#stead

[allthecryingdragons]

[1driedpersimmon]

Happy Anniversary Octopath Traveler!!!

(It’s technically on the 13th but hey, I’m early!)

[oopsitsloops]

Listen, these posts don't even go together, but I was scrolling through and this was the order it was in and it's just right

I will be taking no questions at this time.

[dark-night-star-light]

Spirit Animals: The Book of Shane (Reread pt. 18)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES EXCEPT THE LAST FOUR BOOKS OF THE SECOND SERIES (THIRD ARC). 

Masterpost

Who is Shane?

“It isn’t very often that a gorilla and an octopus have a polite conversation” (1). God, I forgot how much I love this book.

“‘Hello, hello,’ said a deep voice . . . ” (1). I adore Mulop. He’s probably the best Great Beast.

“‘A villain through and through. The perfect choice to destroy the world and hand it over to me’” (2). This . . . is not how villains think. They genuinely believe they’re doing the right thing. Especially Kovo. He’s not just a mustache twirling villain. He has complex motivations. Why’s he pretending otherwise???

“‘I see a boy who will regret his mistakes . . . and who will miss his only true friend’” (2). The Shane and Abeke crumbs are going to destroy me. “His only true friend” I’m going to start sobbing.

“‘Is there a soul in there with any hope of redemption?’” (3). Shane’s redemption arc is truly one of the best I’ve ever seen. Also, this book clearly hints at the Wyrm, so I wonder why the writers didn’t make Kovo seem even the least bit sympathetic.

“‘I am quite certain,’ said Mulop. ‘that he would disagree.’ ‘I am quite certain,’ said Kovo. ‘that I don’t care’” (4). Obsessed with this interaction.

I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I actually really like the fourth wall break at the end of the introduction.

Venom

I forgot about the quotes . . . 

The parallels to the main story are so good. Both stories start with the summoning of a spirit animal but the contrast between terror and happiness is so jarring.

 “It was only then that the true horror of the situation finally dawned on Shane” (11). I think it’s so interesting that Shane himself never summoned one. That’s such a good choice on the writers’ part.

Shane’s jerking awake and obsessive checking is so sad. It almost feels like a form of PTSD. I love how they characterized him and his bare room.

“It was only after he was satisfied that he had not summoned a spirit animal in his sleep that he remembered to breathe” (11). How would you not know, though? You’d feel it.

“The tapestries showed legendary scenes of Stetriol’s ancient past. On one, torrents of water flowed from the mouth of a frog, creating all the lakes and rivers. Another showed two lizards painting patterns on each other, one with a fine brush and an eye for detail, the other without care” (12). I feel like that means something. Also, that must be Stetriol’s legendary water frog.

“But the Great Beasts had cursed Stetriol. They were better forgotten” (12). I wonder if Shane believes in the Great Beasts’ existence. Also, it’s so interesting how the “God” interpretation works here for the Great Beasts too, seeing as how Shane blames them for Stetriol’s curse. It’s strange he never learned about the First Devourer War.

“Shane imagined that if she attempted to lower herself any more than that, she might never manage to get up again” (13). Shane is hilarious, actually. Just not in a conventional way.

“He wasn’t sure exactly how old she was, but during her history lessons it was easy to imagine that she spoke from personal experience. The oddest thing about her, though, was that she sometimes spoke of the future as if it were history, too” (13). Wait. Did Yumaris bond to the earthworm before the events of the series??? I thought she got it when she drank the Bile??? Also, wow, lots of potential for plot holes there . . . 

“‘You will be glad to have this blade,’ she said . . . ” (13). OMG WAIT. DID SHE SEE THE WAR COMING? IS THAT WHY SHE GAVE HIM THE BLADE??? I think I got it, guys . . .

“Yumaris answered, a faraway look in her eyes. ‘For words and learning do little to impress a jackal.’ Shane tightened his belt and gave his tutor a questioning look. ‘There are no jackals in Stetriol’” (13). Wait. Yumaris saw Zerif coming??? That’s how I’m going to interpret it . . . 

It’s funny how Shane sees Gar as this wicked man, then does nothing about it.

“ . . . rumor had it that King Feliandor himself had added them during his reign, sometime after he had taken to calling himself the Reptile King” (15). So, the people of Stetriol know something at least . . .

“That was only made worse after the great war and the Greencloak invasion, when the island nation’s shores were overrun” (15). Wait, so. Then that means they know the full story, right??? Also I don’t know if I’ve talked about it before but the parallels between the Devourer Wars and the World Wars. The first ones were both referred to as “the great war” and the second was directly caused by the attacking nation being sidelined after being defeated during the first. I almost wonder if the inspiration for the First and Second Devourer Wars came from World War I and II.

Okay, so Zerif’s sunburn makes sense given that he climbed to Muttering Rock, but how was he not fried alive???

So Magda appears to be a servant, but earlier it’s stated that they didn’t have money to pay servants???

I kind of wish they’d shown more scenes of Shane and Drina before the bonding sickness incident.

“‘A worm? A slug? Something small and worthless’” (19). Interesting that Drina says this, because Yumaris’s spirit animal is a worm. Almost feels like Drina has a strained relationship with Yumaris. Foreshadowing the fact that Yumaris is the one that held Drina down when she got killed by Gerathon?

[cut because block limit]

“‘It’s not fair,’ she said . . . ‘I’d be great. I’d be so great’” (19). That’s actually so heartbreaking. 

“But in that moment, he felt no pity for her, and no love - only hate. Then he saw the handkerchief she held against her mouth. It was wet and heavy with blood” (19). This hits so hard. Just straight observations with no emotions attached. It feels so hopeless.

This snake anecdote is interesting. Might talk about it more in my Shane analysis. 

“But then their mother was there” (20). Doesn’t she have the bonding sickness??? Maybe this was a good day.

“‘This is the prince of Stetriol,’ she said. ‘He’ll never bow to a mere snake’” (21). This could either be irony, considering what happened with Gerathon, or it could be symbolism, with snakes representing evil and his mother saying that Shane would never become evil.

“In her absence . . . ” (21). Is Shane’s mom dead?

“ . . . when the Reptile King’s soldiers had bonded with any animal they could get their hands on” (21). So he knows about the Bile, too???

“‘I am in charge!’ Shane shouted” (23). Yeah, gettem. Also it’s hilarious how this must look to Zerif, to have this child shout at him like that.

Why doesn’t Shane just show Zerif to his father? Like, yeah, he’s sick or whatever, but he can just have him thrown in jail afterward again.

Shane casually calling himself leader in front of Gar!!!

“‘We’re the most peaceful nation in Erdas. The rest of the world pretends we don’t exist’” (25). He literally knows the entire story except the part about the existence of Nectar??? Also, why is Gar so insistent on starting a war? Like all he cares about is building his fleet. But why?

