#-also somewhat ironically-

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

yeah you fucking tell him!!

[voltfruits]

Ok this is a unpopular opinion and I want to share with everyone that sunburn is more of girllosser x boyfailure rather than girlboss x malewife

you're so correct anon. i wish everyone was as smart as you

[roobylavender]

had talia not been character assassinated do you think she and bruce should have gotten back together?

no. i hate to use the word "phase" bc that would seem to diminish the importance of what's between them, which is something that will always persist esp as their continued dedication to the same causes and their respect for each other remains. but i do think realistically bruce should be a phase in talia's life. at least in terms of consummated romances specifically. i do love the idea of them remaining allies, close friends, and co-parents, but i think allowing talia to walk away from ra's and bruce in the first place has to stand for something in the long term. before talia went her own way i think it was easier to imagine a potential future where she ended up with bruce bc it felt like the desirable option. she was in this very debilitating position where she had little to no freedom to act on her own desires and goals, the embodiment of which was none other than bruce. so when you frame her situation pre-tower of babel, obv wanting to be with bruce was appealing. he was as much the love of her life as he was a means of escape and freedom and talia having the scope to then act on her own desires. i think that's what subsequently makes dc #750 (or is it #570. i never get the numbers straight and i'm too lazy to check) a really clever issue, actually, bc it acknowledges that and the fact that bruce once again setting her free bc of his love for her actually gives her the courage to step out on her own where she never has before. the fact that she has the option to go back to gotham with bruce and presumably have everything she's ever wanted with him, but she leaves it anyway, is a really huge deal. it's a statement. she loves him, but not more than she loves herself. and sure, what talia puts herself through during lex corp era certainly begs the question of whether her version of loving herself is really viable or in any way healthy, and i would love to see bruce help her recognize that she's not alone and that she doesn't have to do it alone to prove that she's capable. all of this i agree with. but i don't think that really means she and bruce have to fall back on their once-imagined dream of playing house. even if talia did find methods of going about her work that were mentally healthier i don't really know what'd be in it for her to play house with bruce in gotham. bc that is what it would have to be, for their relationship to work in any way. bruce will never leave gotham and son of the demon didn't need to explore that issue bc it was never going to get there but trust that corny as the line about naming the baby thomas or martha was it was reflective of a reality: gotham is bruce's entire life. no matter where he goes, no matter what he does, no matter who he works with, in the end he will always belong to gotham. and i simply do not think that would ever work for talia bc there is so much more she is capable of. while her vision is aligned with bruce's her scope of access and ability is entirely distinct of his own and there is so much more that she can do aside from relegate herself to gotham (hence why lex corp as an arc makes so much sense, bc it capitalizes on that scope). and yeah every superhero couple is kinda crazy and they have teleportation and shit but idk i don't think it's really a relationship for each party to go on long missions with ill-defined parameters that give them the worst sleep schedules known to man and occasionally they share a bed. it really isn't. and that's something that bruce and talia have to live with. their duty is always going to come first even though they both have a passion for civilian life. for talia to be in a relationship again she would have to stop having the liberty of being able to go wherever the work carries her and for bruce to be in a relationship again he would have to have the equivalent of a robin-wife. neither of these things is ever going to happen. so

[st-louis]

3/7/24

[sovonight]

surviving on drawing/writing the barest scaffolding and filling in the rest of the blanks in my mind

[sysig]

Just Desserts Pets by size (and owner)! (Patreon)

Bonus Joel and the new Bamboo cat-staring each other down:

[ask-the-totally-real-peppino]

And who is this grumpy guy? I don't remember seeing him before, may we know who this is?/nf

... We don't talk about him.

But you are right, you have not seen him before...

On this blog, hehe)

[ethans-stars]

always throws me off when i look at my candybatz folder and i see streber but its not how i draw him so i get confused for a second

example right here LMFAO

tbh i love strebers actual/canon look a LOT and i might test it out because he looks pretty silly, but streber w/ long hair gotta be my favorite 🙏

[adozentothedawn]

Six Sentence Someday

Tagged by @orime-stories thank you!

Despite what it looks like, I am in fact ocasionally still writing, I just tend to word vomit about my current obsession and then never finish it.^^° So yeah, my last game that I finished was Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest and it made me go insane, so have a part of my 1k monologue that I wrote for a potential time travel fix it. It is only 5 sentences because 6 would have been awkward, but if I ever get to it again you'll get a lot more.

