#even being someone who has killed that which people consider to be deities

[impossible-rat-babies]

rotating Halone in my brain case tonight fellas

[tubbytarchia]

Etho doodles in which I let my inner dinosaur nerd take over 😔 and also have no idea how to shade

Get it cause he's old and washed up haha... ok but actual raptor Etho hybrid justification below cut

To be honest the main reason was because I really wanted a hybrid in the mix who wasn't some furry creature and a reptile or amphibian or smth instead. Etho still ended up feathered but whatever it's close enough! But for ACTUAL reasoning:

He does feel damn ancient, like an old deity of the mcyt space that no one can dislike. Dinosaurs are the same!! They're old but still thought of with great fascination and fondness, everyone loves dinosaurs...

Dinosaurs are ever so mysterious, as many advancements as we make there's still so much we don't know. Just as we know jackshit about mister Kakashi skin man. Also, there are so many incomplete skeletons out there. I didn't have a particular species in mind for Etho, because where's the mystery in that? He can be one of those 5% skeleton 95% speculation dinosaurs like this guy!! Missing jaw and all

"I'm a runner, not a protector" - so, a raptor, or more specifically the Dromaeosauridae family, which literally has "running/runner" in its name

But! I'm always a fan of stuff going against its nature, especially in this case! Etho states he's not a runner yet protects his allies rather fiercely even in total silence. Eg refusing to kill Cleo in SL or to give away Tango's location during the LimL manhunt, same for Grian in SL. He was a bit flaky in 3L I think? And he only started to have genuine care for allies in LL with Bdubs? Though he is still very much a runner in many cases like during the LL Wither fight. Research also strongly suggests that most if not all raptors were solitary hunters, and the way I see Etho (through my shamefully limited watchtime of his POVs...) he feels a lot like someone who ultimately only trusts himself at the start even if he's pleasant and allying with others, and doesn't seem to think he can carry his weight in groups though he doesn't voice this a lot. That's just how Etho is, very composed, but it feels like there's an insecurity there, showcased especially in SL but again I haven't seen almost any of his POVs in full so maybe I'm talking out of my ass!! Sorry ethogirls I'm only a sidegig ethogirl myself... But yeah tldr to me he gives off the vibe of an otherwise solitary animal struggling to find 100% sure footing in a pack. In whichever ways he does go against his nature, its not usually made a show of

At the mention of a raptor, a lot of people will probably think of the glamourized Jurassic Park Velociraptors. But those awesome guys from the movies are actually the size of chickens. In general though, dinosaurs tend to be a bit.. exaggerated in media, despite how inherently fascinating they already are. And I think it fits Etho because we all know how the Lifers seem to fear and mancrush on him when he's just some dork with perfect capability to become pathetic at a moment's notice. Still, he's a clearly skilled player and still respected without question Etho's not some killer machine like some people make dinosaurs out to be. He's just a fellow creature fulfilling his role in the ecosystem 👍

dinosaurs are cool

The hook-like sickle claws on the feet... something something fishing rod

I swear I'm not turning all my Lifers into hybrids I'm not!! Still plenty normal humans in the mix I swear....... But Etho is such a radical dude, I really wanted to do something more for him. The whole Kitsune thing that I often see associated with him is really cool. I don't actually know the reasoning for it but I assume something something naruto, but also, him being this ancient mythical cryptid who people know so little about, you know? It makes SO much sense. So anyway I turned him into a dinosaur instead rawr

As a herbivore advocate I also considered stuff like the triceratops (known for how they protect themselves and their own) but nah the raptor symbolism...

[yourlocaltreesimp]

Yan!Chain Headcannons

part 1(Hyrule and Legend)

This episode is dedicated to @mushroomwoods and our conversation on how we want to marry Twilight

Tw: Yandarism and it’s accessories, violence, obsession, cannibalism mentioned, Twi has wolf mannerisms, Time has FD living vicariously in his mind

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Twilight

Absolute gentleman when you first got to know eachother, one of the more willing ones to give you trust without falling head over heels. Became close friends before he realised your part as his guide.

Speaking of, there’s a lot of guilt to say with Midna. He never really got to know if she loved him back. All he knows is that he fell in love with his guide and then, they were gone. If you see where this is leading then you know.

When Twilight rather abruptly remembers that you were in fact his guide alongside Midna, he doubts his own feelings. Especially considering all of the protectiveness he’d had to repress from the wolf which still made its place in his mind. But… you came back. And you cared. So, he must’ve loved you, right ? He’d be blind if he didn’t.

Main love language is probably physical touch and words of affirmation. It’s what he grew up with in Ordon and it’s what’s comforting to him. So, it’s what he extends when caring for you.

He also has the tendency for acts of service while he’s crushing. Will drop whatever he was assigned to do so you can sleep, talk, have company. Or do things you didn’t ask for like mending your clothes, restocking your bag, killing a man.

Absolute sweetheart. Cuddle buddy. Guard dog. Will cannibalise someone who’s rude to you as Wolfie and won’t bat an eye. Your safety is the most important.

Speaking on Wolfie and guard dogs, I mentioned this briefly before. Twilight has some left over effects from his wolf form. Keener senses, sharper attention, as well as various other side effects he’s taken in. They all manifest as an extra voice in his mind. Not like a separate person per say, just a separate intelligence. Like when you’re panicking and that primal voice tells you to run. He just has it all of the time. Especially in regards to you. As far as that little voice is concerned, you are his. Not shared with anyone. Not part of any other universe. Not by anyone else’s side. His. His love, his deity, his light, his mate (such term of endearment making the little voice keen with happiness). All his. And he’d do anything under the stars to keep it that way.

He’d love to just keep you in Ordon, where the people are tight knit, and where you can’t wander off without him knowing. He’ll work so you can stay at home and rest, maybe even look after the kids he’ll stick you with. It’s a dream of his, actually. The only thing him and his primal side agrees on.

They also agree that kidnapping you is Ay okay if it means that picturesque comfy living is the end of it.

Preferred nicknames for you: Darlin’, Love, Sweet Heart, Sugar, Babe, Honey

Bonus: He and Warriors had a bet on who could make you the most flustered. He’s a bit of a flirt with accent of his, especially after he learns of its affect on you.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Time

Absolute last when it came to falling for you. He doesn’t even know why in hindsight, he’d always taken a shine to you. He just… never noticed. dense as mf Anyway- You were definitely friends, or at least reliable source of comfort and calm. You’d talk him off the ledge of his panic attacks, cradling him like he was so precious and in turn, you never really worked as a part of the chain. Well, He never forced you at least. You always did anyway.

The deity was the first to point it out, being the one to live in his head. Pointing out his Time would never let anyone else do what you did, never. But alas, the deity still regarded you as a weak spot in Time’s bleeding heart, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

The others were next, teasing him about it. They didn’t think their suspicions were real, however, until they saw the frozen look he had on his face.

He was the last aside from you to realise it, coming swiftly after remembering your guidance. He’d always thought your caring nature as a rouse. But seeing how you never gave up on him, growing up alongside him, keeping him safe from dangers he was forced into… he was a fool for you.

Love language is Quality time and Acts of service. Loves just simply being with you, enjoying one another. He has to repay the favours of what you’ve done for him. A nice massage, a rest day, a nap. Anything your heart desires.

That said, you not only have one overly protective mf on your hands… but two! FD, while originally seeing you as an oversight, fell like an angel from heaven. I’m scared for whoever throws disrespect on your name because they will be delt with, By both the Hero of Time and the Fierce Deity of War.

Time would court you traditionally. Flowers, Gifts, Poetry. Whatever he could truly accomplish given the circumstances. You are pampered more an any of the Zeldas in any of the timelines. So much as make a single comment of how much you like something and his wallet is open.

Might genuinely think you’re a deity, you’re the only one FD likes enough to seek out approval from, so that must mean you’re something.

Worships the ground you walk on. Kills any nonbelievers. That’s his motto

Would definitely kidnap you. Between him and the deity, you’re not leaving. But depending on how cooperative you are, he’ll be a little more lax. Might even let you get a job if you’re good enough, so long as he can walk you to and from home like a good partner.

Preferred nicknames for you: my Love, my Beloved, Dearest, Darling, anything classy.

Bonus: He’s definitely thought about how similar Twi and you can be, down to comparing what traits were passed down the lineage to his successor.

[aliciavance4228]

So... Did Hades Have Any Children At All?

It's very hard to tell wheter or not Hades indeed had any kids. The main reason for this is that Hades is believed to be impotent or at least infertile (though this is never specified in ancient sources) in about 90% of the myths. Which makes sense, considering the fact that he's the God of the Dead and rules over a realm where 99% of its residents are mortal souls.

But what about the other 10%? Well, he has less children than his brothers, that's for sure, and their number varies depending on the myths.

In some myths the Erinyes are considered to be his daughters, whom he conceived either with Nyx or Persephone. But both of these possibilities are labeled as weird by Greek Mythology Nerds because a) Nyx usually conceives her children either asexually or with Erebus, and b) it's very likeable that by the time when Persephone was kidnapped the Erinyes already existed. So people stick to the version where they are the daughters of Nyx and Erebus, and them being reffered to as the daughters of Hades is rather related to the way he treated them.

