#stetriol

[trash-gremlin]

could you imagine how good spirit animals would be if it wasn't written as a children's series

[bayofwolves]

rereading spirit animals and realizing that the devourer wars are so much more nuanced than i used to think

like, feliandor was definitely wrong for starting the first one in order to colonize land for his nation. but when it was over, the greencloaks -- the supposed good guys -- carried out a genocide on the people of stetriol.

and in the second one, shane had every right to feel how he felt. the greencloaks had abandoned his people to centuries of torment and i agree with him for fighting back. but once again, the conquerors' methods were inexcusable. the atrocities they committed were just as horrible as their enemies'.

but of course, even though both sides had their faults, the greencloaks were never held accountable for what they did to stetriol. they were persecuted for their involvement in the war with the wyrm, yes, but what about before that? when they wiped out a nation and continued to hide what they'd done? when they used the nectar to dominate the world, withholding its lifesaving power from anyone they deemed not worthy?

the greencloaks allowed stetriol to be forgotten, and forgotten it still seems to be.

[patriotismforstetriol]

You gotta give it to Spirit Animals, it's got some good humour moments.

I mean, I wasn't thinking of this, but:

"strong sinking feeling" yeah, when you get properly close to Stetriol you'll be having that again.

[dark-night-star-light]

This was supposed to be a Talina post, but it turned into a fucking Talon backstory post instead. Whoopsie. It's long. Be warned.

Talon is Stetriolan. Naturally, this meant she joined the Conqueror army. But it's so much more than that.

Drina met her when they were seven. She was sneaking off during a royal procession in her honor (she was crown princess, which she was eventually knocked down from after she got bonding sickness) and Talon was there. Drina was intrigued because she'd never seen much of kids her own age besides Shane.

They stole food together. Drina had money, but who cares about that.

Talon's father had a spirit animal and the bonding sickness, and keeled over from it when Talon was ten years old.

Drina snuck out of the palace a lot to meet Talon, whose family was significantly poorer, and eventually started inviting her over. They grew up together, basically. Talon's family benefited a lot from her connection the the royal family.

Then Drina summoned Iskos, and it all went downhill. Screaming, crying, you name it, but the entire relationship went sideways. But Talon couldn't let go of her attachment to Drina.

Talon tried to teach Drina how to use a crossbow, but Drina was hopeless. Talon stopped trying to teach her when Drina almost shot the iconic Stetriolan throne.

Talon always saw Shane as an annoying younger brother, and treated him as such. She also taught him how to use a saber, and is the reason he's so good at it today.

Drina eventually begged Talon to join the Conqueror army, and Talon did it for Drina.

Yeah, Drina and Talon were kissing behind the scenes during the entire war, actually. This is canon, actually.

Talon became a double agent during the war. She pretended to join the Greencloaks after summoning her bird, claiming she bonded to it naturally. They believed her, and always seemed skittish around her, because bonding naturally meant they, the Greencloaks, the supposed protectors of Erdas, hadn't been able to protect her. Talon hated them, but pretend it was all fine and dandy.

She became friends with Keith. Who's Keith? Some guy. Shit fighter, he was. He eventually caught her sending letters via her bird to Drina. Fortunately for Talon, the letters were written in code, and they appeared to the layman as disgustingly over-the-top love letters.

Thus, Keith learns that Talon has a girlfriend. He is the biggest Talon-girlfriend shipper ever. Talon refuses to tell him who the girlfriend actually is, but lies and says she's Euran. Keith learns to make a shepherd's pie to impress the girlfriend for "when I finally meet her". He never does.

Talon is a trans girlie, by the way. In case you care.

Talon learns Drina got killed through Shane himself. He took it upon himself to tell her. He tells her that the sacrifice was worth it, and to come home for the final victory. It's through writing, so Talon can't decipher his tone.

Out of grief and rage, Talon recklessly tries to escape Greenhaven. Of course, she runs into Keith on the way out. He asks her where she's going, and she tries to knock him out. He's a better fighter now so he blocks her. She runs into the woods, but unfortunately Greenhaven's an island. That's not good for her.

She waits in the woods until Keith leaves, and hopes he doesn't hate her. But she has a feeling he already knows.

She sneaks onto a boat and eventually ends up back at Stetriol. Shane's there. They talk about Drina. It doesn't really help.

She sees Drina's dead body and now her entire purpose feels destroyed. Drina was the reason she joined the Conquerors and now she won't even be there to celebrate the final victory.

She tries to kill herself, but Gerathon herself stops her using the Bile-control. She thinks it's ironic that Gerathon killed Drina against her will but is keeping her alive against her will.

She sees Keith at the battle at the base of Muttering Rock. She feels nothing. He feels nothing. They fight like two soldiers on opposite sides, not two friends. But she can't help but notice that he doesn't make any truly dangerous moves against her. And she can't help but notice the same about herself.

