#something also tir na nog

[displayheartcode]

Want to write something something about Ronan’s constant transformations something something parallels to certain Irish fairytales something

[windfighter]

The origins of Windfighter

Taking a break from torturing Kouji to revisit an old AU :3

Enjoy Yamato possible lying for his children!

----------

”Why do you call yourself Windfighter?”

Yamato blinked. Looked up from the newspaper and looked at his kids. Both stared at him, Tim leaned forwards and Maria nonchalantly leaned against the back of the chair.

”Did I forgot to log out somewhere?” Yamato asked.

”Yeah”, Tim answered.

He was almost vibrating. Yamato wondered what he was expecting from the answer. He grinned.

”Are you suuuure you want to know?”

”Yamato”, Sora warned from the kitchen. ”Dear.”

”Couldn’t care less”, Maria answered.

But Yamato could tell she was curious as well. Tim almost bounced on the chair.

”Well”, Yamato answered.

Closed the newspaper and leaned back on the chair. Looked at the ceiling.

”It’s from a long time ago. I was just a few years older than you are now.”

He had been fourteen, close to fifteen. The best years of his youth. He moved the newspaper so it was aligned with the edge of the table, could feel Sora’s eyes burn his neck.

”Your uncle and I was on our way home, me from bandpractice and he from skateboarding, when we were stopped.”

-----

”I’ve been looking for you.”

Whoever, or whatever it was, stared at Takeru and Yamato stepped between them, arm out to shield Takeru, looked at the person. They had long, tousled hair, dirt, leaves and sticks stuck in it. A colourful mask in the shape of a bird covered their face, wings made of feathers along their arms. Yamato wondered if they were real, if this was a digimon. They were floating in the air, a cloud gathered at their feet.

”Give me your powers”, they said.

Takeru grabbed Yamato’s guitar, pulled at it.

”Yamato, run away.”

Yamato planted his feet firmer on the ground. He had gotten better, less desperate to protect Takeru, more trusting. Knew that Takeru could take care of himself. But he couldn’t leave, couldn’t step out of the way. He needed to protect Takeru from whatever this lunatic was.

”Yamato!” Takeru repeated.

The creature’s eyes narrowed. It had to be a digimon. Humans didn’t float.

”I’m not letting you hurt Takeru!”

The creature lifted its wings, lifted further into the air. Yamato should have felt scared, felt fear drip along his back, but he didn’t. The sky rumbled, thunder roared above them from what had just been a clear sky.

”Then go down with him.”

The creature’s wings started glowing, a bright green that cut through the air, made Yamato’s eyes ache. He lifted a hand above his eyes, felt someone tug on his jacket.

”Razor winds!”

The wings cut through the air, the light thrown off of them. Towards Yamato and Takeru. Yamato reached behind himself to make sure Takeru was safe, Takeru pulled at Yamato to get him out of the way. But Yamato planted his feet even firmer, leaned forwards, towards the attack. It would hurt, he didn’t know how much, but at least Takeru would be fine, able to run away.

Then it hit. The air was knocked out of him, light spread around him. Pulsated. But it didn’t hurt. The creature stared, its wings started glowing again. Yamato lifted a hand, stared at the light pulsating around it. It felt like an autumn breeze, moved with his body.

”Razor winds!”

Another attack. Yamato closed his eyes, felt the breeze around him grow stronger. Explore every inch of his body.

”Razor winds!”

It wouldn’t hurt him. Yamato let his arms fall to his sides, took a breath. The breeze rushed into his lungs and he didn’t need to breathe any longer. Wind filled him up, blew around him, made him glow. He was full of energy, was about to explode.

”Sailor evolution!”

His clothes disappeared, his guitarr. Replaced by leathery armor in a soft green, almost white, color. Arrows at his hip and two small wings on his back.

”Windfighter.”

He felt dizzy, the world returning to him, but different. Everything had a whitegreen tint it hadn’t had before.

”My turn”, he said.

Grinned. Lifted a hand, drew circles towards the sky. Wind gathered, blew faster and faster. Held back by only his will.

”Tornado!”

He threw the winds towards the creature, watched as it was engulfed, thrown into the air and disappeared into the sky. Then the winds disappeared. Yamato took a stumbling step, seconds from keeling over. But Takeru’s hand was on his chest, supported him.

”Well then”, Takeru said, voice trembled, ”welcome to the family.”

-----

Maria and Tim both stared at Yamato. He grinned.

”You’re lying”, Maria said.

”Maybe I am”, Yamato answered.

Tim stood up, bounced.

”Is it true, is it? Are you a magical knight?”

Yamato laughed, grabbed the newspaper and opened it again.

”Maybe I am”, he said. ”Or maybe I just had a period where I was really into bows when I was a kid.”

”That’s so lame”, Maria said. ”You’re cringe.”

”Of course I am – I’m a parent.”

Maria shook her head, stood up.

”Come on, Tim, let’s stop wasting time here.”

Tim hesitated, less inclined to disbelieve the stories Yamato told them. But after a while he turned around, followed Maria back towards the living room. Yamato wondered what exactly they were doing out there. Sora put a hand on his shoulder, squeezed it hard enough to leave bruises.

”I know”, Yamato answered. ”I won’t tell the Oracle if you won’t.”

”I’m sure he already knows”, Sora answered. ”We weren’t allowed to tell anyone.”

Yamato knew. He let out a sigh, put the paper down again.

”Sometimes I wonder about that time. What would have happened if it hadn’t been a warrior of wind who was after Takeru?”

”Yamato?”

Yamato looked at his hands. He couldn’t feel the power of the wind any longer, it had long since faded, even if it hadn’t completely left him yet.

”Would I have been someone else, gotten another element? Or would the attack have killed me?”

Sora smiled, wrapped her arms around him.

”We were stupid back then, weren’t we?”

”I’m not sure I would have done it differently today”, Yamato laughed.

Intertwined his fingers with Sora’s, leaned his head back against her.

”I knew they wouldn’t believe it”, he said. ”Not until it’s their time, and they would have found out by then anyway.”

”...but why do you go by Windfighter?”

Yamato laughed, let go of Sora and grabbed the paper. Opened it to a page he hadn’t read yet.

”Do you know how hard it is to come up with new and unique internet aliases? Windfighter works perfectly most of the time.”

”Fine”, Sora said. Kissed his cheek. ”Just remember to log out next time.”

Yamato’s heart skipped a beat. He dropped the paper, stood up. Let out a loud ’shit’ before he darted towards the livingroom. That’s what they were doing out there.

[lastthroes]

i played at least one version of all tales mainlines and have a lot of faves so in the end rays satisfied me a lot (besides i already like most of the "hated" entries of the mainlines and i'm used to get my food by eating around the edges), but edna is my favorite tales character which brings me back to my wish that they had addressed the earth siblings differently

to circumvent eizen's curse, they pulled out a questionable deus ex machina and did whatever they wanted with the games' lore, then… pretty much never made them interact much anyway? they were never starring on an event together, and after the nor doll event (where eizen spent most of the time avoiding her), the only times you see them interacting are a few lines that can be counted with one hand, a few very short scenes like the summer festival where he comments she looks beautiful in the kimono (her sma) and then reunite with the others; in arc3 (a farewell); the god eaters event at the end (where they basically just check up on e/o for a moment); and the asteria event in arc 4 where edna's possessed so it's not like she can talk either (and it basically ends after she retains her conscience and thanks him after eizen breaks the collar. we don't even know what kind of illusion she was put under like it happens in asteria*)

and yes i know there's this point in where they came to the conclusion of how things had changed from back when they lived together, because eizen had his group and his life and edna had hers too, but 1) this was obviously to not separate them from their main casts and cause trouble writing-wise too much, which i'm fine with, and 2) considering this is a crossover game, and how many times characters got mixed with the casts of different games, it's not an excuse to not have them together in substantial ways beyond a line of an offscreen interaction mentioned by a third person whenever they remember about it, like it happens in the new year event eizen's sma comes from (scene that we never see either), or in the christmas event zaveid got his sma from, he also asks her if she wants to see eizen and edna tells him to just deliver her letter and it just ends there

i'm really just… stumped that they tried so hard to justify edna being able to stay by eizen's side, just to not actually let them be with each other that much in a relevant way anyway? like really, not even an event where they're both bonus characters? there are so many things you can do with their relationship in tir na nog that i just can't understand it. i'd have even accepted something silly and not really plot relevant like eizen freaking out over edna getting a wedding alt like hisui did when kohaku got hers