Another strange case is Plutus. Sometimes he's the son of Demeter and Iasion, sometimes the son of Tyche and Iasion, and sometimes he's the son of Demeter and Hades. Which would be cringe on many levels. Even weirder, Plutus is depicted both in the company of Demeter and Persephone, as well as in the company of Hades, and he's considered the younger brother of Melinoe and Zagreus even when they have completely different parents. My personal theory is that Plutus, being the God of Riches, was basically adopted by his uncle Hades (who's called The Rich One as Pluto) and he's currently treated like his son because they share some attributes. Also, Iasion was killed by Zeus, so he probably needed a new father figure (or someone who rules over the realm where the soul of his father lies now). Furthermore, Plutus is usually depicted either as a young boy or even as a child, so he's literally a babe.

And now, we will talk about the three divinities that are labeled as their children by the majority of this fandom: Macaria, Melinoe and Zagreus.

Macaria

Macaria is the one we know few to no things about. She is a daughter of Hades (who was basically mentioned only once in the Suda and that's how we know about her existence), and she's generally associated with a Blessed Death, being a softer counterpart of Thanatos. To make things a little bit complicated now, Heracles also named his daughter Macaria, so it's pretty hard to separate them both when you try to talk about any of them. Her mother is never mentioned, but technically it should be Persephone.

While specific descriptions of Macaria’s appearance are rare, she is often imagined as a serene and comforting presence, embodying the peace that comes with a blessed death. Unlike the fearsome depictions of other death-related deities, like Thanatos and Hecate, Macaria’s visage would likely be gentle, reflecting her role in easing the transition of the souls to the afterlife.

Since there are no recorded myths about Macaria, we can only guess about her personality based on the few mentions of her name and role. As the goddess of Blessed Death, Macaria would be compassionate and understanding. She represents the aspect of death that should not be feared. Instead it should be accepted as a natural and potentially beautiful part of the life cycle. Her demeanor would be calming, reassuring those on the verge of death.

Also, just as a little Fun Fact, some people ship her with Thanatos and consider them to be a natural pair, considering the fact that their attributes are making them complement each other. It's probably one of the most famous non-canon couples from Greek Mythology at this point.

Melinoe

Melinoe is the Goddess of Ghosts, and is also associated with Nightmares and Madness.

Now, about her parentage... *sighs*

The earliest versions of her story appear in Orphic Greek Mythology, which is completely different and complicated compared to your typical Vanilla Greek Mythology. So depending on the versions, her mother is Persephone, whereas her father is either Zeus or Hades (or both).

The most common version of her myth is that Zeus took the appearance of Hades and impregnated Persephone on the banks of the River Cocytus. Some people are arguing though, claiming that a) Hades was sometimes reffered to as Zeus of the Underworld due to the fact that people were too scared to say his name, and b) In Orphism Hades and Zeus are sometimes believed to be one and the same deity (I've told you that it’s complicated, guys!). What we know for sure though is that Persephone gave birth to her on the banks of the River Cocytus as well, while Hermes was acting like some sort of a bodyguard. One can hope that he got a raise after that...

There's also another version of her myth, though this one was transmitted orally rather than written. In this one Persephone remained pregnant with her after a midnight tryst with Hades on the Nysion Island (Ooo...).

Melinoe is described as being half dark and half pale (though this description might be metaphorical rather than literal, but at least Hel has a twin sister now), representing her dual nature, and is considered both a daughter of the Underworld and of Mount Olympus whoever her parents are.

It is believed that there's a strong connection between her and Hecate. Both preside over realms that are shrouded in mystery, and their domains often intersect in the world of spirits, night, and the unknown. Despite her eerie domain, Melinoe wasn’t inherently malevolent. She was a guardian of spirits, guiding them through the night. However, her association with nightmares and madness meant that she was often perceived with a mix of fear and reverence by the Ancient Greeks.

Melinoe’s primary role was to guide the spirits of the dead during the night. She would roam the earth, accompanied by a host of ghosts, ensuring they did not harm the living. It was believed that the reason why dogs bark at night is because they would see her and her ghosts and get scared. Additionally, she was the embodiment of nightmares, bringing forth visions and dreams that could both terrify and enlighten mortals. Her responsibilities also included maintaining the balance between the world of the living and the realm of the dead, ensuring that neither was disrupted by the other.

Zagreus

Ah, Zagreus... Where the hell should I begin?

Zagreus is firstly mentioned in Mycenaean Mythology, and it seems that he had a great importance thousands of years ago, but for some reason he lost it in time. In the earliest mention of Zagreus, he is paired with Gaia and called the highest god, though perhaps only in reference to the gods of the underworld. Aeschylus, however, links Zagreus with Hades, possibly as Hades' son, or as Hades himself.

In the most famous version of his myth, which appears in the Orphic Hymns, Zeus raped Persephone in the form of a snake/dragon when she was FUCKING FOURTEEN and hidden in a cave, due to the fact that her mother decided to keep her there so that no god would take advantage of her (Spoiler Alert: it didn't work.). Later, when Zagreus was born, Hera found out about him and threw him into Tartarus, where he was dismembered by the Titans. Athena, however, managed to find his heart and gave it to Zeus. Zeus then asked Semele to eat that heart, which she did and soon after that she got pregnant with Dionysus. This is why Zagreus is sometimes called The Orphic Dionysus, why he is associated with rebirth and reincarnation, and why in some versions of the birth of Dionysus it is Persephone the one who raised him.

There are also people who claim that Zagreus is in fact the son of Hades and Persephone that later got merged/syncretized with the Orphic Dionysus, who is the son of Zeus and Persephone.

And last but not least, in the later versions of his myth he is simply the son of Hades and Persephone, and the God of Orphic Mysteries. In this version he is generally depicted as a skilled hunter who hunts during nighttime and sometimes even eats his prey raw. Also, he and Dionysus share a lot of attributes in common, because yes.

Now, it should be ALSO pointed out the fact that in the Orphic Greek Mythology Hades, Zeus and Dionysus are sometimes believed to be one and the same deity. A small hint that many people use as an argument in order to prove the connection between these three gods, more specifically between Hades and Dionysus, is that during the time when Demeter was searching for Persephone she refused to drink wine even when it was offered to her. But that's an idea and a concept that would take me hours to unpack and explain, and I'm already tired.

*Fanarts by Arbetta*

[waroferas]

Cia HyWars is pure evil?

There is so much I could say about Cia . and i will ! you’re stuck with me now idiot !!!!! (speaking into an empty room)

i was going to skip this section bc if anybody reading this somehow didn’t know who Cia is then like . google is right there . but zeldadungeon actually has fuck all to say about cia’s backstory and i would never knowingly subject someone to the fandom wikis.

Cia was originally known as the Guardian of Time, a minor deity tasked with overlooking the checks and balances of the triforce across the past and future. She did this work alone, and her psyche was left vulnerable to a fragment of ganondorf’s soul. Her admiration and jealousy of the holder’s of the triforce was manipulated until she became physically fragmented, her “light half” being cast from her as she was fully corrupted.

That half goes on to become Lana, and what remains of Cia wants two things: Collect Link like barbie doll, and help Ganondorf restore his soul and gather the triforce so she can Collect Link like barbie doll. She’s the main antagonist of the game now.

why would she do this? is she stupid?

being lonely makes you crazy and i mean this very genuinely.

Hyrule Warriors is constantly hammering in that you need to rely on other people through gameplay And story beats. i would even say that friendship and teamwork is one of the strongest and most recognizable themes. In the very first stage there is an honestly comical back and forth that goes as follows: link runs in to fight volga. impa runs in to save link. link hops up last second and saves impa instead . and then they round out the stage with impa saving link and delivering the hero’s tunic to him. this has to be a joke? but it isn’t . they LOVE TEAMWORK !! not to mention the gameplay that forces you to run around and help your allies, or the massive story beat that revolves around Link running ahead to fight on his own, which i could dissect in its own post.

unrelated but related, in the first edition of this game Cia dies. she asks lana to make her pain make sense, reveals that she knew on some level she was doomed to fail, and admits that lana really is better than her. it’s a bitter ending with very little fanfare, as ganondorf swoops in quickly to kickstart the beginning of the end.

But in later versions, there’s additional content. Cia is found to be alive, struggling against Phantom Ganon’s forces with the last of her power. She becomes an ally and she gets to live at the end, finding a happy ending in resuming her duties now as one of two Guardians of Time with Lana.