The Conquerors lose. Talon doesn't care anymore. Shane does his best to keep her alive because he knows Drina would want him to. They eventually part ways.

. . . Until Shane hires her to the Redcloaks. She'd been noticing how her features were slowly warping, but she didn't take much notice. She just felt numb. Just nothingness.

Shane brings her back. Tells her that there's a new threat, and that they finally have a chance to redeem themselves. And that the real Drina, the Drina that existed before the bonding sickness and the Bile warped her beyond repair, would want them to. He begs her to do it for Drina. And he tells her about his conversation with Yumaris. She is the only one to know besides Anya, Yumaris, and Shane himself.

Shane didn't send her after Grif and Anuqi. She sent herself. Shane pretends to be annoyed, but in reality, he's glad she has some drive and is acting like her old self again.

She disrespects Shane in front of the other Redcloaks. A lot. She'll never see him as a leader, just as the annoying preteen that asked her what that painting in the palace was supposed to mean and flicked food at her across the table as a kid.

When she saw Keith on the mission with Grif and Anuqi, she knew that she had to make things up to him, and him personally.

After the mess with the Wyrm, she makes a journey to Greenhaven with Stead. Keith isn't there. So she travels to Amaya, where he's from, to meet him herself.

He has incredibly mixed feelings upon seeing her again. But he knows who the Redcloaks are, really. And he's wondered whether she'd be with them since he found out about them.

He's shocked at her transformation. Naturally.

Eventually they make up. They spar. He's better than ever.

When the Oathbound are hunting Greencloaks, Talon hides Keith with the Redcloaks. They almost find him, too. The irony in Keith pretending to be a Redcloak is not lost on either of them.

Once things settle down, Talon helps Keith find the two missing bond tokens in the sea near the Zhongese palace. Keith returns one and Talon returns the other, which symbolizes for how the Greencloaks and Redcloaks are really and truly working for the same side now.

[wynniewho]

Zerif is such an enigma, which is both great for fanfic writing purposes, and frustrating in regards to simply figuring out his character.

On one hand, he's opportunistic, has connections, and has some unknown motivation of having the world remember him. He also has a jackal that may or may not be bonded via the Bile (it's never really made clear, I don't think).

There's also the fact that he had all this information about the secrets of the Bile. The wiki says that Kovo told him about it, but surely Stetriol would have known that he stepped ashore long before he even reached Muttering Rock.

Which brings me to my own rewrite!

Personally, here is how I think Zerif's backstory and motivation is going to go so far:

Zerif and Olvan both join the Greencloaks when they summon their spirit animals. Overtime, they become renowned as heroes among the Greencloaks, rising above the ranks faster than most of their peers.

One day, Zerif is given a special assignment: protecting Gerathon. Unlike Kovo, the Great Serpent wasn't guarded by any Great Beast like Kovo was with Halwair. Furthermore, they (Greencloaks and Great Beasts) couldn't exactly leave the two Beasts alone on Stetriol alone; they may make another escape attempt! So, they assign the most capable of Greencloaks to guard her, hiding them away for the rest of their tenure.

But while some would it to be a great honor, being a part of such a massive secret, Zerif would feel quite the opposite. How could he be disrespected like this? Has he not done as he was asked, to the letter? Why should he be forced to sequester himself away, allowed to be forgotten, while Olvan, his inferior, takes the mantel of commanding the Greencloaks?

But he says nothing, and does his duty, hoping that it will be over sooner rather than later.

Gerathon proves to be more amenable than expected - well, as one can be, trapped in such a confined space for the rest of eternity. Zerif makes polite conversation, despite orders to never let the Serpent learn so much as your name. Eventually, she, too begins to open up, teaching him about her life before the war. About Stetriol. About Kovo.

And soon, a plan begins to hatch. A plan for Zerif to be remembered, forever and always.

[king-shane-of-the-redcloaks]

Shane, he/him. I don't know how to make an intro post, so I just I guess tell you a bit about my life.

A little bit about me: I am turning into a crocodile because I went through a bit of a teenage phase where I drank the Bile, but I'm over that now. I used to be Stetriol's prince before I lost a world-wide war and became the single most hated figure on the face of the planet. So that was a bit awkward. But I'm trying to be better. I'm also trans and I have infinite saber swag.

A little bit about my family: They're all dead. My sister, Drina, was killed by her own spirit animal. My father killed his own spirit animal, and Zerif's spirit animal killed him. (Hate that guy. Boo!) And my beloved mother also eventually succumbed to the bonding sickness. My uncle, Gar, spent my entire childhood trying to wrest control of the throne and pretended to be bonded to my own unbeloved spirit animal. My family might be a tad bit cursed, but fuck it, we ball. She isn't really family, but my tutor, Yumaris, became a worm.

