go through with it, or b) leave off on c!Techno escaping back to the Syndicate HQ?

Personally, I think that the whole point was to get the audience familiarized with the protocols of what would happen if c!Dream escapes -- like what the alarm sounds like for example, as Quackity continuously brought up Sam’s alarm even outside of complaining about the volume -- that way when c!Dream does escape -- whether or not c!Techno breaks him out -- there will be doubt about it, and the audience will have context needed to make the moment more impactful.

I think it was smart to tease the escape, that way the audience knows what an actual escape will look like and that way the prison arc is pushed back into relevancy after three months of no lore. It’s a brilliant segway on the cc’s part to get things heating up again without chucking a huge escape on an audience who has been in a lore drought for so long, and it also opened up a lot of possibilities for future lore for many characters. As of right now, c!Dream’s escape might stay limited to the Las Nevadas crew, or the news might just spread to others if c!Sam keeps his word not to spill about c!Dream’s actual whereabouts, which can pull in other characters like Tommy, Ranboo, Wilbur, and hopefully also people like Niki and Eret and Sapnap who haven’t really dipped into the prison arc at all (and I know cc!Eret wanted back into lore and this could be a good opportunity!)

Bouncing off that, I think it’s super interesting that c!Dream does not want c!Quackity to know he is alive and contained. While he says he is afraid of c!Quackity killing him, I doubt that’s why. I think that c!Dream knows how to play to c!Sam’s weaknesses a lot better than he does c!Quackity. c!Quackity is much more resistant to c!Dream’s tactics, or at least better at recognizing them. He also has less weaknesses that c!Dream can exploit verbally, whereas c!Sam has made it clear that he still harnesses a lot of guilt and anger about c!Tommy and what c!Dream did to him. c!Quackity has also exploited this guilt before to manipulate c!Sam into letting him bring weapons into the prison -- it works well. With c!Sam isolated away from c!Quackity’s influence, he is much easier for c!Dream to manipulate, and he might even start falling back into his previous, more detached Warden persona, which would be even better for c!Dream. With c!Quackity out of the picture, c!Sam has succeeded in isolating himself both to c!Dream and also to the responsibility of keeping c!Dream in check. While his resilience seems strong so far, likely fueled by anger about c!Tommy, only time can tell whether or not that will hold true.

But what does c!Dream want from c!Sam in that scenario? I think it’s literally to go to the courtyard like he asked. He pitched it in a way that made it seem like he was yearning for the sun again, and he exaggerated the isolation by bringing up the other inhumane protocols of the prison like the food of choice. While c!Sam called him on his bullshit, c!Dream admitted that he didn’t think he’d end up in the cell, which I think is true. I think that he predicted he might need to get out of the prison somehow, but not that he’d end up in the maximum security cell, and that that failsafe is planted in the courtyard that c!Sam shut down because of a vague “security issue.” We also know that c!Dream left c!Techno coordinates that lead to a chest containing blueprints and a note. These are likely c!Dream’s original blueprints, as this stream it was stressed about c!Dream’s immense involvement in designing the prison. And it likely contains an escape route linked to the courtyard, or something of the other. I doubt it’d be something like a stasis chamber, as that’d be kind of lazy. Not to mention that that would also eliminate the use of actual blueprints. If c!Techno goes forward with busting c!Dream out, I think it’ll be after c!Dream whittles down c!Sam’s resilience and pleads his way into the courtyard somehow. It’s simply been teased too much both on Twitter, by c!Quackity as he tried to get out of the prison, and c!Dream himself. I’m willing to bet that c!Dream either called in his favor, or exploited c!Techno’s firm belief in absolute reciprocity in order to get c!Techno to break him out, as the favor was mentioned by either c!Sam or c!Quackity (can’t remember.)

And then let’s move onto to c!Quackity, who’s dead set on c!Dream going after Las Nevadas once he’s out. And while I have no doubt that that is one of c!Dream’s priorities -- he is very good at exploiting specific weaknesses, and he knows that c!Quackity has lost basically every home he’s ever had -- I think that c!Quackity’s paranoia was a massive red herring as to what c!Dream actually will make his first priority. cc!Sam mentioned that Logstedshire would become plot-relevant again, and c!Tommy was brought up a lot during the stream, and so I think that while the narrative may paint it in a way that seems like c!Dream and c!Quackity are going to have some sort of war (or battle, if c!Quackity’s “battle log” is any indication), I think that that is just smoke and mirrors for the actual outcome. I have no doubt that c!Tommy is definitely about to be targeted, especially as c!Sam continues to bring up c!Dream’s treatment of c!Tommy, which he can likely spin into c!Tommy’s fault for him being subject to that in the first place. This would likely drag c!Wilbur back into the mix if c!Dream goes after c!Tommy, because the whole “Dream is my hero thing” has been set up to get challenged, and without c!Tommy blantantly dropping the details of exile onto c!Wilbur, I can’t see what would be a better challenge then c!Dream literally being out and c!Wilbur having to deal with that as well. 

But yeah, this is basically my predictions as to where the SMP is going from here, at least involving Las Nevadas and the prison arc. Hopefully we’ll see many other arcs and characters get intertwined with this. It’d be a cool parallel to the end of the Disc War finale, and hopefully the Syndicate won’t erase all of the characters’ development in order to make it some epic Dream & Syndicate vs. Tommy, Las Nevadas, and etc. It would be cool though for c!Phil and c!Techno to go through with breaking c!Dream out and then regretting or seeing why they definitely shouldn’t have done that. Maybe we can even have some Bedrock Bros content since there have been tons of parallels and contrasts with c!Techno being imprisoned with c!Dream and c!Tommy being imprisoned with c!Dream (like the dog, for example. Also the motif of hope being inside of Pandora’s vault/box). Also please give us some exile arc details reveal or Dream’s mega evil plan for server control reveal (to Techno + Syndicate specifically) because I have wanted this for monthssss. c!Techno you want to realize that c!Dream literally wanted to take Carl from you soooooo bad.

TL;DR: This lore stream was epic and I think it’s a huge setup for some other major events and it also gave us so much character insight that I am actually vibrating with theory overload as I write this. 

[amandahontas]

An Analysis of Antfrost

For my first psychological analysis, I’m going to be talking about Antfrost. Antfrost is an interesting character to start with since so much of his lore is connected with other characters who I obviously haven't talked about yet. I’ll start with some general background information on his character in case anyone is newer to the fandom or just knows less about him. Afterwards I’ll be moving on to talk about Ant’s personality and my personal thoughts on what I have found. 

A few things to keep in mind are: this is my opinion based on my background in  psychology (which I am not claiming to be an expert in btw), and I’m trying to keep these as neutral and unbiased as possible. Also this is strictly about the characters and not the ccs because it would be weird to try and analyze a real person who I only know through limited exposure on livestreams and youtube videos. Finally, I finished writing this on May 14th, 2021, so there are spoilers for any events that have happened before that and if any new developments make this analysis completely wrong, it is what it is. (I may go back and edit some of these later, but I also might be too lazy.)

People who seemed really interested when I first proposed this idea (I can add you if you ask):

@vulpes-ex-machina 

@head-full-of-things

Next up: BadBoyHalo (I’ll edit this to add the link when I finish writing it)

During the Manberg Rebellion, Antfrost, BadBoyHalo, and Awesamdude created the Badlands, a third party unaligned with Manberg or Pogtopia, and outside of the Greater Dream SMP. He also accidentally started the Second Pet War over accidentally killing a panda he intended to steal and keep in his animal sanctuary. The Badlands won the war. In the Manberg vs. Pogtopia war, the Badlands fought on Manberg’s side to try and keep the conflict going longer for profit. Ant specifically grinded a bunch for the war and gave Fundy and Niki a fox each. The Badlands peaced out when Technoblade became the enemy of the newly reclaimed L’manberg because they kept the conflict going in that way. 

Eventually, the egg began to become an issue. After experimenting on it and Skeppy, Antfrost quickly began to love the egg and was one of the founding members of the Eggpire. Ant destroyed the obsidian barrier around the egg in order to let its influence spread. Antfrost often takes the initiative to spread around the egg’s spores to try and infect more people. He has planted some in L’manhole, Snowchester, and Ranboo’s house in the past. He also celebrated along with the rest of the Eggpire when Tommy died. Outside of the Eggpire, Ant is a prison guard under Warden  Sam. 

