#Objective: Seal the Fountain...

[beloveds-embrace]

Please accept this brain worm for the fae!au. You brilliant queen you! What if one of the fae courtiers decided to begin giving gifts to their queen? Maybe it's jewelry, maybe it's exotic mounts for far away. Invitations to private garden parties or evening rides by the beach. I WANT THOSE BOYS JEALOUS!

I love jealous men ough 😩😩 || masterlist

It began subtly, at first.

A bracelet, left on your writing desk, its chain woven from moon-silver and set with a single, gleaming gemstone that pulsed like a captured star. There was a simple note; for the loveliest of queens, and no indication of its sender, but when you had worn it the next evening, a ripple of murmurs spread through the court like wildfire, for it did not bear the insignia of royalty nor of your husbands, and thus it could not be from them.

John’s gaze had flicked to your wrist, his expression dark. Johnny had stared for a long moment before forcing a bright grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Kyle merely hummed as he sipped his wine, though you did not miss the way his fingers tapped idly against the table’s surface. Simon said nothing- but later that night, you had felt his gaze lingering on the bracelet, his fingers curling slightly as if resisting the urge to remove it himself.

Then came the invitations.

A Lord, a high-ranking noble known for his wealth and charm, was the first to act openly. An invitation to his private garden soiree arrived, wrapped in deep indigo silk and sealed with golden wax. The Queen Mother, who had joined you for an afternoon tea, had raised a brow when you presented it to her, but she did not object.

“Go,” she had murmured, lips curling in faint amusement. “Let them see what you inspire. Do not disappoint me."

And so you had gone. The garden had been a marvel- twisting vines that shimmered under the moonlight, flowers that sang when touched, fountains bubbling with water that reflected glimpses of possible futures and the twinkling stars themselves. The Lord had guided you through it all with easy conversation, his eyes sharp, assessing, and it was not that hard for you to assume who had gifted you that bracelet from before.

Your husbands had not been pleased.

Johnny had arrived at your chambers that night, leaning against the doorway with arms crossed, warmth tempered by something cooler, something sharper. “Nice party?” he asked, voice light- too light. Claws dug into his clothes, almost ripping the fabrics.

You had only smiled, inclining your head; even now, you did not understand them. It felt like they could not stand you with others, yet did nothing to truly push them away. Did nothing to truly have you as theirs wife. “It was pleasant.”

He had frowned at that, grumbling. “Aye, I’m sure it was.”

Kyle was less subtle. Days later, when a noblewoman presented you with an obsidian-winged mare from the distant eastern courts- a beast rare and revered- he had appeared at the stables before you even had the chance to take your first ride.

“You think you’ll be safe, riding something like that?” he had asked, watching the creature with wary eyes.

You had smoothed a hand down the mare’s neck, feeling the power coiled beneath her gleaming hide. “... Would you like to accompany me?”

Something in Kyle’s jaw had tightened.

“I think,” he said, stepping closer, voice a low rumble, eyes dark as a storm. “that it’s a dangerous thing when courtiers start getting ideas.”

Still, the gifts kept coming. More jewelry, rare perfumes that smelled of starlit forests and distant seas, invitations for private evening rides along the beach under the silver glow of the twin moons. You accepted them all with the grace expected of a queen, but you did not miss the way John’s fingers tightened around his goblet during court dinners, nor the way Johnny’s laughter came a beat too late when you spoke of these offerings.

Simon was perhaps the most unnerving, in your opinion. He said nothing when you donned the sapphire choker gifted by a particularly bold noble, but you could feel the tension radiating from him as he stood behind you at court, the ever-present shadow at your back. One night, as you prepared for bed, you had caught the faintest touch against your throat- the whisper of his fingers against the gemstone before he withdrew, his eyes unreadable as he turned and left without a word. Too late did you realize that the choker was no longer around your neck.

John, however, was the one who finally snapped.

The court had been gathered for an evening of music and storytelling when the first Lord- whose gifts, unbeknownst to you, were no longer reaching you though they kept coming- approached, offering his arm as he invited you for a dance. You had hesitated- briefly- but before you could answer, a presence loomed behind you, warm and unwavering.

“My queen,” John murmured, his voice smooth yet sharp, his hand settling on your waist. “If you wish to dance, it should be with your husband.”

His hand extended toward you, palm open, waiting. The Lord had smiled- polite, knowing, unhappy- and stepped back with a murmured farewell.

As you placed your hand in John’s, the court watched. And your husbands?

Well.

They would make sure the rest of the court remembered exactly who you belonged to.

(Come tomorrow, you'd return to your room and realize all the gifts have been tucked away in black boxes set aside, and all of it replaced with gifts from your husbands).

[ablobwhowrites]

Ya know that one request were some made y/n the ruler of the crk kingdom?

Well it’s time to make some angst with this as they are about to experience distortion

Distortion is when someone is at the mental breaking point and they begin to question their morals and beliefs, and try are presented two options, one distort and become their “truest self” becoming monstrous and manifesting a space where their mind is physical

“This place is filled with the empty husks of their achievements, filled with prizes they did not deserve nor ask for, and the sky blotted out

All their achievements were empty and worth nothing and they have not given anyone anything so they have earned nothing meaningful in turn

So with all encompassing sorrow, and crushing regret…may your heart wither and decay just like the rest of us!”

Dongrang who denies all “______”the empty husk engages battle

tree of spite: inflict memory of spite on a respective cookie and lower speed

Memory of spite: disable skill attacks and reduce damage

Tree of regret: degrade healing and inflict fragile and vulnerable, when destroyed create most of miasma dealing 50 dmg over 1 min

Fragile: reduce defensive stats

Vulnerable: make attack deal 2x damage

Now go crazy!

(False ruler y/n is about to have their angst arc)

They feel like a bird in a cage. A bird with their wings clipped. Y/n wants their old life back, they want to be able to feel free. They always tried to help everyone as before they where forced to be in this over decorated cage, they wandered earthbread and helped any cookie they came across as they never expected anything in return but now they feel themselves begin to wither, their dough beginning to crack as they wish for freedom, they were even pleaded to the ancients but they said y/n would be safer in the castle. They even begged white lily, the ancient that had the soul jam of freedom but she sadly thinks its best too have y/n stay in the castle.

The y/n snapped, they sat in their bedroom alone, they began to smash objects to the ground, ripping off the jewels from their body as the necklace as a gift from cacao cookie now broken with the string snapping as they tear it off, ripping the paints from the walls in their room as the screamed and cried. They sobbed and they broke nearly everything in their room even accidentally hurting themselves in the process as the small cuts on their hands from destroying the things in their room, their jam only pricking out of the small cuts. They are angry, the want to be free again. They want to be able to travel around earthbread as they please again. They want to be out of this cage.

Then suddenly y/n has disappeared from the castle with the only evidence of them escaping was a missing horse and the main gate of the kingdom cracked open as y/n has been missing for weeks from the kingdom as this caused many cookies to panic wondering where y/n had went of if they were kidnapped. But for y/n's corruption, it's similar to a fountain with a statue as y/n trapped inside as to seal themselves away from the others. The monsters made from jagged rocks and others made of water as y/n wants to keep everyone away, they don't want to be trapped again but yet they trapped themselves in their sadness, keeping themselves closed away from everyone else as they want freedom, freedom the only prize they could never be given again. The affects ranges for each cookie as some are harmed less but others have basically a truck load of affects on them but the one who is harmed more is the ancients as y/n saw them as cookies who could help but they didn't and tried to reason with y/n which didn't work as y/n blinded by tears and frustration would try and have them stay away and even gingerbrave ain't safe as he is the one who orchestrated the whole idea in the first place.

