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sunnykeysmash · 11 months

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my thoughts on the first two episodes of s16

I don't even know where to begin, so let's start with just opinions: I loved it. Honestly, I've wanted sunny to delve into the characters for years, so this is all I've ever dreamed of. The differences in direction are also stunning and very visually interesting. idk it's great

If you've read my meta post on s14 and s15, you know what I think about the direction of the show, and season 16 is following exactly what I had expected in that regard imo.

It's not just how it revolves around nostalgia and "legacy/history" though. It also manages to do so in the direction and editing style of these two episodes.

Many choices surprised me here: we all know the zooming in during the pulse scene, but also the tendency to move the camera to reveal a previously unseen part of the environment (which has happened... three times! in inflates), the camera following the characters through the environment (dennis going from kitchen to living room, charlie moving from the new room to the entrance) which reminds me of the camera work in charlie work, roller rink and jumper (when they battle for the casaba specifically), all moments that have been praised for being "different" regarding to usual MO for sunny, and many close ups which usually aren't something that's used a lot.

Many times the usual sunny music came on and it felt almost jarring (POSITIVELY!!! intentionally wrong) because of how serious the moment had been. Like old lady house, you know?

So, to me, this is the first season without a structure. Nothing is sacred, especially not the past (dennis and mac get rid of the couch they've rented for 15 years [don't have to explain why 15 is important right], mrs mac wipes her butt with the "legacy of war" [aaah we'll come back to this], frank gives up the gun which is called his legacy and history, etc).

It may seem like s16 is being episodic and "back to past form" but I think that couldn't be further from the truth!! This is a new sunny, and the characters have continuity.

I have a feeling that by the end of the season those new room and bathroom will be used, because there is no "return to status quo", and to pretend there is would just be denial. Frank knows about the rooms now. But ehh anyway.

Something else that really surprised me these new episodes was Mac.

If you know me you know that I think Mac is pretty much the structure. He's the man who carries.

In a season with no structure, Mac is off.

He's unable to see any subtext no matter how obvious (buys literal nuts, doesn't see what Donald means), he's once again in complete denial about everything, he often guesses the complete opposite of what's actually intended ("consider it an offering" "of war?" "of peace- what is going on with you dude?" / "frank just shot us" "AWESOME!"), hyperfocused on the past, on legacy and history, (on winning a prize in risk e. rat?), he honestly seems to embody everything that Big Mo was fighting against.

This isn't entirely new for mac, he's displayed these traits before, but it seems much louder right now and intentional.

Especially if you consider, for example:

"I think it's time that I started sucking down the words of the Bible. And instead of looking for pieces of ass, I'd just look for peace."

Now, here's what I think happened.

He did get unraveled in s15. Not in the sense that he wasn't him anymore, but in the sense that he lost faith in the church, and is now trying to find something else that can "fill him up".

In a continuation of the identity themes in s15, I think Mac doesn't know who he is anymore, and is looking for any sense of meaning. Especially clinging to the past, even if the past was worse.

"This place has a dark past. Murder, betrayal, beheadings."

"Well, you know, it's a castle, Dee. You know, people were going crazy in castles all the time. And beheading people... well, that was just their way of solving problems back then, you know."

Even the letters Mac is so fixated on, written during world war II.

So if the past is war, and the future is peace, Mac is stuck in the past. So he still embodies the structure, it's just... we're not doing things that way anymore.

We may be redefining what legacy is. The gang thinks it's your past, when really, it's your future. It's what YOU pass down. (god stop me from quoting hamilton but... it's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. cmon it's perfect. anyway)

And when you're so focused on the past, you miss what's happening right in front of you, you don't realize you have everything you've ever wanted right in front of you (like Mac with Donald...).

So what we're doing right now I think, is actually pivoting.

But... a pivot is also "the most important thing that everything else is based on or arranged around".

I don't know, maybe it's not farfetched to say that it's Mac and Dennis. Being codependent, they revolve around each other, they're each other's pivot.

Dennis is changing, which throws Mac off balance.

What else... uhh the lamp thing, definitely lampshading. And Charlie insisting on the return of the status quo and saying his investment was only "ten dollars a unit", to me that's again the seasons we used to get.

The teeth thing is a lot like the soup... they're being used incorrectly. He should keep them in his mouth... obviously.