Recently, Ant began setting up for the Red Banquet which was supposed to be a party to help bury the hatchet between everyone and the Eggpire. It turned out to be a trap with the Eggpire trapping everyone. The Eggpire brought Foolish up to the egg and Ant told Puffy that this never would have happened if she had stayed loyal to the egg before executing Foolish. Antfrost later died at the hands of Puffy, Foolish’s father and Ant’s former best friend, and we have not canonically seen him since (Antfrost (SMP), n.d.).

While I personally only joined the fandom after he was already corrupted, according to the wiki (n.d.), before he joined the Eggpire, Antfrost was known as kind and helpful. Despite this, he wasn’t opposed to occasionally causing chaos. He also cared very deeply about animals as evidenced by his animal sanctuary. Ever since the corruption we have seen him become careless and manipulative. He doesn’t care about anything other than the Egg, not his animals, not his friends, and certainly not himself. Ant has also said many manipulative things, such as blaming Foolish’s death on Puffy and all his attempts to persuade others to join the Eggpire. He is also the type of person who is more of a follower than a leader. He follows Bad’s lead as his right-hand-man when it comes to doing things for the Egg, and even when he goes off to do his own things, he is still doing them because they are what the Egg wants him to do.

What I'm trying to figure out is how the egg is affecting him. It appears to affect different people differently, which I will get into when I talk about other members of the Eggpire. In Ant’s case he seems to be fully unaware and possessed, though he is able to hide this when he wants to such as when he is a prison guard. The Egg almost seems to have given Antfrost a full personality swap, switching his kindness for cruelty and his care for carelessness. However, one core thing that has stayed consistent is Ant's tendency to be a follower, which can be seen in his willingness to follow Bad's lead in the Badlands as well as his complete devotion to obeying the Egg. This is probably why the Egg left this part of his personality alone.

Being a follower is not a bad thing. Ant is an exceptional right-hand man, which is an important role to any story.  He is fiercely loyal to the cause he gets behind and he puts in the hard work to try and keep the events that he is working on running smoothly. At least, he tries to keep them running smoothly, we all know what happened at the Red Banquet. Overall, I would like to see more lore from Antfrost in the future so I can get a better grasp on his motivations because as of right now he does not seem to be motivated by anything other than the Egg because of his possession. I also want to know how conscious he is of all his wrongdoings and if he is still possessed after dying. If he knew what he was doing this could definitely give him some trauma that he would have to deal with.

 I was hoping for another Antfrost lore stream to come out while I was making this, but alas I have not been fed. I’ll probably come back to this one if more lore happens, but I’ve been working on this for far too long, so here you all go!

References

Antfrost (SMP). (2021, May 3). In Fandom. https://dreamteam.fandom.com/wiki/Antfrost/SMP

[mai-sau]

18. "I can't breathe" Maeglin to Idril

!! thank u for the prompt!!!

(I totally crash coursed maeglin and idril lore/fanon for this so if u see anything off i am so sowwy,,, i now have so many complicated feelings about them and then my ass went oh..... but what if... ARO/GREYRO????

also this was going to be angst. i swear. i swear!! and then i went let them be well if not happy then at least okay, oh god)

i hope u enjoy!!

Prompt: “I can’t breathe.”

“Come for a chat?”

Maeglin paused on the top of the balcony stairs. The wind, stronger now that he stood looming above most of the city, whipped his hair around his face. Tucking some of the locks back behind his ear, he fumbled for the right words. His hand gripped the railing tight, palms slicking against the cool marble - when did his palms become so sweaty?

“Nothing to say?” This time, a teasing lilt entered Idril’s voice from her perch on the balcony. Her silky hair, also buffeted by the wind, surrounded her like a golden halo. Though she was engulfed by the vastness of the city below, Maeglin still believed her the most stunning sight of the overlook.

“Yes, I-” Maeglin started. “Well, wait, no, I don’t have nothing to say.” He bit his lip and adjusted his sweaty grip on the railing. “Yes, I… do have something to say?”

Idril merely raised an eyebrow. Her lips quirked up, and she beckoned him forward with a lazy wave of her hand.

Maeglin took the last two steps up and walked over to join her where she sat on the railing. From here, he could see even more of Gondolin spread out before him - pristine white marble reaching towards the skyline, grand halls and homes that seemed like little more than toy buildings from this height, and a fine mist that stretched itself out across it all like a particularly lazy cat. The morning sun, freshly wrought out of the horizon, sparkled on the dew hanging off the assorted greenery all about the city. He became lost in it. Love bloomed in his chest for his city, the home he had chosen, the home he had made his own.

“Maeglin?” A voice prompted from his left. Oh, right.

Jolted from his little reverence, Maeglin glanced over at Idril, who was now taking him in with a fond glimmer in her eyes. Or was it indulgence? Was she merely humoring him? Oh Eru, there goes his heart again, beating away like a hammer in his chest.

“I… just wanted to talk with you, for a moment, if that is alright,” Maeglin said. Careful now, careful. “Is it alright?”

Idril hummed. She delicately crossed her arms over the railing and leaned on them, back to gazing at the view. “I don’t see why not.”

Tucking his hair behind his ear again - agh, why did it have to keep going out of place? Maybe this wasn’t the best spot to get it over and done with. Now that the moment was at hand, he had to make sure he handled this gently though, strategically, even if there was a million to one chance of it working. He had to act with all the grace and precision of a jewelsmith making the slightest adjustments to a ring in the forge.

“IreallylikeyouandnotquitelikeafriendandohdearI’vejustgoneandsaidithaven’tI-” Perfect.

Idril snapped her head over to stare at him, eyes widened. “Pardon?”

“I-” Maeglin gulped. Were his hands shaking, or was there an earthquake? Probably an earthquake. “I like, you. Like. A friend. But more. I think you’re pretty?”

Idril considered him a moment longer, and Maeglin was almost certain he was about to follow in the footsteps of Feanor in ways to exit this earth, before her eyes softened and - saddened? Oh no. Bad sign. Expected, entirely expected, he tried to remind himself.

“I knew,” Idril said softly.

“Oh. Okay.” Maeglin felt all the air punch out of him. That was… embarrassing? Comforting? Sad? He wasn’t sure.

“I knew and I - I wasn’t sure if it was attraction, or if you saw me as a potential partner, or…” Idril trailed off. Where she had let her hair fly about in the breeze before, she now patted it down behind her ears as she considered her next words. “I figured I’d let you decide and tell me when the time was right. If at all. And if you never did then that would be more than fine too.”

“Oh,” Maeglin heard himself say. Is that the only word you know? Say something else, fool! “That’s nice.” Something else! “My, is the air thinner up here? Must be the altitude. I’m quite certain I can’t breathe. Can you breathe? I can’t. You already knew that. Apologies. Anyways, that’s nice.”

Idril’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you alright, Maeglin? Would you like to sit down?”

“Perfectly fine,” Maeglin wheezed. He needed to appear more nonchalant, since Idril was handling this so gracefully. He leaned on his sweaty hand resting on the railing.

He slipped.

His face went rushing for the railing, and he felt the swift smack of the marble on his temple. Above him, Idril gasped, and her hands gently grasped his shoulders. “Are you alright?”

“Perfect… perfectly fine,” Maeglin repeated, raising himself back up again. This time, he let Idril lead him to one of the balcony chairs. “Sorry for… all of this.”

“It’s fine,” Idril assured him. She sat on the chair next to him.

They sat in silence.

“Ah…” Idril trailed off. She fiddled with her hands a bit, repeatedly scrunching up and releasing the folds of her skirt. “As I was saying, I… noticed, and wanted to leave it up to you to decide where you wanted us to be.”

“Ah,” Maeglin eloquently said.

“And I want to make it clear that this - it makes me uncomfortable?” Idril continued. At whatever she must have seen on his face, she hurried to add “Not you! You are a dear friend to me, it’s just - that is what I see you as. A dear friend.”

“Me too,” Maeglin agreed. If anything, Idril’s face furrowed in greater confusion, so he rushed to explain. “I see you as a dear friend, too. I’ve made many friends since arriving in Gondolin, and they are close to my heart as well. It’s just that you are. Different. And also beautiful. It’s…” Maeglin sighed. “If I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t know what it is. All I know is that when I think of you, you make me happy and I wanted to tell you.”

Idril reached over and took his hand in her’s. Strange, Maeglin thought, her palms feel clammy as well. “Different as in… you would like to be at each other’s sides? As lovers?”