"They ordered me to kill you but I couldn't do it. I would have ruined everything because I looked at you and remembered cherry blossoms and warm nights. I remembered off key lullabies and larger hands than mine on my back. I couldn't do it. And I think when you looked at me you knew that."

Gonna tag @adraveins and @stylishanachronism if you have anything you'd like to share.^^

[mokutone]

this video will show a little more how the iron gall ink changes from a nearly sky blue to something much darker

[alliluyevas]

saw a really dumb book-censorship-but-make-it-woke post but on the positive side it got me having both high school english class nostalgia and contemplating high school lit curriculum choices more intellectually. so just out of curiosity: what was your favorite book (or two if you can’t pick) you read assigned for school? also, if you had a least favorite, what was it? feel free to tell me why! also, if you feel comfortable, tell me where you went to school (state/region, country, whatever). if you did not attend school in an english-speaking country i am also interested in hearing from you!

[manyfandomsonelog]

How long does it have to be until we can talk about BBC Sherlock again. Because like. As a recovering BBC Sherlock enjoyer I regret to say I still think about it all the time.

[blue-dream-rhapsody]

Apparently I absolutely obliterated my dad’s funny bone by telling him about the smooth criminal ace attorney edit, bc i had the humiliating experience today of him gleefully playing it on the big family room TV for me (who’s watched it fifty times on my own already) and my mom (who I showed it to before him bc she’s been actively watching me play the first game)

[randomwriteronline]

He knows Beni is draped right there on one of the chairs, even though he’s made no sound whatsoever.

"The child has succeeded," he reports.

Kamado grumbles: "On their own?"

"No."

That's where his head snaps upwards.

"I had warned-!" he begins - such a quick temper, this kid has.

"The clans are innocent," Beni replies lazily. "They conducted themselves as you asked."

"Then who--?"

Kamado interrupts himself and narrows his eyes at the catty smirk that pulls at the wrinkles on his right hand man's face. If Beni had to guess, he hates that expression and he hates what it implies more: "One of ours?"

Att'a boy.

"And who would that be?" his voice shifts into an incredulous, almost mocking tone - not because he has no respect for the man, but because he knows he is not a fighter in the slightest: "The professor?"

Beni shakes his head, grin wider.

His hand waves in the air, elegant, as if he were telling some silly story the commander has no interest in: "Do you recall that boy?... The one Zisu fished right out of the ocean... The one a little too comfortable fraternizing with Pokémon?..."

Kamado exhales heavily, loudly. When the old ninja cracks open his eyes open his junior is massaging his own with an exasperated motion.

"I had requested he be kept in check," he growls, frustrated.

"I fear that metaphorical leash you wrapped around his neck was not enough," Beni notes casually: "But you cannot truly punish him."

"Of course I can!"

"On what grounds?"

"On what-- He has disobeyed my order by taking over a task I had requested from one specific member of the Survey Corps! That is the grounds!"

"Ah, but that order did not include Jubilife if memory serves me right."

The realization simmers in Kamado in that moment of silence, as does the sudden awareness of how ridiculous he is now, hands slammed on his desk, chair half overturned by his furious rise to his feet.

"And he was told to look after the child, no?"

He seems to shake as he forces himself to sit down. Beni looks at him amused, without a word, and he burns with shame.

"I shall make what his duties are and what he must not do clearer," he grumbles between his teeth. "As well as formally dissuade anybody under my command to follow in his example for these situations."

The ninja nods slowly, like a parent plenty satisfied with their child's practiced apology.

Kamado thinks he wants to bury himself.

-

Kamado does not look up from Cyllene's latest reports.

"So?" he asks to the nothingness. “What news do you have?”

"The child has succeeded." is the answer.

"On their own?"

"No."

The paper crumples slightly in his hand. Maybe Peselle should have let that despondent little bastard destroy his own leg when she had the chance, if it would have save them all this trouble.

Beni laughs behind him.

"Don't go throw that boy back in the ocean now," he chides.

Of course, he knows exactly what he's thinking.

"He behaved awfully well today,” the old man continues, “He’s a stickler for the rules, after all..."

"Then who? Which clan?" Kamado barks.

