#Soul lore getting more fascinating for me

[desultory-novice]

As fun as The Angst(tm) is, I really hope the Dead People Gang aren't just, like. Trapped in Turbohell Kirbohell forever. For some reason, my thoughts instantly went to Void Termina - Since Void Termina is implied to be reincarnated as a good guy after their defeat as Void, I thought it would be interesting if they got a glimpse of everyone hanging out in the afterlife between the "blowing up" part and coming back as not-as-evil. Plus, now I've got a really funny mental image of that coming up in casual conversation Kirby/Meta/Dedede/some other protagonist and Kirby finding out and deciding "sounds like more potential friends! time to go to hell" to try and (somehow) save them

My own brain was putting a Charlie & the Chocolate Factory style spin on it. They CAN all come back, just...

Sectonia: ...once the Dream Stalk goes to seed

Max: ...once his brain is finished defragging (...or see Seto Kaiba in the manga version of Yugioh)

Magolor: ...when someone succeeds in breaking the crown

Marx: ..."User 'Marx' can rejoin the game in 87,600 hours"

Links to the rest of the mini-series:

Part 1″A Beautiful Sunset” Part 2 “The Sun Never Sets” Part 3 “Screams of Joy”  Part 4 “Visitors” Part 5 “A Perfect Circle”

Relevant: “Conditional” [You Are Here]

--

That said, your bit at the end about "Let's go to hell and rescue everyone!" is partially why I followed this story to its current, silly (?) conclusion! I know it's sounded / looked / been depressing, especially for poor, poor, poor Magolor, but I meant what I said in the tags about drawing this helping me get over some of my own True Arena-induced trauma......

(continued below)

<PS: To the Anon who asked about the Void beach pic? Your answer is here too! Sorry to make you go through all this to find it!!>

...Ahem!

I -liked- the idea of Mags and Marx having come back from their Soul experiences and have used it as fuel, but it honestly bugged me that they seemed to survive when Sectonia and Marx were still MiA...from the same thing? (I get that Max's brain is DELETED but what about his body? I always imagined that even though Star Dream blew up, the "pilot's seat" so to speak was preserved. But...

Basically, even if I could come up with reasons why the other two "didn't" survive, I could never come up with a reason why Magolor and Marx DID outside of "popular characters." ...Not to be too hypocritical, as I'm a dedicated fan of said "popular characters")

But there being a version of Magolor Soul who doesn't "get better" weirdly makes me feel quite a bit better about the other Soul victims. Because... maybe we could be building up to something with them? Maybe there IS a chance for them to come back now, or be saved, like you said. If they're all kinda in the same way...??

(Heck, I probably would have added Galacta as a visitor to the superhell-theme park if I had ANY experience with drawing them.)

Speaking of "the same way" the reason I'd always assumed Marx followed the pre-remake Mago path because they were both in Star Allies, but if there's a version of Magolor who isn't saved, I've started to think that True Arena Marx Soul (:cough: the only form of Marx Soul :cough:) wasn't saved either. Which is both very sad but also, gives me the same sense of hope/unity as the above!

I had a legit "...aww, darn...!" moment last night as I was finishing this up when I realized Fecty's soul was safely under Efly's care and they wouldn't be able to join the theme park enjoyers... Of course, the very idea of an Attraction to delight and amaze would probably trigger Fecty's trauma, putting them in a worse state than Magolor.

Void's also not available to go to the park, sadly.

Speaking of...!

Here you go, anon!

#Magoland Branch AU #Kirby #Magolor #Marx Kirby #Queen Sectonia #President Haltmann #Void Termina #Hyness #Mage Sisters #RtDL DX spoilers #Soul lore getting more fascinating for me #Dess Text Post #Sorry for anyone I depress by working through my Kirby angst #I hope the hope spot has helped anyone still sad about this

[particular-one]

oh, i was raised on little light.

synopsis. 5 times that blade listed every reason why he can never be with someone like you, and the 1 time you proved him wrong. pairing. blade x gn! reader cw. hurt/comfort, a lil angsty on blade's part with brief mentions of blade's insistence on dying, implicit spoilers about blade's lore in general author's note. i have been itching to write a 5+1 fic for the longest time now....i was listening to northern attitude and it reminded me of blade so bad. hello blade nation i know i understand why he’s so angst-ridden appealing to write for 🙁

when blade met you for the first time, everything in him knew you would be different from the rest of the group. you were the newest addition to the stellaron hunters, whom elio took a great fascination towards — why so, he never figured out, but this landed you in the same ranks as him, kafka and silverwolf.

you easily found a friend in both kafka and silverwolf; blade knew that much because he had watched as you indulged in kafka's innate interest in beauty despite the clear confusion in your eyes. he had seen how you would chat with silverwolf about the latest games that she's invested most of her time into.

but he would merely observe you; if, in any way, you had tried to interact with him, he would brush you off with a cold shoulder, never responding to your rather inquisitive words about him.

he didn't understand why you wanted to know so much about him, nor did he expect to be greeted with the same smile and greeting despite constantly keeping you at arm's length.

that was when he knew that you were too nice for your own good, but most of all, you were too nice to someone like him, who'd push you away even when every inch of his soul did not want to.

━━━━━━━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━━━━━━━

the second time was when you had accidentally found out about his despondency with immortality's curse and in turn, everything that blade had wanted to hide from you.

when you had approached him about it, blade immediately went on the defensive and angrily asked you to stay away from him. he didn't — couldn't bear to see the hurt in your eyes when he snapped at you, thus, the stellaron hunter turned his back on you and fled. which had exactly been the source of the never ending spiral of thoughts that was slowly consuming every fibre of his being.

he's done it now. he's blown any chance that he could form anything meaningful in this ruined life of his.

he had not noticed your presence in the common room, until you made a clanging noise that was the result of two porcelain cups making contact. blade was startled to see you here, especially when he had just uttered those spiteful words to you. he stood up to take his leave, when you called his name.

even the way you said his name had a gentle tenderness to it; he hated how melodious your voice had sounded, hated how he watched as you gingerly set down two porcelain tea cups filled with jasmine tea, one quite noticeably for him, hated how you took the seat in front of him and told him that you were sorry, and that if he ever needed someone to talk to, that you would always be there for him.

but most of all, he hated how his heart rose at your promise, and how much he clung to your words since that night. all the while fully knowing that he could never subject you to being intertwined with the likes of him.

━━━━━━━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━━━━━━━

the third time was much more of a painful wakeup call — quite literally. blade had always prided himself in diving straight first into battle without a single thought, desperate to die and get on with it. this mission was no different, but now you had been watching over him and ready to provide support if needed.

today's battle was much more vicious than his usual ones, but blade had always enjoyed the thrill of fighting. it had been the uncertainty of whether it would finally be his time that allured the stellaron hunter.

but… things had gone quite differently today. for the first time, blade was not seething in his obsession to die when he had seen you valiantly fight off the enemies that had threatened to overwhelm him. ha, as if they could.

he had not noticed that one was charging straight at him with his spear raised, and for a split second could quite literally see his long life flash before his eyes just as he narrowly avoided a fatal injury if it weren’t for the fact that you shouted for his name.

"stay still. i still need to bandage your side." your voice had inevitably brought him back to reality, just as you wiped off the last of his injuries with a warm towel. you had insisted on patching up his wounds yourself, and even when blade had told you that it would just magically heal by himself, he learned that day that it was rather hard to say no to you when you pleaded.

also, he could barely say no when he saw how you were radiating in concern and worry for him. not to mention how your eyes had gleamed like stars in the sky, but that was besides the point.

at the touch of your hand, blade suddenly winced at the contact. you immediately retracted your hand and mumbled an apology, but blade could see that your eyes was moving towards where he covered up the scars he's accumulated for fighting for over a century.

"are you wondering about my scars?" you seemed rather surprised at his question, but most likely due to the sudden indulgence to what you had been obviously looking at.

you slowly nodded. "do they still hurt?"

"not anymore." not any more than his painstaking wish to be free from the shackles of immortality.

you had started to set down the alcohol and bandages on the floor just as blade averted his gaze from you. the silence that proceeded was rather deafening, even for someone like blade who would rather sit in uncomfortable silence than deal with something intimate.

which was ... quite the contradiction to what he had previously allowed you to do, but you had slowly become the exception to many things in his life.

"there, all done. don't be too reckless next time, okay?" you smiled at your handiwork, and even if blade couldn't exactly benefit from whatever you had just done, he somehow felt a thousand times better than he's ever felt in a century. a flicker of a smile could unmistakably be seen in his features, and whether you had caught that or not, he saw you grinning all the same.

on a normal day, blade would have found himself grumbling about losing yet another chance at death, but instead, here he was, smiling at you.

the thought of dying at last had evidently crossed his mind more than once, but never did the thought of dying for someone else. blade very well knew that he could never be that selfless; maybe he had been once upon a time, but that had only costed him the sweet liberation of death.

and yet, the fact that he feels that greatly for you was enough to keep him up the rest of the night, the image of your blinding smile forever seared in his mind.

━━━━━━━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━━━━━━━

the fourth time these thoughts had started to creep up to him again was when the both of you coincidentally crossed paths at an ungodly hour, that you had the bright idea to go gaze at the stars together.

the thought of doing something together made his heart clench, but blade, against his better judgement, allowed you to take his hand in yours as you searched for the perfect spot to watch the stars from from their location.

the skies were clear that night, as if the universe had anticipated that two sleepless beings would be standing at the dock and watch the stars align before their very eyes. with a watchful eye, he stared as you could hardly contain your own excitement. "look, look! there's the brightest star — oh, i never thought we could get such a proximate view from here!" you kept flailing your hand everywhere and he wondered where exactly you had found that energy.

that was when he realized you had never let go of his hand, and instinctively, blade found himself clenching your hand in an attempt to let go. noticeably, your gaze flicked towards him, a momentary glance but the emotion it held in it was enough to send a chill down his spine. he could feel your grip on his hand loosen slightly, but blade didn't want to be a fool any longer.

something in him told him to keep holding onto you, as his fingers interlocked with your hand and held it firmly. blade could hear your breath hitch at his sudden gesture, but naturally, you just smiled and squeezed his hand back.

oh, how your smile had always made his heart ache.