Would it be such a stretch to assume that the root of her pain was her solitude? Her admiration of Link as the revered hero, her jealousy of Zelda as the damsel who is destined to always fight by his side, and her happy ending. she easily walks away from Link, Zelda, and the allure of the triforce because now she finally has company, and knows she is leaving them all as friends. Wouldn’t it make sense thematically that in the game about friendship, the main antagonist would be driven in part by a lack of it?

this doesn’t justify starting a war

yeag . the devs for the Dynasty Warriors hack and slash series should have made it Not a war (JOKE. PARODY. but see the first sentence or the previous section)

but what about the part where she is an irredeemable creep?

look me in the eyes . i cannot describe how much this train of thought kills me. i am trying not to point at anybody specific here but it actually scares me a little bit how common and Assumed To Be True this is considering the preexisting racism and misogyny surrounding Cia’s design and role within the game

Cia is creepy towards Link. it’s not normal to disregard a person’s autonomy because you want to “make him yours”, and it’s not normal to have just So Many pictures and statues of a guy. but i have to draw the line there because Genuinely that is where it ends.

Pet names? if you play her side campaign you find that she calls Literally everyone things like “lovelies” and “darling.” Her speech mannerisms are classically cartoonish villain and i am absolutely biased because i love this

Age difference? an important thing to note is that cia’s design is one of the things the most afflicted by the aforementioned racism and misogyny. considering she has no canonical age afaik it freaks me out that people treat her like a Textual Predator with the Everything in mind.

if she’s redeemable then they did a shit job at it.

no argument there . i think everyone forever should make something new up to make up for the fact that they did a Poor Redemption . at least have her say sorry or something idunno .

in my opinion they had a lot going on when cia joined the allies, so i like to imagine she ended up getting a proper redemption arc After phantom ganon is put to bed. it lives in my head and it’s just as convoluted and weird as the rest of the game 👍

Hyrule Warriors is just an extremely elaborate excuse to play dolls

and i LOVE my tuoys. come play with meeeee come have fun with me and ciaaaaaa

[lumilasi]

I was supposed to work on some pride month themed pieces, instead I'm out here creating a bisexual vampire, even tho I promised myself I wouldn't make more characters anytime soon.....

(random note: I don't typically make vampire characters as I find them over-utilized in fiction somewhat, but for Cornel it just felt like the ONLY thing that truly fit...)

TBF, he has an important role in the story that fills in lot of plot points. Also I meant him to be indigo themed but he ended up purple instead. *shakes fist at porple* I did have ideas for other outfits, but I kind of ran out of motivation for now and decided to just post this already; I can always draw him in those other ones later.

Anyway, more info of Cornel below(incomplete):

Name: Cornel Sala (His full name is Cornelius, but he prefers the shorter version, because his full name just reminds him of getting constantly yelled at or belittled by his parents)

Age: Unknown, he appears to be in his mid thirties physically, but has existed for at least 100 years.

Height: 189 cm

A Natural born vampire currently hiding in the human world & working for a mob family

CURSED VS ETHER VAMPIRES

There are 2 types of these bloodsuckers in this story; the more classic, humans-infected-and-turned-into-undead-bloodsuckers, and natural born ones like Cornel. Natural-Born originate from Ether and are generally stronger and also immune to most common vampire fighting techniques, given they aren't really the same being even if they share similarities. No waving a holy cross or garlic to their face will work, though they are weak to light based magic, provided it is powerful enough. Cursed Ones come from a curse long ago, placed onto some humans that turned them into bloodthirsty monsters. Mostly they are created by fellow cursed, but sometimes a human can be turned by a Natural born, which then makes them a human-vampire hybrid instead of an undead creature. It is theorized that the Original Curse was inspired by Ether vampires still, just with their common ailments and weaknesses (Sun & silver allergy, tendency to be overtly polite, aversion to garlic dishes (either due to, again, allergy or just not enjoying the taste due to kind of a "cilantro" gene many of them have about garlic) turned up to eleven

Role: One of the antagonists for the Sterling family, often behind whatever chaos they are trying to solve.

Love interest: He has somewhat of a physical relationship with his boss Camilla, though its purely casual, neither she or him take it very seriously. There's also sexual tension between the long-lived Barone family guardian Soul eater Samar and him....

Comrades:  Vincent DeVos (A plaque demon) Samar (A Seemingly ancient Soul Eater, who turns out to be the brother of the Soul Eater King/Deity) His boss Camilla Barone (Human mobster)

Rival: Alexander Sterling, due to their previous run-in and roles as sort of protectors for their respective bosses.

Powers:

Flight: He can turn into a bunch of bats to travel, or use shadows for it thanks to his occultism skills

Physical strength: He is naturally far stronger than any human could dream of being, able to rip them apart with his bare hands. (Among the Ether citizens though, his kin are considered average or below average in raw physical strength)

Blood magic: He can utilize his own blood to form weapons or shields, and ofc infect others with it, though unlike "cursed" ones his by default doesn't turn people, just poisons them.

Occultism: He can basically summon forth dead souls to inhabit objects and things to create an army to command, or even force a possession into someone. He can also bring people back from the brink of death, but the timing for that needs to be precise.

Immortality: While not a natural trait, Cornel has used an ancient rune spell onto himself that he discovered, where he basically cannot be killed for good unless one manages to undo this spell/his soul is devoured successfully by a soul eater (hard to do, due to his occultism magic he tends to "go down" very poorly). He always reforms eventually even if his body is entirely destroyed.

Charm: He has the natural vampire charm which he can utilize for feeding or getting people to generally do what he wants.

Turning: Cornel can turn others into vampires too, but it requires a special casting spell alongside the bite, AND consent. You can't forcibly turn anyone into half-blood Ether vampire.

Weaknesses:

His kin are naturally weaker against light based magic (nothing to do with holiness, just light as an elemental energy type) though how powerful this said magic needs to be depends on the individual vampire. (Example: Diojas' biological mother is a genuine dangerous threat to him, but someone like Hayden Faylune who is more present in the story, not so much)

Cornel has some of the common ailments to his kin that are also associated with the Cursed ones, though for entirely different reasons; he's not weak to sunlight, just allergic to it.

Alongside silver allergies, It is common for Ether vampires to have sunlight allergy in varying levels of severity. In his case it is a medium level case, where he'll develop rashes and nausea after thirty minutes of exposed direct sunlight, but can counter it by just covering up, and cloudy days he can be outside during daytime mostly without problems. (Worst cases absolutely can't tolerate it at all and come out only at night, and even then may have to avoid moonlight as it is reflected sunlight)

His occultism spirit tricks can naturally be countered by exorcism abilities.

Personality:

Cornel is a very calm and collected man with a somewhat clinical way of thinking, having been a doctor in the past. He has a scientist's curiosity, with somewhat lacking moral compass, though he still has some principles left; he doesn't feed from minors or pregnant women, and tends to refuse blood offers from those with mental illnesses like depression. (Now he if he doesn't know and finds out later, he tends to shrug it off though)

He is quite sadistic and enjoys toying with his targets, often terrorizing them half to death before actually killing them (he works as a personal assassin for his boss as well). That being said, if he respects you enough (like he does Camilla) he'll listen if told to knock it off.

Cornel can be quite charming and polite man to talk with, though he can also get very passive aggressive, and if he doesn't particularly care for you - but the dislike isn't strong enough for murder - his contempt will ooze out of every word, to the point his boss finds it funny.

He can hold a grudge for a long time, but is also an opportunist and a patient man, knowing when it is for the best to leave things be for now, and wait for a perfect time to strike.

BG Story

Cornel's early days are a mystery, what is known that he divulged information he shouldn't have to people in human world, and that led to him becoming a wanted fugitive, who violently dispatched his would-be-captors. (he has indicated his birth family was shit) Cornel ended up faking his death eventually to get away from the Shadowless. He ended up working with a mob family eventually in human world, the sister of the Barones family boss. (Barones were the family my MC Avane's boyfriend used to serve as well) He was eventually asked by Camilla to eliminate her brother who was going off the deep end with his obsession over his "ex boyfriend" who'd escaped his clutches two years ago, endangering the family business. He happily obliged, having never really liked the man in truth, given the curse he'd placed upon the "boyfriend" in question that Cornel had noticed. He'd never spoken out for Roman as he hadn't cared about the Grimmhound really, but had always found his essentially forced servitude rather distasteful.

Fun Facts:

His other hand is darkened and has a spiral-y pattern around his shoulder as a reference to his occultism powers & immortality rune spell.

The mob family Cornel works for was the one A Grimmhound named Roman was in, before he was rescued by his now girlfriend Ava (my mc).

DeVos initially develops an admiring crush on Cornel because he reminds Vee of his ex friend/friends-with-benefits Angus, but overtime Vee realizes that Cornel is actually really terrifying and awful, and not at all what Vee liked about Angus. (Cornel plays a role in Vee's somewhat-of-a-redemption arc before his death, by giving him this moment of enlightenment)

Cornel's boss lets him feed from her sometimes, though he doesn't really ask for it (it often leads to more intimate things too...)

Cornel and Samar don't really get along that well, but have a level of respect for each other's strength, knowing the other could seriously cause some damage to them. (Samar is also not exactly immune to his vampire charm, unfortunately...)