I think that is to say that they're probably gonna find their way back to the structure, like, that it was simply used incorrectly. Like if Mac and Dennis got together for example, that wouldn't be something scandalous and against the structure at all, because it was already built in. Nothing changes. It's like the circle of life, like... it's all a circle (or a hole!), and they're just going round, ending up exactly where they started. Maybe. (!!)

Also ep2 calls back to tends bar:

"You figured out the one thing I wanted more than anything else in the entire world and you got it for me."

And this dialogue

"should we just attack him and take it?" "no he'll mow us down like Scarface, we can't come at him like that, we'll spook him." "you give that dog the best day of his life, and then you turn off the lights when he least expects it..."

Reminds me of season 14. One last classic season before you "turn the lights off" (but dee and dennis never meant to kill frank! just like big mo wasn't the finale). It also reminds me of season 12 now that I think about it, I mean... "turning off the lights", DDL... yeah.

Also reminds me of chop

"He came back! My dog came back!" "How the hell is that dog still alive?" "Yeah, Mac, why don't you just put that poor thing out of its misery?" "Put him down? What, are you crazy? This is my dog, Dee. I love him."

And!!!!

Wait, speaking of "history".

-"I'm the one who stayed, I'm the one who takes care of you, how could you do that?"

[...] -"it's okay, I'm not mad at you. it's fine."

"I love you."

"I love you too. I love you too, you know that."

"I made a mistake."

"you did make a mistake. I didn't mean to upset you"

This dialogue resonates to me as very applicable to Mac and Dennis (so much dialogue tends to 😭), because you know who else "gave away their history"? Dennis, when he went away. Mac stayed, Mac takes care of Dennis... (well, now I'm just hoping we'll finally get a north dakota mention)

Aaaand idk what else. It's never wise to try to read meta when so little of the season is out yet... also I'm tired and rambly and I know a lot of this will be wrong but uh. There's a lot of macdennis in the air. And I also think both Mac and Dennis are at their very lowest points, and they need each other, or things may go south.

#s16 spoilers #iasip #it's always sunny in philadelphia #always sunny #analysis #Sorry this post is so disorganized I'm really tired hfksf #too many thoughts and head empty

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collieii · 11 months

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back on my wolfwood bullshit! i'm using a lot of the same ideas from my other post so i'll try not to repeat myself, but as i said, a major theme of wolfwood's arc is autonomy and freedom, and the idea that having freedom to choose also comes with the responsibility to act and make good choices.

throughout trimax, wolfwood is in a strange position. he's beholden to higher powers - the eye of michael, knives, even vash in a way, while also simultaneously having a lot of freedom to act, particularly in the moment. the things that control him are more like swords of damocles - present, inevitable, but not immediate. he's constantly struggling to figure out what he should do - take knives out, kill vash, and more generally, things like his profession as assassin. he's very torn about the choices he makes (or doesn't make) and the life he lives because he's dissatisfied with his position, and there isn't an easy way out.

there are a lot of parallels between midvalley and wolfwood. midvalley, similar to wolfwood, was forced into a place he really didn't want to be in. he's hyperaware of the danger of his situation, knows he's expendable to knives, and that knives has so much power - how can anyone escape it? so he has to ask himself - how is he going to spend the time that he has? should he risk his life or play it safe? we know what he decides - he's likely to die either way, so he might as well try to get his way, release himself from knives' control.

midvalley pretty easily identifies wolfwood as someone who is allied with vash, who has no true loyalty to knives. he says they have no reason to fight - midvalley and hoppered have officially moved against knives and made their choice. is wolfwood going to resolve himself, follow what he truly believes - in vash, against knives? or will he keep playing the game of someone who doesn't have their mind made up, still working under knives thumb? (midvalley has always called wolfwood chapel, right up until this moment - he's breaking through the pretenses, acknowledging that he knows what wolfwood really is).

