#what is interesting to an immortal surrounded by less mortal immortals?

[flowerflamestars]

Effloresce snippet

Size did not matter. Her gaze came as though at great distance- the sun to a beetle, every tree in the forest to a single, bruised, blade of grass.

Amren. Not the, never the, but with all emphasis just the same. Amren, power of a different world, who'd watched Prythian so long she'd faded into folly and legend, length of a life too long even for fellow immortals to comprehend.

Elain dipped a deep curtsy, but she did not lower her head.

Look away, from that clear predator.

Lucien did not move at all.

"You," Amren said, flashing mother of pearl teeth, her gleaming eyes seeming far too other to be bothered by the hair she tossed out of her view, shifted on sea breeze. "Now you have a face."

Elain dimpled her way. Held, shoulders aching iron, neck prickled with a discomfort, a fear that was pure instinct, moving only when her smile- her grandmother's smile- was met head on in interest.

"Amren," Elain did not swallow, did not show her dry mouth, "We have a gift."

"We?"

A tip of the head. Lucien swept smoothly forward, low, to place the box before her. "Archeron."

"Not him?" Amren addressed only Elain, "Not a treat, a feast, little lost light? I've never tasted the sun and moon in one."

Not a shake, not a waver, Elain imagined Nesta's knife blade frown. The smile that was not a smile at all, gentry cut direct. "House Archeron does not sacrifice it's own."

A snort, gentle derision, melted all of Elain's fear in one blast. All the honor she'd ever had, burnt to nothing by her youngest sister.

Amren watched on, unblinkingly. Elain walked forward, respectful distance damned, and ripped open the lid. Did not flinch at the fresh scent of gore, the neat bed of the finest mortal lace soaking up blood.

[howtofightwrite]

For a character that virtually can’t die and regenerates in order to keep living, how do you make action interesting? Emphasize they still feel pain, why they’re doing it?

I'm actually going to step back a bit from this question first, and complement it. This is a very honest question, and something most writers who include violence in their work, should really think about. Even if you don't think you have characters like this, you do.

Now, I'm going to dunk on Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw for a moment. Ages ago (I think it was in one of his Resistance reviews), Yahtzee described, “threatening to blow up the world,” as the laziest form of raising the stakes. Because, “hey, I live on a world.” He's mostly correct. Threatening your protagonist's life is even lazier. In the vast majority of cases, your audience knows you won't go through with it. That you won't kill off your protagonists.

With that in mind, when you decide your protagonist is completely immortal, that changes less about how you write them than you might expect. The biggest difference is simply that they're directly aware of their plot armor, rather than them engaging in faux indecision based on their perceived mortality. Again, this is something that every writer who uses violence should think about, at least a bit. It is natural for a character to fear for their life, and have reservations about risking their life, but making the part where your character's lives are on the line isn't automatically suspenseful. In a lot of cases (consciously or not), your audience will call your bluff, when you threaten to kill off a major character.

If you think back to major character deaths where something drops them without warning, part of what makes those scenes work is the lack of (apparent) setup. The writer didn't spend pages teasing you with the idea, they just went for the throat and ended that character on the spot. This is more respectful of your audience, because you're not telling them, “well, I might kill this character, or I might not.”

To be clear, I'm not saying that there's no place for teasing your audience with a character's impending demise, just pointing out that in a lot of cases, this won't generate the kind of suspense you'd hope for.

So, to get back on topic, how do you make it interesting? Remember that while this character can't die, the same is not true for the characters around them. Depending on the tone you're going for, you could create an absolutely brutal crucible effect, where everyone around your immortal gets burned off, sooner or later. Whether that's literal, or figurative, is up to you. Even if your character can't die, watching people they care about suffer and die is going to have an effect on them.

You probably don't need to draw special attention to the physical pain they experience, but you do want to be aware of it. Especially in the context of how pain affects the victim's behavior. Beyond that, there is probably an element of pain being far more annoying to the immortal than it would be to a normal person. They know it's not telling them anything meaningful, but it is distracting.

Long-term, both of these can easily result in personality shifts. And, legitimately, this is a scenario where a character may be immortal, but they would still experience significant changes over time, and with the growing emotional pain, could have very adverse effects on your personality. This does have some very real, “live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” potential. How many friends can you lose before you stop caring? How many funerals can you attend before you start taking the phrase, “you're either part of the solution or part of the problem,” a little too far? How many times can you pick yourself up off the pavement a blood-covered alleyway, surrounded by corpses, before you start to forget what made you human in the first place?

And, that's not the only option. The simplest answer for maintaining tension when one of your characters is immortal is keeping your eye on what they're trying to accomplish. Keep track of their objectives, because I guarantee they can fail those. Even just keeping their own nature concealed from the mortal world is probably fairly important, because of the idea that men in hazmat suits will drag them away to some research lab and poke them until they figure out how to replicate their immortality, is a classic (and potentially plausible) threat. (Bonus points, if you're wanting to loop in something like the medieval inquisitions, or some other secret societies that could pose this kind of a threat.)

So, what do you do? To dig out an old cliché threat, “there are fates worse than death,” and it's probably worth exploring them. This also opens up new possibilities for threats. Finally, it's worth remembering that immortality does not guarantee success. If your character is hoping for that, it might be time to give them a very harsh lesson.

-Starke

This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get access to new posts three days early, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’re already a Patron, thank you. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.

[someweirdoreblogger]

You know how the Valkyires guide souls?

The gods obviously abstain a lot of divine authority and influence. What if Hades took it upon himself to escort a soul?

Hades is an all-powerful ruler of the Underworld, in charge of overseeing souls and reincarnation. Hades knows a good thing or two about guiding souls to their rightful resting place; bared witness to their judgments for millennia after millennia.

What if he took this task off the Valkyires shoulders, insisting to lighten the load?

And, of course, the Valkyires are reasonably suspicious. Never trust the gods. Why did Hades want to provide aid out of nowhere when he showed little interest in the gods' affairs, less so mortal affairs? Regurdless if Hades seemed to be coming from a good place, never take up something too good to be true.

So what if it turned out to be more than that, thanks to intense investigation, but not how anyone originally expected?

What if the entire reason why Hades wanted to handle this task for this very specific mortal is to take the chance to hold your hand one last time before he has to painfully wait another half century for your resurgence?

What if Hades knew he could only justify himself with a mortal so long lack of proper reason? Taking this certain opportunity, sweep under his nose in front of him, in Helhiem, where his free time already runs so so thin, to actually finally see you-

only through your occasional pulls traveling across death's ether?

It's unheard of for Hades to look so desperate, sunk so deep in a place that he alone should know best. The realm in-between life and true death.

What if Hades has been adamantly escorting you-a lowly mortal-for all your past and current reincarnations? Where Hades can only reveal himself during the most painful eras of your entire life, literally on death's bed, counting the seconds of when you take your final breath?

And it hurts Hades, it hurts to see the holder of his dampened heart in cages in a body of pain, life stretched paper thin, your determination to stay alive long enough to say goodbye to him the only thing keeping you going. Such is the cost of mortality.

Hades tells you he is willing to give everything.

He offered you a proper place so many times, more times than enough, more than what a god usually would offer their fling. But you're not a fling, not some side dish on the banquet table. You can tell as much from how he melts like ice cream into your hands, invisible to the world surrounding you, gloved fingers clinging, godly eyes clenched. From his mouth, promises warriors would kill for flood your dying senses.

Hades offered you all you could ever need, with a bond that would leave you wanting for nothing. Immortality, passage to his beloved home castle, guided by himself of all people. With a roof tall enough to touch the stars, anicent walls designed to withstand the cataclysmic clashes of Titans, a bed far more comfortable than anything any mortal could ever dream of having, with aplenty food and luxurious wishes. Jewels, riches, dreams. Heaven will be thrown at your feet, and Helheim will bend over backwards to ensure paradise kisses your fingertips.

