#asriel’s about to learn a very important lesson

[termiken]

#undertale #asriel #chara #asriel���s about to learn a very important lesson #me and my friend were talking bout how people say that chara fell down some time in the 2010s #so they probably knew ligma jokes and shit and fucked with asriel with them #my doodles

[shywitchyfangirl]

hey!! so i am currently interested in undertale paganism a lot, and i was wondering if you have any tips for getting started?

and if you have the time, any chara correspondences? thanks!!

Hey, sorry for taking a bit to answer!

First off, if you haven't already, check out the pop culture paganism tag for some general ideas. This post is my favorite for explaining things. That being said, your starting point largely depends on what you're drawn to, what meaning you find in the game, and what you're hoping to become through it. For instance, are you hoping to grow into a more merciful person? More determined? Maybe you want to embody all seven soul traits? Or perhaps you just draw comfort from the characters themselves and want to have some sort of spiritual relationship with them? That's okay too!

Soul searching aside, I would suggest your first move be to pick just one character and try building a relationship with just them. Whichever one you're most drawn to, or whoever most embodies what you're looking for. Try to reach out to them, talk to them, give them offerings, and ask them for guidance. An important thing to keep in mind with pop culture entities, though, is that not all of them would be comfortable being worshipped or treated as a god. Depending on who you're working with, it might be a good idea to try just honoring them as a person and/or mentor until you get a better feel of their boundaries. Once you're comfortable with them and vice versa, you might find yourself drawn to another character, another character may reach out to you in some way, or your first character may introduce another character to you themselves. In my case, for my Deltarune practice, I started with Jevil, who might in Seam for me, who introduced Diamond King to me.

Aside from that, the wonderful thing about Undertale is that it has its virtues built right in. Focusing on mercy and the seven soul traits is a great way to practice Undertale paganism, and the souls/traits themselves could easily be revered in their own right (perhaps as something akin to angels?). For instance, your practice could include embodying one trait for each day of the week. Of course, the characters themselves will have their own lessons to teach you, and you could even call on them as guardian spirits if you need their specific skills.

As for Chara, they're a tricky character to nail down (just look at the fandom). Their associations really depend on how you see them, but in a sense, that could be a trait in and of itself. Chara is the one who calls out to their brother in the final battle and brings him peace, but they're also the one who, after being forced to kill everyone they love, decides that if they're going to do it, they at least want to do it by their own power, and you don't get to change your mind after they've lost everything. They were bitter enough to want to kill the humans who attacked them and Asriel, but they were also willing to sacrifice their life to save the monsters. They are, basically, the grey area between Frisk and Flowey, which is why the player is able to guide them one way or the other.

You can disagree or add your own, but this is a start for what I would give them:

-The colors red, green and gold, red heart shapes, smiley faces, as well as any yellow flowers

-Determination (duh)

-Survival in harsh/abusive situations (it's implied Chara had a very bad upbringing prior to their fall, and got through it by learning to laugh off the pain)

-Self-sacrifice (the whole buttercups thing)

-Doing what must be done (see previous)

-Family (they loved the Dreemurs enough to die for them, and they were the one who calmed Asriel)

-Gaining the upper hand on an abuser ("Since when were YOU the one in control?")

-Similarly, control/being controlled

-Gaining power ("Any time a number goes up, that feeling is me. Chara")

-Destruction and recreation (they do bring the world back if you beg)

-Deals with other entities (you giving them your soul in exchange)

-But relating to the above, inescapable consequences (Soulless pacifist)

-Also in those lines, cursing someone with exactly what they asked for

-Necromancy/ghosts/spirit work/death, because they are themself a ghost stuck to Frisk

-I would argue redemption, since what is the pacifist route if not teaching Chara a better way

-Anger and/or protecting others (them wanting to attack the humans who hurt Asriel)

Feel free to send another ask if you have further questions! I hope this can get you started!

#hey look the witch blog posted a witch thing #god i rambled about chara #anon ask #ask #pop culture paganism #pcp #undertale #undertale paganism #shy craft #undertale chara

[ebottswake]

Tonight on a Very Special Episode of Legacy of the Magi, Asriel learns an important lesson about peer pressure. Remember kids, if somebody asks you to get hit by a BGM-109C Tomahawk cruise missile, Just Say No.

#update #legacy of the magi #ebotts wake #fanfic #AO3

[thechekhov]

So glad you decided to play Undertale! I think it would really suit you so I’m so happy you got into it! Could I have your thoughts about the game? I would LOVE to hear them. I’m ALL for long essays and rants, that’s my jam, but even just a small review from you would make me ecstatic!

Alright alright alright alright. 

I am ecstatic that someone asked because I have a lot to say AS ALWAYS. 

I’m gonna try to keep this readable, I swear. Will add pictures in between to keep things interesting. 

However, due to the length this will SURELY achieve, AND due to spoilers (and yes, laugh at me all you want, the game has been out for 5 years) I’ll put this under a cut. Read at your own (f)risk.

Metagaming - the game plays YOU

When I first started Undertale, I ‘knew’ these things:

there’s a stabby one with a knife, their name is chara

there’s a flower everyone hates

something something sans something something

and the last, and perhaps most important thing

you can spare your enemies to avoid killing them

The thing is. The THING IS. 

I did not realize how pervasive this strategy was. My thought at first was ‘okay, so I don’t have to kill EVERYONE.’

I had no idea that the reality was that I didn’t have to kill anyone.

I’m sure many others have already said this, but Undertale kind of changes the way you think about other games. It forces to you examine simply fighting your way through the RPG by introducing completely non-murder-y ways to resolve issues. This conversation-based combat style is not the first of its kind, I’m sure, but it’s also incredibly well done. It ties into the story, it ties into your decisions.

It ties into your decisions SO MUCH that it changes everything else in the outcome.

Undertale is a game well known for breaking the 4th wall. However, it does so in a strangely eerie, heart-wrenchingly real way. It teaches us that there are other solutions to conflicts - and it really... it really TEACHES us, you know?

Which is funny because to be honest, it took me a while to get the lesson.

(You may already be fully aware of this but yes, my first True Neutral Route was extremely organic. I legitimately had no idea that there was even more than one ending. I was just stumbling about er... killing. Out of habit.)

The beauty of this is that the game drives home that point even more effectively because I was fully unaware of my own bias. I had assumed that some enemies would require killing - DESPITE TORIEL SPECIFICALLY TELLING ME TO TALK TO THEM, and the entire Ruins tutorial being about Mercy. I killed the Dummy on accident (granted, it was due to me pressing the key too fast a few times) and didn’t think much of Toriel’s disapproval. I killed a few monsters because I saw my level was low and decided to automatically grind a little bit. 

By the time I got to Toriel, I was still not comfortable with the mechanic. I knew I could Spare her somehow - after all, she was a kind monster, and clearly an important character - but the Spare option didn’t yield promising results the first few times I chose it. I ran out of patience and decided that maybe... maybe it was like pokemon! 

Maybe I had to get her health down to a certain level before she would allow me to pass through.

Funny thing though.... you know what happens if you attack Toriel one too many times? Even if she has most of her health left? 

Yeah uh... it activates that one-hit-KO thing from No Mercy Route.

So of course, what happened? I hit her one too many times... and killed her! And of course, immediately panicked and reset. 

I got back to my previous save, Spared Toriel PROPERLY this time, and walked out of the ruins only to be confronted with my own reliance on the magical ‘redo’ button which was... apparently... not that magical.

Because it WASN’T a clean redo. Flowey apparently remembered. 

The idea that the game would KNOW about my previous attempts beyond the save file snapped me out of my casual Undertale playthrough. I realized that something was up - this game was not going to be like the others.

I think it was from this point on that I tried to be more careful, but again - I still hadn’t quite gotten the memo about not killing. I took down a few monsters around Snowdin. And when I got to Papyrus, I grew frustrated about not being able to beat him (I ended up losing several times and coming back to try again) and went off to grind SOME MORE because I figured that could raise my HP and increase my chances of holding off long enough to Spare him. 

(The incredible thing about this game is that actually, raising your level gives you only a slight advantage. You can be level 1 and carrying no items, and as long as you’re relatively proficient at dodging the bullet hell style projectiles you will have no issues.) 

Anyway, the point is that I realized I could spare the big monsters and did so readily - but I didn’t bother to spare many of the smaller ones. 

I figured it didn’t matter. 

And then I successfully evaded Undyne, gave her a cup of water, etc... and then went to her house to meet Papyrus, fully expecting her to befriend me anyway. 

And you know what happened?

“She said she won’t hang out with a murderer.“

I think that probably hit me the hardest at that point in the game. 

I had a bit ‘....oh’ moment at that point because I realized that the game would punish me for killing even the ‘not-important’ civilians of the Underground. It wasn’t about just sparing the ‘boss monsters’. My actions had consequences beyond just the ‘elite’ characters that we all tend to focus on.

Because yes, it made sense. It wasn’t about just Undyne - why WOULD she randomly be my friend after I killed tons of living beings?

From there on, I spared everyone, but didn’t reset. I decided to see how it would unravel.

The thing I want to talk about, which is a little difficult, is that...

It took me that long to learn that kindness was the answer. And that, in itself, ends up being a metaphor. 

It’s difficult to be kind if you have not been show how to be.

It’s difficult to change the way you behave (in a game or out of it) if all you know is using other methods.

It was hard enough to spare Toriel before I realized I had to just be very patient and trust that her attacks wouldn’t hit - though at first I thought she would just kill me! 

It was hard to avoid Papyrus’ attacks and I had to die several times before I successfully got through it. 

It was near impossible to fight Undyne because I legitimately had no idea Fleeing was an option. I struggled for ages at her stage, and I had to ask for help to understand what I could do.

And that’s actually honestly very true to life as well.

Being kind takes risk. Being kind takes effort. And sometimes, being kind means asking others HOW to be kind. 

When you choose to be kind, you risk being hurt, and you risk being trapped (Toriel). When you choose to be kind, you need to expand a lot more energy to succeed (Papyrus). When you choose to be kind, you need to sometimes reach out to others to show you how to properly do it (Undyne).

The rest of the playthrough probably went about as you expect. I completed the game, didn’t kill any Boss Monsters, fought to the end and... got that really unsatisfying Neutral Ending which felt strangely bittersweet. 