(using the overhaul translation here bc it's much clearer!) midvalley basically says that wolfwood does have power, but at that point in the story, he's mostly just going along with what's safe, as opposed to midvalley and hoppered. midvalley is aware that wolfwood might have similar goals to him. as someone who, like wolfwood, fears knives and what he can do, midvalley criticizes wolfwood's passivity or inability to fight for what he wants.

still, we see that when midvalley does act against knives he dies. immediately. both him and hoppered made their choice, and it didn't end well for them. maybe they knew it'd be that way. still, it's a poignant reminder to wolfwood about the power of choice, and the risks that come with it. he has to confront what other people are willing to risk and ask himself if he can do the same.

then we get to volume 8. wolfwood, who spends so much of the story agonizing over his choices, is finally resolved. he goes against knives and frees vash. he chooses not to kill unless absolutely necessary. his autonomy is realized at the price of his life. and that's the equation he has to figure - save myself, and damn everyone i care about? be dissatisfied with myself, my life? or save what he loves, do what he wants, and risk himself? wolfwood is keenly aware of his own morality. he has so much he wants to protect, and he can't do that if he's dead. i think one of the reasons he's able to take a stand against knives is because of his relationship with vash - he knows that there's someone with similar goals and values who will fight to protect humanity after he's gone. he goes out having taken care of chapel and livio, and trusting that vash will handle knives. he can die peacefully knowing he's assured the safety of his family.

by volume 10, wolfwood is showing everyone who he is and what he stands for, for better or worse. he was willing to fight - and willing to die - to do what he believed was right. trimax shows, again, and again, that there's often no easy answer, no easy way to live, no easy choice to make. that's sort of the idea that's communicated with the bird imagery - a life of freedom is a life of struggle. it's not a new idea, ofc. but we see with wolfwood - the right thing and the safe thing are often not the same. what are we willing to do? how far will we go? what will we sacrifice? and what will leave us most satisfied at the end?

#nicholas d. wolfwood #trigun maximum #trigun analysis #trigun meta #trigun #this is so disorganized but i had like three separate ww posts in my drafts so i bundled them all together into this thing #idk what im saying i just wanted to talk abt midvalley ig #love u midvalley #should i tag him #midvalley the hornfreak #maybe this is a reach but dont his and wws designs parallel each other?#they have similar silhouettes #they both wear suits but wws is dark and midvalleys is light?#this is why they should kiss. with tongue #.lieii #also smth smth ticket to the future you always have a chance to change your life no matter what was your past #you can choose to be better? idk this post is too long already #i should cut it short but im lazy and it's been in my drafts forever i will release her #trimax spoilers #nicholas d wolfwood #.lieii txt #linked the other ww post i mentioned bc i think it is helpful #tho ik it won't show up in any rbs...ik

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bravevolunteer · 5 months

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VERSE — THE H.UNGER G.AMES ( tw for canon typical themes )

The Aftons are from District 3, where Michael grew up watching his father contribute to its technological industry. There was little room for individual innovation, only mass production based on the Capitol's demands, but that didn't stop William from working on his own inventions in private: he and Henry Emily began to create new achievements in robotics.

By carefully pulling the right strings, William managed to attract Capitol attention, causing their inventions to grow in popularity among its citizens, which was shockingly unique for a concept originating in the districts and elevated status for the Aftons within 3.

Loose concept centers around robotic/animatronic technology that could be used for "menial work," but rises with a strong focus on entertainment. The Capitol loves a good show!

This relatively stable foundation is shook when Michael is reaped. Hopes weren't very high, given the lack of winners from 3 and Michael's uncooperative tendencies ( he quickly became known for what was deemed a reckless temper ).

During the games, he operated alone for the most part, too distrusting of potential alliances. He didn't risk the bloodbath, so he had to scrounge and fight for it, but he eventually acquired some supplies: most notably parts for traps.

Michael decided to use anything he could find to rig various traps using a lock and release method shown to him by his father: springlocks. A simplified version to be achievable within the games, but good enough to catch other tributes

This was late in the game, so he only made a few kills with it, but it was undoubtedly how his win was achieved.

The officials didn’t take well to it, appalled by Michael’s use of technology growing in Capitol popularity mocking what was allowed in the arena and the fact that they let this tech take off. Something clearly learned because of district innovation, something now punishable to show that it will not be tolerated again.

Michael had barely been pulled from the arena when the Afton household was barged into, killing Evan as punishment for Michael’s actions ( didn’t kill William because of his value as a manufacturer and intended to silence both of them with Evan’s death ).

When Michael sees his remaining family again, they are struck with grief, it’s only then that he is told what happened, met with bitterness in his father’s eyes instead of relief, the man who seemed to encourage violence and control angry with the results, Michael using something that should’ve been a source of pride to win and being met with resentment.

