#t: sealed vessel

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 3

Sealed Vessel from Hollow Knight

vs.

Title Screen from Pictionary

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

Title Screen:

Dude! It’s just Pictionary! You don’t need to go this hard!

[shaadowmilkcookie]

One of Shadow Milk’s many prop replicas of himself, left behind. Even though the eyes are forever staring straight into the distance… Oddly enough, you still feel like you’re being watched.

But surely, though, it won’t hurt to take it home and touch up the colours, right? :)

[asdfghjklmals]

SEALED & DELIVERED✩༶‧˚

GENRE + T/W: sfw, angst. hurt and NO comfort. WORD COUNT: 4.5k words. TAGS: satoru gojo x fem!oc. established couple. adoptedkiddo! megumi x fem guardian!oc.

SYNOPSIS: after satoru gets sealed in the prison realm, megumi realizes that he has to be the one to tell oc gojo girlfriend the bad news—includes child megumi flashback story. AUTHOR'S NOTE: the awkward moment where this doesn't end with fluff... this fic just focuses on satoru getting sealed and megumi's relationship with oc gojo girlfriend. sorry about the ending. i was starting to word vomit and run out of ideas. there will definitely be a continuation about the 19 days satoru was sealed away though. REMINDER: if you want to imagine yourself in oc gojo girlfriend's character descriptions, please do!

intro

"sweetheart, we need to talk."

you looked up from your pile of paperwork while satoru sat down in the chair in front of you. he planted his elbows on your glass desk and leaned over, a troubled look on his handsome face. you could tell from behind his black blindfold that something was really bothering him.

"what did i do, gojo-sensei? am i in trouble?" you teased.

the white haired sorcerer dramatically clutched at his chest, "you know i love it when you call me that. don't distract me."

"yes, i know babe." you giggled, "what's wrong? what's going on in that big, beautiful head of yours?"

satoru pouted at you, he was going to say 'my head isn't big!' like he always did, but he decided to save that bickering for later.

"with sukuna's vessel showing up... i just don't have a good feeling about all the things going on." satoru explained, "so... i want to create some contingency plans if anything were to happen to me."

you frowned at the statement 'if anything were to happen to me'. you didn't even want to think of a possibility of anything happening to the love of your life.

"—and why would anything to happen to my man?"

satoru leaned back into the leather chair and crossed his legs, ignoring your question. "you have to promise me that you'll tell megumi about his father. the zen'nin clan will make megumi the head if i'm deemed mentally incapacitated or if i die. some deal his dad had with naobito, i guess.”

you shut your eyes and slammed your silver pen on top of the stack of paperwork you were filling out, "fine... i promise, but none of that is going to happ—"

"i'm not finished, sweetheart." satoru interrupted, "i need you to get yuta back to japan as soon as possible."

yuta was currently training in africa with miguel. satoru always mentioned how strong yuta was becoming after each visit and how the next generation of jujutsu sorcerers could rival himself. you and satoru depended on yuta quite a bit nowadays. (read ‘the cursed child: yuta okkotsu’ here)

you glared at your blue eyed lover sitting across from you, "anything else, mr. gojo?"

"can you promise to wait for me to come home if anything happens?" satoru asked with earnesty. it almost sounded like he was begging you.

present time: oc gojo girlfriend’s office

“you’re going to be late if you want to meet everyone at shibuya station on time.” you patted satoru on the chest, pushing him away from you.

“—just one more kiss.” he begged.

satoru was so needy tonight. you thought to yourself, 'what was up with him?'

you kissed him again, but he refused to let go of your body. he held you tightly. you furrowed your eyebrows at him.

“what’s wrong?” you asked, “you have that look on your face.”

“i just have a bad feeling about tonight.” he mumbled to himself. you wished you could read what was going on in that crazy mind of his.

your heart dropped, frowning at his eery statement. “promise me you’ll be careful?”

“i’m always careful.” satoru stated confidently.

now that someone he loved was waiting for him to come home, he always took into consideration his safety so that he could make it back to you unscathed. he knew you would never forgive him if anything happened to him and if he left you alone. he promised to protect you. (read ‘the honored one’ here)

you held out your pinky as satoru intertwined his with yours. instead of kissing his thumb to seal the deal, he leaned over to kiss you again fervently, muffling whatever you were about to say.

you groaned once his lips left yours, whispering breathlessly, “do you really have to go?”

“i’m the strongest… so yeah.” he sighed, “remember, if anything happens to me, you have take care of my students.”

“can you not say stuff like that?” you hit his chest as he continued to hold you. “why are you talking like you aren’t going to be coming back home to me?”

“i’m just saying, babe.” satoru sighed again as he booped you on your nose, “you have to be strong for me.”

but what if you didn’t want to be strong? what if you selfishly didn’t want satoru to go to shibuya? what if something happens to him and he doesn’t come home to you? what if he leaves you all alone?

satoru finally let go of you as you stood in the middle of your office at jujutsu high. you shook your head to steer away your selfish thoughts.

“i love you, satoru,” you called out to him before he turned to leave your office, “remember your promise.”

he gave you his signature grin before sneaking back over to you to give you one last kiss. “i know. i’ll remember. i love you, (y/n). remember your promises too.”

"yuta is on his way home..." you reported, "and i'll tell megumi about his father."

satoru frowned at you, "you're forgetting something else."

"—and yes, i'll wait for you to come home." you stated confidently.

for better or for worse, right? it’s been 10 years that you and satoru have been together. you were pretty sure you were a patient person. you could wait for him forever if that’s what it took.

"that's my girl." satoru smirked at you before leaving your office, clasping his hands to teleport to shibuya.

***************************

october 31st. shibuya. 8:31pm. satoru gojo arrives.

“good night, satoru gojo. let us meet again in the new world.” kenjaku said smugly. he had just sealed the world’s strongest sorcerer, adamant that nothing would get in his way now.

satoru scoffed at the ridiculous sight in front of him, “yeah, maybe it’s good night for me, but you need to wake up, suguru. how are you gonna let yourself get used like that?”

kenjaku felt resistance in the body that he took over. hands that belonged to the body of suguru geto attempted to grab his throat.

he laughed in amusement, “well, this is the first time that has happened.”

he suppressed that very resistance with his cursed energy again.

satoru watched and reluctantly listened as kenjaku and mahito had a conversation discussing souls and techniques. he was getting impatient.

“can you just get this over with?” satoru grumbled, “you two aren’t the most pleasing things to look at. i definitely didn't want you two being the last thing i see before getting taken by my own will.”

kenjaku laughed at the sorcerer who was on his knees, arms shackled behind his back, unable to do anything to free himself from the hold of the prison realm. he looked so weak.

“i think i’m enjoying this view, but you’re right. i can’t risk anything happening, so goodnight.” he took one last look at satoru and smirked.

“close gate.”

“we can’t use the prison realm anymore right?” mahito asked curiously.

kenjaku nodded his head, “right. unless the person who's trapped takes their own life inside the prison realm, we can only use it on one occupant at a time.”

inside the prison realm, satoru kissed his the back of his teeth, annoyed but somewhat impressed by this cursed object. “looks like time doesn’t pass here.”

he sat on top of a pile of skeleton heads, repeatedly flicking his blindfold off of his forehead, “damn it. i really messed up this time… (y/n)’s gonna kill me after i promised her i’d be careful.” satoru muttered with a grim smile.

“it’ll be okay. i have faith in everyone...”

***************************

“satoru gojo has been sealed.” nanami announced grimly.

megumi looked at the 7:3 sorcerer in disbelief. “sealed? what do you mean sealed?”

“change of plans,” nanami said as he started walking towards shibuya station, “we need to meet up with itadori. if the sealing is true, it’s over for us. we don’t stand a chance without gojo.”

megumi felt as if his world was spiraling. how could his all-knowing, crazy strong sensei get sealed? did (y/n)-sensei know about gojo-sensei’s sealing? no, (y/n)-sensei couldn’t have known. (y/n)-sensei was probably with shoko at the relief area since you two could heal injured sorcerers.

megumi knew that the school didn’t like to use you offensively because of the damage you could inflict on the city with your cursed technique. no one wanted to fill out that damages report. instead, you were their trump card, their last resort. gojo-sensei was usually the go-to special grade sorcerer if the school ever needed something to be taken care of swiftly.

“i have to tell (y/n)-sensei.” megumi mumbled out loud.

nanami pursed his lips, “if you tell her, there’s no telling what she’ll do. if she finds out that gojo was sealed, she might flood all of shibuya.”

“but she deserves to know.”

megumi took out his cell phone. his fingers were trembling as he sifted through his contacts to find your name. his heart was racing at the thought of having to tell you bad news. he hated disappointing you and he definitely didn't want to worry you. but if it had anything to do with gojo-sensei, you had to know.

this moment reminded him of the time he called you from the principal’s office when he got in trouble for fighting at school.

flashback

'i am so grounded,' 7 year old megumi fushiguro thought to himself, '(y/n) is going to take away my new books for sure. maybe i should call gojo-sensei instead.'

you were the maternal figure in megumi’s life since you and gojo-sensei had taken him and tsumiki in. gojo-sensei let you make all the important decisions regarding the kids. you were the one that always had to have the disciplinary conversations with the two fushiguros. gojo-sensei didn’t like to play the bad guy, he was the type to sneak treats to him and tsumiki after you scolded them.

“well, megumi. are you going to call (y/n) or satoru?” the vice principal of the school, mrs. akita asked him.

megumi sighed, “i guess i’ll call (y/n)…”

he knew that if he called gojo-sensei, the blindfolded idiot would just tell you what happened anyways and he would still end up having to tell you what he did himself. so he might as well spare himself the hard conversation later.

he grabbed the phone from mrs. akita’s desk and took a deep breath before dialing your phone number. his heart was racing. he knew he was going to disappoint you, and he hated that feeling.

you picked up the phone, your bright laughter gave megumi the shivers, “hello?”

“uh—(y/n)?”

your tone immediately became serious, “megumi, are you okay?”

"uh, yeah. i'm okay. i got in trouble at school today." he admitted. he closed his eyes, waiting for you to start lecturing him.

he could hear that you were walking with someone. you were probably on a mission.

"what?! megumi... what happened?" you asked, concern in your tone.

"i, uh, got in a fight. mrs. akita said that i'm getting suspended for two days." he made eye contact with the vice principal in front of him as she sat with her arms folded. this was not megumi's first rodeo.

"megumi... we had this conversation about fighting at school..." you sighed.

yes, you were disappointed, but megumi was your baby. how could you stay mad at the cute little 7 year old boy with the same green eyes as you?