"Diamond."

The ninja's hand sits on the back of his head to keep him from rising and grab his ink stone to pen a declaration of war - not a scolding gesture, but equally humiliating nonetheless.

"It was some mute girl they found wandering in the swamps a few years ago - and in the case it might hold any kind of value to your evaluation of him and his people, know that her leader vocally objected to her intentions."

"It makes no difference whatsoever! She still disobeyed my orders!" the commander argues, fist hitting the desk.

Damned foreigners appearing from nowhere! Can’t they stick to what is told to them? Do they have hearts so soft that they can’t help but disregard any motion for the sake of a mimicry of human childhood?

"Did she?"

The paper crumples a bit more.

One day he will grow so tired of this game that he will finally force Beni to give him all the information at once instead of dangling them just out of his reach for his own amusement; sadly, that won't be today.

Kamado bows his head beneath the old fingers, eyes closed to not see the smirk he feels is looking down at him: "What did she do."

"Oh, quite nothing," the ninja replies candidly: "Aside from one good throw at the Lady of the Crests, she merely hoisted the child on her shoulders to give them a fair fight stature-wise."

And that does not, technically, go against the order of not taking on the duty in the child's stead.

“Even the slightest hint of aiding will be made forbidden,” he grumbles. “The child must prove themselves through their own strengths. No interference is to be allowed.”

The digits pressed to his hair scratch his head gently.

Kamado hates the condescending motion and how it makes him calm down.

-

This time he feels the gaze on his cheek. As if he had eaten something that left a stain on it, and the ninja was trying to rub it off by merely looking at it.

“What now?” Kamado grumbles.

“The child has succeeded,” Beni repeats.

"On their own?"

"Haven't you come to expect my answer by now?"

The commander inhales slowly.

"Who was it," he just demands.

Beni gives an airy chuckle and shakes his head, wordlessly calling him incorrigible.

"Beni," Kamado growls.

"Watch your tone," his senior replies with a playful expression and a voice as thin and terrifyingly cold as a blade of ice.

A gloved hand slides over the polished desk.

"You know," he continues, voice warmer, "I believe you keep forgetting just how many groups there are here in Hisui whenever you correct that rule."

Who else is there? Jubilife, the clans...

The head of the Galaxy Team groans.

"Please." and he really sounds as if he were begging for his life in a way or another: "Do not tell me it was the damned Ginko Guild of all people who disobeyed me this time."

"They are descendants of the first,” Beni yawns: “We are on their land. Do remember that, kid, will you?”

“And so they found in their birthright the need to help?”

“No, not really. It was a chance encounter.”

Of course. Of course of course of course. It’s always chance. It’s-

Hold on.

Kamado raises his eyes towards the older man with a horrid feeling in his guts.

“Was it the merchant,” he says flatly. “The merchant who can’t hear.”

Beni just nods.

The merchant guildmaster Ginter said they found walking about in a confused stupor, half-dead of thirst, with no memory of her own.

Something is happening, Kamado thinks: something that is out of anybody’s control. First the appearances; then the child; then the lightning’s frenzies. And now Zisu’s foundling, then that girl welcomed into the Diamond Clan, this man working for the Ginkos - all not knowing one another yet individually working with the supposed kid fallen out of the sky, protecting them, ensuring their success.

Something is happening and that something is inscrutable, functioning orderly, like the mechanism of a clock. He doesn’t trust any of this.

Beni looks as his junior thinks with not a word and a glare like death; in his mind he still sees the small body sorrounded by lava on thin slabs of rock; in his mind a trick of the eye and the ears makes him see them scream as they burn.

-

"The child has succeeded."

"Allow me to guess."

Beni remains silent.

"It was the warden." Kamado continues. "The Pearl Clan warden, the same one to whom I spoke mere days ago. The one who offered to accompany them. He was the one to aid them this time."

"You would be correct."

As he suspected.

Four unrelated people. All of unknown origin. This cannot be a coincidence.

At least he has an advantage this time.

"The Pearl Clan will have to answer for this."

"Will they?"

Or not.

Kamado's thoughts subside momentarily to let him sigh in frustration. There is no way that bastard managed to...

“I only saw a common foreigner without any insignia climb over the arena,” the ninja continues. Something in the playfulness of his tone falls flat, almost canceling out the emotion. “No clan tunic nor warden bracelet on him.”