Cornel finds DeVos an amusing little 'child' due to his initial idolization and a level of naivety. (Cornel pretty much figures out instantly from Vee's stories why he got rejected)

Cornel and Angus are kind of parallels in general; both are doctors with feared powers that utilize blood, both had tough upbringing, and their colors are kind of complementary; Angus' main (accent) color is yellow, whereas Cornel is purple.

Cornel's style is very victorian goth inspired, though does include striking lighter colors for contrast like that light lilac coat.

[loweya-blog]

Mammon Deity AU Headcanon

What does Mammon look like as a deity?

Deity: The Great Mammon

Other Titles: Father of Crows, Gilded Trickster, King of Calamity

Main Domain: Fortune/Misfortune

Old Domain: Fortune (only fortune)

Other domains: Wealth, travel, and trade

Symbolic Animal: Crows

Outfit: Black and golden silks, as if he would settle for less. Of course with plenty of chest exposure. 😉

Accessories: Golden earrings and rings

Personal Item: Goldie, his pouch that has infinite amount of grim/human currency

Old God Era

Before being outcasted, he was the deity of pure fortune.

The Old Gods (what I’m calling them for now.) had believed that deities needed to be pure good and only influence the world in purely good ways. But even before he was an outcast, Mammon struggled with this idea. 

Because of his trickster personality, Mammon was too much for Michael to handle and give over to Lucifer to essentially raise. 

As a deity, he would give people fortune through wealth. People would beg for him to give them luck on certain things or to give them wealth. However, sometimes Mammon gave wealth to the wrong people or at the wrong times and this ended up causing problems on Earth. 

Michael would get pissed at Mammon but this was one of the few times Lucifer would stand up for him, since Mammon can’t control fate or the future. 

New God Era

When he was casted out of the old god’s realms, he acquired a new domain. Misfortune.

Despite what the brothers think, the new domains they acquired were domains they were always meant to have, if they hadn’t been suppressing themselves to be pure.

He was the fastest to adapt to the new gods, though he hated how himself and his siblings were treated as not part of the new faction so he led them to fight Cerberus, which almost got them killed until Lucifer stepped in. 

Now as a deity of fortune and misfortune, he’ll give people fortune in exchange for misfortune for something else. 

Oftentimes he’ll be trying to outsmart those who call upon him and cheat them out of their wealth or fortunes. 

However, if he takes a shine to someone, they’ll be showered in non-stop wealth and fortune. 

He ended up showering a sick little girl in silks, wealth, and coins. This ultimately helped the girl but she was confused when all of this started appearing in her room. Also she wanted a toy, not a brand new racing horse. 

Due to one of his schemes, he accidentally created a widely used trading route.

 Though he didn’t intend to create the new silk road, he fully accepted the mortal’s new sacrifices for the trade network. 

Most people blame him for their misfortunes, even when he didn’t cause it or when it happened for reasons outside of his control. 

He’s gotten used to it but it still hurts internally when people only see him as a scummy god or some cause of calamity

But he does kind of like the “King of Calamity” title since it sounds badass

When pissed off, he absolutely will cause misfortune on purpose. He can make a mortal’s life absolutely miserable if they manage to piss him off. This is rare. 

Usually a mortal can only do this by severely insulting one of his brothers or his dead sister. 

Considered getting a crow feathered cape but the idea of crows without their feathers made him too upset to actually buy it.

He feeds a flock of crows and takes care of them. They're considered The Great Mammon's sacred crows. Nobody is allowed to touch them but him.

[yanderefairyangel]

I can''t... I just can't... this fandom can't be real... this has to be some ... WHY WHY WHY ?!

why do i bother.

Ok, look. See that one criticsm of Alear's reaction when they ask Veyle to give them back the rings in chapter 10 :

"OOOh why does Alear says that, you can't take my rings, not fair gimme back, acting like an actual child like they are on some playground to they think Veyle will really give it back are they serious ? This game's writing sucks so much uwu"

It's all you need to know about how low the bar is for media analysis these day.

"Alear behaves like a child in this scene. They are so immature". Congrats. Congrats on getting the freaking point this scene tried to establish !!

Yes, Alear behaves like the child they are ! they are 17 year old for God's sake, they are thinking with their amygdalia !! This is what this scene is trying to establlish and by the reaction you all have it did it incredibly well !!!

Alear literaly got stolen from them the 6 rings that they spend all the game collecting. All of them !!!! With the rings he stole, Sombron is at 2 rings of reaching his objective and to destroy Elyos !!!!!! The world is so close to be doomed because of this !! And Alear losing the rings mean losing their emotional supports and the one thing that helped them feel braver. Alear is someone who is 17 year old, they are amnesiac, they just woke from coma, they are weak, unaware of the world, they showed they were scarred by the Corrupted and fear to not being ready to fight them and Sombron yet, Marth's presence is what helped them defeat them, if it weren't for Alfred's arrival they wouldn't have been able to handle the castle's attack, they didn't had the time to prepare when Lumera died, they saw their mother dying right in front of their freaking eyes to protect them and were thrown into a bitter war in that state when they didn't even had the time to properly mourn her, are in a state where they clearly aren't ready and are very dependent of other, notably Marth !! Of course, of freaking course they are acting as their character are !! As a teenager who has been living all of this and got it pushed into them as the successor of their mother when they aren't ready yet, of course they are going to show immaturity !!! That's the freaking point of this scene, showing Alear's flaws !!!

HOW THE HECK DO YOU WANNA KNOW THE FLAWS OF A CHARACTER IF THEY NEVER SHOW THEM ?!

That's the whole point of this freaking scene !! Alear is literaly desesperate to know that they failed to fufill the promise they made Lumera to colllect all the rings and prevent Sombron's faction to collect them before they do !!!! They lost the Emblems whom they consider to be their friends !! Did you see the face of absolute terror they have upon seeing Sombron summoning Marth ?! How do you want them to react exactly ?! To brush it off as if they are some sort of Superman ?! They aren't !! They are just a normal person, a teenager that is pushed into this when they are amnesiac and desoriented !!! This is incredible that this comes from the same people who keep saying that Alear isn't a relatable protag because of their deity status (which is quite ironic considering Engage's message about birth not mattering) when they are literaly reacting like anyone their age would in a situation where they got stolen from them the one thing that might threatened the balance of the world when used with ill intent knowing that they have a whole world weighting on their shoulder when theya re 17 amnesiac and didn't even had the time to mourn their mother who DIED TO PROTECT THEM RIGHT AFTER LEARNING SHE GAVE ALL HER LIFE FORCE SO THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE AND FEELING GUILTY ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!

Don't get me started on how they also just learned that Veyle whom they considered a friend was on Sombron's side, killed their mother and are incredibly disturbed by how differently she behaved !!! Or the fact that a 1000 years earlier, they were speaking like a child because their trauma got them frozen in their age resulting in them using the alphabet of a 10 year old !!

"Why do you ask her to give you back the rings ? Are you stupid You think she will give it back ?" OF COURSE NOT THEY DON'T !!! This dialogue exist to SHOW Alear is desesparated !!!!!!! It's not based on logic or anything, it's just to convey their freaking emotions of being desesperated !!!

It's absolutely jarring that people keep acting as if the story never showed Alear as evovling or failing at being brave ! There. There it is! Look at the terror on their face and how they are falling to their knees, begging Sombron to stop in a sign of desesperation !! There they are ! Can you really not look at this scene and see that Alear is failing at being brave ?! They are overwhelmed by the situation. This is the most angry you will ever see them in the entire game !!!! Yet "they don't evolve, their so called frail character and fear is just narrative gaslighting "and yadi yada WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER ?!

It took them 10 chapter to realize that they were too imature yet. It took them 10 more chapter to have Alfred comment on how far Alear went and how they finally seemed to have stepped into their role as a leader and deity figure. It took them 25 chapter to show how much they evolved from their mother dying in chapter 3, begging for her to not die and leaving them alone as they REVERT FREAKING BACK TO SPEAK LIKE A CHILD and being so marked by it that Lumera won't stop haunting the narrative, to chapter 25 were they had to take her down while Lumera was still refering to chapter 2, the only moment the two of them spent as family, with them actually accepting what's comming and refusing to cry anymore !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And this, this is the straw

"A 17 year old becoming the head of an army when they are amnesiac is unrealistic". YES CONGRATS ON UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE POINT THAT THE STORY WAS MAKING ON HOW THE EXPECTATIONS PUSHED ON ALEAR ARE UNREALISTIC WHEN THEY ARE A TRAUMATIZED AMNESIAC TEENAGER THAT IS INTO THIS SITUATION TO SUCCESS TO THEIR MOTHER WHEN THEY WEREN'T READY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats on understanding the whole point the story was trying to make to explain why Alear acts the way they do !!!

I swear... I am tired. I can't, I can't with this fandom,...

But writing this reminded me of how good of a character Alear is... I CAN'T, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEY ARE SOOOOOO !!!!!!!

[whumpitisthen]

hello i am here to ask about your oc grim. i am not zi

Hello not zi i am so excited to introduce you to my rat bastard!