Miscellaneous little things about me: I hate the color purple (don't bring that vile shit near me), I hate that stupid trend of asking a loved one "Would you still love me if I was a worm?" because Yumaris loves to ask me that at the most inconvenient times (like when I'm giving inspiring speeches to my Redcloaks before an important battle), I have a weak spot for archers for some reason, I occasionally rub against trees to shed excess scales, I've recently developed a taste for bloodred jewelry, such as earrings and necklaces, and I tried to kill all the snakes in Stetriol once (I'm pretty sure it's possible, haven't you heard of that one Euran region that has no snakes whatsoever?).

Anyway, I guess I'm just trying to see if anyone relates to me or my experiences (I mean, we all make mistakes as teenagers, right?) so feel free to talk to me through the official Redcloak Ksenian crow messaging service. I want my Redcloaks to feel that they can criticize my leadership without fear, so I have decided that you are not required to tell me who you are.

DNI: Abeke haters, overly enthusiastic Greencloaks/Greencloak supporters, Kovo, Gerathon, Halawir, Oathbound sympathizers, Zerif sympathizers, and people who are assholes to my Redcloaks because of our transformations.

[megs-msdd24]

OMG THE SA FANDOM IS ACTUALLY ALIVE??? could you please make Zerif headcanons🥹? he was always my favorite character but i barely see anyone talking about him

Yes we are very small 😔 BUT WE'RE STILL HERE! Here's some headcanons for you <3 (btw, I wasn't sure what kind of headcanons you were looking for but here's my best guess)

Zerif Headcanons

Before

-Zerif bro. How do I even start this?

-from the start(kid age) he's a very sneaky kid.

-Going by my brain and the information i remember, we're gonna say he's of Amayan and Zhongese descent

-he grew up in a small, poor village that wasn't on the Greencloaks radar (I'm leading into his conqueror days bear with me) so a good chunk of the people had bonding sickness. Zerif watched all these people get sick and go mad. He even watched one person kill their spirit animal to escape.

-So when he isn't blessed with a spirit animal he becomes an aid to the rest of his village

-this is when his crime life begins. He starts to steal little things. Like clothing, food, necessities you know?

-but it slowly grows over time and he starts stealing from the wealthy. He gets caught by one of these nobles and they ship him off to Stetriol.

During

(When I say during, I mean like after Abeke becomes a greencloak)

-So, our friend Zerif is now a conqueror :D

-by the time he meets Shane, he's been wandering in Stetriol for maybe two-ish years?

-skip forward a little bit and he's now a leader among the conquerors

-he's got his little army of kids that go around trying to stop the Greencloaks (Shane and co.)

-He knows he's really working for Kovo but he kinda likes his conqueror buddies and his jackal

-That is, until the Evertree. When he loses his sword in the battle he high-tails it out of there. (Now you see him now you don't 🤷🏾‍♀️) He's not ready to risk his life ok?

-Remember those weeks where that greencloak was chasing him before he found the Wyrm?

-yea, he lost his survival skills. He got too comfy as a conqueror(sorry)

Wyrm Arc

-When he first meets the Wyrm we already know he's disgusted by it. But it's possessed him now so what can he do?

-I feel like the Wyrm basically baited him by telling him that it would give him a lot of power and he wanted what he had as a conqueror back but better.

-He's angry and wants revenge so of course he's gonna do it.

-But as he steals more and more Spirit Animals i feel like there was the itsy bitsy teensy tiniest bit of him that felt wrong about the entire thing

-everytime he doubted the Wyrm would basically increase it's hold on him to whip him back into shape

-by the time he gets to the place of desolation all he's thinking is kill and power.

-When he finally meets the Wyrm face to face he's thinking "what the flip is this scary looking thing"

-but he can't say that so of course he goes "BEAUTIFUL"

-but as the Wyrm seeps into him he's regretting it (probably reflecting on his life decisions too) he's thinking anything would be better than this even going back to his broke little village that's probably long since been destroyed.

-You know how in like books when someone's possessed they can like see but can't do anything? Same goes for him. He's banging on his mental prison walls screaming and cursing but then-he's suddenly back in control of his body

-he's groggy as if waking from a really really long dream but then he gets hit with the pain. He can feel the Wyrm trying to take back control and Abeke screaming at him.

-he doesn't fully understand what she's saying but he gets the gist

-SO, he tosses himself into the lava

-his last thoughts are that "aw man I didn't get to rule anything" but also "finally peace bro"

-and then he's dead 😔

-that's it friend! I hope you like them lmk if u ever want anything changed <3

[orcaab]

Typical Me by knoh is so Shane-coded, you cannot change my mind.