"i know, i'm sorry, (y/n)."

"i'm sorry, megumi. i can't come pick you up today because i'm on a mission. satoru will be there soon, okay?" you felt guilty. you knew the last person he wanted to see was satoru after getting suspended. satoru would never let him live it down.

"okay. i'll wait for gojo-sens—wait, can you send nanami to pick me up instead?"

you laughed at his question, "nanami is actually on a mission with me right now.. sorry kiddo. i'll see you at home later, okay?"

megumi grumbled, "okay..."

megumi hung up the phone and turned around to sit back in the office chair. mrs. akita was filling out the paperwork on his suspension.

***************************

once you hung up the phone, you sighed and turned to nanami. "sorry, nanami. megumi got in trouble at school today."

the 7:3 sorcerer stopped walking and turned to you, your troubled face concerned him, "do you need to call gojo?"

"yeah, he needs to pick up megumi from school. he got suspended for fighting." you groaned.

"being a mother must be hard." nanami teased as he patted your back in reassurance.

you laughed, "having a boy is hard. tsumiki is an angel. god forbid my future children have megumi's temperament."

"you better hope your future child isn't satoru's mini-me." nanami teased.

you grinned at him and joked lightly, "who says i'm having more kids with satoru? he already gave me two to take care of."

you and nanami knew that satoru would pout all day if he heard that joke. you giggled before dialing satoru's phone number as you both took a quick break on a park bench.

"hey babe, you okay? do i need to come help?" satoru asked as he picked up your phone call on the first ring. he never let you go to voicemail in your 2 years of dating.

"no, satoru. we're fine. but i need you to pick megumi up from school. he got suspended today."

"you don't say?" satoru laughed out loud in amusement, "alright, i'll go grab the kiddo."

"i'll be home later. and don't you dare reward him with something sweet on the way home."

satoru was appalled that you would even think he was going to pick up megumi and grab ice cream on the way back. however, you already knew he was thinking about it.

"so feisty." satoru chuckled, "we'll see you at home later then, sweetheart."

***************************

satoru teleported into the front office of the elementary school. mrs. akita opened the door to her office and brought the white haired sorcerer into the room while megumi waited outside. satoru sat down on the leather seat as mrs. akita sighed.

"satoru, megumi has been getting into a lot of fights lately. is everything okay at home?"

"(y/n) and i have been talking to him about not fighting at school..." satoru started, "but he always has a good reason for fighting, so we couldn't exactly reprimand him. what happened today anyways?"

"megumi got in a scuffle with a group of bullies. there are a couple troublemaker cliques in his grade and he beat up three of them." mrs. akita reported back to him, rubbing her temples. "they have extensive injuries, satoru."

satoru started laughing, impressed that megumi took on three school bullies by himself.

"—satoru, this is serious. their parents want him expelled."

"did megumi win?" satoru asked curiously, ignoring mrs. akita's last statement.

mrs. akita glared at him in annoyance, "clearly he won if the parents are wanting him expelled, satoru."

"then that's all that matters to me. that's my kid we're talking about here. end of discussion, akita." satoru said, standing up from his chair and waving off the conversation. “megumi will take the two-day suspension and we'll pay the fines. tell the other kids' parents we're sorry, yada yada yada.”

mrs. akita rolled her eyes, "you're lucky principal kinomoto and i love you and (y/n). no other school would put up with this behavior, satoru."

satoru winked at the vice principal and opened the door to look at megumi. he had a couple of scratches on his face, a bandaid on his cheek and left knee. megumi looked like he was going to burst into tears with the way he was frowning as pouting.

"alrighty, kiddo. let's head back to jujutsu high."

satoru gave megumi a piggy back ride while the child shoved his sniffling face into the back of satoru's uniform. satoru teleported back to jujutsu high as they walked through the school corridors together. he knew that he would have to have a conversation with megumi before you got back from your mission.

"you know you're going to have to tell (y/n) what happened, right?"

megumi glared at his guardian, "i don't want to." and in a matter of seconds, megumi started to burst into tears.

"you cryin', megumi? didn't you win the fight?" satoru asked.

megumi wiped his tears with his forearm, hiccuping, "y-yes."

"then why are you cryin'?"

"i'm scared to see (y/n)." he sheepishly admitted.

satoru started laughing. megumi could feel his laugh vibrating through his back as satoru carried him. he clutched his arms tighter around satoru's shoulders.

the sorcerer grinned, "you and me both, kiddo."

"...is she going to be mad at me? what if she doesn’t love me anymore?" megumi asked satoru full of worry. he knew that satoru knew you better than anyone else in this world.

satoru thought out loud, "hmmm, she'll probably be a little disappointed. but—she’ll always love you and she cares for you a ton. at the end of the day, you’re her baby."

megumi's eyes continued to water as his grip on satoru's uniform tightened. the closer they got to the dining hall, the more nervous the child got.

"looks like you're in luck, kiddo. (y/n) isn't back from her mission yet." satoru sighed in relief, "let's go see shoko and get you all healed up."

***************************

"oh my..." shoko gasped, "what happened to you, megumi?!"

megumi looked at satoru and then back at the ground. he was too embarrassed to tell shoko what had happened at school.

"he just got in a little tussle at school." satoru told his bestfriend, waving it off.

shoko started laughing, "sounds like you when you were younger, gojo."

"yeah, but i wouldn't have gotten beat up." satoru grinned at the doctor, "i was untouchable."

the brunette rolled her eyes at him, "you're so full of yourself."

satoru scoffed and put megumi down on the exam table. "can you just make sure he's okay before my girlfriend sees his scratches and yells at me?"

shoko nodded. she healed up megumi's minor cuts and bruises so that it looked like nothing ever happened.

***************************

you and nanami were walking through the school's courtyard after your mission today. the mission ended up running later than usual.

"sorry that mission took so long," nanami mumbled. “i know you were worried about megumi.”

"it's okay, nanami. satoru’s with him." you high-fived him, "good job tonight."

as you continued the walk through the courtyard, you saw satoru leaning against the entrance to the school building with his arms folded. he cleared his throat.

"your jealously is showing, satoru." you grinned at your boyfriend.

"me?" satoru called out to you, baffled, pointing at nanami, "jealous of him?"

satoru laughed as nanami rolled his eyes at him. "megumi has been waiting for you, babe."

"what?" you asked in disbelief, "it's past his bedtime. it's almost 10pm. satoru, you're supposed to make sure the kids go to bed on time."

"he wouldn't go back to the apartment, he won't go to sleep without talking to you." satoru grinned thinking about megumi’s tenacity.

satoru walked with you back to the dining hall, holding your bag in one hand and your hand in the other.

"i'll wait in the hallway. go talk to megumi." satoru said as he blew you kiss. you caught his air kiss and threw it on the floor, making him laugh out loud. your feisty personality was one of his favorite things about you.

you entered the dining hall. megumi looked up at you with sad eyes. you sat down in front of the child.

"hey, megumi." you greetled him softly, he was quiet and a little awkward. it looked like you were going to have to break the ice. you started the conversation with the 7 year old, "so, wanna tell me what happened at school today?"

"the kids i beat up were talking about you and gojo-sensei." megumi muttered. he folded his arms, angry at the thought of those bullies and what they had said about the two guardians he cared so much about.

"well... what were they saying about us that made you so upset you had to go and beat them up?"

megumi quietly told you what happened, "they kept saying that you and gojo-sensei weren't mine and tsumiki's real parents and that we don’t look like you two. it made tsumiki cry."

your heart shattered. kids were so mean nowadays. you admit that megumi and tsumiki's situation was unique, yes, but the fact that kids bullied each other about their parents was cruel. you never wanted the kids to feel bad about their situation.

you scoffed, "how can i be mad at the fact that you were defending mine and satoru’s honor?" you ruffled megumi's hair, "why were you so scared to tell me that?"

"because i keep getting in trouble for fighting." megumi frowned, disappointed in himself.

"megumi, i want you to be able to tell me anything. i don't want you to keep things bottled up."

"—but what if you don't love me anymore after i tell you the bad things?" megumi asked quietly.

you were shocked that a 7 year old could have such thoughts. how could he think that you wouldn’t love him anymore? megumi and tsumiki were the center of your world since satoru swiped them off the streets and brought them home to you. (read 'learn to love' here)

you asked megumi a question, "how many times a day do i tell you and tsumiki that i love you two?"

"you tell us every morning before we go to school and before we go to bed. and sometimes randomly throughout the day." megumi smiled at the mental reminder.

"—just because you get into fights at school doesn't mean that i'll love you any less. if anything, i worry about you getting hurt." you lectured him, "now, if you grow up to be a horrible curse user, we might have a problem."

"does that mean you're not mad at me?" megumi asked quietly.

"i am a little disappointed," you sighed, "—but i don't love you any less."

you reached out to him for a hug. the boy jumped into your arms. you squeezed him tightly, rocking him back and forth. "now tell me... did satoru buy you ice cream after school?"

megumi froze, his eyes widened. him and gojo-sensei were caught red-handed.

"uh huh... got it." you laughed. you were going to have a word with satoru later tonight.

end flashback

the dial tone was echoing through megumi's ears as he waited for you to pick up. he felt a lump in his throat, his heart was racing, just like back then when he was 7 years old, but this took the cake for the hardest conversation he's ever had to have with you. he would rather tell you that he broke the glass coffee table in the living room trying to summon max elephant a hundred times over again.

"megumi, are you okay?" you answered, "do you need me to—"

"i'm fine, (y/n). it's gojo-sensei."

your felt sick to your stomach. it was in that moment that you knew something had happened to satoru.

"what happened to him?"

"he was sealed." megumi said grimly.

you furrowed your eyebrows, not understanding what megumi was saying, "what do you mean sealed?"

"i—i don't know all the specifics." megumi stuttered through the receiver, "—but i'm going to find out. i'll save gojo-sensei, (y/n). i promise you. so don’t worry and… don’t be mad at him."

"megumi, wait..." you said, voice barely coming out as a whisper. you heard the younger sorcerer disconnect from the other line.

you felt a lump in your throat as you fought back tears. you had to be strong for the students... and for satoru. you felt this immense pain and anger in your chest. if satoru was sealed, that meant he was still alive. there was a sliver of hope that you would see him again. satoru had to be okay... right?

"(y/n)!" shoko yelled out your name, "you're going to flood all my medical supplies!"

you snapped out of your thoughts and looked around the area. water was starting to flood the ground, surrounding the both of your feet.

"what did megumi say to upset you that much?!" shoko asked, "i haven't seen you do that since high school!"