The domain they are in is ruins of a castle but the roof broken away and walls about to crumble with only vines keeping them down. Paints of them on the walls only the faces ripped off as the carpet in the ground slightly wet with tears from y/n who ran away here for refuge. As y/n has two fazes as one is their loyal horse they use to travel around earthbread with as their guardian as their attack are only physical based then y/n. A massive fountain with them a statue on top with vines around them keeping y/n in place at the statue as well as the gifts, gold and other false treasures that where given to them are dulled and decaying, y/n's eyes are closed with tears flowing out into the rings below as they scream at them to go away as the cookies hurt one they only trusted as that they will send the cookies back to where they came from but y/n has moments of weakness that have them hold back their attacks but still blinded by their tears will attack no less but once defeated. Their stone fountain will crumble down as the dust settles and the only safe spot is y/n on their knees as they cry telling the cookies to leave them alone as they already hurt and just wish to be free. And this does change as when you have the ancients, y/n will try to fight again but then will collapse down to the ground as just tell them to go away as they don't want to be locked away again, Not again.

(you guys can imagine what the cookie say to y/n after y/n tells them that but yeah. Hopefully I cooked with this, but if you guys like this please don't be shy and request any ideas for this or other stories. Plus I had fun writing this so hopefully you guys like it but for now please stay safe and drink water!)

[kenomacreature]

THE MAGIC CIRCLE, or "WTF is Darkness, anyway?"

Part One

A comprehensive, themes-first take on what Deltarune is "really about"

…play is not "ordinary" or "real" life. It is rather a stepping out of "real" life into a temporary sphere of activity with a disposition all of its own. Every child knows perfectly well that he is "only pretending", or that it was "only for fun"…   Nevertheless, […]  the consciousness of play being "only a pretend" does not by any means prevent it from proceeding with the utmost seriousness, with an absorption, a devotion that passes into rapture and, temporarily at least, completely abolishes that troublesome "only" feeling. Any game can at any time wholly run away with the players. The contrast between play and seriousness is always fluid. The inferiority of play is continually being offset by the corresponding superiority of its seriousness. Play turns to seriousness and seriousness to play. Play may rise to heights of beauty and sublimity that leave seriousness far beneath… All play moves and has its being within a playground marked off beforehand either materially or ideally, deliberately or as a matter of course. Just as there is no formal difference between play and ritual, so the "consecrated spot" cannot be formally distinguished from the play-ground. The arena, the card-table, the magic circle, the temple, the stage, the screen, the tennis court, the court of justice, etc., are all in form and function play-grounds, i.e. forbidden spots, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain. All are temporary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart.

J. Huizinga, Homo Ludens, pp. 8-10.  

Introduction: No, really, what is Darkness?

The connective tissue of this rather wide ranging essay lies in its being premised on a two-fold understanding of this omnipresent concept within the narrative of Deltarune – “Darkness” – as not only a crucial plot device governing the supernatural mechanics within the diegesis but also, on a subtextual level, a metaphor for humanity‘s imaginative capacity, specifically the ability to suspend disbelief and temporarily immerse oneself in the internal logic of fictional narratives. Darkness is in essence a literalization of the concept of the “the magic circle”, described in the excerpt above from Dutch theorist Johan Huizinga’s seminal work of cultural theory, Homo Ludens.

There is extremely strong support for this thematic interpretation of Darkness. Not only does the actual content of the two currently released chapters of Deltarune make repeated and explicit comparisons between Dark Worlds and roleplaying games, along with Dark Worlds being deeply steeped in the tropes of fantasy fiction in general, but this metaphor is also embedded into the very form of the game. Whenever a Dark World is entered, Deltarune transforms from an experience of minimal gameplay into a fairly traditional roleplaying video game, complete with battle, party and save systems.

Within the story, Dark Worlds function almost identically to some of the most primitive (narrativized) forms of play among children, literally animating toys and other objects to life. The Lightners then exhibit similarly contradictory behavior vis-a-vis Dark Worlds as humans do when entering the “magic circle” – prepared to take whatever transpires within it very earnestly, and quick to rationalize and adjust to almost anything regardless of how "unnatural" it might seem. If the going ever gets too rough within the Dark World, however, the Lightners are prone to reminding themselves of the subordinate position of what they’re experiencing to “reality”, and indeed, once the Fountains are sealed and the Dark Worlds exited, objects which had come to life turn inanimate again, and the Lightners quickly find themselves reverting to the logic of everyday life.

Most frequently the separation between these worlds is expressed through a comparison between the Dark Worlds and dreams, a constantly recurring motif throughout the first two chapters. Dreams themselves – as phenomena where human beings tend to stop detecting unreality, operating earnestly within the bounds of a “constructed” world – have a long history of being compared to fiction, especially with the advent of more vividly visual-temporal mediums like films and video games.

The opening stanza of Cecil Day Lewis's poem "Newsreel" is illustrative:

Enter the dream-house, brothers and sisters, leaving Your debts asleep, your history at the door: This is the home for heroes, and this loving Darkness a fur you can afford.

I believe this understanding of Darkness to lie at the thematic core of Deltarune, informing almost every other narrative thread contained within it. With that in mind, the goal of this essay is to investigate and make sense of the first two chapters of the game, answering some of the biggest questions posed by the narrative thus far, and speculating about what direction it might be heading in, all while orbiting around this central metaphor of Darkness as the power of creative expression.

First on the agenda is perhaps the most hotly debated topic in the community: the question of the Knight.

Finding the Knight

If our goal is to discover who the Knight might be, it behooves us to establish a rudimentary profile of the kind of person we’re looking for. This is a relatively simple task, as the information we have about the Knight is rather limited and can be reduced to a couple of key points.

1. The Knight creates Dark Fountains.

The most important knowledge we have about the Knight, by far – their primary distinguishing feature – is that they are in the business of creating Dark Fountains. It is among the first concrete pieces of info we learn about the character during their formal introduction by King in Chapter 1, and what primarily foregrounds our understanding of them. If we want to find the Knight, we need to look for someone we have cause to believe is going around creating Dark Fountains in the Light World.

2. The Knight is already familiar with the mechanics of Dark Worlds.

The second most important thing we know about the Knight is related to the first: they specifically created the Dark Fountains of Chapter 1 and 2. This can be intuited from King’s words in Chapter 1, and Queen confirms it outright. This fact has important consequences: if the Knight created the Dark Worlds of Chapter 1 and 2, they must have known how to do so before anyone from those Dark Worlds told them. To find the Knight, we should be on the lookout for someone we have reason to believe already knows about the mechanics of Dark Worlds before the events of the game.

3. The Knight wields a bladed instrument, specifically a knife.

Queen says in no uncertain terms that the Knight used a blade to create the Library Fountain. She then generates an illustrative diagram showing a knife. We are looking for someone who wields knives and uses them to create Dark Fountains.

4. Darkners tend to believe the Knight wants to cause the Roaring.

Though King and Queen don’t actually seem to know the specifics of what the Roaring entails, they both believe that the Knight wants to blanket the Light World in Darkness. Queen, however, explicitly says that she was only assuming this based on the Knight’s actions, strongly implying she hasn’t even met or talked with the Knight. King, for his part, appeals to the Knight’s “will”, which he similarly believes himself to know. It’s not immediately clear why King and Queen believe so strongly that this is the Knight’s plan, beyond potentially assuming it from the mere fact that they are creating Fountains in the Light World. It’s relevant information, no doubt, but not quite as concrete as the other points. Still, at the very least we seem to be looking for someone rash enough to risk the potential end of the world for their goals, if that isn’t their goal to begin with.

We know some other small things about the Knight; Jevil and Spamton are familiar with them in some way (as are many other Darkners), and we have some ominous remarks about communion and hell’s roar and shadows in their hand, but ultimately these are too ambiguous to make much of.

Having erected these four key points, we can now ask ourselves: do they apply to any character in Deltarune?

Well, yeah, as it turns out, there is a character who fits every single criterion listed above. This makes them, to put it bluntly, an incredibly compelling suspect. No prizes for guessing this one: it’s Kris.

What, were you expecting a mystery?