[somacruising]

Tales of the Rays: Mirrage Prison

CHAPTER 6: THE ATONING HERO AND REMORSEFUL CHOSEN (PART 5)

(Part 4) | (Part 6)

Hi y'all, it's been a while, huh? I'm just gonna slide this out and pretend I didn't forget to upload this hahaa... (some of the images are different sizes cuz I switched phones). Anyway, this chapter covers Mileena and Co discussing what it means for someone to lose their core. We'll also see the Salvation Front having an odd encounter with Shirley...

Part 5 (Imperial Capital Hy'Brasail)

Keele: Let's hear what Cecily has to say. She says she came up with a way to save Ami’s life. それじゃあ聞かせて貰おうか。セシリィが思いついたアミィを救う方法について。

Cecily: I approached it from the direction of mirristry. Mileena, you know about this, don't you? The core loss that a mirrist can suffer. 魔鏡学の方向からアプローチしてみたの。ミリーナも知ってるわよね。鏡士に起きる心核喪失現象のこと。

Mileena: Yes, know about it. It’s a condition that can occur if a mirrists’ mirrage drains too much energy from their heart. ええ。一応習ったことはあるわ。魔鏡によって心がエネルギー不足になって機能しなくなる現象よね。

Cecily: When a core is lost, part of the mirrist’s mind changes. Sometimes, it seems like they’ve lost their emotions. ええ。心核喪失状態になると鏡士は心の一部に変調を来すんだけど時に感情の一部を喪失したようになるの。

Jude: So, in Ami’s case, are only the emotions that make her smile left? もしかしたら、アミィの場合は笑顔になるような感情だけが残っているってこと？

Cecily: Possibly. I’m…just a mirrage technician, so I can’t look into people’s hearts. But, Mileena is capable of doing it… ええ。私は……魔鏡技師でしかないから鏡士のように心を覗き込むことはできないけれど、ミリーナなら……。

Mileena: Looking into people’s hearts…? No, I can’t. I understand the theory of it, but looking into someone’s heart is very difficult. 心を覗く……。それは私では無理だわ。やり方は知っているけれど人の心を覗くのは、とても高度な技なの。

Mileena: I can’t do it while maintaining the virtual mirror field simultaneously. It requires a delicate touch. 私は今仮想鏡界を維持するので精一杯でそこまで繊細な力の制御はできないと思う。

Cecily: Hmm… Maybe you should ask Phillip to help you, then? そう……。だったらフィリップさんに協力して貰うのがいいかもしれない。

[ Chester rushes in ]

Chester: Will we be able to get Ami back to normal if Phillip helps!? フィリップに頼めばアミィは元に戻るのか！？

Cecily: Well, it will give us a way to confirm Ami’s symptoms. In order to treat her, we’ll need an otherworldly weapon called Soma. ううん。それはアミィの症状を確認する為の手段なの。治療にはソーマっていう異世界の武器が必要になると思う。

Rita: Huh? Soma? Why would you use a weapon to treat someone? 何、ソーマって。武器で治療なんてできんの？

Cecily: From what I’ve heard, Soma gives someone the ability to enter the heart. 私も聞いた話だけど、ソーマは心の中に入れる機能があるみたいなの。

Rita: What!? How the hell does that work!? 何それ！？どういう理屈な訳！？

Chester: …Wait a minute. Isn’t that the name of Shing’s weapon? Soma? ……待てよ。ソーマって確かシングの武器じゃなかったか？

Cecily: Yes. That’s why Shing’s power is essential for saving Ami. うん。だからアミィを助けるためにはシングの力が必要不可欠なのよ。

Chester: I’ll go get Shing! Mileena and you all need to get in touch with the Salvation Front! だったらオレがシングを連れてくる！ミリーナたちは何とかして救世軍と連絡を取ってくれ。

Chester: Senel is getting worried about Shirley, too. セネルもシャーリィのことでジリジリしてるしな。

Kocis: But, there’s no way to contact the Salvation Front… けど、救世軍と連絡を取る方法はないんですよね……。

Mileena: That’s right. Because of those crystals all over Tir Na Nog, communication through mirristry is subject to a lot of interference. ええ。世界中にこ魔鏡結晶があるから魔鏡通信が干渉を受けてしまうのよね……。

Rita: We’re trying to modify what we can to boost signal power, but it isn’t working. 通信強度を上げるように改造はしてるんだけど中々上手くいかないのよねー。

Keele: Pascal and Rita are working together, but they haven’t got a clue. パスカルとリタが二人がかりでも糸口をつかめないんだ。

Rita: It’s frustrating, but it's expected when you’re dealing with something as elusive as a heart. 悔しいけど、心っていうつかみ所のないものを相手にしてるから勝手が違うのよ。

Karia: Miss Mileena! It’s urgent! We’ve received a message from Phillip on the mirror comm! ミリーナさま！大変です！フィリップさまから魔鏡通信が来てますっ！

All:！？

[ SCENE CHANGE ]

Mark: —Okay. Mileena and I scheduled a meet-up. They have some business with us as well, so it works out nicely. ——OK。ミリーナたちと落ち合う約束を付けたぞ。向こうもこっちに用事があったみたいだから丁度良かった。

Phillip: …Thank you, Mark. Now, we can warn Colette and anyone else who might be predisposed to being used as a vessel. ……ありがとう、マーク。これでコレットや他の鏡映点の器の素養がありそうな人たちに警告することができる。

Gareth: Biqe... ビクエ様……。

Phillip: I know, Gareth. I’m worried, too. I’ll have to look into this. わかってるよ、ガロウズ。僕も気になっている。これは確認しないといけないだろうね。

Mark: By the way, Shirley. Who…are you? だとよ、シャーリイ。あんた……何者なんだ？

Mark: You don’t strike me as the kind of person who could fix a transmitter that even Phil and Gareth were scratching their heads over. フィルもガロウズも手を焼いていた魔鏡通信の送受信機を直しちまうなんて普通の人間じゃねえよな？

Shirley?: Huh…? Yes, I knew how to do it. あー……？やっぱりそうなっちゃうわよね。うん。

Mark: It just doesn’t make sense. どうも不自然だったんだよな。

Mark: You’re a nexus who was used as a vessel, but now you’re saying that you’re not a nexus at all. 器の鏡映点として、神降ろしの器にされていた筈なのに、自分は鏡映点じゃないなんて言い出すし。

Zelos: Well, well, looks like we came back at the perfect time. おーっと、俺さまたち絶妙なタイミングで戻ってきたみたいね。

Zelos: I’ve been wondering the same thing. You’re…bizarre. 俺さまも気になってたんだよなあ。あんた……普通じゃない。

Sync: Heh… So, you’re a Living Doll? If that’s the case, you might be a mole for the Empire. へぇ……。じゃあやっぱりリビングドールなの？だとしたら帝国側の間者って可能性もあるよね。