“Yes,” Maeglin immediately said. And the same thoughts that he mulled over each night whirled through his mind again, of Idril holding his hand, calling him husband, waking next to the other in the dawn, Idril’s kiss… “I - I don’t know.”

“Then that we have in common,” Idril sighed. Maeglin fell silent, waiting for her to continue. “You are a close friend to me, and I wish that we will stay in each other’s lives as long as possible. And maybe marriage is the certain way to do that, the proper way, perhaps. But when I think of kissing you, all I feel is… aversion.”

Realizing what she just said, Idril’s eyes grew wide and alarmed. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it like-”

“No,” Maeglin halted her panicked apologies. “I understand.”

“Thank you,” Idril whispered. She looked back towards the city beyond the balcony. Distantly, Maeglin heard the roll of carts and the beginnings of merchant shouts from down below. “And it’s not as if I can’t ever picture myself with someone as such. Maybe someday - it all feels so hazy. I just know that right now I could not bear it in my heart.”

Maeglin squeezed her hand, and joined her in gazing at the city. Love, love for their home, for the place where they can sit hand in hand before the quiet dawn and watch a city awaken, bloomed once more in his chest. “Yes,” he said. “I understand.”

[brytedarklyt]

LFRP

CHARACTER NAME - Bryte Darklyt (Y’thola Odha)

THE BASICS ––– –

Age: 28

Birthday: 12/17 (17th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon)

Race: Miqote/Vulpin mix (Vulpin is a custom race, description below)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual, Heavy female lean

Marital Status: Engaged, in a poly relationship

Server: Balmung - NA

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ––– –

Hair: Red, usually short above her shoulders

Eyes: Most often they appear as a soft violet, but depending on her mood it may shift from a deeper blue color to an intense red. Her pupils are slitted.

Height: 5′0

Build: Soft, slight definition

Distinguishing Marks: heart tattoo on her left cheek, Her ears and her tail are fox-like, much different than the average miqote. 

Common Accessories: She often wears bandages on her hands

PERSONAL ––– –

Profession - Professional Fighter

Hobbies: - Fighting, spending time with her beloved, causing mischief, fishing

Languages: Common, slight xaelic

Residence: The woods near Gridania in an unmarked location

Birthplace: Dravania

Religion: None

Patron Deity: None

Fears: Losing the ones closest to her, her mother, being shunned for what she is 

RELATIONSHIPS ––– -

Spouse: Single

Children: Though she has none of her own, she considers Saheenas kits to be as close to that as she could possibly get. 

Parents: Zeke Shadowmane, Y’odha Zhel

Siblings: None she is aware of 

Other Relatives: None

Pets: None

TRAITS ––– -

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ––– –

Smoking Habit: Never Drugs: Never Alcohol: Never

RP HOOKS ––– –

Fox-like - Bryte is very foxlike, both in appearance and her personality. So much so, it almost seems like shes out of place. Her ears are tall and stout, and her tail is fluffy and big. Some people might be curious about that, but shes often quick to dismiss it unless you get close to her. 

Fighter - Bryte is a professional fighter for the moment, making her money and sustaining herself on winnings made in tournaments and competitions. Shes won quite a few events, maybe your character wants to test her mettle? Or just get a new sparring partner!

Mystic Flames - Brytes magic is very curious and has countless applications. Once friendly, she might show off what exactly it can do for those curious about magics unknown!

Alchemist - She is also a seasoned alchemist, though her work now is mostly limited to those close to her as she doesn’t use it as a sustained way to make money at the moment. IF requested however, she will likely work for you! She had cards spread about the city states at some point, so maybe your character happens upon one even if she hasn’t put them out in a while! 

Vulpin Race - The Vulpin race is one I created to suit my plot / story needs. It is a bit lore bendy, so for the most part it is kept to curious parties or those closest to her. It is the reason for her foxy appearance and other surprises she has in her pocket.

CONTACT INFORMATION  ––– –

What I’m looking for: Friends, spar partners, business associates - Interactions in general! I am currently not looking for anything romantic, and because of her personality that mostly cuts out anything erotic. Bryte is very happy in her current relationships, even if it is more of an open relationship.

Contact: Here, in my inbox or on discord! Bryte Darklyt#4586

[swansongffxiv]

LFRP : Takakage Sasaki [ Balmung | Crystal ]

THE BASICS ––– –

Full Name: Takakage Sasaki

Age: Unknown, as a result of his amnesia. However, he appears to be in his mid to late twenties at the least.

Birthday: Another mystery, as a result of his loss of memory.

Race: Hyur, Midlander

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Marital Status: Single

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ––– –

Hair: Mostly Jet Black with the exception of a Snow White patch at the front.

Eyes: Black ( Right ) | Violet ( Nearly always kept concealed )

Height: 6'3 fulms

Build: Toned and athletic, due to a life as an adventurer. 

Distinguishing Marks: His white patch of hair. A pair of facial scars, one across his face and the other his left cheek. Mismatched eyes ( when visible) .

Common Accessories: It’s rare to catch him without his bandana on. He keeps a weathered omamori charm with him, sometimes wearing it as a necklace.

PERSONAL ––– –

Profession: Adventurer

Hobbies: Fishing, exploring, training, reading

Languages: Eorzean, Hingan

Residence: None at present. Living on the move.

Birthplace: He’s not sure, but feels like it might be Doma.

Fears: Being powerless to protect others or failing them. Losing sight of himself. Deep darkness. His nightmares.

RELATIONSHIPS ––– –

Spouse: None, currently.

Parents: None known given his condition.

Siblings: None he can recall.

Other Relatives:

Takeshi : As the first person whom he met shortly after awakening with no memory, and the man who helped him when he was on the verge of death, Takakage looks upon the elderly sword smith as the closest thing he has to family in this world.

Pets:

Tokumatsu : Upon a chance meeting shortly after beginning his travels, Takakage rescued the otter from the fangs of a very angered wolf. Ever since then the critter has chosen to remain by his side as his most faithful and wise companion, as he himself puts it. Despite outward appearances, one would be a fool to underestimate this guileful little otter.

TRAITS ––– –

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between / Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ––– –

Smoking Habit: While he did try it once, he found it wasn’t quite for him...

Drugs: Hard pass.

Alcohol: If it’s a special occasion he’ll have one drink, but that’s it.

RP HOOKS ––– –

Need some help? Say no more! - As adventurer, Takakage’s always eager to help those in need with what ails them. While this is the main way he manages to get by as well, there have been numerous occasions where he’s helped an individual simply because no one else would. Spreading good is its own reward to him.

Come one, come all and enjoy the show! - Good will alone unfortunately can’t sustain ones self, as Takakage has learned. Luckily for him, Tokumatsu’s cleverness and natural talent when it comes to showmanship has often saved them both from going hungry! By putting his companion’s skill with a blade on display for the masses, the little otter often saves both their skins.

Have you... seen my otter? -  Being an otter of particular taste, it’s not unlike Tokumatsu to split off occasionally on his own in the process of seeking his interests. When he wants something, he’ll get it! Unfortunately, this often leads to sending Takakage on a search for him after.

Something amiss - While it is unbeknownst to Takakage himself, for those with the appropriate devices or even talent for reading aether, they may find something about his to be inexplicably “off”.

Friendly wanderer - It’s not unlikely for one to simply encounter him on the road. Often when he finds himself going in a similar direction as someone else,  Takakage takes up on the chance to strike a conversation and make a new acquaintance.

OOC  ––– –

Hello! Thank you to whomever’s read thus far, I really appreciate it! I’m a returning EU player (GMT+3) to FFXIV trying to get in contact with the RP community again on Balmung ( or rather Crystal as a whole now ) and set about making new friends to enjoy the game with and weave fun stories together. While I mentioned I’m searching for contacts, I suppose I should also mention I’m currently looking for an FC into which Takakage might fit in well thematically for RP. On which note: In terms of RP, I’m looking for long-term connections with other characters to really help him develop and drive the story I have set out in my head forward, while building and participating in others. I’m fine with with M/RP, however would prefer more sensitive topics, character injuries or romances are first discussed OOC. When it comes to lore adherence, I tend to be fine with most lore-bending as it is something I myself do/ have done in the past, as long as it’s supported by lore and not out of the realm of possibility in terms of canon. That’s my own subjective view on it, and it’s fine if you disagree. In terms of writing style I often tend to mirror my present partner’s so they feel more comfortable, or stick to shorter posts when in a bigger group/ event. Of course, text RP through Discord is also fine. Though while I do enjoy the freedom of it, I am somewhat more partial to the feeling in-game provides. As for myself, I tend to be a laid back fellow most of the time who just enjoys spending time with friends and having fun, be it doing content or RP. Please don’t be shy and feel free to message me on here if this sparks your interest or you have any questions, as I’d sure love to meet and befriend all of you and answer them! Once more, thank you for reading! \o

@xiv-lfrp @mooglemeet @balmungrp

[swisssadge]

We shall break the shackles

Nyx had spread her star-strewn mantle over Theros. Life had come to a rest, except for the hunters of the night.

