#introduced in the apprentice’s quest

[voiddesigns-wc]

Could you do Juniperclaw or Puddleshine?

Here’s the both of them!

The healer and the Warrior

[ungroomedcat]

This scene is really sweet, but it also feels too sudden a change in their relationship. Prior to this reunion, the Fitz and the Fool were close, but not overly so. I'm all for RH pushing the ship but I do wish they'd interacted a little more in the previous two books.

[felassan]

Just some info I noted down from today's video in text form, under a cut due to what some peeps may consider spoilers, and length.

This video took place well into the game, meaning the beats in it are later in the storyline.

At least part of Davrin’s personal arc involves rescuing the griffons. In an earlier part of his arc you are introduced to his nemesis, the Gloom Howler, a creature that has been hunting and stalking Wardens for quite some time. It has kidnapped a bunch of non-Assan griffons and Davrin has been trying to track it down. In the quest shown in the video, he has found a lead and wants to go and track it down and get the griffons back from the Cauldron (a secret Grey Warden redoubt that was attacked). Davrin wonders what the Wardens were hiding inside the Cauldron, as he has no idea. When the party reaches the Cauldron, they find that something large tore down the gate. The party needs to find a way inside and help Davrin investigate.

Davrin prefers a Direct approach in dialogue. Tough dialogue choices can gain approval from him

The bond between a griffon and a Warden moving as one and having unity between them is called “turlum”. Davrin and Assan don’t yet have this

Grey Wardens: Lancit, Remi, Landon, Quincy, Miriel, Fisher, Greta, Beckett, Flynn (an apprentice physician, whose mentor is called Oskar). I think Flynn’s pronouns are they/them. We will do quests with Flynn including A Cabin in the Blight. They were treating patients and became low on medical supplies. Their mentor Oskar has some and lives in a cabin outside the village. Flynn asks Rook to tell Oskar they could use his help if Rook sees him when they are out there. Flynn is local to Lavendel and saw the Blight surge through their home.

A Grey Warden merchant / quartermaster is called Holden. The little girl seen with Davrin in the release date trailer is called Mila.

If you do content in an area it helps you discover more shortcuts, giving you more flexibility in how you navigate between different remaining missions and quests

Each exploration space has its own story to tell. The quests and sidequests there are narratively relevant and also contribute to a meta story/meta narrative about that space. In Hossberg / Lavendel the aim is to get to the center of the Blighty stuff that has been going on there

Another Warden sidequest called Lives Spared seems to involve some missing Wardens who haven’t checked in in a while

Rook inherits the Lighthouse willingly or unwillingly from Solas. It’s located in the Fade and is where Solas was able to start planning his rebellion against the elven gods millennia ago

The Lighthouse shapes itself around your personality. Companions’ rooms there shape themselves around the companions as they live there and go through their arcs. A glowing light above the entrance to a companion’s room indicates that they are ready to talk to us

Hossberg is a later game area. Hossberg Wetlands are dark swamps and the area has almost completely been consumed by the Blight, making it a lot more dangerous than before. As a zone it’s quite contiguous and has lots of branching paths and different areas to explore. The Grey Wardens set up shop in an outpost/fortress (this is only one of their bases) there called Grey Hold in the small town of Lavendel, which used to be a beautiful place full of life and flowers. The Blight has had a serious effect on Lavendel, but the residents are still there and trying to make the most of it. There are plenty of opportunities to help the residents.

The Wardens have noticed that something strange is going on; the Blight is not behaving as it should or as they would expect, or like it has done historically. A codex entry pops up called “An Improved Blight”. (basically we are getting Blight dialled up to eleven) Rook is there to work with the Wardens, help them out, and help them find the answer to their question about the Blight. In their outpost the Wardens have built up a small fighting force to hold off the darkspawn. They understand the stakes of the gods being released and want to help you but they have other priorities, so increasing their power allows them to contribute more meaningfully to your fight against the elven gods. The Blight has changed. It’s become a lot more organic, a lot more alive. Once a slow-moving wall, it now has almost-sentience and almost-thought behind it. This has something to do with the released Blighted elven gods.

Something bad happened to a place called D’Meta’s Crossing, it’s no longer standing.

It sounds like Weisshaupt has fallen.

Merchant shops can be upgraded, doing so unlocks new items.

The Crossroads is a location in the Fade that contains a number of eluvians, allowing you to travel across Thedas in a matter of minutes. At the point the video takes place, the Crossroads are under assault by the elven gods. It’s now a dangerous place.

The big eluvian in the Lighthouse is called the Vir Revas. (that could translate as Way/Path of Freedom). It’s the central focus point of the Lighthouse and it takes you to Solas’ pocket area of the Crossroads, which looks different to what we’ve seen in Trespasser. “A path has emerged from the mists of the Fade that leads to a gathering point where all eluvians meet – the Crossroads”. We will spend a lot of time travelling through the Crossroads as we go from area to area. At one point, it was also a space that served as Solas’ main base of operations and training ground for his rebellion against the elven gods. As we go through it we will find fragments of the past, things that Solas did previously that will give us insight into him as a character, and also into the elven gods and their motivations. If you go exploring in the Crossroads there are opportunities to relive some of the memories Solas had during his rebellion. We will actually get to take part in this ancient rebellion.

The Crossroads as a realm reflects the waking world. It’s a mix/ amalgamation of all the real world spaces that are tied to it, in this case for example Hossberg and other mountainous regions that exist in the game. The architecture around the eluvians here very clearly reflects where they lead. The first time you go to any of the new regions in the world you traverse the Crossroads to get there. After that you can fast travel if you want. But exploring the Crossroads is recommended because some of the deepest secrets lie within

There is a mysterious spirit in the Crossroads called The Caretaker who was there before Solas was. They started to help Solas with his rebellion and also to turn the area into a safe haven for spirits, as Solas loves spirits. In the video we see them piloting a boat through the air to transport Rook somewhere. Because the gods are assaulting the Crossroads, it’s no longer the safe haven it once was. Rook works with the Caretaker through a lot of ancillary content to rebuild it into a safe home for spirits.

There is an area in the Crossroads called Beacon Island

The darkspawns’ different looks is very intentional. Their new look is in part because Ghilan’nain, described here as "the god of monsters", has always been focused on using the Blight essentially as a crafting material, a way to alter life itself. she’s been enhancing and changing the darkspawn as part of her army. She uses Blight like a medium to sculpt and warp the darkspawn to do her bidding and suit her purposes. The idea is that the Blight and the darkspawn are an organic weapon. Instead of making swords and armor, the darkspawn use the Blight to augment themselves, effectively defeat you and give the gods the world that they desire. The darkspawn aren’t just coming out of nowhere. They emerge from Blight pools, like the Blight is spawning them. Part of Ghil’s attempts to turn this into an army for the gods is to use them for overwhelming force. Hurlock Blighters have disgusting growths on their backs that they throw, making them function like grenadiers as they rip off these pieces of themselves and throw them at you - these then explode as Blight – this kind of enemy design for the darkspawn is supposed to lean into the idea that the Blight is organic and disgusting. In places there are Blight boils throughout the area, and if Rook doesn’t destroy them during combat ghouls will continue to emerge from them.

It sounds like in terms of ‘factions of enemies’ and their designs, we have the darkspawn which use overwhelming force tactics, the Venatori which focus on magical power, and the Antaam which focus on physical strength

Zipline traversal is in

Each mage’s (Neve, Bellara, Emmrich) healing ability is thematically appropriate to them

I think Davrin’s special exploration ability, or one of them, is called Blight Hunter. (one of the ones Rook can channel through the dagger when that companion isn’t there). This summons Assan from above to destroy Blight Abscesses. He seems to have another as well that Rook can also use via the dagger called Griffon Strike. In the video Rook uses this one to destroy a mechanism that was keeping a load of wood suspended in the air from a beam.

We see Rook also using the dagger to "charge beam" and destroy what looked like a thick tendril of organic Blight across the ground, and to destroy a ‘wall’ of blight abscesses that was blocking the way. At one point in the video Rook comments that the dagger is vibrating, "like a song in a wine glass"

When companions go ahead to meet you at quests they’re invested in, they won’t complete them without you, but they do get things ready. If you start doing those quests and don’t have them in your party, they will move ahead of you and wait for you at the next point.

[tossawary]

Thinking about how hard the "Star Wars" prequel films dropped the ball in terms of female representation. Like, looking back on the original trilogy, it kind of sucks that the only main female character is Leia, and while Leia does kick ass and I love her, it also sucks that the last film 1) put her in that bikini and 2) abruptly made her Luke's twin but didn't let her have a lightsaber or use a lot of the cool space magic powers.

When you only have one female character, she often ends up bearing the unintended burden of a lot of hopes and expectations of fans. She's just one person. She's never going to be compelling to everyone.

And then you have the prequels and you'd hope that they'd do a little better with male-female ratios this time? With experience? But the only main female character is Padmé, who's pretty fun, but also ends up 1) desperately in love with a murderer, 2) spending most of the last movie barefoot and pregnant, staring out a window, because they cut the "founding of the Rebellion" plotline, and 3) dying not because she was Force-choked but because she has "lost the will to live" because "fuck them kids", I guess.

(I know there's theories about Sidious siphoning her life force or what the fuck ever, but I don't caaaaare, because I hate the idea that Sidious has that kind of reach for no fucking reason and also it's not actually IN the movies! It doesn't count!)

The Nubian handmaidens are a cool concept, but they're all background characters, who barely get named. We don't get to actually see them and Padmé do a lot of on-screen work together. She doesn't get to confide in them regarding her love or her fears. She speaks to her guard captain more onscreen than her handmaidens.