The atmosphere in their new house in Victor’s Village is tense at best, explosive at worst. Michael suffers extreme PTSD, paranoia, and nightmares from the games and his brother’s death… he isn’t a very cooperative or sociable Victor either, though intense guilt holds potential further punishment over his head, keeping him relatively at bay and complying with Capitol demands, although he isn’t very good at it.

His father does take advantage of the power that comes with a family with victor status, also heavily holding this over Michael’s head to control him both as a means of making sure they aren’t killed and so Michael doesn’t ruin his chances of rising through the ranks again.

William does eventually spiral into… the other side of the Afton family business, simplifying the concept of remnant into developing a highly enhanced drug/technological alterations that strengthens the body and extends the lifespan… using young victims… idk hunger games science- ( as for when Michael finds out about this/what it unfolds into that’s open for now )

Michael as a mentor. Losing a lot of will to keep going but still fighting for the kids to live despite it being a losing battle. Themes and motifs.

#im spinning around more vaguer thoughts about michael’s games/the aftermath & him as a mentor but this is long enough as is #as always i can never just make things simple i HAVE to talk about the whole family so all i’ve said about william #is flexible on the off chance that anyone’s interested lmao #i’m just. having brainrot #local deranged guy somehow translates the plot of the afton family into the hunger games #also. disorganized bc the thoughts themselves are scattered #thg verse tbt.

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hejjhug · 7 months

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SONIC FRONTIERS BOTH ENDINGS SPOILERS AHEAD:

Okay listen ok so, the new ending? I love it. I love it despite the kinda-janky targeting making it way harder than it should have been. I loved the raw "COOL" energy of it. It was all so stylish, it ruled so hard.

but man.

I also miss the melancholy of that original ending. I miss that shot of Super Sonic looking like a shooting star against the pitch black darkness of space as the final minute of I'm With You played in the background.

I missed seeing melancholy in ALL of Sonic tbh. I love Sonic Frontiers for that.

IDK, I guess we will always have that original ending to look back on, and we can cherish this new one for what it is.

#not complaining really i just like seeing the softer side of sonic storytelling which a lot of games since Colors lacked.#But like I said we'll always have that original ending and if we go have more moments that are reflective and quiet in future Sonic games #I'll be a happy camper for sure #Like all the character conversations where they all talk about what they wanna do in the future was so so good #these are very disorganized thoughts #sonic frontiers #sonic frontiers spoilers

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dilfbuck · 8 months

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hiiii!! if this isn't weird could you give us a lore / backstory / choices rundown for ember <3 her design is SO cool, I'd love to hear more about her!

teehee id love to !! she's currently eating the functional half of my brain like a black hole rn!!

(tw for domestic abuse in the second paragraph btw)

backstory ;

(this is still in development buuut-) formerly married to a dickwad of a noble sorcerer who essentially kept her as a pet :( she got curious one night and snuck into his study where she was coerced by a strange magic book that branded her left eye (her black smoky tattoo), imbuing it with the power to see enchantments and magical properties but at the cost of. well. everything. the book was destroyed after she received the brand her husband was furious when he found out that she "ruined" the magic he was hoarding for himself and attacked her with the intent to kill. he burned her badly on the left side of her body but she managed to escape and fled the city, leaving everything behind. she found solace in a church of mystra who took her under their wing, and she ended up pledging her life to mystra's service, becoming a cleric. her storm sorcery isnt solely from being a cleric of mystra bc she knew some magic before, but it's greatly bolstered by it, and she has access to more powerful invocations and healing magic bc of that! she spent most of her days traveling wherever the clergy sent her, as well as sometimes aiding paladins or groups of soldiers as a healer. somehow she ended up in baldur's gate and began to call it home.