“‘It is my honor as regent to stand before you today to christen this ship . . . ’” (27). Erdas had Christianity???

The Stetriol-post-WWI-Germany parallels are. Not subtle.

Isn’t this the scene where Shane realizes that Gar wants to send him away to war to secure his own power??? Why is that not mentioned?

The idea of a small eight-year-old child who’s determined to kill all snakes is simply adorable.

“He was armed for war” (29). *insert picture of small child in scraps of armor*

“‘He wants to hurt the snakes,’ Drina said . . . ‘Because they hurt him’” (30). It’s interesting how Shane’s mom teaches him about harming innocents with revenge as young as eight, but this scene never actually says he processed or learned that.

“‘Most snakes are harmless, Shane. And the one that bit you was only surprised. You don’t want to hurt snakes for being snakes, do you?’” (30). Parallels between the war on the snakes and the war on the Greencloaks? The Greencloaks hurt Shane first, so he tries to hurt all of them, even the innocent ones. 

Small Shane yelling about how he’s not scared is so cute.

“‘Sometimes hate and fear are the same thing’” (30). Is this coded toward his relationship with Drina or the Greencloaks?

“ . . . Shane widened his eyes as if he cared” (31). Shouldn’t . . . he? Isn’t he kinda poor? Stolen food could be expensive . . . Also why are there servants now???

It’s so interesting how we don’t see Drina’s response to Shane asking her to leave with him . . .

“The planks that made up the fort had been painted pink and green - Drina’s and Shane’s respective favorite colors” (32). I’m going to assume that Shane’s favorite color is green based on the order the names and colors are listed in . . . his favorite color used to be the color of his future enemies . . . 

“He trailed his hand along a pink plank, curled his fingers into the gap, and with sudden violence ripped the board free” (32). He’s ripping away his childhood . . . ?

Oh, this is the scene where he realizes Gar’s plans to send him away to danger.

“If Shane refused to sail with the fleet, he would look like a coward” (32). He says . . . right before the exposition about his plan to leave Stetriol. Does he think that won’t make him look like a coward???

“Perhaps they’d even have a cure for Drina” (33). He’s right . . . in a sense. Even though it’s never explicitly stated, it's definitely implied that Nectar can’t cure bonding sickness, it can only prevent it.

Nobody: Literally nobody: Shane: *screams*

“‘Sugar water. Salt water. One maniac tried to convince my father to drink snake venom’” (34). But like. Why??? Was he unhappy or something?

“‘And during the day, it’s as hot as a cauldron.’ ‘I do not burn easily,’ Zerif said . . . ” (35). Only during the day??? Well, then, a lot of people should’ve been able to get to the top, right??? Just do it during the night . . . why is Zerif the only one who’s done this???

“‘One can learn all sorts of secrets,’ . . . ‘if one takes time to listen at the base of that great pillar’” (35). So Kovo didn’t hire Zerif, Zerif just overheard him talking???

“But Shane wasn’t allowed in the water. He knew he’d never be free” (36). Free, as in freely bonded to a spirit animal??? 

I forgot Shane’s mom died. 

“ . . . the Great Beasts were all but ignored in Stetriol . . . ” (37). Because Stetriolans believe the Great Beasts cursed them? 

It’s interesting how Shane thinks of the Four Fallen as “aid[ing] the Greencloak invasion” (37).

It really means something that Shane chose Mulop and Mulop is the only Great Beast that canonically saw the best in him. Shane and Mulop both have soft spots for each other.

Feliandor-Shane parallels!

“He looked over the portrait for a moment more, and decided he didn’t see much of a resemblance” (38). Shane! Fel! Parallels! Feliandor looking at the portrait of his parents and seeing no resemblance, but seeing that as a negative thing, and Shane seeing the portrait of Fel and seeing no resemblance, but seeing that as a positive thing.

“‘So smug,’ Shane said, feeling a little smug himself” (39). Heh.

[cut because block limit]

“‘Feliandor’s soldiers all used the Bile, and none of them suffered the bonding sickness’” (39). Okay, Shane came to the right conclusion, but did nobody tell him that the bonding sickness didn't even exist before the war?

How does Shane know what a talisman even is? Isn’t that some sort of secret?

The idea of the true king having the Jade Serpent is such a cool concept, and having the talisman be in the throne as a very literal interpretation of that is kind of interesting, because it kind of symbolizes how frivolous and material Kovo saw being king of Stetriol as. By “true king” he literally meant “guy who sits on the throne”, instead of something like “had the qualities of a king”.

“Would that mean Gar was the true king of Stetriol?” (41). See, this is what I mean. The narrative implies that having the talisman equals being the true king, even though that’s just what Zerif says.

Shane tries to save the kangaroo! That’s such a cool symbolism moment, representing how he truly just had good intentions.

“But there were no jackals in Stetriol” (43). Throwback moment.

“He refused, too, to admit that his wife had been sick” (44). Why did the king marry a woman with bonding sickness, anyway?

“But when his daughter . . . was similarly stricken, something in the king has snapped” (44) and “‘But the real trouble happened when he decided he could cure himself . . . He killed his own spirit animal’” (45) imply that the king killed his spirit animal around the time Drina got the sickness. It’s interesting how the combination of the death of a spirit animal and the bonding sickness compound on one another instead of canceling each other out. 

“‘ . . . I’d have to admit that the king is . . . unfit. That Stetriol is without a true leader’” (44). Not really anything wrong with that, though? He could just claim his position as leader.

Zerif refers to Shane as “Prince Shane”!!!

So Shane knew the entire story of what happened except the part about the Greencloaks having the Nectar. And that’s the turning point. That’s the moment he goes from being innocent to . . . not so much. 

Kovo’s message being so literal is perfect symbolism for how Shane saw being king as a surface-level thing. Just have a powerful spirit animal and no sickness and you’ll be a great ruler! Never mind any other qualities a king may need!

“The sense of triumph he experienced in that moment . . . ” (46). This reminds me of how he’s described to have “cold triumph” in his eyes during the showdown on Muttering Rock.

“ . . . bracing himself for her verbal abuse” (46). It’s so sad how he got used to that, though, even though he knew it wasn’t her fault.

“The curse had been broken” (47). Ironic.

“Shane stood on the beach that night and watched his sad little handmade boat go up in flames” (47). Symbolism for destruction of innocence, me thinks. The boat was made out of his childhood playhouse.

It’s so interesting how Shane didn’t get a real spirit animal, unlike Fel. Just thinking about how in another nation, he’d have been the only one in his family to not live up to expectations.

“He felt neither. But while their eyes were averted, he allowed himself a furtive smile” (48). Sort of makes me think that Shane’s morals immediately going out the window is about the destruction of his innocence more than him finally realizing it was an option to kill his father.