And while we do see female members of the Jedi Order in the films, they're ALSO all background characters, like Jocasta Nu and Aayla Secura and Yaddle. As opposed to more active Jedi characters like Qui-Gon Jinn or Mace Windu. Like, damn, the prequels are the perfect opportunity to introduce and show off even a female Jedi supporting character, and they just did not do that. That sucks. The careless absence of women in this universe sucks. The careless absence of women as significant characters in these films sucks.

Every other piece of additional material for "Star Wars" has to move to patch this. The "Jedi Apprentice" and "Jedi Quest" novels strive to add and name female agemates and mentors. "The Clone Wars" television shows add Ahsoka as a protagonist and Ventress as a villain and a whole bunch of new female characters.

Yes, given that these are prequels, there are some characters who are not really realistically changeable. (Yes, trans people exist, obviously, that would be very cool; not sure that "Star Wars" was going to go for that back in 1999.) Obi-Wan. Anakin. Yoda. The Emperor. Unnamed Sad Mother of Luke and Leia. You need those ones. EVERYTHING ELSE was up for whatever they wanted to do.

So, anyway, I'm currently thinking about characters you could potentially genderbend without affecting the story pretty much at all. Qui-Gon, obviously. Mace Windu, as well. I think fandom would then hate both of these characters even more then, unfortunately, because fandom is what it is. Whatever legitimate criticisms levied at both of these imperfect characters would have increased tenfold, I am certain of it. But we're talking about the prequels's badly executed stories, not fandom's misogyny. (And misogynoir. A black woman as the leader of the Jedi Order when it was destroyed by the Sith? Fandom would have been even more of a fucking nightmare.) It would suck that they both die, but the prequels are a tragedy anyway, so, eh.

Bail's role in the prequels could have potentially been played by Breha Organa instead. Although, I don't know how well the Extended Universe novels had extended Leia's backstory by that point in time, maybe Bail had already been established as the Senator and Breha as Queen, so maybe not. At the very least, you could have had Mon Mothma in there doing his superspy stuff with him or something. Padmé's guard captain could have been a woman.

Both Darth Maul and Count Dooku could have been women. Yes, they're both evil, and yes, they both die, so it's not perfect on the representation front. But it's something, especially if you balance that out with some good characters, and look, I can't coherently complete this thought, I keep getting distracted by the mental image of hot evil Sith ladies. I think a female Count Dooku would have kicked ass, honestly, as much as I enjoy Christopher Lee in the role.

My main goal with this thought exercise is purely upping the number of plot-relevant female characters, pointing out that it wouldn't have been hard to add more women without changing all that much if anyone involved had actually bothered to think about that.

The original trilogy only mentioned "The Clone Wars", so the clone army didn't all need to be copies of Jango Fett. There could have potentially been a half-dozen genetic donors, with the Kaminoans creating different clone soldiers for different purposes. Some of them could have been clones of women. (I hold the unpleasant headcanon that the clone soldiers are all sterile (or functionally sterile, incompatible with unmodified humans) anyway, because the Kaminoans don't want clients to be able to "steal" their work.) And the clones are actually a fairly minor role in the films themselves, admittedly, not given any more development than any of the droids (it's the show that does the work), but again, it's still something more.

[jayfeathers-neo-bumbleby]

Warriors Character Bloat

A lot of us have mentioned that cats who were born in the forest really should be dead by now, and also a lot of us have mentioned the character bloat in Warriors. Because of both of these facts, I decided to go through the Allegiances of Ivypool's Heart (the most recent book) and noted who was born during which arc. I also crossed out cats who were born in the forest. The arcs that each cat was born in are color-coded in a rainbow pattern (TPB=red, TNP=orange, POT=yellow, OOTS=green, AVOS=blue, TBC=purple, ASC=pink).

Some Notes:

The Great Journey & Adult Cats Introduced in POT:

Nightcloud was an adult during The Great Journey, which to me means she was born during TPB.

Gorsetail, Duskfur, and Snowbird are all adults with either kits or apprentices when they are introduced at the beginning of POT. To me, that means they likely would have been born in the forest and made the journey as kits timeline-wise.

Cats Introduced as Adults in AVOS (and are thus marked as being born during OOTS):

Shadowclan - Cloverfoot, Stonewing, Grassheart.

Windclan: Slightfoot, Oatclaw, Hootwhisker, Featherpelt (but her littermate Larkwing is mentioned in OOTS as an apprentice).

Riverclan: Berryheart, Podlight, Shimmerpelt, Lizardtail, Brackenpelt, Owlnose, Havenpelt.

Thunderclan: Stormcloud, Hollytuft, Fernsong, Sorrelstripe

Skyclan Timeline Notes: 

Cats who are adults in Firestar’s Quest or Skyclan’s Destiny are marked as TPB, and cats who are born in or are apprentices in Skyclan’s Destiny are marked as TNP.

Hawkwing’s Journey takes place between OOTS and AVOS. Cats born during Hawkwing’s Journey are marked AVOS, cats who are adults in it but didn’t exist in Skyclan’s Destiny are marked as OOTS. 

Thoughts I have after making this:

The character bloat that occurred during AVOS is so real, oh my lord.

There are more Skyclan cats who are from the TNP era than there are Shadowclan cats from that era.

The vast, VAST majority of Shadowclan cats were born during AVOS.

Windclan has a LOT of POT cats - the majority of their cats are from POT!

[ansu-gurleht]

okay, so here’s my little analysis of the mage’s guild faction in morrowind. it’s pretty cool tbh! but you really have to dig a little to find the interesting parts tbh. so hopefully i can shed some light here on those parts.

most likely your introduction to the mage’s guild in morrowind will be at the balmora guildhall. i’m not actually sure if you can start anywhere else? like if any of the other halls have quests doable by an associate. anyways.

you’ll sign up for the guild with ranis athrys, but she’ll immediately say “rank up scrub” and tell you to go get your duties from ajira, an apprentice with the guild. so you go downstairs and talk to her. she’s an alchemist, and her first quest is appropriate: find these four mushrooms that grow in the bitter coast region.

i think this is a fun way to introduce the player to the guild. i don’t think ajira intended this (her goals seemed to be firmly aligned with advancement in the guild), but it teaches you several qualities useful not just to budding mages but to players of the elder scrolls iii: morrowind: exploration, discovery, and identification of usefulness. a mage must explore and know the world, discover its secrets, and identify which secrets are even worth knowing. i shouldn’t have to explain how these concepts are also useful to any morrowind player. also, the mushrooms you are told to find specimens of are all located near the beginning of the game in seyda neen; you don’t have to wander far to find all four. in fact, you may have already collected them all; i always do, but that’s because i know what to look for already lol.

anyways, you go back and turn in the mushrooms, and ajira introduces you to another facet of mage life: rivalry. she has a bet with the enchanter galbedir that she’ll reach journeyman rank before galbedir. as part of that bet, she wants you to sabotage galbedir’s research by swapping out one of her real soul gems with a fake one. now, we obviously don’t know the entire history of this rivalry, but it actually seems like, based on this quest, that ajira is the one who initiated the more underhanded aspects of it, the sabotage and whatnot. i’d always remembered it as galbedir being the more dastardly one, but i suppose not. anyways, yadayadayada, you do the thing and galbedir is none the wiser. (i’m not giving full beat-by-beat on these quests unless it’s relevant to my analysis.)

after that, ajira wants you to collect some flowers, too. teaches the same lessons as before, and is again in an accessible place: the road between seyda neen and balmora. you may have already collected all these, too. come back to ajira, give her the flowers, and she’ll send you off to buy her a ceramic bowl. this quest is actually just an excuse to get you out of the mage’s guildhall so the cell can be prepared for the next quest. if you leave the guildhall without taking the ceramic bowl quest, and then come back, you won’t even get the ceramic bowl quest. it’s just pure filler.

anyways, galbedir has retaliated. stolen and hidden ajira’s reports on those mushrooms and flowers that you gathered somewhere in the guildhall. you can ask around for where they are, and i believe if you get galbedir’s disposition high enough she’ll confess to their whereabouts as well. this actually ties into BOTH of the themes of these early ajira quests: exploration AND rivalry.

after that quest, ajira only has quests for you once you’re of warlock rank, and at this point you’re probably only a journeyman. so she tells you that ranis athrys, the lady who signed you up upstairs, probably has duties for you. but ajira also says that she doesn’t like ranis (we’ll soon find out why) and recommends you go see edwinna elbert in ald’ruhn for duties instead. we’ll get to edwinna later; i think most players are more likely to get their duties from ranis anyway, since she’s closer.

so ranis is actually a really interesting character! let me give you the rundown of what her quests have you do, and then i’ll explain a bit more about them.

first, she has you recruit a telvanni, named llarar bereloth, from the tower sulipund in molag amur, into the guild. ranis says if he won’t, then kill him. at the same time, since she’s nearby, ranis has you collect dues from manwe, a mage’s guild researcher in the cave punabi very close to sulipund. ranis says if you can’t get the money from her, kill her. next, she has you go to an argonian in balmora who is offering restoration training unsanctioned by the guild. ranis says if you can’t get him to go away/stop offering training, kill him. next, she has you escort itermerel to the inn in pelagiad, and find a way to retrieve his notes from him. ranis says to kill him for the notes, if necessary. next, she has you kill a supposed necromancer in maar gan named tashpi ashibael – she doesn’t even offer an alternative way to solve the problem, this time, she just wants you to kill tashpi. (it’s notable that the one with tashpi isn’t even in ranis’ JURISDICTION, being in maar gan – that would fall under the ald’ruhn guild.)