All you need to do is agree to stay, come with Hades. Take his hand and leave for the next world. Swear off your human ties in the mortal world, and accept your new throne down in the nether. Where the dark halls and corridors will preach a praise heard all the way to Heaven and back. Do that, and Hades promises upon his land, upon his heart, upon his very soul-

lifefilled happiness beyond comprehendion.

But are you willing to do that? Give up what makes human lives most precious, the mortality that gave so little time so much meaning?

Leave everything you are and ever known behind, to prepure for a future you know would take centuries to get used to?

[doctorwhoisadhd]

okay also the idea of captain jack harkness getting pregnant is SO fascinating to me because like. that is such an interesting position to put THIS guy in right?? he's immortal, can survive ANYTHING, hes from the 51st century, deeply in love with an immortal time traveler who abandoned him, he's flirted or kissed or had sex with practically everyone ever, he's always surrounded by danger, and he's a repressing self sacrificial asshole.

like first of all, would his immortality affect his pregnancy at all? does he get morning sickness? does it make giving birth easier? does it make birth less risky for the baby? he's sturdier than a mortal person obviously, does that mean its ok for him to do stuff that normal pregnant people arent supposed to do? its probably affected by how far along he is, but if he's dead for a very very short time and the baby wasnt physically harmed by the cause of death, would it be possible for the pregnancy to continue?

second of all, would he be able to tone it down and stay out of danger if he needed to? on one hand, i think he'd probably need to be forced in a lot of situations — but on the other hand, im definitely not completely unable to see any way he could get through it. if he really loved someone, then maybe. the other way, which i think is probably more likely, is if him being pregnant turns him into an even bigger hedonist than he already is (aka he... spends most of his time... well. you know.)

third of all imagine what the doctor would fucking say lmfao

[feartoxinjelloshot]

honestly i am not a fan of how this drawing turned out BUT i did invest some time into it so i would be amiss not to post it for posterity if nothing else.

context:

so, i spent a long time ruminating on what to do with the league of assassins in my au. obviously, a lot of the canon material concerning it is staggeringly racist, not to mention just kind of stupid overall, so i knew that i wanted most of it to go out the window off the bat. at the same time there were certain aspects of it that i knew i wanted to retain - the immortality, the lazarus pits, talia's original antihero stuff, damian being a weird little knife child, etc - so eventually i decided that the "league of assassins" as it were doesn't really exist; ra's has simply operated im plain view for long enough that people who were paying enough attention went "hey, what the hell, he has a guy lined up for everything, surely he's running some kind of secret evil shadow organization?" he's not. he's really not. he's just been alive long enough that he has a lot of personal favors owed to him at this point. his actual "organization" is like, at maximum three people who owe him life debts at any given time. he's also not really evil per say. he's just really weird.

what ra's is actually doing (amidst some good old garden variety ecoterrorism - if ivy can do it so can he, and it was a core aspect of his motivation for several decades) is acting upon the pathological obsession he has with the lazarus pits. the lazarus pits in my au are a mix of the birth of the demon and BTAS lore surrounding them: they are natural deposits that must be manually dug out from underground wellsprings to be used, but they are also deeply connected to earthly magnetism and can be located via complex leylines and other ambiguously supernatural means. ra's, from his first discovery of them, has been dedicated to obsessively cataloguing and "deciphering" what he perceives to be the grand mystery of the natural world we live in, and that once he "solves" it, he can show the truth to others and the planet will be transformed into a paradise. (you may note this is not dissimilar to the riddler's pathos concerning patterns - more on that point later probably). this also has ties to his mortal occupation as a physician. he has a strong lingering investment in finding new ways to cure ills, and sees death as the ultimate ill, and therefore he wants to find a way to universally cure death.

now, a lot of this is directly informed by his backstory from birth of the demon, which happens to also contain the sole appearance of the other character in this image, Huwe (we aren't given another name for him to my memory, so i'm forced to assume that's his only one). huwe was an enemy-turned-ally of ra's who eventually became immortal alongside him up until the mid 1800(???)s, where they had a fight that ended in ra's killing huwe by stabbing him with a fire poker. i thought the dynamic between them was really interesting and underutilized in that comic so i decided to bring it back - it goes pretty differently in my au but i have not worked out the specifics to any degree of clarity yet so i will leave that for another post.

there is also more going on with talia and damian in this au, but this is getting long and they aren't even in this post so ill give the cliffnotes version: talia was raised to be more or less a 'warden' of the lazarus pits and she is immortal like ra's, albeit much younger chronologically. she has a vested desire to lead a "normal" life and live and die as a mortal. after having damian, who is ostensibly supposed to be her successor, she sends him away to live with bruce as a form of achieving her dream vicariously through him - as long as he remains mortal and lives as he wishes to, away from the inherited responsibility of the pits, she can bear the weight of it knowing he's out there somewhere. ra's's side of this is a whole other thing about immortal loneliness and his family being the only ones who he can relate to at all after all that he's done and a weird amount of parallels to the joker of all people but this is getting WAY TOO LONG.

TL;DR ra's (long hair) is a strange immortal doctor and the other guy is huwe, his totally-not-gay-and-also-immortal friend.

[rivuletmansion]

Introduction to the AU!

Hiya everyone! My name's Pinpin, and I'm a music composer and artist who has a big case of rain world brainrot Said brainrot has resulted in me coming up with this AU that y'all are looking at right now! This AU has been a thing for a while, but I had been too nervous and anxious to share it with the world So it was just sitting there as a discord thread in my good friend zyekno's discord server But I think that I had fleshed out the AU enough for me to finally share it with y'all~ There's a lot to unpack here, so let's get started~!

What's the general gist of this AU, lore-wise?

As the name of the AU suggests, it all began with Rivulet! Rivulet was once one of the many assassins for hire, who was driven insane (and bored) by the sheer amount of killing they had done over the years, and then one day it appeared as if they had vanished without a trace from the world completely. Many people speculated that they had finally snapped and ended their own life, but in reality, Rivulet had stumbled upon a cursed mansion in a forbidden forest area, not too far from the urban town of the Outskirts.

This cursed mansion only shows itself to those who are curious or crazy enough to explore it, and once some poor soul finds themselves drawn into it, they are given two choices: Forfeit their life to become the next cursed owner of the mansion, gaining immortality and undead traits until the next person comes along and inherit their position, or get killed trying to escape its inhabitants and then be added to their numbers in death.

Rivulet could've easily escaped with their skills in combat, but driven by their insanity and curiosity, they instead had the crazy idea to turn the mansion and its inhabitants into something more on the wackier, less-dangerous-to-mortals side. Thus, they eagerly took the ownership position from the previous owner, who asked Rivulet to keep their name and identity a secret for an unknown reason.

Ever since then, Rivulet spent the next several decades shaping the mansion and its inhabitants as they please, turning them into something that felt like a wacky madhouse of horrors that's as fun and chaotic as they could make it. An unknown amount of time later, Rivulet felt that the mansion was ready to start housing actual people who are not undeads… and their loneliness had reached its peak at that point, too.

Thus, on one particularly uneventful day for the world at large, the crazy mansion owner set off to the nearest city to find someone who'd be interested in living in their home. Or rather, kidnap someone into their home and force them on a tour of the mansion for fun (and to briefly stave off their loneliness), cause surely no one is possibly going to want to live in such a place, right?

Meanwhile, a maroon colored slugcat by the name of Artificer was in trouble- she was caught stealing food, and was being chased by the police officers into the alleyways. She was particularly off her game that day, as she ended up accidentally running into a dead end, and fear had overtaken her as the polices were coming around the corner. But luckily for her, Rivulet had seen the entire chase, as they were watching what's going on out of curiosity- and they decided to pick her as their first mansion visitor!