Grim is literally the Grim Reaper. Like actually. He is also a vampire! A very dramatic, thespian, sadistic, scary individual. He likes going on murder sprees. He likes causing problems on purpose and annoying people, as he finds joy in being virtually untouchable by most others on the account of being a deity. He especially likes bothering people who are also powerful and like bullying the weak, but who are not quite powerful enough to talk back and banter with someone who can kill them in a second with the single touch of a finger. Oh yeah, he can kill by merely touching someone, he just enjoys carnage a lot more! It's more challenging and fun to go up one against a thousand, and way more traumatising for those who witness his slaughter in person (Auden. Auden is forever scarred). He does occasionally perform the Kiss of Death i guess, as he is a romantic and simply can't help being slimy and gross about it. A gentle death, all things considered, to die from a kiss

As for appearance, i have been working on a drawing of him, but the issue is that ive worked on it for so long that every time i look at it i hate it more, so its just in perpetual limbo forever. BUT, until i finally post it, i can just describe him!

He has very long silver, near white hair he keeps in a messy ponytail that starts off decent, but gets worse as the day goes on bc hes feral and rabid. He is in all long, flowy black clothing, as he has to stay on theme. Usually a long coat and tall boots, as that is his 'work' outfit (i.e. the stuff he wears to do war and murder and death and crimes) as well as a mask resembling some kind of an Animal's skull. I haven't actually chosen what kind of animal (or maybe i have? I think i landed on a canine skull) but i do actually have some sketches of actual animal skulls i made for ideas that i can show :3

I also thought about having it be like a plague doctor type deal with a bird skull instead but i already have The Doctor (another bastard character of mine), and if anyone, they should have the honor of wearing a mask like that

He also of course has a big heavy scythe, and black tendrils of smoky magic surrounding him when hes extra rabid, which cloaks him and makes him look like the cursed shadow of a dead animal, possibly a hyena if you take into account his unhinged cackling. Only when hes in the mood for killing murder and homicide, otherwise hes mostly shadow magic free

He wears a lot of silver jewellery, which does in fact burn him as he is quite the unholy creature of night; he just doesn't care. If asked about it, hell say its cause he likes how silver looks. (spoiler: the real reason is that he is Absolutely a masochist but you didn't hear that from me, that chapter is still in the works o_o) He has one hand thats just completely charcoal black, and he has black markings running across the skin of his entire body up to his chin, and there are two reasons for that:

When he became the embodiment of death the black magic possessing him cursed/burned him and now he just Looks Like That

I find tattoos incredibly hot, especially covering the neck. Very attractive

Hes also like. A tall guy. For a human hes big lanky tall, like 2 metres (thats around 6'6 apparently) however hes also usually in Hell, and demons can grow to all kinds of insane heights, be it rly tiny or hugely massive. Despite that, even demons triple his height built like a tank and weighing about as much find him to be incredibly unnerving, and instinctually become wary and careful around him. He has that effect on people he's in one room with; some kind of magical aura that causes even the wildest forest around him to become deathly silent upon his arrival. but he's also just kinda. Infamous. Like its hard to find someone who doesn't know who he is, its like trying to find someone in europe or the us whos never heard of jesus or god before. You could maybe find a few people like that, but its very unlikely. So not many walk up to him ready to obliterate him, however much they may want to. He likes looking down on people as much as he likes looking up at massive shit brick houses trying their damnedest to stare him down and assert dominance, not really succeeding. He prides himself on being the most menacing thing around, and not only regarded with fear by the weakest, but also awakening rare terror inside the hearts of the strongest, who aren't used to being on the recieving end of Anything bad. He almost finds it more fun than dunking on those that are already at the bottom of the food chain.

Hes also just a silly goofy guy :) just a silly smiley guy :) its probably why so many interpretations of the grim reaper have a human skull for a head :) its cause hes so silly and so smiley :)

Not Even God Will Be Able To Save You If You Manage To Truly Ruin His Mood :)

And as a last little fun fact, he has a tendency to just. Show Up. Just spawn next to you. Behind you. You could blink and congratulations, suddenly hes in your face and youve died from a heart attack. He just kinda appears, and then hes there. Like imagine youre a big scary demon lord, in a massive mansion, locked behind many walls and doors, guards patrolling every corner, feared by many. you walk into your very safe bedroom, ready to relax. And hes just. there. No one saw him enter. No one will notice when he leaves. Hes just laying on your couch like an asshole, reading your diary. What do you even do about this

You can read about him in Auden's story! He is one of Auden's whumpers! He's gonna be in the forefront in the newest chapter im writing (as well as another surprise mystery guest that will finally be introduced 👀) so be ready for that releasing any time between tomorrow and two weeks from now :-)

[aronarchy]

i think there are some belief sets that are shoved into the category of “just thinking about The Future(tm)” & thus assumed to have zero bearing on your present values, and thus anyone who gets “pushy” about those/has a stance & sticks to it is assumed to be problematizing/politicizing an apolitical issue and thus ruining the party for everyone else

for example I remember some time ago I was posting about transhumanism/deity-abolition stuff & how I believe it is unethical for any sentient, agentic being to be capable of stopping vast amounts of suffering but still choosing not to just because, and maintaining a vast power imbalance btwn them & other beings. & that “natural” biological death is, if caused by/enabled by a superior agent, just functionally equivalent to ppl being drugged unconscious/put to sleep permanently against their will (or at least, without them being able to say no). a christian responded by saying death is compatible with her philosophy bc she believes in heaven & saved souls after and whatnot. i pointed out that (even if that’s true, which is unlikely, & not reasonable to subject ppl to the risk of given how that cannot be verified rn & is logically unlikely) that would be functionally equivalent to drugging someone nonconsensually, dragging them off to somewhere else against their will or without their knowledge (or at least ability to say no), and then policing a border so that they are forcibly cut off from loved ones & huge swaths of the sentient universe & the like for eternity. a friend dm’ed me on her behalf later to ask me “but why did you block that woman over her christianity comment.” just, did not understand why I think that was an issue, and did not like being derailed like that, and that I view this as an actual ethical issue w/genuine ethical weight & that matters. bc all spirituality is automatically assigned “apolitical” & “a valid belief” even if it’s passing down real ethical mandates that negatively/would negatively impact lives.

some progressives cede that yea doctrine is wrong sometimes but only when it’s Real Political Issues That Matter like christianity being used to justify misogyny/adultism/queerphobia for example. but, there’s a lot they leave uninterrogated (including the fundamental premise). or, they care about death-advocacy-bc-heaven but only when it becomes Really Bad Enough, like actual suicide cults or telling people to kill themselves or others. but they have a point at which they stop, like indefinite life extension upon request.

I wrote an analysis once abt how belief in all-powerful deities & positive moral assignations to them can be considered analogous to certain scenarios where a human was extremely socially/economically powerful & controlled much of the world or your resources & you can’t see them but they might be able to make demands and the like, and still restrict your agency but in ways too normalized to really notice. I don’t think it can be anarchic, on principle, to believe that choosing to be/remain a powerful deity, taking control over numerous ppl’s lives, is ethical. and I don’t think you can hold that + anarchism as opinions at the same time without running into contradiction somewhere down the line when you try to reduce/apply your philosophies.

some ppl argue that transhumanism isn’t rly an issue that has ethical weight that actually matters bc it doesn’t matter, it’s all for the future, we can’t do any of that right now so leave it (and the arguing!) for later. that’s not really right though; transhumanism, first off, isn’t just some discrete set of alterations, but a principle, and nature essentialism is often used right now to disagree w/sex-modification surgeries or certain types of accommodations for disabled people. some ppl try to shove the later into a category of “unproblematic” bioalteration but that’s not really coherent, is it; it relies on aesthetic/political convenience to judge, not analysis. likewise for primitivism discourses--I’m not saying that working together on some things sometimes is impossible, but that taking a stance is ethically relevant (and also primitivists seem to have a much easier time accusing us of “disunity”/imposing unimportant beliefs than vice versa). is it as immediate as now? no, but it does matter to at least some degree.

somewhat similar dynamics wrt state communists who don’t support any presently existing or past examples of oppression, but still support it as a hypothetical, and make it a future goal. it does bleed into their actual present theory & practice at least sometimes, even if they’re willing to work with anarchists in the present. and also, again, they have an easier time accusing us of caring about irrelevancies than vice versa.

also (this seems like a very different issue, but i’m just putting my own thoughts/experiences out here) this seems like a similar line of thinking to what’s applied to contact discourse a lot of the time. “well that’s about the FUTURE but we can’t say anything about the future post-youthlib or post-“destigmatization” & whether or not it would be ethical then so let’s not care now and fuck you for caring.” bc first of all, 1) “youthlib’d societies” existed in the past, and 1b) pro-c’s like bringing up “noncolonized ‘non-adultist’ pro-c societies” so it’s just completely unaware & irresponsible imo to act like it is just needed “for the future” not for anything in the past or the present; 2) post-youthlib ppl would deserve to have their trauma recognized too if they experienced csa, and the epistemic injustice of abuse being denied (or relativized) is, well (bad, obviously); 3) they wouldn’t be an entirely different species even then, and contact stances wrt that “future world” would involve debates around biopol. & psychology & physiology and frameworks, and which when used now for current debates (bc they are used, yes) do actually influence how we would conceptualize the answer to that future problem, so it’s kind of not a good idea to think that the two are just, like, completely disconnected & discrete.

also just bc it “can’t matter now” isn’t an excuse for arguing it will/should never matter (which is smth claimed by some of such aforementioned individuals).