“What kind of person would want a spirit animal? A ruler, thought Shane. A king.” (48). This is what I meant when I said that Shane saw very shallow things as qualities of a good ruler rather than actual good qualities.

“Shane dreamed he’d bonded with a crocodile” (48). Ohohohohooho. 

“The creature had drowned one man and maimed two others before it had been subdued” (48). Kind of reminds me of that scene in Blood Ties where Shane sacrifices his own soldier to save Abeke. He doesn’t care who’s loyal to him.

“He woke slowly from an untroubled sleep” (49). Unlike the past two years . . . 

Also this story proves that Zerif’s jackal was a natural spirit animal . . . but we know he took the Bile. We also know after the war, it runs away, but wouldn’t their bond have been natural by that point? How did it leave him?

Vendetta

“The war was over, and he’d won it” (55). Gotta love the stark contrast between this section and the next one (Vengeance).

“But who needed to tell them apart anymore? What was the point of borders, anyway? It all belonged to him now” (55). Shane being up high symbolism for his ego?

“They’d both been lying for a very long time, hiding their true natures, like a crocodile hides beneath the surface of the water, waiting to strike” (56). The crocodile-Shane symbolism is just such a cool thread. It represents his corruption and redemption beautifully.

“The days he’d spent on the boat with Abeke had been … Well, they had been a pleasant respite from months of war” (56). I love how subtle this book is with Shane’s feelings for Abeke. You just get these little gems throughout that show how much he does truly care for her and how much it did hurt to betray her.

I like how it’s shown very clearly how hard the Greencloaks tried to fight to get the talismans back. Like they didn’t just give up hope at the end of Rise and Fall like the narrative suggests. No, they still tried to get them back. And they very nearly did.

“‘Have a care!’ Shane shouted. ‘Lose me and you lose the talismans’” (58). The ego that drips off of Shane in this section is just. Wow, this guy really talked back to a Great Beast. It’s honestly so well done.

“If there was one thing Shane couldn’t stand, it was feeling powerless. He’d had enough of that back in Stetriol. But he hadn’t truly been powerless in a long time. Not since he’d drunk the Bile and joined Zerif in his campaign against the Greencloaks” (58). I kind of want to know what Zerif’s motive in all this is? Why does he hate the Greencloaks? This is a great way of tying Shane pre-corruption and Shane post-corruption, though.

“‘Why not? Let them come in force,’ Shane scoffed. ‘I took them on single-handedly. What chance would they have against my army?’” (59). Shane is such an egoistic little bitch in this section, it's hilarious.

“‘You would not wish to displease Gerathon.’ ‘I know that,’ Shane spat. His face grew warm despite the blustery wind. ‘I know that well’”  (59). Ohhhhhhhh.

Shane’s fear of spiders parallels Meilin’s fear of spiders. They both started hating spiders during the same incident (Drina getting murdered by her own spirit animal). And Shane’s ego in this section perfectly matches Meilin’s near the beginning of the series, as well. 

“ . . . the most beautiful to Shane’s eye was the leopard of amber. It seemed to glow with its own inner light” (62). Well, warning that I’m about to read into this way more than the author probably meant for me to. The talisman is almost definitely symbolism for Abeke. It says “to Shane’s eye” meaning that objectively, the talisman probably doesn’t look that much better than the other talismans. Just like how, objectively, Abeke looks pretty average, but to Shane she’s more than that. It also says there’s an “inner light” which implies something that shines from within, not necessarily anything physical to see. Just like how Abeke has an inner charm. Also, the obvious leopard-Abeke symbolism.

Why does Shane have a vial of Bile??? Why would he need that???

“Kovo’s Obsidian Ape likewise enhanced his vision, but in a subtly different way than the falcon did” (65). I wonder how the Greencloaks got their hands on Kovo’s talisman and why they never used it before.

“[The Amber Leopard] made him feel at ease in this Niloan jungle Uraza had once called home. It was simply the most practical choice, he told himself” (66). Mhm.

“They had trusted their neighbors. That had apparently been a mistake” (67). Love the detached, almost unreliable way this is narrated. Out of context, you would think that Shane was not the one responsible for all the destruction.

“‘You killed me, whether you meant to or not. And that,’ he said, ‘is your nature’” (69). Probably more about Drina, honestly, not Gar.

“ . . . Shane jolted awake . . . ” (69). Hmmmm. So that didn’t go away then.

“Conor and Rollan had almost bragged about it when they’d told him” (70). Wow, Shane is an unreliable narrator.

“He was completely cut off from his sword, the talismans were a hopeless tangle on the floor . . . ” (71). This is why he should’ve kept the talismans on his person.

“ . . . feigning innocence before he remembered that he was in fact innocent” (73). Wow. Shane corruption arc go brrrrrr.

“The village, he decided, must have been protecting Greencloaks. It was the only explanation for the savagery with which the Conquerors had descended” (73). Wow, Shane really is such a manipulative ass in this section, and I love it. 

[cut because block limit]

“ . . . he couldn’t bring himself to pose as a Greencloak” (74). Shane’s ego is really getting in his own way, like my guy. Come on.

“ . . . Shane couldn’t leave him alone in the jungle. Could he?” (75). Reading on a bit further, you can tell that Shane kind of really doesn’t care about Achi and only takes him because he’s useful as a guide.

“But he knew what question Achi was waiting to hear, and he asked it” (78). Shane is manipulative and charming as hell.

“‘Abeke?’ Shane called, louder this time. ‘Abeke, if you’re out there, I can explain everything’” (80). God, I want to know what he would’ve said. Like think about the possibilities. 

“Shane made an involuntary gurgling sound” (81). THAT’S SO FUNNY.

Shane giving the Amber Leopard to Achi cements the Achi-Abeke parallels, in my head.

“He climbed even more nimbly now that he wore Abeke’s talisman - Uraza’s talisman, Shane corrected himself” (82). Ohhhh, so he does think of it as Abeke’s. 

“‘Did you ever hear the story about how the goanna and the perentie got their coloring?’” (83). Kinda wanna hear that one.

“Kovo escaped, but he lost the tail to the cats” (85). I wanna say, it’s pretty unlikely that this story actually happened in canon, because as seen in Tales of the Great Beasts, Uraza did actually like Kovo before they were enemies, saying that it unsettled her that he would work with murderers and calling him her neighbor. But a cute story nonetheless.

Also the story is kind of foreshadowing in its own sense, since in it Kovo is manipulative, but is still defeated in the end. 

“But that was the beauty of the Bile, wasn’t it? No one could resist it in the end. Not even stubborn, foolhardy Drina” (86). Foolhardy??? It’s still unclear whether Drina was in on the plan to get herself killed. In fact, it’s unclear whether Shane knew that the plan was to get Drina killed. 

“He didn’t need to bribe Achi, and he didn’t need to bully him either” (87). Well, at least Shane still has a shred of decency in this section.

