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2024-grimoire-challenge · 3 months

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March Week 1 - Symbolism and Traditions

Okay, now that we've got all the generalized types of magic out of the way, let's take a look at some other topics that will help us fill in the gaps in things. We'll be looking at symbols, traditions both personal and ancestral, spell and ritual design and much more! Let's buckle up and get to it!

Monday - Alphabets and Runes

Research - Look up different alphabets that have been used in magical traditions. Anything from the Elder Futhark Rune language, to the Ogham Script, to any other form of writing that has been used in any tradition. Do you know another language? Have you ever made your own alphabet or cipher? There are some grimoires that are written in an entire code that only the person who wrote it understood! If you feel like doing so, you can do the same! Look up an alphabet of any kind and write out a translation of those into the alphabet you know. For fun, write out at least one page in that other alphabet!

Research/ New Page - Runes - Is there a rune set you already know? Elder Futhark? Ogham? Another rune set? Have you ever made your own runes? Define rune. What is a rune? What makes something a rune? In both the magical and mundane sense, what are they? If you find a type of runes that you wish to learn, do so! Make a list of the runes themselves, then write out the meaning and symbology of each one!

Practical - Make a set of the runes you research or are already familiar with! Use what you have on hand! It could be as simple as strips of cardstock with the runes on them, notecards with the rune on one side and description on the other, or feel free to find a set online or in a store! You can even go outside and just find some stones and use a sharpie to write the runes on them!

Divination/ Journal - if you perform divinations, use your new runes to do so! And journal about the experience!

Tuesday - Languages

Research/ New Page - Is there a language that you don't speak or that no one really speaks, like Latin, and look into the basis of that language. Where does it come from? What is the language's base? Are there different dialects? Find an accurate translator and look up the words for some of your magical terminology. Make a list of those words to use in spells, incantations and prayers later on. Now, take it a step further. What is your ancestry? What languages has your family spoken in the past? Ask your parents, grandparents and other relatives if they still speak it at all. Get a little family history lesson. Having this connection to your lineage and ancestry can help you better understand a lot about yourself, your family, and traditions you may not realize you are practicing or performing regularly!

New Page - along with the list of words and languages, keep a page with the basic info you discover about your ancestry and family history! It could come in handy for a multitude of things, both pertaining to this challenge and life in general! This page could include traditions, recipes, where you come from, splits in the family, and general family history.

New Page - Pick another herb from your list and research it! Magical, mundane, medicinal, associations, myths and legends, how to grow and propagate it, where it comes from and its history!

Wednesday - Other Symbols

Research - What are some other common symbols that are commonplace within witchcraft circles? What are they, what do they represent? What are they used for? Do you use any of them without meaning to? What is their history? Where do they come from? Think about things commonly associated with withcraft. Cauldrons, brooms, pointy hats, black cats... why are these things associated with witchcraft? Don't just go with the first thing you find when you look this up, dig deep, do research. Are there multiple sources that confirm these things?

Personal/ Introspection - What things do you associate with witchcraft and why? It can be anything from tools you're using, to symbols, to specific herbs and gems or grander things/ ideas like the moon or certain practices.

Research/ New Page - Pick another gemstone or other item you want to research the witchy/ magical uses of and get at it!

Thursday - Traditions

Research/ New Page - Think about the conversations and research you did into your family lineage and language. Carry on with that research and look into the traditions your family has. Everything from when they gather together for things and why, to the recipes they make, to the way they pray or worship, to how they do things in general. Are there any beliefs your family has that have been passed down to you about things like luck? Or love? What wisdom has been passed down to you by your family?

Journal/ Introspection - Do you have any traditions that you practice on your own? Think about the things you celebrate and why, as well as when you celebrate them. Are there certain ways you do things? Everything from cooking to cleaning, to more spiritual practices! Feel free to make a page dedicated to your personal traditions. Recording them can help you to change and grow them over time, or even just to pass them along to your own family!

Friday - Catch Up Day

Today is a catch up day. We've had a lot of information and research prompts thrown at us the last three months, so take today to look back at any of the prompts you have missed or one you want to continue working on!

Alright! There's March week 1 everyone! Good luck and happy crafting witches!

-Mod Hazel

#2024 grimoire challenge #grimoire challenge #grimoire #paganism #witchcraft #witchblr #2024 gc #book of shadows #dark academia #occultism #2024 grimoire challenge march #march week 1 #2024 gc march week 1 #grimoire challenge blog #grimoire prompts #grimspiration #witchcraft 101 #witchy stuff #witchy inspiration

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fireemblemtcg · 3 years

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Cipher By The Numbers: A Statistical Look Back at the Game That Was

Eight months have now passed since the final Fire Emblem Cipher card series was released. Out of interest, let us quickly analyse the complete game and see how it breaks down. Who made it in? Who is still missing? Who got the most? Who got the least? Who drew the most? How does it stack up to the various other spinoffs and crossover events that Fire Emblem has been involved in in terms of sheer coverage? And other bits of mostly meaningless trivia.

This post is adapted from a twitter thread published in October 2020. Some of the presented numbers slightly differ compared to it, as I’ve since refined my methods somewhat.

More Fire Emblem Cipher translations!

Part 1: The Standings by Symbol

The Most Common Symbol(s)

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that generally speaking, the more Fire Emblem games a symbol affiliation needed to represent, the more cards there are in that symbol. The most common symbol is Purple (Legendary Weapons), which covers three games and a smattering of manga characters; Red (Blade of Light), covering the casts of Archanea and Valentia plus a handful of Tokyo Mirage Sessions characters, is the runner-up.

One thing stands out, though. Unlike other Fire Emblem games, which each get just one symbol that is usually shared with another game, Fates is in the unique position of having three different, closely related symbol configurations dedicated exclusively to that single game: White (Hoshido), Black (Nohr), and the dual White/Black configuration. Individually these three are nothing to write home about in terms of frequency, but if taken together...

...Then they immediately become the most common by a very substantial margin. This is a major recurring trend with Fates content in Cipher: through a combination of Cipher effectively debuting as part of a merchandising blitz around the time of Fates’ release, and Fates’ status as the only mainline game to have a) more than one symbol to itself, b) an entire booster series to itself, and c) multiple starter decks to itself, Fates casts a massive shadow over the card game that will come up again and again in this analysis.

The Least Common Symbol(s)

The least common single “symbol”, appropriately enough, is the absence thereof: No Symbol. Despite seeing dedicated use for multiple games (Heroes and Warriors), plus various other occasional uses (Tokyo Mirage Sessions, the Cipher mascots, various Series 17 and 22 cards), it’s a substantial way behind the next least common symbol, Brown (Crest of the Goddess).

However, the least common symbol configuration of any kind is dual Red/Blue, which is limited to appearing on only two Tokyo Mirage Sessions cards in Series 22.

Part 2: The Standings by Game

The Game with the Most Cards

It’s not even a contest: once again, Fates is overwhelmingly the most represented single game, beating the closest competition (Awakening) by a factor of 200+. Both Three Houses (4th) and Genealogy of the Holy War (3rd) put up surprisingly good showings, too; you can probably attribute Genealogy's high position to it constantly stealing Thracia 776's lunch money in Yellow waves, as these two games have by far the most uneven skew of mainline game representation within the same symbol.

Even if you merge games with heavily overlapping casts (see appendix) together, Fates is still handily the winner, although the Tellius games now beat Awakening for second place.

(For details on how cards for characters who appear in multiple games have been counted as belonging to one over the other, see the appendix.)

The Game with the Fewest Cards

Another no-brainer: it’s BS Fire Emblem: Archanea Saga, which never received any active, proclaimed representation in any Cipher series and therefore has zero dedicated cards. Only one character who originated in BSFE, Malice, ever received a card, and even then that one card instead belonged to a New Mystery of the Emblem set. (Things get a bit less awful for the game if your standard is “any cards belonging to anyone present in that game, regardless of what game they were originally billed for”, but that’s another can of worms.)

That said, the game that was explicitly stated as being subject to representation in Cipher that received the fewest dedicated cards was Gaiden. While its remake, Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, received a very healthy number of cards, Gaiden itself only received three: cards for Mycen, Celica, and Silque depicting them in outfits/art styles from the original. The only series which claim to represent Gaiden are Series 17 and 22, as part of their push to feature every game, “featuring” it alongside Shadows of Valentia.

(By contrast, the original two Archanea games and their two remakes each received one billed, dedicated wave: Series 1 for Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, Series 4 for Mystery of the Emblem, Series 13 for Shadow Dragon, and Series 15 for New Mystery of the Emblem. Granted, while Series 1 and 4 are billed as targeting the original games, the art style and character models are very much rooted in the remakes.)

If the Gaiden/Shadows of Valentia distinction is too hair-splitty for your tastes and you think the Gaiden cards should just count as Shadows of Valentia, the next lowest are:

Overall: Sword of the Champion (17)

Game: Warriors (28)

Mainline game: Mystery of the Emblem (35)

Mainline game with a distinct cast: Thracia 776 (70)

Part 3: The Standings by Characters and Cards

How Many Cards Are There?

2586 distinct cards were produced, across a total of 3177 card printings (as reported by the Cipher official site's card database). See the appendix for details on what was and wasn't counted as a "distinct card" for the purposes of the former figure.

The Most Cards

Marth is the most frequently appearing unit name, boasting a respectable 29 unique cards; the runners-up are Chrom, Lucina, and female Corrin, with 26 each. The rest of the top 20(ish) is as follows:

However, if characters who appear in multiple incarnations/genders under different unit names are taken together, Corrin dethrones Marth and takes the top spot by an absolutely massive margin, at 51 unique cards across three different unit names (male, female, Kingdom of Valla). The rest of the top 20(ish) standings are somewhat impacted by this modification, looking like this:

The top lists, especially the combined one, are noticeably dominated by Fates and Three Houses. Once again, the impact of the immense amount of focus that Fates received in Cipher is made evident; and the rapid rise of Three Houses’ protagonists in the standings is especially remarkable, given how late in Cipher’s life cycle the game came along.

Conversely, Jugdral characters don’t even figure into the top ~20 standings; the character with the most Yellow cards, Sigurd, is tied for 27th (uncombined)/28th (combined) with Caeda, Hinoka, the combined Kanas, Shade, and Yuzu.

The Fewest Cards

A total of 171 unit names only ever appeared on one card; taking into account characters who appear under multiple unit names, 159 characters have only a single card to any of their names. Such one-hit wonders most commonly occur in Purple (48) and Red (41), while Blue had the fewest such characters at just 3 (Naga, Validar, and Excellus).

Of particular interest is the small club of seven characters who never appeared in any of the retail starter decks or booster packs, instead receiving their one and only card in the Promotional Card Packs: Matthis (Red), Bantu (Red), Shannam (Yellow), Merlinus (Purple), Athos (Purple), Gromell (Green), and the gatekeeper (Brown). As you can see, the overall trend with these characters (only Athos and Bantu fall outside of it) leans toward the somewhat... comical.

Additionally, there is one character whose one and only card was a starter deck exclusive: Erk (Purple).

Also of note are the small selection of characters who have only one card, but whose only card is of a high rarity.

Three characters have the... well, super rare distinction of having their one and only Cipher card be a Super Rare: Nyna (Red), Nils (Purple), and Seteth (Brown). If you count distinct unit names, this number expands to five to include Camus (Red) and the gender-neutral-ish “Kingdom of Valla” version of Corrin (White/Black; unlike the others, the latter also has an SR+ alternate print), but both of these characters have other cards under multiple other unit names (respectively Sirius and Ezekiel, and the male and female versions of Corrin).

There is only one distinct unit name whose sole card is a Hero Rare: Seiros (Brown). However, the character as a whole does have other cards under multiple other unit names (Rhea, Immaculate One).

There are six characters whose only card is a Rare, but said card has an R+ alternative printing: Michalis (Red), Mila (Red), Eyvel (Yellow, although she has four more cards under her Brigid identity, including another Rare), Idunn (Purple), the Medallion (Green, although there are two more cards featuring the released Yune), and Naga (Blue).

Characters whose only card is a Rare without having an R+ variant include Phina (Red), Medeus (Red), Silvia (Yellow), Lene (Yellow), Saias (Yellow), Lara (Yellow), Larum (Purple), Ursula (Purple), Sonia (Purple), Tethys (Purple), Valter (Purple), Caineghis (Green), Validar (Blue), Jeralt (Brown), and Kronya (Brown). This “category” is heavily populated by dancers, who frequently received only one card.

The Most Higher-Rarity Cards

Of the 171 unit names who received Super Rare (SR) cards, Ike tops the list as the single unit name with the most, at 6, with runner-ups Chrom, Marth and male Corrin close behind at 5. Once again, though, if one were to tally all the different unit names covering the same character together, Corrin leapfrogs ahead by a massive margin, clocking in at 10 across their three unit names, while Robin now also ties with Chrom and Marth at 5.

Similarly, there were 136 SR+ alternate prints of SR cards spread across 91 unit names, and of these, Marth received the most, at 5, followed by Ike and Azura. While Corrin, among others, does once again leap significantly up the rankings if one combines different unit names for the same character, for once they don’t outright win, but instead tie with Marth.

Part 4: Character Representation

How Many Characters Are In Cipher?

A grand total of 651 characters, spread across 674 distinct unit names (alternate identities, gender variants, etc.) were featured in Cipher.

The Most Complete Games

Five games comprise the “perfect attendance” crew, wherein every single one of their playable characters has at least one card: the mainline games Awakening, Fates, Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and Three Houses, as well as the spinoff Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Naturally, all of these games were released in the 2010s. Granted, Tokyo Mirage Sessions only has a principal playable cast of fourteen, so that one is less of an achievement.

That said, their inroads into their non-playable casts are generally less comprehensive. Awakening and Fates more or less hit all their major ones, with the most “important” missing characters from each respectively being Phila and Anthony, while Shadows of Valentia and Three Houses are far more spotty. Tokyo Mirage Sessions also has only three members of its supporting cast covered.

The Most Incomplete Games

The game with the most missing playable characters is, predictably, the perennially neglected Thracia 776. 20 of its playable characters are missing: Dagdar, Marty, Callion, Glade, Keane, Alba, Robert, Xavier, Conomor, Brighton, Hicks, Dahlson, Amalda (the only missing playable woman from the game), Ilios, Schroff, Troude, Salem, Homeros, Ralph and Galzus.

Thracia 776 also has the most incomplete selection of non-playable characters, as only one villain (Reinhardt, again predictably) and one NPC (August) ever received cards. This also makes Thracia 776 one of only two games to be missing their main antagonist, Raydrik (the other is arguably Shadows of Valentia, depending on how one views it: Jedah is in, but Duma and Rudolf are not).

The next least complete is more of a surprise. The Archanea games (taken together) are missing 17 playable characters. This breaks down into 9 who originated in Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light (Boah, Dolph, Macellan, Tomas, Beck, Lorenz, Roger, Caesar and Radd), two from Mystery of the Emblem (Cecil and Warren), one from Shadow Dragon (Ymir), and all of the BS Fire Emblem originals except Malice. The absence of Cecil also makes Mystery of the Emblem Book 2 and New Mystery of the Emblem the only mainline games who are missing any members of their starting party in Cipher.

For the record, the remaining games’ playable character absence break down as follows:

Genealogy of the Holy War: 5 (Creidne, Rodrubán, Deimne, Mana, Hawke) All of Genealogy's absences are just substitute units, so one could argue that Genealogy is technically complete depending on how one feels about the substitutes.

The Binding Blade: 5 (Treck, Yoder, Garret, Geese, Zeiss)

The Blazing Blade: 4 (Isadora, Harken, Dart, Geitz)

The Sacred Stones: 2 (Moulder, Duessel)

Path of Radiance: 1 (Giffca)

Radiant Dawn: 3 (Renning*, Giffca, Nealuchi) Renning has one card as his Bertram identity from Path of Radiance, but not as himself; whether you want to count him is a matter of opinion.