Kratos: Shirley, we’re up in the sky. You can’t escape; can’t you just come clean? シャーリイ。ここは空の上、逃げ場はない。全て話してはくれぬか？

Shirley?: …I wanted to repay you for everything you’ve done for me, but now you’ve turned against me. ……色々お世話になったから恩返ししたかったんだけどそれが仇になっちゃったわね。

Shirley?: I'd love to explain it to you—but I'm afraid I can't right now. 本当はちゃんと説明してあげたいんだけど——ちょっと無理みたい。

Zelos: What do you mean? どういうことだ？

Shirley?: I have an uninvited guest. I’m going to be a little busy, so allow me to excuse myself, boys ♪ 招かれざる客が来ちゃったみたいなの。ちょっと忙しくなるからこれで失礼するわね、お兄様たち♪

[ A flash, and an unknown woman appears over Shirley ]

[ Shirley collapses ]

Mark: H-hey!? She just fainted!? お、おい！？気を失ったのか！？

Sync: Wait. There’s someone standing next to Shirley. 待って。シャーリィの隣に誰かいる。

???: I’m sorry, I had to borrow this child’s body for a bit. ごめんなさい。その子の体、ちょっと借りていたわ。

???: I noticed there was some tampering with her core, so I treated it. It’s a real gratuitous service. * 心核をいじられていたから治療もしておいたわよ。これは出血大サービス。

Phillip: You repaired her core!? 心核を治療した！？

Kratos: Who are you? 何者だ？

???: I am Yaw Biqe. I'm surprised to see that the Biqe system is still in place, but this generation’s Biqe are quite good. 私はヨウ・ビクエ。まだビクエ制度が続いていたのには驚いちゃったけど当代ビクエはまあまあ優秀ね。

???: Keep up the good work. Bye. これからも頑張って。それじゃあね。

[ A flash, and the woman disappears ]

Gareth: She's gone!? 消えた！？

Sync: …No sign of her. A transfer? ……気配もない。転送？

Kratos: No, she must have been using some sort of non-physical body. いや、先ほどの姿は何らかの精神体だったのだろう。

Kratos: Perhaps…could she have been maintaining her existence using Shirley's tampered body? 存在を保つため、心をいじられていたシャーリィの体を利用していた……のではないか？

Mark: …If she is, that’s not great news for us. ……もしそうだとしたらえらいことになるんじゃないか？

Zelos: Yeah? How come? うん？どういうことだ？

Phillip: Yaw Biqe is the founder of mirristry. Her actual name is Yolanda Biqe Odanse. ヨウ・ビクエは鏡士の始祖の名前だ。正確にはヨーランド・ビクエ・オーデンセ。

Phillip: She’s also known as “Dana’s Priestess”, the catalyst for the spirits’ awakening. つまり彼女は精霊が目覚めるためのきっかけである「ダーナの巫女」だ。

Sync: …Then, that means this world will be destroyed soon. ……だったら、この世界はもうすぐ滅びるってことだね。

Sync: Dana’s Priestess only awakens when the world faces destruction, right? ダーナの巫女は、世界が滅びに直面したときに目を覚ますんだろ？

Gareth: But…how do we know if she’s real? しかし本物……なのか？

Kratos: I don’t know. In my world, at least…there have been instances of humans from long ago finding ways to avoid dying. わからんな。大昔の人間が生きているという事例は……少なくとも私の世界ではあり得たことだ。

Shirley: …Mm… ……ん……。

Zelos: Whoops, looks like Shirley is waking up. おっと、シャーリィが目を覚ますぜ。

Shirley: ………？

Zelos: Ah, good morning, Shirley ♪ お、シャーリィちゃん、おはよう♪

Shirley: …G-good morning…wait. …Huh? Are… are you people from Sellund? ……お、おはよう……ございます。……え？あの……皆さんはセールンドの方ですか？

Kratos: Sellund, huh? I think this girl may have been exoflected and tinkered with before the Mirrorshift. セールンド、か。この娘が具現化され心核をいじられたのは鏡殻変動の前のことなのかも知れぬな。

Shirley: ………？

Phillip: Let me explain the situation. Right now, your friends are searching for you. 僕から状況を説明しよう。きみの仲間がきみを捜しているそうだからね。

*出血大サービス literally means “heavy bleeding service”, and alludes to, like, “I’m so fanservice-y that my actions are going to cause blood to rain from noses”. It’s hard to make it make sense in English.

(Part 4) | (Part 6)

[zofi-persson-quotes]

Overlord markings

Overlord markings are very important.

They are something fully unique for their species, and also physically represent the power that each Overlord possesses

No Overlord, not even twins, has identical markings; there’s always something that changes, be it color or shape.

Overlords have markings all over their bodies (arms, torso, legs, back and even face). Face markings are commonly composed by eyeliner-like markings, and more rarely by bigger ones. Full face markings are extremely rare, but still possible.

Leg markings are usually covered by pants (unless the Overlord is wearing certain types of pants or skirts), so the Overlords compensate by wearing short sleeves/sleeveless shirts

The tattoo culture is entirely non-existent in Tir na nOg for the same reason why short sleeves are worn. Overlords take pride in their markings, so covering them in tattoos it’s just plain strange for them

[dailycharacteroption]

Planar Tour Guide: The First World part 5

(art by SilviaBobekova on DeviantArt)

Conclusions

The First World is, to put it simply, a place of generative chaos, where even the act of destroying something or someone just means it will come back later, though perhaps not unchanged. It is the ultimate progenitive chaos in a sort of cosmic answer to the entropic, destructive chaos of the Maelstrom (Which I get whey they did it that way, but I don’t personally agree with. More on that when I tackle the Maelstrom)

But because it is always changing and draws upon everything that ever was, will be, won’t, and never will be, it is also a place of simultaneous wonder and horror. The same forest of mushrooms that inspired childlike awe before may become a place of horror when the effects that the spores of said mushrooms have are revealed, to say nothing of bright, childlike fey that turn monstrous in disposition at the drop of the hat.

Of course, not every trip to the First World is like that. Sometimes things are exactly how they seem, whatever that may be, but it’s no excuse to let your guard down. Even Elysium, the plane of chaos and good, has it’s dangers, and the First World has no pretense of rightness and fairness. In fact, what is right is purely determined by who is in charge of a realm, in a poignant parody of how mortal authority and law tends to work.

I suppose at it’s core, that’s what a lot of fairylands in fiction are: exaggerated parodies of every subject the author seeks to bring up. The wilds are simultaneously more fantastical and wondrous, but also even more fickle and dangerous, and so too are the politics of the pockets of civilization you find there as well.

That’s not to say that there are not goodly fey and other entities as well, of course, some seem to embody concepts such as noble righteousness or simply being kind and sweet all the time, after all, so there are also plenty of allies to be found there, even if their outlook is somewhat alien, which can also lead to conflict as well.

The concept of a “fairyland” is very old, as it is a derivative of the almost universal concept of an “otherworld” where spirits dwell. Sometimes this is a land of the dead, sometimes it’s more a place of nature spirits and monsters, and so on. Perhaps the most well-known ideas of a land of the fae comes from Gaelic mythology, where we hear names like Tir na Nog, Elpahme (which does sound a lot like the Nordic Alfheim, doesn’t it?), and so on.

Such realms varied in apparent size depending on the telling, and could range from hidden illusion-cloaked castles or cities far from civilization, to being entire realms or dimensions of their own. The only really consistent way to get to them seems to have been getting lost, however, either losing one’s way from civilization or following a fey creature to one of the entrances.