And of course, after I was done, I was prompted to go back and do a proper Pacifist Run. Which I did. I learned about the background of Determination, about Chara and Asriel... and about how everything came to be the way it was.

The thing that gets me the most about this game is how it serves as a direct parallel to how we use videogames. In fact, Undertale is a videogame... about videogames. 

Chara appears to be a direct metaphor for the people that use videogames to escape - to cope with whatever happened to them in The Overworld. Bad family life, or bad relationships or whatever we suffer - escapism through games is not, in itself, a new theme. 

Chara arrived in Undertale by dropping themself down a hole in the mountain, perhaps even seeking to end their life. They dropped into a world which offered them comfort and companionship, a new family and a new life - but in the end, their nature was destructive because their means to finding a solution inadvertently used other people as fodder. Asgore, Asriel - they used everyone else to complete their plans. It wasn’t about forming connections - it was about Completing the Quest. 

I wonder - did Chara even HAVE access to a MERCY option? 

Was their world one without the option of sparing someone? Did they only have the choice of acting - and was Mercy in the hands of whoever attacked them? I wonder how difficult it might have been for them. I wonder how that, in itself, shaped their perception of the world. 

I wonder if that’s why, during the No Mercy run, people recognize you as Chara? If they come back and attach themselves to your resonating DETERMINATION?

If this is true, was MERCY perhaps created later, brought into existence once Asriel himself made the choice to NOT fight, to turn back and flee, even after being attacked by humans in the Overworld? 

(It would be a nice parallel to Asgore DESTROYING the Mercy option when you enter the fight with him...)

...

In the end, I think Undertale is about many things, including video games. 

But it’s also hurting - and being hurt. 

It’s about how trauma can shape us, how we deal with feeling grief, and loss, and depression - and not being able to feel anything.

It’s about how we focus on goals and use DETERMINATION to keep going - even when whatever it is that’s driving us no longer has any SOUL. 

It’s about how our action have consequences, but they also carry the weight of a choice, and how powerful those choices are, and how powerless we feel when we aren’t given a choice - not to fight back, nor show mercy. 

I think that’s probably the reason this game resonated with so many people. It really brings something we love about videogames to the forefront - that ability to fight back, to have full and total control of our own lives...

And it also shows us how having that endless loop of repetitive grinding and fighting with zero consequences can lead to an incredible hollowness and make us numb to how we interact with real-life people. 

Anyway. 

Good game. 

#Anonymous #undertale #flowey #toriel #frisk #chekhov draws undertale #chekhov writes a text post

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

I Decided To Watch The Walkthrough Of Deltarune Chapter 2

I was really happy that Chapter 2 was finally ready, but because of reasons... I wasn't able to play it, I mean I wanted to.

but whenever I clicked on it, it ended up showing that small blue message. saying that it might put the PC at risk.

I don't know if I should try to play it or not, maybe nothing will happen and it will just play the game with no problems.

but that message did pop up before,

when I wanted to play that Undertale Kissy Cutie fan game.

the Undertale Don't Forget Fan Game, it works just fine.

those two games didn't have that blue message pop up,

when I clicked on them.

so something must be causing it to happen,

I want to know if it will be okay to play those games.

if others have been having the same problems, but were also worried about playing it because of the blue message.

maybe someday they will have a update for those games where that blue message wont pop up and everything will be fine.

also I wonder if my seeing Toriel as a off-white purple colors, might of been a trick of the eyes...?

what I mean is, that maybe it was....I don't know.

also ya know like the Pie Was Canon, cause  someone's fan animation ended up predicting what was gonna happen in Deltarune.

turns out that Kris really did eat the whole pie.  and by the looks of it, from what I have seen in the walkthrough of Deltarune's Chapter 2.

I think that one of the Comics of Deltarune, might of predicted the future......

well Semi-Future.

so what happens at the school in Deltarune, is canon in the game.

of course there are still some differences from what happens in Chapter 2

and the AU-Comic.

maybe it is me that thinks that a comic predicated what was going to happen in the very start of the Chapter 2....

it took some hours, but I was able to finish watching it.....still wish I could of played it.

but like I said, that blue message that pop up made me decide not to at the moment because it says it might put The PC at risk.

so I'm not sure if it really would, but I don't want to risk it.

so I still have chapter 2 of the game, but I just can't play it right now sadly.

I got to say that the romances in the game was sure interest...

can't wait to see the ships.

well with any hope, all the chapters of Deltarune will be on a Nintendo Switch Game Card someday, maybe in a few years.

hopefully the Cuphead Game will be on a game card too, I still haven’t beaten that game sadly....I really need to try to get one of my family to be my player-2

so that I can maybe beat the hard bosses.

yeah know, Cuphead and Mugman should have common sense not to go into a casino that is run by the Devil.

well them and the debtors, the debtors should of had some sense not to make a deal with the Devil.

I wonder if it’s weird to have thoughts of flipping off the Grandpa Watchers and Nephilim.....? 

or the whole having thoughts of flipping off the Devil himself too...?

and in case there is any confusion, the “Watchers” were Angels....

well I think I would have it in my right to do a double flip the birdy off of them...

for some odd reason a little bit of the song “it’s my life” pop into my head just now....

guess you could say history repeats itself lol.

I mean, if what those mortal men wrote about it is true....

but it is likely one of their fibs.....maybe?

the song it’s my life, it’s by Bon Jovi.

as soon as that song pop into my head, I just had to listen to it.

  even though I might not be able to play Chapter 2 for a while because of the issues that prevent me from playing it.

I did enjoy watching the walkthrough of the chapter 2.

it was worth watching it for hours, plus I was surprised by what happen in the start of the chapter 2....well it happen when Kris went to school and there was something that happen there, which reminded me of well Paper Trial.

I do plan to read more of it on here, of course there is still differences.

but a certain thing that happens at the start of the Chapter 2,

reminds me of it but I wont say what....but what happens in that game that reminds me of Paper Trial, also reminds me of the The Pie Is Canon.

cause of that fan animation that had Kris saying that they were going to eat the whole pie, and it turns out the Chapter 2 Trailer shows that they did in fact eat the whole pie.

so The Pie being ate by Kris at the very end of Chapter 1, is 100% Canon.

 if there was fight between Susie from Deltarune and Cuphead from the Cuphead series.

I think Susie would win, at least I think she would.

plus Cuphead would have to be out of his mind to pick a fight with Susie.

I’m also starting to wonder if Asriel (the one from Deltarune)

might be a bit of a perv...? ^_^;;

if that book he borrowed from the library is a clue and him NEVER returning it.

well, I say it is possible.

Flowey: Has He Have No Shame!?

after finishing listening to it’s my life, I started to listen to some other music.....I’m listening to Equestria Girls songs now.

the magic of friendship is a wonderful thing, but like Sunset said before....

it can be turned into something else, and with how most of the problems in Equestria was solved by turning the “Bad Guys” to stone,

instead of just talking with them and trying to understand their point of view...

I think Sunset and her friends are a bit more better in reforming the bad guys.

I know that not all bad guys from a movie or cartoon or video game series

can be redeemed, that is because they are too far gone or have been really dark from the start.  

  but sometimes a villain, is just a tragic villain who has been hurt by someone either physically, psychology and or emotionally......or all of the above.

it might not be very easy to heal from the wounds.

it might even make you, not as happy as you use to be.     

and when you see a picture of how happy you seem before,

you can just tell that the you that is now, isn’t as happy as the you that is in the picture.

does that make sense...?

but you might still have happy moments and still be okay, and at some days

I don’t believe it is good or right for a Hero or Main Character,

to cross a line when it does not need to be crossed.

like making Magic the scapegoat, and having it be destroyed.

I mean Star Butterfly’s family had been the ones to misuse the magic,

so the magic itself was NEVER the problem....it was her family that was the problem because of their misuse of it.

and Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis could of been reformed if they were spoken to and asked why they were doing it....I still think the “Magic of Friendship”

did cause Chrysalis some trauma, and that is why she broke out of the feeling good bond she was forming with Tirek and Cozy.

I get it, she was hurting, what she’s been through made her distrustful towards friendship and the ponies that took her family away from her.

even if she does have trauma, she might still care about Cozy and Tirek deep down.....well that is what I believe anyway.

 cause in a way, those three are a adoptive family and they need each other.

 what Discord, Celestia and Luna did to them,

I will not agree was the best course of action.

at least in Steven Universe Future, they solved the problem with Steven the right way....and like it was pointed out in that video I mention from Youtube.

the problem started at the VERY beginning in the Steven Universe Series.

even if Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet love Steven,

they still Semi-Neglected him, but not as much as Greg had.

and the video did point out some very important facts.

all the stuff that happen in Steven Universe, was going to erupt in time....

and when it did, it started to in the Steven Universe Future.

we can’t pretend that there was nothing wrong with Steven,

or like after he got back from space and after the whole Lars dying and coming back to life....

Connie didn’t try to see that Steven was trying to act like everything was fine,

and she shouldn’t just make it about herself, yes she had a right to her feelings and to wanting to be there for Steven, but Steven had been through a lot and he was hurting too. it is still good that they made up at some point.

and it is good that Connie finally figured out that there was something wrong with him, and they ended up as boyfriend and girlfriend at the end of Steven Universe Future.

maybe there is a lesson in both Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future.        

if we re-watch Steven Universe, we might can see why he ends up the way he does in Steven Universe Future and how it ended up causing him extreme emotional pain that would at some point make him view himself as Monster to the point of transforming into a type of Gem-Kaiju. 

it took everyone of his friends and family, to get through to him and give him what he needed, for them to hug him, and to be there for him when he was at his lowest.