morality ;

ember started the campaign as neutral good but that's definitely prone to change (if it hasn't already lol). while she tries her best to help those in need and has a soft spot for children, she has no problem with killing and can be equally destructive as she is gentle. she protected the druid grove but had no issue with slaughtering anyone who got in her way at the goblin camp & did the same at grymforge. she brought nere's decapitated head to the myconids. she also cares deeply for astarion (platonically) and wont let anyone lay a finger on him. she's also falling hard for gale rn but doesn't want to admit it and gets VERY flustered whenever there's any flirting between them fhfjfkf. she's deeply concerned for gale's whole netherese orb situation and after speaking with elmister she's begun to have some... doubts about mystra but is trying to rationalize them. she cares deeply about the whole party for sure but astarion, karlach, and gale are her besties atm !! she believes the tadpole powers are gifts to be used and trusts the dream visitor out of a hunger for power/control, as well as the desire for all of it to have "meaning" ie. she hasn't turned into a mind flayer yet so she must be special/chosen and is willing to eat out of the hand of anyone who affirms that belief. it doesn't help that she's beginning to develop some not-platonic feelings for this mysterious visitor either </3 she prefers intimidation to using honeyed words and is very defensive of the entire party. she takes charge on the front lines as a tank with her brutal maul weapon and is like. always covered in blood lmao

#askbox #thank u for asking about my girl !!!#my thoughts are always so disorganized so this took so long to answer fghfjfhfj

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larabar · 1 year

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woubgh emotional over frontiers music again. watch me copy/paste a note i made about it at 12am a while ago

thinking about the significance of electric guitar in sonic music

sorry im with you always gets me emotional

the way that its an almost calm ? song focused mainly on the piano (which i associate with sage) and techo sounds with the guitar solo in the middle. thats where it gets me

i feel like sonics always been associated with electric guitar. even though it only started in the modern games

its just. something about it

one thing i like about how its used in frontiers is how it goes along with the theme of digital vs real. techno vs traditional instruments. but electric guitar is a really nice inbetween

its a traditional instrument yes. but the sound is amplified digitally. and mixed with everything else it sounds so cool. Especially in im with you. its a clash between the two sides but then rhe guitar comes in and it just. ouhg idk i gotta learn music theory or something to explain it

but yeah it carries over to one way dream too

it becomes the main focus of this one so its kinda everywhere but in the chorus theres this little flare it does in the background and something about that part just itches something in my brain it makes me so happy idk

but uh. yeah the range of emotion electric guitar can have is really fitting for sonic i think. like youve got one way dream and reach for the stars and we can. but then theres All The Titan Themes and those just. have a completely different energy to them

but THEN you get into acoustic guitar and sonic and the black knight. ouhdhfhhf the violin with it ...... ..

gonna stop here but yeah guitar cool 👍

WAIT NO also. the fact that the majority of the things i mentioned are linked to super sonic. all the intense songs are when he goes super. the energy both literally and metaphorically SPIKES and they just Fit the music always feels right

ok now im done

#excuse my tired ramblings i just think about this a lot #and ive had this note forever (since january) and i just. aughdb #rambles #enjoy. idk #sonic frontiers spoilers #this is what all my notes look like btw there are so many and yes theyre always this disorganized

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shakybonesstuff · 17 days

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I don’t know why I feel like this but I do, and it won’t stop.

The only thing I want is for it to stop.

Please.

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honeysuckle-venom · 7 months

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Very bad symptoms but not the ones I talk about as much I tlak about them sometimes but not as much. Alogia, thought blocking, disorganized thoughts, echolalia, clanging, disorganized behavior, twitching, tics, inappropriate laughter, screaming, biting, catatonic stupor, etc etc etc. These are the original symptoms the ones first had when first break 11 years ago such bad catatonic and disorganized symptoms and terror and rage but no overt psychosis. Part of why they didn't diagnose me was because symptoms were this kind obvious thought disorder not obvious other psyhcosis even though still should be obvious bc thought disorder symptoms are big schizohprenia hallmark. Think stupid doctors thought 15 year old girl not able schizophrenia. Same symptoms first time current age immediate diagnose but then no. Anyway. Frustrating symptoms very unpleasant communication so fucking hard. Even basic communication to Dad so hard say things like "Can have water" take minutes struggling to make words right so hard. Worked on this post minutes and minutes long time to mkae words. Sucks.

#text post #my post #at least ringht now reading not problem can still read #even if spoken language hard process can read atm #which not always can when sympomts like this so nice can read for now #s tag #disorganized speech cw

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aseplant · 2 years

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mildly rabid ember knight trivia

so i've been compiling a (slightly obsessive) mini wiki to write ember knight fics over the past year or so, since last i checked the fandom wiki page is a little... lacking? (then again, that was like back in december, so it may have improved since then.)

anyway, i figured i'd post some of the more useful bits as a resource in case anyone else is interested ✨

spoilers for both gilgamesh (the prequel) and ember knight, up to episode 80ish? i read the raws (sort of) so pls proceed with caution if you are not keen on that.