Before going any further, I need to say that when it comes to arguing for Kris being the Knight in this essay, I will be concerning myself almost exclusively with making a positive case for it. Which is to say that this is not a “defense” of Kris Knight, but rather my formulation of it. I won’t be bringing up any common counterarguments (though some of them will be organically refuted over the course of this essay), in part because I want readers to engage with the writing on its own terms, instead of it getting bogged down in the tedious Knight discourse that has consumed the community for the past few years. However, I’m aware of what a controversial point this is, and that there are those in the community who consider Kris to be a total non-starter as a candidate - all I can do is hope that those readers extend me enough grace to entertain the ideas I present here with an open mind.

To get the obvious out of the way, the main piece of evidence for Kris being the Knight is the fact that we see them create a Dark Fountain on screen outright. This immediately fulfills our first criterion: Kris is someone who is willing and able to create Dark Fountains.

Next we must ask ourselves whether it’s possible that Kris created the fountains of Chapter 1 and 2 and was thus already familiar with the mechanics of Dark World creation before the events of the game; as it turns out, this is not only possible but exceedingly likely.

This is because between Chapter 1 and 2, during a time in which Kris’s actions are ominously unaccounted for, we know that the TV is plugged back in after ages of not seeing any use, and that Toriel’s butterscotch pie is eaten by Kris: two things which directly lead to the Fountain creation at the end of Chapter 2 – the need to bake a new pie provides a distraction for Kris to slash Toriel’s tires, forcing Susie to stay over and pushing Toriel to call the police, and the TV is chosen by Kris as the focal point of the Chapter 3 Dark World. Moreover, ominous narration such as (It is not yet time to wash your hands.) if you try to do so at the beginning of the chapter, the general narrative continuity between the ending scenes of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, and the fact that Kris makes specific arrangements to the rooms like turning on the TV (similar to how the laptop was turned on before the Library Fountain was created) and opening the door, all seem to point to the Fountain being premeditated, which would necessarily mean that their knowledge of Dark Worlds precedes the game’s opening. It should also be uncontroversial to acknowledge that not only does Kris wield a knife to create the Dark World of Chapter 3 (the same knife they brandish at the end of Chapter 1), but they're heavily associated with knives in general, with even their name – "kris" – being the name of a distinctive dagger. It's hard to imagine any other character fitting the third criterion so perfectly.

Finally, though we are no closer (for the moment) to understanding why King and Queen were so confident about the Knight’s intentions, it can absolutely be shown that Kris is rash enough to, at the very least, risk the end of the world: they already know about the danger of the Roaring from Ralsei, but it doesn’t stop them from creating a Dark World. If they aren’t the Knight, they are arguably behaving even more rashly; it would mean that they are knowingly contributing to more Dark Worlds being created while there’s someone already going around creating them, massively increasing the risk of the Roaring. Kris even creates a Fountain on the Weird Route, despite experiencing firsthand the very real threat that Dark Worlds can pose to Lightners who venture into them. All in all, the Fountain creation at the end of Chapter 2 serves as more than enough evidence of Kris behaving in an extremely reckless and potentially morally questionable fashion. It’s perhaps not impossible to understand why King and Queen assumed that they are trying to cause the Roaring on purpose.

Of equal importance to the above evidence is the fact that Kris being the Knight is a perfect fit for Deltarune’s themes, which encompass topics like escapism, agency, freedom and the power of fiction. As one might expect from a well-constructed narrative, these are all relevant to Kris, the protagonist of the story, and these connections are only strengthened if Kris does turn out to be the Knight.

As stated earlier, the Dark Worlds are a relatively unsubtle metaphor for fictional creation and roleplaying. They are dream-like fantasy worlds where good guys band together and go on adventures to stop the bad guys. If Kris is the Knight, that means they are essentially authoring these metaphorical fictional worlds, serving something of a dungeon master role where they literally create the settings, obstacles and conflicts to overcome, and then guide the stories of those conflicts to their resolutions; not only by accompanying the player and Susie on their hero's journeys, but also through Ralsei, the party's guide, tasked with keeping the adventure "on rails" so to speak (evidence strongly points to Ralsei, who is likely Kris's horned headband that goes missing some time before the events of the story, being in cahoots with Kris – watch Black Chestnut's wonderful "Ultimate Ralsei Theory" for more on this). From this perspective, “the Knight” is rather more like a persona that Kris adopts when necessary, no more reflective of their real personality than the prophetic hero role they assume when we take control of them.

Think back to them slashing the tires and opening the door at the end of Chapter 2; the mythology of the Knight is practically being built in real time – "this dastardly Knight is now targetting our Lightners, going so far as to break into their homes!" – it's almost a comic analogue to Deltarune theories which take the character at face value, such as the one positing that the Knight hid in the closet of the Library before ambushing Noelle and Berdly. And one gets the feeling Kris treats this all as separate from themselves. Just think of how into the performance they get; big flashy gestures, red eyes, knives – the Roaring Knight is essentially an anime villain! But Kris isn't any less invested in their role as the hero of prophecy, either. And this seems to reflect what we know of Kris’s Light World personality; we’re told that they’re mischievous, and sometimes take their pranks too far, but we also get indications that they have a kind-hearted disposition and like to help people out. Symbolically, these dual aspects of Kris’s personality are intensified in their Delta Warrior and Roaring Knight personas.

This ties into the theme of escapism; we see that the Dark Worlds serve an important role for the Lightners who venture into them. They provide the troubled teenagers with hope, entertainment, reprieve from their troubles, self-confidence, a medium of connection with others, and a way to reflect on their lives and provide it with meaning. At the same time, they risk being consumed by the allure of that unreality, embodied in the Weird Route’s erratic, obsessive actions that put the Lighters in danger (itself indicative of the player getting "too invested" in the game), and of course with the Roaring itself, which happens when Dark – the domain of fiction – overpowers Light, the domain of reality. If Kris is the Knight, it at the very least highlights the danger of their commitment to the Darkness, especially in light of the fact that Kris creates the next Fountain regardless of whether Berdly dies or not, even if we don't yet have a clear picture of their intentions or whether they have a good reason for their troubling actions.

Kris is at the epicenter of the themes of agency and freedom in Deltarune, mainly explored in the memorable chapter endings where Kris rips out their player-controlled heart to do things without our prompting, and in the quests of the secret bosses where the ongoing motif is a confrontation with the characters’ own static existence, their lack of agency as lines of code in a video game, forced to play a particular role – especially apparent in the quest of Spamton, whose similarities to Kris lead to them becoming quite visibly distraught by the end. This is true irrespective of Kris being the Knight, but one can't help but notice how well that development plays into the established divide between the player and the protagonist; if Kris is the Knight, that would sharpen the contradictions even more and mean that where we control Kris as the protagonist, they also act as our antagonist when they disconnect from us, creating the Dark Worlds we later have to seal. This separates Kris’s character even more from our control of them and their function as our player avatar, blurring the lines between who's "really in control" of the story.

Earlier we went over the strong textual evidence for Kris being the Knight, but sometimes we might have reasons to be skeptical about a seemingly obvious conclusion if it conflicts with the mode of storytelling or thematic framework of a narrative. That is not the case here; at the very least Kris being the Knight does not conflict with any of the core themes of the story. I'd go much further, though, and say that it massively deepens and adds layers to those themes. It’s a decision the story would only benefit from.

There are many questions that remain. The Darkners seem to be quite familiar with the Knight, but we know that Kris couldn’t have entered the Fountains and made themselves known, because that would mean the Darkners would've immediately recognized Kris as the Knight when we later inhabit them. We actually don’t even know if it’s possible to enter the Dark Fountains without sealing them in the first place; Ralsei and Lancer make it sound like you can’t in Chapter 1.

Though we have a satisfying enough answer to who’s responsible for the Dark Worlds, we don’t yet have a great understanding of the internal dynamics of those worlds. How could it be that the Darkners know about the Knight without ever having met them? This is something we must inquire into.

To be continued in Part Two.

[lynxgriffin]

What are your predictions for Deltarune Chapters 3-4 ?

Hmmm, let's see...