Here are some lines which I think match Shane really well:

-"It's so ironic when the medicine is toxic" The bile was the medicine for Stetriol that ended up making any users slaves to Gerathon. -"He broke into my head, so I tossed the key and locked it" I have three interpretations for this one: 1. Gerathon with the bile. 2. Kovo with the conquest. 3. Zerif or Gar (or both) with the hate for the Greencloaks. -"Enemy faces look the safest" Abeke. No further explanation needed -"My dark mind undermines every time we build" His hatred for the Greencloaks made him fight against them in the war for Stetriol's freedom and reestablishment as a nation, instead of with them. Which, in turn, created a lot of destruction across the whole of Erdas. -"Trying to survive in the older world we killed" Shane and his kingdom trying to survive in the world that Fel basically 'killed', with the bonding sickness, salted forests, and no trade. -"Oh, the God keeps lookin' at me starin' from the mirror" The eyes of those who Gerathon possesses turn yellow whenever she takes a peek, so... -"Janus can't you cure me of my indecision fever?" Maybe the bile bond to Gerathon, or maybe the aftermath of said bond. -"Empty pages, unexplained dazes" No one really knew The Devourer and his reasons, and no one is going to be able to now. -"Antagonist, protagonist become one and the same" Shane is the antagonist of pretty much the whole world, and yet he is his own protagonist. Also, this kinda reminds me of his "I'm not a villain, but I'm not a hero either. I am a king" line, I think it goes something like that? -"So how do I survive when the war is all in my brain?" Could be his I-have-to-betray-Abeke dilemma or could be the bile-created transformation into their spirit animals. -"You better lock me up, or he'll be wearin' my crown!" Shane realizing Kovo lied about giving Shane The Staff and deciding to fight with The Four against him. -"Pages are empty, so empty from breakage" I would imagine that the transformation from human into their spirit animals would be very asking on the soul, and Shame probably also never shared anything about that.

[ammonitetheseaserpent]

Petition to make an AU where Stetriol has its own bond token and we get to see the original water-holding frog/toad legend.

[constantly-reading31]

The Reptile King

Shane! My first time drawing him. Haven't even figured out his character design yet, but I'm ok with how he looks rn.

{The crocodile skulls and bones are different sizes, whoops. Let's call it individual difference shall we?}

[anathemadevice]

ok i just saw the music asks post and Anyways if ur still up for doing those, 9, 12, & 17 👀

9: song that makes you happy

here but also every once and a while one has to rock out to edge of seventeen

12: song from your preteen years

i can’t in good conscience put panic at the disco on here but. far too young to die

17: song you would sing a duet with on karaoke

take a hint from victorious babey!!!

music asks

[trash-gremlin]

thx for the ask!

hmmm for the captain, 🔺 and 🎮

for alistair💘 and 🖤

and for trixie, 💯

^_^

yeas ofc gonna throw it under the cut in case it gets long

The Captain:

🔺 - does your oc know how to use any weapons: i dont think they've been trained or anything but i think they're able to deduct how to use blasters and theyre also good at using improvised weapons

🎮 - what are three of your ocs hobbies: 1. stargazing!! self explanatory. 2. watching movies. i reckon once they establish the colony they host a weekly movie night. 3. doodling. just stupid silly little doodles when theyre bored. helps pass the time

Alastair:

💘 - what and/or who does your oc consider the most important to them: ok obviously the easy answer is Donaron, he's literally incomplete without his spirit animal and he can't imagine being without him. I'm also gonna say his saber because it was his father's. and also in spirit animals canon im gonna say Shane (the boy king of stetriol) because his job in the royal guard was to protect him (and/or be his friend - hes around the same age as him with alastair maybe a little bit older). i dont think he got very close with the other greencloaks.

🖤 - has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust: im gonna say he's definitely killed people, and definitely seriously injured them. i think he's fine with it until a few years down the track and he's reflecting on the war and realises he has literally killed people and children who in another life could easily be him. i also think when him and shane met on the battlefield on opposite sides both their hearts broke a little bit. Shane definitely had trouble trusting him again after the war but they both forgave each other before shane died.

Trixie:

💯- share three random facts about your oc that others may not know: 1. her houndooms are named bonnie and clyde. 2. she usually does lifestyle vlogs with her brother occasionally showing up in them. he's a fan favourite and she hates it. 3. the only brand deals or collaborations she does are for fashion brands. BONUS. she doesn't do a lot of battling and instead prefers to keep pokemon as companions

[bayofwolves]

Rereading The Evertree

We've come to the end. I'm finally at the last book of the first arc! Hopefully I can stop explaining what these posts are now, but one more time for anyone unaware: These posts are a compilation of notes taken from my rereads of the Spirit Animals books. They include interesting details, stuff I missed and how I plan to change certain things in my retelling of the series, A Revised History of Erdas. Shall we begin?

"I know you were supposed to be your village's Rain Dancer and all, but can you lighten up on all the dancing?" I know Rain Dancers have to engage in rituals and meditate extensively before they can produce rain, but Abeke influencing the weather with her emotions is a fun idea. Imagine the ceaseless rain is brought down by her pain and sorrow over Shane, Meilin, Tarik and her family.

It definitely feels to me like Tarik was one of the Greencloak leaders, alongside Lenori and underneath Olvan. His role in training the Four Heroes themselves, him having a seat at the table with the other leaders and a place at their important meetings, et cetera... it all seems like his rank was higher than he let on in-text. (Also, my two cents: I would nominate Finn to take his place as the third Greencloak leader.)