"beautiful, isn't it?" you whispered under your breath, as your eyes were now fixed on the sky above the both of you. the world felt dangerously quiet, but he did not mind the fleeting peace it gave him. blade simply hummed in approval, his mind lost in the moment but he never found the urge to peel his eyes away from you.

to him, you were the brightest star that night and how he foolishly hoped that you’d never get tired of shining your light on him.

“yes, it is.” but foolish dreamers could never get what they want.

━━━━━━━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━━━━━━━

the fifth time was the last time, the time where blade had fully convinced himself that he could not possibly get involved with someone as great as you.

you were sitting across from him as you shared another cup of tea with him. blade could vividly remember the first time he had done this with you like it had only happened yesterday. still, it had been months since then — but you still haven't changed at all.

"is there something in your cup?" blade hadn't realized that his gaze became fixed on the porcelain cup that you handed to him minutes ago, that he barely even touched it. "no. it’s nothing.”

whether you had sensed his avoidance or not, you didn’t comment on it further. blade ended up taking a sip of his tea just as you were fiddling with the detailed carvings on your cup. now, it was probably his turn to sense that you had been avoiding something. “is there something on your mind?”

you looked up at him suddenly, no doubt wondering if blade had just said what he said — not that blade was particularly good at providing a form of care like you did, but his silence had always made him a good listener.

“you know, i really appreciate that you’re spending time with me.” you started, as blade watched your fingers graze over your cup for the millionth time, a habit that you had often done when you were nervous. how he knew that was something he’ll take to the grave.

blade didn’t say a word, only resorting to taking another sip from his tea. what was there to say? that he felt the same but a million times more in magnitude? it would be uncharacteristic of him to admit something that embarrassing. maybe, it had been his lack of response, that you continued to talk.

“sorry, i know you would prefer much quieter companions,” you spoke with a suppressed laugh, the same distinct chuckle that blade could recognise even from a mile away. “truthfully, i thought you even disliked me.”

it was his turn to be perplexed, as blade looked up to meet your gaze that was … on him. you sheepishly smiled at the sudden confession, before you took a big gulp of your tea. his head was spinning, and maybe it had been something in the tea, but blade could feel his tongue loosen with the many things he had been holding back. “i did. i do.”

a twinge of hurt crossed your eyes for a moment, before you casted your eyes downward. “oh.”

“i hated how nice you are,” he blurted out. “i hated how you would look at me with a great deal of concern in your eyes like i am someone to be pitied.”

“i hated how you’d still try to be there and talk to me, even when i had pushed you away before.”

“i hated how you are able to read me like the back of your hand. i hated how you could easily make me feel safe with your smile.” blade had wanted to stop talking, but the words kept going.

“i hated how gently you would tend to my scars, how your eyes would sparkle at the mention of something you love and how downright mesmerizing it is for me.” he watched as your eyes widened, before they were plunged in a tirade of emotions that were no doubt a result to his words.

he wasn’t finished yet, though.

“but most of all, i hated how whenever i’m around you, or even think about you, dying is the last thing i’d ever wish for.”

the uncomfortable silence settled in between them again, save for the whirring of the machines that blade was suddenly grateful for. he couldn’t bear to even look up at you, lest he’d see the hurt in your eyes again. “blade...”

“sorry. that was very unbecoming of me. i can go.”

“blade...” he took the last gulp of his tea before bringing the cup down with a clang. “thank you. for the tea, as always—”

“blade.” he looked up to finally meet your gaze that was only a breath away from him, before he could feel your hand gently cradling his cheek before you leaned your forehead against his.

oh. oh. you didn’t say anything more but still singlehandedly calmed his largest worries with just a simple gesture.

“you know, you could have just told me you liked me a lot.” typically, the cheeky and teasing tone in your voice would make him groan, but only this time, he allowed himself to smile. “also, what did you mean by the tea?”

now he was confused. “didn’t you give me tea?” you shook your head. “what the hell was that then?”

you could hardly suppress a grin. “you said you wanted rice wine one time, so …” so that’s why all those words spilled out of him … a groan escaped blade just as you laughed at his mishap, but not that he completely regretted it.

he knew that no matter what he did, he could never deserve someone like you — but he would choose to die for you a million times, that much was certain.

but for now, blade could most definitely contend for choosing to live for you instead.

written by carlyle (@particular-one) copyright: all content belongs to particular-one on tumblr (2023)

#blade x reader #blade honkai #hsr blade #blade x y/n #blade x you #honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #blade hsr #hsr x you #hsr #honkai star rail x you #honkai star rail scenarios #honkai star rail imagines #honkai star rail blade #hsr fluff #5 + 1 fic #honkai star rail fic #honkai star rail oneshots #blade angst #blade fluff #hsr angst #hsr fanfic #honkai x reader #honkai star rail x gender neutral reader #star rail #star rail x reader #hsr x y/n #star rail x y/n #·˚ * 🔭 carlyle writes

[ozthedm]

Vampire Ascendant Ramblings!

I love Baldur’s Gate 3. I love the vampire genre. I am particularly fascinated with the concept of the Vampire Ascendant for a number of reasons that mainly boil down to “what does it mean to be the Vampire Ascendant and what is the true cost of this power?”

This post is essentially a collection of my observations, thoughts, and headcanons regarding the ascension ritual. Think of this as fanfic inspiration material. Get ready folks, because we’re about to dip a toe into 5e lore and get existential.

What does the Rite of Profane Ascension actually do?

Raphael explains the ritual as thus:

“If he completes the rite, he will become a new kind of being - the Vampire Ascendant. All the strengths of his vampiric form will be amplified, and alongside them he will enjoy the luxuries of the living. The arousals and appetites of man will return to him, and unlike Astarion, he will have no need of a parasite to protect him from the sun. But the ritual has a price, as all worthwhile things do. Lord Cazador will need to sacrifice a number of souls including all of his vampiric spawn if he is to ascend… Your soul will set off a very wave of death, bringing Cazador his twisted life.” 

TLDR: If Cazador offers up the souls of 7000 vampire spawn, then maybe he’ll feel less like shit.

Other specific perks include:

The hunger for blood that plagues all vampires will no longer affect him.

His heart will beat again (Could he even be considered undead at that point?)

He still gets to remain immortal in the sense that he will never age

He can choose to extend his protection from the sun to his spawn, but this protection can be revoked

He can be reflected in mirrors.

There are some details that remain unclear, so here’s where we step into headcanon territory:

Running water will no longer harm him

A normal wooden stake won’t be enough to paralyze him. You’d be better off with a magical weapon

Although he will still need an invitation to enter homes, His enhanced vampiric charm practically makes it a nonissue

And now a couple of notes on Mephistopheles and the contract itself:

“Devils bargain with mortals to upend the divine order. They stake claims on souls that would otherwise go to the gods or be cast adrift somewhere other than the Nine Hells. If you are already a creature of Law and Evil devoted to no other entity, your damned spirit is of meager value.”

  - Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

Mephistopheles is an arcane innovator. His realm, Cania, is essentially a giant laboratory where he conducts extensive experiments. 

When it comes to souls, Mephistopheles prefers quality over quantity. He mostly acquires the souls of highly accomplished wizards and sages to help him with his research. To demand the souls of 7000 vampire spawn seems uncharacteristically beneath him (especially for the power he’s offering) 

My thinking is that Mephistopheles is working on something that specifically requires vampiric energy and lots of it. The 7000 spawns are nothing more than fodder.

A devil’s deal never ends well. This is repeatedly stated throughout the game. Considering what we know of Mephistopheles and how little Cazador cares for his spawn, this whole contract sounds far too good to be true. So what’s the catch?

A few possible ideas as to the downsides:

Mephistopheles is always watching. After all, this is a completely new kind of being that warrants study. 

The Ascendant’s hunger for blood is replaced with a different hunger. A hunger that is indescribable and insatiable. He will always yearn for more. More power, more control, more anything. He may even return to Mephistopheles in an attempt to fill the void. 

The Ascendant’s own soul is included in the price, albeit differently. Where the other souls were simply consumed by the ritual, his will serve another purpose. (Not gonna lie, this one sent me on a whole existential journey trying to figure out what is means to have/lack a soul)

I might post more thoughts later, but this is enough for now

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 fic #astarion #cazador szarr #fanfic ideas #headcanon #ascended astarion #vampire ascendant #vampires as existential horror #baldurs gate astarion #baldurs gate 3 spoilers #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 meta #dnd 5e #dungeons and dragons

[berlingotesque]

What are your ships for Batim? :D

VERY GOOD QUESTION- I know my answer should be rather straightforward but I feel I have to put some context to my answers since they may seem contradictory/paradoxical otherwise, so bear with me-

Sammy x Norman : Well. I think that one was pretty obvious, anyone who's seen more than 3 of my posts knows that I'd die for these two. They're just so PERFECT for each other, from their complementary personalities to the fact that their relationship allows us to delve deeper into batim's historical and social context. Sammy and Norman have one of the few relationships that develop the most during the game's lore : Norman originally complains vehemently about Sammy's frenetic behavior, only to end up lamenting to Buddy and Dot how 'Sammy isn't the same anymore'. What's interesting about this statement is that he says it in relation to Sammy's strange behavior : clearly, the two men have grown close enough for Norman to differentiate Sammy's extravagant habits from his ink-influenced behavior.