Steven was at his lowest, it is possible the breaking point might of started at the first episode of Steven Universe Future or maybe in the Movie...who knows.

but at least he is seeing a therapist, he did say that he is seeing one now.

we can’t pretend the problem that Steven was having, didn’t first start at the early series....we just need to try to understand that it was going to break him past the breaking point and that it was gonna become too much for him.

even if Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst did technically  live with him

(and Amethyst became mature enough at some point to comfort him a bit more, and not just act like the teasing older sister.)

they still were half the cause of what happen to him, even if they made sure to help him with his gem powers and with other stuff.

they still ended up not taking care of him when he needed it.

and he might of thought it was normal, at least until he learned later on in Steven Universe Future, that it wasn’t.

even what his Dad did wasn’t okay, I get that Greg’s relationship with his own parents wasn’t perfect, but he is just as bad as them.

yes there could be reasons why Greg never got his way,

like one of the theories being that one of his parents had very sensitive hearing and couldn’t take really loud music.

another theory I have is that Steven might of went to go live his Grandparents when he left Beach City.

even if his Grandparents could be disappointed with Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst, they might still see them as a bit more responsible than their son Greg.....who could end up having their full disappointment.

  Greg ended up with so much money, and yeah he could of still treat himself.

but he could of send Steven to the hospital, and even hire a tutor for Steven.

but no, he doesn’t do that at all.

and we know what happen in Steven Universe Future

when Doctor Maheswaran points out some very important facts to Steven.

and Steven ends up getting really mad at his Dad, which I don't’ blame him for getting mad, plus the wreck wouldn’t of happen if Greg had stop being so insensitive to Steven’s feelings of wanting to have what he had and took for granted.

Greg only made things worse, with his talk of “freedom”

and even the whole “Gem” thing....

being a Gem, is only half of who Steven is.

and all his life, he was made to think he was only made to be like a replacement for his Mother....and even question what he is for, like with the whole Nora episode.

I still love Steven Universe, as well as the Movie and the Steven Universe Future. 

even if it takes myself and other fans to finally realize that Steven’s problems didn’t first start in Steven Universe Future, BUT in the first series.

and over time during Steven’s childhood it was only getting worse.

we want to believe that Steven’s life was perfect in the first series,

and the bad times he had in most of them, he got through with a smile on his face with no problems at all.         

who knows what the next show will be that Rebecca Sugar will make next,

but I know I wouldn’t mind seeing what comes next, just got to keep a eye out.

also you know how I believe the Darkners from Deltarune

are Tulpa, and from what we see in Chapter 2,

the new Darkners we see in it, are also Tulpa

and there are many different type of Tulpa.

well, I can’t help but wonder if Chara might be a Tulpa.

it is possible that the Red Soul in Undertale and the one in Deltarune,

are one in the same and are Chara.

and when the Player meets Chara after a Geno-Run....

they are really meeting them inside of Frisk’s Head.

I think it is possible that in Undertale, memories have been rewritten by the Man Who Speaks In Hands.

and the human that Prince Asriel befriended and became family to,

wasn’t Chara......but Kris.

with no soul, the Chara-Soul was placed inside the empty body that was buried under the bed of flowers.

 that is possible, but it might just be a theory that might not end up being true.

unless it is....well I do have a theory that Undertale will be one of the chapters.

if that happens that means Crossover, or not....it is just a theory after all.

it be really awesome if that turn out to be true.

a future Chapter having a Crossover between those two games would be really interesting.

I think it might be possible that the two games could be cleaved worlds, once being one in the same before splitting and breaking apart.

we can think about what was originally going to be in the original version,

as the original world before splitting into Undertale and Deltarune.

Chapter 2 was Awesome, well even if I could only watch a walkthrough of it and I couldn’t play it because of what I spoke about before in this....

but I hope that I will be able to play it sometime.

but for now, I am happy with just watching it until I am able to play it myself.

#deltarune chapter 2 #deltarune theory #undertale theory

[makkahiiragi]

Bittersweet: Part I

You bloom in such a bittersweet way, my camellia

Theodore's PoV

I was so focued on who am I to others and family, that I forgot who I am supposed to be. Being born in a noble family made me so cautious of myself. Having my whole life planned out and all I had to do was to follow it. Finish all my studies, learn to run a company, marry my fiance, expand my company, make my wife born a new heir and the cycle repeats. It might sound a bit fulfilling, no need to think too much of the future, but it's just a cycle that has been done in i don't know how many generations already.

I am the third born of my family, named Theodore Notoria- Asriel the 3rd, named after my grandfather. I had an older brother, who held the same name as me, told by my older sister Daisy. I grew up in such a planned out life that today I am about get scolded by my dance teacher for stepping his foot, that I also grew accustomed now too. "We have been through this for so many times Mr. Theodore" said he, "How could you not remember it?... we shall dismiss today's class, this will be reported to your mother" he nags as he is walking out the ball room. I sit in exhaustion "Lucas, fetch me sweets" added a deep sigh, gazing at Madeline outside having a tea session with her butler, and not looking forward for the next lesson. Mother enters, "You are doing it in purpose, aren't you dear?" as she walk closely and caress my head, "Aren't you looking forward for the ball for Madeline?... or are you sick of it?" she added. "I do look forward in seeing her again mother, and I am just tired and had been thoughts of entering the Gremory Academy." I replied, "I am worried, mother." I looked up to her, "It may not be the first time I am far from you anymore but, it is the first time for being away for a long time." as I turn my head and look through the window and gazes at Madeline again. "It will be alright dear, it's not like you wouldn't have any free time to visit home" as she hugs me from the back, "Let's cancel all your lessons for today, you can have a long day with Madeline today" she smiles at me with comfort in her eyes. Mother is not always so caring, maybe, she herself is worried in my depart with Madeline too. The academy is really far in the southern Leomond, and even lurked with some demon's kin too.

Madeline is really beautiful and a wise woman at that, at time she is why I take my lessons seriously. Madeline Phelepesian Asriel, 2nd daughter of my uncle, Sir Atticus Asriel, youngest brother of my late father Hugo Asriel. We have been engaged together since I was 10 years old, and have been taking private lessons together in my home, even invited together in events like ball. Speaking of ball, we are both invited in the annual Grande Ball in the Leomond Kingdom castle. It is a really big ball event, and made to celebrate the eve for the Leomond's day of Victory, me and Madeline are preparing for this important day.

Madeline's PoV

Tea parties, tea sessions... I am growing tired of it. It's always, this and that, not this, not that... I have gone through this from the past years already. As I place my cup on the plate, followed by a sigh, "My lady, you shouldn't sigh while having tea, you are showing your boredom to my lesson for you too much" said my butler who has been drinking tea with me for an hour now. "Shouldn't I practice a real tea party with other girls in the household?" in my complaining tone, "I apologize my lady, Madame Eleanor is currently busy with her work today, and Madame Daisy is currently enjoying cooking with her maids today" said in a very calm manner of voice, he is hard to argue with because of this. I kept my silence and gazes at the garden full of flowers, "My lady", he calls out my attention, "I am trying my best to fit into being a lady for you" and he smiles, really, how could I complain more? such a gentle butler handling a lady like me.

These lessons are consuming my patience far too much now. All of these 'recalling lessons' just for a annual ball event that I have been for several times now, I even had made friends with the princess. "My lady, it is time now, Sir Theodore is waiting for you at the front of the door to the study" he spoke as he is arranging the tea cups to be taken away, "Thank you, for the tea, August" as I ran towards to my gentleman Theodore. "How was your dancing lesson Third?", "I got nagged again by Mr. Violet" he chuckles without a surprise, "How about you? how was the tea?" as we sat under the gazebo looking at the ducks, "It was the usual, I couldn't complain to him" followed by a sigh. "Mother told me we had our lessons done for today, she said we should spend the day together" he said as he waits for my reaction, "Oh really? then this is no time for sitting here and sighing", I reacted on how he expected me to be. I ran to the house asking for where is August, "August where is my grimoire?","My lady, you are not allowed to use it for now, as your mother requested to me", he told me as he cleans my bedroom, I rummaged it yet again just for my grimoire, and now he spoke in a irritated way "My lady, that is enough rummaging, a lady shoul-", "Aha, I found it, goodbye August", getting cut off while speaking made him angry, "Lady Madeline!", he yelled as I had my escape. I ran to Theodore in the garden,"Third, let's fly together, shall we, my gentleman?" I spoke as I summoned my broom and offered my hand, "Shouldn't I supposed to offer hand?" he replied, "Can you fly then?" I chuckle as he takes my hand and sits at back of the broom.

As we soar through the sky, over the forests and hills we came by, passing through flocks of birds and we even saw a spectacular dragon flown by the wizards. We flew too much and I had to take a break, we flew down to a village near the capital, Canset Village. There are many Bakeries and Patisseries to choose from but I love Cloud Bakery the best. I have grown eating their bread, father always come home from his trading house in here and buy bread in this shop. "My lady Madeline" He smiles gently as he opens the door for me, "Thank you, my gentleman". As the bell in the door rings, the counter greeted us with a big smile, "Oh my Lady Madeline and Sir Theodore, welcome yet again in Cloud, what would you like for today?" Eleanor, greeting with such a happy smile. "We would like to have sandwiches and croquettes please", "Can you add some pretzels for me too?" added by the sweet- craver Third, "Yes of course, please take a seat as you wait, the croquettes do sell quite quick you see", replied by Eleanor, "How is the weather today My lady? Have you seen the dragon" she added, "Oh it is a wonderful day today, it is a perfect day for stroll and picnics... and yes we did saw the dragon, we flew with it quite closely" I answered. "Oh did you know my lady, the wizards are breeding the dragons in Magos?... my daughter from Magos said so in her letter, adding to that, I have been seeing them more often now", She said, "As long as they are not wild, I think we do not need to spare much of worries to them", I replied, "I do agree, but I do hope nothing goes wrong with them taking them in", she said as she gave the bags full of our bread for picnic, "I added a fried egg for you, my lady", "Oh thank you ever so much Eleanor", showing my gratitude with big smile as we walk out the bakery.

#short story #stories #storytelling #writing

[floweypacifistweed]

((For the mun questions meme: 1 and 18))

1.) What makes you the most emotional about your muse?

Listen, his backstory is fucking tragic, okay! Like... he was probably lonely his whole life before Chara fell down. Firstly, how many people would want to subject children to the wretched truth of being caught hopelessly in a place forever and then, who knew if royalty does mean something more to other monsters?

Most of the monsters we get to know in UT are boss monsters. Not many others speak to us about Asgore. So, most likely Asriel had a different position, too. Plus he was likely completely innocent and sheltered. And suddenly he gets pulled in a vendetta mission, where he just shuts down and that changed his whole life, existence and mind FOREVER.