notice a theme here? ranis is VERY open to just killing people to get her way – or even just because they made her mad (as in tashpi’s case – she’s not really a necromancer, she just said no when ranis asked her to join the guild). you might get the impression, since these quests are so early on, that that’s just how the morrowind mage’s guild operates. but once you move on from ranis, you will only ONCE be expected to kill somebody, and in that case you’re attacked on sight anyway. so what’s ranis’ deal?

if you ask llathyno hlaalu, a priestess in the balmora tribunal temple, about “latest rumors,” she’ll tell you that ranis has something against non-guild wizards, and suspects it’s because her parents were killed by the last archmagister of house telvanni, the one before gothren.

fun aside: ranis is possibly VERY old. gothren is spoken of as having been archmagister for a very long time, and was a magister already in 2e582. the archmagister in 2e582, nelos otheri, could then, be the one who had ranis’ parents murdered. but it’s also possible there was an archmagister or two in between nelos and gothren. it’s not really clear, and it’s possible when the eso writers were working on the vvardenfell telvanni stuff they didn’t even take into account this one throwaway line about ranis. but it means that ranis could be at least like. what, 600ish? that’s pretty old even for a dunmer, i’m pretty sure.

i think that it’s most likely that ranis is herself ex-telvanni, which would explain why that archmagister would’ve known them/killed them. it also explains her methods of “kill first ask questions later” – that’s a very telvanni approach.

now, ranis’ last quest is to catch a telvanni spy she suspects has infiltrated the mage’s guild. you can ask around at the various guildhalls and find out there’s a fairly obvious spy right under archmage trebonius’ nose, BUT. there is another approach to this. if you don’t kill itermerel or tashpi (itermerel will just give you his notes if you ask after you finish escorting him, and tashpi can be convinced to just leave vvardenfell and you can tell ranis you killed her anyway), then a new option opens up: you can claim that ranis is the telvanni spy. trebonius will kick her out of the guild and she’ll get her comeuppance. there’s probably an argument to be made that she IS actually a telvanni spy, so it’s not like a total lie, i guess.

that wraps up balmora! i won’t talk about ajira’s later warlock quests, bc they’re not super interesting. just “here’s an artifact i heard about. go to this cave and kill this person and take it from them and cool now you have an artifact”. so let’s move on next to ald’ruhn!

so in the ald’ruhn guildhall, you’re getting your duties from edwinna elbert. the main theme of her quests is the study of the dwemer. she has you bring her a copy of “chronicles of nchuleft,” steal a copy of “chimarvidium” from the vivec guildhall, return the copy of “chimarvidium” later, bring her a dwemer tube, check on an expedition to nchuleftingth, and get some old dwemer documents from mzuleft and bethamez. the only super notable thing about her quests is that, again, she’s having you steal something for the guild. which like, coming off of ranis’ quests is nothing. and at least she has you secretly return it later. so it comes off more like wily mage antics rather than like. literal crimes.

next is wolverine hall in sadrith mora, led by skink-in-tree’s-shade. edwinna’s second quest actually takes you here, to get a potion from skink. anyways, he’s a cool dude. the most respectable mage’s guild quest-giver, since he never asks you to break any laws or do anything shady. it’s said that even the local telvanni respect him as a powerful mage, even though his abolitionist tendencies tend to ruffle some feathers. his quests aren’t as tightly themed as the others, but he has a couple quests where he has you fetch rare books about vampires for him. otherwise, he has you do some other things, like kill a (confirmed) necromancer, arrange for him to meet with an ashlander wise woman, and capture the soul of an ash ghoul.

his first quest is a little interesting. he wants you to escort the scholar tenyeminwe to the docks in sadrith mora; evidently she got into some kind of spat with some telvanni and is afraid for her safety. but nothing happens as you escort her. you make it all the way to the docks with no issue. this kind of indicates to me that 1) the telvanni don’t give as much of a shit (or pretend not to give as much of a shit) about the mage’s guild as the guild thinks they do,* and 2) skink might be a liiiiiiittle paranoid.

here’s a bit of a silly theory i’ve come up with about skink: i think he might be a vampire seeking a cure.

hear me out. yes, the quests about the rare books could just indicate it’s a topic of scholarly interest to him. but what if it’s more personal than that? the second book he has you get, galur rithari’s papers, tells the story of a buoyant armiger who became a vampire and later found a cure. what if he seeks out a wise woman to see if they know of a cure in their old ways? what if he sought out the soul of an ash ghoul as part of a potential cure?

i know it’s a bit far-fetched and there’s no concrete evidence. just a fun little headcanon.

anyways, there’s only one other quest giver of note: the archmage trebonius himself. everyone in the guild seems to regard him as kind of a moron. he’s evidently a rather accomplished battlemage, but he’s not a very competent leader. he only has one quest (at least until you finish the main quest): discover what happened to the dwemer. he clearly gives it to you as an impossible task so you’ll leave him alone. but it’s not impossible: there are three books (the hanging gardens of wasten coridale, the egg of time, and the divine metaphysics) written in dwemeris that can reveal to you the mystery – if only you could read dwemeris. thankfully, there is exactly one person in all of vvardenfell who can read dwemeris: yagrum bagarn, the last living dwarf. he’ll translate the books for you and even offer theories as to what they mean. you can then go back to trebonius to finish the quest, although it’s obvious he is surprised you were able to accomplish this and also doesn’t really care anyways.

i think there’s an interesting question about trebonius: is he really as much of a fool as he seems to be? or is it a farce, a way to make people underestimate him? he very much is an accomplished battlemage, as you discover when you fight him to become archmage yourself. he can be quite a tricky fight. he had to have become so powerful SOMEHOW, right? mages rarely do so without study and some degree of intelligence and competence. it’s definitely POSSIBLE he’s smarter than he lets on, but it’s hard to say. not a lot of proof there. plus, it’s possible much of his difficulty in the fight comes from his powerful enchanted staff and amulet.

speaking of the amulet, he wears the necromancer’s amulet, one of the best amulets in the game. the name is evocative; is trebonius an undercover necromancer? is that a potential reason for his projected stupidity? oh, no, they’ll never expect the idiot of being a necromancer, he can barely cast fireball, much less lead a guild. something to ponder!

and that’s about all there is to say about it! i think it’s a wonderful faction with a lot of cool quests and stories, even if some of them are somewhat buried in subtext. hopefully this little analysis proves interesting!

*- back to this point about the telvanni. the telvanni obviously DO see the mage’s guild as somewhat of a threat to their magical hegemony on vvardenfell, judging by the house telvanni quest “mage’s guild monopoly,” where you have to convince some redoran councilors to block the guild’s monopoly over magical services on the island. but it seems like the telvanni are taking care of business pretty well, and the mage’s guild isn’t posing that much of a threat.

[etherfall]

in your au, would N ever bond w the elite 4?

Augh I really wish there was more interactions between the elite 4 so I could analyze their possible dynamics, but here is what I think would happen: (Warning, long post ahead!)

I like to think that before N, the elite four members were quite unhappy with Alder since he kept on neglecting his responsibilities as champion.

But after he took in N, they saw a change in his personality and passion for Pokémon battling as a new mentor to N. Initially they just saw him as Alder's son, but each grew to respect N in their own individual ways, seeing him as the possible new champion.

Grimsley - Initially Grimsley doesn't care much for N. But after witnessing N communicate with his Pokémon and win numerous battles with this ability, he believes N is an opponent that can fight with unpredictability. This causes him to seek out N to challenge him at random moments. He also offers to introduce N to the world of gambling, much to the disappointment of Alder. N finds his antics amusing and battles him, but doesn't bother with the gambling. Grimsley doesn't mean any harm, he's just intrigued by the idea of finding an opponent that can give him a new challenge.

Caitlin - I think that she is the most reserved of the elite 4 members, and initially doesn't pay much thought to N either. But after learning that he has powers similar to her physic ones, she takes an interest in his abilities. Occasionally Caitlin will stop by to say hello, but she prefers to stay inside so N doesn't really see her that often. Their dynamic is probably the weakest, but they are on friendly terms.

Shauntal - She is initially intrigued by N's backstory and thinks it is a fascinating concept for a novel. But after getting to know N, she's even more fascinated with his ability to talk to Pokémon. I like to think she shows up every once in a while to drag N out and help her translate what Pokémon are saying for accuracy in her novels. Eventually N begins to come to her in his pursuit for knowledge & literature, while she geeks out to him about her next story ideas. Sometimes he joins her on her quests around Unova for her next story inspirations. They are both curious to explore the world and uncover brand new ideas and stories, which is what they bond over the most.

Marshal - He would probably be the one that grows the most closest to N, and is friendly to him from the start. He is happy that Alder seems to be able to pick his life back up and is excited by the prospect of having a new opponent he can challenge. When Alder is too busy (or distracted) to train, N turns to Marshal to battle or learn martial arts. Although Marshal still considers himself an apprentice to Alder, he is ecstatic at the idea of becoming a mentor figure to N as well. While Alder nurtures freedom and spirituality, Marshal is the one that teaches N about dignity and responsibility.

(Also just wanted to throw this panel in here since it demonstrates how Alder & Marshal's dynamic works, and it made me chuckle)

N's interactions with the elite members brought the 4 closer to Alder, and they all appreciate him for mending their previously fragile companionship.