General World Notes

mechanics of an apprenticeship

the general populace are just considered citizens of the empire.

up from that is a knight-in-training, who is still considered a citizen. it's not clear to me exactly what this entails, but in gilgamesh, i believe tludia says that she mostly did menial tasks for the knights? and it seems the woodion apprentices were receiving training from fadiyan for this in the beginning.

a selection process is held after this; there are different proctors in different regions. if you pass that, next is knight's apprentice - these people are no longer citizens (ek 5). our delightful protagonist is mucking around in this stage rn.

a typical class seems to focus on training + gaining a good understanding of honor through knighthood lessons

these knighthood lessons seem to be directed by your peers, but the knights do comment on the presentations

noteworthy is that their class (2nd special class) functions differently than most - in anticipation of war with the eastern continent, the second special class is intended to also perform knights' missions while training (ek 8).

it's not too clear yet what happened to the first special class, but its survivors are introduced in ek 70 or so (forgot the exact number sry)

knighthood - "you either try to become worthy of the title, or are given the title because you are worthy" (ek 8)

slightly unrelated and possibly just speculation, but it seems that training the next generation is looked down upon (not sure if this is for all apprenticeships in general, or just for training the knights-in-training).

when tink gets assigned to teaching the knights-in-training, kandentia says "the trainee camp?! are you out of your mind? or did you not recognize his talent? he shouldn't be wasting his talent in a place like that!" - gilgamesh 112

knighthood as an institution

there are two types of knights - order knights and free knights. the five teachers & fadiyan in ember knight are all order knights, meaning they go through rigorous training and are therefore more consistently strong (gilgamesh 20 // i know zius mentions this in ember knight too but i don't have an ep for that).

free knights, on the other hand, are simply given a title - it seems to be bc they're exceptional/for political purposes, but uhhh don't quote me on that...

on honor:

knights are controlled through honor. they can't break their word and can only participate in wars/fights with permission from the emperor. but know that honor has no meaning if no one is watching... (gilgamesh 22). some spicy quotes:

"there is no set standard for honor. it can be different for each person. something that is dishonorable to me may not be to waron." tink, gilgamesh 67

"honor, for a knight, is in some ways more important than their lives. and entrusting it to another is to give up all personal values, even the emperor, and granting them a chance to command with absolute authority." ram, gilgamesh 88

AND GEAS. OH GOD LET'S TALK ABOUT GEAS.

geas is a knight's weakness. it is the method in which the emperor controls knights; knights swear one oath to the emperor, and another is bestowed upon them as a set of conditions that they must follow.

honestly, this isn't really something that has consequences, except for those that knights enforce upon each other after the devil knight.

recently tho there have been reported cases of (usually weak knights) developing supernatural abilities after swearing by their geas. like with narin weapons, it seems understanding how to use this power is instinctual once bestowed. zius's event horizon would be an example of this.

"truth be told, there's no price to pay even if the oath is broken. if anything, i guess there may be something to be gained by keeping it that way. i think the supernatural power of the knight may also have something to do with it" - zius, ek 61

this is also backed by an otherworldly being that intervenes when ram tries to destroy the world - he explains that the world is incomplete, so when things transcend the limits of the world a new rule/law (translations are not very clear on the difference) is established. a knight's strength is considered one of these things that is capped, and then he vagueblogs abt geas (gilgamesh 116)

anyway it's all v sus <3

quotes abt important qualities of a knight:

"never forget. knowledge is mightier than power. only one who knows that... can become a knight." fadiyan, ek 1

"you know you're the strongest here! and that teamwork is vital for knights...!" luzian, ek 1

"facing an opponent you could not defeat... the worst situation possible... you did not succumb. you kept your head held high, and chose to act in a righteous way. that is the true virtue at the basis of knighthood, and the most important skill you can harness." ludika, ek 18