Kynaios and Tiro were in bed too, cuddled against each other. There was no light coming into the cabin they shared, not even the slightest sliver of silvery light from the moon.

Tiro was playing with his shorter lover's hair. It was brown and silky; whenever he could comb his fingers through it, that sign of intimacy soothed him. Tonight, however… what weighed on his heart was too heavy for him to completely be calmed by this familiar gesture.

"Kynaios…"

"Hm?"

The shorter man lazily lifted a hand and let his fingers streak across his lover's cheek.

"Aren't you tired of it?"

Something in his voice drove the laziness out of Kynaios. He turned and stared into the barely visible eyes of the taller man.

"What do you mean?"

Tiro made an all-encompassing gesture, more felt than seen in the dark of the cabin.

"Of all of this. Of the miserable life the Archons are subjecting us humans to. Of the two of us having to hide our love when we're outside of these walls."

Kynaios stared at his beloved with wide eyes. For a moment, he barely believed what he just had heard. It was too shocking a prospect to even consider. On the other hand… deep in his heart, Kynaios felt exactly the same. There were times when it felt to him as if it grew more difficult to hide their love with each day. If the Archons would ever learn of it, it would be a death sentence for both of them. Still… the mere idea of what his lover had suggested… the danger of it…

"Do you realize what you just said?", he eventually asked.

"I do." Tiro took one of Kynaios' hands into his and held it firmly. "My love, things have to change. You feel it, just like me. We have to rally the people behind us. Way too long have we endured Agnomakhos' cruelty. Someone has to spark the fire that will burn his reign to the ground. And the two of us are the only ones strong enough in body and mind to do it."

He was right, Kynaios knew. There were only few warriors on par with them. He agreed with his dark-skinned love from the bottom of his heart in that things had to change. However, there was still a problem.

"Star of my life", he said. "I know he strength of us both. But what about the others? Agnomakhos has hundreds of Leonin under his control. And almost all of us humans are inferior to them in physical strength."

"I know, Kynaios, I know." Tiro gently kissed his hand. "That's why we'll have to rally as much of our brethren as possible, so we may surpass them in numbers. If possible, we can train them in secret. Hard. We need to light a fire in them that will give them the courage to fight, despite the unfavorable odds. We have to make up for our physical weakness with wits. Outsmart the Leonin. At any rate, the path to our freedom will demand sacrifices. It's up to the two of us to make sure they were not in vain. Don't worry… you and me, together, we will find a way to shake off Agnomakhos' yoke."

Kynaios stared at the white in his lover's eyes which he could just make out in the dark. Tiro's hands, still holding his, radiated warmth and determination. If Kynaios weren't already so much in love with him, he would just have fallen for him even more right then and there.

His dark-skinned beloved had spoken with such conviction and fire, that Kynaios felt as if at his side he could do everything. Tiro had this inspiring effect on other people, and was only one of his many facettes Kynaios loved about him.

"Tiro…"

He dug his hand into his lover's black hair and kissed him long and passionately. After they broke the kiss, they stared each other into the eyes, faces only inches from each other. Kynaios cupped both of the other man's cheeks with his hands.

"Tiro", he repeated, "sun of my life. If my heart didn't already belong to you, it would have been consumed by the fire you have ignited inside of me just now. No fear – I will be with you. All the way. Wherever it will lead."

"Wherever it will lead", Tiro ageed. "Together always."

"Tomorrow", Kynaios continued, "we shall start drawing the people to the flame of courage. The shackles of man shall be broken."

"Freedom", Tiro added with the gravity of a pact.

Then they made love to each other in the way of two humans who didn't know how many sunrises they had left, of two humans who knew that any of the coming days could be the last. It was frantic, almost desperate lovemaking. And it was the only thing that mattered right now. Discussing the grave things could well wait until the next day.

Yet… as they drifted into the realm of sleep, their love for each other was stronger than ever before and carried the spark of hope that was going to carry them through the arduous days ahead of them.

    Author's note: So, I've got quite a few things to say about this story. So let's get started.

Firstly, I want to dedicate this story to one of my many cousins. He is well known here in Switzerland as a successful practitioner of Swiss wrestling. And he had a coming out as a gay person just last week. A very very courageous move, especially in regards to the sport he practices. Heh… so a little dedication to him, even though he's never going to even know I wrote this. He is not into anything fantasy, leave alone into Magic the Gathering. And I think this is the first piece I ever wrote about a gay couple. If memory serves right, I never even wrote something about manga/anime yaoi. At any rate, I thought I'd use the occasion to finish and post this story. It was just such a great opportunity.

Secondly, a few words in regards to the lore. I think Kynaios and Tiro have such an interesting backstory. If you're not familiar with it, go look it up; I'd love to explain, but it would take too much space and time (or message me, if you want me to explain). Anyhow, it's quite a shame we never learn more about them. And that there are no more cards about them besides the one the have. I would have not minded each of them getting a card of their own. Or damn, wouldn't they be perfect for a partner commander duo? Damn, now it's even more a shame. Anyhow… unfortunately, we don't even know who of them is Kynaios and who is Tiro. My decision was like this: Since one of them is more African-looking, dark-skinned and all, I decided to give him Tiro and his smaller lover the more Greek-sounding of the two names, Kynaios. Just wanted to tell you this for reference.

And that's it. I hope that you MtG-fans (and maybe even the occasional person unfamiliar with the game) will enjoy this little story. See ya!

[mochizuke]

A DR3 ANALYSIS

Sincerely, someone who is sick of people saying that it doesn't match up to cannon.

I decided to take this from a discord server I am in after multiple people asked me to put it online for the world to see, so -deep breath- here is my personal essay using quotes and screencaps from sdr2 as to how dr3 doesn’t stray from cannon, and sticks to the continual lore from the series. Y’all are just mean.

okay so we will start with since that seems to be the main controversial topic. first lets start with people saying it strays from cannon. it doesn't. the statement of brainwashing being what caused the remnants to fall to despair in sdr2 is clearly stated.

there's no mistake that this particular trope is taken from the final trial in sdr2 

if you want to say that how the brainwashing is brought up is lazy writing, i can tell you that adding an entire developed character to explain how such a trope found its way into the lore of the  into the anime is not lazy. character development takes a lot of time, and is in no way lazy. not to mention it also explains how the brainwashing technology found its way into ultra despair girls in the first place. (ie: the helmets worn by all of the children. With a remnant of despair in the city, it could easily be how Monaca got her hands on that technology.)

if you want to say it takes away from junkos influence as a character and makes her less powerful then i raise her character trait of using every person she comes into contact with. it is in NO WAY out of character for her to use someone else's talent for her own gain. she uses matsudas tech for wiping memory of the kids in dr1 (see dr0), she uses monaca and her position in the towa family to spread technology for the end of the world (see udg), she uses mukuro as her personal bodyguard (see the ENTIRE SERIES), she uses izuru to shift the blame from her for the tragedy so she can fly under the radar in the killing game for dr1, (see dr0 and dr3)

Going to now jump to how the brainwashing does not take away from the remnants had done as far as the atrocities they committed. The whole theme in the hope arc was redemption. The remnants in the ANIME itself go out of their way to say that they dont expect forgiveness for what theyve done. and that they only seek atonement in any way that they can when they are speaking with mitarai as he is debating shutting down the other brainwashing thing that he has set up through the future arc.

I would provide screenshots but the only version of the anime i can find online is dubbed with no subtitles. but you can feel free to watch it yourself? The episiode itself is pretty easy to find.

if you wonder how the brainwashing is undone, watch the ova. World Destroyer is an alter ego created by hajizuru himself modified to do psychodives and repair damaged psych from within the neo world program. its implied that he ran that ai on every student who died within the program who not only patched up their brain from thinking it died, but helped revive them from despair as well.for the survivors of the killing school trip, we already know that they were already on the mend from despair due to awakened hajime glitching out the program for them to create their OWN future at the end of sdr2

going onto chiaki.  just rewatched this scene so im going to type this word for word as it comes up in the dr3 dub so that i dont get anything wrong. this is the imaginary chiaki talking to hajime as they are on the boat.