[not-poignant]

Birthday Spotlight - The Raven Prince

[20th February - Pisces]

The Raven Prince has been a highly divisive character since introduced. Beloved Unseelie King who created the most peaceable reign in existence for the Unseelie fae, or evil, cunning and manipulative trickster, he's a character that often has people feeling everything for him from pure hatred, to hero worship, to general love, to constant suspicion. And you know what? He'd love that.

The Raven Prince is a raven shifter who gave himself the name 'the Raven Prince' long before he ever became royalty, famously eating his true name from the minds of his parents. His true Unseelie appetite is feeding on words, languages, writing and even culture. He is a world class Master Mage, more powerful than anyone will ever truly comprehend, and he prefers diplomacy over bloodshed, but that doesn't mean he won't make mischief, or ruin someone's life, especially if he feels slighted.

The Raven Prince has been trickster, villain, antihero, hero, and just a raven. He has a complex relationship with everyone, but those who get to know him, tend to adore him.

But a story then? All right. I make no pretence at being a storyteller, I’m only a raven, and we only croak and caw don’t we? Try and find something of use in my words, or don’t, it matters little to me.

The Ice Plague II

Game Theory - (canon) Mentioned in the very first chapter, but never seen in the story, the Raven Prince's presence was already established as the 'King that Augus deposed/defeated' and drew everyone's suspicions towards him long before he ever officially became a villain who needed to be defeated by Gwyn ap Nudd. For years, no one - including readers - knew how Augus defeated the Raven Prince. And Augus wasn't about to tell a soul.

The Ice Plague II - The Seething Seas - (canon) The Raven Prince returns in the flesh for the first time in the canon, and manages to save everyone's ass several times over. But he does it in ways that doesn't endear him to anyone, and he seems to prefer it that way, right up until Augus breaks his heart.

A Broken Feather, Straightened - (canon) Asexual, sex averse, and not prone to romanticism, the Raven Prince is curious, nonetheless, about Augus' vocation as a professional dominant. Augus is determined to make the Raven Prince his, in his quest to eventually make him vulnerable enough to defeat.

These Troubled Times - (canon) Augus is determined to try and defeat the Raven Prince, and the Raven Prince is determined to make sure Augus is aware of his place beneath him, as servant and not master.

Deeper into the Woods - (canon) Mentioned only

The Nightingale and Terho the Mouse-Lad - (canon) Mentioned only

The Court of Five Thrones - (canon) Shown in Augus' flashbacks, and the question of how the Raven Prince was defeated is finally answered.

The Ice Plague I - A Forest of Fire - (canon) Only mentioned here.

The Ice Plague III - The Ice Plague - (canon) Creating a holograph of himself within a crystal to teach Mosk magic, his lessons are invaluable in teaching Mosk the finer points of learning magecraft.

All that We Were, All that We Will Ever Be - (canon) In Gwyn's and Augus' happy ending, the Raven Prince is an unexpected part of it, in ways that enrich their lives

The Wildness Within - (AU) The Raven Prince is a significant figure in this, as the one who takes on Gwyn as his apprentice in magic, learns how to become a softer person, and forces a higher Court status on Augus.

Spoils of the Spoiled - (AU) Only ever known as 'Mr Prince', the Raven Prince here is the master of the House of Ravens at Murdock College where Gwyn and Augus attend as students. A stern guide, and retired Olympic fencer.

Constellations - (AU) Mentioned only.

The Lone Wolf - (AU) Significant figure and master of Gwyn ap Nudd, and Unseelie King. Puts him in a difficult position, but still has love for this fae he adopted.

The King's Dog - (AU) Continuation of The Lone Wolf. Holds the Masque where he insists Gwyn attend and Augus be there.

The Nascent Diplomat - (AU) Continuation of The King's Dog. Unseelie King who finally learns the truth of Gwyn's past and fully steps into his role as Gwyn's father.

Underline the Blue - Cameo, and Nate Prince's uncle.

Underline the Silver - (upcoming) In which the Raven Prince (as Corbyn Prince - his human counterpart) will be a point-of-view character and omega opposite Augus Each Uisge, a peak alpha, in the Underline the Rainbow omegaverse.

A raven shifter.

Incredibly intelligent, known as the 'Wordsmith.' His dialogue is always quite precise and it's rare for him to fumble his words.

Black hair, black eyes, raven feathers in his hair.

Distinctive raven feather cloak and prefers wearing black shoes, black clothing, and a lot of silver chains with crystals that are charmed.

Age undetermined, but in the canon, over 10k years.

Unseelie King and the most beloved of the Unseelie Kings

A fae superstar even among the superstars

A fickle trickster who can sometimes be profoundly childish or profoundly mature, the most like the Gentry of all the fae we meet. He can be petty and cruel, but he has a soft heart deep, deep, deep down. Unfortunately it doesn't stop him from doing some truly horrendous things.

One of the strongest magic users in existence. Master Mage, trained at the School of the Staff.

Eats language.

Selfish but drawn to roles of service.

Lively curiosity.

Incredibly self deprecating followed by grandiose statements which are often just him dropping facts because he really is that powerful.

Strongly prefers his raven form, and feels 'clumsy' in human form, which goes some way to explaining why all his actions seem so precise in human form.

Finding Augus incredibly and bewitchingly attractive (and sometimes even falling in love with him), and constantly insulting Gwyn and Ash (but secretly quite liking Gwyn).

That's NOT how you deal with Ash's debt to Olphix, the Raven Prince! (The Ice Plague II)

Being known as the defeated King, and then finally finding out he was behind it all.

Giving Augus to the Nightingale to protect himself and the Kingdom

All his moments with Mosk on the Mantissa, especially on the crow's nest.

Always has black eyes and black hair

Excellent at fencing in every universe

A precise, educated manner of speaking, highly self-educated, comes from humble origins.

Trauma in his background that's often undisclosed for a long time.

Big reader, into languages, finds culture fascinating. Often a writer.

Educator.

Puts himself in roles where he is in service to others (King & educator being the most common)

Has body dysmorphia (when in human form in the fae realm, and the rest of the time just in general).

The Raven Prince was partially inspired by the character of Jareth as played by David Bowie in The Labyrinth.

He gave himself the name 'the Raven Prince' before he was ever royalty, and due to his ability to eat language, he at the memory of his true name out of his family's minds. As a result, he is the only one who knows his true name. (And no, it's not Corbyn, that's just the name I have for him when he's human which hilariously means 'Raven.')

A lot of people tend to assume the Raven Prince is a top in the bedroom, but he's naturally a bottom, and leans towards a degree of submission when the circumstances are safe. He's asexual, but curious about the sensations around sex.

The most divisive Fae Tales character I've ever written. The people who love him, love him. The people who hate him, hate him. I love him. He's probably in the top five characters I've ever written. Maybe even the top three.

Initially I built up his reputation and power by intentionally never having him in stories for years, and only ever having people refer to him with often a great sense of nostalgia (or in Augus' case, bitterness and regret). By the time he appeared in the canon, in the present, over half a decade had gone by, yet it felt like he'd been with us for a long time. But this was an intentional writing technique, and it's one of my favourites.

I no longer crave death. But I am only a bird, and I fear what comes next.

The Ice Plague II

[greyspirehollow]

We lock eyes again [Request]

Pairing : Quaestor Valdemar x Reader

Fandom : The Arcana visual novel

Warnings : none

Summary : You do not remember how long it took you to finally find a suitable host for your soul, and go on a quest to find your long lost anchor to the mortal world ; the one who your thoughts inevitably converged towards, stubbornly holding you back from crossing the threshold of the afterlife.

It had been centuries. It had been too long. You'd lived many ages : through the eyes of the salmon, deer, and wolf. You would see it in your dreams ; the time you spent in limbo, waiting, patiently...Although, when you awoke, these dreams didn't make sense anymore ; only leaving behind a lingering sense of longing, a feeling that you had to find... What did you have to find? You couldn't put your finger on it...

You sighed, sitting up in your bed and stretching. Another one of those dreams... But you didn't have time to reflect upon them, today. Asra wanted to introduce you to the court of Vesuvia, as a sort of starting point to your journey as a magician's apprentice. You feel as if you've done this before. You got up, yawning, and rummaging through your wardrobe to find something decent to wear. Once you had your outfit all sorted, you decided to add a twinkle of jewelry, just to make it all a little less dull. You had heard about this kingdom's history : struck by a terrible plague that had decimated thousands, sacrifices, memory loss... It was all a bit confusing, so you had only paid attention to the plague bit. Asra eventually knocked on your door "Are you ready?" ; you quickly adjusted your attire before hurrying out of your room "yes! I... Do I look ok? is it not... a little too much?" the magician smiled, looking at you fondly "you look perfect. Now, let's go ; we shouldn't keep the Countess waiting." You followed, walking through the sunlit and busy streets of the kingdom, looking around with delight. You had not left the shop much when you had gotten here, and the lively markets, the colors, and the people actually did you some good (to your surprise).

Your eyes widened slightly as you and your master arrived at the Palace's gates ; you looked up at the shiny architecture with sparkles in your eyes. What snapped you out of it was the voice of the guards demanding you introduce yourselves. Luckily, the Countess had seemingly told them about you and Asra's arrival, as the guards let you pass after having heard the magician's name. You then advanced past the gates, still awestruck. You felt as if the sun was illuminating the Palace in a magical hue, and the more you approached, the faster your heart thumped in your chest. It wasn't just the Palace's glory : you had a feeling. Something that made you apprehensive yet eager to go inside. You felt as if you knew something, but at the same time it was missing ; you had to go in the Palace, but you couldn't figure out why ; it tugged at your heart, pumping adrenaline into your veins, as if strings were drawing you towards the place... However, you kept this to yourself, and quietly followed Asra as you both made your way towards the throne room. Now that you thought about it, you didn't see anyone guide you towards there, and you suspected Asra had come to the Palace before.