Furthermore, Sammy is a very gray character morally, a perfectionist who is extremely socially maladjusted (surely due to the fact that he's coded on the spectrum and autism wasn't properly diagnosed at the time), naturally ostracizing him. For his part, Norman comes from a rural background (which surely earns him the animosity of the people at the studio, given the historical context and the fact that he could very well be poc) and also seems ill at ease socially : to me, it's fascinating to see two characters excluded from their peers because of differences they can't change (being autistic or poc and gay) getting closer to each other, to the point where Sammy, who is deeply misanthropic, naturally compliments Norman by describing him as very bright. To me, Norman is the perfect partner for Sammy : ready to apprehend him as he is, since he's completely free of social conventions, without taking any shits from him.

I think Sammy and Norman can really get the best out of each other, during a historical period when being different was strongly proscribed. I think I'd have trouble enjoying Batim as much without their dynamic at its heart (considering how narratively rich it is) : Norman is Henry's confidant, Sammy is Joey's, both remain morally gray deuteragonists fundamentally opposed to the ink machine, while remaining fascinated by its powers. And who wouldn't love a good old enemies to lovers ending tragically with the unwitting murder of one by the other ? After all, Norman's main flaw is that he's too curious for his own good, and it was Sammy who inevitably led him to his doom..

Allison x Tom : what more can I add. She's everything. He's just Tom. I've always been drawn to characters/ships with a vibe completely opposite to the vibe of the work they originally came from, and the 'turning poison into positivity' energy that Tom and Allison bring to Batim has always fascinated me. In a world as tragic as their own, I find it touching to see these two find beauty in all the ugliness and manage to ask themselves 'what if we were happy after all ?' It's really striking and brings a narrative richness to the work, since they directly mirror what failed with Sammy and Susie : Allison is perfect, but that was never what was at stake in Tom's eyes. Tom was looking for humanity, not perfection, and he managed to go beyond the image of the muse to discover a friend, unlike Sammy with Susie. They're literally Romeo and Juliet but, well... Not dead.

Joey x Henry/Henry x Linda : oh boy. These three... Let me get it straight right away : Henry and Linda are perfect for each other. She's exactly what he needs to be happy : she's present, patient. There's no denying that he loves her immensely. But Joey... oh Joey is undoubtedly Henry's soul mate. The subtlety is that Joey can't bring him the stable happiness Linda can : Joey tugs at him, pushes him over the edge. He knows exactly what to do to push him beyond his own limits. The love Joey offers Henry is an uncomfortable but unconditional one, one that would allow Henry to go beyond what he thinks he's capable of achieving because no one knows Henry better than Joey ! And let's be honest, Batim only exists because Joey refuses to move on, to live his dream without Henry in it. He's stuck in unrequited love and refuses to learn to live with it. And that's the tragedy of this trio : Henry sincerely loves Linda but is truly himself with Joey, which prevents him from hating OR loving him (And Joey exploits this information by remaining extremely toxic and convincing himself that he can wear him down lmao). Henry is stuck with this dilemma : Existing peacefully with Linda or living painfully with Joey. And that's why I love the dynamic of this love triangle : because there are no solutions that will satisfy everyone.

Joey x Sammy : okay, don’t get me wrong : these two are HORRIBLE for each other. Does Sammy periodically want to quit just to piss Joey off? Yes. Isn't Joey's fascination with Sammy intimately tied to his refusal to forget Henry, who was a genius like Sammy? Yes. Nevertheless, it's impossible for me to read The Illusion of Living without feeling embarrassed and like I'm reading Joey's diary : whether you ship them or not, Joey is practically canonically smitten with Sammy. I sincerely don't think Joey and Sammy can sustain a healthy relationship with each other, but oh boy, surely that won't stop me from exploiting their bizarre obsessive love-hate relationship, where it's hard to determine whether they're going to throw hands or make out.

#oh god the normmy one I’M SO SORRY ANONS #I just love this ship so much I got carried away #anyway that’s just my own personal analysis #which are sometimes a bit far-fetched I admit #BUT STILL it’s so fun to over analyze batim when you know the creators really don’t give a shit about their own lore lmao #thank you so much for the asks anons :)) #I hope my answer has enlightened you #sammy lawrence #norman polk #normmy #allison pendle #thomas connor #thomson #joey drew #henry stein #linda stein #creatorship #how do you call Sammy x Joey ?? #jammy ? or is that the name for Sammy x Jack ? #god i dont know #susie campbell #(mentioned) #samsie #(derogatory) #batim #batdr #bendy and the ink machine #bendy and the dark revival #ask response #berlingot’s asks

[spopsalt]

Just gonna drop this one off here. We can all agree Hazbin and Helluva are dropping balls and fumbling bags left and right.

So, I’m gonna recommend a few GOOD series that discuss life, death, and religion.

1. Dead Like Me. It’s an early 2000s show about George Lass, an 18 year old woman who’s life was cut short when she died on her first day of the job. No longer a part of the living, George gets a new job, reaping souls before they die and helping them pass on. It’s admittedly dated, but much better at handling it’s more progressive themes than Vivziepop. The soundtrack and fashion is pleasing aesthetically. And as for writing, there are some things left to be desired, but its still incredibly ambitious with an amazing cast of characters. Lots of nuance. DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE. Also, if you like Hannibal, this was created by the same guy.

2. Good Omens. You’re on Tumblr, you’ve probably heard of it, so I’ll keep it short. It’s essentially The Omen, with a twist to it. Due to a series is mix-em-ups on the day he was born, the AntiChrist was mistakingly raised by a normal, loving family. Having had a rather not-so-complicated friendship since the creation of man, a demon and angel must team up to stop the end of the world as we know it. Taking the well know Omen story, and adding its own humorous twist to it alone makes the story fun. But it’s also fascinating seeing the representations of angels, demons, and horsemen alike. The overall take on religion was fun in and of itself. It was also a book.

3. Hellboy. During WWII, the Nazis opened a portal. A baby came from that portal. That baby was Hellboy (yes, that’s his name.) Hellboy was raised by the US government organization BPRD (The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). He’s supposed to bring about the end of days, but HB is a brawler with a heart of gold and a hand of rock. And maybe a taste for alcohol. The series hosts a ton of fascinating characters, with all sorts of different backgrounds, lore, and species. There are many cues takes from world mythology, Abrahamic religion, and even H.P. Lovecraft. It’s mainly a comic franchise. The first two movies were great. There’s also a mini comic series called ‘Itty Bitty Hellboy’ that’s cute.

Never watched those before, but I'm sure those did them better than Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (It's not hard) I might check those out!

#hazbin hotel critic #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel critique #hazbin hotel critism #helluva boss critique #helluva boss critical #anti helluva boss #helluva boss criticism #anti hazbin hotel

[deafsignifcantother]

When he's more gentle (nsfw)

♥ relationships: Valentino x extremely religious, deaf female reader

♥ word count: 2.5k

♥ warnings: he's still vaguely aggressive, lots of god talk, probably not ‘lore’ accurate, reader is mentioned being a drug snorter, lots of religious talk, oral both ways, consensual!, use of the word daddy

♥ VAL IS IN LOVE OKAY!!!

It's similar to a bullet wound, to you, anyway. It's an urge that sucks the energy from your cells like a virus ravaging your solemn mind like a mad dog. It's a question of control and vice. What God-loving person would fall for temptation - letting it drag you under like quicksand? Seeing him like this has your rosary calling out to you. The beads keep memories of your blasphemy, for the helpless look in your eyes whenever he used to grab your face with inhumane aggression. Back then, you get dressed in the morning; his room is dark, and the light that peaks under his door illuminates your ankles. The glow reveals only your wrists when you slide your underwear up. He watches with unprincipled eyes.

So maybe you are not as holy as you once intended. Your body is God's temple, and yet you still indulge in things like the buzz gifted by snorting goods he passes to you: abundant and frequent debauchery. When he first kissed you, that caused you to flinch. More recently, you snort ardently; this is what it means to give in to temptation. The longer you stay here in Hell, the farther you stray from understanding the words of God. You put your entire soul into forgiving God for putting you down here.

Oh, how the Book of Leviticus reads clearly in your head whenever you move down his body.

"Are you fine?" You sign, hovering over his horizontal body. His breathing quickens, and his smile grows. Why are you asking such a thing? His eyes, hooking around the band of his pants, fall to your fingers. At the silent stare, you pull away, but as soon as you do, he props himself up on his elbow.

"Yes," he says, signing with one hand. "Touch me, baby."

And then later, after your mouth makes him cum, he sits up. "Sin is such a fascinating concept," he says before busying his hand with his long whatever the fuck he smokes out of.

Sex is something he hasn't shared with you at this point. The reason is your mental blockage - in terms of how damned can I get, you've already made it. He's offered his mouth just as much as you have, and his body is no stranger to your hands. Something is worrying, no - not worrying - condemning about committing religious treason. Every touch strikes you with anxiety.

ღ

You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him - the kiss is short. He prefers running his tongue over your body to kissing.

The two of you stand close in his room, his body free from his belt from your doing, his shoulders squared with tension. His black button-up is tight around his biceps but loose around his waist where you've unbuttoned it. It isn't until you press your kisses into his chest, buttering up his senses, that he grabs onto you and practically throws you on the bed; you scoot to where your head can rest on the pillow before he can trap you under him. He smiles when you jump at his sudden hands on your pants. He wriggles your pants off while your eyes wander the room, nervously avoiding his hungry stare. With his hands continuing to unbutton your shirt, he takes an uncharacteristic gentle initiative and pulls off your shirt. He focuses on the now calm look on your face.