The Game with the Most Enemies

Cipher always heavily prioritized playable characters and generally chose to keep enemies to an occasional dripfeed. One major exception arose halfway through its lifespan, and appropriately enough, it was Genealogy of the Holy War, a game which already boasts one of the largest casts of major antagonists in the entire series. A record thirteen of its non-playable bosses/villains/enemies received cards: Arvis, Travant, Lombard, Eldigan, Díthorba, Pamela, Manfroy, Julius, Arion, Ishtar, Banba, Fótla, and Ériu. It also has the highest number of such enemies who received Super Rare cards, with four (Arvis, Eldigan, Julius, and Ishtar).

Admittedly, this figure is somewhat padded out by the rather unusual decision to include the Díthorba/Pamela pair and the Banba/Fótla/Ériu trio despite them all being relatively unimportant palette swaps of each other.

It also says a lot that despite all of this, there were still many major Genealogy villains who never made it into Cipher! Among the most noticeable absences are Reptor, Blume, Chagall, Hilda, and Jamke’s two brothers.

The Game with the Most Cutscene-only Non-Playable Characters

Likewise, the Tellius games have an above average number of cards featuring NPCs who are never encountered as units in gameplay, with a total of eight: Elena, Rajaion, Almedha, Altina, Soan, Ashunera, Yune, and - most uniquely - Lehran’s Medallion, which received the only card in all of Cipher whose subject is an inanimate object and (technically) not a character. Notably, a substantial proportion of these characters are historical figures who are long dead by the time of the games’ events, another occurrence that is virtually unique to Cipher’s coverage of Tellius.

Given that the Tellius games also have a very healthy selection of general non-playable units (bosses and NPCs alike) who got cards (Greil/Gawain, Ashnard, Petrine, Bryce, Gromell, Izuka, Dheginsea, Ashera, and the Disciple of Order), they also overall have the highest number of non-playable characters, clocking in at 18 (this figure can expand to 19 if you’re willing to count Zelgius as non-playable). Adding bosses puts them well ahead of Genealogy, which only gains two additional NPCs (Annand and young Aoife - as with Zelgius, your mileage may vary on whether the latter should count) on top of all of the bosses with cards.

Major absences

Four final bosses, hailing from five games, are absent from Cipher: Duma (Gaiden/Shadows of Valentia), Veld (Thracia 776), the fire dragon (The Blazing Blade), and Aelfric/the Umbral Beast (Three Houses’ Cindered Shadows story). Naturally, no justification for their absence has ever emerged, but the fire dragon, at least, is understandable; however, Duma and Aelfric are very strange given the intense amounts of Shadows of Valentia and Three Houses content in Cipher.

Comparisons to other crossovers

By its nature, Cipher has by a massive margin more characters present than any other Fire Emblem crossover work, and this record is not likely to be beaten unless Intelligent Systems decides to produce another card game. Even so, its coverage was not comprehensive, and indeed, sometimes there are characters featured in other crossovers but not in Cipher, and vice versa. There is something to be said for comparing each game’s character selections, and considering their different priorities.

At the time that Cipher ended, there were eight crossover characters who were present in Heroes but who had never been featured in Cipher: Eremiya, Rudolf, Duma, Kempf, Geese (the only one of these characters who was playable in his game of origin), Bramimond, Jorge, and Mustafa. If you count OCs, the total figure expands to 17 with Gustav, Henriette, Gunnthrá, Laegjarn, Helbindi, Hríd, Ylgr, Hel, and Freyja. Naturally, this number has since increased and will only continue to do so as time goes on; notable subsequent crossover inclusions who never saw the light of day in Cipher include Duessel, Caellach, Veld, and Solon.

There are 60 characters who received cards in the original Fire Emblem Trading Card Game from the early 2000s, but not Cipher: 13 from Mystery, 23 from Genealogy, and 24 from Thracia 776. This is due to the former game’s decision to feature the complete playable casts (and in the case of Genealogy, virtually all villains of importance) of the few games which it featured. As a consequence, every playable Jugdrali and Archanean character (except Ymir, who didn’t exist at the time, and the remaining five BSFE originals) has at least one card of some kind, even if it’s not Cipher.

There are four characters who were present in Awakening’s Spotpass material but not Cipher: Dagdar, Salem, Raydrik, and Moulder. As you can see, that figure is weighted quite heavily toward Thracia 776; notably, despite his critical importance as the game’s primary villain, Awakening is the only crossover since the original TCG to include Raydrik at all!

Surprisingly, given its narrow scope, there are six characters who made it into Tokyo Mirage Sessions in some form who are not present in Cipher: Lorenz (Archanea), Dolph, Macellan, Garrick, Pheros, and Cervantes. The Archanean characters in question are all playable units (and armored!) in their original game, while the Awakening ones are all bosses. For most of them, it’s understandable why Cipher skipped them (although it seems reasonable that had Cipher continued, the Awakening ones might have made it in for the sake of new blood, given that Awakening already had all of its major characters in). However, Lorenz is arguably one of the most important characters left to have never been featured in Cipher, given his significance to the first act of Mystery of the Emblem.

Understandably, given its focus on superpopular characters, there are no characters who were featured in Warriors but not Cipher. Of Warriors’ cast of original characters, only Velezark, Yelena and Oskar never received cards in Cipher.

Part 5: Artists and Autographs

The single most prolific artist in Cipher was Mayo (@mayomoyo). A total of 126 cards feature distinct art from her! The character that she drew the most frequently was Randal, with 6 cards, followed by Caeda and Delthea (5 apiece).

In Cipher’s lifetime, there were 115 alternate prints of cards that featured autographs, usually from that character’s voice actor. The voice actors who signed the most cards were Yū Kobayashi and Satomi Satō, who signed four cards each - the former solely for Lucina cards, and the latter for cards for both female Corrin and female Kana. The runner-up is Nobunaga Shimazaki, who autographed three cards for male Corrin and male Kana.

There are three cards that were autographed by individuals who are not voice actors:

B04-018SR+ Marth: Hero-King of Light was autographed by Maki Hakoda, the card’s artist, instead of voice actor Hikaru Midorikawa (who had previously autographed a Marth card in Series 1, and would do so again in Series 17).

B05-048SR+ Narcian: Cunning Wyvern General was autographed by Kōtarō Yamada, the card’s artist. As this card predated Heroes, Narcian did not have a voice actor at the time.

B09-051SR+ Al: Blue Champion was autographed by both Hiroshi Izawa and Kōtarō Yamada, the author and illustrator of the Sword of the Champion manga; Yamada also illustrated this card. This card is the only card to have been autographed by more than one person. Al does not have a voice actor.

Despite everything, despite there being a total of 115 autographed cards, there are four main protagonists who never received autographed cards at all: Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, and male Byleth. There are two likely reasons why the former three never got them:

At the time that their first cards were produced, none of them had voice actors. (Seliph debuted in Heroes with a voice actor, Yūma Uchida, a month before the launch of his first appearance in Cipher, Series 8, but Series 8 would have been in production well before that point.)

Cipher generally favored giving Jugdral characters alternate art that formed joined panoramas for their + card variants, something that (with the sole exception of Series 5) is mutually exclusive with having autographs.

Ultimately, the Yellow symbol and the Jugdral setting have the fewest autographed cards by far, only getting two - Deirdre and Lachesis (both released long after their respective Heroes debuts) - and is also the only setting/symbol to have absolutely none of its protagonists ever get an autographed card (although they each got their fair share of alternate art + cards).

The absence of an autographed male Byleth, however, is rather inexplicable; although he did get an un-autographed SR+ card, he is the only Brown/Three Houses protagonist not to receive an autographed one. Indeed, female Byleth received multiple autographed cards! (Even if one was from a starter deck rather than being a rare or super rare card.)

Appendix

This is the spreadsheet that was used in the writing of this article. It includes details on which games were attributed to which cards, an appendix laying out the criteria by which attribution was made, sorted lists of characters by card count (including the SR-specific lists), and the original versions of the article’s charts.

This spreadsheet that tracks appearances in Fire Emblem spinoffs and crossovers was also used to compare and contrast character representation across each. It has a series of filters that you can use to highlight which characters appear in which combinations of games (e.g. "Who appeared in the 2000s TCG, but not Cipher?")

The total number of cards identified for the "distinct cards" figure was the basis for all of the other statistical analyses (character card counts, symbol card counts). The standard for inclusion in this figure is having a unique card ID, and hence this figure takes the following cards into account:

Promotional cards that are reprints of starter or booster cards with alternate art are counted, as they have unique card IDs.

Alternate reprint variants of cards where the ID is not unique beyond an added or changed rarity suffix are not counted. This affects + and X higher-rarity prints, ST reprints of booster pack cards, and PRr reprints of promotional cards. An exception is made for B11-101+X(S04-003ST) Camilla: Bewitching Malig Knight, given its unique card ID and unusual circumstances of release: unlike other +X cards, it was produced long after the original card and features even more significant changes than usual for +X cards circa Series 9-12.

The five April Fools cards (prefix "USO-") are not counted, since they were never physically released and are not included in the official website's card database. (Previous versions of this analysis inadvertently included them in the statistics; the data has since been updated to remove them.)

#fire emblem

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four-loose-screws · 3 years

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An Interview with Mr. Toshiyuki Toyonaga about Fire Emblem (Claude‘s Japanese VA), Pgs. 1 & 2

The gaming magazine scene is still a pretty big deal in Japan to this day. Admittedly... I only cared about them to collect the giant bonus posters. I always swore I would read the magazine, but with the hours in a day being so limited, I never did.

Until last November, that is!! I bought Nindori (Nintendo Dream) for a Zelda poster, and saw that the main article of the issue was... An interview with Claude’s Japanese VA!! Now that’s the real treasure!!

And as I read, it only got more and more interesting... turns out Mr. Toshiyuki Toyonaga has been a Fire Emblem fan since the very, very beginning, and has all the unique feelings towards FE of someone who is simultaneously a fan and a professional.

I’ve gone to hell and back slowly working my way through this translation. It just so happened to be at a really high level of Japanese. One of the fun things about being a translator is, you never really know exactly what’s going to be a challenge to translate for you. (Even kid’s books can use a bunch of words you don’t know and throw you in for a loop sometimes.)

And now, it’s finally ready to start posting!! Please enjoy it to your heart’s content!!

However... the interview doesn’t start until page 3, so everyone will have to wait until the next post before you can start to read it. ^^’ For now, enjoy some awesome commentary from Senri Kita, on her illustration for the promo card that came with this issue!

Pg. 1 (pg. 12 in the magazine)

Fire Emblem Cipher Finale Special Feature

Fire Emblem Party

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Fire Emblem (FE) series. The release of the 22nd booster set in October is the grand finale of the TCG FE Cipher, and the promo card included with this magazine will also be the final one. As such, we included a special feature about Claude, the character featured on the card, and the history of Fire Emblem! Please enjoy this lavish party!

Voice Actor of Claude in “Three Houses”

An Interview with Mr. Toshiyuki Toyonaga

About Three Houses & the 30th Anniversary

Pg. 14 ->

Introduction of a Deck w/ the Promo Card + New Booster Set Information

Hero Research Lab

Pg. 22 ->

Promo Card

“Secret Dance Prodigy

Claude (Fodlan)”

Enclosed in the back of the magazine ->

-> The formal event outfit that Claude can be changed into if you purchase the DLC

Claude (Fodlan)※, from “FE Three Houses,” the latest release in the FE series. This card is part of a set with the other class leaders, Edelgard and Dimitri, who were included in previous issues. Because this is the finale, Claude is wearing formal clothing, and the card is holographic!

(above) The scene from “FE Three Houses” that is portrayed on the card. It is from the Officer’s Academy ball.

※Claude (Fodlan): Because there is another character with the same name in “Genealogy of the Holy War,” Claude is called “Claude of Fodlan” in FE Cipher. (T/N: This distinction does not apply in English, as Claud and Claude are spelled differently. Both are クロード in Japanese.)

Pg. 2 (pg. 13 in the magazine)

making

[rough sketch] The scene for this art is the ball, so I decided to use warm tones, and bring the entire piece together with an orange-gold color. I arranged the information that I wanted to convey (that Claude is drawing the hand to him) in such a way that it would not be covered by the card icons or frame.

[midway progress] I cleaned up the lines that I drew loosely on the rough draft. I also created different layers for the outline and the colors to make it easier to color when the time came.

[finished drawing] I adjusted Claude’s right hand to give it depth, then added another chandelier in the background. When I finished coloring the entire piece, I adjusted it to fit the color scheme I had first imagined. Finally, I added the glittering lights as a finishing touch.

comment

“There’s only one expression that Claude would have in an illustration on the dance floor at the ball!” I thought, and drew him winking. I thought it would be fun for it to seem like his dance was gradually pulling in the wallflowers, so I created that feeling. I left it up to imagination whose hand he is pulling (because everyone is wearing formal clothing that’s different from their casual outfits). I also studied all the art I had of him as closely as I possibly could to get his face just right. I wanted his personality to come out in the illustration, so I hope I got it right!

Senri Kita

An illustrator. She’s worked as a designer and pixel artist at several game development companies, and was the illustrator for FE: Path of Radiance (GameCube), as well as the pixel artist for Kirby: Squeak Squad (DS). Freelancer since 2006. For FE Cipher, she’s provided the art for many characters, including Ike (from Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn) and Gatekeeper (from Three Houses), who’s always standing in his unique spot. She is an active creator of character art and other illustrations for the app game Fire Emblem Heroes.

#fire emblem #fe #fe16 #three houses #claude #claude von reigen #toshiyuki toyonaga #nindori #nintendo #nintendo dream #switch #nintendo switch #japan #japanese #translation #claude va interview

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josefavomjaaga · 3 years

Text

Letters from Naples. 1813

All these letters are still from the first half of the year, before Murat (for the last time) joined forces with Napoleon in August 1813. Most of them are only postscripts to “official letters” (which were likely to be opened and read by secret police), some even using an extra secret cipher not used on other occasions, if only to give you this special “007″-feeling.

Translated again from “Helfert, Joachim Murat”.

Mier to Metternich [French, in ciphers].

Naples 16 March 1813.

My Lord Count!

The sort of mystery put from the beginning into the sending of Prince Cariati to Vienna, and the rumours which circulate in the public on the object of his mission, can only cause offence to the French government and will necessarily increase the bad blood of the Emperor Napoleon towards the King, which is already sufficiently pronounced without it. Since his arrival in Naples the king has not received a word from the Emperor; the queen has had two letters, but she thought she had to conceal them from her husband because of their content. The Duke of Berthier told the king at the moment of his leaving the army to return to Naples, that he believed him to be too good a Frenchman not to be sure that he would willingly sacrifice his crown if the interests of France required it. This statement, which the King supposes to have been ordered by the Emperor to prepare him for what he must expect, has increased his distrust and anxiety for the preservation of his kingdom. Knowing the King's character, I fear that this will lead him to some step contrary to his position and his true interests, and will give France a pretext of necessity for the realisation of a project which perhaps for the moment should not yet be put into execution. The departure of the Queen would be in this respect a real calamity for this country, because she prevents by her wise and reasoned advice, and her pleas, many steps dictated by the first movement of the King's hot temper, and which would end up by completely dividing him from the Emperor. At first, on his return, he intended to summon the Estates or Deputies of the kingdom and have himself crowned of the Two Sicilies; it was only by dint of persuasion and entreaties that the Queen succeeded in turning him away from this project.

Accept etc

Mier

Prince Cariati was Murat’s special envoy sent to Vienna to start negotiations with Austria, apparently behind Caroline’s back.

Metternich to Mier [French, concept; original in ciphers].

