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styllwaters · 3 months

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351 / GAZI-MIAH

At last this monster of a ref is finished. Introducing the first canon Knight character for Vivere 44!

351 is a mountain Knight from Ferhaht, though their host is part Fejga; hence the brown fur and stocky build. They act as the secondary antagonist in parts 1 and 2 of the story. In part 3, the final 'season', they feature as a protagonist. 351 starts out as a ruthless, aggressive soldier working for Genizix, intent on completing the mission assigned to them. Under the direction of their officer, 909, 351 has been dispatched to quickly and efficiently eliminate targets who threaten to expose the company's activities in the Zhagaviit galaxy.

Eventually they come to realise that they are being manipulated by both the weapons company and their abusive superior, and in part 2 351 challenges 909. Their fight results in 351 gaining an array of scars and a terrifying near-death experience, and though they survive, they are permanently mentally separated. Unable to go into the Trance which binds the consciousnesses of the Helmet and the Host, they must learn how to work together as two people again. 351 escapes to their homeplanet of Ettera, surviving in the wild as they race against time to deliver an important message and rediscover who they are. During part 3, they discard their identification number and take on a new name, Gazi-miah.

More in-depth lore, facts, and extra art below the cut!

BACKSTORY

[cw: abuse, drug use, general dark themes]

351 was always told that they were born in Genizix like 909, though this is not the case at all. 351 had a life before they were turned into a killing machine, living on the Ihmna Stretch with their Ferhahti order. Their life was upturned on the day of their scouting Expedition, a journey that all Knight squires must take on before they can become full soldiers (More on Knight social structure here). They were tasked to deliver a message to an allied order along with two other temporary scouts. Upon arrival, however, instead of friendly greetings they were met with a chilling scene - the order was being attacked by another, the two groups set against each other in a fearsome battle. The fight was secretly orchestrated by Genizix in a plot to evaluate the strongest soldiers to recruit to their cause, unbeknownst to anyone but them. Feeling that it was necessary to aid their allies, 351 and their peers rushed into battle. They fought fiercely, but the young Knights were up against fully-fledged soldiers and 351's companions perished. 351 themselves was severely injured, and in the aftermath, blacked out - but not before catching a glimpse of strange figures.

When they awoke, they were not on Ettera any more; rather an unfamiliar place with black walls and machines. They could barely remember anything from the night before; and slowly the rest of their memories on their homeplanet receded as Genizix toxins that they were injected with took effect. Later, 351 would be introduced to 909, an experienced Knight officer with an extensive history of working for Genizix, and placed in their unit. They were assigned a number for a name and moulded into the perfect killing machine. 909 fed 351 a constant stream of lies about where they came from, and like all soldiers recruited into the system, promised that in fighting for the company they had a chance to participate in something greater than themselves; to see the real universe outside of Zhagaviit. But 351 was driven more by fear than the potential for glory. They had seen what happened to those who disobeyed the higher-ups, and what could happen to them if they did not complete the missions.

909 stripped 351 of their individuality and left nothing but brute force and a desire to please. What the agent feared more even than Genizix was invoking 909's anger, so they pushed themselves to do any dirty work asked of them. The organisation became their whole world, their 'family', and 909 made sure they could never leave their clutches - manipulating them, threatening them and twisting their worldview. The process was sped up by specialised toxins designed by Genizix intended to distort perception and slow brain activity, inducing a dreamlike state. On Knights, this had the effect of triggering and enhancing the Trance, making it incredibly difficult for one to mentally separate the helmet from the host. With time 351 came to believe that they were one person, and they had no reason to think otherwise as their exposure to information was carefully controlled. 351 was conditioned to see their targets as non-sophont and they were rewarded for using cruel tactics. The more time they spent with 909, the more they began to lose their sense of self entirely until they were nothing but a weapon. Such is the fate of most soldiers who have wound up working for Genizix.

Despite the deep emotional (and physical) scarring and conditioning, during the events of Vivere 44 seeds of doubt are planted in 351's minds. These would only germinate further as they gain more clarity of their situation. Standing up to 909 was the first step they took towards breaking free of their chains, although it came with a cost. 351's host was physically Separated from their helmet in the fight, an injury which in most cases is lethal. They were repaired by a scientist who stitched them back together and managed to salvage a sliver of the bond which connected their minds. 351 could never enter the Trance again, though the helmet and host could still exchange thoughts between each other. As they were two separate entities now, the helmet guides the blind host with directions.

Instructed by the scientist (an Arrow named Nimbus, who will be introduced later) 351 left the facility on a new mission - to deliver an urgent message to Jes-ren, a Kaata Plains Knight living on a Ranch on Ettera. They traversed the land they once called home, now unfamiliar to them, relearning how to work together as a pair that might as well be complete strangers to each other. They recover their memories; or at the very least parts of it, as they cannot remember their original name. However, they gain a new one; Gazitkaar-Miahlad [meaning: lost messenger / returned to us].