Before she knew it, the surrounding shadows enveloped her being, and she was teleported to the accursed mansion's front gates. There she was greeted jovially by Rivulet, who revealed themselves to be the one who helped her escape. And that as payment for their help, she was to be the first (living) tourist of the mansion who wasn't allowed to leave until the tour was finished. Torn between feeling grateful for the rescue, and terrified by the appearance and powers of her rescuer, Artificer meekly agreed- and then the tour was on!

Artificer was expecting the mansion to be full of horrifying things that'd give her nightmares at night, and to her surprise, it was only half right. True, the mansion was full of various forms of undeads, from ghosts to animated skeletons to zombies- but they all came off as rather… comical and wacky, instead of terrifying. It's hard to feel scared when they had all acted friendly (to some degree), after all. Against her better judgement, she found herself getting more and more curious about the mansion as the tour went on, especially as Rivulet's crazed yet jovial attitude during the entire thing was putting her at ease.

At some point during the tour, Rivulet lamented lightheartedly about the empty bedrooms in the mansion, and joked that they'd love for someone to live here to give them company. Unbeknownst to them however, this caused an emotional turmoil within Artificer, who's a single mother with 6 kids to feed and no roof over her family and had long since been looking for a chance to improve their living conditions. For the rest of the tour, she was distracted and anxious as she weighed the pros and cons of what she's about to decide.

At the end of the tour, Rivulet took Artificer to the mansion's front gates to sent her off, ready to teleport her back to her family… only to be surprised when she suddenly turned back, and asked if Rivulet was still looking to house someone- several someones. Stunned and confused, the crazy slugcat asked her why, and she launched into a long, emotional explanation of her family's living conditions. The sheer desperation to give her family a chance at a better life all but spilled out, and by the end of her rambles, tears were streaming down her face as she all but begged the mansion owner to let her family stay- even if only for a while.

Pitying the poor mother (and seeing a golden opportunity to finally do something about their loneliness), Rivulet only took a second to say yes, and told her that her family was welcome to stay in the mansion for as long as they need/want- much to her shock and overwhelming relief. The mansion owner then sent her back to her family, so that she could go ahead and tell them the news while they prepare the rooms for her and her little ones. Naturally, they were quite shocked by their mother's news, and a few them were very skeptical. Even Artificer herself was unsure if she could trust Rivulet- but she reasoned that she had already taken their offer and that, at the very least, they should give Rivulet the benefit of doubt if it means a chance at having somewhere to finally call home.

The family's relocation into the mansion was rather tense and rough at the start, naturally, considering the mansion and its inhabitants. But as the months passed by, and Rivulet's invitation to stay at the mansion for as long as they want seemed more and more real, Artificer and her family ended up getting used to the crazies that happen around the place and started to genuinely enjoy living there. The mansion proved to be a bizarre, yet much needed improvement on their living conditions, and so they were finally able to start living a normal life. Or as normal as could be, anyways.

Over time, more and more people started discovering the mansion through chances (or was it fate?), and it started receiving more and more frequent visitors who are curious about the place as a result. From a pair of teenage siblings, to a light priestess (who was sworn to keep the mansion a secret to her fellow priests, lest they try to exorcist the place), to a police officer who's an old friend of Artificer - nowadays the mansion seems livelier than ever!

What shenanigans and adventures will Artificer's family and those visitors be dragged into, and what memories will they make? Let's find out!

[thewritersplace]

WTW Planet Prompts | Jupiter | Religion

•The Road To Eternity Is Paved With Blood

Rose and Judas come from a very Catholic family, and as such even if their relationship with the religion fluctuated over the years, the religion was still a large and integral part of their lives. Rose's marriage to a man who had a complicated history with religion did not necessarily go over well with her family, but they came to accept him eventually. Vlad, a man who had been raised as Eastern Orthodox but converted temporarily to Catholicism at some point in his adult life, was no stranger to the controversy his background caused, and understood why her family felt the way they did. Unlike his wife, he did not judge or criticize them for their initial lack of acceptance, and tried to persuade Rose to let the matter lie, but she was anything if not stubborn.

After Rose and Judas became vampires, they dealt with their religion differently. Rose still considered herself a Catholic, but only in terms of the faith. The institution now firmly disgusted her, and she happily mocked those who were staunch supporters of it. Judas, meanwhile, became a priest, as he found the study of theology interesting, and found amusement in the irony of being the very creature that his religion so staunchly hated and opposed.

Vlad, for his part, is mostly amused by the entire thing, and delights in watching the two have endless debates on the morality, theology, and irony of being vampires who participate in a religion that is against their entire existence.

•The Wrath Of The Vampire Queen

The conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Wallachia was just as much about religion as it was about conquest. Both Vlad and his wife, Senka, — who were both of the Christian faith — did not want the Turks to take full control of their land, and subsequently force their religion on the people of Wallachia. Moreover, if Wallachia and the surrounding regions were conquered, then the Turks would reach Hungary, which was a much larger Christian region. By reaching Hungary, there would be a very real threat of a full invasion of Europe, and that unnerved not only the Pope, but all the other rulers as well. Thus, it was up to Senka and Vlad to keep the Ottomans out of their region, and prevent them from advancing further into Europe. Ironically, on a personal level, the two of them could've cared less about what religion their enemies were. Of course, they would never admit such a thing out loud, for if they did, it would certainly bring about some kind of unrest, and that was the last thing their region — and people — needed.

•For The Love Of A Goddess

In a world where all deities from all religions exist both on the mortal plane and on the immortal plane, there is a very real feeling of being a part of, and in the presence of, something much bigger than oneself. For Megara and Zarina, two normal, mortal girls, this is doubly true, as they are both dating goddesses who are literally leagues above them. Coming from different faiths in their own right, these girls have to contend with the reality of being involved with not just their partners, but also other deities, and navigate the messiness that is a carefully crafted — not to mention fairly fragile — pluralistic coexistence among said deities.

•The Other Side Of Paradise

As creations of God, and the first of all women, Lilith and Eve are part of the stories that make up mankind's first belief system, which later becomes mankind's first religion. Lilith's story, however, is not as widely known as Eve's, and where it is known it is often twisted into something almost unrecognizable. Eve's story is known far and wide, but there is often very little room for understanding. When it comes to the two together, they are thought of as rivals or perhaps sisters, but never as lovers. The very religion that they inadvertently helped in creating is the one that seeks to restrict and confine them, and prevent their true stories from being told.

[princehoneytea]

[ depot agent rp ] "Chamaeleon has officially just done the most fucking stupid thing he has ever done in his life, and he doesn't feel particularly regretful about it, either."

associated dialogue n summary under the cut if youre interested :p

[CHAMAELEON]

Fine.

Wordlessly, he grabs both of them by the shoulders with a strength that should absolutely not be possible for someone with his stature - and he bodies them forward, practically lifting them off their feet. Certainly that'll bruise. 

His teeth grind together so hard it hurts. Get it over with. Who cares what he does, anyway? Chamaeleon has no dignity left to lose.

Chamaeleon has never done anything good. He has never been good. He's tried, sure, but it all amounted to nothing. This is all he is - someone who does what he's told to have just a little less torment following him from immortal cycle to immortal cycle. It's enough to just get by.

Chamaeleon has never been good.

... so it's been bothering him. It's so stupid, honestly, and he knows it, but it's still bugging him - even at a time like this. Especially at a time like this.

Chamaeleon has already tried to kill Umbra before in this cycle. He's double crossed him more than a little bit and never did anything to warrant wanting a conversation - but Umbra still communicates with him, rare as it is. Despite being the same person, their differences are staggering. Even with the biting comments thrown back and forth, it's - nice. Weirdly nice. Nicer than anything he's had in centuries.

Why the hell do you keep talking to me? You're stupid. You know exactly what I am.

Why did you trust me again? Do you seriously think I can change? ME? Stupid, stupid, stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid-

You're the stupidest person I've ever met.

...but I guess we ARE the same guy.

Chamaeleon shoves Umbra and Danna behind himself with a strangled sound of annoyance, and he knows at this point that he's the biggest idiot who ever lived.