It's like redemption, dragging you deeper into the fire. His fingers sculpt your chest, grabbing every inch of the skin leading from your collarbones to your pelvis. He suddenly holds onto your wrist and rolls over, pulling you on top of him. He's hard - you can feel it under you. The only thing interrupting the contact of your bottom halves is both of your underwear. A moment passes where you both acknowledge this, the slow flutter of your hips making his lips part before he matches your movements in a slow rocking. Slow. While being with you, he's found a fascination with slowness. He initially hated the teasing until he realized that you were teasing yourself. 

I want more, he thinks. Don't make me take it.

His initiative is what you were waiting for. He leans up and takes his underwear off. You can hardly get a look at him before he grabs your band and pulls your underwear down to your thighs. You lift your legs, taking them off. In the light, your cheeks glow red. It's embarrassing - shameful, your body being revealed to him. 

His big hands grip above your knees, nails digging into your skin when he grabs his dick and puts it against your stomach. His mouth waters in hunger, and with anticipation, his stomach tightens. He pumps his dick while staring at your chest, his knuckles grazing the skin of your stomach every time he moves his hands. You can feel him, warm and thickened, pleasuring himself to your body. Your eyes stay locked to him, his hurried breaths. Is he moaning, you wonder?

You look down at him and see yourself in the third person, and it makes him slow down when he watches you seemingly analyzing him. 

Is this what God intended for you? You watch him mutter to himself. The squeeze of your thighs gets his attention back into the moment.

"Sign." You say.

"You're not thinking about my dick." He signs with one hand, the other pushing his cock against your stomach.

"Romans," you fingerspell the name with a sly smile. "Chapter 8, verse 31." Your following words comes out as PSE, neither ASL nor SEE:

"What, then, shall we say in response to those things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" The us you use is two-of-us. All he can do is nod, smiling devilishly. He lifts you off and stands from the bed, back facing you, naked and confident. You see his scarred back when he walks towards the light switch; two switches are lighting up his room. He flicks one off, and you try to get his attention, but he ignores you when you snap your fingers. As bare as the first humans, he stands in front of the switches, his chest facing you now, eyes finally meeting yours.

"I will show you God tonight."

The last source of light diminishes into nothing. In the darkness were deprivation and depravity. There's no sign of him. Only the beating of your heart, the vibration in your body - can he feel those vibrations too? He leans into the bed, and that's the only signal you get before he pulls both of your ankles. He drags you further down, parting your legs and kissing down your stomach, hardly giving you the time to process what is happening. He hardly gives you the time to breathe. You buck against him, pussy warm and hard against his collarbones. The underneath of his long tongue drags down your chest to your pelvis. When his lips abruptly and finally make contact with your clit you can feel his hums. His tongue shyly runs up you repeatedly, the pressure he sucks at only getting harder. It hurts just a bit and you whine in response. But the urge to force his head against you grows alongside the desire to claw his skin. Your mouth opens. His actions put a prominent feeling in your lower stomach - the sensation is constant in a way that isn't there when you touch yourself. Without even realizing it, your pelvis continues to lift off the bed, and his tongue starts fucking you at a steady pace.

All his noises get communicated to you through the rumble they cause. You can feel small sounds escape you, hoping they are beautiful, they are sounds that only motivate him more. He pulls away, hands on either side of you. He shifts, and you close your eyes, trying to comprehend his actions. He's stretched out, reaching for something. When he returns to his original position, there's a pause in his action, pregnant idleness.

You can feel him put your legs on his shoulders before sliding two fingers inside of you. You relax your muscles to let him in but find it feels better when squeezing him, the knuckles in his fingers massaging your hole. He stops, going to pull out, ready to fuck you, but you grab his wrist and slam in his fingers. His following movements become more aggressive, adding a finger and stretching you more, the forgotten sting not lasting more than a few seconds. Before you even try to touch yourself, he beats you to it and presses his spare hand to your clit, rubbing slower than his fingers thrust. Your juices reach his palm, which he feels dripping, using it as more lubricant. Iniquitous pleasure beats through the veins in your body, traveling down to your toes, the feeling overwhelming and perfectly intense. It's the first time he's done it for this long: his fingers keep twisting as he fishes around inside you, the unknown terrain, making you squirm from under him. You writhe into him, tilting your pelvis to help him angle better. The moment soon ends, and he pulls away once again, leaving your heart beating between your ears and the muscles in your thighs twitching.

You sign his name into his skin with your hands on his working biceps. He can't tell if you're begging or pleading. Without facial expressions, he is at a loss about your intentions. In a possessive gesture, he presses his body to yours to kiss your neck. You grab his hips and hold him still while desperately trying to grind yourself against him. Ah, he realizes, begging. The sound he sings into your neck is low and extended, making you smile. Heated skin caresses yours - both pure and titillating. He brings his groin against you, his tip just approaching your open pussy. He holds you tight when your hands take control and force him into you. He feels you pulse around his dick until he pushes himself fully in, your muscles allowing him in, finding it easier to fit himself in than he assumed. Perhaps you were made for him - crafted by God - or his body was shaped for you. Was he your gift? Are you the righteous one, a vessel for all things pleasure? He will bestow on you this gift of ecstasy - the Gates of Heaven opening to shed light upon you.

The rocking of his hips is slow at first. His whole body moves, and your hands rest on his biceps, moving in tune. He lets his pelvis carry more of a sway than the rest of him, fucking you in a slow, circular motion, trying to get used to your warmth - your tight grip. He loves the feeling of you. Every time he pushes in, the tightness rolling down his shaft ignites his nerves in prickles or lightning under his skin. He's grateful you can't pick up on the egotistically pathetic moans. The stimulation is mind-changing; he understands why it is poignant because if you were anyone else, he would give in to this aggressive and deadly lust. The sounds of your quick breaths and small moans urge him on, as well as the small yes you sign against his arm. When he quickens, it's not on purpose - he only notices when his body gets so overwhelmed that he hunches over your body. With your hips getting sore and his body tilted down into you, he is more profound than he could have ever imagined being this early in the activity.

Just like that, he stays in that looming position, letting the bottom of his shaft push in and out of you, keeping himself buried inside of you.

Your fingers land on his chest, on each pec, where you sign. "Faster, please," and moving your hand to his forehead, "Daddy." You wonder if he can feel the pleasure-filled tremble in your hands. Feeling him burrowed so immeasurably inside of you makes it hard to focus on anything else. His poundings became more hungry; the way he fucks you becomes ferocious. He likes it like this. This way, he can feel each time you squeeze down on him, and it'll put pressure on his entire prick - leaving no inch of him unstimulated.

He wants you to feel the same. He slows, sitting with his weight evenly distributed between his knees before taking both of his hands and gripping onto your ass, scooting you both closer to press your back into the headboard. He fucks you vertically, using his hand to fuck you while bouncing you up and down without restraint. He stimulates to varying speeds as your thighs crash against his. You bite into your knuckle, feeling the heat rising in your body, the rapture covering every inch of your skin, palpable and sticking to his, too. It overwhelms your senses, so you can't tell whether your eyes are closed or open. Your clit starts to pulsate; he lets you use a free hand to try and rub yourself.

Even as your muscles squeeze him, he doesn't relent. The incredible feeling of his length drilling into you makes your legs quiver.

He can hear your sounds - the desperate whines - sounds you don't even realize you're making. You can hardly even keep your eyes open.

It wasn't long before dropped you onto him constantly, bottoming out into you rougher, and the thought of cumming inside of you ignited his motivation to release. As he cums, with how tight your pussy is squeezing him, it feels as if you're trying to hold him inside you as he does. Beyond the erotic-ness of it, it's a bit enlightening. He gets to become one with the person that he loves: a part of him will be inside you, maybe even eventually breeding you.

He gives you a few more thrusts before the passion becomes overwhelming. He pulls out, the darkness suddenly disabling and not lecherous. 

He does something unique; he lifts you and lays you down on the bed gently, letting you rest before he presses his tongue against you again, putting his head right where it belongs. He sucks on your clit in just the way you love. He even moves his tongue, getting a taste of his seed before using it, as well as his saliva, to keep you stimulated. You can feel yourself pulsating, perking into his mouth and against the wet pink muscle between his teeth. He hums against you in a silent laugh. It doesn't take long for you to cum, the feeling is already building up, and when he tries to keep going, you start to kick your legs and push him off by the shoulders. 

"Kitten," he signs against your cheek. His hands are slick with your juices. You can feel it spread against your face and smell it closely. You let out a shaky breath.

It's entertaining to watch him interact with other demons. It's as if you both shared a secret of his softness. He abuses people the same way he would have before, and you watch from the distance when they glance at you, wondering if they can tell that you receive special treatment that they'll never get. 

#valentino x reader #hazbin hotel #x reader #x deaf reader #hazbin hotel x reader #valentino hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel valentino

[theotherseapancakes]

Psssst. You mentioned no one cares about Philemon, but now I'm curious if you have any thoughts about his role in the games after he disappeared. And for sillies sake, does he have anything to do with the Dance games?

I have been waiting my entire life for this. Anon do you realize how verbose I'm going to get. DO YOU REALIZE? I hope you like read mores. Let me preface this with I am aware and have seen some popular theories, so I'm going to sidestep a lot of them and present one I've built since... well, I became a Persona fan as a teenager. MAJOR PERSONA SERIES SPOILERS LIKE THE ENTIRE THING OK? OK. yes even royal.