The road is long and tremendously difficult; Gazi-miah struggles to unlearn years of aggression, addiction and lies, all the while carrying immense trauma. They eventually find peace, and settle down with Jes-ren in Kaat following the climax.

PERSONALITY

During their time at Genizix, agent 351 picked up on a lot of nasty habits and traits from 909 who brought out their worst attributes. They became merciless, taught to discard feelings and remorse. 351 was not afraid to make a show of their strength, and at times was needlessly cruel and taunting. The toxins affecting their nervous system tended to spur on their host's prey drive to a concerning degree, and a part of them enjoyed the power trip they got from hunting down targets. Though everything they did, they did for 909's approval - and to avoid getting disposed of by Genizix.

When their host and helmet were Separated, and the effects of the toxins wore off, gradually their aggressive attributes took a backseat as they grappled with their new situation. With great effort they gain an understanding of both the horrors they went through and the atrocities they committed for the sake of a corrupted system.

Once they escape Genizix's hold, it becomes clear that 351 is incredibly socially inept and any interaction that isn't violence or taking orders is new territory for them. Freedom and agency are difficult concepts for them to grasp, but with the aid of others around them they begin to adjust to their new life.

The helmet, Miahlad (my-a-lad) is the more practical of the two. He has one goal in mind; keeping the both of them safe. Miah is resourceful and smart, though when it comes to social interaction he's just as clueless as his host. This doesn't stop him from offering advice via their mind-link. He is firm, distrustful, and judgemental, but cares deeply for Gazitkaar even if he won't say it. At first he is reluctant to uncover the truth in fear that it will harm them both, preferring to stick to familiar ground. Despite his realistic worldview, more than once he considers going back to Genizix due to the simple fact that it's all they've ever known - even if it hurt them. As a helmet he cannot speak out loud but relearns sign language to communicate with other knights.

The host, Gazitkaar (gaz-it-car) is constantly questioning everything. She is less focused on the personal safety and wellbeing of the Knight body and more concerned with the wider truth, always seeking to know more. Gazi is not one to back down from a challenge, whether it be traversing dangerous territory or mastering a new skill. But like Miah, she is averse to touch, and will bite if boundaries are pushed far enough. She is more open to listening than her helmet, and is a fast learner. Though she is more adaptable than Miah, her curiosity can sometimes go unchecked and lead them into trouble.

EXTRAS

They are 37 years old and tower over everyone, including other Knights. Their prescence could fill a whole room.

The engraved bone necklace was given to them by a Polar Knight commander from Ehtte Thannoeh where they first landed on Ettera. The carving depicts an Aikka deity whose horn always points northwards, and is said to watch over lost travelers from the northern lights.

Gazi-miah's piercings were put in by the scientist Nimbus, intended to firmly fix the helmet to the host.

As a Genizix agent their build is very toned and muscular due to their intense training and strength-enhancing substances which also speed up wound recovery. Such a lifestyle was placing immense stress on their body, and as they spent more time on Ettera they gained more weight and adopted a healthier diet.

Their build and design is inspired by bulls and rottweilers.

Their fur is spiky due to chemicals and unnatural cleaning products resulting in an unpleasant, rough texture. In the future it becomes softer thanks to proper grooming.

Here's some of the first concept art I have of them (and also showcases their pelt colours better)

Aaand a simplified version of the ref without all the notes for your viewing pleasure.

I'll stop here before this post gets insanely long but if you have any questions I shall be delighted to answer!! ;] Thanks for listening to my tedtalk

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katabay · 8 months

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THE SHERIFF AND GUY OF GISBORNE

uh. try to stay with me for a second. so incest motifs are a huge part of medieval lit. you see it in arthuriana cycles, you see it in romances, it's a whole thing.

Incest and the Medieval Imagination, Elizabeth Archibald

so robin hood. both adaptions and the text itself, tend to get interesting with guy of gisborne. and I will say that while I found the media being discussed in this text absolutely fucking insufferable to watch, the discussion on it was delicious, impeccable, show stopping

Mouvance, Greenwood, and Gender in The Adventures of Robin Hood and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Brian J Levy and Lesley Coote

and with regards to discussions on the origin text (which I love and adore forever)

Horseplay: Robin Hood, Guy of Gisborne, and the Neg(oti)ation of the Bestial, Stuart Kane

we're. getting to the point, I promise. guy of gisborne and the sheriff in my own "adaption" are not cousins, but brothers in law (fucked up brothers in law are my thing over on my other blog. brutus and cassius? I'm there. caligula and lepidus? all over that, baby!) because I'm aiming for an adjacent transgression.

on the topic of adjacent transgressions and guy's comment in this comic about cannibalism: there's an overlap in various genres of literature, predominantly in branches of horror and tragedy: between cannibalism and incest. (additionally! a lot of texts will take on christian subtexts and allusions, so there's a bonus homoerotic cannibalism discussion happening wrt communion that I'll get into in the future) it's about. chomping. the teeth, you know.