Vienna, 20 April 1813. By Neopolitan courier.

Prince Cariati has acquitted himself to me of the commission he is charged with. He told me that the King desired only the preservation of the throne of Naples; that he would renounce his claims to Sicily and was not aiming at any acquisitions; convinced, however, that his existence would sooner or later be threatened by the great preponderance of France, and knowing the liberal views of our august master, H. M. wished to have a guarantee which would ensure his future existence; that this guarantee could only be given to him by Austria, and that the king was ready, on the other hand, to support our approach, if necessary, by all his military forces.

I answered Prince Cariati that the policy of the Emperor did not require to be commented on, that it was sufficiently known in Europe to be generally appreciated at its just value. That we desired only a state of peace deserving of the name; that far from any excess in our designs, and not subjecting the good to the prospects of an often illusory better, we had succeeded in winning the confidence of all the great powers to the point of seeing them, France not excepted, solicit us to change the subordinate attitude of a merely intervening power into that of mediator. That consequently His Imperial Majesty was assembling great military forces to support his words of peace and to bring them to a successful conclusion; but that the mediating Power had no longer any choice; that he could only hope to succeed in so far as he was actually prepared to support his words by war.

As Prince Cariati kept repeating to me that this was undoubtedly the King's way of judging these questions, and that His Majesty had only the most pronounced desire to prove to us that he would be able to uphold, against all odds, the commitments which he had made, I asked him if he had sufficiently precise instructions to enter into a real negotiation with us and full powers to complete it. He replied that he did not; that he felt that full powers were necessary for our own safety, but that as for the instructions I could be assured that the King's views were invariable, and that those which His Majesty had expressed to him at the time of his departure from Naples were confined to the widest possible latitude.

The present courier (an officer of the guards who accompanied Prince Cariati here) is sent by him in secret to Naples. He asks for full powers. You will not have, Count, to meddle in the substance of an affair which is very delicate in itself, and you will keep strictly to the terms of my answer to Prince Cariati above, without taking a step to engage the King to send the document requested by his envoy. You will add, however, that the Emperor nourishes particular feelings of esteem for the King; that His Majesty's policy is entirely conservative, and that he only wishes to see the King rule the people who have devoted all their attachment to him, and that His Majesty is very sensitive to the marks of confidence which this Prince gives him. You can be sure that no evidence of this feeling has ever caused regret to any power.

As Prince Cariati is making his report to the Duke of Gallo, you can speak to him about the present communication, and you will testify to him with the confidence which we personally have in him the conviction that, if we are ready to listen to the King, it is up to him to provide his Envoy with all diplomatic guarantees.

You will also satisfy yourselves that by virtue of the present instructions you have little to add to what I have lately prescribed to you.

If I’m not mistaken the “Duc de Gallo” was minister of foreign affairs in Naples. His ... ability to adapt to several consecutive goverments at odds with each other would later result in a rather awkward situation for him: He refused to go to Vienna for the Congress of 1814 because there he would have met his ex-queen, Maria Carolina of Habsburg.

Mier to Metternich [French, in special ciphers, "très sécrèt"].

Naples this 27 April 1813.

On the return of the King I will carry out your orders, I distrust the minister too much to speak to him about it. He is persuaded of the forthcoming reunion of this country with the great Empire, and always thinking more of his own interests than those of his country and his sovereign, he does everything possible to win the goodwill of the new French government in advance and thereby secure lucrative positions for himself under the new reign. He is known as such from the past and his present conduct has not earned him an appreciation. X. also advised me not to confide in him too much.

I have the honour to be ut in litteris

Mier.

Yes. “X.” would mean “Joachim”. We have literally reached the level of a Bond movie now.

Mier to Metternich [French, in particular ciphers, "très sécrèt"].

this 30 April 1813.

We have consulted with X. about what to say to his wife. I will always keep strictly to your orders, but do not let me miss your instructions. X. requests your friendly advice on what he should say, do, ask, stipulate, promising to follow your advice in everything. All that is required is the preservation of the present fortune and independence.

I have the honour etc.

The book’s author adds a footnote here with an interesting remark:

In Nicomede Bianchi "Storia docum. della Diplomazia europea in Italia I" p. 2 we find the assertion that Metternich had already made contact with Caroline Murat in Paris, and that he had succeeded in turning her away from her imperial brother; Caroline had thus become "nelle mani del principe di Metternich il migliore instrumento per sospingere il re di Napoli a passare nel campo de' nemici della sua patria e del suo benefattore".... Since the "X" of the despatches I reproduced can only refer to King Joachim, and "sa femme" is therefore Caroline Murat, who at that time cannot yet have been fully aware of the contacts with the Viennese Cabinet, this results in the opposite of Bianchi's assertion, which, incidentally, would also be in irresolvable contradiction with other facts and circumstances.

My personal footnote to the above letter: May I find it a little piquant to see Murat ask Metternich for advice on how to break the news to Caroline? “Dear Metternich, as you have slept with my wife, how do you think I should got about this?”

Mier to Metternich [French, in ciphers, postscript 1].

Naples 29 June 1813

My Lord Count!

The article of the Moniteur relating to the isle of Ponza has enraged the King, to the point of making him ill. He has sent Mr. Durand, Minister of France, a very strong note on this subject which states, among other things, that this is the second time that the French gazettes have taken it upon themselves to insult him, and that at the third such article he would respond by dismissing the Minister of France from his State.

The Emperor Napoleon intends to ask the King of Naples again for 20,000 men.

His Majesty gave a negative answer, declaring that not a company of his army would leave the kingdom unless commanded by him in person.

All these measures of the Emperor persuade the King more and more that Emperor Napoleon nurses hostile designs against him and that he would have already put them into execution if he were not too busy on another side. Not omitting any occasion to humiliate him, doing everything to finally weary his patience he has the air of provoking him and finding a pretext of his annihilation in the resistance to his will.

The King sets himself up for any event, and I am convinced that only one Senatus Consult is needed to deprive him of his kingdom.

I have the honour to be ut in litteris

Once more we have Murat getting ill when under stress or in great emotional turmoil. And this time, Mier even has an extra secret postscript to the secret postscript:

Mier to Metternich [French, in special ciphers, 'très sécrèt', postcript 2]

this 29th June 1813.

Napoleon has had the Queen informed that war with Austria was inevitable; that he needed troops; that consequently she should engage the King to place 20,000 men at the disposal of the Viceroy of Italy. Their Majesties await with impatience the answer to Cariati's proposals in order to know the course to be followed in the event of war between Austria and France. The King is still determined to support our interests

Please give me your instructions on the conduct I should follow in the event of war with France

I have the honour etc.

If this is true, if it really was already known in Naples by the end of June that Napoleon wanted war with Austria (which means that Napoleon must have been decided already at the beginning of the armistice and a long time before his meeting with Metternich in Dresden), this is diametrically opposed to the claim of Napoleon-friendly historians, who tend to accuse the allies of not having been sincere in their peace proposals in mid-1813. And it makes me feel like crying, considering how many people at this point put all their hopes in Napoleon making peace. Which he apparently never even seriously considered.

#joachim murat #helfert murat #1813 #napoleon #italy1813 #naples #letters #metternich #caroline murat

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unironicduncanstan · 3 years

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the “Tangodeltaindia” blog explained,

aka my brain has cringe spots on it and needs to be inspected by the FDA

hi my names randi/uni and i created a total drama island themed ARG two months ago on a whim that almost no one interacted with bc i started off way too niche and difficult, so i kinda just went increasingly off the rails because i knew most likely no one was monitoring my posts and i could just make a real cursed hidden tomb that could one day be discovered by someone in a goonies esque unveiling. but then i got lice and now im sad and uncomfortable so i’m just gonna explain the entire damn thing in one shot. its absolutely batshit and theres a reason no one uncovered it ok here we go;;;

first of all the name. its so stupid but. ‘tango delta india’ = ‘tdi’ in the NATO phonetic alphabet. it just felt like a funny place to start that implies its gonna be a puzzle blog idk,

moving on to the actual content tho; some of the earlier posts mean p much nothing and were just an attempt to draw people in, such as the mr coconut ‘like if you agree’ or the ‘let him inside hes cold’ posts.

then theres the cipher (x). it was posted shortly after the height of the ‘using total drama reference pictures to make an alphabet’ meme. in case anybody didnt see that; for a while it was a joke in the fandom to take the transparent references of total drama characters, and line them up, using them like hieroglyphics to make translatable pictures. its supposed to correspond to the alphabet, based on the first letter of their first name. an example could be, alejandro = a, bridgette = b, and so on. there was no solidly set alphabet amongst the fandom though, it was self explanatory most of the time so i made my own solid personal cipher key for that blog to make the whole thing easier.

NOW ONTO THE FIRST PUZZLE POST,,,, (x). theres a scene, a string of text, the cipher key, and a link to a decoder. the way to decode it all is to plug the characters on screen into the tangodeltaindia cipher key, and then plug That translation into the decoder website, and then finally paste in the text under the photo.

the website linked is to a Caesar cipher decoder. the Caesar cipher is just a code where the alphabet is assigned to numbers (a=1, z=26), and to encode something with it you can move this pattern however you want as long as you keep the regular sequence of alphabet and numbers. so you could scootch over One letter, and “abc” would now say “bcd”. so on and so forth.

looking at the scene + my own total drama reference cipher, alejandro = A, and the beaver = 1, which gives A1. so you could now follow the link to the website, press ‘decode’, and paste in the text under the picture. the ‘shift’ in the middle is automatically set to ‘7′, or as it shows, a -> h, meaning ‘a’ has been moved over by 7 letters. so if you set the shift to just 1 over, or A1, now you can translate the text. it reads;

“lets start simple. after all, a trail of breadcrumbs begins with a loaf. whats the harm in another long winded fandom meme. another inside joke. and arent you curious whats truly lurking inside?”

edgy! simple! kinda just a test to see if people would do it or not. which they didnt so of course i tried to make it weirder-

puzzle 2; (x) using the exact same translation rules as above. we have alejandro and the snake, which with the tangodeltaindia cipher key means A6. going to the website, putting it in ‘decode’ mode, pasting in your text, and setting the shift to ‘6′ gives you this translation.

“in his eyes are an island. nothing but a dream, born out of going to bed angry. sink or swim.”

this was just hinting around at where the story was gonna go so it’ll make more sense later. something else to note; if you zoom all the way in and look into alejandros eye (’in his eyes’), you’ll see the word ‘Thera’. ~thats a surprise tool that will help us later~

so after this one, there are two non-puzzle posts that are also just hints (i was just tryna see if i could get people hyped), the first is a close up picture of chris with red eyes that simply says “those arent his eyes”, and then a post that says “his real names not chris :)”, they’re again referencing his eyes, and this time further implying theres something fake or wrong about them, or with chris as a person. again, it’ll be explained better later on.

moving on to puzzle 3 (x), another test to see if anyones keeping up (which also failed josdfjsdfkjs), using the same translation rules, dj = a dash or minus, and the snail = 5, “-5″, shift the letter ‘A’ BACK five instead of forward, and you get the simple translation of; “getting harder now.”

puzzle 4 and 5; at this point, there are two images posted within hours of each other that i’ll explain together as they line up. (x) (x)

These are some of the only ones that can be translated from just the tangodeltaindia key directly. They end up a string of numbers, which are latitude and longitude coordinates. The first post, labelled “the lie”, translates into “45.57394802102744, -81.46817207492494″. googling that will take you to maps and show you to a place called Lonely Island in Canada.

The second one, “the truth”, translates into “36.404663113177534, 25.39605673375295″, taking you to Santorini, Greece.

This is where the hints got really out there bc i realized nobody was following along but i still wanted to paint a picture. so this is the set up;;; the idea that the ‘island’ (camp wawanakwa) existing somewhere in canada, is a lie. the ‘true’ location being santorini isnt meant to be taken at face value though. the mythology behind santorini is that a man impregnated a goddess and to escape the wrath of her father (triton), she formed the island (santorini) by having her lover throw clay into the sea, and then she gave birth to her son, Theras, on this island, giving the island it’s Other nickname, Thera.

this is again just a vague implication that the island might not be real at all, or that it was formed through cosmic means.

the next two posts are more non-puzzle hints, the first showing the definition of the word ‘fresh’ (new), and the second being images of total drama backgrounds with no characters and the text reading “they were always empty.” more, admittedly very outlandish implications that the island is some kind of illusion, but again mostly just another try to drag people into the blog.

puzzle 6. (x) this one introduces a new concept to the regular translation rules, some of the characters are laying down. its kinda supposed to imply they’re “dead” and that you need to take their corresponding letters out of the alphabet given on the Caesar cipher page, below the shift. The upright characters translate to “-9″, so you shift ‘A’ back 9 letters. Then remove the letters; “TH-E-R-A-S”, and with those letters taken out, you can finally translate the text.

“he creates life solely to destroy it. to crush it in his hands. he births chaos so that he may have something to control. the power has given him madness. the isolation, arrogance. don't try to stop him, he's already chosen to be unstoppable. his mind is a perfectly crafted prison, one we will all soon be living in.”

this is where the story gets more on the nose. it’s talking about chris, and about him being an unstoppable cosmic force, a diety who can create worlds within his own mind, and he does so maliciously just for power. hes created the campers through mental energy just to torment them. it also hints that his plan is to expand the world of total drama island and engulf the whole universe.

puzzle 7. (x) same as the last puzzle. beaver and moose translate to ‘1-0′ or ten. the characters lying down to remove from the caesar cipher alphabet are “T-U-L-P-A”. this doesnt have anything to do with the modern way some ppl interact with tulpas but just the actual idea of creating thoughtforms, or willing your thoughts into real life creations, referencing how chris has created the entire island and everyone on it solely through his mind. with those letters removed and the shift set forward 10, you get this:

“his psychic power is unfathomable. the reality he bore was just a passing thought. an idea that became so dangerous. he predates the idea of a mind, the minds own ability to recognize itself, his synapses are paradoxically ancient. the island exists only within himself, to torment the souls hes created, and damned from the start. will they ever be free?”

it states that chris is more than a man or even just a diety, hes an all powerful god already, yet he craves more power. the final line, “will they ever be free” is in reference to the campers, which segways into the next arc;;; freeing the campers from chris’ psychic island imprisonment.

puzzle 8. (x) to solve this one you have to translate the top image with the tangodeltaindia cipher key, and add it to the text given, which creates a link. this leads to a PDF, a page from a book written by terence mckenna. he’s a famous ethnobotanist known best for his studies on DMT, the strongest hallucinogenic drug in the world, its also known as the spirit molecule. many people on this drug (without any prior knowledge of this phenomenon) will recount meeting strange fractal beings that can create things in the universe just by speaking them into existence, theyve come to be known as ‘machine elves’, a term coined by mckenna. ill show the most important excerpt from the page;

this is less about the psychedelic drug part and more about the words and ideas, like “punching a hole through a dimension so it pours through” and “if god didnt exist man would invent him”. its more worldbuilding towards chris’ power and cosmic abilities

then come 2 more clues. a picture of chris holding his own body captioned ‘ego death’, and the meaning behind the name ‘chris mcclean’. the latter is another “please look over here” post, but the first is another minor reference to the previous puzzles answer involving DMT and terence mckenna. ‘ego death’ is a term again used with strong psychedelic drugs, its the sensation that your spirit as you know it is literally Dying, and you are instead connected to and a part of everything around you. another reference to chris’ power and how he may look like a man but his body and spirit are connected to the world hes built in unfathomable ways. at this point im cementing the idea that chris mclean is not a mortal man and cannot be fought with mortal weapons

puzzle 9. (x) this one was an attempt to make easier to solve puzzles, and comes with a visual of chris looming over the island. the text is in wingdings, which can be translated through multiple websites found through google. it says;