"one cannot become a knight with strength alone. without the ability to persuade, even the strongest knight cannot lead. a knight must have their own sense of justice that is persuasive. to be able to do something on your own, unswayed by outside forces. that is justice. don't mock others for how they think. it's not your way or the highway." - zius, ek 20

world map

there's an official map at the end of gilgamesh 75 and a fan map here, produced by 0l0lmono. some notable locations:

west bridge - where knights fight against demons (the inhabitants of the eastern continent. they're not really demons, just a different race, probably). tink was once assigned here and demoted (gilgamesh 20 & 23), and waron replaced him at some point (gilgamesh 64)

the capital - the knights' stomping grounds. knight accolading is held here.

a note on the timeline between gilgamesh & ember knight

so... we know zius was knighted 5 years ago in ember knight, and that he met & fought with waron a couple months after being knighted.

meanwhile, in gilgamesh 106, when waron fights hinsher, she thinks there should be about 5 people who can beat hinsher, and zius's silhouette is displayed. it's clear she'd already met him at that point, then, and not recently either, since she'd been stationed at west bridge for a while - so ember knight is at most, let's say, 4 years out from the end of gilgamesh.

given the slight time skip at the end in which tludia's hair grows out, i have been informed by a friend that this would take about 2 years, so if we take that to be accurate ember knight is probably only two years after the events of gilgamesh.

(not that this matters too much, but thought i'd put it out there if anyone needs or is keen on constructing a better timeline.)

Factions Crash Course (past & present)

Malto - a religion of sorts (gilgamesh 20). here, knighthood means nothing, and magic power is everything.

lower ranks shave their hair off (gilgamesh 26); they are extremely cult-like and used very coercive tactics to force knights & knights-in-training alike to join their ranks

tludia was in fact expelled by tink to avoid this fate (gilgamesh 103)

they aim to discover and record everything there is to know about magic, starting from the 2nd great mage all the way down to the great immortal (gilgamesh 37)

in truth, the organization was created to protect the existence of magic after the first great mage went down the wrong path (gilgamesh epilogue)

at the end of the events of gilgamesh, malto is dissolved and their research propagated through the world

Oni - an elite group of warriors from the eastern continent. oni training starts at age 7 (gilgamesh 64). their throats are slit so that they cannot talk, and they are not taught to read or write so that their secrets may die with them.

they typically communicate through sign language

they are named after the notch of an arrow. unlike the western continent (where ember knight & gilgamesh take place), they attach onis (knocks) to their arrows rather than carving it into the arrow directly; the replaceable nature of the oni is where their name comes from.

Dragon's Descendants - the masked bandits. zius confirms in one episode (nooot sure which but it's probably late 70s) that they are not actually descended from dragons; it's simply their tribe name.

notable members include liamin and laurun - and, based on the naming scheme and hair/eye color, probably lauzun as well.

they seem to be seeking revenge for the destruction of their village under the knights' sanction. i think six or so years ago (?? don't quote me on this one tho), darang and a couple other knights slaughtered most of their tribe and burned the entire village down.

it's a fascinating parallel to what they have done with nagyunn!

not too clear what their connection with the real najin was, but many fan theories speculate that fadiyan had originally ordered najin to join them as a spy.

five years ago, laurun worked with zius & regia to research zius's geas-induced ability. he mentions that the dragon's descendants have been, for a long time, swearing oaths that granted similar abilities, and that the knights are late to the game (ek 65)

Free Knights - i'm going to take a moment to list them separately as a faction, bc it's clear atp that the free knights have their own agenda. the schism first started, according to darang, back in the war conference abt what to do with tink's body (final ep of gilgamesh), and she blames regia for it.

for his part, regia tells zius to his face that whatever happens, it's the order knights' karma coming for them. i wouldn't be surprised if they're colluding with the dragons' descendants in some way, but it's a little early to say.

Character Notes

age hell

so... we have like. next to no official character age data. here's what we do have from gilgamesh tho!

waron is placed between hinsher and tink here, but god knows if that means she's between 22 & 31 or if she's been 22 & 531. (also - although it's labeled as ???, after the events of gilgamesh it's probably safe to say that ram is around 2000 years old.)

i'll talk about the knight characters first. here, tludia was a knight-in-training. i'm not sure if tanshirin was a knight's apprentice or a knight-in-training, though she does become a knight post-timeskip at the end of gilgamesh (which would put her at around 23-24 when she was knighted). tink was considered a genius but still young for a knight at age 22.