Managing Monsters, Marina Warner

Statius and Virgil: The Thebaid and the Reinterpretation of the Aeneid, Randall T. Ganiban

there's a 100% chance I will revise the sheriff's design at some point, but I wanted to draw the flowers exploding out of the spine so bad

AND FINALLY, the neck focus on guy is half due to his fate in his origin tale (beheaded) and half my own invention: I girl-with-a-green-ribboned him. a little narrative necromancy, if you will.

#long post #outlaws in the woods tag #im sorry for how long this is and also bc its 2am but also i am not sorry. i love medieval literature and horror #the sheriff wants to crawl inside guy's ribcage and eat his lungs #he is. interestingly enough. horrified at what everyone else does to guy's body #its about possession. obsession. who else has the right to eat you etc #im going to go folk catholicism forced sainthood on guy and every second of it is going to be awful for him #i will do narrative necromancy but i will adhere to the rules of the setting and the setting is TERRIBLE #i love it! sorry guy of gisborne.#anyway you guys ever watch showtime's borgias. favorite show. so. so uh. you know that one scene. the---

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gimmethemprimals · 10 months

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🌊 wavecrest-confessions Follow

whenever I see someone making fun of the tidelords disappearance I get SO angry. Its just so insensitive to water dragons, and it ALWAYS comes from a wind, earth, or ice dragon. Like I don’t think you have any ground to stand on guys, your deities are still more neglectful than the tidelord and he’s not even here

❄️ ice-ice-baby Follow

Dude your god has been gone for so long his long lost children came back before him

🪨 freshpebble-deactivated

Aren’t you the one who carved your fanart of femboy Icewarden into the side of the pillar.

❄️ ice-ice-baby Follow

???? You’re literally a shade apologist

💫 see-the-stars Follow

HOW ARE THERE SHADE APOLOGISTS ON DRUMBLR IN THIS DAY AND AGE I THOUGHT THEY WERE ONLY ON DRITTER

🍃 riding-high Follow

are we gonna just brush over the femboy icewarden thing

🦅 talonafan2477 Follow

@ see-the-stars the Arcanist is the ORIGINAL shade apologist what are you talking about

🦅 talonafan2477 Follow

btw “ice ice baby” is apart of from clan froststep that has a history of supporting the gaolers during the freezeflash war and thus the destruction of the banescales

🌑 walkingshadows Follow

Yeah but what about the femboy icewarden thing

🔥 its-gettin-hot Follow

you can excuse genocide but draw the line at femboy icewarden?

🌑 walkingshadows Follow

im not drawing the line i just wanna see it myself

🌺 bug-claws Follow

thats fair

#flight rising #fr #unreality #unreality tw #fake post #tw femboy #????#I PROMISE that i didnt mean to use it in like?? a transmisogynistic way I have only ever heard it used to refer to like #a guy (whether cis or not) who dresses in a feminine way and like… a term exaggerated by the internet?#please dont take this as me trying to like say that its NOT a derogatory term and that I was just ill informed but I dont really know #what else to do about it at this point #and my real intention here was to emulate irl tumblr posts and I fully understand that even using it in a comedic factor doesn’t excuse #the usage of a derogatory term but I don’t use that word in my normal vocab?#idk im sorry if this sounds bad long story short I’ve never seen it used in that way but I acknowledge that I could just be uninformed

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moeblob · 13 hours

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Happy Birthday to Ferdinand von Aegir!

I actually made 33 emotes, affectionately known as Aegirglyphics to some, for my own personal use on discord. However, I figure why not share some of them! They're free to use for discord servers/icons/pfps or whatever. However, my only request is Do NOT use them as subscriber emotes on Twitch. You can make them free follower emotes but you are not to make them locked behind a paywall.

#fe three houses #ferdinand von aegir #discord emotes #i thought long and hard about this bc idk the actual want for emotes i made ages ago but #i still love my son and its his bday ad so i should be nice and share #since i no longer have nitro and can no longer use them myself #the fact i can technically post 30 at once was tempting but #some of them arent living up to my standards and also just might not be easy to use in most contexts #so those im gonna skip on lol #whoever wants 21 aegirglyphics tho have at em #i think i might have posted some before? but only 10 and i dont recall which ones #if you want a secret the last three and the middle on the second row are my favorites to use #i used concernednand (the upper one) so much #the internet concerns me guys it was a valid use every time #debated sharing heartnand but honestly the world could benefit from it imo because gotta spread that love #fun lil trivia i love making emotes and so when i was in a server and people knew me as the ferdinand fan and artist #someone was like why hasnt salmon made a ferdinand emote yet #and im like bc i dont run the server and i cant just demand they add my art #and then a mod was like i didnt wanna put pressure on salmon but i thought about it so i was like bet #and then drew a server exclusive happy ferdinand emote #and that was the start of me somehow being able to have like.... ten emotes in that server #some of them were just me joking and then mods encouraging me #cause i used to use felix for every single art prompt theyd give and one week someone said the prompt was pog #and i just was so upset because dude why would i wanna draw felix for that hes not pog #so a mod was like hey if you make a pog felix emote we ill add it to the emotes here #so i once again was like bet and then posted it and then they really added it lmao #anyway sorry for so many rambles please feel free to use them on discord in whatever server #i cant really expect everyone to credit me but also im not really concerned since i fear people know my nands a mile away