[sharpsuite]

DRABBLE PROMPTS Topic: Chishiya's reaction to it turning out that Niragi's not dead after all! Surprise! For: @crue11

and its a bit long so it is going under the cut, but please enjoy 💖

   As a general rule of thumb, people typically have the decency to die when you burn them.

   Chishiya should have known better than to assume the typical when it came to Niragi. Somewhere deep down he might have suspected it wouldn’t be so easy. It would explain the lack of dramatic surprise in his chest when he realizes who has shot him. If there was anyone in his life who was going to be able to come back and haunt him, it would be Niragi. It wouldn’t surprise him if the militant crawled out of the pits of hell for that sole purpose. Chishiya stares at the shambling figure approaching with his usual inscrutable expression, hears the familiar voice roughened by damaged muscles and exhaustion. ( His fault. ) Niragi’s voice is remarkably strong all things considered. Chishiya has seen people in far better shape at the hospital need sedation to just get to sleep, let alone play at least one death game and continue to survive in this ruined world.

   Arisu has vanished from his attention and interest; he stares at Niragi with an unwavering intensity. He missed. Except Chishiya is confident that even with a gun other than his signature rifle, Niragi is a good enough shot that he wouldn’t have missed when the element of surprise was on his side. Not if he really tried. Not if he really wanted to. Which leaves the only option being that Niragi didn’t want to kill him with that shot. If their places were switched, Chishiya would have put a bullet in the skull of the man who burned him without a second of hesitation. Maybe that’s why Niragi burned and Chishiya was fine.  

   Maybe. Chishiya’s not so sure anymore. He wouldn’t have taken himself for the type of person to set someone on fire either. He tries to imagine their roles reversed; can’t. Can’t, because he was the one who pulled the trigger first. Can’t, because Chishiya never entirely forgotten his plan. Niragi wasn’t part of his scheme ; their time had been something separate for the most part. He was going to leave The Beach regardless. Can’t, because Chishiya’s self-defense had come in the form of a homemade flamethrower made to burn. These violent delights have violent ends. Can’t, because Chishiya had been too afraid to get any more attached – especially in the Borderlands. His pride doesn’t like that thought. Like somehow he was a coward who chose to run.

   “ You intentionally didn’t kill me with that shot. “ Chishiya calls out, blood staining his hoodie and fingers red as he applies pressure on the wound. It’s painful, but it’s far from crippling. It’s far from Chishiya’s violence. For everything that everyone’s ever said about Niragi being dangerous, at least his was typically a bullet to the brain or chest. Instant death. Chishiya had never doubted that he himself would kill with his own hands if push came to shove. It simply had never come to that point, so Chishiya didn’t need to know the depths of his own violence. Until that night that is. Chishiya had burned a man alive the moment he felt in real danger. Either the fire or the water should have killed him. Hearts games were all psychological. Chishiya didn’t lose games.

   He can practically imagine Niragi’s sneer to the thought and hear his voice in his head. Sure trying hard for someone who doesn’t give a fuck about dying. Which is true. It’s his need to win, pride and arrogance rivaling that of deities in folklore. His need to be at the top, safe and in control. Not vulnerable, not craving someone else’s company, not looking forward to banter or conversations. Being alone is his strength.

   Maybe Niragi didn’t shoot him because he wanted to torture him. Which is fair enough in Chishiya’s book. He can’t be upset over that. ( He could, any sane person would – he isn’t. He isn’t afraid of it either. ) Except that is proven wrong because Niragi is demanding to play about one last game between the three of them rather than just hurt Chishiya. He can’t help but listen and regrets it. Chishiya hates it, hates the way it feels like Niragi is peering into his soul and ripping out every truth that Chishiya denies himself. Even Arisu can’t do that regardless of similarities. But Niragi can and is. We’re oddballs who can’t fit into with society. We’re scum. Even so, our need to feel alive is greater than most people’s. All Chishiya can see is Niragi’s black eyes in the summer heat and he can feel something bristling in his chest the same way it had when he’d headed for the rooftop. Stop. He wants Niragi to stop talking, to stop forcing Chishiya to look at things he doesn’t want to. ( He’s right. Chishiya’s desire to feel alive, to find out some value in life, is an insatiable phantom that has haunted his whole life. He can play the part in society but the ugly truth is there that he doesn’t fit in. That they are all similar. )

  Silver flashes in the sunlight and Chishiya watches the gun land in the grass not too far from him. Niragi gives the man who burned him alive a gun. It’s that which makes a strange and unpleasant feeling root itself into the broken crevice of his chest. Niragi didn’t need to do that. Didn’t need to give Chishiya a chance, and he hates that he still knows Niragi to know that the gun will have bullets in it when he picks it up. Chishiya clenches his jaw. Since when did violence become kindness? Probably since Niragi kissed him first in the heart of a storm, violent and then desperate. It fits them well.

   Chishiya pushes himself up and makes his way to the gun without making any sign of pain.  The fact he is answering Niragi’s call at all rather than scoffing and trying to slip away says everything ; Chishiya typically prefers to not be involved in games until the end. Niragi won’t survive much longer in the shape he’s in. Chishiya did this to him. Ending it is the least he could do. Violence becoming kindness. Unfortunately, Chishiya’s not very good with guns. So maybe this is still a fancy way for Niragi to kill Chishiya despite how illogical it is. And there’s Arisu. Chishiya hates the weight and feeling of warm metal in his hand.

  “  I like it. “ Chishiya stares at Niragi head on when he finally comments on the proprosed idea. It’s the most fitting ending to this all. A silent acceptance of let’s play. Arisu’s asking if he’s insane and Chishiya can barely hold back a snort. Insane enough to play death games willingly and get entangled with Niragi, he’s not sure how much more insane one can get. Albeit Arisu only knows about one of those things; Niragi knows both.

   He’s not surprised when Niragi’s gun is leveled at him. It’s not the first time by a long shot. This time is different though. This time Niragi has every reason to pull the trigger when he never had before. So he expects it.

   It doesn’t happen. Niragi switches at the last second to shoot at Arisu instead of him and the sinking feeling starts to open again the same way it had when he watched Niragi’s surprised expression right before he burned. Like he hadn’t expected Chishiya to actually pull out a weapon and use it, like Niragi hadn’t had any intention to kill him on the rooftop despite his words, like Chishiya’s potentially misread this entire thing. Everything that Chishiya had decided to leave behind in the flames of the burning Beach comes back but he can’t think about it right now. He can’t really ignore it though either when Niragi’s words keep ripping into him.

   He really, really hates Niragi. Except he doesn’t, and somehow that’s so much worse.  

[the-monkey-ruler]

How do you feel about LMK making it so that the Jade Emperor defeated and passed heavenly judgment over Sun Wukong in Xiyouji?

To be completely honest, it's what made me flip my lid, especially when *spoilers*

They killed the jade emperor??? Not only did they remove Buddha's play in SWK's punishment and made it so that he was simply too weak instead of he was too arrogant, but also killed such an important character in Chinese media that shouldn't be so easily killed? I don't think we were ever meant to root for the jade emperor, but watching that go down had me like

The scene didn't even have some big fight. The Jade Emperor just said a couple words, took it like a champ and died which undermines his actual importance? Maybe it's the shock that's making me so upset over the questionable choices that the LMK producers made, but I feel like not even the little quips or actually decent animation can cover up.

I understand that this isn't supposed to be a direct copy and paste from JTTW, but to stray so far from the og story and still try to claim representation? I'm really curious about your opinion on it, no hate if it's different I actually want to know and hear you talk about it

I will say... underwhelming...

Like this is probs the first time I've seen a Xiyouji media that has written off Buddha completely like... it just brings up why? Did Flying Bark just really want their next villain to be so strong and powerful that he defeated the one entity that Wukong couldn't? Like??? Did they really try to brush off the religious aspects of Xiyouji where it is about FOUR MONKS (and a dragon) going to the west for BUDDIST SCRIPTURES?? While also meeting Daoist gods so??? Already you can't escape religion buddy... it's in there!

The point of Wukong being taken down by Buddha is to show that he has gone too far. He DEFEATED the Jade Emperor! He was about to kill him and take the throne before Buddha stepped in. Wukong is supposed to be the strongest and could destroy heaven with power alone and that is why he had to be stopped because powerful alone shouldn't dictate who is in charge.

And it just draws more questions considering that Xiaotian even said in one episode that Wukong DID pick a fight with Buddha but a chip was shoved in his mouth so... backtracking??? Rewriting?? What is going on?