"satoru was sealed, shoko. and i don't know what that means!" you yelled in frustration, throwing your ice shards against the concrete wall.

the street lamps started to flicker as ice started to form around the streets, fire hydrants started to explode due to high water pressure, water started to fill the streets of shibuya. your cursed energy was starting to become uncontrollable.

you wondered how megumi was feeling at this moment and how horrible he must have felt telling you that satoru was sealed. it couldn't have been easy for him, nor could it be easy for the rest of the jujutsu sorcerers and satoru’s students knowing that the strongest was sealed away. the team morale was probably destroyed.

shoko distracted you out of your thoughts again, "you should go to shibuya. the students need you. you're second in command if anything happens to gojo."

you looked at shoko with determination in your eyes, she nodded at you as you made your way out the door to head straight for shibuya station.

the students needed you right now more than ever since satoru was gone. they needed the support from you, the support that you always gave to them no matter what the situation was. you were their go-to person for comfort. whether they got a bad grade on their mission, if they lost a spar, or when they needed an ear to listen to them, you were there.

you thought back to the conversation that you and satoru had. promise number one would have to wait. promise number two was on a flight back to japan and would be landing in a couple hours. promise number three...

'don't worry, satoru.' you thought to yourself, 'i'll wait for you to come home. i don't care how long it takes. we'll find a way to get you back.'

little did you know, the nineteen days that satoru gojo was sealed away was the most excruciating pain you've ever experienced in your life, not even an injury from a curse could compare.

it was as if something was missing from your life and you never wanted to experience the pain of losing someone so important to you ever again.

© 2024 ASDFGHJKLMALS — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST MY WORK.

DIVIDERS PROVIDED BY @/ANLIAN-AISHANG

[izunias-meme-hole]

You've been rebloging a decent amount of Soulsborne stuff, so if you have time, can you say who your favorite character's are in all these games?

Oh... well a fair amount of my thoughts CERTAINLY changed, but I'll give you a top 10.

Number 1. Messmer The Impaler (Elden Ring) - Messmer was certainly a welcome surprise. He was the firstborn son of Queen Marika, ultimately the one who personally oversaw the genocide of the hornsent in the Land of Shadow, and event so horrific and cruel that its impact could still be felt within the present day. He was afflicted with a curse at his birth, in which a dark and malevolent snake threatened to eat him from the inside, which resulted in Marika plucking out his eye and replacing it with a seal of grace. Sounds like quite the monster, right? Well here's the thing. Messmer's a surprisingly good boss, like he literally preserved his enemies culture inside a storeroom just because one of his knights requested it, and has at least some level of compassion. Sure some of his men defected after finding out about the true nature of his existence, but there were some that even stuck around because they know who he is as a person. So why did this great guy commit literal one of the most horrific events in history? Well you see, Marika basically told him to eliminate the hornsent, and it wasn't just a standard order... it was a secret banishment for him, and Marika's vengeance on the hornsent. That's right, Messmer was exiled so he could be a scapegoat for his mother in the Land of Shadow. While this doesn't absolve him of his crimes, it ultimately makes him extremely pitiable.

Number 2. Queen Marika The Eternal (Elden Ring) - A god, a vessel, a warmonger, a mother, a schemer, a monster, and a pitiful woman. These are all the things that Queen Marika The Eternal was, and by god she deserves to be remembered by all of them. Radagon is her other half. The Demigods were her children. Messmer is her son. The Lands Between were her lands. She destroyed several races. She destroyed the Elden ring. Everything in the game is connected to her in some capacity. This is some Sauron tier shit that's been done with someone who's now just a prisoner in her own fortress thanks to her fear of her reigns inevitable end. Elden Ring has a TON of antagonists, each one active in their own right across the Lands Between. Marika on the other hand is both a prisoner in her own home, and a god on her last knees who faces The Tarnished through Radagon, yet almost every last evil committed in the game is connected to her past history of cruelty and malevolence in service to her Golden Order.

Number 3. Malenia (Elden Ring) - Malenia was my fave for a good while, and is still one of my top 5 bosses in the series. Her background, how that background ties into the world, her difficulty not being too bullshit yet still giving veterans a good taste of the dirt, her simplistic yet effective character, and the concept of someone being that goddamn sickly yet still being so undeniably persistent, powerful, and near-invincible is intriguing and cool, and it's executed very well in her case. Her boss being optional is just icing on the cake. Overall she's a spectacle.

Number 4. Miquella (Elden Ring) - He's a charming lil guy. Yes he cut out everything that made himself a good person in order to become the god of a new era, and is an expert manipulator due to his powers, but he's still just a lil guy.

Number 5. Father Gascoigne (Bloodborne) - Originally, Laurence was my favorite Bloodborne character, but after some careful reconsideration... this guy is at the top. Why? I like how simplistic his lore is, but aside from that, he's basically a reflection of the Good Hunter and a really great first legit boss. He serves as a gatekeeper for new players, and his transformation from skilled hunter to a monstrous werewolf mid-fight is a perfect introduction to what fate usually awaits any hunter who inevitably gets blood drunk in Yharnam. And the cherry on top? He's just a guy. He was just a normal ass hunter with a wife and child before all of this, hell you could even use his daughter's music box to snap him out of his blood drunk state for a second. IMO Gascoigne is underrated as hell.

Number 6. Lady Maria (Bloodborne) - Between the Plain Doll being based off her, her connection to Gehrman, and being one of the hunters at the Fishing Hamlet, Maria is undeniably a great character with a vast presence.

Number 7. Ludwig (Bloodborne) - Tragic Hornse. In all seriousness though, Ludwig is a perfect summary of Bloodborne, and honestly one of the top 3 bosses in the entire series.

Number 8. Isshin Ashina (Sekiro) - Isshin's presence overshadows that of the main antagonist, Genechiro Ashina, and its entirely intentional. He basically is the symbol of his entire clan, leading a rebellion against the invading forces alongside many warriors and triumphing. Isshin was a living legend in the past, but in the present? He's old, sick, and on his last legs. He's still defending his clan, but for his strength, he's still mortal. He's still human. He's the perfect reflection of his clan. That and he’s an amazing final boss. Go Grandpa Ashina!

Number 9. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder (Dark Souls) - Horrible, HORRIBLE god. He ruined humanity, is a bad father, and is SO worthy of being hated... yet he's so pitiable and pathetic. Gwyn is responsible for almost every tragedy in the trilogy, yet even his own story is a tragedy. A paranoid god king making the literal worst decisions ever to the point where he literally destroys himself. There's a level of understandability with his character that makes him tragic, but ultimately, he's still a monster. And this isn't even bringing up the Soul of Cinder.

Number 10. Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls) - An old slave knight from the age of fire, literal cannon fodder, not only outlives the gods, but goes on a quest to get the Dark Soul so that The Painter, his niece, would paint a new world. You get familiar with him in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and by the time of the Ringed City DLC you see that Gael has slipped into madness and stands atop literal desolation. At first he fights on all 3's, only using his sword as a weapon as he jumps and crawls around, but after his guts are cut open and he gets the power of the dark soul, he truly begins fighting like a man and will occasionally rely on the newfound power he has to strike the Ashen One down with magic. Still at the end of the day... this fight is just between two nobodies who outlived the gods.

[tunnelofdusk]

jjk ficlet: gego, a/b/o, dubious consent

wc: 1234 words

Yaga Masamichi has no delusions about his role—he sends children to die. They call him sensei as he teaches them how to kill—how to maim. It is for the greater good and he teaches these children to find purpose in the lives they will save with their power. 

Masamichi teaches his children to kill curses and curse users. They are not meant to hurt each other and yet, Masamichi listens as Gojō Satoru fiercely defends his new alpha. 

“He didn’t know I was in heat. It’s not his fault,” Gojō says. 

But he did know. I told him. 

Helplessly, Masamichi stares at Getō Suguru’s unlined face. The gentle curve to his mouth makes Masamichi wonder where he went wrong in teaching him. The magnitude of this betrayal could break Gojō, who is already disillusioned by the fiasco of the Star Plasma Vessel incident, and Getō knows this. How placid his eyes are—daring Masamichi to shatter his own student to pieces. 

—

Dried blood splatter flakes off the curve of Getō Suguru’s jaw as he enters Yaga-sensei’s office for a preliminary debrief of his assignment. He smiles and more blood flakes off. It itches his skin but his hands still stay loose at his sides. There is blood beneath his fingernails, tinting them pink. 

Yaga-sensei waves a dismissive hand when Suguru’s eyes flicker down to the red-flaked carpet. “How did it go?” he asks. Seated behind his desk as Suguru stands at attention, he idly shuffles a pile of papers. 

“I executed the curse user,” Suguru says. “Unfortunately, his hostage didn’t survive the fight.”

The deepening frown on Yaga-sensei’s face is not an unfamiliar sight, but Suguru does not care. His casualties grow higher and the higher-ups stay silent as long as their dirty work gets done. The death of a monkey here and there has no impact upon the world of jujutsu sorcerers. What does the lion care about the ant? 

(“Jujutsu exists to protect non-jujutsu sorcerers.” How naïve.)

“He was just a kid,” Yaga-sensei murmurs. 

So was I.

“I’ll hand in my report tomorrow, sensei,” Suguru says. He is still smiling, muscles aching,  and blood is still flaking off his face—a decaying mask disguising nothing. 

“Ah, fine. Wash up…Would it have killed you to have at least cleaned up a bit before you came in?” Yaga-sensei grumbles.

“Hey, at least I’m not like Satoru. You can barely get a debrief out of him,” Suguru says wryly. 

Yaga-sensei shifts in his seat. “Speaking of Gojō-kun,” he says, “be careful. He just went into heat.”

All the muscles in Suguru’s body tense for a fleeting moment. Under Yaga-sensei’s sharpening gaze, he relaxes and smiles. “I always am careful,” he says as his canines begin to ache. Nowhere near his own rut, and yet, venom pools bitter in his mouth.

Yaga-sensei dismisses Suguru with a few words, and the smile sloughs off Suguru’s face once he exits Yaga’s office. Be careful, Yaga says. Be careful. Suguru is tired of caring—of caring so deeply that he hollows himself out. Ever since Amanai’s murder, he and Satoru exist on parallel paths as the higher-ups bury them under curses and curse users to kill and kill and kill—

The scent of ozone suffuses the air outside Satoru’s door, escaping its imperfect seal. Instinct has led Suguru here. He wonders if Satoru can smell him, heat and cursed energy elevating his senses to inhumanity. After all, only jujutsu sorcerers still atavistically bear alpha and omega traits—the primitive world of surviving amongst predator and prey reflected in their monstrosity. The life of a jujutsu sorcerer is about survival and bearing offspring to propagate bloodshed.