"The image of Gerathon's smiling jaws and slithering body disappeared, replaced instead with Rollan's lopsided grin and Conor's encouraging voice, Abeke's clear laugh." I am crying.

The typos in this one are funny. Kalani's dolphin, Katoa, is referred to as female even though he was introduced as male in Against the Tide. And Devin is mistakenly called Devon.

I don't like how Kalani and Rollan made up by completely forsaking the cultural beliefs of Kalani's people. If Hundred Islanders believe something is tapu and want nothing to do with it, they shouldn't be forced to go against that. They already introduced the concept of a ceremony to rid someone or something or tapu (noa), so they could have simply had Kalani perform this for Rollan. I've been saying this, but I'll say it again.

Finn should have been the leader of the Greencloak expedition from the beginning. He already has experience with these kids, and placing him back in a position of authority would be much less likely to spark resentment than a completely new person like Dorian would. Narratively, I do think it was necessary to see more of how Tarik's death affected the Four. But logically...

The Conquerors are monitoring their own people for signs of disloyalty. Interesting.

It seems some records of Stetriolan wildlife survived after all -- Finn knows that the animal who stole their provisions is a dingo. Since it was established earlier that the Greencloaks know next to nothing about Stetriol, I would have liked it better if Abeke was one of their only sources of information. She could use whatever she learned about the continent from Shane and the Conquerors to help guide them in their quest. And she identified a dingo in Against the Tide, so she could have done the same here instead of Finn.

Strange how the party just left the dead horse behind and continued on, instead of using it for meat. Between the meat from the horse and the water bulbs Abeke found, they would have been set to last for even longer.

Abeke swinging up onto her horse's back reminds me of that scene in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers where Legolas does that crazy mounting technique. I'm willing to bet that was done on purpose; both characters are great archers, after all.

Shane's intense reaction to Gerathon entering his mind must mean that this is the first time she has controlled him. It makes sense, given that she probably wanted to make him feel like he was the one in charge. Oh, what I would give to get inside Shane's head during this battle.

Gerathon forcing Shane to aim for Abeke specifically was definitely intentional. Her method of reading people and then turning them against the ones they love the most is the highest form of torture.

I know I've mentioned that Sundown in Rise and Fall may be my favourite chapter in all of Spirit Animals, but Duel is a strong contender, too. The contrast between the raw pain and rage of Duel and the peacefulness, the gentleness, the emotional vulnerability of Sundown is incredible. It makes sense why both are so close to my heart; they go together, hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.

Everything I read about the Four Heroes' travels is telling me that Erdas is a remarkably small planet.

Conor is sorely mistaken about the crater around the Evertree being caused by an ancient volcano. Additionally, when Abeke later sees a vision in the sky of how the world came to be, including the birth of the Evertree and the Great Beasts, there is not even a hint about the Wyrm. It makes me wonder if the authors had conceived of the Wyrm's landing at this point (or if they were purposefully covering up this plot point to surprise the readers).

Only the Great Beasts know the location of the Evertree. I wonder how it has remained hidden to the rest of the creatures on Erdas. Surely there are tribes living in southern Nilo, yes? It would be cool if the Great Beasts were able to conceal it with their combined magic, making the crater and everything inside it invisible to the human eye.

The Evertree bears fruit! Its description of "pure white" and, well, the fact that it comes from the Evertree itself makes me imagine it has magical properties of some kind. What could this fruit bestow upon you if you were to eat it? Good health? Eternal life? If humans knew how to find the Evertree, I'm sure wars would have been waged over this very question. (It could have made for an interesting storyline if Shane had managed to steal one of the fruits before he fled. Perhaps he would eat it, perhaps sell it, perhaps keep it to look at. I imagine it would stay fresh even after being plucked and never spoil.)

In ARHoE, Arax appears at the Evertree with a broken horn from when Barlow threw him off the cliff. Just a cool detail I thought to mention.

Tellun sacrificing himself is supposed to be seen as a noble act, but at a closer look it actually works against our protagonists. Kovo has made his intent to rule the whole world quite clear. While the Great Beasts dying might sadden him, it won't stop him. By taking themselves out of the battle, Tellun and the first few are leaving it all up to a bunch of kids (warriors, yes, but still kids) to bring down this age-old, godlike gorilla, instead of using their combined might to stop him and save the world they swore to protect. If Tellun had learned something from the last Great War and decided to fight this time, aided our heroes in driving Kovo into the Evertree and died in the process, it would have been so much better! On the flip side, though, it could be read as a testament to how selfish the Great Beasts actually are -- how they are shown time and time again to care more about themselves and their talismans than upholding their oath.