A lot of more modern depictions of such fairylands often borrow imagery from the works of Lewis Carrol, particularly Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and other such stories where it’s clear that imagination is a massive defining force of the realm (so much so that we the reader are left wondering if any of it was real to begin with). As we’ve seen with the Dreamlands, however, events in the First World don’t need to be “real” in the traditional sense to have far-reaching consequences back in familiar realms.

All said, if your adventure takes you into the First World, your GM has an opportunity to craft a truly unforgettable and surreal experience, but it is one that must be handled with care. I hope you enjoyed this special, and look forward to more archetypes and options next week!

[ironfeybloggings]

What I find so sad about the Winter court family is that they're obviously awful, unhealthy, and abusive, but still has this 'nobody hurts them but me' kinda thing going on. (You know, until Rowan went a little crazy).

And Ash's inner dialogue in his books just breaks my heart.

"I killed Rowan in the end, avenging Sage and the rest of my kin, but retribution cannot bring either of them back.

It's only me now. I am the last, the only remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court.

And I'm already dead to her."

Especially the "but retribution cannot bring either of them back". Just 💔.

And in the Iron prophecy as well.

“But…” He sighed, looking out the window again. “There are some things that I miss. I lived here such a long time, I knew the Winter Court better than almost anyone. I still do. But now…” His brow furrowed. “Now, when I look at Tir Na Nog, all can I see are the missing pieces. The family who’s no longer there. Sage is gone. Rowan is gone.” His eyes clouded over, and I could feel his regret, the gnawing ache of remorse and guilt. “I never thought I would miss them,” Ash mused in a soft voice. “I never thought…I would be the very last of my line.”

Just the complicated feelings or people who hurt you deeply, and are not good for you, and yet... yet there is longing for better times that were also there, something that was always familiar, and now is just gone.

(And this makes me want Puck's thoughts on his relationship with Oberon but irrc his books don't really touch on that...)

[igneouswyvern]

Interrupting my usual posting to talk abt Cereza and the Lost Demon because I just beat the game today and I wanted to share my thoughts. Keep in mind I have never played a Bayonetta game in my life lmao

So first off the game is fucking fantastic. I had a wonderful time with it truly. The game is gorgeous to look at and it uses the storybook artstyle to its advantage and it is AWESOME. Nearly every area in the game had my jaw dropping cause it just looked so beautiful. In a similar vein the music was really good and I will definitely be going through the soundtrack for my playlist.

The gameplay is honestly really solid. Basically you control Cereza with the left stick, and use her actions with the L and ZL buttons, and you control Cheshire (the demon) with the right stick, and use his actions with the R and ZR buttons. The D-pad lets Cereza use one of four items and the face buttons control Cheshire's transformations. Controlling one character with each stick takes a while to get used to but it does work really well. The puzzles using this mechanic were really good too and I enjoyed them a lot. The combat can be a bit clunky at times but I think it works pretty well, using Cereza as a support character to hold the enemies in place while Cheshire wails on them. I will say it gets to be a bit of a slog towards the end of the game when every required Tir na nOg is an enemy gauntlet and none of them are puzzles, but it's not too bad.

I must say I wasn't expecting the game to be a metroidvania but it really is and a well-designed one at that. Getting blocked off by something you can't get through until you have a certain power and then coming back to it later is fun and looping back around or opening up shortcuts is always something I enjoy. The unfortunate part of this is that the game's map SUCKS ASS and the areas are very mazelike, so I had a lot of trouble trying to clean up items. I really wanted to finish off more of the skill tree before I beat the game but I wandered around in many areas and made very little progress with actually obtaining the items I could literally see just sitting on my map but couldn't figure out how to get to. If the map was better designed I probably would have gone for 100%.

Speaking of the skill tree, I liked it a lot. When I first saw it I thought it was gonna be tiny, but it actually expands twice more throughout the game. And I like that they don't let you get to the good stuff right off the bat, cause that means there are still cool upgrades to strive for by the end of the game. One thing I wish is that there were more upgrades that didn't cost Inferno Fruits/Moon Pearls cause when I have a fat stack of cash but cannot find a way to access the other items I need, it ends up being really frustrating.

As someone who has not played another Bayonetta game ever, I liked the plot a lot and I can confirm you don't need to play any other Bayo games to enjoy this one. It works really well as a standalone, and it establishes the lore and mechanics of the Bayonetta world pretty adequately without needing any background. It's also just a really heartwarming and fascinating plot. I cried at the end. I thought it was gonna be super basic and conventional but it did some really unexpected (for me at least) things in the end.

Tl;dr, if you like metroidvanias with cool artstyles I highly recommend it, whether or not you've played Bayonetta. I'd give it a solid 9.5/10.

A few more spoilery (and rambly) thoughts under the cut:

CHESHIRE AND CEREZA OH MY GOD MY HEART. Their friendship was so well done. The fact that you can SEE them growing closer in their animations together AUGH I love it so much. They try to go their own separate ways but they just can't do it without each other. Cereza is pretty helpless without Cheshire but he can't do it without her either. AUGH

I LOVED the Jabberwock sequence. Letting Cereza struggle with her own fear and then overcoming it and unlocking an ability that will allow them to defeat it and the confidence that comes with that. Meanwhile Cheshire realizing that he's not strong enough to beat it without her help and being deeply humbled by that fact. And when they team up to defeat this monster, this thing that has destroyed witch and faerie alike, and that Cereza was paralyzed with fear of and Cheshire almost got killed by, and we KILL it ONCE AND FOR ALL, it's so empowering and grand and awesome GOD.

And Cereza rejecting her teacher and every convention of being a witch and cutting her hair to save Cheshire. It's SUCH an impactful moment. It really shows how different she is. Everyone is telling her that demons are nothing but tools, to be used for the gain of a witch and then cast aside back to Inferno like they're nothing. But right from the start Cereza shows she's different. She refuses to use Cheshire as a tool, respecting him as a person and understanding that she has to get him back to Inferno because that's where he wants to be. She reasons with him, instead of controlling him. She works with him. She protects him, she sacrifices everything to save him. She is probably the only witch who has ever treated a demon like a person. GODDDDDDD

Okay onto the ending stuff. I remember as I was playing the game I was like "what if Morgana was a villain lol." And during the cutscene where Lukaon reveals his name I was like "this stuff sounds hella manipulative, it would be funny if he was the villain." But the story seemed pretty basic and formulaic and I kind of assumed the villain would be pretty boring. Like why would you fight the friendly person who's been guiding you through your whole journey? Why would your beloved teacher turn against you? But god, they really did it. And I LOVE that they did. Neither of these twist villains were a surprise to me, but that didn't make them less awesome.

The fight with Lukaon was super cool. I loved having to get all of Cheshire's transformations back, and then transforming into the Unbound form and getting a whole new awesome moveset was so freaking good. It was truly the culmination of everything we've accomplished, both in the fact that we get each transformation as an attack on the face buttons but also that Cereza and Cheshire control together, showing how they're a team.

Oh and kind of an aside but speaking of Lukaon I really liked that blue was always the color of the faeries, the color associated with evil. That's true for everything...except the tracks of the White Wolf. EXCEPT LUKAON/THE WHITE WOLF IS A FAERIE AND ENDS UP BEING OUR ENEMY (briefly). That just occurred to me but like THAT'S SO COOL I LOVE THE FORESHADOWING

The final fight with Morgana was hard as BALLS though. I got maybe three game overs in the whole game up until this point but it took me seven tries to beat Morgana. And of course I ran out of all my healing items and they didn't give them back. It was awesome to win but it felt like an odd difficulty spike right at the end though lol.