Suguru lingers outside Satoru’s door, jaw ever so slightly unhinged and exposing glistening canines. He could never forget the taste of Satoru’s skin, the scent of him, the sight of him flushed with his first heat and the way Satoru had almost been his until Yaga had stumbled upon them—juvenile scents turning acrid with the first bloom of maturity. And now Suguru and Satoru haven’t talked to each other in days…

A soft keen ensnares Suguru’s attention and he splays a palm across the door. One movement and he could change the trajectory of their lives. Satoru will leave Suguru behind if things continue as they are. Is it so wrong of Suguru to do what is best for them? Poor Satoru—too powerful, too pretty, too arrogant to be left alone. They will isolate Satoru in a cage of his own making and Satoru will let them—is letting them. 

You’re my best friend, Satoru had said, trying to cajole Suguru into another Digimon marathon. And Suguru had burned with the indignity of it all—a fire in the pit of his chest where longing blows sweetly on dormant coals. Best friend? Suguru spends his nights lying in bed and listening to Satoru’s nightly routines as if awaiting the sun to set in his sight. He now knows him only by the sound of him—the creak of his bed as he collapses in a mess of limbs and the sweet exhales of his burdened body. 

You left me and never gave me the chance to catch up, Suguru whispers.

“Suguru?” Satoru says hoarsely. His bare feet audibly pad across the floor and Suguru knows that the distance between them only relies on this flimsy door. The social contract of jujutsu sorcerers—the polite fiction that doors and locks can keep each other out when they regularly break concrete and warp metal with their human bodies. 

“Satoru,” Suguru dares to croon, hot breath fanning across the door—so close is he. “I thought we were going to watch Digimon tonight?”

“...Digimon?” Satoru says. 

The shakiness of Satoru’s voice incites Suguru’s heart to beat quicker and quicker in anticipation—a hawk catching sight of a lame rabbit and preparing to swoop down. They are on the edge of precipice, but heat disables Satoru’s mental faculties—none of his wit and charm maneuvering him out of this situation. Only Suguru knows the pheromonal danger blooming in this moment.

“Satoru, let me in,” Suguru says. “We’ll watch Digmon like you promised.”

“I…promised?” Satoru says haltingly. He pants softly at the conclusion of his words, like a dog dying of heat. A bitch.

“Satoru,” Suguru croons. You know me, the undertones promise. Deliberately, he pulls down the collar of his shirt and rolls his sleeves back to bare his scent glands. The scent of sandalwood fills the air—heavy and redolent. There is nobody else on this floor; there is nobody to accuse him of manipulating an omega in heat with the scent of a trusted alpha. Even now, Satoru knows who his alpha is. How beautifully he responds.

“Suguru,” Satoru exhales. He opens the door.

Out of heat, Satoru is a beauty—all long limbs, long lashes, pouty mouth, and bratty behavior. In heat—Satoru is just as Suguru remembers from that fateful few months ago in the gymnasium. Satoru’s first heat had struck like lightning, illuminating the fertile, febrile nature of his body. The flush of his skin, the soft part of his mouth, the grace of his body surrendering…the scent of him…the taste of him…the curve of his mouth…the dip of his waist…the flesh of his hips…the curve of his ass…skin upon skin upon skin upon—

Satoru’s first heat had triggered Suguru’s first rut.

Now, Suguru does not have the excuse of his rut for the actions he takes. 

[fatehbaz]

In the 19th century, British colonists faced several challenges in India, [...] [including] malaria. [...] The imperialists needed an answer to the problem and they found it in quinine. [...] [T]he British promptly embraced quinine, consuming tonnes of it every year by the mid-1800s. [...] Quinine was so bitter that soldiers and officials began mixing the powder with soda and sugar, unwittingly giving birth to “tonic water”. [...] [I]t prompted Winston Churchill to once proclaim, “The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” [...] If by some good fortune malaria did not claim them, plague, cholera, dysentery, enteric fever, hepatitis or the unforgiving sun could. Preserving and protecting the body was [...] crucial to the success of the colonial project. As historian EM Collingham aptly summarised in her study, “The British experience of India was intensely physical.”

One way the colonists tried to deal with this challenge was through food and drinks. “The association between food and the maintenance of health was a concern of Anglo-Indian doctors, dieticians and the British authorities throughout the duration of colonial rule [...],” writes Sam Goodman in Unpalatable Truths: Food and Drink as Medicine in Colonial British India. [...]

---

The Medical Gazette, for instance, recommended treating dysentery with a “low diet” comprising thin chicken soup [...]. Botanist-physician George Watt too extolled the virtues of sago. In A Dictionary of the Economic Products of India (1893), he wrote that sago is “easily digestible and wholly destitute of irritating properties” and in demand [...]. For fever, weakness and sundry ailments, beef tea [...] was considered an ideal remedy. And for cholera, The Seamen’s New Medical Guide (1842) prescribed brandy during the worst of the sickness and half a tumbler of mulled wine with toasted bread and castor oil [...]. Ship masters and pantrymen would stock their vessels with foods with known medicinal benefits such as sago, arrowroot, lime juice, desiccated milk and condensed milk (the iconic Anglo Swiss Condensed Milk tins, later known as Milkmaid, enjoyed a permanent spot on British ships).

---

Businessmen too recognised the precarity of life abroad and realised that therein lay a perfect commercial opportunity. By the 19th century, numerous companies had cropped up across Europe, including in England, that would sell food in hermetically sealed tin containers.

One of these was Messrs Brand & Co. Recommended highly in Culinary Jottings for Madras by Colonel Robert Kenney-Herbert, Messrs Brand & Co had several offerings [...]: essence of beef, concentrated beef tea, beef tea jelly, meat lozenges, [...] potted meat, York and game pie, and A1 sauce [...]. Another company, John Moir & Sons, focused mostly on canned soups [...], selling oxtail, turtle, giblet and hare.

---

By the late 19th century such was the popularity of canned foods that rare would be the pantry in a colonial home that didn’t store them along with medical provisions like opium, quinine, chlorodyne and Fowler’s solution (an arsenic compound). [...] As Flora Steele and Grace Gardiner wrote in The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook, “A good mistress will remember the breadwinner requires blood-forming nourishment, and the children whose constitutions are being built up day by day, sickly or healthy, according to the food given them; and bear in mind the fact that in India, especially, half the comfort of life depends on clean, wholesome, digestible food.”

To assist the British woman in this ostensible duty, there were a number of cookbooks and housekeeping manuals [...]. The Englishwoman in India, for instance, published in 1864 under the pseudonym A Lady Resident, had a whole section with recipes for “infants and invalids”. These included carrot pap cooked into a congee with arrowroot [...] and toast water (well-toasted bread soaked in water). Steele and Gardiner too had a few recipe recommendations [...], including champagne jelly (“most useful in excessive vomiting”) and the dangerous-sounding Cannibal Broth (beef essence), which they said should be consumed with cream [...] to treat extreme debility and typhoid. [...]

---

One dish born of this encounter was the pish pash. The pish pash is considered an invention of the colonial cook, who adapted the kedgeree – the colonial cousin of khichdi – into a light nursery food. The famous Hobson-Jobson defined it as “a slop of rice soup with small pieces of meat” [...]. None other than Warren Hastings, the first governor-general of Bengal, gave confirmation of its efficacy when in 1784 he wrote to his wife from the sick bed [...]. There are enough records to show that the imperialists counted marh (starch water from cooked rice) and bael (wood apple) sherbet among their go-to remedies and benefited from the medicinal qualities of chiretta water and ajwain-infused water.

---

Text by: Priyadarshini Chatterjee. “How food came to the rescue of the British in India.” Scroll.in (Magazine format). 26 April 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[nebulabasket]

Remembering a World and History that Nobody Else Has Ever Known

CW: cult mention, death mention, apocalypse mention, religion mention, spirituality, bigotry.

I am a somtive/dreamtive "headmate" (party member; I don't like the term "headmate" for myself), and the lives I remember only seem to exist in this world through me and the dream that brought me here. I say "lives" because, in the world I remember as my own, I am a magical gaurdian beast reincarnated into a human body. I wish I could remember my name from my first life, but here I've come to refer to myself as anymic archaeosapient magical gaurdianbeastkin in lieu of a proper name, let alone one the people of this world would recognize. I was worshipped as a deity in my first life, but I don't really feel like a deity. I was only doing what I needed to do. More on this later, but even given this glorified history, I would be genuinely shocked if anyone in this world were to recognize any of what I remember.

In my first life, I was this powerful magical luminous golden gaurdian beast the size of a small mountain tasked with protecting the world I'm from. I fought this equally powerful, magical, and enormous red serpent-bull-man beast of chaos, death, and destruction. Ultimately, I sealed it away underground where I stayed to gaurd it and make sure it stayed sealed away. As such, I was worshipped as a deity. In this life, I formed a small glowing green rabbit companion in my mind and magically projected it into reality with magic as a sort of helper and messenger. A manifestation of peace and prosperity. After hundreds of years, I faded into a deep slumber, passing on from that life and leaving my rabbit companion to watch over the world in my wake. It was prophesied that I would be reborn into a human vessel far into the future when the red beast begins to break free and my powers would reawaken to seal him away once more.

Well, a few thousand years or so later, I was reincarnated into the human body I have in the inner/other world. Transmasc nonbinary xenogender neopronoun user, aroace, punk, non-religious, neurodivergent, disabled, indigenous, and, as I'd come to find out after never really feeling human anyway, otherkin (I do have much in common with the body in this world). I had never felt like anyone had ever taken me seriously, I didn't have a good relationship with my family, I didn't really have any friends because I sucked at making any, and I was (and honestly still am) generally exhausted and sick of everything. Then one day in my early 20's, some weird guy came up to me spouting about how I was the chosen one or some shit and dragged me to some cult meeting where both of us proceeded to be mocked and ridiculed and I was called a solid handful of slurs. But the guy convinced them to bring me to this alter thing and do some kind of ritual just to be sure. Well, I guess that awakened the past life version of me and I gradually started regaining my memories and powers and my eyes began to glow gold. Unfortunately, the cult wasn't too pleased with this outcome and didn't even know how my magic worked or how I was supposed to seal away the "demon". Well, I guess the green rabbit from my past life had found me and told the weird guy to lead me to the artifact at the alter so I could reawaken my power, and the green rabbit came to me as a guide of sorts and started speaking to me in riddles. There was also this guy that was supposed to be training me, but I don't think he knew what he was doing.