However, no one was sitting on the throne. You raised a curious eyebrow, but before you could utter a word, your master uttered a little "ooh" of realization, before saying : "She must be in the drawing room. I wouldn't be surprised if she wished to introduce you to the courtiers as well." You nodded. That made some sense ; even though you were slightly disappointed : you would've loved to meet the Countess in a more private setting. You followed Asra nonetheless. A few turns later, you both found yourselves in said drawing room. The Countess was elegantly sitting in a one-person sofa, while she conversed with five figures, which the diversity of... Struck you, to say the least. Despite your unease, you followed Asra inside, as the magician bowed to the woman whose purple hair draped over her shoulders with shocking delicacy. "Countess Nadia" ; you bowed as well. She smiled "Ah, Asra. And you are..?" she asked, looking at you with a soft yet undeniably authoritative gaze. You managed to stutter out your name, giving her a short bow of the head. "I am glad you two were able to join us for tea. Please, be my guests ; make yourselves comfortable. I will have a cup made for you this instant. Portia?" She called out to a servant, whispering to her something before the young lady hurried out the drawing room, to presumably go fetch the tea.

It is then that Countess Nadia gestured to the other people in the drawing room. So they were the courtiers, you thought, as she went over each of them, your gaze following accordingly. Procurator Volta. Consul Valerius. Praetor Vlastomil. Pontifex Vulgora. Quaestor-

You let out a soft gasp ; no one heard you. Your eyes widened as they locked with their red own. Suddenly, everything made sense. This is why you were here. This is who you had been seeking. The dreams connected themselves, perfectly falling into place at this exact moment. You remembered it all now, the limbo, your adventures from body to body, your struggle and ghostly tears, the longing, the waiting, all that for this person right there, sitting on this sofa amongst the others...

Valdemar.

They looked surprised as well, their eyes never leaving your own, as they seemed to be deep in thought. The conversation around you faded, your whole attention focused onto them. The memory flooded back in your mind, nearly playing out in front of you...

The little cottage. The lingering scent of herbs and wood in the air. The shelves with dried plants, stuffed birds and other animals, skulls they had found on their trips to the forest... And Valdemar themselves. They excitedly opened their journal on the desk, signing you to sit next to them enthusiastically. "Here ! -they said- I've found something ! I think you're going to like it..." You smiled and chuckled. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you managed to capture a frog" They snorted at your reply "I'm past that. No, look... I've managed to make an antidote with snake venom ! I just diluted it, added some... ah, I forgot the plant's name- it's all in my notes, look" they were smiling widely as you approached, standing mere millimeters away from them, your hand brushing against theirs as you flipped through their research journal. It smelled peculiar, it always did : a mix of something like oak and leather, with a hint of vegetation. "It's impressive..." you nodded as your eyes squinted slightly, having a hard time reading certain words because of their highly cursive and optimized handwriting. Valdemar looked at you expectantly. "It is brilliant" you finally said, looking back at them. Your heart skipped a bit at that precious smile of theirs, which pushed their freckles-adorned cheeks. Oh, how you'd kill to pamper those in kisses... "why, I'm quite proud of myself" they said, looking back at the pages. However, their grin faltered slightly "...but what if... what if all this disappears? what then?" your heart ached slightly. You knew how important their researches and breakthroughs were to them. You didn't resist this time : you wrapped their arms around them "do not fret. Your knowledge will not be lost." you spoke softly, hoping to soothe their worries, even temporarily. "...You're right... It and I will live on forever..." They say after a few beats of silence, embracing you back. You smiled, content to see them somewhat reassured.

With that, the memory faded. Your throat tightened and you had to excuse yourself. Your eyes hadn't left Valdemar's for all this time. You made your way to the bathroom, closing the door, but not locking it. You took in a quivering breath, the tears coming to your eyes despite your best attempts at holding them back. Tears of joy...

After a while, someone softly knocked on the door, but before you could get a chance to answer, the door opened, revealing the Quaestor. They stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind them without a sound, and pulling down their mask. As they set eyes on you, their expression softened somewhat. You sniffled, quickly wiping your tears away. You were about to say something, but suddenly stopped yourself. No. You didn't need to talk.

You looked at them... They had changed... You were unfamiliar with this lab-coat, those supposed horns wrapped in bandages, and this sickly green skin... But you'd recognize that thin nose and those thin lips, those freckles and those wide, curious eyes, even if they had turned red, anywhere. You had to bite back both your tears and a smile, as you felt them examine you. They took a step or two towards you and carefully lifted your hands into their own, as if to take a closer look at them. They were... Confused. And a foreign feeling tugged at their heart. They didn't know what it was. They just knew it was... Human. Which only confused them further. Scared them, even, although they wouldn't admit it.

Your eyes.

Your soft hands ; their thumb brushed onto the back of them.

Why do you feel so familiar?

This specific accent they heard when you greeted the Countess earlier.

Your warmth.

It's all so familiar...

Who are you?

Why can't they remember?

They remember someone, they can't say who. They remember them like an essence. A feeling. Nothing concrete. They don't remember their face or their voice but they know how they felt around them. They know they talked to them, even if they don't remember the words they said. It's all blurry. It feels like a dream...

Had it been too long? Did their deals make them forget? Why did you trigger their pseudo-memories of that someone?

They don't remember...

Their brows furrowed as despite their best attempts, the answer just wouldn't come back to them. Their grip on your hands tightened slightly.

But you do. You remember now. You can't help a soft smile from tugging at your lips as you look at them fondly. They haven't changed one bit... Factually, they did. But to you ? They were still the same. Deep down, they were still your sweet alchemist. You had missed their voice... You had changed as well, beyond recognition. You were aware of that. Those tedious years you spent in limbo had carried you into body after body, having to live as a wild animal once or twice as to not disappear... You wouldn't tell. Even if your soul was the same. They would either recognize you, or they wouldn't, and you were perfectly fine with both. Your alchemist... They were there, in the flesh. You had to hold back your tears of joy, yet again.

Valdemar sighed, briefly closing their eyes. "...I do not know who you are -they started-, nor do I know where you come from" your heart tickled in your ribs. They locked eyes with you again. "... But I feel as if I am happy to see you again". You nearly lost it, briefly closing your eyes and tilting your head down as to not burst in tears "strange, -you started- I feel the same about you" you chuckled. "Maybe... Forces we don't know of are into play?" you looked back up at them. They didn't seem to like that idea too much "I hope not... I would rather know who is playing with me like that" their tone held nothing negative. You couldn't help but chuckle again "w-well..." you cleared your throat, trying to keep your voice from shaking too much "Whether it is planned or... conducted by something in some way... I don't think this is too bad, eh?" you tentatively asked. They seemed to turn the thought into their head, their red eyes briefly flickering to your hands.

"...I suppose not."

You nodded, fighting for your life tears to not roll down your cheeks. You knew it made you look somewhat suspicious, but if they'd noticed, they didn't comment on it.

"...Say, -they spoke once more- what do you think after... the end of your meeting with the Countess, we spend some time in the library? I feel as if... We have... uhm... Something to catch up on." oh Gods, they absolutely hated when things were blurry and inexplicable. You nodded, practically beaming "I-I would love to." you said, once more looking at your hands in their own.

You both exited the bathroom, hand in hand. You softly let go once you had come back around the drawing room, and Valdemar did the same. However, they sat down next to you. While you joined the conversation between Nadia and Asra, their eyes never left your hand resting on the sofa, withing reach, and once more endless questions tossed and turned in their head... But it looks like the mystery of you was going to stay unsolved...

[mdscarlett]

INTRODUCING 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐃. 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓. . .

‎ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ WANTED ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ DEAD OR ALIVE

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐃. 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ $500.000.000

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ author’s note at the end+picrew

★ NAME: Monkey D. Scarlett (Scar)

— also known as: Scarlett the Witch, Scar-Scar, the Wicked Witch of the Sea, War Goddess Athena, the Ancient Weapon Mars

★ BIRTHDAY: October 31st (Scorpio | current age: 22)

— “The incarnation of Mars will be born on a dark, cold, eerie night in the Grand Line. It will be a full moon then, and the sea will be stilled as the Earth welcomes her spirit back; The World is not prepared her return.”

★ FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS: KNOWN (6)

— Monkey D. Alia (mother/status: deceased), Monkey D. Garp (grandfather/status: alive ), Monkey D. Dragon (uncle/status: alive), Monkey D. Luffy (cousin/status: alive), Portgas D. Ace (sworn sibling/status: deceased), Sabo (sworn sibling/status: alive)

★ AFFILIATIONS: PAST & PRESENT

— Revolutionary Army Cabin Girl/Apprentice (former), Loguetown Marine Base Commodore (former), Straw Hat Quartermaster (current)

★ MENTORS:

SASAKI MEI — having been a trained kunoichi serving the Kozuki clan on the island of Wano, Mei found herself escaping right before the death of Sukiyaki and joining hands with Dragon. thanks to this, she also gained the cutest apprentice and so much more in regards of exploring. She’d write to her friends back home, telling them how fun her travels are, not minding the fact they’d never reply. A master of Ryou, she’d teach scar as much as possible, in a way a child should learn — as something she’d look forward to.

mentored scar when she was between the ages five and eight, and again between ages twenty and twenty-two.

during the time that the straw hat pirates were separated, Scar had randomly felt her presence on an island in the Grand Line, after sailing with Akagami for a while. she tells shanks that she will be leaving him and gives him and the crew her thanks, not without mentioning that they might see each other in the future. with a smile and many hugs, they see the girl off with a bright, hopeful gleam in their eye.

she meets her former teacher in a bar, a nostalgic feeling clawing at her chest alongside excitement. Mei matches these feelings, catching up with Scar with a big grin on her face. her cute apprentice has really grown into an incredible and dangerous woman.