Those are... pretty dire consequences. No wonder he acted out like there is no tomorrow as Flowey. I'd be fucking pissed at life as well.

18.) What aspect of your muse’s personality is most important to you? What aspect of your muse’s personality do you think is most important to them? Is it the same? Why or why not?

To me, his most important aspect is the constant battle between strength and weakness in him. He is capable enough of physical and psychological strength and I personally view him as pretty calculating and intelligent. ALSO, he is easily hurt, gets tunnel vision on topics that cause him aggression or angst and can be an incredibly dense brat. You see, how his balancing traits are very important to me.

He likely values his intelligence and knowledge most. Those are set on facts, not emotions, which get easily muddled and which he isn't sure are a valid source of information anymore. So while facts and knowledge usually reign surpreme in his validation system, emotions make him feel awkward and crazy. They come sneaking up at him and usually scare him pretty bad.

Obviously our deductions don't align. That's because I look at him objectively and he lives what he's learned, even though some lessons he had gave him such a terribly wrong picture, it almost hurts. He'll continue going back to it, because it's the only thing that has ever somehow worked for him.

#ooc #munday #ask #musings #ria rants #the-scrappy-urchin

[dragon-kazansky]

Going North - Chapter two

Summery: You and Lyra meet. There is just something about her you like, you didn’t realise at the time what an impact she would have on you.

Chapter 2 - Lyra Belacqua

You had remained on Maggie's boat per Faa's request. It was the best thing you could do right now. You promised to keep an eye on her, unknown to you that Tony had left the boat. Your mind was more focused on his mother and what she must be going through to think of what Tony, Billy's dear older brother, must be thinking.

Maggie hadn't come up to see you, but you knew she was still in the boat. You feared going down and upsetting her again. You turned your gaze down the river, the people on the boat next to you turned their heads he same way, where a boat was coming up. You recognised Tony and swore under your breath, scolding yourself for not paying more attention as to where he had gone. On the boat with them was a girl, one you hadn't seen before. She was dressed in blue satin dress, around her was a small purse.

They came up alongside the boat and climbed on, you hurried over to help them, calling for Maggie to come up.

Tony told you to follow him as he guided the girl downstairs. You had so many questions but did as he asked, following behind the girl.

Maggie hurried over and scolded her son for disappearing like that, but calmed down when she realised he had company. She turned to her soon who quickly tried explain everything, but he kept apologising between his words.

You gestured for the girl to come over to other side of the and sit down, checking her for injury. She remained silent, but didn't object to your slight fussy nature in making sure she was OK.

"What's your name?" You asked quietly, having not met her before, though it would seem the others had.

"Lyra Belacqua. This is Pan." She gave a smile. You smiled back. You had heard of her from the Gyptians. You didn't want to freak her out by telling her that though. She didn't know you at all. It would be weird to talk about her family history, the one she wasn't supposed to know, with her. You could see that Lyra had no idea just how important she was. You felt incredibly honoured to even be in the same room as her.

"I'm Y/N L/N. This is Oliver." You nodded at your daemon. The two daemons acknowledged each other.

"Tony, please, just explain how you found her. From the beginning." Ma said, looking over at the two of you.

"We were just out getting supplies."

"What supplies?" She asked. You eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, there was this van, and then there was someone driving it, and there was, like, noises from the back-" He explained, sounding as if this information wasn't important.

You grabbed Lyra a blanket and draped it around her. She thanked you quietly.

"-muffled screaming and that. Obviously, we was like, 'yeah, we're going to have to stop it.' So we chased it and got lucky." Tony concluded.

"Tony rescued me, Ma Costa." Lyra looked up at the other woman with a solemn gaze.

"I don't understand." She said softly, looking at Lyra with a gentle gaze. You tucked some of her hair behind her ear and smiled at her. Lyra seemed grateful to have you there in that moment.

"I was just out with the guys, Ma!"

"Don't even think about lying to me, Tony Costa, because you know you know you're not very good at it." She went over to where he was sitting.

"We got one! We've finally got a clue to where Billy is!" Tony stood up to his Ma. "So close."

"Close isn't good enough, though, is it?"

"It's something." Lyra spoke up. "It's a start." She looked at Ma. "The start to beating them."

Ma smiled somewhat.

"I'll give you that."

The conversation was brought to a stop when the door open. Farder Coram peeked inside the room.  He was looking at Lyra.

"We need the girl."

Lyra furrowed her gaze at him.

"It's all right." You said.

She shook her head.

You held out your hand to her, never breaking eye contact with her. She stared right back, for a moment not doing anything. She gave in and reached for you hand, hopping off the counter. You reached behind you and handed her a coat as she slipped the blanket off.

"It's cold outside." You smiled and offered to help her put it on. Lyra didn't say anything, but she turned her back and put her arms into the sleeves, letting you help her. She fastened it up herself and looked at you again. You let her hold your hand. You lead her up onto the deck and followed Farder Coram, knowing he won't ask you to leave them.

You climbed onto the big boat beside Maggie's.

Farder Coram gestured for Lyra to climb downstairs. She was a little hesitant in her movement so you let go of her hand and climbed down first. You hoped it would coax her into following you down, lending you her trust. She began to climb down after you.

Lord Faa was sitting, waiting for her. You gave her a reassuring smile as you lead her over to where he was. Coram sat on the seat to the left, you stood just beside the empty chair, gesturing for Lyra to sit. She walked over and sat down, looking at Lors Faa across from her.

"You've had a fortunate escape, Lyra Belacqua, but now, I ask you to help us." Faa stated. "Did you have a sense of where they were taking you?"

"Is he not talking - the Gobbler?" She asked.

"Not as yet. So, anything you saw?"

"I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know where they were taking me. I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help." She sounded firm in her words.

"Ma Costa has agreed to take you in, so if we could talk again tomorrow..."

"You're keeping me here?"

"For your own safety. We want to look after you."

"Why? I need to find my friend Roger!" She pleaded. "I don't know who you are! And as fun as it may seem to stay a prisoner again..."

"You may not know us, but we know you, Lyra." Farder Coram spoke up. "And have done since you were a baby."

"You are not our prisoner, Lyra, but you have always been important to us."

"Is this because of my father?" She asked. "Because he's Lord Asriel?"

Lord Faa, Coram and yourself looked at each other. You knew very well of Lord Asriel and his work in the North. You didn't find him to be all that likeable in the slightest, despite how anyone else may view him. You had heard Lyra thought he was her uncle, so to find out she knew the truth came as a surprise to you. As far as you knew, no one had said anything here.

"Who told you that?" You asked softly.

"Your father was good to us." Faa said. "He has always respected our way of life. But you are special on your own account."

"Why?!"

"Frustrating as it may seem..." Faa stood up. "...that's not a question for me to answer. I can't ask you to trust us, Lyra. I can only hope we'll earn your trust. We all want to find the missing children. So... will you stay with us?"

Lyra stared at him blankly for a moment, then she turned to you. You just looked her in the eyes, silently hoping she would agree. Lyra turned back to him and nodded.

With permission, you were allowed to return to Ma Costa. As you both climbed back onto the smaller boat, she turned to you.

"Will you be staying with us?" She asked.

"Yes. I've been helping Ma Costa ever since I found out Billy was missing." You smiled at her sweetly. "You're very brave, Lyra."

She smiled at you.

"I think we'll get along nicely." You grinned. "Now, why don't you go down and get changed. I think Ma said she would leave some clothes out for you." You watched her climb down. You remained up top and looked up to the other boat. Farder Coram was up there looking sat you. He gave a single nod. You turned your gaze away from him.

You sat down and decided to give Lyra time to adjust.

After a while Ma Costa came past you.

"Is she here?"

"Down below. Thought I'd give her time to herself." You smiled at the woman. She nodded and headed down below, herself. You got and followed her.

"Lyra?"

You both walked down to where her bed was. Lyra was sitting there with Pan beside her.

"Oh, look at you. You make a fine Gyptian." Ma Costa told her. "Much better. I'm cooking. Will you help?"

Lyra looked up at you. You just smiled at her.

The three of you go off into the kitchen together.

"My friend, Roger, he worked in the kitchens." Lyra said, watching Ma Costa do her thing. You leaned against the counter and listened to Lyra, interested to hear all about her. This girl was intriguing to you, and so very important to the people here. There seemed to be a weight on her shoulders she was unaware of bearing right now.

"Never thought you should learn?" Maggie asked, looking over her shoulder.

"What good it do me?" She asked, unsure where the benefit lay on her.

You both laughed.

"Oh, a Gyptian woman learns more than just cooking in our kitchens, Lyra Belacqua. We're armed." She claps her hands together and the ingreident on her hands floats down into the pan causing it all to light up in a big flame. Lyra jumps backwards with a grin. You all laugh. "There you go, girl! While you're stuck indoors we'll learn you some of our tricks." She gets Lyra to hold her hands out, palm up, and tips the powder into them.

Lyra grins and aims for the pan, clapping her hands and watching it spark up again in flames. You and Ma Costa laugh together.

"There lesson one learned already. You'll be a Gyptian woman yet." Ma told her proudly with a smile.

"Is that what I'm going to be - a Gyptian woman?" Lyra asks, not liking that her future had been decided by someone else. You look at her with a serious gaze.

"You'll be whatever you want to be." You told her. "Be your path. That's your choice, and yours alone." You tap her nose. She chuckles.

"I'm glad you're staying, Lyra." Maggie said with a loving tone. She had taken Lyra as one of her own. "You'll be safe as houses here. You'll see."

Lyra smiled up at her. Then she turned to you, who was still leaning against the counter watching her fondly. Lyra had really grown on you. You suppose you could see a lot of yourself in her.

"Do you cook?" She asked.

"A little. Though Oliver can surely tell you that I'm not a role model when it comes to looking after myself." You chuckle softly. "I get so invested in my work sometimes, I forget to eat."

Lyra chuckled.

"What do you do?"

"I'm an engineer."

"Cool! So, you make things?" She looked all excited now.

"Make them. Fix them. Take them apart." You give a shrug. "You interested?"

Lyra nodded her head eagerly which made you smile.

"Can you teach me?"

"I don't see why not. The more you learn, the more skills you gain." You tuck some hair behind her ear, much like you did earlier when she first arrived. Lyra smiled at you with a bright gaze. "I'll teach you everything I know in good time."