Anyway, I was supposed to solve the riddles to find some hidden extremely unaccessable temple ruins or something to complete some kind of ritual and battle the red beast again to seal him back away once more until the next time he would break free. One of the temples turned out to be underneath a high school, which was a pain in the ass. I went through all that trouble still dealing with all of my personal and health issues on top of that and almost died trying to seal away the red beast, and I was told I couldn't tell anyone or ask for outside help as to not cause mass hysteria, and the weird bigoted cult certainly wasn't any help. After all of that, I hardly even got a begrudging "thank you". Like, I don't want to be worshipped, but recognition and gratitude would at least be nice. I was just expected to just go on living my same shitty life like nothing ever happened, but now with magical powers and new trauma I could never tell anyone about. And don't you think the savior of the world being part of multiple minority groups and being disabled could have brought on at least a little positive change or at least a little hope? Honestly, it's not like anyone would have believed me, anyway. But then I woke up here in this body in this world where none of my achievements even happened or mean anything. I'm still rapidly losing my rights in a hostile environment in a world where I feel even more alone. I just hope someone else out there can relate, I guess.

~ 🌘 Crow 🌔

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 2

Sealed Vessel from Hollow Knight

vs.

Main Menu from Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

Main Menu [Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare]:

It's just so funky! You just gotta listen up to the 10 second mark, it's a very nice song!!!!

[wanderersrespiteblog]

Character Introductions and How to Fuck Them Up

In Rogue Trader, one of the earliest party members you meet and recruit is an unsanctioned psyker by the name of Idira, a retainer and servant to Lady Theodora von Valancius. In 40k, unsanctioned psykers are those who have not been given the literal and metaphorical seal of approval for their training by the Imperium and its bureaucracy, and as such are hunted down on sight by the Inquisition to prevent their latent arcane abilities from manifesting daemons and other monsters from the warp through negligence or intentional summoning. She's introduced practically within the first cutscene of the game as a devoted, if eccentric, member of Lady Theodora's retinue, and Idira owes the woman her life in more ways than one. She makes no show of hiding that she's a powerful psyker due to the immunity afforded by her liege's writ, and you see this expressed both in her gameplay and dialogue options; the woman's psyker abilities physically bend and break the fabric of reality around her, and if used too much in too short a timespan in combat can cause daemons to spawn out of nowhere as the wall between the material world and the warp grows thin to the point of being utterly bypassed by them, and in conversations she regularly advocates for a pragmatic yet heretical approach to dillemas and emergencies. She's with you all the way through the opening act and serves as your main psyker for the first half of it.

The woman takes Lady Theodora's death especially hard due to the history the two of them have, and following the conclusion of the prologue rumors begin to abound that Lady Theodora's ghost has begun appearing to crew members aboard the vessel. Given the nature of 40k as a setting, it's entirely possible her spirit is appearing, which while sweet presents an existential threat to the health and integrity of the crew due to the possibility of it being corrupted by the malevolent nature of the warp. During this time, Idira begins complaining of nightmares and visions of Lady Theodora beckoning to her, with others writing these appearances off as survivor's guilt from her unable to save her friend and master.

After a certain length of time and enough trips through the warp, a disastrous daemonic incursion appears on one of the main decks for your vessel, accompanied by reports of Idira in the midst of it. As your party arrives, you find the crew mutated and possessed by these malicious spirits as daemons feast upon those they could not turn, the twisted image of Lady Theodora mocking her once-servants and deriding you for your failure to lead them effectively. At the end of the encounter you find Idira having an absolute mental breakdown, her psyker abilities out of control as she grieves the loss of her friend. As soon as she spots you she confesses that she sought out the ghost intentionally, hoping that some way, some how, she might be able to give the woman peace, pleading for your assistance and forgiveness for her grievous mistake, all while the perverted form of her former charge demands you face her.

There, you are given a choice: shoot Idira yourself, have one of your party members shoot her, side with Idira and banish her from your ship right after, or side with Idira and work to save her.

In all of the above cases you as the player have genuine freedom for roleplay and agency within the story. Even prior to this point you at any time can expel her from your retinue, even sending her off for execution via the Inquisition once you pick up a certain character if you so please. You spend more time with Idira, see the pros and cons of her abilities for yourself, and are only put into a situation where she could plausibly end your life once you're familiar with the stakes of her condition and temperment.

Contrast this with Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion, who's introduction consists of him deceiving you and putting a knife to your neck to figure out what's going on, outright threatening to kill you himself if you don't comply. While this does establish him as a cutthroat - literally - it also immediately gives reason for not wanting any association with him from the in-world, PC perspective. One could argue the desperation of having a ilithid tadpole in your skull gives way to odd bedfellows, but with how the game immediately undercuts that possibility by asserting that those the party has are somehow different (and then immediately undercutting that undercutting, but that's a separate issue) there is genuinely little motive for a reasonable person to want to even be around him, let alone have him in their party.

Moreover, the actual "reveal" of him as a vampire is incredibly mishandled. By his own admission he feeds off of animals where he can, and while we can see evidence of this in the overworld of the game, but this does not suffice for his full strength. So, instead of targeting a random civilian or a downed enemy - the latter of which we have many of in Act I - he goes right for the person that already suspects and has reason to distrust him. Not only does this reinforce the above issue of "Why should my PC keep this guy around in-world?" it also comes off like he's a blathering idiot with no conception of self-preservation or ability to recognize when it would be a bad idea to try and feed off of someone who is aware he's prone to sneaky shit. If he went after an enemy, and we walked in on him feeding midway through, there's some more grounds for plausible deniability, those that can be surpassed with an Insight check, but also presents a moral dilemma to the PC: is it acceptable for an allied vampire to feed off of those who tried to attack you? Given the clear and present discomfort shown by the PC when Astarion feeds off of them it's clear the process is neither pleasant nor easy to shrug off, so that then places the burden of deciding where the line is on the PC. There your options could be stake him, allow him to feed off of enemies, allow him to feed off of enemies and strangers, or banish him outright. There's nuance and legitimate grounds for debate as opposed to the "do you consent to getting your blood sucked by a stranger who threatened to murder you at your first meeting" the game runs with.

I bring Idira up in this discussion because she, in essence, presents the same issue Astarion does, but handled in a far better way. Both possess a condition that makes them a clear and present threat to the player and the people around them. Both are immediately established as rule breakers. Both can and do put the party in peril because of their innate characteristics, albeit through different circumstances. Both then present the player with the option to kill them, banish them, or help them, but one is done in a far more interesting way than the other.

Bear in mind this is not an assessment of their overall character arcs, just how they are initially presented and the way their conflict is set up with the PC.

[cursedvibes]

https://x.com/kostivedae/status/1800896107381399973?t=83v6yYC4Prw9yz_9NYZaYA&s=19

what do you think of this.....theory thread...?

i somehow can't make sense of it despite how well-researched it seems

Agree with you. They make some interesting points and there are some things that could form a good basis for some other stuff, but the basic premise of "Yuki is 500 years old and merged with Tengen in the 1500s" I just don't see supported by canon. After reading the thread, I saw that they're the person who made that infamous thread about Womb Profusion being Geto's domain and that explains some stuff. Would say though that their Yuki thread at least makes more sense than that and most of the time they don't just pull conclusions out of thin air.

Gonna go through some of what they say:

So the basic premise is that Yuki merged with Tengen in the past, overpowered her and broke free.

We don't know if Riko would've been able to hear the voices of the other vessels because she never got close to Tengen. Yuki only ever brings up hearing the voices when she's right in front of Tengen. For example, she also doesn't know for sure about other Star Plasma Vessels that are still around (like when Riko died) unless she specifically seeks them out, so this also suggest she can't hear them long-distance. I don't think this works across several hundred meters, much less kilometres. Also even if that was the case, Yuki is a sorcerer and has extensive knowledge of the soul, Riko is not. An incident might've triggered Yuki's event, who knows, but I don't think she's always aware of those voice and Riko wouldn't of course be either because she never had any contact with Tengen and she was also not trained in any control of cursed energy or perception of her own soul.

Also I wouldn't say the connection between Yuuji and Sukuna is all that relevant here. Sukuna can sense his other fingers because it's part of his soul. Just how Tengen is aware of when a new Star Plasma Vessel is born. So that kind of connection exists between Yuki and Tengen because Yuki is literally designed to be a genetic match to Tengen. However factually, we have no evidence, that the resonance Todo mentions even exists, it's just speculation on his part. They took precautions, but actually Sukuna has no idea about their plans or even the training they went through, which he would know if this resonance was as strong as Todo suggests. Neither Yuuji nor Sukuna know what the other was up to during the timeskip though.

Yes, it's very likely that her experiences of being a Star Plasma Vessel and being able to hear the other Star Plasma Vessels caused her to invest in research of the soul and cursed energy, hoping to some day free the trapped vessels or get rid of Tengen in some other way. There were more cases of more than one soul inhabiting one body, the many cursed objects Kenjaku made and sealed inside people. Yuki didn't know about that though.

Like...you literally just said Yuki can hear the other vessels voices, so obviously she based her research on that because it told her that what Tengen says is bullshit. It seems once the vessel is suppressed, the host is never aware of them as Choso can't feel his vessel either for example. Yuki has evidence to the contrary, so of course she investigated that. She is a special case because she shares a connection with the other Star Plasma Vessel (SPV) that doesn't exist between any other (potential) vessels. Only way it could be imitated is by becoming aware of your soul and able to perceive it on others like Yuuji and Mahito. Yuuji doesn't have an intrinsic connection to Magumi like Yuki has to the SPVs despite both being vessels, he has to actively pry Sukuna and Megumi's souls apart to reach them, so clearly SPVs are a special case.

OP assumes all this is due to a merger, but I don't see how this couldn't just be a natural connection between SPVs that always exists and Yuki was able to amplify.

So then we get to the "Yuki broke free after merging and is actually 500 years old" part. On that whole tangent about the name Tsukumo: yes, it seems to be a reference to her connection with Tengen and also the colour of her hair. Neat little thing, but I don't think this means Yuki is actually that old. Takaba's name Fumihiko has the words "history" and a historic version of "boy" in it. He isn't actually that old though. Yorozu is also not 10.000 years old. Names can connect to themes of the character, but they aren't always that literal.