“‘She was no Greencloak. She wasn’t even Marked’” (88). Wow, the Conquerors are straight-up stupid. How dumb do you have to be to realize that a non-Marked person means you got the wrong person??? And how dumb is Achi’s dad to gamble that they’d be that dumb?

“In [the jackal’s] jaws was a bloody crown, forged in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail’” (88). Wow, foreshadowing for Zerif’s betrayal for sure.

“‘He got the cats to stop fighting. He saved the day!’” (89). It’s ironic because Shane is clearly paralleling himself, but also he’s the one that started a fight in real life. 

“He was Uraza, and he was home” (91). Kinda cute, if you ignore the context.

“Not that it would have been a very strategic choice with a man-eating cat bearing down on him” (92). Right, but he’s used to sifting through talismans while running. He’s done it several times before in this section. Yes, he’s carrying Achi, but he’s also got Uraza’s talisman to take care of him while he searches. 

“‘And I lost the man I - a good man, Tarik’” (93). Well, that’s about as close to canon as we’ll get.

“‘I haven’t killed anyone,’ Shane growled” (93). Someone needs to teach this guy that killing can be indirect. And also, I don’t think that’s true. There are several battles that he’s been in, so I feel like it’s unrealistic to say he’s never killed anyone.

“‘So high and mighty. Not against sending an assassin after me, though, are they?’” (93). Yeah??? This is a war??? They’re gonna send someone after you, duh. Bro, what kind of logic is that???

“He acted quickly, and replaced the Amber Leopard with Kovo’s Obsidian Ape” (94). Kind of showing him throwing his morals out the window, since he was so repelled by the Obsidian Ape earlier.

“Black and white. Precisely how the Greencloaks saw the world” (95). As if you don’t??? My guy???

“‘Achi, it’s okay,’ Shane said quickly. ‘Grahv won’t hurt you’” (95). Wonder how true that would be if Lishay had called his bluff . . . 

“Shane had given him Jhi’s talisman and carried him all the way here despite the ache in his limbs” (96). Why did Shane carry him? Achi should’ve been healed? And why did Achi let Shane carry him?

“ . . . Shane turned to Achi and winked . . . ” (97). Bitch, he really tried that??? Like unironically??? I’m laughing. Man, I’m laughing so fucking hard.

“He tried to grasp at a fleeting sensation of victory, but it slipped through his fingers and was gone” (97). Kind of like how his victory over the Greencloaks in this section is short-lived and he lost anyway.

Vengeance

The quote. I’m sobbing.

“‘You won. We lost. Do you have to rub it in?’” (103). My guy. Do you know how war works???

“There was real hatred there. Real hunger for revenge” (103). Shane trying desperately to convince himself he’s not as much in the wrong as he is is simply splendid.

“‘Don’t play innocent with me,’ Shane countered. ‘I wrote the book on that particular trick . . . ’” (105). Paralleling the previous section?

“But he could always get more money” (106). How???

“‘Deadly?’ Shane echoed. ‘A frog?’” (107). Does he seriously not know about the whole bright-colors-warn-predators thing??? Huh . . . 

Why does he have a vial of Bile on him??? That is so weird.

“‘They came close, though,’ Shane said, fighting to keep his voice steady” (108). Not him still trying desperately to stroke his own ego.

“ . . . hoarded so jealously over the years” (108). One thing I notice across several books in this series is that whenever they talk about the Greencloak-Nectar situation, they always say “hoarded jealously”. Like, variety in word choice is not a thing apparently.

“‘ . . . What sort of snake?’” (109). This section is so appealing because of the mystery aspect. 

“But what if it didn’t stay that way? What if it could somehow do more harm? The Bile was Shane’s mess. And he was looking to clean up his messes” (110). Right, but he effectively does nothing. The Bile does lose all its power??? That’s so weird. But okay, I guess.

“ . . . stopped to trade for a bag of roasted nuts . . . ” (110). Where did he get the money??? He just gave it all away?

“‘You sound just like a snake I used to know’” (111). Yumaris???

Where is Shane getting the money to hire Anya??? Like huh???

Also Anya is described in an incredibly similar fashion to Anka. Like. I can see how you might get the two mixed up.

“As Shane’s parents and sister grew sicker, he was left entirely to her whims” (113). The relationship between Shane and Yumaris is so interesting and kind of contradictory in some places. 

The whole conversation about tools is probably a reference to Venom, when Yumaris insists that Shane needs many tools . . .

“If this year of war had taught him anyway, it was how much he’d taken for granted as a prince” (115). This is directly contradictory to his statement in Vendetta about how he’s not pampered despite being a prince. Character development or something, I guess. 

“‘“Bushmaster” is a code. And it leads to that jungle temple’” (117). How does he know that??? Is it something Yumaris taught him???

Feel like the venom-poison-snake-frog thing is symbolism for Shane and Yumaris. Shane is a snake, who’ll hurt you by himself, but for Yumaris to hurt you, you have to interact with her first.

“‘The bright colors are a warning to predators: I am dangerous and I taste bad. Stay away.’ ‘Sort of like a Greencloak,’ Shane said under his breath” (119). LOL.

“‘We don’t have bears here.’ ‘Tell that to the bear!’” (120). I love them, Your Honor. 

[cut because block limit]

“Outside of Stetriol, they were supposed to pretend he was no more than their commander’s nephew” (121). Even the Conquerors that aren’t Stetriolan know that???

“‘I’m thinking we throw Soyland to the bear and she lets us go’” (123). I’m with Anya there, not gonna lie.

“‘The bear was a victim in all this. Poisoning her isn't right’” (124). Redemption arc Shane go brrrrr. 

“‘“Bushmaster” was what we called this operation. We- We named them all after snakes’” (124). Oh, so that’s how he knew.

Also, what was the operation specifically?

I get that they have a common enemy, but Anya doesn’t react with much ferocity toward Shane’s reveal. Like. They haven’t even known each other that long.

“But there was no point in turning down the man’s gratitude, and he accepted it with a curt nod” (127). Yes. Yes, there is??? Yes, there is.

“Shane wondered briefly how many young men and women of Stetriol had marched into battle across Erdas” (127). Oh, so they are from Stetriol. Interesting. 

“Each and every drop was a drop made by their hands” (129). Wow, the paranoia starts already.

“And then there was Yumaris, who made an unusual choice” (130). Okay, so if Yumaris hadn’t already been bonded to her worm before, then how did she know the future before taking Bile? It said she spoke of the future like the past, so was she just making that up???

“Alone among the kings and queens of Stetriol. Food for worms, all of them” (131). I guess you can never really escape your fate, even if you become great.

“‘Sir,’ said Lovvorn. ‘Sire!’ said Alix. ‘Idiot,’ said Anya” (136). Cackling.