The P2 PSP additional scenario is so incredibly important and I think everyone missed the point of it. THE PERSONA 2 PSP ADDITIONAL TATSUYA SCENARIO!!!! It's beyond important, because it reveals to us Philemon can have more than one Avatar we know about, just like Nyarly. (Casual reminder he's like half the shopkeeps in P2. Time Count, anyone? Why was the Time Count so hot. Anyway.) Disclaimer: I'm just a casual fan who has played a LOT of Persona and SMT. I haven't gotten around to all of them, but I've played/finished both paths of 1, 2, 3 (and p3p) as well as 4 and 5. Didn't manage to get my hands on Golden but I've seen enough of it. (It's funny you ask about the dance games, they're the only ones I don't have right now! But my roommate does, and will be gone for a few months soon, perhaps I will take the time to start with p4DAN. I'm atrocious at rhythm games though so more than likely I'll find a video. Anyway.) WHAT is Philemon? If we can't define that, we can't talk about The Positivity Guy Ever.

So let's talk about Phil. He's a fascinating character. His Persona is just a form of Himself, But Cooler. And he seems to HAVE no set shape, not unlike Nyarlathotep. People have various theories about Shadows and their origins etc., but Phil is more like that vote of confidence in people. I think, personally, that after the end of Innocent Sin, Phil's been pretty weak. We see in Eternal Punishment he's fading pretty roughly, and has a hard time talking to the party. Presumably ending Nyarly might to some degree fix things when Deja-vu Boy goes home, but... the problem is, we don't know how fixed they truly ended up being, or the full depth of how much he could/did expend!

In fact, the first time we even see Phil without the dumb mask is when Tatsuya decks him. Pay close attention to that fact. To the mask motifs here. I want you to really soak in Phil's everything. He's a leader. A kind soul. He's the good of people. He wants to believe the best.

Anyway, most of these things overlook what I find really interesting as we've gotten more games worth of lore: he and Nyarly aren't the only eldritch entities walking around like that. Yes, Nyx is one too. Yes, it's probable she may even be their 'mom'. It's possible they all came from Nyx initially, but it's also possible (and should be considered) they too may have been outsiders at one point. We need to ask ourselves how far the human collective unsconsciousness can go. Is that sea infinite? Could it affect other worlds? Think about Aion in Devil Summoner Soul Hackers 2. Yes, I am asking you to think about Soul Hackers 2. Deal with it, I don't care. They're sister series. They share many things. SO! Did the shape of the human mind change a bunch of eldritch creatures and make them interact with us even more after Nyx smacked the moon a gazillion years ago? Is there multiple worlds? Weird bullshit? Just the two? Hmm. Well... I, personally, think so. I think he was touched by humanity just like Nyarlathotep, but in the other way. The reason I bring this up is two-fold. The first is Nodens. Now, we don't know much about the actual Nodens, unfortunately, just some speculation. Which is a shame. (If anyone has more info I'd love to have it, ngl. As a pagan this shit fascinates me.) But what we do get on him in Lovecraftian lore can provide us some intriguing possibilities about Phil's everything, which the games love to keep really rather vague. (And this is putting aside that his human Persona is based off the obviously bogus Jungian Spirit Guide, but we love an old guy in a mask anyway. He probably felt that was more 'friendly' for humans, hah.) I believe that Nodens, and Phil by extension, are just as responsible for nurturing and keeping the collective unconsciousness alive and positive. We see the butterfly symbol everywhere. We see it with Lavenza, too. "This is truly an unjust game." So was the bet Phil made with Nyarly, a game he rigged. Phil made the mistake of thinking the Crawling Chaos wouldn't cheat, a mistake he is never making again, I assume, if he can help it. Shit, you could view his boss fight in P2EP as him trying to train the EP crew to beat the snot out of Nyarly, even. But off topic. If Nyarly is basically the father of all Shadows, and they and Personas are the same coin, it makes me wonder a lot of things. The two have always been portrayed as simultaneously diametrically opposed, but also not? They have identical halls in P2. They have similar powers and talents... I think after Persona 3, Phil's remnants sank into the Collective Unconsciousness, to attempt to rehabilitate humanity from what it lost, from what he himself lost. I think Igor took over the room, because he took a backseat to recover. It would go a long, long way towards explaining why only SOME characters have the tier of the Wild Card, which is similar to the 'original' Persona power. (Having multiple.) He was took weak to remain in his Spirit Guide (Philemon) form, and had to abandon it to return to the depths as Nodens... So. Let me go back to Nodens and make some notes about design.

Nodens, as seen here, sort of resembles an iron maiden. It really brings to mind the idea of maybe Tatsuya or someone's humanoid form sleeping within it, doesn't it? Fitting for an aspect of Philemon! ... You probably can see where I'm going with this, but let me pull up some screens to finish the point:

That's right! It's Azathoth, Baby! I believe that unlike mythology, he's yet another aspect of Philemon. Eldritch positivity, in too much force, could be used for accidental bad, too. (Reasons Maruki is my favorite Law Hero, haha.) Let me explain. I think Philemon always existed in... let's call it parts. Azathoth is said to be a dreaming god in whom's universe we all just happen to be alive inside, right? "Dream of butterfly" (Philemon) "Or is life a dream? Don't wanna wake up. Cuz I'm happy here." That sure is thematic to what Maki goes through in Persona 1, and what Maruki's beloved suffers, isn't it? ISN'T IT. The "true reality" he creates... would help Maruki create in the additional Semester--would be something most humans would never pass the muster to even try to control. But we have seen Phil test a few people and find them worth passing before! However, that seems like ages ago. Why has he been so quiet? I think because he was spending time conserving his energy. He believed in humanity enough to give Makoto a push when it was needed in p3 (or femc, if you play her), but otherwise trusted Igor while he restored what needed it. But in Persona 5 Royal, he hand-picked Maruki, didn't he? At first, when I played Persona 5 Royal, I really thought it was some part of Nyarly, but I no longer believe this to be the case. The coloration and symbolism in the background (the golds, the whole garden of eden themes, the way his Palace was laid out), the whole sea of soul motifs in P3Re later... mmm. I have a lot of thoughts about this, but this post is already way too long for one simple ask. So let's wrap up by going one step further and looking finally at Nodens' dialogue to the party in the Extra Scenario in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP). The following is a transcript, you can find a video here:

Nodens: This is the memory of the lost child whom you all seek. Nodens: Memory occasionally brings about much distress and suffering, but it is absolutely vital to distinguish oneself from others and manufacture one's own psyche. Nodens: Ever since it began, life's memory has accumulated unbroken, passing through individual experiences and spanning several generations. Nodens: And so it has given shape to Kadath and the Collective Unconsciousness, thereby becoming a foundation for the next generation. Nodens: Even if the roots of the world are directed by fear and anxiety, never forget that the true essence of life is brimming with joy. Nodens: You must not stop seeking the answer for why life was born in a cosmos progressing towards absurdity and chaos. Nodens: Life brims with joy, bringing about balance in a universe predestined to heat death, and that allows the world to live a long time.

So to answer your question, I think he's taken a much subtler role. I think he's influencing people by pretending to be a Persona for Maruki, because he believes it will help them grow. I don't think he was intending a forever-control vice grip, but rather to prove a point. No matter what, the primordial chaos of humanity will rise up for chaotic good, lawful good, whatever "good" is needed. Azathoth is... interesting. Adam Kadmon is also interesting. But mostly I HIGHLY suspect we may see him again in Persona 6, or at least I'm hoping so. It's my personal pet theory by then he'll be less faded and come back to us in a new form of some kind. He's never had a set one, after all. Now for funsies about the dancing game, well, he's a positive guy, he wanted to just make sure everyone had their fitness regimen checked off. Obviously. (This is a joke.) Did the devs intend this? I'm honestly not sure? Like there's a lot of nods to older Personas in 5 and now 3RE especially, but it's definitely worth chewing on. I could go on and on about things I think he's connected to, but ultimately they have the final say lol. I'm just a crackpot conspiracy theorist on tumblr who really likes Philemon. He and the Room are my favorites. :) Ask me about attendants for additional dumb, sometime, I guess lol.

#persona #persona 1 #persona 2 #persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 5 #persona spoilers #p5r #philemon #persona 2 innocent sin #persona 2 eternal punishment #nodens #text #long post; #SORRY NOT SORRY THIS IS ONE OF MY ETERNAL BRAINROT QUESTIONS HERE #I live and breathe overthinking SMTPersona

[holymolyineedtherapy]

Why is Thriller Bark my favorite arc?

I feel like I never explained why Thriller Bark is my favorite arc. I keep like spouting it but never explain it lol

So here is why!

One, the comedy.

Thriller Bark is so fucking hilarious. There are so many moments that are forever etched in my brain that make me laugh when I think about it. For example, Luffy shoving the fucking zombie back into the ground, Luffy beating the shit out of Cerberus to tame it, the fucking zombies that have Zoro and Sanji's shadows 😭

This arc is so unserious yet so serious at the same time.

Two, Brook's Introduction!! Brook is my friend's favorite character and we watched Thriller Bark together for the first time. It helped etch that memory and sense of nostalgia deeper into my soul.

Three, the amount of lore and small foreshadowing we get in this arc. We get mention of Big Mama, Egghead, the other warlords, and a peak into the new world.

Four, the character moments.

There are a lot of character moments in this arc that are truly amazing. We get to see Usopp shine when he fights against Perona. Sanji protecting Nami. Franky fighting with the crew for the first time. Robin being able to finally show her true colors with the crew. Chopper facing against his idol and telling him that he is the monster. Luffy beating yet another warlord! And, of course, Zoro.

Nothing Happened was such an iconic moment, one that is considered to be one of his best if not his best. It shows how much Zoro truly cares for his crew and the lengths he's willing to go to protect them.

Five, Brook's backstory. Brook is such a fascinating character and one that I want to dissect and show even more horrors. Not just his backstory with his crew though. No, we cannot forget Laboon. Laboon, a character we were introduced to back before there were 100 episodes out has been brought full circle to this point.

Brook and Laboon made me cry.

Six, Bink's Sake.