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butchfalin · 1 year

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Goncharov (1973), dir. Martin Scorsese / Volcano (Shake 'Em Up) - My Chemical Romance

#1k #goncharov #volcano shake em up #long post #yeehaw #ill be honest i was gonna go on this whole long rant in the tags about katya's character and how much she's done a disservice both by fans #and the film itself but guys. WHAT am i doing right now.#also sorry for font size inconsistency i made these on my phone i just had to get it out of my head #unreality

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mindstriker · 7 months

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ok so I post excessively about the wizard now but like hey: thesis statement

i find it telling that despite being a former arch-mage, and despite the whole mystra ordeal, and everything, the main "good old days" memories that gale has to share with the player are all from the distant past- mostly revolving around his childhood or time as a student. you'd think a man with his kind of experience and practice would have more interesting, more recent stories to tell, right? surely an arch-mage does interesting shit?

but he doesn't, and he didn't, because his life entirely and utterly revolved around mystra. his work? finding that piece of karsite weave to return to her, for a multitude of reasons. the overwhelming desire to prove himself to her. the want to be her equal. everything and anything else that possessed him to pursue that book. his relationships? what relationships? his friendship with Tara, or his relationship to mystra herself? there wasn't anything else, he tells you as much- no friends, no lingering names asides from elminster (another one of mystra's chosen) and just vague "coworkers". as far as we know there was literally nothing going on in this motherfuckers life asides from mystra-related stuff for who knows how long.

so instead of impressive tales of long-lost tomes he discovered, projects of his own that he dedicated time to, anything else you'd expect from a fucking insaneo-wizard who can make life-sized interactive illusions at the drop of a hat: you get nothing but a gaping hole of "this is when the accident happened" and the glimmer of a few good memories long before that time. some of the only stories from his life he seems genuinely excited and happy to tell are those childhood ones- ridiculous tales about how he summoned Tara in the first place, set shit on fire as a child, or tried to burgle an important staff as a student. those younger memories are like all he has to rely on dawg. there's nothing else there. there is literally nothing there.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #sorry boys the autism says i have to keep posting about the wizard until my brain is tired and i can move onto the other guys i love #bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 spoilers #gale bg3 #do you think he ever looks back on the giant crater of events in the middle of his life and just goes :(#like holy shit dude you're a mortal human. your lifespan is not that long. you need to get on experiencing more things stat because your #entire young adulthood was obliterated by a goddess keeping you as a pet boyfriend in a jar #this is me yelling

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aether-weather · 8 months

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SAGESUNE MIKU >:DDD

#i rise from the dead once again!!#sorry about the long periods of time in between me posting #school is absolutely kicking my ass right now and i havent had any time to draw the creatures :(#ive also just been feeling unsatisfied with my art as of late #its probably just too much time online looking at other peoples art making me feel bad about myself #even though im improving as fast as i can it doesnt feel like im getting any better #but i know from experience that that feeling doesnt go away with time #so i guess ill always see flaws in my art no matter how hard i try to get better #man. that got really depressing :/#anyways SAGE!!! i love her she is my favorite of all time and im going to draw her so much yall dont even KNOW :D #ive got tons of other stuff planned too so watch out >:3 #i could hit you guys with 6 paragraphs of au lore any day now #sonic the hedgehog #sage robotnik #AWWWHHHGG SHE HAS HER OWN LITTLE TAG IM SOBBING #anyways #sage sonic #hatsune miku #i guess #whoof im scared to post this #or maybe im just exhausted #probably both :/

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aroaceleovaldez · 25 days

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the show chb logo was also ripped from fandom, like in the past decade all the official chb shirt had the logo without the circle and then the fandom started doing and the show went for it, sorry your tags reminded me of that

[Link to post/tags in question]

Yeah, I know Delphi Strawberry Service has done more circular-based CHB shirt designs for ages, and I've seen the more circular-based designs floating around for awhile. I think Magicbysab's circular-based CHB shirt designs also predate the show design? Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I understand on a level that if they did base it off fandom designs, particularly if they're basing anything on widespread fanon or fandom-based concepts, it can be difficult to pin down credit or may even seen unnecessary. But if they're going to be doing that I feel like at least they could hire like, a fandom consultant of sorts? Instead of just ripping off from the fandom, hire someone from the community who produces that already so at least there's some recognition and acknowledgement of where it originated.