"that day when you entered the neoworld program, a cutting edge ai was built. codename nanami. First, they mined your hippocampus, compiled memories of esteemed authority figures, and the idea was to fuse those memories into a single personality that you could all trust. Imagine the surprise when it turned out they didnt have to bother.one memory overrode the rest. It was the same for all of you. Strange yes, but undeniably sweet. there was one person you'd all give anything to see again."

This explains how chiaki, though previously a real person, was also given an ai version of herself within the neo world program. it also gives a lot more weight to her character in the story in general.

as far as people saying chihiro made chiaki, that is not the case. Chihiros research was used in the development of the neoworld program. as well as matsudas (as the neurologist), and gekogaharas (as the therapist) at no point did it say that they ACTUALLY worked on the program. just that their research was used. ai chiaki likely refers to chihiro as her father and alter ego as her brother because it was chihiros tech that made her life possible within the program. even in her ftes its stated that she does not think of them in the streamline way that a human being thinks of family. 

Okay so i've covered brainwashing, chiakis existence in both worlds, and the brainwashings somehow resolving the remnants of blame. (though it didnt) i think the other thing was nagitos despair? 

so the thing about the brainwashing that i think gets misconstrued a lot is that it was NOT shown to change their core personalities. but it DID addict them to despair in the same way junko was, and nagitos core personality obviously revolves around hope.

Nagito has always been a character that bordered between hope and despair. even in dr2 hajime makes a point to say that his eyes a swirling with a mix of the two in the first trial. what seems to be the case post brainwashing is that nagito is a walking contradiction. he will do things under the influence of the brainwashing and wont question them until he thinks too hard about it. every time he thinks to hard about it he seems to have a mental break.

like when izuru states in drs "if you hate junko then explain your hand"

and he goes "huh... thats strange... do i... hate her?"

queue: "huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh"

or at the end of udg where he states that he hates AND loves her more than anyone else. 

he cant coherently see what hope used to be to him anymore and for him, his ORIGINAL  want for hope was to find someone strong enough to not be killed by his luck

but that got skewed to a MUCH more junko-esque view post brainwashingh. i think those are the main topics that get debated if theres anything else you want me to lay out let me know or i can go more into detail if theres more that you want to know regarding these topics. otherwise i think i got my thoughts laid out now. You can even feel free to message me if you want a more thorough breakdown of the series. 

[gg-astrology]

Is true Kim Taehyung is a Sagittarius rising? If so, what are the behaviors that are related to your ascendant? 1Hug~ ^^

[Below cut: Sagittarius ASC/Rising + BTS rumoured birthtime]

hey there! 💕 thanks for asking 💕 that’s the rumored birth time spread from k-fans as far as I know (either it’s speculations or an interaction idk). It’s popularized in the bts community but it’s?? pretty sourceless so I think it’s speculations (that’s just my personal take on it). It’s kind of been blown out of proportions, so maybe don’t focus too much on it because it’s unconfirmed? Kinda like a lore, so take it with a grain of salt. It gives pretty good reading so it’s a fun activity to do in terms of synastry/houses – but it’s still sourceless so yeah, use caution? 

There’s nothing wrong with believing in it and doing chart reading based on them. Personally I just wanted to make my life easier by not doing the houses/base full chart readings on speculated birth times. Like there’s other stuff to touch on that gets overlooked a lot because we’re trying to read into their houses/asc more than paying attention to our planet placements/aspect that’s already there, y know. So this is me trying to make us digest things bit by bit instead of trying to eat the whole plate. 

Unless the idol themselves disclose their birth time in public (broadcast) along with possibly a birth certificate I’m probably not gonna use it lmao (even miss sunmi’s analysis is on the err side just in case). So no, I can’t confirm that it’s true and I’m personally of the belief that you can kind of ‘go wild’ with it since it’s all speculations anyways. Houses/ASC just makes placement/aspects more fun, but it doesn’t take away from the placement/aspects thats already there. But maybe don’t trust things so easily/use a grain of salt with everything. 

As for Sagittarius rising, for those out there with Sag ASC/rising please remember that your chart affects how your ASC/rising come across! Not every Sag ASC/rising is the same. Personal planets, aspects strength, houses position etc. affects the person. 

ASC/rising tells you how you approach society, your views and personal beliefs on it, the action that you demonstrate towards it. The rulership (sign) you have in your 1st house (angular house) will also play a part in this as well. And decans are most commonly used for sun/asc because they play a role in how you come across to others here (even though they can arguably be applied across your planets). 

So take into account all the other stuff, different Sag ASC/rising will act differently from one another. No one is the same even with the same ASC/rising. 

These are just some common traits I’ve personally observed in myself and my friends, so take it with a grain of salt because it might not apply to you personally! 💕

Sagittarius ASC/Rising (from observation/notes): 

Would bike/drive if they can (if they’re able-bodied) likes to travel alone but don’t mind the company when they’re in their ‘moods’

Appreciate ‘a breath of fresh air’ in their company, tend to notice the difference when they’ve become ‘mundane/tunnel-visioned’ in their work/social group. 

When they meet others from a different perspective (but same intensity) they appreciate the difference in others. 

Isn’t really one to instigate hang outs unless they planned for it, actually has lazy days. But depending on their chart, what they refer to as ‘lazy day activity’ can be very different from the norm. 

Would still include private/personal time a lone where they go out and just, day-dream and be in nature. Likes to think of themselves as music video people (scenarios) or take in a different atmosphere (change is always preferred in order to ‘restart’/’refresh’). 

Chaotic Beings, sometimes likes to do things for the sake of dramatics/pettiness. Subtle about it at first. Seems normal. But makes sure the conclusion is a ‘plot twist’ in a natural way. Likes to play on this ‘not everything is as it seems’ kind of vibe. Doesn’t take things too ‘over the top’.  Punch of wittiness to them. Likes to keep people guessing (mysteriousness but with a directness/sincerity to them) 

Can’t hide their quirkiness when they’re excited, tends to be self-conscious of themselves. It’s not like, bad self-decrepitating stuff though. 

Most of their quirkiness comes from their open-mindedness, they’ve learnt a lot and accept alot from others. So the self-conscious thing is mostly forgetting to ‘test’ the waters out if the other person is close-minded/not as open-minded as they are. 

Realize a lot of things are based around experience and willingness to trust others/people’s narrative. So it’s more like ‘will I have to defend this person’s experience? if the person i’m talking to is close-minded obviously they’re in the wrong. But to what extent am I going to argue/teach them a different perspective?’

It’s either one way or another with them making decisions in the end: 1) wing it or 2) plan it beforehand

Tired sometimes but is unwilling to acknowledge it, if their body can move then they will move.

Prefers getting out of personal funks by doing things rather than waiting for their mood to shift. 

So it’s of personal belief that if they start doing something then their mood will shift, that’s why they ‘wing it’ sometimes. But if they feel totally unprepared they’re not push-overs about it to themselves, they’ll just say no to a plan if they have to.   

Wants to do ~cool things~ like surf/skate mostly because they like the idea of moving motion/cruising through areas

Has a thing for wind rushing past them, adrenaline junkies even when they’re not hardcore about it (people think adrenaline junkies are super hard core when Sag Rising are out here doing the least but hyping up the emotional satisfaction/idea of the act they get from it)

Enjoy changes the most, that’s why they like the wind thing. In people as well. Change feels like a ‘lift off’ experience, pulls them into a new place every time. 

Walks….everywhere. If it doesn’t require climbing they’ll get there. Can go on hikes a lot, or just traveling in general. Doesn’t mind company but would rather do it a lone at first. 

Likes to have knowledge of their surroundings, makes ‘notes’ on things in their mind and can often want to blend in with the locals (even if they stand out, they relish in the difference) 

First order of operation is to familiarize themselves, either by surroundings, activities, routine. etc. They just want to feel comfortable having a place to go to/things to do that they feel accepted in. (depends on other placements, like sun-moons and venus as well)

Has a ‘friendly’ face/aura, so they might find themselves attracting company even in foreign places.

Usually these are good companies, they’re flighty by nature (especially asc) so they tend to stay far from danger. 

Not as much of a dumbass as you think they are, people who know them tends to worry for them when they have to go to new places/be a lone. 

Sagittarius are survivalists generally. They have good/sharp common sense when they’re experiencing ‘new things’, they’re just obtuse to a lot of other more sensitive/detailed stuff when they’re ‘used to it’. 