Ma Costa smiled and caught her attention again. Lyra still had some cooking to do.

A little later you and Lyra went up top to get some fresh air. You had wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure she was settling in OK, but she had requested your company specifically. It warmed your heart to know she wanted to be around you. The two of you were getting along nicely, it seemed.

Farder Coram had requested Lyra come ride on his boat while the Gyptians made a move up the river. You reassured Lyra you would ride with her. She chose to sit at the front of the boat, playing with something in her hands.

You caught a glimpse of it and wanted someone to pinch you. You couldn't quite believe what you thought you were seeing. An alethiometer. You had never actually seen one before, and God knows what you would like to do if you got hold of one. Not that you ever would. Only six were ever made and if Lyra really was holding one, you wouldn't take it from her. She must have it for a reason.

"We're not like Mrs. Coulter, you know." Farder Coram said from beside Lyra. "We just want to keep you safe."

"Yeah, she said something similar to me, too." Lyra replied, a little snappy. You couldn't blame her. That woman was wicked and deceitful.

"I'm sure she did." Farder Coram sat down by Lyra. "Maybe she even meant it, but maybe Mrs. Coulter isn't as powerful as she thinks. After all, you got away didn't you? Although I still haven't got to the bottom of why she has a monkey daemon. Then again, I'm often confused by daemons. I would never have guessed Tony Costa's daemon would have settled as a hawk."

"I think I'll settle as a mole." Pan spoke up. You chuckled as you looked down at him.

"Oh! A mole, is it?" Farder Coram looked at him with a curious gaze.

"Yes, so he can burrow underground and stay safe from all you grown-ups." Lyra said, glaring at Coram. He chuckled and you couldn't contain your smile. She needed to get to know you all. You were sure she would change her mind sooner or later.

"Very sensible." He tapped her shoulder with his hat, chuckling still. "But, er, not so good on the water, huh? Nowhere to burrow."

"I don't want Pantalaimon to settle." She said. "I want him to be able to change forever. And so does he."

"Well, there will come a time when you will be tired of him changing." You watched Pan go sit next to Oliver and Farder Coram's cat daemon. "When you come of age, and your daemon settles into it's final form, it will reveal what kind of person you really are." He explains.

You looked at Oliver. You had always been fond of his owl settlement.

"Suppose you don't like what the shape that your daemon settles as?" Lyra asked.

"Well, that would mean you are discontented. Many people would like to have a lion as a daemon, and they end up with a poodle." She chuckled. "No, I would not a hair on Sophonax, but that is not to say that sometimes I don't dream her different." At that the cat looked up at him. He smiled at her.

Lyra was quiet. He noticed.

"Now... would you like to see the man that took you?" He stood up.

Your gaze instantly went to Lyra.

She looked up at Farder Cora and stood up slowly. He led the way, his daemon following him. Pan hopped up to come to Lyra's side, you followed behind her, Oliver flying above you.

You stood back as Farder Coram let Lyra look though the door.

The man was tied to a chair as he was being questioned. The man wasn't saying anything.

"Is this alright, Lyra?" Coram asked.

"He wanted to do worse to Roger and Billy. Why would they take them and the other children if it wasn't to hurt them?" Lyra said, not taking her eyes away from the window.

Farder Coram, Lyra and yourself waited outside to hear news.

"Is he saying anything?" Farder Coram asked the young man.

"He said she's taking them North, but he doesn't know where."

"Of course. They can do anything they want with them there."

"But I saw, in her study, plans, papers." Lyra spoke up. "If we could just go get them..."

"No! We are not going to Mrs. Coulter!" Farder Coram stated.

"Maybe we could..." The young man started.

"Mrs. Coulter cannot know where we are." Farder Coram argued. "If you get captured, we'd risk her knowing everything. I forbid it!" He stated firmly. You agreed with him, but bit your tongue. Right now you just wanted Lyra safe. Going to that wicked woman's place would be too risky.

Any other discussion from there was interrupted by a siren.

"Go! Now!" Farder Coram nodded at you. You placed a hand on Lyra's back and gently pushed her out the door. That siren only meant one thing and they could not find her.

The Magisterium.

"By order of the Magisterium, we are searching all Gyptian boats in the area. Prepare to be boarded." An announcement called.

"Go, Lyra. We can hide you." You urged, keeping close behind her. You both got up top and looked up to see two airships and four boats coming your way. On any other day you would be wanting to look at those airships, seeing there mechanics and looking at the insides, today you wanted nothing more than for them to turn around and go away.

"By order of the Magisterium, we are searching all Gyptian boats in the area. Prepare to be boarded."

"Hurry, Lyra!" You urged her to jump across to Tony on the next boat over. Pan leapt over with her and Tony took them down below. You remained on the first boat, keeping an eye on the nearing enemy.

"By order of the Magisterium, we are searching all Gyptian boats in the area. Prepare to be boarded."

They come up along side every boat and began to climb on board. You crossed your arms and stared at the blankly as they began their search. You had faith in Tony that he would hide her well.

"Under whose jurisdiction dare you board these boats?" Faa asked. "Article Three of the Watercourse Bill. The Magisterium have no rights here."

One of the men from the boat held up a picture of Lyra.

"Never seen her." Faa replied, straight faced.

All you could do was stand by and watch as they searched the boats. There was a lump in your throat. The Magisterium always made you anxious. More so when one of their dog daemons started barking down the door over the next boat over. Maggie's boat. The one Lyra was hiding in. You closed your eyes and hoped with every fibre of your being that they would not find her.

You had faith in Tony and his Ma.

One of them went down.

You held your breath, sharing a look with Lord Faa.

"She's not here. Let's get moving." One of the others said. They couldn't find her. You suddenly remembered to breathe. That was far too close for comfort.

The Magisterium began to retreat.

"We'll search further down river."

As soon as they were gone you hopped on over to the next boat and hurried down. Tony watched you rush past him. You turned on your heel and looked at him.

"Where is she?"

Ma came over and knelt down in the corner, removing the panel that led behind the cabinets.

"It's safe to come out." She told Lyra. You waited.

Lyra crawled out quickly and and rushed past you all, climbing up above deck and hopping off the boat. You and Ma were quick to chase her. You didn't want to lose sight of her as you hurried after her. She ran across the bank, angry and upset.

"I'll never be safe!" She yelled, knowing she was being followed.

"Where are you going now?" You yelled after her, coming to a stop.

"Away from you! Away from all THIS!" She also stopped, turned around and faced you.

"I'm sorry we had to keep you hid like that." Ma called out.

"And it's HER! It's ALL her." Lyra rubbed her temples. You couldn't blame her for being so upset. Everyone had said she would be safe with the Gyptians, but that hadn't quite worked out. "And Farder Coram says she won't find me, but I don't think she'll stop until she does! And I don't know why, and I don't know if I can trust you. All I do know is that, on my own, everything makes sense, and when I'm with you, I'm just as much at risk!"

"You're right." You nodded. "She won't stop until she finds you."

"Why?" Lyra begged. She needed answers. It was frustrating that people kept hiding things from her. Hoe could she ever trust people if they were not honest with her. "Why am I so important to her?"

Neither one of you said anything. You looked at Ma with a pleading look. She looked conflicted.

"How am I supposed to trust you when no-one tells me the truth?!" Lyra yells.

"The truth is complicated!" Ma yelled back. "Some things, you're better off not knowing."

"I am so bored of BEING TOLD THAT!" Lyra screamed.

You looked Lyra in the eye.

"She's your mother, Lyra! That's what no-one is telling you." You didn't break eye contact with her. She was stunned. "She's your ma."

Lyra began to shake her head as she stepped backwards. "No. No, no." She began to pick up her pace and head off in the other direction.

"Lyra. Please listen. Wait!" You hurried after her. "It's time you knew." She began to slow down a bit. "As a young man, Asriel, your father, went exploring all over the North. He was high-spirited, quick to anger. Your ma, she was already married. As soon as they met, they fell in love."

You told her everything you knew of her parents. These were things you had learned from the Gyptians and you could believe it. You felt for Lyra. Everyone had lied to her from the day she was born. She didn't deserve that.

Lyra came to a stop. You came up beside her and looked at her.

"When she was pregnant with you, they thought they could get away with it, but as soon as you were born, there was no hiding the Asriel in you. Your father had estates, so he put you in the care of a Gyptian nurse." You looked up to where Ma was standing. She had slowly followed the two of you. "But Edward Coulter, your mother's husband, followed, determined to kill you."

"Kill me?" Her voice broke slightly.

"Men get funny about their shame. He ransacked the place. The Gyptian hid you well, but he'd have you found eventually. Asriel fought him there and then, and Edward Coulter was killed. The law didn't know how to respond. Asriel killed defending his home, but the law also allows a man to avenge the violation of his wife. Your mother was broken with the shame of it all. It's why she's like she is. She was a pariah for years. And they stripped all money, land and property from Asriel."

Lyra began to cry. It was breaking your heart to see her like this, but she deserved to know.

"You, the law placed in a nunnery, but in the great flood, Asriel stole you away..." You smiled at her. "...and took you to Jordan College. And that's all I know. That's all they told me." You looked at Ma again. She had come to stand beside Lyra.

"You were the Gyptian nurse." Lyra looked up at her in understanding. Maggie nodded.

"I held you for the whole night." Ma told Lyra, smiling. "I just want to keep you safe. I didn't manage it before. Let me manage it now."

Ma sent her one more smile for placing a hand on her shoulder and walking away. Her daemon flew overhead. You looked at Lyra once more before doing the same.