I would have preferred it if the brief moment when the Four Fallen appear as Great Beasts once more happened at the Evertree and not Muttering Rock. Like, if being in the presence of the tree that created them temporarily restored them to their old forms. Great Beast-sized Briggan, Uraza, Jhi and Essix fighting Kovo, Gerathon and Halawir with the rest of their brethren, a more hopeful and heartbreaking rendition of their last battle all those years ago, would have been amazing.

Something about Shane presumably fleeing further into Nilo, home of the friend he betrayed, and perhaps wandering there a while in the wake of his defeat... and many months later, Abeke restoring her bond with Uraza in Stetriol, home of the friend she forgave. Everything is connected.

Wow. This was a powerful finale -- high stakes, epic final battle, emotional climax, descriptions I could see in my mind's eye. There were quite a few things I didn't like about this one, though. Outside of what I've already mentioned: The ending should have been heartwarming, and for the most part it was, but Abeke reconciling with her abusive family soured it for me. I wish the Four had reconvened with Finn, Maya, Kalani and the rest of their party at some point, instead of them vanishing in the middle of a battle and never being heard from again. And once again, I protest the exclusion of Irtike! Aside from all that, though, The Evertree was a great read and a solid conclusion to arc one of Spirit Animals. There are a lot of loose ends to be tied, but for now, the war is over, and our protagonists can finally breathe.

It's been a good run. I plan to take a short break here, but I'm excited to turn the page and begin a new arc soon!

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[patriotismforstetriol]

Drawing a random scene from every Spirit Animals book:

Part 12: Broken Ground

And we get Ninani for the Ninani book. Always enjoy finding those patterns.

The random generator has selected Chapter 10: Stetriol's Welcome.

[dark-night-star-light]

Spirit Animals: Tales of the Great Beasts: Ninani's Nectar (Reread pt. 19)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE FIRST AND SECOND SERIES AND THE BOOK OF SHANE.

Masterpost

The rest of the Tales of the Great Beasts Reread

"Tepin realized that he was actually lying on water, drifting backward. The current was picking up speed. He turned around and gasped, just in time to see the edge of a waterfall flash into view. With a scream, Tepin plunged over the side" (2). I love how we're told that Briggan is like. The dream Great Beast. But canonically, they can all control dreams. That is so funny.

Right now I'm wondering why the heck this guy is getting these dreams. What. Why him??? Why is he special?

"But there was something familiar about the bird" (3). Yeah, I would fucking hope so. She's a Great Beast.

It's genuinely so interesting that they decided to go the route of "Tepin doesn't have a spirit animal" for the story. Obviously, I adore spirit animals, but genuinely, this was refreshing.

"But Ifa was sick, and her illness had become serious enough that she had been taken to live with the village’s healer" (3). Wondering when she summoned Cachi. Had to have been recent, right? Or does bonding sickness take time to set it???

"The first time Gobe had tried climbing, he made it all the way up without looking down. Tepin’s father had never seemed prouder" (5). Jealous siblings, my beloved. I love that trope. It slaps pretty much every time. The parent favoritism . . . the angst . . . the need to be perfect . . .

Honestly, it's kind of sad that they never resolve this tension between Tepin, Gobe, and their father. Could've been a cool character moment. Like. They're just going to leave the strained relationship strained???

"Of their father’s alpacas, Shumbi was Tepin’s favorite. She was usually the first awake too. And the first to bleat in the early morning light, crying for her breakfast. For that reason, she was Gobe’s least favorite anything" (5). Gobe's just like me for real.

"Cachi, you know what to do," Tepin said. But Cachi wasn’t acting like himself. He burrowed into Tepin’s own bed" (6). The idea htat you can get the bonding sickness later is so heartbreaking. Imagine you summon a spirit animal with no bonding sickness. So you think you must be one of the lucky ones that escaped without it. You begin to enjoy your spirit animal and the perks that come with it. But then it hits you. And it only gets worse with time.

"Tepin knew little about the mysterious woman. Only that she was newly home from a great war" (6). Is nobody educating these children on the First Devourer War??? Are they all trying to pretend it didn't happen or something???

"Greencloaks were supposed to be good, not evil. Everyone knew that" (6). I love how this is like. The thesis statement of the entire series.

"'She hasn’t come out of her house since she first returned from Stetriol'" (7). So then they do know that she was in Stetriol? But no other details about the war? Also, I'm wondering when Stetriol was wiped off the map. Did the actual Greencloaks that fought in the war even have a say in that, or was it the new generation of Greencloaks that did that? Because it seems like everyone is still aware of what that it right now.

I love how Anyati is like. The village's healer, but everyone also thinks she's a witch. Like, yeah, send her all your sick and injured, but also talk behind her back about how she's a witch because she . . . collects things to make. Medicine. This village is so silly.

"Was it something the Greencloak was doing?" (7). I love how for half this book, Tepin is scared to death of Anyati because he heard a rumor about her from his brother who he doesn't even like. That is such peak pre-teen behavior.