“s︎o︎o︎n︎ h︎e︎ w︎i︎l︎l︎ s︎l︎e︎e︎p.︎ h︎e︎ w︎i︎l︎l︎ d︎r︎e︎a︎m︎ a︎ n︎e︎w︎ h︎e︎l︎l︎,︎ a︎n︎d︎ t︎h︎a︎t︎ w︎i︎l︎l︎ b︎e︎ o︎u︎r︎ o︎n︎l︎y︎ c︎h︎a︎n︎c︎e︎,︎ t︎o︎ s︎a︎v︎e︎ h︎i︎s︎ c︎r︎e︎a︎t︎i︎o︎n︎s︎,︎ a︎n︎d︎ f︎r︎e︎e︎ t︎h︎o︎s︎e︎ w︎h︎o︎ w︎e︎r︎e︎ n︎e︎v︎e︎r︎ d︎e︎s︎i︎g︎n︎e︎d︎ t︎o︎ b︎e︎ f︎r︎e︎e︎.︎ t︎h︎i︎s︎ m︎a︎y︎ c︎o︎m︎e︎ a︎t︎ a︎ c︎o︎s︎t︎.︎ t︎h︎e︎ n︎i︎g︎h︎t︎m︎a︎r︎e︎ m︎u︎s︎t︎ e︎n︎d︎,︎ t︎h︎e︎ o︎u︎r︎o︎b︎o︎r︎o︎s︎ o︎f︎ h︎i︎s︎ s︎y︎n︎c︎o︎pe︎ m︎u︎s︎t︎ c︎l︎o︎s︎e︎,︎ b︎u︎t︎ i︎t︎ m︎a︎y︎ t︎u︎r︎n︎ o︎u︎r︎ e︎f︎f︎o︎r︎t︎s︎ o︎f︎ s︎a︎l︎v︎a︎t︎i︎o︎n︎ t︎o︎ d︎u︎s︎t︎.︎ o︎u︎r︎ f︎i︎g︎h︎t︎ m︎i︎g︎h︎t︎ e︎n︎d︎ i︎n︎ s︎a︎c︎r︎i︎f︎i︎c︎e︎,︎ r︎e︎n︎d︎e︎r︎i︎n︎g︎ h︎i︎s︎ l︎a︎s︎t︎ i︎n︎v︎e︎n︎t︎i︎o︎n︎ b︎u︎t︎ a︎ c︎e︎a︎s︎e︎l︎e︎s︎s︎ v︎o︎i︎d︎.︎ w︎e︎ m︎a︎y︎ s︎e︎e︎ h︎o︎r︎r︎o︎r︎s︎ t︎h︎a︎t︎ c︎a︎u︎s︎e︎ t︎h︎e︎ s︎t︎a︎r︎s︎ t︎o︎ s︎h︎u︎d︎d︎e︎r︎,︎ b︎u︎t︎ w︎e︎ m︎u︎s︎t︎ t︎a︎ke︎ t︎h︎i︎s︎ c︎h︎a︎n︎c︎e︎.︎ w︎e︎ h︎a︎v︎e︎ n︎o︎t︎h︎i︎n︎g︎ t︎o︎ l︎o︎s︎e︎,︎ a︎n︎d︎ a︎ w︎o︎r︎l︎d︎ o︎f︎ n︎o︎t︎h︎i︎n︎g︎n︎e︎s︎s︎ t︎o︎ e︎n︎d︎.︎ m︎a︎y︎ t︎h︎e︎ s︎e︎a︎ s︎w︎a︎l︎l︎o︎w︎ u︎p h︎i︎s︎ i︎s︎l︎a︎n︎d︎ o︎f︎ l︎i︎e︎s︎.︎ g︎o︎d︎ pr︎o︎t︎e︎c︎t︎ y︎o︎u︎.︎”

this is essentially saying that the island, the campers, werent all just created from his mind, but from his dreams. this confirms that he Sleeps, and claims hes going to sleep again soon, and during that time period theres a chance to kill him before he can dream up another world (or season) to control and torment. its also saying that theres a chance killing him will destroy the island and campers, but that its the only choice we would have to end the cycle. hey guys i am so bored and over the years i have been on every stimulant and anti depressant doctors are legally allowed to prescribe and its still just not quite there yet huh

puzzle 10. (x) the video, the title translates to “the island of his eye”. its just meant to encapsulate everything ive already been hinting around at but with real footage and some audios taken from the show, and again, it was me tryna make some lore that was easy to digest and also terrifying to an audience with no other context. the final images are the only new clues, if you pause fast enough you can barely make out the characters that (paired with the tangodeltaindia cipher key) would say “set them free”, and you can also see an aerial view of what is actually called “the eye of argentina”. it is a real island that rotates atop a swamp, it is geometrically perfect and no one really knows for sure why it rotates the way it does or how it was formed. this clue is simply related back to the idea that the island of wawanakwa’s location is not in canada, and that it does not function like a normal island.

puzzle 11. (x) what td blog is complete without a uquiz? anyways, it doesnt matter how you answer the quiz, theres only one possible result. the title is a link to a mega file, which is protected with a decryption key. the image attached to the result, when deciphered, is the randomly generated key to the unlock the file. the image you see from the file is this; (TW for mentions of self harm and eye trauma)

in case this is too hard to read ill transcribe what it says;

“How to escape the dream - accept that there is no dream to escape, and no you to escape it. - believe in it anyways. - sleep on your back. - cover your eyes. - hide a nail under the pillow. - wait for the ringing. - when you first see him, dont call his name. dont speak. - keep your eyes shut. - on the second night, ask where the camp is. he wont respond verbally. - on the third night, you’ll see his eyes. - on the fourth night, you’ll enter them. - you can’t turn back after the fifth night. - don’t try to hide your fears. he knows them before you arrive. - don’t shut your eyes for too long when it becomes too much. you risk losing them. - find chris mclean. - don’t stop till the nail is through the socket. - repeat on the other side. - repeat on yourself. - congratulations. they are free”

this is, believe it or not, an idea that comes from my very own sleep paralysis experiences. ive dealt with it a lot, so why not make a weird ritual thing for an arg based off it ig. so whenever i’d fall asleep on my back, i’d eventually hear this ringing in my ears (or it’d happen upon waking up), and then the sleep paralysis would begin. i only ‘saw’ stuff a couple times but the fear for me was really more about the overwhelming sensation of pure dread that always came along with it even when i was aware what was happening, and i Always got this feeling too that if i opened my eyes in that moment, something was gonna stab them.

so moving on to how that applies to the arg, the first few lines are about how, obviously, the island is not real, even in the lore being given its a figment of chris’ imagination, but you have to enter it anyways, and the only way to do that is to believe its real. then it tells you how to ‘enter’ that world, (btw i didn’t expect anyone to actually follow these instructions if found, but even if they did, the whole ‘sleep paralysis being caused by sleeping on your back’ thing usually only happens if you’re predisposed to having it and only happens to Some people who have it, so the intent was like. never to bring that upon anybody. but if you are prone to sleep paralysis plz do not attempt even as a joke or anything thx)

the parts about hallucinating chris then are as follows, “ask about the camp / he wont respond verbally” , meaning he will show you through a dream instead, one that might look a lot like the video from before. “on the third night you will see his eyes”, meaning you will see the island but not be able to interact with it, or basically, how we see total drama on tv right now. “on the fourth night you’ll enter (his eyes)” references the island existing ‘within his eyes’, meaning you will enter the actual island. the next night chris will sleep and you will be able to enter the island again and find him. the idea with the nail is that, if you destroy his eyes you destroy the ‘island’ within them. wrapping back around to sleep paralysis, the idea of stabbing yourself with the nail afterwards is because sometimes, the only thing you can move during sleep paralysis is your fingertips and toes, and wiggling those can help bring you out of the paralysis. so at first how i used to wake myself up, but it didnt usually work fast enough so oftentimes id just pinch the shit out of my fingers and use pain to make my muscles start up faster.

the next post is a link to a countdown. again, i knew nobody was rly following at this point, but i wanted a little more build up before just dropping the ending. it was set up to end 5 days after the last post, aka the one that mentioned a 5 night dream ritual.

puzzle 12. (x) going all the way back to the normal multi step translation puzzles. the coloring of the cipher is a bit different, and its missing chris, but its meant to be used the same as it was before, these changes are only for dramatic effect. and chris is gone because well. we mentally offed him in the inception dream land last time. so anyways the snake = 6, shift A to 6, take out the letters “R-I-C-K” of the characters laying in their graves, and you get this translation;

“its almost time. we must now crack open our minds like a crowbar to a sealed chest. like an egg to a pan. to find our way into camp wawanakwa our ego cannot remain intact, and to traverse it we must stay strong. to escape it, we must glue the pieces back together. now we sleep. dream. end the nightmare.”

this is a final message before ‘entering the island’ to kill chris and free the campers from the island. it acts like a pep talk.

the next post is just the countdown ending.

puzzle 13 (the finale). (x)

this post sends you to a new blog entirely, called @awakenfromthenightmare. there is only one post on it. the post has another link to a mega file, and the link is attached onto a string of text. follow the link by clicking, then copy the text and paste it in as the decryption key. now you have another image to translate with the tangodeltaindia cipher;

when translated, the text is another link to a youtube video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

so there you have it, that video is the ending to the entire arg. it didnt really end the way i wanted at first, i got burnt out from no engagement about halfway through which isnt anybody elses fault, but i still felt this was a well crafted and fitting finale. thank you all for reading.

#tw self harm ment./ //#tw eye trauma / //#tw unreality// //#tw drug ment/ //#long post/ //#like a mile long just look at the tws its a rabbit hol e

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llatimeria · 3 years

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OKAY so that huge 340 character zodiac killer cipher was solved (announced/confirmed by authorities today, but cracked actually about a week ago) - here’s the youtube video from the guys who cracked it for reference!

the parts about exactly what they did and how they solved this 50 year old problem are cool, but there’s a couple things here that are actually killing me about this:

1. the message itself contains very little information that wasn’t really a Known Thing about zodiac - aside from the confirmation that it wasn’t the actual zodiac killer calling into a random talk show, which is useful, but is also the opposite of evidence. i’m pretty sure the stuff about zodiac wanting slaves to serve him in the afterlife was already a theory floating around about him from previous zodiac communications though, and while ... interesting...? it doesn’t really solve the problem of A Man Killed A Bunch Of People And Got Away With It, but it’s ... good ... to know ...? it’s just a lot of bloviating edgy shitlord attention-seeking from Zodiac, which is actually his MO, not “zodiac was intelligent and weird and made all these cool codes). he wasn’t fucking around with the press/police because he knew he was soooooo smart and would deeeeefinitely get away with it, he did this because he wanted everyone to talk about how cool and smart he was for getting away with it. (surprise, motherfucker! cops are dumb as shit! it’s not that hard to get away with murder if you’re white! evading the police is not a rare or remarkable accomplishment! fuck you eat shit and die!)

2. at least part of the reason it took so long to crack this specific cipher is because zodiac fucked up hfjdkjdsfhdf what happened (in my understanding, at least) he wrote down the characters in the cipher One Character Off, shifting everything 1 character to the left and consequently creating a lot of misspellings even when the code was solved in what was probably the intended way. after correcting that one line they went straight from a “garbled but mostly understandable message” straight to a “oh, yeah, this is 100% what his intent was” message

which is . what i’ve thought. for years. like the only way this could have been This much of a struggle to solve is if there’s a fucking Typo in it, because Zodiac has already proven to be Kind Of An Idiot: a: the more relevant example - he never spelled the word “paradise” correctly in his entire life (if you look at the transcription of the solved note, you’ll see he spells it “paradice” even in the most correctly translated version, and has spelled it like that ... every time he needed to use the word paradise) so like... it was 100% possible that some of his ciphers were getting fucked up because he misspelled words badly enough that even when solved the way he meant it to be solved the note would be nonsensical anyways, which turned out to actually be the case khsdfkjsdhfd note - spelling stuff wrong and making typos does not an idiot make. spelling stuff wrong and making typos in a situation where spelling stuff correctly and ensuring that you do not make a single typo is critical to your intent getting across... well, b: the man wanted to make Heaven Slaves from people he murdered like did you expect him to be immune from a typo. he was not smart or some kind of fucked up genius figure who was sooooo cool and smart even though i’m pretty sure his cipher thing is where that myth comes from in the FIRST place. they’re not unbreakable because he’s smart, they were unbreakable because he didn’t write it down correctly, because the man was an evil fucking idiot.

if you perpetuate the ~Intelligent & Cool Serial Killer~ myth i am going to stomp you to death with my hooves. they’re not that smart. they’re just white men who sometimes can string a sentence together and perpetuating this myth is how we end up with people like Dennis Rader.

#to be fair we dont know if the zodiac killer specifically was white but like.#c'mon.#[i'm not just saying that to be woke either there was one point in the zodiac investigation where they were looking for a black man -#and the cops saw a still-unidentified white man leaving the scene of a zodiac murder -#and did not stop him because he was not the profile they were looking for -#AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]#that and also like. Consider The Typical Profile For Serial Killers Who Behave Like Zodiac #Or People Who Have Since Emulated Zodiac's Modus Operandi #like Dennis FUCKING Rader #and Israel keyes to an extent #anyways it kills me a little bit every time i had to use the name zodiac in this post because #it unfortunately does perpetuate the Cool Serial Killer thing. it SOUNDS cool even though he is not #the moment his real name is unveiled to the public i am never saying the word zodiac in this context ever again #ANYWAYS THIS POST WAS MEANT TO BE SHORT AND INFORMATIVE BUT THE MORE I WROTE ABOUT IT THE MORE PREPARED I GOT TO START ATTACKING PEOPLE

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creativerogues · 4 years

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What’s It Like To Create Your Own Spell?

An Example

While shopping for high quality Parchment and Ink in the Capitol (while the rest of the Party goes shopping for magic Items and Healing Potions), the Wizard takes interest in a burnt and extremely weathered spellbook that still seems to still have some esoteric arcane runes within.

After speaking with the Shopkeeper, the Wizard buys the ruined spellbook at a great discount, as well as some fine Parchment and Ink.

The Wizard takes the Book back to the tavern, only to discover that most of the pages are burnt beyond recognition. A flash of inspiration and a Mending Cantrip later soon restores the book to its former glory, though does not restore the page's missing texts.

An Investigation Check into the Book's Contents soon reveal the Book's age, the Book easily dating back to before the Time of King Hirdall and perhaps even to the Time of the Floating Sky Cities of the Dragonborn...

Fascinated by their discovery, the Wizard looks into the Book even more, and with their previous Investigation Check finds the book appears to be in a different script, with elements of it appearing in Draconic, confirming to the Wizard the age of the Book.

The Wizard then goes out during their Downtime to the local Library to expand their knowledge of the Dragonborn Cities of Old that once ruled the sky. After speaking with one of the scribes working at the Halls, they are guided to a section on Ancient History, and another successful Investigation Check allows the Wizard to find the History Books they were looking for, gaining far more knowledge about the Dragonborn of old.

Returning to the Tavern later that night, the Wizard then decides to use Comprehend Languages in an attempt to translate the Ruined Book's Pages.

However, it seems as though only parts of the Book seem translatable, and another Investigation Check reveals that the Book, while written in Draconic, has been written in an old and strong cipher.

A quick Intelligence Check says that this could take the Wizard hours to decrypt and translate, as well as multiple castings of Comprehend Languages.

Left a little demoralized, the Wizard goes to bed and wakes up with only one mission, to translate this entire book.

As the Wizard explains to the rest of the table, by studying the occurrence of vowels, consonants and key words, and some aid from Comprehend Languages and the Rogue's knowledge of ciphers and Thieve's Cant, they hope to make a "Key" of sorts to this Ruined Book.

The Rogue helps out where they can, but this is clearly above their knowledge...