“‘Did she tell you I have a weak spot for girl archers? Did she think I’d be more likely to trust you if you reminded me of someone I care about?’” (137). Ooooooooh. Kicking my feet at the subtle references to Abeke.

Shane blaming Yumaris for Drina’s death as if he isn’t the one that came up with the plan in the first place is so damn blame-shifty. (He came up with it right? Feel like that hasn’t been confirmed, only heavily implied.)

“‘Gerathon was going to kill one of you that day. By stepping in when I did, I ensured it wasn’t you’” (140). Why was Gerathon going to kill one of them??? I thought it was Drina, so the plan could go . . . well, according to plan. But it really seems like Shane and Yumaris had no idea Drina was going to be killed??? So what was the original plan exactly???

“‘I wish I could see for myself how you’ve grown’” (140). Awwww.

“‘The world above will need a protector who can walk the line between good and evil’” (141). Why do they need to be evil???

What happens to Anya after this? Does she just go back? Do they ever talk again? Does she know Shane eventually dies?

Venture

“‘I’m not here to cause trouble Maddox’” (148). Why are they immediately antagonistic??? I literally don’t remember shit about this. 

“ . . . Abhay wasn’t from Stetriol - and he didn’t have an obvious grudge” (149). Wait. Are the men mad because Shane lost the war? Or something different?

“‘I am Maddox’s king’” (149). He just said it didn’t bother him to not be called a king like a page ago.

“‘People said that, at the end, you fought alongside the Greencloaks’” (149). How do people even know that? It happened at the Evertree, and nobody else was there.

“‘For us, the war never ended’” (151). Huh.

“Shane dreamed he summoned a wolf . . . he knew he’d never be alone again” (151). This is kind of heartbreaking, in a way. Like he’s been alone his whole life and only because of war is he making friends. And never ones that he really keeps.

“Others called him a traitor” (153). For fighting with Greencloaks in the end?

“She had a special knack for pointing out Shane’s shortcomings, and pride ranked high on the list” (154). She’s not wrong. Even in The Burning Tide, when Shane is trying to redeem himself, he wants to impress Abeke more than anything else.

“But, oh, how he wanted to trash this guy” (154). Yeah, me too, honestly. He doesn’t appear to be the most open-minded.

“Shane could swear the figure was wearing a crown” (155). Why is he watching her during a fight, anyway??? Like, dude???

“Shane dreamed he summoned a panda. The animal wrapped him in its arms” (155). Awwww.

“‘The dirt is no place for pride, my king’” (156). If Shane wanted to help himself, shouldn't he have gotten up and not laid pathetically in the dirt?

“‘A natural bond. We grew up together’” (157). I wonder what Viktor thinks of Bile bonds in general. He grew up in Stetriol, so he’d probably be pretty torn.

Okay, so he thanks Shane for the Bile, but also wouldn’t he find it somewhat repulsive, seeing as he has a good bond with his own spirit animal?

“ . . . held no medicinal properties as far as Shane or Yumaris could discover” (159). I wish they’d shown more of Shane and Yumaris working together.

“Shane dreamed he summoned a falcon . . . He was untouchable” (160). Paralleling his ego?

“Here, at last, were the true warriors” (161). How were they picked? 

“‘See now, Karmo? I said you’d get the hang of this’” (162). Is Karmo being forced? Maybe because of his merging with his animal? But that’s a secret, right?

“He did, however, wear a tight bandage around his left forearm” (162). Oop, Shane got him.

[cut because block limit]

The woman with the nickname “Greenslayer” needs a backstory of her own.

Why did Yeffa not want Karmo to help Viktor??? There’s a reason, right?

“It was clear who they held responsible for the outcome of the war” (164). Yep, that’s it.

“Shane wasn’t wholly surprised when Karmo made a break for it later that night” (165). Why didn’t Karmo do that earlier, though?

“‘Shane as in Shane the Reptile King? Devourer Shane?’ ‘It’s just Shane these days’” (167). Shane’s humor’s at its finest when it’s unintended.

“‘King Shane is a no-good snake’” (168). The snake symbolism thread is just *chef’s kiss*

“Who would want to keep so many smelly, scaly reptiles on display?” (169). It’s ironic how Shane is the self-proclaimed Reptile King, yet hates reptiles in reality. Almost like he hates himself from the start.

“‘Zerif chose some real lowlifes. Devin was a bully. Ana was a thief. And Tahlia, the girl from Stetriol? She was downright vicious. We were all afraid of her’” (171). Kind of wonder where Ana’s from. Like, what’s her story? Maybe she was a thief because of circumstance, like Rollan.

“Faced with such devastation, Shane had decided that day that he would activate their secret asset in the next battle. Let the Greencloaks hurt one another for a change” (171). It’s almost funny how jealous he sounds. 

“‘My tribe has never had a Rain Dancer. That means we get less respect in Nilo than the insects and grubs’” (172). But Abeke’s tribe was the same before she was declared Rain Dancer, right? It doesn’t really seem like respect was Abeke’s tribe’s main problem.

“‘Finally getting called a hero, and it’s for all the wrong reasons’” (172). I think even if Karmo had succeeded in the Rumfuss mission, he’d probably have come around anyway in the end. Like he has now.

“‘The Reptile Queen?’ ‘That’s what she calls herself.’ Shane felt a weight in the pit of his stomach . . . It was the feeling he got whenever something bad was happening - and that it was his fault” (173). Oh, he figured it out immediately.

“Shane dreamed he summoned a leopard . . . And he knew he had been forgiven for all he’d done wrong” (174). Oh my God, I’m actually gonna start crying. This like. Perfectly encapsulates the tragedy of Abeke and Shane. Like Abeke forgives him but at the cost of his own life.

“‘The snake is you, if it wasn’t clear’” (176). God, this guy is stupid.

“Shane had once worn that crown . . . ” (178). How did she get her hands on Stetriol’s crown?

Okay, but how did Tahlia survive??? How did she get off the docks?

Shane didn’t know what the execution method was going to be, and didn’t have a plan for dealing with it. Which means that if they had just been planning on running him through with a sword or something, he’d have been screwed. Like, wow, that was straight-up stupid of him.

“One of the tattooed islanders lay unconscious at their feet, while the second one stood at the edge of the tree line, pleading with a huge emu . . . ” (182). Yeah, gettem. This means that the brothers are Piri and Timone. Which means they didn’t change and are still both corrupted as fuck. Nice to see that Timone has regressed with his spirit animal bond.

“She wouldn’t let go of her knives any more than she would let go of her hate” (184). It’s giving Conor and Cordelia in that final battle.

“‘The war is over!’ he cried” (186). Aww.

“‘But this time, we’ll be fighting on the right side’” (186). Shane’s redemption arc is so perfectly started in this book. I will never not be angry that he and Abeke never sat down after they met up again and had a genuine conversation about their feelings.