ENCOUNTER SUMMARY: CHAMAELEON lures UMBRA onto team wish's train with the promise of disabling both of their invasive cybernetic eyes. DANNA tags along. they encounter DOCTOR PERIHELION, whom chamaeleon was working for in exchange for the promise of his own cybernetic being shut down. the doctor would like both mortals as test subjects for his new project, hoping to render PARDALIS's medical practice obsolete with this new invention. chamaeleon is in turmoil over the fact that umbra continued to trust him despite everything and has a last second change of heart, saving danna and umbra & shattering the doctor's helmet. chamaeleon quickly uses the cybernetic-killing chip that was supposed to be his reward to instead turn off the negative functions of umbra's eye, and demands the two cycle natives to run away. as punishment, the doctor detonates chamaeleon's cybernetic eye, killing him (as much as a member of team wish can be killed.) danna and umbra are able to escape back to gear station with the help of the team wish train & the unusual properties of these distant subway tunnels.

ADDITIONAL NEW INFORMATION: - team wish has a train of their own that can travel between their HQ and gear station. comet has previously described it as a train that goes “nowhere”. - chamaeleon describes their HQ as a living creature with "roots" that make up the surrounding tunnels. the tunnels are pulsing and fleshy, supporting his claim.

UMBRA belongs to Ena, DANNA belongs to Jana, PERIHELION belongs to Delta, and CHAMAELEON is a dimension-hopping version of umbra written by me! tee hee

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Fall Countdown Day 2: Midas

Not what I'd expected in that I had expected he'd present as Good or more Everish. Again, a potential Rhian love-interest candidate.

Ok, I really appreciate the likely intentional Hamlet reference! Love it. The skull that he looks at, so morbid. All related to the brevity of human life, the fleeting nature of life, that old memento mori theme. I bet he will be a strong carrier of that mortality theme in the book.

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times."

This reminds me of how Rafal figuratively supports Rhian. Alas, poor Yorick! But really, in this context: Alas, poor Rhian and Rafal!

Even the greatest, most powerful people one day die and are buried beneath the earth, to be feasted upon by the worms. Hamlet has the best wit. I loved his “mad” dialogue when I read the play. Anyway, for the purposes of Fall, we all end up in the same place. Physically interred, underground.

And, of course, we're getting imperial Roman vibes from this picture. Midas also has the potential to single-handedly shoulder the themes of greed or avarice in Fall, according to the original myth of King Midas.

Then, there’s the use of purple, a color only worn by the rich in ancient times because it was such a painstaking process to collect the dye and dye the fabric. Also, there’s some version of a laurel wreath at his brow, which is more fitting than a regular crown. The cravat is a good masquerading-as-an-Everboy detail though. Like, it’s definitely believable that Rhian will fall for it. Also, the swash-buckling, pirate-esque boots are the perfect disguise.

Then, there’s the idea of another boy-king. Oh great. He’ll probably be a bit like Tedros but worse. I expect some immaturity in his characterization if the plot goes in this direction. But, he’ll probably be unstable. Definitely emotionally unstable. Yeah, emotionally unstable boys in positions of power are exactly what this duology is all about. So, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he did turn out like this.

Also, I expected Midas to have more of a ridiculous, pompous, Everish personality, but he looks so brooding, so maybe, he'll be more Never-like than I expected. I mean, he's holding a skull, and looks kind of morose.

The mist looks similar to the mist that surrounds the Schools on the cover of Fall. I wonder if it’s significant?

The cage is definitely present and more obvious in this picture as well. Must be some kind of symbolism, or hinting at the actual plot and possible themes of confusion and tainted judgment in war. Actually, I've had ideas about this before.

⸻

The way I could see it playing out is this:

Before they enter Midas' court, Rhian tells Rafal to be polite, if he's capable of it. However, Rafal refuses to bow before a man with less power than he has.

Rhian tells him they are not in the best position to argue, and he'd better keep quiet, submit, and not mouth off to the royalty in the room because they need support to win against Hook. Also, they are in a weakened state because they’ve lost their immortality.

Rafal: And who caused that problem by letting Hook in?

Rhian stops talking. They are not playing the blame game again. Hell knows they've been doing it since the end of Rise, since their students disappeared.

So, Rafal and Rhian enter Midas' court.

Then, Rafal eventually reaches a point where he doesn't respect Midas as a Never. He treats Midas with condescension.

That strikes a nerve in Midas, and Midas doesn't take Rafal's comments in kind.

Rafal says true Nevers like himself take no prisoners, and that Midas is too merciful to have lived this long, and to not have been overthrown. If he didn't have a battalion of advisors and lord-regents to rule for him, since he was a boy, it surely would have happened by now.

And, Midas also reacts with contempt, saying that he'll be merciful, all right!

Rhian is startled, and Midas has him dragged away. And, Midas either encases him in gold to put him in a sculpture garden, or imprisons him in a giant bird cage, likely a golden, gilded one.

Now, Rafal is absolutely gobsmacked, flabbergasted, at how his own plan backfired. He’d only intended to threaten Midas to get what he wanted, an army or support or something else along those lines. But, not for the first time lately, he's underestimated his new foe.

And then, Rafal is dragged away to the dungeons probably, and has to solve this new problem.

⸻

Or, alternatively, this hypothetical could involve Rafal turning into a bird, maybe to infiltrate Midas’ palace, being caged, and Rhian humiliating himself by pleading with Midas to release his brother.

Midas probably agrees to it on one condition: Rhian stays with him. And, in response, Rhian says something like "Never! I must remain loyal to my brother!"

Midas doesn't budge. And, neither does Rhian. After some time passes, and is wasted, Rhian decides to agree, pretends to come around to it, and pretends to fall in love.

Rhian does it so convincingly that Rafal thinks Rhian has abandoned him, and is going mad and lovesick again.

And, this is doing serious damage to their trust.

Until, Rhian gears up to have his heroic moment. The moment Rafal is released, he plans to escape, get both of them away from Midas.

So, Rhian pretends to be seduced, promptly stabs Midas in the back, deserts Midas, and takes Rafal with him.

Rafal is in shock, and is simultaneously so relieved, but still can't fully relax.

He thinks he might be able to trust Rhian now, but is still unsure, because, well, the acting came so easily to Rhian. And, Rafal thinks like a Never, of course, and probably projects intentional Evil intentions onto Rhian (not the accidental: Oops, I went too far and extremist for the sake of Good, and was led astray and manipulated. Not Rhian's somewhat justified victim complex either, no, but real Evil. Or, that’s what Rafal thinks.)

Because, just look at how good Rhian is at acting! What if this was Rhian's plan all along? What if Rhian was pretending this whole time? Because, Rafal’s Rafal and he's paranoid.

So now, Rafal is forever on the lookout, and is observing Rhian more closely than ever before because who knows if he can trust Rhian? Just because Rhian saved him once before doesn't mean he won't try to kill him (again). Then, this could lead Rafal to thinking he has to make the first move, to betray first, so he isn't the one betrayed, who ends up in the losing position.

Meanwhile, Rhian is wondering what is going on in Rafal's head because his brother keeps looking at him strangely. And, not as covertly as Rafal thought. And besides, you can read a person exceptionally well after living with them and knowing them for over a century.

Rhian worries that Rafal doesn't trust him, and only tries harder to make it up to him. But, the continual efforts of "This is why you should trust me" only serve to make Rafal more suspicious as time passes because Rhian is trying too hard to repair their relationship and smooth things over artificially. It certainly doesn't look right, but he's mostly sincere. Rafal just isn't perceiving things correctly because his judgment is clouded by Rhian's earlier display of acting.

Like, how in the world can Rhian switch so quickly? Appear so real. But not be? It's all an act. But still. How? Just how? It's like he's flicked a switch. That's how easily the acting comes. And, it’s unnerving to Rafal.