Man I'm not ashamed to say that I CRIED when Cheshire went back to Inferno. I was hoping against all odds that the two of them would stick together (ofc that wouldn't happen) but of course he had to go back. But their mutual promise to see each other again, to be stronger when they each meet? YEAAAHHHHHH THAT SHIT MADE ME CRY AUGH

Okay that's it. I saw this game in the direct last year and was quite intrigued by the artstyle and gameplay and decided to pick it up but I didn't think it was gonna be THIS good. It absolutely exceeded my expectations and I'm gonna be thinking about it for a while yet.

[iridescentmidnights]

Hey I just saw both your Winx and w.i.t.c.h art and they are fantastic and fabulous

I wanna know everything about your hypothetical Winx reboot

Is Aisha half mermaid ? (since part of her family are mermaids)

How come you decided to make Icy and Stella siblings ?

Will Roxy have her own journey to being a fairy or will she be part of the Winx ?

You ever thought of making Tecna part cyborg at one point ?(since she comes technologically advanced planet ?)

What are the worlds like in your rewrite?

I need this cuteness ☺️😊👍

Aw thank you so much!! 🥰🥰🥰 I'll be glad to answer most questions as long it's not something I consider super spoiler-y. If that's the case I'll let you know. Buckle up this is gonna be a long one!

Aisha is not half mermaid but she is related to them. I plan on giving all the Winx their own final fairy forms and Aisha will gain Sirenix which will give her access to a mermaid tail due to her heritage.

It's actually Stella and Darcy that are siblings!

Though I'm assuming "because ✨drama✨ and I thought it would be funny" isn't the answer you were looking for even though it's true. But the more detailed answer is I have move more expansive backstories for all of the Trix and different world building for the differences in witches and fairies. I even made Queen Luna a witch too! Sorry to be vague but adding to Stella's family felt right to diving deep into my version of her, she loves her family so much flaws and all while Darcy is more openly critical of it. Darcy isn't her only sibling either, there's her OC little brother (which happens a little after the start of the story) and I also made Sky their brother. I'm still on the fence if Sky and Stella should be twins.

Plus in transparent honesty I love Darcy and wanted a much bigger role for her. And yes!! Roxy has her own story, she is a Winx and tied to them but that doesn't change the fact has her own arc plot centered around her. Bloom may be the main character on a technical level but plot wise Roxy, Stella, and Aisha are equally crucial.

I actually did consider making Tecna a cyborg or a full magic AI, it's such a neat idea imo but I felt it would be more interesting (for me personally) to write about them not being the fairy of technology/technomagic. Tecna is a knowledge fairy with expertise/special interest in technology. Tecna actually lives in/is from Solaria.

In fact that leads me nicely into the last bit about the worlds. They're not from a bunch of different separate worlds, it's all Magix which is governed by several courts which are further divided into domains/realms. Each court has a royal family; land (Tir Na Nog though this one might change), sea (Andros), and sky (Solaria) all have a court then their overlap is the "life" court descendants of the Dragon Flame. Actually a majority of the Winx are from Solaria due to being refugees as the courts that would be governed by Bloom is inhospitable and Roxy's is being ruled by Solaria in the beginning of the story.

[ingirvein]

Does each race have a unique way that they become undead (besides the human way of either magical plagues or shoving your soul in something)

Using a Phylactery is the more complicated way, only possible by extremely powerful lichs. These Elder Lichs are extremely powerful, but that's because they were powerful before they did it.

Modern lichs basically reanimate their own body and then attach their soul to it. This is far less complicated, if less elegant. It's also troublesome until the flesh rots away.

The more fey-touched, like Gnomes, but also especially favoured Men can instead turn into a spirit, or live in Tir-na-Nog.

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

😳😍👽

Thank you for the ask! From this ask game.

😍 One of the earliest whump scenes/stories you enjoyed

I really have no idea. That was over 25 years ago, and I have a shit memory.

We watched Stargate when it first aired on German TV, and I was about 11-12 there, and Daniel was my fav. The Crow (TV Series), and for less adult-oriented shows, Sailor Moon and The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog, were other favs. But whether the scenes my pasta strainer brain remembers are something I noticed when I first watched it? Or thought the same about it? Who knows.

😳 A whump trope or type of whump you grew to enjoy

In the suspected spirit of this question, I can't think of any. When I found this place, I had already spent about 20 years tormenting my chars, and most themes have stayed largely the same. If several hundred books and video games, and several years of online rp haven't added it to the stack, it's at least unlikely a tumblr fic will.

👽 Favorite nonhuman whumpee species or character

In reading, I don't really have one, though I am fed up with vampires. I'm also not really into anything fitting under the tiny trope umbrella. Not because of whump, just in general. Otherwise, I'd be willing to give everything at least roughly humanoid-shaped a chance, if the premise is good.

In writing, the only ones I have so far are my plant guys, which are based heavily on GW2's Sylvari, and they're so much fun.

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Seventeen: Eve of the War Pt. 7

 Envy’s horrible gremlin-like smile faded back to a scowl at the fact they wouldn't get their banshee choir at home as they’ve wanted. Clearly everyone was against letting Envy have fun and enjoy the suffering of others. It sucked, everything was garbage and wasn’t fair at all rang soundly in Envy’s twisted little mind as they followed the others into the apartment complex. Not only was Envy denied being given the role of assassinating their own mother single handedly after she was thoroughly exhausted, but now they couldn’t have a suffering Freddy or dead Elric Brothers. Things were, however, about to take a turn as the group reached the floor the Homunculi apartment base was to only be greeted by Sloth standing still in the middle of the hallway like a horrific living statue. The Elrics froze upon seeing their reanimated homunculus Mother in person who simply stared uncaring to them in response as she started making her way towards Envy. 

 “I require a private conversation with Envy for a moment, please do go about what you’re doing now.” Sloth said in monotonous flatness that made a corpse seem more lively than her. 

 “You’re not going to tell Dante about this?” Lust was looking at Sloth in suspicion as she arrived in front of Envy.

 “You know how I’ve been saying I’m not paid enough for this? This also applies to my stance at your little get together. I’m only here for Envy and that’s about it.” Sloth plainly said as she made sure Envy stayed where they were, motioning for the others to leave.

 “Envy, I don’t like this at all.” Dolly whispered as she watched the horrible stone cold homunculus wait with an artificial smile only a mannequin could make.

 “I’m Envy, the first born homunculus, I’ll be fine dealing with the spoiled brat in front of us. I’ll be back later once I’m done.” Envy puffed their little chest out as if to prove something by it as they made Dolly go back to the apartment with the others.

 “Okay, but if you’re gone longer than an hour, I’m coming out for you, you understand?” Dolly looked at Envy for a bit to make sure they understood.

 “It shouldn’t, normally last minute tasks are short and brutal when carried out by me. Just go back to the room.” Envy explained as they watched Dolly enter the room, but not before giving her last comment.

 “Alright, I’m trusting you and your words about this being safe.” Dolly said as she finally left to stay in the apartment with the others, leaving Envy fully alone with Sloth.

 “Now what the hell do you want to say to me exactly?” Envy snarled in annoyance.

 “Dante has requested that you come to the Cottage Villa right now to help pick the maggots out of her flesh. It’s your turn to take care of her.” Sloth simply said as she started to make her exit.

 Envy stood there for a moment, the gears inside of their brain turning at what this meant exactly to them. It was an open chance to get rid of Dante by themself and she was going to be wide open for assassination. If Dante was done and over with quickly, then everything else could be focused on getting rid of Pride before getting to have that nice move out to the morgue. There was a brief moment of consideration of going back to the apartment to let everyone in on the change, but decided against it. Envy was the strongest, they were the oldest, and Dante was the source of their misery, therefore, it was solely Envy’s right to assassinate their mother alone. Everyone should be fine with that, who really needs this bullshit called teamwork anyways when it boils down to it. Turning away from the apartment, Envy made their way out of the apartment and off to the cottage villa of Dante. Clearly this will all work out in the end for them all. 