Scar explains her situation — marineford, Kuma, her crew — and although Mei is a wanted criminal on a personal quest of hers, she immediately offers to mentor her. it’ll actually be beneficial to the both of them, the lonely feeling was slowly getting to her, so this was an act of fate. she’s sure Dragon wouldn’t mind, and neither would the ghost of the samurai that’s recently reached out to her.

MONKEY D. GARP — after Dragon had contacted him about custody of Scar, he immediately agreed: this was his deceased daughter’s child. he respected his daughter’s dying wish for Scar to be under Dragon’s watch, knowing that his son would eventually cause trouble and ask for his help. he was determined that she’d stay on Foosha Village forever for her safety, and so he taught her the basics to surviving.

“mentored” Scar when she was between the ages eight and seventeen.

when Dragon had told Scar that she would be under her grandpa’s care, she didn’t ask questions. if her uncle was sending her away from these people she trusted — family, at that — he must be sending her to someone else trustworthy and loving as them, right?

wrong. as Garp dragged Luffy into the wilderness to train him, she stayed home and studied. she respected her elders too much to ignore his strict rules, and decided to play him at his own game.

while he was under the impression that she was at home reading books World-Government approved, she was really snooping through his work desk and reading things that weren’t meant for the public, especially for a child who had been raised by revolutionaries.

on a regular occurrence — whether Garp was aware or not — she would follow the two and watch Luffy from afar. she learned Garp’s fighting skills and engraved his moves in her brain, and snuck away at night while the others were sleeping to practice: she wasn’t sure why she felt the need to be stronger, but after a few years with the Revolutionary Army and finding out what the World Government is really like, she thought it’d help her anyway.

through Garp’s harsh love, laziness and naïvety, he did teach her how to survive. but in the end, she had learned way more than what he had to offer.

AKAGAMI NO SHANKS — during his trip to marineford, he senses a strong presence in the middle of the ocean. utterly confused by this sudden presence, he peaks over the ship’s edge and is met with a familiar face he’s only seen in the World’s Economic Journal. her presence isn’t threatening at all. instead, it’s too vulnerable for a girl who’s currently swimming in the middle of a dangerous sea, during a dangerous time; the tears streaming down her face alerting him instead.

he’s read many articles of Scarlett the Witch, but to have finally met her in person makes him question who she really is. he’s amazed with not only her physical fighting abilities, but also her strong aura that seems to follow her around. he notices that she’s unaware of it, and is also confused, considering she was known for her amazing haki control.

after ten long minutes of soothing Scar’s sobs down, she allows herself to spill everything: what was happening on Marineford in the current moment, Luffy’s arrival, and how she was able to sneak away unharmed. he noticed she didn’t mention why and how she was there in the first place, but he didn’t want to pry. instead, he reassured her that the war would end soon, and allowed her to take cover and rest under deck in the meantime.

he feels his heart clench as he realizes just how much Scar resembled her.

Scar would wake up to heartbreaking news and some from her baby cousin — begging shanks to atleast allow her to voyage with him until she feels comfortable on her own again, promising a temporary alliance, knowing that eventually she’ll have an opportunity to become stronger.

Akagami was suddenly breathless as a familiar face flashed through his mind.

it took a lot of courage for her to ask Shanks how to master her newfound conqueror’s haki, and he gladly took her under his wing. although it was a temporary mentorship, he was glad to be helping the new gen of pirates that would run the world — even if it meant he was one step closer to being too late.

★ STRENGTHS:

OBSERVATION HAKI — unlocked at age five, mastered at age eight.

— allowed scar to gain speed, a developed a deep and powerful intuition, and emotional intelligence/strength. she’s grateful for this, as it helped her understand and learn more about the world she lives in; allowing her to survive.

ARMAMENT HAKI — unlocked at age seven, mastered at age thirteen.

— was a bit harder for her to grasp since dragon wouldn’t let her engage in physical combat, but over the years she’d watch other users and take note. she gained physical stamina and strength pushing herself to learn more. (against Ace, she had won 45/50 of their “battles”).

CONQUEROR’S HAKI — unlocked at age twenty, mastered a few months after.

— the quickest of her to master, simply because she had already held a strong sense of will. shanks demonstrated how he’s able to use it to his advantage and manage it, and it was a shock to them both how bright scarlett’s aura was. she only uses this type of haki as a last resort or as an instinct (ex. when luffy tries stealing her food).

PHYSICAL COMBAT — a somewhat trained kunoichi, marine and definitely a pirate.

— although the two men in her early life told her no when it came to any sort of physical altercation, she still had eyes and haki to help her learn. Mei could never say no to her precious junior, secretly showing Scar “basic” kunoichi skills — claiming that everyone knew how to do those exact moves (which they didn’t, but the others never snitched because they were terrified of her). Scar vividly remembers Mei promising to take her to Wano and properly teach her, but sadly, the time hasn’t came yet.

— while in the Marines, she remembered all the information she had obtained thanks to Garp’s negligence. It allowed the transition to be easier on her, and unfortunately, that came with the consequence of becoming a commodore on Loguetown Marine Base. she knew she was strong — both physically and intellectually — but she never imagined her gaining a position of power she didn’t want. despite the mask she put on every morning, she let her grandfather take pride in her name during her time as an officer, because soon he would absolutely despise her (but she’s still family).

— before finding herself in Loguetown, Scar had nothing; only a boat filled with basic necessities (thanks Makino!) and her will to live, yet she was confident enough to know she’ll be alright wherever the currents lead her. she often found herself befriending villagers of the islands she visited; they offered her money, food, clothes, and a place to stay until her next move. though, it happened only after she’d scare away pirates who were terrorizing them. it was easy to defeat pirates in the East Blue, her proficiency in haki made her nearly ten times stronger than them, yet she lacked in combat. she’d learn from her opponents, always thanking them with a wink and smile, strutting away as they passed out in the grassy fields she found them in.

author’s note: hiiii everyone! this is my lovely scar-scar :3 i’ve spent the last few months trying to find myself again and something i really liked about myself is how creative i can get. i read one piece (i thought back to a time where i was really into jjk & aot, and how it was such a happy time and keypoint in my life) & with every chapter i always just had fun little scenarios.

i’m in a healing period right now, but i feel so good. i love being able to have the free will to create and it brings me so much joy. i’m not sure if this is weird but after getting to the Water Seven/Enie’s Lobby arcs, i couldn’t help but see myself in miss Nico Robin. don’t wanna get deep but yeah <33 i figured i’d get back into reading/writing fan-fiction as a hobby, because it allows me to feed my creative side.

but what’s a world without sharing fun little bits and pieces of myself? Scar is very self inspired, and to me it’s like writing my own story in my own way. and i’m having so much fun! allowing myself to be a main character :3

the next post i’ll make about scarlett will be about her weaknesses, her relationships, and probably fun little random facts about her. if you guys ever want to ask about her, please send them through!! i love being inspired <3

if you’re coming from a drabble from my main sideblog (@luffysinterlude) this is inspired with bits and pieces of my earlier oc Cupid, but Athena and Scarlett, in my head are the same person. i might switch up sometimes and write in a reader’s perspective (especially for fluff and comfort scenes) because i feel like we all need a lil light in our lives :p

[voiddesigns-wc]

Did you ever do TwigBranch? Sorry to bother ^_^

Not a bother at all! Sorry for taking so long you changed blogs tho 😬

@sillyfunny

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi! I'm an apprentice librarian at a university of education, and I'd like to suggest our library get some TTRPGs, ones that are available in print and suitable for school (since our userbase is mainly aspiring teachers), ideally with a German translation (I know that part may be difficult).

Do you have some suggestions?

Theme: Available in German!

Hello friend, so my strategy for this was to find some German websites for roleplaying games and then try to see if they sold physical copies of certain games. This is going to be a bit different from my regular recommendations, mostly because I can’t read German! So I figured I’d send you to these different publishers, and point out specific games that look like potential candidates.

(Also German-speaking followers please sound off in the tags and comments!)

Plotbunny Games @plotbunnygames

From what I can tell, this is a small publisher with a number of indie ttrpgs, and most of these games look to have physical copies. The games that really stand out to me here are Follow, and Miss Bernberg’s Finishing School for Young Ladies. Follow is a game by Ben Robbins, the creator of Microscope, and is a GM-less collaborative storytelling game about going on a quest. I think it would be a great game for collaboration and quick brainstorming sessions. Miss Bernberg’s Finishing School for Young Ladies is made in-house, and is a Firebrands game, which means that it uses a number of small mini-games to tell a bigger story. Great for focusing on narrative over complex characters. There’s also a German translation of ImproVeto, which is a great tool for introducing safety tools, good for any roleplaying group.