That fucking song. That song always gets me. Regardless of when it's being played on the violin or when the crew is screaming it at the top of their lunchs, it always makes me cry.

I love that song.

Seven, This was my introduction to One Piece. Yes, I started One Piece at Thriller Bark. I KNOW I DONT WANT TO HEAR IT. I saw it on Toonami after I finished my Inuyasha episode. I watched Thriller Bark and I immediately fell in love with it.

So that's why Thriller Bark is my favorite. There's a lot more to it than that but it's amazing. I love this arc so much.

#one piece #thriller bark #strawhats #luffy #monkey d luffy #roronoa zoro #zoro #nami #cat burglar nami #usopp #god usopp #sanji #black leg sanji #robin #nico robin #chopper #tony tony chopper #franky #cyborg franky #brook #soul king brook

[mumms-the-word]

Illithid Souls

A Deep Dive Series

I've collected all my deep dives about illithid souls here for your convenience! These posts look into the question of if illithids have souls inside or outside of the BG3 game lore, with a more focused look in parts 2 and 3 at the cases of Tav/Durge, Orpheus, Karlach, and Gale.

Ultimately I came to my own conclusions, but I'm by no means trying to sell you on the idea that I'm the expert and can't be wrong. I wrote these mostly to gather lots of lore in one (or three) contained space(s) with both a textual and visual aspect, so that it makes lore-gathering/reading/viewing more fun.

As with all my deep dives, these posts are designed to equip you with some lore so you can build your own theories and ideas, but I do guide and organize my thoughts in ways that make sense to me, and present theories that I think are interesting or feasible. But lore is always a little hazy so I’m bound to be wrong or you’re bound to interpret things differently. Just have fun with the lore!

Without further ado~

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Illithid Souls - Part 1

What’s up with mind flayers and souls anyway?

This post begins by defining what D&D calls a soul, which is notoriously hard to define in any capacity both in or out of D&D lore. We look briefly at what happens when a soul dies normally, what Withers has to say about mind flayers and souls, and what D&D guidebooks like the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and Volo's Guide to Monsters have to say about the afterlife, souls, and mind flayers. Basically, this is your intro to D&D souls lore before we get to how the game follows or ignores that same lore.

---

Illithid Souls - Part 2

The Case Studies: Tav/Durge and Orpheus

This post dives into some interesting context from the game for the Emperor, Tav/Durge, and Orpheus. Though I use Tav/Durge as the official case study here, looking at dialogue and reactions when Tav/Durge turns into a mind flayer, it's worth nothing that most Origin runs handle the mind flayer thing exactly the same way. This is where the D&D lore gets left behind a little bit and we get to really see how the game changes or adopts the concept of mind flayer souls. Read this one if you'd like a little more info about how your OC Tav/Durge might be affected by illithidness!

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Illithid Souls - Part 3

The Case Studies: Karlach and Gale

The final post looks specifically at in-game evidence or lore for Companion!Karlach that turns into a mind flayer, as well as what unique options an Origin run Gale gets if he decides to become a mind flayer at the end of the game. I ended up with a lot of questions while writing this post and I don't have answers for all of them, but it was fascinating to see some of the unique stuff you only see if you make Karlach a mind flayer, or are playing as Gale and decide to become illithid. Karlach provides some additional context to what it's like to be a special mind flayer in BG3, and Gale's Origin endings as a mind flayer are certainly unique and strange. Worth reading parts of if you're interested in either character!

---

As with all deep dives and metas, this is all just for fun! Yes, I called days of research and writing and editing fun, because I'm a...well. A thorough bitch, as Swoop would say. But I couldn't fit everything that exists in these posts and I did make a couple of decisions to leave things out, like extended conversations with the Emperor and basically any mention of Omeluum (sorry Omeluum, love you buddy! you have a soul in my heart) because I just didn't know where to put those things in.

So basically, this is not the end-all, be-all of lore! I'm happy to answer questions in the replies or in asks as well, just know that everything will be couched as my opinion and that you are encouraged to interpret the lore in ways that suits your play styles, headcanons, or beliefs.

Just have fun with it!

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 meta #bg3 discourse #bg3 lore #bg3 deep dive #deep dive #mind flayer #illithid #gale dekarios #gale #karlach #the emperor #orpheus #bg3 orpheus #withers #jergal

[molinaesque]

hi so i was reading one of ur posts (tysm btw i love anyone that dissects raphael) u said this:

"If you look at Raphael's ambitions and how much it has consumed and plagued him for centuries, he has technically failed over and over and over (his inception by itself is seen as a failure by his own kin)"

can you elaborate on that? where can we see these ambitions? and what do you mean by his inception being a failure? this is so very fascinating to me and i'd like to learn more!

Hey there! Glad you enjoyed the post!

Okay, so I realised that post would be more clearer if you had exhausted almost every possible line of dialogue or notes from Raphael and know about some of existing D&D lore. So, my bad on that part.

We know about Raphael's ambitions and primary goals through his dialogue in Sharess' Caress and the epilogue. This would be The Crown. We know he has been coveting this for a very long time. As to how we know why this is so important for Raphael because he tells you The Crown has immense power. If you know about how the hells and the devils work with their system and hierarchy, having power = more standing = more freedom (as in freedom to do whatever you please). Raphael tells us that he has been at this for 1000 years. I see those failures being the Crown being stolen away by his father first and then by a soul who was supposed to be under Raphael's charge (this is Gortash). Beyond that, basically him obsessing over the Crown and not being able to find a way to gain it ONLY UNTIL Tav and co comes along (along with The Dead Three bringing the Crown back in play) can also be seen as a failure of sorts, because he STILL had to wait for fate to play its part, so this was still beyond his agency. His diary entries also give a really good insight into how much this goal has plagued him for a long time.

As for his inception, cambions are seen as a result from an unholy communion. That's not really the problem per say, but rather who is involved that makes the cambions. In Raphael's case, he is more powerful and noteworthy from most typical cambions because his devil half is from an archdevil, Mephistopheles. His other half though is a mortal human, which is not looked upon fondly. Raphael's unique position however (being practically a prince and heir to the most powerful devil besides Asmodeus) is trumped over by his situation and circumstance of being Mephistopheles' son. Mephisto, in the case of Raphael, does not treat his kin highly. In fact it seems he acts as if he does not exist. On top of all this, devils in the hells climb up the hierarchical ladder to become more powerful. Raphael if he were just a plain devil would have a better time doing so. So not only is he stopgapped by his own father despite being of the blood of an archdevil, he is also held back by his other half of being a mortal. It's a very unique predicament and it's completely out of Raphael's hands... UNLESS he can find the means to get out of it himself. Thus, power = more freedom. He plans to become Archdevil Supreme so that he doesn't have to answer to ANYONE. Besides that, he wants to instill more order and control in the Hells by uniting it under one banner and end the Blood War. There are MANY things to go over why this is insane, but that's another topic for another day.

Hopefully, this clears things up a bit! It always is much clearer in my head to explain until I lay it out in text and realise, "oh god i need to provide so much context", so sometimes details get lost in translation. 😅

#raphael bg3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #raphael baldur's gate 3 #bg3 raphael #text #bg3 thoughts

[namig42]

Spoilers for Astarion's lore below!

So question for Astarion lore appreciators: why do you think Cazador specifically targeted Astarion all those years ago as a target to turn?

I've been thinking about this mainly because of the fact that Cazador's main seven spawn all seemed to be people of notable positions in life, such as Dalyria having been a doctor and Violet having been a singer before being brought into Cazador's "family." I could see how the jobs that the other spawn had before could benefit Cazador in one form or another, so I'm fascinated what he could've gained from turning a magistrate of Baldur's Gate. None of the main seven spawn seemed like a coincidental choice for Cazador, so what was it initially that led him to target Astarion?

After Astarion was turned, he never performs his duties as a magistrate again, so if it was political power Cazador was searching for, he would gain nothing from turning Astarion. He could've built a relationship of sorts by bribing or blackmailing Astarion while the young elf was still living and serving in his position, but he decided to turn him instead and make Astarion his own. Outside of proper political power, I can't think of what skills a magistrate would have that would serve Cazador, unlike a singer who has a natural charm for luring others or a doctor that could put her healing skills to use, or perhaps lead poor, wayward, sick souls to their doom in the Szarr Palace. A magistrate may have a skill for conversation which could be used to lure prey back to Cazador, but that's not something unique to that position, so there wouldn't be a reason to specifically target someone in that higher, possibly more notable position within Baldur's law system. Cazador even makes a point of telling his spawn not to target members of noble families since it leads to unwanted attention, so perhaps we can imply that Astarion's family was not one of note, and the position of a magistrate isn't one of great significance.

With all that in mind, Astarion's former position seems irrelevant. There's the idea that Cazador was simply captivated by Astarion's wit and beauty and wanted to have it for himself, but why go through all the trouble of framing a Gur and getting them to beat Astarion to near death? Why not lure him to the palace with some promise of power and turn him there? It would be easier to fake Astarion's death if he was beaten in the streets, but I'm sure a disappearance in a city the size of Baldur's Gate wouldn't be the most pressing of news, especially if my former theory of a magistrate not being a notable position in Baldur is correct.

My favorite idea I've read is the idea that at one point when Astarion was alive, him and Cazador had met at some social function, and while Cazador was immediately infatuated with our favorite pale elf, Astarion rejected Cazador's advances with that same mentality of "it's not you, you understand, it's me. I have standards." To think that Astarion made Cazador feel dejected and that Cazador took that personally and created this whole scheme as his first punishment for Astarion sounds so incredibly cruel yet in character. Framing the Gur, Astarion commiting that Gur to the death penalty, being beaten almost to death as a result for his judgement, and all to end up with Astarion falling into Cazador's clutches where he would become Astarion's tormentor, it adds to that insane cruelty that would only go on for years and years until the events of BG3.