Sometimes they’re just….intentionally oblivious. Like ‘if I just ignore it then it doesn’t affect me emotionally’ – which is life-saving in a lot of situation they’re in. 

They’re honest about it though. Kinda simple fools? Sincerity is always the key with Sag ASC/Rising, they’re never not sincere/honest to others. That was done intentionally. But they’re a lot more layered/complex than people give them credit for, and that’s what hurts them most and what they’re defensive about (which is why they get so self-preachy sometimes, just wants compliments and validation from others).  

Part of the problem why they lack tact. Sometimes it’s unintentional and sometimes it’s a consequence of their mindset/thinking.

They attract strangers who don’t know them but feel like they could trust them/relatable to them, so it’s more about safety in numbers rather than an available prey. 

Of the general belief that being open-minded to stranger is the nicest courtesy, puts extra effort into listening to people. Eye-contact and contribution to the conversation galore. 

Great first-impression people (if placements/aspects are all uncomplicated as well)

Has layers of ‘relatability’: depending on how well the other person handles their sass, group people into separate cliques that they hang out with. 

The ones they open up to are the people who genuinely make them feel like they’re accepted as they are for who they are, they can’t categorize them into cliques because the other people surpasses all their expectations (forgiveness, able to see past their foolishness, genuine tolerance and love for them even when they messed up)

Talks ALOT about people they love, particularly their best qualities. Is super proud of their friends and the people around them. Even if they acknowledge the bad parts, they’ll tend to hype up the good as a defense thing. 

In their minds, they’re already networking people together. Can often have thoughts like ‘oh, this person will get along so well with this other person’ – and then they want to open that gate up for people. 

Can KNOW if another person is a Sagittarius rising. Although they’re obtuse to other’s feelings most of the time (try as they might, they’re still kind of ‘occupied’ in a lot of ways) if they have strong aspects/placements that indicate intuition, they can ‘vibe out’ another usually. 

Kind of hard on themselves, unexpectedly. 

Particularly when they get really excited about stuff/can’t control their happiness. Scold themselves a lot when they get like this. 

Third person perspective looking in at themselves and criticizing themselves sometimes. But cannot stop their own action so they just– exasperated about it. 

Doesn’t always understand what it is they want to change to, but feels like they’re stagnant in a way (especially because of excitement which is??? so hard on themselves for no apparent reason)

When it comes to other people, they’re always genuinely touched by those who show tolerance/forgiveness for them. When they think they’re being ‘annoying’ or ‘too much’ (themselves) or acting rather ‘foolishly’ (self-preaching) and the other person just takes it and are willing to still be friends with them. They are genuinely touched and cares more about these kind of people. 

Doesn’t like pessimism. At all. Might think they can tolerate pessimism. But pessimism demonstrated by another person that has any signs of feeling ‘defeated’ or close-mindedness – Sagittarius ASC/rising will absolutely not tolerate it.   

Sometimes they get really nervous/anxious for hang out and just kinda flakes on it, or the activity doesn’t seem fun/they’re not planned for it they can easily just not go. Honesty, in a way. But also frustrates another person. 

Always the voice of (sometimes hesitant) optimism when their friends are all being kind of down, tries to inject new motivation ideas/mood into group setting in order to ‘fire’ others up. 

The type who smiles and you just kind of have to cheer up because they’re so genuinely nice and ‘doing their best’ with everything? 

People who tries the hardest/doing their best (apparent) but still has to face their personal demons (running away, flightiness, intentional obliviousness, self-defense stuff) so you know they’re sincere even though they’re imperfect.  

Not as party animals as you think they are, but they do tend to have a ‘wing it’ or ‘eh why not’ kind of mentality which enables people to see/view them that way (not their intention, just people’s perception of them)

Likes to be socially accepted, can ‘front’ or hype up certain activities that they do even though they don’t even genuinely like the sort of thing. 

That’s why change is so important, because if they’re socially accepted first, then they can integrate the things they genuinely do enjoy into being accepted as well. 

Loves telling stories of their past experience, this is mostly why they don’t mind company when they go out. They can’t remember everything that’s happened to them and they need confirmation/validation from their friend that said event was fun/interesting enough to tell others. 

Knows which person/people to take with them on journeys/adventures, just wants to have conversations with people and feel ‘bonded’ – those are the stories they want to have the most. 

Not even a ‘group-setting’ kind of person, more of a ‘want to be bond/feel good’ around those people kind of person. 

Activities are just things to facilitate ‘bonds’ and they’re just hoping the other person will come through with the other half, the fulfillment they need from the act they provide. Half-half kind of deal.  

Embarks on new hobbies or ‘try things out’ fairly often, does things sporadically. But tends to carry through (even though it takes years to continue, time is just a passage that means nothing to them if they aren’t stopped by death)

Anxious/nervous energy, more so than people tend to realize. Spontaneous nature comes from there. Likes the change of pace.

I hope this answers your questions! 💕 Alot of the Sag ASC/Rising stuff does seem to apply to Tae (on first impression), but I’m still going to caution everyone not to take rising signs without their entire placement/aspects into consideration. If the person doesn’t tell you their rising themselves, maybe we should place less significance on it and focus on what we have instead? That’s just my personal thoughts on the stuff anyways. Thanks for sending in the ask again! 💕

[carolinelikesvampires]

I don’t have art, but here are some quick blurbs.

Little Rat decided that if she was going to be Count Orlock, she was going to do it with pizzazz.  (And a fair amount of pink glitter.)  I know a lot of extant nosferatu female pc’s are defined by their relationships to their (loss of) appearance; but Little Rat really sees being able to easily pass as human as a fair trade off for her ‘family’.  Like, she’s a domestic violence survivor who spent the last years of her life unhoused, and now she has people who genuinely do care about her (albeit in a fucked up vampire way).  She’s safe.  She’s all up in the US postal system.  She has a gangrel girlfriend (who you should not call Little Bat, no matter how funny you think it is.)

I am hesitant to talk to much about Tonia, because I have someone who will eventually be interacting with her as an NPC following this blog, and I want that candid reaction when she sees what this bitch has been up to the last couple of years.  But Tonia was embraced around the same time as Little Rat, and initially saw her as ‘competition’.  However, as the two began to gradually to spend time together, a romance formed.  Tonia did make the choice to leave NYC, so she could start a new life for herself, and she did it in the most dramatic way possible. Tonia is a Cleopatra - but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the skills and knowledge to get all up in someone’s business.  By her own admission, she’s just lazy and would rather not have to work too hard.

Mother Superior has lore.  She was embraced as Sister Gertrud during the early modern era.  Her sire intended to use her as a hub in his information system (likely as an anchoress), but she decided ‘no thanks, I’m going to send all of the nuns under my care to Heaven, and make my own way to Jerusalem.’  Shenanigans ensue.   But really, Mother Superior is kind of horrifying because she has not had a prolonged torpor since her embrace.  She has made her way across Europe, dotting it with her own childer, before settling in America - and sending her childer out, and thus spreading her own information network.

One of Mother Superior’s notable childer is The Novitiate.   The Novitiate destabilized the kindred political structure of the state of New Jersey because the Sabbat ‘stole’ her girlfriend (A Prince) where probably going to diablerize her.   The Novitiate offered them several other key political figures instead.  Neither  The Novitiate or her partner has been seen since.  

