#dewprism

[linesonwhite]

I had this very loose sketch of Rue from Threads of Fate, and took the time last night to handle and polish the line art, and now it's done. :3

[voluptuarian]

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Morning Omens - 06/05/26: “Underground Ruins” - Dewprism/Threads of Fate OST

[goongamequest]

「artist」 poruboto 「characters」 mint 「from」 dewprism

[biscuitmir]

[katplaysgames]

LAST TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

We're off to see Fancy Mel, our one shot at finding out more about the [relic] and how to use Elroy's cube on the seal in the lake ruins. Elena has said we'll enjoy the time there. Klaus absolutely hates the idea of consulting her and warns Rue will regret going. Frankly, if it means getting access to a [relic] that could reunite him with Claire? Rue would do anything. And an upcoming conversation is going to prove just how far he'll go.

Before we can leave the city proper, Mint shows up to demand answers she has no real right to. Something-somethting Princess privileges that do not apply here and now. Not that she cares. She's not shy and she's not diplomatic (which is kind of refreshing from an era of delicate princesses.)

But she could use a bit of human decency instead of confronting Rue in the town square and asking tactlessly if he's human.

Casual as could be! We the audience know this is a sore spot. I don't know what she was expecting...? If he isn't human, he's not going to want to tell her and is motivated to say 'I'm human.' If he is human, say just a strange breed of magician, he will tell the truth and say 'I'm human.'

There is no outcome where he would tell Mint, in this moment, that he's not human. Where did she even get this idea?

Ah dear Elena. "I saw him turn INTO a Polly." Honey, that's not the same as "was a pollywog and turned into a human." Shapeshifter is not in her vocabulary, apparently, and Mint's the sort to love gossip. Interestingly, Rue does actually choose a third option and tells her it's none of her business and informs her he has no time for this. I'm sure he's eager to go see Mel for himself.

So he heads into Carona Forest, and this time... things get strange.

It's easy to see why children would be enamored with the soft colors, the giant flowers and mushrooms, and all the stars suspended in the sky.

It's neat.

Until you consider seeing it through Klaus' eyes. Until you realize that this reeks of power, the ability to just... do as you please with the very environment. Realistically, nothing but her own discretion keeps her from impacting more than her domain; Carona no longer has a guardian magician, there is no one to stop her if she decides she wants to play god, bending the rules of reality.

And that? That's terrifying.

NEXT TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

So presumably Mel has changed her very environment to suit her whim, from the strange pink ground to whimsical stars on the ground and suspended in the sky. Also toadstools. Lots of those. "Manipulates the environment at her own whimsy" "very powerful and knowledgeable magician" "does not age" ... ask me about my "Mel was an Aeon who gave up ultimate power for immortality" headcanon sometime. But now, it's time to meet her.

[katplaysgames]

*Having some issues with my keyboard as well as my controller, but thought I'd get a few of these queued!

LAST TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

We finally made it to Elroy's Atelier and collected some of his odd tools intended to access the [Relic] they're after. Alas, one of the two were stolen by treasure hunters -- Belle and Duke -- who snatched the tiara before leaving. Unable to catch them, Rue returns to Carona.

We see Elena before we see Klaus, and she mentions having spoken to Mint. She doesn't clarify anything about that, but it in itself feels like a warning to me.

But seeing Klaus again is nice; a grounding, friendly face amidst this mess. He's remarkably relaxed about the tiara, with the optimistic (but not incorrect) chance Rue will have another chance to recover it. In the meantime, he's come across a great discovery: the location of the [relic]! It's in the middle of a nearby lake, presumably buried with the ruins. Klaus admits though no one knew who made them no one would have guessed the Aeons.

Elroy's plan was to use the cube to break the seal on the ruins. The problem is, they have no real idea how to use it for anything more than a decorative paper weight.

Now, all is not lost. There is another option, a resource they might have. Someone they could ask who has the skill set or knowledge on the subject to actually make. One hitch: Klaus really, really, really does not want to.

The one person who might be an answer to their problems... and he doesn't want to "deal with" her? She's a magician -- which neither of them are, and well versed in these things -- named Fancy Mel., and lives in an atelier beyond the forest. He describes her as "just weird, I guess" but that feels like a very odd understatement.

Rue points out that they may not have any choice, and Klaus has no other honest option but to agree, but still he attempts to put Rue off of it.

Let's consider that, "if you go see her, you'll regret it. Trust me."

That's not exactly supportive but Rue doesn't have a choice if he wants answers any time soon. He takes the cube with Klaus' warning ringing in his ears, and when I regained control of him I talked a bit more with Klaus -- only heightening my confusion.

He says,

"I've been to Mel's atelier once. It was a very scary place. I let right after I got there. I didn't even bother meeting Mel." "I heard Mel is quite popular among kids." "Fancy Mel is amazing. She doesn't age. She is a very powerful magician."

You can talk to Elena on the way out, and she calls her "the crazy witch" -- and says it's a very fun place. As she's very childish / child coded (if not actually a child, we don't know) it follows the trend of adults being wary and children obliviously enjoying... something?

NEXT TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

It's time to see this "weird" woman that Klaus finds so off putting, and Elena is being so vague about. What's fun to children and the child hearted, but disconcerting to adults? Something strange is going on...