“Beni.”

The commander’s voice is as steely as they come - inflexible.

“Are you protecting them?”

His senior breathes deeply, tired eyes closing. His head shakes slowly.

“I am not.”

He is sincere. Kamado can count on as much - because Beni, as professional and cold as a former paid assassin may be, never managed to rid himself of that soft corner of his heart that tugs him pityfully towards the favor of the man who used to be the kid still holding his hand in shock, keeping him from lying to him as much as he might want to.

Still, that means that another attempt at cracking that human disguise has been vanquished, and there is nobody to answer for that.

His hand goes to rectify (hopefully for the last time) that damned law.

“Lord Electrode would have blown the child to smithereens.”

Kamado hums.

“It might not have,” he replies flatly. “If that is not a child.”

“Have you entertained the thought that perhaps they are?”

The sound of characters being erased and re-written on paper has a slight scratch to it, quiet in the silence.

“Perhaps they are a child,” Beni continues, not letting him drop the subject: “Perhaps they are an eight-year-old child whom you’ve sentenced to death four times now and who’s only still alive because four people disobeyed you.”

“Four strangers to Hisui,” the commander replies: “Four enigmas who do not belong to any of its people - whether it is the descendants of the first, the warring clans, or our haven of refugees and emigrants. Four strangers who might as well have appeared out of thin air like that child, who are as skilled in Pokémon battles as that child, who were willing to endanger themselves and their hosts for that child.”

He signs the law with an air of finality.

“Pokémon and deities function like this,” he sentences. “In a small group they huddle around a central figure and swirl around it, following its every last whim and order.”

“Are you equating yourself to a god, then?”

“Humans leader can be disrespected as those beneath them see fit - this damned piece of paper is proof enough!”

“And what proof is there that it is the case for those five?”

“What do you think that child meant, saying they were from Sinnoh? From the very being the Diamond and Pearl worship? Do you think it a coincidence?”

“Those four preceded them, I’ll reckon.”

“How else would they have had enough knowledge of the land and Nobles to help that thing otherwise...”

It’s not like Beni doesn’t know.

It’s not like he wasn’t there when the Small God arrived.

Not like he wasn’t pulling Kamado out of the rubble and making a run for it before that small, innocuous thing flew from who knows where and started distracting the burning red Gyarados by floating laps around it.

Not like he didn’t see that small, innocuous thing fight the beast in a battle that as fiersome as it was did more damage to it than any man-made attempt at weakening it ever hoped it could - and emerging victorious over it, in so little time compared to their attempts at resistance that it had felt like a dream.

Pokémon are terrifying creatures.

Even ones small and innocuous.

It’s not like Beni does not know that.

“What if they are just a kid,” Beni repeats. His voice is quiet and weak.

He sounds so much like somebody the commander knew once and who is not here anymore.

“And you’ve been trying to kill them all this time.”

Kamado holds his gaze.

He sighs heavily.

What if.

His hand goes to hold his forehead as he slumps ever so slightly on the desk.

“If they are,” he grumbles, “I can’t very well pull back after subjecting them to all of this and parade myself as a weakling to my people, can I.”

His eyes meet Beni’s.

His right-hand-man, after a long pause, nods.

[southstand]

also personally something i really appreciate is knowing the things we’ve got to work on in order to become a better version of us. i’d say the most glaring things are defending set pieces and defending on the counter. the first can be solved with a specialist coach and some time and the second can be solved by bringing in a proper dm in the summer. our defense is genuinely good and defend well in open play but the nature of the system is that they’re pushing up as high as possible, we’ve got to have a midfield that protect the ball and take some of the pressure off the back line. so many of our problems will be solved once the players properly click in with what ange is trying to tell them, which is that a good offense is the best defense. it’s much better knowing what the details are that we’ve got to improve on than having a chelsea or a man united where you just look at the squad and at the results like “not quite sure what it is tbh”

[katyspersonal]

ALRIGHT LET’S TALK ABOUT BLUBBORNE!!

Here are a list of things to choose from <3

Chat about Logarius or Alfred!!

Ideas for Bloodborne 2 👀

What do you think about Hemwick being connected to Cainhurst?

Talk about Gilbert!! I never get to see you chat about him! Lil guy!