Obscurati

Obscurati has two games that I recognize: Tiny Dungeons and Into the Dark. Tiny Dungeons is made by Gallant Knight Games. It is very streamlined, and has a lot of supplements for you to customize your setting. Obscurati appears to have a large number of physical Tiny Dungeon components, including a hardcover book. If you want traditional fantasy, this is probably worth checking out. Into the Dark is a Forged-in-Dark game by Off Guard Games, and is a dark-fantasy dungeon delving game that gives you character playbooks, tables for adventure generation, and a streamlined game system. I’m generally a fan of Forged in the Dark games because they give you some easy-to-understand mechanics that can carry a story really far. (This game is also in hardcover!)

Ulisses Spiele

Ulisses Spiele looks to be a pretty major publisher, with D&D, Warhammer, and Pathfinder all in one house. I'm assuming you're probably familiar with them. If you want a big-name roleplaying game, this is the place to be. Many of the games from this publishing house are pretty crunchy, so they’re more suited for folks who want to go through the traditional process of complex character creation, and specific rules for things like range, inventory, specific types of damage, etc.

If you’re looking for games that hearken to popular media, Dune and Tales from the Loop both come from Modiphius, a games company with a pretty good reputation for mechanically sound games, although they generally require a lot of bookkeeping. World of Darkness is the game system I’m most familiar with in this list, using dice pools of d10s, although much of the subject matter in these games is rather dark - especially since the bulk of their WoD catalogs appears to be Vampire: the Masquerade. I’m actually really intrigued by Die Schwarze Katze, of which I’m not entirely sure there is an English equivalent, and appears to be a fantasy game with cat characters!

Truant Spiele

Truant has a number of games that I am unfamiliar with, although I may have heard of their names before. Kult is labelled as an adult roleplaying game, so if you want something child-friendly, I’d stay away, and The One Ring has not received many friendly reviews - but Warbirds is a fantastical-historical game about fighter pilots and aerial combat, which looks pretty lighthearted, although this looks like a game that can have winners and losers. There’s also The Witcher RPG, a class-based system all about fighting monsters in a well-loved world based on that of the video game. The Witcher looks to be a bit on the crunchier side of things, so I’d see it as a better candidate for long-term campaigns rather than quick pick-up sessions. Finally, they carry Cyberpunk Red, which I’ve heard rave reviews for, with pre-generated enemies, a giant swathe of lore, and plenty of player support.

Fiasco

There’s a physical German version of Fiasco on the Pro-Indie website, along with a number of supplements. Fiasco is a game about a making a terrible movie using card stock and dice, and is great for lighthearted games and ridiculous stories.

Now, for some digital runners-up.

Pegasus Digital looks to be a German version of DriveThru Rpg, with a smaller catalogue but a lot of resources for Cthulhu 7, Shadowrun, and Avatar Legends. If you get folks who want to see what else is out there, this might be a handy website to direct them to.

Hero Kids is a game that only has a physical version in English, but it has a digital German equivalent! This is a great game for young role-players and folks who want a kid-friendly style of role-play.

DURF is a minimalist fantasy game with a number of different translations, including a German one. It isn’t available in print, but the game itself is small enough that printing copies of the game for yourself and fellow players shouldn’t be very expensive. DURF is based in OSR style play, so expect very small character sheets and an emphasis on your inventory.

Brindlewood Bay is only available in English and Polish, as far as I can tell- but there is a collection of play materials available in German! This game has such a big following because it has a reputation for being easy to teach, and it has a really wonderful mystery system, so I think it might be worth checking out.

[wordsformizu]

Your Father's Daughter

Mizu x Reader story

Word count: 1.5k

Chapter 9

Staring at the horse foot below you, you let your mind wander off to a distant place. You couldn't accurately count how many days or nights it has been since you had seen your father and wondered if he was beginning to grow worried. Had it been long enough for him to grow concerned? Had he sent others to look for you? Embarrassment flamed your face beneath the skin at the thought of having to be rescued. Of being an inconvenience to your fathers plan. It would never sit right within your spirit. You closed your eyes and let a sigh slip from your lips. 

From a distance, a hushed conversation was being had. The blue eyed man had come back from his break behind the trees and he was greeted excitedly by his apprentience. Ringo and his master began discussing their next location. Well, more of Ringo discussing and the samurai listening. The samurai never spoke aloud where his next navigation spot was. The excitement in the apprentice's voice could be felt from where you lay as he tried to be discreet about the conversation you had with him. 

“She told me! Just before you returned. I was starting to get worried you wouldnt come back…anyway!” he began his rambling again.

“I got her to eat and she liked it very much. I knew it would work. Everyone enjoys sweets, but not everyone enjoys fish.”

“Not everyone can afford to be a picky eater.” He muttered, loud enough for you to hear, before returning to his silent posture. 

“I agree, Master, you're right. I’m glad I got her to eat and drink a little. She told me down the road there was another town. Where her father would take her to have sweets after training. Master, when you're finished with your quest and you begin training me, we should make that a tradition of our own. Sweets after training-”

“Her Father took her there? She told you this?” This caught the samurai’s attention.

“Yes! She would have Dango after training as a child. The restaurant is close to where they lived so he would take her there..I’m thinking if we stopped by that town..” he leans closer to hide the surprise 

“We could find more food that she’d like to eat! Sure, it isn't a home cooked meal, but the closer to home, the better.”

“The closer to home, huh?” 

You felt his eyes on you now, and you were sure to keep your eyes lowered to the ground. If only the sharpness of your glares could pierce his skull.

After a few moments of silence, he walked towards his horse with his busy apprentice following behind him. They both straddled onto their saddle but not before Ringo could flash another hopeful grin in your direction. Moments later, you felt the stare from his Master again. Watching you carefully before telling his horse to go forward. 

The road was becoming familiar again. Every time you opened your eyes, you’d recognize the scenery more. It wasn't exactly how your father had introduced it to you, but nature shifts and changes every new season. When he brought you here, it was in the midst of summer where the leaves provided barely enough shade to shield from the blazing sun. Now many winters have passed since then and you're being escorted down the same path with no promising warmth of the sun but instead the cold air and colder stares from an ice eyed killer. 

It is said that if you find yourself in the woods, and nature doesn't respond to your presence then it isn't a place one should be in. You’ve heard that talk from an Itako you had come across. Your father told you to take no mind to the women who speak of spirits, but you kept that information just in case. You were the first one to notice the birds had stopped chirping. The eeriness of silence. Patient silence. 

Was it really a shot in the dark if you knew that you would hit gold? And was it a lucky move if it was calculated? Those questions came to mind as you stared at the horse foot below you. Now it was the samurai’s turn to notice and he did, but it was too late. 

From the trees of the mountain side came men sprinting towards you three. Men in armor, with swords that reflected off their vests. They positioned themselves around, squating into a fighting stance and readying their swords. The samurai brought his horse to a halt, and you could hear his apprentice stop as well. 

“Consider today your last, traveler.” said the man in charge. His voice was authoritative, demanding fear and full attention. He was a good pick for commander. 

The day your father picked these men to be the guards of his operation here, you were there. They didnt see you, of course, but you heard them all speak. This one who spoke was Okazaki Toshikuni. He spent time with your father, spending a few weeks with him as your father scoped him out. His background, his personality, his fighting ability. He was a strict man, as stern as he was large. He had seen you once, at a younger age, as you were slipping in from training. 

He was here for one reason. To keep wandering travelers from interfering with your fathers operations. A few miles down the road wasn't a town, like you had promised the naive apprentice. Your father was removing important resources vital for his plans. Paying off important government and royal officials was the least of his worries. It was the people of the land who would find ways to make it a problem for him so he appointed these men to become his soldiers here. You recognized them by uniform. Disheveled, but recognizable amongst each other and those who knew who they were working for. They would ploy as thieves, except they wouldnt just take your belongings. They would take your life. Your father wanted no one to know of this operation; its discretion was important. 

Not a word was spoken from the samurai. He instead removed himself from his horse and approached the center. Quietly. Calmly. His arms underneath his cloak moved and revealed his sheath, making the other men tense. He had announced that he would take all of them in a fight, and not a word was spoken into the air. The men were not used to someone as bold as him, but they were ready nevertheless. 

The sound of a blade slicing the air had always been one of your favorites, followed by the sound of blades meeting. The ringing vibrated through the trees as the men fought. Here you were able to witness the samurai’s skill. How he moved fluidly while he spilled blood onto the white snow, the effortless grip on his sword. There was no strain in his fighting, in fact at times he looked to be dancing. It was like trying to catch a river in the palm of your hands. He was water. 

Swords clashed, bodies fell, and your hope began to decrease as less and less men stood to fight him. It didn't feel like there was enough time for you to do anything as you watched him take down these men one by one. You quickly glanced around, and spotted his apprentice who was watching attentively. His amazement was painted all over his face as he watched his master fight. He looked to be standing in the presence of greatness. What did he know about greatness? 

Glancing down you noticed a sharp dagger to his side. You started kneeing the nervous horse’s side in hopes to move closer to Ringo’s. You just needed to grab it with your teeth. The apprentice would be too distracted with the fight to notice you, and you’d use it to stab into the horse's thigh making it react and hopefully buck you off. You would be able to escape. You began slowly. 

A gunshot went off into the air, silencing all around you. Your least favorite sound. It pulled your attention quickly and you looked over to see who had shot it off. The commander had shot it into the air, standing before the samurai now. You guessed it had been given to him by your father. Bodies lay on the ground, but he and a few men still stood. He had every intention to fire a hole into the samurai’s head if he wouldn't comply and though he was fast, he wasn't as fast as a bullet. You knew that, and so did he as he put his hands up in slow surrender. 

As they took him, the apprentice, and the horses hostage, you looked over at the commander. Staring at him until he met eyes with yours. He glanced at you once over and then continued his walk ahead. Though you had recognized him from those years before, he had not recognized you. You began to wonder if you lead yourself into an even worse trap.