Or perhaps it was all a pure coincidence that Cazador was there that night when Astarion was nearly killed, though I find that hard to believe. Why would he be out in the streets anyways? He had at least one or two spawn already to hunt for him, so for him to be outside walking around the streets of the city all alone seems unlike him. Cazador doesn't seem like the kind of person to lean on chance or do things on a whim, especially in terms of something as precious to him as choosing his spawn, so to think that he simply saw a pretty face bleeding to death and took it without any regards as to who the person was before being turned doesn't seem to fit his character. After all, how could he effectively torment this new spawn if he didn't know the life he pulled them away from?

I'd love to hear people's thoughts! Any other theories or points that maybe I haven't considered yet? Please share!

#bg3 #astarion #astarion bg3 #spoilers #bg3 cazador #cazador szarr #thoughts

[y-rhywbeth2]

Assorted thoughts about Astarion's epilogue that I have only seen in video because patch 4 broke my save files and I have to replay the whole thing to get there.

From what I've seen everyone's good endings seem a little... overly good and free of consequence? But at the same time I haven't seen everything with my own eyes and everyone deserves to be happy, so whatever. If I want angst, there's fic.

Sooo... is it that unromanced Astarion disappeared after the scene at the docks and nobody could find him, or did you assholes just not try? I will be generous and assume the former.

Stop stabbing the table you little gremlin. ...although I'd probably enjoy doing that, if I could get away with it.

I still hate that outfit with the ruff.

Not surprised Larian is doubling down on the "no cure" angle. I don't really care if Astarion remains a vampire or if he goes the cure route, so long as he's happy - although I do think in his shoes I'd look for some way to day-walk anyway, on practical grounds alone.

Hiding a knife behind his back while asking an unromanced Durge if they're showing any signs of being under Bhaal's control... I adore a pragmatic bastard.

---"I could've told you that [you can kill people in a socially acceptable manner]" ---"You realise I don't actually pay attention when you talk, right?" ^This is why I both love him with all my soul and also want to push him off a roof.^

Delighted and validated by Astarion feeding by taking jobs as a bounty hunter or something like that. That was 100% what Vel was suggesting to him post game. Like "Hey, have you considered bounty hunting? if my memories of killing people for fun and profit, and the last month or two of everyone suddenly celebrating instead of getting mad when I murder has taught me anything; if you eat the people the majority want dead, you can have all the blood and money you can get your teeth into and nobody will have a problem with it."

And then there's Ascended Astarion... who I will put under a read more to save space and for those who'd like to avoid the uglier side of endings.

So I don't think Larian read the supplement Van RIchten's Guide to Vampires (it's from 1992, but as far as I know it's also still the most comprehensive write up of D&D vampire lore, and some of it still looks to apply here (or at least, it can).)

But the first thing I thought of, watching him constantly turn into a bat, is that it reminded me of the vampire psychological development stages. Stage one is where a vampire is drunk on their shiny new powers and just will not stop showing them off. (Stage two is the "find out" stage of the fuck around process, where the vampire discovers they're not as invincible as they believed and descends into full blown, paranoid monstrosity.)

Then "I will be watching." "I/We need to eavesdrop on everybody."... Oh, the paranoia. How's that thing where the curse of vampirism is twisting the trauma and fear going for you, my dude?

"I'll never forget the time we spent together, though. And I know you'll never forget about me. Until next time, darling." ...might be his expression or the datamined epilogues where he still wants his ex, but that feels like a threat to me? Might just be a jab after being dumped...

And, oh yeah, we're definitely looking at vampire bride/groom tier stuff here: Just sit on the decorative pedestal I built for you and look pretty until I'm in the mood to take you down and play with you. Stop complaining about how you're bored and want freedom!

The PC isn't weak by any measure, they could become a rival.. AA isn't my ending of choice, but I am morbidly fascinated with the concept of Tav and Astarion as toxic vampire divorcees: Two angry, powerful "lovers to enemies" vampire lords "sharing" territory; passing the centuries obsessing over each other; fighting each other; sometimes maybe hate-fucking, and generally making their bad relationship everyone's problem.

#AA isn't my ending (it's an angsty AU “what could've been” for me) but I'd love to put him in a jar and shake it. #more vampire lore babbling; and I thought I'd exorcised it all... #Somebody should probably take the knife off of Astarion but it's not going to be Vel #Who did not learn the lessons he was supposed to over the course of this adventure #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #...I may regret putting this into the tag system #bg3 spoilers

[dinxieyinxie]

I beg ya tell me about your OC Yonal and Snape, I need to know about them.

omg,, my heart is so full rn qwq i didn't really expect anyone would be interested in them so idk where to start DFHFDHJ

Yonal isn't fully fleshed-out yet but I made a post sometime ago about them to kickstart their story and a snippet of their friendship with Snape but I'd like to add a few new info for their lore (I did mention that I'd delve deeper into their friendship) so buckle up!

(I am not well-versed with words so lmk if you'd like me to clarify something! ><)

Their friendship is something these two weren't expecting at all tbh and the fact that they managed to build such a strong foundation is somewhat peculiar to me, in a way that they have the most contrasting personalities that it even clashes from time to time but still having that "homey", cozy feeling about it. Yonal being carefree and chaotic, the type to just "go-with-the-flow", and thinks that the glass is half-full while Severus is completely on the other side of the spectrum, with him looking at everything realistically and pessimistically at the same time. I could describe their relationship as:

Sun and Moon

Yin and Yang

Achilles and Patroclus

Red String of Fate

There's more but they're basically rocking that "opposites attract" typa energy HAHAHA

Yonal is most of the time, if not, completely, unaffected by Severus' attitude but rather he (Yonal goes by he/they!) chooses to respect and understand why Severus is like that and would even offer insight in which Sev would always be taken aback. (Not saying Linx is a dunderhead but he can be quite clueless LOL) I like to think Severus learns to accept Yonal the way he is and even appreciate it (He wouldn't outright admit it tho)

There's a lot of things Yonal and Severus don't particularly agree in but there are a few that allows them to connect with each other like the thirst for knowledge, great interest for the Wizarding World, socks, dead-beat dads, loneliness, and other things that I cannot think at the top of my head rn hehe

Idk if I've mentioned this already but even though Yonal loves being an absolute headache to Severus, he deeply respects that raven-haired mf and wouldn't dare ruin their deeply-rooted friendship in any way. I explained in this post how he's willing to bend his habits for him and it is still true to this day!

What fascinates me about them is that they definitely keep each other grounded in a sense that they have that ability to calm each other's turbulent souls, which opens to a lot of vulnerable moments. Something that both of them don't really allow themselves to be in. I like to think they'd grow closer as they confide with one another. Sometimes, home is a person.

Back in the day, they had underlying feelings with each other but these two dumb mfs didn't want to poke and probe in fear that it might end the bond that they have so they set these emotions aside but it does slip out sometimes teehee! In present times, the old flame ignited on its own and over the course of the time they have together, I think it's safe to say that they'll eventually finally confront these feelings and get it over with. But for now, I'm evil and love to hurt myself so im subjecting them to a slow-burn love (angst included!) <333

There's much more that I want to spew but I think that would be for another time. Honestly, I just want Snape to be happy bc God forbids he have peace in his depressing life

As a treat, here's a silly one I made uwu

#asks #just two lonely people #severus snape #yonal linx #words are not enough to fully express my strong feelings about them therefore i shall draw many more pieces of the two blorbos! #i should give them a ship name lmao #sninx? yonerus? thonking vv much #young snape #dinxdraws #hope this answers you and im sorry that it's hella long qwq

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Tell me more about your feelings on Hazbin Hotel.

Part of me doesn’t want to answer this question, because of how popular this show is on Tumblr.

And I know that people will be like.

“What do you know, you’re a Christian, of Course you’d have some problems with it.”

Yes, I am going to disclose that. I am a Christian. Not ashamed of that. Still working to be a better one. But I can be objective enough to view it as a writer, and that at most my personal bias will only be a slight enhancement of my view.

And these are my unfiltered thoughts on this show.

But for my opinion of Hazbin hotel. The original Pilot was interesting. A place trying to reform sinners in the last place people would think to be reformed. (Spoilers ahead)

That pilot premise is interesting. You see Hell as a cesspool of the absolute worse people. (Like Los Angeles but with more cannibalism) and it takes the “Hell is other people approach”

The songs were fine, the animation was great, and the characters introduced were intriguing. So much potential depth to them, theories can speculate. And of course the big question of. “Can someone in hell actually be redeemed?” And we even have a character pointing out “of course not, they’re in hell. Their chance was before this?”

It raised this question of, if you know your doomed, why try to be a good person? And That is fascinating.

Then the show finally airs. And it’s just another “Heaven is corrupt” storyline. And it’s not even done well.

(The whole retelling of creation made my eyes roll. Trying to make Lucifer to be the good guy? How original (sarcasm). And not even done well. Because it’s Charlie narrating this, which makes it be like Charlie knows all this and is doing all of this pointlessly)

Hells gonna rise up against it and all that. The hotel was basically pointless.

The show goes on to constantly contradict itself at numerous points that leaves me more confused.

Yes there is an interesting character (Alastor) but outside of a great soundtrack and animation… the writing of the show is a mess.

It feels both rushed and too slow. The characters are speedrunning their arcs, yet the plot is crawling.

Let’s then not forget the fact that Angel power and weapons are said to be the only thing that Perma kills sinners and angels. Yet sir pretentious dies and instead of permadead, goes to heaven? What fucking logic is that?