Ideas on Arianna’s backstory!

Ideas on Adella’s backstory!

What would a Discord with the original Byrgenwerth scholar gang look like?? xD

—

Choose one or all! It’s up to you!! <3

Oh my GOSH fjdhfds Good to know you all headed my warning to never give me a choice because I answer EVERYTHING, huh -_- xD But in all seriousness though, these topics just happen to be those I do not have 20 pages essay ready for, so my answers will be short(ish) and I think I can discuss all this stuff in compact manner!

Chat about Logarius or Alfred!!

Well, they're complicated characters for me. You know I am physically unable to 'hate' a fictional character because no matter what they did, they aren't real and can't hurt me and if all else fails they exist to make the story better. But because of some events and reflection on life and society, these two in particular put a pit in my stomach on the notion of being trademark catholic-coded purists. There are so many things that can be speculated about complexity of Laurence's or Adrich's situations, but these guys feel pretty plain for me? The black-white thinking bastards that got so tempted with the idea of abolishing all evil that it made them ruthless, blind to nuances and purist that can't see how they become the REAL evil in the end.

I think Logarius/Rogeriusz is fairly underrated though and it cannot be blamed on him being unlikeable from moral standpoint, because we've all seen how popular Alfred is despite graphically killing a defenceless woman! But Logarius has a lot to like as a villain - he is noticeably tall and menacing, he was a powerful leader figure in Healing Church like Ludwig, he has a lot of mystery to his character as to why he uses Pthumerian magic and shares theme with Queen Yharnam (and as follows, why would he turn against a kindred clan/bloodline?), and what he discovered that made him gatekeep it? Besides, there is a translation mistake calling an item 'Skull of a Saint' something else - 'Sage's Hair', and when I discovered the proper description ( x ), I realised there is a big implication that following Healing Church's saints were wearing crowns after his raid on Cainhurst - both to honor him and to boast about having thrown the local monarchy!

This is just very odd that Logarius was a pioneer of the delusion about exterminating 'impurity', and managed to hit da briks before he became hated and showed true nature of his pursuit - unlike poor Ludwig that presumably had better intentions and less freedom to see through WHAT was guiding him, yet fought long enough to become accursed by everyone. It is UNFAIR. But Logarius is such an important element in the system, as a trend-setter rather than people brainwashed into following Church's agenda! Willem is never addressed for messing with unknown too, Logarius is never addressed for being ideal inspirer of hate and murder... Guess the REAL martyr here is Laurence every time! xD

Alfred is also a hard one for me, as for someone from the country that actively fabricates history facts, encourages distrust to outer information and ignorance, and just straight up lies with agenda. Like, sure, I am familiar with how easy average person can fall for a narrative - and how easy it is to discourage any skepticism and critical thinking before it formed. If anything, I pity him.

But I've grown to feel even more tense about this character when I reflected on the fact that he is SO eager to exterminate the 'enemy' that he goes after ones who can't even CAUSE any harm (he wants to kill Annalise who is absolutely defeated and defenceless, and he is the only summon in Old Yharnam where beasts that won't go outside live). There is a difference between trying to protect people from the possible threats (since whether vilebloods DO have cursed magic effect is up to interpretation) and "cleansing" the world from anyone affiliated Just Because. I've been doing Adella dirty for a long time calling her 'female Alfred' and I had since took it back because she at least gives Arianna a 'chance' as long as she doesn't share her blood that Adella's religion forbids. Not even one - she did the "three strikes and you're out"! Alfred is ruthless tho, in a very uncomfortable way, but it took me some unpleasant experiences to SEE truth about him. I think that no matter how far up you are in a religion, but whether you have a braincell to extend minimal reasoning about WHY you are fighting the 'bad guys' is on the individual and not on the source of this brainwashing, and Alfred fails this test.

That being said, he is still an interesting character, and I really love his unique appearance! His nose is a whole BEAK xD /pos I also headcanon that Alfred never met Logarius in person and his bond with him is parasocial, based on admiring the great person of the past upon feeling like he 'knows' him! The same applies for my versions of Amelia/Emilia and Laurence!

The rest of the topics are going under cut!

Ideas for Bloodborne 2 👀

Honestly, I think the best one I've seen executing the concept was HollarityArt in their contribution for Vaati's Bloodborne 2 concepts contest! Here is the link on Twit with their concepts: ( x ).