I think Susie and Ralsei are going to work out very quickly that Kris was the one to create this fountain. Susie's going to brush it off like "Okay yeah I get why you would, it's okay we'll just have fun and seal the fountain when we're done anyway!" and Ralsei will try and act like it's not a problem, when he clearly is bothered by it, and this will start to build up some tension between Ralsei and Kris.

I am open to Toriel being another side party member, less convinced yet that we'll be seeing another adult like Undyne or Napstablook there as well. I do not think we'll be getting a Snowgrave repeat where Toriel is manipulated into killing Undyne or anything like that. If there's a weird route continuation here, it'll be handled very differently.

I don't think we'll be seeing more of the Dreemurr household in the dark world; it'll just be focused on what's on the TV. We've already got a few possibilities for areas: a cooking show, the weather report, and the monster movie, plus we do keep getting hints that the western show may show up in some capacity.

To that end...hopefully a Susiezilla sequence for the monster movie part!

Unsure of what Mike's role will be in here, but I'm anticipating Tenna as the main big bad for this Dark World.

I don't think anyone has guessed the secret boss for chapter three yet, and I don't think anyone will. Thusfar for secret bosses, there's been no hints of them from other places, and you have to go out of your way to find them. Their function as Darkners made from discarded/forgotten objects makes sense in hindsight, but isn't obvious from the get-go. All we know is that we'll need the shadow mantle for a future secret boss, and that that's missing now.

At the end of chapter three, Asriel is going to call on the landline phone and talk to Toriel briefly, but WE won't get to actually communicate with him and it's going to drive me bonkers.

We know less about chapter four, except for some very basic things...Susie and Kris have a few scenes talking out in the light world, and it's raining some of that time. It could either go the direction of an all-light world chapter, or another dark world they explore the next day.

Assuming it's the latter and there's another dark world (which makes more sense to me), I feel the best location options are the hospital, the church, and Asgore's flower shop. If there's a thread started in chapter three getting into more of the Dreemurr family history and Kris's place in it (which does seem to be the case), Asgore's shop seems the best bet to continue that thread next, so I'm going to predict Asgore's shop for chapter four.

Since that's a flower shop and all, a more Alice In Wonderland sort of theming seems likely, with more of a jungle/wild area that the Fun Gang has to explore compared to the city and sound stage areas of previous chapters.

I am expecting Catti (and potentially also Jockington) to be future Dark World partners, and either chapter four or chapter five seems a good option for that.

I think Catti is necessary as a partner 1) because of her occult history with Kris, 2) her focus on protecting Noelle, who I could see showing up in the Dark World again as early as chapter four or five, and 3) her clearly having beef with Susie.

If we're dealing with Kris's family history through chapters 3 and 4, I can see that then going into more of Susie's backstory and whatever is going on with her family. I get the feeling that Catti knows some secret about Susie that makes her dislike her more than just "she stole Jockington's hat once", and that will need to be resolved in conjunction with learning more on Susie's situation.

Every day in-game that big-headed blue bird monster is going to reveal another shelf in the second floor of the library, which will slowly give more worldbuilding lore, and it's going to be maddening just getting those little crumbs of info one at a time.

We'll be getting more Knight hints, but not a real reveal until chapter five.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

I've been thinking about losing recruits in Deltarune Chapter 2, and something's been bugging me.

When you seal the fountain, regardless of what route you took or whether you recruited anyone, Kris gathers up everything in the computer room to take back to Castle Town. Presumably, this would include any darkners that were Lost through battling - because it's not like they could "object" to being moved in light-world form now is it? (har de har har)

So... can darkners just... choose not to manifest in a dark world if they're sufficiently mistreated? Or... does "lost" have another connotation here? As in, Lost not just to Castle Town, but Lost in the sense that they cannot become darkners again...?

[idontknowreallywhy]

A little true story.

Sooo I’m on the train. It’s a later one cos #longday so I actually get a seat. At a table! 🎉🥳🍾

Anyway, two youngish chaps sit down opposite me. We do that silent ‘ah we shall now sit facing each other in close proximity for many minutes without subsequently acknowledging and certainly not looking at each other’ half-smile-and-nod which is an important part of the sacred London Commuter Law.

Time passes.

I decide non-caffeine-based liquid is a thing I have partaken too little of thus far and recall I have a plastic bottle of water I got in a meal deal with me (which is good because I forgot my awesome Feathers McGraw reusable bottle today).

Bottle is located.

I try to open bottle. Bottle refuses to open.

I examine lid to see if there’s some kind of tag to pull off first. There is not.

I glare at bottle.

Bottle exudes innocence but remains sealed.

I try again.

Nope. Lid will not budge.

I examine the marks left on my hand by the grooves in the lid of the bottle.

Youngish chaps are breaking the sacred ignore your fellow commuters rule and I just KNOW one or both are on the point of offering assistance.

While objectively there is no problem with this, for some reason I am determined to prove to youngish chaps I will never see again that am not weak little old lady but powerful 40-something woman who has adequate hand strength to look after her own hydration needs.

I switch hands and redouble efforts.

THE LID OPENS!!!

I silently congratulate myself for mightiness of power. Am strong, independent person. I deserve respect. I award myself The Certificate of Competence.

My left hand is still holding the bottle. I realise too late that it is still squeezing. Powerfully.

IMPROMPTU WATER FOUNTAIN OCCURS!

Soggy youngish chaps are very decent about being soaked on their quiet Thursday evening commute.

I revoke my Certificate of Competence.

[sadpurpleblood]

okay really fucking out there idea

so darkners are inanimate objects/concepts brought to life right

what if

a dark world happened in the hospital

and while everyones on their adventure

rudy dies. but because of the fountain, he remains alive as a darkner.

so theres dilemma where you *are* supposed to seal the fountain before another one appears and brings about the roaring, but if you do rudy is officially dead.

and its not like you can just bring his dust with you to castle town you cant just dump a corpse in an abandoned room at school.

i feel like that would also push noelle further into wanting to make a dark fountain herself. (and maybe that will cause the roaring, something something angels heaven)

[desert-flowerz]

actually CANNOT explain to you how thrilled i am about this one oh my goodness.

once again, going off this post, this time in response to @tigerbears !! i couldnt screenshot the whole message so im doing this in segments going from top to bottom and cataloguing my thoughts and counterpoints.

of course, this argument does make sense — queen showcases the hologram of a knife, kris is pretty known for their connection to knives, they even use their knife to create the dark fountain at the end of chapter two. seems like a pretty solid bout of evidence. but not necessarily.

see, I'd like to argue that queen doesn't truly know much about the knight, nor how the fountain was created, not in detail. for certain, she knows dark fountains are created via a lightners determination, that they stab into the ground and darkness is born from the act. but, if you look at the video she has — no actual further information is given, pretty strongly suggesting queen herself might not have a whole lot of further information, either. we know she's prone to making assumptions, particularly in regards to the knight — why can't the idea that a knife in specific was used be just one more assumption?

queen is just a computer, she doesnt know everything, after all. she might not necessarily be the most accurate source of information. and wouldnt it make sense, if the only thing she knows for certain is that the knight stabbed into the ground, that she'd draw the conclusion they used a knife? that's certainly what first comes to the frint of my mind witg the association of stabbing (but, then, i might have some confirmstion bias).

kris would also know that the knight, whoever it may be, must have left the computers on. its shown through text interacting with objects in the computer lab that kris has a decent understanding — at least by this point — of how dark worlds work, how they're affected by the light world and the surroundings of the fountain.

... ignore that theyre out of order ive only just realised how to put images side by side but i cant get them to go in the order i want.