So as the Rogue and the rest of the Party go out to do some Downtime Activities, the Wizard shuts himself in his Room at the Tavern and begins to create a pile of papers, spending the whole day translating and then deciphering the texts and symbols of the Book.

Another Intelligence Check (aided by a little luck) let's the Wizard go well into the night without any sleep while they decode these arcane glyphs, and by the morning of the next day, even though they now have 1 Level of Exhaustion, they have now translated the Book, and it seems to be a part-Journal part-Spellbook, noting the works of a Dragonborn Wizard from ages past.

The Dragonborn was working on a Spell of their own, and seems to of completed it according to these Journal entries, but whatever flames the book was subjected to have seem to of partially ruined the spell the Dragonborn had completed, but it still excites the Wizard that there's a Spell out there that no one else knows, and in theory, the Wizard could replicate...

The Wizard then collapses from exhaustion and spends the next day sleeping.

Finally, as this part of Downtime comes to a close, the Wizard shares their discovery with the Party...

This is just one example of how I would allow a Wizard Player to craft their own Spell in D&D, while still hanging onto the Story and making the process of discovering & creating a new Spell exciting.

And there are many ways to go about making a Spell, maybe if there's two or more Wizards in the Party, or a Wizard and another Arcane Spellcaster such as an Artificer, Warlock, Sorcerer, Arcane Trickster or Eldritch Knight, then they could work together to create a Spell.

They could also talk to NPCs, from Archmages to Historians, Librarians, Magic Item Sellers and more to "unlock" this new Spell.

But if you want to make your own Spell, always communicate it first, and talk to your DM about the possibly of weaving that into the overall story.

In my Homebrew Campaign Setting, this is why I created places like the Library of Saturnity in the City of Fostin, a place where Wizards and people of the Arcane can come and research, as well as the whole host of places to visit in Capitol; From the Edhel Halls Library to the War College to the Tower of War, the Tower of Evocation and all the other Archmage's Towers, Magic Item Shops and more that a Wizard could visit to learn more.

And that's why magic is beginning to boom in my Setting, with so many resources available to those that need them, it means its easier than ever to create your own Spells!

I also like to connect the Spell to a Place, Person or Object. In the example above, I’ve used a ruined Spellbook, but I’ve used things like a solid sphere made of silver with elven texts etched into its surface...

The whole point of crafting a new spell is that it’s a challenge: You don’t just wake up with something new in your spellbook.

A Wizard has to do research, perfect their idea, find the perfect Verbal, Somatic and Material Components they need for the spell before they can even think of writing it down in their Spellbook.

It’s a story in itself!

#Magic #dnd #DnD 5e #dnd 5e homebrew #homebrew #homebrew rules #homebrew spells

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punsandfuturekingsmen-archive · 3 years

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Zory, demonic attorney at law, at your service. At least that's what the business card says. "I've seen this before and it rarely ends pretty. Hanahaki is an unfortunately specific yet aggravatingly ambiguous in nature. So many loopholes possible, but so ill-defined as to make those secret exit clauses lose effectiveness in many cases. Still, I'll do what I can here." The demon's tail flicks through the air, brows furrowing as he stares over a sheet of parachment. (Technopathic-games 1/?)

The demon continues, pacing. "The wording of the curse upon casting implies prior knowledge of its nature, so it might benefit you to write down the specifics of what you knew of Hanahaki when it was cast. That will narrow down the possible loopholes here." He glances at Arthur, ruby eyes glittering, "Don't fret, though, this is pro bono work. All free. Frivolous fae casting curses carelessly... pisses me off, so it'll be nice to stick it to 'em."

“So, based on prior research and the particularities of the magic involving this curse, the other member of the second party ensnared in this little curse is one Lewis Pepper, hereto referred to as Party (L).”

“According to most Hanahaki curses, Party (L) is an object of affection, and the curse will be effective for the duration until such time that Party (A), yourself in this case, divulges their amorous affections to Party (L), though the means of this is usually not specified. In your case, it’s entwined with a Silencing curse, therefore opening up the means of divulgence to any reasonable means that does not involve vocalization.”

“Hanahaki curses are generally infamous for being specific towards amorous feelings, though there are cases in which there are exceptions (i.e. Robinson v. Wade, in which the “feelings” in question were platonic in nature and the curse was resolved by means of vocally expressing platonic affection for a close friend, or Egil, C. v. Egil, A, in which the unspoken feelings in question were that of broken familial bonds.)”

“Based on the letter of the magic, though, it only stipulates that you must admit "feelings," not which feelings, thereby opening up the possibility that the “feelings” in question could be literally anything, as long as they have gone unspoken.”

“Additionally, another possible factor for exploitation is the lack of specification surrounding other factors of the proposed confession, including range, duration, target, and most importantly, recipient comprehension and/or acceptance. Based on the magic present, ‘A’ Lewis is required, but ‘WHICH’ Lewis may not actually matter, nor whether or not he actually understands the message being conveyed.”

“Therefore, given this ABSOLUTE MESS of a magical contract, it would be arguably possible for you to chuck a wadded-up paper ball at a Lewis that is not from your home reality that you will likely never meet again that contains the message confessing some dubious, unspoken emotion written entirely in an esoteric cipher, and the book it for the hills.”

“Other alternatives include: A) Telling a Lewis you are afraid of losing him as a friend, satisfying the “unspoken feelings” clause. B)Expressing your emotions through interpretive dance, or even C) flashing the confession on a piece of paper in front of his face for less than a second, not actually giving him the chance to actually read it, then burning the paper then and there. For an extra measure it could be in a language he does not understand.”

Zory’s grin turns mischievous. “In any case, given all this evidence, it’s entirely possible to rules-lawyer your way through the specifics of the curse and thus weasel your way out of it. There are a number of possibilities, but based on my analysis, there are a few glaring loopholes:”

“A) You do not have to confess to your reality variant of Lewis, B)You do not specifically have to admit LOVE, as any unspoken emotion can likely satisfy the conditions, C) The person you confess to does not necessarily have to understand your message, allowing you to confess while also fully obfuscating its meaning.” Zory preens, feeling clever. “I didn’t go through 400 years of demon law school for nothing.”

Arthur tried really really hard not to let his eyes glaze over as this-- demon person, was speaking. It was hard, with how fast they slipped into legal jargon. It wasn’t exactly difficult to understand, but it was a bit mind-numbing to be hit with it all at once and to listen to it. His brain kept wanting to abandon ship and think about other things. Now they were quoting cases and other things and some of the words were incomprehensible with his attention flicking in and out. It was just-- so much to take in at once.

Why couldn’t lawyers talk in layman’s terms? Wasn't the point of understanding the way laws and contracts were worded so they could translate for people who didn’t? So they could get what was being asked of them exactly?

Well. Maybe it was a demon thing to want to stay a bit irksome even when helping?

Arthur sighed and tapped at his tablet. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but this magic doesn’t always explicitly have to be said to work a certain way. It’s not the end of the world if I do something. It’s not like he doesn’t already know.” He rubbed at his shoulder. “Thank you for offering your help. But I think I’m just gonna suck it up.”

He’d been considering signing it, in the hopes that it wouldn’t be understood. But at the same time? He did know already. So what was the point besides just-- not wanting it to be awkward? It’s not like he wouldn’t understand if he told him it was a curse. A long time ago when he didn’t even like Arthur he’d let him kiss his hand for a different magic spell. He’d understand. He was a a good guy like that.

#Anonymous #answering things #ic #Arthur speaks #technopathic-games #honestly given the syntax and grammar of the M!A #i'm not sure if english is the first language of the anon #so i don't want to use that against them when they're clearly just here to cause a bit of mischief #long post #M!A: Flower Power

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troybeecham · 3 years

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Fr. Troy Beecham

Sermon, 4 Advent 2020

Luke 1:26-38

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”

In honor-based cultures, both ancient and modern, societies often believe that unless prevented by strict societal behavioral codes of conduct, a man and a woman left alone together would inevitably have sexual relations. This may sound naïve to contemporary Western folks, and in some ways it is, but it is the lived experience of most of the human family. Such cultures require that men related by blood or marriage watch, guard, and protect the women of their families. This obviously makes ciphers out of women, makes them non-agents of their own lives, but in such cultures where women are subject to a profound lack of rights it also affords them the only protection they can expect. Women inevitably bear the full brunt of the shame that such cultures attach to families when there are illicit sexual relations outside of marriage, often with fatal consequences. Of course, this leaves out the personal responsibility of the men involved in such encounters, as well as the consequences. It is often the practice in such cultures for men to kidnap and/or rape young women, even pre-pubescent girls, in order to force a marriage, with the girls or young women having not only no choice in the matter but also a long life of servitude to a man who raped her enforced by a culture that sees women as little more than vessels for having children and servants who do most of the labor of a household. It is a miserable, wicked thing suffered by countless, nameless women around the world across the millennia.

Such cultures, including the culture of ancient Israel, had many ways to ensure that dishonor never befell their family. It is a common practice to ensure that a woman is always in the company of other women and of children (girls and boys) younger than the age of puberty, and that they have no contact with men other than their immediate family or husband. It is even reflected in domestic architecture, with the home having an inner room or courtyard secluded from the view of men not related by blood or marriage. Such spaces are reserved as the proper place for unmarried women, and it can be both a prison and a refuge in cultures where women have few, if any, rights, and are seen as objects to be possessed by men. Even in ritual spaces, such as the Temple or synagogue, men and women congregate in separate areas.

In this morning’s reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we witness the encounter of Mary and the angel Gabriel. It is certain that she is in the innermost enclosure of her family’s home, the proper place for an unmarried young woman (she would have been around the age of 13 years old), most especially because she is betrothed to Joseph and their wedding is soon approaching. In one sense, Gabriel is an intruder, and his appearing must have been initially terrifying for Mary. How has a stranger suddenly appeared in the most protected of places? How did he break in without being noticed? Had he come to kidnap or rape her? We can only imagine what thoughts must have raced through her mind in that first moment of revelation. It is only when she realizes that this is an angel sent from God that Mary can release what must have been a moment of terror. One can imagine the crying out in fear, calling for protection, that must have been her first instinct. That she does not do so shows just how courageous she was, even as a 13-year-old young girl, and how much her soul was filled with faith and trust in God to protect her. It is this trust, this faith, that changes human history forever, even the history of the whole of creation.

How soothing the words “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” must have been to her, calming her soul immediately. The translation that the words ‘perplexed her’ is just another way of saying that she had been scared out of her mind by the appearance of a stranger in the most protected part of her home, and she just as quickly began to experience the presence of God, reassuring her that she was safe. Then come the words that “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” Even full of faith, and calmed, the fear that such words certainly produced must have been almost overwhelming. Mary knows the terrible consequences that such a pregnancy would elicit from her family. In a flash, she recognizes the crisis into which this pregnancy will throw both families, with one possible result being that she would become and outcast, literally cast out of her home as a pregnant 13-year-old girl, with no means of survival. Such girls faced stark choices, few choices, and very often die on the streets. Her family would even have had the right to stone her to death.

We often do not know what the words of the angel meant, the possibly fatal consequences for Mary, and how great her faith was to simply say “yes” to God. The salvation of the human race rested on the ability of one young girl to overcome sheer terror and eons of cultural programming by living in simple faith in God. All of creation must have held its breath in awe as this young girl said to God “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” And in that moment, the universe, the entire history of the human family, was forever changed. The God of all creation did a new thing, something that altered the whole of creation: God entered into human life in a way never before imagined. God became vulnerable in the most astonishing, mind-boggling way, the most vulnerable way of all: God became a child in the womb of a young girl whose immediate future was uncertain. God became the most fragile of flesh and blood in order to transform humankind. He could have done it by appearing as a fully grown conquering hero. Instead, he did it by putting himself in our hands in the most vulnerable of human experiences. This reveals something about who God is, a revelation that irrevocably changes how humankind understands the character and nature of God. If before God has been seen as remote, unpredictable, and even cruel and full of wrath, now we see that God has always been full of the desire to be in a relationship of trust and love with us, and that he has always desired the utter transformation of human nature and human society made possible only through humility, hope, faith, and love.

And so today, the last Sunday of Advent, as we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus only a few days from now, we can look back in awe at the tremendous faith of one young girl, who faced down the most terrible of fears armed only with a simple, yet profound, faith in the God who is Love, who’s “yes” condemned her to an almost certain terrible and immediate fate, but who’s faith transformed the human family and all of creation in a brilliant, wondrous flash of love. In that moment, the divine light of the world, longed for since the dawn of creation, entered into the human world and shone from one end of the universe to the other with the promise of a new creation liberated from fear, tyranny, and death. May God, who is visiting each of us today with the same desire to be born in us, find in us the same faith that he found in that young girl Mary two thousand years ago. Amen.

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a dwelling place prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

#father troy beecham #christianity #troy beecham episcopal #jesus #father troy beecham episcopal #saints #god #salvation #peace #advent #blessed virgin mary

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cruddyborderlandstheories · 5 years

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THAT MAP

i didn’t die

also spoilers. like. major spoilers. im serious.

dont click that read more unless you’re totally okay with spoilers cause i talk about some endgame stuff too <3

CELESTICA ERIDIA

THAT ERIDIAN RIFT HUHHHHHHH ITS RIGHT NEXT TO PANDORA

WE’RE ENTERING THE FLORPUS

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE’S A WAY TO TRIANGULATE/OPEN THE WORMHOLE OR SOMETHING???

alright LOOK

each planet (Eden-6, Promethea, Pandora) they’re all circled and when their lines cross it leads to SOMETHING

and looking at the grid that’s obviously what looks to be a wormhole

so we’ve also got the lines

“elpis - not what it seems. is elpis a lens? or a conduit. or both?”

A CONDUIT/LENS?? FOR W H A T??

ARE WE BEAMING SOMETHING OUT OF PANDORA? BECAUSE IF THESE TEMPLES ARE ALL SIMILAR PYRAMID-LIKE STRUCTURES TO THE ONE ON ATHENAS THEN THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE

this is DEFINITELY on pandora (you see elpis up there) so it’s possible something is going to hit elpis and it’s going to beam to this vault-thing and open up a gateway to the Eridian Rift??? OR

we open this Vault and it beams something up to elpis and elpis helps open up part of the Eridian rift

i’d guess we’d need all 3 (?) active to open it?? Eden-6, Pandora, and Promethea

so something SEEMS to be getting beamed either from elpis to pandora or from pandora to elpis

but im going to get elpis to pandora given the way it’s being thrown out? like it hits elpis straight on and then defracts over pandora like a prism

im guessing it’s such a broad spread bc it’s trying to hit the vault-temple-thing we see above (still... not quite convinced those are vaults like we’ve been seeing them in the past games (with lots of big loot inside). again something like teleporters makes way more sense to me)

they also bring this up, that athenas and promethea have a draw to one another, which makes sense since part of the promethean vault key is on Athenas

“Although Athenas is not in the Promethean System, there is a strong pull detectable through use of [eridian resonator (customized) which I have discovered here (seen in purple)]” i have no idea if any of the bracketed stuff is right“

more importantly it looks like one piece of Promethea’s asteroid belt is ‘highlighted’ which i imagine is that giant space laser

which ngl surprises me because

this doesn’t really look eridian to me at all. like, okay, the laser part IS purple but... the actual tech doesn’t look Eridian at all. it looks VERY human. maybe maliwan/atlas discovered it and changed it somehow? that’s pretty much the only reason i can give. like they made it so it would only hit a certain area (concentrated) instead of the entire planet (like we see Elpis doing)

also if we look at Eden-6

eden-6 seems to be 1 of 6 (or more) planets surrounding the gas giant (?) named Eden (which is such a cool fucking detail). or maybe that’s just a solar system named eden. either way. AWESOME.

my question is:

is Eden going to act similarly to Elpis? to the Asteroid Belt of Promethea?? because if that’s the case OH MAN MORE GIANT SPACE LASERS. maybe this is why ships keep on crashing to Eden-6. We know the planet is basically a ship graveyard, maybe there’s some Eridian interference that’s causing this to happen???