[katplaysgames]

LAST TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

So, we made it through the endless green. Mint... not so much, but I know we'll see her again. We've also fought the Skull Beast guardian. Surely now we're at the atelier. It'll be easy! (Said no Square dev ever.)

Lowering into this space is interesting, not just because it's very dramatic but because it's completely unnecessary. However, we're finding most magicians are highly dramatic so this makes perfect sense in that light. You can get a good look at its vastness you're descending through, and then looking up at where we're headed to. Once we've used the key, of course.

Key used, the bottom part of the looming triangle shaped building -- likely what counts specifically as the atelier -- detaches and picks us up to go investigate inside.

There is one path leading up each of the three sides, very steep and without handrails or steps. Going to take a look at each side, we find a healing spot and two main plot items (there are also life coins!)

That... is all we can see, really, so it's time to head back. And as we do, Rue faces something he really should have anticipted: Treasure Hunters.

Bell and Duke are both skilled magicians and probably hail from East Heaven, like Mint. In fact, in Mint's run you find out she and Belle know each other... there's history there, and I wish I knew it. She's interesting. Takes no BS, and is surrounded by BS. Truly, Belle is a sharp talking hard hitting woman and somehow found herself an NPC in someone else's story!

Belle is the undeniable leader of this duo of treasure hunters, as becomes quickly apparent with her ordering Duke around. (Admittedly, he seems quite comfortable with that arrangement.)

I could write a whole saga about this man and his phenomenal magic. You see, Duke has what he calls "Acts", and in these Acts, he acts out things he's read -- absolutely voracious bookworm, this man --

-- but here's the thing: he makes it real.

So when the book he was reading last night, an epic called Shadow Legends, featured the main character using "ninjutsu" that caught his eye -- a move that allowed them to create false images of themselves to confuse an opponent, well.

All of Duke's acts are difficult especially because they each have a different trick to them. In this case, knowing which one to strike and also being able to hit him without being hit -- that battle ax has less range than you think, and against someone at Duke's speed, well... uhm. Used a coin. -_-"

That said, we did eventually lay him out, only to discover it never mattered if Duke had beaten Rue. He'd kept him occupied long enough. For what, you ask?

"Good work, Duke," Belle says. Rue's startled, "What the--!!?" "Well now, what do I have here?" Imagine her smirk. "Haha, I gotta hand it to you for beating Duke, but you were way too careless! You can kiss this tiara goodbye."

And with that, Duke and Belle leave, too fast for Rue to follow. Not to say he doesn't try, but he gets held up by the Guardian once more, chasing him up the stairs.

(The last thing we see upon leaving is Mint clawing her way back up onto the platform where Rue was tying his boots.)

NEXT TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

Well, that's as much a step forward as back. We lost the tiara to the treasure hunters, but we still have the cube. That's got to count for something! Time to go back to Carona and see Klaus.

[katplaysgames]

LAST TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

Green. Green as far as the eye can literally see through a maze of diverging paths that I'm still not sure how I managed to navigate through...? Anyway. Managed the halls of green, only to be greeted by more green and a mildly less frustrating maze. Now....? Now we go down one more level. (Bet you there's more green.)

Aaaaaand yes there's more green. Welcome to this weird sloping hall. It's blocked at one end, so going to the other end (noticing an odd and foreboding indentation in the wall just to the side of it) we find everyone's favorite kind, gentle, patient princess (at best, only one of these things are true) And she points out that we're late.

Then attention goes to this giant boulder. At the top of a narrow, sloping hall, with two walls and a dead end and.... Mint. Mint, what are you doing?

To be 100% clear, she hit it. With magic. What happens next is her own fault.

As you can see, I didn't go out of my way to trip her; in her eagerness to outrun me, she took a fall and, well... it's a good thing she's got plot armor as a fellow protagonist, is all. Remember that divot though?

So we survived! Mint did too, but she's out cold and muttering nonsense when Rue checks on her... alas. Rue decides she'll be fine and surely understand he had to move on, which he does, finding a big, beautiful lake. I have a story for you, in three parts.

Rue discovers the lake

Mint, who must have snapped awake and come running, comes up behind him, pretty clearly indicating her plan to jumpkick him into the water.

She tries!

She uh, fails spectacularly, because Rue's boot is untied. (I didn't realize these boots had ties, but ok?)

She just... keeps going. Taking a little swim -- Rue thought he heard her but, not one to suspect that could even be an option, doesn't look for her. And she must have gone pretty deep, because the next puzzle bit has him jumping onto those platform things again -- in order, so jumping back and forth over the water to get from first to last and have it bring us to the next level, which goes past a massive (green) spiral staircase, down down down, and leads to an area with four platforms.

Huh. Kinda looks like a uh... you know. A boss area?

And we're outside an atelier, presumably.

There's a guardian.

And I'm at 38 HP.

....help.

It jumps between platforms trying to land on you and has ranged attacks from fire breathing and the one piece of good news is that, when I died I had some coins of life, and even though it only gave me 25MP, it was more than enough since it revived me to full health.

Look at this menace:

But okay. Rue put an end to him... now it's finally time to go see the atelier.

NEXT TIME ON KAT PLAYS DEWPRISM...

So the good news is that we're surely reaching where Elroy's atelier is, and we took care of the Guardian..... the bad news, of course, is that we cannot possibly be the only ones interested in this treasure...