Heck, in some instances if you ask around in the fandom it's not hard to pinpoint who specifically popularized certain concepts! I could talk for ages about Cherryandsisters being a driving force behind photokinesis!Will, or Saberghatz with plague!Will (tbh between the two they spearheaded a ton of early Will/Solangelo fanon), and I swear Drksanctuary alone is behind like 50% of Alabaster fanon, etc etc etc. People in the fandom know these things! Heck, we know ReadRiordan company knows how to do that kind of thing! They commissioned Viria for the official art, and the UK Riordan newsletter reaches out to fans all the time to feature their work (with credit, they're one of the better ones)! Though in Rick's book tours he did showcase Viria's art (at least with credit) without asking before she got commissioned, and during the Tower of Nero book tours they actually straight up stole a solangelo edit from Pervysloth with completely zero credit (link is to my canon url readriordan parody blog).

I think it doesn't help as well that Rick and his editor allegedly use the fandom wiki in place of a series bible. The PJO wiki is notorious for putting inaccurate information or fanon onto pages at random and having no sources. (What I wouldn't give for the PJO wiki to have frequent book/page sources a la Warrior Cats wiki...) There are what, now almost 18 books in the main series alone? Of an extremely renowned best-selling series that's 20 years old and now being adapted for TV? And they STILL don't have a series bible? That's like, step 1 of writing a series. This kind of reliance of the fandom for resources and concepts definitely isn't new for them.

It just feels so bizarre as to what it says about how the ReadRiordan company views the fandom and the creatives within it. I understand that trying to figure out how to give credit to the concept of "CHB shirt design, but circular!" is difficult, if you even can find out who did that first or popularized it. But if you're going to rip things from fandom, at least find somebody to try and credit? Show that you put in even the tiniest amount of effort? And if you get it wrong and people know, they'll correct you and that's that! But ReadRiordan just keeps trying to actively obscure these kinds of things, even with their own media, not ripped from the fandom, which makes it feel all the worse when it gets pointed out. And a lot of the time the whole reason those concepts get popular is because they're filtered through big names in the fandom! The fandom is a community! We know these people! We can point to them and explain exactly what they popularized! Remember how Velinxi popularized long haired Piper with the heart-shaped flyaways? Goodness only knows how many fandom designs are heavily influenced by Viria and Minuiko and Burdge (and Indigonite and Fuocogo and Ikimaru and Thecottonproject and Joker-ace and Sixofclovers and Vikingmera and Saber and Cherry and and and-). If you are in the community this stuff is easy to find. But Rick and the ReadRiordan company clearly being ~5 years behind with fanon pretty obviously tells me that they're not in the community at all, and aren't bothering trying.

#riordanverse #pjo #readriordan #pjo tv crit #rr crit #Anonymous #ask #long post //#sorry i am passionate about fandom history and crediting artists #its late and im too lazy to proofread right now so im just throwing this one out there #apologies if it's nonsensical #anyways Rick and ReadRiordan stop ripping off literally everyone challenge #stares pointedly at Rick blatantly recycling his own writing. its not a fun callback my guy thats just lazy writing #percy making a dam joke to himself in SoN? cute callback #solangelo falling into tartarus scene in TSATS being a direct rip of percabeth in MoA/HoH? what the hell man

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plulp · 5 months

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hey guys. remy design

#remy the farmer #dol #my art #sorry it took so long for me to make this #im watching live shows for one of my favorite music projects in the corner and i have to pause drawing to scream every 5 seconds #if i were in that crowd id be yelling. id faint. only but a dream to attend one of these #to the people that sent me another personality swap request also. i promise im not ignoring you but the one that said #''avery and eden swap would be a nightmare''#youre completely right. it is a nightmare. i cant think of anything #so if either of you have any more ideas or anyone else does then PLEASE help me im begging you all i can think of is ??? i dont know #i hope you guys like this remy though #i was worried about if it was good enough but special thanks to the people on my side account that told me it was fine #i posted fem remy there too if you want to see it #i think when i do fem vers of them all ill group them up because itll take me less time to make it since ill already have the design basis #and also i feel bad for spamming you guys #actually would you prefer i keep posting them one by one or should i post them all at once? for these designs #i feel bad posting separately because that means the people who rb my posts reblog like 10 separate design posts in a row :(#and i dont want them to spam their blogs because of me #but i do really really appreciate it when i see someone do that in my notifs :) so thank you a lot if you do #and also thank you to everyone who leaves tags i read each and every one of them obsessively like a freak #this is getting too long im going to hit the tag limit at this rate #ill try to work on the avery eden thing again #see you all later :)

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indulgnc · 1 month

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someone at a house party/gathering, off to the side, resting on a couch, obviously sick and feverish:

“you look terrible, you should go home!”, someone says.

“its my house.” they cough out gently. (they really were fine earlier— at some point during the night that little bit of sniffling turned into a full blown cold.)

#hope you all can get what im envisioning here #i dont like to make my scenario posts suuuper long #THIS POST IS ABOUT THAT ONE GUY!!! SORRY!!! this is about him!!!!#🌱#but im imagining like. someone who maybe thought it was just allergies . or something not that bad #hosting a planned work party and their condition just tanks #fever chills sneezing coughing the whole deal #they go to rest ay a couch near the side and someone who maybe doesnt know them as well is like ‘ong?? why arent you home!! go rest!!’#(… its their house!!! they are home!!!)#maybe eventually they stumble off into their room bc a migraine is coming on #and a close coworker/friend goes to check on them #🥰

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sapphicseasapphire · 3 months

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Ravio my beloved!! I have some lore to share! I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself but I want to make sure I have everything together! I’m very heavily considering throwing Ravio in with the rest of the Cryptid Chain since 1) he’s my little guy and 2) he’s a Link, right??? Technically?? Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing him included in the adventure!