"'I have dreams much bigger than this mountain. One day I hope to travel all across Erdas, selling my carpets as I go'" (9). I love how Ifa didn't even want to be a Greencloak. She just wanted to chill out. I feel like that's so much more tragic, since Greencloaks are supposed to be seen as heroes that risk their lives, but Ifa literally just wanted a quiet life.

Okay, so. We all agree that Anyati keeps her place creepy on purpose, right? Like. She does that very much on purpose. She's trying to spread these rumors about herself. This is so funny. Like, she's so stereotypically witchy that she has to be trying to do this. I love her so much.

"It was headed for his neck! Tepin screamed louder, trying to shake the animal off of him. He didn’t want to find out if the bat sucked blood, as Gobe claimed" (13). See, the funny thing is, vampire bats don't even drink human blood. They exclusively drink animal blood.

"Tepin could see why people might think Anyati was a witch. But as best as he could tell, she was sincerely trying to help Ifa" (14). I love how not even a full page ago, he was accusing her of making Ifa sick. He literally changes his mind because he saw her examine Ifa's blood. That's what changed his mind. Honestly, Tepin needs to commit to his belief that Anyati's a witch. It would be so funny if he thought Anyati was examining Ifa's blood to decide what potion to make out of it or something.

"'It’s bonding sickness,' the Greencloak muttered, almost to herself" (14). She doesn't know this already? How long has Ifa been with her?

Tepin is so silly. Anyati asks him if Ifa's been having weird dreams and he just goes, "Well, I had a weird dream" (not a quote, a paraphrase).

Anyati's response to Tepin talking about his dream is so funny. Like, pop off, girlie, I would say that, too.

"'Ninani sided with the Four Fallen— with Briggan, Uraza, Jhi, and Essix—though she didn’t join them in the final battle against the Devourer. She blamed the Bile for the war. At least, that’s the story I was told.' Tepin didn’t know anything about the Bile, aside from what the Greencloak had told their village when she returned from the far-off continent of Stetriol" (17). Okay, so this means that Tepin (and assumedly the rest of the village) have a baseline level of knowledge about the war, right? Also, I think it's so interesting how they talk about Stetriol relatively normally. Like, there's no talk of wiping it off the map yet? Huh.

"'The swan revealed herself to me!' Tepin argued. 'She was waiting at the top of a waterfall. She must want to be found'" (17). Yeah, but . . . why? Why did Ninani choose Tepin of all people? (My personal theory is that since Ninani is the giver of Nectar, she also has the ability to tell whether someone will be able to summon a spirit animal or not. Maybe she chose Tepin because she knew he'd be the next in the village to summon a spirit animal and she wanted to save him from the bonding sickness with her Nectar before anyone else??? Not confirmed, but it makes some sense, I guess.)

Honestly, the relationship writing is a little bit lax for me. Like Tepin is so willing to immediately risk his life for Ifa, which, yeah, she's his friend, but, like. Come on. This is a little extreme. We saw one conversation between them where we're sort of explicitly told that they're friends, and it was sweet, but this seems a little too much. Tepin had no second thoughts about charging straight into a dangerous forest on the chance that Ninani would be able to cure Ifa. There should've been more scenes of Ifa and Tepin's relationship to really flesh it out and make it more dimensional. Maybe Tepin saw the sibling he never had in Gobe in Ifa, instead. Maybe he was scared to lose her because he knows he won't find that same love in his father or brother. Or maybe he confided in her about his issues with his father's favoritism or something that makes their relationship have more depth. Also, this is a kid that's not even old enough to have a spirit animal yet. I get that he's supposed to be noble, but it just falls flat for me.

[cut because block limit]

"'What do you want?' Tepin screamed in the animal’s direction" (20). Tepin: I know there's an animal hunting me, stalking me, trailing me for half a mile. Or more. Also Tepin: *screams at it* Some more peak pre-teen behavior from our silly little guy. I love him so much.

"He hurried toward the sound, and eventually the thick forest gave way to the moonlit water" (20). Friendly reminder that this dork (/aff) didn't even wait until morning. It's the middle of the night right now.

"The animal cocked its head to one side. There was a yellow patch of hair on its neck, like a small bib. Whatever the creature was, it didn’t seem to want to harm Tepin" (21). I wonder what animal this is.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tepin never expresses a desire to have a spirit animal. And this is before he knew about the bonding sickness. That seems interesting.

"The boy opened his eyes to see what was biting him. His body had drifted into the branches of a fallen tree, which stabbed at his skin and clothes" (22). Okay, that was Tonga, right? Tonga saved him??? Is this confirmed?

"'Will it save me?' he asked the swan. Ninani nodded gracefully. The marble stone was as heavy as a granadilla fruit. It seemed to glow in the boy’s hand. 'Will it save Ifa?' Tepin asked. But when he looked up, the swan was already gone" (23). The foreshadowing . . . also this is definitely strengthening my theory that Ninani reached out to Tepin of all people because she knew he was going to be the next in the village to summon a spirit animal and wanted to save him from the bonding sickness.