Also, when they say “Vaults lead to other Vaults” do y’all think this is tied into in any way the “Vault of Vaults” or whatever “It” is???

because THE VAULT OF VAULTS??? APPARENTLY WE WERE NAUGHTY AS FUCK FOR OPENING IT (the overseer says so when you accept the quest for the proving grounds)

AND THE MASTERS (whoever the FUCK they are!) ARE NOT HAPPY BOYS

ALSO “UNIVERSE DESTROYING POWER” AS CLAIMED ON THE WEBSITE

UHHH IM GONNA GUESS THAT RIFT IS ABOUT TO KILL EVERYONE AND/OR LET OUT A BIG OL SPACE DEMON COUGH THE DESTROYER COUGH

ALSO WE PROBABLY ARE CONFIRMED THERE ARE TEMPLES ON EACH OF THE PLANETS WITH THAT DIAMOND SHAPE

THEY MATCH UP WITH THE SYMBOL WE’VE SEEN EVERYWHERE

(also we now can guess this takes place after Athenas..?)

‘Vault... Key?’ i mean... think about it. we know the symbol for Vault is the circle with the arch. but this is different. this is diamond with, yes, with a vault shape in it. but... there’s obviously more to it than just the vault symbol

plus tannis is using it on pedestals dedicated to Vault Keys so i mean. you know.

and if this IS the symbol for Vault Key than oh man oh me oh my

that would mean opening up the ‘mini vaults’ on Pandora/Promethea/Eden-6 would lead to that big Eridian rift opening, whatever it is

which could explain this line: “the Vaults lead to other Vaults” “Smart, Leda!”

looks like Typhon met someone who writes in blue. who’s name is Leda.

calling it now typhon totally banged a Siren named Leda and had 2 twin kids (it runs in the family) the twins take after their parents: one red, one blue. possibly inherit the Cloth Map and learn about the purpose of the Vaults through it. i got nothing on the cage thing but tbh i wouldn’t be surprised if Typhon or Leda ended up going crazy at some point and/or having kids inside of a Vault for some ungodly reason. spewing random shit about ‘bandits this, bandits that’ to keep them from leaving. maybe they knew their adventures were going to (eventually) lead to the destruction of the universe so they wanted to keep their kids safe without having to admit they’ve doomed everyone outside this has no proof at all, im just spitballing lol i mean look at these love-sick FOOLS lmao

look they both left messages (that i can’t read) with hearts at the end of them

“Genius! [gibberish i can’t make out] <3″ “you know it! <3″

we don’t know what the Vaults really are for, huh Tyreen?? NOW WE DO. NOW. WE DO.

“ERIDIAN GLYPHS ARE CYHPERS!” (sic???)

“by overlaying various found glyphs patterns emerge which are then...” ASDFGSHJ i CANT READ THIS “What is the machine?” “We’ll figure it out together!” MACHINE????????

i NEED it

“Mapping in progress: the key-glyph [something] is an Eridian cypher hiding coordinates to some kind of cyber (????) structure” this perhaps???

also the proving grounds. let’s talk about those. we know they’re eridian, we know there’s 6 of them, we know there’s 1 at least on both Athenas and Eden-6.

we know those Eridian Ruins/Cyphers lead to the proving grounds. we know this much. so is it definitely confirmed the proving grounds hold a higher place in the story than they’re saying? i mean let me pull up my other draft talking about these in-depth and copy paste because there’s only 36 minutes until the NEXT endgame content stream

“Later in the campaign, you may be worthy of taking part in the Proving Grounds: themed gauntlets watched over by a Guardian known as the Overseer who wishes to test your mettle on behalf of the mysterious ‘Masters’.”

so it sounds like at least one is going to take place during the main campaign of the game.

as for uhh who the Masters are... I don’t know. I imagine they’re Eridian in some way/shape/form. to be honest, considering the Overseer is a Guardian (confirmed), I imagine these ‘Masters’ are just literally Eridians. some sort of council, perhaps. i mean “the masters will determine who is at fault” for “naughty humans opened the vault of vaults”. so i imagine they’re like a council.

Let’s start listing stuff we know about the Proving Grounds:

1. you get them by translating (we apparently get a translator later on in the story) Eridian texts (ciphers) left behind, which tell us where (?) these proving grounds are. why we’re not just using tannis... i dunno. something better not have happened to Tannis, gearbox

We’ve seen these texts in the Eden-6 gameplay, so it looks like maybe we won’t need the eridian doritos stabby thing to break any crystals. damn youuu

“Ohhh good. Nonsense.”

i make jokes with my friend that soon i’ll be able to read Eridian given how much i stare at these tablets. it’s only a matter of time...

2. there’s apparently 6 of them, and at least 1 on each planet. We’ve seen the Athenas (Survival) and Eden-6 (Instinct) versions, which does make me wonder if there’s any tie between 6 of these trials and the 6 Sirens...

Also, given there’s supposedly 6 trials and only 5 planets (as the community has gotten devs to tell us), it makes me wonder a) if there’s actually 6 planets or b) why there’s only 1 planet with 2 per planet. i guess if that’s the eridian homeworld then it’d make sense if they have 2.

(Also Varnell did originally say 7 trials at first, but he gets a pass because he was live on stage and i would’ve made that mistake too knowing my dumb brain lol)

3. Apparently during the narrative of the game, at some point, we will unlock at least 1 trial.

“[proving grounds are] encased in the narrative of the game. a combat challenge the Eridians have left for the player to kinda prove themselves worthy for... things i won’t completely spoil right now, but uhhh prove themselves worthy to the ancient, lost, Eridians.”

so... YEAH. big news, gamers.

does this take place at the end of the game? its possible. its likely considering this is considered endgame content. it might not. it could be both, like sort of a repeatable thing. im not really certain.

What I am certain about tho, is that this takes place after a huge story event.

So, maybe the BL3 story ends on a cliffhanger. Tbh i would upset if that happened, but THAT SAID, if the game does end on such a huge cliffhanger that this is AWFUL and the end of the universe is coming, I don’t think we’d be getting 4 story DLCs that completely ignore this problem.

The devs had said the entire story will be contained within bl3 (no splitting it up between dlcs), and it seems the games like to keep the timeline intact in the real world, so if imminent death is on its way, we can’t exactly wait 5 years irl and in-universe for borderlands 4.

So, if this is a cliffhanger ending, I don’t think whatever happens is... that big of a deal. Sort of the level of finding the Vault Map at the end of BL2. It’s big news! but it’s not going to end the universe. The story marches on. We figure out the new goalposts of this universe and keep doing stuff outside it.

Now that we know that, let’s take note of what the Overseer says at the start and end of this mission:

“Vault Hunter... I thought you might show up sooner or later. So naughty your species, so curious. The Vault of Vaults has been opened and it has been released. Prove your worth and I will reveal why the Masters made me wait for you”.

“Naughty humans opened the Vault of Vaults, but the Masters will determine who is at fault. Until next time, Warrior.”

so that’s some pretty fucking loaded dialogue, isn’t it?

im vvvvvvvvvv curious about who this ‘it’ character is... something the Eridians didn’t want out- well, that’s bad, because we (or the twins, or maliwan, or both I guess) just let it free. and the fact the Overseer won’t even reference the thing by name... that’s probably bad. If this is an actual entity, then that is mostly why I believe this particular Proving Ground takes place during the main story.

that said, ‘it’ could literally be anything. Knowledge, hope, whatever. the potion you brew to become a Siren. you know. anything. She called whatever was released ‘it’ and it doesn’t seem like we’re in a RUSH or anything. Just hanging out doing proving grounds. and apparently this is because we’ve been naughty humans. not evil, just naughty. like she’s giving us (or the cult) a slap on the wrist.

The Overseer doesn’t seem too affected by us opening the Vault of Vaults herself. The Masters apparently are trying to determine ‘who’s at fault here’, like it isn’t exactly clear. was it the humans for opening it? was it the eridians for making them openable?

it would be interesting if this isn’t even talking about something that happens in game, but instead like... she’s referencing Typhon and Leda. the Vault of Vaults had been opened (by Typhon and Leda) and IT has been released... whatever it is... maybe the reason Typhon and Leda locked their kids in a vault? ... i mean if we’re going by the eridium/slag causes psychos, then maybe that? we definitely find eridium on planets other than pandora...

also speaking of stuff taking place during the game, lets remember what was discussed in that interview: “[proving grounds are] encased in the narrative of the game... a combat challenge the Eridians have left for the player to kinda prove themselves worthy for... things i won’t completely spoil right now, but uhhh prove themselves worthy to the ancient, lost, Eridians.”

worthy of what, exactly?

I’m still of the belief that it’s for the title of Vault Guardian (and, yes, by proxy, i want to say Siren, but y’all won’t take me too seriously if i keep advocating for this crack theory lol... implying you took me seriously in the first place 🤡) because of the Guardian Rank

the fact we’re killing Fallen Guardians means, technically, a position HAS opened up... plus I don’t think the Watcher would have come in contact with Lilith if she didn’t think the Eridians needed us

that said, if this isn’t for just becoming Vault Guardians, then... idk. If this is strictly endgame stuff, i don’t even know what we’re trying to prove our worth for.

I guess worthy of not being thrown into alien prison is probably a good one. magic space prison is probably hard to get out of. like, ‘200 years an opening’ hard to get out of. and ur roommate is the destroyer 😨

i mean... maybe worthy of entering the Eridian Rift? i mean... it’s possible this rift leads to the eridian homeworld... there would have to be one HELL of huge Vault Monster to keep people from getting through :o

anyway, we’ve got 20 minutes until the new endgame content, i’ll be sure to add onto here if we learn anything new and/or i think of anything else. im vibrating over this shit, it’s awesome. i LOVE this map. might have to pick one up on ebay or smth.

#borderlands spoilers #spoilers #borderlands #bl3 #borderlands 3

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tanadrin · 6 years

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I think I’m starting to understand the difference in philosophies that underlies the two kinds of video game RPG better. I think of them as the Bethesda and the BioWare RPG, but more accurate terms would be the simulationist and the character-driven RPG. Which is not to say that the two categories are exclusive--they’re different points on a spectrum. The extreme simulationist RPG would be Dwarf Fortress’s Adventure Mode, where the entire world is procedurally generated ex nihilo, including attempts to procedurally generate things like history and politics and whole systems of magic. I’m not sure what the opposite would be--maybe something like the original Mass Effect, whose levels are quite cloistered, or the first Deus Ex, where you’re playing a character who is extremely defined as a person, but you still get to choose how the plot unfolds.

Each has aspects I like. I like that in character-driven games I have a strong narrative I get to operate within, and I get to make choices which affect the emotional outcome of the game. Bethesda games lack that, because for all the influence that in theory you have over the world, the ultimate outcome is usually always the same: Mehrunes Dagon is defeated, Alduin is killed, you’re sitting on a pile of treasure. What outcomes you do control tend to be binary yes/no levers (did you do the College of Winterhold quests? Congrats, you can add “Archmage” to your extremely long list of titles an honors), and moving through the game’s programmatic implementation of the plot feels more lack racking up Steam achievements than anything else.

Buuuut the price you pay for actually feeling like you inhabit these worlds is feeling like the worlds themselves are pretty two-dimensional. Skyrim was the first RPG I played where I felt a strong sense of place, like even though the experience was mediated by a computer screen and a mouse and keyboard, I could imagine what it would be like to stand on the road outside Riverwood and feel the cool breeze and look up and the foggy mountains. At the time I thought it was just the (then) shiny new graphics, but I bought Morrowind the other day just for fun, and I don’t think it is--I think placeness is just a thing Bethesda excels at in their games, because they pay close attention to it like BioWare does to characters. Morrowind’s graphics are much more primitive than Skyrim’s, but Vvardenfell definitely still has many of the same qualities Skyrim does in that respect, even with its blocky character models and super-short draw distance.

(Also, playing a little Morrowind has made me appreciate just how much the Dragonborn DLC is a love letter to Morrowind fans, which is neat.)

Are the two approaches compatible? Like, is one side of the spectrum necessarily exclusive of the other? I think they might be. The problem with the simulationist world (and this is a problem STA:GOB2:DF(AM) has in spades) is that you run the risk of a world a million miles wide and a millimeter deep (see also Elite: Dangerous, and No Man’s Sky reportedly but I haven’t played it myself), but Tarn Adams’ extreme fetish for procedural generation simply throws into relief the problem of a lot of these games, which is that random is not actually a substitute for complex, and even conceptually sophisticated Perlin noise is still just... noise. Utterly interchangeable. You can generate a million Dwarf Fortress worlds, and they’ll all be superficially identical.

Even a world like Daggerfall’s, which is the size of Great Britain, is mostly nothing. And it turns out (as fast travel and compass markers have shown us) that for most people, working your way over miles of empty country road and hunting for quest objectives is not the fun part of epic fantasy narratives, which is why most epic fantasy narratives... skip those parts.

(Tangent 1: I understand the impulse to huge fantasy worlds in video games, and I think it’s a positive one, mostly. Theme parks don’t feel real, which is why Azeroth has no sense of place. It could--it has some wonderfully atmospheric zones--but everything about the placement of NPCs and the way you interact with the world screams animatronic Presidents, Disneyland with the Burning Legion, so it lacks... worldlikeness. The problem with big, detailed, simulationist worlds is that if you’re inhabiting them from a pedestrian’s viewpoint, 99.5% of all that is going to go to waste. Either you will fast-travel past it or it will be Desert Bus With Dragons, but honestly, you don’t need to simulate weather fronts and biomes and a realistic medieval economy if all you’re doing is trying to assemble the Staff of Chaos so you can whack Jagar Tharn over the head with it. As soon as your viewpoint becomes even a little bit more elevated, though, that stuff is interesting, and even important. The fact that every merchant in Spira will buy your stuff for exactly one half the price you sell it for is an irrelevant triviality if all you ever see is one merchant’s storefront at a time. But as soon as you begin to piece together anything like a bigger picture, the world needs to make sense. I would combine this observation with the fact that no matter how important you become to the world of Skyrim, you never actually wield any political or administrative authority. Sure, nobody wants to play Dean of the College of Winterhold or have to spend half their time playing Skyrim marking freshers’ essays on the elementary principles of transmutation, but it’s also weird that you can be one of Skyrim’s foremost property owners, thane of nine holds, political counselor of the High King, and you can’t get a guard to so much as hold your horse for you while you pop into the blacksmith’s. A game where accomplishment actually translates into political authority is a game where the worldbuilder’s urge to detail every element of the life-cycle of the lesser mana stoat becomes a little more important, if, say, you need to manage the mana stoat farmers. Although that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate nods towards believability--Skyrim’s tiny-ass farms that couldn’t feed a family of four in a wintry climate, much less a tenth of a goddamn continent, are a major failure on that point. Visual believability is important. Noteworthy here also is landscape architecture: one reason Skyrim does well at placeness is that it feels reasonable, even though it’s a geographical absurdity. Something like the world of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, where even the “plains” regions are wacky moonscapes designed to maximize walking time, so as to substitute boredom for size, are failures in level design.)

(Tangent 2: I once had the idea for a fantasy film or comic book that involved all the usual players: a Scheming Villain, a Terrible Macguffin of Power, a band of Plucky Heroes, romance, war, intrigue, excitement, etc. Except all the big, exciting moments would be entirely implied; the actual story told would be of all the quiet moments between the battles and confrontations and tragic death scenes. The sitting around the campfire singing songs. The tossing and turning on hard ground or in lumpy, unfamiliar beds. The quiet conversation or the anxious exchange of looks before a battle. The moments of reflection or subtle self-doubt before committing to a course of action that could save or doom the world. I don’t actually know if it would make for an interesting story, but I think it would be a lot of fun to write.)