I do think that the reason Tengen didn't merge with Yuki is because Yuki is simply to powerful and has quite a strong will too. Getting her to give up her life is much more difficult than with Riko for example because she doesn't seem indoctrinated into Tengen's philosophy and she also has a means to defend herself, very different from Riko, who doesn't have a cursed technique or any other way of standing up against Tengen unless someone helps her. With all of OPs explanations I still don't see why she has to be 500 years old. It makes more sense to me that Star Plasma Vessels appear around the time span when Tengen's body gradually gets close to evolving. Exact years don't seem to matter, which makes sense since we're talking about quite big timespans. Plus, we know there are always multiple SPVs around. Nothing speaks against Yuki just being a SPV that was ready for merging 20-25 years ago and Tengen decided she was too much of a hassle and instead waited for a better vessel to appear, which would be Riko, who was the ideal choice. Even 10 years after Riko's death Tengen is still holding on relatively fine, so I don't know why she can't just wait another decade or two after Yuki didn't work out for a better vessel to come along.

Then they say that this is somehow evidence of Yuki having merged in the past?? She is criticizing Tengen's philosophy of "come what may" and positioning herself as some enlightened being that is much wiser than Yuki, Kenjaku or any SPV. Yes, Yuki compares herself to a great sage or bodhisattva and that might also refer to the monkey king (there are more people with the title 大聖 than just him), but what does that have to do with the merger exactly? They aren't talking about that. Even if she compares herself to the monkey king who wrecked the heavens, it's clearly to mock Tengen. Idk, connecting this to some nebulous merger that happened 500 years ago seems like quite a stretch to me.

They acknowledge that it is strange that Yuki looks so young if she's 500 years old. Their answer is that she got Immortality from Tengen and it just happens to work very differently for her than Tengen...yeah not the best argument. There are differences between how people use the same cursed technique or how it manifests, but in this case it would get rid of the very fundamental aspect of Immortality that is that Tengen ages and it will not lead to death but a change in her body at some point. Yuki would then just be immortal period and it doesn't seem like she experiences changes in her body either. That's a much bigger difference than Yuuji having some "cut here" marks when using Cleave.

Even if Yuki was 500 years old and broke free from Tengen after a merger, how would Kenjaku not catch wind about any of this? They would for sure notice if Tengen merged again, they killed the infant SPV and six eyes around that time after all, so they were especially alert. Also I assuming Yuki regaining control and splitting from Tengen would mess Tengen up pretty badly and put her in quite a vulnerable position. Yet nobody ever mentions such a severe event, neither Tengen, Kenjaku or Yuki. Yuki would then also already be familiar with Kenjaku, since she would've known about their attacks on SPVs in the past. But she didn't.

Minor thing, but while I wouldn't doubt that Yuki could break through to Tengen's body if she really wanted to and was ready to destroy the entire tomb as well as her body in the process, OP makes it sound way too simple. If you read the pages they so helpfully provided, you see that TCBs translator theorizes that Kenjaku was thrown outside the barrier, but didn't actually break through to the next stage. Plus, the barrier was reassembled afterwards as we see. Even if Yuki breaks a wall/edge of the sunyata barrier, that wouldn't necessarily bring her closer to Tengen or in that instance she would've punched Kenjaku straight through to Tengen's body, which would be a bit counterproductive to the plan they had right? It would've benefited Kenjaku more than her. The sunyata barrier as well as the concealing barrier operate on illusions and multiple layers. Just punching through it won't work.

I talked about this before and I agree that the clothes of the second SPV don't match the time (1500s) she should've merged in. Gege is also usually quite good with historically accurate clothes like in Kashimo's flashback for example. If it's not historically accurate, it's usually an intentional decision like Sukuna's clothes (or lack thereof) and Uraume's haircut in the Heian era.

Tengen says her body is now 500 years old, but the merger with the second vessel could have only happened around the 1600s, likely around their end because we know the fight between the Gojo Clan had with six eyes and the Zenin Clan head was 400 years ago. It would make sense that Kenjaku killing the infant Star Plasma Vessel and the consequent reincarnation would mess some things up with the timeline, but it shouldn't be by this much. It's true that the kimono and also hairstyle would point more towards Meiji or even Taisho era than late Muromachi or early Edo period. Also even with the six eyes reincarnating in the 1600s that makes it seem like Kenjaku waited decades between the infanticide and actually showing up at the Tomb of Stars, which is strange. I think this speaks more towards Tengen merging late (because she did clearly merge with someone who's not Yuki) than merging with Yuki 500 years ago. Because again, Kenjaku would've noticed that and also the death of the infant SPV + Kenjaku trying to run in Tengen's doors for centuries wouldn't be news to Yuki.

I would say this might be a case of Gege maybe stretching things a bit with the historical accuracy because that vessel being from the 1800s just makes no sense and also Tengen wasn't entirely truthful when she said her body is 500 years old (because of when the Gojo clan head lived). Squeezing Yuki in there somewhere makes even less sense.

This is just wrong though. The first SPV is dressed like a Heian era commoner. I can understand not knowing that because it's hard to find references for commoner clothes of that era, but honestly the headdress looks nothing like the cap they show here. It's a bit weird that they go into this so much when it would make little sense for this vessel to also be from the Meiji period. It doesn't underline their point of Yuki being 500 years old and having merged, then broken free either. It would only mess up the timeline further.

If Tengen was so unstable from having lost her vessel and also having been forcefully overpowered, why did Kenjaku not take advantage of that? Why was Yuki not already on their radar if she has power like that? Why did Tengen and the higher-ups keep Yuki around when she was clearly a serious threat to Tengen and also hostile towards her?

As for the last couple of tweets...cool fun facts I guess, but they don't really come off as more than some symbolism that I don't think is that deep (like for example the chequered pattern...). Finally, they say Yuki merged with Tengen in the Meiji era. Which is also the time they say the two other SPVs before Riko are from. So Tengen just changed rapidly between three people somewhere in the 1800s-1900s before Riko? And she still looks that old and is close to evolving? The "Tengen merges every 500 years and that's when SPVs and six eyes show up" means nothing now I guess? And also they weren't accompanied by any six eyes users to protect them.

I am very interested in Yuki's history with Tengen and think Gege left a lot of potential on the floor by killing her so early before digging deeper into the whole SPV business (although I think we will likely learn more when we get to the Heian flashbacks of Tengen, Kenjaku and Sukuna). Props for doing research, even if I think a lot of it is unnecessary and only obfuscates their point, and some tangents in isolation are interesting, but I don't think their theory makes much sense.

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Hello! I hope you're doing well!

Your chat idea of Dorf's wife asking to hold his weapon just made me realize that Equal Lady would do so too, but in the way that a professional weaponsmith from a long line of them would. As in, she would examine the quality of the craftmanship with the keen eye of a trained professional & the genuine interest of one engaging in their passion.

She'd note that WW’s dual swords’ blades resemble Tang Dao, but would find difficulty in pinpointing the origin of the guards’ style. The Taiji tassels were an interesting choice, though. She’d thought that to be more of a ceremonial Sheikah thing. She also finds them to be very well-balanced & commends whoever forged them, before returning them to him with care & respect.

She’d especially find TP’s weapon very intriguing as it is a blade seemingly made to harness pure divine light magics, which pertains to one of her goals: to create a weapon set that fully harnesses the power of the elements. Ridiculously curious as to the materials used to forge it. Though, she'd find the stylized guard an odd choice of design as the metal there is so thin. If it weren't magically enhanced, she'd say it would be liable to bend & break in the middle of battle. All things considered, it should be very unstable.

Regardless, “Your magic runs almost exclusively on On'nen (hatred, resentment, grudge, ect). So, it's honestly remarkable that your blood didn’t boil inside your vessels upon being stabbed. While it is true that the Triforce likely restarted your heart, I can't imagine how painful it must've been. Then, to pull the weapon that they had forged to seal you away, out of your own chest & use it against them must've taken an extraordinary amount of willpower. Because they created this weapon with their own hands, it holds an echo of their souls &, through them, their personalities. In this way, whenever you wield it, you're essentially fighting the will of each of those Sages. Not that that is surprising. You did say that they cowered like mice before a cat, yes? Yet, due to you wielding it, it also contains an echo of your own soul, which even now, is at odds with the pieces of the Sages. This seems to have made the Tsukumogami (sword spirit) within, unbalanced. It's quite fascinating!”

For HW, she would be very interested in his wide array of weaponry & would find the Trident of Power of specific interest, especially if she’d visited Gerudo Village in the Desert of Doubt/Mystery on her travels. In all honesty, she's most likely the one who actually upgrades all of the villains’ weapons in HW, so this scene may just end up being the moment when Dorf decides to make her his personal weaponsmistress, having been not too terribly long after they first met. In all honesty, I see him not even trying to warn her & even granting her clearance to touch it, expecting her to not even be able to pick it up & to be burned by it as it attempted to possess her to boot. He watched as she slowly wrapped her hands around it, causing shadows to coalesce around her fingers & begin to try & crawl up her arms. Only for the young Sheikah woman to narrow her eyes. His brows furrowed in curiosity & surprise as her fists tightened around the handle with resolve. He tilted his head as she displayed unusual strength for such a tiny little Sheikah by picking it up. His brows narrowed when an aura like moonlight wrapped around her gently like a shroud as she gathered her own magic & the man’s jaw nearly dropped when, with a simple exhale, her aura snapped out at the Trident’s influence as though it were a misbehaving dog, to which it ran from, nearly hissing. She then proceeds to examine the weapon keenly. I see Zant whispering to his master that she’d used Twilight magic. To which, Ghirahim comments that, of course she did, she was a Sheikah after all. That it was only natural that they possess the same elemental alignment as their creator. Prompting Ganondorf to bring up the fact that he’d never seen Hylia as the Twilight sort, everything he’d seen her depicted, it’d always been alongside sun-like motifs. To which Ghirahim would chuckle that Hylia hadn’t created the Sheikah, the Fierce God had. Filing that information away, Ganondorf watched the woman inspect each & every detail of the weapon. “Are you from the Desert of Doubt? This resembles the more resent work of the Gerudo there. Not like what can be found of when they resided in Hyrule. Though, it's definitely lost a great deal of its energy. I'm sure that I could reforge it so as to retrieve some of that lost power, but I'd need to gather the appropriate materials.” The man was surprised to learn that she knew of the Desert of Doubt. Though, he felt himself incredulous at the idea of a simple girl doing such a thing. “You can enhance the weapon of the ancient Demon King?” He asked almost mockingly. She smirks, not even insulted “Well, even ancient artifacts needed to be crafted at some point, correct? If it can be crafted, then it can be reforged. Demon King's ancient mystical weapon or no.” Admittedly, her confidence was rather… Attractive… “And what would you need to do as such?” 