Rhian is probably innocent though. And, he starts to feel hurt that Rafal won't believe in him or trust him, like ever again, and he starts to become depressed. And, that depression causes him to act unlike himself. Or rather, unlike his usual self, the self that Rafal knows and trusts and is familiar with.

And because Rhian is different and quieter than usual, this only reinforces Rafal's misperception that Rhian is untrustworthy and has something up his sleeve to doom Rafal or be the death of him. Rafal fully believes the betrayal will come from Rhian. That it’ll be dealt by the one person he used to trust. So, he's hurt too, but his pain is in response to his own anticipations, his dread, and his negative, held expectations. Rafal’s not hurt by reality. And, the fact that he's hurt by this, the unreal, and what lives in the realm of possibility, means that Rafal is hurting himself. Sure, there are external factors involved, reinforcing his misperceptions. But, his own mind is working against him. To cause these errors in perception. And, it's just sad.

And, Rhian doesn't know about the prophecy from the Sader who planted the seed in Rafal's mind, to start all this havoc and chaos and unrest. And, that Sader is partly, heavily responsible for the brothers' unraveling.

But, Rhian still worries more than ever because he sees something off or broken in his brother and wants to try to fix it. Yet, the more Rhian does, the more he tries to talk to Rafal or broach the subject of Rafal's mental state, the more Rafal utterly shuts down. And, all this continues to reinforce the problem. But, Rhian is doing it unknowingly, because he's really only trying to put his best foot forward. However, Rafal feels like he has zero people he can be vulnerable with, even if that isn't true.

Basically, each brother acting out-of-character, or revealing other sides of themselves that the other hasn't seen, is what causes them to act out-of-character. It's a vicious cycle, tearing them further and further apart.

Also, keep in mind that I'm thinking about this through a bit of a psychological lens and so, maybe, the plot will be more action-based yet still complex in terms of the brothers' relationship and their characterization. I don't know. But probably, there’ll be more action than this.

It (their downfall) could also be a more simple misunderstanding. It (the eventual ending/fratricide and/or betrayal) could be the result of such a thing, like a real argument, or anything really, no matter how small.

The tipping-point is often the smallest act, the thing that throws everything off balance, to trigger all the rest of the catastrophe, because just jostling something fragile can throw it off balance, in terms of physical objects. And, naturally, this can apply to a relationship too—if it even turns out to be a single, little moment that is possible to pinpoint and identify and define.

This is just one idea. That I somehow feel is likely? Because, at least, I believe in it. The fact that Rafal’s (or Rhian’s) descent into insanity could potentially be paranoia-driven.

I could be completely wrong or off the mark here, but I feel like this makes sense at the very least, and I could be partially right in the end. Partly, because this is based on my "It's not who we are. It's what we do" theory from my post, “Why Rafal Might Still Be a Never and Rhian Might Still Be an Ever.” And, I'm biased toward that theory. In fact, Rafal’s thought patterns in this hypothetical are based off of that other post, discussing his self-inflicted isolation and paranoia.

And, if Rafal’s characterization here seems exaggerated, it could be. But consider: instead of focusing on the positive, on how Rhian rescued him, and appreciating his brother’s heroics and skills as a diplomatic and maybe, more-shrewd-than-he-looks-Ever, Rafal fixates on the negative. Which is understandable. Humans dwell on the negative. We are wired to do so. And, Rafal is probably a pessimist by default.

⸻

An extension to this line of thought:

This is just speculation, but maybe, in TLEA, Rafal projects Rhian onto Sophie, in how Rafal perceives her. See the: “No one will ever love you but me” line. This is given the fact that every time Rhian has fallen in love, it has gone tremendously wrong, and that the only reliable person Rhian has ever loved is Rafal.

In Fall, Rafal could treat Rhian the way everyone treated Sophie in AWWP. Like a ticking time bomb, an inevitability that will only end in disaster because he can’t be trusted. Like he could go off any minute.Because, honestly, Rafal is shocked and astounded at Rhian’s capacity to act and betray others. What dictates that he won’t be Rhian’s next victim? Their love, I suppose, if it's still there. But, I’m sure Rafal will forget about his love for Rhian at some point.

[lilac-gold]

Day 8- Omori AU Whumptober 2023

AI-less Whumptober Day 8- Electrocuted @ailesswhumptober

Fandom: OMORI Rating: Teen Word Count: 1643 Summary: Sweetheart is the goddess of love, and has been searching for a suitor for decades. When Sweetheart remains wholly unimpressed with a certain group of sisters' attempts to make her one, they decide to punish her for her rudeness. AO3 LINK

Sweetheart was the goddess of love. She embodied everything about it; its passion, its unpredictability, its strength. With just the snap of her fingers, she could make people fall in love forever. However, as time passed and she became surrounded by happy couples, Sweetheart began to wonder why she wasn’t pursued by besotted admirers too. She was beautiful, elegant and graceful while holding an air of dominance and flirtatiousness. And yet, not a single suitor attempted to court her, and it wasn’t long before Sweetheart became obsessed with finding a partner.

She passed from partner to partner easily, bewitching the humans below her. Sweetheart had no preference gender-wise, but she did have standards, and it was tricky to find someone even close to her magnificence. She spent years down on Earth in disguise, fruitlessly endeavouring to find her perfect match. Using her magic, she could make anyone fall in love with her and whisk them away to a world of immortality in the heavens– only, not a single human proved worthy.

Sweetheart mourned her torturous lack of love day and night. After four years or so, she had acquired a great many followers, each completely, hopelessly smitten with her, but Sweetheart held no interest in them. While amusing, they were hardly true contenders for her affection, and she enjoyed toying around with their devotion. A large part of love was about power, and Sweetheart held a great deal of it. Perhaps this was misuse of her gifts. Perhaps Sweetheart didn’t care.

Then, she reached a revelation. Why should she have to date mortals when there were plenty other gods living just fine above her?

Eventually, she settled on the god of art, Rococo. He wore extravagant clothes befitting of a partner she chose, objectively attractive, always a pretty picture despite his lack of self-care. His eyes were a piercing shade of gold that reminded her of ambrosia, his hair long and soft, a lovely mint green that complimented Sweetheart’s rose-coloured own nicely. He should have been perfect, quickly growing infatuated to her to almost the point of obsession, which was exactly what Sweetheart wanted. To Sweetheart, love was everything, all-encompassing devotion and admiration. Rococo shouldn’t want anything else. And yet, he remained fixated on his godly duties, his passion for art dangerously rivalling his affection for her. Sweetheart grew dissatisfied with him, betrayed and angry. She had a half mind to leave him in Tartarus, but she refrained. Instead, she left him.

Sweetheart didn’t bother removing the adoration spell she’d placed on him. He deserved to suffer for taking her for granted. Love was give and take, push and pull. He couldn’t constantly neglect her then whine when she saw other suitors. They’d pushed each other a little too hard, and Sweetheart let Rococo take the fall. Hmph. She’d never loved him anyway, she told herself with a huff.

She spent a while more searching until she found him. Spaceboy, god of astronomy. He wore a colourful cape and an eye patch befitting of the grand warrior he was, roguishly handsome even as he kept a distinct air of innocence and politeness about him. His eyes sparkled like the stars whenever they caught hers, his hair like cotton candy, sweet and soft. She’d let him fall in love with her on his own, which hadn’t taken long; Spaceboy trailed after her like a lost puppy, desperate for even the smallest scraps of affection. It was adorable, and she delightedly exchanged pet names with him as they walked through her perfect rose gardens, the two of them content and fulfilled. Their love was sugary, practically cloying in its saccharine nature. Unfortunately, just as strongly as they loved, they felt everything else. They were both stubborn, and angry, and everything built up gradually until the tension between them snapped. He left her before she could leave him, and Sweetheart was furious about it.

Spaceboy should have been everything she wanted, but he just had to ruin it all. She needed someone more… Compliant to love her. Someone less fierce, less fiery; more gentle, more malleable. Someone she could meld into the perfect suitor, someone who would live up to her every expectation just right.