Final thoughts and rating (doing the negatives first this time):

Zerif and Yumaris’s bonds are weirdly inconsistent. Zerif’s bond is natural, seeing as he was bonded even before finding the Bile, so how come his jackal ran away? It can’t do that, can it? And Yumaris had a Bile bond, but had her powers even before she was bonded? So that’s sort of a plot hole. I also felt the last two stories were slightly more off-putting than the first two. They felt strange in terms of tone, which I get that they were supposed to be, but the resolutions to those sections felt so weirdly rushed. While I did enjoy getting to see what happened to Tahlia, she’s just such a weird villain. I can’t imagine her having enough finesse to put together an entire army, the way she screams at Shane and the way she doesn’t take his hand at the end. With Shane, you can see that he’s smart and careful and manipulative, but with Tahlia, I just have such a hard time believing she could stop acting like a child long enough to put together a two-hundred-person army. Anya was a strange character. I liked her while reading, but her ending was so out-of-place. 

Most of the negatives of the book are nit-picks, because there’s almost nothing wrong with this book, in my opinion. First of all, the parallels. They’re so good. I feel like Nick Eliopulos has such a different writing style, one that favors symbolism and parallels and other analyzation things over the story itself. It was really fun trying to find them all and made my reread almost as fun as the original. Also the Easter eggs??? Like the Piri and Timone thing, or the several hints about Abeke. It was fantastic. The story really rewards you for paying attention to the main series and this book. First two stories were at their best, with the backstory and the Shane-snake-crocodile symbolism. The complicated relationships in Shane’s life were also written so well, such as Drina and Yumaris. It’s clear that Shane both hated and loved both of them. It also shows why he cared for Abeke so much, seeing as that was one relationship that didn’t feel as complicated to him, at least in the beginning. Exploration of the Bile was done well, too. We can see that Timone, for example, is still bonded, because his bond was originally natural, but Piri’s killer whale apparently left him. Getting Karmo’s backstory was also a highlight. And it paves the way for Devin;s story in Tales of the Fallen Beasts. And Shane the unreliable narrator. Excellently done. His pride being his “fatal flaw”, so to speak? And that being a thread that carried the entire book? It was astonishingly well done. I could see it even when it wasn’t explicitly said. Shane as a character carries this book on his back. He is such an excellent protagonist (anti-hero?) to follow, and it makes me wish we’d gotten more page time of him in the main series, as well as more chapters from his perspective. He’s so smart, and the places where he’s figuring things out or using his wits just make him even better. This book is the one that made Shane my favorite character because he’s just written with so much depth and this book does a spectacular job of humanizing him. 

Rating: 10/10

[dennydraws]

Finally got Stead in Octopath Champions of the Continent!! :D I had to draw that creepy cleric man. He is so cool. Loved his traveler story and now he will be my ring bearer~

[orcaab]

Loss-A Spirit Animals AU fanfic

Aight, so this is basically a rewrite of Last Words and a part of Loss from The Burning Tide. It's a 'what-if' AU where Abeke dies instead of Shane. A little disclaimer before we begin, this write includes: -Violence

-Descriptions of blood

-Usage of swords and stuff

-Harm to both humans and animals

-It's pretty long

So if you are uncomfortable with any of those themes, I have to ask you to not proceed further. For all of you staying, thank you! Without further ado, let's get into it!

Loss

The Place of Desolation was an abandoned base, an unused snare for centuries, and now, it was the location of one of the biggest battles in the history of Erdas. The chilly air was filled with yells, cries, screeches, hoots, growls, roars, and clashes of metal on metal. A gust of sweet ocean air entered and exited Shane’s nose with every breath. The breaths were getting more and more rapid. Drawing his saber, Shane ran down one of the halls to meet the incoming array of Greencloaks.

Sliding the last few meters on the thin ice covering the cold ground, Shane’s saber caught one of the Greencloaks under the ribs, sending him toppling back into a rather skinny-looking deer. With a few quick strides, he joined Stead and Howl in the mass of people and animals. “Are these all the Greencloaks from the ships?” Shane yelled over the growing roar of battle, “Or just a part of them?” He hoped that the Greencloaks on the island were the only ones who would fight, their numbers were impressive to say the least, outnumbering the Redcloaks almost five to one, if you didn’t count the spirit animals. “We don’t know,” Stead yelled back, before ducking as a one-headed axe swung at his head. Quickly cutting the wielder on the shoulder, he turned to kick at the dog which was probably the man’s spirit animal. “We haven’t seen any others on the ships, but there may be more hiding, waiting.” The words escaped the young man’s mouth in a series of gasps, his ram pupils darted from side to side as he scanned the surroundings, before bringing up his stained longsword to point at three large animals in the near distance. A ram, a boar, a leopard… and something long and curved on the head of the ram, something that was curling around the horns of the oversized animal. A snake. A cobra. Gerathon. The Great Serpent. Great Shane thought, focusing on the nearing animals, Four of the infected Great Beasts as well. His hopes for the outcome of this battle seemed more and more like a far-fetched fantasy. If only they could manage to activate the snare, maybe it could hold back, or even stop the infected. It didn’t seem like an entirely reliable idea, but if Niri could still hear Takoda and the others underground, maybe she could find out something valuable.

Without any other response to Stead, Shane put his smooth wooden mask on and turned to find Howl trying to hold off the Greencloaks in a circle around him and Stead. He quickly ran to the man’s side, to help fend the Greencloaks off. They would have bigger things to worry about than the Greencloaks, and they needed all the room they could get, even with these powers, it was difficult to hold Great Beasts off. Shane’s saber came in contact with an axe at the same moment as Howl attempted to block it with his sword. Shane couldn’t stop his mind from replaying the battle at The Temple of Dinesh, the battle where he and Conor blocked a sword from Shane’s own soldier, to protect Abeke. The very Abeke who was now on this island, under his protection. Quickly shaking his head, he pushed the man with his shoulder, sending him off balance. There is no time to dwell on the past. Turning around Shane sheathed his saber, and prepared to meet the galloping Great Beasts. The serpent, he noted to himself immediately. He needed to get Gerathon off Arax, her reach was too big while on the ram. Uraza and Rumfuss split away from Arax to join the mass of Greencloaks, leaving him to charge forward. Shane waited for the ram to be a few steps away from him, before dodging to the side, Gerathon extending and lunging for the air where Shane was just a moment ago. With a slight push to Arax’s hindquarters, Shane imbalanced the ram, causing him to stumble, Gerathon uncoiled from his horns and fell on the ground. Arax tried to regain his footing, nearly trampling the serpent in the process, which got him a loud hiss. Arax charged at Shane again, this time, Shane grabbed the ram’s horns, digging them into the ground, Arax’s back bent unnaturally before the ram relaxed in an attempt to break free. Shane let go of the ram’s horns and scanned the ground to find Gerathon, but the snake wasn’t anywhere in his field of vision. Gasping for breath, Shane noticed Uraza attempting to catch Jolt, who was moving faster than any man should be able to. He also saw Worthy yelling something inaudible at Stead, who was jumping over Rumfuss, giving the boar cuts from a short dagger, while his longsword was sheathed on his back. Moving closer to them, Shane could make out what Worthy was screeching desperately at Stead.