Tags:

@awyr @fandombeehive @charmed-asylum  @sigynbandraoi-blog @procrastinatingmurder  @beebofrank13 @gemellath @eagleandthebutterfly @kpopgirlbtssvt @raeofstarshine @melancholicsthings @ettorah @iaintnofurry​

#lee scoresby x reader #lee scoresby #his dark materials #lin manuel miranda #Going North #chapter 2

[grlmissing]

a    really    important    aspect    of    young    lyra’s    character    and    something    that    will    come    up    often    in    threads    is     lyra’s    conflicting    levels    of    distrust    and    admiration    towards    adults  .         she    very    much    views    corruption   ,        evil    and    violence    as    something    adults    do  .      she    grew    up    very    sheltered    in    jordan    college    and    able    to    run    free  .        back    then  ,        adults    were    just    nuisances        --        people    who    disrupted    her    freedom   ,        attempted    to  educate    her    and    often    just    left    her    alone  .        she    believed    her    parents    to    be    dead    and    her    uncle    asriel    only    appeared    sporadically    to    tell    her    about    his    adventures    in    the    north    and    check    on    her    questionable    education  .            she    had    mrs  .     lonsdale    who    helped    to    raise    her    but    she    wasn’t    a    maternal    presence   ;        ‘    you    know   ,        with    my    mother   ,        i    never    realised   …        i    just    grew    up    on    my    own   ,        really   ;        i    don't    remember    anyone    ever    holding    me    or    cuddling    me   ,        it    was    just    me    and    pan    as    far    back    as    i    can    go    …        i    can't    remember    mrs .    lonsdale    being    like    that    to    me   ;        she    was   the    housekeeper    at    jordan    college   ,        all    she    did    was    make    sure    i    was    clean   ,        that's    all    she    thought    about   …        oh   ,        and    manners   …    ‘        so    she    grew    up    very    lonely  .        

she    hero    worshipped    the    adults    in    her    life    who    showed    her    the    smallest    amounts    of    affection  .        she    didn’t    have    peers  .        she    had    scholars   ,        the    housekeeper    who    cleaned    and    fed    her    and    then    the    gyptian    and    servant    kids    who    she    wouldn’t    ever    really    belong    with  .        she    suffered    huge    emotional    neglect    and    so    she    formed    stories    where    she    was    important    and    loved  .        it’s    also    why    she   is    so    good    at    adapting    to    situations   ,        like    how    she    started    acting    like    and    believing    she    was    gyptian    whilst    travelling    with    them  .        and    tried    to    adapt    to   mrs  .    coulter’s     lifestyle    too  .        she    even    wished    mrs  .     coulter    was    her    mother    before    she    found    out    the    truth  .        she    was    so    open    to    being    loved    that    she    trusted    far    too    much    and    learned    this    lesson    in    a    very    difficult    way  .        from    very    young   ,        it    was    always    the    adults   vs  .    the    kids    in    lyra’s    little    world  .        it    was    her    escaping    her    lessons    and    raiding    the    kitchens    and    crypts    with    roger    and    the    gyptian    kids    while    hiding    from    scholars    and    housekeepers  .        it    was    the    children    of    oxford    playing    games    based    on    the    real    kidnappings    being    carried    out    by    adults    living    in    the    shadows    but    as    she    left    jordan    this    divide    took    on    a    more    sinister    significance  .        those    kidnappers    took    her    best    friend   ,        roger  .        those    scholars    and    her    uncle    had    hidden    the    truth    about    her    parentage    from    her  .        that    uncle    who    would    never    take    her    within    him    was    her    father  .        a    man    she    had    always    trusted    had    conspired    to    poison    her    uncle    /    father  .        and    then    the    woman    she    had    idolised    was    revealed    to    be    her    mother   ,        a    woman    who    abducted    and    experimented    on    children   .        the    obscene    violence    of    the    adults    at    bolvangar   ,        the    actions    of    her    mother    and    then    the    final    betrayal    from    her    father    who    murdered    her    best    friend    in    front    of    her    to    open    a    door    into    another    world    left    her    orphaned    and    alone  .        she    had    no    adult    to    turn    to    or    rely    on  .        and    she    is    hunted    by    those    who    work    for    her    mother    and    the    magisterium  .        when    she    sees    the    violence    of    the    children    from    cittagazze   ,        she    is    so    shocked    because    she    had    never    seen    that    behaviour    from    other    kids  .        hate    and    cruelty    were    adult    pursuits  .

that    being    said   ,        the    adults    in    lyra’s    life    that    she     DOES     trust    she    trusts    absolutely    and    with    that    same    hero    worshipping    admiration  .        iorek   ,        lee   ,        serafina   ,        the    gyptians    are    all    people    she    thinks    the    world    of    and    like    they    can    do    no    wrong  .        she    admires    the    power   ,        intelligence    and    experience    of    adults    but    fears    the    same    cruelty    she    has    seen    over    and    over    again  .        she    is    also    being    hunted    and    will    likely    lie    to    any    adult    she    encounters  .        lyra’s    unlikely    to    trust    an    adult    she    meets    straight    away   ,        but    she    may    have    an    over    -    admiration    of    them    because    she    has    no    few    role    models    and    is    looking    for    the    person    she    could    grow    up    to    be    in    a    very    confusing    world  .        she    craves    affection    but    loathes    being    controlled    or    patronised    and    so    has    a    very    confusing    view    of    adulthood    and    the    adults    she    encounters  .

#headcanon // the goddess does not rule the world . she is the world . #i would die for this kid ok #like someone pls give her a hug for me #i just want to write a complicated dynamic between lyra and an adult she over admires or trusts or learns to trust #or doesnt trust at all maybe

[ichigosatsuki]

Papara week; Day 4:Angst

Here’s a short little story I did for @papara-week :D

The story below will include: Events before Frisk fell in the underground, teen Edge (he’s an apprentice under his brother to join the royal guard, before Sans eventually quits), teen Chara, teen Asriel (yes he be alive in this), slight cursing, a bit of murder/gore, much edge, such sad! .w.

If any of these offend you or you dislike any of these topics then please do not read this! If you are not phased or simply just living on the edge feel free to read this then! ^w^

The snow was fluttering along the howling wind. In amidst of the snowfall were a human and a monster dueling it out. Or well..whatever failed performance the two called as a "fight." The tall skeleton tossed his hanging scarf over his shoulder towering over the beaten and tired human. "This is pathetic human! How the fuck do you expect to stand up to the king if you can't even stay still through a single damn blue attack!" He spat out in a gravely voice.

"H-hey leave Chara alone you prick! They're trying their best!" bleated an upset white goat with a striped red and black sweater. Chara got up brushing the snow off their slightly torn and muddy clothes "heh it's alright Azzy, Paps is right. Dad's not gonna listen if I keep getting my ass handed to me" Papyrus helped the human up and sighed "you have to learn how to dodge your highness!" Papyrus pressed on with a scowl "and could you please at least try to hit me back?! Dodging isn't going to do anything in a fight!"

Chara chuckled and rolled their eyes "well excuuuuse me mister junior knight~ Not my fault we all can’ have a future guard as our brother" they teased back. “True my brother is cool..but not everyone can have the prince of the underground as their brother either" both Chara and Asriel glance at each other then shared a laugh. “Heh touche on that point there Papyrus” Asriel comments with a proud little grin. Chara gently elbowed the edgy skeleton and gave him a playful wink "aww you jealous that you don't get to spend as much time with me as I do with Azzy?" Papyrus blushed immediately and cursed at the human to shut up along with seizing on making such crazy accusations. It was almost..achingly sad at how peaceful everything was just a few days ago. But of course all things must come to an end. "What do you mean find peace with the humans?!"  A booming voice questioned. Chara nervously twirled a lock of hair in their finger "I mean..if we can show that monsters aren't so bad then humans could let us join them back on the surface" they explained. The king just scoffed at this "as if the humans would give us the luxury of such mercy" "you don't know! Most of us are nicer than you think, I promise!" This made the goat growl and point his trident at Chara. "How dare you speak like that? Those humans abandoned you and WE took you in to our homes..and now this how you repay us??" Asgore's eyes narrowed as the environment around them faded to black and white "I had such high hopes for you my child. But I guess you shall always be a human sympathizer till the very end!" He couldn't remember much after he left Chara to speak with their adopted father. Though he could faintly recall blurry memories of him and his older brother coming into the king’s chamber to give their reports. The image before him scarred deep into the monster’s skull. Chara was sprawled on the floor with the king's weapon impaled in their chest.  The tiles on the floor where stained red and the cold heartless stare of the king as he watched his adopted child's life drain away by the second. Sans had to drag his younger brother out before Papyrus would do something too drastic. He could honestly care less about now dead little monarch but he knew this would definitely take an emotionally mental toll on his baby brother. Papyrus couldn't understand. Why would king Asgore do such a thing? It irritated him to no end that Asriel had lost his only sibling and now Papyrus had lost his one true friend. Though what pissed him off the most was: why hadn't Chara fought back? He had always nagged them that they needed to learn how to fight! Maybe he should have been harder on them? It was his fault for not training Chara properly after all! If only he had been more strict in her instead of just brushing aside the human's dislike of fighting. He should have ignored the offer of being taught to just dodge and for once show them some moves. Maybe then they would have still be alive! Papyrus blamed himself for that tragic day. Though with scarring events comes lessons as well. The skeleton learned to never underestimate that learning to fight is important above all else. He did learn another thing, that down here it will and always will be...

Kill or be killed...

#Papara #Papara ship week #Paparaweek #Papyrus #Chara #Underfell #undertale au #Asgore #Asriel

[eroshiyda]

Well!! I want to know what your theory is!!!

😀😀😀😀 Well, since you asked...

I really think it's a song from Chara to Asriel! I don't have any like... concrete evidence for this, only headcanons. But it fits when you think about it this way:

Deltarune, according to Toby Fox, is a game intended "for those who have completed Undertale. He mentioned this in a Tweet

The word "complete" sticks out to me, because we all know there are many, many different endings to the game. I think, by this, he meant "get to all of the endings." That includes neutral, true pacifist, no mercy, and soul-less pacifist routes, etc.

So, if we do that, then Deltarune makes more sense as an Undertale AU. But how did it come to be? Well, with your (as in, the player's) help, of course!

Chara specifically asks you for the red Soul in order for you to be able to play any routes post-genocide, including soul-less pacifist. They even say, "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?" if you do a second genocide route with the Soul they lent you. This is very significant, especially in relation to Deltarune.

Deltarune starts out with the same red Soul that you used in Undertale; Chara probably gave it to Gaster, but that's not too important as far as the song goes. What is important is that Chara takes more control over the red Soul than they did in Undertale; after all, they saw what you did with it then.

One of the ways Chara does this is by discarding the vessel you make for the Soul at the beginning of the game. They don't even want you to give you a chance to name (or nickname) the Soul. They take away your ability to "flee" battles, because they want you to be held accountable for your actions. There may even be more ways, but we'll have to wait until the whole game comes out.