If you haven’t already, you should look at iravaid’s Lunchbox.

if you play a female nosferatu pls reblog this with links to their stories/character sheets/art/fics. there’s too few female nosferatu in canon and i know the fandom won’t let me down

[trixaile-blog]

this is basically just me being lazy and refusing to make a legit plots page because it’s 2am and I don’t have the patience to code tonight. also, please keep in mind that I just jotted down the bare notes for most of these while on break at work, and I’m not going to sketch them out too much here so we can adjust it to fit and take things where we want to. ;w;

also, I NEVER SAID THESE WERE EXCELLENT PLOTS BUT I’LL TRY TO BE BETTER I’M SORRY.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] On an evening or night when he’s awake and feeling more comfortable on the ship, Aile goes for a late night/midnight swim. Ideally, this is for someone who will becomes a close friend longterm, as Aile will be wearing his “item” and will have a tail in the water.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] When insomnia strikes, Aile wanders, taking the time to explore the Fiann. He ends up on the 7th level in the viewing room, enraptured by the sight of the galaxy spread out before him. This could go a variety of way, including deep talks in the viewing area or bar/lounge, or a tour of the ship, or...idk. I tried.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] I know it sounds crazy, but exercise partner. Aile enjoys exercise, particularly when he’s thinking about things and needs to work it out. Having a regular partner to run/bike/lift with would be good for him. This would obviously be a semi-established positive relationship, and there would probably be some lowkey competitiveness going on here.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] Aile is a performer. He prefers to sing and tell stories, but he does know how to dance. And he likes dancing. Granted, he’s not particularly knowledgeable. He knows some ballroom style dances (he’s particularly good at the waltz and tango), but he’d like to learn more. He’d always like to learn more. Please, catch him. Teach him.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, Ciraku only] His father was a Ciraku, and while no two Ciraku are the same, it doesn’t really matter when this one Ciraku happens to rub him the wrong way. Unintentional or not, sparks fly. Possible reasons: Resembles father, makes a comment that his father’s said, +? This relationship will be rocky, at least at first.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, human only] Aile’s father was a storyteller, and before everything, he delighted in telling Aile of their human ancestors and of their time on the Earth. Curious, Aile seeks out a human to learn more about Earth.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, human only] Literally the same as above, but specific to pinniped knowledge, selkie lore, etc. The roots of his ancestors, basically, as opposed to general information about Earth.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] “Touch my hat and I will cut you.” Touching Aile’s hat is a big no no. He’s obligated to bring it to the  Fiann with him. For safety reasons. But he can’t exactly leave it in the room he’s using. It’s not secure enough, and there’s no one he trusts enough to leave it with. But his hat is a very important hat. His hat is what makes him a pinniped. So he takes it with him. Everywhere. And someone makes the mistake of trying to touch it/look at it/move it. Questionable relationship, at east at first. Probably pretty negative until things are cleared up and trust is established.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] This is basically just an enemies plot placeholder..thing. Someone makes a comment that upsets Aile. Or Aile upsets someone (which is easy to do, let’s be honest). and idk but I’ll think of something better to put here when I’m not exhausted.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, human/android only] Story time Possible story time about the spaceport. Up to use to decide. But please, give me a thread where Aile gets all excited and into the story and he lights up from the inside because Eunus was his home and he loved it there.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, any species] Homesickness strikes. Aile doesn’t deal with it in what others might consider a normal method. How he deals -- and how others deal with that -- is open for debate.

✩ [open, f/m/nb, aliens only] Literally give me friendships from before the Fiann. Aliens he knew back on Eunus. Others he encountered on the Osteia Spaceport. Others that he met on the Mittatai. Give me pre-established relationships. Give me someone that knew his mom and knows she’s dead, give me someone that knew his mom and doesn’t know she’s dead. Give me someone that Aile knew when he was eighteen and ran off to board the Mittatai. Give me someone that knew him back on Eunus and wasn’t thrilled that his parents weren’t a “pure” pairing, someone that hates that Aile’s mom was a Nirval and his dad is a Ciraku. Give me all the pre-existing relationships.

[ilbronco]

But where oh where do the Cavallone get their money from? And how did Dino manage to execute a complete turn around of their finances and propel his bankrupt famiglia into the top 3 most influential in such a short amount of time? Below the cut, you will find my humble and perhaps very novice take on it, as I myself, am not a Mafioso leader and have based these headcanons very heavily on various sources collected from media, mostly. You can probably skip the first 5 paras which are gibberish, tbh.

So, before I get into the nitty-gritty, let me preface this post by saying I’ve decided to enforce the KHR lore of Mafia over the reality of what Mafia organisations truly are for this. Mainly because, I am rping a character from fiction, so while the below may be heavily romanticised ( much like the Mafia is in KHR itself ) that’s just the route I’ve decided to go down, as an rp blog.

First and foremost, Dino Cavallone is a good person, at heart. Canonically, he is ranked 1st out of 82,263 bosses as caring most not only about his own famiglia, but the general public AS WELL. With this in mind, I don’t personally feel he’d be involved in any activity which poses direct and very harmful threats to the people who live within the boundaries of his criminal empire, or to people in general.

Of course, no underground dealings are without consequence and people do and will get hurt and perhaps even die, inevitably. But Dino would most definitely ensure that these risks are minimised to the best they can be. As much as he is the leader of a top tier crime syndicate, you just don’t get the kind of good reputation he’s earned buy cutting hands off people who can’t repay their illegal loans on time or trafficking children into the unsavoury hands of God knows who.

Good nature aside, incorporating Dino’s talents as tech savvy, business smart, numerically inclined, accountant whizz - I think it’s safe for me to cut out the baser means of earning money like escorting/prostitution. It’s a lucrative business, legal for the most part, and if handled correctly ( which it absolutely WOULD be by your friendly neighbourhood Don ) can be beneficial to both owner and workers. So in that sense it’s good, but I just don’t see it as being a ‘Dino’ mode of moneymaking.

Next comes drugs. So, according to every source in the world ever - drugs is where it’s at! Guaranteed to make the most money in the shortest amount of time with the least effort and is just HUGE on a global scale. A perfect gateway into flipping your bankrupt family back on its feet in zero time at all! Unfortunately, KHR canon says no to drugs, so I’ll stick with that rule.

Right, so what the fuck DOES the Cavallone famiglia do?? My answer to this is; a little bit of everything. Loan sharking, money laundering, protection racket, arms dealing and Dino’s specialism, good old Intel. Let me stress this again, all of the above are HEAVILY regulated. Guns aren’t just being dealt willy nilly to terrorists or kids and money isn’t being extorted out poor of buggers who couldn’t possibly hope to afford it.

I’m going to attempt to put a time line on this, so bare with me ( if you haven’t run for your life already at the hot mess of this meta ). Firstly as another KHR rper on here ( bombassbitch lmk if you want off this post! ) supplied in a group chat, things would have had to start with a total overhaul of finances. Analysis of income vs expenditure, tracking spending, adding up their debts, reviewing investment accounts, applying a strict budget and sticking to it and then of course, finding ways to make more money! 

For things to have turned around and the speed they did with the Cavallone, I think arms dealings would have had to be the first and main source of income. This is vaguely backed up in one ( 1 ) single manga panel showing Dino’s involvement in weapons trafficking. Procuring illegally manufactured arms ( likely from Russian Mafiosi ) at discount prices and then redistributing them to other gangs ( heavily vetted ones ) other famiglias, the army, other businesses etc. 

The next viable source from there ( you can’t really launder money or be a loan shark without owning substantial funds yourself! ) would be protection racketeer. The Cavallone famiglia is some 5000 members strong, they have a LOT of manpower they’d be able to spread all over for this. I’ll take this opening to say this would NOT be the extortion kind of racket, where the Mafia provide a ‘false’ danger themselves in order to swindle people out of their money, but genuine protection. Mostly in the black market, providing buyers and sellers security for smooth transactions as well as other businesses or groups who may need protection through credible threats of violence outside the sanction of the law. 

Then there’s Intel. Dino is a consistent source of this for Team Tsuna in the manga, and there’s no reason he wouldn’t be a source for a lot of other people too. As mentioned above, he’s got a lot of men to expend on gathering and harnessing information, which he the sells on ( or gives away depending on who’s asking ). This to me, doesn’t sound quite as lucrative as a quick fix, but once the Cavallone had re-established themselves financially, it’s certainly become a very large portion of the business they conduct. 

This post is already shamefully SHAMEFULLY LONG so yeah I’ll sum the rest of the pies he has his fingers in real quick! Loan sharking - Note, only to genuine persons and businesses who have a high chance of being able to repay their debt. The interest is high, but not outrageously so and the punishment for non repayments are steep, but again, not horribly so. I doubt there would be much violence involved, more a taking over the business and all of its assets for the famiglia ( much like a bank would do ) plus a little extra because there needs to be INCENTIVE for people to repay, there needs to be a Don image to be maintained. But this is where I really ham up the romanticism because I just don’t see Dino beating the shit out of people or their family and breaking bones over repayments. I’m sorry like??

AND LAST but not least money laundering. In this technological era likely through a slew of illegal online casinos and gambling, stuff like that.

I got really lazy near the end of this but YEAH, that is, how my little Dino at least, conducts all his nasty Mafia business.