=======================================================================

 It had been centuries since arriving in Xing and living amongst the Yao clan for the survivors of Tir Na Nog arrived. Each and every day, Cuilleann had practiced her sparring matches with Tinne in preparation to face off Gort once she was located. It was degrading with each passing day with no energy spikes from their missing Queen and Cuilleann was losing her patiences with the process. It also didn’t help that the little child that had brought them into the clan had a personality that would be passed on throughout many of his progeny. The current head, Ling, was absolutely the same as his ancestor was right down to personality and appearance. It was eerie for the others to say the very least when Ling came into this world, especially Cuileann who wasn’t a fan of the cheekiness in the first place. It had been a day like all the others before that warm day when suddenly the tracker went off.

 “Duir, you need to get Cuilleann and Tinne in here now! We just got an energy reading!” Victoria yelped as she started writing down the coordinates of where the signature came from.

 “Shit are you for real!? After all this time, Gort finally used her ability!?” Duir nearly spat his tea out upon hearing the news.

 “Damn straight she did! I’m getting the coordinates down right now!”  Victoria was nearly done with getting the coordinates ready as she looked up at the others.

 “About fucking time she did! I was getting bored!” Ruis cried out as Muin got up to get their bags ready for the long journey to finally retrieve Gort.

 “I hope Gort is alright, I mean she was living amongst nothing but humans her entire existence here.” Ngetal softly said as they started getting the orders out for food to be packed up for the journey. 

 “I hope so too Ngetal, I’m worried about Gort’s time amongst humanity as well.” Gef carefully patted Ngetal on the back as Duir returned with Cuilleann and Tinne.

 “Victoria, give me the Coordinates now, I have to see where Gort has been all this damn time!” Cuilleann demanded as the coordinates were handed over in her iron grasps.

 “Dublith…that’s all the way in Amestris…Isn’t that a war crazy country with a high body count?” Tinne was mortified that Gort somehow managed to find her way into that particular hellscape country. 

 “Good that just means Gort will be combat ready when I challenge her.” Cuilleann didn’t give much thought to what this would mean when entering Amestris. 

 “Wait just one minute there!” Yelled a voice as the group turned their attention towards their current household head.

 “Oh the Princeling, right, don’t worry we didn’t forget about you at all.” Cuilleann huffed a bit as Ling came into the room.

 “I know that the contract was you stayed to serve until your Queen had been located, but, please take me along with you.” Ling requested as he placed his own bag down, clearly his mind had been made up.

 “...You want the secret of immortality our Queen could provide, don’t you?” Muin narrowed her eyes a bit at Ling as she watched him for any sudden movement.

 “That one was certainly no secret there, Muin, that would assure my spot as emperor of Xing. However, that’s not the only reason. I want to be with you guys for this one, I grew up with you all since I was an infant and I don’t want to see you leave forever.” It was clear Ling wasn’t going to take no for an answer at this point and was ready to make this journey with them.

 “Fine, whatever, I could use a mascot for this team anyways. I will state this now, I will not take any little cheekiness from you on this quest. If you have a smart mouth thing to say, I’m getting Ruis to babysit you.” Cuilleann said with an upturned nose of pridefulness, Ling looking annoyed at being relegated as a mascot of all things.

 “I am your prince, I will not be referred to as a mascot.” Ling indignantly said, boiling a bit under the skin from the disrespect. 

 “I dunno there Ling, we did know you since you were this weird shriveled up plum looking creature that popped out of the lady’s crotch that one day. So you’ll always be that to me, forever anyways.” Cuilleann smirked a bit at Ling as she clearly knew how to get under the kid’s skin nice and fine. 

 “Cuilleann, that’s enough, we need to make sure we pack extra food for the young lord since he has that high metabolism going on.” Victoria chided a little bit as she patted Ling on the back.

 “Thanks Victoria, at least you’re friendly and not calling me a shriveled up plum.” Ling sighed as he quietly made plans to crawl under Cuilleann’s skin in return at a later point. 

 “Whatever, look we’ll take you along and you can get a sample of our Queen’s blood for that Emperor thing…I still say shit would be so much simpler if you humans picked your queens through combat. Last person with their head still on is a worthwhile leader.”  Cuilleann retorted in a snobbish fashion as she waited by the door.

 “Like I said before and pretty sure my ancestors have echoed this in the past as well, but I’m very sure our style of selection is a much more civil one compared to your little bloodsport.” Ling was now set on getting his uber cheekiness going once they were in Amestris to annoy Cuilleann to pieces.

 “Don’t make me get Ruis to look after you now.” Cuilleann threatened in annoyance, not realizing that threat doesn’t hold much ground anymore.

 “Okay, fine, hey Ruis, wanna hang out?” Ling went over to Ruis who had this little gremlin grin growing on her face.

“Oh good, wanna go raid the kitchen for snacks before we hit the road?” Ruis had that mischievous glint in her eyes as she knew Ling was the fun current young lord. 

 “That Ruis would be a pleasure to do.” Ling grinned at the offer as the two hooligans wandered off from the group.

 Cuilleann sighed as she ran a hand through her hair over the interaction. This was going to be a long ass journey to handle Ling the entire time. Clearly teleporting would have to be the option to avoid both the desert and the creepy ass kingdom of Xerxes located there. The only problem though would be loungings since these humans need this thing called ‘breaks’ and Ling passes out all too easily if he wasn’t constantly being fed the entire time. Clearly the child was one part sea slug with how constantly hungry Ling was as the tracking machine was loaded into the packing process for the rescue of their Queen. Once the packing was done and the two miscreants had returned from raiding the kitchen, the group started to pair up with those who couldn’t teleport on their own. The room was now empty and our group had arrived in the outskirts of Dublith as it entered the lockdown after the plasma blast that had obliterated a certain homunculus’s upper half moments ago.

[mistbow]

Rays Recollection incoherent rambling. Spoilers obviously.

“This is a tale of recollecting memories, that proves that even if you lose everything, the memories engraved in your heart will never disappear. This is your story.” what does this mean, Rays, explain to me. This is so ominous.

Doesn’t seem Kodama and the other Recollection characters come from Tir na Nog? (seems to take place in Isavelle (sp?), Neo-Idea Kingdom?) Why are they attacking Ix (also attacking the nexuses? huh?)? Fake Baldr retreating when he saw Ix and Mileena?? So many questions...... so many vague stuff lol. confusion. I’m intrigued.

Ix’s rainbow? gem? thing? tasting like bitter memories? huh... Kodama’s line where he says memories have tastes (and that he looks forward to tasting our memories lmao), also the fact that he can hear Phantoms (while we’re at this, he has his... headphones? thing? too), something ordinary people can’t do... he’s an Interesting character. On top of his personality, I actually like his dynamic with Haze too.

Speaking of Haze, she seems to have trouble remembering the past? Also obviously, definitely, she is older than she seems. The King who has problems recollecting her memories, and the boy who looks up to her and aspires to be her right hand, who can taste memories? Intriguing pair lol. My fav so far.

Some notes:

Kodama grew up as an Abandoned person (棄民) who knows nothing of his origin, not even his parents or actual name. Yet despite this he becomes a Reaper? Death Knight? how do you guys translate 死神騎士 lol. So from what I got, Isavelle is protected by Aegis and the colony that houses the Abandoned people isn’t. Seems like they’re treated as second class too from the way that Death Knight treats Kodama in the end.