Anyway, yeah. Lore under the cut! (This one gets rough so be warned. Blood and gore and violence against children)

Ravio was born to a small pod of Mer that lived in Lorule’s sea. He was always such a happy child, excitedly babbling about everything he could see, playing with his friends, swimming freely under the watchful eyes of his family.

(Pods of Mer are very close. While they are not all blood related, they’re very close! It’s pretty communal: for example, Ravio had parents but was raised by every adult in the pod. While he didn’t have any siblings, the other children were all basically his brothers and sisters. In such a tight knit community, trust is very important. It’s one of the things that makes the Mer so strong).

Since Mer are 100% aquatic and never leave the ocean, they were oblivious to the horrors that had taken place in the land of Lorule. Years ago, their Triforce had been destroyed, which corrupted everything that resided there. Aquili, being amphibious, were affected by this. While most of them were in the ocean at the moment of the Triforce’s destruction, those that were on land were overcome by evil, transforming into horrible monsters that would come to be known as Ku. These Ku were ruthless, attacking everything in sight, both on land and in the sea.

As the years passed, their numbers grew, along with the surge of other monsters that plagued the land. Lorule fell to ruin, but the ocean remained lively. Of course, it became dangerous with even more monsters. In this world, instead of turning against each other, the Mer and the remaining Aquili issued a truce, agreeing to work together to fend off their common enemy.

Ravio’s pod was part of the alliance, but he was too young to remember it. Back then, all that mattered to him was his parents, his friends, and collecting little trinkets to play with. Children were sheltered from such issues, and while Ravio grew up in the throws of war, he never looked the enemy in the eye. Aquili didn’t often visit his pod- if they did, they met with the adults. Ravio never met any. Even with his life upturned by the Ku and other monsters, he never knew bloodshed or violence.

He was only five years old when that changed.

It was a quiet night, peaceful, no different from any other. He slept soundly in his father’s arms, a soft kelp doll snug in his hands. He was sleeping so deeply that he didn’t wake when the screaming started. He didn’t wake when his father’s arms tightened around him. He didn’t even wake when the scent of bloody water met his little nose.

No, what woke him was when he was suddenly thrown into open water. In an instant, the arms that held him were gone. His little pocket of warmth and comfort, gone. His father had thrown him. The force of it ripped his doll out of his tiny hands and his eyes snapped open instinctively.

At the time, he didn’t comprehend what he was seeing. But when he’d remember that night years later, he’d wish he’d kept his eyes closed.

The water was cloudy and red, and smelled like iron and sick. Screams rung out from all sides, horrible and aching. And in front of him was his father… and a Ku biting into his shoulder. Ravio’s father flailed in the open water, and the plumes of red coming from where the monster’s mouth had closed around his flesh only got darker and darker.

The beast did not let go.

He met his father’s eyes. Eyes that were pleading, begging, screaming for him to get out of here.

Red.

Ravio was frozen.

And he watched as more Ku swam to the scene, all of them bloodied. Their eyes were crazed, their minds warped by a corruption that Ravio was too young to understand. They swarmed the area, and two more grabbed his father. The child, frozen as he was by fear, could only watch as they tore him to shreds.

He watched his father die at the hands of the Ku, and then he watched as those crazed eyes fell upon him.

They stalked closer, slowly, as if they knew they could take their time. Ravio choked on the bloody water, his eyes burning with tears as he watched their approach. They were going to kill him. He was going to die, just like his father, just like the rest of his pod, and there was nothing he could do about it.

A clawed hand grabbed him by his tail and he screamed.

Red.

He was pulled forward, claws tearing his flesh, and the five year old was helpless to stop it.

Red.

A monstrous face loomed above him, the clouded water doing little to hide the jagged teeth and crazed eyes of his attacker. Ravio cried out and squeezed his eyes shut tight, squirming in its grasp-

Red. Red, red, red-

Before he could feel the bite of those awful teeth, the Ku above him let out an awful scream and released him. Ravio screamed again as the claws were torn from his tail, but he opened his eyes just in time to see the beast under attack. By now, the Ku was far enough away from him that the murkiness of the water blurred any details, but he’d recognize that silhouette anywhere: it was his mother. His mother, tearing at the Ku with nothing but her fists. His mother, bathed in bloody water. His mother, injured and exhausted and winning.

The Ku went down after one hell of a fight, and when it was over, Ravio’s mother was looking worse for wear. But she weakly made her way over to him, urgency in her eyes. Ravio cried as she pressed a kiss to his little forehead. He clung to her- and she held him. But only for a moment.