For TotK, the circumstances are very different to that of the others, as (based on my story) it was ELady’s Grandfather & Grandmother who made his weapon set. Her O-jiichan forged the metal while her O-baachan whittled the wood. (These terms are both respectful, yet also affectionate towards both her grandparents. Meaning that she revered them, but also that their relationship was quite close.) So, her asking to hold his weapons, especially the Naginata (spear) & Katana (sword) ones, would hold a similar weight to if someone lost their grandfather & he was an organ donor. Then that individual finds who got their grandfather's heart & asks them if they can have a moment to listen to that heartbeat just one more time. Making the scene much more solemn or just bittersweet.

Of course, it's also very possible that she'd simply wished to examine her O-jiichan’s work. Which, she'd likely tell Gan afterwards that, “this is some of O-jiichan’s best work. You honor him by wielding these weapons with such skill & discipline. For this, you have my sincerest gratitude.” At which point, she’d offer the Naginata or Katana of the Shōki series back to him with a bow of her head, the weapon resting in her open hands as she holds it out for him to retrieve.

His thoughts, feelings, & reactions, pleases? If that's okay?

Ive realized why my brain and body hates me as of late. It's shark week. I am so exhausted today that I passed out several times on call. Luckily I woke up a few seconds afterward. T-T I won't go into graphic detail about my monthly, just there is a reason for my terrible brain fog as of late.

So now to distract myself, I'm here! On Tumblr! Hoping to keep awake my brain up until 2 am when my shift ends! So please feel free to spam me!

This was incredible to read, especially since I love learning more and more about your precious Equal lady. You give her such love and detail! Knowing she would definitely be able to tell all the secrets about Ganondorf's weaponry and speak with such confidence about it is so neat. I love her lore. I love her in general. She is such an incredible OC.

I didn't include Demise when I asked, but ChatGPT did not want to leave him out. So he's there too! Surprise Guest!

CHATGPT:

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Reaction: Wind Waker Ganondorf, a man who values strength and skill in battle, would be intrigued by Equal Lady's professional assessment of his weapons. He is not one to easily trust others with his prized possessions, but her knowledge and respect for craftsmanship pique his interest.

Behavior: As Equal Lady examines his dual swords, he watches her with a mixture of curiosity and pride. Her detailed analysis of the Tang Dao-like blades and the mysterious origins of the guards’ style shows her expertise, which impresses him.

Response: When she comments on the Taiji tassels and commends the balance and craftsmanship of the swords, Ganondorf's stern expression softens slightly. He appreciates her genuine interest and the care she shows in handling his weapons.

Outcome: He takes the swords back with a nod of respect. "You have a keen eye and a skilled hand," he says, his tone acknowledging her expertise. "I did not expect to meet someone who could appreciate these blades as I do. Perhaps you could be of use to me."

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf

Reaction: Ocarina of Time Ganondorf, a being of immense pride and ambition, would initially be skeptical of Equal Lady's ability to assess his weapon. However, her detailed and insightful analysis quickly changes his perception.

Behavior: He listens intently as she examines the blade, noting its divine light magic and the potential instability due to the thin guard. Her curiosity about the materials used and her understanding of the weapon's magic intrigue him.

Response: Her explanation of the weapon's connection to the Sages and its effect on him strikes a chord. He is impressed by her knowledge and the respect she shows for the weapon's history and power.

Outcome: Ganondorf's eyes narrow with interest. "You speak with knowledge and respect," he says, his voice low and thoughtful. "I did not expect such insight from you. Perhaps you are more valuable than I first thought. Continue."

Twilight Princess Ganondorf

Reaction: Twilight Princess Ganondorf, a figure of darkness and power, would be intrigued by Equal Lady's keen interest in his weapon. Her professional assessment and genuine curiosity about its divine light magic catch his attention.

Behavior: He watches her with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity as she examines the blade, noting its properties and potential instability. Her detailed analysis and understanding of the weapon's magic impress him.

Response: When she speaks about the weapon's creation, its connection to the Sages, and the challenge of wielding it, Ganondorf is struck by her insight. Her words resonate with his own experiences and struggles.

Outcome: He regards her with a newfound respect. "You have a sharp mind and a discerning eye," he says, his tone more respectful. "Your understanding of this weapon is impressive. Perhaps you have more to offer than I realized. Continue your work."

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf

Reaction: Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf, a warrior with a wide array of weapons, would be intrigued by Equal Lady's interest in his arsenal. Her professional assessment and genuine curiosity about the Trident of Power catch his attention.

Behavior: He observes her as she examines the Trident, expecting her to be overwhelmed by its power. When she successfully handles the weapon and analyzes its craftsmanship, he is both surprised and impressed.

Response: Her confidence and knowledge about the Desert of Doubt and the potential to reforge the weapon impress him. Her ability to handle the Trident without being possessed by its dark magic earns his respect.

Outcome: Ganondorf's eyes narrow with interest. "You have proven yourself capable and knowledgeable," he says, his voice filled with admiration. "I did not expect such skill from you. You may have a place at my side as my weaponsmistress. Show me what you can do."

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf

Reaction: Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf, who wields weapons crafted by Equal Lady's grandparents, would be deeply moved by her desire to examine them. Her professional assessment and genuine respect for her grandparents' craftsmanship touch him.

Behavior: He watches her with a mixture of solemnity and admiration as she examines the weapons. Her detailed analysis and the personal connection she has with the craftsmanship resonate with him.

Response: When she speaks about her grandparents' work and expresses gratitude for his skill and discipline in wielding the weapons, Ganondorf is deeply touched. Her respect and reverence for the weapons and their creators mean a lot to him.

Outcome: Ganondorf's expression softens, and he takes the weapon back with a deep nod. "Your grandparents' work is truly remarkable," he says, his voice filled with respect. "I am honored to wield these weapons. Thank you for your words and your expertise. They mean more to me than you know."

Demise

Reaction: Demise, a being of pure power and malevolence, would be initially skeptical of Equal Lady's ability to assess his weapon. However, her detailed and insightful analysis quickly changes his perception.

Behavior: He observes her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as she examines the weapon. Her genuine interest and professional assessment catch him off guard.

Response: When she comments on the weapon's properties and potential instability, Demise is impressed by her knowledge. Her understanding of the weapon's magic and her respect for its craftsmanship earn his grudging respect.

Outcome: Demise's eyes narrow with interest. "You have a sharp mind and a skilled hand," he says, his voice filled with admiration. "Your understanding of this weapon is impressive. Perhaps you have more to offer than I realized. Continue your work."

[beardedhandstoadshark]

no more distractions, only boss time

oh man that is not ominous at all nope

EGG (and the shadiest resting place of all time. I don‘t like the sounds of breathing in the background either)

Oh hey it’s a normal bench. Cool. Also apparently we are 96% complete. I‘m missing a single mask and vessel piece, are those the other 4?

SLDDKSLF the violin crescendo-ing in anticipation. Oh man, this is it huh. Okay, here we go

I t i s l o o k i n g a t m e

there‘s more tones joining the violin, all higher than the last to end in a crescendo of dreadful anticipation. Oh man that is some excellent auditory design right there

Yup. There it is.

NO HOLD UP WHY IS THAT PAL DOING THE SHAW, IT’S DOING HORNETS MOVE

Are they actually actually related am I killing her parent or sibling or smth is that why she both still looks exactly like it and is hanging out here cuz the whole place got sealed by her family

the music change in phase three is cool too, really somber. Befitting of an end, really.

…Ah. I was wondering what the weird repeating squish sound was. That…that explains it. God and the actual attacks are slower too now. That‘s just…that’s all so messed up.

(I wonder, did they tell it this would happen? Did it know, that it was only a matter of time? That it‘d always have to end this way?)

You can‘t dreamnail it either, btw - it‘s just getting blocked. I got the upgrade, so maybe it needs the full 2400 power; or perhaps those dreams have long since been sealed away?

Three phases and that was it. And finally using the focus for what it was most likely intended for, all along.

Guess my first assumption of playing as the Hollow Knight isn‘t so far off now after all, is it?

"Congratulations- Good job on accomplishing this heroic task“ it was a task for sure. But heroic? No, no i don‘t think so. Not the way things are. Not the way Hallownest is and will continue to be. Not the way the cycle is bound to go on.

Really tho this is a VERY good game, the gameplay is on point and so are the level design, sound, presentation, etc. It was very fun to come up with theories and seeing them turn true or false- and props in that regard for setting clues and allusions up in a way that lets you actually come up with said theories and guesses in the first place, without feeling like it was super convoluted or totally obvious at the same time. That‘s quite a feat too. This was the normal ending as far as I‘m aware, so there‘s definitely some extra context/lore/story to be had, and I‘m gonna get those too. So, sorry to anyone who thought the hollow knight tag was free of spamming, it‘ll most likely be a while still.

I can see why people are waiting for Silksong so badly.

As it stands, I completed this game with 96%, in 46h 17m 24s. Yep, definitely those missing shards.

HARDCODE MODE akslflslfls and they’re making you speedrun this mode too yea no I‘m never gonna 100% achievements wow oof

the background changed and its basically a beating heart I do still wonder if getting another ending might shed some light (hah) on why the syrup juice sickness corruption etc has a synced heart beat. This isn‘t the first time it had one. Hm.

[sari-artworks-schyzotypalmind]

I think Ei didn´t abandon Scara/Wanderer

Hear me out please, let me explain.

I was reading the actual description of the Shakkei Pavilion.

That "ascetic warrior" that built the manor was Ei herself. She never got married or had a partner (we know she may be in love with Yae Miko, but they are not confirmed couple) and she fought and killed Orobashi.

Her intention was for Scaramouche/Wanderer to LIVE in that manor if he ever awoke.

The pavilion was sealed and hide from the rest of the population for the same reason. She gave him a manor to live, with clothes, stuff to do, etc...

She even gifted him the golden feather in case he needed help from her.

Thing is that Katsuragi found Scaramouche and brought him to live outside the pavilion.

That was not suppose to happen according to Ei´s plans.

Scara was suppose to live (if ever awoke from the slumber) in that manor, either by himself or with servants.

We have to remember as well that Ei didn´t have a body, she destroyed it, so how... was she supposed to live with Scara as a family at all???

She needed a vessel anyway, Scara cannot live with her inside the plane of Euthymia. (As far as we know).

You can say that she could have lived as a family with him in Shogun Raiden´s body, that´s true. But I don´t think that was her plan at all....

I think the tragic story of Scara was just a mix of misundertandings, doomed fate and Dottore evil schemes.