BUT ANYWAY, back to theorising and debating. what im trying to say is — kris saw and understood all this before they made the fountain, they easily could have copied off what the knight was doing. of course, this doesn't account for the fact the tv got plugged in overnight, but if this was the plan all along, why make the cyber worlds fountain in the first place, why not simply create the fountain within the dreemurr residence to begin with? especially knowing we as the player would simply seal it as we did with card kingdom.

there could be a number of other reasons for this, i feel, that make a lot of sense as to why the knight has not yet managed to start the roaring. for example, if we were to ascribe to the theory that mayor holiday is the knight (among others, but this was the first i thought of and one i see discussed frequently enough to be of note), it could easily be written down to her being busy — a point that's made again and again whenever she's brought up. in other cases, it could be argued that the knight has to be careful about being discreet, as the more people find out about what's going on, the more people that will try to stop them, thus making their job tremendously more difficult.

and finally, to flip this on its head and argue in the oppisiye direction (because i am an unstoppable force) — i dont think the line in question is referring to what people assume it is, honestly. the closet is supposed to be the city — electronics, wires, all that good stuff. and, as seen interacting with other objects, particularly in chapter two — the text will at times reflect what we saw in the dark world.

i think, more likely than this line in particular being some reference to the knight, is simply another example of this established pattern. of course, there could be a double meaning to it, but it could also been a plain reference to giga queen, seen as that fught occurs within the city.

BUT thats all i gotta say on this, i think — might add on at a later date but honestly who knows. yet again, all screenshots were found on the deltarune text project so all credit there since my points definitely wouldn't hold as much weight without the visual reference (and its honesty just a cool as fuck project).

[reverssentiment]

I don’t think we’re an uncomplicatedly good force in Deltarune’s universe, or here to help in an un-fraught way. I also don’t think we’re an unconscionable invader who seized Kris’s life by force without recourse.

After all, Kris has taken steps to obscure themself from our perspective. The objects that go into making a Dark World reveal the character of those they interact with; Kris cleared out their room prior to canon and so Ralsei’s ideal room for them is mostly half-baked guesses and imitations of Asriel, with a few personal touches like the moss and manual trash can. No scary pranks; no occultism. They’ve got a cage for us, too, and Ch. 2 closes with a premeditated plan for another Dark World — yet they never tell anyone we’re here!

At the risk of wild, unfounded speculation — I think the Dark Worlds are a kind of bait. Someone (sometimes Kris) opens them; lured by the prospect of adventure and valuable moral lessons, we venture in and close them. Notably, we appear to absorb or enter each Fountain to seal it, and the party levels after each one. If you’re like me, Kris’s deliberately-obscured nature and motives are a prime motivator here, too, and they certainly do their best to drip-feed that out. And, well, they do put us back after extracting us.

What if we’re being baited around to conduct some kind of ritual, or bring the Roaring? Needing something that can seal the Fountains would be a perfectly good reason to summon and bind a demon, after all.

[hyperiondickrider]

Sluts Undercover

Meruem x Reader

Y/N is sent undercover along with Palm to infiltrate the royal palace as Bizeff's slaves. Unfortunately, Y/N is captured; however, Mereum certainly manages to find a good purpose for her!

A/N: Based off of that one scene where the palace invasion team is all scared about what may have happened to Palm >:) I'm aware Meruem does not know his name at this stage in the arc: it's a plot device so hush.

You truly did miss good company.

Palm’s absence was tangible. The stale air did nothing to soothe your worries as you laid awake in the gaudy bed Bizeff had provided. Whilst the soft sheets provided some comfort, the reminder of your purpose and the possible fates of Palm did little to reassure you.

Unlike the rest of the team, you weren’t a nen user. That lack of basic self defense already put you at a disadvantage, but it was necessary for your infiltration mission. Should the Royal Guard detect your presence, or God forbid the King, the worst that would happen is your death. Although, that was hardly reassuring.

But, the image of your determined friends, namely Gon and Killua (bless their souls) was a firm reminder of your objective.

Escape Bizeff, and infiltrate the palace - by whatever means necessary. Lower the guards of the Chimera Ants in anticipation of the extermination squad. Provide medical support throughout the attack, and serve as a distraction. Bait, you supposed.

When Knov proposed your participation in this mission, you were intimidated. Being a non nen user, you mainly worked in the Association, providing medical assistance to Hunter’s between missions, rarely attending one of your own.

And yet, here you lay.

‘Lord, give me courage.’ You prayed silently. Your silken slip left little to the imagination, relying on your hair to shield you from rhetorical evening breeze, as you slowly emerged from your room.

Shoeless, you tiptoed through the town square, the fountain trickling the only noise audible. This place was seemingly abandoned, with the exception of yourself and Bizeff’s other concubines.

With a deep breath, you shook away your goosebumps, and approached the elevator. Quietly entering the code Bizeff has so graciously provided you, (Lord knows the self respect you lost in that endeavour), you felt the elevator ascend, sealing your fate.

Emerging from the elevator, you froze. A most overwhelming terror encompassed your body, shaking your soul within you. Fear wracked your nerves, as your laboured breaths hastened. Quaking on the spot, you gaze darted around the room, pupils narrowed as adrenaline coursed through your veins.

Is this the En Knov described?

No, it can’t be.

As if to answer your indirect question, a figure revealed itself, shadows dancing as he descended the grand staircase.

The man appeared relatively humanoid, should you disregard his twitching antenna suggesting his annoyance, and his frigid lilac skin. As his gaze landed on you, your fear became more intensified within your soul.

“You. You there, little human. What are you doing here?” The Chimera Ant spoke through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed as he gestured at you with a flourish.

Your eyes widened in realisation as his eye contact held you in place. With a small stutter you replied,

“M-my name is Y/N. I’m one of Secretary B-Bizeff’s concubines. I w-wanted to feel some fresh air, and it appears I’ve gotten lost. I do h-hope I’m not intruding…” you trail off, unsure if your half-truthful lie will be enough to satiate the ant in front of you.

“Hmm, very well. I believe it is my duty to take you before my King.” Either your submission and politeness has pleased him, or your mere presence greatly irritated him, as he grips your wrist in a flash and begins to lead you up the stairs.

His bruising grip yet cold hands provide a confusing contrast, a distinct reminder of the lack of humanity in these ants.

You stumble behind Pouf as the two of you ascend the stairs, his grip dragging you along. His gracefulness puts your jittery movements to shame, your intense anxiety filtering through a calm facade.

The journey felt excruciatingly long, yet in reality was likely only two or three minutes. As the seconds ticked by, the weight on your heart increased tenfold, the mere thought of being face to face with the king crushing your lungs and halting your breath. As if sensing your discomfort, Pouf sighed and hurried his pace, clearly eager to be rid of your troublesome presence.

After what felt like an eternity, your worst fears were finally realised. A swift knock on the double doors from Pouf snapped you out of your troubled stupor, further indicating your likely demise. A stern voice commanded “Enter.”, sealing your fate.

After what Pouf deemed to be an unacceptably long pause of hesitation, a slender hand reached over you to push open one of the doors, the other finding its way to the small of you back to deliver a firm shove, causing you to stumble in to the grand throne room. The slammed of the door seemed to trigger panic within you, your mind racing. Falling to your knees, you trembled.

‘Is this the power of the king? I haven’t even set eyes on him, and yet here I am, trembling like a child. Did Palm experience this? Was she just as afraid as I? Is she… dead? Will I be killed too?’ You shook your head, allowing the negative thoughts to dissolve into white noise, as you gathered the courage to raise your head. Eye contact may be too bold for the moment, but perhaps just capturing a glimpse of his figure may put your restless mind at ease.

it would be nice to know who was going to kill you, after all.

Heavy footsteps against the tile floor halted your plans for the moment. Continuing to gaze into the floor below you, your ragged breaths gave away your desperate fear as the creature stopped and crouched in front of you.

“Raise your head. I want to look at you.”

Startled by the command, you hesitated. Would it be wiser to comply? Will that give you a chance of survival? Or would he kill you, regardless?

Your internal debate was cut short, when a firm grip suddenly appeared on your jaw, squishing your cheeks together as the hand forced your gaze upwards. Tears began to fall from your eyes, suddenly oh-so aware of your own mortality, and the strength of the figure in front of you. And oh, how beautifully terrifying that creature was.

Regardless of your thoughts, the ant king began to mutter, posing rhetorical questions while tilting your face, seemingly inspecting your features.