"Tepin watched Anyati’s strained face as Tonga sucked her blood" (24). I get what the writers were trying to do, but vampire bats don't drink human blood.

"It must have been a long time since anyone had shown the secretive Greencloak any affection" (26). This is so sad. I wonder why she isolated herself. Maybe because of the war? Maybe she didn't want to constantly explain her trauma to other people or something?

"Perhaps it was he who had killed her? Tepin had greedily taken all of the Great Beast’s power, leaving nothing to save Ifa" (26). Oh, this poor kid. I don;t know how to explain it, but this almost feels like survivor's guilt? Like a mix of guilt and grief.

"'Why do you assume it’s the human who chooses the animal?' the Greencloak asked the boy. 'Or that there’s any choice at all?'" (27). You know, considering pretty much every village or town has someone that's summoned a spirit animal, it's really strange that Tepin doesn't know how it works. But I guess maybe that's how it was before the Bile, when people's spirit animals just appeared out of nowhere and there was no ceremony?

"'There is . . . pain best left behind in war. It isn’t easily shared with those who don’t know it themselves. There are things I have to live with that will die with me. Understand?'" (28). YOOOOOOOO, I predicted it??? The reason she cut herself off from everyone else in the village?

"Tepin walked straight up to the waterfall’s edge. Once he reached the sheer face of the stone, he took a deep breath and began to climb. He had seen his brother do it every morning. Except the cliff was always dry when Gobe scaled it" (29). Look, I get that this is a short story, but I still think it's completely unreasonable that Tepin goes from never having climbed a cliff to climbing a steep, soaking wet, tall one. Couldn't there have been some scenes where he tries to climb other cliffs, maybe in the jungle or something, and fails, but now he knows he can't do that, which motivates him to abandon his fear? It's not just about fear; there's also like. The sheer skill of climbing a cliff face.

"'Pull with your arms and push with your legs,' Gobe had told him once" (29). Rollan-Gobe parallels??? Rollan says something super similar in The Dragon's Eye.

"'The harm caused by the war is permanent. The natural bonds between humans and animals have been jeopardized for generations to come. Perhaps forever" (32). The writers will always be geniuses for making it so that the Bile caused the bonding sickness, but is also able to heal it. That is the most awesome full-circle worldbuilding thing they could have done. Like, it just shows that nothing, not even the Bile, is completely bad.

"Fleshy white flowers sweetened the misty air. Ninani picked one of the flowers with her huge black beak and dropped it at the boy’s feet" (32). It's so interesting how the Bile and the Nectar work differently in terms of creation. The Bile worked by submerging it in water, which turned to Bile, but the Nectar literally creates flowers. Out of nowhere. There's something there somewhere, I know it.

"His mouth filled immediately with the sweet memory of granadilla fruit" (32). It's cute how the way Tepin experiences the Nectar ties back to his earliest memories of Anyati.

"'If I have to devote the rest of my life to it,' he said, 'I will keep your talisman safe, and bring this gift to all who need it'" (34). Gotta love the irony there. At this point in time, it's well-known what Stetriol is. So did they wipe them off the map after this incident because they didn't want them to have the Nectar? Hmmmmm . . .

"'Thank you . . . my Keeper,' she said finally" (34). I am an idiot for not realizing that the Keeper is. The Keeper of the Nectar. Wow. Good job, me.

Also, Tepin's tayra doesn't have a canon name??? Awwww.

"Wherever the Nectar of Ninani goes, may you also follow" (34). Okay, that was cute as hell.

Final thoughts and rating:

I loved the journey Tepin went through . . . in theory. Though I do think it was a bit rushed, he did have a nice character arc. Anyati is such a great character, and I love the subtle themes of trauma and isolation that are attached to her character. Tepin summoning a tayra after having been saved by one was a neat touch. I really liked that. I think Ifa could have been a great character if fleshed out more, and I liked the way Tepin grieved for her. That last line definitely hit me so hard, with what and the parallels between the Nectar, which couldn't save Ifa, and Ifa, who wanted to travel the world like the Nectar will now do. That was definitely an awesome decision on the writer's part.

I didn't like that Tepin's family life issues were never really resolved or talked about. His dad clearly has a case of favoritism, and Tepin's relationship with his brother needed more fleshing out. They should've taken it out if they didn't have the room for it, in my opinion. I also think Ifa and Tepin's relationship needed some serious fleshing out. It had no depth to it and felt completely flat. The readers need to understand why Tepin would do such a noble thing for her, especially considering his age, and their relationship doesn't really back that up for me. Tepin's arc was also way too rushed. He needed some time to fail and fail again before he could succeed. The fact that Ninani reached out to Tepin specifically also needed a reason. It just seems like she chose him randomly, because there story doesn't bother with an explanation for that.

Rating: 7/10

[bladealvis]

Fiction series: has a desert location

me:

bonus points if it’s the Final Frontier+full of the Strongest monsters