“Don’t!” The younger boy was yelling “Stop! Don’t hurt him! Good lord, just listen to me!” Worthy’s tone was changing with every screech, from angry, and worried, to annoyed, and frustrated. Shane remembered that Rumfuss was Dawson’s spirit animal, Worthy’s younger brother. Pushing a pair of very confused-looking Greencloaks aside, Shane came closer to Worthy and Stead and tried to yell over the commotion. “Stead, keep Rumfuss occupied for now, it won’t be long.” Before he could look back, he felt all the air exit his lungs at once as something slammed into his side with an immense force. His head hit the ground hard, had it not been for the mask, then his eyes, nose, and mouth would have been full of dirt. Looking up, he saw two hooves coming up, and he immediately rolled, the hooves came down hard, sure to have shattered Shane’s ribs if he hadn’t moved away in time. Standing up, he saw Arax lining up to charge at him again. Shane readied himself and as the ram neared, he pushed one of the horns to the side, making Arax change course and run straight into Rumfuss. The two animals collided, the dirt flew in every direction, and the air filled with grunts and squeals of surprise. Shane heard a sigh of relief followed by a chuckle, which he assumed came from Worthy and Stead. A loud bird-like screech carried on the battlefield, Shane snapped his head in the direction of the sound, and he saw Jolt clinging to one of the small windows up on the fortress, his now torn cloak billowing in the icy wind of the island as Uraza stalked away below him. Shane saw Howl and Worthy running to his aid, but as he began to do the same, he was stopped by a cobra, the large snake stood up and opened her hood. The Great Serpent was formidable, even in this form. He remembered how large and terrifying she was as a Great Beast. Even now, she was just as deadly, she was faster and more agile. Backing up, he tried to avoid Gerathon entirely by going around her. The snake let out a monstrous hiss and slithered with terrifying speed towards Shane. Shane tried to pull out his saber to cut at the snake, but within mere moments the serpent lunged and bit his arm. With a gasp of shock, Shane grabbed the large cobra behind her hood, pulled her off, and threw her on the ground a few meters away from himself. Breathing heavily and quickly, he undid the clasps that held a piece of leather to his lower arm. Memories flashed through his mind, of Drina and her spider, Iskos, as Gerathon forced the monstrous arachnid to kill his sister. As he pulled the leather off, he saw his arm, his scaled arm, Gerathon bit him right where he had golden-green crocodile scales, the venomous fangs of the serpent didn’t pierce the skin. Shane sighed a sigh of relief and put the piece of leather back on. 

As he looked up, he saw Gerathon’s tail slinking away between a fighting Greencloak and a Redcloak. Shane looked back towards Jolt and saw Howl helping him down, while Worthy was grappling with a small woman who had some kind of elongated, hissing otter on her shoulder. Running to a large boulder, Shane jumped onto it, taking a few seconds to find his balance, he looked over the mass of fighters, and noticed a group of Greencloaks being forced to another part of the island by a stream of lava, Dinesh was being forced away with them. Looking to his right, he noticed Stead jumping in large arches around Arax and Rumfuss who were trying to charge at the man. But he didn’t see Uraza. His heart began to thump harder and harder in his chest, his thoughts were a mess. She could have gone to? Could she? Where is she? This isn’t Zourtzi. She can’t. Shane was so caught up in his worries, that he didn’t hear Stead approach or call his name. “King!” Stead was saying, Shane wasn’t sure how many times he said it. “Arax and Rumfuss ran away, for one reason or another.” Stead waited for a few moments, probably for Shane to give a reply, which Shane didn’t. Stead’s eyes narrowed in a worried way behind his white ram mask. “What is it?” He asked hesitantly.  “Uraza,” Shane replied, already looking for any openings in the wall of the fortress where Jolt was handing earlier. The short answer seemed to be enough for Stead because he nodded and let out a short grunt before stepping back.

“Try to follow her, I will try to hold the Greencloaks back for as long as possible, if we succeed or fail, I will find you and report it.” The man nodded quickly before turning, drawing his sword, and beginning to yell commands. Shane was grateful that the young man didn’t enquire any further on the subject. Jumping down from the boulder, he ran as fast as he could, faster than he ever ran in his life, towards the closest tunnel in the fortress wall. He tried to locate any growls or roars that could have come from the leopard. He couldn’t hear anything besides the sounds of battle outside the walls of the fortress, and he began to hesitate, what would he even do if he did find her? Fight her? Kill her, even? He wasn’t sure how far Abeke’s forgiveness would go if he killed her beloved spirit animal. Or how far the nations would look for his good intentions when they find out he killed one of The Great Beasts. Was he able to kill a Great Beast? He shook his head, he couldn’t think like this, he would die if he had to in order to save Abeke. Passing several openings, he slowed down where six passages met, looking around wildly, he ran up to one and went a few meters in before going out, and checking the other passages. It felt hopeless, how could he ever find a creature that was the exact image of stealth? Or her partner? As he went into the fourth passage he thought he heard Abeke’s voice. Without any hesitation he sprinted down the dark hall, Shane realized that it could lead to one of the balconies, overlooking the center of the structure. He slowed down ever so slightly as he heard Abeke’s pleading voice. 

“I don’t know what Zerif’s done to you, but I know you, Uraza.” The girl seemed to be sobbing while saying it. Shane rounded a corner and nearly tripped on Tasha who was lying on the stone floor, clutching one of her arms, blood oozing in between her pale fingers. As he looked up, he saw what he feared the most. Zerif standing on one side of the room, at the balcony, and Abeke in a corner on the other, being backed in by Uraza. The leopard seemed so distant, her violet eyes lacking the intelligence that he had seen countless times before. “Deep down, I know that you don’t want to hurt-” Abeke’s pleading was cut off as Uraza leaped for her, paws outstretched, sharp claws glinting, ready to kill. This time, Shane didn’t think about what he was going to do, he only knew that he needed to get Uraza away from Abeke, and he jumped. He collided with Uraza in the air, the impact was so strong it slammed him and Uraza into the wall. His mask came flying off. He tried to hold onto the back of The Great Beast, but it was so difficult, her fur was so soft and short, and it was impossible to hold onto it. The leopard rolled on the ground, trying to get the nuisance off her. In one of these rolls, Shane lost his grip and slid slightly on her, but it was enough for Uraza to grab his arm and sink her teeth into it. He yelled out in pain, letting go of Uraza with his other hand, dropping on the floor. The leopard shook him, Shane thought his arm was gonna get torn off, but after a few seconds Uraza let go, Shane tried to scramble away, to try and regain his footing again, only to feel a wrenching pain in the side of his ribcage. Going off balance again he hit the ground with his head, and his vision flowed before him, he tried to yell, but the leopard’s grip was too tight, pushing at his ribs, threatening to break them. And all at once, she let go and turned without giving Shane a second glance. 