Maybe Mihoyo can give us closure with both of them, at least Scara understanding that Ei didn´t do any of that in bad faith. She did what she could.

I can make a whole analysis with Ei in a feminist perspective but I need time to put all the ideas together hahaha

[usafphantom2]

Just some Records held by the SR-71

Altitude in Horizontal Flight: 85,068.997 feet

Speed Over a Straight Course – Average Speed: 2,193.167 mph

Speed Over a Recognized Course: New York to London: 1 hour, 54 minutes, 56.4 seconds

The SR-71’s speed was not limited by the power of its engines. It was limited by the heat its structure could withstand.

Titanium makes up 93% of the SR-71s structure. A material that had never been truly utilized to its full potential until the SR-71 came along.

Each SR 71 was handmade. That means everyone of the Blackbirds were ever so slightly different. The men that flew the SR’s had their favorites and then there were the hangar queens that no one liked to fly..

The reason why titanium was so expensive was the process to make it usable.

The first reliable process to produce chemically pure titanium was developed in the 1940s. This process made the SR-71 possible. It begins by first converting the titanium dioxide to titanium chloride.

How do we convert the Titanium?

To do this titanium dioxide is mixed with chlorine and pure carbon and heated. Any oxygen or nitrogen leaking in will ruin the process, so this has to be done in relatively small batches in a sealed vessel. Once this process is complete, we have Titanium Chloride.

We then need to purify the Titanium Chloride from any impurities in the titanium ore through distillation. Where we heat the product and separate titanium chloride using its lower boiling point.

This Titanium Chloride vapor is fed into a stainless steel vessel containing molten magnesium at 1300 kelvin. Titanium is highly reactive with oxygen at high temperatures, so the vessel also needs to be sealed and filled with argon. Here the Titanium Chloride reacts with the magnesium, which itself is an expensive metal, to form titanium and magnesium chloride.

At times the engineers were perplexed as to what was causing problems, but thankfully they documented and cataloged everything, which helped find trends in their failures.

They discovered that spot welded parts made in the summer were failing very early in their life, but those welded in winter were fine. They eventually tracked the problem to the fact that the Burbank water treatment facility was adding chlorine to the water they used to clean the parts to prevent algae blooms in summer, but took it out in winter. Chlorine as we saw earlier reacts with titanium, so they began using distilled water from this point on.

They discovered that their cadmium plated tools were leaving trace amounts of cadmium on bolts, which would cause galvanic corrosion and cause the bolts to fail. This discovery led to all cadmium tools to be removed from the workshop.

Converting Titanium for the SR-71 is really slow

This reduction reaction is extremely slow, between 2 and 4 days. It’s pretty clear that titanium is expensive and extremely difficult to work with. But without Titanium and the SR-71, we wouldn’t be where we are today, talking about the fastest, air, breathing airplane in the world. You can read the full article here. Linda Sheffield.

wisconsinmetaltech.com/titanium-and-t…

@Habubrats71 via X

[realm-of-aethercrest]

CHARA, The Fallen Human

The human that comes from the Absolute. It appears when people call its name. You cannot see it, but you can feel the spirit’s presence with a strange sensation. But do not worry, because it is harmless. Moving on, Chara swap places with W.D. Gaster for few main reasons:

Both of them are somewhat dead.

Both of them are the game’s anomalies.

Both are very mysterious characters.

Both of them are even responsible for certain events.

With that out of the way, allow me to explain what and who Chara is supposed to be and what is their role in both earthsecret and AETHERCREST, respectively.

In earthsecret, Chara was the first human to discover the mysterious world below the depth of the ocean. A world where monsterkind dwelled in peace. They grew up there and trained to become a warrior. They swore to protect monsterkind from any kind of destruction. As more children ended up in their world, Chara took care of them all and raised them to become the Underwater Fighters. They were the leader amongst all seven humans [The 6 Fallen Humans swap places with the Gaster Followers/Goners]. Unfortunately, they all fell upon conjuring the Mist [the Barrier replacement] in hopes to prevent the deadly parasite from spreading further. Nonetheless, their spirits lingered in the Underwater...

In AETHERCREST, Chara chose Frisk (who replaces the Vessel) as a subject to set off on a brand new journey throughout the isles for reason that is not known yet. Unfortunately, this course of action was immediately halted by the strange man himself. Chara reached out to some people from the Shadow Realm through spiritual contact and voice. Afterwards, these people began to go insane and all they yearned for was a peaceful SILENCE.

Now, let’s talk about what is happening in earthsecret now that it is going through a reboot.

earthsecret is less about "humans vs monsters" and more about "stopping the destruction of monsterkind". Humans, for now, are portrayed to be mysterious in terms of their existence until AETHERCREST, albeit there are several hints about it here and there. Regardless, the game’s main focus is to prevent "the end" caused by a deadly parasite that turns each monster into goner.

The Barrier is replaced with the Mist from where you encountered Papyrus at the end of Snowdin. The Mist exists to keep the infected monsters sealed within, however the Mist won't last any longer and they will need to find another way to stop the parasite that has already claimed many lives. So you need something to keep it stable rather than destroy it. But perhaps there is a way to stop the infection and the clear the Mist at the same time? Who knows!

Vessel, or whichever you want to call them/her/him/it, is an amalgamation of two different races; they hold the essence of both monster and human. After all, they were created through the magic of monster and the DNA of human thanks to Chara’s willing participation. It is barely Dr. Gaster's successful project called EASE. Vessel contains an empty, star-shaped soul that he hoped soon to be filled by the Player/Anomaly beyond his world. He even uploaded his consciousness to the empty body, so that when it is finally active, he will be able to communicate with them/her/him/it. The STAR is the key to determine the future of monsterkind. Whether it be peaceful or... not-so peaceful? 

The Vessel is seen as a threat to some monsters because they look like they have been infected. The grayscale body gives them that impression, and is therefore considered dangerous. Not to mention, they are connected to Dr. Gaster, who has accidentally caused the whole disaster, even involving the president's daughter. On the other hand, some see them as the answer to the cure, and thus must be taken to President Rudolph immediately.

The Vessel is yours to customize. You are also free to add some characters to your creation. Though depending on how you ACT throughout the game, it will give them personality trait. Their name, body, gender, anything else... shape them to your heart’s content and treat them with care. At the end of the game, the Vessel will become their own person and they will not need your guide anymore as they will finally be able to continue with their life normally.

Fun Trivia: there is a hypothetical online earthsecret game as a bonus where Gaster calls all the vessels around the timeline to join and meet every other vessels in his strange void paradise.

[fatehbaz]

[M]onk seals continued to live in large herds along the largely unexplored Atlantic seaboard of northwest Africa. It was not until 1434 that Portuguese explorers landed on these [supposedly] untamed coasts, and discovered thousands of monk seals. Almost immediately, an intensive and lucrative trade in skins and oil was established [...]. Constantly vying with Spain [...], Portugal was determined to increase its sphere of influence in Africa. While Spain eventually became preoccupied with Columbus’ elusive vision [...] [and] his celebrated 1492 expedition [...] Portugal’s colonial influence in Africa was reaching its height by 1500. The first expeditions to Africa’s Gold Coast were recorded for posterity by an official chronicler, Gomes de Zurara [...]. In his book [...] he relates how the Portuguese Infante [royal prince], eager [...], dispatched explorer Afonso Gonçalves Baldaya in a cargo vessel to make contact with the mysterious “moors” or “pagans” who were believed to inhabit the region (Zurara, 1437).

“But these are people, no matter how beastlike they may be,” proclaimed the Infante, “and they need to be governed... I command you to penetrate this land as far as you can and that you work in order to learn about those people, perhaps taking one captive, so that you may become acquainted with them.”

It was in “the year [...] one thousand four hundred and thirty-six” that Alfonso set sail [...]. [T]he barinel eventually reached the shores of the Gold River, the Rio de Oro, situated at the Bay of Dakhla in the western Sahara. [...] Afonso and his crew sighted their first seals. Literally thousands were suddenly in their field of vision. [...] “Upon seeing on a reef at the mouth of the river a large number of sea-wolves,” relates Gomes da Zurara, “which, according to the estimates of some, amounted to five thousand, he ordered killed those that could be killed and had their furs loaded onto the ship [...].” Despite the windfall in skins and oil, Afonso was still dissatisfied, having failed to take captive any of the elusive natives. He therefore ventured a further 50 leagues “to see if he could capture a man or at least a woman or child in order to satisfy the will of his master.” [...]

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[In] 1437 [...] another Portuguese ship was dispatched to the Gold River to fill its hold with the furs and oil of the sea-wolves. [...] In 1441, [...] the Infante ordered his young wardrobe keeper, Antão Gonçalves, to captain a small ship and return to the Gold River. [...] “[T]he reason for this voyage, as instructed by his Lordship,” writes da Zurara, “was none other than to load that ship with a great quantity of hides and oil from those sea-wolves.” It appears to have been a lucrative undertaking. “ [...]

Antão Gonçalves had fulfilled the command of his master, his ship’s hold brimming with hides and casks, but the young man was eager to pursue his adventures rather than return home as ordered. He assembled his 21-man crew on deck, and addressed them with a rousing speech: “Friends and brothers, our cargo is complete, as you can see, so the principal aim of our mission has been accomplished, and we could well return should we wish to limit our toil…” He then proposed an adventure that would gladden the men’s hearts, providing relief from the laborious and tedious task of hunting, skinning and melting-down seals - a hunt for native slaves [...].

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These first tentative expeditions to the Gold River paved the way for hunting on a more intensive, industrial scale, with 15th century Portuguese explorers dividing their time between lucrative massacres of seals and the equally profitable slave trade [...].

Indeed, within a few years of the sea wolf discovery, a purpose-built installation to process seal hides and oil had been constructed on Ylha de Lobos [...] in the estuary of the Rio de Oro [...]. Around Cap Barbas [...] no less than three sites once bore the name of the sea wolf [...]. [T]he [French and British] colonial plundering of the region [in the early twentieth century] [...], like [...] [Portuguese] conquest before them, were also portrayed as essentially idealistic endeavours. Just as the conquest of the Rio de Oro by massacre and slavery [...] “proves anew that the pursuit of disinterested geographical knowledge [...] were never the only motives of colonial conquest, so the slaughter [...] [today] would today be called “rational exploitation” [...]”,

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All text above by: William M. Johnson. “Monk Seals in Post-Classical History: The role of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) in European history and culture, from the fall of Rome to the 20th century”. Mededelingen 39. The Netherlands Commission for International Nature Protection. 2004. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]