This isn't the first media I've seen where Heaven/Jade Emperor is the bad guy, though in most cases he is just a guy doing his job cause SOMEONE keeps destroying the peach gardens, but I wish there was more nuanced with this. A lot of past iterations make it that Wukong is a freedom fighter trying to overturn heaven and those could be really good! Shows that Wukong is sticking up for the people of Earth and hates that the people of Heaven are walking all over that. He demands justice in an injustice world and has the power to make them be heard.

But it looks like Flying Bark was trying to go for that angle but also... it is kinda falling flat considering that they have already shown heavenly deities on the side of their heroes and so far no antagonist demons have been in the "right." Like they can't just backtrack and say "wait heaven bad guy?" If they are trying to make it that both Heaven and Earth have areas of moral grey then killing off the head of the Heavens with a "But wait there's more" is a very... clumsy way of depicting that.

I know Flying Bark did it for the sake of "Drama" but really feels more like a cope out just not to depict Buddha in a lego form or something inane like that.

I've kinda emotionally checked out of LMK for my own sake and while I still watch it and want it to have a satisfying ending I can't really say I'm on the edge of my seat for it either. It just feels like they are always trying to hype up more than they can deliver and I rather just be met with a simple 'that was fine' than get my hopes up in more disappointment.

[aplpaca]

why is having your ocs be your special interest unfortunate? please tell us about them!! (curious, friendly tone)

It's unfortunate bc theres not content for them that exist without my own effort 😔(outside of a couple friends) so i cant reblog posts about them like i would for like critical role or something. ive got a variety of "main character" ocs and most of them started out as ttrpg characters that then got their own non-rpg "canon" in a story universe im making with some friends that may or may not end up turning into a series of books. (overarching "plot" of it is that the birth of a new deity ends up connecting people and politics of several planets in different universes)

so like my "main" characters for that are vyma, claysen, and yianni. vyma also has an equally canon ttrpg incarnation for a game thats still ongoing, but claysen and yianni started out as ttrpg characters but now their "canon" is just their storyverse incarnations. i put actual character descriptions under the cut

ima talk about vyma's storyverse incarnation for this, since theres Spoilers for her ttrpg canon that players who follow me dont know yet (but like, the core personality is the same between the two so yeah). but anyway, her full name in storyverse is Vyma Bapp-Matieyepa sip-Sabapak, which is kinda long bc cultural naming conventions include familial last name, chosen/official clan affiliation, and familal-but-not-official clan affiliation (if someone has that). She's one of the unofficial leaders of a revolutionary/resistance group (other leader is one of @cosmemery's characters Naki) that funnels political prisoners to freedom and tries to counteract the imperialism of the country that subjugated theirs and the harm from their own gov that tries to meet the imperialists in the middle. Vyma is pretty tall, pretty butch, and pretty ace. She's got lowkey disabling hyperempathy, but this gets paired with an autistic flat affect that makes her come across unintentionally blunt, monotone, and insensitive at times. she's kinda overcompensated for social issues by using her hyperempathy and just general problem solving to get really fucking good at reading people/figuring out how people are feeling. this unfortunately does not make her any more conversationally adept, and in some cases makes her kinda preachy instead. her flight response (like the trauma response, not just the general fight or flight) is through the fucking roof and she would and prob will grind herself into dust in an attempt to make what she considers a positive impact. she's chronically sleep deprived and refuses to talk about her feelings in a way thats not dodging the question. she likes to bake, but hasnt been able to in a while.

Claysen Hishari (birthname Jarren Claysen Vidravalsh) is like lowkey highkey kinda of A Lot in terms of stuff he's got going on. id like to think i do a decent job not being Edgy (TM) with him but like,,yeah. He's a formal noble who escaped his shitty dad after his mom died and ended up being blackmailed into becoming a spy/assassin. He also technically has emotion/identity-influenced magical power equivalent to at least a minor god, but hes repressing that and its only almost killed him once. His appearance is altered via illusion magic almost constantly. He's more visibly autistic and uses a trade sign language to talk fairly frequently. When he's not signing, he has a very specific speech pattern, and often pauses in the middle of sentences while he figures out how to make words work. At the start of the story, he basically hasn't had goals or ambitions or strong personal convictions for A While, and a lot of his growth is Growing A Fucking Spine and Learning To Act On Things. A lot of his other growth is self acceptance stuff (both autism and the whole emotionally volatile magic thing bc por que no los dos). He has a pretty fuckin codependant relationship with @cosmemery's character Kay, and even before they actually become romantic, theyre platonically flirty with each other to a kinda obnoxious degree. hes bi, super reserved but has a certain air of competence/force of presence to him despite that, and has a special interest in spiders and bugs in general

And apparently tumblr has a word limit for asks or somthing bc it wont let me add my last characters paragraph onto this so im gonna just reblog it with yianni's stuff in a sec

[sketching-shark]

Is it just me, but mk being the “chaos incarnate” frels out of place???

Like of all characters he gets to called that? Seriously?!

Like not even sun wukong the og anomaly in the entire existence of all celestial bodies combined who caused chaos in his wake before mk existence—and doesnt get that title??

It feels so much like lore Olympus except without the weird things that it has.

I feel so guilty but so much of the writer decision makes me hate mk existence especially w portrayal of his powers.(i was the same anon that went off about the portrayal of cultivation in lmk)

So many ppl stated it was there in the beginning but i just thought he was going to be the third celestial monkey not another stone monkey. I just dont think it was a good decision to have mk specifically be a stone monkey considering the questionability of swk involvement.

Plus it make mk be the “chosen one” status that take away who he was at the beginning. Im starting to think we should have not gotten a s4 bc of the headache it gives me.

Monkie Kid spoilers and general complaining below, so remember that "don't like don't read" goes both ways & feel free to skip.

Hmmm yeah I can see where you're coming from anon, although for me it goes a bit deeper in that I'm feeling pretty peeved that Flying Bark seems to be more and more leaning into the "uwu stupid chaos monkey" characterization for Sun Wukong. Like yeah yeah I know people balk at the mention of Journey to the West when it comes to Monkie Kid, and on a certain level I understand the changes since this is after all a cartoon for children, but one of the things that I love about og classic Sun Wukong that a lot of retellings including Monkie Kid just flat-out won't work with is the way that a lot--perhaps even the majority--of his acts of violence are very deliberate and even done for understandable reasons. Even the havoc in heaven, which seems to be the thing many people point to as an example of the Monkey King's chaotic nature, comes right after he spent almost fifty days roasting in the Eight Trigram Furnace and for him soon after being captured by a heaven that he refused to go to war with until the deities were literally breaking down his door and saying unless he surrendered for ruining one(1) festival and stealing immortality-granting treats then they were going to slaughter his entire family. So you can definitely see why, especially given Sun Wukong's awareness of his own power, he'd decide his conflict with heaven would only end, that he'd finally get respect from everyone and his family would finally be safe from everything, if he deposed the Jade Emperor and made himself the ruler of heaven. Obviously this backfires catastrophically thanks to the Buddha, but you can definitely see how this is less a case of Sun Wukong doing things because he's a chaotic monkey who loves to break stuff for shits and giggles and more because he's a ruthless warlord who cares about a select few & lives in a world where many others in positions of power act like ruthless warlords as well. It can't be forgotten, after all, that even the beloved Tang emperor is also specifically said to be someone who had countless people killed while he was forging his empire!

But going then to the massive rewrite of Xiyouji inherent in Monkie Kid, the whole "chaos!" thing just feels like yet another way for Sun Wukong & it seems MK by extension to be handed a massive L in terms of what their stories are. Like Flying Bark radically changed the havoc in heaven from SWK raging through the heavenly palace as part of a (gasp!) understandable wartime power struggle to him just stealing a bunch of stuff for himself before him & his former bros attack heaven, rather than heaven attacking them, which Macaque told him not to do but he did anyway because he was just that much of a uwu chaos monkey/thoughtless a-hole. And while I actually do like the idea of the stone SWK came from regenerating and creating even more stone monkeys, the way things have been set up it does seem to be working as another example of how Flying Bark keeps making SWK worse to make MK better in comparison, as well as likely lying the grounds for a massive confrontation between the two because yeah with his truth-seeing eyes how tf did SWK NOT know that MK was someone like him. As is, you can add that to the ever-growing pile of questions that FB refuses to answer, such as what exactly happened to the og pilgrims, why did SWK & the Demon Bull King have their battle, what happened between SWK and LEMH, why are LEMH & the Demon Bull King suddenly okay with SWK when he's the guy who they pretty clearly thought ruined their lives, how did MK go this long thinking he was just some guy instead of an ultra-powerful and destructive stone monkey, why did SWK exile himself for so long, why did the Monkey King even take on a tudi in the first place, if he did know MK was a stone monkey why didn't he say anything, etc. etc. etc. And yeah yeah I know the nature of storytelling is that information isn't revealed all the way at once, but it's been 4 entire seasons of just piling on the questions with the added bonus of everyone screaming about how much SWK sucks & is going to destroy everything (& the plot going out of it's way to prove that sentiment somewhat correct lol) so that now it feels a lot more like mystery mongering than revealing information in good time. Honestly it does put MK in this pretty sucky position too of both getting brutalized and traumatized over and over again specifically because of his connection to SWK, but also being used as this cudgel in the story to further beat in what a cringefail loser SWK is. Which is another thing that sucks, because MK is at his core a genuinely delightful and good-hearted protagonist. idk, kind of feels like he was meant to be the main character in a light-hearted show about doing your best & going on sillytime adventures with the Monkey King and is now forced to be the protagonist in an increasingly grimdark show where he routinely has to deal with the potential end of the entire world all while getting screamed at for inevitably being just as destructive as his terrible mentor :(

[dhampiravidi]

cultural relativism & anti-anthropocentrism (unpopular opinion)

Cultural relativism: the belief that there is no standard by which cultures should be judged (ex. animism isn't considered "weird" just because someone prefers or is used to religions that have humanized deities).