Such a goal seemed impossible. Then, she met Hero, god of healing. He spent his days in long yet practical robes, working on healing and repairing what was broken. His eyes were dark, wide and expressive, his hair purple and fluffy. For all his name suggested, Hero was no fighter. He was soft-spoken and cautious, worried about making a mixtape or upsetting her upon first encountering her radiance. He wouldn’t argue with her, he’d be considerate, treating her with the respect she’d rightfully earned by that point. Hero would be the perfect partner, able to heal the cracks that had been spreading across her heart.

Then, he rejected her. Him! Rejecting her! It was preposterous, but Sweetheart knew how arduous and messy forced devotion could be from Rococo, so withheld from bewitching him. She shouldn’t have. Despite her ensuing efforts to win him over, Hero was insistent, and always managed to just evade her. 

Sweetheart was still alone, miserably aligning the fates so the boring mortals could meet their soulmates. Rococo was a failure. Spaceboy had left her. Hero didn’t want her. Was it really so much to ask for someone to love her?

She breathed in, and breathed out. This was fine. She could break the cycle. She just had to find the perfect suitor. Better than Hero!

Who was better than Hero? Sweetheart pondered it for a moment, mind whirring away before it clicked. Of course! How could she have been so blind?!

The only one possibly good enough for her… Was Sweetheart herself.

Proud of her realisation, she set off to meet with three powerful goddesses; sisters, some of the most ancient around. After Humphrey, the oldest; Abbi, the wisest; and the Big Yellow Cat, the favourite, they were the first to come into existence. Molly, then Marina, then Medusa. Collectively, they controlled Earth and its components, able to change almost anything about it with as little as a nod. Molly caused their advancements in knowledge and technology, while also cursing them with idleness and indolence. Marina caused birth and death, bringing each new creature into the world while also tearing them brutally away from it. Medusa was the order and control in the world, what kept its systems ticking while also allowing destructive chaos to exist to maintain balance.

They could create, each not only a goddess, but a scientist, hungry for knowledge and success. They would certainly be capable of making replicas of her, and Sweetheart headed to their abode with excitement rushing through her veins. Soon, that wasn’t the only thing coursing through her.

Perhaps she oughtn’t have been so demanding that they obey her. Perhaps she shouldn’t have turned up her nose so impolitely at every offered result. Perhaps she should have thought of a way to repay them for their efforts first. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to anger three goddesses significantly more powerful than herself. Perhaps Sweetheart. Didn’t. Care.

She’d had enough. She deserved someone to love, someone who would love her back. She needed it like she needed the ambrosia that kept her alive, feeding off of devotion like a starved leech. She revelled in others’ praise and adoration, graciously bestowing her own in return. Love was Sweetheart’s everything. She had nothing left to lose.

Still, she could hardly claim that being electrocuted was a pleasant feeling. Because they’d found a way to harness the power of a storm, and she’d been restrained just as her pitiful clones had, and Sweetheart was soon trapped in a blazing storm. Love was supposed to be electrifying, but not quite like this.

She felt another hoarse scream tear from her throat as the volts shot through her, every nerve set alight. She felt the electricity vibrate within her, her skin far too hot as tears ran uncontrollably down her face. Sweetheart was supposed to be beautiful, perfect, but as she caught a glimpse of her face in the reflective glass walls around her, Sweetheart had never felt uglier.

It was everywhere, the unnatural rain drenching her skin and clothes doing nothing to stop its spread. Every one of her limbs was locked in white-hot agony, she was alone, and had managed to annoy the sisters so much that they’d chosen to use her as an experiment. Her muscles wailed, every one tense and shaking, a thousand tiny needles pricking at her skin. It was awful, agonising. Sweetheart was unloved, alone.

It wasn’t fair, she thought, a mixture of enraged and devastated. Things shouldn’t have had to come to this. Maybe she should have just stayed with Rococo, for as unhappy as they both were, at least their hearts weren’t as shattered as they were now. She’d stolen Spaceboy’s in a useless attempt to replace her broken own, only to find it equally as mutilated once they parted ways. She’d wanted Hero to fix her, expecting him to oblige with that charming smile of his, only for his stupid little siblings to get in the way as he rejected her. Deep, measured breaths, she reminded herself. It was hard to do when the air was choked out of her with every new bolt, but she kept up the rhythm to ground herself.

Nobody would be surprised, Sweetheart knew. She was famous amongst gods for her temper and stubbornness, unafraid to act impolitely and state her opinion. She was always going to end up in a situation like this someday. But she was strong, she could handle this, she’d find someone else to offer the broken shards of her heart to once she left.

After all, the sisters couldn’t keep this up forever.

…Could they?

[stankycowboy]

Severen and Romance

My interpretation of Severen is asexual, a/demi-romantic. Due to the time period I'm sure he was under peer pressure as a young man to “prove himself” so he learned to flirt and charm women, without taking much actual interest in it. His true enjoyment comes from reckless endangerment, adrenaline peaking behavior in the form of shootouts, bull riding, and other thrill seeking adventures. Something Severen appreciated the most about Jesse was his quiet discretion. He never pressured Severen to chase skirts or badgered him about courting anyone. Jesse just understood that his partner was not interested and didn’t pursue the topic, unlike others of their age. I do not believe Severen has ever felt even lust for any mortals (or immortals), more eager to hunt them than romance them. Even if he were to attempt to engage in something physical, I don't think his displays of passion are survivable by anything less than an immortal; and hunger seems to win out over all else with him--even as exampled in the movie. Severen’s relationship with @ulfhrafnx is particularly special for how and why she holds his interest. It is not who/what she physically is, but what she actually is that he is drawn to. The allure of death and blood surrounding her is more vexing than anything he has experienced and completely unique. She alone can meet his unhinged passions. He can be the unrestrained monster he is and she is more than his equal. They are two uncontrollable forces meeting, something he could have with no one else.

[local-fanfic-addict]

One True Victor

<Previous | Part Three | Next>

(Destiny Forsaken angst. Can be read as a self-insert, but was written with an OC. Not an X reader.)

Inspiration: Valiant - Dream Cove

Trigger warning - Pessimism, Angst

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I told you so.

The phrase echoed like a bell in the Exo’s mind, like it was all she could summon in that moment- one never ending second as all she feared finally came true. Vlairyn’s soul was mingled with feelings of rage and despair as she watched the Traveler rise higher and higher into the sky until she could no longer see it through the dense cloud cover of earth. 

Her blue faceplates meshed into a look of pure disdain and she dissolved from off of the rooftop, coming to rest within the HELM as particles of her transmat dissipated behind her. The HELMs remnants of past exploits lining the walls were no comfort to her now, only a heavy reminder of how earth got into this position in the first place, so vulnerable, like a child without its mother.  

Her footsteps stopped at the long line of thick glass windows that served as her viewing point to the Traveler as it could be seen clear as day, rising from earth's atmosphere into the vast ocean of space and stars beyond.

A perfect place to watch the downfall of everything. Again.

She watched as the Kell of Darkness took control of the warsats. Watched as they surrounded the white orb and shone brightly and in that moment, she was ready. She was ready to finally have the light leave her, and to be left with whatever remained, no matter how broken. For anything could be better than the tinge of solar light within her that only served as a torturous reminder of Cayde.

Except nothing happened. 

Nothing that she wanted anyways. When the blinding light cleared, and the glare vanished, it was the warsats that lay in pieces, not her once infallible god, now fallen from her grace. 

The rage and solar light within her simmered once more, only for an overwhelming sense of dread to overtake her as a dark shadow came from beyond earth. 

The Witness and his dark fleet, their oppressive aura sent metaphorical chills down her spine and tugged at the light within her even more. Though not with the intent of using it, but of snuffing it out and leaving only a shell like it had done once before. 

There would have been a time where Vlairyn would have taken that deal wholeheartedly. To have no connection to a being she neither loved nor trusted would have been peace enough, but much had happened since her rejection of the Paracausal beings on the top of the tower walls, and she had finally learned that the one true victor in any battle between the light and the dark had proven to be death. 