“Tell me, little human. Are you with the other humans, attempting to foil my plans? No, unlikely, you clearly are not a Ben user, nor do you possess any impressive mental fortitude. A spy, perhaps? If so that just makes it all the more fun.”

The king’s vague wording instilled fear in you, as you inferred a future of torture if not capital punishment. Squirming in his grasp, you struggled for freedom, or at least some sense of control in this helpless situation.

“Futile indeed, little human.” Any and all escape attempts ceased at those words.

“My Royal Guard suggests I kill you. An act of mercy perhaps.” The ant king seemed amused at the suggestion. “But, that would be quite the waste, wouldn’t you agree? It’s not everyday such a pretty thing stumbles into my palace. Yes, I do believe we can find a much better use for you, little human.” Your stomach dropped as his smirk grew.

On the bright side, this does imply a chance of survival? However, it could arguably be a fate worse than death.

Grabbing you by your hair, the ant king stood up and dragged you to his throne, as you whined at the sharp tugs on your scalp. Seating himself, he pulled you into his lap, you back pressed tightly against his chiseled chest. A hand snaked around your waist, locking you in place, as his thick thighs pinned your legs in a spread position. Panic coursed through your veins at your sudden vulnerability, chest heaving, eyes welling up as his hand traveled further down, snaking under your slip, as his presses his face into the crook of your neck. The ant king inhales sharply at the scent, purring and nuzzling your neck in satisfaction as his sharp nails swiftly tear your panties.

Thick fingers swipe at your folds, rubbing tight circles against your clit at you unwillingly mewled in pleasure. Chuckling at your reaction, the ant flicks your clit a few more times, the pleasure distorting the pain as he plunges two thick fingers into your sopping walls.

“So wet already. Are you enjoying this, little human?” He murmurs into your ears, hit breath tickling your neck, sensations overwhelming you as his fingers curl deep inside you, massaging your gummy walls and curling around that spongy spot deep inside of you.

“s-sir..” unsure what to call the creature, you opt for an honorific, in an attempt to appease the king. A snort behind you reveals the foolishness of your attempt as he replies, “You are to address me as Meruem-sama.”

A soft cry escapes you as his fingers repeatedly curl against your spongy walls. “Y-yes, M-Meruem-sama..”

A smirk against your neck reveals his delight at your cooperation, as the king plants a series of soft kisses and bites along your neck, before choosing to suck harshly against your jaw. The stimulation and attention increased as he sped up his ministrations, a coil tightening in your stomach as you approached your high. Unsure of how to express such a thing, you simply cried, “c-cumming, Meruem-sama!” As your walls clenched down harshly around his fingers, gushing your slick all down his hand and wrist.

Meruem sighed against your neck, alarmingly pensive for a man an ant who had you cumming on his fingers seconds earlier.

“Yes, this is certainly much more suitable for you than death, wouldn’t you agree?”

A/N: it has been a very long time haha.

I found this in my drafts and it was too funny a concept to not share with world so enjoy. Maybe I’ll write a part two if anyone likes it

[wedarkacademia]

dark academia stationary tips? ideas? please? i beg of you.

Deepen Your Dive into Dark Academia Stationery:

Crafting the Canvas:

Paper: Embrace the tactile – rough-edged parchment, marbled sheets, hand-dyed linen paper. Seek antique ledgers, vintage score sheets, or maps for a truly timeworn effect.

Ink: Let your words drip in history – deep emerald greens, rich burgundy, charcoal grey. Discover shimmering gold or silver for elegant annotations. For an extra flourish, explore calligraphy inks and vintage fountain pens.

Beyond the Basics:

Washi Tapes: Forget the neon, embrace botanical prints, celestial patterns, and antique library stamps. Layer them for depth, use them to seal letters, or decorate journal edges.

Stickers & Tags: Pressed leaves, dried flowers, and ephemera from library archives add a touch of natural mystery. Vintage anatomy diagrams, constellations, and old library catalog cards offer an academic flair.

Sealing Secrets: Wax seals & ribbons elevate simple letters into heirlooms. Choose deep green wax, embossed with a raven, a quill, or your own monogram. Tie with silk or hemp twine for a finishing touch.

Unleashing the Scholarly Spirit:

Journals & Notebooks: Opt for leather-bound volumes, with aged paper and ribbon bookmarks. Decorate with antique maps, pressed flowers, or handwritten quotes from your favorite poets.

Organizing Knowledge: Index cards, vintage library pockets, and antique file folders help categorize your studies. Label them with elegant script and adorn them with botanical sketches or scientific diagrams.

The Scholar's Tools: Antique brass compasses, vintage rulers, and magnifying glasses add a touch of academic ambiance to your desk.

Whispers of Antiquity:

Poetry & Letters: Handwrite in a flowing script, penning sonnets or letters to fellow scholars. Let foreign languages add a touch of mystery, or slip in quotes from forgotten classics.

Ephemera & Found Objects: Tuck pressed leaves, antique botanical prints, or ticket stubs from forgotten museums into your notebooks. Let them spark inspiration and evoke past journeys.

The Art of Storytelling: Create your own dark academia-inspired stationery. Make vintage-themed envelopes from maps, decorate boxes with constellation patterns, or craft your own wax seal stamp.

Remember, dark academia is about embracing an atmosphere. Let your creativity flow, curate your collection with intention, and transform your stationery into a portal to an enchanting world of forgotten knowledge and secret societies.

[duccaneer]

Ok so i've been letting this idea stew in my head for a while and I can't really think of anything that would disprove it, so I'm just gonna say it:

Flowey is a Darkner.

We learn during Ch2 that the dark worlds are created by stabbing the earth with a sharp object, and that the stabber must be "determined" enough to create change. This clearly seems to reference the substance "Determination" (referred to as DT from here on) that we see in Undertale, so it's easy to assume that the same substance is required for creating dark fountains.

So what does this have to do with Flowey? Well, remember how he was created; Alphys injected a flower in Asgore's garden with DT. This flower just so happened to be near (or on) the area where Asriel perished, and as a result, he was revived as Flowey. What's important here is that Alphys injected a flower -- or in other words, stabbed a flower -- with DT. This action is strangely similar to creating a dark fountain, isn't it? And it's for this reason that I think Flowey is a darkner.

Now of course, there are some questions that some would have hearing this claim, many of which I've thought of and have some explanations for.

Why does Alphys stabbing this flower not create a dark world?

In Deltarune's case, we see Kris stabbing the ground with their knife, which creates a dark fountain. I believe the difference here from Alphys's case is exactly where the DT flows from. Kris is drawing upon their own DT, but since there isn't a sealed connection between their body and the ground, this causes both the DT and darkness to leak out into the room. This leaking is likely what causes the dark world to form in the first place, as I'll explain later.

In Undertale's case, Alphys is likely injecting the flower with a syringe filled with DT (I'm assuming syringe cause what else would she use?) Here, the DT is coming from the stabbing implement itself, creating a direct connection without any leaking.

Another thing to consider is that darkness most likely comes from the earth, which is why stabbing the ground is so important to creating a fountain.

Why doesn't Flowey transform back into a normal flower since he's in the Light World?

To answer this, I think it's best to understand why Darkners revert to inanimate objects in the Light World at all. Have you ever wondered why DT is needed for the dark world's creation? Given what we know about DT, it's easy to summarize it as "the will to live." In other words, it's my belief that DT is the very reason that darkners are able to exist in the first place.

Remember what I said earlier about moving DT; that when stabbing the earth, Kris's DT flows out of their body and into the room. Clearly there must be some limit as to how DT can move, otherwise it would be leaking out all the time. So here's my idea: Darkness is a strong DT conductor. When a dark fountain is created, darkness fills the room, allowing DT to freely flow through it. It then affects the inanimate objects within the room, transforming them into living beings -- or darkners.