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

That's incredibly subjective at this point, since we've got at LEAST 3-4 different "canons" depending on how you look at it right now.

The first is Lucas's personal canon, which I imagine is what you're remembering having read somewhere as being just the films and TCW, although this would just be the first SIX films and the first SIX seasons of TCW and nothing else (this includes the sequel trilogy and season 7 of TCW, as well as films like Solo and Rogue One).

Anything beyond those things but that was created prior to the Disney buyout in 2014 is considered "Legends" canon (previously known as the Extended Universe before the buyout). This includes things like the original Thrawn trilogy, the Jedi Apprentice/Quest novels, the 2003 Clone Wars show, etc. Lucas did not consider them part of HIS Star Wars story and had no problem with ignoring anything introduced in Legends material if he didn't like it (nor did he have an issue with USING things he DID like from Legends material, but he often warped it to fit into his own story). Disney doesn't consider any of it as canon, but different creators have been slowly "re-canonizing" some of it in recent media (like Jango/Boba Fett being Mandalorians, or Siri Tachi's existence).

Anything created AFTER the 2014 buyout is considered "Disney canon." Unlike Lucas, Disney doesn't seem to be really separating their films/TV shows from their other content like books/comics/games in terms of continuity, but not everyone is actually consuming everything so sometimes shit doesn't match anyway. Generally the films and Disney+ TV shows (which for this purpose will include things like Rebels even though that show was created prior to Disney+ existing) are probably considered "higher" canon than things like the books, comics, and games, but it isn't as clear cut as it used to be under Lucas. While I think many of the things created under Disney canon, especially the films and Disney+ shows, are TRYING to be considered part of the same continuity as Lucas's canon, they're also definitely still doing their own thing and Lucas himself has no influence on them.

Rebels would be considered DISNEY canon since it was created after the buyout. Same goes for The Bad Batch as well as the Obi-Wan Kenobi show.

Tales of the Jedi is weird because it technically is within Disney canon, but I believe Filoni has claimed that audiences should see it less as actual canon events and more as like... "fables" or something like that. So basically the dude in charge said we can disregard anything in this show as canon if you want to, I guess. That being said, there's nothing in it that completely contradicts the more accepted canon (Lucas's stuff and the Disney films and TV shows), so I think that most people generally consider this show as "canon" no matter what Filoni said.

And of course, there's always your personal canon, which is just whatever you decide to SEE as canon regardless of anything "official." I personally dislike Tales of the Jedi and the Ahsoka show and am fully willing to just... pretend they're not canon. Neither of them has any real bearing on the larger narrative Lucas wrote anyway and you can obviously understand and enjoy the original six films without them.

I mostly use these distinctions when I'm having a discussion with someone about something like, say, the intentions behind the story. Because that can obviously change WILDLY depending on who is writing the story. Lucas and Filoni are not the same person, much as Filoni might like to believe otherwise, and so they have radically different approaches to Star Wars, its messages, and its worldbuilding. Something Filoni writes in a Disney canon show does NOT have any relevance to a discussion about what Lucas was trying to say about the Prequels Jedi, for example. Same goes for anything written in a Legends novel or comic book.

Star Wars is relatively easy to cherry pick from depending on what you enjoy. Especially these days, with how much content is being cycled out all the time. So if you just don't care for Disney canon at all, you can just... ignore it and focus on Lucas's canon and Legends material if you want. If you happen to be one of the people who just doesn't vibe with Lucas's messages, you can focus more on Legends canon and Filoni's more recent work. Or you can exclusively enjoy Lucas's canon and absolutely nothing else. Or you can pick and choose from within each "canon" depending on what vibes with you. The galaxy far far away is your oyster!

[wanderersrest]

A Cheat Sheet to Gintama References

Have you ever said to yourself "I want to get into Gintama, but I want to understand all of the references?"

Well fear not, for I have a cheat sheet for a lot of the references. Not all of them, because I'd never finish this post. But there are a lot of references the series makes, and as non-native Japanese viewers, a lot of things are lost on us. That's not even getting to things that are lost due to the language barrier. So here it is: a (not so) comprehensive list of series that Gintama references!

Manga

Dragon Ball (Bonus points if it involves dunking on Yamcha.)

Fist of the North Star (Complete with a copyright-friendly version of You Wa Shock!)

Saint Seiya (an entire episode hinges on Gintoki being afraid of getting sued by Toei because of their constant Saint Seiya references)

City Hunter (I wouldn't be surprised if City Hunter was an inspiration for Gintama. Like Gintoki as a main character is what happens if you were to combine Kenshin Himura and Ryo Saeba into a single man. And then you gave said man Kakashi's hair.)

Rurouni Kenshin (Gintama is best described as the post Big 3 answer to Rurouni Kenshin. While One Piece and Shaman King are the true successors to RK, Gintama is the series most similar in terms of aesthetics... minus the modern tech in Meiji-era Japan.)

One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach (I'm folding all three into one line due to their nature as Jump's Big Three. Not helping things is that Gintama ran around the same time as all three.)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventures

Death Note

To Love Ru (Yes, really.)

SKET Dance (Not surprising as SKET Dance mangaka Kenta Shinohara was Sorachi's apprentice at one point)

Fullmetal Alchemist

Lupin III

Golgo 13

Kinnikuman (the thing Ultimate Muscle is based off of)

Doraemon

Sazae-san

Berserk

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (Ask me about how Gintama helped screw Saiki K out of an English Dub for Season 2)

Anime

Mobile Suit Gundam (It helps that Sunrise/Bandai Namco Pictures produced the Gintama anime, because there are a lot of Gundam references in particular. You also don't get the Renho arc without Sunrise producing the anime.)

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (Specifically the fact that Shinpachi and Tsukuyo's voice actors are in each series respectively)

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Especially if it involves MADAO, as MADAO shares a voice actor with Gendo Ikari)

Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and My Neighbor Totoro (I'm highlighting these three Ghibli movies in particular due to how often they are referenced throughout the series.)

The Brave Franchise (Specifically The Brave Express Might Gaine and The King of Braves GaoGaiGar)

Patlabor (Yes really, and SKET Dance is partially to thank for this one)

Video Games

Dragon Quest (Specifically DQ III & IV, this series gets referenced a lot once Tama is introduced)

Sengoku Basara (Specifically when it involves one Toshiro Hijikata)

Final Fantasy VII

Mother

Super Mario Brothers

Tales Of

Resident Evil

Yakuza/Like a Dragon (Not surprising, as both Like a Dragon and Gintama are set in and around Kabukicho)

Monster Hunter

Live Action Film & Television

Abarenbo Shogun (SHOGUN KA YO!!!!!)

NHK Taiga Drama (The Shinsengumi drama in particular is a primary influence for Gintama)

Game of Death

Star Wars

Kinpachi-sensei (The series that the Ginpachi-sensei segments are based off of)

Doctor Who

I hope this helps if and when you decide to watch through Gintama. I'll try to update this post as I remember more references or if anyone messages me with a reference that I missed. Because good lord are there a lot of references. Oh, also remember: if this is your first time watching Gintama, start on episode 3. The first two episodes are filler.

[inthegoodbooks]

the farseer trilogy (review)

Had this blog been set up before tonight, this is the kind of thing I would split into three reviews rather than just the one. But it wasn’t. So here we go.

A month and a half ago, I was feeling brave. So brave that I decided to tackle this 2,000 page trilogy and, in doing so, start the read of the 16 book series by the fantastic Robin Hobb. In order to save my own sanity, and make the project feel slightly less overwhelming, I have decided to take on a trilogy at a time and then take some breaks… otherwise, I simply wouldn’t make it.

I know. Call me a fake fantasy fan, it’s fine. I’ve made my peace with it.

But oh my god I am so so pleased I started this trilogy. What a bloody ride. From the characterisation, to the setting. The thrilling plot, to the nail biting politics. It was truly the escape from reality that I needed as the British general election is well and truly kicking off.

We start off with Assassins Apprentice, which introduces us to Fitz: a royal bastard and a royal pain in my arse. I’m joking, kind of. For the majority of this book, Fitz is still a child and therefore slightly less infuriating than he is in later books when he just becomes, for want of a better phrase, bloody stupid. But Fitz is endearing; we grow to love him dearly, care for him unconditionally and genuinely root for him to become a little bit more observant. Or observant at all, actually.

Royal Assassin picks up exactly where the first book left off, increasing the page count considerably and the drama even more so. We learn more about the magic system, the politics amongst the Six Duchies and the lengths Verity is willing to go to in order to save his kingdom from ruin.

Finally, Assassin’s Quest completes the trilogy with an absolutely rip-roaring tale of tested loyalties, betrayal, love, family, murder… the list really does go on. I found some parts of Assassin’s Quest quite slow to be honest. These parts were important and I do understand why these aspects of the novel were the way they were… but I can see why some people may struggle to push through it. However, they absolutely should.

All of these books were 5 stars for me. I found them absolutely compelling, fun, complex and new. Despite being written in 1995-1997, there were parts of this trilogy which felt incredibly modern to me (and some that have dated slightly, I won’t lie…) Without giving too much away, we do have some queer content, as well as interesting explorations of gender that I was particularly impressed by. Hopefully more in the coming books, but of course we will see.

If you’re a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter (despite She Who Must Not Be Named’s awful opinions on virtually everything), I would absolutely recommend this trilogy. I can’t wait to jump into the Live Ships trilogy and I will absolutely let you know my thoughts on that too.