I have very little ideas on this but I agree that part 2 would be the best placed in sea/ocean setting! But the MOST tricky thing about the sequel would be that one of the potential Bloodborne endings is our Hunter becoming the new Great One that governs the cycle, instead of Flora. And another one is them replacing Gehrman. So the sequel must deal with addressing how no matter WHICH ending player had in Bloodborne, it didn't matter! Basically, something should happen with Hunter's Dream or the current Moon Presence that would leave any ending still palatable. So, addressing the current 'queen' Great One would result in the cycle still ongoing (aka our Hunter as Great One inflicting the same cycle, so it is not possible to pin whether Flora is still active or Hunter is). And, sure, for some reason, the Hunter's Dream is broken, just so we could not see our Hunter from previous game. This is extremely depressing, but feels in the spirit of From's games.

What From would need to do with Bloodborne 2 is to add information that doesn't quite confirm or deny exist fan theories, but instead adds more to WORK with! And creates MORE questions. So, reveal extra details about what we see in Bloodborne, but in a way that didn't answer the question. As in 'yeah there was a Great One counterpart for Flora', 'yeah there was someone in Isz that did birth Ebrietas as little celestial larvae many centuries ago, here is her statue and nothing else', 'yeah look at the ruins of the waking world version of Fishing Hamlet' etc. Some characters I think should reappear but in a way that feels expected while also not REALLY telling us anything new. So, Queen Yharnam not in the wedding dress, Gehrman functioning like his hunter self (like I said, Hunter's Dream should get broken), Maria having her recollected memory from when she was a caretaker of Research Hall, Adeline in a Kin form somewhere in a secret nook of Sea location (presume she ascended with or without Paleblood Hunter).

I like the idea that Yharnam in the sequel is a ghost town that has no messenger lamps or huntsmen, only rare NPCs and enemies who are largely people and/or Kin of the type we haven't seen before. Yharnam would have a bigger layout that makes much more sense geographically, some buildings and areas would look notably different if not more civilised. So that'd return the question whether Yharnam we play in even WAS real or this sequel Yharnam simply the same but changed from the last time, so people can argue whether this Yharnam is "real" and not "dreamed" one or developers simply improved their mapping and designing skills xD Maria would be able to travel there with us by waking up in the body of the Doll that still stayed in Old Workshop, and many people in Yharnam would act hostile towards both her and the player; later in the plot turns out that Hunter's Dream breaking was the result of external powers, and roaming people and unfamiliar Kin work together and target to remove the traces of influence from Stars and Moon! They'd be more alien Kin that urged to help with grasp of Flora and Fauna had on the Earth and its mortals, but in reality more or less want to establish their order. But protesting them would restart the cycle of vices of humanity, so... yeah, again, the game would be depressing and point out how there is no choice, only diverse ways to suck.

I also think the next game should extend beyond Yharnam, and using a ship to travel between locations would be a cool idea! Maybe getting to visit Valtr's home, or whatever Loran is now. @val-of-the-north had an idea that there is a legit country known as New Loran, but it would reveal more about history and heritage than just a bunch of electric beasts and sand. If I try to describe more concepts I might get really sucked into this swamp, so I'll leave it be here, but meeting relatives of some characters we've known would be great too! I always have this image in my head about Valtr's niece that heard he chased some monster and never came back, so we meet her when she is an adult that wanted to investigate on the mystery of her uncle. Also learning more about the fuckery Micolash and Laurence did do in the past through item descriptions; again, in a way that actually doesn't disrupt anything, more like 'well we already knew they had to commit a lot of crimes, we just now know the details'. The war criminals are still here in spirit! xD

What do you think about Hemwick being connected to Cainhurst?

Well, I said that sometime before, but I do think that both Cainhurst nobles and Hemwick are mixed human+pthumerian (and sometimes just human) descendants that preserved a lot of practices from ancient Pthumerian civilisations... and matriarchal traditions, too. They have different practices, as Vilebloods use blood magic and consume blood for power, whereas Witches use magical binding rituals, necromancy and disturbing tools as well. Ironic that they had 'Blood vs Eyes' conflict of Blood vs Arcane Healing Church factions before it was cool, don't you think?