So basically, you're playing by Chara's rules in Deltarune. They own the red Soul now, since you gave it to them. They're just letting you borrow it. But what does Chara do with the red Soul when you're not using it?

The reason Chara wanted the red Soul in the first place is to be with Asriel again. "But Asriel's dead," you think. Technically true, but he's been partially reincarnated as Flowey, remember? Chara is using the Soul to hang out with their soul-less sibling, so they can spend eternity together, just like they originally wanted.

But, because they're there for eternity, they start to get bored and play games. They love to roleplay, and they're both super imaginitive kids. So they create a new reality together - one in which the monsters vs. humans war never happened - a paradise, if you will.

This would also explain why there are no humans in Deltarune (I'll get to Kris in a moment). Chara doesn't like other humans, so their version of utopia wouldn't need any. Asriel, on the other hand, likes humans; after all, his only interactions with humans include Chara, his best friend, and Frisk, his new friend. So they have to compromise. There is only one human.

Kris is how Chara imagines themself as a human. Someone who gets along with monsters, sure, but someone who is otherwise very dejected, jaded, and frankly wishes not to be human at all.

And Asriel creates another OC (do not steal) as well; Ralsei, who is also an idealized version of himself. Of course, there's Deltarune Asriel, who is loved, popular, and good at everything he does, which is the opposite of the "crybaby" Asriel in Undertale. But there's also the part of Asriel who wants to be vulnerable, who wants to give love as much as receive it, and he hasn't felt that in so long (as Flowey) that he desperately wants to. Ralsei embodies these feelings.

But Ralsei only exists in the Dark World. Kris exists there too, but in a completely different way than they do in Hometown. This may be because Asriel's pocket of reality is the Dark World, while Chara's is Hometown. This is why Hometown looks like the surface, where Chara is from, while the Dark World looks like the Underground, where Asriel is from.

Following this logic, Hometown Asriel is probably Chara's idealized version of Asriel, while Kris as The Legendary Hero of the Dark World might be Asriel's idealized version of Chara - someone who is so brave and actively defends their friends (Ralsei/Asriel included). Also a hugely successful flirt, but I digress.

So why, then, is Hometown such a strange place? And why does the Dark World only exist within the context of Hometown? Well, Chara has the determined red Soul, so they have more control over reality than Asriel as Flowey does (because, remember, he is still soul-less at the end of Undertale). Chara might not have been able to think of a place too different from it was like on the surface where and when they lived; pretty dogmatic, nothing too exciting. But at least they can put the monsters from the Underground they've come to know and love into their new reality.

Flowey (or Asriel), on the other hand, prefers to spend most of his time in his corner of the AU, where his imagination has free reign (within Chara's conditions, of course). The Dark World really integrates his fascination with humans (to the point of them beig part of The Legend), his desire for social closeness (hence all of the new friends we can make there), and the lessons about friendship and love (which he arguably learned a lot about from Undertale).

Being in the Underground forever must have its disadvantages, though. It's kind of impossible to think that Chara and Asriel would never argue, since their personalities are so different - and they are technically siblings, after all. And it must still get lonely for both of them, since no one else is there after the events of Undertale unfold.

So Chara makes up a song for Asriel, and it goes like this:

"When the light is running low,

and the shadows start to grow,

and the places that you know

seem like fantasy,

there's a light inside your soul

that's still shining in the cold,

with the truth,

the promise in our hearts:

Don't forget,

I'm with you in the dark."

(Sorry this got so long, I have a lot of Thoughts(TM) and Feelings(TM) about these games. And thank you so much for the ask, friend! 🖤)

#mine #theory #deltarune #spoilers #don't forget #friend #btw i know this is probably 100% wrong but anyway #have this thing that came out of my brain

[emilykinesis]

ON DELTARUNE

me thoughts. SPOILERS AHOY.

The entire time, I was waiting for it to be “surprise! This is a joke!” It kind of finally fucking happened at the end but like??? It was played straight the whole time besides that. Why was I waiting for it to be a joke?

UNTIL THE REVEAL IT WAS JUST WATERED-DOWN UNDERTALE.

Yes, watered-down.

We already know Undertale’s gimmick. You can’t use that shit anymore. Don’t fight, you don’t have to. Otherwise ~something bad will happen.~ Okay, great, so I have to slog through this game sparing everyone one by one. And the story itself left SO much to be desired, especially in the face of the beautiful and intricate story that was Undertale. “Dark bad light good heroes chosen hue hue hue.” I was sitting there like.... you fuckin’ kidding me?

Also, we get the most generic characters ever. Sure, they have funny dialogue because of course they do, it’s Toby, but we have “sweet kid who thinks everything can be solved with love” and “mean girl who doesn’t.” Not to mention stoic fucking main character who doesn’t react to jack shit. Look, they learned their lessons! Except Main Character Kris, because who the fuck are they? (Also I felt like they were WAY more clearly male, but y’know, that’s personal.)

THE FUCKING UNDERTALE-SHAPED AXE HANGING OVER OUR HEADS.

Admittedly, Lancer and Susie’s relationship was very sweet, but I couldn’t actually get into ANY of the characters, especially Susie, just because THEY DON’T MATTER. We want the MEAT, Toby! People are going to be distracted for the ENTIRE game. We can’t focus on anything until the end.

THE STUPID SACCHARINE SCHTICK.

I’ll admit, the dialogues at the end got me and threw me off my rocker. But the beginning? Ugh. Happy happy Asriel at college Toriel teacher everyone happy. It put me on edge for the entire game waiting for the other shoe to drop. This wouldn’t have been so bad if...

TOO LONG FOR A DEMO, TOO SHORT FOR A GAME.

This is kind of personal, but Jesus Christ Toby I have shit to do. I wanted to play everything in one sitting obviously, but I had NO idea how long it would take. I think it was about 2 hours long all told and it left me uncomfortably unsatisfied.

MISC. BAD THINGS.

Why the fuck is the kid’s name Kris? I’m guessing they’re possessing some fallen child the creator named Kris. But even at the beginning, all the flavor text indicated that this was not the playful Frisk we know, or even the snarky Chara. Deeply, deeply uncomfortable.

The name Ralsei. This is another schtick that Toby can’t do anymore, unless he meant to. The problem with an Undertale sequel is that we already know the entire schtick. So why is there even a “FIGHT” option? I kept accidentally hitting it when I meant to ACT.

Fucking infinitely respawning enemies, enough said. What was one of the best things about Undertale again? Oh yeah, NOT THAT.

Susie is actually pretty fucking horrifying, what the fuck? She’s way too stereotypical, as is Ralsei, and again, couldn’t give a shit about either of them. Lancer was a little better, but again, stereotype city.

GOOD THINGS.

Battle system more fun obviously, we can run, there’s cool overworld events, Lancer and Susie’s relationship, funny dialogue and flavor text.

.....Which of course was all fucking eclipsed by the Undertale axe. I couldn’t care about any of it until I figured out what the fuck was going on. (Which we never do, so I never cared as much as I could.)

MY LORE THOUGHTS/THINGS IN THE EPILOGUE THAT WERE GOOD.

This is clearly Chara--it seems like they’re in some sort of alternate universe where they freed the monsters or something. They’ve been named by a creator and they’re heading to their next universe at the end. (”Let us erase this pointless world and move on to the next.”) People indicate that Kris is somewhat of a troublemaker (late to school, played a prank on Noelle). This definitely sounds like “laughed-off-poisoning-Asgore” Chara, not pacifisty Frisk.

Undyne does not know who Alphys is. Kris (fuck that name) does not know who Sans is, and he doesn’t know who Kris is. There’s some reindeer dude who’s apparently important. Asgore lives in fucking squalor--things are not as hunky-dory as they seem. 

Was not OK with the ending, that was fucking horrifying. I mean, I wanted the other shoe to drop, but Jesus Toby, not like that! Fucking Christ!

I have no idea if the actual full thing is going to expand on this plot or go into another world or something, but Toby has a lot of work to do.

FOR TOBY.

Dude. You gotta answer some questions at the beginning of the game instead of just creating more. We’re fucking rabid for lore. We’re not going to give a shit about these new characters until we know what’s going on. Either explain shit or make an entirely new game.

The battle system is good, but we already know we shouldn’t fight. And now it’s not even, like, a choice. It literally says “don’t do this.” I hate taking the evil path, so I’m not going to do that shit anyway, so why even have the goddamn FIGHT option? The “Warning” about Susie is cool, but it’s tedious as hell. In fact, it’s all tedious, from the insultingly cookie-cutter plot and characters to the obvious leading to something at the end. It feels fake and shitty.

Again--too long for a demo, too short for a game. It’s just weird. Why spend 10 minutes creating the backstory and the characters if you’re just going to shove them out and resolve everything in two hours?

Of course I’m grateful for the work. But I’m worried that Toby is relying on the rabid fanbase, easy fixes (like a better battle system), and a cheap jumpscare/reveal instead of actually making a good game.

I have no idea when the 24 hours is over. I’m spoiler-tagging.

#undertale #deltarune #undertale 2 #deltarune spoilers #undertale spoilers #deltarune theories #undertale sequel #personal #rant #deltarune lore #undertale lore

[meredithsreadingchallenge]

I’m so thankful to be writing this review right now. Now, I can share one of the best books I’ve read this year. I have to consider this for the No.1 spot unless another book comes around and steals the title.

For this review, I’m going to see if I can try a different format for writing. Please feel free to leave feedback for which review is best for you to read. Any is appreciated!

In 2019, I received the “His Dark Materials” series by Philip Pullman as a Christmas gift. I watched the movie earlier in the year, which I know is not what a reader is supposed to do, but I loved it. The story was interesting, and I fell in love with the main character and her journey across the world to save her best friend. I started reading the first book, “The Golden Compass” after Christmas because I was excited to start, and I finished the book on the second day of the new year. It counts, by the way!

Here is what I think of the book, even though it’s four months down the road. Remember, spoiler warning:

1.     What audience is the author writing for?

I think Pullman is writing for anyone that listens. The main character is about 11-13 years ago at the start of the book, so it does appeal to readers who are in that age range who likes mysteries, fantasy, and adventure. I would also argue that this book is for young adults, which is about 8th grade-12th grade, for there are vocabulary words that I had to look up a couple of times. The third audience would be adults because there are many parts in “The Golden Compass” that deal with mature thoughts, events, and feelings that are viewed from a child’s perspective. This book can appeal to any age group!