Also it says how only Angel weapons and powers can hurt angels (they make a whole point about it) only to show Vaggie and Lute have a whole ass fight hurting eachother with tables and s***. Unless they’ve been blessed them chairs…

Also where do the souls that perma die go? Detroit? Because if Sir pretentious can go to heaven after dying, what the deal with all this? Is Hell actually hell? Seems more like purgatory.

And then you include the helluva boss lore as they take place in the same universe. And MORE questions get added.

But that’s a can of worms for another time.

More importantly, Charlie, the main character hardly gets any development moments. Her issues are TOLD not showed.

Vaggie is also a mess too, like her whole thing is protecting Charlie, and helping her. But then she gets told that she has to fight For Love and that’s how to win? You mean what she’s BEEN DOING THE WHOLE TIME?!

All the stuff with Angel Dust, the writing for that is fine when showing the messed up situation he’s in, but then after the Song “Loser, Baby” he’s suddenly months sober? Speedrunning a bit too much.

Side note: HOW DOES HEAVEN NOT KNOW HOW PEOPLE GET INTO HEAVEN?!

Like they genuinely seem like they don’t know? From my understanding, there is no Big Man making all the calls. Thats not corruption. Thats incompetence.

So if it’s just angels in charge, THEY should know. Like show that they’re tilting the scale or maybe denying certain people that DO follow the criteria. Because with the incompetency of it, it basically leaves the door open for potentially EVERYONE to get into heaven.

Yet then the show shows how awful people in hell are, like it’s clear there are people that deserve hell. Maybe I’m overthinking it, maybe I’m not thinking about it enough. But it’s a really dumb system.

But the biggest glaring hole in this show is the fact that there is no point for heaven to actually do the purge in the first place.

Hell being overpopulated shouldn’t matter. Only Angel power and weapons can actually hurt angels. Why would they worry about an uprising. Heaven could easily wipe hell. The only people that could probably do damage is Lucifer and the leaders of the rings of hell. And even then… That’s like 7 against ALL OF HEAVEN!? Even if we assume overlords and some high level demons could do similar… Heaven still takes it. (But then again the Lute and Vaggie fight might contradict that. Hard to say it’s so confusing)

That all aside, is it an awful show? No. It’s just so riddled with plotholes and pacing issues.

Would I recommend this show to people? No.

Would I recommend the sound track? Probably, the songs are catchy. Can’t deny that.

Everyone has their own opinions and tastes, but the show has too much of a mess for me.

#Gale’s thoughts #hazbin hotel #hazbin spoilers #now everyone if you can grab your pitchforks and touches #line up in a straight line. you can complain about my opinion

[masquayla-the-splendid]

How Splatoon makes a controversial Fnaf theory work better in their universe, and other parallels. (Really.)

[Side Order spoilers]

I beat Side Order in 3 hours on my 3rd try at 3am. No I am not joking. I used a slosher. I currently have 9 lockers yet to open, so if anything important comes up, I will update.

I couldn't help but notice the parallels right at the beginning, freeing Marina from Order's control. I went neuron activation, VANESSA.

But then they started talking more about Octo Expansion lore, which made me get all giddy, because 14 y/o me had the biggest fascination with the Sanitized Octolings, and how Commander Tartar built up his scheme to the point we encounter him.

They referred something or other about the color chips/pallettes as "souls" which caught my attention. They're like broken soul pieces? Alright. We already know a comically large kitchen utensil blends octopuses into life goop. What exactly happens to the ones that look like this?

Why are you green?

Marina's logs read:

So okay. I, personally, despise Molten MCI. I think it takes away of a ton of character's individuality, and makes more things confusing, all to explain some old man's rambling in a non-canon ending.

It works for Splatoon's case, because we already had no information about any of the octolings before Sanitization. (Aside from Acht.) We didn’t have time to make that up for ourselves, because we never knew about any of this beforehand, like how we filled in the gaps with underwritten characters for fnaf.

However I'll keep reading and see what else can line up here.

This is leaning into TFC territory. So for less Splatoon knowledgeable readers, Marina is trying to take, essentially what is the Freddy amalgam in TFC, and trying to deconstruct it with each animatronic having everything from their respective endoskeletons. That's best way I can explain it. (For a reader more knowledgeable with Steven Universe, she's trying to fix the forced fusions like Yellow.)

Except the difference here is that the products of Kamabo are, well, orderly, and not animalistic.

The logs that sold it for me:

So in fnaf speak: From a Molten MCI perspective, (blech,) melting down the infused metal, transferring it into data, and putting that data gloop into playable avatars in an arcade game where they can choose the bits of remnant that belong to them, putting themselves back together.

However, with my neuron activation Order=Mimic, that would mean Mimic MCI, but WAIT COME BACK. IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE.

I have yet to get the rest of the lore bits, but as far as I know, Order, (I'm not calling him Smollusk,) is an AI with the generalized ideals Kamabo has programming into the Sanitized Octolings. (I swear he's just leftovers of Tartar. I know it in my heart.) Mimic copies everything it sees, and learns incredibly fast. It learned the tragedies and rumors of Fazbear Ent, and according to Tiger Rock, he's running most of the Pizza Plex, which makes profits of said tragedies he's learned. Did Mimic orchestrate everything? No. He probably has no understanding of anything he's doing, he just does it because that's all he knows. The company started it.

Basically,

Kamabo Co.= Sleazy NewGen Fazbear Ent.

Order=Mimic.

How ever this ends, I'm using as evidence for how I predict the SteelWool plot to resolve/hj

Conc1usion: Marina and Henry should meet up. Well maybe not, if Marina wants permanent results.

I find it telling that with a plot so similar to a Fnaf theory that I hate, I actually really like this idea. And I think it's because it's not Fnaf. It's almost the exact same concept, but it makes much more sense and flows better in Splatoon's world. Probably because it was intentionally written that way, and is supposed to be shamelessly absurd and scifi. I like that I'm able to enjoy a concept I hate.

Analogy: Chocolate is good. I like when a pre existing food item I enjoy has an added chocolate exterior. Like strawberries. Sometimes, there are instances where that is not the case, like bacon. It exsists, and you either love it or hate it. I like both base consumables, and I like the additive, but it works better for one than the other.

Literal speak: I like the scifi horror concept of brainwashing with the actual person person being trapped or lost in a specific state, while their body is just another puppet for the main antagonist, and it takes some Cyber Chase shenanigans to free everyone. That's a rad concept. I just like it better when it's applied to a world that is planned for that kind of take, rather than to a world I already enjoyed, but scrambled to cut itself to fit that shape because it almost fit. It works better for a wacky scifi dystopia, not a campy paranormal horror.

Conclu2ion: Some things are best left for other stories.

Oh and both franchises have a known history of bangin soundtrack.

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #side order #splatoon side order #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf theory #i might make a video on this 🤔 #masq squinks

[not-poignant]

Does Mephistopheles regularly beat all of his Cambion children? Or does he just particularly enjoy hurting Raphael? Or does he specifically find himself having to put Raphael in his place more often than the others?

Feel free not to answer if it’s too spoilery. I’m just curious. The Devil family dynamics are fascinating.

There's some indications that Mephistopheles raped so many women that he has like hundreds of cambion sons and has killed most of them. So that's the lore I'm going with, because that's fun for me, the idea that he just has this endless supply of weak (by fiend standards) sons that he can make do his bidding and torment whenever he likes.

I think Raphael's a bit special (like a few of his sons are), in the sense that he did actually genuinely rise to power, he is very intelligent, and he has secured the House of Hope which is strategically a very significant waypoint for Zariel, and therefore affords him more status than a (Ascended pit fiend) cambion would generally have. I would say that of the surviving cambion sons, he was the most powerful, and had been for some time. That along with Raphael's loyalty is the only reason why Mephistopheles deigned to resurrect him in the first place, he hasn't offered that to any of his other sons, who are just like...dead and/or lemures.

I don't think Mephistopheles regularly beats all his children, in fact I think he's as patchy with the concept of fatherhood as he is with all of his projects. But I do think he has a tangible enjoyment from tormenting Raphael, and I think Raphael doesn't do a great deal to discourage him, because it means he often gets away with other activities that like...his father underestimates him for / thinks he's incapable of.

Mephistopheles needs some of what Raphael supplies to him (particularly funds, most fiends don't care a very great deal about gold or wealth or anything like that. All wealth is measured in souls and the acquisition of souls, and they often need wealth to do that, but, only some are personally interested in attaining that wealth. Raphael is very good at securing gold / gems / capital for manipulating greater populations of people, so he therefore directly funds a lot of his father's 'projects' which means for thousands of years, Mephistopheles hasn't had to bother learning how to do that himself. Which makes him more kind of semi-dependent on what Raphael does for him.

He's been betrayed by at least one of his sons before, and very significantly, so I think he never misses an opportunity to both remind Raphael of his place, and get some enjoyment out of what he's doing re: hurting him. But I also think Raphael benefits from Mephistopheles thinking of him as some poetry-obsessed Faerun gadabout and assuming he's not capable of more than that).

Idk I have a lot of thoughts about those two, I do think Raphael is not above using himself as bait for example, to get enough soul coins to essentially rebuild the boundaries of the House of Hope and get his appetite quenched again. I think he also believes Mephistopheles won't come after him, because M is ultimate ADHD archduke - hyperfixated on a project and loses track of things very quickly (like literally, that's canon). I also think M doesn't want to visit Avernus and he doesn't want to lose the House of Hope so he'll probably grumble and kill some cornugons about it once he finds out, and then settle down lol.

#asks and answers #palmarosa #thespectaclesofthor #i just did too much rambling about this didn't i #basically like no he doesn't hit all his sons #he doesn't have anything to do with the vast majority of them #but raphael has carved a place out for himself in the world #and his father took notice #the beatings are 'proof' of raphael's loyalty to his father #and loyalty is rather rare in ba'ator #administrator gwyn wants this in the queue