Only those who are far removed from humanity can be Death Knights. There’s a... throwaway? (not really?) line where Iris says the Phantoms took away her “voice.” Character designs imply something too... fake Baldr with eyepatch. Iris with megaphone. Seirios with prosthetic. That part in the OP too, where the lyrics are like “How much have we fought? How much have we lost? To the point where we can’t remember what we’ve lost” and the animation was like... Seirios touching his prosthetic leg, Iris touching her throat, Liwanna her body, fake Baldr his eyepatch... interesting...........

Speaking of which what is this Idea value? human..... energy..... index...? huh? Basically only those with low Idea can be Death Knights. The Kingdom is named Neo-Idea too like lol. Could it be based on the Platonic Idea?

I wonder if Ix’s memory being fuzzy in the beginning has any kind of plot importance...????? later on????? since they seem to focus a lot on memories.........

EDIT: almost forgot that the Phantom that is kinda unusually strong takes the form of Seirios? even if just for a bit. huh. what does that mean (I keep asking this)

but well I’m sold lol looking forward to the next part. still tho. all this talk of “losing everything but it will still live on in your memories” “we are Reapers who come to end your story” scares me lmao

[somacruising]

Tales of the Rays: Advent of Yggdrasil (English Translation)

This is my attempt at translating one of the Tales of the Rays events so that more people can enjoy it. Though, I do have to admit that I do not speak Japanese and relied on multiple machine translations to do this. 

I have a document on Google Drive with all the Japanese script written out, too. If anyone wants to take a look at that and correct smth, go ahead and message me :>

Despite the fancy name, this event is primary about Luke and Mithos going on a sight-seeing road trip lmao. Screenshots to accompany the script are taken from TimeFactor on YouTube.

SCENE 1

Martel: Hmm, I'm in trouble...

    [ Luke and Tear enter ]

Luke: Hmm? Isn't that Mithos and Martel? What are you guys doing?

Martel: Oh. Luke and Tear. Hello. Hehe, it’s nice to see you two coming here together.

Tear: Wh-what? Martel, you’ve misunderstood...

Luke: Y-yeah! We both got hungry at the same time by chance! Besides, didn’t the two of you come to eat, too?

Martel: No... I was just talking to Mithos about Yuan.

Luke: Yuan? Is something going on with him?

Martel: No, nothing’s happened with Yuan himself. Yuan and I were talking about going out somewhere together.

Martel: But, when I asked everyone at the hideout for recommendations, I ended up with a lot of suggestions. I couldn't narrow it down to just one because they all sounded beautiful.

Mithos: So my sister came to consult me about it. I'm saying that Yuan should go wherever she wants to go.

Martel: That would take us all over Tir Na Nog.  But, Yuan and I can’t be away for such a long time...

Mithos: Sister, I’ll go out and check everything for you. Use that as a reference to decide.

Mithos: It won't take long if I just look around a little bit, and Yuan won't complain if it's a place you’ve chosen, right?

Martel: I'm happy you would do that, but I'm worried about you going out alone. It's a big deal if monsters appear on the road or if you get lost, right? At the very least, it would be nice if someone was with you...

Mithos: I’m not a child, so don't worry. But sure... Genis is out, so I have to think of someone else...

Mithos: All right. Well then, Luke, can you come with me?

Luke: Huh, me!?

Mithos: It's not like you have something to do after this, right? So, can you hang out with me for a little while?

Luke: Well, I don't mind, but...  Fine, then Tear, let's go with him!

Tear: Yes. If Luke is going—

Mithos: ……….

Tear: —No, I should stay behind. If the number of people in a group increases too much, it will be difficult to act. So, why not just you two go this time?

Luke: …Okay. Well, if that’s what she thinks, I shouldn’t force her...

Mithos: Absolutely. Well then, I'll go get ready.

Luke: What, hey—wait!  Damn... I thought I’d at least get to eat some rice. Guess it can't be helped. Well, Tear, I'm going too.

Tear: All right, be careful.

   [ Luke and Mithos leave ]

Martel: I'm sorry, Tear. You turned Luke’s invitation down because you thought Mithos didn’t approve of you going, right?

Tear: Please, don't worry about it. I understand that Mithos hates the human race. But even so, he makes a lot of concessions for us.

Martel: Thank you, Tear. It’s not that Mithos hates the people here, though. I suppose that he’s still afraid to open up.

SCENE 2

Luke: Heehehehe! This is the place I’d pick!

Mithos: It’s a bad idea to make a statue of a living person... but this is pretty bad in a different way.

Luke: Eh!? But Lloyd and the others also have statues.

Mithos: That sucks too. Except for Raine’s.  ……I mean, you don't think Jade deserves one, right?

Luke: I doubt Jade would ever cover for me. He's a real piece of work. But, that's part of what makes Jade such a great friend.

Mithos: Hmm….

Luke: Anyway, this is what Daath looks like. Think we should move on to the next place soon?

Mithos: No, I want to observe things a little longer. Luke, go talk to the townspeople.

Luke: About what? Imperial soldiers rarely come around here. Didn’t you already know that?

Mithos: I’ve thoroughly read the documents from Karol’s Research Division.

Mithos: No, what I want to know is if there’s any trouble in the city. Even if it's something trivial, I have to check it.

Luke: Why are you so worried? Well, it’d be dangerous if a monster appeared, but Martel and Yuan aren't worried about that, right?

Mithos: I'm not worried about monsters, either. But, if something happens to my sister on his watch, I will kill Yuan. I will erase him so that not even a single piece of meat remains.

Luke: …Hey, hey, that’s nasty.  Did you pick up Jade’s sense of humor?

Mithos: I’m not joking. Also, can you stop talking about that necromancer?

Mithos: It's my sister's nature...  She always sticks her nose into things, so if there’s trouble she’ll definitely find it.

Mithos: It would be nice if Yuan stopped her, but regardless of when we first met, he's now determined to do whatever my sister wants.

Luke: Uh...  I can't imagine looking at the two of them as normal. Martel knows about the hideout, so she’s avoiding Leia and Agria’s newspaper fights. (?)

Mithos: Right. I don't want a human to ruin my sister's precious time. I’ll thoroughly crush the buds of trouble at the first sight.

Luke: Well, okay. I didn’t expect you to be this good of a person.

Mithos: Are your ears broken?

Luke: It’s amazing that you're doing all this for your sister. I've never had that.

Mithos: It's natural because we're family.

Luke: Yeah. I don't have that kind of family...

Mithos: …Right. You’re a replica.

Luke: But, even so, I want to do my best for my mother, so I guess it’s just more complicated for me.

Luke: Alright then, let's do our best for Martel and Yuan!

Mithos: You’re a kind person, Luke...  Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.

SCENE 3

Luke: Daath, Altamira, Arena, South Island...We’ve been traveling for a while, but this forest is the last place.

Luke: I thought there’d be monsters here, but it's surprisingly quiet.

Mithos: Yes. I think my sister can relax here.

Luke: So, have the candidates been narrowed down?

Mithos: Mostly. But, in the end, I don’t know which one my sister will pick.

Luke: All right. …Hey, Mithos. Can I ask you about something I’ve been wondering?

Mithos: What?

Luke: Why did you ask me to come with you? Even if I was the first person you saw, you would have been fine with someone else, right?

Luke: Besides, you could have convinced Martel to let you come without someone in the first place...

Mithos: Yes, I’m sure I could have persuaded her, but I'm sure she'd worry about me anyway, so I just thought it would be easier to go with an honest idiot.

Luke: If you wanted an honest idiot, you could have asked Lloyd.

Mithos: He's just stupid. He's not as honest as you think he is.

Luke: Even if that’s true, he’s still a good guy.

Mithos: You sound like Genis...

Luke: It can't be helped. I’m an “honest idiot". But I think you’re a nice guy, too.

Mithos: Me? You sure say some funny things. You know what I did in my original world.