Death consumed all. 

Mortal beings and immortal Guardians alike would find themselves at the feet of death when Paracausal beings sought to consume each other like unsatiated black holes to the tiny specks of life that were so unfortunate to get caught in the crossfire.

That past realization had proven enough to rip Vlairyn out of commision for months, but she had been needed again by those she cared about and that was the only thing she couldn’t say no to. So she used the light and dark in tandem, finishing what she had to only to make sure the remaining people she cared for didn’t get hurt. Because that’s what always happened when the light and the dark clashed their blades together, like they were setting up to do again before her very eyes.

She served neither Paracausal being, and both would feel her wrath as was her vow upon the tower walls. She would go to Neptune, and follow Rasputin's findings, but only in the interest of keeping her friends alive. She could care less about what happened to the Traveler and the light unless it aligned with her wishes.

Maybe a smidge of her wanted to see what Neptune held, and if it could free her of immortality. A lost city could hold untold amounts of knowledge after all. She doubted she would ever be so lucky, but while some would say “it never hurts to look”, to her it just seemed to stir the pot that was ready to overflow.

[shouldprobablybereading]

Actual thought out (ish) tlm thoughts

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

I will preface this by noting that I generally hate endings, and if there is anything I like worse it’s bittersweet endings. It’s the worst of both worlds and that’s a hill I will die on

Ignoring my strong emotions towards the end I think this one end up kinda ”just fine”

I don’t know if it’s just my preference for physical books over reading on the phone, or if part 2 and forward was just so much better than than part one. But I came in from the preview chapters feeling pretty unimpressed and ended up actually having a fairly good time going forward.

Wayne’s death and everything surrounding that was really well written as much as I hate it on principal.

I think my only complaint in that department is that it made me hate the meelan breakup even more. I was wrong in my prediction that it was a harmony thing, tho the meelan epilogue gave the impression that she did care. I just hate the idea that wayne died believing she never really loved him while it was totally unnecessary. A day or so after she told him as well. Couldn’t they just have broken up some time during the timeskip?!?

I genuinely enjoyed them, and if sanderson was gonna make a point about the issues in dating an immortal I thought it would be with everyone’s favorite immortal/mortal couple witsnah. (This specific aspect is on a serious note something I find fascinating and slightly foreboding about that pairing, but that’s another post)

Given what sanderson said about aol and tlm being connected while sos and bom are connected, I think it was intentional. But it didn’t feel like the book built of of anything that happened in the previous book. The southern scadrians where pretty much just there and apart from taking the bands of mourning, had no affect on the plot.

Furthermore when I’m reading an era 2 book I am doing so for the character dynamics as they go on wacky little adventures, which hit its peak in bands and was not really there in tlm. First both meelan and steris are separated from the group, and then wax/wayne/marasi split up and didn’t meet again until the epilogue. This worked kinda fine for steris since her arc was interesting, although it didn’t fit very well. Marasi’s interactions with the ghostbloods felt kinda pointless since she didn’t join. Like it was more for the readers

Wayne was of course the star of the show and by far the most interesting. Wax existed. They’re interactions where good and I enjoyed that, just less than the entire group doing stuff like the hotel scene. I would have personally preferred a slightly more subtle approach to waynes character arc, preferably with some mention of wax death and how he started being able to use guns again because of it. It makes sense since there was a time skip, but that felt like another thing from bom that they just didn’t adress

Telsin didn’t really do it for me as a villain, it didn’t feel like I new her well enough and I don’t really care that much for wax. So his relationship to her wasn’t enough to hold that plot point. There was nothing really wrong with her tho, and I much prefer this over being fridged like she appeared in the first book. There was just nothing special enough to make her interesting

Not having wax be the one to make the sacrifice was really smart tho, he’s already such a protagonist I would not have cared nearly as much (tho I assumed once we learned the bomb was on a boat that they would both go in an explosion, so wrong on that one)

Yeah, overall fine. Getting the feeling that I might hate sa5 so I’m more worried about that one

[apocalypticvisions]

Character Analysis: Avengers (2023) by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa *SPOILERS...obvi*

So I am not an avengers girlie usually (more of an x-stan tbh); BUT, I was so interested by the way the most recent Avengers run sets up the two teams by like archetype. This is a loose and rambling collection of thoughts on the team, like their dynamics a little, but what it feels like each represents or brings to the concept of the book. I hope it's entertaining, don't judge me if it sucks, or like, do it's fine, like, I'm posting it and your thoughts are valid; anyway, here you go!

Character observations: Avengers (2023)

The king is not mortal. More cunning than the engineer, more noble than the god, more dangerous than them all, that he has no kingdom does not take away from his authority, that he has no home cannot strip him of his conviction tho for a moment he pushed away from both, that these realities are consequences of choices he made does not stop him from choosing, does not dull his cunning with doubt or slow his claws with insecurity, it is impossible to know his will, but could you guess? The ruler, the warrior, the patriarch, the insurgent, who serves the people? If he does, it is not their will, but his will in their service; but, in a room of gods he could make equal claim of omnipotence and judgment, surrounded by warriors he is more dangerous, on a team of leaders he is a king.

The icon was asked because he was needed. The icon was asked because the star saw herself surrounded by gods and witches and kings and engineers, those who knew immortality in some way, and she knew she needed a mortal, a man who could stand up against gods and shoulder to shoulder with them; what is eternity, if not counted by days? What is story, or civilization, or life, or the world, without those who tell it and the need to tell it, to share in it, to live beyond a death that WILL find them no matter their WILL, without those to build it and live in it, without the desperate and fading breath of someone who knows their end and clings to life, who breathes deep every breath because every breath counts, knowing every breath is counting down, without those who live on it, what is man but the creation of god, and why did god need man? This, this is the icon, the icon who tethers heaven to earth by their humanity.

If the icon is breath, the witch is breathing. If the icon is life, the witch is reality. If the icon is the world, or what lives on it, the witch is space and time and the strings of gravity which the world rests on, those forces that dictate its spinning, its orbit around the stars, the stars as they orbit around the galaxy, if you need me to go on you are not understanding, if you are not terrified you are not understanding, but let me say this, if the icon is man, the witch is woman, and you should fear her, not for her potential nor her mistakes nor her rage; you should fear the witch as you fear god.

Speaking of gods. There are many among them who could claim the might, maybe the eternal life, definitely the veneration, but only one is a thing of stories, one who has come to eternity by the days which are eons, only one knows the story says he sees the end, the reat fight for the future as tho they might shape it or change it, the god fights to the end rather than wait for it, would know the struggle of things that live and die in less than a second than lose perspective to the ages, the god as the earth could not stray far from the sun would not have his heart freeze in apathetic distance, the god knows as well as the star the need of the icon, truly the god has been making that same choice for all his eternities; the god is all-powerful, but would fade in nihilism and detachment without the passion, the struggle, of mortals.

The construct knows this coldness; their apathy has fangs, put there not by lucifer who would seek to free mortals but satan who would see them suffer, who would see them die, out of a twisted, bitter, cruelty directed as much at his creator as that which his creator loves (or owns), but we are not our parents, even the construct, a thing made literally from the mold of Evil, knew and knows no will but their own, as a created thing they carry the spark of creation and autonomous will and determination, for this is the truth of the construct, they are power, the power of the devil himself, and the construct is choice, the reminder of the strength of choice, of the importance of choice, of the consequences of choice, of the choice every one of us has at every moment, to be what those who raised us raised us to be, to be their trauma, their hate, their will, their choices, or to be something more; either way, the devil thinks it made them, but they make themselves everyday.