So if Flowey is a darkner, why is he able to survive in the Light World when other darkners cannot? Once again, the answer lies in where the DT is. A dark world is saturated with DT, causing the objects inside it to come to life. When one of these objects leaves the dark world, however, it is no longer surrounded by DT, and reverts to its inanimate form. Likewise, when the fountain is sealed, the DT can no longer permeate the room and everything there reverts. Flowey is different because he has DT directly inside of him. Thus he is able to keep living no matter where he is. And actually, we do see him revert to his normal form at one point: in the aftermath of the Photoshop Flowey boss fight. If you decide to kill him here, he gladly accepts his fate, and becomes a plain old flower; completely devoid of DT.

Now, with this answered, we can get into the most interesting question this brings up:

Why does Asriel revive as a darkner?

That's the fun thing; he doesn't. In fact, he never revived at all.

Now I understand this is a very bold claim to make, but bear with me.

I firmly believe that darkners take shape from the memories tied to the object they were formed from. Take Ralsei for instance. It's pretty easy to infer that he's the headband with red horns that Kris used to wear. If darkners only formed based on the object itself, Ralsei would probably just look like a red-horned devil without any other defining traits. The fact that he looks specifically like a member of Kris's family, however, is why I believe that memories play a big part in what the darkner becomes. To be specific, I mean the memories gained by the object itself, as if it was conscious even while inert.

Now let's go back to Flowey's case. When Asriel passed away, his dust spread over Asgore's garden. This dust would become a part of the soil, slowly seeping into the roots of the flowers there. I believe Asriel's dust contained the memories of who he once was, which were then absorbed by the flowers, thus giving them Asriel's memories. All they needed was a bit of determination. And then, Alphys came along. And so Flowey was born. A being with the memories of another.

However, this revelation brings one more question to mind:

Why does Flowey become Asriel at the end of a Pacifist Run?

When he has the power of all the souls in the underground, Flowey seemingly becomes Asriel once again in one last attempt to prevent his best friend from leaving. Of course, this means that he was Asriel all along, right? Well, not necessarily. Flowey was already known to change his form beforehand with Photoshop Flowey. Whenever he has souls in his possession, transforming is typically one of the first things he does. Even without souls, we see him change his face and voice to match Asriel's in geno. The point is, transforming his appearance is a very common power for him, so what's stopping him from mimicking Asriel once he has the power to do so? Granted, I don't believe that he does this with the knowledge that he is a simulacrum; he just genuinely believes that he is Asriel. Regardless, him becoming Asriel at the end doesn't mean he always was.

Please let me know what you think about this. Chances are there's a very important detail I missed, and I'd love to refine this theory some more.

[zodiacdragon334]

Crimson Sun AU Introduction!

Well, I'm sick, jet lagged, and it's 6 am and I can't sleep. So, no better time to actually do this. This is a new AU project I've been cooking up for about a month now I'd say, give or take. And it's very, very fun! In my opinion anyways.

(And yes, I'll be finishing Dragon's Blood before I start posting this one, don't worry)

So this AU was born from a combination of three things in the cauldron of my brain.

1. I wanted to write Gunpowder Boys.

2. I wanted to write Impulse.

3. I happened to be watching a friend play Deltarune at the time.

SO.

Crimson Sun (the first part anyway) is a crossover AU between Hermitcraft Season 8 and an apocalyptic timeline of Empires Season 1, which is inspired by the premise of Deltarune! It's not a crossover with Deltarune, there's only going to be MCYT characters, but it's inspired by the whole structure and concept of the game. This first iteration is very loosely based on Chapter 1, but if I get to it and am still inspired, I do intend to write other stories based on other Deltarune chapters.

This first one is going to be from Impulse's POV with a heavy focus on him, Pixlriffs, and fWhip.

So it's the end of Hermitcraft Season 8. The moon is crashing, the world is ending, and the members of Boatem are getting ready to leave. Except, Mumbo and Pearl are nowhere to be found, the rocket is falling apart, and there's something very, very weird going on with the Boatem Hole. Strange, pulsing darkness that very much looks nothing like the familiar void. Time's running out. Impulse, Grian, and Scar eventually find Mumbo tangled up in wires and debris with Pearl trying to help him, but they can't get him out in time and he falls into the Boatem Hole.

And disappears. With no death message or anything. He's just gone.

And they can't leave their friend. So the rest of Boatem follows him. And they all land in a strange world of ash, ruins, towering crimson tentacles, a fungal infestation, and corrupted monsters roaming the lands. With the members of Boatem scattered across the land and transformed by the world, Impulse is suddenly alone with unfamiliar powers and a sharp object pressed into his back by two survivors who really don't like the look of him for some reason.

So that's where the Deltarune inspiration comes in! This timeline of Empires is the dark world, and there's the whole physical transformation thing that happens with Kris and Susie in the game. And Impulse and the rest of Boatem are trapped here until they can find a way back to Hermitcraft. Namely, by doing an equivalent to sealing the dark fountain, which is in this case, sealing Xornoth.

I'm going off the members of Boatem being more or less human in Hermitcraft, but showing a lot more of the typical fanon hybrid traits in this 'dark world.' So we've got Demon Impulse, Watcher Grian (he was an avian in HC), Vex Wizard Scar, Moth Pearl, and Shapeshifter/Cryptid Mumbo.

Now, a bit from the other side:

This timeline of Empires very, very far from canon events. It's a Xornoth wins AU. An apocalypse AU. After the death of the Ender Dragon, years before the members of Boatem land in their world, Xornoth wasted no time in their plans for world domination. Corruption flooded over the land, over every empire, corrupting the rulers into the demon's puppets. It leaves ruins and devastation in its wake, and reacts particularly poorly with what lurks underneath one particular empire, seemingly sealing the fate of the world.

Because there's massive veins of deepslate redstone ore underneath the Grimlands. And what happens when that mixes with corruption? It explodes. And that sets off the Rapture early, covering an already corrupted and inhospitable world in ash.

But there are survivors.

Pixlriffs, in his guilt over the Dragon's death, leaves Pixandria behind for exile. But soon enough, word reaches him in a distant village of the destruction he left behind, and despite what he feels about himself, he can't ignore the problem and returns to look for survivors. What he returns to is the shattered remains of Pixandria and the Vigil in pieces, rendering respawn itself unstable and unreliable. He finds the oceans drained, Mezalea silent and covered in ash, the Overgrown, Gilded Helianthia, the Undergrove, and the Crystal Cliffs either eternally aflame, or already nothing but burnt out husks. Mythland, the Lost Empire, and Rivendell, all seas of corruption. And the Grimlands nothing but a smoking crater.

And in the rubble, barely alive and clinging to life, he finds fWhip.

He survives, despite the odds. And they find themselves at an impasse. fWhip has lost absolutely everything, and has no reason to stay anymore, presuming Gem and Sausage and Pearl to be dead. But Pix, now that he's returned and fully sees the consequences of his compliance in the Dragon's death, can't bring himself to turn his back again. And fWhip can't leave his only friend behind.

So they do what they do best. They raid Pixandria's ghast farm, which was far enough away to escape the corruption, collect all the gunpowder, and spend the next five or so years being absolute nuisances to Xornoth by exploding things. They're the only reason why Xornoth has not finished their fortress after years. But still, Xornoth never manages to catch them.

After living in this world for five years, locked in a stalemate with their adversary and running out of places to hide, they've seen full well the power of a demon. Pix pushes forward, never letting go of his guilt and insisting to himself that it's his duty to stay and make things right. fWhip grows cynical and jaded with nothing left to live for.

Now just imagine how they feel with another demon falls out of the sky one day. Except this one is lost and confused, with no idea where he is, where his friends are, and keeps talking about something called a Boatem and the moon crashing. And he doesn't even seem to know that he is a demon either.

fWhip doesn't trust Impulse in the slightest, convinced that he's just another minion of Xornoth sent to lure him and Pix to their deaths. But Pix can't help but think of a book of prophecies he has stashed away, basically all he has left of Lizzie, with words written long ago speaking of hope, brought by fugitives of the moon wearing the appearance of the enemy. And maybe, just maybe, this could be the opening they need against Xornoth. Or Impulse could be the final nail in the coffin for an already doomed world.