so we can see that ages can vary for characters. going off vibes alone, i would put the ember knight apprentices as younger than tludia, but probably still in their late teens, so all in the 16-19 range probably.

as for the ember knight teacher knights: it seems to be common to be knighted in your early 20s. ludika, zius, and fadiyan are all from the same apprentice class, so they're probably 27-30, i'd say? waron and darang are almost certainly older, though i'm not sure by how much; going off vibes alone i'd say darang is probably only one or two years older than zius & ludika, but who knows. no idea where to place fidorance because we haven't seen any of his past yet.

finally, i wanted to point out nepherin, the dragon. she's 600 but still a child. it's been hinted at in the raws (ek ep80-82?? somewhere around there) that dragons' development is not chronological, but instead contingent on their understanding of the world; the more they understand about their place as a magical being and the rules of the world, the more mature they will become. since nepherin was raised by an absentee human father, it seems she hasn't developed any of this awareness yet. so the youthfulness says less about dragons than it says about her, i'd say.

strength rankings

or my best guess of it, anyway. masked bandits not included, but they do seem to be better trained than their knights' apprentice peers.

kandentia/event horizon zius

waron

fidorance (probably)

darang

ludika

fadiyan

gatekeepers (senior apprentices)

marsha

paimel/wadrin/nuljin

normal zius/yulnia

other apprentices

nagyunn

random notes on how people refer to one another

take everything here with a grain of salt bc i can barely read the korean alphabet and do not have the best understanding of honorifics/speech patterns.

Fadiyan:

the kids never actually call her fadiyan - instead, they call her knight-nim (기사님)

ludika simply calls her deer/doe (not sure which is more accurate), but can be seen calling her fadi in flashbacks

Ludika:

fadiyan calls her 'crybaby' and ludi theyre gfs fr

the woodion apprentices initially also call her knight-nim, but begin to clarify that as fox-nim after episode 10

zius & fidorance call her fox (no honorifics)

darang calls her ludika (no honorifics) - i think this implies they are closer than the others...? dont at me akefhweewf i didnt watch enough kdramas for this

Darang:

zius & fidorance call her raccoon

Waron:

zius & fidorance: black hen, but have both referred to her as waron to others

ludika: has called her waron to others, not sure what she calls waron by to her face tho

darang: waron-ssi

Fidorance:

waron & zius: wild dog

darang: haven't seen it yet, but probably fidorance-ssi

Zius:

ludika, waron (probably fidorance too): qilin

darang: zius-ssi

Apprentices:

ludika mentally refers to them as 에송이 (stripling, greenhorn, children) and 병아리 (literally "chicks", translated to "little baby chicks")

fidorance also calls them chicks in ek 35, i genuinely do not understand if there is some other implication here

Nagyunn/Najin:

lauzun & nagyunn both address najin as jin-ah (진아) which is supposed to denote affection, i think

it's interesting to note here that while pretending to be najin, nagyunn has always just called him lauzun. ouch.

after ~ep 24, the woodion apprentices (nagyunn included) start calling him jun instead of lauzun tho

najin simply calls nagyunn by name in ep 2&4, but calls him gyunn-ah in flashbacks (ep 3 & 9)

Miscellaneous notes:

tyr & nagyunn both refer to the knights as [animal]-nim (ex: raccoon-nim, qilin-nim), while lauzun & luzian do [name]-nim (ex: waron-nim, fidorance-nim). i've been told this is mostly up to personal preference, and in fact calling them [name]-nim might be more formal??? but i did not get a super clear answer on this.

nagyunn sometimes refers to knights by their full title (color + animal, ex: cerulean qilin zius) rather than [animal]-nim. notably, i've only really seen this in the episodes where he's pretending to be a spy for the skeleton, so that may be related.

zius has called both ludika & fidorance by name when they were arguing (ek 44) - it seems he tends to pull this card during emotionally tense situations?

Bonus: Knighthood Trivia

kandentia became the youngest knight ever at the unprecedented age of 14 (gilgamesh 146)

hinsher was the first female knight (gilgamesh 128)

zius graduated at the bottom of his class (ek 64)

and that's a wrap!

#the ember knight #if you got anywhere even close to the end i'd be very impressed honestly #i didn't think it'd get this long but also my brain is always on its bullshit so uhhh here we are #i hope someone finds this useful anyway <3 #sry its so disorganized tho

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