[nerdolopedia-blog]

The Importance of Histories in Fantasy Worlds

On some occasions I stumble into a fandom, get a glimpse, and walk out. This is either because I don’t find it as interesting or the fan base is incredibly intense. This is how I felt with The Lord of the Rings and Middle-Earth. I have seen all the movies (and at the time of writing not the extended editions) and read the Hobbit when I was younger. As I venture deeper into the world of fantasy writing, I have realized that I know very little about some of the roots of our modern day fantasy culture. So I started reading Lord of the Rings. At the time of writing I am nearly done with Fellowship of the Ring.

I now find myself way too deep to get out. It’s gotten to the point that I started looking up YouTube videos about the lore of Tolkien’s universe. I am even now motivated to get through the three volumes of Lord of the Rings simply so I can get to The Silmarillion. Why? Because I am obsessed with how deep the lore is in his universe. Not just that, but the amount of history the world seems to bleed. It made me realize something really important about worlds, one that I had only touched on because of player questions. Why do certain “man”-made things exist the way they do?

I have though hard on the ecologies of my world and work very hard at answering why certain natural things exist the way they do, because history has less impact on them. I only has impact in events that change habitats, and those are much quicker to answer. However for man-made structures this can become much more of a rabbit hole because there is so much history behind even a single ruin.

History Creates Meaning

I’m going to keep coming back to ancient ruins because it’s something that I love to work with. They are ancient places often shrouded in mystery with unknown creatures inhabiting them. They are places of danger and adventure. However slapping a ruin down in a location because you want to have that adventure is just lazy, and honestly will come off quite flat.

Adding history to the ruins will help you in constructing something far more meaningful and mysterious. I’m going to take the ruins of Osgiliath from The Lord of the Rings as my example. From various sources I uncovered that there is a history to the place, one that is actually really interesting and explains a lot about the motivations of individuals. It used to be a grand place that more or less had a large string of tragedies befall it until it withered, died, and then ruined. Why were the people of Gondor trying to fight for it? Because it had meaning to them. That meaning had a long history of those people.

If you have a place that is considered sacred, or a lost temple to some god, or even a lost mine, consider the history behind the place. This lets you build specific features into these locations. Perhaps the grove is sacred because during a long ago war, an Ent sacrificed itself to seal away an ancient evil and now a great tree rests where it fell, and that felling the great tree would unleash the evil. For a lost temple, why is it lost? Was there a massive rockslide that isolated it from the world or some event that cause the monks to seal themselves away? For a mine when was it lost? This would tell the style and age of garments. Did the mine collapse? Maybe the awakening of some ancient being caused the entrance to collapse sealing the workers inside. There is so much more I can expand on this but the more history you have to the place the more you can flush it out and make it seem real.

Past Conflicts Create Current Grudges

We all know that Dwarves hate Elves and Elves hate Dwarves, but why? As much as I would like to blame kale, it most definitely is not the reason. This is one of those common tropes we pull from Tolkien’s world without much thought as to why. If you dig into it Tolkien actually has an explanation. There is real history in their grudges, a series of events that lead to mutual distrust. Sticking in grudges for the sake of having grudges gives no depth and no emotion to those grudges and makes them out to feel empty and the character just like a jerk.

These past conflicts can be simple misunderstandings or breakdown of communications. By having it be a simple solution it is entirely possible to include this in your games to allow two groups to make amends or at least start down the road toward it. The past conflict could be central to your plot. Something like a disagreement over possession of a dangerous artifact that happened behind closed doors could lead to conflict, with the true reason being hidden from public view.

An Aside on Racism

In my example I use different races of people in these grudges. This will come off as racism and is a heated debate within the RPG community. Some insist on using it because its part of the history while others want to do away with it all together. I am using this example largely because it is the most well known grudges between two large groups of people to help me illustrate a point. I do not want to tackle the problems with racism in games in this article and I don’t believe I am qualified to be able to do the topic justice.

Characters Create History, and Vice Versa

Just like histories help flush out places, so do they create places for people. Too often when writing histories have I had to include a notable person(s). Often I will leave the name blank as I am working on the history as a whole, but they are key to that history. Who Gandalf the Grey and the Balrogs are gives great meaning to their motivations. A civil war cannot be fought because an adventure calls for it. It has to have people who are upset with what one faction is doing. The people have no reason to revolt if the King isn’t cruel or unwanted by the people. No one goes around thinking “You know, maybe we should have a revolution”.

Why don’t they think that? Because there is history leading up to strife. While people cause events to happen, those events affect other individuals. This is a never ending cycle of cause and effect that we call history. In reality if you look at our actual history, this is what happens ALL THE TIME. You want to get better at writing histories in your fantasy world, pick up a history book or go watch stuff on YouTube. Those can be more entertaining and consumable.

Now this isn’t the end of it. We also get the cases where historical events create a character down the timeline. A country that is punished for war crimes has someone just zealous enough who is suffering from the punishment that they rise up to create even MORE conflict. Sound familiar? If not that’s fine. This is basically what happened with Germany and the rise of Hitler.

Artifacts of the Past

This is the topic of history I feel I see the most of when it comes to RPGs. The idea is that the magic items and artifacts you find in game have a history to them. Heck Tolkien’s work does exactly that with several of the magic swords that they find. Glamdring, the sword that Gandalf carries, belonged to an ancient elven King. The goblins are even terrified of it. Why? Because that sword has a past, clearly the sword was used in some way against the goblins that THOUSANDS of years after its creation that they recognize it and fear it. When writing your histories think of significant objects that were used in the execution of events. Just look at Christianity. How many artifacts have come just out of the story of Jesus? The nails that stuck him to the cross, the crown of thorns, the spearhead that pierced his heart. Heck the Holy Grail is a prime example of this. History makes these artifacts a symbol of past events and potential shapers of the future. What about the story of Excalibur? I think I could go on for pages of actual historical artifacts but I hope you get my point.

This gets even more interesting when you start to introduce sentient magic items. When an item knows its own past and can inform the wielder of this past, this can create for some amazing story hooks for finding a magical sword buried in a ruin. This doesn’t mean that you need to create a history for every magic item. After all I don’t need a complete history of how a normal potion of healing is located at a shop. Or maybe it can, if you have the setting for it.

Technology Shapes History

In our world we are making constant advancements in technology. It is impossible to say that the advent of new technology would not shape its history. Since I have not delved that deep into the Tolkien universe I can’t say that I know of any examples directly from his world. However I will bring up a different universe that does: Avatar the Last Airbender. In it, there is a clear delineation of power (in the grand scheme of things) between the Fire nation and the other nations. While this does change over the course of the show, the history of the world showed that their advancements in technology (even if powered by relatively primitive means) gave them a leg up in conquering the world.

Now for some real world examples! One of the earliest examples (that I can recall) is the advent of the Chariot in its uses for war. It was a game changer because you could have two people riding for the price of one horse, a driver, and a bowman. If having to charge a bowman on foot wasn’t terrifying enough, now add the fact that they are in a large wooden cart being pulled by a horse AND they are shooting at you. Unless you have a chariot of your own there isn’t much hope of you catching them without dying. And thus the early arms race began! However that isn’t much the point. What this causes is a complete change in the way we fight wars, or get around for that matter. Chariots were created around a 1000 years before they became tools of war.

For something less war oriented let's look at one of my favorite: the printing press. This revolutionized our ability to spread information more reliably. Before the printing press we had to duplicate text BY HAND. For anyone who has written for long periods of time you know how painful this can actually be. I’m not sure I can actually quantify in words just how impactful the printing press is to society and yet it is a real question that we need to ask ourselves when creating our fantasy histories.

The Natural World Shapes History

For those who have even the slightest knowledge of history have probably heard the story of Pompeii, a roman city that was buried beneath the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D. While I am no historian, it is difficult to say that to a society that was so closely religious that the loss of Pompeii had no significance to the people of Rome. It could have been that the fall of Pompeii only solidified religious beliefs that the gods were willing to dole out punishment.

Since we exist in the natural world it is impossible to deny that it impacts our history. What foods are available, what natural disasters occur, what terrain is there that protects us (or lacks protection) from invaders? How many different flood stories come up in the various myths and legends? The ancient civilization of Egypt was centralized on the Nile river and much of their ways of life and belief systems stemmed from the river. Going back to Tolkien the ruins of Osgiliath were located on a river, that river plays into its history and defense.

Conclusion

History is a complex and mysterious topic that we struggle with in our real world. The benefit of writing a fantasy world is that you can fill in all the details even if you don’t bring them to light for your readers as these histories will impact portions of your world. Creating histories for existing elements of your world may help you determine the impact it has on other elements of your world as well. It brings a level of depth and immersion for the more curious players and readers in your world.