Anthropocentrism: the belief that humans are the most important species on Earth/in existence.

It's important to be able to study other cultures & living creatures. While it's fine to not always agree with the opinions of others, we should at least try to respect other perspectives. This is why banning books is wrong--note that I am referring to measures that prevent books on certain topics from being widely available, not just to a child who might not be emotionally mature enough to read that specific book. It's also why wars steeped in religion are sad & why racism is honestly ridiculous (I understand that colorism in some areas came to be because laborers got tanned while working outside to benefit those relaxing inside--I just mean that there's no logical reason why people with one shade of skin should be considered as wholly superior to another).

I also think that anthropocentrism is dumb because scientifically, we are literally classified as "animals". Some people attempt to end this, claiming that the human race is evolved far more than other creatures ever will be. How so? There are other creatures with spines, who can stand on two legs. They create and exercise social dynamics. They have problem-solving skills, and many have long-term memories. Wolves and elephants, in particular, have been shown to enthusiastically greet their old (human) facility trainers, years after they have been released into captivity. Cats and apes often teach themselves to make and use tools, to make maneuvering and accessing food easier. Moreover, humans who argue that we are the most civilized organism seem to forget that humans as a whole are constantly at war with each other. We spend large amounts of money and other resources to try and win a competition wherein team leaders send out groups of people to kill each other--and whoever wins after several months or years has no prize to collect, save for their name in history books and possibly a slice of land. Animals fight for the right to food or a mate that is right in front of them, rather than fighting for some leader of theirs to claim a prize that may not even be critically related to their survival.

In conclusion, sympathy and learning is important. We need to be able to read documents from multiple sources before we choose who to support in international conflicts. We need to condition ourselves to treat others as our peers, even when they come from backgrounds we can't relate to. We need to give a damn about the creatures we share this planet with. Otherwise, the human race will succumb to destruction caused by world wars, discrimination, and/or climate change. The word civilization is often used to refer to certain human societies who meet certain criteria concerning their level of development. We always seem to forget that civilization is more similar to the word civil than it is to stratified, capitalist, or science.

[lumilasi]

Finished her up finally.

She's sort of the antagonist boss for the Sterling family/Starknight 'story', though not the "main" villain, as the endgame boss actually first needs to regain his memory lol (She might even end up helping the good guys at that point with her massive amount of knowledge that could be useful for them)

She is the boss for Cornel Sala, AND Vincent DeVos/Vee, who's my character Angus' toxic ex friend.

More info about Camilla below:

Name: Camilla Barone

Age: 39

Height: 171 cm

A mob family leader who is the head of the family opposing Vermontes

Role: One of the antagonists for the Starknight tag

Love interest: She has somewhat of a physical relationship with her vampiric right hand man, though its purely casual, neither she or him take it very seriously.

Subordinates:  Vincent DeVos (A plaque demon) Samar (A Seemingly ancient Soul Eater, who turns out to be the brother of the Soul Eater King/Deity) Cornel Sala (A vampire)

Rival: The Sterling family, a Sorceress-Grimmhound family that often meddles in their business to prevent the harm they may cause.

Powers:

Sharp shooter: Camilla has a very good aim with a gun, and is also excellent at using a rifle.

High intellect: she is a very good tactician, and is able to consider her next several moves ahead. She isn't the type to rush into action needlessly, and will listen if told doing something is just far too risky despite short-term benefit.

Knowledge of Ether: She knows a lot about the mythical world, mythical beings and magic thanks to Cornel, and always makes sure to keep as much knowledge as possible stored for future uses. This enables her to, for example, counter things such as Grimmhounds (Diojas' bio dad Alexander) or how to diffuse dark magic spells. (Azul's forte)

Natural authority: She has this natural vibe to her that makes people listen to her. When her brother mysteriously ended up dead, nobody questioned her and were fine with her becoming the next boss - despite her gender - because she's always had more respect from the members than her brother did. Also she's guarded by 2 VERY terrifying men typically (Samar and Cornel) so you don't wanna mess with her.

Weaknesses:

Being a human, she is fairly defenseless against a lot of magic things, if she hasn't looked into it enough, and therefore can still be caught off-guard even if she has studied her mythical enemies a lot.

Her job is very straining and stressful mentally, making her struggle with normal socialization, which does make her feel very lonely and isolated at times. Her mythical guardians are always by her side, but ultimately, deep down, she knows they're not the same as her fellow humans. (Also she really wishes she had a gal-pal to chat with)

Having been almost killed once before she can be pretty paranoid about her safety, even when being protected by a literal vampire and a soul eater. However, paradoxically she then might be too comfortable around them, sometimes putting herself at risk when Cornel is going feral for example.

Personality:

Camilla is very serious and closed-off most of the time, and tends to not care for unnecessary chit-chat. She is very cautious and considers her every move carefully. Being a mob boss means she has hardened herself for such things like violence, and didn't even shed a tear when her brother was killed.

She isn't entirely heartless though; for example, she tends to not be happy if children are mixed into the business somehow, or if needless violence is used. She also genuinely feels sympathy for Vee, and them being rejected by someone he loves, as well as pities their inability to see why that happened.

Camilla does prefer avoiding unnecessary violence whenever able, because she doesn't find it that productive and could just trigger unnecessary cycles of vengeance that is bad for business.

BG Story

Camilla used to be her brother's closest confidant, until he started to obsess over the mythical beyond what was typical of their family, to the point of wanting to start a "relationship" with one working for them - a Grimmhound Roman Bosco. She observed from the sidelines as he began dappling with things he didn't fully understand and without their usual safety precautions, to the point he didn't even always listen to the warnings given to him by Cornel Sala - a vampire working for Camilla who knows his shit - about being careful with what he got his hands to.

However, once Roman managed to escape her brother's clutches, he fully went off the deep end, forgetting all about his family duties and only focusing on in his pursuit to find Roman and get him back. At this point, Camilla approached Cornel, telling him she was concerned her brother could end up destroying their family if this kept up. He agreed with her assessment, admitting he'd been concerned with his more and more unhinged behavior; if he started getting too careless with his dappling with magic, that would be bad for Cornel too as him being alive could get exposed to the forces that had once hunted him before his supposed death. Sometime after this conversation, Cornel kills her brother secretly.

Now the new head of the family, Camilla is introduced to an old servant of the Barones, who was invited in to become her personal guardian as per tradition in their family (her brother had refused this offer at the time as he had Roman): a man who'd served their parents and grandparents; A soul eater called Samar. She is initially miffed about this, but he quickly becomes a surrogate father figure to her.

Fun Facts:

She's Demiromantic bi.

Camilla sometimes wears sunglasses, or glasses with one blackened lens, instead of an eyepatch.

Camilla doesn't like drinking alcohol, she hates how it can hindrance your decision making ability. She lets her companions check all her drinks beforehand too, to make sure someone isn't trying to smuggle her alcohol or something worse.

Barones are mainly "officially" known for smuggled goods, counterfeit items business, money laundering and arms dealing. (Camilla's brother wanted to get into drug trade too, but she finds that too risky and messy)

Their more mythical, occultist business is a well kept secret that only select few are aware of.

She has been offered to heal her eye by both Cornel and Vee, but has declined their offers, not really trusting either with vulnerable medical things like an eye.

Camilla doesn't fully trust either Cornel or Vee, but does trust Samar due to him having been in their family for so long. Ironically the person who stabs her in the back (involuntarily in a way, circumstances force it) ends up being him.

Camilla is aware there's sexual tension between Cornel and Sam as well, and doesn't really care as its not like she's in a serious relationship with the vampire.

She pities Vee, as she could tell almost instantly - alongside everyone else pretty much - why he was rejected by Angus. She is also not always that happy when Cornel tricks him into doing unpleasant work he's too lazy to do.

While DeVos sometimes freaks her out due to his whole plague demon deal, she tends to still be fairly nice to him, seeing him almost like a poor lost child who doesn't really understand yet where he went wrong.

The simple pattern tattoo she has is in reference to their late mother who also had similar tattoo, just around her collarbone.