She looked between his injured tail and his pale, terrified face. And then she brushed his hair out of his eyes and leaned in close.

“It’s going to be okay, Ravio,” she had said, and even though her voice trembled, he believed her. “You’re going to be okay.”

Ravio could say nothing in response, choking back sobs as she held him.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against the top of his head. “I’m so sorry, baby. I need you to listen. Can you do that for me? Are you listening?”

Ravio nodded against her chest, still unable to speak.

“I love you, Ravio. I love you so much.” She squeezed him closer. “And when I tell you to, I need you to swim away as fast as you can. Do you hear me? As fast as you can. Don’t stop for anything.”

And that’s when she let go of him.

“Mama,” he sobbed, and she hesitated before she turned to face the remaining Ku. There were tears in her eyes as she swam upward, her shadow falling protectively over her son.

“I love you,” she said one more time, “Now go. Go, Ravio. Now!”

And then the Ku were upon her.

Red.

Little Ravio turned and fled the scene, swimming as fast as his injured tail could take him. He swam through little tunnels in the rock and coral, ensuring that the bulky Ku would not be able to follow him. He swam until the water was clear of blood, until he could see the rippled patterns in the sand at the bottom of the seafloor, until the sun’s light filtered in through the waves above.

He was in shallower water than he’d ever been in before.

His tail had stopped bleeding at some point in the night, but it was painful. He could not keep going forever. And where… where was he supposed to go? Back to his pod?

Ravio did not stop swimming. He was tired. He was hurt. And he was confused. Later, he’d admit that he didn’t comprehend what he had seen. He fully expected his parents to appear out of clear water and take him home. He didn’t understand that they were gone… he’d never known death before that point.

Well. His parents did not appear. Neither did anyone else from his pod.

His mother had told him to keep going. To not stop for anything. And so, he continued. His heart racing in his chest, he swam on. He didn’t know how long he was swimming for. The water got shallower and shallower until he blinked and suddenly he could touch the bottom of the sea floor with his little hands.

Ravio’s wide eyes scanned the Surface. There were no monsters with jagged teeth and sharp claws and bulky bodies. No clouds of red. No screaming. The small child lifted his head above the water, holding his breath, and was greeted with the soothing sounds of waves crashing against the shoreline.

The ocean wasn’t safe. Not anymore.

And so, with trembling arms, Ravio pulled himself onto the beach. The sunlight directly on his skin was uncomfortable, and the sand was rough against his scales. He coughed water from his gills and wheezed as burning air entered his lungs. For several minutes, Ravio’s entire body was seething in pain. He desperately gasped for air that hurt to breathe, and his skin burned as it dried.

But once the initial discomfort passed, he felt… numb. Screaming echoed in his ears. The scent of blood lingered in his nose. When he closed his eyes, he saw his father’s desperation. His mother’s sacrifice. He saw them die, over and over again.

Red.

That’s when the tears started anew. And goddesses, when they started, they didn’t stop. His body heaved with sobs, his throat aching and his face slick with tears. He sat and cried for what felt like hours, but even looking back on it, he has no idea how long it truly was. Only that at some point, a curious sound caught his attention.

It was like the click of two rocks coming together underwater, but higher pitched. Melodic. It reminded him of his pod’s songs. And as he looked down to find the source of such a sound, ge was surprised to see a small Surface creature.

Ravio, being a small child, had never seen Shrface creatures before, so he had no way of knowing that what sat beside him was a “bird.” Only that it was tinier than he was and looked just as lost as he did.

He named the bird Sheerow, and he would become Ravio’s closest friend. A companion, a guide, a light in the dark. An anchor to cling to as his world crumbled around him.

They would be inseparable from that point onward.

. . .

Ravio would go on to become quite the figure in Lorule! He was discovered living in the woods by a local blacksmith, who brought him to the castle. (A strange child in the forest? Forests that are overtaken by monsters? Suspicious).

But the king determined that he was no monster, and sent him to live with the blacksmith and his wife. He never ventured back into the ocean- he never had the luxury of soaking in salt water. No, he stayed firmly on the ground where it was safe, even if the blacksmith and his wife could never be his family. He barely ever left their house until he was eleven, and even then he’d only go to the castle and back.

For years, he and Sheerow would frequent the castle, having deemed it one of the few safe places they knew of. They’d make deliveries for the smith, then stay a little longer just to talk to the princess. Hilda would be queen one day, and Ravio knew that she’d do anything to aid her suffering kingdom.

Anything.

Ravio never quite trusted her.

Her eyes were Red.

He was seventeen years old when his distrust for Her Highness was validated. After her father’s death, she rose to the throne and her desperation to help her people became palpable. She’d made a mistake in trusting a vile man named Yuga, and sought to steal another world’s Triforce in order to bring peace back to their own. Ravio, knowing the damage that this would cause to that other world, was against this idea wholeheartedly. And when Princess Hilda decided to go through with her plan, Ravio knew he couldn’t stick around.

He couldn’t stand idly by and witness another massacre.