Yharnam used to be monarchy but so many foreigners and neighbouring cities rubbed in on the area, that they became practically equal with higher class Yharnam citizens, and had to count people like Willem as equal. Maybe if Healing Church didn't form so swiftly, Yharnam would never have a mayor. But yeah, basically, Witches were something of peasants in relation to Cainhurst nobles. But they cooperated enough, and Witches would often offer medical help to the nobles who entered trouble with the curse living within their blood, or struggled to control pyromancy upon first periods. Witches maybe lived in poverty and dirt without much convenience, down to having to pay taxes TO Cainhurst, but they have unspoken knowledge within themselves that they are, in fact, superior to the nobles, as they have better grasp on the arcane secrets and are waaaaay less helpless before supernatural. I believe Iosefka and Fauxsefka are from Cainhurst, and Witches were how Iosefka studied ways to purify the blood from Frenzy + Beasthood inducing effects. Why that practice never picked up? Because we live in a society, indeed.

Talk about Gilbert!! I never get to see you chat about him! Lil guy!

Ahhhh right! I just didn't have much reason I guess? I do have a face design for him, that features some facial skewing like many Yharnamites have!

Like his beasthood form suggests, he was afflicted with Ashen Blood, which I believe was not a planned action but an honest mistake by using the blood of a poisoned beast (Blood-Starved Beast crucified in Old Yharnam). However, back in the day where Yharnam was not quarantined away from the rest of the world (to the point you are not supposed to SURVIVE being there if you never had holy blood transfusion), there were plenty of people picking stuff up and illegally selling it abroad. @val-of-the-north has an idea that Valtr and his friends caught one of such groups, just when one of them transformed into a beast upon getting too much of his own "medicine" and I stealeded it xD

But Gilbert I think was a victim of one of such things, contracting Ashen Blood by consuming a poisoned "medicine". He never was able to connect the dots between getting worse after it as someone who already had his own illnesses. The more I learn about Victorian era, the more I realise how shockingly ignorant they were about medicine. I mean, they were having mercury pills for god knows how long! So, yeah, he saught Yharnam, and naturally had his strange sympthomes sustained by consuming the blood as someone who got beasthood 'activated'.

I like to think that he used to be a hatter, and it WAS what made him sick initially; they were number 1 victims for mercury poisoning, because of the materials used in their craft. However, it were not just hats that he could do well, and after arriving in Yharnam, he gladly worked to produce more clothes, sewing mostly Yharnam Hunter garbs obsessively! And is one of the rarest people who met Ludwig in person and is still around AND sane! Hence how he had his Flamethrower - the Healing Church shared one with him to help him to self-defend. But, he was out of use and got too sick before he got to kill even one. Being bedridden, he used to read books a lot, until his eyesight got afflicted too (apparently beasthood attacks the eyes the most), so he mostly entertains himself with fantasies and reciting memories.

Ideas on Arianna’s backstory!

Heh, like I said already, I love the idea that her mother ran with her from Cainhurst when Arianna was still a baby, so she never GOT to know the noble life. But, she did inherit her mother's noble dress, and vague idea about their blood being special enough to offer to the hunters. I entertain the idea that Alfred was Arianna's brother but had to be abandoned since he was older and their mother could only care for one child in the hard situation, but it is up in the air.

In either case, Arianna's mother died soon(ish), most likely from violent death. But instead of some Church fanatic killing her in "righteous" wrath, it was that her mother went insane unable to consume queen's blood or find any management for it, so she, like... had Vileblood version of becoming blood-drunk and was shot before she transformed into a bloodlicker completely. When she was about to turn on her own daughter to drink her blood dry, no less! The hunter that saved Arianna was Henryk, who picked every other orphaned child under his protection because he was aware Choir takes orphans and they are never seen again. I swear, at least once Choir had to confront him about whether his children are all 'really' his, and Valtr had to wear a dress and pretend to be their biological bother dsjfhdsfdsh

But for the most part he was not able to properly care for his adopted babies; Viola was exceptional case that stayed close enough. Most of the orphans under his protection were wandering around looking for their purpose, and Arianna was like this. She clinged to Crow of Cainhurst, trusting him as the only remaining hook with her Cainhurst past, but he did not feel qualified or interested enough to play a dad for her - something he regretted upon meeting Arianna again years later and seeing WHAT she has to do to survive.