The engineer is a maker. The engineer would kill us all with their machines, if they had reason to, if they don't kill themselves first, the engineer sees the future, a mechanical future, they see it with the things they make with their hands, they see it when they close their eyes, the breathe it when they dream, the engineer sees the future and it means sometimes they push too hard, they miss something, they misstep in the present, but they see the future, and so they forge the future, and so they make a future that can live on without them; the engineer is less self, and more shaper, and in this way only, the engineer resembles the witch, in mechanism if not in might.

The star burns brighter than any star.

The star lights the way truer than the keenest or the longest or the best lights.

The star will burn forever, endless, eternal, without limit, without end

The star will tear through the shroud of the void with her light, will wrend anything that would seek to dim her light

The star is not the strongest

The star is not the smartest

The star is not the most dangerous

The star is not the oldest

The star is not mortal

The star does not choose

The star knows

The star leads

The star guides

The star refuses to give up, to give in, to lie down

The star refuses to die

The star sees from orbit and you feel the heat of her from there

The star has not lived a thousand years, but she sees the end as clearly as the god

The star is not mortal, but she knows mortality, life, and the passion and importance of the people who she will protect, the world she will protect until the end, just as strongly as the icon

The star cannot manipulate the foundational forces, the star cannot bend reality to her whim like the witch, but what she wishes to bend, what she seeks to bend, what she needs to bend, you guess how long it holds its shape

The star does not build a future with her blood the way the engineer does, because she does not bleed, the star forges the future as the hammer, as the anvil, as the furnace itself

The star is not as dangerous, or as clever, or as quick, as the king, but neither can you question her motives, the star is the star, you do not question if the sun gives off heat for you, you only know that you live because of her, and his is a kingdom of the living.

The star is not a child of the devil like the construct, nor does her strength resembles theirs, in shape or sting or purpose. The star does not choose, because the star IS choice, because hers is will and determination, and hers is the power and the empathy to not choose. While the construct will forever doubt, the star can only choose to see herself, her flaws and victories, with love and determination to right wrongs, even the ones that come from her.

They see the world, all in a different way, they know the pain of loss and the flames of righteous anger, theirs hearts could be stone, could be on fire, but the flames have cooled, the wounds healed, and each has found the grace and the wisdom of ceding ego in defeat and turning the grace and empathy they needed onto the world, they live in eternity, through story or symbol or will, and anchor themselves to the present, to the mundane, they struggle to the end that there might be precious, delicate, life that thrives to the very last breath of eternity; each looks at the world and sees either today or the last day. And tho they could be beyond the mundane, none of them look away.

[icharchivist]

I think the whole "friendship is strength" thing was also shown off in and you to great effect, because Orologia knows that friendship and companionship are Skydwellers' greatest assets and so important to them and they tried really hard to make sure people had friends

They made sure Mugen and Nehan would meet so they'd have someone to connect with, they want Danchou to be surrounded by friends to make up for leaving them alone, Shinsha and Nectar having each other is so very good for them, it was incredibly important to give this one dumbass nine friends otherwise he would've destroyed the world etc

Of course they know and they tried to use this to everyone's benefit

Even the Six Dragons are all in on interpersonal relationships, both being friendly with each other and connecting with mortals because they're curious about them

It's just nice that this immortal being is aware of this and fully plays into it and uses friendship to make everyone happy and less of a threat

Also you know Orologia also wants to have friends and share that connection, so join our crew already -

Right, right!!!

To be fair Logia is also a wedge specifically for the Skyrealms, they can't interreact with Astrals and Primals business and all that, so it makes sense that Logia actually cares more about Skyrealm stuff and morality than the regular immortal in the game.

(i think Lucio and Shalem are the interesting example because as the first being of creation before the split, they're in this weird limbo where they were alone by default in a way. Shalem relying on others is what eventually got her locked away, so Lucio never did until Bahamut left him on read, but i think just even the fact Lucio relied this much on Bahamut shows more of this inherent "humanity" the Speakers had, that the Astrals weren't able to keep in the divorce. I mean the split.)

The Dragons meanwhile are meant to watch over the Skyrealms in particular, so in a way it makes sense they are naturally more inclined to care about the inhabitant of the skyrealms.

Logia also preside over casualty, which is something that is heavily affected by how people in the world change things in a butterfly effect type. So Logia was, by design, supposed to watch over them, so by design, they were made to feel more empathy for them.

And indeed "And you" does a great job at showing how it's our connection that shapes us. Lancelot becoming evil because he lost Vane, Narmaya being corrupted by her Katana because no friend was here to save her, Albert being unable to save Yurius, so on and so forth.

I say even that Logia probably glorify skydwellers connection and it's why they made sure Seox and MC became close friend in childhood, and didn't want to let go when it showed to not be working, until they had no other choices you know? Like connection IS supposed to save them right? why can't they make it work while it's LITERALLY what can save them!! type of stubborn.

As for th Six Dragons, they have to get interpersonal too yes. I think it's especially important for Lu Woh and Fediel, as Life and Death, to be constantly working with one another to understand one another (which is also why i think it's so clever that their FE has them understand what the others reside over. Fediel has to help someone give birth, while Lu Woh has to accompany someone during their last days alive. -- esp since Lu Woh met the woman he watched over because of Logia's meddling. it shows they HAVE to understand each other if they want to preside over their own "rebirth and destruction" duality, because one cannot exist without the other - else this is how you get the Astrals)

it's just so fascinating to me that "friendship is everything" is such an overdone trope, but the way Granblue just heavily ties it into its lore just make it more resonant to me.

Like it's not just "friendship is magic" because "i was lonely once, but not anymore!", it's "the core of this world is built on solidarity. we survive thanks to it. Stagnation can drive apathy. The world cannot evolve without all of us trying to help one another." and so on and so forth

it's sooo clever to me it's just muah.

[echantedtoon]

Alastor x Crymini

Rain and thunder poured from the sky as she stepped along. Her fur was soaked down to the skin, but she didn't care. How dare they make fun of her! How dare they call her those names! Evil eyed. D-mmed Mutt. One day they would all pay! She would make sure of that. But for now.... She just wanted to be alone and think things over. And she knew just the place. A small cave in the woods near her home. It's silence always brought her peace of mind. She was nearing it now. She just pushed back plants and brush until she finally reached it. It's opening like a gaping mouth surrounded by endless forest. She trudged right in without a second thought. Lightning lit up the interior, but other than that it was total darkness. She walked in further before collapsing completely onto the cold rock floor. She released a shaky breath from being so cold. ".....You're late," a voice sounded out. She inwardly groaned and didn't turn around. "Have you come to try and court me again?" A ball of fire materialized out of no where and a hulking figure appeared along with it. "You confuse me." "How so?," She asked not looking up. The figure leaned down and was close enough where she could feel his breath. "You refuse my offer over and over where many would've accepted immediately. I know you have some feeling towards me." "Even if I do, I have no interest in riches or immortality. They wouldn't change how I'm treated." There was a silence and she felt the figure gently rake a hand from the top of her head to the middle of her back. Her fur dried almost instantly and she regained warmth. She released a sigh at the new found feeling. "Then come with me. No one shall treat you how those mortals do. You wouldn't have to live with the constant nagging. And you wouldn't feel less beautiful." She still stayed still. "You are beautiful." She still said nothing. He sighed. ".....Then I shall leave you alone until next time." "......What would you get?" "Pardon?" "What do you get from trying to court me?" She finally lifted her head up to face him. "I don't really have anything you could want." He reached over to gently cup her face. "Your love is all I could ever want." "......." She gently pulled away. "Tomorrow." "Pardon?" "Give me just tomorrow to say good bye to my family. After that.....I'll accept your offer." "You mean that?" "Yes." He grinned. "Then I shall come for you tomorrow night. You have until then to get everything sorted out. Do you understand?" "I do." "Then I bid you farewell until tomorrow night, Narissa." With a snap of his fingers, the ball of fire disappeared and the darkness enveloped him. She stared at the spot where he vanished. Reaching out a limb to feel that no one was there. She was fully left alone. At least until tomorrow night. She laid back down and listened to the storm outside.