Bethesda for its part is firmly committed to the tabula rasa silent protagonist, and I think that’s a mistake. I don’t think you increase player agency in a world where your protagonist must remain mute, I think you only highlight the disconnect. I may be unusual here, but one of the things I love most about BioWare games, and which makes me feel most embedded in their plots and connected to their characters, is the fact I get to hear both sides of the conversation, and how I choose to respond has a lasting effect on the kind of person the other characters seem to understand me to be. That feels much more interesting to me that the cipher that moves through Bethesda worlds, about which little can be known, because little can be specified. Yes, such a cipher can have any history you want, but only because such a cipher can have no substantive history--so, like the details of a procedurally generated world, the history of such a protagonist, their motivations and intent, is rendered trivial. And for escapist fantasy, where part of the goal is to not be trivial, but to be important, vital even, I think that’s a failure. Unless your goal is to, like, RP a cabbage merchant, in which case--success!

What I really want, what I really feel is a seriously under-appreciated possibility in video game RPGs, is an open world with some of the simulationist aspects, but built around, or laid on top of, a strong central plot skeleton. One with rich character interaction and consequential, emotional choices (and no, Dawnguard does not qualify), and I think the payoff would be that we are so used to vast worlds that are ultimately quite shallow that even a few substantive concessions in this direction would feel like we had suddenly discovered benthic depths.

#video games #skyrim #bethesda #bioware #rpgs

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ktley1986 · 7 years

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My husband isn’t nerdy, at all. Which is okay because I happen to be nerdy enough for both of us-I love comics, video games, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Battlestar Galactica, etc. I love all of it, mainly because I happen to know a lot about history and world events and the main theme of history is that people are super shitty to each other, all the time, usually without very good reason. And once you know that, sometimes the only way to stay sane is to find solace in imaginary worlds-maybe that’s not always the healthiest thing, but at least if someone is cruel in one of those worlds they usually get a satisfying comeuppance, which sadly, rarely happens in the real world. Now that we’re all suitably depressed, Mike and I were watching The Phantom Menace the other day and he made the grave error in judgement to remark that he “didn’t remember this movie being that bad. People like it when it came out!” I mean, is that technically true? Yes. I definitely enjoyed these movies when they came out as a teenager (I was also afflicted with a debilitating crush on Hayden Christensen, which has since died a death of natural causes) and I will stand by that, because I didn’t know any better. Now with the benefit of experience and foresight I realize the serious damage done to the Star Wars universe and the overwhelmingly potential of what could have been. Because it’s fresh in my mind after having given an impromptu mini-lecture to my husband earlier, I will explain my problems with Episodes 1-3 of the Star Wars film franchise. The whole Space Jesus thing You know what I’m talking about-the fact that Anakin Skywalker doesn’t have a dad, but is basically just the product of the Force and his long suffering, cipher of a mother figure. That doesn’t even kind of make sense and it’s so lazy and shitty as to be actually insulting. Let’s also remember that he’ll eventually become Darth Vader, the ultimate bad guy (and if you’re currently feeling the soft and fuzzies for him, remember he did kill a whole temple full of children.) He’s such a special snowflake, he’s totally selfless, he’s the most amazing pod racer or whatever, he’s basically Valentina from Season 9 of Drag Race, and she turned out crazy too. He just needs to compare himself to Selena to make the transformation complete.

Obi Wan to Anakin, honestly.

My problem with that is this could have been a much more interesting story, in the hands of someone who gave a shit about storytelling or the emotional arc of a character. What if he was just a regular person, who had a dad and a mother who wasn’t window dressing for made up emotional issues later, but maybe he was kind of a reckless dick, then they could have made a more interesting story about how some people aren’t fit to have power, even if they are technically proficient. It could have been an interesting twist on the idea that all Jedi are totally perfect peace keeping good guys, but what if he was able to convince them he was, but in reality, he was actually a dick? At least that would make more sense later when he in fact does turn out to be a dick. The whole Jango/Boba Fett story arc Famously George Lucas had this whole series written out back in the 70’s but the studio was only interested in making episodes 4-6, since the storyline was more cohesive. I believe that’s true, and I even believe that a lot of the nonsense he put into the first 3 episodes was present in those early drafts, but I can’t be expected to believe that the basis for the clones was Jango Fett, and that his clone son would grow up to be Boba Fett, kick ass bounty hunter extraordinaire. I get that Boba Fett was a wildly popular character, despite having zero lines as far as I can recall, and getting knocked into the pit of Sarlacc to be digested slowly over a thousand years, he’s my brother’s favorite character, so by default one of mine too, but honestly? This is endemic of a wider problem in the first three movies in my opinion which is shoe-horning in fan favorite characters rather than making new and interesting ones which serve the story. Why the everloving fuck is young Anakin making his dirt farmer slave mom a protocol droid? Does she have a lot of use for translations of over 6 million forms of communication? Lucas just wanted to take what worked from the original movies and force it into the new ones, although to be fair his stab at original characters did give us Jar Jar Binks, so maybe it’s a good call after all. Darth Vader’s reasoning for becoming Darth Vader This is where it really hits home for me how much cooler this story could have been-the transformation into one of the most iconic villains of all time was just so lame in these movies. For one thing, the romance between Padme and Anakin is painful and embarrassing, and this is coming from someone with a fairly comprehensive crush on Anakin. So much cringe though, seriously. But making it about him thinking that his wife might potentially die, is just stupid, especially because he ends up choking the fuck out of her. Again, this is where the story could have been served by establishing him as a bit of a dick from the beginning, instead of a heroic space Jesus type character. I mean, I am very much in love with my husband, probably irrationally so, but it would take a lot more than the premonition that he might, maybe, potentially die to make me murder an entire Jedi Temple full of younglings. And I don’t even like kids. And then he just hates Obi Wan for not letting him live his best life or whatever, I mean they could have gone the route of him thinking there was a relationship between him and Padme, although I find the whole turning into an evil warlord over a lady to be one of the tired-est tropes on the planet. It could have been so much better! Midi-chlorians Just no. So much politics and talk about trade negotiations. Oy! I get that George Lucas doesn’t really get how to write strong female characters, and I guess it’s kind of flattering that he thinks women’s strength is in the political arena, but man I do not give a fuck about trade embargos in the real world, so I definitely don’t give a fuck about trade negotiations in space. I watched these movies for the first time as a young person and I could not have told you one thing about why the Nemoidians were doing, or what exactly was going on in the space Senate. The beauty of the original trilogy is that things were simple, motivations were clear and no one had to put anything to a vote.

I don’t think the whole thing is awful-Darth Maul is pretty sick, General Grievous is cool, Christopher Lee is always a welcome addition to any movie, now that I’m older I can definitely appreciate young Ewan McGregor

I need to resolve my feelings about bearded Ewan McGregor

Now I’ve stalled out. Huh. I know there are probably parts of it that are redeemable, but I can’t remember any, and I can’t be bothered to actually watch it again. My point being is that it could have been so much better, if they were interested in telling a great story instead of making millions of dollars in merch. Does anyone else remember all the merch associated with this, you couldn’t even buy a bag of chips without Jar Jar Binks dumb face looking at you. While this isn’t something I would normally say, but I’m glad that Disney has the reins now, and they’ve already made some great Star Wars movies, sans mention of midi-chlorians which personally leaves me excited again to visit a galaxy far, far away.

My Epic Retcon of Darth Vader’s Backstory

Okay, so he’s just a normal kid, who has a mother AND a father, both of which are fleshed out characters, and he gets selected for Jedi training in a normal, non-mystical space Jesus way. He turns out to be super great, a special snowflake, blah blah but then (plot twist!) he falls in love with another Jedi, and they have a clandestine affair until she gets pregnant with their baby. Now, we all know Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments blah blah, but they never explore what happens if you did, so it could be an interesting way to explore that idea. So, the female Jedi (which really shouldn’t we get some female Jedis by now? Seriously?) refuses to tell the council who the father is, and she gets banished, without Anakin being aware of it until it’s already over. She dies in childbirth, totally not the Jedi’s fault, but Anakin doesn’t know that, and that’s why her children are taken away and given to other families. Anakin either finds out that Obi Wan took his children and that’s why they have their big battle where Obi chops his legs off and roasts the rest of him once he realizes that Anakin is the father and he’s so pissed at this point that he is going to try to kill him. See, I literally just pulled that out of nowhere and managed to shoe horn a lady Jedi (which this series badly needs, come on!) and no mention of midi-chlorians! Is it a perfect story, no, but does it contain no mention of trade negotiations and Jar Jar binks, yes!

#star wars #rdpr9 #jar jar binks #obi wan kenobi #retcon #the phantom menace #revenge of the sith #attack of the clones #personal essay #writing

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uwugenides · 7 years

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FACT FOR EACH STAR GO GO GO !!!!!!!!!! :D

⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️When I was little I dropped a can in the garbage on accident and my brother made me crawl in the trash can to get it back out and put it in the right thing.⭐️I have right duane's syndrome. It's a birth defect that makes it so I can't turn my right eye outwards, it stops in the middle and I see double when I try to do it.⭐️I once fell through bleachers from the very top, falling straight down, twenty(20) ft, and I hit five cross bars on my way to the ground. My life did flash before my eyes.⭐️Growing up I wanted to be the first female president. Now I'm a trans man and I hate the government.⭐️I always wanted a husky (I was a wolf and tiger kid) and I got one two years ago and I love her. Her name is Ember.⭐️uhhhhh,,,,,,,, I'm autistic, well specifically I have aspergers⭐️I think you gave me too many stars ⭐️I love space but if I think about the laws of time and space I get too existential and dissociate for hours⭐️I'm having trouble thinking up new facts. F u my friend⭐️I've never been in a play or musical where I didn't have a speaking part⭐️In theatre I played this kid who is two feet taller than me and has non-stop freckled' older brother, so that was fun⭐️How am I supposed to do this without feeling self-centered??? Is that a fact?⭐️I always start writing stories and never finish them.⭐️I have some fucked yo dreams that I will never tell to a single person⭐️Moana is my favorite animated movie, only second to Road to El Dorado⭐️I type like this n lke this n vvvv much like this,,,⭐️I'm watching America's Got Talent right now and it always manages to restore my faith in humanity⭐️also the dancing pumpkin man from that old meme is on America's Got Talent and I love him⭐️I feel so small and then I feel so big and it is weird⭐️I love anyone who messages me, any message or ask. Even hate stuff, like thamknyoi, you took the time to think about me, even if its death wishes, you thought about me⭐️I love doing scary makeup⭐️fucked up shit and horror is my thing, but I can't watch horror movies alone⭐️I used to be really into werewolves and stuff when I first got on the internet and I guess you couldve considered me a furry⭐️I'm in love with my boyfriend⭐️did I mention I love my boyfriend⭐️that doctor who band that was called like Chameleon something??? Idk but they made really good songs. Check them out you guys⭐️COMEDY IS GREAT, FUNNY PEOPLE CAN FUCK ME UP⭐️I'm into dark comedy, but not insensitive comedy. Your racist jokes aren't funny, Barbara.⭐️I love tamale pie. If you haven't had tamale pie you need to have it.⭐️tamale pie and cornbread are the best⭐️sushi is really good⭐️my old choir teacher sang opera and was professionally trained in it.⭐️we had a karaoke day once and he sang karaoke opera for everyone. I'm p sure it was Italian too⭐️we had three foreign exchange students last year at my old school, one from South Korea, one from Finland, and one from Switzerland.⭐️a kid from my school spent part of her year as a foreign exchange student in Spain and when she came back she brought three girls from Spain with her and they cursed a lot⭐️I feel guilty about practically everything I've ever done in my life⭐️SO MANY STARS⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️the Ghostbusters reboot is a very good movie⭐️I want to go to COS (college of the siskiyous) and then transfer to SOU (Southern Oregon University) so hey, hit me up⭐️one is the loneliest number that you ever did see⭐️I'm sad 24/7 but sometimes that sadness comes across as comedy and that the only reason people like me⭐️I'm a minor⭐️I'm hot as fuck, get on my level twunk⭐️I hate terfs⭐️I want to be so rich that if I wanted to I could pay for everyone in the entire North America and South America to have enough food for three square meals a day⭐️i own a hat that says "black lives matter" and I've gotten ripped off my head more than once while riding my bus home⭐️I have a slight hitchhikers thumb⭐️I was born with brown hair but by the time I was two months old my hair was white⭐️I have owned four(4) rats, two(2) rabbits, seven(7) cats, two(2) guinea pigs, five(5) dogs, and one(1) hamster named Eddie.⭐️I am a self-taught horse-rider⭐️I have been to two(2) rodeos.⭐️I have asthma⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️so I love my boyfriend⭐️I chew on ice⭐️I order snow cones without any flavoring⭐️snow cones without any flavoring are cheaper⭐️SO MANY STARS⭐️I could've gotten more asks by now and I wouldn't know because I'm answering your stars⭐️I cry too easily⭐️I pass surprisingly well for being a trans guy who has not started T⭐️my family once sat at the dinner table on thanksgiving talking about how my mom had the right to hit me and I would not be allowed to defend myself⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I didn't know my dad was alive for the first twelve years of my life aside from the fact that we got the occasional eleven(11) dollar child support⭐️I love dogs⭐️I love cats ⭐️I love birds⭐️I love lizards⭐️I love snakes⭐️I love rats⭐️I love mice⭐️I love fish⭐️that guy on YouTube, Coyote Peterson is my goals as a person. If I could just live as a guy who goes around and finds wildlife I would never ask for another thing in my life⭐️I've recently started playing Pokémon Go again. It's fun⭐️my first Pokémon was a pikachu⭐️I've already traded my first Pokémon for more candies because I'm vain and want to be the very best⭐️I used to be a compulsive liars and would spend hours at night crying because I thought I was a horrible person for it. I was seven(7) at the time.⭐️I'm a trans⭐️koala bears are actively not helping themselves stay alive, not a fact about me, just a fact I like.⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I just got a new kitten named Periwinkle Blue⭐️if I die before I travel to at least one(1) foreign country I will have died a sad man⭐️my great grandpa was Jewish and I carry a lot of that culture and its traditions down with me, despite not actually considering myself part of the religion.⭐️I'm a descendant of the Karuk tribe which is located in Northern California. I speak very little Karuk but it's a very pretty language!⭐️I'm also Irish, German, and as mentioned above (or alluded to at least) Hebrew.⭐️I'm white passing as far as my Native American roots go, and trust me, it is awkward being the whitest person at the tribal meetings.⭐️my birthname was the same name my great grandmother had, but is spelt in the newer form, not the Hebrew translated English form.⭐️I live in a very country oriented town. Everyone owns a cow. Or a pig. I almost owned a pig once.⭐️a lot of people say I'm not actually a trans guy because I was too much of an outstanding girl⭐️my insurance won't cover my top surgery⭐️I work as a dishwasher and it sucks ass⭐️I want to quit my job⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I went vegetarian for two weeks and then caved for a bag of salami someone left on the counter⭐️I drink at least one(1) Pepsi zero a day⭐️the first website I ever roleplayed on was QuoteV.com⭐️my mom just brought me a Fitbit that she got for me. What does this mean?⭐️I'm technically overweight yet look like the average "healthy" body.⭐️I have Mono⭐️I had lice in second(2) grade and lost many of my beloved stuffed animals because of that⭐️because of trauma I regress on occasion and my YouTube watch history is always interesting when that happens.⭐️I have extremely bad anxiety and don't even realize it half the time⭐️Jimmy Fallon is better than Jimmy Kimmel⭐️I once played a union soldier in a civil war reenactment held by a traveling group of reenactors and trust me, they do not mess around. If you've ever been in something like that you know that they are practically in character 24/7⭐️I love little kids but feel like I'm horrible with babies⭐️I fear I'll be a horrible parent and make my child feel the way my mom makes me feel⭐️I tried to get myself emancipated once and sadly failed as I'd gone through with a Or of the process before someone told me I wasn't old enough yet.⭐️stars are dying balls of gas⭐️I love my boyfriend ⭐️ SO MANY FUCKING STARS JESUS HAROLD CHRIST⭐️The H in Jesus H Christ stands for Harold, I looked it up once.⭐️I don't kinkshame but people should be a bit more conscious of what they do in general public access places.⭐️I've been in two(2) abusive relationships⭐️I take a lot of meds⭐️I might start T this year or next year⭐️I want top surgery before I graduate high school or the summer before I go to college⭐️I relate to Tony Stark as a person way to much⭐️I hate when the Hulk is only Hulk and never Bruce Banner⭐️I'm pretty self-confident most the time⭐️I've brought a blanket with me to school on more than one(1) occasion.⭐️I'm naturally a night owl and sleep better when sleeping during the day⭐️I take commissions for my art and you should commission me.⭐️currently I own three(3) dogs and two(2) cats. Mattie, the German shorthair mix, Ember the Alaskan/Siberian husky mix, and Memphis the purebred Doberman pinscher. One(1) adult cat named Freckles and one(1) kitten named Periwinkle Blue.⭐️I love video games.⭐️I love theories. Let's talk theories all day. Any theory, let's talk.⭐️I love talking about sociology and social expectations that aren't realized.⭐️I love collecting odd knick-knacks. I have many weird artifacts around my room, gathered by me or my yard-sale enthusiast grandpa.⭐️I hate Donald Drumpf.⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I hope my boyfriend loves me⭐️the best animated characters to ever exist are Jesse, James, and Meowth from Pokemon.⭐️I'm taking PE independently at my new school⭐️I love singing and acting but I worry that I'm the person that is really bad at it and no one will tell me⭐️I also love doing special effects makeup⭐️sculpting is great fun⭐️I'll be going to the San Francisco comic con this September so if you're there come see me⭐️I'm going to be Dipper for comic con and my boyfriend is going to be Bill Cipher⭐️Arya from Game of Thrones is the best young actress I've ever seen⭐️then again she's not actually that young⭐️I once got stung by a scorpion while being inside my own home on my own bed⭐️till I was like seven(7) I had to share a room with my mom because we didn't have a house big enough for me to sleep anywhere else⭐️my dog Mattie's fullname is Calamity Anastasia Strelow⭐️at the school I used to attend a kid dressed up as a "tr*nny" for Halloween and wasn't told to take off his costume till someone who wasn't trans and out at the school complained and that took me begging my friend.⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I'm Bigfoot and my boyfriend is Mothman⭐️Atomic Blond looks like a really good movie⭐️my first(1) two(2) rats were named Loulou and Pepper⭐️my rabbits were Midnight and Petals.⭐️my hamster was a Russian dwarf hamster and he ended up being eaten by my cat Bobby Joe who was eaten by a mountain lion from the local area⭐️a bear has been seen on my old elementary school's campus five(5) times in my lifetime⭐️wolves were once seen by the only starbucks in my town which was only opened up last year⭐️I live in a major gold mining area and I5 runs right through the town next to mine which is practically where I live⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I've had a full body massage once(1) in my life and let me tell you, you haven't lived till you've had your butt massaged⭐️I've taken like three(3) different classes for martial arts and never really followed through with any of them⭐️I've only been bitten by one dog in my entire life and it was completely my fault⭐️this post is too long Jesus fuck⭐️why⭐️the emoji movie doesn't actually look that bad in my opinion⭐️Despicable Me3(three) was actually a really good movie.⭐️I hate bad acting but I respect the effort⭐️every sibling I have is a half-sibling⭐️I'm a horrible person⭐️but I'm also the only good person alive aside from my friends and boyfriend so I'm conflicted ⭐️The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo is a must see by anyone who considers them self part of the LGBTQ+ community⭐️I don't consider queer a slur personally but I understand the history of it and I never have and never will use it to describe someone or a group of people without their explicit permission⭐️before I came out as a trans guy I thought I was gebderfluid⭐️Chase Ross is an awesome guy⭐️I feel like I look like Ronan from The Raven Cycle with my new haircut, but I always pictured him with a darker complexion so idk⭐️I hate Caitlin Jenner as a person, but not for her gender identity in and of itself.⭐️my phone is getting very warm⭐️these stars are horribly shaded⭐️I love being trans and don't regret it at all⭐️my husky is probably my favorite dog so far⭐️TOO MANY STARS⭐️I don't know anythinh⭐️I'm actually a robot and this is all a lie⭐️I want to be a popular blogger or like a YouTube or something but hhhhnnnnnggg⭐️I'm really into literature and English and history and everything about all of that⭐️I made my signature while scribbling and realized a particular scribble looked like my initials⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I watch too many shows ⭐️I want to be a teacher kind of⭐️I want a better job⭐️I want to be who I see in the mirror when I've got all thecright clothes on and I'm feeling confident ⭐️I want to be a better person⭐️I want to be amazing⭐️I want to be a good human being⭐️I want to be special⭐️I want to be good enough⭐️I want to be happy⭐️I want to be healthy⭐️I want to be happy with who I am⭐️I want to be me⭐️I want to be cool⭐️I want to realize that I can be all this things if I just let myself⭐️I want to kiss John Boyega⭐️I want to hug Chris Pratt⭐️I want to smile the way I smile when I see my boyfriend⭐️I love my boyfriend⭐️I want more scars⭐️I want to be more adventurous⭐️I want to be a great person⭐️I want to live a good life⭐️I want Drumpf to resign⭐️I want to be famous⭐️I want to be immortal for all the good and bad it brings⭐️I want to be good⭐️I want to be happy⭐️I want this to end⭐️I love my boyfriend