I also think that Arianna reacting on female Hunter differently is not a homophobia (?) internalised in Yharnam, but remains of her mom teaching her that women are "superior"; she speaks from the standpoint that she doesn't pity men all that much, but would dread to 'dirty' a woman with something as questionable as a loveless sex. It is not something beyond her that men will be like animals, but she feels inferior compared to other women, and it really gets to her.

Ideas on Adella’s backstory!

Likewise an orphaned person. When she reached puberty, she was this 👌 close to attempting to sell her body, like Arianna, before she managed to get herself a place in the Healing Church. It happened on the rift when Choir fell from uhhh... "grace"?, as well as the daughter of the current Vicar, Norbert/Herbert, turned into a celestial kin together with the children she was overseeing there. As result, he was compensating by picking up every other child/teenager and raising them within the Healing Church's walls like an actually good dad figure. He saw how Adella was doing and basically dragged her in (punching the old bastard that did want to use her on the way).

The decision to become a Blood Saint and not just part of the staff was her own, though; she bought the narrative about hunters being brave and protecting people while it was choking out its dying breaths but still existing. So, she wanted to help people.

Localisation slightly messed this up, by making it sound as though Adella has severe insecurities regarding the quality of her blood, but that's not quite the case:

Whereas the religious 'we all must admit we are sinful by nature and should bash ourselves all of our lives' vibe might apply, within the original context it seems to be that she is insecure about having to do it in 'battlefield' conditions rather than in the setting of great religious reverence it SHOULD be. Like, all she does is extracts her own blood in a vial. She only talks with us in Yahar'gul if we convince her we are Healing Church staff too; so, she still thinks we ARE one of their hunters. It seems like internal Healing Church rules about 'proper' blood sharing are what makes her feel "vulgar", not her blood overall.

Adella mentions a friend she could possibly turn to during the night of the hunt if we refuse to tell her of the safe place, and I made it be a person you pick black church garb from in the alley where Arianna is. It is a shrodinger character, of course, because it is a gendered set, but I default all sets to 'male' because default Paleblood Hunter is some guy with grey hair and I love using this as "official" option! The window NPCs in this area mention "thanking" the Church in a rather passive-aggressive and fake manner, that makes me feel like the guy was killed here out of spite. I think he is Adella's EX that she still keeps clinging to, and... well, he was in this area because he wanted to help Arianna by telling her of a safe place, as he had a bad feeling about this night. Again, irony.

What would a Discord with the original Byrgenwerth scholar gang look like?? xD

Pfffft you mean if they made a small group Discord server for familiar people only? Laurence would be a moderator, that nobody asked for, because it is a small (mostly) closed Discord group and not an official server... But he'd insist on bringing some discipline and civility anyway.

Server would have expected standard channels for drawings, research notes, general chat, jokes/memes, debates, Rom's (daily) pictures of the bugs and spiders, vent and announcements... Except, they would have to create more and more debate channels all the time, because every time it'd be either Caryll and Laurence, or Micolash and Julie cluttering the debate channel so much and refusing to stop. xD Like, they'd have to spawn new debate channels just so other people could have a talk too sdfhhdfds

Damian would share health / self-care advices regularly, like "don't forget to hydrate!" or "10 advices to avoid studying burn out!" and tell others to stay safe and not overwork. Unfortunately, nobody follows his advices. He also always answers everyone in vent channel.

Rom tends to overwhelm any channel when she is online by spamming whatever she is thinking about, but nobody tries to stop her because she tends to accidentally drop something useful, like a solution to the homework, or a significant breakthrough. They have a locked channel accessible for everyone except for Rom and Yurie/Julie, where they discuss Rom's ramblings as they happen and decide what to take from her without credit :(

Micolash sometimes has mad ramblings, similar to Rom but HIS are unhinged and genuinely creepy and disturbing. They have a locked channel accessible for everyone except for Micolash, Damian and Rom, where they laugh at his wording or mock how weird he is :(

Patches is only active in the server to promote the shit he's selling or questionable links, but if anyone gets scammed and calls him out on the server, he gaslights them that he did them all a favour and showed with a concrete example how important it is to know basics of the internet safety xD And might accept their apology for getting mad at him, if he's feeling nice fhshfdhsfds

Thank you for asking! It was a trip dshfhds