One more quick note about Pearl specifically. Because she's got a False Symmetry kind of situation going on. Yes, there's two Pearls! And yes, that's as confusing for Impulse, Pix, and fWhip as you think it is. Empires Pearl and Hermit Pearl are both here as separate people, and both have their own distinct roles in the story.

So that's the premise of Crimson Sun! I do intend to make a masterpost for this and have this intro, some other posts, and the eventual fic linked to it. I think it's a very cool premise at least, and I'm looking forward to writing it once I'm done with Dragon's Blood. Feel free to send me asks about it if you've made it this far and are interested in knowing more!

Oh, and yes, I do intend to have more fics part of this AU based on the remaining chapters of Deltarune. I don't have any plot ideas for Chapter 2 yet, but I have decided that fic will feature Impulse, Skizz, Bdubs, and Martyn (because of the datastream defender thing), and the dark world will be in Impulse's season 10 cyberpunk city. But that's all I've decided so far. And one thing at a time. Got to finish the first one.

[blueiscoool]

The Long Lost Temple of Artemis in Greece Reveals More Secrets

A long-lost temple dedicated to the Goddess Artemis that was finally discovered in Evia, Greece after 100 years of archaeological research is revealing more of its secret treasures.

The temple was discovered by a team from the Swiss Archaeological School and Greek Archaeological Service after they worked out that ancient directions to the site were wrong.

They switched their dig from the ancient city of Eretria to a site at the foot of a hill near the small fishing village of Amarynthos.

They were looking for a legendary temple to the Goddess Artemis, one of the most widely venerated deities of Ancient Greece.

Several ancient sources mention the sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia. The main public documents (decrees, treaties), engraved on steles, were displayed there. The festival Artemisia was celebrated every spring by the Eretrians to honor the goddess.

On this occasion, a grand procession of 3,000 armed warriors, 600 horsemen, and 60 chariots made the twelve-kilometer journey to the sanctuary. The festival attracted citizens of the cities of Euboea but also representatives of other Greek cities.

Following painstaking work, the team of archaeologists discovered a stoa, or gallery, that could have formed part of the temple, and began excavating in earnest in 2012.

Amarysia Artemis temple was finally discovered in Evia, Greece

Their analysis proved correct when the team finally cut through the gallery walls in 2017 to reveal the core of the sanctuary of Amarysia Artemis.

The team has since uncovered buildings ranging from the 6th to 2nd centuries BC, including an underground fountain, and, crucially, inscriptions and coins bearing the name Artemis—the guardian goddess of Amarynthos.

These confirm that the site was the destination for the annual procession from Eretria by local worshippers of the goddess of the hunt.

Further excavations by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (ESAG) and the Ephorate of Antiquities in Evia brought to light the existence of two successive temples and a rich deposit of offerings.

The first temple, built around 650 BC, was destroyed at the end of the 6th century. A second, more monumental temple was rebuilt shortly after around 500 BC.

Rich offerings were deposited on this occasion; the excavations brought to light over 600 objects, including ceramic and bronze vessels, painted terracotta figurines, gold jewelry, silver, faience, glass and semi-precious stones, orientalized seals in the shape of scarabs, as well as weapons (including a helmet and a shield).

The Swiss Archaeological School in Greece says that remains in the sanctuary attest to the site’s deep history. The earliest structure dates back to 3000 BC. Sanctuaries are sacred spaces usually consisting of an altar, a temple—the house of the deity—and annex buildings, delimited by an enclosure. The sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia is no exception to the rule.

In addition to the monumental portico excavated in recent years, two altars related to the successive temples have been uncovered. Animal sacrifices took place on the altar, as selected parts were burned to ashes as offerings to the goddess. Such rituals performed at Amarynthos by the Eretrians were meant to attract the goodwill of Artemis.

The ancient site of Eretria, Evia

The excavations indicate that the foundation of the temple of the goddess Artemis at the edge of the fertile plain east of Eretria is connected with the fortifications found at the border of the ancient city.

Excavations of ancient Eretria began in the 1890s and have been conducted since 1964 by the Greek Archaeological Service.

Today it is the home of the Evia Ephorate of Antiquities, and it boasts an archaeological museum—the most significant in Evia—and an ancient theater dating back to the 5th century BC that hosts Ancient Greek tragedies and modern plays.

The most important site that has been discovered there is the Temple of Apollo Daphnephoros. Artifacts found at this ancient site are displayed at both the Louvre and National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

However, some pieces have remained in place at Eretria, notably the terracotta centaur from Lefkandi, dating back to the 10th century BC.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

It always struck me as a little odd that Ralsei does his utmost to keep Susie from learning the truth about darkners. For a while, I thought it might be because he thought she wouldn't properly understand the concept, or perhaps to spare her feelings. But the one thing about Susie is that if she sees something she doesn't like, she will do her utmost to challenge and subvert that thing, in any way she can. Whether it's people, the education system, or letting Kris make all the decisions.

There's a non-zero percent possibility that if she were to ever discover that darkners are just light-world objects, that she would very quickly revolt against the idea of sealing the fountains, upon realising that doing so would relegate her new friends to effective non-existence. Of course, this would screw with the carrying-out of the prophecy and potentially bring the Roaring closer. So perhaps Ralsei has anticipated this, and elects to conceal the truth from her to ensure that won't happen.

Following on from that, how much are people willing to bet that sooner or later Susie's gonna find out on her own, and that she's going to be less-than-pleased at Ralsei once she does?

[skullzanta]

3 AM... Random thought wanted to save, maybe wrong. Probably. DELTARUNE

Judging by the eyes on the titan matching what's on the first(and mysteriously formed) tiny dark world Ralsei occupies and is a prince of... What if the Roaring Titans had formed before, but slain or sealed? Now this is so-far standard right? BUT- Get this, Why are Darkeners crushed in realms they DON'T Belong in, with exception of Ralsei's dimension in both directions? Well, if the titans form FROM the fountains, Maybe the Roaring Titans were sealed into distorted points of time and space? Consider the following:

The Titans forming from the fountains either means the fountains ARE the Titans, or Titans are the truest form of Dark Being that only form from multiple incompatible ones combining, OR, that it pours enough darkness into the world that it gives just enough power into the light world to break time and space to un-seal/break open their containments?

Goners matching lighteners from Deltarune and always being black and white may match the idea of being darkened and losing their life, but having enough DETERMINATION to keep existing, but-...How would they survive? By being in parts of space and time broken and no longer accessible? Or simply that they could only reach those areas due to their broken nature?

And why are Darkeners unable to exist in other realms? They turn into Statues. why? But notice something, During The Roaring they ALSO Turn into statues, but it is described as being "Crushed by the Darkness". Why would it crush them when they are animated BY it? A few ideas for why:

Well, If we assume That The Fountains ARE the Titans, The Titan's Power/Influence, or Gateways to themselves that aren't properly opened, but allow their influence through, that means that the darkness has a will behind it, but is used in unintended ways by Lighteners belief of items and corrupted by it. Yet, as a result the Darkeners are extensions of that titan's self and willpower. Or at the least are animated by it. So when in another's influence, the Will behind it (un?)intendedly crushes out all of the dark influence of that object. But it does not reanimate it on its own right because its made for one will's extension and cannot be reshaped once animated. But Ralsei's Fountain, if it comes from a DEAD Titan, that means no will is behind it, so the influence lacks a shape and thus can fill any mould.

Alternatively if we assume that the Fountains are simply generators of darkness that can spawn titans, it is likely that only a specific format of darkness can feed a darkener due to the fact it is created with that wavelength, each fountain is formed with different influences and none of them are "Pure", all of them are incomplete or broken in some way or another, but Ralsei's Fountain is pure and complete, as a result it flows across all wavelengths and forms, and its creations are made to handle all wavelengths. Yet due to being "Fueled" by the correct wavelength, anyone and anything can exist there so long as the fountain consistently emits all forms of Darkness.