Luke: I do. But, I'm responsible for some truly terrible things too...

Luke: Ah, it's not like I'm trying to ignore what I did in my old world. I’m trying to look at both the bad and the good...

 Mithos: …I see. Putting Lloyd's evaluation aside, I can accept your words. Thank you.

Luke: I actually want to thank you too. People… don’t usually rely on me for things, so being asked to come with you today made me a little happy.

Mithos: …Luke, let me give you some advice. If you stay this honest, bad people may try to use you someday.

Luke: Uh, yeah. You have a record for that so I should be careful around you.

Mithos: Fufu……. Well, Luke, if anyone from this world takes advantage of you, I’ll take care of them.

Luke: Seriously!? Then Jade’ll be the first to go. All right!

Luke: Hey, Mithos. If you ever need help again like today, give me a call. Let's go somewhere together again!

Mithos: …Yes.  I'll give it some thought.

Mithos: Oh, that’s right. I owe you something for your help today, so if there's anything I can do for you, I'll lend you my strength.

Luke: Eh? I can really ask for anything?

Mithos: Well, if I can—Hey, Luke. Look over there.

Luke: !!

LAST SCENE

Martel: Welcome back, Mithos. And thank you, Luke, for going with Mithos.

Luke: No, no. I didn't do much and it was Mithos who did his best...

Tear: Luke, what's wrong? Your face is kind of red.

Luke: Beh, nothing! Anyway, Mithos has something to give Martel.

Martel: Eh, Mithos?

Mithos: —Take this, Martel.

Martel: My! What beautiful white flowers.  It reminds me of fandalia flowers. Where did you get these?

Mithos: We found them in the woods where we last stopped. I picked a few because I thought they would look good on you.

Martel: Thank you, Mithos. I’ll cherish them. I'll put them in a vase and place it in my room right away.

Tear: If I'm not mistaken, Sophie and the others had a vase that looked good with these flowers.  I’ll ask if you can borrow it.

Luke: Oh! Tear, wait a minute!

Tear: What is it, Luke?

Luke: Oh... Um...This is for you, Tear!

Tear: What?  This flower... you picked one for me too...?

Luke: This... It looks a bit like the flowers in Tataroo Valley, doesn't it?  That's why... I brought it back with me...

Tear: Luke...!  Yes, it looks like a Selenia flower.  Thank you, I’ll take good care of it.

Martel: Good for you, Tear. And Luke... fufu, you're a kind boy, too. You wanted Tear to be happy.

Luke: N-no, ah, I said we should go home after Mithos finished picking flowers and that, I mean, since I was already waiting and it was right there...  Uhhh... um...

Luke: Right, a-anyway! Mithos! You owe me that favor, remember!?

Mithos: I remember, are you sure about using me for this?

Luke: Oh, I'm sure!

Mithos: …Sword practice, right? I don't mind, but I was taught by a strict teacher. It’s alright if I don’t hold back, right?

Luke: Yeah! I don’t mind at all!

Mithos: Then Martel, I'm going to spend a bit of time beating up Luke.

Luke: Haa!? You think you’re the only one not holding back!? Tear, I’ll see you later!

    [ Luke and Mithos depart ]

Tear: Luke... I'm glad you had fun.  At the very least, I want you to stay healthy and enjoy your time here...

Martel: Well...  I hope that Mithos will gradually regain his old smile.  Even if the world doesn't allow it, I...

Martel: Let's keep watching over them, Tear.

Tear: Yes. I made a promise to him. I promised that I would always watch over Luke.

[zofi-persson-quotes]

More Overlords infos

Overlords live in the Outernet, but they've been hiding for years.

Their home realm is well hidden in the unexplored parts of the Outernet and surrounded by a colossal forest which is inhabited by the most unique creatures (which means that, if you want, you can imagine your Original Species living in it, being a place in the Internet) you could find in the Outernet.

The kingdom is named Tir na nOg, named after the Celtic Otherworld. The whole kingdom is a mix of modern and celtic/fantasy architecture, and it's separated in many medium-sized cities with a huge city in the centre of the kingdom that acts as the capitol.

Tir na nOg is ruled by Monarchs, who are usually elected by their subject and rarely take the throne through succession, and the Moarchs are normally the strongests of their kind, but can easily refuse the throne if they're chosen due to the pacefulness of the kingdom.

The rulers can be deposed if they start to take too power or if they're starting to take a wrong path, but can also step down themswlves if they found someone else stronger and better than them, or if the ruling is too much.

It's actually extremely rare for Overlord Monarchs to end their kingdom via death, because the Overlords are gifted with Immortality (they can't die of old age, but can be killed by any other means, even if it's a bit harder to do so).

The only kingdom that ended with the death of its ruler was the Lost Kingdom. This one was ruled over by a now forgotten King, an extremely powerful Overlord that disappeared with his Four Great Warriors, four extremely strong Warriors that were his closest confidants and protectors.

To this day almost everything was forgotten about this mysterious King, onlythat he was extremely powerful, had a dragon companion, and that had green markings and one singular four ponted star-shaped marking on his forehead, something unique among Overlords. To this day only his old palace remains, placed near the new Royal Palace.

The two rulers that the Overlords have to this day are twins, one with the powers of Light, the other with powers of Darkness. Their names are Queen Lumena, The Warrior of the Sun, and King Soros, the Poet of the Moon

Overlords write in runes, but still use normal English, the standard Outernet language

[charmixpower]

Aurora, Major Fairy of Tundras

Aurora's design is based on the Yakut people, as Oymyakon in Yakiutia is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement on Earth. It is also located in the Siberian tundra, in a permafrost region

Her powers are still connected to the north, because there are no Southern tundras, but that's the only connection

She's was the youngest major fairy at the time of the attack, and often feels her skills and abilities are inadequate, retreating in on herself because of her self loathing. She tried her best to save as many young magic users as she possibly could, but often struggled to with the stress on her. She's the only major fairy that wasn't previously in charge of younger magic users before hand

Aurora managed to keep her faries safe and alive for so long by using the incredibly cold temperatures of her location to her advantage, turning her home village (with the help of her circle) into a fortress, retreating farther north as she had to. She was the last to hear about Morgana's safe haven due to her location, and was slow to get her circle into Tir Na Nog. Aurora often regrets not being more decisive and faster

Tir Na Nog halted the aging of the people inside, so while Aurora was the youngest when the attacks started since she was the last to join everyone inside hadn't been aging while she had been. So she's around the same age as Nebula now

The faries and witches under her are more cooperative and independent compared to the other Major Faries circle's. Due to Aurora's younger age at the beginning of the attacks, she wasn't able to fight off the wizards on her own, so her underlings learned to work together in groups to stay alive. The Artic circle, heh, all rely on eachother equally instead of Aurora being the only one allowed to make strategies and callout commands. Aurora often listens to their advice and follows their lead. She wouldn't trade them and their skills for the world, but she wishes she was able to be a pillar of strength for them like the other major faries we're for the magic user's they saved. Someone they could all look to and competely rely on without having to worry themselves

Aurora is very introverted and awkward, and due to her perceived failings often tries to emulate what she imagines a better leader would be in front of anyone not in her circle. She's incredibly stressed out all the time due to not being as naturally suited for the leadership role and the circumstances she gained it

She can often be found on her side of Tir Na Nog with a romance book and hot drink. Her underlings often like to pop in on her to chat, sit in comfortable silence, or just hang out in the same space as her

I'd imagine she'd be a very lively person with a strong passion for her magic of it weren't for the Wizards of the Black circle. As it stands now her introverted tendencies have taken over, she's stressed and anxious most of the time, and feels her magic is a important tool over something she can take joy in