But he couldn’t fight. No matter how hard he tried, he could not raise a sword against his princess. He couldn’t stomach the sight of an arrow or the sound of a bomb’s fuse. The thought if such violence brought him right back to the ocean, bloody water, screaming from every direction.

In the end, Ravio was too much of a coward to fight on his own. And so, he set out to find someone that could help him. He took all of his supplies and stole a relic from the castle, a bracelet that allowed him to slip into the second dimension and crawl through the cracks between worlds.

He found himself in a land called Hyrule, having emerged from the walls of a sanctuary. And that’s where he found a boy his age garbed in green and unconscious on the ground. Ravio rushed over, and upon determining that he was alive and well, he took him to his own house.

Well… what would have been his house if he had been in Lorule. He’s not in Lorule anymore.

He’s…. A long way from home.

. . .

Some notes!

• Okay I know that my description of that massacre was really bad but Ravio’s memories of that night are EXTREMELY hazy. He was literally five years old. Details are lost, but he remembers that feeling. He still has nightmares about it.

• Whenever Ravio feels unsafe or uncomfortable in any way for any reason, he says “Red.” A topic of conversation that makes him uncomfortable? Red. Just saw something that kind of messed him up (monsters, aggression, etc)? Red. Woke up from a nightmare? Red. This usually lets people that he needs some space/needs comfort. He’s VERY vocal about when he needs a break. We’re proud of him.

• My guy’s so against violence of any kind. He’s NOT a fighter. He’s clever enough that if he finds himself in a dangerous situation, he’s usually able to talk his way out of it. If he’s not able to talk his way out? He has a boyfriend that’s more than happy to do violence.

• Going off of that last point, Ravio goes to Legend for everything. I know I said he’s against violence, but if it’s an actually dangerous situation, Ravio gets Legend immediately. He’s more than happy to provide Legend with the weapons and tools he’d need to win- he’s not about to watch Legend get hurt on his behalf. But Legend’s not about to let anyone mess with Ravio for any reason

• Unless Ravio scammed them

• But he won’t let Ravio get hurt

• Legend’s so gay for him but it’s a big secret shhhhh don’t tell anybody (everybody knows).

• Also Legend’s very protective over him. Ledge has a pretty icy demeanor but the moment Ravio says “Red,” all bets are off. Hugs. Cuddles. No one is allowed to judge him for how soft he gets around Ravio. Also if anyone ever tries to harm him, they will meet the business end of his sword.

• For as protective as Legnd is of Ravio, Ravio is JUST as protective over Legend. Legend is not nearly as… eh, we’ll say emotionally aware as Ravio is. If something upsets him, he doesn’t simply take a step back and say a safe word. Legend is a fighter, and that often means bottling things up until they explode. While Ravio is against fighting, he’s not against confrontation. Even if Legend is too worried about being perceived as weak for telling someone he’s upset, Ravio just seems to… know. And he’s not afraid to tell whoever upset him to back off. Or if he upset him, he’s not afraid to apologize and give him space. If no one in particular has upset Legend (just… hero stuff. Missing Marin. The pressure of saving the world over and over again. Those kinds of things have a way of getting to people), then Ravio is the first to take Legend into his arms and just hold him.

• Ravio is the only person that Legend will let hold him without any complaint. Not even a half hearted attempt to argue. Ravio opens his arms and Legend just falls in and curls up.

• This is sweet and all but they definitely still banter and argue and stuff (mostly lightheartedly). What I said before in this post about Legend calling Ravio his roommate and “little rat” is still true. He likes Ravio but you’re not supposed to just KNOW THAT. He’s! Big scary Hero of Legend!! Untouchable!!! Strong!!! This rat man cannot crack his tough exterior!!! (Ravio calls him Mr. Hero and gives him a cool bracelet one (1) time and he’s head over heels)

• For more information about that war, I made this post a while back!

• I’ll talk about this more in Legend’s origin, but it is FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG for Mer to have to live on land. Like it’s killing them slowly. Especially Ravio, who doesn’t have the opportunity to soak as often as he should and hasn’t been in the ocean since he was five years old. Ravio’s first time back in the ocean happens much later, with Legend. And he’s terrified. He has some… not so great memories, and Legend understands that. Ravio and Legend are both fearful of Aquili and even other Mer soldiers. But honestly? The biggest thing he’s afraid of about going back into the ocean? Is that Sheerow can’t follow him.

• Emotional support bird. More effective than you’d think. Rav and Sheerow are absolutely inseparable.

This is…. Incredibly long. Let me know if you have any questions! I’m happy to talk about my little guys. (Seriously, I think Ravio is my second favorite after Sky).

#the legend of zelda #chain as cryptids au #my art #fanart #CAC origins #we’re not gonna talk about how this is longer than the other three origin posts combined #sapphire rambles way too long #tw blood #tw violence #albw ravio #was this too much?#I’m sorry if it was too much #it’s just that Ravio is my little guy so I have to hurt him #that’s just the rules #cac art #cryptid legend #cryptid ravio #links meet au

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