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somepoorsod · 7 years

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Akhilleus & Patroklos; or, this post won’t be very popular

One of those vague posts I make every so often where I know I have a reaction to something, and have clues as to why, but haven’t actually explored then. So I start typing and hopefully find out, my thoughts being forced to organise themselves by being written down and by me looking things up which I only recollect in the general sense. This is for catharsis and self-exploration, and is necessarily opinionated and subjective. It is directed at me, not anyone who happens to post about this topic, so please don’t feel called out. (That said, you are absolutely and entirely free to not enjoy it, to disagree, and to argue with me, and it may well be that you do so). I have no doubt that by the time I’m finished it will have raised the spectre of elitism thoroughly. I will promise no homophobia, though, at least consciously.

So, why does something twitch within me, causing the screeching sound of nails on a blackboard, when I see yet another ‘Akhilleus and Patroklos were the truest bestest love ever’ and ‘The Iliad is being CENSORED’ post go crawling across my dash?

A) The Song of Achilles. This was neatly described (by someone who has since deleted the post, so I shan’t name them) as turning a ‘morally complex war story into twee teen porno fanfic’ and, my word, does it grate on me when people mistake the story and characterisation of the second for what goes on in the first. I am a fervent admirer of the Iliad in all its depth, and while TSOA is perfectly good as twee teen porn and has at least some merits in the re-interpretation arena, it really isn’t reflective of the epic.

B) Fundamentally, in the Iliad, both Patroklos and Akhilleus sleep with women and don’t sleep with each other.1 They don’t kiss each other. Frankly, until he’s dead, Akhilleus barely manages to show any affection for Patroklos at all, platonic or otherwise. The last conversation they have begins as a shouting match in which Akhilleus calls Patroklos a cowering girl and is told he’s a psychopath in return,2 and then goes on to demand Patroklos not actually defeat the Trojans because Akhilleus is still waiting until the Greeks are even more screwed to intervene and to be hailed as the glorious saviour.3 It is absolutely true that other Greek writers and artists (re-)interpreted their relationship as romantic, but reading that into the Iliad itself gets my goat up. I won’t go so far as to say it’s indefensibly wrong, but I think it is indubitably subjective, and would even say you have to stretch for it. Therefore, absolute statements which specifically invoke the Iliad (clashing with my own subjective interpretation of the epic) irk me. Furthermore, we have the Iliad, in which the two characters are actually explored to this extent, and we don’t have Aiskhylos’ trilogy which actually made an explicit romantic relationship out of their bond, nor really any other full work of literature which took that tack. It bothers me when so much actual text is brushed aside in favour of what people just want to happen. It feels terribly ... lazy.

C) Briseis. Oh, you poor woman. Her role gets annihilated by almost any discussion which has the hots for the Akhilleus/Patroklos pair. She’s intrusive and threatening to the ship, and therefore has to be ignored or dismissed. And that sucks. Homer writes some great female characters in the Iliad - Helen probably above all, but also Andromakhe, Hera, Athene, and others. Briseis doesn’t match them, I think, but she deserves some bloody consideration, deserves a chance. I have no desire to co-operate with the longstanding patriarchal erasure of women from mythos and the simplification of epic to MANLY MEN FIGHT MANLYLYLY. Ovid did not write the Heroides for this. It also makes the emotional milieu for Akhilleus’ decisions in 1, 9, 16, 19, and 24 significantly less complex if you immediately deride the idea that he actually cares for Briseis. Working that out, and how much it dominates him - compared to e.g. his offended pride, or his dissatisfaction with the whole timē/geras culture - is a really interesting question, which deserves attention. Akhilleus gives a powerful little speech about how Briseis is his “heart’s beloved” 4 - in spite of all that conspires against it - like Helen is to Menelaus, which one should not just disregard because it fails to fit the headcanon.

D) The stupid, cursed arguments we’ve inherited from the ancients about the erastes and eromenos. Partly because it’s such a hideous projection of classical Athenian cultural mores and sterotypes onto a text that doesn’t fit it. Akhilleus may be younger5 (*cough*, TSOA) but he’s also old enough to have a shaggy chest.6 He doesn’t fit the eromenos role either, and jamming him into that pigeonhole is, I think, just another part of how Phaedros is portrayed as a bit of an idiot in the Symposion. Partly, because it’s also a hideous projection of modern cultural sterotypes on a text that doesn’t fit it - and far too often I feel like I’m seeing this from people who were introduced to gay men via the artificial, exaggerated idea of uke and seme in Japanese porn and continue to see things, even want to see things, through that particular lens.

E) Not unrelatedly - and this also goes back to the TSOA point - the fulfilling of the impulsive human categorisation demand. The manifestation here being one that always frustrates me in media: a requirement that people with a strong emotional bond must be romantically related if they’re of anything like a similar age and aren’t blood related. (Patroklos and Akhilleus are, of course, pretty close blood relations, being first cousins once removed, but this is swept under the rug most of the time). To me, this cheapens how strong bonds of actual friendship are, and diminishes the emotional range and depth available to be portrayed and found in a work. Do you know how bloody pleased I was that Mako and Raleigh didn’t kiss at the end of Pacific Rim when all my expectations were that it was coming with an absolute inevitability? (There is a similar syndrome afflicting Hektor and Akhilleus whereby, because they’re rivals, the Trojan hero must be the next best fighter on the battlefield - despite the fact that Homer is actually doing all sorts of interesting things with Telamonian Aias as an Akhilleus cipher that get completely rolled over by that wretchedly simplistic idea).7

F) English. In more depth, there are (unavoidable) problems with people working from translation. For example, Lattimore’s 18.81-2 renders ‘τὸν ἐγὼ περὶ πάντων τῖον ἑταίρων, ἶσον ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ’ as ‘whom I loved beyond all other companions, as well as my own life’. Which I think is reasonably fair in that emotional context, though there is perhaps needless ambiguity in making ‘ ἶσον’ ‘as well as’. Yet the number of people who jump on this as a declaration of confirmed romantic intent, when the Greek τίω is fundamentally ‘I value’ being translated in a powerful way, frustrates me deeply. τίω is so frequently mercantile in the Iliad,8 to the extent that I think it’s even fair for someone uncharitable to continue to read an unconscious self-centredness into Akhilleus here and take it as Patroklos being more beneficial for Akhilleus than anyone else was. And yet this act of sensitive translation has led people to assume we have steaming eros and nightly rogering sessions going on. It can’t be helped, but it’s still wrong.

1 αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς εὗδε μυχῷ κλισίης εὐπήκτου: τῷ δ᾽ ἄρα παρκατέλεκτο γυνή, τὴν Λεσβόθεν ἦγε, Φόρβαντος θυγάτηρ Διομήδη καλλιπάρῃος. Πάτροκλος δ᾽ ἑτέρωθεν ἐλέξατο: πὰρ δ᾽ ἄρα καὶ τῷ Ἶφις ἐΰζωνος, τήν οἱ πόρε δῖος Ἀχιλλεὺς Σκῦρον ἑλὼν αἰπεῖαν Ἐνυῆος πτολίεθρον.

But Akhilleus slept in the farthest corner of the well-built hut; and a woman laid down there with him, one he had brought from Lesbos - Diomede with her beautiful cheeks, daughter of Phorbas. And on its opposite side, Patroklos laid down; and another slept with him - Iphis of the lovely girdle, one whom godlike Akhilleus provided him after he conquered steep Skyros, the citadel of Enyeus. (Il. 9.663-669) ↩

2 16.1-35, which I translated here. ↩

3 μὴ σύ γ᾽ ἄνευθεν ἐμεῖο λιλαίεσθαι πολεμίζειν Τρωσὶ φιλοπτολέμοισιν: ἀτιμότερον δέ με θήσεις:

Don't be eager to fight without me against the warloving Trojans: you will make me less honoured. (Il. 16.89-90) ↩

4 … τί δὲ λαὸν ἀνήγαγεν ἐνθάδ᾽ ἀγείρας Ἀτρεΐδης; ἦ οὐχ Ἑλένης ἕνεκ᾽ ἠϋκόμοιο; ἦ μοῦνοι φιλέουσ᾽ ἀλόχους μερόπων ἀνθρώπων Ἀτρεΐδαι; ἐπεὶ ὅς τις ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἐχέφρων τὴν αὐτοῦ φιλέει καὶ κήδεται, ὡς καὶ ἐγὼ τὴν ἐκ θυμοῦ φίλεον δουρικτητήν περ ἐοῦσαν.

… Why has he lead his summoned warhost here, that son of Atreus? Was it not for the sake of Helen and her fair hair? Or do they alone among mortal men love their wives, these sons of Atreus? Hardly: any good and sensible man loves his woman and cares for her, as I too did for her, my heart’s beloved, though she had been merely the slave won by my spear. (Il. 9.338-343) ↩

5 τέκνον ἐμὸν γενεῇ μὲν ὑπέρτερός ἐστιν Ἀχιλλεύς, πρεσβύτερος δὲ σύ ἐσσι

“My child, it may be that Akhilleus is your better, but you are the elder." (Il. 9.586-7) ↩

6 στήθεσσιν λασίοισι e.g. as in 1.189. ↩

7 Seriously, this is practically the entire point of Book 7. ↩

8 It most frequently appears in 23, to equate all the prizes Akhilleus is giving out with their equivalent in cattle. See, e.g., 23.702-5:

τῷ μὲν νικήσαντι μέγαν τρίποδ᾽ ἐμπυριβήτην, τὸν δὲ δυωδεκάβοιον ἐνὶ σφίσι τῖον Ἀχαιοί: ἀνδρὶ δὲ νικηθέντι γυναῖκ᾽ ἐς μέσσον ἔθηκε, πολλὰ δ᾽ ἐπίστατο ἔργα, τίον δέ ἑ τεσσαράβοιον.

For the victor, a great tripod made to put over the fire, which the Akhaians valued among themselves at twelve oxen; for the defeated man, he put up as a prize a woman, skilled in many kinds of work, whom they valued at four oxen. ↩

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