He knew his wounds weren’t fatal, and he knew Uraza knew it too, why was she letting him go so easily? He took in a few shaky breaths, and then stopped as the realization dawned on him. The world seemed to go silent for the next few moments. He wasn’t the target, and he was never the target, Abeke was, she was the target in Zourtzi, and she is the target now, Uraza missed her before, and she isn’t going to make the same mistake twice. “No-” Abeke begged the leopard before stumbling back as Uraza lunged at her. Uraza grabbed Abeke right under the ribs, on the side of her stomach, and shook violently. Shane’s vision blurred with tears, this time he didn’t hesitate. He ignored the pain in his arm, and the pain in his ribs. Unsheathing his saber, he grabbed it with both hands, bringing it high over his head, and put it right through Uraza’s back leg. The metal blade came out stained in bright red blood on the other side of the leopard’s leg. Uraza roared in pain and agony as she dropped Abeke on the cold ground. Just as the leopard whirled around, Shane pulled his saber free of her leg, another loud roar escaped her as she limped away from him, leaving a trail of red blood on the ground. The leopard seemed to notice him for the first time then, and to notice Abeke, Uraza’s ears flattened and her eyes widened as she let out low moans directed at her partner, before she could make any other move, she disappeared in a flash of bright light, into her passive state.  The only signs of Uraza’s presence were a pool of blood, the red-stained saber, and Abeke’s still body. Shane dropped his saber, and went to Abeke’s side, dropping on his knees beside her body. He took her head in his hands and looked into her warm, brown eyes. All the sound from the world seemed to come back to him at once, the metal clashes from the Redcloaks and Greencloaks from the sides of the chamber, their yells, and Abeke’s heavy breathing. He tried to focus on her face, to make himself look at her, but he couldn’t suppress the tears, they flooded his eyes, threatening his vision.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for everything.” Sobs tore from his throat in between the words. He wanted to say so much, to say how much he regretted the war, how much he wanted to make up, how much she truly meant to him, but the words didn’t come to him. He was supposed to die! He was The Devourer! She was one of The Four Heroes of Erdas, she didn’t deserve this. “I know… and I… forgive you.” Abeke was still willing to put her faith in others, even now. Her words came in short gasps, and they only made him sob harder. To Shane’s surprise, Abeke pulled him in for a hug, she felt warmer than the air around them, and Shane felt safe, for once. As Abeke pulled back, she tried to say something, but the words never took shape, she frowned and seemed to focus all of her energy on delivering a single message to him.

“Could you… promise… to protect them?” The words seemed to take a great toll on her. Abeke looked straight into Shane’s eyes, not many people did now, his eyes were inhuman, they were those of a crocodile. Without any hesitation, he nodded, he didn’t know who they were, maybe the other Four Heroes? The Greencloaks? The Great Beasts? Their summoners? It didn’t matter, he vowed to protect all of them, no matter the cost. 

With a final smile, Abeke’s eyes dulled, closed, and never opened again. Shane screamed at the top of his lungs, he couldn’t bear this, he was cursed and everyone who ever trusted him were cursed too, first his kingdom, his sister, his soldiers, and now Abeke. Were the Redcloaks next? His screams and yells became quieter and quieter, before he was quietly sobbing over Abeke’s lifeless body. He wanted to hit the ground, the walls, he wanted to let the world know how much it truly hurt, but whenever he opened his eyes, he just wanted to throw up, to see his friend so still, was sickening. He knew that there were Recloaks who were relying on him, and some who were watching him right now, but he didn’t care about his image, not now, he lost one of the most important people to him, how could he ever save the rest of them? Folding her green cloak under Abeke’s head, Shane brought his hands away from her, they came back red. His inhuman, clawed, and scaled hands weren’t tan with specs of gold and green, but red, blood-red. This was what he was, a killer, The Devourer, he led everyone around him to death. He heard a few grunts from one of the walls as Rollan broke free of his captors and came to sit next to him, the younger boy looked distraught at the sight of Abeke’s body. He didn’t talk, and Shane was grateful, he only laid a reassuring hand on Shane’s shoulder. 

[theynanigans]

uh oh, furby’s gone rogue again

(yes it’s stead don’t @ me /lh)

[zazu75]

Cotc shipping!!! I asked for some ships in the server and got a few!

First, I made one for someone who likes Cress/Rodion:

Then @hazelgatoya had a few cute requests:

One for @softboiled-doomdesire

@theynanigans asked for Prome and Millard, but I unfortunately do not have access to Prome’s sprite sheet, so I did their next fave duo

@silvercat-the-daydreamer asked for Gilderoy/Cress!

And then…. I indulged. My face was on fire the entire time I worked on it, but gilderguste, for me. UwU

[corvianbard]

#5643

The peacock dances For the high queen of heaven In the giant's stead.

[wisdomfish]

Jesus Christ has stood in our stead, and has not only negotiated this covenant, but has fulfilled in our name, and on our behalf, all the conditions which were necessary and right. He has become our Sponsor and Surety, so God is able to enter into these liberal terms with us, if we will identify ourselves with Him by a living faith. This is the new and better covenant.

Our Daily Walk

[allthecryingdragons]

"we were on a break"

HON U RAN AWAY

[scholarlycait]

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“The Sacred Flame’s Guidance...”

Priest Stead prays with the people of Donescu, but their quiet moment of contemplation is quickly interrupted by a ruffian.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

// Stead’s Traveler Story uploaded!

ID: a screenshot of a Discord message sent by me (mini/theynanigans), yesterday at 9:02 PM that reads “i have returned from ramen noodles and pumpkin soup to inform y'all that i harbor the same feelings for stead as one would for a haunted furby”

[monstertidbits]

laios and his loved ones... 🥹

[lgbtlunaverse]

"How did Shuro think he could marry Falin when he hated her brother?" you have to understand. Toshiro is from a whole different country. In his head he and Falin would move back to the Eastern Archipelago and they'd see Laios twice a year tops. You can pretend to get along with in-laws you don't like for a few days a year, people do that all the time.

The actual flaw in his plan– which shows he doesn't really understand either of the Touden siblings– is the fact that if the plot hadn't happened and Falin had for some reason said yes to his proposal, Laios would have packed his bags and moved away with them instantly.

[mayhemspreadingguy]

Lost boys

[onnie-giri]

poor kiyoomi got ambushed by a kitty (he was not happy-- to komori laughing his ass off atleast)