2.     Do I care about the characters?

If caring is defined as ‘I like the majority of the characters’, then yes. For someone that watched the movie with no idea about what was going on until a half-hour in, I enjoyed them. Lyra is my favorite, and her daemon, Pan. I like her because she’s at that age where innocence is stripped for reality, and I don’t mean that in a sick way. She goes through several major events that alter her perspective on the world, politics, religion, and most importantly, what family is to her. It was intriguing to read the story from her point of view because Pullman revealed to the reader her thoughts, feelings, and motivations with appropriate dialogue and exposition.

3.     Did it have a compelling plot?

Yes, YES, YES IT DOES! Excuse my enthusiasm, but here are some spoilers about the book.

It’s about Lyra Belacqua, a twelve/thirteen-year-old girl from Oxford who is forced to take a side in a complicated war. After stumbling on a proposal meeting for her uncle, Lord Asriel, she learns there are these mysterious particles called Dust, and it divides her home to two sides: those who want to explore it and those who despise it. She has no idea why people are touchy around the subject, but when kidnappers called ‘Gobblers’ abduct her best friend and the Master of Jordan college gives her a golden compass with symbols, she sets out on a journey to save her best friend.

This is all I’m going to reveal because the plot thickens and gets disturbing as she travels the world. Personally, I was hooked the minute I finished Chapter 1, and I even began to mutter comments to myself when I felt strongly about important plot points, especially when Lyra interacted with Ms. Coulter. Of course, I saw the movie and know Ms. Coulter’s role, but still! I felt so much more hatred for her than I did when I watched the movie. You don’t mess with that woman!

4.     Did any quotes strike me?

Yes, but this one is another spoiler. Please feel free to skip this question!

When Iorek Brynison says to Lyra, “Belacqua? No. You are Lyra Silvertongue” (Pullman, pp. 348), I wanted him to win the fight against the bear king so bad. You see, Lyra and Iorek share a special bond because she rescued his honor in exchange for his allegiance to save the abducted children.  He swore to protect her during the mission, but he also told her once that his kind cannot be tricked because they possess the talent to see pass deceit. However, because Lyra tricked the current bear king that she was Iorek’s daemon, Iorek respects her for proving him wrong. It makes me smile every time!

5.     What is the author’s voice like?

The author’s voice is quite interesting. Pullman takes the role of a narrator—an observer in the world of the book. The narrator knows what Lyra does and thinks, and sometimes they view other character’s stories as well as share their opinion. Based on the verb tense, the narrator is speaking about a time in history, but when reading the book, it almost feels like you’re right there, watching Lyra as she reads the Golden Compass (or aethalometer!).

6.     What is the author’s purpose?

I think that Pullman’s purpose was to demonstrate that religion has a strong influence on the minds of adults. As Lyra further investigates the Gobbler’s abduction patterns to save her friend, the Church’s opinion becomes prominent. It seems that those who work for the Church are against the investigations of Dust and have power over the distribution of information, so it becomes clear that Lord Asriel’s proposal is a threat to their cause. Pullman wanted to highlight this theme because religion is known throughout history to want to control the thoughts and beliefs of its followers, especially when it comes to new findings in science. Also, if science threatens an idea supported by the Church, then the world becomes divided on what is right and what is wrong.

7.     What did I learn from reading?

I learned that the world is very different from the eyes of a child. A child, like Lyra, can pick up on something wrong from time to time, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. The more a child is exposed to the reality of adulthood—such as abduction, religion, deceit, and war—the world changes. Lyra was able to compose herself, to remain present in learning about the world around her, but it still came as a shock when she found out that the people who loved her would also not hesitate to put her in harm’s way. Lyra learned the importance of bonds with people who are not your family with the Gyptians and Iorek Brynison, and this also established her core belief of loyalty and justice.

8.     What rating did I give this book?

I gave this book 5 stars because it made me think, I wanted more, and I was intrigued by the themes!

9.     Who would I recommend this book to?

I would recommend this book to anyone. It has a little bit of every genre in it, like fantasy, science fiction (I would argue), general fiction, and adventure. Because of the vocabulary and themes, I think it would encourage young readers to investigate meanings they don’t understand and ask questions. While religion is known to be restricted, sometimes offended for free-thinking, this is what learning is all about. I would also recommend it because it’s a good story, just a little something to read when you want to explore a different world.

10.     When will I read the remaining books in the series?

Because of the pandemic, I am reading the next book, “The Subtle Knife,” earlier than I expected. The remaining books on my list for the year are somewhat similar, I want to include a little more diversity, besides just anxious about what happens to Lyra next!

Speaking of which, what am I currently reading?

· “IT” by Stephen King: You will not believe it, guys. I made it to the halfway point! I’ve completed 50% of the book, and it’s a lot to swallow. It’s certainly different than the recent adaptation (mind you, I haven’t watched that one all the way through, just snippets). Still, I think this is why I appreciate the book more. I love reading about the memories the losers club have when they return to Derry, and I’m always wondering what’s going to happen next, even if my eyes are tired.

·“Girl, Stop Apologizing” by Rachel Hollis: I haven’t continued to read much of this book because I still need to make a blog post for Excuse 5 and I’m currently working on their #Next90challenge course. When she started advertising for it and mentioned it was a free course, I thought it would be a good idea to try it out. So far, I’m having fun! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the lessons. For now, thank you again for being patient. Excuse 5 will be created shortly after this review.

I finished three books since my last blog post, which were “The Fates Divide” by Veronica Roth, the novel version of the hit musical, “Dear Evan Hansen,” and “The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire. Currently, I am figuring out which book review to do next after the Golden Compass because I am behind. Using this month to focus on making posts is going to be beneficial now that I have this free time to do it. No more excuses!

 As always, please stay safe wherever you are and practice healthy habits.

* Photo Credit: this photo is a blurred version of the cover from the book. The cover is originally based on art by Iacopo Bruno (2017). Text is generated from FireAlpacca.

#readingchallenge2020 #thegoldencompass #bookreview #spoilers #fantasy #dustanddaemons #favorite #fiction #novel #ages10andup

[ask-thegoatbro]

The Chara related asks you're getting, are getting kind of old. It's great that Chara's no longer seen as the villain of Undertale, but that has no bearing on existing Charas/blogs. We now have a lot more good and/or neutral Charas out there, rather than just a few fighting against the crowd. Doesn't mean all the Charas need or can be saved though.

[I agree on the first part. I don’t want to keep getting into this kind of thing. If I have to hold my ground. Then I will. I hope you don’t mind me getting a bit vocal here.  Chara is either way. Chara can be the villain of Undertale or just simply a conflict or just have no villain or replace Chara with some random ass OC. To say Chara is no longer seen as a villain isn’t true, for everyone. I dislike the fact that people are just so protective of Chara. Like, only the good/neutral are okay? But oh no, you do a Chara that shows a sinister way. It’s bad? Like, why? Chara on my blog I wouldn’t say is a villain. But, more of a major conflict as they believe what they are doing is best and shows that in a type of complex sinister way. But, you just cannot label them as a villain. This type of Chara also helps development on Asriel side. As it gives him motivation and conflictsBut, what pisses me off is that people had bearings on existing Chara blogs. Okay, tell me how it’s okay to shout and complain about how someone does a Chara in a certain way?  Trying to change them for their own personal reasons. Let's take a good example that hits at home. My Asriel’s Chara... @ask-thefirstfallenchild was an active blog. But guess what, they stopped because people kept trying to change their Chara and imply that they are still good and not accept that their not the greatest person. It got so bad my friend that runs that blog got overwhelmed and couldn’t take it! It wasn’t the only reason, but it was kinda the main reason. I don’t do it. Every person HAS the RIGHT to express Chara in a way they may work for them. Yet, people can’t deal with the certain ones and it’s awful! There are barely any Chara’s that is what they are portrayed at the end of the genocide route and that is what is boring. There’s too many good/neutral Chara’s because people are afraid that people are going to hate and dislike them for doing that kind of way. What people should is that, even if you don’t like the Chara. Try to understand them and perhaps you will find an interesting story. Don’t be afraid to tell such a story. Look, I want @ask-thefirstfallenchild to come back like some of the people that look into her. I miss her work and her Chara!  We were going to tell amazing stories and so I will continue trying to get her back! That is why I’m very vocal on this subject.and believe me, It’s a wonder why people are just so damn protective of a character they only see in the genocide route. The only for sure canon wat you see of them. I’m not counting any theories. I am only counting the things that IN-GAME and narrator Chara is only just a theory. It’s not canon or anything as much people would love to assume it is.And you know what’s also funny. It’s only Chara’s that gets this kind of thing. What about Asriel, why hasn’t someone try to rake my head on how I portray Asriel even though I just said he isn’t the greatest person himself as well. Is it because people are more accepting for that or maybe is because people relate to Chara that much that they have to protect them that much. Frisk I think gets a little of that kind of treatment... But, not as much as Chara.My point is. Chara is seen as many different ways and that’s okay. You should allow people to see how they fit Chara because It’s just a game in all honesty and fan works does that thing. If people want to portray Chara as a sinister mastermind like in genocide. Love it or at least be positive. Don’t force yourself into someone’s character and let them tell an exciting story. Or maybe A Chara is a person in a slice of life setting who had to learn important lessons. Let them and get active into the things they get into with their family or friends. There’s no need to have something as silly as a protecting squad that does more harm than good and it turns out people abuses that to attack other Chara’s that doesn’t fit on what they like. At the end, people are doing this as a hobby and to interact with the community or rather what’s left of it.

and to the Chara’s that may be afraid to portray Chara in a certain way, Don’t let people get to you. You may take constructive criticism but at the end. You do you. Just like how I do Asriel. I understand people may dislike me for how I do Azzy. But, I know others enjoy him and this is a different azzy people are used to. With love, Asriel Mun]

#asriel mun speaks #asriel mun is being wise #i would love to talk about other characters as well #and interacts with other character as it would be fun and exciting #anon #Anonymous